I used to like Viceroy of India. It suddenly closed a few years before lockdown sadly. Immigration were in there a few times too.
My fave curry at the moment is Paneer Masala and it is super easy to make at home.
Recipe:
For the Masala
- 3 large Onions roughly chopped
1 tsp Ginger and 1 tsp garlic (use the puree it is easier and quicker)
1.5 tsp Jeera seeds (Cumin seeds)
1.5 tsp Garam Masala
1.5 tsp Turmeric
3 tbs vegetable oil
Chillies (choose any of your choice and as much as you like for desired heat level)
Tomatoes (A can of plain chopped ones or if you have time you can use a few large fresh tomatoes)
1 Lemon
Coriander
Heat the oil with the cumin seeds in a large pan and once the seeds start to sizzle add in your ginger and garlic, cook for a minute then add roughly chopped onions. Cook the onions so that they just about caramelize. Add in your tomatoes and turn the heat down a little, add a little water too and cook this off. Let the onions and tomatoes cool then transfer into a food blender or if you prefer use a stick blender so that the onions and the tomatoes become a textured puree.
If you used a food blender, add the mixture back to the pan and add the Garam Masala, Turmeric and your chillies and cook on a low heat adding a little water (keep the sauce thick to serve). Add in chopped coriander and squeeze half a lemon into the sauce. Garnish with more coriander when serving.
You can add anything you like to this Masala which is what the Indians call a 'gravy'. Chicken, beef, veg or Paneer.
How to make Paneer
This is very easy and it is basically like a Ricotta cheese but a lot smoother and creamier.
Get a large 4 pinter of full fat milk and add it to a large saucepan. Bring very very gently to a boil but do not let it boil over, rather just a gentle simmer. When it has boiled, turn off heat and add in the juice of one lemon and stir very slow so that the curds float to the top. The lemon will separate the liquids and the solids so when it has all separated get a collander with some muslin cloth over it and pour the liquid through it catching all the curds. Wrap the cloth around the paneer tightly and put a weight on top of it to extract any liquid out of it. Leave for 30 mins then transfer to the fridge for a few hours. You should have a tasty wheel shaped piece of paneer which will go lovely into the masala recipe above.
