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A Japanese fusion-fuelled garlic mushroom doria, an aromatic Malay chicken and squash curry, a rich Rajasthani papad ki sabji, and a Caribbean curry crab with roasted corn and dumplings
Photograph: Photography: Laura Edwards/The Guardian. Food styling: Joss Herd. Prop styling: Tabitha Hawkins. Mandy Yin’s chicken and squash curry Curry runs through Malaysia’s veins; it’s in every kitchen and at every food stall, whether run by Malays, Chinese or Indians.
We tend to cook curries using either a wet spice paste : star anise, cassia, cloves, cardamom. Here, I’ve swapped the lamb for chicken thighs on the bone – they’re cheaper, quicker and what most of us reach for on a weeknight – and the potatoes for butternut squash.
Pumpkins and gourds are a staple of Malay cooking, and are most at home in a coconut gravy, though they rarely share a pot with meat. So, squash takes the potatoes’ place and earns its keep, holding its shape and drinking up the sauce. A word on the meat.
In Malaysia we cook it in the curry it’s going to be served in – not seared or simmered separately and folded in at the end – so the two season each other the whole way. And we cook it on the bone, always: bone-in gives a richer, glossier sauce than any fillet will. Like all curries, this eats even better the next day, once the flavours have settled.
If you’re not eating it straight away, reduce the cooking time in the penultimate step to 10 minutes . Any leftover sauce eaten with rice and a fried egg or two is one of life’s simple pleasures.alternatively, combine 1 tbsp chilli powder, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tbsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp finely ground black pepper and 2 tsp ground cuminFinely chop the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor.
Heat the oil in a large, non-stick wok/saucepan or a deep casserole dish over a medium heat, then add the onion-garlic mix and salt, and stir-fry for five minutes, until softened. Turn the heat down to medium-low, then add the curry powder, chilli powder, star anise, cloves, cassia and cardamom, and stir-fry for two minutes. Add a splash of water if the spices start to catch on the bottom of the pan.
Add the chicken thighs and turn them through the paste, until every piece is coated. Pour in 200ml water and the tomatoes, stir, then bring up to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, turning the thighs and stirring every five minutes. Add the squash/pumpkin and coconut milk, then cover and bring back to a boil over a medium heat.
Check in every few minutes to see whether it has come up to a boil, and give it a stir. Take your time, as the chicken and squash slowly release their juices into the sauce, so you end up with enough liquid to keep almost everything submerged. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes and nudging the squash carefully back under the sauce.
Turn the heat off, stir through the coriander and serve with plenty of rice. When most people think of curry, they probably don’t think of the Caribbean, yet many of our dishes incorporate spices in a variety of ways. While they aren’t native or indigenous ingredients, they are now very much part of daily life. They were introduced to the region by the indentured labourers from the Indian subcontinent.
Their use of spices in this new part of the world transformed the cuisine in many ways, using ground spices to flavour slow-cooked meat and fish, or toasting whole ones in oil to finish vegetables, and brought about a brand-new cooking style. I’ve eaten curry throughout my life, and thinking of my love for it unearths many fond memories: when I’m at Notting Hill carnival, I have to support my favourite food stands off Kensal Road.
And then there are my many visits to the Caribbean. Experiencing curry on different islands, in a variety of ways, always piques my curiosity; it speaks to the cultural layers of the region and how the Caribbean really is a microcosm of the many communities that make up the world. In Guadeloupe, I tried– a classic French Caribbean curry , which incorporates toasted, ground rice into the spices and lots of lime juice into the sauce.
Unlike the curries of the anglophone islands , it is more acidic and paler in complexion, yet still served with rice and beans. In Trinidad, home to one of the largest Indo-Caribbean communities, curry is a staple, originally found mostly in homes, but now also in roti shops across the island. Some of the best are in central Trinidad, where generations of Indian communities have settled for generations.
Combine all the ingredients for the cassava dumplings in a bowl, then knead to form a soft dough; set aside to rest for 30 minutes. Blend all the green seasoning ingredients apart from the oil in a blender until almost smooth, then transfer to a jar and stir in the oil. Roast the corn cobs over an open flame or under a hot grill, turning occasionally, until charred all over; set aside to cool.
Once cool enough to handle, slice off the kernels and set aside, discarding the husks. For the curry base, heat the ghee/oil in a pan set over a medium heat. Add the spices and toast lightly for 30 seconds to a minute. Add 200ml cold water and gently boil for three to four minutes, then add two tablespoons of the green seasoning, the scotch bonnet and half the grilled corn, and mix well.
Tip in the coconut milk, increase the heat until lightly boiling, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the sauce looks smooth and emulsified. Meanwhile, divide the dumpling dough into 32 equal pieces, then roll into balls. Place them spaced out on a tray, dusting with a little extra flour if they’re sticky. Cover with a tea towel and set aside.
Bring a pan of water to the boil, then add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of oil. Once boiling, cook the dumplings in batches for eight to 10 minutes, or until they float. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water . To finish the curry, give the pan another stir – it should have reduced and thickened slightly.
Remove the scotch bonnet and discard, then pour the curry into a blender and blitz smooth. Pass through a sieve, then return the liquid to the pan. Put over a medium-high heat, add the cooked dumplings, then reduce to a low simmer and cook foreight to 10 minutes, until the dumplings are soft and have absorbed some of the colour from the curry. Remove from the heat and gently fold in the crab meat, ensuring it doesn’t break up.
Finish with the remaining grilled corn and a few more drops of the green seasoning, then serve. – also known as yaki-curry, or baked curry – is one of my all-time favourite blank-slate meal formats. It is essentially a rice gratin, containing plump grains of Japanese short-grain rice smothered in smooth Japanese curry sauce, all tucked under a luxurious duvet of molten cheese. In other words, a masterclass in comfort cookery.
Because its core elements are so amenably mellow in terms of flavour, the curry doria format works with just about any veg or protein you like, or whatever’s in season. But I like to lean into its heartiness with rich, meaty ingredients, such as the mushrooms and greens I’ve used here, along with a liberal dose of garlic and butter, inspired by old-school baked mushroom starters. Rub a medium baking dish with butter.
Pack the cooked rice into the bottom of the dish in an even layer, using a bit of force so it’s relatively dense – if it has too many air gaps, the curry sauce will flow into it, and the gratin will become more stodgy than saucy. , or ordinary white or chestnut mushrooms can simply be broken into bite-size pieces; smaller mushrooms like buttons and chanterelles can be left whole; shiitake should be de-stemmed; and if you are using any long, tough mushrooms like king oysters or, they should be chopped into roughly 1-inch chunks.
Remember to clean any wild mushrooms so they’re free of dirt or grit before cooking. Peel and chop the garlic, sprinkle it with salt, then continue to mince it finely, and drag the side of your knife through it, to smash it into a coarse paste; the salt will help soften the garlic and draw out its pungent oils.
In a wide saute pan, melt a generous knob of butter over a medium-high heat, then add the garlic, mushrooms, greens, and a few grinds of pepper. Toss them through the butter, then cook without stirring for four to five minutes, so the mushrooms brown on one side. Remove from the heat, then scrape everything out of the pan and on to the rice in the baking dish. Heat the oven to 220C /425F/gas 7.
In the same pan you used to saute the mushrooms, prepare the curry sauce according to packet instructions – but don’t add any additional meat or veg, if it calls for them. Once the sauce is cooked out and smooth, pour this over the mushrooms and rice. Top with the cheeses and bake for about 20 minutes, until browned on top.
Serve piping hot, garnished with a little chopped parsley and a scattering of the crunchy onion product of your choosing. Japanese Curry by Tim Anderson is published in October by Quadrille at £14.99. To order a copy for £13.49, visitand western coastal region sprawled across the Deccan Plateau in India. Dishes from this region are robust, hearty and we celebrate curries with warmth, aroma, and complex flavours.
Travelling across India, the food changes within regions and reflects the ingredients available, the seasons and changes in climate. But this is one of my favourite curries from the state of Rajasthan. Papad ki sabji is a staple in homes across the north-west of India and primarily made with turmeric, coriander and fenugreek in a rich gravy simmered with cooked papad .
This dish is often served in a Rajasthani thali, which is vibrant and delicious, but it is also served as a weekday curry with plain rice. Yoghurt added to the curry is cooling and lends richness to the gravy. Traditionally, the papad is deep-fried but my recipe uses roast papads, which can be done in the microwave in just a few seconds .
The charred edges on the papad lend a lot of flavour to the curry. Put the garlic, ginger, green chilli and a splash of water in a blender and blend to a smooth, fine paste; set aside. Heat the oil in a heavy-based nonstick saucepan over a low heat. Add the cumin seeds and asafoetida, and fry for two seconds.
Add the garlic/ginger paste and fry for 20 seconds, then add the blended tomatoes and cook for six minutes, stirring well. As the oil leaves the sides of the pan, add the powdered spices and fry for a minute. Tip in the yoghurt a little at a time, stirring well, then cook and stir on a low heat for three to four minutes. Add 300ml water, season to taste and simmer for six to eight minutes.
Add the fenugreek leaves, along with the roasted papad and cook, covered, for two minutes. Garnish with coriander and serve with rice.
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