Curried Zucchini / The Fall of the British Raj

Regular readers of this blog know that I am an Englishman living in California.  I moved here when I was 23 years old but go back to the mother country to visit regularly.  Indian influences are very prevalent in English cuisine and Indian food is possibly the most popular food in England.  I recently read that the most-served dish in all English restaurants is Chicken Tikka Masala….    I rest my case!   This popularity may be driven partially by our obsession with the history of the once glorious British Empire but is more likely because there seem to be as many Indian restaurants on every English High Street as there are pubs.  A couple of pints of beer and a curry has long been a mainstay of the English social regime!  For my family, the connection goes deeper.  My grandparents emigrated to India in the 1920’s and my Dad was born in Calcutta in 1924.  He returned to England to go to boarding school when he was five years old, but Granny and Grandad stayed in India pretty much until the fall of the British Raj which occurred in 1947.  Dad joined the Royal Air Force during World War II and was posted to another corner of the British Empire, the Province of Burma, which subsequently gained independence in 1948.  Here’s a great photo of Dad in his Air Force flying jacket around the early 1940’s:

Dad tells a good story about his trip, as a young Flying Officer,  to active duty in Burma.  He managed to persuade his Commanding Officer to give him a couple of days leave on his way to Burma.  Dad arranged to be dropped off in Calcutta and made a surprise visit to his parents’ home there on his 21st birthday.  I can imagine that my grandparents must have been very surprised and proud to see their young moustachioed son on his way to serve his country at war.  When on active duty in Burma, he flew in de Havilland Mosquitoes, a very fast plane of revolutionary design.  Capable of speeds of well over 4oo mph, they were the fastest and most versatile fighter/bombers of their time.  The construction was advanced wood composite made mostly from Ecuadorean balsawood sandwiched between sheets of Canadian birch.

Oh gosh, I am way off subject…   back to the recipe.  This dish is actually quite light and is relatively quick to prepare but really has a nice mixture of complex flavors.  It has a slight bite but is not really “hot”.  Personally, I like the zucchini (courgettes if you are in the U.K.) to be  only cooked slightly so they are still nice and crunchy.  If they are overcooked they get too mushy and the whole dish turns into a sort of Indian-flavored ratatouille, which is not the intent!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs zucchini
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbs oil (I use olive oil)
• 3 fat cloves garlic
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp garam masala

Method:

Cut the zucchini into 1/2″ slices.  Slice and chop the onion.

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the cumin and mustard seeds for 2 or 3 minutes until they begin to pop.

Add the onion and crushed garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are softened.

Now add the chilli powder, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and salt a cook for 2 more minutes.  Then add the sliced zucchini and cook for 5 more minutes stirring frequently to ensure that the zucchini pieces are well covered with the spices. 

Mix the tomato paste in with the chopped tomatoes and mix them all into the pan with the water and stir well.  Cover the pan and simmer for 4 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for 4 more minutes.  Stir in the chopped cilantro and garam masala and cook for about 5 more minutes until the zucchini are cooked to your liking (I recommend that you keep them nice and crunchy).

Serve immediately with some Indian bread such as Naan bread.

While digging through old family photos, I came across this family pic from the 50's. Yes, that's me with my tongue out, next to my brother, Andy, who appears to be in pain! Mum and Dad are in the background. I have two more brothers who are not in this photo, but I have some equally embarassing photos of them that I will include in future postings......

Tags: calcutta, de Havilland Mosquito, Indian food, vegetarian, zucchini