Curry For Christmas Dinner?

One in seven people prefer fast food as their festive feast versus the traditional roast – but would you opt for a curry banquet with your family? Here,Richard Sayce, author of Curry Compendium gives us alternative recipes for the big day.

Last Christmas was a wash-out for many Brits, so this year thoughts are turning to making this one to remember. After years of enjoying a Christmas curry on the Big Day itself, Richard Sayce, author of Curry Compendium believes many people will be looking to reduce stress in the kitchen, spend extra quality time with family and friends, making Christmas more memorable than ever.

With one in seven people saying they’d prefer fast food as their festive feast to the traditional turkey and trimmings, the following recipes (which can be made with any meat or vegetarian to suit your preferences), are ideal for spicing things up this year.
“The beauty of many of the recipes in Curry Compendium is that they can be made in advance,” said Richard.

“Curries often taste better the next day after they’ve been refrigerated overnight as the spices and flavours tend to blend together even better. I prepare a couple of mains such as a Christmas Bhuna and Madras and a few side dishes in advance, then do the rice quickly in the morning, which means I hardly spend any time in the kitchen on Christmas Day. And there are always amazing leftovers for dinner parties and even New Year’s Eve celebrations.”

Richard’s recipe suggestions for Christmas Dinner include: Christmas Madras (hot, hot, hot); Yuletide King Prawn Bhuna (not too hot); Chana Masala and Santa’s Samosas

Curry Compendium by Richard Sayce is the definitive guide to recreating British Indian Restaurant favourites from the comfort of your own home. £24.99, available from Waterstones.

Curry Compendium Christmas Dinner Recipes

Prawn & Mushroom Bhuna

Served as a very thick curry in which the base gravy is heavily reduced and caramelised for a more intense, almost smoky flavour. Bhuna is usually served as a low-medium strength curry, and has a relatively simple array of ingredients. This is a curry you can use to practice the methods needed to get the best flavour out of curry, particularly the art of leaving the curry alone without fiddling with it unnecessarily.
This recipe is based on that from my new book, Curry Compendium.
Feeds 1-2 people depending on appetite. All spoon measurements are level.

INGREDIENTS

● 3-4 TBSP (45-60ml) Vegetable Oil
● A small piece of Cinnamon or Cassia Bark
● 2 Green Cardamom Pods, split open
● 70g Onion, very finely chopped (about half a medium Onion)
● 20g Green Pepper, very finely chopped (about one sixth of a medium sized Pepper)
● Sliced mushrooms – a handful
● 2 tsp Ginger/Garlic Paste
● 1 tsp Kasuri Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves)
● 2 tsp Spice Mix – see separate recipe below
● ¼-½ tsp Chilli Powder
● ¼-½ tsp Salt
● ¼ tsp Garam Masala
● 250ml+ warm Base Sauce – see separate recipe below. Use more if you want a thinner curry
● 4 -5 TBSP Passata or 1½-2 TBSP Tomato Purée diluted to passata consistency
● 150-200g Prawns or King Prawns
● 2 fresh Tomato Quarters
● 1 tsp of Lemon Juice (optional)
● 1 TBSP Fresh Coriander

METHOD

1. Add the oil to a frying pan on medium high heat.
2. When hot, add the cinnamon/cassia and green
   cardamom pods. Fry for 30-45 seconds to infuse the oil, stirring occasionally.
3. Add onion, green pepper, and mushroom. Fry for
   1-1½ minutes until soft, stirring often. Do not let the onions brown or burn.
4. Then add the ginger/garlic paste, stirring diligently for 20-30 seconds or until the sizzling sound dies down.
5. Now add the kasuri methi, mix powder, chilli powder, salt, and garam masala.
6. Fry for 20-30 seconds, adding a little base sauce if the spices start to stick to the pan. Stir very often, and use the base of the spoon to ensure flat and even distribution of the spices.
7. Turn up the heat to high and add the passata/purée. Stir together and leave for 20 seconds or until the oil separates and small craters appear around the edges of the frying pan.
8. Next add 75ml of base sauce. Stir into the sauce, and leave on high heat until the sauce has reduced a little, the oil has separated and small craters form around the edges again.
9. Add a second 75ml of base sauce. Stir and scrape the pan once, then leave it for a further 45 seconds or so, allowing the sauce to reduce and crater again.
10. Now add a third 75ml of base sauce and the fresh tomato quarters. Stir and scrape once again, then leave to cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
11. During that time avoid stirring unless the curry is about to burn. Let the sauce stick to the bottom and sides of the pan to caramelise and thicken, bringing out the true bhuna flavour. Add extra base sauce if desired, but make sure to reduce it down so the result is quick thick, as a bhuna curry usually is.
12. Add the prawns (defrosted if from frozen) and the fresh coriander. Mix will into the curry and cook for a further couple of minutes, or until they are fully cooked through.
13. An optional 1 tsp of lemon juice complements the prawns well at this stage.
14. Fish out the whole spices, and if you wish, spoon off excess floating oil from the surface.
15. Serve, garnished with coriander leaves

SPICE MIX RECIPE

Also known commonly as ‘Mix Powder’, this is a mixture of basic spices, and is used in most
British Indian restaurants to form the basis of the spicing. This is the recipe I most commonly use, which I find gives a good foundation of flavour to all curries.
This recipe will make enough for at least 12 curries but you can scale the ingredients down if
you wish. For the best result, ground the cumin and coriander seeds.
Once prepared, store airtight and away from light – it will then last for months.

Simply mix the following together:
● 1 TBSP Cumin Powder
● 1 TBSP Coriander Powder
● 1½ TBSP Turmeric Powder
● ½ TBSP Paprika (NOT smoked)
● 1½ TBSP Mild Madras Curry Powder
● ¼ tsp Garam Masala

BASE SAUCE RECIPE

Here’s a simplified and highly satisfactory recipe for a quick and easy base sauce, which is more
commonly referred to as ‘Base Gravy’ in the trade.
It takes about 30 minutes to cook and provides enough for approximately five restaurant style
curries. Whilst not as sophisticated as my other base gravies from my book Curry Compendium, it’s a very convenient compromise, both in terms of time saved and the ingredients required. You can double or triple the recipe to make a larger batch if you wish.
Important: Before cooking curry with the base sauce, dilute it with water until it’s about the same consistency as semi skimmed milk. If freezing, do so before adding the water – it saves valuable freezer space.

INGREDIENTS
● 75ml Oil
● 500-600g Brown Onions, sliced (unpeeled weight)
● ¼ Green Pepper, chopped (optional)
● ½ – ¾ tsp Salt
● 1½ TBSP Ginger/Garlic Paste
● 2 TBSP Tomato Purée
● 1 TBSP Spice Mix – see above recipe
● ½ tsp Garam Masala
● 800ml Water (hot)

METHOD
1. Add the oil to a medium or large pan on medium heat.
2. Add the onions, salt, and the optional green pepper.
3. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
4. Now add the ginger/garlic paste and continue frying for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the mix powder, garam masala, tomato purée and a splash of water.
6. Fry for a further 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently to stop the spices catching and burning. Add a little more water to help with this.
7. Now add the hot water, turn the heat down to low medium, and let simmer for 15 minutes.
8. Blend until smooth

Chicken Madras

A hot, savoury, tangy, smooth, tomato-based curry that’s a firm favourite. My recipe recreates a typical Madras you would eat in a good Indian restaurant.
Despite having relatively few ingredients, when cooked correctly it will have amazing flavour layers. Prepare the base sauce (aka base gravy) and spice mix (aka mix powder) separately before making this Madras.
This recipe is based on that from my new book, Curry Compendium.
Feeds 1-2 people depending on appetite. All spoon measurements are level. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
● 3-4 TBSP (45-60ml) Vegetable Oil
● A small piece of Cinnamon or Cassia Bark
● ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
● 2 tsp Ginger/Garlic Paste
● 1-2 raw Chicken/Turkey Breasts, chopped into chunks
● 1½ tsp Spice Mix – see above separate recipe
● 1½-2 tsp Chilli Powder (as much as you like)
● ¼-½ tsp Salt
● 1 tsp Kasuri Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves)
● 5-6 TBSP Passata or 1½-2 TBSP Tomato Purée diluted to passata consistency
● 2 tsp Lemon Juice
● 330ml+ warm Base Sauce – see above separate recipe. Use more for a thinner consistency
● ½ tsp Coffee Granules (optional)
● 3-4 Splashes of Worcestershire Sauce
● Fresh Coriander for garnishing

METHOD

1. Add the oil to a frying pan on medium high heat. When hot, add the cinnamon and cumin seeds and fry for 30-45 seconds, while stirring frequently.
2. Then add the ginger/garlic paste, stirring for about 30 seconds until it starts to brown a little. Avoid burning!
3. Add the raw chicken/turkey and coat it well with the oil.
4. Now add the chilli powder, spice mix, kasuri methi, salt, and 30ml of the base sauce to help the powdered spices cook without burning.
5. Fry for 20-30 seconds, stirring frequently with the flat of the spoon, ensuring flat distribution of the spices in the pan.
6. Add the passata/purée. Turn up the heat to high while stirring frequently until the oil separates and small dry craters appear around the edges of the pan.
7. Now add and mix in the lemon juice and the optional coffee granules (sparingly).
8. Add 75ml of base sauce and stir and scrape everything together. Leave to cook with no further tampering until the dry craters form again.
9. Add a second 75ml of base sauce, stirring and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan once when first added, allowing the sauce to reduce again without unnecessary stirring.
10. Pour in 150ml of base sauce and the Worcestershire sauce, stirring and scraping once when first added.
11. Leave to cook on high heat for 4-5 minutes. Stir and scrape the caramelisation back into the sauce, but only do this to stop the curry sticking too much and burning. Add extra base sauce towards the end of cooking to reach your desired consistency.
12. Remove the cinnamon and spoon off any excess oil from the top of the curry if you wish.
13. Sprinkle on finely chopped coriander to garnish