More South Indian Curry Recipes

About a month ago, I wrote about a "South Indian Lamb Curry." I guess I have been leaning towards South Indian dishes of late, and this Madras style curry is not a lot different than the previous one, but there are some differences. The South Indian Lamb Curry recipe calls for a can of tomato paste, which makes the resultant curry brightly colored. This Madras Style Lamb Curry uses either fresh chopped tomatoes or a can of petite diced tomatoes, making it paler in color, and also uses tamarind, giving a sour note to the dish.

Madras Lamb Curry

Southern India, particularly the southernmost tip, encompasses the states of Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Madras, now called Chennai, is located in the northern part of Tamil Nadu. Anything from South India is likely to be very hot. Chili heat makes one sweat, helpful in the torrid heat. Of course, how much chili (fresh or dried or powder) is used is all dependent on who makes the recipe. When I make any Indian recipe, heat is totally optional. It is entirely possible to have all the Indian flavors without burning your entire mouth, esophagus and stomach. In this same vein, I created my own Madras Curry Powder, but again, left out all but the smallest bit of chili-heat. Feel free to add as much ground chili as you prefer.

Madras Curry Powder

Makes about ⅓ cup

2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoons white poppy seeds
2 small whole dried red chilies (remove seeds for less heat)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns (preferably Tellicherry)
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2-inches cassia cinnamon stick, broken
6 whole cloves
½ star anise
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½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger powder

Heat a dry skillet on medium to medium high heat. Add in one spice at a time, stirring quickly and constantly, until the spice releases its fragrance and darkens slightly. Do not burn! Once the spice is ready, pour it into a shallow plate to cool and proceed with the next spice. Be careful with the dried chili, as it may cause irritation to breathing as it heats. Have an extractor fan on. Or, simply replace the whole dried chilies with ¼ teaspoon (or more) of your preferred hot chili such as cayenne or Kashmiri chili powder at the end of the process along with the last two ingredients. Once all the spices are toasted and cooled, grind them to a fine powder in a spice grinder, in batches if needed, and then stir together along with the garlic and ginger powders. Store in a glass jar in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.

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Most south Indian recipes I have seen have some mixture of most of these spices in the Madras Curry Powder. Some have more of one thing, or less of another. Some have something not listed in my recipe and some have less things than are in my recipe. But some mixture of this is in most recipes for curries in the south. After that, there are some variances, as noted above, and this recipe for Madras Lamb Curry uses chopped tomatoes (which up in the frigid north means tasteless grocery store tomatoes, so I prefer to use a can of chopped tomatoes instead, with their juices), and tamarind. Tamarind is a very common ingredient in south India, and if not tamarind, then possibly amchur (dried green mango powder). The sourness that come from tamarind and mango powder is a flavor also highlighted in Kerala, where often vinegar is used to this effect. 

To Use Tamarind Pods

Tamarind Pods

If you have access to tamarind pods, they do keep for a long time. Use about 3 or 4, depending on size, for a recipe. Crack the brittle outer pod and peel it away. Remove the long, stringy fibers. Soak the sticky inner parts in about a cup or less of warm water for about 30 minutes or more. As the fruit softens, using very clean hands, begin squishing the fruit until most of it has softened in the water. The fruit will have a series of black, shiny seeds inside; these will need to be expelled and discarded. Once the fruit is all reduced to lumpy, stringy bits, set a strainer over a bowl and pour the tamarind, fibers and all, into the strainer. Press the solids against the strainer with a spoon, pressing until you have extracted as much as possible from the pods, then discard the remaining fibrous bits. This may make more than you need for a recipe. If there are leftovers, use it to make a refreshing beverage, adding some of it to water and stirring in sugar to taste.

Back to my recipe, southern Indian recipes often call for mustard oil to be used, though other oils are perfectly acceptable. I think mustard oil, because it must be heated to smoking to make it easier to eat/digest, and diffuses into the air, is the ingredient that really leaves hair and clothing reeking of that very typically "Indian food" scent. I do use it occasionally, but not always, and in this recipe I chose to use coconut oil. Use what works best for you.

Madras Lamb Curry

Madras Lamb Curry with Masala Potatoes

Makes 4 servings

1½ pounds lamb stew meat, in small, ¾-inch cubes
¼ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup water
4 tablespoons Madras Curry Powder (see recipe above)
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2 green chilies, more or less as needed for heat preference
4 cloves garlic
1-inch ginger, minced or grated
1 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
1 large onion, chopped
10 - 12 curry leaves 
1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons tamarind puree (see above), (OR
½ teaspoons tamarind concentrated paste, mixed into water)
1 Tej Patta (Indian "Bay" leaf)
 
Stir together in a mixing bowl the yogurt and water, then stir in the meat (beef may be used if lamb is not available). Stir in the Madras Curry Powder to coat evenly, and set aside while preparing the remaining ingredients.
 
Mince very finely the garlic and ginger, then add in the green chilies, minced finely (remove seeds if less heat is preferred). Set aside.
 
Heat the oil in a large skillet. When the oil is very hot, add in the mustard seeds and allow them to begin spluttering, then add in the chopped onion and the curry leaves. Saute these ingredients until the onion is well softened, then add in the reserved ginger, garlic, chili mixture. Stir, cooking for a few minutes until very fragrant. Add in the whole can of tomatoes with juices, the tamarind puree or diluted concentrate, the tej patta leaf and then pour in the meat with its marinade and stir together until evenly blended. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the meat is tender, about 40 to 60 minutes, checking for liquids and stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the pan. Serve garnished with cilantro leaves.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

An Indian Dish from Telangana

State of Telangana in India

As I mentioned in my last post, I made quite a few Indian recipes last year, then was so busy I just never got around to posting them. Some of them were amazingly good, as was this chicken dish. I saw a recipe for "Telangana Chicken" from Padma Reddy in an article in Saveur magazine. It sounded interesting, and since I mainly have made dishes from the northern parts of India, and which are the type of dishes generally served in Indian restaurants (at least all the ones I have frequented, to date), I felt that since this dish came from one of the more southerly states of India, I might just have to try it out. 

As it happens, Telangana is the newest state of India, formed in June 2014. It was formerly a part of the Princely State of Hyderabad, and was formed of ten districts from north-western Andhra Pradesh. I will not go further into any history, as even this little bit was entirely unknown to me prior to looking up more on where this state existed. Suffice to say that this dish is found in many forms in and around Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Telangana is also known for their breads (roti) made from millet and other millet based dishes. I have yet to explore making breads with millet, so I served my Curried Chicken dish with regular Parathas and rice on the side, though this may not be too authentic. Though it was delicious!
 

Telangana Chicken

As I mentioned above, I found this recipe and it sounded good. That doesn't mean I didn't make changes. I wanted the recipe to be mine, and so I did look up other recipes for Telangana Chicken, just to see what the general concept was. Then I started making alterations that I felt fell within the main idea of this dish. I did make it with skinless, boneless chicken, which is not authentic in any way. I just prefer these days not having to fiddle with chicken on the bone while at the table. Outside of that, I used most of the ingredients, added some, deleted some and changed the amounts of most of them! 

Telangana Chicken

I mentioned curry leaves in my last regular post about Goan Pork Vindaloo. Curry leaves are from the Curry Leaf Plant (Murraya koenigii). If you love to cook Indian food as I do, then investing in a plant is truly worthwhile. I love the flavor these leaves give to a dish. It has a somewhat citrusy smell and flavor, but it is really a flavor all its own. The leaves are edible, though my husband spends his time pulling them all off to the side of the dish to be tossed out. I eat them. They are also found, fresh, on Amazon (of course), and when I ordered some they arrived quickly and I stuck the package right into the freezer. While the leaves blacken in the freezer, they still retain their flavor and fragrance, unlike if they were dried, where they completely lose all their flavor and aroma. If thawed, they regain their green color.

Aside from curry leaves, the only other unusual spices or flavors are white poppy seeds and methi leaves. Methi is fenugreek (click the link to learn more), and fenugreek is interesting in that the plant can be used as a fresh vegetable, the leaves can also be found dried as an herb, and then there are the seeds, which have a scent much like maple syrup, though they are bitter.  

Black ("Blue") Poppy Seeds left and White Poppy Seeds right

The white poppy seeds are often used in Indian cuisines, as a part of the spices or as a thickener. The white seeds come from the same kind of poppy plant (papaver somniferum), as the black (or "blue") variety, similar to white and black sesame seeds. If you cannot find the white poppy seeds, they may be left out of the dish. Seen close up as in my photos above, poppy seeds are shaped like kidney beans and their outsides look like (very miniature) peanuts.

Now, on to the recipe:

Telangana Chicken

Telangana Chicken

Serves 4 or more

1 can (13.66 ounce) coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Garam Masala
½ teaspoon pure red powdered chili
3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, minced
1½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken, cut in chunks
8 green cardamom pods, slightly bruised
1 piece mace (or a pinch ground mace)
1 star anise
1 Tej Patta Leaf (Indian "bay" leaf), optional
1 (4-inch) piece true cinnamon quill
¼ cup cooking oil
3 Thai or Serrano chilies, minced
2 medium onions, halved and sliced
1 - 2 tablespoons cooking oil

MASALA:
4 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons white poppy seeds
15 cashews
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
20 curry leaves, if available
cilantro for garnish

Mix together in a large container with a lid the coconut milk, lime juice, Garam Masala, powdered chili, garlic and ginger; stir to combine. Add the chicken pieces along with the cardamom pods, mace, star anise, tej patta, cinnamon, oil and green chilies. Stir well, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

To make the dish: Saute the onions in the cooking oil of choice until browned. While the onions are frying, combine the Masala spices in a spice grinder or blender and grind to a powder. Just as the onions are done, add in the curry leaves with the ground masala to the onions and stir for 2 or 3 minutes. Add in the chicken along with its marinade and bring to boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Great Mulligatawny at Last

I wrote in my recent blog of October 23 about my first attempt at making a "Mulligatawny" soup. Mulligatawny is the Anglicized version of the Indian dish called "Milagu-thanni", or Pepper Water. 

Table Set for Indian Dinner

In my first attempt, I was using a recipe in a cookbook I own, and I believe one of the ingredient amounts HAD to be a typo: it called for nearly ½ pound (200 grams) of besan, or chickpea flour. I actually used 50 grams less than that, and when I added it to the stock, it seized into nearly a solid mass. I added water and added water and it took forever to cook through, and stirring was an absolute necessity, as it would stick to the bottom of the pan. 

Mulligatawny Leftovers

All this did not prevent that first try being delicious. We had our friend Rich visiting when I made it that time, and we all agreed it was downright tasty! Still, some changes were absolutely needed, both in the sequence of events in preparation and in the amounts of the individual ingredients. I added more of some, less of others, introduced a few other things and voila! this second attempt was a true "keeper" as my husband calls them. This second try was really a magnificent mix of flavors. It was still quite thick, though I reduced the besan flour by orders of magnitude (only 38 grams). Some of the recipes with photos online showed a runny soup, some showed a slightly thickened soup. Since my husband prefers thick soups anyway, this one suited him perfectly. And let me say that all of our guests on November 3rd were highly complimentary of the flavors of this soup. 

Viognier with Mulligatawny and Pinot with Biryani

I am well pleased. My husband went so far as to say he "wouldn't mind" having this soup on any cool evening. This is translated as "please make it more often." No problem from me! Once I got the kinks worked out of the recipe's order of events, it is really easy - though there are quite a few steps.

My husband and I hosted an Indian dinner with two other couples this past Thursday evening, and we all had a great time. The guests brought the wines for the meal, and we found that a really lovely Viognier went splendidly with the Mulligatawny soup! The Pinot Noir shown here went exceptionally well with the rest of the meal, going so far as to seemingly "cool and soothe" the heat of the hot chutney accompaniments.

Somehow I managed to get multiple photos of all the other dishes, but only one of the Mulligatawny soup that evening! I took one more semi-decent shot of the leftover soup I ate last evening.

My Menu for our Indian Feast

Some of the things I chose to do differently in the making of this soup were the order of cooking the chicken, the red lentils and the besan/chickpea flour. The original recipe called for cooking them all together. This resulted in losing a lot of the soup when removing the chicken wing pieces for bone removal, as much of this thick soup stuck to the wings when taking them out to cool. Another big difference was the use of chicken wings instead of pristine chicken breast to be sliced prettily for serving. I chose instead to use chicken wings firstly because anything cooked with bones will result in more flavor. Secondly, once cooked, the little bits of chicken removed from the bones were of a perfect size to not interfere with eating the soup. 

The original recipe called for removing any skin from the chicken breast to be used. This also removes most any possibility of fat floating on the soup. You might say that skinning chicken wings would be an onerous task, but truly, it took just a very few minutes to accomplish. Cut the wing segments apart and discard wingtips. Set a wing segment with the thickest skin side down. There is always a piece of the thicker skin that protrudes; hold onto this bit, and position a very sharp knife towards the wing and slide the knife away from you. The wing will roll along, leaving most of the skin behind. Easy-peasy.

Skinning Chicken Wings

I chose to cook the initial broth with the chicken wings, then remove them. Next I added the red lentils to cook through and finally the besan/chickpea flour to cook through. The whole soup (minus the chicken) is pureed smooth.  One of the ingredients in this soup is tamarind. I keep tamarind concentrate in my fridge, as I do use it now and again. I served Imli (Tamarind) Chutney with the meal also, so tamarind was used for that. If using fresh tamarind pods, or even one of those blocks of shelled tamarind all clumped together, the amounts will have to be adjusted (they will need to be soaked and sieved to remove fibers and seeds). I used 2 teaspoons of the tamarind concentrate, and it was perfect in this soup. 

How hot to make the soup is also a choice. Since I know my husband does not tolerate more than a very mildly hot spice level, and I didn't know about some of the guests' tolerance levels, I chose to make the main dishes mildly spiced, and then also provide various chutneys and "pickles" in varying heat levels from completely mild to screaming hot, so the guests could spice things to their preferences. I happened to grow cayenne chilies this past summer, and had quite a few green chilies that I'd picked before the temps started dipping too low. I added one whole cayenne chili that I only poked holes in with a knife tip. This provided a nice, mild spice to the soup; not overwhelming for anyone. If your spice tolerance is high, add in chopped whole chilies and dry powdered chili to your taste. Taste-testing this soup along the way is absolutely no hardship!

Milagu-Thanni or Mulligatawny Soup

Serves 8 to 10

Mulligatawny Soup

1½ to 2 pounds chicken wings, skinned
2 - 3 tablespoons ghee or oil
6 - 8 cloves garlic
1½ inches fresh peeled ginger
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black cumin seeds (may use regular cumin; taste will be different)
1 tej patta leaf
1 cup red lentils
½ cup chickpea flour (38 g besan)
2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon fenugreek powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
2½ to 3 teaspoons salt
1 hot green chili, holed poked in with tip of knife
1½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk
2 teaspoons sugar 
Cilantro leaves for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Set all the skinned wing pieces on the sheet in a single layer and bake for about 30 minutes, until lightly browned. 

While chicken is baking, place the ghee into a large soup pot and add the onion with a sprinkling of the total amount of salt. Cook the onion over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until well softened. Add in the ginger and garlic with the coriander and cumin seeds and continue to cook, stirring for 3 to 5 minutes more. Add the baked chicken pieces and the tej patta leaf with 8 cups of water. Bring to boil, then lower heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove the chicken pieces from the bones. Discard any bones and dark veins or remaining skin. Set chicken aside.

Add the red lentils to the simmering broth and cook for another 25 minutes, until tender. Once the lentils are cooked through, puree the soup and return to the pot (or use a hand blender). Now whisk in the chickpea flour and continue whisking until no lumps remain. Allow the flour to cook through, stirring, for at least 10 minutes. Add in the tamarind, lime juice, turmeric, fenugreek powder, garam masala, remaining salt, whole green chili and the black pepper. Cook for about 30 minutes more. 

MAKE AHEAD: If making ahead (1 or 2 days), chill the soup at this point. 

When ready to proceed, bring the pot back to a boil, reduce heat to a bare simmer and add in the sugar and the coconut milk. Heat gently and serve.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Tej Patta - A Much Mistaken Case of Identity

Tej Patta or Tamal Patra leaves

I have had a lot of years cooking Indian foods now, and in most every recipe, conspicuous by its absence, was bay leaf. A couple of years ago, I heard a friend say she put bay leaf in her Garam Masala. I sputtered a bit and then asked why she used bay leaf in Garam Masala? "Because the recipe said so," she said. All I could figure was that it was not a true Indian recipe. Things do tend to creep into a recipe when in the hands of someone not of the culture. Granted, I am not of the culture either, but I try to stay as authentic to the flavors as possible, going to lengths to search out the proper spices.

So imagine my surprise when not too long ago, I heard about "Indian Bay Leaf". I found that this is not a bay leaf as we know it at all, but something that looks sort of vaguely similar, and has been called "bay leaf" or even "Indian bay leaf," when if fact it has a closer relation to cinnamon. Wikipedia has this to say:

"Cinnamomum tamala, Indian bay leaf, also known as tejpat, tejapatta, Malabar leaf, Indian bark, Indian cassia, or malabathrum, is a tree within the Lauraceae family which is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. It can grow up to 20 m (66 ft) tall."

Tej Patta - Cinnamomum tamala / C. tejpata / C. malabathrum

Called "Tej Patta" (among other spellings) in Hindi, "Tamalapatra" in Sanskrit, and called by other names in other languages or dialects, these leaves come from a tree that is in the Lauraceae family (as with our Bay Laurel leaves), but comes instead from a variety of cassia tree. Tej Patta leaves bear more resemblance in flavor to cinnamon or cloves, quite dissimilar to the piney, resinous flavor of bay laurel leaves.

Bay Laurel and Tej Patta Leaves - comparison

Tej Patta grows mainly in the northeast of India, extending into the slopes of the Himalayas, Nepal and Burma. The trees are not generally under commercial cultivation, so quality is not highly regulated. Not all leaves sold have the same strength of flavor.

Its usage in Indian cooking is mainly confined to the Mughlai (moog-lie) cooking style of the imperial courts of Delhi and Agra, in foods such as Biryani and Korma. In these regions it is used almost daily and is well known. If an Indian recipe calls for "bay leaf", it is automatically known, in India, by Indians, this refers to Tej Patta, or its misleading name: "Indian Bay Leaf."

Tej Patta is characterized by its three lengthwise veins instead of the bay laurel leaf's many branched veins off of one central vein. Note these differences in the photo at left. The size of the leaves in the packet I bought runs from just slightly larger than a mid sized bay laurel leaf upwards to about 6 or more inches in length.

If an Indian recipe calls for "bay leaf" or "Indian Bay Leaf", do not substitute a Bay Laurel leaf. Instead add just a little more cinnamon, or perhaps one clove or one allspice berry instead. The leaves are not so strongly flavored, and it is suggested that they be broken before adding to a dish to help increase potency of flavor. If in doubt, leave it out. A bay laurel leaf will lend the wrong flavors to the dish. Most things are available online these days, and true to form, I found them on Amazon.com.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.