INPUT ARTICLE: Article: There are really only 3 important principles to curry creation. Once you have these three things down, you'll be able to easily adapt and customize your curry to your own taste preferences. Simply mix and match ingredients into the following "formula" to get your own curry cooking:   Onions/Garlic/Ginger: These three ingredients form the basis of most curries, but some Indians actually skip the garlic. The longer you cook these ingredients the richer and darker the curry will be.  Generous Spices: Curries need big spoonfuls of spices, added early to cook and soften. There is no "wrong" combination of spices, so work on finding the mixtures you love.  Thickening Agent: What is going to give your curry it's body? This is frequently one or more of the following -- yogurt, coconut milk, stock, water, pureed or diced tomatoes, chili paste, or spinach. You want the oil to be hot and shimmering. You can use whatever oil you'd like, but 1–2 tablespoons (14.8–29.6 ml) of peanut, canola, or vegetable is your best bet. For a traditional Indian dish you should use Ghee, also known as clarified butter, for oil. Once the oil is hot, toss in any combination of 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml) coriander/cumin/mustard seeds, fenugreek, and asafoetida, depending on your recipe. Curries are heavily spiced, but also heavily improvised, so feel free to try any combination of spices you'd like.  For your first recipe, try 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml) cumin and coriander, plus a pinch of asafoetida if you have it. Crackling means the seeds are hopping around in the pan, dancing. Dice the onion into small, roughly 1/2-inch squares and toss it into the oil. Cook until the edges are translucent and they begin to turn golden, 5-10 minutes. The longer you cook the onions, the richer the final curry will be. You can also stop right as they edges turn clear for a lighter yellow curry. Finely chop up the 2-inch piece of ginger and 2-3 cloves of garlic, to taste. Add them in to cook and soften with the onions relatively soon after the onions go in. Toss in a pinch of salt, to taste, as they cook. Onions, garlic, and ginger are considered the "trinity" of Indian cuisine, much like onions, carrots, and celery are the basic trinity of French cooking. Curries are heavily spiced dishes, and you need to let the spices cook in with the dish to get the best flavor. Add 1 tablespoon of ground chili powder, cardamom, cayenne pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and/or curry powder to the oil. Add 1⁄2 tablespoon (7.4 ml) of salt after the spices go in. Stir them in and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  You want your spices to cook, but not burn. If there is not a lot of liquid in the pan from the onions and oil, mix the spices up with 2–3 tablespoons (29.6–44.4 ml) of water to rehydrate them and prevent burning.  For your first recipe, try out a tablespoon each of chili powder, turmeric, cardamom, and curry powder. The longer you cook chilies, the sweeter they become, so add these towards the end of the cooking if you want extra heat. Chop up 2-3 scotch bonnet peppers, Habanero cayenne, Serrano, or finger chilies and toss them in to cook with the onions and garlic, or simply add 1-tablespoon of dried cayenne pepper. with the other spices. Add 1-2 chopped chicken breasts, shrimp, or lamb to the dish and an extra splash of oil. You can also add vegetables, like 1 can of chickpeas, 2 cups of cauliflower, one eggplant, chopped into 1-inch cubes, chopped pineapple, tomato, or a potato, diced into small cubes. If you are adding meat, try browning the outside in a separate pan. Then add it to the curry before moving on. Add any mixture of water, stock, or coconut milk to the ingredients slowly, just until it starts to cover the vegetables and meats. Stir well and cover, lowering the heat to a simmer.  If you want garam masala in your dish, add 1-tablespoon now. It does not need to cook as long as the other spices. For your first recipe, try adding one can of coconut milk for an easy, thicker curry, or 2 cups of vegetable, chicken, or beef stock. This is the time to add 2 cups chopped spinach (saag), 1 cup of unsweetened yogurt, 1/2-1 cups tomato puree, 2-3 tablespoons chili paste, or even a handful of ground peanuts or almonds. Toss in a pinch of salt as well, to taste.  Not all curries will need this, especially if you used coconut milk earlier on. You should still experiment with thickening ingredients, especially tomato puree -- the base of red curries. For your first curry, try adding 2 tablespoons of tomato puree, then adding more to taste. Let the curry cook on low. You'll see the oil and water separate, but this is a good thing. Sample the sauce frequently, adding more salt and spices as desired. This is a good time to add "heat," or spicy flavorings. If your curry is too thin, add 2–3 tablespoons (29.6–44.4 ml) of yogurt or tomato puree. Curry can stand up to long cooking, so feel free to keep it on low while you finish up other recipes. Just make sure it is hot when you serve it, topped with any accouterments you might enjoy. Serve alone or over a bed of rice.

SUMMARY: Understand the basics of any curry making. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Toss in any aromatic seeds, like coriander, cumin, or mustard, until they begin to crackle. Finely chop one onion and add it to the oil. Chop and add the garlic and ginger after the onions have cooked for 3-4 minutes. Toss in generous helpings of ground spices. Add any spicy chilies or flavorings. Add your main ingredient -- meat or vegetables -- to start browning. Add your liquid to cover the ingredients, then cover and cook on medium-low heat. Add your thickening agent, if you desire one. Let the curry simmer until your desired thickness. Serve with a garnish of coriander, unsweetened yogurt, crushed nuts, or lemon juice.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Place the strips of meat on cooling racks.

SUMMARY:
Let the dehydrated meat cool before storing. Put the meat into airtight containers or zip lock bags. Store the dehydrated meat at room temperature for 1 to 2 months or freeze the dehydrated meat for a longer shelf life.