करी Indian Curry

The curry is certainly the most well-known of all Indian food, and it has been copied and modified in many countries in South East Asia. In India, it is not a spice mixture that you buy from your grocery store; instead it is a method of cooking food for a fairly long time, with the result being fairly juicy. Fresh spices are used, and they may vary from day to day and chef to chef.

a little oil for frying (not olive oil; Indian ghee - clarified butter - is best)

2 medium sized onions, finely chopped

10 medium sized carrots (aboout ½kg - 1 pound) - finely sliced or chopped

400 gr (1 scant pound) frozen peas

several sliced tomatoes

water

Spices

1 cinnamon stick [kanelstång canelle]

1½ table sp finely chopped fresh ginger root [ingefära gingembre]

2 tsp cumin seeds [spiskummin]

1 table sp coriander seeds - ground or crushed

Hot (red) chili pepper

1-1½ tsp turmeric [gurkmeja curcuma]

½ tsp mace (nutmeg flower) [muskotblomma fleure de muscade]. If you can't find it, substitute with freshly ground nutmeg

1-2 tsp tamarind (a long, narrow dark bean with a lemon-like flavour) (if you can find it)

Salt to taste (about 2½ tsp)

Several garlic cloves, chopped finely or squeezed through a garlic press.

Fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

Heat the oil in a pan over high heat and fry the cinnamon stick for a few minutes. Reducce the heat and add the ginger. After another couple of minutes, add the cumin, coriander seeds and chili and after a while the finely chopped onions. Saute until the onion is tender. If the mixture becomes too dry, you can add a little water.

Then add the carrots and water to barely cover them, and also the turmeric, mace, tamarind, and salt. Let simmer for an hour or more. Now add the frozen peas and the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10-15 minutes to soften the tomatoes. Also add the garlic at this time. You may need to add more water - but I like to keep the result fairly dry (and less juicy than Indian restaurants usually serve it).

Add the fresh coriander at last.

Note: If the finely chopped onion cooks long enough, it will fall apart and thicken the curry. Flour [mjöl farine] is never used.

Variations: Since almost every Indian chef has his own preferences, an endless number of variations is possible. Try potatoes instead of carrots (much more common in India) or any other vegetable that falls apart when cooked long (cauliflower, etc; but I don't think that bell peppers [paprika courchette] work well). Just make sure it is finely chopped.

Spice variations:

Try 1 tsp black cumin seeds instead of regular cumin, but only use half as much, since it is stronger. It has a quite distinctive taste.

Or try 1 tsp fenugreek seeds [bockhornsklöver] instead (also use only half has much; crush them a little bit before adding them).

Try 2 table sp pomegrantate seeds instead of the tamarind [granatäpplekärnor grins de grenadier]

Add 2-4 table sp white poppy seeds [vallmofrön paveau] (this will also thicken the curry a bit)

Or add 1-2 dl (½-1 cup) dry coconut instead of the poppy seeds.

30.10.2007 English only Swedish only French only