Although not the first ingredient that springs to mind when making, cabbage works well with spices. This dryish Cabbage Curry, slow-cooked with potatoes, is a recipe from Mauritius. It makes an excellent side dish.
What you need… • 1 Tablespoon oil • 1 teaspoon garlic paste • 1 teaspoon ginger paste • 2 teaspoon curry powder • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes • 0.5 teaspoon coriander powder • 0.5 cabbage, shredded • 1 large potato, peeled and chopped into chunks of about 3–4cm in size • 100ml water • Salt to taste • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste • A few coriander leaves, torn, to garnish
How you make it… 1. Heat the oil to a medium-hot heat and fry the garlic and ginger pastes for 1 minute. 2. Add the curry powder, chilli flakes and coriander powder and fry for 3 minutes. Add a tiny splash of water if need to avoid it sticking. 3. Add the cabbage and fry for a few moments then add the water and potato. Cook, covered, for 35 minutes. 4. Add the salt and tomato paste, mix well, and cook covered until the water has all evaporated and the potato is soft (about 5-10 minutes). 5. Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve.
CHEF’S TIP This Cabbage Curry is best served with rotis.
Freshness is central to Indian food and what could be fresher than this popular salad. This Spiced Indian Mixed Salad is a popular vegetarian Indian dish that combines a host of tasty ingredients and then topped off by whole spices cooked in ghee. This colourful salad is an excellent accompaniment to all of your favourite curries.
What you need… • 12 large, crispy lettuce leaves, ripped into smallish pieces • 2 green chillies, chopped • 1 onion, chopped • 1 carrot, stripped into slivers • 12 baby red tomatoes, halved • 0.5 red pepper, chopped • 0.5 yellow pepper, chopped • 1 Tablespoon ghee • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds • 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds • 5 curry leaves • Juice of half a lemon • Small handful of coriander, torn, for garnish
How you make it… 1. Mix all the first seven ingredients together in a serving bowl. 2. Heat the ghee in a pan to a medium-hot heat and add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves for 15 seconds. The seeds should should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed. Allow to cool for 1 minute and pour over the salad. 3. Squeeze the lemon over the salad and garnish with the coriander.
CHEF’S TIP Experiment with other whole spices for different flavours.
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.
There are an estimated 375 million vegetarians in India, mainly for religious reasons. Menus usually list dishes as Veg and Non-Veg rather than the mian or side dishes that is more usual in the Western world. Lentils are one of the Veg staples, and as well as being tasty with spices they also provide many essential nutrients. Combine them with spinach for a filling and healthy meal. Lentils are usually served with rice or roti.
What you need… • 250g brown lentils • Salt to taste • 1 teaspoon oil • 1 onion, finely chopped • 1.5 teaspoon garlic paste • 1 teaspoon ginger paste • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste • 1 tomato, chopped • 200g spinach, chopped • A few coriander leaves to garnish
How you make it… 1. Soak the lentils for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight. Drain the water and add to a pressure cooker, add a pinch of salt and cover with fresh water. Cook until the lentils are soft (about 30 minutes). Set aside. 2. Heat the oil to a medium heat and cook the onion until it softens (about 5–7 minutes). 3. Add the garlic, ginger, the Spice Mix, tomato paste and tomato with a little water, mix well and cook for 5 minutes. 4. Add the spinach until it wilts (about 3 minutes). 5. Add all the ingredients into the pressure cooker with the lentils and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. 6. Serve, garnished with coriander leaves
CHEF’S TIP To save chopping the spinach freeze it in the bag then remove it and bash the bag with the back of your hand. The spinach will snap into small pieces.
This Indo-Chinese Rice combines the best of Indian and Chinese flavours and is excellent with Indo-Chinese dishes or to add a little extra to dishes such as Aloo Ghobi and Bombay Aloo.
What you need… • 300g Basmati Rice • 0.5 teaspoon oil • 2 garlic cloves, chopped into slivers • 200g peas • 1 green chilli, chopped • 2 Tablespoons soya sauce • 1 teaspoon vinegar • 2 spring onions, chopped to garnish (optional)
How you make it… 1. Cook the Basmati Rice and allow to cool. 2. Heat the oil, add the garlic and fry for 1 minute. 3. Add the peas and green chilli and fry for a few seconds. If you are using frozen peas you will need to cook them for a bit longer. 4. Add the soya sauce and vinegar, mix well and fry for 1 minute. 5. Add the rice and stir fry until everything is warmed through. 6. Serve, garnished with the (optional) spring onions.
CHEF’S TIP Avoid adding salt as the soya sauce already contains a lot of salt.
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 with bread and butter. You may also see these advertised as Gato Pima, which is the Creole spelling of the snack. In this curry the Gateaux Piment are added to a red, very lightly spiced rougaille, with a touch of French influence.
What you need… • 1 recipe Gateaux Piment • 1 onion, chopped • 1 teaspoon garlic paste • 1 teaspoon ginger paste • 2 green chillies, sliced • 2 sprigs of thyme, chopped • 4 curry leaves • 6 tomatoes, chopped • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste • 0.5 teaspoon salt • 0.5 teaspoon black pepper • 2 spring onions, chopped • Few coriander leaves, for garnish
How you make it… 1. Heat oil, fry onions, garlic and ginger until the onions soften (about 5 minutes). 2. Add the chillies, thyme, curry leaves and fry for 2 minutes. 3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper, cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water if needed. The tomatoes should have broken down and formed a sauce. If they haven’t then continue cooking. 4. Add the Gateaux Piment, spring onions and coriander leaves, and serve.
Created, as legend has it, when a British army officer travelling on the railway in the 1900s found his curry too hot. The chef added some yoghurt to cool it down and the legendary Railway Curry was born. Traditionally cooked with on-the-bone mutton, this dish is often compared to an English stew, as later versions would cut out some of the spices to mellow the dish further. This recipe uses chunks of lamb but retains the yoghurt.
What you need… • 600g lamb, cut into large bite-sized pieces • 2 Tablespoons oil • 1.5 onions, finely chopped • 250ml hot water • 250g potato, peeled and cut into 4cm pieces • 1 Tablespoon curry powder • 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder • 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder • 200ml pureed tomato • 1 Tablespoon tamarind paste • 2 teaspoons garam masala • 2 Tablespoons yoghurt • Salt to taste
Marinade • 1 teaspoon garlic paste • 1 teaspoon ginger paste • 0.5 teaspoon salt • 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
Whole spices • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds • 3 Bay leaves • 2 red chillies • 2 cardamons, cracked but not crushed
How you make it… 1. Mix the marinade ingredients together and add the lamb, making sure all pieces are well coated. Set aside for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour if possible 2. Heat the oil to a high heat and cook the whole spices for 20 seconds, stirring quickly to avoid them burning. 3. Turn down the heat and add the lamb, and keep stirring until all the pieces are sealed (about 5 minutes). 4. Add the onion and fry for 3 minutes. 5. Add the hot water, stir well, cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop it sticking. 6. Add the curry powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, tomato and tamarind, mix well, cover and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally to stop it sticking. 7. While the lamb is cooking boil the potatoes in water until they are almost cooked. Ensure they are not soft as they will be added to the main pot to boil a bit longer. Once they are ready remove from the hot water so they do not keep cooking. 8. Add the garam masala to the lamb and cook for 5 minutes. 9. Add the yoghurt, mix well, then add the potatoes and cook until the lamb is tender and the potato pieces are cooked through. Check a piece of each to ensure they are ready.
Chicken Cafrael, a simple dish to make – marinate the chicken in a green spice paste, then fry – is another classic curry from Goa. Originating in Africa (probably Mozambique) it was brought to India by the Portuguese. Although this is a dish that traditionally uses chicken legs you can also use bite-sized chunks of chicken.
What you need… • 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces • Juice of 1 lemon • 6 Tablespoons oil
Marinade • 1 teaspoon ginger paste • 1 teaspoon garlic paste • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds • 15 pepper corns • 3 cloves • 6cm stick of cinnamon • 1 teaspoon turmeric • 0.5 teaspoon salt • 4 green chillies, roughly chopped • small handful of fresh coriander (make sure you include plenty of the stalks), roughly chopped • 8 mint leaves (or 1 teaspoon mint sauce) • 1 Tablespoon tamarind paste • 1 Tablespoon vinegar • Water as needed
How you make it… 1. Squeeze the lemon over the chicken, rub it in well and leave for 15 minutes. This will degrease the chicken and also helps the chicken absorb the marinade. 2. Blend all the Marinade ingredients to a thick paste, using a bit of water if needed. 3. Shake the excess lemon juice off the chicken pieces and coat them in the Marinade, maing sure all the pieces are well coated. Leave for at least 30 minutes but preferably for 6 hours. 4. Heat the oil to a medium in a pan, add the chicken pieces and fry until all the pieces are cooked through (about 10 minutes). 5. Remove with a slotted spoon so the excess oil is removed and serve.
Ambot Tik is another hot and spicy dish from Goa that combines Portuguese and Indian flavours. It can be cooked with any any type of fish but popular choices are shark and prawns. If using the prawns keep their shells on to soak up the range of flavours. To cook this curry, first create the aromatic masala by dry frying spices, combine with a sauce of onions, tomatoes and tamarind and add the prawns.
What you need… • 600g prawns, deveined but with shells left on • 3 Tablespoons oil • 1 teaspoon garlic paste • 1 teaspoon ginger paste • 1.5 onions, finely chopped • 2 tomatoes, chopped • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste • 3 Tablespoons tamarind paste • 10 curry leaves • Salt to taste • Coriander leaves to garnish
Masala • 10 dried red chillies • 2 cloves • 15 black peppercorns • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds • 4 Tablespoons desiccated coconut • 0.5 teaspoon salt
How you make it… 1. Dry fry all the Masala ingredients in a pan over a medium heat until they release their aromas (about 2 minutes). Grind into a powder and set aside. 2. Heat the oil in a pan to a medium heat, add the garlic paste and ginger paste and cook for 1 minute. 3. Add the onion and cook until it softens (about 5 minutes). 4. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and tamarind, mix well and cook for 2 minutes. 5. Add a little water and use a hand blender to the mix the ingredients to a paste. 6. Add the Masala, mix well and cook for 10 minutes. 7. Add the prawns, curry leaves and salt if needed, allowing the prawns to absorb all the flavours and cook until the they are fully cooked (about 7–8 minutes). 8. Garnish with the coriander leaves serve.
CHEF’S TIP If you don’t have a hand blender for Step 5 then transfer the ingredients to a standard blender to create the paste then return the paste to the pan.
Heat lovers will love this chicken curry with its extra dose of chillies at every turn. Popular all over the sub-continent but especially in the north, you can adjust the heat levels to your delight by adding more chillies for your perfect Chilli Chicken.
What you need… • 2 Tablespoons ghee • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds • 1 teaspoon garlic paste • 1 teaspoon ginger paste • 8 green chillies, chopped (and 2 sliced lengthways for garnish) • 600ml Base Curry Sauce • 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup • Small handful fresh coriander, chopped • 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces • 1 teaspoon garam masala • Salt to taste
How you make it… 1. Heat the ghee to a high heat. While it is heating up mix the Spice Mix with the vinegar and enough water to form a sloppy paste. 2. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed. 3. Add the garlic paste, ginger paste, chopped chillies and cook for 1 minute on a lower heat. You may have to remove the pan from the heat initially to stop the paste burning. (If it burns then throw it away and start again.) 4. Add the Spice Mix paste and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy. 5. Add the Base Curry Sauce and the tomato and cook for 2 minutes. 6. Add the chicken, mix well and cook for 5 minutes. 7. Add the garam masala, salt and coriander, and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked. 8. Serve, garnished with the sliced chillies.
CHEF’S TIP For an extra splash of colour you can mix red and green chillies if you prefer.
Fruit is without doubt a love it or hate it choice when it comes to curry. From the region in the north-west of India this recipe includes apple, nuts and is topped with caramelised bananas but you can also add mangoes, lychees or raisins. It creates a mild, tangy and naturally fruity curry. Love it or hate it?
What you need… • 4 Tablespoons oil • 1.5 onion puréed (or very finely chopped) • 2 teaspoon garlic paste • 2 teaspoon ginger paste • 2 tomatoes, chopped • 1 Tablespoon tomato ketchup • 1.5 Tablespoon curry powder • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder • 1 teaspoon chilli powder • 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces • 0.5 green apple, peeled and cut into smallish chunks (optional) • 150ml cream • 4 Tablespoons yoghurt • 1 teaspoon garam masala • Salt to taste • 2 bananas, sliced (you need about 6-8 pieces per person) • Brown sugar as required • 2 teaspoons crushed almonds
How you make it… 1. Heat the oil to a medium heat and fry the onions until they soften (about 5 minutes). 2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. 3. Add the tomato, tomato ketchup, curry powder, turmeric powder and chilli powder and cook for 3 minutes. Add a little water if needed. 4. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes. 5. Add in the (optional) apple, yoghurt, cream, garam masala and salt, mix well and continue cooking until all the chicken pieces are cooked through. 6. While the curry is cooking coat the banana slices in sugar and in another pan dry fry them until they caramelise (about 3-4 minutes). 7. Serve the curry topped with the banana pieces and with a sprinkle of the almonds.
CHEF’S TIP You can also add other fruit such as mangoes, lychees and raisins to this dish (at stage 5) if you like.
Take one Indian Ocean island with great fishing around it’s coral reefs and add a huge Indian diaspora and it’s not surprising you can get great fish curries in Mauritius. Simply create a mildish sauce with spices and curry leaves and add delicious fresh fish with aubergine slices.
What you need… • 4 Tablespoons oil • 0.5 cumin powder • 1 Tablespoon curry powder • 800g red snapper (or other firm, white fish), cut into bite-sized pieces • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste • salt to taste • 1 aubergine, sliced into 6 pieces (de-stalked but not peeled) • Few coriander leaves (for garnish) • 2 green chillies, sliced lengthways (for garnish)
How you make it… 1. Blend all the ingredients for the Spice Paste and set aside. 2. Mix the curry and cumin powders with a little water to create a paste and set aside. 3. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the oil to a medium heat, add the fish and cook until all the pieces are sealed and start to brown (about 3-4 mins). Remove and set aside. 4. Add another 1 Tablespoon oil to the pan, add the aubergine slices and fry until they soften and start to brown (about 3 minutes). Remove and set aside. 5. Add the rest of the oil, the Spice Paste and cook until the oil separates from the paste (about 3 minutes). 6. Add the tomato paste and salt, and cook for 2 minutes. Add water as required. 7. Add the aubergine until it absorbs the sauces (about 1 minute). 8. Add the fish and fry gently until all the pieces are cooked through. 9. Add the coriander leaves and chilli slices as garnish and serve.
CHEF’S TIP If you like some tartness to your curries your can add 1 Tablespoon tamarind paste to the recipe at stage 5.
The history of the Devil’s Curry bears stark similarity to that of the Indian Vindaloo. Portuguese explorers, much like in Goa, landed in the coastal state of Malacca in Malaysia during the late 15th century. A transgression by early explorers towards the rulers of Malacca resulted in their incarceration, which in turn led to a full-scale invasion by the Portuguese during the early 16th century. During the 30 years of occupation that followed, Portuguese sailors were encouraged by their king to take up wives and start families. The history books have established this period as the origin of the creole ethnic people of Portuguese and Malaccan descent known as the Kristang people. It is the European-Asian fusion cuisine of the Kristang people that, like in Goa, brought together local spicing and Portuguese chillies. The Devil’s Curry truly is Malaysia’s answer to the Vindaloo and is courtesy @thecurriedlondoner.
What you need… • 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized chunks • 1 Tablespoon Ghee • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil • 1 Tablespoon mustard seeds • 200ml (approx) chicken stock or water • 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar • Salt to taste • 1 teaspoon brown sugar • Few coriander leaves or crushed dried chillies (to garnish)
Spice Mix • 25 long dry chillies, deseeded and soaked in warm water for 20-30 minutes • 3 onions, chopped • 1 Tablespoons garlic paste • 2 Tablespoons ginger paste • 3 stalks of lemongrass (only the soft white sections) • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil • 2 teaspoons water • 1 Tablespoon tamarind concentrate/paste • 1 Tablespoon chilli power (optional)
How you make it… 1. Blend Spice Mix together into a very smooth paste (add a dash of water to loosen it if necessary) 2. Heat the ghee and vegetable oil to a medium heat in a heavy, lidded pan 3. Add the mustard seeds. Once they start to pop, add the spice paste and cook for until the mixture gives off an aroma (around 10 minutes). 4. Add the chicken, stir to coat in the paste and cook for 5 minutes. 5. Add enough stock or water to just cover the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. 6. Add the vinegar, salt and sugar, mix well and continue cooking until all the chicken pieces are cooked. 7. Garnish with your choice of coriander leaves or crushed dried red chillies and serve.
CHEF’S TIP Hot heads should not remove the chilli seeds from the Spice Mix for that real extra burst of heat.
As with many South Indian dishes, Sri Lankan cuisine combines the spices of India with the creaminess of the coconut and tanginess of tamarind to create that delicious taste of the coast. Fish is an abundant resource and while it is usually cooked in chunks, with a little extra patience and care cooking the salmon darne whole absorbs the flavours well and looks great. You’ll need a large, flat-bottomed pan to cook the salmon darnes whole or split the sauce into two pans.
What you need… • 4 salmon darnes of about 180g each (with skin left on one side) • 2 Tablespoons oil • 1 onion, finely chopped • 2 teaspoons garlic paste • 1 teaspoon ginger paste • 3 chillies, chopped • 2 tomatoes, chopped • 1 Tablespoon tomato ketchup • 2 teaspoons tamarind paste • 400ml coconut milk • 15 curry leaves • Cracked pepper to garnish
Marinade • Tablespoon lemon juice • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder • 1 teaspoon chilli powder • 0.5 teaspoon salt • 0.5 cracked black pepper
How you make it… 1. Dry the salmon darnes with a paper towel. 2. Mix all the marinade ingredients and rub it on the salmon, making sure they are all well covered. Leave for 30 minutes. 3. Heat the oil to a medium heat, add the onion and cook until they soften (about 5 minutes). 4. Add the garlic paste and ginger paste and cook for 1 minute. 5. Add the chillies and cook for 1 minute. 6. Add the tomatoes, tomato ketchup and tamarind, and cook for 3 minutes. 7. Add the coconut milk, stir well and cook until the sauce reduces (about 4–5 minutes). 8. Add in the salmon pieces, gently cover them in sauce, add the curry leaves, and let the sauce bubble away until the salmon is cooked (about 8–10 minutes). 9. Serve with some cracked peppers on the top.
CHEF’S TIP Remove the skin if you decide to cook the fish in chunks rather than whole.
Jalfrezi means spicy stir-fry and originates from West Bengal (now in Bangladesh) dating back to the days of the Raj. The chefs of the day brought together meat and vegetables leftovers from the huge Raj banquets in a stir-fry added just a little spice and allowed the dish to cook in it’s own juices. Today the bright colours and varied tastes of the peppers, onions, tomatoes and coriander leaves has made this one of the most poplar dishes in Britain but inevitably it has morphed into something different and includes a healthy dose of Base Curry Sauce. This is the stir-fry version, quick, tasty and fresh. The British-Indian Restaurant version of Chicken Jalfrezi has sauce added.
What you need… • 4 Tablespoon ghee • 800g chicken breast or thigh, cut into bite-sized pieces • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds • 0.5 green pepper, seeded and cut into thin slices • 0.5 red pepper, seeded and cut into thin slices • 1 onion, roughly chopped • 4 chillies, chopped • small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish) • Salt to taste • 0.5 teaspoon garam masala • 2 tomatoes, cut into segments • Cracked black pepper to garnish
How you make it… 1. Heat 3 Tablespoons of ghee to a medium-hot heat and add the cumin seeds for 30 seconds. 2. Add the chicken pieces and fry until they are all sealed (about 3–4 minutes). Take out the chicken pieces and set aside. 3. Add the rest of the ghee and once hot add the red and green peppers and fry until they start to soften (about 3 minutes). 4. Add the Spice Mix, mix well and cook for 3 minutes. 5. Add the onion, chillies, coriander stems and salt, and cook for 2 minutes. Avoid the temptation to add water. 6. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. 7. Add the garam masala and tomatoes, and cook gently until all the chicken pieces are cooked through (about 6–8 minutes). The tomato should be soft but not mushed. 8. Garnish with coriander leaves and a bit of cracked pepper serve immediately.
CHEF’S TIP Serve this as soon as it is cooked to keep the delicious freshness of the ingredients.
Achari Chicken is for lovers of pickling spices. Take a good serving of the Base Curry Sauce, add some chicken, a bit of garlic and a sprinkle of spice for a great medium-strength curry. Just with salty, tangy pickles.
What you need… • 2 Tablespoons ghee • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds • 1 teaspoon garlic paste • 600ml Base Curry Sauce • 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup • small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish) • 2.5 Tablespoons mixed or lime pickle, chopped • 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces • 1 teaspoon garam masala • salt to taste
How you make it… 1. Heat the ghee to a high heat. While it is heating up mix the Spice Mix with the vinegar and enough water to form a sloppy paste. 2. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one 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 initially to stop the paste burning. (If it burns then throw it away and start again.) 4. Add the Spice Mix paste and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy. 5. Add the Base Curry Sauce and the tomato and cook for 2 minutes. 6. Add 2 Tablespoons chopped pickle and mix well 7. Add the chicken, mix well and cook for five minutes. 8. Add the garam masala, salt (check carefully as the pickle is usually salty enough) and coriander stems and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked. 9. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves and the other half Tablespoon of pickle.
CHEF’S TIP You can also try this with Shaktora a citrus that is native of Sylhet in Bangladesh.
For such a small state Goa has a rich and varied cuisine. Drawing on influences from Portuguese (who ruled Goa for 450 years until 1961) and Indian cooking and naturally using the the abundant fish and shellfish, Goa has produced some superb dishes. Prawn Balchão is one of them. The fiery prawn dish, considered a pickle by many, includes dried chillies, peppercorns and tamarind to create a hot but tart flavour.
What you need… • 600g prawns, shelled and deveined • 1 teaspoon turmeric • 0.5 teaspoon salt • knob of butter • 1 Tablespoon garlic paste • 1 teaspoon ginger paste • 2 Tablespoons vinegar • 2 Tablespoons tamarind paste • 2 Tablespoons oil • 1.5 onions, finely chopped • 2 tomatoes, finely chopped • 1 Tablespoon tomato ketchup • Salt to taste • 15 curry leaves
How you make it… 1. Mix the turmeric and salt with prawns and set aside for 30 minutes. 2. Dry roast the Spice Mix in a pan until they release their aromas (about 3 minutes). 3. Add together the roasted Spice Mix, garlic paste, ginger paste, vinegar and tamarind and blend to a paste. 4. Heat the oil in a pan to a medium heat and fry the prawns until they turn pink (about 3 minutes). Set aside. 5. Heat the oil to a medium heat and fry the onions until soft (about 5 minutes) 6. Add the tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes, mashing the mixture as it cooks. Add a little water as necessary to start creating a thickish sauce. 7. Add the tomato ketchup, Spice Mix paste and curry leaves, mix well and cook for 3 minutes. 8. Add the prawns and stir fry until they are all cooked through (about 3–5 minutes).
CHEF’S TIP You can use any vinegar in this dish but for an authentic taste use coconut vinegar which gives added sharpness.
Biryani is a popular dish all over the sub-continent and among the Indian disapora. Rice and the other ingredients are mixed together with whole and ground spices and slow cooked to create a fragrant, rich dish. Biryani is a celebration dish and this vegetable version from Mauritius and party pre-cooks ingredients before layering them and leaving covered so all the flavours infuse. You can cook the rice while the vegetables are cooking but keep an eye on it as you don’t want to overcook it.
What you need… • 7 Tablespoons oil • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips of 5cm-long pieces • Salt to taste • 100g runner beans, topped and tailed, split and cut into thin 5cm-long pieces • 2 big potatoes, peeled and cut into 4cm-sized chunks and mixed with a drop of yellow food colouring and a pinch of salt • 2 onions, thinly sliced • 2 teaspoons fresh mint, finely chopped • 2 Tablespoons coriander leaves, finely chopped (keep a couple for garnish) • 2 Tablespoons yoghurt • 100g peas (frozen are good) • 3 chillies, chopped • Salt to taste • 2 Tablespoons ghee • pinch of yellow food colouring • 300ml water • 300g rice • 3 cardamons, cracked open • 3 cloves • 1 cinnamon, 5cm long
How you make it… 1.Heat 3 Tablespoons oil to a medium heat and fry the carrots with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes. Remove the carrots and set aside. 2. Add the runner beans to the same oil and fry with a pinch of salt for 3 minutes. Remove the runner beans and set aside. 3. Add another 1 Tablespoon oil to the pan and once heated add the soya beans and fry with a pinch of salt and fry until they brown (about 5–7 minutes). Remove the soya beans and set aside. 4. Add 3 Tablespoons oil and once heated add the potatoes and fry until the edges are crisp and they are nearly cooked through (about 10 minutes). Don’t crowd them in the pan. You may need to cook them in two batches depending on the size of your pan. Remove the potatoes and set aside. 5. Add the onions and fry until they brown (5–7 minutes). 6. Meanwhile mix the carrots, runner beans and soya bean in a bowl and add the mint, coriander, yoghurt, garlic and ginger pastes and mix well. When the onions are ready add them and mix everything together. 7. Add 1 Tablespoon ghee to the pan to a medium heat then add the Biryani Mix with a splash of water and cook for 2 minutes. 8. Add the vegetables, the peas and the chillies, mix well and remove from the heat. 9. In another large pot (it will need to be large enough for all the ingredients and leave plenty of space on top) layer the uncooked rice evenly along the bottom. Add a layer of vegetables, then a layer of potatoes, then a layer of partly cooked rice, adding a pinch of salt every so often to taste. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up. 10. Add the water, spread the rest of the ghee and the food colouring on the top, cover with a tight lid (you can seal with some tin foil and put something fairly heavy on top to keep it down) and cook on a low-medium heat for 30 minutes. Don’t remove the lid during this time. 11. Remove the lid, garnish with coriander leaves, enjoy the aromas and serve.
To make the rice… 1. Wash the rice well to remove the starch. This may take 7 or 8 rinses. Soak the water for 30 minutes. 2. Remove a third of the rice and put to one side (this will be added to the bottom of the biryani). 3. Cover the rest of the rice with water by about 2cm, add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and bring to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil turn off the heat and drain the rice. You do not want the rice fully cooked.
CHEF’S TIP A Biryani is a meal in itself but if it’s too dry for you then eat it with a small vegetable curry.Make your next celebration dish a Mauritian Vegetable Biryani.
This is a dish from the predominantly Muslim city of Lucknow in North India and dates back hundreds of years to the era of the Nawab-Wazirs (who governed what was known as the state of Awadh at the time). The Nawabs were the royal leaders that followed the great Mughlai era and they were renowned for their great excess. This rich dish of yoghurt, cream, nuts and sultanas is that certainly one that fits the bill.
What you need… • 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice • 3 Tablespoons oil • 1.5 onions, pureed • 1 Tablespoon curry powder • 1 teaspoon garam masala • 150ml cream • 1 Tablespoon sultanas • 1 Tablespoon sliced almonds • small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish) • 1 Tablespoon sugar (optional, if you like it sweeter) • salt to taste (remember there is salt in the marinade)
How you make it… 1. Rub the chicken with the lemon juice and leave for 10 minutes. 2. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade, add the chicken, mix well and leave for 1 hour. 3. Heat the oil in a pan to a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. 4. Add the curry powder and garam masala and cook for 2 minutes. 5. Add the chicken and marinade and cook for 3 minutes. 6. Add the cream, sultanas and almonds, mix well and cook for 2 minutes. 7. Add the coriander stems, (optional) sugar and salt if needed, mix well and continue cooking until all the chicken pieces are fully cooked. 8. Sprinkle the coriander leaves on top and serve.
CHEF’S TIP This dish is also delicious with paneer instead of chicken.
A popular Mauritian dish, Sauce Rouge Curry (simply meaning Red Sauce Curry) combines ingredients used in Indian and European cooking to reflect the history of this Indian Ocean island, which has been ruled by the French and the British and has a predominantly Indian population.
What you need… • 4 tablespoons veg oil • 800g chicken, into bite-sized pieces • pinch salt • pinch black pepper • 1 onion, finely chopped • 1 teapsoon ginger • 1 t garlic • 5 curry leaves • 2 green chillies chopped • 400g chopped tomato • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste • small handful parsley, chopped • leaves from two sprigs of thyme
How you make it… 1. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a pan to a medium pan and fry the chicken for 5 minutes, adding in salt and pinch pepper. Set aside. 2. Heat the rest of the oil, add onion, ginger paste, garlic paste, curry leaves and cook until the mixture starts to brown (about 5 minutes). 3. Add the chillies for 1 minute. 4. Add the tomatoes and more salt if needed, mix well and simmer until the sauce thickens (about 5-7 minutes). 5. Add the tomato paste and chicken, cover the pan and cook gently until the chicken is all cooked through (about 5 minutes). 6. stir in the parsely and thyme and serve.
CHEF’S TIP You can serve this curry with fried potatoes, rice or even pasta.
