Saturday night curry

I can't get enough of Indian food. Unfortunately, I can't get enough of Indian food here in Tallinn, because it's either a) not very good, b) overpriced or c) not very good and overpriced.

Being from the "curry capital of the UK", I think it's only fair that I learnt how to cook Indian food before I could even walk. When other kids were learning to crawl, I was mastering the art of blending my own Garam Masala.

The problem is, no matter how hard you try, the home cooked version is never really as good as a restaurant curry. It was really pissing me off , that no matter what I tried to do, it was always lacking that "something". I even went through a stage of playing Indian music on my soundsystem when eating my home cooked Indian food - but it still wasn't the same.

So I decided to knock on the kitchen door of my favourite Indian takeaway in my home town of Bradford. I explained I was having difficulties in creating something as good as they serve, and although they didn't want to give me all their secrets, they did agree that I could come in the next day, and work through a service with them. Importantly, they said they'd show me the whole process A-Z of making a great curry.

That was ten years ago, and the methods they showed me that day, have been part of my curry making mantra ever since. The SAUCE - it's all about the base sauce. And oil. Loads of it (it may seem), but this helps to seal in the flavour of the spices.

And of course, BEER goes fantastically well with Indian food. It's no suprise that ale was much sought after when the British were in India. So much in fact, that a whole style of beer - IPA (India Pale Ale) was created for the troops who wanted something good to drink with their curry.  The hoppy, bitter, aromatic tastes of an IPA pair amazingly well with the spices of a good curry. Try having a delicate Sauvignon Blanc with the hot and spicy flavours of a chicken Madras. You won't taste the wine at all. Switch the wine for an ale, and all of a sudden, those spicy. earthy flavours compliment the drink in your glass.

So here's a recipe for a chicken dopiaza sagwala. A dish that contains double the amount of onions (do piaza - two onions), and spinach (saag). I'm pairing it with Mikkeller I Beat You- a fantastic double IPA which really works well with the spices and the spinach.

This is what Saturday nights are for - shit TV, good food, good beer, good company.

Chicken Dopiaza Sagwala.

What you need:

For the sauce:
900g Onions
50g fresh ginger
1.5 litres water
1 tsp salt
225g crushed tomatoes
1 tsp tomato puree/ketchup
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika

For the curry:
6 tbs oil
2 onions cut into rings
500ml curry sauce (above)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli powder
500g cooked chicken thighs (method below)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp fenugreek leaves
1 tbsp chopped coriander fresh
1 chilli chopped
450g spinach - fresh or frozen

THE SAUCE
This is what they told me is the difference between a good, and a great curry. Once prepared, it has a smooth texture with a pale golden colour. Apparently, every good restaurant has a large pan of the sauce always boiling, always at hand. It forms the base of all curries, from very mild to very hot - you just add additional ingredients. 

As it takes a couple of hours, I always make triple the amount so I can freeze it afterwards.

STAGE ONE
Peel and roughly chop the onions, ginger and garlic. Put the ginger and garlic into a blender with about 250ml of  the water and blend until smooth. Take a large saucepan, and put into it the onions, the blended garlic mixture and the remainder of the water. Add the salt, bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer with a lid on (otherwise your whole kitchen is going to smell of onions for a week) for about 45 mins.

STAGE TWO
Cool the boiled onion mixture down a little bit, then add half of it into a blender. Blend until absolutely smooth. It's quite important. Pour it into a bowl, then repeat with the other half Once it's all nice and blended, reserve about four tablespoons of it - you'll need this to cook your chicken later. Wash and dry your large saucepan.

STAGE THREE
Pour your tomatoes into the blender, and blend for about 2 minutes until perfectly smooth. In your saucepan, add the oil, turmeric, paprika and tomato puree. Add the blended tomatoes and bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes. It splatters a lot, but the end result is a thick, dark ketchup. Now add your onion mixture and bring to the boil again. Turn down and simmer for 25 mins. Stir occasionally, and try and skim off any froth that forms on the surface.

COOKING THE CHICKEN
You can cook this after you've reserved the onion mixture sauce. You can use it immediately to add to the curry sauce, or keep it in the fridge if you are planning to make the finished curry later on.

Cut the chicken thighs into equal pieces. You could use breast, but I think thighs make a much more tender dish. Place the oil, turmeric and onion mixture sauce into a pan and mix well. Cook on a medium heat until the sauce begins to darken in colour - about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and stir to coat well. Turn down the heat, put a lid on and cook for about 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove the chicken, leaving behind the sediment and put in a bowl to use later.

MAKING THE CURRY
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the sliced onions and chopped chilli and fry until they are see through, but not brown. 

Add the curry sauce, mix well and bring to a simmer. Stir in the salt, chilli powder and chicken. Cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Stir occasionally.

Now stir in the garam masala, cumin, ground coriander and fenugreek. Finally, add the chopped spinach and cook through for a couple of minutes.

Serve with basmati rice, garnish with chopped fresh coriander and pour yourself a glass of IPA. Bollywood soundtrack optional.