My friend just returned from Tanzania, and (I know, in hopes of getting me to do some interesting cooking) brought me back some hand ground spices. Red Curry, Pilau Masala, Birinani Masala, and Tandoor Masala.
Does anyone have any good recipes for using these? I’ve just begun to experiment with Indian cooking and and have really no clue what to look for with African recipes.
Spices from Zanzibar! Im tempted just to save them in fancy glass bottles and wax over the tops… (especially the red curry, its SO VERY RED and pretty) but you know, the point is to use them and expand my culinary repertoire.
Intriguingly enough, all the spices that you mention are based in Indian cooking, so if you want truly authentic African recipes I’m afraid I can’t help you here. In general, though, those spices are meant to be fried before adding the main part of the dish - vegetables or meat. My general order of things is
Fry the lot over a medium flame for a couple of minutes, until the smell of raw spice goes away, and then add other things - tomato paste for gravy-based dishes, or anything else. I sometimes stir in some garam masala or chilli powder at the end, too, but not always.
I’d be happy to give more suggestions if you want them, but this is the basic order of things.
Don’t stir in the cumin seeds early - they should not be on the pan for more than 30 seconds before liquid is added. Otherwise they will go bitter. Most - if not all - Indian cookbooks will tell you that.
And I would guess that the Tandoori Masala should be mixed with yoghurt and used for marinating lamb or chicken (remove the skin first) overnight. Throw it on the grill, serve with pickled onion, lime slices, raita, and naan. Delicious.
mmmm thank you… I knew that a lot of the spices were Indian based… any ideas for good Indian cookbooks? Ive poked around adding masala and curry powders and bottled stuff to veggies, etc. and love the bit of Indian food I can get here, but any really basic cookbooks? Recipes?
I am going to try just messing about with meat and veg like you suggested Dervorin
I have a few of Shehzad Husains Indian cookbooks (but not the one I linked to - it just looks good). They are good in helping to understand the basics of Indian cooking. Also, the recipes are altered so the food can be cooked with “Western” cooking equipment and ingredients.
The best Indian cookbook I know is 50 great curries of India. I have made about a dozen of those, and they have all been fantastic. It is a bit more advanced (but thorough enough in guiding you through the recipes) and some of the dishes take quite a while to cook. One of my favorites.