Please bring a dish – was the request received late on Tuesday night, the event, Julia’s Scottish wedding reception. Hector has been taking Curry to Carnoustie whenever invited to stay over with Dr. Alasdair and Margie, mother of Julia. Curry for ten has been the norm, this time, treble that. Why take a – Dish – that only provides a Soupçon for those at the front of the line?
Murgh Aloo
It had to be Chicken, but was nearly Mince, a simple matter of economics. Around three kilos of Chicken Thighs, on-the-bone, were purchased along with a kilo of Baby Potatoes. Marg scrubbed the skin off the Potatoes and ended up with black fingers, she will not be doing that again. The Potatoes were also cooked alone, no way was Hector taking the risk of repeating – The Great Potato Debacle of 2011.
The preparation was done yesterday morning, before heading out to The Village, for Curry. Frozen Onions come into their own when batch cooking, no tears. An entire bottle of Oil, plus a top-up of Olive Oil got things underway. This gave a full half hour of cooking whilst a mass of Ginger was peeled then shredded. Precise measurements went out the window, tablespoons of Garlic Paste went in with the Ginger, allowed to cook for another fifteen minutes.
Three tins of Tomatoes plus a batch that – had to be used – were added, a bit pale, let’s have some Tomato Puree. Crispy Fried Onions, a relatively recent discovery, were added to thicken up the mash. The mash had a good hour on the gas before any Spices were added.
Don’t make it too Spicy! – was Marg’s plea at the outset.
No, this was Curry for the masses, however, the plan was to present a Desi Murgh Aloo.
Dessert spoons of Turmeric, Kashmiri Chilli Powder, Garam Masala and Salt were added to The Big Pot which was already half full. The final addition at this stage was some tired Coriander.
At this point I had a decent Masala, but was determined to create something special. The contents of the pot were blended to create a Masala typical of a Mainstream Restaurant. Now to add the real ingredients.
Not content with the contents of my jar of Whole Spice Garam Masala, more Cloves, Green Cardamom, Black Cardamom, Cinnamon Bark and Cumin Seeds were fried in very hot Oil. Around six Green Chillies were sliced and all of this stirred in to the Blended Masala. This was more like it.
The Chicken Thighs brought the mass up to near the brim, more Coriander!
I consciously added no Methi, despite all temptation. I hoped to recreate the taste of innocence, as captured in Aloo Chicken – A Beginner’s Curry. When the Oil started to separate I knew I had – Curry. The cooked Potatoes were added, and the whole lot left to stand overnight.
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Two large containers were driven north. Those who had enjoyed my previous efforts discreetly asked what I had brought, there was a presumption. Around 19.00 I was brought into the kitchen. My promised big ovenproof pot had been hijacked, the reheating would be on the hob, stirring, not good for Chicken. Marg took over, I chopped even more Coriander, this time for – foliage.
*
OK, some of the Chicken did shred, unavoidable unless using premium Halal Chicken Breast. There was plenty, for all.
Desi Murgh Aloo
Moderately Spiced and well Seasoned, first boxes ticked. The Chicken had released its Water and so the Texture of the Masala had suffered. Some of my beautifully Blended Masala was approaching an Oily Shorva, not the end of the World. The Rice soaked this up. The Whole Spices had worked their magic, the Potatoes had not absorbed as much Flavour as hoped. So much for Baby Potatoes!
There may be no such thing as a Chicken Curry, this wasn’t too shabby.
My plateful also included a Soupçon of a rather superb Korma. Rich, Creamy and Nutty, this was quite a departure from the Coconut laden nonsense one usually encounters. I believe this was a la Fiona, who also served this back in 2016.
Those for whom I had previously cooked, expressed their gratitude and enjoyment. One lady, who seemed to know me by name, also went out of her way to offer praise. This turned out to be an Edinburgh MP, royalty next? She suggested I should try Corstorphine’s – The Pranha Indian Grill – in her constituency.
Later, a young couple reheated some of the Curry.
Whoever cooked this deserves an award – was overheard coming from the kitchen.
Curry-Heute never wins Awards!