Quick and easy curry?

[Mull]

Hi, does anyone have a recipe for a quick and easy curry? I've done a couple from the SW website and the beef one from last month's mag but they took a bit of effort. Fine for at a weekend but not really for a weekday evening. I can knock up spag bol, chilli, stir fry etc in my sleep but have never managed to find a quick curry recipe that can become a 'staple' IYSWIM. Any ideas?

Mull, an old recipe is the SW Chip Shop Curry Sauce:
tin baked beans
tin tomatoes
tin mushy peas
6 rounded teaspoons medium curry powder

Blend all ingredients together and heat through.
You can add whatever you want to this base: chicken, fish, etc.
Makes 4 generous portions and can be frozen.

If you've not heard of it before, I know it sounds like a strange recipe, but give it a chance!

For when you're really in a hurry, the Iceland SW meals are nice, and there are a few curries in the range. Also, there's a SW chip shop curry sauce coming out in Iceland next week.

That sounds interesting chough . Certainly easier than the ones I've been doing. Anyone else?

Chickpea curry

1 can of chickpeas (400 g)
1 finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp oil
2 tbsp tomato purée
200 ml natural yoghurt (about 10% fat, not low-fat)
1½ vegetable stock cube
400 ml water
½-1 tbsp curry powder (I know, it's cheating)
1 tsp crushed seeds from cardamom (I've made it without crushing them too)
1 cinnamon stick

Heat up the oil and fry onion, garlic and curry powder until the onion goes soft. Add water, stock cubes, tomato purée, cardamom and cinnamon. Let it simmer for 30 mins. Add the rinsed chickpeas and let them simmer along for 5 mins. Then stir in the yoghurt and heat it up gently, it shouldn't boil. And remember to pick out the cinnamon stick. Eat with lots of rice and/or naan bread. Yummy!

Variations:
Add fresh chili in the beginning.
Add more Indian spices or some curry paste.
Add 100 ml of lentils about 15 mins into the simmering. You'll have to add some more water as well as the lentils soak it up.

Oil + whole spices like cinnamon cardamom clove bayleaf (optional addition) + cumin seeds + chopped/blended onion, Ginger and garlic Once fried off, add a tin of tomatoes and 4-5 tsp curry powder and let it cook for 10 mins. Add meat of your choice and cook until done.

If you have a slow cooker, add everything to it and you are good to go. Indian/Sri Lankan shops are brilliant at finding a lot of amazing ingredients. I stocked up on Ginger garlic paste, tamarind paste, specific curry powders for each dishes (which made all the difference to my curries)

I'd agree with takesnoprisoners, using different base spices for different curries makes all the difference. I find that when I vary the spice mix it doesn't matter if you don't use lots of different veg (which is what takes the time to prep). So I'm a veggie and have made some lovely curries just with frozen spinach, tinned chick peas and tinned tomatoes.

Mayflower curry powder from B&M and home bargains type shops seems to get rave reviews and is only 4 Syns for 28gm, added to whatever you fancy.

I pot of shemins mild curry paste
Chicken breasts
Tin of chopped toms or Passata for smooth sauce
Tin of coconut milk

Dry fry chick add paste till chick nearly cooked thru
Then add toms or Passata
Then add milk

Stir cook till reduced

Seriously yumsk

Some great ideas here, thanks. I think I'm just not confident with spices so don't feel I can just chuck in whatever I've got like I do with some other meals!

Careful with tinned coconut milk, it can be over 40 syns a tin. I measure out a small bit and dilute it, then freeze rest of tin in ice cube tray, working out the syns. Can add a frozen cube or two to the pan next time.

I also like chickpea curry and lentil dal. I use ginger- jar of lazy ginger or fresh grated and it really makes a difference.

Very lazy dal recipe where don't fry off onions and spices first:
225g red lentils, rinsed
1 chopped onion, crushed garlic, 1 bay leaf, 1 fresh whole chilli(optional), 1 inch grated ginger,0.5 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp each cumin and coriander, 1-2 tsp salt , lemon juice (coconut cream or milk, or grated creamed coconut added at end for syns optional).
Lentils in pan with cold water upto 1cm above, add chopped onion, bay, whole chilli, ginger, turmeric, cumin and coriander, cook gently half covered for 20 mins, adding more water if necessary and stirring occasionally until lentils soft. Discard bay leaf and chilli and add the salt . On SW I remove my portion at this point then melt in 25g creamed coconut or some coconut milk for DH and DCs. Add squeeze of lemon and serve with rice. We like it with a hardboiled egg each and some mango chutney (2 syns /tbsp). I serve mine on a bed of raw spinach for speed , heat of dish wilts the spinach. Or just a side salad