How to cook… Mushroom Pilau

Recipes

Makes enough for 4

Mushroom Pilau Rice is a great accompaniment for people looking for rice that does more than just soaks up their curry. It’s easy to make and the pinch of turmeric adds a nice touch of colour

What you need…
• Large knob of butter
• 150g mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 300g basmati rice
• 1 medium-sized onion, sliced
• Pinch of turmeric

Whole Spice Mix
• 3 cm long piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 cardamom seeds, cracked but still kept intact
• 2 bay leaves

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How to make it…
1. Wash the rice to remove the starch, then leave to soak in water for 30 minutes. Drain in a colander.
2. Heat the butter in a pan and gently fry the mushrooms until they are soft and darken in colour (about 4–5 minutes). Set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion until it starts to brown (about 3-5 minutes). Remove and set aside a few of the darker pieces to use as garnish.
4. Add in the Whole Spice Mix until the spices release their aromas (about 30 seconds). Make sure they do not burn.
5. Add 300ml water to the pan, add the pinch of turmeric, cover the pan and bring to the boil. * Be extremely careful when adding the water to the pan with the hot oil.
6. Add the rice and stir. Simmer until the rice is half-cooked and the water has almost evaporated (about 4-5 minutes).
7. Gently fluff up the rice with a fork, cover with lid and allow it to steam in the pan on the lowest heat possible until fully cooked (a few minutes). Be careful not to let it burn.
8. Mix in the mushrooms and serve.

**CHEF’S TIP**
If you are using large mushrooms you may need to cut the slices in half as the pieces should not be too large.

**Mushroom Pilau** is is a tasty and colourful accompaniment.

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How to cook… Piment Farci au Thon

Recipes

Makes 4

Piment Farci au Thon (Chillies Stuffed with Tuna) is popular street food or a snack that is often served at parties. These chilli poppers are sometimes stuffed with pieces of chicken or just cooked in batter without stuffing (see Piment Frire).

What you need…
• 4 large chilli peppers
• Cold water
• Two pinches of salt
• 100g self-raising flour
• 50g gram flour (this is chickpea flour, also called besan flour)
• 150g tuna, shredded
• 1 Tablespoon coriander, finely chopped
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 8 Tablespoons oil

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How to make it…
1. Slice the peppers open to form a pocket. Remove the seeds if you don’t want them too hot. Soak them in the water with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes. Dry them and set aside.
2. Mix the self-raising flour and besan flour with a pinch of salt and enough water to create a thick paste.
3. Mix the tuna, coriander and spring onion and stuff the peppers with the mixture.
4. Dip the peppers in the flour batter so they are all well coated.
5. Heat the oil in a shallow pan to a high heat and, using a slotted spoon, drop the chilli peppers into the oil until they turn a deep yellow and the batter is fully fried (about 2–3 minutes). Turn the peppers while they are frying to ensure they are evenly cooked. Depending on the size of your pan you may need to cook these in a couple of batches.
6. The chillies are naturally very hot so allow them to cool slightly before eating!

**CHEF’S TIP**
These can be eaten hot or cold so are ideal for making in advance.

**Piment Farci au Thon** are Mauritian-style chilli peppers stuffed with tuna.

How to cook… Keema with Coconut

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

A simple dish for mushroom lovers who love a bit of spice in their side dishes. Just add the mushrooms to a little Base Curry Sauce, add plenty of garlic and chilli for this dryish dish.

What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons oil or ghee
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 600g lamb mince
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 4 dried red chillies, chopped into large pieces
• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 5 curry leaves
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 Tablespoons coconut cream
• Salt to taste

Green Paste
• 20 mint leaves
• 3 green chillies, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon desiccated coconut

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How to make it…
1. Grind the ingredients from the Green Paste into a fine paste. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a pan to a medium heat and fry the garlic and ginger pastes for 1 minute.
3. Add the mince and fry until it is all browned (about 10 minutes). Remove the mince and set it aside.
4. Add the rest of the oil to a high heat and fry the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and red chillies for 15 seconds. It should sizzle immediately. You can test it is hot enough by dropping in one seed.
5. Turn down the heat to medium, add the onion and fry until it softens (about 5 minutes).
6. Add the curry leaves, turmeric and garam masala with a little water and fry for 3 minutes.
7. Add the Green Paste and cook for 3 minutes.
8. Add the mince and cook for 25 minutes.
9. Add the coconut cream and salt, mix well, remove from the heat and leave to rest for 3–4 minutes before serving.

**CHEF’S TIP**
You can replace the desiccated coconut with a chunk of fresh coconut for a fresher taste.

**Keema with Coconut** is popular dish from the South Indian state of Kerala.

How to cook… Garlic and Chilli Mushrooms

Recipes

Serves 4 as a side dish

A simple dish for mushroom lovers who love a bit of spice in their side dishes. Just add the mushrooms to a little Base Curry Sauce, add plenty of garlic and chilli for this dryish dish.

What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 green chillies (2 chopped and once sliced lengthways for garnish)
• 600g mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 50g Base Curry Sauce (more if you like more sauce)
• Small handful coriander, chopped
• Salt, to taste

Spice Mix
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric

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How to make it…
1. Heat the butter to a low-medium heat. While it is heating mix the Spice Mix with enough water to form a sloppy paste.
2. Fry the mushrooms until they soften (about 4–5 minutes). Set aside.
3. Drain all the remaining butter from the mushrooms into the pan and add the oil. Heat to a medium heat and fry the garlic for 1 minute.
4. Add the chillies and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the Spice Mix and chilli, and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy.
6. Add the Base Curry Sauce and coriander, and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add the mushrooms and salt and heat through until the mushrooms are fully cooked and soft.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Always use freash chillies and garlic for this dish.

**Garlic Chilli Mushrooms** is a super spicy side dish.

How to cook… Chicken Tikka Wraps

Recipes

Makes 4–6 wraps

These Chicken Tikka Wraps make a delicious and fresh tasting snack when combined with peppers, onions, salad and Mint Yoghurt Sauce. It’s best when cooked fresh but to speed up the process simply marinate some extra chicken when making any of the tandoori dishes that require Chicken Tikka, such as Chicken Tikka Masala, then cook it up for the perfect lunch-time snack the next day.

What you need…
• 1 recipe Chicken Tikka (starter)
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 0.5 green pepper, sliced
• 0.5 red pepper, sliced
• 0.5 onion, sliced
• 1 tomato, chopped
• An 8cm piece of cucumber, chopped
• Handful of crispy lettuce, chopped
• Small handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 recipe Mint Yoghurt Sauce
• 4–6 wraps (or nan bread or roti)

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How to make it…
1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the peppers and onions in a pan until soft (about 4–5 minutes).
2. Warm the wraps under the grill for a couple of minutes.
3. Lay 4–5 pieces of chicken just off the centre right of the wrap and add your choice of peppers, onions, salad and coriander, plus some Mint Yoghurt Sauce.
5. Fold the long side of the wrap to the right over the mixture and tuck it just under the mixture. Now fold the bottom of the wrap up so it overlaps the flap you have created on the right and holding it tight with your thumb fold the left side over to create the wrap.

**CHEF’S TIP**
If eating on the go you can wrap if in tin foil and peel back the foil as you eat.

**Chicken Tikka** is an excellent snack when combined with pepeprs, onions and salad in a wrap.

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How to cook… Chicken Chettinad

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Chicken Chettinad tis the trademark dish from the South Indian city of Chettinad, whole spices and coconut are dry-fried and ground, then added to a sauce of tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger to create a classic Tamil Nadu dish, with chillies providing the kick.

What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil (you can use vegetable oil but will lose some of the flavour)
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 400g Base Curry sauce
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric
• 0.5 teaspoon coriander powder
• 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• A few coriander leaves for garnish

Spice Mix
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4cm piece cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 3 cardamons
• 6 Tablespoons desiccated coconut

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How to make it…
1. Dry fry the spices from the Spice Mix on a medium heat in a pan for 15 seconds then add the coconut until it browns (about 2 minutes). Keep stirring and be careful not to burn the Spice Mix. Grind the mixture and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in the same pan to a medium heat and fry the curry leaves for 15 seconds.
3. Add the garlic paste and fry for 1 minute.
4. Add the Base Curry Sauce and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Add the Spice Mix, turmeric, coriander, chilli powder and salt and cook for 3 minutes. Add a little water if needed.
6. Add the chicken pieces and fry until all the pieces are cooked (about 10 minutes)
7. Serves, garnished with the coriander leaves.

**CHEF’S TIP**
If using an electric grinder it’s best to let your dry-fry mix cool down before grinding.

**Chicken Chettinad** is a popular dish from the heart of Tamil Nadu.

How to cook… Fish Curry (Medium)

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

A delicious dish that is often overlooked by many diners in Indian restaurants, a classic Fish Curry is a simple dish to make. Fry up some firm, white fish, take a good serving of your Base Curry Sauce, add a bit of garlic and a sprinkle of spice for a great medium-strength curry. Garnish with fresh coriander.

What you need…
• 800g of any firm, white fish, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 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)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• Salt to taste

Marinade
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• pinch black pepper

Spice Mix
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

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How to make it…
1. Dry all the pieces of fish. Mix all the Marinade ingredients and coat all the pieces of fish. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon of ghee to a medium heat. While it is heating up mix the Spice Mix with the vinegar and enough water to form a sloppy paste.
3. Add the fish and fry until all the pieces are sealed (about 4 minutes). Set aside.
4. Add the rest of the ghee and when hot add the garlic paste and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the Spice Mix paste and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy.
6. Add the Base Curry Sauce and the tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add the garam masala, salt and coriander stems and cook for 5 minutes. Add a little water if needed.
8. Add the fish pieces until all the pieces are cooked.
9. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Restaurants traditionally use tilapia fish in Fish Curry but monkfish or hake is more readily available and makes an excellent alternative.

**Pork Vindaloo** is the classic Goan dish for heat lovers.

How to cook… Chinese Chicken Curry

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

This dish has very little to do with China but everything to do with curries created by Chinese takeaways. In the UK these were initially run by people from Hong Kong serving Cantonese dishes adapted to local tastes. The curry uses the basic Chinese/Chip Shop Curry Sauce and adds chicken and lots of onion. Some takeaways also add other ingredients such as carrot, peas or potato slices.

What you need…
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped ginger
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped garlic
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 recipe Chinese/Chip Shop Curry Sauce
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

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How to make it…
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan to a medium heat, add the garlic paste and ginger paste, and fry for 1 minute.
2. Add the chicken and fry until all the pieces are sealed (about 2 minutes).
3. Add the Chinese/Chip Shop Curry Sauce and fry for 5 minutes.
4. Add the onion and soy sauce, mix well and fry until all the chicken pieces are cooked (about 2–3 minutes).

**CHEF’S TIP**
This dish is great with Steamed Rice but for the full on takeaway experience you can also serve this with Egg Fried Rice.

While everyone is ordering the usual sweet and sour and chow mein dishes, the curry lovers know the only option from a Chinese takeaway is **Chinese Chicken Curry**.

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How to cook… Pork Vindaloo

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

As the only state in India that is largely Catholic there are no taboos surrounding the use of pork in Goa. The dish, like so many in this state, are a combination of Portuguese and India flavours and cooking styles. The result is a spicy dish with plenty of vinegar and is far removed from the British restaurant-style Vindaloo.

What you need…
• 800g pork (a mix of cheek and leg is ideal), cut into largish bite-sized chunks
• 1 Tablespoon ghee
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 240ml pork or chicken stock
• 1 Tablespoon coriander leaves
• Salt to taste

Marinade
• 100ml palm vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 8 black peppercorns, crushed

Spice paste
• 4 large chillies, roughly chopped
• 3 Tablespoons palm vinegar
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 cloves, ground (or 1 teaspoon clove powder)
• Seeds from 4 cardamon pods
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste

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How to make it…
1. Mix all the Marinade ingredients together, add the pork and leave for 2 to 4 hours.
2. Mix all the ingredients from the Spice Paste to form a thick paste and set aside.
3. Heat the ghee and oil in a pan to a medium heat, add the pork with the marinade and fry until all the pieces are browned (about 5–7 minutes). Remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the onions to pan and fry until they soften and start to brown (about 5 minutes).
5. Add the pork and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add the Spice paste and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add the stock, reduce the heat and cook until the meat is cooked through and tender (at least 45 minutes but up to 90 minutes). Stir occasionally and add water as necessary to stop it sticking.
8. Add salt to taste and sprinkle the coriander leaves on top before serving.
• Recipe courtesy @thecurriedlondoner (Instagram)

**CHEF’S TIP**
If you really want to turn up the heat add more chillies to the Spice Paste.

How to cook… Chicken Recheade

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

For such a small state Goa certainly has some great dishes and Chicken Recheade is another one of those. As much a pickling paste as a curry it is made by combining red dried chillies, black pepper, garlic, ginger, and spices with vinegar to form a paste that is used to marinate the chicken then cooked with chopped onions, tomato paste and garam masala. As with many Goan dishes it combines Indian and Portuguese styles of cooking and ingredients.

What you need…
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 Tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 Tablespoon tamarind paste
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• Salt to taste

Marinade
• 15 dried red chillies
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 cloves
• 2 teaspoons garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 4 Tablespoons vinegar

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How to make it…
1. Dry fry the first 4 ingredients of the marinade in a pan until they release their aromas (about 2 minutes). Grind them to a powder.
2. Add the rest of the marinade ingredients to the ground whole spice powder, mix well and rub into the chicken. Set aside for 1 hour.
3. Heat the oil in a pan to a medium heat and fry the onions until they soften (about 5 minutes).
4. Add the turmeric powder, cumin powder, mix well, then add the chicken with the marinade. Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the tomato paste, tamarind paste, brown sugar, mix well and cook for 5 minutes. Add a little water if needed.
6. Add the garam masala and salt and continue cooking until all the chicken piece are cooked.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Use water sparingly when cooking this dish as it should be thick, almost like a pickle.

Super hot **Chicken Recheade** is another great dish from the state of Goa.

How to cook… Aloo Gobi

Recipes

Serves 4 as a side dish

Potato is the all-time favourite for side dishes and cauliflower is its popular partner. Aloo Gobi very simple to make with cooked potato and cauliflower pieces added to some Base Curry Sauce.

What you need…
• 250g potato, cut into 5cm chunks
• 250g cauliflower, broken into 5cm florets
• Pinch of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 200g Base Curry Sauce
• salt, to taste
• few coriander leaves, to garnish (optional)

Spice Mix
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric
• 0.5 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

How to make it…
1. Boil the potatoes and cauliflower in water, with the turmeric, until cooked. While they are cooking mix the Spice Mix with enough water to form a sloppy paste.
2. Heat the ghee to a medium-hot heat and fry the mustard seeds 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 ginger 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 cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add the salt, potatoes and cauliflower, mix carefully so as not to break the vegetables, and cook until heated through.
7. Add the (optional) coriander leaves to garnish.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This recipe will create a dryish dish but if you like more sauce with your side dishes simply add more Base Curry Sauce.

Curry house favourite Aloo Gobi is easy and quick to make.

How to cook… Curried Mussels

Recipes

Serves 2 as a main dish

The classic mussels dish is the Belgian speciality of mussels cooked in a white wine sauce with shallots. This dish of Curried Mussels adds the mussels to spices and coconut milk to produce a mild curried dish.

What you need…
• 1kg mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 0.5 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 0.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 0.5 teaspoon garam masala
• 250ml coconut milk
• 10 curry leaves
• salt to taste
• cracked black pepper (to garnish)
• 2 spring onions, chopped (to garnish)

How to make it…
1. Fry the oil in a pan to a medium-hot heat and fry the mustard seeds and cumin seeds for 15 seconds.
2 Add the onions and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
3. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the curry powder, turmeric, garam masala, stir well and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Transfer the ingredients of the pan to a large saucepan (big enough to hold all the mussels) and turn the heat to medium.
6. Add the coconut milk, stir in well and heat through for 1 minute.
7. Add the curry leaves and salt, mix well and bring to a boil.
8. Add the mussels, being sure to remove any that are already open and simmer until they open (about 5-7 minutes). Discard any that do not open.
9. Garnish with cracked pepper and the spring onion, and serve in the pan as a sharing pot.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Just add some chilli powder to spice up this dish.

**Curried Mussels** is a spiced up version of the famous Belgian dish.

How to cook… Medium Vegetable Curry

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

There are 1.3 billion people in India and 55 million in the Indian diaspora across the world. Hundreds of millions of these are vegetarians so there is naturally a huge number of vegetable curries. This is the staple British Indian restaurant Vegetable Curry. Take a good serving of your Base Curry Sauce, add a bit of garlic, a sprinkle of spice and the vegetables for a great medium-strength curry. Garnish with fresh coriander.

What you need…
• 800g mixed vegetables, cut into bite-sized pieces
• salt to taste
• 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)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

Spice Mix
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

How to make it…
1. Boil the vegetables in water with a little salt until they are just soft, but not over-cooked, remembering that different vegetables have different cooking times. Drain and set aside.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.)
5. Add the Spice Mix paste and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy.
6. Add the Base Curry Sauce and the tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Add the vegetables, garam masala, salt and coriander stems and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked.
8. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves.

**CHEF’S TIP**
Select a range of vegetables that give the dish a mix of colours and textures. But unless you’re under seven you don’t have to eat vegetables you don’t like…

Select your favourite vegetables, add Base Curry Sauce and a bit of spice for a classic **Vegetable Curry**.

How to cook… Gato Du Pain Frire (Bread Pakora)

Recipes

Serves 2 as a snack

This simple street snack is popular in Mauritius. This is simply slices of bread dipped in batter and fried and are delicious with a fresh Coriander Chutney.

What you need…
• 10 pieces of French bread, sliced into pieces 2cm deep
• 8 Tablespoons oil (or more if needed to cover the bottom of your pan)

Batter
• 4 Tablespoons gram flour
• 2 Tablespoons self-raising flour
• 0.5 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 2 drops yellow food colouring
• pinch of salt
• water as required

How to make it…
1. Mix all the ingredients for the batter and add the water bit by bit until a thick paste has formed.
2. Heat the oil to a medium-hot heat.
3. Dip the bread pieces in the batter mix, ensuring they are well covered.
4. Add the battered bread pieces to the oil, ensuring you do not crowd them, and fry until they are golden brown (about five minutes).
5. Serve with Coriander Chutney.

**CHEF’S TIP**
You can spice these up by adding some chilli powder to the batter.

With fresh Coriander Chutney this **Gato Du Pain Frire** is a delciious but simple street snack.

How to cook… Manchurian Paneer

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Manchurian Paneer is an Indo-Chinese dish that combines the flavours and cooking techniques of both India and China. The chunks of cheese are fried in a chilli batter then stir fried with garlic, ginger, pepper and spy sauce and top with spring onions. The cuisine emerged from a group of Chinese people, now numbering 2,000, in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and there are a number of restaurants serving the hybrid cuisine in Chinatown in the city.

What you need…
• 500g paneer, cut into chunks
• 10 Tablespoons oil
• 0.5 yellow or green pepper, cut into chunks
• 0.5 red pepper, cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 0.5 teaspoon ginger paste
• 0.5 onion, cut into chunks
• 3 chillies, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon cracked black pepper

For the batter
• 5 Tablespoons plain flour
• 1.5 Tablespoons corn flour
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• pinch of salt
• water, as needed

How to make it…
1. Mix the first four ingredients of the batter then add the water bit by bit to form a thin paste.
2. Add the paneer chunks and ensure all are well coated by the paste.
3. Heat the oil to a medium-hot heat then add the paneer chunks until they brown on all sides (about 3 minutes). Turn them frequently to avoid them burning. Remove the paneer from the oil and set aside on a paper towel.
4. Turn down the heat, add the peppers and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute.
6. Add the onion and chillies and fry for 2 minutes.
7. Add the soy sauce, tomato ketchup and 4 tablespoons of the leftover batter paste and stir fry for 1 minute.
8. Add the paneer and fry until all the ingredients are cooked through. The peppers and onions should be softened but not mushy.
9. Sprinkle the spring onions and crack the black pepper on top and serve fresh.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This also makes an excellent and unusual starter. Just half the quantities.

**Manchurian Paneer** is one of the great Indo-Chinese dishes combining flavours from Indian and Chinese cuisine.

How to cook… Tali Machli (Spicy Fried Fish)

Recipes

Serves 4 as a snack

Tali Machli (Spicy Fried Fish) is a popular street food snack eaten all over India but is especially popular in coastal Maharashtra. It’s lightly spiced so you don’t need a sauce, which makes it ideal for eating on the move, but it’s also delicious with your favourite chutney or pickle.

What you need…
• 500g white fish, skinned and cut into four, even-sized fillets
• 60g gram flour
• 40g rice flour
• 10 Tablespoons oil
• 0.5 teaspoon mustard seeds

Marinade
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or white wine vinegar)
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric
• 0.5 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 0.5 teaspoon salt

How to make it…
1. Pat the fish fillets dry with a paper towel.
2. Mix the marinade ingredients together to form a thick paste and rub it over the fillets. Leave for 1 hour.
3. Cover the fillets in the gram flour then in the rice flour, ensuring all parts are well covered.
4. Heat the oil to a medium-high heat in a wide, pan, add the mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds.
5. Add the fillets and shallow fry until the fish is cooked through and the batter crisp (about 3 minutes on each side).

**CHEF’S TIP**
If you want to spice up the batter you can add a teaspoon of chilli powder to the marinade.

**Fried fish marinated in a spices then fried is a popular street snack in India.**

How to cook… Chilli Paneer

Recipes

Serves 4 as a main dish

Chilli Paneer is a popular and spicy Indo-Chinese dish, combining flavours from both cuisines and with Indian cheese as its main ingredient (make your own paneer). These dishes are emerged in states that border China and India and also from a group of Hakka Chinese people who moved to Calcutta.

What you need…
• 4 Tablespoons cornflour
• 1 Tablespoon red chilli powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 Tablespoons cooking oil
• 500g paneer cheese, chopped into small, evenly sized chunks or strips
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 each of red, yellow and green capsicum peppers, chopped into bite-sized chunks
• 20g garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons chilli sauce (try Baj’s Blazin’ Original Hot Sauce)
• 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 4 green chillies, sliced down the middle and cut into chunks (don’t deseed)
• small handful of coriander to garnish

How you make it…
1. Mix the cornflour with 20ml of water, the chilli powder and some salt and pepper. Coat each piece of paneer in the cornflour mix.
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a frying pan to a medium heat and shallow fry some of the paneer for a 1–2 minutes until just turning golden. Set aside on kitchen towel. Repeat until all the paneer has been cooked.
3. Add the onions and peppers to the remaining oil and cook for 3–4 minutes on a medium heat.
4. Add in the garlic, the chilli sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar to the onions, peppers and garlic and cook for 2 minutes on a medium heat.
5. Add in the paneer and cook for 3 minutes, then add in the chillies, salt and pepper to taste, then stir well and ensure everything is warmed through,
6. Serve, garnished with coriander leaves.
• Recipe courtesy Baj’s Blazin’ Sauce in Greenwich.

**CHEF’S TIP**
This recipe uses strips of paneer but you can use cubes if you prefer.

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