Eats - a bit of spice

A Happy Wednesday to you good people, I hope I find you well? This morning I am going to share with you the idiot proof recipe I use when making something curried, and the best thing is you can adapt it to your own tastes. And when I say idiot proof I mean that it is sooooo easy and even if you are missing the odd spice it will still taste good, promise.

I don't remember where I picked up this masala sauce recipe as it now just sits in my little book of cookery notes, but it is my go to for a dinner that is quick, easy and particularly good if there is a crowd to feed!

Ingredients

6 cardamon pods *

2 tbsp cumin *

2 tbsp coriander seeds *

4 whole cloves *

1 tsp black peppercorns *

1 tsp ground fenugreek

1 tsp ground turmeric 

1 tbsp paprika

1-2 tsp chili powder (strength according to taste)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tsp flaked sea salt

4 crushed garlic cloves

40g fresh grated ginger

100g low fat yogurt  

*remove seeds from the cardamon pods and discard the husks, add to a hot dry pan with the other whole seeds marked and toast for a couple of minutes. Take these spices and crush them before adding to the remaining spices.

In a bowl mix all the ingredients together until to get a paste like consistency.

Once you have made your basic sauce you can the use it for spicing up pretty much anything. Add a can of chopped tomatoes to make a base for a beef curry, increase the volume of yogurt a little and marinate some chicken overnight then put them on the barbecue for party, or add coconut milk for a deliciously creamy curry.

This week I made the beef curry option, here's how...

Lightly brown some cubed beef in a pan with a large diced onion then add some broccoli and cauliflower florets, cover and allow to steam until slightly softened.

Next add the masala sauce and coat the beef and vegetables before adding a can of chopped tomatoes and 100g of mushrooms, bring to the boil and simmer until the beef is cooked through and still tender.

Serve with either rice and a little pineapple chutney or your favourite flat bread. Simple.

Note: I didn't have any fresh ginger in the store cupboard but the mixture didn't miss it.

Enjoy xx