Crispy fried onions
Apologies for the tardy write-up this week – the snow has made me quite soporific! We finally made something from Madhur Jaffrey’s Ultimate Curry Bible last weekend. The recipe was a great success. I pureed the spinach so it went a little brown during cooking but still tasted fresh and healthy. The crispy onions added an extra dimension of richness and the dish was far nicer than a takeaway chicken tikka masala – much less cloying. The final 300ml of water made things a bit sloppy though – I’d halve the amount next time. It would be good to find a way to reduce the quantities of cooking oil (I used vegetable oil instead of corn/peanut, for ease) too.
I’m enjoying my education in spice – I used to pour vats of cumin and coriander into my self-invented dishes but see now that it’s all about delicate combinations, not vast quantities. I didn’t realize until this week that cayenne pepper is different to chilli powder – in fact it’s just one of the many components in a good chilli powder! I’m enjoying working our way through the Madagascan cinnamon sticks we bought on honeymoon last October too – they’re delicious! Our flat it definitely taking on the odour of spice…
I also bought some half price asafoetida this week. Wikipedia tells me that it comes from a type of gum produced by a giant member of the fennel family, and “has a pungent, unpleasant smell when raw, but in cooked dishes, it delivers a smooth flavor, reminiscent of leeks”. Could be interesting.
Marks: 7/10. A tasty, easily-made classic. Will retain some crispy onions to sprinkle on top next time. Mr Curryclub also thinks the spinach should be added a little later on in the cooking process.
kentishtowncurryclub 