National Curry Week
| Published: 4th October 2007 14:19 |
Indian cuisine is one of the most enjoyable in the world, with the spread of so many migrants with so much respect for their culture it is no wonder that Indian food is enjoyed the world over. Indian food ranges from the rich indulgent food of the Mogul empire to the basic day to day dishes of the villagers. Indian food also varies regionally with variation between the use of meat, fish and vegetables depending on religious and availability. The northern dishes tend to be vegetarian and non dairy based, while the dishes of the south contain more meat and especially fish and are creamy and rich with coconut milk. Indian food is not inherently hot, there is much skill involved with balancing spices and flavours in Indian food.
Here's our simple Indian dinner party guide.
I like the idea of an informal starter comprised of several dishes, for people to pick and choose, this allows the timid to choose carefully, and if you have vegetarian guests they don't have to have a ‘specially' prepared plate of their own.
- Vegetable samosa - Crunchy pastry wrapped around a spicy filling of peas, carrots, potato and cauliflower.
- Onion Bhaji - Deep fried spicy onion fritters.
- Poppadoms and pickles - Delicious wafer thin pancakes made from Urid dhal and rice flours fried until crispy.
- Lamb kofta - A hot and spicy lamb patty.
- Coriander yogurt dipping sauce - A perfect cooling yogurt and herb accompaniment to any of the starter.
For the main course I find it best to have a range of dishes and accompaniments. That way guests can mix and match dishes. I like to have a mix of vegetarian and meat dishes, and also tomato and cream based sauces.
- Chicken Dopiaza - Chicken in mildly spicy onion and tomato based sauce.
- Vegetable and paneer Pista Passander - Fresh vegetables and Paneer, which is an Indian cheese made simply by straining milk that has been curdled with lemon juice, cooked in a fragrant sweet nutty sauce.
- Naan bread - A traditional bread eaten in many regions of India, traditionally cooked in a tandoor oven.
- Pliau rice - A fragrant delicately spiced rice dish, perfect with curry.
Indian deserts are incredibly sweet, you can buy a wonderful variety at your local Indian sweet centre. The recipe I have given is for an Anglo Indian desert. Using the flavours and spices of India to give a twist to a British dish.
- Cardamom Crème brulee - An Indian twist on the classic custard and caramelised sugar desert.
Try a Coconut and mango Lassi, a cooling Indian yogurt drink. The compound in chilli that makes your eyes water and your throat burn is capsaicin. Capsaicin is not water soluble but fat soluble so drinking water when your mouth's on fire may seem like a good idea but in fact all you are doing is swilling the chilli around your mouth. The fat in the yogurt and coconut milk takes the chilli out of your mouth instantly cooling you poor palette.
- Coconut and Mango Lassi and a Lassi Cocktail. - The traditional way of cooling your palette after a curry.
Indian recipes
Onion Bhaji
Wonderfully crispy bite sized onion bhajis are perfect as an Indian side dish. They also make perfect party food served with a Coriander dipping sauce or mango chutney.
- Servings: 6
- Preparation Time: 10 minutes
- Cooking Time: 20 minutes
- Ingredients
225g gram flour
200ml water
Pinch Turmeric
Pinch Chilli powder
Small bunch Coriander, finely chopped
1/4 tsp Baking powder
Salt
Oil, for deep-frying
4 Medium onions, thinly sliced
- Method
1. In a mixing bowl, mix together the gram flour and water, making a smooth batter.
2. Beat in the turmeric, chilli, chopped coriander, baking powder and salt. Stir in the thinly sliced onions until well coated.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok until the oil is so hot that a small cube of stale bread dropped into the oil turns golden within 1 minute.
4. Using two table spoons carefully drop a tablespoon of the mixture into the hot oil. Deep-fry them in small batches, removing with a slotted spoon once they become golden brown.
5. Drain the Bhaji on kitchen paper and serve at once.
Vegetable samosas
I love samosas, this is a vegetarian version which is spicy and flavourful without being hot. Perfect with mango chutney or the coriander dipping sauce.
- Makes: 15 medium-sized samosas
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes
- Cooking Time: 15 minutes
- Ingredients
For the pastry:
225g Plain flour
4 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Nigella seeds
For the filling:
500ml vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 Cauliflower, cut into tiny florets
2 Potatoes, peeled and chopped into tiny cubes
2 tsp Grated Root Ginger
4 tbsp Frozen peas
2 Carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 tbsp raisins, soaked in water
1 tsp ground Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Fenugreek powder
1 tsp Sugar
- Method
1. To make the pastry, put the flour, Nigella seeds into a bowl and rub in the ghee with your finger tips. Add a pinch of salt and enough water to make a firm dough and knead until smooth. Cover with damp tea towel and set aside.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan and add the cauliflower, peas, carrots and potatoes. Gently fry for a few minutes until cooked through.
3. Add the ginger, raisins, crushed fennel seeds, fenugreek and sugar to the pan. Season with a little salt. Stir well and let the mixture cook for a few minutes more. Remove from the heat and cool.
4. Divide the dough into golf ball sized balls. Roll each one into a very thin oval shape, then cut into half to form 2 half moons. Brush a little water around the curved side with your finger, then shape into a cone. Fill cone with vegetable mixture. Seal edges by pinching ends together, set aside and repeat with the rest.
5. Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer or deep saucepan to 180oC and fry the samosas in batches until golden, drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.
Poppadoms and pickles.
This may seem like cheating but in India they buy their pickles ready made and there are now so many available in the UK that I too buy mine. I would choose an Indian company, read the ingredients, there should only be natural flavourings and colourings and no stabilisers or gums.
Raw Poppadoms are also widely available and much better than the precooked ones.
- Ingredients
1 Jar Mango chutney (Sweet)
1 Jar Lime pickle (Hot)
1 Jar onion chutney (Medium)
1 Packet Poppadoms
Vegetable oil for frying
- Method
1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan you only need 2-3cm depth. Test the oil with a small fragment of poppadom, if you put it in and it fizzles and immediately puffs up your oil is ready.
2. Fry the poppadoms one buy one. Place the cooked poppadoms on kitchen paper to drain.
3. Serve with the chutneys, pickles and the coriander and yogurt dipping sauce.
Lamb Kofta
Wonderfully spicy and fragrant these kofta make an excellent starter served with salad and pitta bread. The amount of chilli in this recipe will just give mild heat, so if you want more fire add a whole chilli, more heat still leave the seeds in.
- Servings: 6
- Preparation Time: 45 minutes, plus 4 hours and 30 minutes chilling
- Cooking Time: 30 minutes
- Ingredients
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tbsp Parsley, chopped
1 tbsp Coriander, chopped
1 tsp Mint, chopped
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cumin seeds, crushed
½ tsp Fenugreek powder
½ inch Root ginger, grated
1/2 small red chilli, deseeded
600g minced lamb
1 tbsp Ghee (this keeps the kebab moist and most of it will drain away, but if you prefer you can leave it out)
Pinch salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- Method
1. Put the onion, parsley, coriander, mint, paprika, cumin, ginger, fenugreek and chilli into a food processor and puree. Season with a pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Add lamb and ghee, whiz into a coarse paste, adding a splash of water if necessary.
3. Refrigerate for 4 hours, until firm.
4. Shape meat into sausages and push onto the soaked skewers.
5. Return to the fridge and allow to firm up again.
6. Heat a griddle pan until hot and char grill the lamb koftas for 15-20 minutes or so, until cooked through.
Coriander and yogurt dipping sauce
A perfect cooling accompaniment to lamb kofta or vegetable samosa. The standing time allows you to make the sauce earlier in the day and forget about it until you need it.
- Servings: 6
- Preparation Time: 5 minutes
- Standing Time: 2-3 hours
- Ingredients
Small bunch fresh coriander leaves
2 tbsp lime juice
1 Green chilli, halved and deseeded
1 Clove garlic, peeled
2 tbsp natural yoghurt
½ tsp golden caster sugar
salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- Method
1. Whiz everything together in a blender, then pour into a bowl, cover well with cling film and leave in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours so the flavours develop. Mix well before serving
Vegetable Pista Passander
A rich and creamy indulgent curry, Pista refers to the pistachio nuts used, but you could always use almond or if you're allergic just leave them out.
- Servings: 6
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes, plus marinating time
- Cooking Time: 30 minutes
- Ingredients
For the marinade
2 tbsp natural yogurt
2 tbsp double cream
1 tsp grated ginger
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Large pinch ground cinnamon
50g Pistachio nuts, crushed
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Chilli powder
200g Paneer, cut into 2cm cubes
100g Green beans, trimmed and cut into 2cm lengths
100g Carrots, peeled and sliced
100g Frozen peas
For the sauce
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium Onions, finely chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground fenugreek, or 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
100g peeled plum tomatoes, crushed or puréed
1 tbsp Butter
1/4 tsp Salt
- Method
1. In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the marinade, adding the vegetables and paneer. Fold the marinade until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok and fry the onions for 7 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
3. Add the turmeric, cumin and salt, followed by the fenugreek cook for 1 minute stirring well. Tip in the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes or until the onion mixture becomes quite thick.
4. Stir in the butter, then the vegetables, paneer and marinade, and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes.
5. Serve with pliau rice and naan bread.
Chicken Dopiaza
This dish does contain an alarming amount of onions however Dopiaza does means double onion. The caramelised onions lend a sweetness and depth to the flavour of the sauce. This dish also works particularly well with Beef.
- Servings: 6
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes, plus marinating time
- Cooking Time: 30 minutes
- Ingredients
450g chicken breast, chopped into 2.5 cm pieces
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
3 cardamom pods (whole)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp ground fenugreek
3 tbsp groundnut oil
450 g onions, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 level tablespoon ground turmeric
1 level tablespoon freshly grated peeled root ginger
2 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
75 g creamed coconut
150 ml natural yoghurt
salt
freshly ground black pepper
- Method
1. Place all of the spices into a small frying pan or saucepan over a medium heat and stir and toss them around for 1-2 minutes, or until they begin to look toasted and start to jump in the pan. Now transfer them to a pestle and mortar and crush them to a powder.
2. Place 2 tbsp of the oil into a casserole dish or oven proof saucepan over a high heat, when it is really hot, brown the chicken pieces a few at a time. Cover the chicken and put on one side, then add the rest of the oil, fry the onions until well browned about 10 minutes, add the garlic and chilli and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Return the Chicken to the pan, add the crushed spices, fenugreek powder, turmeric, ginger and tomatoes and stir.
4. Next grate the creamed coconut into a bowl add 275 ml boiling water whisking until it has dissolved, pour it into the casserole, followed by the yoghurt and some seasoning. Now bring the mixture up to a slow simmer, put the lid on the casserole and simmer very gently for 2 hours.
5. Just before serving, add the lime juice and sprinkle over the chopped fresh coriander.
Naan bread
Authentic naan needs to be baked in a specially made brick oven called a tandoor, but as most kitchens do not have a tandoor, you can bake the naan bread in a hot oven just as efficiently.
- Makes: 8 naan
- Preparation time: 1-2 hours
- Cooking time: 15-20 mins
- Ingredients
500g Strong white flour
10g Salt
15g Fresh yeast
2 tbsp Olive oil
150 ml Warm water
2 tsp Nigella seeds
2 tbsp Ghee
Method
1. Mix all the ingredients except for the ghee in a large bowl.
2. Knead well with your hands until the dough is elastic, smooth and shiny. Cover with a piece of cling film and leave to rise for 1 hour.
3. Preheat your oven to 200oC and grease 2 large baking sheets with the half of the ghee. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
4. Use a rolling pin to flatten the pieces of dough into rounds, 25cm/10in diameter and then slightly distort one side to give a teardrop shape. Rest in a warm place for a further 5 minutes.
5. Place on the greased baking trays and brush with the remaining melted ghee. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes checking frequently, then set aside to cool slightly before serving.
You could also try stuffing your naan with sultanas and grated coconut, or a thin layer of the lamb kofta recipe given above. This transforms your naan from accompaniment to a dish in it's own right.
Pliau rice
Fragrant and fluffy, the perfect accompaniment to any curry. The pliau rice that you generally get is pretty flavourless, a home made dish is far superior in flavour, aroma and appearance.
- Serves: 6
- Preparation time: 25 min
- Cooking time: 30 mins
- Ingredients
450g basmati rice
1 Medium onion, finely chopped
25g Butter, plus extra to serve
4 Cardamom pods
½ tsp Turmeric
8 Whole cloves
1 Cinnamon stick
Pinch saffron threads
2 Bay leaves
600ml Vegetable stock
Salt
- Method
1. Rinse your uncooked rice under running water for a minute or so. Soak the saffron strands in a teaspoon of warm water, this will help them release their colour.
2. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan and add the onion, cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the spices, saffron and bay leaves and cook for a couple more minutes. The spices will give a wonderful fragrant flavour to the rice. Add the rice and stir until the grains are coated in the butter before stirring in the stock or water and salt. Bring to the boil and then cover with a tight-fitting lid. If the lid isn't very tight, cover the pan with aluminium foil before putting the lid on. Turn the heat down low and leave to cook for 10 minutes before turning off the heat. Don't remove the lid; just leave the rice to continue cooking in the pan for about 5 minutes until you're ready to serve.
3. The rice should have absorbed all the water and will just need fluffing up with a fork. Add a knob of butter before serving.
Cardamom Crème Brulee
A fragrant Indian twist on a British classic. The original Burnt Cambridge cream was invented at Trinity Collage, Cambridge. The cardamom and rosewater perfume the custard beautifully, if you want to surprise your guests leave out the cardamom and rosewater and add ½ a very finely chopped red chilli and the zest of 2 limes.
- Servings: 6
- Preparation Time: 10 minutes, plus 3 hours to chill
- Cooking Time: 40 minutes
- Ingredients
650ml Double cream
4 Cardamom pods
2 tsp Rosewater
6 Egg yolks
80g Caster sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
10 tsp Fine unrefined Sugar, for caramelising
- Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150oC and have a full kettle of hot water ready.
2. In a saucepan over a medium heat, mix the cream, crushed cardamom pods and rosewater with the caster sugar and cook about 4-5 minutes until steam rises, stirring continually.
3. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and vanilla essence together. Gradually pour the hot cream onto the yolks, stirring constantly. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve set over a bowl and pour into the ramekins.
4. Line a 7cm-deep baking tray with a clean tea towel, place six ramekins in the pan and pour in enough hot water to fill the pan halfway up the side of the ramekins. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the centers of the custards shake gently when the pan is shifted.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the ramekins to cool slightly. Then remove the ramekins from the pan, cool to room temperature and chill thoroughly in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.
6. Just before serving, sprinkle each custard with 2 teaspoons of sugar and caramelize the topping with a kitchen torch. If you don't have a torch, you can place the ramekins under a high grill, 5-7cm from the heat source for 3-4 minutes, but watch carefully.
If you have an ice cream maker you could, instead of baking the custards make a fragranced ice cream.
Coconut and Mango Lassi
A cooling Indian yogurt drink, a perfect accompaniment to any Indian meal.
- Makes: 6 glasses
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Ingredients
2 ripe mangos, peeled and chopped (or tinned mango or tinned mango pulp)
300ml Coconut milk
325ml Natural yogurt
2 tsp sugar
- Method
1. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blitz.
2. Pour into glasses and add some ice cubes.
Lassi is supposed to be thick and creamy, however if you find it a little too tick you can let it down with a little water.
Coconut and Mango Lassi Cocktail
Make Lassi as above adding the seeds of 2 cardamom pods and 6 measures of rum.
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