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.

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