Meat Curry (sak)

This is a basic recipe for a lot of the cooking that we do in our family. Sometimes we use chicken, sometimes hamburger (in which case, we call it “kheema”), and sometimes cubes of beef or lamb. You can use the same recipe for a vegetable curry, but in that case, you’d leave out the ginger. I won’t blame you if you use store-bought “curry powder” in place of coriander, cumin, etc., but don’t blame me if yours doesn’t taste as good as the real thing!

special note for kheema...it’s nice if you fry the hamburger in oil until it’s a little brown before you add it in...but you can skip this step if you’re too busy. It’s also nice to stir in 1/2 cup of frozen mixed veg when you add the potatoes. Other nice veggie additions are cauliflower or sliced cabbage.

Serve it with rice or rotli and kachumber or any simple salad. Serves 4.

Heat a medium-sized (4L) saucepan on medium-high.
Add to the saucepan

Vegetable oil (I used a canola/safflower oil mix, but this is your choice. Use enough oil to cover the saucepan)

1 onion, chopped

Fry the onion until it’s a rich caramel colour.

While the onion is frying, chop

1 tomato

When the onions are brown,the smell will be pleasant and inviting. They will look something like the onions shown below. When the onion is nicely fried, add the tomato, and

1 heaping tsp tomato paste

1 tsp salt 2 tsp chopped ginger

2-3 tsp chopped garlic

1 -2tsp coriander powder

½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 jalapeno pepper (remove the seeds if you don’t want the heat)

The spice quantities are approximate. Play with them according to your mood. Now, cook this “masala”, uncovered, on medium-high heat, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. You may have to add a tsp of water now and then, as the mixture dries out. But make no mistake; you’re frying this, not boiling it. The water is just to prevent the whole “masala,” or cooked spice mixture, from burning.

When it is done? There’s no set time. As my Mum-in-law says, “It’s ready when it comes out nice, and the bad smells are gone”. Look for a deepening in the colour (it sort of turns brick red), and for the oil to start oozing out of the masala mix, like in the image above. Also, the whole mass seems more homogeneous, except for goodies like the piece of jalapeño that you can see in the middle of the pot. Maybe you'll be the lucky one to get that on your plate! In some families, a child’s treat is testing the gravy. In ours, it’s testing the masala, which is done by spreading some of it out on a piece of bread, just as you would some jam. It’s a pretty tasty snack. While your masala is cooking, prepare your meat and potatoes, so you’ll be ready to add them when the time comes.

Cut into pieces, 2 regular-sized potatoes

Stir the potatoes into the masala. Now add

400-500 g. of meat (chicken, hamburger, stew beef or lamb) (if chicken, cut into pieces; if beef or lamb, cut into cubes).

Stir the meat and the potatoes into the masala, and sauté for several minutes on medium to medium-high heat, stirring to prevent sticking. This helps the meat and potatoes absorb the masala flavour.Now add water. How much? That depends on your preferences. Some folks like a thick curry; one that goes well with bread. Others like it more watery – a good companion to rice. I’d suggest adding a cup of water at first. Stir it in, and see what you think of it. Add more water, 1/2 cup at a time, if you’d like it thinner. You’ll probably want to add a bit more water as it cooks in any case, because the potatoes tend to thicken it a little, due to their starch content.Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until the curry is done. Chances are, if the potatoes are nice and soft, the meat will be done as well.

½ tsp garam masala

1 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves