Atkinson - Slow cooking Indian curry recipes

When I was young, we all looked forward to 'curry night' when my mother would serve a chicken or meat casserole cooked with a handful of sultanas - or if we were lucky, a tin of pineapple - sprinkled on after cooking with a teaspoon or two of curry powder. It was a far cry from authentic Indian cooking. Over the last 20 years or so, our love of Indian food has grown and so has our knowledge - we are now aware of the huge variety and subtlety that this cuisine has to offer. Many of us regularly dine in Indian restaurants and buy ready-prepared curries.

At the end of a busy day you are likely to feel tired, hungry and looking forward to sitting down and enjoying a meal. Rather than dashing out for a takeaway or settling for a chilled meal from a packet, wouldn't it be great to serve a delicious home-cooked Indian curry from your slow cooker, ready to serve with rice or accompany with warm breads? This book is packed with a whole range of curry and spicy dishes. Some use curry pastes to keep preparation to an absolute minimum and some have a combination of fresh spices that you blend yourself; at last, you can bring the flavour of your local curry restaurant to your home.

The basic principle behind the slow cooker is that it cooks food slowly at a constant temperature. This is the way that Indian food has been made for centuries and one of the greatest advantages of making curries in the slow cooker is that it develops and enhances the flavour of food; it allows spices to release all their essential oils giving a real depth and intensity to the finished dish. While vegetables retain their texture, it makes even the toughest meat meltingly tender, making long marinating unnecessary.

Slow cookers are also environmentally friendly; their low wattage consumes about the same amount of electricity as a light bulb. They can save up to five times the energy of stove-top and conventional oven cooking, making them ideal for those on a budget. The essentials of slow cooking are incredibly simple, but do have a look at the following few pages before you begin.

Slow cookers come in a wide selection of sizes, shapes, colours and prices and these factors need to be considered before you decide which one is right for you.

Appearance is the first thing you'll notice; you'll find contemporary stainless steel, rich-coloured and pristine-looking white models, as well as the rustic-looking cream and brown versions. There are round or oval ones, and the heat-resistant lid may be ceramic or toughened glass. The latter allows you to monitor the food without lifting the lid and losing precious heat.

The size of slow cookers ranges from a tiny 600 ml/1 pint/2 cup cooking pot to a massive 6.5 litre/11 pint/27 cup one, so choose a size that suits your needs. These recipes mainly serve four, so a 4 litre/7 pint/16 cup size is about right.

Because slow cooker models vary, make sure you read the manufacturer's instructions before using yours for the first time. Some slow cookers need to be preheated before you start cooking; others advise against heating it when empty.

Before using for the first time, wash the inner ceramic cooking pot in hot soapy water, rinse and dry. You may notice a slight odour as the slow cooker heats up; this is caused by the burning off of manufacturing residues and should disappear after the first few uses. Don't worry if the ceramic glaze becomes slightly crazed; this is perfectly normal.

You'll notice that many of the recipes advise using very hot, not boiling, water and stock when adding it straight to the cooking pot. Never pour boiling water into the cold cooking pot (you can do so when it is already warm or hot, or when there are other ingredients covering the base) nor plunge it into cold water immediately after use as this could crack it. Remember that it is an electrical appliance, so the outer casing should be wiped clean and never immersed in or filled with water.

When following a recipe, bear in mind that every model is slightly different and, even when using the same settings, some will cook much faster than others. For this reason a range of cooking times is given on most recipes; check after the shorter time given, this will usually be sufficient, but the food won't spoil for the extra time. Some small models cook quite quickly on High, so you may prefer to use the Low setting. After trying a few recipes, you will know whether your slow cooker is faster or slower and be able to adjust the recipe cooking times accordingly.

The slow cooker is a very safe appliance, but commonsense precautions should be followed. Although it cooks at a low temperature, the outer casing, lid and food inside may get extremely hot, so you should always use oven gloves when removing the ceramic cooking pot. Stand the slow cooker on a heat-resistant surface when in use, away from the edge where it might accidentally get knocked off, and make sure that the mains lead is tucked safely behind it. Take extra care that it's out of reach if you have young children or inquisitive pets.

Slow cookers cook food at a relatively low heat - around 90C/194F on the Low setting to about 150C/300F on the High setting. Any bacteria present in food is destroyed at 74C/165F, so as long as it's cooked for the correct time the temperature of the slow cooker will ensure that the food is safe to eat. You should take care, however, not to reduce the cooking temperature:

• Unless a recipe tells you to stir a dish part way through cooking, it should be left undisturbed and you should avoid lifting the lid. If you do need to lift the lid during cooking other than when specified, add an extra 10-15 minutes cooking time to make up for the heat loss.
• Ideally ingredients should be at room temperature when you start to cook; increase the cooking time if you use frozen vegetables. Never add frozen or part-frozen meat to the slow cooker.
• Avoid placing the slow cooker near a draught.
• Always check that meat is thoroughly cooked, particularly poultry and pork, preferably using a meat thermometer.

The cooking temperatures and settings vary on different models, but most have four settings: Off, Low, High and Auto. Some also have a Medium setting. At the lowest temperature the food will barely simmer; at the highest it will boil very gently. When set to Auto, the cooking temperature will build up to High, then remain at this temperature for an hour or so before automatically switching to Low. This setting is useful if you are using frozen vegetables.

Food should be monitored when using the High setting as some liquid will evaporate. Some flexibility can be introduced to the total cooking time by adjusting the temperature settings. As a rough guide, the cooking time on Low is about double that of High.

If at the end of the cooking time the food is not quite ready, replace the lid and switch the slow cooker to High. Once ready, many dishes (but not rice or fish) can be kept hot for an hour or more without any risk of spoiling, by switching to Low.