As I pointed out in my last essay on hot curries, chilli peppers arrived on our shores with evil Westerners.  Our traditional hot curries use mustard.

So here's two hot curry recipes, the first one you must cook with mustard oil for authenticity.  Failing that, a combination of vegetable oil and chillies will have to suffice, but its not the same thing. The second is with chillies.

Simple meat and potoato curry in mustard oil

Serves 4-6

1.  Meat 1 kg (goat meat for Hindus, beef for Moslems, lamb for the undecided - I prefer the freshly sacrificed Eid-ul-adha beef we had yesterday, or goat)

2. Mustard oil 300 ml

3. Turmeric 3 tsp

4. Dry Masala - for about 2 minutes dry cook this combination - 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 10 Green/Black Cardamoms (no skin), 10 Cloves, Mace a few sticks, Nutmeg 1/2 grated, 2" stick of cinnamon - grind and set aside.

5.  Wet Paste - 12 cloves of garlic, 3 inch piece of root ginger and 4 onions chopped fine - grind together to form a Wet Paste

6.  Potatoes 500 mg cubed into 3 inch pieces (i.e. not too small)

7.  4 onions, chopped coarsely

I use a pressure cooker, but a combination of a heavy bottomed pan and oven will also do.

Marinade the meat with 1/2 of the Wet Paste, 100 ml mustard oil, salt to taste and 2 tsp of turmeric powder for 30 min.

Fry the potatoes separately for 2 minutes in the rest of the mustard oil with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp of turmeric. Set aside.

Heat 100 ml of the mustard oil to smoking in the pressure cooker or heavy bottomed pan, and fry the marinaded pieces of meat, a little at a time until browned all over and set aside.

In the same oil (add some more if necessary), fry the coarsely chopped onions, with the rest of the Wet Paste and the Dry Masala.

Add the meat to the onions, add 3 cups of water and cook - 50 minutes if using the pressure cooker, 90 minutes on a low heat if using a pan, or 60 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C.  Water may need to be added if pan or oven cooking about halfway through.

Take the pressure off the pressure cooker, add the potatoes, and continue cooking for another 30 minutes (I do not return to pressure but simply cook with the lid on.  Red Chillies, whole or powdered may be added at this stage, if desired.

Serve with white rice.
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And by special request! - for HankP

Pork vindalu (an original Goanese recipe from a friend)
Serves 4
Cubed pork - 500 g
Onions - 5 or 6, chopped fine
Ghee - 60 g
Vegetable Oil - 60 g
Red chillies powder - 125 g! (seriously - this is how the crazy Goanese make it, a 1:4 ratio of meat and red chillies.  I prefer 2 level tsp)
Vinegar - 1 cup (I use 1/2 cup synthetic vinegar)
Salt to taste

The Vindalu Masala
Cinnamon 1 inch stick
Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
Ginger 1/2 inch piece
Cloves 4
Garlic cloves 4

Clean and cut the meat
Grind all the masala ingredients together with the chillies in a little vinegar
Fry the chopped onion in oil until golden
Add the masala to the fried onion and fry further until cooked
Add the meat, ghee and remaining vinegar, and cook for 45 to 60 min on a low heat in a heavy bottomed pan, adding a little water as necessary.
Add salt to taste

Our beerwallah has been getting in Hoegaarden for the past few months.  Cannot be recommended too highly as an accompaniment.

Next instalment - fish and prawn curries!