I had a nice little challenge this past bank holiday weekend, and that was to cook curry using a recipe. I'm probably what people call an instinctive cook and rarely use a recipe or just have one as a guideline, so when I was offered the chance to try recipes from Tracklements using their chutneys, I was somewhat out of my comfort zone, after all I wanted to make sure I was being faithful to their instructions so I could properly appreciate the end result.
Ok, maybe I deviated a little, after all, the letter from Tracklements Customer Club did say that it was OK to adapt them, if I wanted.
For the prawn curry I stuck to the formula, but the lamb and lentil curry was tailored around what I had, or didn't have in the pantry. No puy lentils, so red lentils instead and I left out the stock cube and bouquet garni, dropping in a preferred bay leaf.
The prawn curry used Green Tomato Chutney and the lamb, Plum Chutney, both tasted great and well spiced. The prawns were quite light and fresh compared to the lamb which was rich with notes of cinnamon which came from the chutney.
I also had the privilege of trying out their new Bengal Pickle, a lovely sticky, garlicky pickle made mostly with grated carrot – not what I was expecting, but it was gorgeous, especially when I got a little citrus burst from the occasional whole coriander seed. The consistency was just right for balancing on a bit of poppadom too, so it made the journey from plate to mouth without any embarrassing drips.
Well, the meal was most enjoyable and I still have enough chutney left to make more or to eat more traditionally with cheese.
For more information about Tracklements, visit their website: tracklements.co.uk
Photos: ©childsdesign 2010
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