OT - Indian Curry?

Grogu

My wife loves Indian food, especially Indian Curry. The Indian place that was by our house closed down, so now she doesn’t have a good source to fulfill that craving. A lot of the jarred “curry” stuff premade in our local grocery store doesn’t seem to be of the Indian variety. I’d like to attempt figure out how to make proper Indian curry for her. I can google recipes, but I have no point of reference to know which seem right/wrong or better/worse. I know some y’all venture beyond the bbq world from the what you chefing dr thread, so I’m hoping someone on here might have that side knowledge and could point me in the right direction?

JohnInCarolina

paging @caliking

kl8ton

I do wish you good luck. It's a fun effort but can be a hopeless cause.

My wife loves chicken Tikka masala from a certain local place. It's a good place...

We've tried 20+ recipes and canned sauces and dozens of other Indian places. Nothing does it like that restaurant does. It's just their brand and flavor.

This restaurant is still open so I am a frequent flyer there for takeout.  

You just can't compete with a memory. For you/her ... That memory will grow more and more distant every day. This makes the endeavor that much more difficult. I don't mean to be a downer. There are just certain things you can't nail down. I hope you create something so good, she forgets about that place. You got this....I gave up. 

kl8ton

Btw... Why in ot?  It's food. 😉

Grogu

kl8ton said:

Btw... Why in ot?  It's food. 😉

I wasn’t sure of the etiquette, so I erred on the side of caution.

caliking

@Grogu - this is what we make at home. I've posted it before in other threads. Hope you enjoy it. 

My mom's chicken curry recipe. Can be made with a whole chicken, skinned (cut into pieces) or 4-6 leg quarters. Turns out better with bone-in chix. Yes, the measures are weird, but that's how my mom passed the recipe down 

Heat 2 tbsp oil (I use mustard oil)

Add

2 bay leaves

4 cloves

10 peppercorns

1 stick cinnamon (about 2-3" long)

1 tsp whole cumin

2 green cardamom

1 black cardamom

- let it sputter until aromatic. Watch the cumin to make sure it just darkens without burning.

Add 

1 baseball sized onion, pureed

1 tbsp ginger paste or puree

1 tbsp garlic paste or puree

-I usually blitz the onion, garlic, and ginger together.

Cook until the oil starts to separate from the onion. Kind of like making sofrito for paella.

Add the chicken and saute until the chicken browns a bit.

Add

Salt to taste

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cayenne (or to taste)

1 tsp cumin powder

2tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp vinegar

Saute until the oil separates from the spices

Add 1 tennis ball size tomato, pureed.

Cook until the oil separates a bit from the sauce.

Add enough water to make as much sauce as you want, and cook until the chicken is cooked through. 

Tastes great with rotis, basmati rice, pulao, or just about anything!

caliking

I'm not a fan of the sauces/pastes at the store. The taste is off, likely because of the preservatives needed for wet items vs. dry spices/rubs.

Starting with some basic spices, its easy enough to mix up whatever you want. Do you have an Indian grocery store near you? If not, you should be able to find most spices at any grocery store. Let me know if you still strike out, and I would be happy to send you some. 

Also, I usually recommend this book to folks wanting to try some Indian cooking. Nice variety of recipes, very approachable, and very much doable at home. 

caliking

kl8ton said:

I do wish you good luck. It's a fun effort but can be a hopeless cause.

My wife loves chicken Tikka masala from a certain local place. It's a good place...

We've tried 20+ recipes and canned sauces and dozens of other Indian places. Nothing does it like that restaurant does. It's just their brand and flavor.

This restaurant is still open so I am a frequent flyer there for takeout.  

You just can't compete with a memory. For you/her ... That memory will grow more and more distant every day. This makes the endeavor that much more difficult. I don't mean to be a downer. There are just certain things you can't nail down. I hope you create something so good, she forgets about that place. You got this....I gave up. 

  Gauntlet thrown!

Could you post the best recipe you tried? I’m almost certain we can make it better (best!) by the 3rd attempt. 

I made butter chicken CTM recently, after perusing multiple recipes. It was off the chain, if I do say so myself

Edit: I made butter chicken, which is the mother of CTM, and quite similar. 

kl8ton

caliking said:

kl8ton said:

I do wish you good luck. It's a fun effort but can be a hopeless cause.

My wife loves chicken Tikka masala from a certain local place. It's a good place...

We've tried 20+ recipes and canned sauces and dozens of other Indian places. Nothing does it like that restaurant does. It's just their brand and flavor.

This restaurant is still open so I am a frequent flyer there for takeout.  

You just can't compete with a memory. For you/her ... That memory will grow more and more distant every day. This makes the endeavor that much more difficult. I don't mean to be a downer. There are just certain things you can't nail down. I hope you create something so good, she forgets about that place. You got this....I gave up. 

  Gauntlet thrown!

Could you post the best recipe you tried? I’m almost certain we can make it better (best!) by the 3rd attempt. 

I made butter chicken CTM recently, after perusing multiple recipes. It was off the chain, if I do say so myself

Edit: I made butter chicken, which is the mother of CTM, and quite similar. 

You are assuming that I've documented my progress and attempts!  I've got nothing. But we do have great Indian grocery stores around here.  I'm going to try the recipe you posted above. I would love to see your best CTM recipe.

kl8ton

Btw... We like it spicy!  🔥

Legume

I don't remember where we got the tip (it was years ago, could've been on here) but someone suggested making a big batch of onion masala and freezing in cupcake tins.  We started doing this and then would pop them out and vacuseal individually and freeze.  Somewhere along the way we got away from this and haven't done this in a few years, but it was a great time saver for the base of so many dishes.

caliking

@kl8ton - if you don't recall which recipe was the best of the many you tried, we should be able to work one out. I made butter chicken after a decade or so, so don't have a standard recipe for it. 

Give me a few days, and I'll post a working recipe to start with. Do you remember any of the specific flavors y'all really liked about the restaurant favorite?

Canugghead

Legume said:

I don't remember where we got the tip (it was years ago, could've been on here) but someone suggested making a big batch of onion masala and freezing in cupcake tins.  We started doing this and then would pop them out and vacuseal individually and freeze.  Somewhere along the way we got away from this and haven't done this in a few years, but it was a great time saver for the base of so many dishes.

Great idea. We used to freeze caramelised onion for curry, it was the most time consuming hands-on part of cooking curry. Stopped doing that since we're constantly running out of freezer space.

Grogu

Thank you!!!

caliking

Legume said:

I don't remember where we got the tip (it was years ago, could've been on here) but someone suggested making a big batch of onion masala and freezing in cupcake tins.  We started doing this and then would pop them out and vacuseal individually and freeze.  Somewhere along the way we got away from this and haven't done this in a few years, but it was a great time saver for the base of so many dishes.

Yup, that can be a big time saver. Some friends do this regularly. I tried it but kept forgetting that I had the stuff in the freezer!

kl8ton

Canugghead said:

Legume said:

I don't remember where we got the tip (it was years ago, could've been on here) but someone suggested making a big batch of onion masala and freezing in cupcake tins.  We started doing this and then would pop them out and vacuseal individually and freeze.  Somewhere along the way we got away from this and haven't done this in a few years, but it was a great time saver for the base of so many dishes.

Great idea. We used to freeze caramelised onion for curry, it was the most time consuming hands-on part of cooking curry. Stopped doing that since we're constantly running out of freezer space.

Buy another freezer! Problem solved! 🤣

Canugghead

kl8ton said:

Canugghead said:

Legume said:

I don't remember where we got the tip (it was years ago, could've been on here) but someone suggested making a big batch of onion masala and freezing in cupcake tins.  We started doing this and then would pop them out and vacuseal individually and freeze.  Somewhere along the way we got away from this and haven't done this in a few years, but it was a great time saver for the base of so many dishes.

Great idea. We used to freeze caramelised onion for curry, it was the most time consuming hands-on part of cooking curry. Stopped doing that since we're constantly running out of freezer space.

Buy another freezer! Problem solved! 🤣

Already have a large upright, small upright, medium chest, and the bottom drawer of the main fridge 

caliking

@kl8ton - I haven't forgotten about your CTM quest.

The pic I posted above was from a batch I made for International Night at caliprince's school. I don't have a specific recipe, because I don't usually make CTM at home, but i'm sure you could tailor this to your own taste.

Started here: https://masalaandchai.com/butter-chicken/

- paprika is close to kashmiri chili powder. 

- for the cashews, you want raw cashews i.e. not roasted, and unsalted. Soak in warm water for a spell, then blitz in a food pro with a bit of water added. You're making a paste, but not cashew butter. 

- grill the chix. maybe to IT 155F, as it will cook in the sauce for a bit. 

- make the sauce on Day 1. Marinate the chix for 4ish hrs on Day 2. Then, grill the chix, and finish the dish.

- I made some changes to the recipe, but can't remember the specifics. I think I added more kashmiri chili powder, because the color wasn't quite right. 

I use Madhur Jaffrey's garam masala recipe. I like how cardamom forward it is.

Madhur Jaffrey's Garam Masala
Roast then grind:
Cardamom seeds 1 TBSP
Cinnamon 2" stick
Peppercorns 1 tsp
Black cumin seeds 1tsp
cloves 1 tsp
Whole nutmeg 1/4 of an average-sized one

Lastly, for reference/context... Butter chicken was supposedly concocted by Kundan  Lal Gujral, proprietor of the iconic Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi. His grandson, Monish Gujral,  published a book of the restaurant's  recipes some time ago. I perused the butter chicken recipe to ground myself, and went from there. 

Botch

caliking said:

I'm not a fan of the sauces/pastes at the store. The taste is off, likely because of the preservatives needed for wet items vs. dry spices/rubs.

I don't remember the lady's name, but a week ago or so I saw an interview with a lady entrepreneur from Asia who was shocked at how dusty and stale spices in the US were (she claimed they were mostly 5-6 years old, but provided no proof).  
I've recently been buying from a place called Burlap & Barrel, and the stuff I've received so far is very bright.  They're mentioned in this article:
https://www.foodandwine.com/best-online-spice-stores-7113245
I also use/recommend Penzey's and King Arthur Flour.  FWIW.  

caliking

@Botch - my understanding is that spices don't ever work like subscription coffee services, i.e. ground or roasted within days or weeks of harvest.

The most economical approach is typically buying whole spices from an Indian/Pakistani grocery, then grind at home per need. That stuff is at least a yearish from harvest, but not necessarily the worst scenario. IMO, if you don't buy your Indian spices from an Indian grocer, buy online vs. the big supermarket [laces. 

An inexpensive coffee grinder type of thing is okay. Spices from an online purveyor probably have some merit, but not so practical if cooking with them everyday. many folks who dabble in "exotic" cuisines likely have something they bought years ago, and it stayed in the cupboard because they don't cook with them often  enough. 

Botch

I try to buy just whole spices anymore, I know they keep much longer.  There’s no Indian market nearby (I’m sure there’s some in SLC) but for the little dabbling I do, the occasional mail-order isn’t too bad.   

caliking

Botch said:

I try to buy just whole spices anymore, I know they keep much longer.  There’s no Indian market nearby (I’m sure there’s some in SLC) but for the little dabbling I do, the occasional mail-order isn’t too bad.   

Absolutely. I really like Penzey's paprikas, and cinnamons, so  we order them regularly.