Easy Butter Chicken

This recipe is from Taste.com.au

Serves 4

From Taste.com.au

Get This -

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3cm piece ginger, peeled, finely grated

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

600g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

20g butter

1 brown onion, halved, thickly sliced

410g can tomato puree

1/2 cup Massel chicken style liquid stock

1/2 cup thickened cream

Basmati rice, to serve

Coriander leaves, to serve

Do This -

1. Place yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala and chilli powder in a glass or ceramic dish. Add chicken. Stir to coat. Cover. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Heat oil and butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Add chicken mixture to pan. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chicken just starts to change colour. Add tomato puree and stock. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and mixture has thickened slightly.
3. Stir in cream. Simmer for a further 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve with steamed rice and coriander leaves.

Beef & Vegetable Korma

This curry is a perfect winter warmer, and so simple! All you need is time to let it simmer.

Serves 4

Get This -

1 tablespoon olive oil

600g diced beef

1/2 jar korma paste (I used Patak's)

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled, chopped

2 zucchinis, chopped

150g cauliflower, cut into small florets

3/4 cup (200g) Greek-style natural yogurt

1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh coriander

Steamed rice, to serve

Cooked pappadums or naan bread, to serve

Do This -

1. Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add half the beef and cook stirring 1-2 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with remaining oil and beef.
2. Add onions to the pan and saute until lightly browned.
3. Return the beef to the pan and add the korma paste, vegetables and 1/2 cup (90g) of the yogurt. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 2 or more hours.
4. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the chopped coriander and stir the remaining coriander through the curry. Spoon the curry onto the rice and sprinkle with the remaining coriander. Serve with the remaining yogurt and pappadums or naan.

Note - you can add any vegetables you have or like to this curry.

Thai-Style Curry

This recipe is like a choose your own adventure story book.

You choose the type of curry.
You choose as many or as few vegetables as you like
You choose the meat or tofu...and come up with your own special thai-style curry.

Serves 4

 Get This -

• 2 tbsps thai red, green or yellow curry paste
• 400ml coconut milk
• 2 tbsps fish sauce
• 2 tbsps brown sugar
• 1 tbsp lime juice or 1 kaffir lime leaf finely shredded
• 400g - 500g diced chicken, pork, lamb, or prawns peeled and deveined. Or 300g tofu, diced and lightly fried
• fresh coriander
• 4 cups jasmine rice (cooked)

Choose your vegetables -

• small can bamboo shoots (drained and rinsed)
• small can water chestnuts (drained and rinsed)
• 125g baby corn spears, halved diagonally
• snow peas or snow pea sprouts
• capsicum
• carrots
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• shallots or onions
• beans or sugar snap peas
• zucchini

Do This -

1. In a wok or large saucepan, over medium high heat, combine coconut milk and curry paste, heat and stir constantly until the majority of the paste has dissolved. 2. And fish sauce, brown sugar and lime, stir until dissolved. 3. Add meat or tofu and vegetables, stir gently until well incorporated. 4. Let simmer for 10 - 20 minutes until meat and vegetables are cooked through. 5. Serve over rice or noodles and top with coriander or your favourite herbs.

Lamb Massaman Curry

This recipe is from the Australian Women's Weekly.

I love how easy a lovely curry is!
And the longer it's cooked, the better.
So my favourite thing to do is put it on in the early afternoon and walk away.
Then when dinner time comes...it's done!


From the Australian Women's Weekly

Serves 4

Get This -

1kg lamb shoulder, cut into 3cm cubes
100g diced onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
210g jar Valcom massaman curry paste
2 x tins quality coconut cream
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons palm sugar (or 2 tablespoons brown sugar)
200g potato cubes (2cm)
fresh coriander roughly chopped

Do This - 

1. In a deep pan (5 litre with heavy base ideal) heat oil and cook onions until they change colour to a light caramel colour. Add curry paste and stir for several minutes on medium heat. Add half-cup coconut cream and stir.
2. Bring to the boil and add fish sauce. Bring back to the boil again, add lime juice, salt and sugar.
3. Pour in remaining coconut cream and bring to nearly boiling then add lamb and potato. Stir occasionally. Simmer on very low heat without lid for 90 minutes or until meat is tender.
4. Garnish with coriander. Serve with steamed rice.

Madras Beef Curry

I do love curries.
And this one is a winner.
So easy and so yum.


Just for a change, this is actually my image.
Yes, it's my dinner that I'm eating right now! :)

Serves 2

Get This -

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 400g gravy beef, trimmed, cut into 3cm cubes
• 1/2 large brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
• 1/4 cup madras curry paste
• 3 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 large potato, peeled, cut into 3cm cubes
• salt & pepper
• 1 stalk spring onions, chopped
• Steamed basmati rice, to serve

Do This -

1. Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook beef, in batches, for 5 to 6 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Heat remaining oil in dish. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Add curry paste and cardamom. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Return beef to dish. Add stock, tomatoes and potato. Season with salt & pepper. Cover. Bring to the boil.
3. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 2-3 hours or until beef is tender. Remove and discard cardamom pods. Serve with rice and top with plain yogurt or raita and spring onions.

Slow Cooked Lamb Curry

What's better on a winter's night than a slow cooked curry?

Nothing...and here's a great, and easy, one!

Not my image and mine didn't look this good, but it tasted fantastic!

(serves 2)

Get This  -

• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 400g diced lamb shoulder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large brown onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Indian madras curry paste
• 150ml light coconut milk
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• steamed rice, yoghurt, papadams and chopped fresh coriander, to serve

Do This -

1. Place flour and lamb in a snap-lock bag. Season with salt and pepper. Seal. Shake to coat. Heat oil in a large heavy based saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook lamb, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Add onion, garlic and ginger to saucepan. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add chilli and curry paste. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, stock cube, chopped tomato and 3/4 cup cold water. Bring to the boil. Add lamb. Stir to combine.
3. Cook, covered, on low for 3 - 6 hours until lamb is tender. Serve with rice, yoghurt, papadams and coriander.

Indian Spiced Red Lentil Soup

I made this tonight.  I don't make vegetarian dishes very often because my husband misses meat.  His verdict on dinner tonight..."It's nice.  Would be better with meat."  Told you!  But I loved it and will be making it again, a lot.  Because it's as easy as it is healthy as it is yummy!

(serves 4)


Get This -

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup korma curry paste
1 litre vegetable stock
400g can diced tomatoes
2/3 cup red lentils, rinsed
1/4 cup pearl barley, washed
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
Crusty bread, to serve


Do This -

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Add curry paste. Stir to combine.
2. Stir in stock, tomato, lentils and barley. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until barley is tender. Divide between bowls. Top with coriander. Serve with bread.

Massaman Curry

I was going to make the 4 Ingredients Calendar version but it was completely tasteless.  I added a few more ingredients and it was so yummy I ate way too much!

Serves 4

Get This -

500g beef cubed
1 tablespoon massaman curry paste
3 potatoes peeled and cubed
400ml coconut milk
(that was their bit...here's my added extras...)
1 brown onion, cut into fine wedges
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
juice from 1 lime
salt

Do This -

1. Heat 1/4 cup water on high heat in large saucepan.
2. Add beef and onions and cook until beef is browned.
3. Mix coconut milk, curry paste, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice together and add to saucepan with beef and onions along with potatoes.
4. Simmer for at least 2 hours. (The original recipe said 20 mins but I find meat is always chewy unless it has been cooked slowly for a couple of hours at least.)
5. Stir occasionally and season with salt to taste.
6. Serve with rice.

Extra extras...

You could add peanuts or cashews.
You could garnish with your favourite herbs.
You could serve with green vegetables and carrots.
Or you could eat as it but try not to eat too much!!