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COOKING CURRIES

It remains one of the best and most important decisions of my life. Signing on for evening classes in Indian Cookery was a choice made from boredom, curiosity and a slight sense of desperation. It provided fun, a bit of self-confidence, and skills I've enjoyed further developing over the last twenty years.

I won't bore you with the details, but my marriage was breaking up, being at home frequently felt uncomfortable and my life seemed to be revolving around work. Taking a course at night school sounded like a way to get out and meet some new people. I enjoyed experimenting in my cooking, albeit with disastrous results at times, and loved spicy food, so the Indian class was an obvious choice.

It was only a ten week course so it was never going to be in-depth. The tutor never really explained which region her cooking style was based on (although that was a question which only occurred to me in later years such was my ignorance of the subject at the time) and just gave us a new recipe or two to work through each week.

Whilst I made no long-lasting friendships, it was a fun group to be part of as we were all pretty much at the novice stage to begin with and had a few laughs learning together. Everyone had the odd culinary disaster along the way. This, perhaps more than the tutor herself, made it comfortable place to learn and chat about why we were taking the course.

Whilst it introduced certain basic techniques which I continue to use I think the most valuable lessons were not in the cooking itself. The shopping list she gave us on the first night provided a list of basic essentials that I've had to hand ever since. Spices like cumin, coriander and fenugreek have become staples I often use for flavouring in other styles of cooking. As important was the place she sent us to buy our supplies, the wonderful Matta's on Bold Street in Liverpool. I had never ventured in that direction before, but once found it can never be ignored again. It's worth venturing in just for the smells, but if you have any love of eastern food it's impossible to come out without at least a couple of purchases. As well as full range of spices they have exotic vegetables, poppadoms, flavoured naan breads, chutneys, rices and lentils, nuts and dried fruits. That only begins to describe the range of choices. I still love going there.

With relations at home too frosty for even curry to thaw I took to going to the house of friends post-class and sharing my concoctions with them. Their appreciation for the goods I offered helped my confidence develop. In those early days I stuck to the recipes I had been given in class and tried to perfect them, but didn't have many opportunities to try them out on others. Later, once I was living alone, and then with my new partner, I had more opportunity to hone my skills, begin experimenting a little, but felt frustrated at my limited repertoire.

Discovering Pat Chapman's Curry Club books was exactly what I needed. A new start on the basics, with recipes for creating my own home-made curry powder and garam masala, an introduction to different regional styles and a chance to branch out from what had been a very tomato-dominated repertoire. Dhansaks, birianies, tandoori style and Goan, meat and fish, vegetables and pulses. A wider range of spices, greater use of fresh herbs. I amassed a wider range of recipe books, often being given them as presents by people who knew how much I loved to try out new techniques and ingredients. Making a curry became something I was able to do with less thought and preparation and need not be saved for a special occasion. A book on Quick After Work Curries was a big help, suggesting a lot of shortcuts.

But the biggest difference was in my own confidence. If I didn't have all the listed ingredients I felt able to improvise. Recipes could be adapted to different meats or vegetables. I became more inventive and for years now have been able to take whatever we have in the fridge and cook it with my own mix of spices to create something tasty. Maybe not always to the standard of a 'proper' recipe, but quick and never boring. Recently I put together pork, mushrooms and apple in a tomato sauce spiced with my own curry powder and mix of cumin, coriander, chilli and fenugreek. Delicious.

Occasionally I have created something I felt was so good that I needed to note it down for future use. Courgettes and mushrooms, cooked in a blend of cumin, chilli and star anise, then covered in creme fraiche, makes an excellent side dish. Or flavouring pakora batter with cumin, or another spice, then cooking it in a blini pan and serving with a small piece of lime pickle. A perfect appetiser.

Most guests I've cooked Indian style meals for appear to have enjoyed them, and I now have my wife inviting people round and telling me she's promised them I'll make curry. I guess that's the biggest compliment of all.

A footnote. The term after that course of night classes, I did one in Chinese cookery. But somehow it never inspired me in the same way and I have hardly ever used the recipes I learned. Was it because the food itself seemed so much blander and less interesting, or because the people on the class never gelled in the same way? Whatever the reason, it was never going to have the same significance in my life. Pretentious as it may sound, cooking good spicy food has become a part of who I am.