Cooking an indian dish - yellow curry, potato and pea...?!


Question: Cooking an indian dish - yellow curry, potato and pea...?
My friend at work gave me some spices (yellow curry plus mixture of other spices) to try to cook at home. She's Indian and always brings her lunch that she cooked at home - smells amazing! I'm American and can't even cook American food, but I would love to learn to cook what she has.
She told me to saute onion, then add the spices she gave me and saute, and then add the other vegetables (potato and pea).
I just tried that, but I think I have a problem with how much oil to use, and what kind - mine turned out dry (like I said, I don't really know how to cook). Should I have added water too? or just a LOT of oil? Her dish had kind of a light gravy type of texture; mine came out looking just like golden fried potato pieces with peas.
I'd like to try again before Monday so I can tell her I was successful :o) Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks!

Answers:

you need to use a lot of oil, more than just a TBs. ITs ok to add a little oil throughout the cooking too.

You can add a bit of water in the cooking too.

Making the gravy first is important- you need oil, fry the spices in the oil, that makes the gravy. Then add the onion, or you can dry saute the onion first then add the spices witha little more oil. Everyone has their own way.
Some might add coconut milk once you add the potatoes and peas aswell.

IT's not unusual to add some water. I think you used too little oil in the first place. Add some more AND use some coconut milk once the veg is added.



Chicken stock! cook the potatoes and peas in chicken stock and then get rid of most of the liquid but keep some add a little flour to thinken it up and add those spices.

Always use chicken stock, it's very flavourful compared to water. I'm not sure she may be using "ghee" which is what indian recipes call for, it's just clarified butter, you can cooked the veggies, then put them in your pan with ghee and then add the spices if a gravy doesn't form then add more ghee and some flour. That may help too.




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