Fiji Curry - cooking recipe

Ingredients
    4 -5 4 -5 lbs lamb or 4 -5 lbs chicken meat, cut into cubes
    1 large onion, chopped
    6 -12 garlic cloves, mashed together with salt (or substitute a chicken or beef bouillon cube)
    1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
    1 teaspoon coriander
    1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
    2 teaspoons cumin seeds
    2 teaspoons turmeric powder
    3 small hot red chili peppers (or cayenne pepper, to taste)
    1 -2 tablespoon curry powder
    1 cup fresh coriander or 1 cup cilantro, chopped
    2 -4 potatoes, diced
    2 carrots, diced (or a seasonal vegetable like eggplant)
    1/3 cup yogurt
Preparation
    Mash the garlic and salt in a bowl. Add just a bit of water to make a paste.
    Add the cumin seed, fenugreek seed, coriander seed, black mustard seed, curry powder and turmeric powder plus red chili to taste and pound to a smooth paste.
    Use a blender to make the garlic and spice mix. Add just enough water to blend. I use a bouillon cube instead of salt.
    Add a handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves and cook in a heavy pot over medium heat until thick.
    Add the meat to the sauce. Stir to coat the meat and partially cover, stirring occasionally. You may add 2 teaspoons sugar (8 g) and 1 teaspoon salt (4 g) about half-way through to \"make it tender\".
    When the vegetables are added depends on how long they will take to cook. Add the diced potatoes, diced carrots, 1/2 chopped large onion, some fresh coriander and finish cooking.
    The meat shrinks a lot cooked this way, but the flavor is intensified and the sauce stays thick. It should coat the meat almost like a glaze. Cook on lower heat if you like, but the result will be more of a broth.
    At the end, add some more chopped onion and stir in the yogurt plus more fresh coriander to garnish.
    Serve with chutney, rice and tortillas or chapatis if available. The proper way to eat this is to tear off a piece of tortilla or chapti and scoop some curry up with it. It's finger lickin' good!

Leave a comment