Liven up a Curry

Live up curry

Do you love curries?  Here are a few ways to make it even more special.  Freshen up the taste with fresh herbs, add some sambals, yoghurt or poppadums to turn your curry from ordinary to fabulous!

Chop up some fresh herbs and sprinkle on top. Here are some suggestions of good partners

Coriander – all types of curry

Mint – fish or lamb, green vegetables

Fennel – fish or chicken

Parsley – beef, fish and vegetable

Basil – all Thai curries

Fenugreek leaves or sprouted seeds – all curries

Lovage – lamb or beef

Mustard greens or sprouted seeds – beef or chicken

Nasturtium leaves – chicken, lamb and beef

Nasturtium flowers – vegetable or fish

Sesame seeds – chicken and Thai curries

Add sprouted chickpeas or peanuts – this is a wonderful addition to a vegetable curry

Add a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream, top with fresh herbs for extra taste

Add some sambals…………..

Tomato and onion – finely chop up one tomato and half an onion, you can also add a little fresh chilli

Banana and coconut – slice a banana and toss in lemon juice and then into desiccated coconut.

Mango and mint – finely chop fresh mint and sprinkle on thin slices of mango (slightly under ripe is best for this)

Cucumber raita – grate fresh cucumber and add an equal quantity of plain yogurt

Beetroot raita – make in the same way as cucumber raita

Chutney – Mrs Ball’s is still the best!

Green mango chutney – the best ones are available from good Indian restaurants and shops.

Poppadums – You can buy packets of uncooked poppadums at most supermarkets.  Cooking them is very simple and they look so impressive on the table.  Just make sure that the oil is very hot, put the poppadum in the oil, it will puff up immediately if your oil is hot enough.  They take about 30 seconds each to cook.  Drain them on kitchen towel before putting onto a plate or in a basket.  They are fine even if they are cold, just don’t cover them or they will go soggy.

Naan bread – buy ready made from Woolworths or Pick n Pay and keep it in the freezer for up to a month

Chilli – for those that like it hot! Mix a tablespoon of fresh chilli with a tablespoon of oil.