Rogan Josh Curry....... From Scratch Right Down to the Paste

If nothing else in my humble opinion, homemade is always best. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than knowing exactly what is going into my food; these next recipes are a perfect example of that, right down to the Rogan Josh Paste everything is made from scratch. I find food tastes better, when I take the time to make it myself, in reality it probably isn’t better than the jarred stuff you can buy in the supermarket, but because you have made the effort, to carefully toast your cumin and coriander seeds and the black pepper corns, and then grinding them in a mortar and pestle, the blending of all the ingredients into a smooth paste, then using the paste in your own curry. It simply tastes better because of the effort you have put into it, well that’s what I think anyway. I love the smells from the toasting the seeds and pepper corns, and the divine aroma you get when you grind them. The paste smells really lovely but is even better once it has been warmed. Ultimately it comes back down to basics, before convenience food came along; making food from scratch was a must. The more I think about it the more I am going to have to stand by my convictions, and that is that ‘fresh is best’ not just from a nutritional value, either. I mean I get a certain amount of satisfaction from cooking, and that euphoria, I suppose you could call it, I get when I have cooked from scratch and had a success is kind of like a drug, it makes me happy. Until recently I thought that this was a lone feeling, that I alone felt like that and I kept it as my sad little secret, after all how do you tell someone that you get a ‘high’ from cooking? I have recently discovered that it isn’t just me though, because of my knee condition playing me up I have had to take a back seat in the kitchen and let my husband do it all. I usually sit in the kitchen with him because I know my way around my own kitchen right down to the position of all my spice bottles in the cupboard, so it makes his life a little easier when I can tell him where everything is. So I saw it when it happened, that look of utter satisfaction on his face, when he made his pork pies. The smug little smile, the “Oh yeah, check me out, I did that” look on his face. That is what I love about it, the satisfaction I get out of it. So how can cooking from scratch not be good for you? I’m not saying I cook from scratch all the time because of course I don’t, I use jarred sauces, chilli and curry pastes. That also doesn’t mean I like to, just that they are convenient, and that, is where the truth of the matter lies – it’s easier and less time consuming to use a jar. How difficult is it to turn a jar upside down and empty the contents on top of pasta or a curry, seconds that’s all, so who wouldn’t want to use them? Although writing this is making me think that maybe I should start making my own fresh tomato sauce and freeze into portions (or jar but I need to see about bottling). I could make a basic sauce and then add flavouring to it later, garlic, basil, onion…. The worlds your oyster I suppose, there are so many flavour combinations.

 

Rogan Josh Paste

2 garlic cloves, peeled

75g roasted peppers (jarred)

1tbsp paprika

1tsp smoked paprika

2tsp garam masala

1tsp turmeric

1 ½ tsp sea salt

2tbsp ground nut oil

2tbsp tomato puree

1 fresh red chilli

1tsp coriander

FOR TOASTING

2tsp cumin seeds

2tsp coriander seeds

1tsp black pepper corns

 

1. Place a small frying pan on a medium to high heat and lightly toast the spices for toasting, until they are golden brown. Using a pestle and mortar grind the toasted spices into a fine powder. Lots of pressure isn’t needed, simple regular circular motions will do the job quite quickly and efficiently.
2. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and whizz, working until you have a smooth paste.
   
   Serves 4-6
   Lamb Rogan Josh
    
   800g Lamb neck fillet
   2 medium onions
   1 fresh red chilli
   Ground nut oil
   Knob of butter
   4 bay leaves
   Sea salt and black pepper
   2tbsp balsamic vinegar
   1x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
   800ml chicken stock (optional)
   Rogan Josh Paste
   200g natural yogurt
    

1. Cut the lamb into evenly sized pieces, peel and roughly chop the onions and finely chop the chilli.
2. Over a medium to high heat, melt the butter in 2tbsp of oil in a large skillet and cook the onions, chilli and bay leaves for about 10 minutes until the onions have softened. Put the lamb in the skillet seasoning with salt and pepper, brown the meat, add the vinegar cooking for a few more minutes, then add the tomatoes, stock if you are using it and the rogan josh paste. Mix well.
3. Transfer to a slow cooker and leave for a few hours or until the meat is tender, taste for seasoning and alter as necessary.
    
   Perfect Fluffy Rice
    
   Sea salt
   350g basmati rice
    

1. Place a large saucepan of salted water onto a high heat and bring the water to a boil. Rinse the rice under running cold water, do this until the water runs clear, removing the starch. Add the rice to the boiling water, and bring back to a boil, once the rice is dancing in the pan start to time it, for a total of 5 minutes. Drain the rice into a colander, covering with either a lid or tin foil if it’s easier.
2. Fill the saucepan to about an inch deep with water, bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat so you have a rolling simmer, place the colander over the simmering water and steam the rice for about another 10 minutes. Once you have removed the rice from the heat it should stay warm for about 20 minutes in the covered colander, still over the saucepan.