The Karahi

One of my favorite meals of all time is any spicy curried chicken with parathas, and this recipe is ideal for when I'm craving my favorite meal. Pakistani-style chicken karahi is different than its Indian cousin; while Indian chicken kadhai involves a drier dish with large pieces of onion, capsicum and tomato, this one is all about lots and lots of crushed tomatoes.

In a wok, heat maybe a third of a cup of oil, and add to it a kg of skinless chicken, bone-in and curry cut (I used boneless chicken but it just wasn't the same). Fry the chicken in the oil until the chicken browns a little on the outside. Add to it a spoonful of ginger paste and a spoonful of garlic paste and about 6 chopped green chillies and stir. Then add about 5 roughly crushed tomatoes and maybe a dash of paprika, plus a spoon of coriander powder and a spoon of cumin powder. Add salt to taste. Stir and cook together on low until the chicken is well cooked and the consistency of the gravy is thick and well combined. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves (and sliced ginger: optional). Serve with parathas!

The Indian Chowmein

Spicy mixed Indo-chinese chowmein makes my day, and may make yours too!

Boil about 70g egg noodles for 4 minutes; drain and wash in cold water, and set aside. Also scramble two eggs roughly (no milk, no salt, just plain scramble) and set aside. In about two tablespoons of oil in a big wok, add two fat spring onions, sliced, four sliced green chillies, and a spoon of chopped garlic, and cook until the onions are translucent. Add two thigh fillets of chicken (chopped into very small pieces), and a cup of raw prawn and cook until chicken is almost completely done. Add about 4-5 tbsp soy sauce, a spoon of vinegar, a spoon of garlic chilli paste, half a spoon of cumin powder, and a pinch of garam masala, (and any veggies you'd like to add, or not) and stir for two minutes before adding the cooked noodles and egg. Check for spice levels; optional: dash of paprika. Stir-fry and serve piping hot by itself! Looks like, and essentially IS, a blob of carb and protein, but tastes like instant comfort! Serves 3.

The Thai Green Curry

Fish curries for the win!

So you can buy perfectly good Thai green curry paste in the market, but in case you want to make your own:

Grind together the following ingredients: 3 green chillies, a shallot, a clove of garlic, an inch of ginger, a half cup of coriander leaves, 3-4 kaffir lime leaves, a stalk of lemongrass, a half lime with a little zest, a pinch of cumin, a pinch of coriander, a little ground pepper, a spoon of fish sauce, two spoons of olive oil, and lastly, if you can find any, a half inch of galangal.

Phew. So in a pan, start by sautéing a little garlic in a spoon of oil. Add to it your favorite veggies (broccoli, carrots, beans, shitake mushrooms) and the entire green curry paste (or about 4 tablespoons of store bought paste) and cook. Add pieces of about 3 fillets of your favorite white fish and a cup and a half of coconut milk, simmer and serve! So easy. Serves 4.

The Protein Curry

Another invention by the protein-loving husband!

Boil 3 eggs, and blend into a paste with 1/3 cup milk. Set aside.

Make a paste of the following: a cinnamon stick, a brown cardamom, a green cardamom, two cloves, a nutmeg, two peppercorns, a little mace, 1/2 onion, an inch of ginger, 4 cloves of garlic: use half of it to marinate 1.2 kgs of chicken thighs (cut into small pieces) with a spoon of turmeric.

In a little oil, add two green chillies, chopped, along with the rest of paste, and cook for a bit. Then add the marinated chicken, and cook until water comes out of the chicken. Add salt and a spoon of sugar, and the egg paste made earlier, and simmer (covered) until reduced to your preferred consistency. Serve hot with rotis! (Optional garnish: coriander leaves)