Storecupboard Curry
Step by Step
Curries are a great way to use up what you have in the fridge. Our step by step guide is designed to help you make a curry with what you have suited to your taste, whether you like them mild or spicy, tomato based or creamy
Servings
2-4
Ready In:
45 min
Lever:
Beginner
Skills covered
Knife skills, Spices, Simmering, Reducing, Cooking a Meal
Storecupboard Curry
By: Chloe Coker
Below you will find an easy step by step guide to making a quick curry, plus a sample creamy chicken curry and creamy cauliflower and chickpea curry. These are not authentic Indian dishes (we run lovely Indian cookery workshops and our lovely Indian tutor does amazing authentic Indian cookery kits) but they are quick, practical and tasty and perfect for an easy home cooked curry.
Instructions
BASIC CURRY METHOD
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1 |
BEGIN WITH: OPTIONAL: add some whole spices |
Place the oil in a pan over a medium heat. if you would like to, once the oil is hot, add any whole dried spices and cook them for a minute or 2 to infuse the oil. Leave out this step if you are cooking for children who are not very adventurous yet |
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2 |
FRY THE ONIONS: 1- 2 Onions (depending on their size),
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Thinly slice the onions. Cook over a low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes until they are starting to soften. If you are using chickpeas you can add them at this stage so that they fry and develop a nice texture rather than being a bit chalky
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3 |
TOMATOES & AROMATICS I inch ginger, 2 garlic cloves, 2 fresh Tomatoes or 1 tbsp tomato puree |
Add the chopped tomatoes / tomato puree , ginger and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes have cooked down. For a smoother sauce you can blend it at this stage. |
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4 |
ADD YOUR DRIED SPICES: 2-3 tbsp curry powder / ground spices |
Add 2-3 tbsp curry powder/ground spices of your choice and cook for 1 minute |
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5 |
ADD SALT |
Season well with salt – this will bring out the flavours in your sauce |
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You can make double and stop the cooking process here and keep/freeze the sauce ready to make a quick curry in the future |
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6 |
ADD YOUR MEAT / FISH / VEG / PROTEIN: About 500g of: Meat / Fish Vegetables / Pulses |
Meat: chicken breast/thigh, lamb, prawns, fish Vegetables: squash, cauliflower, potato, aubergine, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, sweet potato Pulses: red lentils (you can add chickpeas at this stage but I always fry them with the onions to give them longer to cook) |
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7 |
THEN ADD SOME LIQUID AND SIMMER: around 400ml stock, coconut milk or tinned tomatoes/passata. Keep a jug of stock on the side to top up your sauce if it starts to look dry add 1 tsp sugar if you are adding tomatoes/passata |
Add enough liquid to just cover the ingredients (you can always top it up); coconut milk for a creamy curry, tomatoes, stock or water. If you are adding tinned tomatoes / passata add 1 tsp sugar to balance the acidity Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and cook for the required amount of time to cook the ingredients – usually 20-30 minutes on the hob or for a slow cook (eg. a lamb curry), 2 hours in the oven at 160*c. |
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8 |
DOES IT NEED THICKENING? |
Add a couple of tbsp. of: Tomato puree, yoghurt, chopped spinach, ground almonds, dessicated coconut |
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8 |
FINISH IT OFF: 1 tsp garam masala, lime, fresh herbs, salt, sugar |
Adjust seasoning with garam masala, salt, pinch of sugar and lemon/lime juice and add lightness with fresh herbs. Finish with fresh coriander / chopped nuts / toasted coconut |
QUICK CREAMY STORECUPBOARD CHICKEN CURRY
4 tbsp oil
Optional: 1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large or 2 small onions, sliced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 fresh tomatoes or 1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp curry powder of your choice (or you can grind your own fresh spices for a more authentic curry)
4-6 chicken thighs, cut into chunks
optional: 1 pepper / handful mushrooms / finely diced sweet potato
400 ml coconut milk
optional: 200 ml chicken stock
Optional: handful frozen spinach
salt and pepper
optional: 1/2 tsp garam massala
juice of ½ lime
optional: fresh chopped coriander
- Place the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add any whole spices and fry for a minute to release the flavour
- Add the onion and fry for 5-10 minutes until golden. Then add the ginger, garlic and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until soft. *You can blitz the sauce at this point if you would like a really smooth sauce
- Add the curry powder and cook for a minute
- Add the chicken and vegetables if you are using them and stir until well coated, then pour in the coconut milk. Keep the stock in a jug on the side to top up the liquid if necessary. Simmer until the chicken and vegetables are cooked, adding some additional coconut milk/stock if the curry starts to dry out
- When the curry is cooked, stir through the frozen spinach and season with salt and lime. Finish with fresh coriander
QUICK CREAMY CAULIFLOWER, CHICKPEA AND SPINACH CURRY
2 tbsp ghee / coconut oil / olive oil
Optional: 1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large or 2 onions, sliced
400g chickpeas
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
optional: 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped or 1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp curry powder of your choice
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 cauliflower, chopped into small pieces (keep the cauliflower pieces really small as they take a while to cook)
optional extras: 1/2 sweet potato, grated / 200g roasted diced roasted squash / handful of mushrooms
400 ml coconut milk
200 ml veg stock
Optional: handful frozen spinach
salt and pepper
juice of ½ lime
optional: fresh chopped coriander
- Place the oil in a pan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add any whole spices and cook for a minute to release the flavor.
- Add the onion and chickpeas and fry for 5-10 minutes until golden
- Add the ginger, garlic (and tomatoes if using them) and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add the curry powder and turmeric and cook for a minute
- Add the cauliflower (and any additional veg) and stir until well coated, then pour in the coconut milk. Keep the stock in a jug on the side to top up the liquid if the curry starts to dry out. Simmer until the vegetables are cooked – (cauliflower can take a long time to cook so this may take 30-40 minutes).
- When the curry is cooked, stir through the frozen spinach and season with salt and lime. Finish with fresh coriander
Tips, Tricks and Teaching Info
Seasoning
Seasoning is all about balancing salt, sweet and acid flavours. If your dish is tomato based, tomatoes are acidic so adding a small amount of sugar or maple syrup helps to balance the acidity. If you are doing something sweet and creamy, a squeeze of lime helps to add freshness and cuts through the sweetness. Salt brings out the flavour.
Nutrients and Bulking
Make your curry go further by adding chickpeas, lentils. For kids, add grated veg or blitz the base sauce before adding chicken so that any veg disappears.