Friday, February 27, 2009

Hot Dry Meat Curry

I don't normally try to grow things. I do not own plants, I don't have a vegetable garden or a windowsill full of herbs. I'm not the Martha Stewart homemaker type with a clean crafty home. I cook and that's about all the homey stuff I do.
But if you saw this in my fridge, you might think I was trying to grow something:

You might think to yourself, how sad that Shalaka doesn't know her plant has died. But really all I'm doing is extending the life of my cilantro. Cilantro is not expensive. But you buy a bunch of it and use a few leaves chopped into your homemade guacamole or sprinkled in a curry (see below) and before you know it the bunch is turning brown and leaking something across the bottom of your fridge. Oh cilantro, how fleeting is your life.

So now I put my cilantro on life support. A glass of water is all it takes. This cilantro is about three weeks old, wilted but not going bad. There are still plenty of leaves to sprinkle into my Hot Dry Meat Curry.

If you think that I'm writing about this recipe because of its name, you'd be correct. I'm also writing about it because it was surprisingly tasty. But the name is ridiculous! There was never a more generic name for a recipe than Hot Dry Meat Curry. Most curries are hot. Many curries have meat. The word that got me was Dry. A meat curry is usually saucy and wet. Curry spices can be used on meats that are roasted or fried but when the dish is called a curry, it seems like an oxymoron to call it a dry curry. So the name and the fact that I had nearly all the ingredients convinced me that I should make it. Besides, my cilantro was in top form.

An aside on Indian food: I don't cook Indian food very often but I do have a couple of good cookbooks plus I can call my mom any time and get a random recipe without measurements. The fact that recipes require a lot of ingredients and spices, time to marinate, and time to stew make it unlikely that I'll choose anything but the most straightforward of recipes. What could be more straightforward than Hot Dry Meat Curry?

The recipe called for extra hot curry paste and the only thing I could think of to fit that description was the red curry paste usually used in Thai curries. To that I added chili powder, five spice powder, turmeric, bay leaves, and the usual onion, garlic and ginger. So the Hot part was covered. To take care of the Meat part, I added lamb shoulder chopped, with the bone. But in contrast to the Dry part, the recipe did call for coconut milk, which is added after the meat has cooked for 20 minutes. Then the meat and spices are simmered in coconut milk until the meat is cooked, and finally the liquid is reduced. Aha! Hot Dry Meat Curry at last, though if you're impatient like me you'll still end up with some good liquid curry to sop up with your naan. Don't forget to garnish with cilantro.

Hot Dry Meat Curry (from The Complete Book of Indian Cooking)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
1 piece fresh ginger, crushed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
6-8 curry leaves (I used bay leaves)
3 tablespoons extra hot curry paste (I used Thai red curry paste)
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
salt to taste
2 lbs lean lamb, beef or pork
3/4 cup coconut milk
chopped tomato and cilantro leaves, to garnish

The recipe doesn't require marinating, but I like to marinate my lamb overnight so it tastes better. A typical Indian marinade is ginger, garlic, salt, chili powder, and turmeric.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves until the onion is soft. Stir in the curry paste, chili powder, five-spice powder, turmeric, and salt and cook for a few moments, stirring frequently. Add the meat and stir over medium heat to brown the pieces. Keep stirring until the oil separates. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk, mix well and simmer until the meat is cooked. Toward the end of cooking, uncover the pan to reduce the excess liquid. Garnish and serve hot.

Meet me live, tonight!

I’ll be participating in a panel discussion at NYU tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 (at 19 University Place, Room 102), along with chefs and other writers. The topic: “Chefs and their Publics.” Sounds a bit academic, I know, but the panelists are good and the discussion should be lively. I know I'm going to do my best to be fascinating. And I’m told there might be Room4 (hint hint) a surprise extra guest speaker.

Friday Nibbles - Lemons

For the first time in months it was possible to go outside in short sleeves without breathing in and holding your arms close to your chest this afternoon. The sun was out and there was a faint, but noticeable, whiff of spring in the air.

Perhaps it is something to do with the weather or the crocuses and evocative daffodils that are bursting through the earth that was frozen just two short weeks ago, but when I saw these lemons in the fridge, I felt that they needed to be celebrated.



Along with limes, oranges and grapefruits, lemons belong to the genus Citrus. They grow in temperate climes throughout the world and are characterised by their sharp flavour, one of the reasons they’ve become so useful to chefs from many culinary backgrounds.

Little is known of the exact etymology of the lemon but it is likely that it was first domesticated on the Indian sub-continent. It was probably introduced to Europe through Italy, from the Middle East. Arabic influence during the 11th and 12th centuries CE further spread the use of the lemon throughout the Mediterranean and by the 15th century it was being widely cultivated in Italy and southern Europe.



Once the Americas were being colonised, the warm climates of the South East and the western seaboard were found to be ideal for the cultivation of citrus fruits – something that continues to this day.

The lemon forms a central part in much Middle Eastern and North African cooking – preserved and pickled lemons are used throughout the region to add flavour and acidity to a wide range of dishes.



Lemon has long been served with fish – the acid helps to bring out the flavours and cut through the richness of some fish, like salmon. They can also be excellent squeezed over grilled meats: Greek lamb kebabs can really be pepped up with a hint of lemon juice.

The classic Italian recipe, steak Florentine also calls for lemon juice. Simply rub your steaks with a little garlic, season with salt and pepper and fry them in a little olive oil and butter over a high heat until they are done to your taste (screaming rare, please).

Remove them to a warm plate, squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and let them rest for five minutes. Slice and serve with salad and boiled potatoes drizzled with the resting juices from the meat.

They may be a great culinary ingredient but, much like last week, it is in the drinks region when lemons really shine.

A gin & tonic would be unthinkable without a generous wedge of lemon floating amidst the ice cubes and many a cocktail would look naked without a round disc of lemon adoring the glass like a tiny sun.

My absolute favourite us of lemon, however, is in a whisky sour.



This is a cocktail that tastes great as an aperitif and just as good, if not better, at ‘round midnight. You can make this as sweet or as sour as you like. Personally, I like it best when it’s sharper than a samurai’s sword and makes you purse your lips until they disappear.

Shake two parts whisky (the cheap stuff is fine. Don’t go using the finest single malt here) with an equal amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice and one part sugar syrup. Don’t forget the ice. Strain into a short glass (ice optional here but not recommended) and garnish with a maraschino cherry. This is what Elysium tastes like.



Just some quick pointers to remember when you’re buying lemons – don’t get them waxed, or else you won’t be able to use the zest. They shouldn’t be shiny, round and perfect. They should be large, uneven and nobbly. You want a lemon that’s seen some action and some sun. Finally, before squeezing, ten seconds in the microwave should help you extract as much juice as possible.

Hungry for more? Follow me on Twitter