recipe: somewhat subcontinental curry

so, the point of this blog is (mostly) for me to keep track of what i've been eating and drinking - whether or not various foods were worth cooking, liquids worth drinking, or restaurants worth visiting. if i end up cooking something worth eating, i'll post a recipe. and hell, if i get my digital camera working i might even post some poorly-formatted pictures. but then i'd have to start worrying about garnishes and reductions and coulis and whatnot. i wouldn't want my homemade dinners to look chintzy.

anyhow. i made what is basically my indian-template curry last night. i don't think i have any cookbooks that are accurate enough for central or north indian dishes. so this is a bit of a mutt. tasty, though.

masala:
coriander seed
cumin
fenugreek
cloves
cardamom
nutmeg
cinnamon
star anise
dried chili (some old farmers' market cayennes that i had kicking around)
turmeric

toast everything but the turmeric in a dry karhai/wok/equivalent. if you're anal and have the patience of a saint, toast each individually. i throw the chilis in a little earlier and then just toast everything together. you want toasty, not burnt. and i am dearly sorry for saying that all quantities are QS - i'd estimate they vary from a tablespoon of coriander seed to a single star anise pod. you know - don't be stupid, realize which spices are liable to take over. i just don't have the enthusiasm to measure everything. oh, and these are all whole spices. you can't toast powders. speaking of powder, i've been using dried whole turmeric rhizomes for awhile now. they're harder then hell and always seem half a step away from breaking the spice grinder, but i like them. feel free to substitute powder. anyhow, grind your turmeric first, add all the toasted spices to the mill, and grind to a powder. you should end up with a few tablespoons of masala.

paste:
several shallots
a few cloves of garlic
a few fresh green chilis
a knob of ginger

easy. reduce to a paste in a small capacity food processor. or take half an hour to finely mince/mash/mortar into a really well-textured paste. again, i don't have the patience.

assembly:
2-3T coconut oil (though you could use a more neutral oil if you want; i like the saturated mouthfeel and flavor of coconut oil a lot)
black mustard seeds
1 28oz can of whole plum tomatoes, cleaned and pureed in the food processor
about 1T jaggery or brown sugar or any other less-refined sugar (no honey or maple please)
a few medium - small potatoes, cubed
a small eggplant, cubed to a similar size
half a boneless/skinless chicken breast, also cubed
a handful of mustard greens, chopped and stem parts separated from leaf parts

heat the oil in your karhai/wok/whatever. medium-high heat. throw in the mustard seeds, let them sputter and pop and turn grey. put a lid on for this step unless you enjoy being hit by very, very hot and greasy tiny seeds. once they're grey, dump in your paste and start frying it. after a few minutes, it should be slightly lower in volume, a little darker, and starting to throw off a little oil. add the entirety of your masala, the sugar, and the potato and eggplant. fry for a few minutes, then add the pureed tomatoes. turn down the heat, cover, and simmer quietly for half an hour or 45 minutes - as long as it takes to soften the potatoes. about ten minutes before you're ready to serve, stir in the cubed chicken and the mustard stems.

finish:
1 cup cream
salt
coriander leaves

directly before serving, add the cream and the reserved mustard greens. cook for a minute or two, just to heat. salt to taste. garnish with coriander, unless you think it's unpleasantly soapy.
serve with basmati and some sort of flatbread. don't tell anyone, but i've been using trader joe's whole wheat handmade tortillas as a stand-in chapati (heated over an open flame until toasty).

serves four without leftovers, or two with abundant leftovers.