EASY PARSEE-SY

I can't remember the last time I paid my own cash money for a cookery book and I very very rarely use recipes for cooking Indian food.

Yesterday, however, I saw a copy of Camellia Panjabi's 50 GREAT CURRIES OF INDIA in my local Waterstones. It was a new edition of the classic book published in the early 90's I think. It is a handy format, beautifully illustrated and easy to follow. Good value at £8.99 and $14.95 in the US

So, for supper tonight a Parsee Red Chicken Curry taken from this book. It could not have been easier to do

A paste is made from a variety of spices ( cumin, corriander seed, cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns ) and ginger, garlic and onions. The heat for the dish comes from Kasmiri chilli which, while not searingly hot, give the final result its amazing red colour. I am afraid that finding Kasmir chilli on the Essex Rd was a forlorn effort, so I used fresh red chilli. It provided the right level of heat, but it does not give quote the same colour.

The paste is fried for five minutes in oil, the chicken pieces ( I like to use bone in leg and thigh meat ) added and fried for a further five minutes. Chopped tomatoes, a little salt and sugar are also added and, yep, cooked for five minutes. Finally, about a pint of coconut milk ( I used canned diluted with a little water) is added. The whole lot is simmered until the sauce thickens to a rich thick gravy and it is finished with a dash of cider vinegar and a teaspoon of garamasala.

The end result was quite lovely. Not my doing all down to a very enjoyable cookery book indeed and one I heartily recommend.

I shall certainly be cooking more from this book sooner rather than later