Learning to curry flavour

Like any good true blue Brit there is a cuisine which is close to my heart, that’s right Indian food! My first introduction to Indian flavours were the Anglicised versions that inhabited my childhood, the likes of Kedgeree and Coronation Chicken regularly popping up with some trepidation on my part toward their unusual flavours. The earliest exposure to curry was the much looked forward too Mum’s left over chicken curry, complete with apple and sultanas, very much a UK take on a subcontinent classic. Many of these dishes came into existence in the UK as ways to use up leftovers. My family were pretty much strictly home cooked food, takeout and restaurant food being a rare if ever event, and I was forever teased by those Indian restaurant adverts they used to play in cinemas as an impossible dream. So it was not until I had left school and the joys of pub going and the subsequent late night sit down meals, which across this great nation means the Indian Restaurant, was the first time I tried the real thing. This for me was fantastic, for one you didn’t just get chicken in curries, oh no, you got much, much more. The first time I tried a giant Tandoori King Prawn I remember weeping a little with sheer delight, the rich, dry and smoky exterior with succulent prawn meat inside was just, well so different to what I was used to it was incredible.

Of course there is chicken on the menu the first I tried was the classic “Indian food for beginners” Chicken Tikka Masala, again a dish for British tastes but for me at the time it was mind blowing! But it’s not just the meat dishes, far from it. I am in awe of the number of vegetarian dishes that can be found including okra, aubergine and all the dhals, oh yes ALL of the dhals. I take my hat of to any country that can turn the humble lentil into a spicy, mouth-watering delight. Since that time I have frequented more Indian restaurants than I could possibly remember and have come to love all the styles and flavours so much so that I rate it as one of my top “if you had to eat one countries food for the rest of your life” choices.

But man cannot live by restaurants alone.

I needed to be able to cook this right at home, no more left over chicken curry this is going to be the real deal! First stop was a book by Madhur Jaffrey, there were dishes within this book which I had never even seen in restaurants and I tried them all, gaining an understanding of how these exotic flavours meld together in the process. This lead to further learning from other recipe books, TV shows and the internet as I continued on my quest to master this fascinating cuisine. My partner is from an Indian background and I have been lucky enough to sample her mother’s (and father’s!) delicious food. I have also been given some tips from them for which I am forever grateful. For me personally one of my favourite main ingredients is lamb. I feel it works so well with Indian spices and makes a fantastic curry. Although I look back fondly and from time to time crave those old school British takes on Indian food, I am happy to have Indian as a much played string in my culinary bow, and I’m told I do a mean Rogan Josh! Tell me if there is a style of cooking you have learned just because really wanted to, or because it is part of your family’s tradition. I will give you my Rogan Josh recipe in my next post, a guaranteed winner with any Indian food lover and a great autumn warmer!