A Rendezvous with Curry in Alexandria

When red-hot photographer Alex Torres said, “When are you coming back to cook in our kitchen,” I jumped at the chance. What a golden opportunity to show that food could be both photographed and cooked and eaten without losing a whole night! Besides, I needed leftovers for lunch, because the Tuesday Lunch Bunch’s salad at work had run out. I needed to plan for my Wednesday.

My friend Avtar from England–formerly of Bristol, formerly of Manchester, formerly a resident of Kennington, about to be resident of Bolton; is a Punjabi whiz in the kitchen. He learned at the apron of his mum, aunties, and older sisters in Bradford. Second to the youngest, Avtar was a keen watcher. 

The result of all those years is this really cool dinner that he assembled on a visit to my house years ago. At that time, I had the temerity to watch him and take notes. I remember that I kept asking, “Is that a teaspoon or a tablespoon of garam masala.” And he was completely horrified, as if an old family recipe could be replicated in a cook book. The result of his culinary Harry Potter-like magic makes a fragrant, exotic orgasmia (What, is that a cross between well you know and a miasma???). You end up with a chaotic, flavorful, and aromatic dinner from a single complex source: Punjabi Curry Base.

This post  below highlights the concentrated paste-based origin of this dinner, and I’ll follow this post tomorrow with the magic of the most simple, outstanding Dal soup you’ll ever make. John and his incredibly rambunctious Jack Russell "Harlow" loved it so much, I couldn’t wrestle the remainder from his hands as I left for the night. 

The dal is truly ideal soup for work, it’s not only easy to eat at your desk, but also provides a zesty, zippy cilantro and lemon flavour burst out of what is basically boiled beans. But that’s for another post.

Let’s get down to brass tacks 

Punjabi Curry Base

2 large chopped onions

1 head of garlic or 6-8 large, powerfully fragrant and sticky cloves (finely chop with about 1t salt)

2-4 medium to hot chilis (finely chopped)

1 1/2″-3″ of ginger (finely chopped)

1 large can of diced tomatoes

3 T ghee or corn oil

a couple of good fistfuls of fragrant cilantro leaves finely chopped

1 1/2 t turmeric

2 t garam masala

1. Fry the onions in the ghee or oil until they turn golden brown.
2. Turn the heat down by half and had the garlic; keep stirring as it will have a tendency to stick until the garlic just starts to turn golden at the edges.
3. Throw in the chopped green chilies, tumeric, and ginger, on medium heat so the turmeric darkens for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Throw in the chopped tomatoes and finely chopped coriander.
5. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes; this lets all the flavours infuse and thickens the sauce.
6. The very last thing is to add the garam masala to taste, turn the heat right down and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Freezing the Curry Base for the Next Time

The base is made, now you can use immediately or freeze for use later. The stuff seems to last forever in the freezer. Keep in mind, all Indian dishes that are stewed seem to taste remarkably better if you make them the day prior. I recommend letting your stewed chicken sit overnight on the stove. Next evening, you can bring the dish at room temperature to work and reheat in the microwave or in a friend’s oven at 375 for 20 minutes or on the stove on low simmer.

Chicken Curry

Clean and then pat dry with paper towels 4-8 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on). With the chicken browning fat-side down, allow the chicken to cook in the fat of its own skin, Deglaze the pan with some chicken broth or water to avoid burning. Make sure the thighs are fully browned, then take
2/3 c of the curry base above add in 1 can of coconut milk. Stir with 1/4 c chicken broth or water (after the chicken has cooked through, you may want to thicken by putting 2 t of cornstarch in 1/4 c cold water or broth and stir in slowly, again until you get the consistency you want). In the last five minutes, add in 1-2 c of petit pois or toss in chopped, quick-fried spinach for color.

Serve with Avtar's Basmati Rice

Avtar's Basmati Rice

1 c basmati

1 3/4 c water

1 cinnamon stick

2 black cardamom pods, seeds only

6 cloves

Throw all ingredients into the water, then boil it. At a full boil, toss in the rice. Turn down to low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed.

This chicken and rice dish tastes particularly nice with a couple of accompaniments that you can make well ahead of time: raita and carrot/tamarind relish.

Accompaniments Make the Indian Meal

Raita

Using a single tub of Greek Yoghurt about 8-12 ounces worth. Add in about 3-5″ shredded cucumber, 1-2 finely chopped medium small hot peppers and 1/2 finely chopped small red onion. Stir with 1/2 t hot chili powder, 1/2 t salt and 1/2-1 t garam masala. Finely chop a good fistful of mint and stir in. Let this sit at room temperature if you are using the same night. Just put in the center of the table in a bowl with a teaspoon.

Carrot/Taramind Relish
Shred 2-3 carrots and finely minced 1/2 of a small red onion. In a medium bowl dissolve 1 t of tamarind paste in hot or boiling water. Once the water is cooled, add in the shredded carrots and onion with 1 t garam masala, 1/2 t hot chili powder, and 1/2 t salt.

The condiments work really well at the office giving your lunch a more complete feeling when you eat it. Like you have gone to a great Indian restaurant, but you are actually just sitting in the conference room thinking about your 2 p.m. meeting.

Plan your lunch a bit ahead of time by having a couple of small plastic containers with good strong, tightly fitting lids. Bring the chicken in separate Tupperware with the rice and reheat according to my microwave meat reheating directions: when meat is bone-in, stick a knife firmly between the bone and the meat and pull away from the bone, leaving the meat attached but loose on all parts of the bone.

Lunch the next day

Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave. Let the covered bowl rest in the microwave for at least a minute. Continue until the meat is warm throughout. I usually do this within 2 to 3 minutes of 30 second jolts. If you cook with basmati rice, heat your rice up first and then place your chicken on top of the rice. The aromas will blow your officemates’ minds.

Next up! the best dal soup you’ve ever had! Stay tuned to alunchboxblog.com or friend us on Facebook today.

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