Subject: RECIPE: Spinach and cheese curry
From: [email-masked] (Peter C. Maxwell)
Date: 10 Oct 86 07:38:05 GMT
Newsgroups: mod.recipes

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.RH MOD.RECIPES-SOURCE SPINACH-CURRY MV "16 Jun 86" 1986
.RZ "SPINACH AND CHEESE CURRY" "Indian vegetarian spinach and cheese curry"
This is a dish I learned from an Indian lady, at a cooking class.  It's
simple to make and has a beautifully subtle flavor.  As per true curries, it
uses raw spices instead of some prepackaged curry powder.
.IH "Serves 4 to 6"
.IG "1\(12 lbs" "fresh spinach" "700 g"
.IG "\(12 lb" "fresh ricotta cheese" "250 g"
(see note)
.IG "3" "medium brown onions"
.IG "1\(12 inches" "fresh ginger," "4 cm"
chopped fine
.IG "1" "medium tomato"
.IG "1\(12 tsp" "cummin seeds" "7.5 ml"
.IG "\(12 tsp" "turmeric" "2.5 ml"
.IG "\(12 tsp" "red chile powder" "2.5 ml"
(cayenne) (or more to taste)
.IG "2" "cloves"
.IG "pinch" "nutmeg" "0.5 ml"
.IG "pinch" "mace" "0.5 ml"
.IG "1 Tbsp" "ghee" "15 ml"
(or use melted butter or oil)
.IG "" "salt"
(to taste)
.PH
.SK 1
Cook the spinach and chop it up.
.SK 2
Cut the cheese into 
.AB "\(34-inch" "2-cm"
cubes and deep fry a few pieces at a time in oil
(a wok is good for this).
.SK 3
Fry the chopped onions in the ghee.  When almost brown, add the
finely-chopped ginger.  Use a medium to high heat.
.SK 4
When the onions are golden, reduce the heat and 
add the skinned and chopped tomato, then the spices and salt.
.SK 5
Cover for a few minutes, then add the spinach and salt.
.SK 6
Cover and simmer about 5 minutes to let spices penetrate.
.SK 7
Add the cheese pieces, mix, and serve.
.NX
We eat this dish as a meal with rice, although you can use it as 
one dish along with others.
.PP
The quantities given for the spinach and cheese are very flexible.  I never
.AB measure weigh
them, just putting in what seems right.  Experiment.
Similarly, it can be kept hot for a while with no loss in taste or texture.
.PP
In North America, most Ricotta cheese is packed as a pot cheese. This recipe
calls for a more solid form of the cheese. Specialty ethnic markets
in large cities will carry solid Ricotta. You can make your own by buying a
tub of pot Ricotta and wrapping it in a clean cloth to wick the moisture
out, leaving the whole assembly in the refrigerator for a week or so, and
changing the cloth every day. With such treatment the cheese will gradually
solidify enough that you can slice and fry it. Buffalo-milk Mozzarella is a
fair substitute, and ordinary Mozzarella is a last-chance substitute.
.PP
Don't fry the cheese too long.  It should have a golden exterior and have a
marshmallow texture inside.  Frying too long makes it hard and dry.
.PP
Use whole cummin seeds and cloves, not the ground variety.
.PP
Like most curries, this reheats splendidly.  
.SH RATING
.I Difficulty:
easy to moderate.
.I Time:
1 hour.
.I Precision:
Approximate measurement OK.
.WR
Peter C. Maxwell,
Department of Computer Science,
University of New South Wales,
Sydney, AUSTRALIA.

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