I’m starting to really miss good food. I’m not up for going out to eat right now, I’m not up for grocery shopping, I’m not up for cooking, and my body is only just now up for eating. But I was watching Iron Chef last night, and my taste buds let me know that they were feeling underused, and that in particular the chef’s choice chirashi sushi from Sushi Tomi would be just fine right now, thank you very much. And today I’ve been feeling like Indian food.

There is a problem with the latter, though, totally aside from my condition: the Indian food that I feel like is from the Curry Club cookbook, and it depends on their excellent mild curry paste. Which we are currenty out of. I think that I’ll be up for spice shopping and paste making by the end of this week, though, at which point some Redang Degang, Pao Bhaji, and Jeera Chicken will be in order.

Here’s the spice paste; recipes for dishes to follow.


Mild Curry Paste, from Pat Chapman’s Curry Club cookbook.

60g coriander seeds
30g cumin seeds
20g fenugreek seeds
25g gram flour (a.k.a. besan)
20g garlic powder
20g turmeric
20g garam masala
5g dried curry leaves
5g asafetida
5g ginger powder
5g cayenne pepper
5g mustard powder
5g black pepper
175-250ml vinegar
175-250ml vegetable oil

Roast and grind the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves. Mix together with the rest of the spices as well as the vinegar, adding water if necessary to make a creamy paste. Heat oil in a skillet; add paste, stir-fry until water is cooked out. Store in fridge and use as necessary.

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