Spice Tales

Making your own spice pastes, curries and fragrant rice is simpler than you think!

WHY MAKE YOUR OWN PASTE?

Like many things made from scratch, making your own curry paste can be a bit of a revelation. Instead of muddied flavours, there’s a distinct freshness and clarity of flavour when you make your own. When flavours are this good you will find that you can keep your curries quite simple. Use pastes thinned with a little oil and lime juice to marinate chicken, lamb, beef or seafood. And don’t forget they can also be used as the base for wonderful soups.

How to store curry paste

Choose glass above anything else to store your pastes in, its non-porous surface won’t transfer flavours. For lids, choose tight-sealing glass, rubber or non-toxic plastic. Pastes such as tapenades and curry, and green sauces such as pesto, won’t oxidise (darken) if they are covered with a thin film of oil.

LAMB & FRESH HERB CURRY

PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES SERVES 4

1kg boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed, cut into 2cm cubes

3 medium (450g) brown onions, sliced thinly

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground chilli

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons tamarind paste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups (500ml) water

1 cup loosely packed coriander leaves

½ cup loosely packed mint leaves

4 fresh long green chillies, chopped coarsely

¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice mint leaves, extra, and warm naan bread, to serve

1 Combine lamb, onion, salt, ground chilli, ginger, garlic, turmeric, tamarind, vegetable oil and the water in a large heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes or until tender.