We couldn’t let an event like National Curry Week go by without mentioning it in the blog, after all it is one of our staples in the SK kitchen.
The beauty of curry is that it has such variety. Whether you like it hot with lots of chili (always fresh ones of course) or prefer something less testing on the taste-buds, such as a creamy Korma.
We once came across a blog written by Mamta Cupta – www.mamtaskitchen.com – in which she shared her basic principles of curry making, which are:
- Principle 1 – Be generous with your spices. They not only bring flavour but texture to dishes.
- Principle 2 – Onion, ginger and garlic are essential to every good curry. If you want a lighter curry soften them without colouring or if you want something richer and darker cook them longer and caramelize.
- Principle 3 – Decide what is going to give your curry sauce its body. This will normally be one, or a combination, of the following: tomatoes, pureed peppers or chillies; yoghurt or cream; coconut milk; spinach, or finely diced or pureed onion.
Mamta says if you follow these three principles your curry-making will become simple and pleasurable, and we couldn’t agree more.
National Curry Week gives us the chance to celebrate what has become a very British dish, remember chicken tikka masala was created here, so have a go at making one. Whether it’s a lovely Thai green curry or a spicy chicken Madras; it’s a lot easier than you think. In the SK kitchen we have made a lovely Indian spiced leg of lamb and you can follow the recipe below.
Just before you start cooking, we wouldn’t recommend doing two of things that are happening during the week though, namely the Poppodom speed eating challenge which involves seeing how many poppadoms you can eat in five minutes (the record of 15 is held by Tim Stobbs who was immediately sick afterwards) and a chilli eating competition, which does exactly as it says on the tin!
Indian Spiced Roast Leg of Lamb
An Indian-inspired yoghurt marinade with cumin, coriander, turmeric and lime juice, this works beautifully with a shoulder or leg of lamb. Served up with a spicy potato Aloo Chaat dish.
Ingredients:
• 1.5 / 2kg shoulder of Lamb
For the Marinade:
• 150g Natural Yoghurt
• 20g Garlic Puree
• 30g Tomato Puree
• 10g Lime Juice
• 6g Salt
• 35g Oil
• 10g Roasted Cumin Seeds
• 5g Ground Turmeric
• 5g Ground Coriander
• 5g Ground Cumin
• 15g Chopped Coriander
For the Aloo Chaat Potatoes:
• 500g Parboiled Cubed Potatoes
• 20g Oil
• 6g Salt
• 25g Chaat Masala Spice Mix
• 10g Lime Juice
Preparation method:
1. For the shoulder of lamb, firstly stir together the marinade ingredients and season. Cut slashes into the lamb in several places and then massage the mix all over the lamb. Cover and chill for a few hours.
2. Heat oven to 210C fan. Put the lamb into a foil lined roasting tin and roast for 20minutes. Then turn down the oven to 180C and roast for around 2 hours. With 20 minutes to go you may need to cover the lamb with tin foil if darkening too much.
3. For the Aloo Chaat Potatoes, add oil to a heavy flat frying pan. Add cubed potatoes and fry until golden. Keep the potatoes moving around so not to burn the potatoes. This will take around 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat and dust with the Chaat Masala spice mix. Season. Set aside when done.
4. Remove lamb from oven and let the lamb rest for 20 minutes. Carve and serve with the Aloo Chaat potatoes and accompaniments.
About Neil Shaefer
Marketing & Communications Executive of SK Foods.
Your food. Our Passion.
