Curries from around the country

Savour the taste of culture with this Indian curry collection

There’s no denying that curry is the lifelong love of all Indians and no meal is complete without it. Raghuveer Gowda, hotel management and catering student, shares some of his flavourful, non-vegetarian Indian curries for you to add to your next menu.

Goan Chicken Xacuti

Ingredients

500 grams Chicken, curry cut pieces

1/2 cup tamarind water

Salt, to taste

2 tbsp oil

For the xacuti masala

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 to 1/2 inch ginger, finely chopped

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

8 Kashmiri dry red chilli

1/2 cup fresh coconut

2 tbsp poppy seeds

4 cloves

1 inch cinnamon stick

15 black pepper corns

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp fennel seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp oil

Method

Marinate the washed chicken with salt and keep it aside. Heat half a teaspoon of oil in a pan, add chopped onions, garlic, ginger, and sauté till onions turn translucent and lightly golden.

Add grated coconut to the mixture and sauté until golden brown and set aside.

In another pan, add Kashmiri red chillies, poppy seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, turmeric powder, sesame seeds, fenugreek seeds and roast on low flame until brown for about three to five minutes and allow it to cool. Now, grind the roasted spices and onion-coconut mix into smooth paste by adding water whenever necessary.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a deep-bottomed pan, add the ground masala paste and cook for five minutes. Later, add chicken pieces to the mixture and cook with constant stirring.

Continue to cook the chicken, add tamarind water to it and allow it to simmer on low flame. Remove from stove, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or ladi pav.

Bengal ka Macher Jhol

Ingredients

1 Aar Maach (fish), cleaned and cut into pieces

1 tomato

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp ginger and garlic paste

3 green chillies

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Mustard oil

Salt

Method

Ensure that the fish is properly washed and cleaned. Marinate the fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder and set aside for about two hours.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, add oil on medium heat and fry the meat until lightly brown making sure that it’s only half cooked.

Next, in the medium-sized wok/kadai, add oil and heat over medium heat. Once hot, add cumin seeds and bay leaf and let it crackle. Add chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, coriander powder and ginger-garlic paste and allow the tomatoes to cook until mushy.

Add water as per your required consistency to the mixture and bring it to boil. Later, add the fried fish pieces and cook them over low flame. Slit the green chillies and add them to the curry. Once the fishes are cooked completely and the curry reaches the required consistency, season it with salt and garnish with coriander leaves and serve warmly.

Maharashtrian Kolhapuri mutton

Ingredients

1/2 kilo mutton

For marination

1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp red chilly powder

For Kolhapuri Masala

2 cloves

1 cinnamon

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

4 red chillies

1 onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup coconut, grated

For the Gravy

2 onions

2 tomatoes

Coriander leaves, handful

Method

Mix all the ingredients for marination. Evenly rub the paste on mutton pieces and allow it to marinate for an hour. Once done, pressure cook the meat for three to four whistles, until almost cooked. Meanwhile, for the Kohlapuri masala, heat oil in a pan. Add cloves, cinnamon, fennel, cumin, coriander, sesame seeds, red chillies and wait for it to splutter.

Now, add chopped onion and sauté till golden. Add grated coconut and fry for 2 more minutes and once done, grind the mixture into fine paste. Heat oil in the same frypan, add chopped onions, fry to translucent. Next, add mashed tomato, chopped coriander leaves, salt and cook for a minute. Add cooked mutton pieces and combine till the oil separates. Add ground Kolhapuri masala and stir well until oil floats on top. Cover and simmer, till the mutton is tender, with constant stirring and garnish with coriander leaves. Voila, the dish is ready!