Posted 25th June 2007
It’s taken me virtually my whole adult life to master Microsoft Word and I still can’t touch type. Just as I reach a level of comfort with my computer, something new shows up to baffle me. Case in point: recent efforts to embed a step-by-step Indian cooking video.
It was from Videojug, a website where “people can come to find and watch free professionally-made instructional, helpful and information videos on anything and everything in life.”
Very interesting.
I clicked into it and found a host of popular curry recipes, all clearly explained in short videos. If I wasn’t so technically challenged, I would have embedded the video in here to show you how the thing works. So, I’m going to do it the old fashioned way.
The recipe in question is for a 10-minute chicken curry. Being a great fan myself of anything 10-minute long related to food, I gave it a go. The video itself was great for beginners and very simply explained. The issues I had were with the recipe, because it used:
- Cubed chicken breast which is virtually impenetrable as far as masalas go and especially tasteless when given some five minutes with spices
- Olive oil which is far too expensive and not really used in authentic Indian cooking, presumably used here for its health benefits
- Lots of double cream, which didn’t really fit with the olive oil argument
- Only one deseeded green chilli. Go on, be a (wo)man. Use two, seeds and all…
I substituted the double cream with Greek yoghurt, and used both boned and cubed chicken thighs and breasts. The chicken thigh chunks were definitely more succulent and tender. Next time, I’ll use a tablespoon of sunflower oil.
It was no real surprise that the dish took longer than 10 minutes to make, with the preparation time. But it was absolutely delicious and will definitely feature in my kitchen again. I ate it with the yummy paneer and corn pulao I made earlier.