Cooking Tips for Great Curries

 

1. Basmati rice

Use basmati rice for your curries. If you wash or rinse your rice before cooking it will remove most of the starch dust to prevent the rice from being sticky. However, if like us you like your rice sticky, just leave this step out.

 

2. Grinding the spices

You can use a spice grinder, mortar and pestle or even a coffee grinder! The spices need to be ground to a powder; husks left over are harmless to eat and can be left in or thrown out.

 

3. Marinate

You can marinate your curry for an hour, or even overnight if you like to prepare the day before. However, if you're short of time don't worry about marinating - you'll still end up with a delicious curry.

 

4. Taste as you cook

Taste as you cook. Hold off with one of those chillies - if you're not sure you can always put it in later. Same with the water, hold back a little knowing it can be added later if necessary.

 

5. Root vegetables

Always a good addition. Kumara is great, potatoes and carrots too. Leave them out until the meat is cooked then simmer until the veggies are tender. Cauliflower is a classic choice for Indian curries.

 

6. Condiments

Make your curry a feast with side dishes. Poppadoms and raita are easy. Raita is natural (unsweetened) yoghurt with finely chopped tomato and cucumber. Even just the yoghurt by itself is good. The yoghurt contrasts with the flavours of the curry and takes the heat off.

 

7. Slow cooker

To make preparing your curry even easier, put all your ingredients into your slow cooker and let it do its thing. We find this works really well with the Beef Vindaloo.

 

8. Some like it hot

Some like it hot, some do not... You can leave the second and/or third chilli out until the meat is cooked. Divide the curry into two pots and spice one up with the remaining chilli. Remember to taste as you go.