The Indian sub-continent is another area in which people are masters at grilling and otherwise cooking over hot coals, often using improvised equipment. The grills range from tiny chula (little earthenware barbecues that use just a handful of charcoal) to enormous and blazing-hot ceramic tandoors. Although we are also-rans in comparison, there is no doubt that many of the Indian-derived recipes popular in the UK are good cooked over charcoal, and make great barbecue food, either alone or as an element of a larger spread.
Other items that are good with this menu are Baba Ganoush, Avocado Salsa, Chilled Cucumber Cream or a selection of grilled vegetables. For another meat course, try chicken portions treated with the rub recipe given, or Grilled Quail. Add Spiced Rice Salad and Spiced Chickpea Flour Cake to give a larger selection. Serve a selection of summer fruit for dessert, or Fruit Salad in a Melon for a special occasion.
The Watermelon and Strawberry Cocktail, the kofta mix and the naan bread dough can be prepared the day before and kept chilled, as can the Courgette Salad if the barbecue is lit; if not, make it before cooking the kofta and naan bread.
Serves 4, with 2 large kebabs each
2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
8 garlic cloves
2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 fresh green chillies, or to taste, deseeded
leaves of 8 fresh mint sprigs
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
the seeds from 8 cardamom pods
8 whole cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 generous teaspoons salt
cayenne pepper, to taste
2 medium potatoes, peeled (total weight about 400g)
800g minced lamb
oil, for brushing
I mould this mixture into long sausage shapes around skewers, but it can be made into burger-type patties if you prefer. It needs to be well seasoned with salt and chilli. Serve with a chopped salad of cucumber and tomato with a little chopped onion, naan or other flat bread, and some natural yogurt.
If this mixture is made up the day before, the potato should be added just before cooking. You will need 8 large skewers, or a grill basket designed for cooking patties.
Put the onion, garlic, ginger, chillies and mint in a blender or food processor and blend together to make a paste. Empty into a bowl large enough to hold the lamb.
Grind the whole spices in a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle. Add this mix to the paste in the bowl and stir together with the ground cinnamon, salt and a dash of cayenne pepper. Put the lamb into the bowl with the spices and paste, and mix together well. This is best done with the hands, kneading well.
Grate the potatoes finely into a sieve and rinse well under cold water. Drain well, then turn out into a clean tea towel and wring hard to remove as much liquid as possible from them.
Stir in the potato and mix again, then chill the mixture for 1 hour.
Divide the mixture into 8. Wet your hands in cold water and shape each portion into a long sausage shape around a large skewer, or into a burger shape if you prefer. Brush them with oil.
Grill on the barbecue, starting with a high heat, and turning once when the side in contact with the grill is nicely brown. When the other side is well browned, move to medium heat until cooked through.
Makes 8 small naan
1 teaspoon dried yeast
a pinch of sugar
500g strong plain bread flour, plus extra for dusting
100g natural yogurt
30g butter, plus extra for brushing
1 medium egg
½ teaspoon salt
Barbecues and the hot embers of open fires are excellent for cooking flatbreads, as long as there is a suitable metal surface such as a griddle, heavy frying pan or pizza tray that can be put over the heat. This is the best way for cooking naan bread without a tandoor. It is a good accompaniment to all sorts of barbecued meat, fish and dips.
Put 150ml tepid water in a small bowl and stir in the yeast and sugar, then leave to one side until frothy. Put the remaining ingredients into a food processor and add the yeast mixture. Process to make a softish, slightly sticky dough. (Alternatively, put the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stir in the yeast mixture and mix well using a wooden spoon and your hands.)
Leave to rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size – I sometimes leave this for 3–4 hours and it is fine. It can also be made last thing in the evening and stored in the fridge overnight, where it will rise slowly. Take it out for 1 hour before you want to cook.
When the barbecue is hot, knock back the dough and divide it into 8 pieces. Dust a work surface with flour and form each portion of dough into a cone shape. Flatten it for the characteristic tear-shaped naan bread, making each less than 1cm thick.
Heat a griddle or equivalent over hot coals. It should be very hot. Put 1 of the breads on the hot surface – it will start to puff up quite quickly. Press a spatula, or the flat side of a pair of tongs, down on it. Check the underside and turn after 60–90 seconds as soon as it looks golden in patches.
Cook the other side the same way, allowing a little longer for the heat to penetrate fully, then remove from the heat and brush over with a little melted butter. Wrap in a clean tea towel to keep warm while you cook the other breads in the same way.
Serves 4–6
½ small onion, sliced (optional)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 mild green chilli, or more, to taste, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons neutral oil such as sunflower oil, plus extra for brushing
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 courgettes
fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped, plus coriander sprigs to garnish
This is an invention born of numerous annual gluts of courgettes. Make it by cooking courgette slices directly on a barbecue grill. I prefer a seasoning mix that involves Asian flavours, but you can use a more European one based on olive oil, lemon juice and Mediterranean herbs if you prefer.
To make a dressing, put the onion, if using, in a serving bowl and add the garlic, chilli, vinegar, oils and salt. Stir well.
Cut the courgettes diagonally into pieces a little less than 1cm thick. Brush lightly with oil and cook over the hot coals until they soften a little and have grill marks. Add them to the dressing in the bowl as they become tender, and toss well.
(Alternatively, if the barbecue is not available, heat a ridged griddle pan and put the slices directly onto it, turning once they have grill marks on the side in contact with the pan.)
Add the coriander. Chill the salad if you don’t want to use it immediately but bring it to room temperature before serving. Garnish with coriander sprigs.
Serves 4
100g sugar
100ml water
4 large basil sprigs
1kg watermelon
500–600g strawberries, hulled
ice cubes, a few small, basil sprigs, and extra strawberries or slivers of watermelon (optional), to decorate
Make this lovely soft drink for sipping in high summer when strawberries and watermelon are plentiful.
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved, then add 4 basil sprigs. Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and leave to cool.
Cut the flesh from the watermelon and cut roughly into chunks. Put the melon and strawberries in a blender and process briefly, then push the mixture through a sieve to remove seeds and pips.
Discard the basil from the sugar syrup and stir the syrup into the watermelon mixture. Chill until needed and serve in glasses over ice. Decorate with a basil sprig and perhaps a whole strawberry or small sliver of melon.
