Celebrate Curry Week with a Keralan curry
Curry may be a favourite dish in the UK, but many of the curries served here aren’t Indian at all – they’ve been adapted by curry houses to suit the British palate. The word curry means ‘sauce’ rather than the dish itself, and in India a sauce will be specifically made for each meat, unlike the British tradition of swapping proteins, such as chicken, lamb or vegetable Biryanis, for example.
Indian curries are based on a complex mix of spices and herbs, along with ginger, onion and garlic. Curry dishes in Southern India often include leaves from curry trees and coconut milk to give a creamier finish. Kerala is known as the “Land of Spices” from its spice trade with Europe and many ancient civilizations dating back to around 3000 BCE, and you’ll find plenty of cardamom, black pepper and Huli Pudi (sambar powder) used as spices.
To celebrate Curry Week, we’ve compiled three delicious Keralan recipes to showcase this unique South Indian cuisine.
Keralan Curry – Fish
A traditional Keralan curry fish dish with cocum (Malabar tamarind) and local spices
Gluten-free, dairy-free
Ingredients
| 250g fish (cubed) 30ml coconut oil 2g fenugreek seeds 100g sliced onion 1 medium tomato 5g ginger (julienned) 5g chopped garlic 5g green chilli 1 sprig of curry leaves |
10g chilli powder 5g coriander powder 3g turmeric powder 100ml water 3 x dried Cocum (Malabar Tamarind, or 2 tbsp of tamarind pulp) 50ml coconut milk Salt to taste |
For tempering:
15ml coconut oil
2g mustard seeds
10g sliced shallots
5g dried red chilli
1 sprig of curry leaves
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the fenugreek seeds. Sauté the onions, ginger, garlic, green chilli and curry leaves until light brown
- Add the chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and sauté for a minute. Add water, cocum, fish cubes and salt. Cook for ten minutes, then add the coconut milk. Do not let it boil.
- For tempering, heat the oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds until they start to crack. Add sliced shallots, dried red chilli and curry leaves and sauté until it turns a golden brown colour.
- Mix with the curry and serve hot.
Spice spotlight
Malabar Tamarind – Native to India, the fruity and sour taste of tamarind merges well with the heat of chillies and gives South Indian dishes their dark colour and hot and sour character.
Cardamom Vegetable Korma
Assorted vegetables cooked with coconut and cardamom
Vegetarian
Ingredients
| 30ml coconut oil 200g mixed vegetables 5g ginger 5g garlic 5g green chillies 100g onion 1 sprig of curry leaves 1g turmeric powder 2g cardamom (whole) 30ml coconut milk Salt to taste |
Coconut paste
100g grated coconut |
Method
- Mix together the coconut paste ingredients and set aside.
- Cut the vegetables into small cubes. Heat the oil in the pan and add the cardamom, chopped ginger, garlic, green chilli, onion and curry leaves and sauté well.
- When the onion softens, add the turmeric powder, coconut paste, vegetables, water and salt.
- When the vegetables are cooked, add the coconut milk and simmer for a few seconds.
- Garnish with curry leaves.
Spice spotlight
Cardamom – One of the world’s most expensive spices, cardamom has an intense spicy-sweet flavour and a great aroma. It has antioxidant and diuretic properties and is great for helping with digestive problems.
Chicken Kurumulaku
A rich Kerala speciality highly flavoured with pepper
Ingredients
| 250g chicken 1g cardamom 3g cloves 1g cinnamon stick 150g onion 5g ginger 5g garlic 3g green chilli 1 sprig of curry leaves |
75g tomatoes, sliced 10g turmeric powder 5g chilli powder 5g coriander powder 5g fresh black pepper, crushed 2g garam masala 2g fennel powder 50ml coconut milk 45ml coconut oil Salt to taste |
Method
- Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and add whole cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, sliced onions, garlic, ginger, green chilli and curry leaves. Sauté until the onions turn dark brown.
- Add the turmeric, chilli, coriander and garam masala powders. Sauté for a minute and add tomatoes and salt. Cook until the tomatoes can be mashed.
- Add the chicken and cook on a slow heat until tender.
- Add the pepper and coconut milk and cook till it reduces.
- Finish with fennel powder and serve hot.
Spice spotlight
Black pepper – This common kitchen condiment is not only flavoursome but also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and helps provide relief from respiratory disorders, coughs and colds.
If you love Indian food, why not tempt your tastebuds with our Culinary Tour to India, and travel around South India sampling delicious home-cooked delicacies. You can try a Keralan Curry for yourself!
