Make Anjula Devi’s Waiting for Pay Day Curry

PREP: 15 Minutes

COOK: 30 Minutes

SERVES: 4-6

When I was growing up in Southall we, like many of the large families around us, didn’t have much money. But we were rich in other ways – most notably, in terms of food. My father was a keen home gardener.and so much of the fresh produce that we all loved came from our very own back garden.

To make the most of the garden Dad built a makeshift greenhouse. In it we grew a wealth of produce – tomatoes, chillies and plenty of the herbs so prevalent in Indian cooking like mint and coriander. In spite of being young and having a sensitive palate Dad always advised me that I should bite into a raw chilli to gauge its heat level and flavour. He was wise – chillies come from many different parts of the world and offer an incredible array of contrasting flavours and levels of heat even when they come from the same plant. I still follow his advice today.

Another gem grown in our greenhouse was moongra – a radish with a very special flavour. This year I plan to grow it between April and June and cook dishes that revive some of the tastes of my childhood.

When I was around eight years old my Dad’s “Waiting for pay day curry” made many appearances on the dinner table towards the end of the month when money was increasingly tight and we were waiting for the issue of his next pay cheque. In spite of its humble nature we loved this dish and it is one that I continue to enjoy today, flavouring TRS kala chana (small black chickpeas), potatoes and eggs with an incredible blend of spices. Eaten with chapattis or simple boiled rice it never fails to taste wonderful. Dad loved using kala chana in his cooking. We always knew when we would be having a chickpea-based curry as a couple of days beforehand his preparations would start. The kala chana would be placed in a bowl and rinsed and a little water added. He’d then cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow the pulses to soften for a couple of days – making them tender, nuttier in flavour and decreasing their cooking time.

It wasn’t just the family who loved the garden – our dogs did too. We had two when I was young – a short-haired Alsatian called Lassie.and Tiger, a long-haired German Shepherd. Indian food-loving Tiger was always my favourite.  Whenever dad and I bought lamb chops for curry from the Indian butcher we’d always get one extra for Tiger and a few bones.

Those bones would be boiled up with garlic, cumin and black pepper. If Tiger didn’t eat them straight away we would often find them buried in the back garden (always next to the marrows and turnips, although I have no idea why he found this spot so fascinating).

Tiger was a real character. On a few occasions when Dad and I took the 207 bus from Southall to Shepherds Bush market Tiger followed us to the bus stop, jumped on the back of the old Routemaster as it left the stop, and came bounding up to us wanting an adventure and ensuring our journey was extended by taking him home before we headed off again ( this time, with just the two of us making the trip!).

Whenever Tiger pursued us Dad would level a flurry of Punjabi profanities in his direction. Yet when we returned home with the shopping Tiger would be faithfully waiting for us at the top of the road and of course, we would always both readily forgive him. After all Tiger was treasured by the whole family, so much so that we regarded him as one of us. When he got run over my brother Raj and I called the ambulance as we would have done for any other family member! Once the medics established that it was a dog that needed treating and the RSPCA arrived Tiger’s recovery was swift and he was soon eating Indian food again with renewed vigour – including, on the odd occasion that we failed to scrape our plates clean, a few bites of Dad’s incredible payday curry!

Ingredients
4 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
½ tsp black peppercorns, crushed
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
6 fresh curry leaves, washed and dried
1 tsp turmeric
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1-inch piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 tbsp dried mango powder (sold as ‘amchur’)
1 tsp fenugreek leaves
½ tsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 can TRS kala chana (black chickpeas), rinsed and drained
2 medium potatoes, cubed and parboiled
200ml water
4 boiled eggs, whole or halved according to preference
1 tsp garam masala
small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped

Method 

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, black peppercorns, fennel, cumin, curry leaves and turmeric and allow to sizzle for about 25 seconds.Add the onions and cook until golden-brown.

Add the garlic, ginger and fresh chillies, and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, and add the mango powder, fenugreek leaves, brown sugar and salt.

Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the oil separates from the onions on the surface.

Stir in the chickpeas, parboiled potatoes and the cup of water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to simmer.

Cover the pan and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and add the boiled eggs. Cover the pan and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, and add the garam masala and a sprinkling of fresh coriander Serve with boiled rice.

For more authentic Indian recipes, Anjula Devi’s fantastic ‘how to’ recipe book comes with  top tips and a glossary of spices, it includes step-by-step instructions for Anjula’s masala base, as well as easy-to-follow recipes for chicken curry, chicken biriyani, stunning samosas and perfect pakoras plus lamb, prawn, vegetarian and vegan dishes, starters, rice, breads and chutneys.  Find out more and buy the book for £5.99 here. 

And if you’re looking for the right kit to help you make them, Lakeland have worked with Anjula to create the Authentic India range of products. From flavouring curries to fluffing chapatis, every one is designed specifically for the job in hand.