M IS FOR MASALA

M IS FOR MASALA
M is for masala..... A versatile spice mix that can be used with a few basic ingrediants and hey presto you get a lovely base for any curried dish which stores well in the fridge or freezer for instant dinners. In this instance I used this base wet masala and added a few potatos and got a yummy potato dinner or you could add hard boiled eggs, mixed vegies or whatever you like....

WHAT YOU NEED: (This will make a huge batch so store what you need for one week in a sealed container in the fridge and the rest in portioned containers in the freezer)

3 kgs of of peeled and sliced brown onions
1 kg of tomatos- chopped (feel free to reduce or increase the amount of tomatos to suit your tastebuds)
About 7 generous tsp of turmeric
500g of ginger (again feel free to adjust to suit your tastebuds)
4 garlic bulbs (roughly 45 cloves of garlic)
4 tbs of salt (again to taste)
3/4 cup to 1 cup of oil (preferable veg or canola)
Optional: 10 green chillis

WHAT YOU DO:
1.  Add  1/2 the oil and over medium heat brown the onions. Add the green chillis now if using and fry for 5 mins more.
2. Add the rest of the oil and all the other ingrediants and stir then cover and simmer till everything break downs and the raw smell leaves..
3. Blend the mix and return to the stove top and simmer for a further 30 mins to an hour on low to medium heat to allow the flavour to develop. (make sure you keep it covered or your kitchen will be covered in red splat marks.)
Now that is done divide into portions about a 1 to 2 cups per portions.

Now for a simple potato curry using this masala

1. In a pan add sme oil and heat.
2. Add 1 tsp of cumin and 1 tsp of mustard seeds once oil is hot allow too splutter and once the seeds stop splottering add 2 medium chopped potatos. Fry fr 5 mins.
3. Add 1 to 2 cups of the masala mix and mix and cover.
4. Cook till potato is tender and adjust the salt..... Optional: add more chilli and fresh coriander

Clarifying Butter

CLARIFIED BUTTER
Clarifying butter can be done in both the microwave and on the stove top and is basically removing the impurities to get a beautiful golden coloured mixture.

WHAT YOU NEED:
Unsalted butter

WHAT YOU DO:
1. Heat the the butter till melted
2. Continue heating the butter till the impurities rise to the surface and scoop out the impurities.
3. Continue doing this until you have removed as much of the impurities as possible and you have a wonderful golden mixture.
4. Remove. Clarified butter is complete.

Paneer

PANEER
Home made paneer is quite easy to do. Does take some time but is totally worth it when you taste the soft fresh paneer. (photo to come)

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 litre or more of milk. ( The more you use the more paneer you make)
Some Citric acid. I use lemon juice
You will need a muslin cloth

WHAT TO DO:
1. Pour all of the milk into the pan and heat till boiling
2. Reduce heat and simmer and add the lemon juice. Strat with a couple of tsps andyou may need to add more later.
3. Stir the milk being gentle.
4. You will start to see the whey and curds separate. Start scooping out the curds and placing in a bowl lined with a muslin cloth.
5. If the whey still seems whitish add some more lemon juice and remove the curds that seperate.
6. When the whey is quite clear then set this aside.
7. Tie up the top of the muslin cloth and squeeze as much of the water out of the curds as possible. The more water you remove the firmer the paneer will get.
8. Set aside  for a few hours till paneer is dry and there you go fresh paneer ready to be used.