"Well..." A whole evening in Granville's hands--it was a daunting prospect."Now don't mess about, Jim. You know, there's a wonderful Indian restaurant in Newcastle. Zoe and I would love to take you both out there. It's about time we met your wife, isn't it?"
"Yes... of course it is... Indian restaurant, eh?"
"Yes, laddie. Superb curries--mild, medium or blast your bloody head off."
--Jim Herriot, All Things Wise and Wonderful
I thought of that quote over Christmas, when Lou's family went out to an Indian restaurant in celebration of Lindsey's birthday. The available degrees were mild, medium, hot, and Indian hot. Not being overly brave in the hot pepper department, I ordered mild lamb korma. And I don't know what they call mild in India, but in all my life I can only remember one dish that might have been more impossibly cayenned.
A couple of days later, I heated up the leftovers with a lot of Greek yogurt and honey. Underneath all that fire was a fantastic flavor. I resolved then to try making it at home, where the flames shouldn't get out of hand.
Here's the link to the most appealing and do-able version I came across: Lamb korma
It looks excellent. I'm not a very passionately authentic chef, and I'll probably substitute butter for the ghee, black pepper for the peppercorns, and ground cinnamon for the cinnamon stick. Perhaps even beef for the lamb, as the latter runs expensive around here. But it should taste good all the same.
Maybe I'll look for cardamom and saffron next time I'm at the grocery, and give it a go.
I love Indian food, but my exposure to it has been so limited thus far that I haven't branched out very far. I'm adding this recipe (with your variations, hehe... though saffron is wickedly expensive) to our meal plan next month. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAnd oh, goodness, we're ridiculously huge James Herriot (sp?) fans around here!
Indian food is hugely popular here in England. I enjoy many of the dishes, but I don't like things too spicy either. (I do, however, love the heat of Mexican dishes - go figure!!!) The recipe you have linked to does sound good, and I'm sure it would be lovely with beef.
ReplyDeleteFarmer's City Wife, you'd better be Herriot fans, out there! I lived on a farm once. I've never tired of his wonderful, hilarious stories. My sister Beth and I still dissolve into laughter from time to time over scenes we haven't read in years.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I was afraid saffron would be wickedly expensive. Maybe if I just get enough for a recipe...
21st Century Housewife, interesting! I've never had a salsa set my mouth afire the way curries sometimes do. Of course, a little habanero could change that any day. :)