I love a good curry but it's difficult to get one down here in Devon.  So today I made a Keema, a recipe given to me by Ruckshanda, a friend from Pakistan, many years ago:


KEEMA
3 tbsp Oil
2 medium Onions, slices
1 lb mince Meat (beef, pork, lamb according to taste)
1 cup Beans or 1 cup Peas
4 tsp Ginger and Garlic mix
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Chilli powder
2 tsp Tumeric
4 tsp ground Coriander
1 tsp gr Cumin
2 tbsp Coriander leaves and 2 tsp Garum Masala (add at end)
1 tin Tomatoes

1. Fry mince and set aside
2. Cook onions in oil, then add spices, ginger and garlic.
3. Add tomatoes and mince meat
4. Add beans (if peas add later)
5. Cook
6. When cooked add gm and coriander leaves.

About the time I was enjoying Ruckshanda's cookery classes, we had a university-student lodger from the Gujerat who was really encouraging with my cooking.  Every Sunday when Jatin returned from the weekend home with his family, he brought with him a small gift from his mother of samples of what she'd cooked for the family that day. Yum yum!

I'd also been given one of Madhir Jaffray's cookery books (see: http://www.madhur-jaffrey.com/), which contains what became firm family favourites.  The book's packed away at the moment but when we eventually move I'll put some of the recipes on this site.


Later, when we moved up to Leicester, I was introduced to Patak's (http://www.pataks.co.uk/) and found their pastes extremely useful.

Today, as well as the Keema, I plan to make a vegetable curry and also some dahl.  It's important to only use ingredients already in the house as we're trying to run down kitchen stocks before moving.

This looks like a good dahl recipe: 

COCONUT DAHL
250g red lentils
400ml coconut milk
a handful of curry leaves (or coriander)
2 medium onions, one finely chopped, one sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1tsp Tumeric
2 -3 long pointy green chillies, sliced
2 tsp black mustard seeds
flat bread - to serve

1. Put the lentils, coconut milk, the chopped onion, tomatoes, chillies and turmeric in a pan with 300ml water, season and simmer for 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
2. Fry the sliced onion in 4 tbsp oil until crisp, add the curry leaves (or coriander) and mustard seeds and sizzle together.
3. Pour over the lentils. Serve with flatbread.

Here are other vegetarian recipes which look worth trying:
Creamy Egg Curry:  http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3214/creamy-egg-curry
Spiced Vegetable Biriani:  http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1397/spiced-vegetable-biryani
Vegetable Curry for a Crowd:  http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/775646/vegetable-curry-for-a-crowd