Hot curries for cold nights
There’s nothing like a curry to warm the cockles of your heart this winter.
Prawn pasta
This rich pasta is meant for sharing – but choose a dinner companion who doesn’t mind getting messy! (You can, of course, also peel the prawns first if you prefer.)
Serves 2 • Preparation time: 15 minutes • Cooking time: 10–15 minutes
• 15ml each butter and oil • 12 large prawns, deveined • 1 small chilli, seeded and finely chopped • 1 knob ginger, peeled and finely chopped • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped • 15ml mild curry powder • 6 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped • 150–200g linguine pasta, cooked al dente • zest of 1 lemon • a handful of fresh basil or coriander, shredded
1 Heat the butter and oil in a pan until the butter begins to foam, then add the prawns. Fry until bright pink on one side. Turn the prawns over and add the chilli, ginger, garlic, curry and tomatoes. Stir-fry for a few minutes until fragrant. The prawns will turn a lovely pink all over and the sauce should be aromatic and chunky.
Add another splash of olive oil, or cream if you feel like a treat; season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir the warm pasta into the sauce. Spoon onto two plates immediately and sprinkle the lemon zest and fresh herbs on top. >>
Potato and chickpea samoosas
This is my version of the delicious potato and feta samoosas I find so difficult to resist at the Milnerton flea market. Makes about 18 samoosas Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Oven temperature: 180°C
• 800g potato blocks (1cm) • 30ml oil • 15ml mild curry powder • 5cm fresh turmeric root, peeled and grated • 5ml black mustard seeds • 1 large onion, finely chopped • 5cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated • 1 green chilli, seeded and chopped • 5 curry leaves • 1 tin chickpeas, drained • 3 feta rounds • 6 sheets phyllo pastry • about 125ml butter, melted
1 Boil the potato blocks until just soft and drain. Meanwhile, heat the oil and fry the curry powder, turmeric, mustard seeds, onion, ginger, chilli and curry leaves together until the onion is glossy and the spices are fragrant. Stir in the hot potato and chickpeas, remove from the heat and stir until well mixed. Crumble the feta over (make sure it is evenly distributed) and season with salt and pepper to taste. 2 Preheat the oven. Roll out the phyllo pastry and cut each sheet into three strips of the same width. Work with one strip at a time and place the rest of the pastry under a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out. 3 Brush the pastry strip with melted butter and add a generous dollop of the filling just above the lowest corner (see sketch). Fold the pastry from the bottom up over the filling, until the entire strip is used up, to form a triangular parcel. Make sure that the tips are sealed properly and place the parcel on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with all 18 strips. Brush the phyllo parcels with any remaining butter and bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Thai green curry with meatballs
A coconut-milk green curry like this is a wonderful way to serve a variety of flavourful vegetables quickly and easily. The meatballs, instead of the usual chicken pieces, give it a delicious twist.
Makes 4 generous servings Preparation time: 40 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes
• 45ml oil • 3 shallots or 1 small onion, very finely chopped • 5–15ml pre-made green curry paste • 500g pork or chicken mince • 400g mixed vegetables such as snap peas, broccoli florets, bok choi, baby spinach and mini corn • 400ml coconut milk • egg noodles, lime juice and fresh coriander, to serve
1 Heat about 15ml of the oil in a pan and sauté the onions in the oil until glossy. Stir in the curry paste and a dash of water and cook until dry. Cool slightly. Mix the curried onions with the mince and season with a pinch of salt. Wet your hands and roll into bite-sized meatballs.
Blanch the vegetables in boiling water, drain and set aside. Heat the remaining oil in a deep pan and fry the meatballs until golden brown all over. Add the vegetables and stir-fry over high heat for a few minutes. Finally, stir in the coconut milk and cook for 5–10 minutes until the meatballs are done and the liquid has reduced slightly. Spoon over cooked egg noodles and season with fresh lime juice and a sprinkling of coriander. If you prefer, you can add soy sauce for extra flavour. >>
Curried fishcakes
Fishcakes are always a great way to use leftover braaied fish (like snoek, for example). Use at least two kinds of fish for best results.
Makes 12 fishcakes Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes
• 4 medium-sized potatoes (about 500g), peeled • about 250g smoked snoek, flaked • about 450g firm white fish, flaked • 15ml each fish masala and mild curry powder • 60ml chopped fresh coriander • 4 spring onions, white parts finely chopped • about 125ml flour • 3 egg whites, whisked (keep the yolks for the mayonnaise) • about 350ml panko breadcrumbs* • olive oil and butter for shallow-frying • lemon wedges, to serve
1 Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked, drain and then mash. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly. Mix the flaked fish, spices, coriander and spring onions with the mash, then shape the mixture into 12 equal-sized fishcakes and refrigerate for 1 hour (this makes the fishcakes easier to handle when coating with the breadcrumbs). 2 Roll the fishcakes in the flour first; shake off any excess flour and then dip them in the egg white and finally the breadcrumbs. 3 Fry the fishcakes in olive oil and butter until golden brown on all sides and crispy. Serve hot with lemon wedges and mayonnaise.
* Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb (panko means bread in Japanese). Panko has a light, flaky texture rather than crumbly and absorbs less oil than regular breadcrumbs when fried; it’s available at Woolworths. MASALA MAYONNAISE
Beat 3 egg yolks, 5ml Dijon mustard, 5ml mustard seeds, 15ml lemon juice and about 3ml masala curry powder until thick and creamy. Whisk in about 200ml canola oil, a drop at a time, until the mixture is thick and smooth. (Once half of the oil is whisked in, you can gradually pour in the rest.) Season to taste with salt and pepper and add more lemon juice if desired.