Want to cook all the classic restaurant curries authentically at home? Here is the definitive guide to how it’s done.
With all the remarkable modern ‘Indian’ restaurants around, many of them with Michelin Stars (and prices to match) and their chefs all over the TV food programmes, it’s easy to forget the delights of a standard High Street ‘Indian’.
“Chicken Madras, Lamb Dopiaza, Saag Aloo, Two Naan, Pilau Rice and a Prawn Vindaloo!” These magical incantations can still be heard across the UK when the pubs turn out and hungry merrymakers head down the road toward the beckoning lights of the Taj Mahal and the chance of a warm pint of Cobra.
I hadn’t been to a regular ‘Indian’ for years, only the best for us food writers innit, but last week a small sports club I belong to decided to have a Xmas curry and we all piled into the local Tandoori.
It was like going back in time. The cheerful, if slightly apprehensive staff, the decor, the carpet and the aromas. My memory bank kicked in and I ordered the dishes of my student days, and they were delicious.
Richard Sayce gets this too. He likes Modern Indian, but his heart is the nation’s High Streets.
The way Indian Restaurant food tastes is down to the way they make it, with its focus on high speed turnaround. Techniques that might horrify a Michelin Chef are employed to one glorious end – get the punter happily fed – fast.
In this book Richard tells you how to mass prepare the components you’ll always need and can keep on standby in airtight jars and the freezer.
Learn how to blend Mix Powder – a spice that’s used in most BIR’s (British Indian Restaurants) as foundation, and how to brew up Base Gravy, the essential backbone to most BIR curries.
This last recipe makes enough for sixteen meals for two. A pressure cooker like the The CrockPot Turbo Express cuts down the prep time considerably as well as the mess I found.
Make up garlic and ginger paste in large quantities, blend it with a little oil and keep it in the fridge for a week. Or better still freeze it in ice cube trays then pop the cubes into freezer bags. Good for at least six months. It’s a massive timesaver later.
Another time saver is onion paste, a large quantity of onions cooked down with spices and then ice cubed as before
And controversially perhaps, pre- cook your chicken or meat in spiced water, cover it in sauce, refrigerate or freeze. Your High Street BIR does exactly this.
Of course, Richard also includes recipes for all your favourite starters, side dishes, curries, rice and breads with plenty of vegetarian options as well as street food delights such as Chicken 65.
Many recipes have YouTube tuition videos attached; simply scan the QR code at the top of the page and up they come on screen. This really helps you nail technique and taste. There are notes on equipment, too.
My freezer is now full of prepped BIR basics and the house smells distinctly of curry. I don’t mind that, although I am hoping it dies down a bit soon as I can’t stop feeling hungry.
Enjoy an authentic ‘British Indian’ whenever you want with this great book, sitar music not included.
Check out the Misty Ricardo Website to buy your copy.