I have always known what my dream dish should taste like. It’s a feast of bright, dominant flavors reminiscent of a speeding police car with a blaring siren.
I discovered this police car a few years ago in the kitchen of my friend Kacper and his boyfriend Mo-Jai, who were visiting Warsaw and invited me over for a curry lesson. It was the first time I met Mo-Jai, and—as we all know—cooking eases interpersonal tensions and awkwardness. Mo-Jai had deliberately brought spices from London; he wasn’t sure if he would get all the ingredients he needed in Polish stores.
Burning Love
It was evening, the middle of summer, and the windows were wide open, but as soon as we got to work and threw onions, a cinnamon stick, a handful of cashews, cardamom husks, cloves, piri-piri peppers, cumin seeds, curry, and laurel leaves into the frying pan, the whole kitchen began to be filled with an intoxicating fragrance that carried us to the streets of Mumbai. With the successive stages of cooking and stories about the happenings of everyday life, this smell became more and more pungent and settled on our lips. We added garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and spices: garam masala, ground coriander, paprika, chili, and turmeric, which magically turned the sauce an orange color. Finally, fried cubes of paneer cheese, chili pepper, and fenugreek seeds landed in the frying pan. Once the sauce was bubbling, we set the table. The day before, Mo-Jai had prepared mango chutney and buttery naan, which he instructed us to dip in the creamy sauce.
I still remember the first bite. The fire of spices shot through my whole body. I choked from the sensation, and a bead of sweat appeared on my forehead. Mo-Jai’s butter masala was unlike anything I’d eaten in Indian restaurants in Poland before. His dish had a multifaceted flavor—so intense that it took me a while to get used to it, but once I did, I realized that I was eating the dish of my dreams.
Sophisticated Colors
On my way back home, I wondered about the vast difference between European and Indian cuisines. In many European cuisines, the focus is primarily on the product and all efforts are made to bring out its noble taste. The spices are like choristers accompanying a pop diva—indispensable but hidden in her shadow. The situation is completely different in India. It is the spices that play the main part there. So opulent and mighty, that they can even change the course of history. It was, after all, the spice trade that became the main catalyst for the European Age of Exploration.
Spices were bought in India and then sold in Europe as luxury goods. To some extent, they still are. Saffron is the leader in this category, with a price per kilogram—depending on the quality—reaching up to $7,500 in USD. The reason for this staggering amount is the saffron crocus, or really, its pistils. The catch is that they are only harvested for two weeks per year. However, thrifty people should not be afraid of saffron; you can’t add too much of it to the dish. Floral and pleasantly bitter, it tastes like tobacco, cut grass, and cedar, with hints of pepper, honey, and menthol. This elusive flavor is best brought out by briefly toasting the saffron threads in a frying pan or soaking them in hot water. Interestingly, saffron gives dishes an intense orange color. This characteristic feature is eagerly used by chefs all over the world. In Iran, they dye rice in saffron and use it in a dish called chelo ba tahdig; in Spain, it’s used in paella; and in Italy, in risotto alla milanese. Saffron is also used in soups, such as white bean fabada asturiana in Spain or bouillabaisse, which is made with fish broth, in France. The Swedes also add it to the S-shaped Lussekatter—called St. Lucia’s eyes—sweet buns that are traditionally baked in winter.
Due to having similar characteristics, saffron is often replaced by the much cheaper turmeric. Its taste is spicily woody and gingery, and it promises good effects on the body. Turmeric is described as the healthiest spice in the world. In recent years, there have been a lot of studies confirming that the curcumin it contains can prevent cancer and has a beneficial effect on the health of patients during cancer therapy. It also supports heart function and prevents other diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or joint degeneration.
Mo-Jai taught me how to boldly add turmeric into curries—after all, it’s the basic ingredient of this dish. But I’m not stopping there. I like to add it to soups, like parsley root soup with lime, as well as cakes. A generous addition of turmeric creates—along with a sunny color—an ethereal aftertaste of something that could seem savory and could seem like it comes from India, but is, in fact, a fabulously tasty treat made right here in Poland. When I make the cake with turmeric, I place lemon slices on top and sprinkle them with sugar. When they come out of the oven, they are sticky and caramelized, sweet and bitter, all at the same time. As I cut a piece of this yellow cake, I think about the night when I learned the power of spices.
Mo-Jai’s Butter Masala
(4 servings):
Base sauce
3 onions, chopped
1 piece cinnamon bark
2 cardamom shells
2 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/3 cup cashew nuts
10 curry leaves
2 bay leaves
2 piri-piri peppers
1 tbsp fenugreek
5 garlic cloves, sliced
3 cm ginger, sliced
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup vegetable broth
400 g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Main dish
1 onion, chopped
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp turmeric
400 g paneer cheese (or tofu), diced
naan, for serving
- Put the onions, cinnamon, cashews, cardamom, cloves, piri piri peppers, cumin seeds, curry and bay leaves, garlic, ginger, and oil into a frying pan. Heat over low heat until onions are browned—about 5 minutes.
- Next, reduce the heat to low and add the tomato paste. Cook for about 2 minutes until slightly darkened. Add the rest of the spices and stir. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Cook the whole mixture, stirring often, until the spices release their flavor—another 5-7 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and half a glass of water. Cook for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Blend everything into a smooth sauce. Season it with salt if needed.
- Heat the butter in another frying pan. Sauté the onion with salt for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the turmeric and cheese and fry for another 4-5 minutes. Then add 6 ladles of sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve with naan and mango chutney.
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