Cooking question

[Realitycheck]

When you make a stew or a sauce, how do you make the texture of the liquid thicker without the flour clumping up and without frying the meat in flour. I have made beef stew quite often by browing the meat after battering it in flour, which results in a thicker sauce, but surely there is another way.

[doG]

Use a roux....

[ecoli]

put the sauce on low-medium heat and let the water evaporate. Stir often so it doesn't burn, though.

 

I thicken stews and sauces this way all the time... but I'm a vegetarian so never with meat.

 

Alternatively, if you don't like wheat flour, I've used things like chick pea or rice flour to thicken. Also, almond flour is used in Indian cooking, and I like that as well. Just throw some into a coffee grinder. They say you should peel the almonds first but I usually don't bother.

My mom makes the chick pea and rice flour, I think she uses a similar simple grinding method, but I'm not sure.

[Realitycheck]

This is first time curry from scratch, without the premix.

 

Well, this didn't exactly turn out the way I expected, but that's what recipe books are for, right? If anybody happens to be a curry maestro, I would appreciate some advice on how to fix this, if possible. I browned the meat (about 4.5 pounds), saved some of the leftover fat to go in the sauce. Then mixed the fat and a about a cup? of flour in a big mixing pot. Then poured about a quart (or 2?) of boiling water over the flour to try and mix it in. No go, so then I started boiling the concoction to get the clumps out. Here, I start throwing in my selection of spices which have no bearing on any appropriate levels and ratios found in any decent curry recipes other than the components found in the SPICY curry bottle in the spices section. Eventually, it got almost doable, so I poured all of the meat in and it wasn't enough water to cover the meat. At this point, I already know that the spices aren't working. Too much? Not enough? Who knows? So I pour more water in to get it to the right level, and decent consistency.

 

Right now I have in it:

 

4.5 pounds of beef

1 cup of flour

1/2 bottle of curry powder (maybe not enough)

1-2 tablespoons of turmeric (this could be 1 problem, does this really need to be in there?)

1-2 tablespoons of cumin (Hey, this was in the spicy curry bottle.)

2-3 tablespoons of garlic powder (garlic goes good with anything, right? and it was in the spicy curry bottle!)

1-2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper (a bit too much but good to keep the sinuses clear, and it was in the spicy curry bottle!)

 

 

 

Oh, and yeah, it's eatable, just not date material, ie. the premix was definitely better.

[doG]

I browned the meat (about 4.5 pounds), saved some of the leftover fat to go in the sauce. Then mixed the fat and a about a cup? of flour in a big mixing pot. Then poured about a quart (or 2?) of boiling water over the flour to try and mix it in. No go, so then I started boiling the concoction to get the clumps out.

 

When making a roux mix the fat and the flour in equal portions. If you simmer this until the flavor of raw flour is gone and it is a smooth consistency it will not clump up when you add water. As an added note, the less you cook the roux the more thickening power it has but it will add less flavor to the meal. As it darkens the flavor will strengthen but it will lose thickening power. Very dark roux, like that used for gumbo, will hardly have any thickening power at all.

[iNow]

Or, just make a slurry. You take your thickening agent (like corn starch) put it in a bowl or a cup, add your water and stir it all together (getting rid of any lumps)... THEN add it to your stew or soup or whatever you're making.

 

It won't clump when you add it if it's already been made into a slurry. Note also that the thickening agent won't come to it's full thickening power until your food is brought to a boil.

 

 

Whoever said TV isn't educational has obviously never seen the cooking channel.

[Realitycheck]

When making a roux mix the fat and the flour in equal portions. If you simmer this until the flavor of raw flour is gone and it is a smooth consistency it will not clump up when you add water. As an added note, the less you cook the roux the more thickening power it has but it will add less flavor to the meal. As it darkens the flavor will strengthen but it will lose thickening power. Very dark roux, like that used for gumbo, will hardly have any thickening power at all.

 

Sounds a lot easier, but I was kind of turned off by the high fat content. I like to try and restrict most of my fat intake to those which are essential, such as Omega 3's and 6's, of which 3's cannot even be cooked with.

[YT2095]

and for clear soups use Xanthan gum, it will thicken it perfectly and still remain crystal clear without going even a little cloudy as other thickeners will do.

 

another nice way with stews is to add rolled oats, or barley, these when cooked for a while will act as natural thickeners too.

[iNow]

In gumbo's, I know adding okra has some thickening action... something about the gooey stuff inside.

[doG]

Sounds a lot easier, but I was kind of turned off by the high fat content. I like to try and restrict most of my fat intake to those which are essential, such as Omega 3's and 6's, of which 3's cannot even be cooked with.

 

You can use any fat though. I used to use butter for gumbo roux and switched to canola oil several years ago. It's still fat but not as bad a fat as butter. As iNow mentioned, okra works well in gumbo as an additional thickener.

[Realitycheck]

FYI, this actually turned out halfway decent. It just needed some salt.

[Realitycheck]

But this one came out so much better, straight off of the Inflammationfactor.com recipe book, though edited for those not so interested in carrot curry puree.

 

Brown 4 lbs. stew meat.

Cover with 1 inch of water in pot, bring to boil, and simmer for 45 minutes after adding:

 

4 tablespoons of garlic powder

3 tablespoons of ginger

1 tablespoon of curry

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper (or less)

1 cup of chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

 

Serve with steamed broccoli and carrots over wheat pasta.