Asian Recipes and Cooking Guide

Cooking Tips, Kitchen Skills and Recipes.....

Chilies are an indispensable ingredient of a hot Madras curry. After long, gently simmering, they merge with the other flavorings to give a delectable result. The curry should be fairly dry, but take care that it does not catch on the base of the pan. If you need to leave it unattended, cook it in a heavy pan. Alternatively, cook it in a flameproof casserole, in an oven preheated to 180^oC/350^oF/Gas 4. Also offer a little mango chutney, if you like, and if you want to cool the heat, a bowl of yogurt raita would be great. For variation, you can also serve plain boiled rice with this curry.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

30 ml/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

25 g/1 oz/2 tablespoons ghee or butter

675 g/1.5 lb stewing beef, cut into bitesize cubes

1 onion, chopped

3 green cardamom pods

2 fresh green chilies, seeded and finely chopped

2.5 cm/1 in piece of fresh root ginger, grated (shredded)

2 garlic cloves, crushed

15 ml/1 tablespoon Madras curry paste

5 ml/1 teaspoon ground cumin

5 ml/1 teaspoon coriander

150 ml/0.25 pint beef stock

Salt to taste

For the Rice:

225 g/8 oz/generous 1 cup basmati rice

15 ml/1 tablespoon sunflower oil

25 g/1 oz/2 tablespoons ghee or butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

5 ml/1 teaspoon ground cumin

2.5 ml/0.5 teaspoon ground coriander

4 green cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced

300 ml/0.5 pint/1.25 cups chicken stock

Method:

Heat half the oil with half the ghee or butter in a large, shallow pan. Fry the meat, in batches if necessary, until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Heat the remaining oil and ghee or butter and fry the onion for about 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the cardamom pods and fry for 1 minute, then stir in the chilies, ginger and garlic, and fry for 2 minutes more.

Stir in the curry paste, ground cumin and coriander, then return the meat to the pan. Stir in the stock. Season with salt, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer very gently for 1-1.5 hours or until the meat is tender.

When the curry is almost ready, prepare the rice. Put it in a bowl and pour over boiling water to cover. Set aside for 10 minutes, then drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. The rice will still be uncooked but should have lost its brittleness.

Heat the oil and ghee or butter in a flameproof casserole and fry the onion and garlic gently for 3-4 minutes until softened and lightly browned. Stir in the ground cumin and coriander, green cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Fry for 1 minute, then add the diced peppers.

Add the rice, stirring to coat the grains in the spice mixture, and pour in the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan tightly and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed. Spoon into a bowl and serve with the curry.

Happy Cooking,

Carol