Lesley's curry recipies
As broadcast on Lesbian Radio recently
Harak Mas ( Beef curry, Sri Lanka)
- 1.5 kg stewing steak (gravy beef works well)
- 3 tblspns ghee or oil
- 2 large onions finely chopped
- 1 tblspn finely chopped fresh ginger
- 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 4 tblspsns Ceylon curry powder (or roasted curry powder)
- 2 red chillies seeded and chopped
- 3 ripe tomatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 tspn turmeric, 2 tspns black mustard seeds, 2tspns salt
- 1 tblspn vinegar
Cut steak into 5cm cubes. Heat oil in saucepan (cast iron for preference) and gently fry onions, ginger and garlic until just beginning to turn golden. Add curry powder, turmeric, mustard seeds and fry over a low heat for 2-3 mins. Add salt and vinegar, stir well. Add meat and stir to coat. Add chillies and tomato, cover pan and simmer on a very low for 2 hours. Serve with rice. If the gravy is too thin, cook over a high heat, uncovered, until reduced.
Taazi Khumben Alu Mattarkari
(curried potatoes, mushrooms and peas)
- 500gm white button mushrooms
- 500gm small new potatoes (if not in season use a waxy variety that won't disintegrate)
- 1 cup peas
- 1 small onion finely sliced
- 1 tspn finely grated ginger
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 tblspns finely chopped fresh coriander
- 1 tspn turmeric, ½ tspn chilli powder
- ½ cup hot water
- ½ tspn salt, 1 tspn garam masala
Halve or quarter mushrooms, ditto the potatoes (if big). Heat oil (2-3tblspns) and fry onions over a gentle heat for 3 mins. Add ginger, garlic and coriander and fry for 3 more mins stirring occasionally. Add turmeric and chilli, fry 1 min then add mushrooms and potatoes and peas (if using frozen peas, add 15 minutes before the end of cooking). Add water, salt, pepper and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Uncover sprinkle with garam masala, (add frozen peas at this point also), cover and cook 15 mins more.