Foolproof Indian Curry - tricks and tips that Rachel Ray can't teach you

I love cooking and I love to eat (OK, who doesn't, right?) I found it most satisfying if I could make my favorite dishes by myself. Indian and Thai curry are great examples.

Believe me, I had many heart-breaking failures over the years trying to make Indian curry. I read cookbooks, went to grocery shopping with my Indian co-workers and asked them many questions. Unfortunately, mainstream cooking shows don't teach you about ethnic foods like Indian or Thai. Finally, I found watching on-line videos were the most helpful, and fortunately, there were tons of them if you search.

Not that my co-workers were not trying to be helpful; cooking your native food is so much easier: a pinch of this and that, stir in the veggies and simmer for a while, done.

In this blog, I will unveil the secrets of making Indian curry from scratch.

To make a mean curry, make sure you have the following spices and ingredients available. I highly recommend that you shop at Indian grocery stores. There are small neighborhood stores called Cash and Carry around the Bay Area - don't forget to bring cash, because you may walk out with less than $10 of goods, and they only accept cash for under $10. A bigger store is called Nameste. You can buy all the spices and fresh vegetables you need with really good price.

The second choice after Indian stores is Chinese Grocery stores like Ranch 99 or Pacific Market. Your final defense is Safeway or any other American supermarkets.

Spices in your pantry:

• ground cumin
• ground turmeric - this is one of the super cancer fighting foods
• ground coriander
• cayenne pepper/chili pepper powder - cancer fighting food
• garam masala - you can make it yourself, or buy from the stores
• dried chili pepper or fresh green chili pepper

* coconut milk - I like the CHAOKOH brand from Thailand. I tried another one that I got on discount, but it ruined my food. Though this is a personal preference, so you should find out what you like. This is the only unhealthy ingredient in our curry, so use sparsely. You can experiment to dilute it with 1:1 water later.

Another note here, if the spices you bought were in bags or boxes, make sure to store them in cans, so that bugs won't get to them.

Fresh vegetables:

• tomatoes
• onions
• cilantro - most books call them coriander just to confuse you
• potatoes
• fresh ginger
• garlic
  

Prepare vegetables for a simple curry:
1-2 tomatoes, depending on the size, rinsed and chopped.
1 onion, finely chopped.
1/2 cup cilantro, quantity varied depending on your taste, rinsed well and chopped.
1 teaspoon of ginger, grated.
3 cloves of garlic, crushed.

Mix these spices together:
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

I learned that mixing the spices ahead of time then put the mixture into the food during cooking was much more effective than putting them in one at a time, especially for someone like me who couldn't tell the differences between these spices without reading the labels ... OK, I know ground turmeric is the bright yellow powder, but that's about it.

Now, some tips about pan fried or stir-fried coming straight from my mom's Chinese kitchen.

• Always start with a clean and dry wok/pan.
• Put the oil in before the wok gets hot.
• Wait for the oil to heat up (1-2 minute?) before putting any other ingredients in. When it's ready, oil will have some mild texture.
• Always start the wok with ginger, garlic, or peppers, these ingredients will help flavoring the oil, which will coat the rest of the ingredients.
• Put the vegetable that takes the longest to cook into the wok first, and easiest to cook last. OK, this takes experience and depends on your preference. If you want veggies more crunchy, then don't cook it for too long. Green onion, cilantro and fresh basil are perfect for garnish, and you should put it in last.
• Try to cut up veggies and meat into the same size (you learn this from cooking school), so that they will have the same texture when cooked together.

For my prawn curry, I added 2 handfuls (1 lb) of shelled prawns.

Cooking steps:

1. Start the wok over medium heat, add oil (this may be taboo for some people, but I use olive oil).
2. Once the oil is ready, add garlic, ginger and onion. Stir until onion is soft and turn light yellow.
3. Add the spice mixture. Cook for 1 minute, until it's fragrant.
4. Add the prawns and tomatoes to the wok and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the prawns are cooked and liquid has reduced. Both tomatoes and Prawns take the same time to cook.
5. Stir in 1/3 cup of coconut milk.
6. Add the chili in a little at a time.
7. Season with salt to taste, and garnish with cilantro.
Later, you can try a different mixture of spices. If you want it more spicy, add more cayenne pepper or chili pepper. Use different kinds of veggies and meat/seafood based on your preference. Eat what you like and take the nutrition value into account.

Curry tastes better the next day, that is, if you have any leftover. :)

Cooking is an art, you have to be patient. Don't keep stirring the food too much, it won't help, just let the heat does its magic, let the food cook.

Let me know if it helps and if you like the curry.