Eating Curries is good for you..post your Curry recipes?

[Germanicus]

This is a chicken Jalfriezi..........feel hungry?



Recent research has shown that curry could actually be good for you, easing arthritis and even protecting you from Alzheimer's. Here, we look at the medicinal effects of the spices that go into a curry.
Most curries contain turmeric, cumin, allspice, cardamon, ginger, garlic and capsicum - spices with strong anti-bacterial properties. That's why they're found in dishes from hot countries, where meat needs to be preserved.
Studies have found that garlic, cinnamon and cumin can destroy up to 80 per cent of meat-borne bacteria, while ginger can slow bacterial growth by 25 per cent.
Not all curries are healthy. Avoid kormas, masalas and pasandras, which contain frightening amounts of cream. The average chicken tikka masala, for example, contains about 1,500 calories.
Dishes such as rogan josh, madras, jalfrezi and sags (with spinach) tend to have less cream but just as many healthy spices.
The least fattening combination is either a plain vegetable curry with boiled rice, or anything oven baked (tandori), as these tend to be coated in yoghurt and spices and are not fried.

Ginger
Ginger could act as an effective pain reliever from the agony of arthritis. The spice already comes as a supplement called Zinaxin.
A study, carried out in the U.S. and presented at a recent British Medical Association conference, confirmed that two-thirds of those people involved in the study who were taking ginger supple-ments experienced a reduction in joint pain caused by arthritis.
Ginger is also a traditional cold remedy and contains the antioxidants gingerol, shagaol, and zingerone. It is the zingerone that reacts with the free radicals that can cause tissue damage and joint inflammation, and so helps to reduce the pain of arthritis.

Curcumin
Curcumin is the primary active compound in turmeric which is found in curry powders, as well as being used neat in curries.
A recent study from the U.S. found that eating turmeric can slow down the build up of plaques on the brain - the main cause of Alzheimer's - by up to 50 per cent.
Turmeric has also been found to help with digestion as well as guard against heart attacks and cancer of the colon.
It also has strong anti-inflammatory properties.


Rice
White rice loses many of its healthy benefits in processing. However, it does contain phytic acid, which helps bind the mineral iron in the digestive system, letting the body absorb it easily. It is low in fat and an ideal muscle fuel.

Poppadoms
These are more or less pure fat. They are deep fried and contain very little nutritional goodness. Although delicious, they are best avoided if you are trying to eat healthily or are watching your waistline.

Yoghurt
Yoghurt is often used both as an Indian condiment in raita and also in the cooking itself. Providing fresh yoghurt is used in the raita, then it is a brilliant source of calcium and vitamin D. It is also beneficial for the intestinal tract, as well as for fighting bacteria in the stomach.

Naan bread
Naan bread in Indian restaurants is generally not very healthy. The white flour used has had most of its nutrients stripped away and it has been drizzled with oil, so even a plain naan contains a staggering 300 calories.

Mango chutney
Mangos contain high levels of vitamins, combat stomach acidity and are a good blood cleanser. But in chutney a great deal of sugar has been added and the processed mangos have lost many of their benefits

Onions
Onions contain an agent called diallyl sulfide, which prompts the body to make more of the cancer-fighting molecule glutathione-S-transferase. These are a family of enzymes that play an important role in the detoxification of harmful stomach bacteria.
Garlic
Garlic has been found to have a wide range of health benefits, from protecting the heart by lowering cholesterol to helping to purify the blood.
It also contains allicin, which is a potent anti-cancer agent, and it increases protection from stomach cancer by promoting the production of protective enzymes in the stomach.

Cumin
Cumin contains phytochemicals - chemicals that are found in plants. Several phytochemicals, including that in cumin, have been found to block various hormone actions and metabolic pathways that are associated with the development of cancer and heart disease.
The phytochemicals appear to work alone, as well as in combination with vitamins and other nutrients in food, to prevent cancer. The main anti-cancer agents in cumin are carevol and limonene.
A study in Israel showed that the patients consuming high levels of cumin were less likely to develop prostate cancer.

Allspice
Allspice, a berry-based spice used in a lot of Indian cooking, contains eugenol, an antioxidant that enhances the digestive enzyme trypsin and so helps aide digestion.

Capsicum
Capsicum is the main phytochemical found in red peppers. It works as an anti-inflammatory, reduces cholesterol formation in the liver and is also used in topical preparations for arthritis relief, although eating it won't have the same effect.

Cardamon
Cardamon comes in seeds and is considered to be a strong antiseptic and antimicrobial spice by herbalists. It is also a mild aphrodisiac as well as helping to relieve flatulence.


If you can, try and post one of your favorite Indian Recipes, and how you make it?

[Fortis in Arduis]

I cook with tumeric, cumin, cardomom, ginger, black pepper, mustard seeds, rice and yoghurt.

I use sugar, salt, ghee and lemon juice for those sweet-sour-salt-unctuous flavours that only comfort or fast food can give.

Comforting flavours and tastes are an important part of eating for me, but I try to use rock salt, raw sugar, lemon juice and pure ghee, rather than heavy vegetable oils, sea salt, refined sugar or wine or malt vinegar which would be the less healthy options.

Mustard oil is a healthy vegetable oil. I heat it until it smokes to burn off the pungent flavour.

The main dish for me would be khichari which is mung dal and basmati rice with spices and chopped vegetables.

This is the most important dish in the ayurvedic cuisine, but I can also prepare a number of pleasant sabjis (vegetable curries) which might go well with dal (lentil soup) and rice or one of my favourite dishes nimbu bhat (lemon rice) which has chickpeas (chana) with it.

I also love yoghurt to drink diluted with either salt or sugar and complementary spices, and paneer which is a delicious cheese which one prepares to eat fresh the same day.

I would recommend this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Heavens-Banque.../dp/0452282780

for anyone interested in food-as-medicine the vedic vegetarian way.

Really, you can hardly harm yourself if you stick to veg only, but one must also satisfy the palette to be healthy.


I do not cook with onion or garlic because these foods are too disturbing to the mind, but a similar flavour can be imparted by using hing or asafoetida.

I cannot really handle anything but a saatvic diet in the long term, but of course, I do enjoy onion, garlic, lots of chilli, chocolate, coffee and other 'banned' foods, and I am no stranger to recreational drugs as well; I just tend to keep these things out of my house and kitchen.

[Mrs Ulf]

I made this a month ago, it was super tasty over rice. So I'll share this one.

Chicken Curry
Serves 4
(per serving: 636 cal; 31.7g fat(19.9 sat fat); 64.9g protein; 25g carb; 8.3g fiber)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 bone in, skinless chicken breast halves, halved
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 carrots thinly sliced
1 can (13.5oz) Coconut milk
1 package (10oz) frozen peas, thawed
cooked white rice for serving

In a large dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches brown chicken, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic, cumin, curry, thyme, and 1/2 cup water and season with salt. Cook stirring occasionally until onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add carrots, coconut milk, 1/2 cup water and chicken with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover partially and cook until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender (about 10 minuets, took me longer because I didn't slice the carrots thin enough so make sure to slice them thin). Remove from heat and stir in peas (add the peas when you add the carrots if they are not completely thawed)

Serve curry over rice.

[Germanicus]

Pat Chapman's Good pub guide indian recipe book is my bible..........my Chicken Madras with onion bargies, nan bread, .............are in my opinion...great, but i am biased.
A few years ago i went on holiday and left my youngest son in charge of the house with his girlfriend. In the garage freezer was my prized curries, along with other frozen meals.
However, when i returned a week later all the indian frozen meals were gone, and i have a giant freezer, i was heart broken.

[Germanicus]

I made this a month ago, it was super tasty over rice. So I'll share this one.

Chicken Curry
Serves 4
(per serving: 636 cal; 31.7g fat(19.9 sat fat); 64.9g protein; 25g carb; 8.3g fiber)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 bone in, skinless chicken breast halves, halved
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 carrots thinly sliced
1 can (13.5oz) Coconut milk
1 package (10oz) frozen peas, thawed
cooked white rice for serving

In a large dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches brown chicken, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic, cumin, curry, thyme, and 1/2 cup water and season with salt. Cook stirring occasionally until onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add carrots, coconut milk, 1/2 cup water and chicken with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover partially and cook until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender (about 10 minuets, took me longer because I didn't slice the carrots thin enough so make sure to slice them thin). Remove from heat and stir in peas (add the peas when you add the carrots if they are not completely thawed)

Serve curry over rice.

Hey thats a great recipe, i see you do not use Chillies? why not do what i do, get a handful of green chillies, cut them down the centre in half, then scrape the seeds out then slice the chillie up and add, then when you get used to the heat add the seeds, then when you get used to the green chillies try doing the same with good hot red chillies..

It does take a while to get used to the extra heat, my self i have been eating Vindaloo strength currys for 25 years....

[Mrs Ulf]

Hey thats a great recipe, i see you do not use Chillies? why not do what i do, get a handful of green chillies, cut them down the centre in half, then scrape the seeds out then slice the chillie up and add, then when you get used to the heat add the seeds, then when you get used to the green chillies try doing the same with good hot red chillies..

It does take a while to get used to the extra heat, my self i have been eating Vindaloo strength currys for 25 years....

Well I just followed it as it was to try that recipe first. Its one I found in my cooking magazines. I will most defiantly add peppers to it next time.

I'm fine with spicy foods, Ulf loves super hot foods. I can't eat it nearly as hot as he does but I'm used to the spice.

[Germanicus]

Beef curry, serves 4
Ingredients
Dry spice mixture
1 dessertspoon ground coriander
1 dessertspoon ground cummin
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek seed
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek leaves
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon green chilli (finely chopped)
1/2 teaspoon ground red chilli

wet spice mixture
4 oz creamed coconut
4oz tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon tamarind puree
1 dessertspoon honey
1 crushed garlic

Spice mixture
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cassia bark
1/2 teaspoon curry leaves

Fried mixture
2 spanish onions, chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
1 cube of fresh ginger, finely chopped


Method

Mix together the dry spice mixture and roll 1lb cubed beef until well covered.
Chop onions, garlic, ginger and fry for a few minutes in ghee. Add the meat and gently fry a few pieces at a time.
Separately dissolve wet mix ingredients in warm water. Then add to the fried meat, combine and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add spice mixture and gently simmer for a few minutes more.
Put curry in an oiled casserole dish and simmer for half an hour, stir regularly to prevent the curry from sticking.