Mick Gower's Indian Recipes

Ginger Paste

• ½ lb Root ginger
• Water
• Cooking oil

Peel and wash the ginger and chop into small pieces. The blend in an electric blender or a food processor adding a little water and cooking oil to form the paste.

Use as required and store remainder in the 'fridge in an airtight container an airtight container.

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Garlic Paste

• ½ lb Garlic cloves
• Water
• Cooking oil

Peel and chop the garlic cloves and grind in an electric blender or food processor, add a little water and cooking oil to form paste.

Use as required and keep remainder in 'fridge in an airtight container.
Will keep for 3 to 4 weeks.

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Balti Masala Paste

• Balti garam masala as below
• Approx 6 fl oz vinegar
• Approx 6fl oz vegetable oil

Mix the spices to a thick paste with the vinegar. Stand for 10 minutes. Heat the oil and fry the mixture for 5 minutes. Store in steralised jars in the refridgerator.

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Green Masala Paste

Soak fenugreek seeds overnight. They will swell up. Measure 1 tsp soaked seeds and blend on a high speed with coriander and mint leaves, garlic, ginger and vinegar. Blend until fine and smooth. Mix in rest of ingredients. Heat oil until very hot, add mixture, bring to boil and turn of the heat. Cool and bottle in an airtight container. Oil should cover the mixture totally to ensure an airtight seal. If it doesn't heat some more oil and add it to the container.

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Madras Curry Paste

Combine ground spices and salt into a bowl. Add garlic and ginger to vinegar and mix to a smooth thick puree. Heat ghee until very hot. Stir in spice mixture and reduce the heat. keep stirring constantly until spices are cooked and oil starts to separate from mixture. Cool and bottle.
Use about 1 tbsp of paste for each pound of meat, fish or poultry, substituting it for the garlic, ginger and spices in a recipe.

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Balti Garam Masala

• 4½ tbsp corriander seeds
• 2½ tbsp white cummin seeds
• 5 tsps aniseed
• 5in * 2in piece of cassia bark
• 1½ tbsp green cardamom seeds
• 1 tbsp cloves
• 1½ teaspoon dried mint leaves
• 1 tbsp dry rose petals (optional)
• 1 tsp saffron (optional)

Lightly roast everything under a grill or in a low oven. Do not let the spices burn. Cool and grind to a fine powder using a coffee grinder and store in an airtight jar.

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Garam Masala 1

• 1½ tbsp black cumin seed
• 1½ tbsp white cumin seed
• ½ cup corriander seeds
• 4 tbsp cardamom seeds
• 6 tbsp cloves
• ¾ cup black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp grated nutmeg
• 4 tbsp crumbled cinnemon stick
• 3 bay leaves

Roast al the ingredients at 160°C for about 15 minutes, then grind together to a fine powder and press through a fine sieve. Keep in an airtight container.

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Garam Masala 2

• 1 cup cumin seed
• 6 tbsp fennel seed
• 6 tbsp cardamoms
• 1½ tbsp cloves
• 1½ tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp mace

Lightly roast all the ingredients. NOTE that different roasting times are needed for different ingredients. The cloves and cinnamon take about 7 minutes, the cardamoms and mace about 4 - 5 minutes and the cummin and fennel about 3 minutes. You can roast them on silver foil under a grill, adding each as you go. After roasting grind together to a fine powder and keep in an airtight container.

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Garam Masala 3

• 2 tbsp cardamom
• 1 tbsp black cummin seeds
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cloves
• 1 tbsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp mace

Lightly roast all the ingredients. NOTE that different roasting times are needed for different ingredients. The cloves and cinnamon take about 7 minutes, the cardamoms and mace about 4 - 5 minutes and the cummin and fennel about 3 minutes. You can roast them on silver foil under a grill, adding each as you go. After roasting grind together to a fine powder and keep in an airtight container.

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Kashmiri Garam Masala

• 2 tbsp cardamom
• 1 tbsp black cummin seeds
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cloves
• 1 tbsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp mace
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns

Lightly roast all the ingredients. NOTE that different roasting times are needed for different ingredients. The cloves and cinnamon take about 7 minutes, the cardamoms and mace about 4 - 5 minutes and the cummin and fennel about 3 minutes. You can roast them on silver foil under a grill, adding each as you go. After roasting grind together to a fine powder and keep in an airtight container.

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Sambhar Masala

• ½ tbsp fenugreek seed
• 2 tbsp cummin seeds
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp black beans
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns

Fry the ingredients seperatly in a heavy bottomed pan for a few minutes. grind to a fine powder and store in airtight containers.

Minty Yoghurt Sauce

• 10 fl oz Natural plain yoghurt
• ½ tbsp Sugar
• 1½ tbsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Chilli powder
• ¼ tsp Garlic powder
• ¼ tsp Egg yellow food colouring (optional)
• 2 tbsp Mustard oil

Put everything together into a mixing bowl and beat by hand, whisk or fork until you have a smooth creamy paste.

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Some Definitions

KARAHI: A metal bowl like shape utensil with two ring handles, baltis are usually served in this bowl also.
KASHMIRI MASALA: A mixture of spices which have a hot, sour and salty taste and a unique flavour. It is quite complicated and expensive to make at home.
MACE: It is the husk of nutmeg, good for its warm aroma.
NUTMEG: It is a nut like dried fruit used ground to give a rich aromatic flavour.
RED LENTIL: Reddish coloured seeds, used to prepare soup like vegetarian dish also used in little quantity to make pakoras and onion bhaji become crispy.
TURMERIC: This bright yellow spice is sold ground, it gives a beutiful golden colouring and it has got one of the curry flavourings.
BAY LEAF: Leaf of a particular kind of tree producing a sweet and mild aromatic flavour.
CAPSICUM: A huge green pepper. (Not hot)
CARDEMON: This spice has a pungent taste and a very warm aromatic flavour.
CURRY POWDER: A mixture of spices, good for its mild curry flavour.
CHILLI POWDER: A very hot spice used in cookery to make the dish hot but a little quantity is used for taste and flavouring. take good care when you use this spice, always wash your hands after use. This spice is available as hot or mild, always buy the hot and reduce the quantity used.
CINNAMON: It is the bark of a particular tree, it has a nice sweety taste and warm flavour.
CORIANDER: Coriander seeds are used ground, they provide one of the basic curry flavours.
CUMIN: They are very tiny seeds, used ground, has a sharp pungent taste and strong flavour.
FENNEL SEED: They are little seeds, have a sweetish taste and delicate flavour used whole or coarsely broken.
FENUGREEK: they are small yellowish seeds used for flavouring.
FRESH CORIANDER: The soft green leaves of coriander plant, it has a delicate aroma.
GARAM MASALA: A mixture of spices is used for its warm aromatic individual flavouring, ready made garam masala is available in most shops.

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