The Family Indian Curry Recipe

Before I was even born, my parents were living in an apartment somewhere in Anjou. They were friends with an Indian couple that lived nearby. One day they were invited over for dinner and the Indian couple made a curry. It was the most delicious dish they've ever tasted. Of course back then my folks weren't really used to Indian cuisine and having an authentic home made curry was one of the best gastronomic experience they ever had. Thankfully the couple was nice enough to provide them with the recipe.

When my mother makes that curry, it's absolutely fantastic. I haven't had it in a couple of years and I have been craving it really badly. So last night I asked for the recipe and made it myself for my lunches and boy did it hit the spot. It is really a great curry recipe and now I will share it with you. You won't find this one online anywhere on any cooking website, so consider yourself lucky!

Not shown here, the sugar.

I forgot to buy the tomatoes so I had to quickly run out and get some.

Ingredients:

• 3 onions (2 for the curry, one for the rice)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp tumeric
• 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 cloves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 3/4 lbs of meat, it can be beef cubes, pork or chicken. For best result, use the pork.
• Cauliflower & Broccoli (I used a whole bag of frozen ones and it was plenty.)
• 2 potatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of basmati rice
• a couple handful of cashews

Instructions:

Holy shit! Did you feel that quake? An earthquake occurred as I was writing this post. At first it felt like a really big truck was passing in front of the building and all of a sudden it felt like a huge impact. I thought the truck might have crashed in a building nearby or something. Pretty intense!

Anyway, here's how to make the curry. Oh and a word of caution: wear an apron and some old clothes because the spices will stain if you drop any on you. The cloth I used to wipe the stove and the counter is still yellow even after washing it with detergent. So be careful.

The first thing to do is to wash up your potatoes and chop up your vegetables. Scrub your potatoes under tap water with a brush. Then peel the potatoes and cut them into very small cubes.

I got help from Mr Supdsie.

Then finely chop the three onions. If you have a food chopper, use it. Or you'll end up like me and cry your eyes out. I'm still crying just thinking about it.

Do the same with the garlic.

Finally, cut the four tomatoes into small cubes.

In a large pot, pour enough olive oil or grape seed oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Over medium heat, cook 2/3 of the chopped onions and all the garlic in the pot until the onions become translucent.

When they're cooked, add the tomatoes and the spices.

Mix well until the mixture turns into a paste.

Add the beef, pork or chicken cubes. If they are not entirely covered by the mixture, add a bit of water until the meat is covered and mix well. Let cook until the meat is tender and has absorbed the juices.

When the meat is cooked and tender, add the vegetables. Pour in the potato cubes, broccoli and cauliflower and mix them well so they get covered with the mixture. I let the frozen vegetables thaw a little bit before adding them, but it's not really necessary. Just make sure any frost or ice is gone before lowering the heat. Bring the heat to medium-low and cover. Let it simmer until the vegetables (especially the potatoes) become soft and tender. 

In the meantime you can cook the rice. In a small pot put enough oil to cover the bottom of the pot. Bring it to a medium heat and put the rest of the chopped onions and cook them until they become translucent.

When they are cooked, add 4 cups of water and bring the heat to medium-high. When the water starts to boil, add one cup of rice and let it cook. Mix occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Add a couple of handfuls of cashews when the rice is almost done. When the water gets all absorbed, remove from heat and let the rice cool.

I forgot to add the cashews :(

Check back on the curry and make sure the potatoes are nice and soft. The broccoli and cauliflower should be all cooked as well.

When serving, put some rice on a plate and cover with the curry mixture.

Dinner is served! Well, in this case it was lunch.
Whatever. You get what I mean. Time to eat!

The dish has a wonderful curry and turmeric flavour with a warm heat from the cayenne pepper. It's sure to heat up your belly on a cool autumn evening.

Enjoy!