Lovely Curry

A fantastic curry isn't impossible to rustle up at home

 

Whenever possible, use meat on the bone. It provides the curries with much more depth and flavour. And always add whole spices to hot oil, and allow the spices to crackle and pop before adding the other ingredients - this releases the flavours into the oil.

Cheap, ground spices such as turmeric, red chillies, cumin and coriander can be added during cooking and can last 30 minutes to an hour without losing flavour.

However, with more expensive spices such as mace, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and garam masala, these need to be used at the very end of the cooking as a finishing spice.

Where possible, always finish curry with chopped, fresh coriander, fresh ginger and fresh green chillies. In addition, try to add a twist of lemon or lime to give that extra freshness and zing.

Puree large batches of ginger and garlic paste, freezing them in ice cube trays for when you’d like to cook a curry in the future. You can pop them in your sauce pan while cooking straight from the freezer.

Also, If your curry turns a tad too salty, add a few small balls of uncooked dough to the gravy. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Let them soak in the curry until you’re ready to serve it out.

When using yoghurt in marinades make sure to whisk lightly as they can be quite thick and fatty, and this will prevent it from splitting.

 The secret to making a great curry is cooking out the onions until they are caramelised, not golden brown nor see-through: they must be really brown. This is the secret to getting many sauces right.

Also, do not be reluctant to experiment with using Indian spices. The more you practice, the better you will get. If your recipe says one teaspoon of cumin seeds and you add an extra half teaspoon by mistake, don't worry, it's not going to make your curry a disaster: in fact it may even make it taste nicer. So play around with the spices.

If you don't have a particular spice, try substituting it with another, e.g. if you do not have carom seeds try replacing them with coriander seeds. It's good to try out the flavours and have confidence when you are cooking. The only spices that you really should be careful with are red chilli powder and salt, because you don't want to add too much of either.

Buy whole or very fresh spices. I have two spice tins that stack on top of each other. In one I have my most commonly used spices (ground coriander, ground turmeric, garam masala powder, red chilli powder, mustard seeds and cumin seeds and salt), in the other my favourite whole spices (cloves, cassia bark, black peppercorns, green and black cardamoms, mace, dried bay leaves). I grind whole spices into small batches and once used up I do it again. It makes a massive difference in the final dish and I don’t have jars of stale powdered spices lurking in the back of my cupboards.

Taste your dish and season well. Even a great curry will be flat without salt, that amazing conductor of flavour and if you have gone to all the trouble of lovingly making a curry it seems a shame to fall at the last hurdle. I hold occasional cookery classes and not one person has ever seasoned correctly without my prompting.

If you are creating a coconut milk-based curry, add corn flour into the mix to prevent curdling

Also, to avoid eye irritation when handling onions, I recommend lighting a candle and placing it beside you when peeling and chopping as it helps to reduce tears and prevent aggravation to the eyes.

Many Indian dishes, including curries, often use chilli - which is a surprisingly versatile ingredient. I find that often people either say they love the flavour and the heat or they tend to shy away from it thinking it will always be too spicy.

We use chillies for a bit of heat but also for the really subtle and complex flavour they can add to a dish, depending on the type of chilli. To make the most of the ingredient it’s important to consider when to add it into a meal. When added to a curry earlier on in the cooking process it gives a milder heat. However, if you like a little more kick, add it a bit later on when cooking or simmering. At Trishna we add fresh diced chilli into some of our dishes to create depth and heat. However, if you’re making a curry at home for people who have different heat tolerances try adding in whole fresh chillies when cooking. This allows the chillies to only be served to those who can handle the heat.”

When preparing your curry, score the meat and gently rub the spices into the meat for five minutes. The heat from your hands will help the spices absorb into the meat and make it lovely and tender.

Also, game meats are also a great choice for curries and shouldn’t be overlooked, including duck, woodpigeon, and guinea fowl.

People normally only think of coriander as the herb to use in Indian food: however, many other herbs are used such as dill, mint, fenugreek and curry leaves. Curry leaves are one of my favourites and add a unique touch to a fish curry or a lentil dish. Temper them in hot oil and scatter at the end of add a few during cooking. Add dill to a potato curry as a fresh alternative too.

Revealed: How to lose weight - drink plenty of red wine

Research shows that resveratrol, an ingredient fround in grapes, berries and red wine can help turn flab into calorie-burning 'brown' fat. Just drink responsibly!

Red wine ingredient have been linked to lower diabetes risk 

Wine lovers rejoice! Research has shown that an ingredient in grapes, berries and red wine can turn excess flab into calorie-burning "brown" fat. The discovery suggests that diets containing the substance, resveratrol, may help combat obesity.

Scientists gave mice amounts of resveratrol equivalent to humans consuming 12 ounces of fruit per day. They found that despite a high fat diet, the mice gained 40% less weight than animals not fed the compound.

The research showed that the mice were able to change their excess white fat to active "brown" or "beige" fat which reduces weight gain by burning up calories. Other "polyphenol" chemicals in fruit may have a similar effect, the scientists believe.

• Is red wine really healthy?

Lead researcher Professor Min Du, from Washington State Univesity, US, said: "Polyphenols in fruit, including resveratrol, increase gene expression that enhances the oxidation of dietary fats so the body won't be overloaded. They convert white fat into beige fat which burns lipids (fats) off as heat, helping to keep the body in balance and prevent obesity and metabolic dysfunction. We are using resveratrol as a representative for all the polyphenols."

_{Research shows a glass of wine could be good for you}

Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes and apples are especially rich in the compounds, he said. Twelve ounces amounts to about two or three servings.

• How many calories are in your alcohol?

Red wines such as merlot or cabinet sauvignon are known to contain resveratrol, but at a fraction of the levels found in grapes, Prof Du pointed out. "Many of the beneficial polyphenos are insoluble and get filtered out during the wine production process," he said.

The findings are reported in the International Journal of Obesity.