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Recipe for "meat-curry"

NAME

     MEAT-CURRY - An Indian-style meat curry
     Having experimented with making Indian-style  dishes  for  a
     long  time,  I have found that this one works every time and
     has met with approval from all who have tried it.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 3-4)

          CURRY
     1         medium onion, finely chopped
     2.5 cm    ginger root, peeled and grated
     2         green chilies, seeded and finely chopped
     3         whole cloves
     2         garlic cloves, crushed
     1 ml      aniseed
     1 ml      caraway seed
     1 ml      fenugreek seed
     2.5 ml    corriander seed
     2.5 ml    cumin seed
     2.5 cm    cinnamon bark, broken
     3         cardamom pods, crushed
     2.5 ml    turmeric
     2.5 ml    chile powder
     350 ml    tomatoes (one large tin)
     5 ml      salt
     50 ml     corn oil
          RICE
     10 ml     corn oil
     2         cloves
     3         cardamom pods, crushed
     1 cm      cinnamon bark,
     400 g     Basmati rice
     5 ml      turmeric
     1 l       boiling water
     1         bay leaf

PROCEDURE (CURRY)

          (1)  Fry the onion in a heavy casserole in the corn oil
               until  it  begins  to  soften. Stir in the garlic,
               ginger, and chilies.
          (2)  Reduce heat and fry gently for awhile.
          (3)  Meanwhile, toast the hard seeds and cinnamon in  a
               dry  heavy  frying  pan  until  they begin to pop.
               Grind the toasted seeds into a fine powder and add
               to  the  frying  mixture  together  with the chile
               powder and the turmeric.
          (4)  Add the chopped tinned tomatoes and stir in with 5
               ml salt. If the mixture is dry, add a little water
               or stock. Cover and allow to simmer gently  for  2
               hours, stirring occasionally.
          (5)  Trim the fat off the pre-cooked meat and cut  into
               bite sized pieces. When the sauce has simmered for
               the 2 hours, switch off  and  stir  in  the  meat.
               Leave  to  stand preferably overnight, and re-heat
               before eating.

PROCEDURE (RICE)

          (1)  Heat corn oil in a large saucepan  with  a  tight-
               fitting  lid.  Add  cloves, crushed cardamom pods,
               and cinnamon.
          (2)  Add rice and turmeric, and mix  well  by  swishing
               the pan round. Add boiling water and bay leaf, and
               stir.
          (3)  Cover and simmer gently for 12-15  minutes,  until
               all  the  water  has  been absorbed. Use a fork to
               remove the seeds and bay leaf and turn out into  a
               warmed  dish. Allow to stand in a warm place for 5
               to 10 minutes and fluff  up  with  a  fork  before
               serving.

NOTES

     The sauce can be prepared in advance, to use  with  leftover
     meat, or you can cook the meat and sauce to order.
     Plain yoghurt may be substituted for the  tomatoes  if  pre-
     ferred.
     Experiment with the seasonings.   As  a  guide,  ginger  and
     chile   powder  will  increase  the  heat,  corriander  will
     increase  the  sweetness,  and  fenugreek  and  cumin   will
     increase the bitterness.

RATING

     Difficulty: easy to moderate.  Time: 30 minutes preparation,
     2  hours  cooking,  overnight  wait.  Precision: Approximate
     measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Colin Atherton
     Logitek Ltd, Bradley Lane, Standish, Wigan, WN6 0XQ, UK
     colin@logitek.uucp  mcvax!ukc!qtlon!logitek!colin