Just checked my usual local Indian spot and they do in fact have it on the menu, with lamb. Seems like a better choice for making myself; appears easy enough to prepare and $22 for a ground meat dish strikes me as a bit exorbitant. Looking forward to giving it a go!
I hope you enjoy it!
That looks so comforting and homey! I’ve yet to make a potato-based curry, but this def inspires me to try it ![]()
This looks very complicated to make, but I bet it tastes great.
The prep involved and abundance of various spices necessary especially in Indian cooking has had me shy away from the more complicated recipes like rogan josh, vindaloo, or makhni.
Thai curries can of course be just as involved if one were to make their own curry paste, which I’m also not interested in, given what’s readily available to buy.
Still, looking forward to more inspo here, and thankful to those who’ve been providing it like you ![]()
Although I don’t often use them, I always have a couple of jars of good quality spice paste in the cupboard. Not “cook in sauces” but a paste to stir in at the time you’d add ground spices.
Do you have a favorite brand? I really love Patak’s chutneys and pickles, but I hesitate to try any of their ‘simmer sauces.’ They do have spice pastes in their product assortment.
My husband uses Patak pastes as marinades for chicken and lamb chops which he then grills in our vertical grill (or chicken toaster as our son’s friend calls it). They are ok in a pinch but have additives and sometimes artificial colours.
I prefer delving into our completely disorganised spice rack to get dry whole and powdered spices to cook with. I add small amounts of hot water on the go to make a paste while cooking.
The entrance to my clutterfest of spices!
Well, you obviously know what you’re doing
I’m a bloody neophyte when it comes to Indian cooking.
But good to know about the additives and coloring. Meh.
I’m also a Pataks fan. And like Mr Medgirl, I find they make a great marinade for chicken, mixed with yoghurt. A favourite is their tikka paste with yoghurt and then cooked in a very hot oven. No, it’s not like a restaurant tikka cooked in a tandoor but it’s not bad.
Home-cooked Indian food can be very different to Indian restaurant food - simpler and with plenty of room for individual variation. With a limited range of spices, you can learn which flavour profiles you like and learn to layer the flavours and cook until you get an end product you like. There are some basic rules but once you get the hang of them you can basically freestyle a bit and create your own versions of dishes. I hardly ever follow recipes. I might look at a recipe to get the idea of what the dish is, then I’ll wing it from there.
That is generally my MO when it comes to cooking, but I feel like one should know the basics when putting together an unfamiliar dish. Maybe I should just relax and enjoy the process. It’s not like the food police will show up in our kitchen ![]()
I know you don’t tend to use recipes but if you want to dive into Indian cooking with not very complicated recipes but still from scratch and very good results you should look into “660 Curries”. Iver uses a few spice blends which are easy to make also in larger quantities in a number of his recipes
I might also rummage around this site. No doubt there are plenty of recipe links to be found — I just have to look for them.
Or wait for more folks to share their favorites… in this very thread ![]()
I got that some years back, when we went to one of those “secret” supper clubs, run by a young woman and her mum (both of Punjabi heritage). Much lighter, not as saucy and flavour not dominated by chilli. And the only time I can remember eating okra and not thinking it vile.
Pretty much all of our Indian friends eschew the handful of Indian restaurants we have, and much prefer to cook at home.
I use a recipe for fresh okra that’s fantastic. You julienne the okra, have various spices lined up, stir fry in a wok, add the spices. Delicious hot or cold, not slimy.
If you’re interested I’ll look up and post the recipe.
(post deleted by author)
I will have to show you my spice stash , 3 organized shelves, 1 drawer full of jars of spices, 2 tins with spices for Indian food, 2 tins with spices and Chiles for Mexican food, and 2 tins in storage of overflow spices. And that is after I discarded old spices and gave away spices and blends I didn’t like (that weren’t old)
I have been lucky to have friends with moms who cook delicious Indian food. I have never found resto Biryani or Samosas that are close.( I haven’t tried their curries)

