SAMOSA FILLING
60 ml/¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1½ teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
½ teaspoon finely chopped green chilli/chile
1 teaspoon grated fresh root ginger
350 g/12 oz. boiled, crushed potatoes (Maris Piper or Yukon Gold, boiled and broken with hands; not mashed)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon chilli/chili powder
75 g/1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon chopped coriander/cilantro vegetable oil, for deep-frying
PASTRY
200 g/1⅔ cups plain/all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ajwain seeds
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted ghee
60 ml/¼ cup hot water (not boiling)
Makes 16
Start by making the samosa filling. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry until they start to sizzle, then add the crushed coriander seeds and fry for 15 seconds. Add the green chilli/chile and ginger and fry for about 20 seconds. Add the crushed potatoes, salt and chilli/chili powder and stir well in the oil until all of the potato is coated. Cook until the potatoes are warmed through, then add the peas and chopped coriander/cilantro and mix well. Transfer the filling to a baking sheet or large plate, spread out and let cool.
To make the pastry, put the flour, ajwain seeds and salt in a bowl and mix. Pour in the melted ghee and gently rub in using your fingertips. When the ghee is well distributed in the flour, pour in the hot water, a little at a time, and bring the mixture together to form a dough. Knead and work the dough until it is smooth with no visible cracks – it should be the same texture as bread dough. Cover the dough with some greased clingfilm/plastic wrap and set aside.
Once the filling has cooled completely, make the pastry sheets for each individual samosa. Divide the dough into eight even balls and roll out to 12.5-cm/5-inch circles. Cut each circle in half, creating 16 equal semicircles.
Build the samosas one by one by making a cone shape with a semicircle of pastry; bring one side to overlap with the other side of the pastry and seal the edge together with a little water. Gently hold the cone in one hand (do not allow the cone to close while it is empty, as the pastry may stick together) and pinch the tip to seal. Using a teaspoon, spoon a little of the filling into the pastry cone, then use the spoon as an aid to gently push in the filling. Do not overfill; leave a lip of pastry (around 1 cm/½ inch). Using your fingertips, brush a little water around the inner exposed part of the pastry and seal by pressing the two sides together to form a sealed triangle. Repeat to create 16 samosas.
Heat the oil for deep-frying in a deep-fat fryer or large, heavy-bottomed pan to 180°C (350°F). Deep-fry the samosas, in batches of 4–5, until golden brown; this should take 5–6 minutes.
Drain on paper towels and set aside until ready to serve.
225 g/1¼ cups basmati rice
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 dried red chillies/chiles
10 fresh curry leaves
500 ml/2 cups hot water
60 ml/¼ cup coconut cream
2 tablespoons freshly grated/shredded fresh coconut, to garnish
Serves 4
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cold water and let soak for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chillies/chiles and curry leaves. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the hot water and coconut cream. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and cook for 10 minutes.
Let stand undisturbed for 10 minutes. Fluff up the rice with a fork and scatter over the grated/shredded coconut.
Fries, mashed, baked, roasted, boiled, dauphinoise, gnocchi… The humble potato wears many hats (and jackets). Whip up this recipe – combining herbs, spices and more than a dash of delicious – for your Indian-inspired evening and say ‘later tater’ to simple spuds.
190 g/2 cups chickpea/gram flour
1½ teaspoons salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon chilli/chili powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
300 g/10½ oz. potatoes
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small bunch of coriander/cilantro, finely chopped, plus extra leaves to garnish
juice of ½ lime
150 ml/⅔ cup natural/plain yogurt
vegetable or sunflower oil, for deep-frying
Makes about 32
First make the batter. Sift the chickpea/gram flour, 1½ teaspoons salt, the garam masala, chilli/chili powder and turmeric into a mixing bowl. Beat in 200 ml/¾ cup water to form a thick batter. Stir in the nigella seeds and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Peel and finely dice the potatoes. Mix the potatoes, onion, garlic and 4 tablespoons/¼ cup of the chopped coriander/cilantro into the batter.
Make a dipping sauce by mixing the remaining coriander/cilantro and lime juice into the yogurt. Season with salt. Set aside.
Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a deep pan or wok to 180°C (350°F) or until a small piece of bread added to the hot oil browns within 60 seconds.
Fry the pakoras in batches. To form the individual pakoras, drop spoonfuls of the potato mixture, spaced apart, into the hot oil. Fry until they turn a rich golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and keep warm.
Once all the batter has been used up, serve the pakoras at once accompanied by the yogurt dipping sauce and garnished with coriander/cilantro leaves.
60 ml/¼ cup sunflower oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh root ginger
1 large onion, coarsely grated
1–2 green chillies/chiles, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon hot chilli powder, plus extra to garnish
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons plain/natural yogurt, plus extra, whipped, to drizzle
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons tamarind paste
2 teaspoons medium curry powder
2 x 400-g/14-oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
chopped coriander/cilantro leaves, to garnish
lemon wedges, to serve (optional)
Serves 4
Heat the sunflower oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan/skillet over medium heat and add the garlic, ginger, onion and chillies/chiles. Stir-fry for 6–8 minutes, or until lightly golden. Add the chilli/chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, plain/natural yogurt and garam masala and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes.
Stir in 500 ml/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the tamarind paste, curry powder and chickpeas and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the liquid has reduced, coating the chickpeas in a dark, rich sauce.
Serve in bowls drizzled with a little whipped yogurt, garnished with chopped coriander/cilantro and chilli/chili powder, and with lemon wedges on the side, if liked.
1 kg/2¼ lbs. leg of lamb on the bone, portioned into pieces
rice or naan bread, to serve
HOLY TRINITY PASTE
200 g/7 oz. (about 60) green chillies/chiles
200 g/7 oz. (about 40) garlic cloves, peeled
200 g/7 oz. (about 8 x 5-cm/2-inch pieces) fresh root ginger
50 ml/3½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
MARINADE
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Holy Trinity Paste (see above)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chilli/chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons natural/plain yogurt
1 teaspoon chickpea/gram flour
CURRY SAUCE
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
a 1.5-cm/5/8-inch piece of cassia bark
2 star anise
6 cloves
6 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fine julienne of fresh root ginger
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons tomato purée/paste
1 large tomato, chopped (core and seeds removed)
5 potatoes (Maris Piper or Yukon Gold, about 430 g/15 oz. in total), peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon chopped coriander/cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped mint
juice of ½ lemon
SPINACH PURÉE
400 g/14 oz. baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon melted ghee
Serves 6
First, make the Holy Trinity Paste. Blitz together the ingredients in a food processor until coarse. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade in a large mixing bowl, add the lamb and stir to coat. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours.
To make the curry sauce, heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the cassia bark, star anise, cloves and cardamom pods and fry for 1 minute to release the natural oils, then add the cumin seeds and fry for an additional 1 minute.
Add the ginger and garlic and fry until light brown. Add the onions and salt and fry gently until softened and golden brown. (This may take 25–30 minutes, but be patient and let the onions fry slowly.)
Add the marinated lamb, mix well and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to seal the meat.
Add the tomato purée/paste, stir in and let simmer for 3 minutes. Add the tomato and cook for 15 minutes or until the tomato completely melts into the sauce. Once the sauce has become nice and rich, add 1 litre/quart water and the potatoes. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.
To make the spinach purée, put the baby spinach into a food processor and pour in the melted ghee. Blitz the spinach and ghee together until the mixture forms a purée. Set aside.
Add the garam masala, coriander/cilantro, mint, spinach purée and lemon juice to the sauce and mix well. Remove from the heat and serve with rice or naan bread.
500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. lemons
4 teaspoons rock salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons chilli/chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
a 5-cm/2-inch cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
500 g/2½ cups palm sugar/jaggery
a sterilized glass jar fitted with an airtight lid
Serves 16
Bring a pan of water to a boil. Add the lemons whole and boil them for 8–10 minutes or until soft, then drain. Cut each lemon into eight equal wedges and put them in a large mixing bowl (adding all the excess lemon juice as well). Sprinkle over the salt, turmeric, chilli/chili powder, ground coriander, cumin and ginger. Mix well.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, add the cinnamon stick and cumin seeds and let sizzle and crackle. Add the fennel seeds and toss in the hot oil for 20 seconds. Pour this over the lemons and mix well. Set aside.
Add the palm sugar/jaggery and 3 tablespoons water to another pan and mix well. Set over low heat to let the sugar to dissolve into the water slowly.
Once the sugar water has become a syrup, add the lemon wedges and any excess juices that may have been released along with the seasoned oil. Mix well and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Do not let the lemons boil, as the pickle will become bitter.
Store the lemon pickle in the sterilized glass jar fitted with an airtight lid. It should last for up to 3 months at room temperature – once opened, store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
500 ml/2 cups natural/plain yogurt
1 large tomato, finely chopped (core and seeds removed)
½ cucumber, grated
6 large mint leaves, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon caster/granulated sugar
a pinch of chilli/chili powder
Serves 4
Toast the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan/skillet until they darken and become aromatic with an earthy fragrance. Pound the seeds using a pestle and mortar to form a powder and set aside.
Whip the yogurt in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Add all the remaining ingredients, including the ground cumin, check the seasoning and serve, garnished with mint. Store in the fridge if not required straight away.
