Quick Creamy Curry
I make a curry every week usually on a Friday or Saturday night and most of the time just for Bikerboy and I, but if the older girls are around with their friends then I’ll make a big pot of this curry, it’s quick to put together and easily adjustable to suit mild tastebuds.
When I started to make my own curries about 20 years ago I would make the mistake of adding every spice in the spice rack thinking this was how to make a curry taste fuller and have more depth. Apart from not tasting very nice putting too many spices in a dish it still didn’t deliver what I was after…a long aromatic spice finish. The best Indian food I’ve eaten was a meal I had 21 years ago at a friend’s house, it was an eye opener to how aromatic and delicious Indian food was, each dish tasting distinctive, and the first time I experienced how delicious vegetarian food could be.
What I’ve learned over the years apart from using less spices is to layer the flavours in the curry. Simply adding garam masala whether it’s raw or roasted to a pan of vegetables or meat didn’t deliver what I wanted, it gave me an insipid curry, especially ones cooked quickly. I started to pay attention to home cooks flavouring the oil with whole spices first then adding the grounded spice mix. It made a big difference for me.
This is a quick convenient curry that I make with my eyes closed. I use ready ground spices and ready made garam masala. It’s a curry ready in 30 minutes from start to finish, and if you use tin beans or red lentils it will be ready in 20 mins. Obviously you can ground your own spices and make your own masalas. I buy ready ground spices in small batches, it’s perfect for me because it means they won’t lose their flavour in the time I use up the jar. Since I’m not a big fan of cloves I choose ready made masala where the clove is towards the end of the ingredients list, one of the least ingredients.
Spices
I’ll change one or two of the whole spices in this curry, depending on my mood, it’s the staring at the spice rack thing I do…I’ll look at the spice rack and…urmm…I’ll take some yellow mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek, cardamon, chilli…then for ground spices…then a touch of masala. Next time I may have Nigella seeds instead, and some fresh curry leaves, I might add pinch of saffron, which by the way adds something really special to the curry, not that you could detect it but makes it special. If I’m including spinach I like to grate a generous amount of nutmeg as I’m adding the spinach to the curry. I make this curry so often I can detect slight variations on the same theme.
Variations on the Curry
My idea of this post is really to give a platform to make your own, whatever spices you use the principal is the same; fry whole spices and maybe some fresh curry leaves in hot oil, add your vegetables, ground spices, garlic, ginger and cook until almost ready and touch of masala but not necessary.
If I’m making a quick curry just for me then it will be a tin of butterbeans, butternut squash and some spinach. Another quick vegan version I make is with red lentils and spinach, I also serve it sometimes as a side to fried fish.
Adding Chicken or Prawns
Like the curry in the photo below it’s easy to add small pieces of chicken or prawns. I add it towards the end, if the chicken is boned and in pieces it will cook in 5 minutes and the prawns 1-2 minutes until pink.
Whole Spices
An example of what I choose of the whole spices and maybe a stem of fresh curry leaves to the hot oil.
Ground Spices
After the vegetables are added and the coconut milk then comes the ground spices, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and grated ginger and garlic.
Garam Masala – added towards the end.
My decision to which whole spices to use comes from when I look at the spice rack I have in my garage. This is very often how I decide to cook all sorts of dishes…staring at my spices.
Coconut Milk
Since most of the time my diet is dairy-free I can satisfy my cravings for creamy curry by using coconut milk. Not all coconut cream is same, some are creamier and taste stronger and more coconutie than others. If you want your curry to taste creamy but not have a strong coconut flavour go for one that is thin and weak. Have a look at this post here.
Butterbean and Sweet Potato Curry
Red Lentil & Spinach Curry
Butterbean, Squash and Spinach Curry
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Quick Creamy Curry
Severs 2
Whole Spices
- 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon of yellow or black mustard seeds
- 6-8 green cardamon seeds crushed. You can remove the husks or leave them if you don’t biting into them.
- 1/2 teaspoon of fenugreek
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried crushed chilies. Adjust to your taste this amount gives you warmth rather than spicy, or leave it out.
- Sprig of fresh curry leaves about 10-12 leaves – optional
- 1 large onion chopped
Your chosen vegetables, could be half a butternut squash, can of beans, small bag of spinach. Or small cauliflower, sweet potato, handful of peas…any of your favourites.
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 generous teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 level teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 level teaspoon of ground turmeric
- 1-1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger
- 2 large cloves of garlic grated or crushed
- Salt
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of garam masala
If you like add large sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg if using spinach
- 2 large breasts of chicken or small bag of prawns or a firm fish like monkfish cut into pieces – optional
Warm oil in a large pan and add your whole spices, but leave the dried chilies and fresh curry leaves until the last, when the mustard seeds are popping add the chopped onion and soften it.
Once the onion is ready 5-7 minutes add the vegetables and coconut milk (if using spinach I always leave until curry nearly ready).
Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, ginger and garlic and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are almost to your liking, check after 10 mins, add garam masala and if using add your chicken pieces, prawns or fish.
Chicken pieces should take about 5 mins, prawns 1-2 minutes, monkfish 3-5 minutes.
Other Spices I might Use
I also sometimes add 1/2 teaspoon of Nigella seeds with the whole spices. I have also other times added a pinch of saffron, first diluted in a little boiling water. If using fish I might instead add 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds to the whole spices.
Notes: The thickness of the sauce will depend on the thickness of your coconut milk, also how watery your vegetables are, if using lentils they’ll absorb a lot of liquid giving you a thick curry. Simmering the curry with the lid on is a good idea if you want it more saucy and if you want to evaporate some liquid to give a drier curry leave the lid off some of the time. Make sure to stir it as it can catch to the bottom of the pan.
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