Crispy Grilled Red Masala Mackerel

 

Serves: 2

Oven: 225 ˚C, 437 ˚F (hot air)

 

Ingredients:

 

2 fresh mackerel, each around 250-300 g, (8-10 oz), cleaned and gutted

 

Red Masala Paste:

 

1 tablespoon sunflower oil

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh root ginger

2 teaspoons finely grated garlic

2 red chillies, deseeded and very finely chopped

1 teaspoon chilli powder

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

3 tablespoons tomato purée

1 teaspoon brown sugar

juice of 1½ - 2 lemons

 

Method:

 

1. Make a 4-6 deep diagonal slices on each side of the fish.

 

2. Make the paste by placing all the ingredients in a food processor and mix unil fairly smooth.

 

3. Season well and spread over the fish, making sure it gets into the slits.

 

4. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

 

5. Cook under a hot grill for 6-8 minutes on each side until cooked through and lightly charred at the edges. Cover with aluminium foil if it gets to dark.

 

6. Serve immediately with salad.

 

Salad:

 

½ cucumber, halved and sliced

10 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 red onion, sliced

 ½ tbsp oil,

pinch of black pepper,

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

 

Healthy tip:

 

The spices in this masala have many therapeutic properties, including boosting the immune system, improving circulation, improving mood and reducing inflammation.

 

 

 

 

 



Madras Beef Curry

Although Madras is renowned for the best vegetarian food in India, meat-based recipes such as this one are also extremely popular.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
3-4 cloves
4 green cardamoms
2 whole star anise
4 fresh green chillies, chopped
2 fresh or dried red chillies, chopped
3 tbsp Madras masala paste
1 tsp ground turmeric
450 g lean beef, cubed
4 tbsp tamarind juice
granulated sugar, to taste
salt
a few fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped, to garnish.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a karahi, wok or large pan over a medium heat and fry the onion slices for about 8 minutes until they turn golden brown. Lower the heat, add all the spice ingredients, and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the beef and mix well. Cover and cook over a low heat until the beef is tender and fully cooked. Cook uncovered on a higher heat for the last few minutes to reduce any excess liquid.

3. Fold in the tamarind juice, sugar and salt. Reheat the dish and garnish with the chopped coriander leaves. Pulao rice and tomato and onion salad would make excellent accompaniments for this dish.

Shrikhand (flavoured hung yogurt)

This is a wonderful sweet or sour yogurt dessert and is so easy to make. It is served on auspicious occasions in Maharashtra.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 litre yogurt

1 tbsp milk (lukewarm)
a few saffron strands, enough to give a little taste and colour.
130 g caster sugar ( to taste, depending on the acidity of the yogurt)
¼ tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp sliced almonds
1 tbsp sliced pistachios

Method:

1.Drain the yogurt – Put a muslin or cheese cloth over a strainer. Now pour the yogurt over muslin cloth to drain. Place a bowl underneath the strainer to collect the excess water.

 2.Next gently squeeze the excess water from yogurt. Make sure not to squeeze out the yogurt.

 3.Move the yogurt with strainer and bowl into the refrigerator for at least six hours to drain excess water.

 4.Yogurt will become thick in consistency.

 5.Dissolve the saffron in warm milk. Milk will take on the saffron color, yellowish orange.

 6. Add sugar, cardamom powder, and saffron milk to yogurt and beat well till sugar dissolves. You may use a mixer.

 7.Mix in most of the almonds and pistachios to the yogurt mix and the remaining nuts will be used for garnish.

 8. Chill the shrikhand before serving.

 9.Traditionally shrikhand is served with puri (fried flat bread).

Sweetcorn and Pea Curry

Tender sweetcorn cooked in a spicy tomato sauce makes a flavoursome curry.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

6 frozen corn cobs, thawed

1 tbsp oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp curry paste
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp salt
½ tsp granulated sugar
400 g chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
150 ml water
115 g frozen peas, thawed
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
Chapatis or rice to serve, optional

Method:

1. Using a sharp knife, cut each piece of corn in half crossways to make 12 equal pieces in total.

2. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the corn cob pieces for 10-12 minutes. Drain well.

3. Heat the oil in a large heavy pan and fry the cumin seeds for 2 minutes or until they begin to splutter. Add the onion, garlic and chilli and fry for about 5-6 minutes until the onion is golden.

4.  Add the curry paste and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining spices, salt and sugar and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, adding some water if the mixture is too dry.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée together with the water and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Add the peas and cook for a further 5 minutes.

6. Stir in the pieces of corn and the fresh coriander and cook for 6-8 minutes more, until the corn and peas are tender.

Green Chicken Korma, Chicken Rizzala (Bhopal)

Rizzala is a little-known Muslim-style curry found in only two cities of India- Calcutta and Bhopal.

Its origin is possibly the latter, where it is a curry found only in the homes of the Muslim aristocracy.

A fresh herby curry, this can best be described as a green korma.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

½ cup unroasted cashew nuts

6 tbsp oil

4 medium onions, chopped

2 large handfuls coriander leaves

½ cup mint leaves

4 green chillies

2 bay leaves

6 green cardamoms

3.5 cm piece of cinnamon

2.5 x 1.5 cm peeled ginger, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 kg chicken, skinned, and cut into 8 pieces

1 heaped teaspoon coriander powder

½ tsp cumin powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp sugar

2 teaspoons lime or lemon juice

65 ml cream

1 tbsp oil, butter or ghee

½ tsp mace powder or 1 blade of mace

Method:

1.  Soak the cashew nuts in 200 ml of water, for at least 15 minutes.

2. Pour 4 tablespoons oil in a frying pan and fry the onions over a medium heat until they are crispy brown, but not burnt at the edges. This will take between 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pan and the heat.

3. When the onions are done, put in a blender with the coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, soaked cashew nuts and 50 ml water and purée.

4. In the same pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over a low heat, and add the bay leaves, cardamoms, cinnamon, ginger and garlic. Then increase the heat to medium, put in the chicken pieces and sauté in the aromatic oil for about 5 minutes until the chicken is seared. Now add the coriander and cumin powder. Sauté the chicken for 2 minutes, stirring so that the chicken doesn’t stick to the pan. Add the green purée and sauté the chicken for a further 2 minutes.

5. Add the salt, sugar and lime juice, and 200 ml water. Taste and adjust seasoning. Now bring to the boil and simmer until the chicken is cooked, then add the cream and stir well.

6. Just before serving, heat a little oil or butter in a ladle and put ¼ teaspoon of mace powder into ladle. After 10 seconds put it into the pot and stir. Alternatively, if using a blade of mace, remove it from the oil after 20 seconds and just put the oil in. Mix well.

Serve with flavoured rice, such as turmeric yellow rice or lemon rice.

Red Chutney

Ingredients:

100 g grated fresh coconut
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp chopped coriander
2 cm piece chopped ginger
1½ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp cumin powder
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
6 dates, stoned
2 tsp lime juice
½ tsp salt

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender and grind to a paste.

Cauliflower and Coconut Milk Curry

A delicious vegetable stew which combines coconut milk with spices and is perfect as a vegetarian main course or as part of a buffet.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower
2 medium tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 fresh green chilli, seeded
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp sunflower oil
400 ml coconut milk
250 ml water
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp tamarind pulp, soaked in 3 tbsp warm water
salt

Method:

1. Trim the stalk from the cauliflower and divide into tiny florets. Peel the tomatoes if you like, then chop them into 1-2.5 cm pieces.

2. Grind the chopped onion, garlic, green chilli and ground turmeric to a paste in a food processor.

3. Heat the oil in a karahi, wok or large frying pan and fry the spice paste to bring out the aromatic flavours, without allowing it to brown.

4. Add the cauliflower florets and toss well to coat in the spices. Stir in the coconut milk, water, sugar and salt to taste. Simmer for 5-8 minutes. Strain the tamarind and reserve the juice.

5. Add the tamarind juice and chopped tomatoes to the pan then cook for 5 minutes only. Taste and check the seasoning and serve.

Pears in Spiced Wine

Familiar Indian spices, infused in a red wine syrup, give pears a lovely warm flavour. The colour is beautiful, too.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 bottle full-bodied red wine
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
½ tsp grated nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
8 peppercorns
175 g caster (superfine) sugar
thinly pared rind of ½ orange
thinly pared rind of ½ lemon
8 firm ripe pears

Method:

1. Pour the wine into a heavy pan into which the pears will fit snugly when standing upright. Stir the cinnamon stick, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, peppercorns, caster sugar and citrus rinds into the wine.

2. Peel the pears, leaving the stalks intact, and stand them in the pan. The wine should only just cover the pears. Bring the liquid to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer very gently for 30 minutes or until the pears are tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to a bowl.

3. Boil the poaching liquid until it has reduced by half and is syrupy. Strain the syrup over and around the pears and serve hot or cold.

Cook's tip:

Serve the pears with a mascarpone cream, made by combining equal quantities of mascarpone cheese and double (heavy) cream, and adding a little vanilla essence (extract) for flavour. They also taste good with yogurt or ice cream.

Balti Chicken in Hara Masala Sauce

This Chicken dish can be served as an accompaniment to any of the rice dishes.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 ½ crisp green eating apple, peeled, cored and cut into small cubes.
4 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
2 tbsp fresh mint leaves
200 ml natural (plain) low fat yogurt
4 tbsp low fat fromage frais or ricotta cheese
3 fresh green chillies, seeded and chopped
1 bunch spring onions (scallions), chopped
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp grated fresh root ginger
1 tbsp oil
500-700 g skinless chicken breast fillets, cubed
40-45 g sultanas (golden raisins)

Method:

1. Place the apple, 45ml/3 tbsp of the coriander, the mint, yogurt, fromage frais or ricotta, chillies, spring onions, salt, sugar, garlic and ginger in a food processor and pulse for about 1 minute.

2. Heat the oil in a karahi, wok or heavy pan, pour in the yogurt mixture and cook over a low heat for about 2 minutes.

3. Next, add the chicken pieces and blend everything together. Cook over a medium/low heat for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

4. Stir in thhe sultanas and remaining 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves and serve.

Hot Chilli Chicken

Not for the faint-hearted, this fiery, hot curry is made with a spicy chilli masala paste.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 fresh green chillies, roughly chopped
5 dried red chillies
½ tsp salt

¼ tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp chilli powder

½ tsp paprika

1 tbsp curry paste

1 tbsp oil

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 onion, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground turmeric

400 g can chopped tomatoes

150 ml water

8 chicken thighs, skinned

1 tsp garam masala

sliced fresh green or red chillies, to garnish, chapatis and natural (plain) low fat yogurt, to serve.

Method:

1. Put the tomato purée, chopped garlic cloves, fresh green chillies and the dried red chillies into a food processor or blender.

2. Add the salt, sugar, chilli powder, paprika and curry paste. Process all the ingredients to a smooth paste, stopping once or twice to scrape down any of the mixture that has stuck to the sides of the bowl.

3. Heat the oil in a large heavy pan and fry the cumin seeds for 2 minutes. Add the onion and bay leaves and fry for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the chilli paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground coriander, cumin and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes. Tip in the tomatoes.

5. Pour in the water and stir to mix. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.

6. Add the chicken and garam masala. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is tender. Garnish with sliced green or red chillies and serve with chappatis and natural low fat yogurt.

Apricot Chutney

Chutneys can add zest to most meals, and in India you will usually find a selection of different kinds served in tiny bowls for people to choose from. Dried apricots are readily available from supermarkets or health food shops.

Makes about 450 g

Ingredients:

450 g dried apricots, finely diced

1 tsp garam masala

275 g soft light brown sugar

450 ml malt vinegar

1 tsp grated fresh root ginger

1 tsp salt

75 g sultanas (golden raisins)

450 ml water

1. Put all the ingredients into a medium pan and mix roughly with a spoon.

2. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. When the chutney has thickened to a fairly stiff consistency, spoon it into 2-3 clean jam jars and leave to cool. This chutney should be stored in the refrigerator.