Coconut Raita

Fennel and honey roasted peanuts

2012-01-15T13:25:00.001Z

Now that the festive season is over I am on a mission to get back into shape. Steve and I have consequently banished all chocolate, cheese and red meat and are back to exercising regularly. The problem is that I'm a grazer - I nibble constantly and if I can't find anything to eat, I pace. So I've bought fresh fruit, dried fruit and nuts. However I don't really like eating nuts. Don't get me wrong, I love them if they are covered in salt or a crispy coating, I just don't want to eat them raw.

This recipe makes peanuts much tastier while not adding any salt or resorting to fried coatings. Yes, yes, you're right, peanuts are high in calories but they are also an excellent source of protein, vitamin E and fibre. Now you can't say that about a bar of Dairy Milk can you?

Serves 2 as a snack

Ingredients

2 tablespoons light runny honey
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
100 grams raw peanuts
1.5 teaspoons granulated sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees centigrade.
Place the honey and fennel seeds in a small mixing bowl and mix well.
Now add the peanuts and ensure they are fully coated in the honey and fennel seed mixture.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Spread the peanuts on the parchment paper.
Place in the oven and cook for 5 minutes or until the peanuts are just turning a golden brown colour.
Now sprinkle the sugar over the peanuts and stir.
Return the peanuts to the oven for a further 2-5 minutes until they are a mid brown colour. Take care not to burn them.
Once cooked, stir the nuts. Make sure that are separated and allow the nuts to cool.
Store in an airtight container.

Cherry and ginger fizz

2011-12-30T05:00:00.019Z

When going to parties Steve and I take it in turns to drive so that the other one can drink. At first glance this appears very democratic. However whenever it is Steve's turn to drive this is what usually happens:

We arrive at our host's home, thirsty after a long drive in London traffic
We both request a glass of water to quench our thirst
A short while later our (invariably attentive) host will ask us if we would like another drink
Before I can respond, Steve will ask if I mind driving tonight as there is a particularly tasty beer/ whisky/ homebrew he would like to try
I, being a people pleaser (AKA mug) will agree to drive and so spend the rest of the evening drinking orange juice or water. Yawn.

So whenever we host a party or meal I try to offer interesting drinks to the non-drinkers. This non-alcoholic cocktail is fruity and sparkling but the ginger beer gives it a grown up edge. I thought I would share it with you so that you can ensure that your tee-total guests feel festive and loved.

Wishing you all a very happy, peaceful and healthy 2012.

Serves 1

Ingredients

15 millilitres lime juice
150 millilitres cold cherry juice
100 millilitres cold ginger beer

To garnish

A slice of lime

Method

Place all the ingredients in a tall glass and stir well.
Garnish with a slice of lime.
Serve immediately.

Tandoori chicken - without food colouring

2011-12-23T05:00:00.011Z

My mum first cooked tandoori chicken when I was seven years old. She had just bought a Madhur Jaffrey recipe book and it was the first recipe she tried. Bizarrely the recipe called for a few drops of red and yellow food colouring which resulted in the chicken being a salmon pink colour. It tasted okay but looked very strange. I kept trying to convince my mum to omit the yellow food colouring so that our chicken would at least have a nice red colour (even if it was fake) as I had seen in our local Indian restaurant. But we continued to eat bright pink chicken through my childhood.

I recently decided to try and make my own tandoori chicken recipe but without using any food colouring. Below is the result and I'm very pleased with it - not least because it isn't pink.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas.

Wine suggestions from Kevin at halfwine.com

"The hot, spicy, complex flavours of this delicious dish require an equally complex wine that is great as starter; the perfect opportunity for a gewürztraminer such as the 2008 Domaine Mittnacht. This wine is off dry with complex flavours of lychee, star anise and rose coupled with some bottle aging that should handle the tanginess of the yogurt marinade and counterbalance the darker flavours from the star anise, garlic and cloves."

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 star anise
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 cloves
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 red chilli - finely chopped
7 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons fresh natural yoghurt
2 skinless chicken breast fillets (around 300 grams)

Method

Heat a completely clean and dry pan for several minutes until it is so hot that a drop of water evaporates immediately.
Now add the the star anise and toss until it starts releasing its aroma. Be careful not to dry roast it for too long as it will burn.
Remove the star anise from the heat and crush finely using a pestle and mortar.
Repeat steps 1 - 3 with the mustard seeds and the cloves.
Put the freshly ground star anise, mustard seeds and cloves into a bowl along with the garlic, red chilli, ginger, tomato puree, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt and yoghurt. Stir well to create a paste.
Wash the chicken breasts and cut into one inch pieces. Add the chicken to the yogurt mixture and ensure each piece of chicken is thoroughly coated with the mixture.
Cover the bowl with clingfilm and put in the fridge to marinade for at least an hour.
When you are ready to cook the chicken put the pieces on a baking tray and grill on a medium high heat for approximately 7 minutes or until cooked. Turn the chicken regularly and try not to overcook it as with care it will be tender and moist.
Serve immediately as a starter with yogurt and mint sauce or in a wrap with salad, your favourite pickle, mint and yoghurt sauce and fresh tomatoes.

Cow Nation

2011-12-16T05:00:00.079Z

When I first started this blog (135 posts ago!) I was a vegan. I commenced this short-lived experiment as I felt strongly about the way that dairy cattle are intensively farmed. Increasingly they are:

being permanently kept in indoor environments to reduce costs and maximise yields
culled at around 5 years old when their normal life expectancy should be 18 or 19 years
removed from their mothers at birth and if they are male they are either shot immediately or raised for veal*.

A number of the vegetable curry dishes I cook are actually vegan and so I didn't find it too difficult to omit dairy products other than when I left our apartment. At that point it was almost impossible to find anything to eat and I resorted to carrying dried fruit and nuts with me at all times. In addition I really missed cheese, cakes, biscuits - all the good stuff and I couldn't reconcile my love of food with my abhorrence of our farming techniques. So what drives intensive farming?

Partly it is our own greed for supermarket loss-leaders resulting in each dairy farmer in the UK being subsidised by an average of £32,300 a year**. Isn't this crazy? Shouldn't the supermarkets (and ergo the consumer) pay the true cost of food to the source rather than the government making up losses through consumer's taxes? People argue that cheap food is a right but when 50% of the population is expected to be obese by 2030 (The Lancet, 2011), surely food is too cheap? Malnutrition in this country isn't due to a lack of food it is due to eating the wrong food.

Last month a new brand was launched called Cow Nation which allows the cows to "own their own produce" with profit going to give the animals an income, and funding their retirement. Cow Nation does not kill any calves but reduces the number of male calves by using gender selected semen. Any male calves that are born are allowed to live their full lives with the herd in beautiful pastures in Suffolk. In addition, each cow will produce only 3,000 litres of milk per ten-month lactating cycle, a significant reduction on the average of 7,400 litres (Defra, May 2011). This reduces both the strain on the cow and the threat of disease.

To me this is the no-brainer solution to my dairy concerns however I am not expecting to convert the masses, I'm just letting people know that there is an alternative. Steve and I drink on average two pints of milk a week and we can afford to pay £1.99 a litre as opposed to £0.45 (the average price in supermarkets resulting in a loss to the farmer of £0.04 per litre)***. Yes it is comparably expensive but it is the true cost of sustainable, ethical farming and now with the launch of Cow Nation I really can have my (cheese)cake and eat it.

*According to Farmers Weekly (April 2011), 2,000 Holstein male dairy calves are shot each week. Don't make the mistake of thinking that they grow up to become a tasty burger; consumers prefer a less fatty meat resulting in male dairy calves becoming a by-product of the dairy industry.

**Figures for the twelve months ending February 2010 (Farm Business Survey 2011).

*** The eagle-eyed readers in the audience will note that incredibly milk is cheaper than water which currently retails at £0.88 per litre.

Chocolate orange Christmas pudding

2011-12-09T05:00:00.030Z

This recipe is my attempt to satisfy my sweet tooth and pay homage to that great British institution - Terry's Chocolate Orange.

Those of you that think it is too late to make a Christmas pudding for this year - think again; the fabulous thing about this recipe is that you can make it right at the last moment (well, two days before serving) - it isn't designed to mature and can be eaten straight after steaming.

This pudding is incredibly moist and has been a huge success in our household with our friends David and Rachel declaring it delicious. I hope you give it a go.

Wine suggestions from Kevin at halfwine.com

"Chocolate is often paired with red wine but this is a dessert so a Sauternes will work well, but what about the impact of the orange? I think the Chateau Sainte Helène, 2007, Sauternes has the weight and the unctuousness to pair well. If you want something over-the-top-sweet a Pedro Ximenez, a sweet sherry from Spain will also do nicely."

Makes: 1.5 litres of pudding

Ingredients

130 grams glace cherries - chopped

100 grams dried apricots - chopped

100 grams sultanas

1 tablespoons Grand Marnier

4 tablespoons crème de cacao

The zest and juice of two oranges

200 grams good quality dark chocolate chips

75 grams fresh white breadcrumbs

75 grams plain flour

2 teaspoons mixed spice

50 grams chopped almonds

200 grams light brown sugar

100 grams butter - at room temperature

2 large eggs - beaten

Method

Place the cherries, apricots, sultanas, Grand Marnier, creme de cacao, orange zest and orange juice in a large bowl and stir well. Cover and leave to steep overnight.

The next day, mix together the chocolate chips, breadcrumbs, flour, spice, almonds, sugar, butter and eggs.

Combine the mixture with the steeped fruit and mix well.

Place the mixture in a 1.5 litre pudding basin (or a 1 litre basin and 0.5 litre basin). Take a piece of greaseproof paper and place a single pleat in the middle of it so that it has room to expand while the pudding cooks. Cover the pudding with the greaseproof paper and then place the lid on the basin. I use a plastic basin so that I can put it in the microwave to reheat it on Christmas day - much less hassle than steaming it.

Place the pudding basin on a trivet in a large pan. Fill with boiling water so that the water covers two-thirds of the basin. Steam for eight hours, checking the water level regularly and topping up as required to prevent it from boiling dry. If you have split the mixture into 2 puddings, they will need less time: In the region of 5 hours for a 0.5 litre pudding and 7 hours for a 1 litre pudding.

The longest that we have kept the pudding is two weeks. It will probably keep for longer but why keep it when you can eat it? Take care when you reheat it in the microwave as the high sugar content means that it is easy to burn it. I heat it for 2 minutes at a time on a medium setting until it looks piping hot. The other option is to steam the pudding again. I suggest 2-3 hours but again check that it is piping hot before serving.

Serve with cream, ice cream or custard. Personally I prefer it as it comes.

Winter mushroom curry

2011-12-02T05:00:00.023Z

This is an unusual vegetable curry recipe for me as it does not contain onions and, as a result, has a smoother texture than some of my other dishes. The combination of cloves, star anise and garam masala gives it a warm, wintery flavour that is perfect for the dark and rainy nights in the run up to Christmas. This is not a heavy dish, and so is good served either as a light meal with bread or as a side dish.

Wine suggestions from Kevin at halfwine.com

"The strong dark flavours of this recipe require a fruity wine with plenty of acid so it calls for the old stand-bys; a Cote du Rhone such as Domaine de l'Espigouette or a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo such as the one from Jasci Donatello."

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
5 curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 bay leaf
4 cloves
1 star anise
7 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
1 green chilli - chopped
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons natural yogurt
300 grams cup mushrooms - washed and sliced
Small handful coriander - chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a small saucepan on a lowish heat.
When the oil is hot add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, bay leaf, cloves and star anise and let them cook for a minute or so.
Now add the ginger, chilli and garlic. Stir and allow them to fry for a minute.
Add the tomato puree, chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt. Stir well.
Now add the yogurt and stir again.
Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and stir well. Place a lid on the pan and cook on a low heat until the mushrooms are tender - in the region of ten minutes. Stir occasionally.
Switch off the heat, stir in the chopped coriander and serve with bread or rice.

Methi chicken - chicken with fenugreek

2011-11-25T05:00:00.036Z

It is Steve's birthday tomorrow and to celebrate I thought I would post one of his
favourite recipes - chicken with fenugreek or “methi* chicken”. The fenugreek imparts a slightly smoky, bitter flavour that cuts through the tomato making this an unusual but exceedingly good chicken dish.

In Indian cooking, fenugreek (see illustration, right) is used as both a herb (the leaves) and a spice (the seeds). This recipe uses the leaves and, although your local supermarket is unlikely to stock them, they are easy to find in Indian grocery stores and cheap to buy - I picked up 4 large bunches for £1!

You may also notice that I have used slightly more fat in making this dish than I typically do in my other recipes. For some reason this dish needs a little extra richness and my attempts at making a healthier version have produced dry and unappetising results. As such, I strongly encourage you to avoid any urges you may have to reduce the oil/butter. Trust me, your curry won't be swimming in fat and the taste will justify the handful of extra calories.

* Silent ‘h’ – so pronounced ‘Mett-y’

Wine suggestions from Kevin at halfwine.com

	"This is a medium weight, intensely flavoured dish; the primary taste sensations being acidity from the tomatoes and bitterness from the chopped methi leaves. So what wines match these flavours? An intense sauvignon blanc from New Zealand such as a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc . If you prefer a red wine, a young Pinot Noir from Burgundy such as the Nicolas Potel Bourgogne Rouge 2010 would be an interesting choice; it probably has the right weight and acidity and a tart cherries taste to handle this. On balance, at halfwine.com we would go for the Sauvignon Blanc."

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
25 grams butter
3 cloves
4 black peppercorns
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick (approximately 3 grams)
1 large onion - chopped
4 cloves garlic - peeled and crushed
20 grams ginger - peeled and grated
400 grams canned tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1.5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
2 green chillies - finely chopped
1.5 teaspoons turmeric powder
3 teaspoons coriander powder
4 chicken breast fillets - skinned, washed and cut into 2 cm pieces
125 millilitres hot water
1.5 teaspoons garam masala
250 grams fresh methi - washed and chopped (NB Use any of the stalks that are thin and crisp as well as the leaves. Discard any weeds, thick, rubbery stalks and brown leaves.)

Method

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan on a lowish heat.
When hot, add the cloves, peppercorns, star anise and cinnamon. Let the flavours infuse into the oil for a minute or so.
Now add the chopped onion and cook on a low heat until very soft. Stir occasionally to prevent the onion from colouring.
Add the garlic and ginger and stir well. Let the mixture cook for two minutes.
In the meantime blitz the canned tomatoes in a processor until smooth.
Add the processed canned tomatoes to the pan along with the tomato puree. Stir well and then let the mixture cook for 3-4 minutes.
Now add the salt, chilli powder, green chillies, turmeric powder and coriander powder to the pan and stir well.
Let the mixture cook uncovered on a low heat for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Now add the chicken pieces and stir well. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Now add the hot water and stir again. Cover the pan and let it cook for a further 10 minutes.
Add the garam masala, stir and then cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes.
Now taste the dish for seasoning and check a piece of chicken to confirm that it is cooked.
At this point the curry is almost ready. If you are not planning on serving this dish immediately stop here otherwise continue. The steps below assume that you are cooking the curry from a hot temperature. If you have prepared the dish in advance, heat the curry thoroughly before continuing with step 14.
Add the chopped methi leaves and stir well. Cook for a further 5 minutes on a low heat.
Serve with rice or naan bread.

Palak paneer - spinach and paneer

2011-11-18T05:00:00.035Z

My mum doesn't eat this dish as she hates cheese. I find this perplexing as I can eat cheese until it comes out of my ears - the smellier and runnier the better. There have been occasions when I've bought a variety of artisanal cheeses and my mum has turned up her nose and said that she would just eat her extra mild cheddar from Marks and Spencer. Surely at that point you might as well eat a piece of rubber?

Anyway I hope you give it a go - it is delicious and quick to prepare.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 dried red chilli
1 small green pepper
225 grams canned tomatoes
150 grams plain, natural yogurt
2 teaspoons coriander-cumin powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
0.5 teaspoon salt
100 grams baby leaf spinach
225 grams paneer - cut into 1 cm cubes

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a lowish heat.
When the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and dried red chilli. Let them cook for a minute or two.
In the meantime remove the stalk, seeds and membrane from the pepper and chop it into 0.5 centimetre cubes. Add the cubes of pepper to the oil and let them soften for 2-3 minutes.
While the pepper is cooking blitz the canned tomatoes to make a smooth liquid. Add it to the oil along with the yogurt. Stir well.
Now add the coriander-cumin powder, chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Stir well and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile puree the spinach leaves and then add them to the saucepan. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes.
Now add the cubes of paneer. Stir again and cook for 2 minutes.
Serve hot with chapatis.

Virgin bombalada

2011-10-21T05:00:00.001+01:00

Dishoom is a relatively new Indian cafe in London serving Bombay street food. Steve and I love it and particularly recommend the vada pau and the virgin bombalada - a spicy remake of the classic cocktail the virgin pina colada. For those of you that can't get to Dishoom this is my version of the drink - enjoy!

NB If you prefer your drinks slightly less virtuous simply add 50 millilitres of light white rum.

Serves 1
Ingredients

4 ice cubes
4 mint leaves - shredded
1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
1 teaspoon crushed cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
40 millilitres coconut milk
300 grams fresh ripe pineapple - cut into chunks

To garnish

5-8 fennel seeds
A small sprig of mint

Method

Place the ice cubes, mint leaves, crushed fennel and cumin, salt, coconut milk and pineapple in a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Pour into a large wine glass.
Garnish with the fennel seeds and mint
Serve immediately with a straw.

Khichri made with toor dahl (rice with lentils)

2011-10-14T05:00:00.017+01:00

Khichri (also known as khichdi or khitchri) is a popular Gujarati comfort food. It is a generic term for a number of dishes made from rice and lentils and was the inspiration for the British colonial dish kedgeree.

This version is made using toor dahl and is a favourite with my mum's family. On it's own it is a bland dish (often served to sick people as it is easy to digest) and so it is traditionally served with kadhi, mango pickle and potato curry or stuffed aubergines.

Serves 4

Ingredients

50 grams toor dahl
100 grams rice
1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
2 cloves
Small stick cinnamon
3 black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic - crushed
7 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
500 millilitres boiling water

Method

Place the toor dahl in a bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.
Place the rice in a separate bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak until step 9.
Strain the dahl through a colander and leave to dry a little.
In the meantime heat the oil in a saucepan.
Once hot, add the cloves, cinnamon and black peppercorns and leave to cook for a minutes or so.
Now add the garlic, ginger, salt, turmeric and dahl to the pan. Take care when adding the dahl as the hot oil may spit.
Stir the contents of the pan and then add the boiling water.
Stir again and let the dahl cook on a low heat for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, return to the bowl of rice. You will notice that the water has turned a cloudy white colour. This is the starch from the rice. Drain away the water. Cover the rice with water again. Stir the rice and watch as the water turns white again. Drain immediately and then repeat this step a further two times ending with the rice being drained. The water will still be turning cloudy as there is still starch in the rice but you will have removed a large amount of it. You do need some starch in the rice to stop it disintegrating.
After the dahl has been cooking for 15 minutes add the rice to the pan. Stir well.
The contents of the pan should be covered with approximately 1 cm of water. If there is not enough, add more.
Leave the mixture to cook for a further 8- 10 minutes.
After this time, use a spoon to squash a lentil. If the lentil is soft, check that the rice is cooked.
Once the lentils and rice are cooked, stir the rice gently and note how much water is in the pan. If you push the rice to one side of the pan, there should be a reservoir of 1-2 tablespoons of water at the bottom. If there is more than this, drain it away. If there is less, add a little water.
Serve hot with kadhi and potato curry.

Potato curry

2011-10-07T05:00:00.017+01:00

This is a super tasty store cupboard recipe that will make you look like a domestic god/ goddess when your partner whines at you that all there is to eat in the house are two uninspiring potatoes. You can whip this dish up in around 40 minutes and then let them clear up the kitchen while you settle down with a well deserved glass of wine

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

2 large potatoes - peeled and diced into 2 centimetre cubes
1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium onion - diced
1 large clove garlic - crushed
5 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
1 small green chilli - finely chopped
300 grams canned chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
100 millilitres water
A small handful of chopped coriander

Method

Par boil the potatoes for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan.
Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a minute or two.
Add the onions and let them cook on a lowish heat until they are soft and transparent.
Add the garlic, ginger and chilli. Mix well and let it cook for a minute.
Now add the potatoes, tomatoes, coriander-cumin powder, garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and water. Stir well.
Put the lid on the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
Sprinkle coriander over the top of the dish and serve.

Coriander and tomato salad

2011-09-30T05:00:00.013+01:00

This is the perfect Indian salad for the Indian summer* that we are enjoying this week. The lemon juice removes the bite from the red onions making it a zesty crunchy salad ideal with barbequed meat.

* Apparently this isn't really an "Indian summer"; the definition of a true Indian summer is an unseasonably warm, dry and calm weather, following the first frost. Given that we haven't had any frost yet, this is just odd weather. Regardless - I'm happy!

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1 small red onion - peeled and finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tomato
A small handful of coriander - chopped
Salt

Method

Place the red onion and lemon juice in a bowl.
Stir well and then leave for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, dice the tomato, discarding any excess juices.
After the ten minutes, add the diced tomato and coriander to the onions and stir well.
Add salt to taste.
Serve.

Ginger, garlic and green chilli paste

2011-09-23T05:00:00.007+01:00

Two weeks ago I shared my mum's time-saving recipe for garlic and ginger paste. In a similar vein, this week's recipe is for ginger, garlic and green chilli paste which is the time saving equivalent for when the recipe requires fresh green chillies as well.

Conversion

As with the ginger and garlic paste, I will continue to use fresh ingredients in all of my recipes but if you do decide to make this paste you can easily substitute; Generally half a teaspoon equates to one small green chilli but feel free to amend the amount of chilli you use in the recipes to suit your own palate. The garlic and ginger contained in this paste adds a little extra flavour to the dish but won't dramatically alter it. Generally when my mum wants garlic and ginger flavours she will add the garlic and ginger paste as well.

The paste should keep for up to ten days in the fridge or two months in the freezer.

Ingredients

35 grams green finger chillies
10 grams root ginger - peeled
2 cloves garlic - peeled
3/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons light tasting vegetable oil

Method

Wash the chillies and remove the stalks. Pat the chillies dry using a tea towel.
Place all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until it makes a smoothish paste. Use more oil if it is not blending easily.
Store the paste in a clean, dry, air tight container in the fridge.

Minced lamb curry (keema)

2011-09-16T05:00:00.004+01:00

My mum's family are vegetarians however my dad's family are carnivores through and through. As such this traditional Gujarati recipe for minced lamb curry (keema or kheema) is from my dad's side. It's a very warm, comforting dish perfect for cold Autumn nights such as those that we are experiencing prematurely in London this week!

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

3 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
4 black peppercorns
1 large onion - finely chopped
275 grams tinned tomatoes - chopped
5 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
3 cloves garlic - crushed
1.5 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
200 grams lean minced lamb - rinsed
2 large floury potatoes
1 teaspoon garam masala
Handful of coriander - chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan.
Once hot, add the star anise, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns. Let them sizzle in the hot oil for a minute or so to let the flavours infuse.
Now add the chopped onion to the pan. Stir and then let the onion cook until soft. They are ready just before they start to turn brown.
Now add the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chilli, turmeric and salt to the pan.
Stir well and let the mixture cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the minced lamb to the pan and stir again. Use your spoon to make sure the mince is separated and not forming lumps.
Put a lid on the pan and let the mixture cook on a low heat for 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into large wedges.
Add the potatoes to the pan along with 250 millilitres water. Stir.
Put the lid back on the pan and continue cooking on a low heat until the potatoes are cooked. This will take in the region of 25 - 30 minutes.
Just before serving add the garam masala and coriander.
Serve hot with bread, chappatis or naan bread.

Ginger and garlic paste

2011-09-09T05:00:00.001+01:00

Many Indian recipes call for "ginger and garlic paste" - a blend of ginger and garlic which can be kept in the fridge in order to remove the need for crushing/grating with each recipe. While my mum uses the paste regularly, I took the decision to keep things simple by using the raw ingredients for the recipes on this blog. Personally I'm quickly put off recipe books that use pastes that must be made in bulk; fine if I'm going to be cooking from the book on a weekly basis but otherwise just annoying and wasteful.

That said, there may be some of you who are cooking Indian food regularly and could save a small amount of time and washing up if you had a jar of ginger and garlic paste in the fridge. The recipe below produces a paste that is much fresher tasting than the shop-bought variety and quick and easy to make.

Conversion
I will continue to use fresh ginger and garlic in all of my recipes but if you do decide to make this paste you can easily substitute. Generally 1/2 teaspoon equates to 1 clove of garlic and 3 grams of ginger. Don't worry too much about getting an exact conversion - as long as you aren't too heavy handed you should obtain a good flavour in your curry.

The paste should keep for up to 1 month in the fridge.

Ingredients

20 grams ginger - peeled
1 bulb garlic - peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil

Method

Place all of the ingredients in a small blender.
Blend until you obtain a smooth paste.
Place in a clean, dry jar and store in the fridge.
Use in any recipe calling for ginger-garlic paste.

Masala omelette

2011-09-02T05:00:00.026+01:00

I'm sure that every culture in the world has it's own take on the humble omelette and within every culture, every family has it's own special recipe. The recipe below is how my mum used to cook omelettes - packed wtih more filling than egg - just how I like it! Occasionally I like to add a handful of grated mature cheddar into the mix as well but:

that's definitely not an "Indian" addition
I'm currently trying to get into shape and so cheese has been banned from the flat.

I say "trying" as we have only just finished a whole Camembert hand-delivered from France by my mother-in-law and her husband - a great service that I highly recommend. They even told us the exact moment that the cheese would be ripe and so, at precisely 8pm on Saturday night we cut through the rind and the Camembert ran all over the plate. Phenomenal.

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon coriander- cumin powder
1/2 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
1/2 small onion - chopped
1 spring onion - sliced (including the green stalks)
1/2 small green chilli - finely chopped
1 clove garlic - crushed
1 small tomato - chopped
A small handful coriander - coarsely chopped
A small handful of basil - coarsely chopped

Method

Crack the eggs into a small bowl.
Add the salt, pepper, turmeric and coriander-cumin powder and beat well with a fork. Leave the beaten eggs to one side.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat.
Fry the onions, spring onions, chilli and garlic until soft.
Add the tomatoes and fry for another minute or so, stirring occasionally.
Add the beaten eggs to the pan and let them cook.
When the omelette has begun to form but there is still a little raw egg on top, sprinkle over the basil and coriander on one half of the omelette.
Now carefully fold the other half of the omelette over the first half to form a half moon shape.
Let the omelette cook for a minute or two or until no raw egg oozes out when you press down using a spatula.
Serve immediately with salad or if you are a carbohydrate addict with bread and chilli sauce (I recommend Encona) to make a sandwich.

Guacamole

2011-08-19T05:00:00.022+01:00

Historically I haven't been a fan of guacamole; I don't dislike it I just find it a little bland, uninspiring and well, mushy.

A few weeks ago, however, we visited our friends Dave and Esther for dinner and they served nachos with homemade guacamole to nibble on before the main event. Esther's guacamole was divine - a garlicky and zesty taste explosion with a real kick from the chilli. Obviously I asked her to share the recipe but alas she couldn't as (in her laissez faire way) she had just thrown it together before we arrived. So, for the last few weeks Steve and I have been experimenting to try and recreate Esther's gorgeous guacamole and I think with the recipe below we have managed to get somewhere near.

This, my friends, is guacamole that even Speedy Gonzales would stop for.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1 avocado - peeled and cut into large chunks
1 shallot - peeled and finely diced
1 large clove garlic - crushed
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 small red chilli - finely chopped
A small handful coriander - finely chopped
Salt
Black pepper - freshly ground

Method

Place the avocado, shallot, garlic, lime juice, red chilli and coriander into a mixing bowl. Mash the ingredients together with a fork until it is smooth but with a few chunks.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve with nachos or crudites.

Tindora (ivy gourd) curry

2011-08-12T05:00:00.050+01:00

My mum used to make this dish when I was growing up. I called it "mini melon curry" because to me ivy gourds look like mini melons. I haven't posted this recipe before because I thought that I didn't like it. A few weeks ago however, I received an email from Chetan (a reader in Hatfield) asking for a tindora curry recipe and so I tentatively made the dish (with takeaway menus close at hand). When Steve and I sat down to try it we found that we both loved it. So many thanks to Chetan for reintroducing me to a typical Gujarati dish.

For those of you that don't know your ivy gourds from your water melons, a small amount of research reveals that:

Ivy gourd by Karmadude on Flickr

1. They are purported to have a number of medicinal properties including the alleviation of diabetes, leprosy, constipation and gonorrhea(!)

2. It is apparently very difficult to control the spread of the parent plant. In Hawaii the government has introduced two different types of weevil and the African vine moth in an attempt to curb the spread of the plant (without a great deal of success).

Interesting facts aside, let me know if you make the recipe. I suspect that you'll need to make a trip to your local Indian grocery store for the tindora but hopefully you'll think it was worth the journey.

Serves 2

Ingredients

130g tindora
1 medium floury potato
2 tablespoons of light tasting vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
A pinch of asofoetida
1 small onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic - crushed
5 grams of ginger - peeled and grated
1 small green chilli - finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar

Method

Slice the tindora in half lengthways and then slice each half into long thin strips.
Peel the potato, cut it in half lengthways and then slice each half into thin crescent shapes.
Heat the vegetable oil in a pan.
Add the potatoes and cook until they start to soften and colour a little - stirring occasionally.
Remove the potatoes from the pan and set aside. If all the oil has been absorbed then add a little more.
Add the mustard, cumin seeds and asofoetida and let them sizzle for a minute.
Now add the chopped onion and cook until they are transparent.
Add the garlic, ginger and chopped gren chilli. Stir and let everything cook for a minute or two.
Now add the chilli powder, coriander-cumin powder, turmeric, salt and sugar. Stir well.
Add the potato and tindora to the pan. Stir well and cook on a medium heat until the vegetables are cooked and the tindora are slightly crispy. Stir regularly to prevent burning.
Serve with chapatis or bread.

Aubergine with sesame seeds and peanuts

2011-08-05T05:00:00.037+01:00

Aubergine, aubergine you're so delicious,
I love you more than all the other dishes.

Buffy fans amongst you will recognise this as a corruption of a song in episode 129 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Buffy version was about anchovies and was included in the episode as a protest because some “unmentioned pizza chain” had stopped offering anchovies on their pizzas. I prefer my version because:

I hate anchovies and
Mine is a happy song that one can do a happy dance to whilst cooking this dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the masala

2 tablespoons peanuts - crushed
2 tablespoons dessicated coconut
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
2 spring onions - chopped
1 clove garlic - finely chopped
1 small green chilli - finely chopped
5 grams ginger - grated
2 teaspoons coriander power
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

For the rest of the dish

1 large floury potato - peeled and cut into 1 inch wedges
3 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
1 medium onion - finely chopped
2 star anise
1 small cinnamon stick
225 grams canned tomatoes
1 large aubergine - cut into bite sized pieces
4-6 shallots - peeled
100 millilitres water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method

Place the potato wedges in a large pan. Cover the potatoes with cold water and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer for 7 minutes and then drain.
Meanwhile combine all the masala ingredients in a small mixing bowl and leave to one side.
In a large pan heat 3 tablespoons of light tasting vegetable oil.
Add the chopped onion, star anise and cinnamon stick and cook on a low heat until the onion is transparent.
Add the masala to the pan and stir well. Let the mixture cook for a minute or two.
Meanwhile, puree the canned tomatoes either in a blender or by pushing through a sieve.
Now add the pureed canned tomatoes, aubergine, par-boiled potatoes, shallots, water and lemon juice to the pan and stir again.
Place a lid on the pan and cook on a lowish heat until the vegetables are tender (in the region of 40 minutes). Stir occasionally and check the seasoning after 15 minutes. If at any point the curry is looking dry and the vegetables are sticking to the pan, add a little more water and stir.
Serve with rice or naan bread.

Coriander pesto

2011-07-29T05:00:00.039+01:00

In my previous post for green beans and pesto I mentioned that Steve objects to the addition of chilli flakes to the dish to give it a little kick. In a bid to spice up pasta generally I thought I would try to make coriander pesto. This activity wasn't solely to irritate Steve - the results are actually quite tasty. It takes only a few minutes to make fresh pesto and you can restrict the amount of oil and cheese that you use making it a much healthier option than shop bought varieties.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

50 grams pine nuts
2 cloves garlic - peeled
1 green chilli - top removed (use 2 chillis if you prefer spicy food)
50 grams coriander - washed
50 grams parmesan - grated
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt
Black pepper - freshly ground

Method

Heat a completely clean and dry pan for several minutes until it is so hot that a drop of water evaporates immediately.
Now add the pine nuts and toss until they start to colour. Be careful not to dry roast them for too long as they will burn. Leave to one side to cool.
Place the garlic and chillis in a food processor and blitz them until finely chopped.
Add the coriander, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil and lemon juice. Blitz in the food processor until you achieve the consistency you require. If the pesto looks too dry add a little more olive oil.
Season to taste.
Serve with pasta.

My granola

2011-07-22T05:00:00.008+01:00

Last week I shared the recipe I created for Steve's granola. I am not a breakfast person but for the last seventeen years of my life Steve has repeatedly informed me of the importance of this meal and so I have finally succumbed to the nagging (did I say nagging? I meant helpful advice...) and devised a recipe that I can stomach before 10 am by:

sweetening it with maple syrup (I have a very sweet tooth)
being heavy handed with the fruit and nuts (I prefer the good stuff to the oats).

I'm not claiming that this is the healthiest granola recipe but for a little touch of decadence in the morning it definitely hits the spot.

Five servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
200 grams rolled oats
20 grams light brown soft sugar
30 grams dried cherries
70 grams sultanas
40 grams shelled walnuts
35 grams shelled almonds
25 grams hazelnuts
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees centigrade.
Place the maple syrup and vanilla extract in a small bowl and mix well.
Place all the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well.
Add a tablespoon of the maple syrup and vanilla extract mixture to the large mixing bowl and stir.
Continue mixing in the maple syrup and vanilla extract mixture a tablespoon at a time.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Spread the granola mixture evenly onto the parchment paper.
Place the baking tray in the oven and cook for 15 minutes (or until a golden brown colour), stirring at 5 minute intervals.
Remove the baking tray from the oven and leave the granola to cool.
Store in an airtight container.

Steve's granola

2011-07-15T05:00:00.067+01:00

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

"It's the same thing," he said.— A.A. Milne

My husband Steve has a very similar thought process to Pooh first thing in the morning. He is often seen in his Grouchy Smurf t-shirt stumbling about in the kitchen trying to work the coffee machine or muttering about the lack of orange juice.

Given this breakfast obsession I created this granola recipe for him using his favourite nuts and dried fruits. It is really simple to make and having tried home made granola I don't think we are going to return to the shop bought variety.

Seven servings

Ingredients

8 tablespoons light tasting honey
1/2 teaspoon almond essence
400 grams rolled oats
100 grams shelled hazelnuts
100 grams shelled pecans
100 grams dried cranberries
100 grams sultanas
1/2 teaspoon salt
40 grams light brown sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees centigrade.
Place the honey and almond essence in a small bowl and mix well.
Place all the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well.
Add a tablespoon of the honey and almond essence mixture to the large mixing bowl and stir.
Continue mixing in the honey and almond essence mixture a tablespoon at a time.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Spread the granola mixture evenly onto the parchment paper.
Place the baking tray in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring at 5 minute intervals.
Remove the baking tray from the oven and leave the granola to cool.
Store in an airtight container.

Prawn (shrimp) and sweet potato curry

2011-07-01T05:00:00.016+01:00

I created this recipe in response to a plea from my friend Charlie for more protein based recipes on my blog. Charlie is an obsessive runner and last year ran his first ultra marathon. As such he needs protein to accelerate muscle growth and speed recovery by helping rebuild muscle fibres stressed during a run. I'm hoping this recipe hits the spot for him as prawns are high in protein but low in fat and calories.

I know it has been a while since I last posted but:

I've been crazily busy - working, watching Wimbledon and eating at Pakistani kebab houses (I've been to Lahore Kebab House and Mirch Masala three times in the last week)
Steve has been inordinately fussy about this recipe making me constantly remake it with minor tweaks that were having no noticable effect on the finished dish. It only occurred to me last week that this was his way of ensuring he got to eat the dish more than a couple of times before I moved onto the next recipe. I'm taking it as a compliment and hope that you enjoy it too.

Serves 2
Ingredients

1 sweet potato - peeled and chopped into bite sized chunks
10 grams dried tamarind
30 millilitres boiling water
1.5 tablespoons of light tasting vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
3 fenugreek seeds
7-8 curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
3 shallots finely chopped
4 cloves garlic - crushed
7 grams ginger peeled and grated
1 small red chilli finely chopped
150g raw king prawns - peeled and washed
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
165 millilitres coconut milk
100 millilitres water
A handful of chopped coriander

Method

Boil the sweet potato chunks for 12-15 minutes and drain immediately. The sweet potatoes should be nearly cooked but still a little hard.
Meanwhile place the tamarind in a small bowl and add the boiling water. Leave to one side.
Now heat the oil in a medium sized pan on a medium heat.
Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and cinnamon stick and let them sizzle for a minute or two.
Turn down the heat and add the shallots. Stir well and let them cook until they start to soften (in the region of 5 minutes). Stir occasionally.
Now add the garlic, ginger and red chilli to the pan. Stir and let the mixture cook for a minute or two.
Add the prawns to the pan. Stir continuously and let them cook until they just turn pink.
Using tongs remove the prawns from the pan and place them on a plate. Try to keep as much of the onion mixture in the pan as possible.
Strain the tamarind and water mixture through a nylon sieve into a small mixing bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon to push the pulp through the sieve. Extract as much of the tamarind as possible, periodically removing the pulp from the back of the sieve into the mixing bowl. Discard the contents of the sieve.
Add the tamarind water, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and pepper and stir well.
Add the drained sweet potato to the pan along with the coconut milk and water and stir well.
Place the lid on the pan and let it cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.
Return the prawns to the pan, put the lid back on and cook for another 2 mins or until the sweet potatoes are cooked.
Add the coriander and serve with rice or naan bread.

Sapodilla (chikoo) milkshake

2011-06-03T05:00:00.005+01:00

The fruit of the sapodilla (known as chikoo or chiku in India) looks like a brown kiwi fruit and has a dry caramel flavour. The last time I was in India my cousin's wife Aarti made me a chikoo milkshake. I remember loving the combination of caramel and malt flavours and thought I would share it with you. It is completely different to anything you will have tasted previously and so I hope you take the time to seek it out.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 sapodillas - peeled, deseeded and quartered
250 millilitres milk
2 teaspoons caster sugar
1 scoop vanilla icecream

Method

Place all ingredients in a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Serve immediately.

Vegetable chili

2011-05-27T05:00:00.019+01:00

My favourite ingredient at the moment is smoked paprika. I first tasted it when making a barbecue sauce last year and couldn't believe that I hadn't come across it before; it was warm, smokey and sweet apparently as a result of being dried by smoking using oak wood.

Coming from a family that uses spices extensively, I find common or garden paprika deceptive; it has a beautiful rich colour suggesting a fullness of flavour that it never actually delivers. Conversely smoked paprika has such a strong taste that if not used sparingly will overpower any dish. It is used extensively in Spanish cooking; think about the deep, smokey flavours of patatas bravas or chorizo and you will start to understand how often you have tasted this spice without realising what it was.

The first time I smelt smoked paprika I knew that it was the missing ingredient to my vegetable chili. I hope you enjoy it and if you have never used smoked paprika before I hope I have converted you to the dark and smokey side.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion - chopped
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic - crushed
2 bell peppers - chopped (I use two different colours to add colour to the dish)
110 grams baby sweetcorn - halved
100 grams sugar snap peas
1 red chilli (more if you prefer) - finely chopped
400 grams canned tomatoes - chopped
200 grams refried beans
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
small handful thyme - chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 star anise
50 grams pickled jalapenos
1 tablespoon lime juice
zest of 1 lime

To garnish:
One or more of the following (we have them all!):

spring onions - finely chopped
cheese - grated
soured cream
guacamole
nachos

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
Add the onion and the bay leaf to the pan. Stir well and cook until the onion softens.
Add the garlic and stir again. Leave to cook for a minute or two.
Add the bell peppers and leave them to cook until they start to soften. This will take in the region of 3-5 minutes.
Add the sweetcorn and sugar snap peas and chopped chilli and fry for a few more minutes.
Now add the tomatoes, refried beans, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, star anise, jalapenos, lime juice and lime zest. Stir well.
Cover the pan and leave to simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.
Taste the seasoning and adjust if necessary. You can add more chopped chilli at this point.
Cover the pan and leave to simmer for another 30 minutes.
Serve hot with rice or jacket potatoes and any of the suggested garnishes.

Spiced lamb chops marinaded in yogurt

2011-05-20T05:00:00.038+01:00

Two weeks ago Steve's sister, Jake, gave birth to an extremely cute little girl - Jessica Grace Bell, making us a proud auntie and uncle.

Jake's husband, John, has an excellent understanding of sheep rearing and animal husbandry that he seems keen to apply to Jessica's upbringing. Only the other day he spent four hours comforting her with his little finger in her mouth - a trick which works as well with Jessica as it does with newborn lambs.

For human adults however I suggest they try the following recipe for lamb based comfort. It is more subtley spiced than my previous lamb chops recipe but both are great cooked on a barbeque or under the grill.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 lamb chops (weighing in the region of 300 grams)
100 millilitres natural yogurt
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
5 grams fresh root ginger - peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 green chilli - finely chopped

Method

Wash the lamb chops.
Using a sharp knife, make several slits on both sides of each chop. Leave the chops to one side.
In a small mixing bowl, mix together all the remaining ingredients.
Now add the lamb chops to the mixture and ensure they are thoroughly coated.
Cover the bowl and leave to marinade for at least one hour.
Cook the lamb chops on the barbeque or under a grill until they are cooked to your liking.
Serve immediately with roasted tomatoes and caramelised onions or a salad.

Sweet potatoes with fennel and chilli butter

2011-05-06T05:00:00.041+01:00

When Steve and I were in California we were very confused when we saw what we thought were sweet potatoes labelled as yams:

Reena: “How can they not have sweet potatoes in a supermarket this size?”.
Steve: [Triumphant] “Here’s one.”.
Reena: [Perplexed] “But the label says it’s a yam.”.
Steve: [Obstinate] “It doesn’t look like a yam. It looks like a sweet potato.”.
Reena: [Belligerent] “But the label says..”.

This went on for a while and eventually we gave up and bought a watermelon instead.

Apparently in parts of North America, sweet potatoes are called yams to prevent confusion with the usual white variety. Little did they realise that this would just lead to confusion for visiting Brits. Interestingly the United States Department of Agriculture has foreseen this issue and required that sweet potatoes labelled as yams should also be labelled as sweet potatoes. Fancy that; Ralph’s supermarket should take note.
Serves 2

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes – washed and dried
1/2 teaspoon fennel
10grams coriander - finely chopped, washed and left to dry for at least 10 minutes
1 clove garlic - crushed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
40 grams butter at room temperature

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.
Place the sweet potatoes on a baking tray and bake until they have oozed some syrup and feel so soft that they are about to collapse. The exact time of this will vary depending on the size of the potato but for a medium sized potato expect it to take in the region of 40 – 50 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat a completely clean and dry pan for several minutes until it is so hot that a drop of water evaporates immediately.
Now add the fennel seeds and toss until they start releasing their aroma. Be careful not to dry roast them for too long as they will burn.
Remove the fennel seeds from the heat and crush finely using a pestle and mortar.
In a small mixing bowl mix the fennel, coriander, garlic, salt and chilli flakes.
Add the butter to the mixing bowl and mix well.
When the potatoes are cooked, cut them in half. Add half of the fennel and chilli butter to the middle of each potato and use a fork to mash the butter into the soft orange flesh.
Serve immediately.

Does food have to be authentic to be good?

2011-04-29T05:00:00.026+01:00

My friend Raf once said that you have seven seconds to redeem yourself by saying "No offense" after saying something particularly offensive. I reminded myself of this when a blog reader said to me "I would rather try Gordon Ramsay's Indian recipes than yours because they are more likely to be authentic.". I waited for the "No offense" but it never came.

What did she even mean by "authentic"? My Pocket Oxford Dictionary (my school merit prize in 1985) defines authentic as "genuine, of legitimate or undisputed origin". Well the majority of my recipes are family recipes, handed down through the generations from mother to daughter, aunt to niece, cousin to cousin. How much more authentic can an Indian recipe be than one from my grandmother, mum, auntie or cousin?

Other readers have complained that my recipes are too easy to cook. They believe that Indian cooking should be difficult and that I must have dumbed them down in some way. They like the taste of my food they just believe that they should be using special equipment or a multitude of spices in order to create the dishes. The recipes that I am sharing on this blog are the recipes that my family eat when they come home each day. They aren't designed to impress maharajas or to be eaten in Michelin starred restaurants. I'm not a trained chef and neither are any of my relatives. We just like to eat well and by that I mean fresh, healthy food.

Having said all that my dam aloo recipe (a Kashmiri dish) is from my Gujarati cousin. Does this make it less authentic? Probably (assuming authenticity is regional). Does it make it any less tasty? I don't think so. So why the obsession with authenticity? If I want an authentic English dish do I need to refer to the recipe books in Hampton Court Palace or do I need to go even further back than the days of Henry VIII? Is evolution in cooking a culinary crime or is the authenticity requirement unique to Indian cuisine? A few Google searches revealed that authenticity is a valued trait in recipes for any cuisine but the adjective is used liberally without any thought to its meaning and the assumption is always that authentic means good. After spending some time in Hong Kong I couldn't wait to get home to inauthentic Chinese cuisine.

I believe that mass migration and the globalisation of food production have led to unprecedented changes to cuisine. For example when my mum arrived in the UK in the 1960s she often struggled to find the ingredients she needed for her recipes and would substitute with whatever she could find. Some of these substitutions were less successful than others e.g. the time she used rhubarb leaves (which are poisonous when ingested) instead of colocasia leaves to make a delicious dish called patra. Luckily no one fell ill but this is an example of how migrants adapt recipes to their environment. Another (more successful) example of this is the rise of Chinese-Indian food which is thought to have been developed by the Chinese community living in Kolkata.

All in all my journey to understand the meaning of the word authentic when applied to recipes has lead me to believe that the word has been given too much importance. How can you determine whether my chicken tikka recipe is more or less authentic than Gordon Ramsay's? As long as you enjoy the flavours then that is all that really matters and just because a recipe is authentic doesn't mean that it is good.

Coconut water

2011-04-22T05:00:00.100+01:00

Every time I have visited India I have drunk coconut water* fresh from the coconut both as a refreshing beverage and (under duress) for medicinal purposes. It is perceived to be a miracle cure in India and there have been times when I've been really quite sick and my aunties have nodded sagely as they force-fed me the drink. This was usually followed by me rushing to the bathroom to throw it all up again.

You can probably sense that historically I have been cynical about its health benefits but recently I can't seem to open a trashy magazine without seeing a photo of a celebrity with a carton of coconut water in their hands. Here on vacation in sunny California (I’m not gloating – honest), the supermarkets in Palm Desert are piled high with cartons of the stuff and all the cool kids at the Coachella music festival were partying while clutching their nuts (so to speak).

This period of Western enlightenment seems to have occurred following Madonna's investment in Vita Coco - pasteurised coconut water that is being marketed as a healthy substitute for sports drinks because it is high in electrolytes (specifically potassium and magnesium) and contains water for rehydration. It is, however, low in carbohydrates, sodium and protein; all of which are required following intensive training.

So it appears that my aunties may have not been entirely mad and that coconut water may be a low-calorie alternative for rehydration after short-duration, moderate intensity training sessions or a severe case of Delhi belly. In the mean time in case you are struggling to source pre-packaged coconut water I have detailed a recipe for the “home-made” version below.

* It should not be confused with coconut milk which is coconut flesh pureed with water. The milk is high in saturated fat and thus calories - worth remembering as you tuck into your creamy Thai curry. Coconut water is the translucent liquid at the centre of unripe, green coconuts. As the coconut ripens the liquid is replaced by coconut flesh and air.

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 green coconut

Method

Obtain green coconut
Using a large machete hack away at the top
Insert straw and sip

Fresh lemonade with rose water

2011-04-15T05:00:00.008+01:00

Steve and I are currently in the Californian desert for a three day music festival called Coachella where we plan on lying around in 100 degree heat, drinking lemonade slush puppies and listening to awesome music (I'm particularly excited about Suede, Elbow and Arcade Fire). In preparation for the festival we have been playing tennis, eating bagels, lying by the pool and generally recovering from a very stressful time at work.

To make this "training" even more realistic I made some fresh lemonade for us to sip by the pool. Rose essence is used extensively in Indian desserts and I thought it would add a nice twist. If you don't like the idea of the rose flavour, just omit the rose water from the recipe below.

Makes 2 glasses

Ingredients

200 millilitres lemon juice (around 3 lemons)
50 grams granulated white sugar
1 blackberry
1/2 teaspoon rose water
300 millilitres cold water

Method

Roll the lemons firmly on a work surface and then juice them. Rolling them beforehand makes it easier to extract the juice.
Place the juice, sugar and blackberry in a medium sized mixing bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Crush the blackberry against the side of the bowl to release the juices. The mixture should become a lovely pink colour.
Add the rose water and water and stir again.
Serve over ice.

Himalayan pink rock salt

2011-04-08T05:00:00.025+01:00

My friend Varsha (to rhyme with Russia) recently returned from a trip to the Himalayas with a gift of pink rock salt for us. I showed it to my mum expecting her to comment on its prettiness but instead she said "Oh. You've got sendha namak. I've run out of that; can I have some?"

Okay so I could have probably guessed that an ingredient sourced on the Indian subcontinent is likely to be used in Indian cuisine but why had I never seen my mum cook with it before? Well my mum's answer to that is that it is only used for cooking on fasting days. I appreciate that the words "cooking" and "fasting" appear incongruous when referring to absolute fasting but for Hindus fasting can also mean limiting oneself to one meal during the day and/ or abstaining from eating certain food types and/ or eating only certain food types. One of the foods that is abstained from is sea salt as Hindus believe that it is not strictly vegetarian because marine creatures may be harmed at the time of extraction. Sendha namak (pink rock salt) is therefore used as a substitute (see recipe below).

But surely salt is salt regardless of where it is from? Well a quick Google indicates that this is not the case. Himalayan rock salt:

was formed 250 million years ago from the seas that covered the area at that time. It was dried by the sun when man-made pollution did not exist and as such is supposed to be purer than commercially produced sea salt
is hand-mined and unrefined ensuring that all the minerals contained within the salt remain unadulterated
supposedly has health benefits ranging from reducing blood pressure to aiding diabetes to weight reduction. I have not been able to substantiate these claims*.

During a taste test I could not taste any difference between Himalayan rock salt and sea salt. While I shall enjoy using my gift, I doubt that I will become a convert and will continue to take any health claims with a pinch of salt.

*Table salt isn't all bad however as it generally has iodine added to it during manufacture to combat iodine deficiency, a condition that can lead to mental retardation and thyroid gland problems. The iodisation of salt has been described by public health experts as the world's simplest and most cost-effective measure available to improve health.

Simple spiced potatoes made with pink rock salt

Serves 1-2 people as a main course

Ingredients

1 large potato - peeled
1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 green chilli - finely chopped
1 teaspoon pink rock salt - finely ground
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon ground nuts - crushed
A small handful of fresh coriander - finely chopped

Method

Boil the potato until just tender (in the region of 20 minutes).
Drain the potato and leave to one side to cool.
In the meantime, heat the oil in a saucepan on a lowish heat.
Add the cumin seeds to the oil and let them sizzle for a minute or two.
Dice the potato into bite sized pieces.
Add the potato, chilli, rock salt, coriander-cumin powder, lemon juice and nuts to the saucepan and stir gently to avoid mashing the potato.
Leave to cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture sticking.
Garnish with the coriander.
Serve hot.

Soft and crumbly pistachio and chocolate biscuits

2011-04-01T05:00:00.009+01:00

In an attempt to improve our quality of life at the weekends, Steve and I have taken to having a leisurely breakfast at the dining table on Saturday mornings. The newspaper arrives with a thud on the doormat at 7am, our internet grocery shopping turns up at 07:30 and then breakfast preparations commence.

Key ingredients for a quality breakfast include:

Coffee - our Nespresso machine and associated milk frothing device have revolutionised our coffee intake. I used to drink on average two cups of coffee a month but now have at least one each day at the weekend. Steve didn't drink coffee at all but now gets grumpy if he misses his weekend cappuccino for any reason.

The Saturday Times newspaper - mostly for the magazine and lifestyle sections. Oh and for the TV pullout which goes in a drawer for the week, is never looked at and then is replaced by the following week's pullout.

Toast with assorted spreads including:

Champagne Marmite - A special Valentine's day edition that is much tastier than normal Marmite but only available in post-sell by date form on eBay. Needless to say I have written a strongly worded letter to Marmite asking them to recommence production but to no avail
Home made lemon and ginger jam
Ottolenghi's greengage and honey jam - a present from our yoga teacher, James

High quality biscuits

Worst case scenario: Hob nobs with chocolate - Steve likes dark chocolate and I prefer milk. He usually wins.
Best case: Either spicy ginger and chilli biscuits or the cookies below.

I hope that you enjoy this biscuit recipe. They don't take long to make and are great with coffee. Also, please feel free to suggest ways of making further improvements to our Saturday mornings.

Makes 8 -10 biscuits
Ingredients

50g butter
60g plain flour
20g white granulated sugar
30g crushed pistachios
30g chocolate chips
pinch of salt
5g baking powder
1 to 2 drops almond essence

Method

Mix together all of the ingredients into a smooth dough
Roll into a sausage shape of about 1 inch in diameter
Put the dough into the fridge for 30 minutes
Cut into 1cm thick rounds and place on a baking tray with plenty of space for the biscuits to spread as they cook.
Bake for 10 mins at 180 degrees C or until light brown in colour.

Easy chilli and ginger pickle

2011-03-25T05:00:00.002Z

This is a very simple pickle recipe that my mum's family tend to always have in the fridge ready to eat.

Unlike my lemon pickle recipe this is pickling in its most basic form - i.e. preserving food in a mild acid; in this case lemon juice. I have never seen these pickles served in a restaurant but I think they are a great example of Indian home cooking.

NB You can use mild or hot chillies depending on your heat tolerance.

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 lemons - juiced
8 green chillies - washed
10 grams root ginger - peeled and finely sliced

Method

The first step is to sterilize the jar. Set your oven to 140 degrees centigrade. Now wash your jar in soapy water and rinse in clean warm water. Leave it to drip-dry, upside down, on a rack in the oven for at least half an hour.
Place the salt, turmeric and lemon juice in the sterilized jar. Stir well.
Now add the chillies and ginger and stir again.
Place in the fridge and leave to pickle until the chillies have faded in colour. This will take in the region of two weeks. The longer that you leave them to pickle, the milder (and less crunchy) the chillies and ginger will become. Personally, I like to leave them for at least a month. Shake the jar every day or so.
Serve with any Indian vegetarian dishes.

Masala chai (spiced tea)

2011-03-18T05:00:00.036Z

Masala chai is tea prepared with a blend of spices (a masala). The tea leaves are heated with the water, milk and spices from cold as opposed to brewing with already hot water. You can buy ready made tea masala in most Indian grocery stores but Indian families tend to have their own masala recipes.

As I mentioned in the garam masala post a few weeks ago, my mum found my grandfather's notes a while ago. Amongst them was the family recipe for chai masala. I have detailed the recipe below but the quantities involved are aimed at the masala chai addict* rather than the occasional drinker. As such feel free to make your tea (the second recipe below) using a shop-bought masala.

* You know that you are an addict when you get a headache if you haven't had your regular fix (not naming any names, mum...!).

My grandfather's chai masala recipe

Ingredients

1/2 lb black peppercorns
1/2 lb white peppercorns
1 oz cardamon pods
1 oz Indian valerian rhizome (aka ganthoda)
1 oz dried ginger powder
3 nutmeg seeds
1/4 lb cinnamon

Method

Heat a completely clean and dry pan for several minutes until it is so hot that a drop of water evaporates immediately.
Now add the the black peppercorns and toss until they start releasing their aroma. Be careful not to dry roast them for too long as they will burn.
Remove the black peppercorns from the heat and crush finely using a pestle and mortar.
Repeat steps 1 - 3 with each of the remaining spices.
Mix all of the crushed, dry roasted spices and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

To make a nice cup of masala chai

Serves 2

Ingredients

5 grams root ginger
100 millilitres milk
350 millilitres water
1/4 teaspoon chai masala (homemade or shop bought)
2 teaspoons strong Indian tea leaves
sugar to taste

Method

Crush the ginger using a blunt object - e.g. the handle of a large knife. Don't attack it too hard - this is purely to release some of the flavour.
Place the ginger, milk, water, chai masala and tea leaves into a small pan.
Heat on a high heat until the mixture comes to the boil. It will start foaming and then gushing towards the top of the pan. Take care not to let the tea over-boil onto the hob, removing the pan from the heat if necessary.
Now reduce the heat to low.
Gently stir the tea and leave to simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the tea has a golden brown colour (paler if you prefer weaker tea).
Strain the tea into cups using a tea strainer or fine sieve.
Serve immediately with sugar if required.

NB: All families vary the proportions of milk and water. Feel free to adjust these to your own tastes. This recipe is how my mum likes to drink her tea - most Indians prefer more milk.

Indian cooking 101 - A table of recipes and spices

2011-03-11T05:00:00.006Z

I am often told that lengthy ingredients lists deter people from cooking Indian food - the (incorrect) assumption being that the number of ingredients reflects the difficulty of the recipe. Any of you who have tried the recipes on this blog already will know that:

The techniques are not difficult
I avoid using any special equipment
I try to write the recipes in a logical manner such that as long as you follow them word for word (and don't think too much!) the recipe should work.

Another deterrent is the cost of buying numerous ingredients that you may only use a pinch of in a single dish. The remainder of the (inevitably pricey) ingredient loiters in the back of a cupboard, goes off date and then is thrown away - just before you need it again!

For those of you that don't have a well stocked spice rack I have put together a table of the most popular recipes on this blog and placed them in an order that means you need to only buy one (occasionally two) dry spices at a time. As your spice rack grows you can make more of the recipes. I have however assumed that you won't mind buying fresh ingredients such as chillies, garlic, coriander and ginger as these are relatively cheap and can be used in many other recipes.

As I have mentioned before please don't buy your spices from your supermarket - go to your local Indian grocery store where you will receive four times the amount of spice for the same price. The only downside is that you may need a spice cupboard rather than a spice rack!

I hope the table below encourages you to cook more Indian food. I think you will find that it isn't difficult and the results are delicious.

Recipes

Can do lamb curry

Gujarati meatballs

Corn on the cob

Serial killer chicken curry

Spicy spinach

Chickpea curry

Lamb and lentil curry

Spinach and sweet potato

Spicy prawns/ fish/ bread

BBQ recipes

Rice with peas

2011-03-04T05:00:00.008Z

This is a simple recipe that my mum used to make when I was a child as a variation from plain rice. It is very lightly spiced and the peas and spring onions give it an interesting texture. I wouldn't recommend eating it as a dish on it's own but I do suggest eating it with curries, dahl or kadhi.

Serves 2-3 as an accompaniment
Ingredients

150g long grain basmati rice
Water
50 grams fresh or frozen peas
1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves
2 black peppercorns
1 star anise
1 small onion - finely chopped
1/4 small green chilli - finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
Small handful fresh coriander - finely chopped
1spring onion - finely chopped

Method

Soak the rice in a bowl for 20 minutes.
You will notice that the water has turned a cloudy white colour. This is the starch from the rice. Drain away the water. Cover the rice with water again. Stir the rice and watch as the water turns white again. Drain immediately and then repeat this step a further two times. The water will still be turning cloudy as there is still starch in the rice but you will have removed a large amount of it. You do need some starch in the rice to stop it disintegrating.
Add the peas and leave to soak for another 5 minutes.
In the meantime heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan.
Add the cumin, cloves, peppercorns and star anise and let them cook for a minute or two.
Now add the onion. Stir well and let it cook until the onions turn slightly brown.
Now add the green chilli, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and coriander-cumin powder. Stir well and let the mixture cook for a minute.
Returning to the rice and peas, drain the water from the bowl.
Add the rice and peas to the pan and stir well.
Now add enough clean water to the pan to cover the rice by approximately 1 cm.
Bring the water to the boil.
Reduce the heat to low, put a lid on the saucepan and cook for five minutes.
Stir the rice gently and note how much water is in the saucepan. If you push the rice to one side of the saucepan, there should be a reservoir of 1-2 tablespoons of water at the bottom. If there is more than this, drain it away. If there is less, add a little water.
Now partially cover the saucepan and let it cook for a further minute or two on a low heat.
At this point the rice should be fluffy and perfectly cooked. If it is still wet, drain away any excess water. If it is too dry (it will be looking overcooked), add a little more water. In both cases partially cover the saucepan and return to the hob on a low heat for another minute and then repeat this step until perfect.
Once cooked, garnish with the garam masala, coriander and spring onion.
Serve hot with a curry of your choice.

Pickled habaneros

2011-02-25T06:07:00.001Z

I found some habaneros in an Indian grocery store the other day and in a moment of madness decided to pickle them. Be warned though - even though the pickling has tempered the heat a little they are still incredibly spicy but the floral aromatic flavours are lovely and these taste especially good in sandwiches (in very small quantities).

Ingredients

5 habanero chillies
60 millilitres cider vinegar
40 millilitres water
2 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
10 coriander seeds
1 large clove of garlic

Method

The first step is to sterilize the jar. Set your oven to 140 degrees centigrade. Now wash your jar in soapy water and rinse in clean warm water. Leave it to drip-dry, upside down, on a rack in the oven for at least half an hour while you make pickles.
Wash the chillies and dry them. Stab them 4 or five times with a knife and leave to one side.
Place all the remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Stir well, place a lid on the pan and heat for 8-10 minutes.
Leave the vinegar mixture to cool.
When the jar is sterilised, carefully remove it from the oven and leave to cool.
Place the chillies in the cool jar.
Pour the vinegar mixture over the chillies.
Close and jar and place in the fridge.
Leave to pickle for at least 2 weeks.
Eat within a month.

Dam aloo

2011-02-18T05:00:00.010Z

Dam aloo (also known as dum aloo) is a potato-based North Indian dish. This is another recipe from my cousin Bharti and it has an intense flavour resulting from the relatively long cooking time. Having said that you can still make it within 40 minutes and as my father-in-law would say "it's nee bother".

Serves 2

Ingredients

8 - 10 new potatoes - peeled and halved
Light tasting vegetable oil
1 teaspoon peanuts
1 teaspoon desicated coconut
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Half a dried red chilli
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 clove
3 black peppercorns
1 small cinnamon stick
5 uncooked cashew nuts
1 medium sized onion - chopped finely
1/2 teaspoon salt
227 grams canned tomatoes - chopped
3 cloves of garlic - crushed
5 grams ginger - peeled and grated
1 green chilli - finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
A handful of chopped coriander
100 millilitres water

Method

Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and then shallow fry them in a little vegetable oil until crispy.
Meanwhile place the peanuts, coconut, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried red chilli, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, clove, black pepper corns and cinnamon in a blender. Blitz until you have a paste.
Place 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a saucepan and heat on a low heat.
Add the cashew nuts and let them fry gently until they start to change colour.
Add the onions and let them cook until then turn light brown.
Now add the salt and tomatoes. Stir well and let the dish cook for 2-3 minutes on a medium heat.
Turn the heat down to low and add the paste that you created in step 2. Stir well.
Add the garlic, ginger, green chilli and turmeric. Stir well and continue to cook on a low heat for 7-8 minutes.
Now add half of the coriander and let the mixture cook for a few more minutes.
Add the fried potatoes to the mixture and stir well.
Now add the water. Stir again and let the mixture cook on low for 5 - 10 minutes.
Taste the dish and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve with naan or rice.

Thai pickled chillies

2011-02-11T05:00:00.002Z

My family is pickle, sauce and condiment obsessed. We love anything that enhances the flavours of a dish or quite simply sets our tastebuds alight. You can only imagine my excitement when I discovered pickled chillies in a Thai restaurant. I have started making them at home so that I can eat these chillies at any time.

I used birds eye chillies for this recipe which are commonly found in South-East Asia. They are extremely hot and at one time were thought to be the world's hottest chilli although hotter varieties have since been identified. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Ingredients

30 grams birds eye chillies (red and/ or green) - finely sliced
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons white rice vinegar

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a small clean jar.
Place the jar in the fridge and leave for 2 days.
Serve with your favourite savoury foods.
Use within 3 weeks.

Perfect fluffy rice - without a microwave

2011-02-04T05:00:00.016Z

My previous recipe for perfect fluffy rice was heavily reliant on a microwave. I was recently asked how to obtain the same results using a cooker and so here is the recipe. As with the previous method this does rely on you learning to trust your own judgement and so don't be upset if it doesn't work first time. Once you've cracked it, it won't go wrong again.

Serves 2-3 as an accompaniment

Ingredients

150g long grain basmati rice
Water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Soak the rice in a bowl for 20 minutes.
You will notice that the water has turned a cloudy white colour. This is the starch from the rice. Drain away the water. Cover the rice with water again. Stir the rice and watch as the water turns white again. Drain immediately and then repeat this step a further two times. The water will still be turning cloudy as there is still starch in the rice but you will have removed a large amount of it. You do need some starch in the rice to stop it disintegrating.
Place the rice in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover the rice by approximately 1 cm.
Add the salt to the pan and stir well.
Heat the rice on a medium heat until it comes to the boil.
Now turn down the heat to low and put a lid on the saucepan and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Stir the rice occasionally and check that it hasn't burnt dry. If it is looking dry, add more water.
Stir the rice gently and note how much water is in the pan. If you push the rice to one side of the pan, there should be a reservoir of 1-2 teaspoons of water at the bottom. If there is more than this, drain it away. If there is less, add a little water.
Now partially cover the saucepan and heat for a further 1-2 minutes on a low heat.
At this point the rice should be fluffy and perfectly cooked. If it is still wet, drain away any excess water. If it is too dry (it will be looking overcooked), add a little more water. In both cases partially cover the saucepan and heat on low for another minute or two and then repeat this step until perfect.

Kadhi

2011-01-28T05:00:00.004Z

In Gujarat, kadhi is served as an accompaniment to rice and is an alternative to dahl. It has a yogurt base and is very lightly spiced. Depending on the type of yogurt used it can be quite sour. I prefer the sour flavour but you can add extra sugar to balance it if you prefer.

Serves 2 as an accompaniment

Ingredients

7 tablespoons fresh natural yogurt
1 tablespoon gram flour
225 millilitres water
0.25 teaspoon salt
0.5 teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoons light tasting vegetable oil
2 cloves
pinch of asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
6 curry leaves
1 small green chilli - finely chopped
5 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
handful chopped coriander

Method

Place the yogurt, gram flour, water, salt and sugar in a blender and blend until slightly frothy. You can use a hand blender for this if you prefer. Leave to one side.
In a small saucepan, heat the oil.
Now add the cloves, asafoetida, cumin seeds, curry leaves, chilli and ginger to the saucepan. Stir well and leave to sizzle and fry for a minute or two.
Add the yogurt mixture to the saucepan and stir well.
Using a medium heat, keep heating and stirring the mixture until it comes to the boil. This will take approximately 5 minutes but it is important to keep stirring during this time to prevent the yogurt and water from separating.
Now turn the heat down to low, put the lid on the pan and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Garnish with coriander.
Serve hot with rice.

Paneer spinach

2011-01-21T05:00:00.081Z

This is a quick and healthy recipe from my cousin Bharti. She comes from a family of incredible cooks and you will see a few of her recipes coming through in the coming months.

I have lots of happy memories from my childhood of time spent with Bharti including:

my first roadtrip (aged 7) to Blackpool with her, her sister Daksha and husband Nitin
cutting my knee open on her exercise bike (aged 7 - it was an exciting summer and I have a great scar as a souvenir)
my first ride on a rollercoaster at Alton Towers (aged 8)
playing my first computer game with her husband Nitin (it was on a Commodore 64 - I'm showing my age now...).

Who knows if it wasn't for Bharti I might have unblemished knees!

Serves 2 - 3 as a main course

Ingredients

1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
125 grams paneer - cut into approximately 1 cm x 1.5 cm pieces
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small onion - finely chopped
225 grams canned chopped tomatoes
1 clove garlic - crushed
1 green chilli - finely chopped
5 grams ginger - peeled and grated
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon salt
100 grams baby spinach - washed
150 milllitres water

Method

Heat the oil in a wok.
Shallow fry the paneer until it is golden brown on all sides.
Remove the paneer from the wok and place it on a plate.
Now add the cumin seeds to the wok and let them cook for a minute or two.
Add the onion, stir well and cook until it is soft and starting to colour slightly.
Now add the tomatoes, garlic, green chilli, ginger, red chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Stir well and let the mixture cook for 5 minutes.
Return the paneer to the pan and mix again. Let the paneer cook in the sauce for 3 - 4 minutes.
Add the spinich and water and mix very well.
Let the curry cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the spinach is tender.
Serve hot with rice or bread.

Instant mango pickle

2011-01-14T05:00:00.004Z

This instant pickle uses unripe, green mangoes with a sour taste and firm white flesh. The recipe requires less oil and salt than a typical mango pickle and as a result is healthier but has a shorter shelf life. It is very quick to make and is a fantastic sour and hot accompaniment to almost any Indian dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch asafoetida powder
1/2 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
1 unripened mango - do not attempt this with a ripe yellow mango.

Method

Heat a completely clean and dry pan for several minutes until it is so hot that a drop of water evaporates immediately.
Now add the the fenugreek, mustard and cumin seeds and toss until they start releasing their aroma.
Crush the seeds using a pestle and mortar and then transfer into a small mixing bowl.
Add the chilli powder, turmeric, salt, asafoetida and oil and mix again
Wash the green mango and dry it thoroughly.
Halve the mango and remove the stone.
Now slice each half lengthways to create 1 centimetre wide strips.
Slice each strip to form small chunks.
Place the chopped mango in the mixing bowl with the spices and the oil and mix thoroughly.
This pickle is best served immediately but can be stored in an air tight container for up to three days.

Garam masala

2011-01-06T05:00:00.043Z

My mum found my grandfather's notes a while ago and amongst them was the family recipe for garam masala - a staple mix of spices for many curries including dahl gosht and pav bhaji.

Given the effort involved in the recipe below I buy my garam masala from my local Indian grocery store but I thought you may be interested in seeing my grandfather's recipe. If you do attempt to make this please let me know how you get on.

Ingredients

2 oz cloves
2 oz black pepper corns
1 oz star anise
8 bay leaves
6 oz coriander seeds
2 oz cumin seeds

Method

Heat a completely clean and dry pan for several minutes until it is so hot that a drop of water evaporates immediately.
Now add the the cloves and toss until they start releasing their aroma. Be careful not to dry roast them for too long as they will burn.
Remove the cloves from the heat and crush finely using a pestle and mortar.
Repeat steps 1 - 3 with all of the remaining spices.
Mix all of the crushed, dry roasted spices and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Raspberry truffle cocktail

2010-12-31T05:00:00.010Z

This is a a fantastic party cocktail - it is easy to make and has the texture and flavour of white chocolate and raspberries. I'm not sure how masculine it is but Steve enjoys it even though he always claims that he would prefer a whisky sour. I've never seen Steve actually taste a whisky sour but I'll let him keep protesting while he sups away at his raspberry truffle.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year,

Reena

Serves 1

Ingredients

Ice
25 millilitres creme de cacao
25 millilitres chambord
50 millilitres single cream
3 raspberries (optional)

Method

Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice and then pour in the chambord, crème de cacao, and single cream.
Put the lid on the cocktail shaker and shake well.
Strain into a v-shaped cocktail glass and garnish with the raspberries.
Serve immediately.

Brussel sprouts with garlic and cumin

2010-12-24T05:00:00.072Z

For me Christmas isn't Christmas without brussel sprouts. Steve, however, has a phobia of sprouts that I believe stems from his mother making cold sprout sandwiches for his packed lunch when he was younger! Miraculously however, as a result of this recipe, he has agreed to eat at least a few sprouts with his Christmas dinner this year. Another minor triumph for me(!).

The combination of spices and careful cooking results in a fragrant vegetable dish without any trace of the bitter taste typically associated with brussel sprouts.

Merry Christmas everyone - I hope Santa is kind to you.

Serves 2 as an accompaniment

Ingredients

200 grams brussel sprouts - trimmed and outer layers peeled
salt
ice
10 grams butter
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 red chilli - finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground

Method

Half fill a small pan with water and bring it to the boil
Add 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and the brussel sprouts. Let them cook for 6-8 minutes. They should still have a slight crunch to them.
While they are cooking half fill a bowl with cold water and ice.
When the sprouts are cooked, drain them and place them immediately in the iced water to stop them cooking further.
Now melt the butter in a small frying pan.
Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
Add the garlic, chilli, black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir well.
Now drain the sprouts, slice them in half and add them to the pan.
Stir well and let them cook until the sprouts are heated through. Take care not to let them overcook.
Serve immediately

Ginger and chilli biscuits

2010-12-17T05:00:00.007Z

Every Christmas Fortnum and Mason sell their marvellous Lucifer's ginger and chilli biscuits and every Christmas I buy at least six tins - two for us and the rest as gifts. This year I have decided that nothing is going to be bought for consumption at home; I am going to make all the sweets, biscuits and cakes in-house (although never fear Messrs Fortnum and Mason - I will still be buying foodie gifts from you). Given my busy work schedule this may well add to the number of wrinkles on my face and grey hairs on my head.

This is the first of my holiday recipes. It is a slightly different style to the Fortnum's biscuits but they are wonderfully crunchy and have a kick that lingers long after you have eaten the final crumb. Enjoy!

Makes 12 biscuits

Ingredients

110 grams self raising flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
50 grams butter - room temperature
50 grams white granulated sugar
75 grams golden syrup

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.
Sieve the flour, ginger, chilli powder and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl.
Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Fold in the sugar.
Add the golden syrup and mix well.
Take one-twelfth of the mixture and use your fingers to form a firm, smooth ball about the size of a walnut.
Place the ball on a lined baking sheet and flatten gently.
Repeat steps 6 and 7 until the mixture is used up. But make sure that the balls are well spaced out as they will spread during baking. I actually use two baking sheets to ensure that the biscuits have enough space.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the biscuits are brown and cracked.
Let the biscuits cool for a minute or two and then use a fish slice to move them onto a wire rack to cool. Don't wait longer than this before moving them onto the wire rack as they will stick to the parchment paper. However they need to cool a little so that they are firm enough to move without losing their shape.
Enjoy with a cup of tea.

Spicy potato croquettes with a warm tomato chutney

2010-12-10T05:00:00.108Z

My mum is an incredibly fussy eater to the extent that when faced with a menu in a restaurant she will often get upset because there is nothing that she wants to eat.

When my parents first married, my dad worked in the City for an Arabic oil company. As you can imagine in the 1960s the Christmas party was an extravagant affair with live bands, comedians and endless amounts of food and alcohol. My mum declined all the food but a kind waiter took pity on her and returned with a plate of potato croquettes and tomato ketchup. And so commenced my mum's love affair with croquettes which I think must be genetic as I find them comforting too.

This recipe is my attempt to make croquettes even more appealing to my mum by spicing them up a little.

I'm just hoping that she won't start to cry when she sees the food on Christmas day!

Makes 10 croquettes (serves 3 -5 people as an appetizer)

Ingredients for the croquettes

1 medium sized potato (in the region of 200 grams) - peeled
1 clove of garlic - crushed
1 small green chilli - finely chopped
5 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
2 teaspoons coriander and cumin powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 handful coriander leaves - finely chopped
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 small onion - finely chopped
Light tasting vegetable oil
1 egg - beaten
breadcrumbs

Ingredients for the warm tomato chutney

1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
2 shallots - finely chopped
3 cloves garlic - crushed
4 tomatoes (in the region of 275 grams) - finely chopped
a pinch of crushed chilli
1/2 tablespoon of lime juice
small handful of chopped coriander
salt
black pepper - freshly ground
5 curry leaves (optional)

Method for the croquettes

Boil the potato. While it is boiling I make the warm tomato chutney (below).
When the potato is cooked, mash it into a mixing bowl.
Add the garlic, chilli, ginger, coriander and cumin powder, garam masala, salt, lemon juice coriander, sesame seeds and onion. Mix well.
Roll the mixture into 10 croquette shapes and place on a plate.
Pour enough vegetable oil into a frying pan to shallow fry the croquettes and heat the oil.
Now dip the croquettes in the beaten egg and roll in the breadcrumbs.
Test the heat of the oil by adding a pinch of breadcrumbs to it. The oil is hot enough if the breadcrumbs sizzle as soon as they are place in the oil.
Shallow fry the croquettes, turning regularly to ensure that all sides brown evenly. If you are cooking the croquettes in batches, add more oil to the pan if required.
When they are ready, place them on a plate lined with kitchen roll to soak up any excess oil.
Serve immediately with the warm tomato chutney.

Method for the warm tomato chutney

Heat the oil in a small pan.
Add the shallots and garlic and let them cook on a low heat.
When the shallots have softened add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and place a lid on the pan. Let the mixture cook for twenty minutes or until the chutney is thick and pulpy. Place to one side until you are ready to serve.

Japanese pickled ginger (gari)

2010-12-03T05:00:00.107Z

A few weeks ago I was invited to attend a sushi making class with the delightful Yuki from Yuki's Kitchen. Yuki is a trained chef and offers Japanese home cooking lesson s in west London.

The class was great fun - very well organized and informative with the extremely supportive Yuki on hand to help with any queries or concerns. At the end of the evening, our results looked good and tasted fantastic. All in all, a great evening and highly recommended if you are interested in improving your understanding of Japanese food.

In light of my love of condiments, Yuki was kind enough to share her recipe for Japanese picked ginger. I hope all you sushi lovers out there enjoy it.

Makes: 250ml jar

Ingredients

250 grams fresh root ginger
1 tablespoon salt
80 grams granulated sugar
70 millilitres rice vinegar

Method

Peel and slice the ginger very thinly. Yuki recommends using a ceramic mandolin if you have one.
Place the ginger in a bowl and pour hot water over it. Allow it to stand for 30 seconds and then drain away the water.
Rinse the ginger with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Sprinkle the salt on the ginger, mix well and leave for an hour.
Now wash the ginger lightly and squeeze hard to remove the juices.
Place the ginger in a jar with the sugar and rice vinegar. Stir well.
Leave the ginger for 3 days in fridge before serving with sushi. NB this can be stored for up to 1 month in the fridge.

Mike's Perfect Sausage and Carrot Pasta

2010-11-26T05:00:00.166Z

In honour of Steve's birthday today, I thought I would post a recipe for one of his favourite pasta dishes - a family recipe from our Italian friend Mike.

My favourite story about Mike occurred a couple of years ago when Steve was the best man at his wedding in Helsinki.

According to Finnish tradition, the bride is kidnapped during the reception and then the wedding guests demand a ransom from the groom. This was going as per the plan until both Mike and Steve ran out of money and the guests demanded Mike's underwear as part of the ransom.

Reluctant to give up his specially purchased wedding underpants, Mike and Steve disappeared to the bathroom so that Steve could lend Mike his boxer shorts (a heroic gesture from a dutiful best man).

After surprising another man in the bathroom with their trouser removing antics, they returned and Mike waved the boxer shorts aloft triumphantly.

The cunning ruse backfired almost immediately however when I recognised the shorts as Steve's and soon the other guests were shouting 'They're Steve's underpants." and refusing to accept them as payment.

In what I can only think was a desperate attempt to secure the release of his new bride, Mike said 'No, they're definitely mine. In fact, if they weren't mine, would I do this?' and then proceeded to pull them over his head.

God bless you Mike - I hope Hannele appreciated your sacrifice!

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion - finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic - crushed
1 teaspoon salt
225g pork sausages (2-3 sausages)
150g grated carrots (in the region of 3 medium sized carrots)
450g tomatoes chopped finely
A handful of basil
Additional salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan
Pasta (of your choice)

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large pan
Cook the onions, garlic and salt until the onions are soft - approximately 5 minutes.
Slit open the sausages and then add the meat to the pan breaking it up into small pieces as you do so.
Cook for a further 5 minutes, breaking up the sausage meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
Add the grated carrot and put the lid on the pan. Cook for 10 minutes to allow the carrot to cook into the sauce.
Add the chopped tomatoes, replace the lid and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid and cook for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.
Tear up the basil and stir into the sauce.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with pasta and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Mango lassi

2010-11-19T05:00:00.015Z

Historically, given the choice between salty lassi or mango lassi I have always picked the former. This is probably because sweet lassis are not typical to Gujarat and so seem slightly wrong to me. Last week however, my office hosted a Diwali party and in between henna painting and a head massage I enjoyed my first mango lassi.

The recipe below is my version of the drink. It is a question of balancing the taste of the yoghurt with that of the mango and vanilla. Feel free to play with the quantities until you are happy but the guidelines below seem like a good balance to me.

Serves 2

Ingredients

200 millilitres smooth natural yogurt
4 ice cubes
275 grams ripe mango - peeled, destoned and cubed
2-3 drops vanilla essence

Method

Place all the ingredients into a blender and process until smooth.
Serve immediately.

Hibiscus water - Agua de Jamaica

2010-11-12T05:00:00.041Z

Steve and I have been on two holidays this year:

A flying visit to Mexico for our friend Tameez's wedding
A cycling trip along the Nile.

Egypt

The two trips were completely different; Mexico involved lots of celebrating, laughter and relaxing whereas the cycling trip was action packed, hot (~45 °C) and energetic. Strangely, however, one common link was the abundance of a refreshing drink made from hibiscus flowers that tasted a little like a fusion of cranberries and blackberries.

Mexico

I brought back a large bag of dried hibiscus flowers from Egypt and set about trying to recreate the drink at home. The result is below and we've been thoroughly enjoying it as both a hot and cold drink. Apparently you don't even need to pop to Egypt to buy the dried flowers - you can buy them in many shops specialising in dried fruits. That said, I challenge you to buy 500 grams of dried hibiscus flowers for fifty pence!

Makes 2 litres

Ingredients

2 litres water
75 grams dried hibiscus flowers
300 grams granulated sugar
4 tablespoons lime juice

Method

Place the water in a large stainless steel pan and bring to the boil.
Switch off the heat and add the sugar to the boiling water. Stir well until all the sugar has dissolved.
Add the hibiscus flowers and lime juice and stir again.
Place the lid on the pan and leave to steep for 15 minutes.
Strain the mixture into a large mixing bowl and leave to cool.
Serve hot or cold.

P.S. If you find the drink too syrupy just dilute with water!

Win tickets to the winter Good Food Show!

2010-11-08T17:43:00.001Z

The BBC's Winter Good Food Show is happening at the end of the month at the NEC in Birmingham (24-28th November). The event has a Christmas focus this time with plenty of festive food to taste and buy as well as demonstrations from celebrity chefs including:

Gordon Ramsay
Rick Stein
The Hairy Bikers
James Martin

I have five pairs of tickets to give away courtesy of those lovely people at the BBC. (Tickets valid for any day except Saturday)

To be in with a chance of winning send me an email by midnight on Sunday 14th November with your address. The winners will be chosen randomly.

Good luck!

Carrot halwa

2010-11-05T05:00:00.008Z

Last night was Diwali. Those of you who read my Diwali post last year will know that I am not fond of Indian sweets but a number of people have asked for a recipe for carrot halva and in an attempt not to be a grump on such a happy occasion I thought I would oblige.

This recipe is incredibly simple and actually very tasty. Unlike many Indian desserts it is not overly rich or sweet. I am having a small Diwali party tomorrow night and plan on serving this to my lovely guests (hello Varsha, Richard and mum!) while we watch the fireworks over London from our kitchen window.

Serves 1-2

Ingredients

1 teaspoon ghee or unsalted butter
1 cardamom pod
75 grams carrots - peeled and grated
6 pistachios - finely chopped
3 almonds - finely chopped
10-15 sultanas
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
a pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons single cream

To garnish

finely chopped pistachios or almond slivers

Method

Melt the ghee in a small heavy bottomed frying pan.
Add the cardamom and the carrots and saute for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat.
Add the pistachios, almonds, sultanas, sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Cook for a minute or two.
Now add the cream and mix again. Turn down the heat and put a lid on the pan.
Stirring occasionally, let the halwa cook for five minutes or until the carrots are soft.
Remove the cardamom pod.
Garnish with the chopped pistachios or almond slivers.
Serve warm.

Corned beef hash

2010-10-29T05:00:00.002+01:00

My parents brought me up as a Hindu and so we didn't eat beef at home. However they were of the view that outside of our home I should eat whatever I was given and so I tried various forms of beef. I generally find the flavour of beef too strong but (due to numerous school dinners) I developed a taste for corned beef that has endured.

This recipe is my version of corned beef hash. It is made using English corned beef which doesn't appear to have a US equivalent. This is good stodgy comfort food and perfect for winter.

Serves 2 as a main course

Ingredients

2 large floury potatoes - peeled and cut into wedges
1 tablespoon - light tasting vegetable oil
1 medium onion - coarsely chopped
175 grams corned beef - diced
2 tomatoes - diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
Tabasco sauce - to taste
Worcester sauce - to taste

Method

Boil the potatoes in a pan for 20 minutes or until cooked.
While the potoatoes are cooking heat the oil in a heavy bottomed panl.
Add the chopped onions and let them cook until they are soft and transparent.
Now add the corned beef and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, Tabasco sauce and Worcester sauce and stir well.
Now drain the potatoes and mash them.
Add the potatoes to the corned beef mixture and stir well.
Taste the hash to check the seasoning and condiments. Adjust as required.
Serve immediately.

Moroccan lamb with prunes

2010-10-22T05:00:00.075+01:00

In 2005 Steve and I competed in the London to Dakar rally - a 19 day event that was memorable for a number of reasons including several near death experiences.

The route took us through France, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal and throughout the journey the quality of the food varied wildly. The best meal we had was after our first brush with death on our second day of rallying in Morocco. I was driving and Steve was encouraging me to take corners quickly such that the back end of the car spun out slightly; great fun and we were doing really well until the surface of the road changed from tarmac to gravel. The car skidded towards the edge of the mountain but I managed to spin it back round and crash into the rockface on the other side of the road. This was not great for the car but at least we were alive. If we had gone over the edge we would have fallen several hundred feet.

As we limped to the hotel at the end of the day we were both in need of comfort and tasty food. A chap at the hotel recommended a little restaurant tucked away down a side street and it was here that I tasted lamb with prunes for the first time. This is my take on the recipe and whenever I eat it it evokes memories of that three week adventure.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
1 large onion - chopped
3 cloves garlic - crushed
5 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
500 grams lamb (preferably neck fillet) - cut into cubes
3 teaspoons coriander - cumin powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
750 millilitres vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tomato puree
150 grams prunes - pitted and halved
1 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
2 preserved lemons - cut into strips (remove all pips)
2 tablespoons harissa paste
small handful coriander - chopped
small handful mint - chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan.
Add the onion, garlic and ginger and leave to cook until the onions soften slightly (in the region of five minutes)
Add the cubes of lamb and stir well. Put the lid on the pan and let the flavours infuse for 15 minutes on a low heat. Stir occasionally.
Add the coriander-cumin powder, salt, cinnamon sticks, paprika and black pepper and stir.
Now add the vegetable stock and tomato puree and stir again.
Increase the temperature and heat the dish until the liquid is boiling gently.
Put the lid on the pan and reduce the temperature to a low heat. Cook for 15 minutes.
Now taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary bearing in mind that the preserved lemons that you'll be adding at the end are very salty.
Put the lid back on the pan and cook for another 30 minutes.
Add the prunes and replace the lid on the pan. Continue cooking until the lamb is tender enough to cut with a spoon.
Switch off the heat and add the orange blossom water, preserved lemons and harissa. Stir well.
Garnish with the chopped coriander and mint.
Serve with couscous.

Guar dokri - cluster beans with dumplings

2010-10-15T05:00:00.001+01:00

Cluster beans (also know as gawar beans or guar beans) are green beans native to India. They are better known as the source of guar gum than as an important part of the diet. However they are high in fibre, low in calories and have been found to be effective at lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

So now you are probably wondering how anything so nutritious (and cheap!) can taste good. Well cluster beans have a very delicate flavour and if cooked using the recipe below can even win over veggiephobes; in fact my own resident veggiephobe (aka Steve) loves this dish. It has a very unusual flavour, slightly bitter and definitely grown up but the dumplings make it comforting and I am sure that you will go back for a second helping.

Serves 3 people as a main course

Ingredients

For the curry

Two handfuls of cluster beans - topped and tailed. Note: These should be a lime green colour and long, thin and tender. If they are a dark green they will be overripe and if they are thick they will contain seeds. You can still use thick cluster beans but they will probably require destringing.
4 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
3/4 teaspoon ajwain seeds
1 small onion - coarsely chopped
5 grams ginger - peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic - crushed
2 green chillies - finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1.5 teaspoons coriander-cumin powder
2 litres boiling water
A handful of chopped coriander

For the dumplings

80 grams juwar flour
120 grams chapati flour
15 grams chickpea flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
a pinch of asafoetida
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 stalks coriander - finely chopped and washed
100 millilitres boiling water

Method

Cut the cluster beans into lengths of 2-3 centimetres.
Soak the cut cluster beans in water.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan and add the asafoetida and the ajwain seeds.
Now add the onion and let it cook until it is slightly brown.
At this point add the ginger, garlic, chillies, turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander-cumin powder. Stir well.
Drain the cluster beans and add them to the saucepan and stir.
Add 450 millilitres water and stir again. Now place a lid on the pan and let it simmer on a low heat while you make the dough for the dumplings.
Meanwhile place all of the dumpling ingredients except for the water into a mixing bowl. Use a spoon to mix them together.
Now add the boiling water and kneed until a firmish dough has been formed. Add more boiling water if required.
Leave the dough to one side for a minute while you add 250 millilitres boiling water and 1/2 tablespoon oil to the pan with the cluster beans. Stir well and place the lid back on the pan.
Returning to the dough, lightly grease a chopping board.
Split the dough into three lumps. Take the first lump and roll it out on the greased chopping board until it is approximately 3 millimetres thick. Then use a small pastry cutter (mine has a diameter of 4 centimetres but as long as it is bite-sized that is fine) to make round shapes.
Add the dumplings to the pan with the cluster beans. Add them individually to prevent them from sticking together and forming a single lump.
Add 250 millilitres boiling water and 1/2 tablespoon oil to the pan and stir gently. Place the lid back on the pan and let it simmer.
Now roll out the second lump of dough and cut into round shapes.
Add the dumplings to the pan and add another 250 millilitres boiling water and 1/2 tablespoon oil and stir gently. Place the lid back on the pan.
Roll out the third lump of dough and cut into round shapes.
Add the dumplings to the pan and add another 250 millilitres boiling water and 1/2 tablespoon oil and stir gently.
Place the lid back on the pan and turn the heat up to medium - high. Let it cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Turn the heat down to low and let the curry cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Garnish with coriander and serve immediately. The dumplings provide the carbohydrate in this dish and so no rice or bread is required unless you are particularly hungry.

Maru's bhajia

2010-10-08T05:00:00.045+01:00

The first time I tasted these bhajias I was nine years old. One of my cousin's (Bharat bhai) had just taken me to see Superman 3 at the cinema for the third time in a week (each of my male cousin's (Raju, Shailesh and Bharat) wanted to see it and took me along with them - I didn't mind I just loved spending time with them.).

After the film Bharat bhai took me to Maru's Bhajia House in Wembley. I remember being astounded, the queues were out of the door just for a takeaway! A few month's later I was back in Wembley with my parents and insisted that they try them. We drove around for ages trying to find the restaurant and then queued for even longer to get a taste of these bhajia. Considering the trauma involved my parents were slightly underwhelmed and considering how simple the recipe is I am now also astounded about the craze surrounding Maru's bhajia in those days.

Still, the bhajia are good in small quantities and make the perfect hot and crunchy snack food when you are settling down to an evening chatting with friends.

Serves 2 as a snack

Ingredients

light tasting vegetable oil
1 medium sized floury potato

For the batter

75 grams chickpea (gram) flour
5 grams corn flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small green chilli - finely chopped
5 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
3 cloves garlic - crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 small handful of coriander - finely chopped
25 millilitres water

Method

Peel the potato and slice it very thinly - the thinner the better (aim for 1 millimetre slices). The aim is to cook the potatoes without burning the batter.
Pour enough oil into a small frying pan to enable you to shallow fry the bhajia. Caution: Hot oil is dangerous and must not be left unattended.
Mix all of the batter ingredients in a small mixing bowl to create a thick batter. It should be so thick that it doesn't drop off a spoon unaided.
Check the heat of the oil by placing a drop of batter into the pan. The batter should sizzle and rise to the surface. If the oil spits violently then turn the heat down. It is important to regulate the heat of the oil for the duration of the cooking time.
Once the oil is hot enough, dip a few slices (no more than 5 at a time) of potato in the batter and fry until crispy and golden brown. This will take in the region of 3 - 4 minutes.
Place the bhajias on a dish covered with a piece of kitchen roll and let the oil drain.
Serve immediately with tomato sauce or tamarind chutney.

Note: If you are making larger quantities, make them in small batches as the batter becomes watery with time and the bhajias don't taste so good cold.

Gujarati dahl

2010-10-01T05:00:00.088+01:00

When Steve and I were married in Gujarat we were touched when twenty or so of our friends and family came to India to attend the wedding.

On their first evening in Surat (my family's home town) our guests ate in the hotel restaurant and ordered rice with their meals. They became gradually more frustrated as their curries became colder and the rice still hadn't arrived. When Steve explained that they wanted the rice with their main courses the waiter was very confused; Gujaratis eat dahl (also spelt daal, dhal and dal) with rice at the end of every meal. They eat roti (chappatis) with the main course. My mum believes that you can only be fully satisfied following a meal if you end it with dahl and rice.

This is my mum's dahl recipe. I tend to serve it as a soup or an accompaniment to a main course rather than with rice. However you choose to serve it I hope it leaves you sated.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

90 grams toor dahl
a pinch bicarbonate of soda
2 tomatoes - chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
15 grams jaggery or brown sugar
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons coriander-cumin powder
1 1/2 teaspoons light tasting vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 fenugreek seeds
30 grams unsalted natural peanuts
a pinch asafoetida
5 curry leaves (optional)
A small handful of fresh coriander - chopped
1/4 teaspoon garam masala

Method

Place the toor dahl in a bowl and cover with hot water. Leave to soak for 1 hour.
Drain the dahl and place in a medium sized saucepan. Add the bicarbonate of soda and 500 millilitres of cold water. Stir the contents of the pan and bring to a gentle boil.
Place a lid on the pan and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes add the chopped tomatoes. Stir, place the lid back on the pan and leave to simmer for another 15 minutes.
At this point the dahl should be soft. If you have a hand blender, blend the contents of the pan thoroughly to leave a smooth consistency. If you don't have a hand blender you can skip this step but you will have a more coarse dahl.
Add the lemon juice, jaggery, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and coriander-cumin powder to the pan and stir well. Put the lid back on the pan and leave to simmer on a very low heat.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds and leave to sizzle and cook for a minute or two.
Add the peanuts and hing and let them cook for a minute.
Carefully add the dahl to the saucepan with the peanuts. Caution: The dahl will react with the hot oil and may spit at you if you add it too quickly.
Add the curry leaves if you have them. Stir the contents of the pan and taste to check the seasoning. Add salt or lemon juice as required.
Put the lid on the saucepan and leave to cook on a low heat for 5 minutes or so.
Just before serving garnish with the coriander and garam masala.
Serve with rice either as a main course or following a tasty curry.

Tamarind chutney

2010-09-24T05:00:00.031+01:00

I love the taste of tamarind. The tangy flavours remind me of a lemon sherbert but without the cloying sweetness. When Steve and I travelled through South-East Asia last year we snacked on tubs of tamarind fruit seasoned with chilli and salt - it makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Tamarind chutney is quite often served as an accompaniment to snacks such as bhajias, bhel puri and pani puri. The recipe for the chutney below is relatively thick and designed to be served with bhajias. If you prefer/ require a more watery version slowly add additional water in step 4 until you achieve the required consistency.

Serves 2

Ingredients

50 grams dried tamarind
200 millilitres boiling water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
A sprig of coriander - finely chopped

Method

Separate the dried tamarind to increase the surface area.
Place the tamarind in a small pan and pour over 150 millilitres of the boiling water. Put a lid on the pan and heat on a lowish heat for 10 minutes. The tamarind should now be soft and the water a dark brown colour. The majority of the water will have been absorbed by the tamarind.
Take the tamarind and water mixture off the heat and then using a nylon sieve, sieve it into a small mixing bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon to push the pulp through the sieve. Extract as much of the tamarind as possible, periodically removing the pulp from the back of the sieve into the mixing bowl. Expect this process to take time and energy - I tend to do this when I'm feeling a bit grumpy(!).
Add the salt, chilli powder, coriander-cumin powder, lemon juice and the remaining 50 millilitres of boiling water. Stir well and leave to cool.
Place in a small serving bowl and garnish with the coriander.

Sauted cabbage and coconut

2010-09-17T08:31:00.008+01:00

Indian food is generally served as a thali; a collection of different dishes usually served on a steel tray with multiple sections. The sections prevent the different dishes contaminating each other. A typical thali will contain two or three vegetable dishes, chapattis, puris or naan, pappad, a sweet, pickles, chutneys and raita. In Gujarat the rice and dahl are served subsequently to the thali but I always forget this and am always full from the thali alone.

This cabbage dish is ideal to be served as one of the vegetable dishes although Steve and I eat it with bread as a main course - I don't have the time to make all the components of a thali every night after work! The recipe was provided by our friends Shiv and Shweta and is a traditional dish from Bangalore.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

Light tasting vegetable oil
200 grams white cabbage - finely grated
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 small red onion - chopped
2 green chillies - finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
30 grams fresh coconut - grated
Small handful coriander - finely chopped
Lemon wedges to garnish

Method

Heat 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan.
Add the grated cabbage and cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. The cabbage should not colour during this time.
Meanwhile in a separate pan heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds to the second pan and let them cook for a minute or two.
Now add the onion, chillies and lemon juice to the second pan and stir well. Let this cook for 5 minutes until the onions become soft.
Add the turmeric and salt to the second pan and stir.
Now add the cooked cabbage to the second pan and stir again. Let the dish cook for 5 minutes. Taste to check the salt. Add more if necessary and stir well.
Take the pan off the heat and add half the grated coconut. Stir well.
Garnish with the remaining coconut and chopped coriander and serve with the lemon wedges.

Chana masala - chickpea curry

2010-09-10T05:00:00.005+01:00

I remember the first time I tasted this dish. I must have been five years old and my parents had taken me to visit some family friends. They served it with a soft, fluffy bread called bhatura. I remember loving the mellow flavours and the soft texture of the chickpeas. I also remember all of the adults being astounded that I was eating.

Yes, it is hard to believe that as a child I didn't eat. I don't think I was a fussy eater I simply wasn't interested in food. It just seemed like such a waste of time when you could be reading an Enid Blyton book instead. Now I spend all of my time thinking about my last meal, my next meal or (when I can smell something particularly delicious) someone else's meal. There are times (e.g. when I'm trying to fit into a slinky dress) that I wish I could turn off my love of food and return to the days when I could obtain all of my nutrition from the Famous Five (although this may explain why I am only 5 foot tall when both my parents are above average height) but mostly I just continue rummaging in the kitchen while deciding what to eat next.

Serves 2-3 as a main course

Ingredients

1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium onion - chopped
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 green chilli - finely chopped
5 grams ginger - peeled and grated
227 grams canned chopped tomatoes
410 grams canned chick peas - drained (drained weight: 240 grams)
1 tablespoon natural yoghurt
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

To garnish

A handful of chopped coriander
Chopped onion - to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a pan.
Add the cumin seeds and fry for a minute or so.
Add the chopped onion and let it cook on a lowish heat until very soft. This will take in the region of 15 minutes. Stir the onions occasionally to prevent them from colouring too much as the flavour will change. The aim here is just to remove the crunchiness of the onion.
Now add the garlic, green chilli and ginger. Stir and let everything cook for a minute or two.
Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, yoghurt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander-cumin powder and salt. Stir well.
Place a lid on the pan and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Garnish with coriander and chopped onion and serve with bread, naan or bhatura.

Pink ginger cordial

2010-09-03T05:00:00.097+01:00

Pink ginger cordial is the perfect drink for both summer and winter. On a hot Indian summer day it makes a refreshing beverage when served over ice. On wintry days it can be made with boiling water to create a fiery brew for warming you through to your bones. This is a favourite in our little flat and it is incredibly easy to make - enjoy!

Makes approximately 500 millilitres of cordial

Ingredients

175 grams fresh root ginger - washed and dried
250 grams granulated white sugar
3 blackberries
1 teaspoon citric acid
500 millilitres boiling water
3 unwaxed lemons - washed

Method

Grate the root ginger into a large mixing bowl. There is no need to peel the ginger.
Add the sugar, blackberries, citric acid and boiling water to the mixing bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Crush the blackberries slightly to release their juices.
Juice the lemons and add the juice and remaining lemon halves into the mixing bowl. Mix well.
Cover with clingfilm and leave the mixture to steep overnight.
The next day, wash and rinse the glass bottle(s) you plan to use for storing the cordial. Place the bottle(s) in your oven and then set the temperature to 160 degrees Centigrade. Heat the bottle(s) for 30 minutes and then carefully remove the bottles and allow them to cool.
In the meantime discard the lemon halves from the cordial mixture and then using a nylon sieve, strain the remaining mixture into another bowl.
Now use a funnel to pour the cordial into your sterilized bottles.
Store the cordial in the fridge and use within 2 months.
Dilute to taste and serve either as a hot drink or cold over ice.

Blackberry and aniseed sorbet

2010-08-27T05:00:00.124+01:00

Steve and I are lucky enough to live opposite Wimbledon Common. This not only means regular Womble hunts but an abundance of fresh blackberries.

We decided to make a sorbet with this year's pickings but thought we would give it a grown up twist with the addition of aniseed. I am sure that Madame Cholet would have approved.

Makes approximately 0.5 litres

Ingredients

200 grams sugar
275 millilitres hot water
5 teaspoons aniseed
400 grams fresh blackberries - washed
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

Place the sugar, water and aniseed in a pan. Heat slowly to dissolve the sugar and bring to the boil.
Switch off the heat and leave to cool for 10 - 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, press the blackberries through a sieve over a suitable bowl. Scrape underneath so that nothing is wasted.
Add the lemon juice and stir well.
Now take a clean sieve and strain the aniseed syrup into the bowl with the blackberry juice.
Stir well and pour into a plastic tub.
Place a lid on the tub and freeze for 3 hours.
Use a fork to stir up the sorbet and then put back in the freezer for another 45 minutes before stirring again. Keep doing this every 45 minutes until the sorbet has formed a soft crumbly texture firm enough to form scoops. This will take in the region of 4 hours.

Easy potato and spring onion curry

2010-08-20T05:00:00.002+01:00

This is a quick and healthy recipe that I created the other day after a lack of communication between Steve and myself resulted in an abundance of baby potatoes and spring onions. We both enjoyed the meal and so promptly made the dish again the next day so that I could capture the recipe to share.

Serves 2 as a light lunch or 4 as an accompaniment

Ingredients

300 grams baby potatoes - cut in half if not already bite sized
1 tablespoon light vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon black onion seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 dried red chilli (optional)
1 small onion - finely chopped
1 tomato - chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 spring onions - chopped (including the green stalks)

Method

Place the potatoes in boiling water, put a lid on the pan and boil for 10 minutes.
Heat the vegetable oil in another pan and then add the mustard, cumin, fenugreek, black onion seeds, fennel seeds and dried red chilli.
Let the spices sizzle for a minute and then add the chopped onions. Stir well and let they cook until they are soft and transparent.
Drain the potatoes and then add them to the onions. Stir well and then add the chopped tomato, turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Stir again.
Place the lid on the pan and let everything cook for 7-8 mins or until the potatoes are cooked.
Now add the spring onions, stir and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Fennel and cumin encrusted tuna steaks

2010-08-13T05:00:00.103+01:00

When Steve was very young he spent a lot of time fishing with his grandfather. At the time his ambition(?!) was to open a fishing tackle shop with a wife that shared his passion. Unfortunately for him not only do I dislike eating fish, I actually have a very mild case of ichthyophobia. As such we haven't opened a tackle shop but he has occasionally bullied me into going fishing:

The first time was in Sydney harbour where a well meaning chap in a yacht took pity on us for not catching anything, decided that we were using the wrong bait and started throwing small fish at us to use. As I ran from one end of our tiny boat to the other trying to avoid the hideous, slimy beasties I managed to be hit by all three fish. Urgh. Needless to say the new bait didn't help and we went back onto dry land and ate a burger.
The last time was in the Red Sea and this time we actually caught a fish. Unfortunately it looked like Nemo and I burst into tears. To calm me down Steve quickly unhooked the poor creature and threw him back into the sea. After a few minutes of playing dead (cue more sobs from me) Nemo gave himself a big shake and swam off.

Neither of these episodes helped me overcome my dislike of fish but I have recently conceded that in order to have a more balanced diet I should eat a little fish. As such I started experimenting with tuna steaks (no slimy skin or life-threatening bones to deal with) and came up with this easy recipe for juicy, spice encrusted steaks that I serve with garlic mash and a tomato salad. If fish can taste this good I may be converted to the dark and scaly side.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 small tuna steaks (in the region of 100 grams each)
1 teaspoon aniseed seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lemon - cut into wedges

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees centigrade.
Wash and dry the tuna steaks. Leave to one side.
Heat a completely clean and dry pan for several minutes until it is so hot that a drop of water evaporates immediately.
Now add the the aniseed seeds and cumin seeds and toss until they start releasing their aroma. Be careful not to roast them for too long as they will burn and have a bitter taste.
Remove the cumin and aniseed from the heat and crush them using a pestle and mortar.
Add the chilli flakes to the mixture and crush again.
Place the crushed spices in a small mixing bowl with the salt and olive oil. Mix well.
Rub the spice mixture over the tuna steaks.
Brush a large piece of foil with a little olive oil.
Then place the tuna on the foil and make a parcel.
Place in the oven for 12-18 minutes depending on how large the steaks are and how well-cooked you like your fish. I tend to check the fish after 10 minutes and then decide how long to put them back in the oven for.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges to garnish.

Corn on the cob in a spicy tomato and peanut sauce

2010-08-06T05:00:00.002+01:00

To my mind there are only two ways to eat corn on the cob:

Cook the corn on the barbeque. Then dip a wedge of lemon into a bowl of salt and chilli powder and smear it all over the corn. It will make your lips burn but the flavours pop and I am drooling as I type.
This recipe from my mother. Your lips won't burn as much but the flavours are distinctive and the combination of tomatoes, nuts and corn create a thick sauce with a variety of textures. This isn't the most elegant dish - you have to dive in and eat it with your fingers and your face will be covered with the sauce but it is definitely worth it!

Serves 2 as a main course

Ingredients

To cook the corn

2 sweet corn cobs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

To cook the sauce

1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium red onion - chopped
1 small green chilli - chopped
5 grams ginger - peeled and grated
1 clove garlic - crushed
20 grams uncooked peanuts - coarsely chopped
225 grams canned chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons lemon juice
125 millilitres water
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Method

Cut the corn cobs in half and place them in a pan. Cover with water and add the salt and turmeric. Stir and then place a lid on the pan. Let the sweetcorn boil for 20 minutes.
In a separate pan heat the vegetable oil.
Add the cumin seeds and let them cook for a minute or two.
Add the chopped onion and let them cook until transparent.
Now add the green chilli, ginger, garlic and peanuts. Stir and let them cook for a few minutes.
Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, water, chilli powder, coriander-cumin powder, salt and turmeric. Stir well.
Drain the sweet corn cobs and add them to the pan with the tomato sauce. Stir again. The sauce will probably not cover the corn cobs but that is okay. Place a lid on the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Serve immediately.

Easy ginger and lemon jam

2010-07-30T05:00:00.214+01:00

My jam of choice is ginger and we keep a jar of Fortnum and Mason's rather excellent ginger preserve in the fridge. However when I was preparing my breakfast the other day I found that Steve had finished off the jam and put the empty jar back in the fridge. I resorted to Jif extra crunchy peanut butter (Note 1) with my toast but as I ate it I wondered what would happen if Fortnum's stopped making ginger jam; would the world stop revolving? Would stock markets crash? Would I make my own ginger jam? The first two are inevitable results of a ginger jam crisis but the third... maybe I could avert the crisis single-handedly by creating my own version.

My version contains lemons as I wanted to be sure that the jam would set and lemons are naturally high in pectin (the agent that facilitates the setting of jam). As a result my jam is less sweet than Fortnum's and the heat from the ginger is offset by the tartness of the lemons. So far everyone that has tasted it loves it - I hope you do too.

Note 1: Thanks to my dear friend Liz in Dallas for keeping me supplied with the only peanut butter brand that I will eat.

Ingredients

3 unwaxed lemons
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
200 millilitres water
110 grams fresh root ginger - peeled and coarsely grated
1 tablespoon liquid fruit pectin
400 grams granulated white sugar (note 2)

Note 2: I use jam sugar which has added pectin to "guarantee" a firm set (some guarantee - it still doesn't always set first time!). However normal granulated sugar should work too. If the jam doesn't set you can troubleshoot as detailed in point 17 in the method below.

Makes 1 large jar

Method

The first step is to sterilize the jar. Set your oven to 140 degrees centigrade. Now wash your jar in soapy water and rinse in clean warm water. Leave it to drip-dry, upside down, on a rack in the oven for at least half an hour while you make the jam.
Using a sharp knife remove the zest from the lemon in strips taking care to avoid the white pith.
Cut each strip into thin slices. The size of the slices is up to you. Think about it in terms of marmalade and whether you like thin, medium or thick cut shreds.
Place the sliced zest in a small saucepan. Add the bicarbonate of soda and water.
Heat the contents of the pan on a high heat and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to low and let the contents simmer for five minutes or until the peel has softened.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave to one side.
Returning to the lemons, cut away the white pith to expose the lemon segments.
Now, work over a large bowl and cut away the membrane. Place the remaining lemon segments in the bowl but take care to remove any seeds.
Place the lemon segments and juice in the pan with the lemon peel and water.
Add the grated ginger and liquid pectin to the pan and stir well.
Heat the pan over a high heat and bring the contents to a boil stirring constantly.
Add the sugar and stir again. Keep the contents of the pan boiling furiously such that they are bubbling and rolling. It is essential to keep stirring at this point to stop the contents of the pan burning.
You need to continue boiling and stirring until the jam has reached it's "setting point". You can identify this in two ways:

when the liquid jam has reached 105 degrees centigrade. You can test this using a confectioner's thermometer (aka sugar or candy thermometer). From experience I recommend investing in an electronic one for accuracy but only if you are likely to use it regularly.
place a large drop of jam on a cold plate and place the plate in the refrigerator. Remove the pan from the heat during this test as you don't want the liquid jam to burn. Once the jam on the plate has cooled (should be no more than 2-4 minutes) push the jam with your finger. If the surface wrinkles and the jam doesn't overflow where you pushed it it has reached setting point.

Once the jam has reached setting point ladle it into the sterilized jar.
Close the jar and leave it to cool.
Once cool, if the jam isn't firm enough you can reboil it and try again. Essentially one of two things occurred:

the liquid jam did not reach setting point
there was not enough pectin in the mixture to achieve a set.

Spinach and sweet potato curry

2010-07-23T05:00:00.014+01:00

I apologise for another photo of "mush". Steve and I try so hard to make the photographs look appetizing but curry is notoriously difficult to photograph. It would be so much easier if this was a blog about cup cakes...

This is a great way to feed spinach to someone that claims not to like it. Unlike my sauteed spicy spinach recipe this dish fully cooks the spinach to bring out the bitter flavours to offset the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. I first tried a similar dish called butternut 'n' spinach at Hot Stuff a fantastic little Indian cafe in Vauxhall, London. It was so delicious I tried to recreate it a few days later. This is my final version and it is very different to Hot Stuff's original dish; it is significantly less oily, the butternut squash has been replaced with sweet potato because I find it easier to prepare and I have made it a little less subtle. Bon appetit!

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

300 grams sweet potatoes - peeled and cut into chunks
100 grams baby spinach
2 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
4 fenugreek seeds
1 small onion - finely chopped
3 cloves garlic - crushed
1 red chilli - finely chopped
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground

To garnish (optional)

Coriander - chopped
1 red chilli - sliced

Method

Boil the sweet potatoes until cooked - probably in the region of 20 minutes.
Drain the sweet potatoes and then mash well removing any large lumps.
In the meantime finely chop the spinach leaves discarding any thick stalks.
Heat the oil in a pan.
Add the fenugreek seeds and let them cook for a minute or two.
Now add the chopped onion and let it cook until very soft.
Add the garlic and chopped red chilli and stir.
Now add the coriander-cumin powder, salt and black pepper. Stir well.
Add the spinach and stir again. Let the spinach cook for a minute or two.
Add the mashed sweet potatoes and stir well so that the spinach and potato are fully mixed together.
Place a lid on the pan and let the curry cook for 5 minutes on a low heat.
Garnish with the coriander and/ or red chilli and serve immediately.

Raspberry kulfi (Indian ice cream)

2010-07-16T05:00:00.013+01:00

Following my successful experiment with pistachio kulfi I started thinking about the world of possibilities for Indian ice cream. I considered turning my hand to hazelnut (too similar to pistachio) or lemon (no lemons at home) and finally settled on raspberry - primarily because I had a spare punnet in the fridge. Not only does it look pretty, it tastes fantastic - I hope you give it a whirl.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

150 grams fresh raspberries
150 grams condensed milk
2-3 drops vanilla extract
75 grams whipping cream

To garnish (optional)

A few fresh raspberries

Method

Using a wooden spoon press the raspberries through the sieve over a suitable bowl. Scrape underneath the sieve so that nothing is wasted.
Now add the condensed milk, and vanilla extract to the bowl and stir well.
In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks. Take care not to over beat the cream.
Fold the cream into the condensed milk mixture until it is thoroughly mixed in.
Pour into a mould (or several moulds) of your choice (I used an empty cream cheese tub) and place in the freezer until completely frozen - in the region of 8 hours.
Prior to serving, remove from the freezer. Run hot (not boiling) water over the back of the mould and then empty the kulfi onto your serving plate.
Garnish with the remaining raspberries and leave to soften prior to serving. Depending on the temperature of the room this can take anywhere from 5 to 40 minutes.

Tartiflette - La Tour de France: Stage 8

2010-07-11T00:01:00.067+01:00

Today is stage 8 of the Tour de France and I have been asked by Barbara from Winos and Foodies to participate in her project to cover each stage of the race by posting a dish from the region. Today's stage starts in Tournus - Station des Rousses (covered yesterday by Eliza at Gastronomy Gal) and ends in the pretty town of Morzine-Avoriaz. Luckily for me my friends Saloni and John (See note) own an apartment in the area and have provided the beautiful Alpine photos and the recipe (although I have gone a little "off-piste" with the recipe - sorry John, I'm not sure that I've ever followed a recipe exactly!).

The region is the Rhone Alpes region and is split into two departments - Haute Savoie (meaning Upper Savoy) and Savoie. Unsurprisingly Morzine-Avoriaz is in Haute Savoie and this stage is one of the toughest of the Tour – a 189 kilometres ride that climbs to a height of nearly 1800 metres. I am a keen (but slow) cyclist myself and last February Steve and I set off on a cycling trip from London to Istanbul. Our (slightly optimistic?) planned route included a winter crossing of both the Pyrenees and the French Alps although looking at the stage 8 profile map I think the Alps would definitely have foiled our attempt even if we had conquered the snow blocked Pyrenees. In the end we abandoned our bikes, gave up on Istanbul as a destination and visited Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Panama and the Coachella Music Festival in Palm Desert. We were described by one reader of our blog as "The people who couldn't find Istanbul even if they were being helped by the British Geological Survey".

Considering all of the calories that will have been burnt on Le Tour today, it is fortunate for the cyclists that the dish of the region is the high fat tartiflette made with potatoes, bacon, cream and cheese. It doesn't strike me as the healthiest meal but it is traditionally served with a green salad. Well that's alright then. Even though it is marketed as a traditional dish it was created in the 1980s by the union of reblochon cheesemakers as a way to popularise the cheese - and it worked! I'm not sure that Barbs had an exposé in mind for her project but I guess that's a side effect of the investigative journalistic style used on Coconut Raita!

Tomorrow is a rest day but stage 9 on Tuesday will be covered by Alison at Sushi Day.

Note: Providers of the marvellous pumpkin and scallop soup recipe last Halloween.

Serves 3-4 (or 2 greedy monkeys aka Saloni and John)

Ingredients

700 grams waxy potatoes (eg Charlotte) - peeled
10 grams butter
1 large white onion - finely chopped
2 cloves garlic - crushed
200 grams lardons (or streaky bacon - chopped)
Small handful thyme leaves - chopped
Salt
Pepper
200 grams creme fraiche
100 millilitres white wine (I used the delightful Les Rocailles Aprement vin de Savoie)
250 grams reblochon - finely sliced (with rind)

Method

Pre-heat the over to 180 degrees centigrade.
Cut the peeled potatoes into 1cm slices.
Place in a pan and boil until tender - in the region of 12 - 15 minutes.
In the meantime melt the butter in a pan.
Add the onions to the melted butter and saute for five minutes.
Now add the garlic and lardons. Stir well and cook for a further five minutes.
Add the thyme leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Take care not to add too much salt as the cheese and lardons both contain salt. Stir again and leave for a further five minutes. The onions should now be soft and the lardons starting to crisp.
Drain the potatoes.
Place half of the slices on the bottom of a shallow ovenproof dish.
Now use half of the lardons and onion mixture to form the next layer.
Place half of the cream on top of the lardons and onions.
Now pour half of the wine over the dish.
Place half of the cheese on the dish.
Repeat steps 9 to 13 to use the remaining ingredients.
Place the dish in the oven until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown - in the region of 20-30 minutes.
Serve with a green salad, vinaigrette and a glass of white wine preferably from the Savoie.

Sweetcorn curry

2010-07-09T05:00:00.002+01:00

This is another easy store cupboard recipe perfect for when you think you have nothing in the house to cook. It takes fewer than 20 minutes to prepare and has a fabulous crunchy texture as well as a deep flavour provided by the garam masala. Steve and I eat it with bread as we need a steady supply of carbohydrates for our daily commute by bicycle but it also works as a dish by itself - think of it as a spicy thick soup.

Serves 2 as a main course

Ingredients

1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small onion - chopped
195 grams canned sweetcorn (drained weight 150 grams)
227 grams canned chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
small handful chopped coriander

Method

Heat the oil in a small pan.
Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a minute or two.
Now add the chopped onion and let them cook until they are soft and transparent.
Drain the sweetcorn and add it to the pan along with the tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander-cumin powder, salt and garam masala. Stir well.
Cover the pan and let it cook on a low heat for 5-10 minutes.
Garnish with the coriander and serve.

Pistachio kulfi (Indian ice cream)

2010-07-02T05:00:00.025+01:00

People sometimes ask me whether I am of Italian origin as a result of my skin tone. Given my love of gelato (Morelli's serve the best in London) and my disdain of Indian kulfi, I sometimes wish I was. Generally kulfi is heavy, tastes of boiled milk and is served frozen solid rendering it inedible. Yuk. Or as my northern husband would say "yak" although I have yet to work out what a hirsute Himalayan bovine has to do with it.

The other day I ended up with too much whipping cream and so decided to try to create a kulfi that the ultimate ice cream snob (me) could enjoy. The results were surprisingly good - in fact I found myself eating spoonfuls of the mixture before it even got to the freezer. I don't know how authentic the recipe is (my guess would be not very) but it definitely has the texture of kulfi and Steve happily munched away without any mention of bovines - Himalayan or Alpine.

Serves 2-3 (fewer if you eat most of the mixture prior to freezing)

Ingredients

150 grams condensed milk
30 grams shelled, unsalted pistachios - finely chopped (but not ground as you require a little texture)
2-3 drops almond extract
2-3 drops vanilla extract
75 grams whipping cream

To garnish (optional)

A few shelled, unsalted pistachios - roughly chopped

Method

Place the condensed milk, pistachios, almond extract and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and stir well.
Beat the whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks. Take care not to over beat the cream.
Now fold the cream into the condensed milk mixture until it is thoroughly mixed in.
Pour into a mould (or several moulds) of your choice (I used an empty cream cheese tub) and place in the freezer until completely frozen - in the region of 8 hours.
Prior to serving, remove from the freezer. Run hot (not boiling) water over the back of the mould and then empty the kulfi onto your serving plate.
Garnish with the chopped pistachios and leave to soften prior to serving. The length of time varies depending on various factors. The first day I left it to soften was a cold, rainy day and it took around 20 minutes to get to a firm but not solid consistency. The second time it was a steamy thirty degrees and the kulfi was melting nicely within 5 minutes.

Sweet potato and sugar snap peas curry

2010-06-25T05:00:00.001+01:00

This is the perfect early summer dish from my mum's side of the family. It is delicately spiced and combines new potatoes, sugar snap peas and sweet potatoes in a fabulous vegetable medley. My auntie's family all go crazy for it at this time of the year and so I thought I would share it with you so that you could see what all the fuss is about.

Serves 2-3 as a main course

Ingredients

1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ajwain seeds
A pinch asafoetida (optional)
A pinch bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 red chillies
500 grams new potatoes
1 large sweet potato - peeled and chopped into bite sized chunks
150 grams sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon water

Method

In a large pan heat the vegetable oil.
Add the ajwain seeds and let them cook for a minute or two.
Now add the asafoetida, bicarbonate of soda, salt and turmeric and whole red chillies (don't chop them) and stir well.
Using a sharp knife slice the potatoes in four from the top to 2/3 of the way down. This is so that the flavours of the spices penetrate the potatoes during the cooking process.
Add the potatoes, sweet potato, peas and water and stir well.
Place a lid on the pan and cook on a low heat stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The dish is ready when the potatoes and sweet potatoes are fully cooked - in the region of 40 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Chaas - Gujarati salted lassi

2010-06-18T05:00:00.010+01:00

To mark the official start of summer on Monday I thought I would share my mum's recipe for chaas - a refreshing Gujarati yogurt based drink. The main differerence to lassi is that it has a higher proportion of water and so is lighter. My grandma used to make it everyday to eat with lunch (the main meal of the day in Gujarat) as it is thought that the bacteria in the yogurt aid digestion. However I just drink it on hot summer days as it is very refreshing. Hopefully I will have many opportunities to serve chaas this summer!

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1 teaspoon cumin
200 millilitres plain natural yogurt
400 millilitres cold water
1 teaspoon salt
1 stalk coriander - chopped

Method

Heat a completely clean and dry pan for several minutes until it is so hot that a drop of water evaporates immediately.
Now add the the cumin seeds and toss until they start releasing their aroma. Be careful not to roast them for too long as they will burn and have a bitter taste.
Remove the cumin from the heat and crush them using a pestle and mortar.
Place the yogurt and water in a blender along with 3/4 teaspoon of crushed cumin and salt. Blend until frothy.
Serve immediately over ice and garnish with the remaining crushed cumin and chopped coriander.

Win tickets to the BBC's Summer Good Food Show

2010-06-12T08:03:00.003+01:00

The BBC's Summer Good Food Show is next week (running 16-20th June) at the NEC in Birmingham and looks like a fabulous foodie event. There will be a mixture of celebrity chefs (including demonstrations from James Martin, The Hairy Bikers and Rachel Allen), opportunities to participate in the MasterChef Invention Test, seasonal foods and a huge selection of award-winning UK food producers.

I have a pair of tickets (valid for any day) to give away to a lucky Coconut Raita reader, courtesy of those generous people at the BBC. To be in with a chance of winning drop me an email by midnight on Sunday with your address. The winner will be chosen randomly. Good luck!

Salted caramel popcorn

2010-06-11T05:00:00.052+01:00

Steve and I have fallen in love with the award winning sea salted caramel chocolates by Paul A Young. They are expensive but incredible to taste being both sweet and salty at the same time. Fortunately for me Paul's shop in the Royal Exchange is around the corner from my office and so I make regular lunch time trips to buy supplies for my afternoon chocolate break. The shop wouldn't be out of place in one of the Harry Potter books; it is tiny and is crammed with unusual truffles with a soup kettle of dark, smooth hot chocolate bubbling in the corner.

We can never decide between sweet or salty popcorn and so Paul's sea salted caramels inspired me to make salted caramel popcorn. I have yet to come across someone that hasn't come back for more once they have tasted them.

Serves 4 -6 (or 2 greedy ones)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil
120 grams unpopped popcorn maize
75 grams uncooked nuts (I use peanuts and cashews but I'm sure pecan nuts would be great too)
60 grams light brown muscovado sugar
60 grams light corn syrup
35 grams butter
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Note: I make popcorn on the hob. However I am sure that microwave popcorn would work just as well. Use the instructions on the packet to make the popcorn and then continue with the recipe from step 6 onwards. Most microwave popcorn has added salt so you might want to reduce the amount of salt in the caramel.

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 130 degrees centigrade.
Place the oil in a large pan and heat on a medium heat.
When hot add the popcorn maize and place a lid on the pan.
Shake the pan vigorously (with the lid still on) every few minutes to prevent the kernels from burning. after a few minutes you should hear the kernels popping.
When the popping subsides, switch off the heat and wait a minute or two.
Empty the popcorn into a large mixing bowl discarding any unpopped kernels.
Add the nuts to the popcorn.
Heat the sugar, corn syrup, butter, water and salt in a small pan on a medium heat. Stir well.
Once melted, keep heating and stirring for another 3 to 4 minutes.
Immediately pour the hot caramel over the popcorn and nuts.
Use a spatula to gently fold the caramel into the popcorn and nuts as evenly as possible.
Line a rimmed baking tray with parchment paper.
Pour the popcorn and nuts onto the lined baking tray and spread them out.
Place the tray in the oven and bake for 40 minutes stirring the popcorn after 20 minutes to stop them sticking together.
After 40 minutes, remove from the oven. You can either serve the popcorn immediately or cool and then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Lemon pickle

2010-06-04T05:00:00.122+01:00

This is a fantastic pickle recipe - sweet, sour and spicy all at the same time. I also love the fact that the cooking process requires a hot, sunny day. During the summer months I keep an eye on the weather forecast and as soon as I see a heatwave on the horizon I start collecting fresh juicy lemons. The preparation is very quick and simple - the time is in the natural drying process. Personally I'd like to know who came up with these methods so that I can shake their (probably skeletal) hand.

Makes 1 jar of pickle

Ingredients

5 unwaxed lemons
5 teaspoons chilli powder
3 teaspoons turmuric
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon asafoetida
250 grams sugar
2 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil

Method

Place the lemons in a pan and cover them with water. Place a lid on the pan and bring the water to a boil. Let the lemons simmer until they are very soft - in the region of 20 minutes.
Drain the lemons and let them cool until they are easy to handle.
Now cut each lemon in half lengthways. Cut each half into three or four strips and then cut each strip into bit sized pieces.
Arrange the lemon pieces on a plate and place them in the sun to dry. They are ready when the skin has become slightly firm and you can see the sugar from the lemon starting to crystallize on the surface of the skin. There should still be some moisture in the lemons as you don't want the pickle to be too tough. The length of time this will take depends on the weather and the size and variety of lemons. I made these on a glorious sunny day and they had finished drying within 4 hours.
Now place the dried lemon pieces in a mixing bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients. Stir well. Taste the pickle and add more chilli or salt if required.
Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to one side. Give the pickle a quick stir if you are passing by. You will notice the consistency of the pickle change with time. It is ready when the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture is runny. Again the time this will take depends on various factors but don't be surprised if it takes 2-3 days.
When it is ready, place in a clean dry jar and store in a cool, dark place - but not a fridge as it will cause the sugars in the pickle to solidify.

Fresh mango puree

2010-05-28T05:00:00.004+01:00

Gujaratis tend to eat the sweet element of a meal alongside the main course. When I was growing up, my mum would serve guests tinned mango pulp made slightly more interesting with the addition of lumps of Wall's vanilla ice cream. I never mastered the act of eating savoury food interspersed with sweet morsels. Relatives would question why I wasn't eating the sweet and my parents would laugh and say that I could only concentrate on one part of the meal at a time. I was (and still am) more of a sticky toffee pudding girl and I prefer my dessert to follow the main course.

I have been feeling slightly nostalgic recently and so I decided to revisit the mango pulp dessert using fresh mango. I have continued with the use of ice cream but I have added lime juice to cut through the sweetness of the fruit and recommend using an ice cream with high butterfat content. I serve this as a pre-dessert in shot glasses as it is a great palate cleanser before the main event - which is generally more traditionally British! Not only is it quick to prepare, you can make it several hours prior to serving. It is the perfect additional course for a dinner party.

Serves 4 as a pre-dessert

Ingredients

4 teaspoons good quality vanilla ice cream.
75 grams fresh mango - peeled, stoned and cut into large chunks
1/2 tablespoon lime juice

Method

Place a teaspoon of icecream into each shot glass. Leave to soften.
Puree the mango and lime juice into a smooth consistency and then spoon over the icecream in the shot glasses.
Refrigerate until you serve.
Serve with straws cut to an appropriate length.

Serial killer chicken curry

2010-05-21T05:00:00.023+01:00

This curry is based on my killer chicken curry recipe. The previous recipe results in a thin sauce that is highly spiced but not something that you would find in an Indian restaurant. Most people love it but a few people (hi Charlie!) mentioned that they would have preferred a thicker sauce and so I set about trying to amend the recipe. Despite the similar ingredients and method the results are significantly different. Steve's friend Richard beta-tested the recipe, declared it "really lovely" and then made it again for dinner the next day!

Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients

2 large floury potatoes – peeled and cut into large wedges
1 large onion (chopped finely)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
10 grams root ginger (peeled and grated)
1 green chilli (finely chopped)
3 teaspoons coriander-cumin powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon chilli powder
2 teaspoons salt (less if you prefer)
3 tablespoons tomato puree
15 grams coriander - chopped
3 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
2 large skinned chicken breast fillets - washed and cut into large chunks
250 ml water
25g butter

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.
Place the potato wedges in a saucepan and boil for 15 minutes. (20 minutes if you want an even thicker sauce)
Place the onions, garlic, ginger, green chilli, coriander-cumin powder, garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder, salt, tomato puree, chopped coriander and the oil in a large mixing bowl. Mix together thoroughly.
Add the chicken and mix again.
Transfer into an ovenproof dish that has a lid.
Add the par-boiled potatoes and water to the dish. Mix gently and then place the butter on the top.
Put the lid on the dish and put in the oven for 30-35 minutes. At this point check that the chicken and potatoes are cooked. The potatoes should have started to melt making a thick sauce.
Serve immediately with rice, bread or naan.

Garlic chutney

2010-05-14T05:00:00.075+01:00

A friend of ours came for dinner one night and we made Nigel Slater's chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. While the chicken was resting, the three of us ate all 40 cloves and then during the meal we each consumed an additional roasted garlic bulb (Steve and I both feel that a garlic bulb per person is a pre-requisite for a roast dinner). On our way to work the next day, we climbed to the top deck of the bus and as we sat down, two builders in overalls looked at each other and said "phwoar can you smell garlic?". They looked around, decided it couldn't possibly be emanating from us (I had an important meeting and so was dressed very smartly) and then opened the windows. It was very embarrassing and I spent the whole day sitting as far away from everyone as possible. Steve was leaving his job that day and as a leaving gift they presented him with a bottle of mouthwash as well as a very generous gift. I would love to say that the experience encouraged us to reduce our garlic consumption but I think we are truly addicted.

This garlic chutney is fabulous with bhajias, chips and pretty much anything savoury. It is incredibly simple to make and is actually quite balanced - I am sure that if consumed in moderation you will not reek at all.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lime juice
25 millilitres water
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend to form a smooth paste.
Serve immediately in a small bowl or store in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container.

Chilli popcorn

2010-05-12T05:00:00.002+01:00

Steve works with a lovely group of people (see note) and they have recently initiated a monthly film club. This involves arranging the firm's plush conference room into auditorium style seating, eating pizza in the interval and watching a film on the screen usually reserved for dry PowerPoint slides.

The film is chosen by popular vote but the nominations are provided by a different member of the club each month. So far they have watched Casablanca (my all-time favourite film - I cry from the moment Ingrid Bergman appears on screen) and The Italian Job. It is a great way to facilitate team bonding and has more imagination than a trip to the pub.

Although I have been invited I have not yet attended one of these evenings but I have provided snacks in the form of chilli popcorn. These are more interesting to the taste buds than salty popcorn and have gone down very well with the film club - I hope you enjoy them too.

Note: Although I haven't met him, my favourite is Bhargava because the last time I sent a cake for the team he told Steve that if I stood for prime minister he would vote for me. This man clearly has good taste.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
100 grams popcorn maize
10 grams ghee - melted (you can substitute ghee for butter if you prefer)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon chilli powder

Method

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan.
Add the popcorn maize and place a lid on the pan. Turn the heat to medium high and let the maize heat. Shake the pan vigorously every minute or so to prevent it from burning. After a few minutes, you should start to hear the corn popping. Continue to occasionally shake the pan.
When the popping subsides switch off the heat.
Place the popped corn into a large mixing bowl. Remove any unpopped kernels.
Now drizzle a little of the melted ghee over the popcorn and using a spatula quickly (but gently) fold it into the popcorn to coat each kernel. Repeat until all of the ghee has been used.
In a small bowl mix the salt, garlic salt and chilli powder. Add a little of the spice mix to the popcorn bowl and gently mix into the popcorn using the spatula. Repeat until all of the mix has been used.
You can either serve this immediately or let it cool and store for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Tamarind margaritas

2010-05-10T18:10:00.002+01:00

During our trip to Mexico I rediscovered my love of frozen margaritas. They were perfect - not so frozen as to give me head freeze and perfectly balanced so that I didn't pull my tequila face. As a result tamarind margaritas with a salt and chilli rim were the drink of the holiday. In a bid to retain that holiday feeling Steve and I have been drinking them steadily since we returned. Below is my recipe for the cocktail. Salud!

Makes 1 margarita

Ingredients

3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon chilli powder
Slice of lime
Ice cubes - enough to 3/4 fill the glass
2 shots of tamarind cordial (50 ml)
1 shot of silver tequila (25 ml)
1 shot of triple sec (25ml)
1 shot of lime juice (25ml)

Note: If you are making a few margaritas it is worth mixing a bulk load of salt and chilli powder as it is easier to dip the rim of the glass into a larger quantity. Just keep a ratio of 3:1 of salt to chilli powder.

Method

Place the salt and chilli powder in a dish and mix well.
Rub half of the rim of the glass with the slice of lime.
Dip the rim of the glass in the dish with the salt and chilli powder.
Place the ice and tequila into a blender and process until the ice is crushed.
Now add the remaining ingredients and process for a few seconds to mix the cocktail. The ice should now be slushy.
Empty the contents into the glass.
Serve and enjoy.

Agua de tamarindo - Tamarind cordial

2010-05-05T12:00:00.006+01:00

Steve and I have just returned from a trip to Campeche, Mexico. I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food (although I do like Tex-Mex) but I love their snacks and drinks; frozen margaritas, tamarind covered in chilli, pineapple covered in chilli, oranges covered in chilli, frozen margaritas - you get the idea.

On this trip we discovered agua de tamarindo or tamarind water. By now you know how much I love tamarind and this drink was cool and refreshing - perfect for rehydrating by the pool. The weather in London is far removed from the 38 degree heat that I grew accustomed to in Mexico but having bought a large bag of fresh tamarind home with me I thought I'd try to make it.

My version includes lemon juice to give it a tang that I thought was missing in Mexico. The recipe is very simple although if you are having problems obtaining fresh tamarind then dried tamarind should work too.

By the way in a a bid to reclaim my youth I have just created a Twitter account so feel free to follow my tweets as I "hang" with the cool kids.

Makes 900 ml cordial

Ingredients

440 grams granulated sugar
625 grams fresh tamarind (peeled weight) - no need to destone the tamarind
1 litre boiling water
3 lemons
36 grams citric acid

Method

In a large mixing bowl dissolve the sugar in the boiling water.
Add the tamarind and stir well to separate the lumps of fruit.
Leave to cool until the mixture reaches room temperature.
Meanwhile zest the lemons and then slice the remaining fruit. Do not juice the lemons.
When the liquid has cooled, add the citric acid, the lemon zest and lemon slices. Stir the mixture and then cover using cling film. Place the mixture in the fridge immediately and let the flavours steep overnight.
The next day, wash and rinse the glass bottle(s) you plan to use for storing the cordial. Place the bottle(s) in your oven and then set the temperature to 160 degrees Centigrade. Heat the bottle(s) for 30 minutes and then carefully remove the bottles and allow them to cool.
In the meantime discard the lemon slices from the cordial mixture and then using a nylon sieve, strain the remaining mixture into a bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon to push the pulp through the sieve. Extract as much of the tamarind as possible, periodically removing the pulp from the back of the sieve into the mixing bowl.
Once this is done, take a clean sieve and strain the mixture again into another clean bowl.
Now use a funnel to pour the cordial into your sterilized bottles.
Store the cordial in the fridge and use within 1 week. Dilute to taste and serve with ice.

Lui’s green bean and pesto dish

2010-04-30T22:00:00.004+01:00

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of working with an Australian chap called Lui. Lui is of Italian descent and passionate about food. Occasionally during our lunch hour we would take a 20 minutes bus ride to visit a little Italian delicatessen near Holborn viaduct. Once there, Lui would explain to me how to cook all the different vegetables and pastas. He introduced me to various Italian delights including Chinotto, mortadella and ricotta sandwiches and this very simple pesto dish that Lui described as traditional Italian peasant food.

Serves 2 as a main course or up to 6 as a side dish

Ingredients

350g new potatoes
200g green beans – trimmed
4 tablespoons green pesto
Salt
Pepper

Method

If necessary, cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Boil them until cooked and drain them in a colander.
While the potatoes are draining place the green beans in a microwave proof bowl. Add a tablespoon of water and then place a lid on the bowl. Microwave the beans for 1 minute on the highest setting. Taste a bean, they are cooked when they still have a slight crunch. If necessary cook for a little longer. Once cooked, add the beans to the colander to drain.
Put the potatoes and beans in a large mixing bowl and add the pesto and a little salt and pepper. Mix well and then taste to check the seasoning. Adjust as required and serve either as a simple main course or a side dish with pasta or meat.
You can also eat this dish cold as a variation on potato salad – ideal for summer barbecues and picnics.

Variation

I like to add a teaspoon of chilli flakes just to give the dish a little kick and a bit of colour. Simply add the chilli flakes at the same time as the pesto and the seasoning. Steve objects strongly to this practice.

Hot topic - spices

2010-04-23T05:00:00.013+01:00

If you haven't cooked Indian food before it is highly probable that you won't have the ingredients you require to cook one of my dishes. Don't let this put you off. Even though the ingredients have funny sounding names (I can't pronounce the Indian words properly and my family all still laugh at me when I try...) you can generally find them in most supermarkets. Where an ingredient is more obscure and I think you will need to actively seek it out I will mention it in the recipe. Unless it is a critical ingredient I will suggest an easier to source substitute. This won't make the dish you are creating any less authentic - quite often my mum will use the substitute just because she has it lying around at home.

Although I am saying that you can buy most spices in supermarkets I am not actively advocating you do this. When you pay £2 for 50 grams of chilli powder, bear in mind that you can buy 400 grams in an Indian grocery store for the same price. The downsides of using an Indian shop are that you will need larger jars to store your spices (unless you arrange to share them with a like-minded friend) and you need to find a shop. The positives are that while you are there you can pick up all of the other spices, lentils, rice and flour you need and a whole heap of super-fresh (and super cheap) fruit and vegetables to boot! If you have never wandered around an Indian grocery store I highly recommend it. You will have no idea what 90 per cent of the stock is but it all smells unusual and evocative of India and you'll come out thinking that you have just had a vacation on the subcontinent.

Anyway I have listed below each of the ingredients that recur in my recipes and tried to demystify each one in turn.

Aniseed

I tend to use the seeds which have a distinctive licorice-like flavour. Indians will often eat a palmful of the seeds as a digestive after a meal.

Canned tomatoes

I love canned tomatoes - they are convenient, quick and juicy. However feel free to substitute these for fresh tomatoes in any of my recipes.

Chilli powder

This is made from powdered dried chillis. The heat varies depending on the type of chilli used to make the powder. You can add more or less chilli to your recipes depending on your heat tolerance without affecting the flavour.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is one of my favourite spices. However I know a few people that really dislike it including my father. As a result I have found that you can omit this spice easily from all of my recipes without any issues. I almost always use the dried bark as opposed to the ground spice.

Coriander-cumin powder

Coriander-cumin powder is literally coriander powder and cumin powder mixed together. My mum has always bought these two spices as a ready mixed blend and it was only after I started writing this blog and having to answer questions about it that it occurred to me that other people have the two separate powders in their spice cupboards (okay, okay I realise in retrospect that it should have been obvious...). Anyway I have no idea what the ratio of coriander to cumin is in coriander-cumin powder but my best guess would be 2:1. My advice to you is just use half of each if you have them separately. Indian cooking is not a science in the way that baking is. If you use slightly different ratios you will get a slightly different flavour. You never know, it might even taste better than my version. Just relax and throw in the spices. I am sure that it will taste wonderful.

Cumin seeds

I typically add whole cumin seeds to hot oil in the early stages of cooking as they impart a nutty, peppery taste. Take care when you add these to the oil as they will spit quite violently.

Fenugreek ('Greek hay' in Latin)

I use both the leaves and the seeds in my cooking. The uncooked seeds have a strong bitter smell that mellows with cooking. The leaves are wonderful with meat especially dishes such as karahi methi chicken.

Fresh chillis

The Chilli Conundrum is a hot topic amongst cooks of Indian food; Big chillis don't have any heat and bird's eye chillis are too hot. What we really need are the long, thin, green, Indian chillis that supermarkets don't seem to stock. You can generally find these in Indian grocery stores but if (like me) you don't have one of these nearby it can be a problem. In my recipes I refer to the small Thai chillis that you can get in most supermarkets. These aren't quite as hot as bird's eye chillis but are pretty spicy. If you are concerned about how much chilli to add then add a little at a time. You can always add more chilli during the cooking process. The last thing that you want is a dish that is too hot to enjoy.

Fresh coriander

I use fresh coriander (the stalks and leaves) in the majority of my recipes. My mum often claims that "you can never add too much coriander." but I have tested this assertion and she's wrong. As in most cooking balance is the key.

One tip is to chop the coriander prior to washing it. Once you have chopped it, pop it in a fine-holed sieve (or tea strainer!) and then rinse it. If you try to wash it first you will find that the coriander leaves become soggy and textureless as you try to chop them.

Garam masala

Garam masala translates as "hot mixture" in Gujarati. The "hot" refers to the intensity of the spices rather than a chilli type heat. It is made from a blend of ground spices that varies depending on the brand you buy. In India the blend varies by region and where a family blends their own masala by family.

Garlic

I use fresh cloves of garlic. The majority of dishes that I have inherited from my mother are light on garlic as my parents do not like the smell emanating from their pores. Steve and I have no such qualms and you will notice that in my own recipes I use garlic quite liberally.

Ginger

I use fresh root ginger rather than the dried powder or very lazy ginger. Be careful when using ginger as it can completely dominate a dish if you use too much of it.

Mustard seeds

This is the other main spice that I add to hot oil early on in the cooking process. You can buy black, brown or white mustard seeds. I generally use the brown Indian variety.

Star anise

I love this spice mostly because it looks so pretty. It has a similar taste to aniseed although they are unrelated. Generally speaking if I use this in a recipe and you don't happen to have it in your store cupboard then feel free to omit it.

Turmeric powder

This is dried powdered turmeric rhizomes and gives a distinctive yellow colour to food. Take care not to get this on your clothing or work surfaces as it stains immediately and is very difficult to remove .

In Gujarat a paste made from gram flour, turmeric and other random ingredients is applied to a bride and groom during a pre-wedding ceremony called "Pithi" to give an attractive yellow glow to the skin. Unfortunately at our wedding Steve with his pasty white skin turned a bright yellow colour and developed a rash instead.

Vegetable oil

Generally when I use oil in my cooking I am not using it for its flavour. As such I usually include it in the ingredient list as "light tasting vegetable oil". I tend to use rapeseed oil as it is produced locally to me nd does not alter the flavour of my cooking but any oil that has little flavour and a high smoke point is fine. Olive oil is an example of an oil that is very flavoursome and can completely dominate a dish - I really don't recommend it for Indian cooking.

Ghee - clarified butter

2010-04-16T05:00:00.007+01:00

My mum always has some ghee in her house and uses it extensively in cooking and religious rituals. I don't use it when I cook but when I was watching my mum make ghee from butter the other day I became a little curious; why would she bother going through this process unless there was a scientific reason?

The definition of ghee is clarified butter. I don't know about you but that definition has never clarified anything for me. So a little research has found that:

Ghee is butter where the water has boiled off and the milk solids (the proteins in butter) have been removed.
Unlike butter it can be stored for two to three months without refrigeration as long as it is in an airtight container (perfect in hot countries where prior to refrigeration butter would become rancid).
Compared to butter ghee has a much higher smoke point. The high smoke point makes it one of the best oils for baking, sauteing and deep fat frying.
Ghee is almost entirely composed of saturated fat.

Given all this I think I may try substituting ghee for butter in my cooking and see if I notice a difference. Stay tuned...

My research also found the following interesting facts:

Other cultures outside of India also use ghee including the Egyptians, Ethiopians, Moroccans, Brazilians and Austrians(!).
In India ghee is a symbol of purity which is why it is used as an offering to the gods, in wedding ceremonies and for lighting funeral pyres.
There is evidence of ghee being used in India since pre-historic times.

Ingredients

Unsalted butter

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan using a medium heat. It will splutter but if it is so violent that the butter is jumping out of the pan, turn the heat down a little.
You will see the whey proteins start to form a skin on the top of the melted butter. Don't stir it as it will recombine with the melted butterfat.
When the whey proteins have formed a white frothy top turn up the heat. Do not stir the ghee.
After a while you will see the milk solids settle at the bottom of the pan and turn a golden brown colour. Use a spoon to move away the whey proteins so that you can see what is happening underneath.
When the liquid under the froth has turned a clear amber colour turn off the heat. This is an indication that all of the water has evaporated. Keep an eye on the ghee as it is possible to burn it during this stage. It should smell like butter rather than roasted nuts and shouldn't turn a brown colour.
Let the pan cool a little (it should still be liquid) and then skim off the whey solids and discard them.
Strain the butter fat into a container leaving behind the milk solids which can then be discarded (although some people view them as a delicacy).
Leave the ghee to cool.
Store in an airtight container for up to a year in the fridge. It must be airtight to prevent oxidisation and to protect the ghee from moisture in the air.

Stuffed baby aubergines

2010-04-09T05:00:00.006+01:00

This is a dish that I remember from my childhood. The potatoes melt into the sauce to give it a comforting texture and the nuts cut through this to give it an unexpected crunchiness. By the time the aubergines have cooked, they will have lost a lot of their structure and you can guarantee that a lot of the stuffing will have fallen into the sauce. This is not a problem, merely an incentive to mop up the juices with some fresh bread.

Serves 4 as a main course

Ingredients
For the masala stuffing

A large handful of chopped coriander
1 small green chilli - finely chopped
1/2 small onion - finely chopped
3 teaspoons peanuts - crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
2 teaspoons coriander-cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
a pinch of asofoetida (optional)
a pinch of bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon light tasting vegetable oil

For the curry

6-8 baby aubergines
4 medium sized floury potatoes - peeled and cut into large wedges
2 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
1 small onion - finely chopped
250 grams canned chopped tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspooon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
150 millilitres water

Method

In a small mixing bowl place all of the masala stuffing ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Remove the stalks from the aubergines and then slice them in four from the top to 2/3 of the way down. This is so that you can stuff them.
Soak the aubergines and potatoes in a bowl of water.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
Add the chopped onion and let it cook on a low heat until soft and transparent.
Add the canned tomatoes, turmeric, chilli and salt. Stir well and let it cook on a low heat.
Now stuff the aubergines with the masala stuffing and add them to the saucepan. If you have any masala remaining, add it to the sauce. Also add the potatoes at this stage.
Partially cover the pan and let the contents cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.
Add the water, stir gently and then place the lid fully on the saucepan. Let the curry cook on a low heat until the potatoes and aubergines are soft (in the region of 25 minutes). Stir occasionally.
Serve hot with fresh bread.