Staff Curry – Traditional Indian Curry.
This traditional style curry got its name from the British Indian Restaurants. Many of the restaurants would have a big pot of a traditionally made curry to feed the staff that worked there.
This curry would often consist of chicken or lamb on the bone, the bone giving extra flavour to the gravy as it’s slowly cooked ’till the meat is falling off the bone.
Staff curry is great eaten with some fresh roti or chapati, using it to scoop up the soft meat and luscious gravy.
Chicken Staff Curry
A traditional style curry consisting of chicken on the bone cooked with onion, garlic, ginger & spices.
Ingredients
- 175 ml vegetable or sunflower oil
- 2 large onions sliced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated ginger
- 2 tej patta leaves Indian bay leaves, substitute with normal or leave out if you can’t find them
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 5 green cardamom pods lightly bashed
- 1 piece of cinnamon stick or cassia bark
- 2 rounded tbsp curry Masala ‘Ome Made Madras,B.I.R or Bengali Curry Masala are perfect for this or 3 tsp ground coriander, 1.5 tsp ground cumin, 1.5 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chilli powder
- Around 1.4kg of chicken on the bone but skinned. Thighs cut in to about 3 pieces are good as are drumsticks or you could use a whole large chicken cut into pieces.
- 1 tbsp of tomato puree diluted with 3 tbsp of water
- 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes or around 10 – 12 fresh tomatoes roughly chopped.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- A few sliced green chillies or more to suit your taste
- 1 tbsp kasoori methi
- A good couple handfuls of chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan; make sure you have a lid for it.
- Add the whole spices and when they start to sizzle add the onions. Cook on a low heat until the onions are starting to brown.
- Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and cook for a minute more.
- If the oil has disappeared add a little more, you need the oil to cook the ground spices out.
- Add the curry Masala or ground spices to the pan and continue to cook on a low heat for 45 seconds
- Add the diluted tomato puree, stir in and cook for 30 seconds or so.
- Add the chicken and stir to seal all over
- Add the tomatoes and salt, stir in and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to the lowest you can (a heat diffuser on gas works a treat) and put the lid on. Leave to cook for around 20 minutes.
- Take the lid off and stir. If it looks a little dry add a splash of water. Add the Garam Masala, kasoori methi and green chillies if you are using. Stir in and put the lid back on. Leave to cook for another 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes remove the lid and stir. If you like a thick sauce you may want to turn the heat up now and let it reduce down. If the sauce looks a little oily for your taste you can use a ladle to skim some of the oil off.
- Once the sauce is at the consistency you require and the chicken is cooked, it should be falling off the bone, check the seasoning and add up to another 1 tsp salt to taste.
- Stir in the fresh coriander and serve over plain boiled rice with a chapatti or roti.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Lamb Staff Curry
Lamb curry cooked in the traditional style with onion, garlic, ginger & spices.
Ingredients
- 175 ml vegetable or sunflower oil
- 2 large onions sliced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated ginger
- 2 tej patta leaves Indian bay leaves, substitute with normal or leave out if you can’t find them
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 2 black cardamom pods lightly bashed use 5 green cardamom pods or leave out if you want
- 1 piece of cinnamon stick or cassia bark
- 2 rounded tbsp curry Masala ‘Ome Made Madras or B.I.R are perfect for this or 3 tsp ground coriander, 1.5 tsp ground cumin, 1.5 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chilli powder
- Around 1.4kg of lamb on the bone cut into medium sized pieces. Lamb shoulder is ideal, and a good butcher should oblige and cut the meat up for you. Another good cut is lamb neck.
- 1 tbsp of tomato puree diluted with 3 tbsp of water
- 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes or around 10 – 12 fresh tomatoes roughly chopped.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- A few sliced green chillies or more to suit your taste
- 1 tbsp kasoori methi
- A good couple handfuls of chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan; make sure you have a lid for it.
- Add the whole spices and when they start to sizzle add the onions. Cook on a low heat until the onions are starting to brown.
- Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and cook for a minute more.
- If the oil has disappeared add a little more, you need the oil to cook the ground spices out.
- Add the curry Masala or ground spices to the pan and continue to cook on a low heat for 45 seconds
- Add the diluted tomato puree, stir in and cook for 30 seconds or so.
- Add the meat and stir to seal all over
- Add the tomatoes and salt, stir in and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to the lowest you can (a heat diffuser on gas works a treat) and put the lid on. Leave to cook for around 30 minutes.
- Take the lid off and stir. If it looks a little dry add a splash of water. Add the Garam Masala, kasoori methi and green chillies if you are using. Stir in and put the lid back on. Leave to cook for another 15 – 20 minutes.
- After 15 – 20 minutes remove the lid and stir. If you like a thick sauce you may want to turn the heat up now and let it reduce down. If the sauce looks a little oily for your taste you can use a ladle to skim some of the oil off.
- Once the sauce is at the consistency you require and the meat is soft and almost falling off the bone, check the seasoning and add up to another 1 tsp salt to taste.
- Stir in the fresh coriander and serve over plain boiled rice with a chapatti or roti.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!