Does anyone have a recipe for an authentic Indian curry for chicken or prawns that I cam make from scratch?

I don't want to use those jars of sauce or curry paste as they never taste they way they should.Does anyone have a recipe for an authentic Indian curry for chicken or prawns that I cam make from scratch?
Sure. I can give you a chicken one. I've never cooked with prawns before because I hate seafood. I'll give you two recipes of my own: one for a korma, another for something hotter.





Korma:


5 tbsp vegetable oil


3 shards, 2 black cardamoms, 4 green cardamoms, 6 cloves


2 onions, finely chopped


2cm ginger, 4 cloves garlic, 2 whole green chillis (small fingery ones, pierced, not chopped)


1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garam masala, 陆 tsp cumin, 陆 tsp coriander, a bit less than 陆 tsp paprika, little more than 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp dried methi leaves


3 tomatoes, finely chopped (or you could try processing them)


1/2-1 tbsp ground almonds


2 tbsp coconut milk (get it in tins for about 35p)


75-100ml double cream


750g (give or take a bit) chicken breasts cubed


陆 cup water





Heat oil in a large non-stick karahi, wok or frying pan. Cook whole spices for about 30 seconds until smelling aromatic, then throw in your onions and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and chillis, stir well and continue to cook for another minute. Add the salt, ground spices and methi (fenugreek) leaves (I put them all together in a cup or something first so that they can be added at the same time) and stir them in well, not letting them stick to the pan. Cook for a few seconds, stirring, then add the tomatoes, stir them in, then take the pan off the heat and let it cool for five minutes. Now add the ground almonds, coconut milk and cream, stir in well and bring it slowly back to bubbling. Put in your chicken, cover it well with the sauce, add the water, stir, cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Check how it is after 45 minutes and if it's too runny, remove the lid. Don't forget to stir occasionally (though it seems to take care of itself pretty well).





Something hotter:


Use the same ingredients and method but make these changes:


Add about 8-10 curry leaves when cooking the whole spices.


Use just one green chilli, but chop it finely. Still add it with the garlic and ginger.


Use chilli powder/cayenne pepper instead of paprika.


Just half a teaspoon of turmeric this time.


Cut out the ground almonds and the coconut milk.


Rather than cream, use one or two tablespoons of Greek style yoghurt.








You could try varying spices and stuff however you like, now you know the basic method of cooking an Indian curry :-)





Always buy your spices from an Asian grocer. You'll get more for your money. Supermarkets rip you off for those piddling little jars of spices. You'll find lots of Asian grocers in cities. If you live in a town which has a particularly Asian area, you might find a grocer there who can help you out.Does anyone have a recipe for an authentic Indian curry for chicken or prawns that I cam make from scratch?
i agree,ready made sauces are never quite as nice as making it yourself,im sure you can find many recipies on the net,but either way,you're gona need a fair few whole spices(or ready ground,up to you),the basics for many curries are:cumin and corriander seeds,ghee(clarified butter) garlic,ginger,garam masala powder,tumeric,onions.theres many more for different curries,but add chicken,peppers,redwine vinegar,and you've got a tasty jalfrezi with most of the above!!





good luck
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/v鈥?/a>
just google what you want,, there are millions of recipes out there...
All the spices are easily available in any large grocery store and definitely in any Indian grocery store.





JAT PAT CHICKEN CURRY: this is easy %26amp; delicious





Ingredients:





1 lb chicken pieces, boneless/skinless


1 large onion, diced


2 cloves of garlic, finely minced


1 inch piece of ginger, peeled %26amp; finely minced


1 can of tomato puree (if you use crushed tomatoes, puree them)


1 tsp ground cumin


1 tsp turmeric


1 tsp ground coriander


1 tsp garam masala


1/2 red chili powder (to taste)


salt to taste


juice of 1 lemon


oil (veg or canola)


water as needed (or chicken stock)


freshly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish





METHOD:





In a large deep skillet on medium high heat, add 2 tbsp of oil and saute the onion until slightly browned. Add the ginger %26amp; garlic, stir fry for 1-2 minutes and add the spices. Stir fry %26amp; let the spices cook out for 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken pieces and mix to coat well. Once the chicken has turned opaque, add the tomatoes and a little water to cover.


Reduce the heat, cover %26amp; let simmer 10-12 minutes. The chicken should be fully cooked but tender %26amp; juicy. Add lemon juice, adjust the seasonings, garnish %26amp; serve.


**************************************鈥?br>




Tangy Shrimp in Coconut Curry





Yield: 4 servings





Ingredients:





2 tbsp of canola or vegetable oil


陆 tsp of chili powder (add to taste)


陆 tsp of turmeric


陆 tsp of cumin powder (seeds should be lightly toasted %26amp; finely ground)


1 tsp of coriander powder (seeds should be lightly toasted %26amp; finely ground)


1 tbsp of fresh ginger (finely minced)


1 tbsp of garlic (finely minced)


1 tbsp of green chilies (finely minced)


12 fresh curry leaves


1 cup of shallots (finely sliced)


1 cup of coconut milk (light variety may be used)


Juice of 1medium lime


1陆 pound of large shrimps (tail on, peeled and de-veined)


Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


4 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves (finely chopped for garnish)








Method:





Heat the oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the shallots and saute for 2-3 minutes until slightly golden in color. Then add the ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves; continue to saute for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until they lose their pink color. Stir in the coconut milk and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the sauce is heated through and turn off the heat. Season with lime juice, salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with fragrant jeera rice or saffron pulao.
I can tell you the way i make it. Its called Butter chicken.





1 kg boneless chicken skin removed


Juice of 1 lime


Salt to taste


1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your taste)


1 cup fresh yoghurt (must not be sour)


2 tsps garam masala (get it in any indian store Preferably get Everest garam masala)


2 tsps coriander powder


1 tsp cumin powder


1/4 tsp turmeric powder


8-10 peppercorns


6 cloves


1'; stick of cinnamon


Seeds from 3-4 pods of cardamom


2 bay leaves


8-10 almonds


2 onions chopped


2 tsps garlic paste


1 tsp ginger paste


1/2 litre chicken stock


3 tbsps vegetable/canola/snflower cooking oil


3 tbsps butter


Salt to taste


Coriander leaves to garnish





Mix the chicken, lime juice, salt and red chilli powder in a bowl and allow to marinate for 1 hour.





Roast the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves and almonds till they darken slightly and then grind into a coarse powder.





Mix the yoghurt, whole spice powder and all the other spices together and add them to the chicken. Allow to marinate for another hour.





Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions. Fry till golden brown and then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for a minute.





Add only the chicken from the chicken-spice mix and fry till sealed (chicken will turn opaque).





Now add the chicken stock and remaining part of the mix to the chicken.





Cook till the chicken is done and the gravy is reduced to half its original volume.





Melt the butter and pour it over the chicken.





Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with naan.








Hope you like it.