Free Hell Hath No Curry by Tamar Myers Page A

easier to remove from
    1 tablespoon oil
    curry after cooking.
    3–4 medium onions, finely sliced
    1 teaspoon garam masala
    4 bay leaves (whole)
    ¼ cup coriander leaves, finely
    4 cloves (whole)
    chopped, for garnish (optional)
    Yield: 4 servings

Preparation
    1. In a bowl mix yogurt, turmeric powder, cayenne pepper, cumin and coriander powders, and salt. Marinate 64 Tamar
    Myers
    lamb in this mixture for ½ hour or more—the longer, the better.
    2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté onions, bay leaves, cloves, and cardamoms till a light golden brown.
    3. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a few minutes.
    4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, green chilies, and garam masala and mix thoroughly. Add a little warm water now and then if mixture gets too dry or starts to stick.
    5. Add marinated lamb mixture. Mix well. Let lamb cook 15 minutes. Add a little warm water. Mix. Cover, lower heat, and cook till tender (approximately 45 minutes) and oil separates.
    6. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice or naan bread, accompanied by a nice salad and raita.

Notes
    • Work with chilies carefully and wash your hands immediately after. The heat is in the seeds, so you may remove them before using the chilies. Chilies and cayenne pepper may be adjusted to taste and other peppers may be substituted, but sparingly. It may be safer to start with 2, taste along the way, and adjust. The curry will marinate with the green chilies, so remove them from leftovers to prevent further spiciness.
    • Beef, chicken, or both may be substituted as well.
    • For a variation, just add cut pieces of eggplant in step 4.
    If using potatoes, add them to step 5 to avoid ending up with mashed potatoes!
    • Discard whole spices, that is, cloves, cardamom, and bay leaves, before eating.
    • In step 5, when adding water, adjust it accordingly: more water if you want a slightly soupy curry to enjoy HELL HATH NO CURRY
    65
    with rice and bread, or less water to keep it a bit on the dry side. Your choice.
    • For a special regal flare, after step 5 you may also add ¼
    cup heavy cream, a pinch saffron that’s been soaked in 2–3 tablespoons of water, and ¼ cup blanched almonds that have been ground. Allow to simmer for about 10
    minutes and enjoy Shahi Korma!
    • You could also forgo the yogurt and still have a delicious curry. In that case, after sautéing the onions till golden brown, add the ingredients in step 4, then the meat, then all the spices, allowing cooking time of a few minutes in between each addition. Let the flavors cook and blend together for sufficient time; this will prevent a raw spice flavor. Add desired amount of water, mix, cover, lower heat, and cook till meat is fork tender.
    11

    “What’s Auntie Susannah so mad about, and whatcha want me to thank ya for?”
    Alison Miller, my fourteen-year-old charge, had somehow managed to slip into my room on cat’s feet. Normally the child clumps around like a drunken elephant, not that I’ve seen a whole lot of those with which to compare her. At any rate, she’d propped herself against my bureau for support, since like most adolescent children, she seemed to lack a working spine.
    “At what point did you come in?”
    “Just when she ran out.”
    “And you’re already too tired to stand up straight?”
    “Sheesh, Mom, all ya ever do is pick on me. I’m a teenager, in case ya haven’t noticed.”
    “Trust me, dear, that observation has not escaped me.”
    “So, ya gonna tell me or not?”
    “Not. It isn’t your business.”
    “It is, if I gotta thank ya.”
    “I’ve changed my mind. But I do want to know why you’re home from school so early.”
    “Half day, that’s why. Something to do with a ballgame all the HELL HATH NO CURRY
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    way over in who-knows-where. Ya know I don’t like sports. Anyway, it was in the flyer I brought home the other day. Didn’tcha read it?”
    “Don’t be silly, dear.”
    “That means ya