Topic: Chicken Curry from 1993

[Robbo141]

In a recent post about Balti, I recounted how I had taken evening classes on Indian cookery. Well here is the typed recipe we were given that I still have, 28 years later.  Took the course at Monkwearmouth School in Sunderland and now posting from home in North Carolina.  Funny where life takes you.



I remember my dish came out more salty than I liked and looking at the recipe I?m not surprised. 2 - 3 tsp salt? 

The hand written notes are mine which I added that matched the actual times we ended up taking for each stage.  I might give this a bash, just for posterity.

Robbo

[Onions]

That doesn't look too shabby, as it goes-I'll give it ago next week. Looks like-at worst!-a good basic chicken curry (and you can never have too many recipes for them, right?). Cheers!

[Peripatetic Phil]

Looks pretty good to me, Robbo, and looks as if it has some informed input, although I am not convinced that someone from the sub-continent would have wanted the chicken pieces skinned.  Were they left on the bone, do you recall ?  Anyhow, well retrieved from the filing system !  Oh, and for my taste, 2

[livo]

A lot of Indian videos show the use of skinned chicken, particularly tandoori style but I've seen it done in curries as well.  I think this looks like a pretty standard chicken curry which should be a nice dish and a good starting point to make a nice meal. I'd go with 2 tsp salt (level) or 1 rounded, and taste it towards the end.
Cinnamon at 3-4 is quite a lot if it is whole sticks. 3-4 inches in 1 stick maybe. Or is it 3-4 pieces of cassia bark (Cinnamon)?  Do you remember what this was Robbo?

I'll be happy to give this a try.

[Peripatetic Phil]

For tandoor use, skinned would indeed seem to be order of the day.  But I am less convinced in the context of curries.  Certainly in the "real" Indian restaurants that I know in the UK (not BIRs, restaurants targetted primarily at clients from the sub-continent), on-the-bone and skin-on is the norm in my experience.

** Phil.

[Robbo141]

Cheers guys, certainly a blast from the past.  The chicken would have definitely been skinless, probably breast at the time, although I default to thighs these days.  I also agree 3-4 cinnamon is too much too, but I bet I put 3-4 sticks in there.  Rajnee was an intimidating woman, I dared not deviate!  I?m pretty sure I still have the Dum Aloo she had us make documented somewhere and will try and dig it out.

Robbo

[Onions]

It reminds me of that 1970s curry house menu that floats around the internet...couldn't find it on here, but god knows what name it's under! Iif I recall, all its chicken dishes were thigh, and if you wanted breast meat, that was 25p more 

[Peripatetic Phil]

This one, Onions ?  It is pre-1995, since in that year the exchange code changed to 0121.  Possibly 1960s, given 48p for a chicken curry.

[Onions]

Nice one! That's certainly the kind of thing-possibly even earlier than I was thinking-breast meat only 5 p more?! And doing Chinese food too, is actually quite modern. Was it common then, d'you know?

[Onions]

I remember my dish came out more salty than I liked and looking at the recipe I?m not surprised. 2 - 3 tsp salt? 

Robbo

Doing this later today. As you say, I'll be reducing the salt (!!!) and raising the chilli powder, but apart from that, it's time to wheel out the Dolorean!