Making a Dopiaza is a doddle with The Tiny Takeaway spice mix
Making a curry can be a lengthy process with all the roasting and grinding of spices which often amount to a dauntingly long ingredients list. The Tiny Takeaway Dopiaza Spice Mix runs to the rescue with an expertly blended curry spices that takeaway (see what we did there?) some of the hassle.
We tested out their Dopiaza Spice Mix to make a chicken curry…
When it comes to cooking a curry we are generally unfazed and comfortable carrying out the whole process but can understand that some people would prefer a simpler and quicker approach. The Tiny Takeaway have come up with the perfect solution and if you don’t use spices often, having a whole library of them in the cupboard can be costly as well as wasteful – spices do lose their flavour over time. The spice mixes are created to make a meal for 3-4 people giving you exactly what you need in one hit. Yes, there is some cooking required and you will be well rewarded at the end.
The pack
Although the The Tiny Takeaway’s Dopiaza Spice Mix doesn’t come in particularly pretty packaging, it does provide you with all the spices in the right proportions, a handy shopping list for the other ingredients you’ll be adding it to and an easy to follow recipe.
The contents
The Dopiaza Spice Mix comes in two parts – one sachet is added at the early cooking stage and contains whole cumin and fenugreek seeds which are sautéed along with the onions. The longer cooking time allows them to fully release their flavour and soften.
The second sachet has whole bay leaves and the blend of ground spices; coriander, turmeric, ginger, chilli, garlic and salt. This is added later, after the meat/fish/veg, along with the tomatoes.
How did The Tiny Takeaway Dopiaza taste?
Cooking a homemade curry is more or less a weekly occurrence for us, so to be using a premixed spice blend did make us feel slightly trepidatious. Would we like it?
The spice mix certainly sped things up in the kitchen and it felt a little strange not having to fetch a myriad of ingredients, measure them out and grind them – but that’s the whole point.
The Dopiaza spice mix makes a medium strength curry with a definite tingle from the chilli and ginger and satisfying depth of flavour that leaves you wanting more.
The generous amount of cumin and fenugreek seeds give it that ‘authentic’ taste and the turmeric, coriander and bay leaves combine with the tomatoes and peppers for an aromatic and earthy sweetness.
While rich in flavour the texture is still light and very enjoyable and you can bask in the satisfaction that you’ve made a curry yourself.
What is Dopiaza?
Dopiaza (translated from the Persian) means two onions or double onions. The origins of this dish lie with a group of Persian Muslims called the Mughals who ruled over the Indian and Pakistan empires from the 1500s – 1600s. The Dopiaza curry went on to develop and evolve further in Hyderabad.
There are certainly plenty of onions in this dish and they are done two ways – chopped finely for the sauce and large pieces fried separately and added at the end of the curry’s cooking time and stirred through.
Our only (small) criticism, is perhaps, the salt could be omitted from the spice mix therefore allowing the home cook to add according to personal taste. This would also be a benefit to those who need to to keep an eye on their salt intake.
Artisan Food Trail Approved
We are pleased to give this award to The Tiny Takeaway for their Dopiaza Spice Mix
Photos: © childsdesign
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