Sharmila on Food

Ruby Murrays and all that jazz

I’ve currently been reading a really great book all about the history and emergence of many of the dishes we recognise as curry house classics in wee Blighty - Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham.  Thoroughly researched, I definitely left knowing a lot more than I did before.  Who would have thought it was the Brits who entrenched tea drinking in India, and not the other way round?  And the chapters focusing on colonial rule are just fascinating - the image of stiff collared Brits dressed up in their English clothes, trying to enjoy insipid boiled and roast meats and hot custard amidst the stifling heat and buzzing insects of rural India is one that made me chuckle a great deal.

Now, whilst I may be British Indian, the world of the British curry house was as new to me as many other British people when I first “went for an Indian” as a teenager.  Coming from a Tamil family, with a vegetarian mum, meant the rich, meaty, saucy dishes of the curry house felt a world away from the stuff I used to eat at home.  I always found it highly amusing at uni when friends would ask me to decipher the menu and make recommendations down the curry mile in Manchester.  Er, you’re probably asking the wrong person!

Many of the dishes we think of as curry house classics (the madrases, kormas and vindaloos we see on tired looking menus up and down the country) are either almost complete British inventions, or so far removed from their roots as to not really bear relation to what you would find back in India.  However, many of these dishes have a warmth and familiarity about them that can’t be denied.  And anyway, the concept of a proper cooked chicken tikka masala (smoky, charred, marinated chicken in a rich sauce) should be one that ends up being supremely tasty, even if it rarely is.

Anyhow, this got me thinking about trying to cook proper, authentic versions of many of these curry house “classics”.  So, count this as first in a “series”.  I’ve done a proper vindaloo before (which was lip smackingly tasty), but have never really attempted a proper, regal Persian korma, or a heady, oniony rich dopiaza.  One dish that a recipe is included for in Curry (insert book title) is for an authentic dhansak.  Now, this often pops up on curry house menus as some odd mild, sweet curry dish, usually involving pineapple (bleurgh) and a few lentils - I had never tried it.  Sounds pretty horrible.  However, I knew this was a classic Parsee dish, and from reading a few Rohinton Mistry books (and I would implore anyone to read A Fine Balance), it became clear that the proper rendering of this dish has nothing to do with the over sweetness of tinned fruit.

Having now made it, I would definitely recommend it.  The classic dish involves four different types of lentils.  I had two to hand, and as I was in going-on-holiday-clear-out-the-cupboards mode, I was in no mood to jam more packets of pulses into my kitchen.  It has a rich, caramel hint of sweetness from the jaggery (which is well worth seeking out), and a sharpness from the lemon.  Yes, sweet and sour, but not a piece of tinned pineapple in sight.  I added chicken, but next time I wouldn’t bother.  It is wonderful as it is as a fine vegetarian dish.

However, the biggest revelation for me was the caramelised brown onion rice you are meant to eat on the side.  I make no claims for health on this - yes, it does contain caramelised sugar, fried onions and ghee.  But, god it is good! I quite happily ate this up on its own.

So, I’ve now attempted a proper dhansak and it’s pretty damn fine.  What next?  I’m hankering after a proper chicken tikka masala.  Something tells me there won’t be a can of Heinz tinned tomato soup involved in the making.

Dhansak - adapted from Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham

Serves 6

75g red split lentils

75g moong dhal

75g chana dhal

75g toor dhal

(I used double the amount of red lentils and chana dhal instead, as that is what I had to hand)

2 onions, finely sliced

2 whole garlic cloves and 6 garlic cloves, crushed

1cm piece of ginger, finely chopped and 2cm piece of ginger, grated

1/2 tsp turmeric

500g veg of your choice (I used chopped aubergines)

a bunch of coriander leaves, chopped

1tsp cumin powder

1tsp coriander powder

1/2tsp chilli powder

2 brown cardamoms

1 small piece of cinnamon stick

1tsp black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

3 tomatoes, chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped

1-2tsps of jaggery, or soft brown sugar (if you can get jaggery, I would recommend it)

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

2-3 tbsps of groundnut or vegetable oil

Optional: chicken, cut into pieces.  I say optional, as I don’t think it needs it

1. Wash your lentils and soak in water for a few hours or overnight.  Drain and place in a large pan with the onions and turmeric and cover with water to cover by a 3cms or so.  Bring to the boil and simmer for around 25 minutes, or when starting to become tender.

2. Add the vegetables of your choice (but not the tomatoes) and the 1cm chopped ginger, and whole garlic cloves, and the majority of the fresh coriander (keeping some back for garnish).  SImmer until everything is soft and pulpy.  Take off the heat and mash a bit with a potato masher.

3. Heat the oil in a pan, and when hot, add the ginger and garlic.  Fry for 5 minutes, but make sure they don’t burn. Add the cumin, coriander, chilli powder, brown caradamom, cinnamon, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds and fry for a minute. 

4. Add the tomatoes and green chillies. Fry for another 3 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are starting to soften slightly.  If you are using meat, add it at this point and fry the pieces until browned.

5. Add this spice mixture to the lentils with salt to taste.  Add 300ml of water (if you are using chicken you can use chicken stock), the jaggery/brown sugar, and lemon or lime at this point.  Simmer until everything is cooked through Garnish with the coriander.

Caramelised brown onion rice.

I found this recipe online, but stupidly can’t find it again.  My approximate is underneath.  I would implore anyone to try it.

1. Finely slice two onions.  Heat 2tbsp of oil in a wide frying pan. When hot, slowly fry the onions until they are nicely browned (not burnt!) and crispy.  Drain and lay on kitchen roll.

2. Place 2tsp of sugar over the base of a small saucepan.  Heat until it melts and starts to brown to a caramel colour (keep a close eye on this, you don’t want it to burn).  

3. When the sugar has melted to a nice deep brown, add around 200ml water and take off the heat immediately.  It will bubble.  Stir well until the sugar is dissolved into the water.  Keep to one side.

4. Get another saucepan, heat some 2tsp of ghee.  When melted, add a couple of green cardamoms, 3 cloves, a small piece of cinnamon and a bay leaf.  When aromatic, add 2/3 of the onion (reserve the rest for garnish) and basmati rice.

5. Fry until the rice is well coated in the ghee and onions.  Add water to cover by 1cm or so (I use the absorption method to cook rice).  Bring to the boil, cover with a tight fitting lid, and turn the heat down to low.

6. Cook until the rice has absorbed all the water and is cooked through and fluffy. Garnish with the remaining onions.