From "Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery".
Asafoetida is a resin that comes from Afghanistan & Western Kashmir the
smell of which has been likened to fresh truffles, although its name is
derived from the word "foetid" (you have been warned).  It's used as a
digestive sparingly; usually only a pinch is sprinkled into very hot oil and
fried for a second before the other foods are added.


Kashmiri Lamb Stew


Ingredients
4 teaspoon whole fennel
6 Tablespoons sunflower oil or ghee
pinch ground asafoetida optional
3 lb shoulder of lamb, boned and cut into 2 in cubes
1 inch stick of cinnamon
10 whole cardamom pods
15 whole cloves
1 3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pints (845 ml) water
1 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger powder
15 fl oz (425 ml) plain yoghurt
1/4 teaspoon garam masala


Put fennel seeds into a clean coffee grinder or other spice grinder and
grind
until you have a powder.
Heat the oil in a heavy, wide pot over high heat. When hot, put in the
asafoetida. One second later, put in all of the meat, as well as the
cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves and salt.  Stir uncovered over a high heat for
about 5 minutes or until almost all of the water released by the meat
disappears and the meat browns lightly.
Lower heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of water, the fennel, and ginger.
Stir to mix.
Add 1 1/2 pints water, cover partially, and simmer on medium heat for 30
minutes.  Cover completely, turn the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes
or until the meat is tender.
Stir a few times as the meat cooks, adding a few tablespoons of water if it
seems too dry. Beat the yoghurt in a bowl until it is smooth & creamy.
Remove the cover from the meat pot and turn the heat to medium-low.  Push
the meat to the edges of the pot, leaving a well in the centre.  Pour the
yoghurt very slowly into the centre while moving a slotted spoon back and
forth quite fast in that area.  (If you don't do this, the yoghurt will
curdle.)
Keep stirring for 5 minutes after the yoghurt has been added.  You should
now have a simmering, creamy sauce.  Cover partially and continue to cook on
medium-low heat for another 10 minutes.  Sprinkle in the garam masala and
mix.

Bombay Brasserie Rogan Josh


Although traditionally Kashmiri, this was absorbed and spread by the
Moghuls. It's supposed to be coloured a dark, rich red by a spice and dye
called rattanjog, made from the bark of a tree native to Kashmir, it is very
much like a thin version of cinnamon bark. It is also very expensive: the
substitute used at the Bombay Brasserie is Saffron, which gives a rich
flavour.


Ingredients
6 tomatoes, chopped
2 onions chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste (see below)
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 1/2 tablespoons Kashmiri red chilli powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
450ml natural yoghurt
900g boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into cubes
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon tomato pur?e
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon  mace, nutmeg and green cardamom powder (see below)
1/2 teaspoon saffron dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm milk
Salt to taste
Chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish


Method
Place the tomatoes and onions in blender or food processor and blend
together until a paste forms; set aside. Heat the oil in a flameproof
casserole or saucepan. Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry until the
aroma of cooked garlic is evident. Add the tomato and onion paste, ground
coriander and chilli powder and turmeric and fry over a low heat, stirring
constantly; after 12-15 minutes the fat will separate.


Gradually incorporate the yoghurt, stirring all the time, and then add the
lamb. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add a little water if
necessary, but the lamb should give off so much natural juice that extra
liquid probably won't be needed. Stir in the garam masala and tomato pur?e
and continue simmering for 10-12 minutes until the lamb is cooked through
and tender. Stir in the ground ginger, the mace, nutmeg and green cardamom
powder, dissolved saffron and salt. Skim off any excess oil floating on the
surface. Serve garnished with the coriander.


Ginger and garlic paste.
450g fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
450g garlic cloves, peeled
Place ginger and garlic in a blender or food processor and process until a
smooth paste forms, adding just enough water to help blend the ingredients,
rather than dilute them. Store the paste in a jar with a tight fitting lid
in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.


Mace, nutmeg and green cardamom powder.
100g mace
100g green cardamom pods
4 whole nutmegs
Warm the spices under a preheated grill, without letting the colours change.
Transfer to an electric spice mill, blender or pestle and mortar and blend
until a fine powder forms. This powder tends to be a bit oily, but that is a
sign of good quality spices. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

I used to live in Norwich whilst working on a development there.
I used a really good curry house (take-away) but cannot remember the name of the place. I came out of Neville Street, where I had a flat, turned right onto the main road and it was in a little parade of shops about a mile away near a Bakers, Chinese and a general grocers amongst others.

I drank in the Rose and had to pass this place on the way home so no chance of me passing without getting a curry after a half dozen pints or more.

You found the right place to look.

Welcome.

T63

I grow mine in the garden but you have to keep it well trimmed back and don't let it flower or it goes to rat shit.

Can you name a quality Indian cookbook or two.

For me it has to be;
50 Great Curries of India by Camellia Panjabi (even with the errors)
Indian Cookery by Madhur Jaffrey
Classic Indian Cookery by Julie Sahni
A Taste Of Punjab by Lali Nayar
Tandoor by Ranjit Rai (especially with the BBQ season upon us)
Indian Cookery, A Practical Guide by Dharamjit Singh

T63

Quote from: HOTRING on May 28, 2007, 05:02 PM
Yes I have always a supply in the freezer but put them in a bag once frozen so they don't taint, also they are great in a baileys & put a stick in a couple as they make a loverly ice lolley ;D

Thanks HR. I will give that a go later today.

T63

Reading through some of the posts in the review section I wonder if anyone has had an oustanding, good or halfway decent curry when on holiday?
I have worked in a number of European and mid eastern countries and have holidayed in a lot of countries and can honestly say that I don't believe I have had as good a curry as you get here in a BIR.
The worst I have had were in Paris and Moscow, both tasted a lot of undercooked coriander and cumin with that gravelly sandy texture you get when you eat picnics on the beach.

Hi Guys,
just wondering if anyone has ever frozen coconut milk out of a tin.

I regularly cook an Aubergine and Lentil curry that uses about 100ml of tinned coconut milk and end up throwing the rest away. I thought it may be possible to freeze it in the correct quantities in ice cube trays? This means I will only have to but a tin every 5 or 6 curries and it will always be readily measured out.

Hi Mike,
It is without doubt one of my favourite books however there are, as far as I am aware, three versions of the book available and all of them have incomplete recipes within. The Chicken Stew, The Parsee Red Chicken Curry,The Lamb Korma Pilaf, The Rogan Josh and The Kofta Curry (if you have the really old issue)all come to mind as having errors in the recipes.
Either the ingredients listed do not tie in with the script or there are errors where you are asked to reserve some particular part of the recipe and it is never called for again.
Anyone who has experience cooking curries can work out where it has gone awry and correct it but be careful.
As an aside I bought the first version of the book and when the second version, the small one, was released I wrote to the publishers to point out that the errors in the first issue had not been corrected and were inherent in the second issue, I even told them what the errors were. Thus I bought the third release expecting all the mistakes to be put right but upon unwrapping it when I got home I found that not all had been attended to.

The real laugh is the comment from the author thanking the proof reader?

T63