Recipe: Spicy Turkey and Peanut Casserole

The sequence of a life form braised in the sand, soaking up the thirst of the land

Turkey And Peanut Casserole

You may be sick of the sight of turkey at the moment, but if you have ever felt challenged by how to tenderise the most difficult bird on this planet, this recipe demonstrates how it is done.  We have even used the breast.  If you are on a budget at the moment (turkey is cheaper than chicken) and you want to eat lean meat, then this winter casserole is just the ticket.  On Sundays, when we have time, it is great to prepare a dish which is slightly more involved.  On weekdays, we try to spend no more thirty minutes on cooking.  Our casserole takes about 25 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.  Therefore, we would recommend it for weekend preparation.  It can also be made in advance and be kept refrigerated for up to 48 hours.  We would not recommend short-cutting on braising the turkey, as that is how the meat softens and soaks up the stock's lovely flavousr.  Why deep fry the nuts?  Try one after and you will taste the difference.  Doing so makes the peanuts' flavour pop and therefore your casserole becomes exponentially richer.  Patience dear readers.

Our casserole is spectacularly yummy.  The turkey was so tender and the peanut sauce was spicy and had a flavoursome kick.  We made two batches (although below is for two persons as always).  I will be counting down the days until when we can demolish the second serving!

Ingredients

• 400g lean turkey breast meat cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
• 1 fresh chilli, finely chopped
• 2 tsp tomato purée
• 140ml chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cardamom pod
• Salt and pepper
• 110g shelled unsalted peanuts
• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• 1 small green pepper, seeded and diced
• pinch cayenne pepper

1. In a deep flameproof casserole, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and add the onion, garlic and chilli. Cook on a medium to low heat for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft.
2. Add the diced turkey and turn the heat up so that it can brown evenly. Stir frequently to ensure the onion mixture is coating the meat evenly.
3. After about 5 minutes add the tomato puree, bay leaves and press the cardamom pods with the side of a knife so they spilt open before you add them to the mixture. Stir well and then stir in the stock, bring it to the boil.
4. Let it boil for about a minute before turning the heat to a minimum and place a lid to let it simmer for 40 minutes.
5. Whilst the meat is simmering in the stock, take 150g of the peanuts and deep fry in the vegetable oil for 5 minutes until they are a deep and golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper and try to remove as much excess oil as possible.
6. After the meat has been simmering for 40 minutes, remove from the heat. Use a ladle to remove 250ml of the cooking liquid and pout into a blender with the deep fried peanuts. Blend until you have a thick paste.
7. Return the casserole to a low heat and stir in the peanut paste until all the meat is evenly coated.
8. In a frying pan heat 1 tbsp of the oil and fry the remainder of the peanuts with the diced peppers. Add the cayenne pepper with a little salt and black pepper to taste until the peanuts start to brown and make a popping sound.
9. Serve the casserole on a bed of rice and sprinkle the peppers peanut mix on top

Recipe: Spiced Beef and Cashew One-Pot

Dirty cashew want you dirty cashew need you oh

We were supposed to be enjoying ourselves in South London at a friend's 30th birthday party.  Instead we have been snowed in and have been forced to pull together a one pot emergency meal.  One pot says to us winter warming dish.  The casserole requires patience to extract creaminess from yoghurt.  The trick is to add a tablespoon at a time.  All good things come to those who wait.  This dish can be made and frozen.  Just remember to reserve the yoghurt and cashews to add later once defrosted. 

Ingredients:

• 500g  Fillet Steak, cubed
• 2oz  Unsalted cashew Nuts
• 3 Cardamon pods
• 2 Whole cloves
• 1 tsp Coriander seeds
• 1/2 inch Fresh root ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 100ml Yoghurt
• 75ml Low fat créme fraiche
• 1 tbsp Vegertable oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 Celery sticks, hopped into small piece
• 1 tsp turmeric
• Seasoning to taste

Method:

1. Place half the cashews and half the yoghurt, créme fraîche (reserve 3 tbsp), coriander, cardamom pods, cloves, ginger and garlic into a blender and whizz.
2. Fry the onion until translucent.
3. Add the celery and turmeric and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Add the beef a little at the time to ensure it browns properly.  Once all the beef is added, let it cook for a further few minutes.
5. Turn down the heat and add the spice and yoghurt blend.
6. After a few minutes begin to add the yoghurt a table spoonful at a time.
7. Cook on a low heat for about an hour.  add a bit of water if it starts to dry.
8. Pan fry the cashews with a little oil.
9. Drizzle the reserved yoghurt and scatter the cashews.

Serve with long grain rice… oh and a glass of Chianti… of course.

Related posts

• Recipe: Beef And Pumpkin Massaman Curry
• Recipe: UK National Curry Week. Kingly Lamb Korma, a kingly curry!
• Viennese Goulash with Traditional Bread Dumplings

Review: I Love Curry by Anjum Anand

People of the world, spice up your life

Ever since I was a child I was fascinated by cook books. I could spend hours flicking through recipe books salivating over pages of blancmanges, vol au vents and varieties of en croutes (it was the '80s folks give me break). What is more I still do.  Yet when we were faced with reviewing Anjum Anand's lates recipe book “I Love Curry”, it raised an interesting question, what makes a recipe book good? With these factors in mind, we wanted to know if Anjum's book was good.

We decided that a recipe book can not be all things to all men. It has to fulfil a pre-defined criteria.  Then one has to ask, did she achieve her goal?

prawn mild curry with cashew nuts

Background of the chef
Anjum Anand or the “Nigella of Indian cuisine in Britain” (who came up with that?), is completely in tune with our healthy cooking ethos.  Brought up in London, she has also lived in Europe and worked in the US. Her passion is creating healthy, delicious and stylish Indian dishes in the home.  She has also had a noteworthy stint on TV.

Does Anjum own a restaurant?
No

Is the Book Themed?
The format of the book is in keeping with a classic cook book; canapé style starter, vegetarian, meat and fish curries in the main courses section and a number of accompaniments.

Tarka DahlWho is it for?
The book is for above average Indian curry lover cooks, who would like to create restaurant quality food in their home.  Interestingly, whilst Anjum's meals are healthy, there is no compromise on taste whatsoever, at least not in the five dishes we trialed.  Interestingly enough, Keith and I ate at Indali Lounge about a month ago and our friends were horrified that we were eating at a “healthy” Indian restaurant.  However, we do not understand that sentiment.  Food should be judged on flavour, aroma, presentation and texture, not on fat content. 

Bengali yoghurt fish

Uniqueness of the book
There are Indian cook books for the health conscious on the market, however none of them are as stylish or colourful, both aesthetically and in terms of content, as Anjum's. You can sense that there are no compromises in her recipes either in delivering a balanced meal or in authenticity.  We would have no issues in serving her recipes at a dinner party.

Aromatic rice pilafOur Experience
Keith has experimented with five dishes; Begali yoghurt fish, tarka  Dahl, aromatic rice pilaf, prawn mild curry with cashew nuts and lastly instant naan bread.  We have to say the fish, dahl and pilaf was absolutely fantastic.  I even told Keith it was the best curry he had ever made, which quite possibly insulted him, but it was so good it just slipped out.  Sorry Babes, I do love you.  The prawn curry was equally good in terms of flavour, but we had a bit of a fail as we used cocktail prawns which were not meaty enough.  It was still outstanding.  We had another second minor fail, as Keith forgot to add milk and yoghurt to the instant naan bread, which resulted in it turning into a bit of a Frisbee.  I still scoffed it down none the less.  

Instant Nann bread

On Sunday, when we were deciding which dishes to cook, there was a moment where we were literally flicking past every page as the recipes either seemed too involved or the spices seemed to inaccessible.  However, we chose the Bengali fish randomly and Keith went to our local supermarket and sourced all the ingredients fairly easily.  Despite, there being a “secrets to Indian Cooking” couple of pages and a spices 101, we would recommend this book for people who are comfortable with Indian cooking.  That said, panic not.  Anjum has graciously already published a book for the novice, Indian Food Made Easy.  Thumbs up.  It means you can still put this on your Christmas list, but add the other one as well.

Price of the book
Amazon £7.99

True to the authors ethos?
Definitely.

Related Posts:

• Review: Indali Lounge, Baker St. …the guilt free curry house?
• 10 essential for cooking an Indian curry at home

Review: Indali Lounge, Baker St. …the guilt free curry house?

He was sitting Indali Lounge of the Empire Hotel

We felt compelled to complete our week of posts on UK National Indian Curry week by reviewing a restaurant. It is freezing in London at the moment and a curry seemed just the ticket for warming us up. We decided we wanted to eat at a healthy Indian restaurant.  We found two, one of which was Indali Lounge in Baker Street. The principle and credo of the Indali Lounge is to avoid butter and ghee in their foods altogether.  We were eager to taste the results.   

We arrived a little early so that we could enjoy an aperitif in the bar, which looked quite appealing on-line.  Indeed it was chic and sleek, with sprays of lilac and Eastern influences.  I enjoyed the house champagne cocktail an Indali Royale, whilst Keith chose a Passion Mojito. Our cocktails were served with light poppadums and three types of chutneys, all of which were delicious; onion, mango and mint. 

The wine menu had a number of wines of good reputation a Gewürztraminer Pfaffenheim, Chateau-neuf du pape, Chablis.  However, the menu was safe and unambitious.  It would have been interesting to have had a choice of more experimental options.  We picked the Gewürztraminer Pfaffenheim, which of course in a perfect pairing with spice. 

For Starters I chose the Goa masala grilled prawns and Keith picked the Salmon in Kerala spice.  Both were fabulous.  You would not have an inkling that they were in any way low fat.  Keith’s salmon had been slow cooked (one of Indali’s many methods for retaining flavour) and the texture was amazing.  It was so soft it just melted on your tongue like ice-cream.  There was some heat in the spice coated around the salmon, but it was not overpowering.  My chunky prawns were also fabulous; Aromatic with just the correct amount of sweetness from the coconut. We were off to a good start. 

For our main courses I picked the Chicken Tikka and Keith went with the Old-Delhi Chicken kofta curry.  Both were fine  tasting, but we did feel there was room for improvement.  For example, the chicken tikka had all the correct flavours but was missing something in the consistency.  We debated whether Indali Lounge should have perhaps called it something different, but I will come to that. Keith’s koftas lacked texture and the sauce needed a kick.  The “naan” bread meanwhile was delicious.  It was oaty and fluffy.  

By dessert we were surprisingly stuffed, partly because we fell in love with the naan bread and when the waiter popped around with extra fresh hot bread, my weak willed nature kicked in, and I accepted an extra slice (or two).  We decided to share a dessert of Homemade Fresh Kalakand Mawa with Almond & Pistachio which is a North Indian traditional desert of milk pudding concentrate baked with ground almond flavoured with saffron and cardamom, served with a section of Kulfi.   The milk pudding was slightly too rich and sweet for our palates and the presentation was not great, but the Kulfi was fine and tasted of vanilla ice-cream. 

We love the Indali Lounge concept of healthy eating, because we know that with fresh ingredients, texture, consistency and carefully crafted flavours it is possible to achieve amazing results.  We believe that Indali Lounge has made a great start, one which we hope people will go and enjoy for themselves, if for no other reason than to have an opinion.  There are some areas which we think they could improve upon. 

Firstly, weirdly there is no dhansak on the menu.  This is strange.  A dhansak can be a great healthy curry with is packed with flavour and rich in texture and consistency. 

Secondly, rather than linking back to commonly known dish like the tikka, they chould perhaps consider creating standalone Indali Lounge signature dishes.  The fact that you constantly have this comparison in your mind, makes it harder to judge the curry for itself.  In this way, for example, the naan bread, could actually be called a flat bread, which is what it more closely resembled. 

Thirdly, where they lack taste through fat, they should concentrate on creating texture to their food.  For example Keith’s koftas were made of fine-ground chicken. Had they used minced meat, it would have added coarseness to the food and therefore more of a contrast to the sauce. 

We also felt that made they could cut back some of the sauce based curries and perhaps introduce sizzling or grilled dishes, which whilst healthy could also add some excitement to the menu. 

Lastly, the restaurant should work on show casing their food.  To that end, introducing a tasting menu of their signature dishes may be a great way of doing this. I walked away disappointed I had not had the opportunity to try more. 

We hope this does not sound like a negative review as we really loved the concept of Indali Lounge and would consider returning, especially through a health kick period.  We feel that even though they have been open for two years, they need further development to achieve excellence.  We love their philosophy and look forward to hearing more about their successes in the future.

View Larger Map

Related posts

• UK Curry Week: Original wine pairings to enjoy with your curry
• 10 Essentials for cooking an Indian Curry
• Recipe: UK National Curry Week. Kingly Lamb Korma, a kingly curry!

Recipe: 3 Way Pork Eastern Dim Sum Hors d’Oeuvres

Take it off (Dim Sum the Lights)

We had a root around the freezer this morning,  and discovered we had some lean pork mince.  Since it’s nearly canapé season we thought we would knock up 3 types of oriental hors d’oeuvres; the Pork and Prawn Thai Patties, Pork Steamed Chinese Dim Sum and Pork and Prawn Japanese Sesame Balls .  They are fun and easy to make.  The patties and balls can be prepared, cooked in advance and frozen.

For the Base Filling:

• 450g Lean pork, minced
• 3oz Mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 Carrot, small, finely chopped
• 4 Cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1.5 inches of ginger, finely chopped

For the patties / dim sum / balls:

• 2oz King prawns, coarsely chopped
• 1 green chilli, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 5 Spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp of mint, chopped
• 3 tbsp coriander, chopped
• 1 tbsp basil, chopped
• 2cm of fresh lemon grass, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• Zest of ½ lime
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp light sesame oil
• 1 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 1 tbsp dark soya sauce
• 1 egg, beaten
• White sesame seeds
• Oil spray

For the dough:

• 4 oz Flour, sifted
• 1 Egg
• 3 tsp of water

For the dip:

• 2tbsp dark soy sauce
• ½ tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp mirin
• 1 tsp chilli

Mix all of the base filling together in a large mixing bowl 

Method for the Pork and Prawn Thai Patties:

Take 1/3 of the base filling add half of the king prawns, 1/3 of the red and green chilli, mint, basil, lemon grass, half the coriander, sugar, lime zest and the fish sauce.

Divide into nine balls of equal size.  Slightly flatten each ball into a patty shape.

Lightly fry using sunflower oil spray until golden brown on both sides.

Method for the Chinese Dim Sum:

Take 1/3 of the base filling add the rest of the coriander, half of the spring onion, sesame oil and soya sauce.

Mix the dough ingredients together to form a ball.

Roll out the dough until very thin and then use a 3inch cutter to create dough circles.  You should be able to create about 12.

Spoon some of the mixture into the centre of the circle.

Brush the edges with water and then use your fingers to pinch the top together to form a dumpling shape.

Steam for 8 minutes. 

Method for the Pork and Prawn Sesame Balls:

Take 1/3 of the base filling and add the remainder of the spring onion, mirin and soya sauce.

Create between 6 and 8 balls

Coat in egg and then roll in sesame seeds

Lightly fry in a hot pan, ensuring they are cooked through 

Soya Chilli Dip

Combine all ingredients 

Serve with the Soya Chilli Dip and Thai sweet chilli dipping sauce.

We would recommend a Moscow Mule or Mojito as an aperitif.  Alternatively, refer to our blog post from yesterday to discover original wine pairing ideas for spicy foods

Related posts

• Review: Nuocmam, a Japanese / Vietnamese Restaurant in Central London with an unpronouncable name

UK Curry Week: Original wine pairings to enjoy with your curry

Sugar and spice and all things nice, kisses sweeter than wine

Think about Friday evenings after work.  Being at home.  Appraising your wine options.  Selecting. Uncorking. Pop.  Glug, glug, glug. Sip.  Heaven.  God we love wine.

There are many passions in our life.  One which we have not had an opportunity to write about in depth is our love of wine.  God we love wine. 

Today we attended An Around the World Wine Tasting event ay Vinopolis, in London Bridge.  Rather than walk around with our glass pointing at wine and saying “can we try the red?”, we thought since it is UK National Curry Week (21^st to the 27^th November), it would be interesting to investigate which wines paired well with spicy eastern foods, in particular Indian curries.  We wanted to avoid the contrived Riesling, Gerwurztraminer, Zinfandel options and investigate what else is out there.

The overwhelming consensus was that a wine pairing with spicy foods should either compliment or contrast.  Anything in the middle will get lost.  General advice was to avoid wines which were too tannic (therefore a full bodied red), or too sweet or dry.  Several of the stands, straight of the bat, mentioned rosés.  This is due to their light, fruity and demure nature.  In no particular order are the top seven wines which were recommended to us. The last two were quite good fun, so we threw them in for good measure.

Clos Poggiale, Corsica (white)

This Corsican wine is ideal with food of all sorts.  Its unusual weighty flavours, acidity and richness makes it robust enough to take on the mighty spice.

Stockists:  Tescos (when in stock), wineandco.co.uk £11.82

Vega de la Reina, Spain (white)

Apricot, aromatic and sweet, this wine naturally lends itself to spicy food.  We would recommend it with a prawn dhansak.

Stockists:  Fine Wine Sellers £7.99

Yalumba Barossa Bush Vine Grenache, Australia (red)

This versatile wine would be perfect with red or white meat and even fish. It has a beautiful crimson depth and the aroma of black fruits.  We loved the delicious, smooth and creamy texture commonplace in a Grenache.   This wine would be perfect at room temperature or even slightly chilled in the summer.

Stockists:  Majestics £8.99

Louis Roederer 2004, France

Vintage Champagne.  Nobody cares if it pairs well or not with spicy food.  No truly, sparkling wines do not lend themselves readily to spicy food.  If you were to do this correctly, then a sparkling rose bottle of fizz would suffice.  Now back to that vintage champagne…

Stockists:  TheDrinkShop.com £52.82

Durbanville Hills, Pintotage, South Africa (red)

We chatted to one the sommeliers at River Café, Emily O’Hare about our quest.  One of her recommendations was this sweet clove flavour wine.  We were warned that the smoky flavour of this wine can be quite overpowering.  However, she recommended pairing it with a spicy grilled or tandoor meat, which we agree would be perfect.

Stockists:  SAwinesonline.co.uk. A bargain at £6.99

Duc de Vendome, Saint Mont, France (white)

The fresh acidity of this white wine will cut through the heaviness of a spicy curry.  Whilst, the presence of exotic fruit and frail sweetness would also offset the heat.  This winery is actually located in the lesser known sub region of Gascony in south west France.

We will leave it to the experts to provide the detail.

Stockists:  Waitrose:£6.64

Chateau Civrac, France (red)

35% Mabec, 50% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, this brooding red is quite robust looking and tasting.  The tannin structure of the wine may appear to be unsuitable for spicy foods, but its richness would probably put up a good fight.

Stockists:  Commercial only

If you have the cash and are curious:

Theophile, France

This creepy sounding wine is one to watch out for we believe.  There is a lot to say about the strange name (Homage to the trend setting Theo champagne of the 1930s) and unusual art deco packaging.  The champagne is quite interesting.  As a sister champagne to Louis Roederer, this sparkling wine is hot off the press (wine press that it is).  It has only just (and we mean just), been released.  Pale in colour and with a subtle bouquet, this champagne is made of young Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines.  We believe this wine would make the perfect aperitif to accompany a wide selection of canapés.

Stockists:  Still an orphan in that it is looking for a stockist, but available at Simpsons on the Strand

Inniskillin Rielsling Icewine 2007 – Niagra Peninsula, Canada

A wine from Canada?  Yes folks.  The wine is naturally frozen on the vine and picked when the temperature drops to -10C.  Only a fraction of nectar is captured from the grapes, which is fermented into what is known as icewine.  The syrupy wine is similar to a Sauternes in some ways, except it is lighter and has an excitement to it.  Perfect with dessert, you could possibly find this wine too heavy with a rich pudding.  However, the heaviness of the wine would complement a blue veined cheese perfectly.  Strange, we know…

Stockists:  DrinksDirect.co.uk £54.94

God we love wine

10 Essentials for cooking an Indian Curry

Spice up your life

This week is National Curry Week in the UK (21^st to 27^th November) and yesterday we began our celebration by cooking a Shahi Korma (Kingly Lamb). To continue the theme we are sharing with you what in our opinion are the essential ingredients and kitchenware needed to prepare a whole host of curry dishes.  Keith aka “Penn and Teller” has reluctantly agreed to share this with you.  You would think he was a magician who has taken “the code” rather than an amateur chef.  Anyway, have fun and enjoy some improvised fun. Just add your favourite meat, fish or vegetable! 

1. Whole Spices

Whole spices are the best to use when flavouring your Indian dish. The main reason is they still have retained the majority of their oils and this is where spices get their flavour. To get the most out of whole spices, it is a good idea to "toast" them slightly in a hot frying pan with no oil. Transfer the toasted spices to a mortar and grind with a pestle. Alternatively you can use a coffee grinder which has the same effect.           

• Cumin seeds
• Coriander seeds
• Cardamom pods
• Cloves
• Fennel seeds
• Bay leaves
• Black pepper
• Saffron

2. Powdered Spices and condiments

There are some spices and condiments that are more convenient when used in their powdered form. When putting together a dish on a weekday evening for instance, it is not always practical to toast and grind everything, so the below are recommended items to have in powdered form.

• Cinnamon
• Ground cumin
• Ground coriander
• Ground turmeric
• Dried chilli powder or chilli flakes
• Salt
• White pepper

3. Grains, Lentils, Pulses and Nuts

There are many different flavours you can extract from the spices in Indian cooking but the texture of the food is also very important. Texture can be achieved through the different methods of cooking lentils and rice.

• Red and split pea lentils - forms the base of dhal dishes and adds a thickness and boldness to a dish
• Peanuts, cashews and almonds - add crunch, nuttiness and richness to dishes, whilst providing good oils.
• Basmati rice - Indian dishes are usually served with rice. Fragrant Basmati rice particularly absorbs flavours of cardamom, saffron and cloves to make a delicious pilau.

4. Other Ingredients

To be able to reach out to a whole host of flavours, how you use the ingredients will distinguish the overall taste of your dish.

• Sugar - use sugar as a sweetener to balance sour and salty flavours or enhance other sweet ingredients such as tomato
• Coconut milk - provides a creamy texture and a subtle sweet and nutty flavour
• Tamarind paste - adds a bitter sweet flavour to savoury dishes and chutneys
• Root ginger - used to enhance blends of spices and add subtle heat
• Onions or shallots - used as the base flavour and sweetens a dish
• Garlic - not only is it great mixed with butter and spread inside a sliced baguette (although it is the future, I've tasted it!). When cooked cloves can offer a subtle sweetness, compliment the aromas and flavours from onions.
• Plain low fat natural yoghurt - used in korma dishes to make them creamy, also adds a slightly tart flavour.  The tartness should be mellowed out by the onions and garlic or alternatively add a little sugar.
• Fresh chilies - adds heat to dishes
• Lemon and limes – the acidic flavour adds spark and excitement to dishes to awaken the taste buds

5. Groundnut or vegetable oil

It is best to use these oils as they are neutral and will not interfere with the spices and flavours.  We especially prefer these in place of ghee, the traditional fat used in curries.  Whilst ghee is fine to eat as a treat, it is very unhealthy and for everyday cooking you get the same effect by using the above mentioned oils. 

6. Food processor

Preparing curries from scratch can involve grinding, pummelling, chopping and shredding. When you are short on time we would recommend you invest in a compact processor / blender to shred minutes off your prep time. 

7. Pestle and mortar

As mentioned before, get the best out of using whole spices by toasting and then grinding with a pestle and mortar as this is the best way of exciting the oils and maximising the flavour. 

8. Dedicated saucepan with lid and heavy based

It is a luxury, but if you can invest in a dedicated heavy based pan to cook your curries in, it can help avoid contaminating other types of meals you make with the stronger and pungent spices 

9. Heavy bottomed frying pan or skillet

A lot of Indian food requires frying with strong spices in a pan so make sure you have something that's up to the task. 

10. A fine grater

This is a great way of mincing garlic, root ginger and zesting lemon and limes.

We wanted to help demystify the curry and encourage you to open your pantry rather than a jar from the supermarket!  Whilst this is not an exhaustive list it is a sound foundation and demonstrates a desire to invest time in learning how to cook Indian meals, as well as open doors into other Eastern cuisines. Please feel free to add your own comments below.

Related Posts

• Recipe: UK National Curry Week. Kingly Lamb Korma, a kingly curry!
• Recipe: Octopus Curry, An Authentic Taste of Seychelles
• Recipe: Beef and Pumpkin Massaman Curry