1. Know your spices. Indian food is based on the perfect blend of spices - consisting of several elements foreign to most American dishes. The mentality of "throwing a little bit of this and a little bit of that" is not as forgiving when it comes to Indian cooking.
2. Similar to #1 but deserving of its own bullet point - turmeric: do not overdo it. Though it has great health benefits - it can completely make or break a dish (as I have learned the hard way). According to Whole Foods' description, turmeric has a peppery, warm and bitter flavor and a mild fragrance slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger, and while it is best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry, it also gives ballpark mustard its bright yellow color. Key word: BITTER. If you use too much, your Indian dish that is supposed to be well rounded will instead be bitter.
3. Release the flavor of the spices by first heating them up in some oil to make a quasi-spice paste. You will be amazed by how much flavor will come out of a little bit of powder.
4. Use whole spices and grind them yourself - again, much more flavor will come out.
5. If using chilies in the dish, give them a little taste test first before adding them in, some are far more spicy than other, even within the same family, so you will want to adjust the amount that you add to the dish based on the spice level and your own personal tolerance.
6. Spices, spices, spices (see #1) - just have to reiterate the fact that this is what Indian cooking is all about. Stock up on the key Indian spices and make your own curry mixtures, you'll be AMAZED by how you can create a meal that tastes much like what you would get in an Indian restaurant with the key being your homemade curry powder!
FYI - curry powder isn't only that yellow stuff you buy in the store but rather a blend of Indian spices with nearly limitless variations. We've had a good time trying them out - each version creating a totally unique and wonderful flavor for the dish.
Our source (well Derek's source, he made the entire meal) was not an Indian cooking guru, but rather our beloved Emeril who has a knack for spices of his own (i.e. Emeril's entire line of fabulous blends that seem to truly kick each dish up on notch.)
West Indian Curried Chicken Roti
Original Link on FoodNetwork.com
(we used about a half recipe)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon crushed dried chili flakes
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 tablespoon ground cloves
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 hot pepper, such as Scotch bonnet or serrano, seeded and finely chopped, or to taste
2 cups chicken broth
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 recipe West Indian Bread for Roti, recipe follows, breads kept covered and warm
Directions
In a medium skillet or saute pan combine the turmeric, chili flakes, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, ginger, garlic powder, mustard seeds, pepper, allspice, and cinnamon and cook, shaking the pan frequently, until spices are fragrant and just beginning to smoke. Remove from the heat, transfer to a shallow plate and allow to cool completely. Transfer to a coffee grinder or spice mill and process until very finely ground. Reserve 6 tablespoons of the spice mixture separately and transfer the remainder to an airtight container and save for another purpose.
In a mixing bowl combine the chicken, 2 tablespoons of the curry powder, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and set aside, covered, for 20 minutes.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and, when hot, add the chicken pieces and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, thyme, hot pepper if using, and remaining 4 tablespoons curry powder and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, and brown sugar and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is very tender and falling from the bone and the sauce has reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir in the cilantro and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
(Note: traditionally, curried chicken roti is eaten with the chicken still on the bones. If you prefer otherwise, at this point you can remove the chicken from the sauce and remove the meat from the bones and then return the meat to the sauce before serving.)
Serve the chicken and sauce ladled into the center of the roti breads, then fold both sides over the filling. Fold the top and bottom ends over the sides to form a neat square package, and serve.
West Indian Bread for Roti:
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for cooking roti
1 cup water
To make the breads, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Combine the oil and water and add this mixture to the well. Using your hands, mix to form a dough. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth. Divide the mixture into 6 balls of dough and set aside for about 2 hours, covered with a damp kitchen towel. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a thin, flattened circle about 9 inches in diameter. Set aside, covered, until ready to cook the breads to serve. (Do not stack.)
Heat a large griddle or 12-inch skillet over high heat and add 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. When hot, add the bread dough and cook until brown spots form on the bottom, about 1 minute. Turn the bread and cook on the second side, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a large plate or baking sheet and cover with a damp towel to keep warm while you prepare the remaining breads.
Yield: 6 large roti breads
Ever since we started making our own curry powders, the level of authenticity to our Indian dishes has sky-rocketed. Once again Derek commented (and I agreed) that this was a dish that we'd likely receive from a restaurant - and a good one at that. The sauce (curry) was just incredible, so many flavors jam packed into one bite. And the chicken was so moist and tender. Nicely done Derek.
The roti was a little bit less successful. It tasted like pancakes. Perhaps that was what it was supposed to taste like, but they were just a bit thick and reminiscent of pancakes for my taste...but then again, with the curry, it went pretty well.
We also braised some collard greens with shallots, garlic and vegetable broth and added some curry powder leftover from another recipe we had made. This one was a bit sweeter and therefore, went really well with the fairly spicy chicken curry. Though our goal isn't necessarily to master the art of Indian cuisine, I don't think that is a realistic goal, I think we're getting pretty successful at creating fairly authentic basic recipes - and that's good enough for me.
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