Topic: ive tried to search for this recipe since i was a little girl.... please help

[annabellab]

hi there!!

when i was a little girl i went to a friend of my mothers house.... its a very vague memory but it was the most exquistely fragrant curry sauce, more liquid than conventional curries and was mainly consisting of fruit, peaches, lychees that sort of thing. ive searched and searched to no avail
anyone have any ideas???

[PaulP]

Hi,

There is a fruit curry recipe in this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Curries-India-Camellia-Panjabi/dp/1856265463/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320086669&sr=8-1#_

I can't find my copy at present, wife has "tidied" up. It just sounds gross to me!

Good luck in your search.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Without wanting to be undiplomatic, Annabella, could you possibly give us some idea of the decade during which you experienced this dish, and tell us in which country (or at least in which continent) ?  That would help me, at least, to know in which cookery books to start looking.  I do seem to recall that during what many of us think of the "golden age of BIR" (i.e., the 60s and 70s), curries with fruit were a regular part of BIR menus, but because I am one of those odd people who like to keep sweet and savoury separate, I was never tempted to try one, nor can I be sure what name they were given, though it /might/ have been "Chicken Malaya".

Update : I see that NLi10 says he had a lychee and peach fruit curry "yesterday" (that would have been Sunday October 11th, 2009); he (or she) hails from Birmingham (England) -- may be worth getting in touch.

** Phil.

[annabellab]

Hi. Yes I suppose I was a little vague. Well I'm 23 now so it was probably only around turn of millenium. It was in kent, england. The woman was a friend of my mothers and in her 40s or 50s so it could be an older recipe

[Peripatetic Phil]

Hi. Yes I suppose I was a little vague. Well I'm 23 now so it was probably only around turn of millenium. It was in kent, england. The woman was a friend of my mothers and in her 40s or 50s so it could be an older recipe

OK, I'll make enquiries (but it may well be worth contacting NLi10, as suggested above).  As it happens, I live in "deepest" Kent, and know a number of the older generation, so I will ask them whether they are familiar with the dish you describe.  One final clarification needed, though : was this /just/ a fruit curry, or were there any other ingredients (meat, tofu, whatever) ?

** Phil.

[Unclefrank]

Hi Annabellab is this close to what you can remember

Mixed Fruit Curry
4 to 5 pieces of crystallised ginger
Hot water
2 onions,chopped
60g butter
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp plain flour
2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
2 tsp lemon juice
freshly ground pepper
3 cups grated coconut
4 to 5 cups of chopped mixed fruits (melons, peaches, plums, grapes, bananas, apples, pears, etc..)
2 to 3 tbsp cream

METHOD
1. Cover ginger with hot water for a few minutes to remove sugar. Drain, pat dry and dry.
2. Saute onions in butter until tender.
3. Stir in ginger, coriander seeds, curry powder and flour and cook gently for 5 minutes.
4. Gradually add stock, stirring rapidly. Bring to boil, add lemon juice and season to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Stir in coconut, fruits and cream.

You could add some base gravy( instead of chicken stock).

[Peripatetic Phil]

Hi Annabellab is this close to what you can remember[snip]

Is that based on the curry on Nivedita's Kitchen with the same name, Uncle Frank ?

       http://niveditaskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/09/mixed-fruit-curry-for-cook-and-click-4.html

** Phil.

[Unclefrank]

No from this book first published in 1984 http://ebook3000.com/Indian-Cookery--Bay-Books-Cookery-Collection-_87503.html

I have had this book years, got it from a carboot for 50p, have cooked all the recipes from this book over the years thats why i put that recipe up because i have tried it with CA's base (replacing chicken stock with base) and turned out quite nice.

Just read all the article she got it from the same book.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Ah, interesting (and a useful link to boot).  Thank you, Uncle Frank.
** Phil.

[chriswg]

Assuming this lady is now 60 tops is she still alive? Surely the easiest thing to do would be to speak to her and beg for the recipe. If she is Indian then the recipe could have been 1 of thousands of local or regional traditional Indian recipes. If she is English then there is a chance it came from a book / tv show.