T63, you are shewing OUR age
I too place have Singh, Veerasawmy & Jaffrey, as well as a host of others including (but not restricted to) Aslam, Baljekar, Dhillon, Fernandez, Lama, Prashad, Pruthi, Panjabi, Sreedharan and Taneja.
** Phil.
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I would say that from those you mention our bookshelves would look very similar.
I have various versions of the Camellia Panjabi from the very first through the one with the CD to the small black paperback. If you have these what do you think was the best one? A lot of what I liked was in the first edition but subsequently got taken out, this Kofta Curry for instance.
From Camellia Panjabi, 50 Great Curries Of India (first edition)
This is a curry made with long kebabs of minced lamb. It is a recipe from a
leading Kashmiri family. They call it a kofta curry and say that long kebabs
absorb the flavour of the curry more evenly than the round ones. The koftas
are very tender and the gravy thin but full of flavour.
for kebabs
2lb (900g) very finely minced lamb
3 tsp fennel powder
11/2 tsp ginger powder
11/2 tsp red chilli powder
6 large black cardamoms
1 Tbsp oil
salt
1 egg
for the gravy
5 Tbsp full-fat yoghurt
6 Tbsp oil
8 clove
2 in (5-cm) cinnamon stick
4 small tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger powder
salt
To make the kebabs, mince or process the lamb once more until it is very
fine. Mix the fennel and ginger powders. Remove the seeds from the cardamoms
and pound until crushed. Mix all the spices with the minced lamb in a bowl.
Add the oil, salt to taste and the egg and mix well.
Keep a bowl of warm water handy to dip your hands into when making the
kebabs. Take a handful of the minced meat, about the size of a lime, and
roll it to a 3-inch (7.5-cm) sausage. Place on a flat dish or tray. You will
get about 30 kebabs which, when cooked, will shrink to a 2-in (5-cm) length.
To make the gravy, whisk the yoghurt and set aside.
Take a cooking pot with a diameter of at least 10-12 in (25-30cm)
( it can be a shallow one ) into which the kebabs will fit without breaking.
Heat the oil in the pot over a low heat. Add the cloves and cinnamon first,
then after a minute or so add the tomatoes. Fry until the liquid from the
tomatoes has almost evaporated. Stir in the tomato paste.
Add the chilli powder and fry for a minute, and then put in the yoghurt.
Stir continuously to prevent the yoghurt from curdling. Add the fennel and
ginger powders, season and cook for 5 minutes, stirring all the time.
Add 5 cups hot water and bring to the boil. Very gently lay in the kebabs
one at a time. Leave to cook for about 20 minutes over a low heat. The
kebabs will absorb a lot of the water. Do not stir once the kebabs are put
into the pot. It the gravy needs to be stirred, hold both sides of the pot
and rock it gently.
Taste and add more salt if necessary, mixing it first with water and
pouring it into the pan in various places. You will know when the dish is
totally ready, as oil will rise to the top of the gravy.
If the kebab curry is to be reheated before serving, remove from the heat
just as the oil begins to rise to the surface and set aside. Then reheat
gently for 5-7 minutes, before serving.
If the mince is fatty and the curry oily, add 2 eggs instead of 1, and when
the kebabs are made up, steam them for 10 minutes, allowing the fat to drip
off before putting the kebabs into the pot.
Topic: Cookbooks ( 9,221 )
