Mustard & Ginger Prawn Curry

So I didn't actually eat fish until recently and this recipe is something I kind of made up a while ago, adding and editing my mother's recipe. One of the reasons I started trying fish is because my house mate Kate loves it and throughout the year, watching her make various fish dishes I realised how much I was missing out on. My new willingness to try fish has made my mother very happy as every good bengali is a fish lover and I can say with some tentativeness that there will probably be more fish recipes to come.  Sadly, just yesterday I moved out of my uni flat and back home as I am no longer a student, the end of an amazing four year era and countless memories Anyways, this recipe is for Kate - so you can make it at home, miss you already x

Ingredients :
500g fresh prawns

For the marinade:
2 tbsp English mustard
2 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp chill

For the sauce:
2 large onions
2 large tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
2/3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp butter
Chilli
Garam Masala
Tandoori Masala
Turmeric

1. Marinade the prawns in mustard, chopped ginger, turmeric, salt & chilli for 15 minutes
2. Blend the onions, tomatoes and garlic into a chunky sauce
3. Cook the sauce in butter
4. Add the tomato purée & spices (chilli, garam masala, turmeric & tandoori masala to taste)
5. Leave the sauce to simmer on a low heat
6. In the mean time, flash fry the prawns (which should now be marinated) then add to the sauce
7. Serve with a fresh lime & coriander garnish and rice. 

Curry for Eleven

Last year my house mate, Kate, spent a year in Paris in order to improve her French. A year which I imagine was probably both terrifying and amazing at the same time. She was lucky enough to meet a good bunch of people who she made some amazing memories with whilst she was out there. Some of the group study at Warwick, like myself and Kate, others were from Birmingham and Ireland. At the start of the year, a big group of Kate's Paris friends came to visit and so Kate wanted to put together a big dinner for everyone. The dish of choice was curry (an easy way to feed a big number of people) and of course being the token Indian house mate, I volunteered my services. 


I learnt most of my Indian cooking from my parents, who are both amazing cooks. They've made me believe that there really is no food like home food. In the past year or so however, I've been braving it and trying to develop my own style of Indian cooking. When Kate's friends came down, we cooked them chicken butter masala & served it with rice. I've tried this recipe a few times and have finally come up with my favourite version. We cooked this for Kate's friends from Paris, as well as a few other people & eventually ended up cooking for 11. It still amazes me that we managed to work that out logistically! The recipe which I'm about to post is: a. for 4 people and b. different to the traditional recipes you'll find for chicken butter masala, but I love this curry & I hope if any of you try it, you will too. 


Chicken Butter Masala (for 4)

4 chicken breasts

Marinade:
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp tandoori masala • 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp tomato puree


Sauce
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 tbsp cashew nuts
• 4 tbsp almonds
• 4 tbsp fresh cream
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 5-6 tomatoes (pureed)
.
1. Marinade the chicken for an hour then cook in the oven till done
2. Grind the almonds & cashews till they make a paste
3. Finely chop the onions & garlic and fry in butter till golden brown 
4. Add the ginger & garlic paste
5. Add the nut paste to the pan with the onions, garlic & ginger6. Add the cream & tomatoes to the mixture and stir till you have a thick sauce
7. Tear the chicken into eatable chunks and add to the sauce
8. Add the salt & spices (chilli, coriander, turmeric, garam masala) and simmer for 5 - 7 mins
9. Garnish with more butter & cream (to taste) and freshly chopped coriander
10. Serve hot with basmati rice 

the inspiration ..

I have always enjoyed writing (I think it began when I was about 11 and I started writing a diary) and for a while now I've wanted to write my own blog. I'd been going over and over ideas for a blog in my head, trying to think of one that is still somewhat original. 

Then one day, I was looking through the photos on my Blackberry (yes, the dreaded Blackberry which I am almost permanently attached to) and I realised I take a lot of pictures of food. It occurred to me that there was always a story behind each photo I'd taken, a reason why that meal meant something to me, a reason why that particular food had a memory attached to it, a reason why I'd taken that photo.

So, I decided why not combine my two interests - writing and food. I love to cook and I love to eat. I love to try out new recipes and perfect old ones. I love having people over for dinner, or even just cooking for my house mates. Most of all, I love the appreciation that comes from putting together a satisfying meal. Eventually I figured, why not write about that. 

This blog is going to tell the story of all the various recipes me and my house mates try out (determined to prove that students can indeed cook). I live in a house where everybody loves food, and appreciates a good meal. We all cook for each other which means that we all get to try new recipes and new foods on a regular basis. 

Over the past few months, I've come to realise that there is a simple happiness to be found in sitting down at the dinner table, at the end of a long day, with people you love, sharing anecdotes and eating together.