5 Quick and Easy Weeknight Curry Course

Chicken Karahi or Murgh Karahi is a delicious, lightly spiced Pakistani curry that relies more on the fresh garnishing at the end then it does the spices used. This Chicken Karahi Recipe has been in my family for generations!

A quick look at the ingredients needed to cook Chicken Karahi or Murgh Karahi.

Let's take a look at just how quick and easy it is to cook Chicken Karahi at home!

Fish Sothi is a lightly spiced, quick and easy coconut curry of Sri Lankan and South Indian origin. Fish Sothi is quite often made just with vegetables and is usually a mild curry. This easy fish sothi recipe is, once again, a family recipe.

A look at the ingredients for cooking Fish Sothi.

Let's take a look at how quick and easy it is to cook Sri Lankan Fish Sothi at home!

Pepper Chicken is a fairly spicy dry curry, given the hot chilli powder and black pepper, but you can always substitute the chilli powder for a mild one. My mum used to cook Pepper Chicken Curry a lot when we were kids.

A quick look at the ingredients for cooking Pepper Chicken.

Let's see just how quick and easy it is to cook Pepper Chicken at home.

Sayur Lemak, also known as Sayur Lodeh or Masak Lodeh in Indonesia, is a delicious coconut based vegetable stew eaten with rice and is a must during festive occasions when it is accompanied by more elaborate dishes. Sayur Lemak has its origins in Java, Indonesia and is a recipe that is claimed by the Malays, the Eurasians and the Nyonyas in Singapore and Malaysia!

A quick look at the ingredients needed to cook Sayur Lemak.

We lightly sauté our tofu pieces to add depth and texture to our Sayur Lemak.

Let's see just how quick and easy cooking Sayur Lemak at home is.

Smoked Salmon Curry - you won't find it on any menu, it came about in my kitchen, some 15 years ago, borne out of desperation! Smoked Salmon Curry carries my signature twist (the smoked salmon) on a traditional South Indian Fish Curry - it's a strongly flavoured curry.

A quick look at the ingredients needed to cook Smoked Salmon Curry.

Let's see just how easy it is to cook Smoked Salmon Curry at home.

This lecture shows use how to make fresh tamarind juice at home.

Tamarind is a tropical fruit that grows as a pod on the tamarind tree. The pod or fruit is shaped like a bean and contains a pulp with lots of seeds. This pulp is usually mashed with water to create “juice” that is extensively used in many cuisines around the world for its souring properties; it is also used for medicinal properties and, believe it or not, as a polishing agent!

Some of the world's most sought after recipes rely on this amazing ingredient, like Thai Tom Yum Soup, and it is also an important ingredient in Worcestershire Sauce.

How to make Panch Phoron at home.

Panch Phoron or Bengali Five Spice is a natural flavour enhancer used in much the same way as garam masala is, this mix is quite often quickly fried in hot oil/ghee and poured over the finished dish to deepen the flavour. This method is called tempering or tarka.

How to make Garam Masala at home.

Garam Masala, that essential Indian spice mix is much, much easier to make at home than you think.

Garam – Warm or Hot

Masala – Spice Mix

So, garam masala is a warming (not spicy) spice mix and can be used as a cooking ingredient, like a curry powder and also and more importantly, to add a final flourish to your finished dish, just before or after turning the heat off.

Each cook will have a different recipe for his or her garam masala, so you see, the advantage of making your own is not only will you be getting a potent, fresh blend but you'll also be getting one tailored to your taste!

A quick look at the do's and dont's of cooking with coconut milk.

You'll learn how to stop fresh coconut milk from curdling.

The recipes here will produce a moderately spiced mix but, bear in mind, what's spicy to one may not be to another! Play around with the amount of chilli/pepper; after all, you can always spice it up later.