How to cook… Prawn Chilli Dry Fry

On January 29, 2021March 11, 2026 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 4 as a starter

Combining flavours from both India and China this is a very hot, dry dish Indo-Chinese dish. Also known as Hakka Chinese cuisine this should be always be served fresh. Prawn Chilli Dry Fry is a popular Chinese dish but also a favourite in Indian Restaurants that serve Indo-Chinese food.

What you need…
• 1.5 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 400g prawns, peeled and deveined
• 3 Tablespoons oil
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 green pepper
• 1–5 green chillies (to your taste), chopped
• 1.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 4 spring onions chopped, for garnish
• A few coriander leaves, chopped, for garnish

How you make it…
1. Heat oil to a medium-hot heat and add the green peppers to the pan. Stir-fry until they start to soften (about 3–4 minutes).
2. Add the onions, chillies, pepper and chilli flakes and stir fry for another 2–3 minutes. Add a tiny bit of water if needed but not too much as this is a dry dish.
3. Add the soya sauce and mix in well.
4. Add in the tomatoes and prawns and stir-fry until the prawns are cooked.
5. Garnish with spring onion and coriander and serve fresh.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Avoid adding salt as the soy sauce already contains a lot of salt.

If you like this you should try our…
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Prawns often get injured. They are always pulling a mussel.

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How to cook… Kedgeree

On July 14, 2020August 16, 2020 By In RecipesLeave a comment

Serves 2 as a main dish

Kedgeree is an Anglo-Indian breakfast dish from the Raj-era, with fish, rice, a little spice and topped with a poached egg. This recipe is courtesy of breakfast expert Morning Yum.

What you need…
• 2 undyed smoked haddock fillets
• 30g butter
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 0.5 white onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1.5cm ginger, minced
• 2 teaspoon curry mix (I used Bart Manipur Masala pre-blended, or make your own using chilli powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, star anise)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 100g basmati rice, thoroughly rinsed
• 2 eggs
• splash of vinegar
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 Tablespoon coriander, chopped
• pinch parsley, chopped

How you make it…
1. Preheat your oven to 200°C and boil the kettle.
2. Prep the fish to cook en papillote by wrapping in baking paper, with 10g butter, a bay leaf, the cardamom pods and half the lemon juice. Put in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
3. While the fish is in the oven heat 10g butter in a pan to a medium heat and fry the onion for 2 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, ginger and half the curry and turmeric. Mix and fry for 1 minute, then add the other bay leaf.
5. Add the rice, then cover in boiling water and simmer for until the rice is nearly cooked and the water dissolved (about 8 minutes).
6. Remove the bay leaf, turn the heat to very low and add remaining curry mix, turmeric and butter.
7. Poach the eggs in separate pot with the splash of vinegar.
8. The fish should be ready now. Remove the cardamom and bay leaf and tip the juices into rice mix, along with remaining lemon juice.
9. Stir through rice mix and flake the fish.
10. Serve, garnished with coriander and parsley and topped with the poached eggs.
• Recipe courtesy @Morningyum on Instagram.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This is great served with mango chutney.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)
One taste of this dish and you’ll be hooked…

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How to cook… Basmati Steamed Rice

On July 6, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes

Serves 4 as a side dish

The staple addition to most curries, rice comes in various guises but plain white Basmati Steamed Rice is the go-to option for many people. The simplicity of plain rice works well with many dishes, allowing you to taste the flavours of your main dish rather than having the rice competing for attention. There are lots methods out there for rice: this one cooks it until it’s just cooked then lets it steam dry so the rice separates. Simple.

What you need…
• 300g Basmati rice (the best quality you can get)
• water

How you make it…
1. Wash the rice to remove the starch. Keep rinsing it until the water is no longer milky. This may take 8 or more rinses.
2. In a saucepan add enough water so that the rice is covered by 3cm and bring it to a boil with the lid on.
3. Stir and reduce the heat so the water is at a fast simmer. Gently stir every so often.
4. You need to remove the rice and drain it as soon as the rice grains have cooked. If you remove them too soon they’ll be brittle and if you leave them too long they’ll be mush. This takes from 7–12 minutes, depending how quick you are simmering the water, so at the 7-minute mark remove a grain and bite into it. If it’s brittle let it continue to simmer. Check a grain every 30 seconds until the rice is soft to your bite.
5. As soon as the grain you test is soft then drain all the rice in a colander. Sift it around to make sure all the water is removed. Now put the colander to one side and allow it to steam. After 5 minutes the grains will have separated and are ready to serve. If you are serving after this you can transfer the rice to a serving tray and put it the oven on a very low heat to keep it warm.

**CHEF’S TIP**
A lot of people leave the rice to do it’s own thing while they concentrate on the main dish, which is why so many people say they always overcook rice. But it’s important to pay attention to the rice for a few minutes as removing the rice at the right time is crucial.

If you like this you should try our…
Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Bhundi Shakarkandi) • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona
You’ve got your curry, you’ve got your nan, but sometihing is missing. What do you sing? … Rice, Rice, Baby.

How to cook… Lamb Vindaloo

On June 5, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes1 Comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Lamb Vindaloo is for curry lovers who are after some serious heat. The restaurant-style Lamb Vindaloo has heat from the peppercorns and chilli, sourness from the vinegar and includes it’s trademark chunks of potato in a thick, dark sauce.

What you need…
• 1 large potato, cut into 5cm chunks (you should have 6-8 of them)
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 800g lamb, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 600ml Base Curry Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup
• salt to taste
• 0.5 onion sliced
• 1.5 Tablespoon vinegar

Spice Mix 1
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• 0.5 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

Spice Mix 2
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 4 teaspoons chilli powder
• 1 teaspoons turmeric powder
• 1 Tablespoon garam masala

How to make it…
1. Boil the potato chunks until cooked. Set the potatoes aside once cooked.
2. Heat the ghee to a high heat. Add the Spice Mix 1 and fry for 15 seconds. The spices should sizzle immediately when you add them to the ghee. You can test it is hot enough by adding one cumin seed.
3. Add the garlic paste and cook for 1 minute on a lower heat. You may have to remove the pan from the heat for a while to the paste burning. (If it burns then throw it away and start again.)
4. Add the lamb and stir fry until sealed (about 2–3 minutes).
5. Add the Base Curry Sauce and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed to avoid it sticking.
6. Add the Spice Mix 2 and tomato ketchup, mix well and cook for 20 minutes.
7. Add the salt, onion and vinegar and continue cooking until the lamb is tender (about 5 minutes). Add water, as needed, to maintain the consistency.
8. Finally, add the cooked potato pieces, make sure they are coated in the sauce but be careful not to break the pieces up, and serve.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Add water to this dish as it cooks to maintain the consistency but don’t overdo it because you want a thick, dark sauce when it is served.

**Lamb Vindaloo**, extra hot in a dark, rich sauce.

If you like this you should try our…
Lamb Madras • Chicken Phall • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo •Chicken Bhoona
Check out 5 Best Goa Curries
Where do chillies live? … Scoville.

How to cook… Sweet Coconut Buns

On May 31, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes

Makes 5–6 buns

With just a handful of ingredients and a oven and you’ll soon have a batch of these Sweet Coconut Buns (Macatia Coco), a favourite in Mauritius and delicious when warm and with a bit of butter.

What you need…
For the buns
• 250g plain flour
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 120ml warm water

For filling
• 75g dessicated coconut
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Plus
• milk for glaze

How you make it…
1. Mix all the ingredients for the buns, adding the water at the end, bit by bit. Knead the mixture for a couple of minutes. Leave the dough for 1 hour, which will allow it to rise.
2. Heat the oven to 180 C.
3. Roll the dough for a couple of minutes and divide it into 5 or 6 equal amounts.
4. Mix all the ingredients for the filling.
5. Take one of the lumps of dough and push down using your thumbs to create a cup. Fill the cup with some filling and close the cup back into a ball. Roll gently and keep working the dough until it is completely sealed again. It should now be in the shape of a small bun. Place it on a lightly greased baking tray and repeat the process until you have used all the dough and filling mixture.
6. Using a brush coat all the buns with milk.
7. Place the baking tray into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let the buns stand for a few minutes. Sprinkle a bit of dessicated coconut on the top and serve warm.

**CHEF’S TIP** You can add a touch of tropical to these buns by swapping the vanilla essence for pineapple essence.

If you like this you should try our…
Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Bhundi Shakarkandi)
Medium Chicken Curry
Chicken Madras
Chicken Vindaloo
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How to cook… Hara Jhinga

On May 30, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Hara Jhinga (Prawns in a Green Sauce) has all the ingredients of a classic South Indian dish – prawns, coconut milk and chillies. This fresh tasting dish, particularly popular in Goa and Kerala, is quick and easy to make and the green sauce makes a great change from the usual tomato-based sauces.

What you need…
• 800g prawns, shelled and deveined
• 3 Teaspoons cooking oil
• 0.25 teaspoon cracked pepper
• 1 teapoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 0.5 teaspoon salt

For the green paste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• small handful coriander leaves, chopped
• 10 mint leaves (or 1 teaspoon mint sauce)
• 4 green chillies
• 3 Tablespoons coconut milk

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How you make it…
1. Mix all the ingredients for the green paste in a blender to form a smooth paste.
2. Heat the oil in a pan to a medium heat. Add the prawns, sprinkle the pepper over them using a pepper grinder, and fry the prawns until they turn pink (about 2 minutes).
3. Add the green paste and cook through for 1 minute.
4. Add the turmeric, chilli powder and salt, mix well and cook until the prawns are cooked. Add a little water if necessary but the dish is dryish so the prawns should be coated in the sauce not swimming in it.

**CHEF’S TIP** If you like your curries with a more more sauce, add more coconut milk but be aware you will lose the green colour.

If you like this you should try our…
Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Bhundi Shakarkandi) • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona
Where’s the cheapest place to buy shellfish? … a prawn shop.

How to cook… Sindhi Biryani

On May 26, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes1 Comment

Serves 4 as a main dish

Biryani is a rice-based dish, where all the spices, meat and vegetables are slowly cooked together over a long period of time. Although Biryani is a popular dish all over the world there are many variations – this is the version from the Province of Sindhi in Pakistani Punjab.

What you need…
• 400g potatoes, cut into 4cm chunks
• 2 drops yellow colouring
• 10 Tablespoons ghee• 2 onions, roughly chopped• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 500g chicken thighs and legs, on the bone
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 250g yoghurt
• 4 tomatoes, cut into halves
• 100g plums
• small handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 5 mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 5 green chillies, with a small slit in each
• 300g rice
• 3 Tablespoons rose water
• 0.5 teaspoon nutmeg powder

Spice Mix
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamoms (cracked but not crushed)
• 10cm piece cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 Tablespoon chilli powder
• 1 Tablespoon turmeric powder

How to make it…
1. Boil the potatoes in water with a drop of yellow colouring until they are nearly cooked. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Heat 1 Tablepoon ghee to a medium heat and fry the potatoes until they are crisp and starting to brown. Remove the potatoes and set aside.
3. Add 2 Tablespoons ghee and the onions, and fry until golden brown.
4. Add the ginger paste, garlic paste and the chicken, and stir fry for 5 minutes.
5. Add the Spice Mix and salt and cook for 3 minutes.
6. Add the yoghurt and fried potatoes, mix well, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Add the tomatoes, the plums, coriander leaves, mint leaves and chillies, and mix well. Remove the pan from the heat.
9. Wash the rice until the water is clear. This will take 6–7 washes, maybe more. Boil the rice in fresh water, with a little salt, until cooked.
10. Drain the rice andspread it evenly on top of the chicken mixture.
11. Dissolve a drop of yellow colour in rose water and spread it, with the rest of the ghee, on top of rice. Allow this to dissolve for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the nutmeg powder on top of the mixture.
12. Return the pan to a medium heat and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes.
13. Remove the cover, allow the steam to escape for a couple of minutes and serve.
• Recipe courtesy of Zaynub Mahmood. Photo below: Miansari66 CCA.

**CHEF’S TIP** There are quite a few ingredients in this dish so get everything ready before you start cooking.

If you like this you should try our…
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona
Never rush a biryani… it’s not a rice.

How to cook… Gateaux Piment

On May 24, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes

Serves 4 as a snack or starter

Gateaux Piment (Chilli Cakes) is a popular street-food snack in Mauritius, and is sold in small shops or from homes of people looking to earn a bit of extra income. It is particularly popular at breakfast time and locals often eat it bread and butter. You may also see these advertised as Gato Pima, which is the Creole spelling of the snack.

What you need…
• half a cup of yellow split peas
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions chopped
• pinch of cumin powder
• 2 chillies, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 Tablespoon cooking oil

How you make it…
1. Soak the split peas in water for 12 hours.
2. Grind the split peas to a paste, using a little water if necessary.
3. Add all the other ingredients (except the oil) to the peas and mix well.
4. Form the mixture into small (about 2cm diameter) flat pancakes, using a little water to bind the pancakes, if necessary.
5. Heat oil to a medium heat. Add the cakes, turning occasionally, and cook until golden brown.
6. Drain the pancakes and remove any excess oil with kitchen paper. Serve with bread and butter or your favourite chutney.

**CHEF’S TIP** If you are a bit heat adverse then go for a sweet chutney like mango.

If you like this you should try our…
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These Chilli Cake are so delicious… they’ll have you in tiers of joy.

How to cook… Roasted Corn with Sea Salt & Spice

On May 24, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes1 Comment

Serves 4 as a snack or starter

Roasted Corn is a simple street snack you’ll find all over the sub-continent and it’s delicious rubbed with grainy salt and spice. For that delicious roasted taste the vendors briefly finish cooking the corn in the coals, leaving the leaves on the corn to protect it. You can cook on the barbecue at home or try to replicate the taste under the grill. On the street it’s eaten with your hands, of course.

What you need…
• 4 corns on the cob (with leaves still on if you can get them)
• 2 lemons cut into halves or quarters
• 1 Tablespoon Tandoori Masala Spice
• 1 Tablespoon sea salt

How you make it…
1. Heat your barbeque to high heat. Peel back the leaves and cook the corn until they are soft. This will take 30–40 minutes. Don’t wrap them in foil as you want them slightly charred.
2. If you are using real wood or coals you can pell back the leaves and and finish them off directly in the coals for a few seconds. You can use the grill to cook them but it’s impossible to replicate the charred, smokey taste.
3. Put the spice and the salt on a plate with the lemon pieces.
4. Each person should push a lemon slice into the spice and salt and then rub generously over their own corn.
5. Eat immediately, dipping the lemon back into the spice and salt as required.

**CHEF’S TIP** Once you’ve tried this a couple of times experiment with other spices as your rub.

If you like this you should try our…
Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Bhundi Shakarkandi) • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona
Always be noce to the corn… and it’ll smile from ear to ear.

How to cook… Bharwan Mircha

On May 23, 2020March 11, 2026 By In Recipes

Serves 4 as a snack or starter

Bharwan Mircha (Pan-Fried Stuffed Chillies) are ideal street snacks as the banana chillies are perfect ‘plates-that-you-eat’. From Uttar Pradesh in north India, this tasty snack provides a nice kick.

What you need…
• 4 red banana chillies (very large chillies for stuffing)

For the stuffing
• 3 potatoes, boiled and very finely diced
• 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2.5-cm piece ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• few curry leaves, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and very finely diced
• 60g peas, defrosted if frozen
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• salt, to taste
• 0.5 teaspoon garam masala
• juice of 1 lemon
• 30g Cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 Tablespoons mint and coriander chutney

How you make it…
1. Cut the potato into small chunks and boil in water until cooked.
2. Cut the chillies in half lengthwise, deseed and set aside.
3. To make the stuffing: Heat 3 Tablespoons oil in a pan to a high heat. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to crackle for 15 seconds. Turn down the heat and add the ginger, green chillies and curry leaves and sauté for 1 minute. You may need to remove the pan from the heat initially to stop them burning.
3. Add the carrot and green peas and cook until soft.
4. Add the potatoes, turmeric, chilli powder and salt and cook for 2–3 minutes. Sprinkle over the garam masala and lemon juice and salt, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
5. Heat a non-stick pan, add the other 1 Tablespoon oil and cook the chillies for 1–2 minutes on each side over a low heat, turning regularly until golden.
4. Stuff the chillies with the carrot, peas and potato mixture plus the grated cheese and mint and coriander chutney.
• Recipe from Food of the Grand Trunk Road by Anirudh Arora and Hardeep Singh Kohli, courtesy of New Holland Publishing.

Large round peppers would provide an good alternative to the banana chillies, although naturally less spicy.

If you like this you should try our…
Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Bhundi Shakarkandi) • Sindhi Biryani • Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona
Fans of Christmas lunch love this dish… because it’s full of stuffing.

The Royal Curry Club

Tag: Indian food

How to cook… Prawn Chilli Dry Fry

How to cook… Kedgeree

How to cook… Basmati Steamed Rice

How to cook… Lamb Vindaloo

How to cook… Sweet Coconut Buns

How to cook… Hara Jhinga

How to cook… Sindhi Biryani

How to cook… Gateaux Piment

How to cook… Roasted Corn with Sea Salt & Spice

How to cook… Bharwan Mircha

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