Hot on the heels of the Vincent Price Cookalong where we all enjoyed some classic dishes from the 1960s and 70s I’m proposing a 1970s style curry for November.
Mmmm. I remember 1970s curries well. There has been a bit of debate around these parts lately about Vesta Curry from the seventies and it has really got me thinking…
Since going to The Guild of Food Writers curry event I am even more interested in how home cooks made curry here in the UK in the not too distant past, and the influence of returning ex-pats who loved the taste of Indian food but anglicized it for the British palate. I am utterly ignorant about the history of the British in India but want to learn more about it, most definitely.
Lizzie Collingham’s pre dinner lecture was fascinating- she was paraphrasing some of her book…
and I never thought I would eat Haggis in an Indian restaurant, but I did and it was delicious. The chef at Café Spice Namasté designed a menu that illustrated the themes the speaker was exploring – the way the British tried to impose their traditional menus in a country that was no place for full roast dinners, and the ways Indian cooks had to gently modify their cooking for the tradition bound British.
I cannot work out how to swivel my picture around but that there is Haggis and Chorizo Croquettes.
Of course, I love a posh curry – there is a really delicious and slightly posh Indian restaurant just down the road from where I live called ZaynZah. And the complicated and authentic curry my own personal Mr Rathbone spent all day making last week was utterly, utterly divine – recipe courtesy of Marmaduke Scarlet.
But I do still love a chip shop style curry too. Basil’s curry – spices are simply paprika and curry powder – really fits the bill. Here’s what you’ll need:
Here’s Basil’s recipe, simple but good!
Basil Rathbone’s India Curry
2 and 1/2 lbs boneless lamb
4 onions
4 tablespoons butter
1 small clove of garlic, minced
Lemon juice
3 green apples
1 and 1/2 lbs tomatoes
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon paprika
Cut lamb into neat pieces. Sprinkle with salt and curry powder. Slice and sauté onions and garlic in melted butter until brown. Add spices, and cook 15 minutes. Peel and slice apples, add meat, and cook in juice about 1/2 an hour. Slice and add the tomatoes and more liquid if desired. Cover the pot and cook slowly until the flavours are truly blended. When serving, sprinkle with a little salt and add a little lemon juice. Serve with boiled rice to which a pinch of saffron has been added for colour.
Love curry, love your idea. I’ve been slightly obsessed with veggie curry after reading that one of Kate Middleton’s pregnancy cravings was a curry made by the wife of the owner of Bucklebury’s Peach’s Spar. They said it was made of potatoes, peas, black lentils, spinach and cauliflower. Hmmmmm
Oooh, that DOES sound good. Mmmm – it’s lunchtime!
Fascinating stuff. Here in Australia they recently screened a 6-part series called ‘Curry Nation’ where Madhur Jaffrey seeks out different types of curries in the UK and how they’ve evolved. One particular cafe (can’t remember the location) specialised in a dish consisting of a mound of chips with a bright yellow goopy curry poured on top. Looked horrible but it’s a best-seller.
Tee hee – did you know you can get chip shop curry coated peanuts here in the UK? Chip shop curry is a very particular tasting delicious kind of slop! We can also get chip shop curry flavour Pot Noodle but I have never had that – honest!
I have my mom’s curry recipe which I think she got when we lived in West Molesey in 1970/71.
I’ll dig it out and confirm from her if it’s a 1970s UK recipe, or if it’s the one she got from an Indian friend in New Mexico in the 1990s.
oooh yes, keep us posted Jeanne! If it is basically flavoured with the generic “curry powder” I bet it will be from the 70s!
Finally remembered to do this. Recipe is vague and, yes, it uses Sharwood’s Curry Powders which Mom liked from 1971 and could buy at British imports shops in Houston in later years.
In a large skillet, brown chopped onion, thinly sliced carrots, and crushed garlic [note no amounts listed] in 2-3 Tablespoons of oil until softened. Add chopped tart apple. Add 1 T. cornstarch to thicken. Add 3 T. Shawood’s curry powder, then 1 cup chicken stock and meat [of your choice–however much you want]. Simmer 20 mins. Serve over rice with raisins, coconut, and tart apple pieces; accompany with peach chutney.
Ah yes, this is how they did it in the 70s eh?! I’m having more friends over next Friday and am tempted to do another 10 Boy Curry. I have loads of curry recipes in the spreadsheet – including one from Bette Davis…. Mmmmmm – CURRY!