Books by Richard Sayce
BIR Moghul Curry Recipe:
The Persian-influenced cuisine of the Mughals is traditionally rich and extravagant, often including cream, fruit, and nuts. The Mughal Empire spanned most of the Indian subcontinent dating back from the 16th to the early-mid 18th century. They fused Persian and Indian traditions and left a special imprint on the multi-faceted tapestry of Indian cuisine.
Unsurprisingly, when you order a moghul curry in a restaurant you would be right to expect a creamy, sweet, and deliciously decadent dish.
This is my version, and while it bears a similarity to the pasanda curry there are some key differences that set it apart. It’s a rich, nutty, creamy-based curry of mild-medium heat. A touch of sugar adds a little sweetness, and the curry is enhanced further by specially selected spices and other ingredients, not least being the optional hard-boiled egg. Works well with chicken or lamb.
Serves 1-2 people. Photo show a Chicken Moghul, but it can be made with any main ingredient. Please see my recipes for Pre-Cooked Lamb, Pre-Cooked Chicken, and Pre-Cooked Keema.
Scroll down for the video.
This BIR Moghul curry recipe is from my cookbook CURRY COMPENDIUM, and is also in my second book, INDIAN RESTAURANT CURRY AT HOME VOLUME 2. All my books are available in both physical and kindle formats.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 TBSP Oil, Ghee, or a combination
- 8cm Cassia Bark
- 2 Cloves
- 2 Green Cardamom (split open or just use the seeds from within)
- 70g Red Pepper, finely diced
- 1½ tsp Garlic, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp Ginger, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp Kasuri Methi
- 1 tsp Mix Powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
- ¼-½ tsp Chilli Powder
- ¼-½ tsp Salt
- 300ml+ Base Gravy
SPACEHOLDER
- 3 TBSP Almond Powder
- 2-3 tsp White Sugar
- Pre-cooked Chicken or Lamb (or other)
- A few splashes of Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
- 1 tsp Lemon or Lime Juice
- 10-15 Sultanas (optional)
- 100-125ml Single Cream, plus a little extra for garnishing
- 1-2 tsp Butter Ghee (optional)
- A small pinch of Garam Masala
- Fresh Coriander for garnishing, finely chopped
- Half a Hard-Boiled Egg (optional, see Notes section)
METHOD
- Add the oil/ghee to a frying pan on medium high heat.
- Add the cassia bark, cloves, and green cardamom. Fry for 45-60 seconds, stirring to infuse the oil.
- Then add the red pepper, and fry for 1-2 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally.
- Next throw in the garlic and ginger and continue frying for 30 seconds.
- Add the kasuri methi, mix powder, turmeric, salt, almond powder, white sugar, and the optional chilli powder.
- Fry for 20-30 seconds, initially adding 75ml base gravy to help prevent burning. Stir diligently.
- Now add the pre-cooked chicken or lamb, mix well, and turn up the heat to high.
- Add 225ml base gravy, lemon juic and the optional Worcestershire sauce.
- Stir and scrape the contents of the pan together then leave to cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes. Resist the urge to meddle while cooking so that the curry can caramelise and develop flavour. It may need stirring once or twice to avoid burning, but do this only when necessary.
- About 1-2 minutes before the end of cooking, turn the heat down to low then add the single cream and the optional sultanas. Return the heat to high once mixed in.
SPACEHOLDER
- Feel free to add extra base gravy near the end of cooking to give the curry more volume.
- Taste the sauce, and if desired add more salt, sugar, or cream.
- If you want extra richness and a nice sheen, you can add 1-2 tsp of butter ghee just before serving. However, if you are being health conscious, then spoon any surplus oil from the top of the curry instead.
- Remove the cassia bark and green cardamom then serve the curry topped with a sprinkle of garam masala, extra cream, and a scattering of fresh coriander. For extra decadence finish it off with half a hard-boiled egg.
NOTES
- All spoon measurements are level (1 tsp = 5ml, 1 TBSP = 15ml).
- I’m not wanting to teach grandma to suck (or boil) eggs here, but to hard-boil one, simmer the egg in plenty of boiling, salted water for 8-10 minutes. Place the hot egg in cold water for a few minutes so it’s easy to handle, then gently peel the shell off. For a vibrant and appealing orange colour, fry the egg in a little oil with ½ tsp turmeric on low-medium heat for a minute or two. Keep turning the egg in the pan to get it evenly ‘oranged’.
- The corresponding YouTube video recipe differs from this book’s recipe. Here I have made some ingredient changes – chopped ginger instead of juliennes, increased the chilli powder range, removed the black pepper, increased the oil slightly, and introduced fresh coriander to the garnishing. The main reason for the changes was to differentiate the moghul from a pasanda curry.
- Please visit the Misty Ricardo’s Curry Kitchen YouTube Channel for lots of Indian recipes.
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