How To Make A British Indian Restaurant (BIR) Style Prawn Bhuna

November 29, 2011 By Dan Toombs 18 Comments

Prawn bhuna is a thick curry that is great served on its own

Name: Roast Pheasant with Honey Glaze
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 4 h 55 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 pheasant; FOR THE MARINADE; 1 tsp rapeseed (canola) oil; 3 tbsp garlic and ginger paste; Juice of one lemon; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp tandoori masala; 1/2 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder; 250ml plain yogurt; TO BASTE; 3 tbsp honey; 3 tbsp melted, hot ghee

Although I have tried a lot of restaurant style prawn dishes over the past years, I have to say this is one of my favourites. It's funny as I've never really been all that crazy about buhna curries.

Buhnas are quite dry and I prefer my curries with a bit more sauce.

This prawn bhuna is different because prawns just don't need a lot of sauce.

I guess I just like the flavour of the prawns which all too often are over-powered by a strong curry gravy.

Not here!

This prawn bhuna just gets it!

I have left the prawns whole so that you get a nice mouthful with each bite. The sauce is also not overpowering though it is a bit spicy.

I serve this hot curry with a simple lettuce salad that is mixed with mint leaves. Personally I think it's the perfect accompaniment. I hope you agree.

Prawn Bhuna INGREDIENTS

3 Tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
25 prawns in their shells
500ml curry gravy
1 Tablespoon ginger paste
1 Tablespoon garlic paste
1 Tablespoon cumin powder
1 Tablespoon red chilli powder
1 Tablespoon Coriander powder
1 Tablespoon tomatoe paste
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 four inch cinnamon stick
Juice of one lemon
1 small bunch coriander leaves - chopped
Salt and pepper

method

Heat the ghee or oil in a large pan or wok over a medium to medium high heat. If the oil begins to smoke, turn down the heat.

When the oil/ghee is quite hot, throw in the cinnamon stick and move it around in the oil for about 15 seconds before adding the prawns.

Fry the prawns until they are almost cooked through. This should only take a couple of minutes.

When the prawns are pink and almost about 90% cooked, remove them from the oil and set aside to cool.

Now add the ginger paste, garlic paste, cumin powder, coriander powder and chilli powder. Adjust the heat so that the garlic doesn't burn.

Stir continuously for about a minute and then add the turmeric, tomato paste and curry gravy.

As you cook the gravy, the turmeric will make it slightly darker. This is what you want.

Allow to simmer for about two minutes while you peel and devein the prawns.

Add the prawns to the gravy and stir to combine.

Throw in the coriander leaves and squeeze the lemon juice into the sauce.

When the gravy is quite thick and coats the prawns nicely, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

I hope you enjoy this prawn bhuna as my as my family and I do.

How To Make British Indian Restaurant (BIR) Prawn Jalfrezi

November 27, 2011 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

The word Jalfrezi is a combination of two words, 'Jal' meaning spicy and 'frezi' meaning stir-fry

Prawn jalfrezi is a popular BIR curry that is easy and fast to make. Like most BIR curries, you can cook this dish in ten minutes or less. As this is a restuarant style curry, You could cook the prawns and prepare them in advance. This is how it is usually done at Indian restaurants in order to get the curry to the table faster.

Jalfrezis were invented in the days of the British Raj as a way of using up leftovers. If you would like to read a little more about the concept behind jalfrezi curries, and try a really nice curry, take a look at my rather more authentic chicken jalfrezi recipe here.

Prawn curry fans who like a bit of spice will love this curry. The peppers, onions and green chillies add a nice crunch to the recipe that really works great.

Serves 4

Prawn jalfrezi INGREDIENTS

3 Tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
25 Medium sized fresh prawns cooked, shelled and cut into thirds
2 Tablespoons garlic and ginger paste
1 Tablespoon roasted cumin seeds grinded into a powder
A pinch of turmeric
700ml curry gravy
1 green bell pepper - thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper - thinly sliced
1 white onion - thinly sliced
3 green chillis - chopped into rings
Salt and pepper to taste - I use a lot of black pepper with this dish

method

Heat a wok or large frying pan over the highest heat.

Add the ghee or vegetable oil.

Throw in the prawns and fry them until they are pink and lightly browned. Cut them in thirds and set aside in a bowl.

Now toss in the bell pepper slices, onion and green chilli.

Stir the vegetables around for about 30 second and then add the cumin powder, turmeric and ginger and garlic paste.

Fry for a further ten seconds before adding the curry gravy.

Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for about two minutes before adding the prawns.

Stir to combine and serve when the prawns are heated through.

I'm always looking for new recipes to try. Do you have a jalfrezi curry you'd like to share?

Roast Pheasant in Tandoor or Oven

November 25, 2011 By Dan Toombs 4 Comments

Easy and delicious... Give this roast pheasant recipe a try!

This is an updated version of my roast pheasant with honey glaze recipe. Originally, I cooked the roast pheasant in my oven but today I decided to get outdoors and cook it in my Doori tandoor oven. The result was truly spectacular with flavours not only from the delicious marinade but also cooking in the hot and smoky tandoor.

Whether you use an oven, barbecue or tandoor to cook this, I really hope you give my roast pheasant recipe a try soon.

About this roast pheasant recipe.

Cooking the roast pheasant in a tandoor is quick and easy and you get the added bonus of the smoke flavouring the meat. You could cook this in your barbecue over indirect heat but using a tandoor is faster and in my opinion a bit more fun.

The most important part of the recipe is the marinade which is simple but the flavours go so well with the pheasant. I developed this recipe to be easier than my more elaborate tandoori pheasant recipe so that you could try it without all the fuss. If you would like to take a look at my authentic tandoori marinated pheasant recipe, you will find it here.

What does pheasant taste like?

Pheasant tastes a lot like chicken though it does have a slightly stronger flavour because it's wild. So using a good marinade that compliments that game flavour is always nice.

The marinade I have for you here is an easy tandoori marinade with the addition of honey that you baste the pheasant with at the end of cooking. This gives the skin a delicious sweet and smoky flavour.

You could actually use this same marinade with chicken but when it's pheasant season, I tend to stay away from boring chicken and go for pheasant or another game bird such as quail or partridge.

Do you have to cook tandoori roast pheasant in a tandoor oven?

No! I use a Doori tandoor oven which is economical and also easy to transport. It's great for taking to the beach or camping.

You could cook this roast pheasant over indirect heat on your barbecue. Aim for a cooking temperature of about 200°C/400°F and let it cook until the internal temperature reaches 74°C/175°F. The same applies to cooking the pheasant in your oven.

Which ever cooking method you choose, be sure to baste the bird with the melted ghee and honey mixture a few times at the end of cooking. Allow the pheasant to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Can you upscale or downscale this recipe?

Yes and I did it this time too. I made twice as much marinade and marinated two pheasants when I cooked this recipe. If you were to cook four pheasants, you could probably get away with just doubling the marinade.

How long can your store leftovers in the fridge?

If you happen to have leftovers, you can reheat them in a pan. Just shred or slice the meat and fry it in a tablespoon of oil.

if you have larger pieces or a whole bird, you could reheat it in an air fryer or oven until heated through. I usually do it in an air fryer and set the temperature to 200°C/400°F and cook it until heated through. You could do the same in an oven.

The meat will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Are there other ways to use tandoori pheasant?

Yes. Just like when you prepare tandoori chicken for curries, you can do the same with this meat. Adding cooked, smoky tandoori pheasant to a curry tastes amazing.

You might like to try this spicy pheasant curry or a milder coconut pheasant curry.

Step by step photographs.

The ingredients for the recipe laid out on a countertop. — Get all your ingredients together before you start. It's easier that way.

The pheasant rubbed with the garlic and ginger paste, oil, lemon juice and ground spices. — Whisk the lemon juice, oil, 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste and the ground spices together in a bowl and rub them all over and inside the pheasant.

Whisking garlic and ginger paste, yoghurt and salt together until smooth. — In the same bowl, whisk the yoghurt, salt and remaining garlic and ginger paste together until smooth.

Applying the marinade to the pheasant. — Rub this marinade all over and inside the pheasant. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. The longer the better.

Skewering the pheasant for cooking. — When ready to cook, skewer the bird down its backbone, from the neck end. Place a potato at the end to stop the pheasant from sliding.

Placing the pheasant skewer in the tandoor oven. — Move the coals to one side and place the pheasant skewer on the other.

Cooking the pheasant in a covered tandoor oven. — Let the pheasant cook, covered for about 20 minutes.

Letting the pheasant cook on top of the tandoor oven. — Take the pheasant out after 20 minutes and let it roast on top of the oven, turning from time to time for about 10 minutes.

Basting the pheasant with the ghee and honey mixture. — This is a good time to start basting the pheasant with the ghee and honey mixture. Do this a few times during the cook.

The roast pheasant on a cutting board, resting after the cook. — Continue cooking and basting, inside and on top of the tandoor until the internal temperature is 74°C/165°F. Let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

The roast pheasant on a paratha wrap with salad vegetables and hot sauce. — You could simply carve and enjoy but I like to eat the meat as a wrap with salad vegetables and sauces.

Roast pheasant from the tandoor oven in a wrap with salad vegetables and sauces. — You are going to love the smoky flavour of this roast pheasant!

If you like this roast pheasant recipe, you might like to try some of these other recipes, cooked in the Doori Tandoor.

Have you tried this grilled rabbit recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

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Yield: 2 - 3

Roast Pheasant with Honey Glaze

Try this updated version of roast pheasant with honey glaze recipe. Roast this delicious pheasant in an oven, tandoor or barbecue.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Additional Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients

1 pheasant
FOR THE MARINADE
1 tsp rapeseed (canola) oil
3 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
Juice of one lemon
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp tandoori masala
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
250ml plain yogurt
TO BASTE
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp melted, hot ghee

Instructions

Whisk the oil, 2 tablespoons of the garlic and ginger paste, the lemon juice and all of the ground spices together in a bowl.
Apply this to the pheasant but rubbing it right into the flesh and inside the cavity. Set aside for 10 to 20 minutes.
Using the same bowl, whisk the yoghurt, remaining garlic and ginger paste and the salt together until smooth.
Rub this all over the pheasant inside and out. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. The longer the better. If marinating overnight, you can pour it all into a large freezer bag and seal it.
When ready to cook, build a fire in your tandoor. Please see notes for BBQ and oven method. Heat your tandoor up to around 230°C/450°F.
Rub most of the marinade off the pheasant and skewer it by running the skewer down the back bone from the neck end. Try to weave it through the meat to make it extra secury. It is a good idea to place a potato at the end of the skewer to stop the pheasant from sliding. I also used a clamp from my rotisserie but that wasn't really necessary.
Move the coals to one side of your tandoor and place the pheasant skewer on the other side. You really need to watch things as the dripping juices will probably cause the tandoor to get hotter.
If you find the tandoor is getting too hot and you have no way of reducing the heat, no problem! Simply take the pheasant out and lay it across the top. Turn it from time to time and it will continue cooking from the heat below. You can then return the pheasant to the tandoor once it has cooled some.
Regardless, it is a good idea to remove the pheasant from the tandoor from time to time to let it cook on top. This will help ensure that it cooks in the centre without scorching the exterior.
Continue cooking until the pheasant has reached an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F. You can do this both inside and on top of the tandoor. Toward the end of cooking, whisk the hot, melted ghee with the honey and baste the pheasant generously. all over a few times.
Once cooked, let the pheasant rest for 10 minutes before carving. You can eat it as is or wrap it up in a paratha or chapati which is my favourite way to enjoy it.

Notes

Oven and BBQ Cooking.

If cooking over indirect heat in your barbecue or in an oven, cook it at 200°C/400°F for about 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 74°C/165°F. Be sure to baste it with the hot ghee and honey mixture a few times toward the end of cooking. Once cooked, let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Dal Makhani

November 21, 2011 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Dal Makhani just like you get at the best Indian restaurants!

Butter, creamy, deliciously spiced, what's not to like about dal makhani? You are much more likely to see dal classics like tarka dal on curry house menus but a hot bowl of dal makhani is something special. This easy dal makhani recipe takes some time to prepare and cook but it's worth the effort. Actually, it's not a lot of effort at all. It's more of a waiting game. This is probably why you won't find this dal on many menus other than higher end Indian restaurants.

About this dal makhani recipe...

This recipe first featured in my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Easy' and then later in 'The Curry Guy Bible'. It was only after seeing it made many times that I came up with this recipe. You are going to love the creamy smooth texture and the buttery flavour is incredible with all those complimentary spices.

T0 get this dal makhani right, however, you need a bit of patience. There is no rushing the required soaking or cooking time! Many chefs have tried but this popular dal simply isn't the same if not completely cooked.

It takes 4 hours to cook the lentils on the stove but you can cook them in an electric pressure cooker in a fraction of the time. All is explained below.

Which dal is most commonly served at restaurants?

As mentioned above, you are far more likely to see tarka dal served at restaurants because of the red (masoor) and/or yellow (chana) lentils used. Red dal can be cooked in under 30 minutes and chana dal only takes about 40 minutes. Both dals only need to soak for about half an hour.

Makhani dal, on the other hand is made with whole black (urad) lentils. These lentils need to soak for at least 12 hours and it takes 4 hours to cook them until soft and creamy. This process is all shown in the photos below. So you can probably see why it is that they don't feature on many low cost curry house menus.

Luckily, this dal makhani recipe will get you creamy smooth dal like you get at the best Indian restaurants.

My first real bowl of dal makhani

So many people love dal makhani so it is little wonder that chefs wishing to please their customers feature it on their menus. I tried it a few times at restaurants in the UK and didn't think much of it. What were people thinking? Why did they think dal makhani was so good?

While in Mumbai researching recipes for my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Easy', I went into a Punjabi restaurant and ordered some dal makhani as a side for a few mains. It was amazing! When I asked the chef how he got it so creamy smooth, he invited me back to the kitchens where a huge pot of black dal was simmering away.

He told me how it had been simmering for 6 hours and that a proper dal makhani needs to simmer for at least 4 hours. So when I got home I tried it and it worked! Since then, I have had many deliciously cooked dal makhanis at restaurants in the UK. As the delicious dal catches on, people know what it should be like and restaurants have had to step up and cook it correctly.

Dal makhani in India

People in India love their dal. In some families, dal is served with every meal. They don't limit themselves to the dal that is most popular in the west.

Because of the time it takes to cook, dal makhani is still something for special occasions. That said, the use of pressure cookers is much more common in India and they can cook their dal makhani a lot quicker than using the one pot stove method.

Cooking makhani dal in an electric pressure cooker.

This makes a lot of sense as it greatly reduces the cooking time. Electric pressure cookers like the Instant Pot Duo Crisp Air Fryer has been an excellent addition to my collection of kitchen tools.

To cook the lentils, place them in your electric pressure cooker and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for the pressure cooker to come up to heat and start cooking.

After cooking on high for 20 minutes, allow the pressure to naturally release for another 10 minutes. Then manually release the pressure. Your black lentils will be cooked to perfection. Carry on with the recipe as written.

How to make one pot dal makhani

Ingredients for dal makhani — It's always best to get all your ingredients ready before starting cooking.

Step 1.

Soak the lentils for at least 12 hours. As the black urad dal lentils soak, they will rehydrate and plump up.

Step 2.

Simmer the lentils for about 4 hours or until fall apart tender. Don't rush this! You should literally be able to easily smash the cooked lentils between two fingers.

Step 3.

Strain the cooked lentils into a bowl and retain all of the cooking liquid. This will be added to the dal makhani too.

STEP 4.

Returning to your pot, heat the oil and fry the onions for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent.

Step 5.

Adding garlic, ginger and tomatoes to pot.

Stir in the garlic and ginger followed by the chopped tomatoes. Then stir in the ground spices.

Step 6.

Cover with some of the cooking liquid and add the cooked lentils.

Step 7.

Simmer for another 10 minutes and the stir in the butter and cream. Check for seasoning and add salt to taste.

When it comes to the butter and cream, do this to taste. Butter and cream taste great in pretty much everything. So if you want your dal makhani to be super buttery and creamy, that's how it's done. That and the naturally creamy, cooked lentils, of course!

Can dal makhani be frozen?

Yes. I do recommend, however, freezing it before adding the cream and butter which don't freeze well.

You can then defrost the cooked dal makhani and add the butter and cream just before serving.

If you like this dal makhani recipe, you might like to try some of the Indian Vegetarian favourites.

See more Indian Vegetarian Recipes →

Dal Recipes are often served alongside a delicious curry or two. Here are my top Indian curry recipes you may like to try.

Rice

See more Indian Rice Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Have you tried this dal makhani recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 4 - 6

Black Lentil Dhal - A Punjabi Dish You Are Sure To Love

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

200g (7oz) black urad dal, soaked overnight in cold water
5 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt or to taste
3 tbsp butter
250ml (1 cup) single cream
Chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves, to serve

Instructions

In a large saucepan over a low-medium heat, simmer the urad dall in water until fall-apart soft. You will need to top up the water from time to time while the lentils cook. After 3 -4 hours of simmering, the lentils will be perfectly soft.
Strain the lentils, reserving the cooking water, and set it all aside.
Wash out the pot and place it over a medium-high heat. When visibly hot, stir in the chopped onions and fry for about 10 minutes until soft and lightly browned.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for about 30 seconds before adding the chopped tomatoes and the spices.
Cook for another minute, then add about 125ml )1/2 cup of the strained lentil stock. Bring it to a simmer and then add the cooked lentils.
Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, adding more strained stock if needed, The Makhani dal should be thick and soupy.
To finish, season with salt. I recommend about 2 teaspoons which I think works really well but add it to taste.
Makhani means butter, so you can't leave that out. I recommend using about 3 tablespoons but if you don't want to use that much, the dal will still be delicious.
Stir most of it into the dal and then add whatever is left over to melt on top and sprinkle with the chopped coriander (cilantro) and you are ready to serve your masterpiece.

Spicy Squash Soup

November 3, 2011 By Dan Toombs 10 Comments

No fuss pumpkin soup! There are so many ways to make this.

This is the perfect soup for a cold Autumn day. My pumpkin soup recipe will take the chill out of any frosty evening.

Each year it's kind of a tradition around our house to make pumpkin soup when pumpkins come into season and this year was no exception.

This is a recipe that is very easy even for absolute cooking beginners. All you need are the freshest ingredients you can find, a pot, a knife and a blender. For a more refined texture, you could pass the finished soup through a fine mesh strainer but that's not necessary.

spicy pumpkin soup — Nicely spiced and a great way to cook pumpkin.

Ingredients and substitutes

I used my spice stock recipe as a base. It's simple to make and adds a lot of flavour to this soup. Great for vegetarians.

You could also use chicken or vegetable stock.

As for the pumpkin... This pumpkin soup recipe is one that works equally well with butternut squash.

That's what I do when pumpkin isn't in season.

Making spicy pumpkin soup — Frying the onions, carrots, bell peppers and chillies.

Working ahead

As with most soups, this pumpkin soup can be made ahead of time.

Feel free to make it a day or two before serving. The flavours will actually develop and your soup will be even better.

Making pumpkin soup — Pour your stock of choice in. The pumpkin pieces should be completely submerged in the stock.

If you like this pumpkin soup recipe, you might like to try some of these too.

Thai prawn soup
Thai Tom yum gai
Tom kha gai
Chickpea soup

Yield: 8

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

To make the optional red chilli creme, toast 10 Kashmiri chilli pepper in a pan over medium high heat for about 30 seconds. Then soak them in 300ml water for 30 minutes. Blend the soaked chillies with the water and add salt to taste.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 Kilo (2 lbs) skinned and diced fresh pumpkin
1 litre spice, vegetable or chicken stock
3 tablespoons butter
1 green chilli pepper - chopped
5 cloves garlic - smashed and chopped
A pinch of dried thyme and oregano
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder (optional)
2 red bell peppers - seeded and chopped
2 onions - finely chopped
250ml fresh corn kernels
250ml double cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan and then add the onions, chilli pepper, red bell pepper and garlic.
Fry until the the onion is translucent and soft.
Now add the spices and herbs followed by the chopped pumpkin. Cover the pumpkin pieces with your stock of choice.
When the pumpkin is soft, add the corn and then blend until very smooth.
Bring up to a simmer again and allow to cook uncovered for about 15 minutes.
Stir in the cream and salt and pepper to taste.
Bring back up to heat just before serving.

I hope you enjoy this pumpkin soup recipe. If you do try it, please let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear from you.

How To Make That Popular British Indian Restaurant Style Duck Tikka and Mushroom Madras

November 1, 2011 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Duck tikka and mushroom madras can be made easily at home

As part of an ongoing series of posts showing you how to make British Indian Restaurant (BIR) style curries, I thought it was time to offer you this old favourite - Duck Tikka and Mushroom Madras.

The word tikka means 'pieces'. Usually these tikka are off the bone though I have had this delicious and hot curry served on the bone as well.

This BIR recipe can therefore be prepared in a number of ways.

Here I will show you my favourite options.

Please note that preparation option one takes a lot more planning but oh is it good!

Option two can be done quickly and easily. The end result is still mouthwateringly good and also less fattening. This is the version I'm showing up there in the right hand corner of this post.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, British Indian restaurant style cooking is all about delivering great Indian food to the table quickly. You are going to need to make my BIR style curry gravy before hand. This can be a big job but my recipe is for a large batch and it does freeze very well.

Make the gravy and you could be making top quality BIR curries quickly and easily in your own home whenever you want.

Click here to view the list of free restaurant style curry recipes I am adding to regularly.

You could of course purchase a ready made curry gravy but the resulting curry just won't be as good. I strongly recommend going the home-made route.

Serves 3 - 4

INGREDIENTS

1 farmed duck (option one) or 3 farmed duck breasts
1 Tablespoon garam masala

Curry sauce ingredients

3 Tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1 Inch ginger - grated
1 Tablespoon turmeric
700ml (3 cups) curry sauce
1 Tablespoon cumin powder
1 Tablespoon coriander powder
2 Tablespoons red hot chilli powder
1 Tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
2 cups field mushrooms - cut in half or quartered
3 Tablespoons chopped coriander
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon garam masala

Duck preparation - option one

Bring a large pot - capable of holding the duck - to a boil.

Make about 30 holes in the fatty skin of the duck with a fork.

When the water is boiling rapidly, carefully place the duck in the water.

Allow to boil for about four minutes and then remove the duck from the water and dry it with paper towels.

Using a hair dryer, dry the skin even more. The more moisture/fat you can dry off the duck the better.

Now rub the skin of the duck with the garam masala and hang in a cool place for a few hours or preferably over night. This will allow more fat to drip from the skin and allow for nicer, crispier skin.

When you are ready to cook the duck, preheat your oven to it's highest temperature and bake it until crisp and the meat tears away easily. This takes about an hour.

Duck preparation - option two

Remove all the fatty skin from the duck breasts and cut the breasts into bite sized pieces.

Add a little oil to a pan and throw in the duck pieces.

As the duck pieces (tikka) cook, pour in about three tablespoons of the curry sauce.

Allow to cook in the gravy until the duck is just cooked through.

To finish

If using a whole duck, cut it into bite sized pieces on the bone.

Pour about three tablespoons of oil or ghee into a wok or pot and place over medium high heat.

Sprinkle in the turmeric powder and add the garlic and ginger. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Now add the mushrooms and fry for about 30 seconds.

Add the curry gravy, cumin, coriander powder, chilli powder and fenugreek leaves and stir to combine.

When the curry is nice and hot add the duck tikka pieces.

If you are using the crispy duck option, try to stir the duck while keeping the skin dry and crispy. This is not easy!

To Serve

Check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as needed and top with the fresh coriander leaves and garam masala.

I really love this curry and hope you do too! If you want, you can add a little chilli powder to make a vindaloo but for me, this duck tikka and mushroom madras is hot enough!

Stove Top Naans

October 31, 2011 By Dan Toombs 84 Comments

You really can make stove top naans that are as good as the cooking in a tandoor oven!

Fluffy, crispy, however you like them, you can make them as you like with this stove top naan recipe. You will find step by step photographs below of the process so be sure to check them out.

Stove Top Naans

Watch how I make my Stove Top Naans on YouTube! You can also find the recipe card in the link below.

Recipe Card

About this stove top naan recipe

In this recipe, you will be preparing naan dough the traditional way, with a yeast dough. Doing this, you get super fluffy and chewy naans that are to die for.

That said, most curry houses use an instant dough. That of course works well too and can be prepared in a fraction of the time. You can read my instant naan recipe here.

Can you use the same dough for other types of naans?

You bet. Make this dough and you can use it to prepare Peshwari naans and keema naans just to name a couple.

Stove top naans in step by step photographs.

Ingredients for stove top naans. — Get all of your ingredients together before you start. It's easier that way.

Frothy yeast in milk. — Mix the yeast and sugar with the hot milk. Set it aside for about 30 minutes or until it becomes frothy.

Eggs and yoghurt ready for whisking. — While you're waiting for the yeast to froth up, whisk the eggs and yoghurt together in a large mixing bowl.

Combining the eggs, yoghurt, milk and yeast with half of the flour. — If you have a standing mixer, use it. Pour the frothy yeast mixture into the whisked eggs and yoghurt and add half the flour.

Mixing the wet dough together. — Mix the wet dough together until smooth with no lumps.

Adding the remaining flour to the bowl. — Add the remaining flour. I also added some onion seeds which is optional.

Dough coming together in the mixer. — Once mixed, the dough will still be quite wet but will be coming together. Knead for 5 minutes.

Soft dough ball in a bowl to rise. — Form the dough into a ball and place in a bowl. Allow to rise for a few hours or overnight.

Dough after rising. — I let mine sit overnight and this is what I had the next morning.

Kneading the dough. — Add just enough flour so that you can knead it. The dough should still be sticky and some will be sticking to your hands.

Dough clumps ready for working. — Divide the dough into 8 to 10 clumps. Then add just enough flour to each to make a soft dough. It should be sticky but not sticking to your hands.

Dough balls ready for rolling. — The finished dough balls should look like this. Be very careful not to add too much flour! You want this dough to be very soft.

Naan brushed with oil — Roll the dough balls out and then brush the top with a little oil or ghee. The oil will help the naan char.

Water coated naan dough. — Rub the underside of the naan liberally with water. This will help it stick to the pan.

Slapped naan in the pan. — Slap the naan into a very hot pan. You want to slap it hard so that it sticks.

Bubbling naan — As the naan cooks, it will start to bubble on top. When you are happy with the bubbles, turn the pan over. If using an electric stove, you can flip the naan instead.

Charring the naan. — Turn the stove top naan toward the fire if cooking on gas and char it to your liking.

Finished stove top naan. — All done! Ready to be topped with your topping of choice.

Yield: 10

Stove top naans

You might be surprised at how these stovetop naans turn out. We are talking naan heaven here without the need for a tandoor oven. These are cooked in a pan!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

300ml (1 1/4 cup) milk
7g (1 tsp) dried yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
3 eggs
300ml (1 1/4 cup) Greek yogurt
900g plain white flour plus more for kneading and dusting
Scant 1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tablespoons melted butter or ghee (optional)

Instructions

Heat the milk in a jug in the microwave until it is hand hot. Stir in the yeast and sugar and cover with a cloth. Place in a warm place for 30 to 60 minutes to awaken the yeast. It will become quite frothy.
While the yeast is foaming up, whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the yoghurt and whisk until smooth. Once the yeast has bubbled up, pour it all into the bowls with the eggs and yoghurt. Whisk again until smooth.
Now mix the baking powder and salt with the flour and sift half of it over the liquid mixture. You can mix this all by hand in the bowl or pour it all into a stand mixer as I did in the photos which is easier. At this point, the dough will be very wet. Add the remaining flour and knead into a soft dough.
The dough will be way to sticky to handle. Add just enough flour so that you can work it into a soft dough that is still quite sticky.
Knead this hard for about 5 minutes and then form into a large dough ball. Place the dough ball in a mixing bowl and cover. Allow to rise for a few hours or overnight.
Once the dough has risen, punch in down and knead for another few minutes. Then separate the stick dough into 8 to 10 smaller balls. The dough will still be quite sticky which is good. Now take each clump of dough and add just enough flour so that it is workable. It should be sticky but not sticking to your hands.
Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the dough balls until ready to cook. Let these dough balls rest for at least 30 minutes.
TO FINISH
Using your hands or a rolling pin, roll a ball out into a flat circular disc that is nice and thin. Rub a little oil or ghee over the top and then pick it up, resting the disk, oil side down in your hand. Brush the other side liberally with water and then slap it right down into the pan. I use a small pillow covered with a dish cloth to handle the dough which makes things easier.
The naan disc will begin to cook on the underside and then bubble on the top. If you are cooking over a gas flame, turn the pan over so that the naan is facing the flame and char it to your liking. If cooking on an electric hob, you can flip it to cook the other side but you will lose some of those bubbles.
Pry the naan out of the pan and brush with a little ghee if you like. Each naan should take you no more than 3 minutes. Stack the naans and cover to keep warm to serve.

How To Make Banana Dosas - There's A Lot More To Indian Food Than Curries!

October 26, 2011 By Dan Toombs 6 Comments

I've been making banana dosas for years!

My kids are off school this week for half term. That usually means me avoiding work and spending time in the kitchen with them. It's one of those things we have always looked forward to - that is all of us except my 14 year old daughter who now prefers Facebook.

On Monday my youngest daughter Jennifer was thumbing through my recipe notes and found a recipe for Indian banana dosas. I'd taken a picture a few years back of the dosas I made and she decided she had to try them. We've been eating banana dosas ever since.

For breakfast - banana dosas!

For snack time - banana dosas!

For dessert... I think you get the idea.

The great thing about these rice flour pancakes is that they are really good for you. We use brown rice flour that is mixed with five bananas. We then top it all with frozen yogurt though I should point out they go much better with high fat vanilla ice cream.

I'll save that option for our next dinner party.

Banana dosas are so easy to make!

Serves 4 - 6

INGREDIENTS

250g brown rice flour
50g plain flour
Water - approximately 150ml - I never really measure
5 bananas
1 tablespoon sugar - more or less to taste
A small pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Making banana dosas — Jennifer mashing the bananas

method

Mash the bananas into a thick mushy paste in a large bowl. Kids love doing this!

Now sift the flour over the bananas and add the sugar and salt.

Mix to combine.

Pour some water into a cup and then slowly add it to the mixture while stiring with a wooden spoon.

You only want to add enough water so that the mixture is smooth but lumpy from the bananas and kind of plops off the fork when scooped up and dropped back into the bowl. It is quite thick.

to finish

Take a little bit of the oil and wipe it onto the surface of a non-stick pan.

Place the pan over medium heat. When it is hot, add a scoop of the batter.

Be careful not to burn the pancakes.

Let the banana dosas cook in the pan for about four minutes on the first side and three minutes on the opposite side.

Keep warm while you make the rest of the pancakes. Of course, if you have a large pan you should be able to cook a few at a time.

Please be sure to stop back around and let me know how you like these healthy dessert pancakes. They really are good and I don't even like sweets!

Judging from the amount of batter my eight year old just mixed up on her own while I was at work, it looks like it's banana dosas on the menu again tonight.

Tomato Chilli Chutney

October 24, 2011 By Dan Toombs 4 Comments

This tomato chilli chutney goes great with so many different Indian dishes.

If you are new to Indian food but familiar with Mexican salsas, you might still recognise this one. You make tomato chilli chutney in exactly the same way as an easy Mexican tomato salsa. Only the names are different.

This tomato chilli chutney is delicious served with poppadoms or slathered over lamb or chicken kebabs. It is also a nice dip for samosas. Be sure to check out the step by step photos I took for you below.

About this recipe.

Growing up in California, I tasted my share of delicious Mexican salsas. I love them.

When I moved to the UK, I was surprised to find that many Punjabi and Pakistani chefs offer a wide range of delicious tomato chutneys that were so similar to the Mexican salsas I already knew.

This tomato chilli chutney will go spectacularly well with so many different dishes. From salmon steaks to lamb and chicken tikka kebabs, it's a simple recipe that adds so much spicy flavour to the meal.

Is this tomato chilli recipe difficult?

No. As recipes go, this is about as easy as they come.

If you have a small food processor, it will come in handy but if not, you can finely chop everything with a knife.

How do you get the best results with this recipe?

We all have our one flavour preferences. This is how I make tomato chilli chutney but you might want to and should adjust the flavouring to your own personal taste.

You could add more or fewer chillies, for example. Salt is added to taste. I add about a teaspoon of flaky salt but you can add as much or as little as you like.

Salt really brings out the flavour of the other ingredients. Taste as you go!

Also, you need to decide how much lime juice to add. I add the juice of two limes but the lime juice should also be added to taste.

Do you have to use tinned (canned) tomatoes?

Not at all. I live in a cold climate so I find that tinned (canned) tomatoes work perfectly. They always have the same flavour.

In the summer months, I often use fresh tomatoes. The choice is yours but if you live in the UK or another cold place, tinned (canned) tomatoes are probably the best option.

How long can you store this chutney in the fridge?

You can store this in your fridge for at least three days. In my opinion, however it is best to consume the tomato chilli chutney on the day you make it.

On the day you prepare you tomato chilli chutney, it's a good idea to let it chill in your fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. This will allow the chutney to chill and also let the flavours develop.

Can you freeze tomato chilli chutney?

You could but I don't advise doing so if you plan to serve it as a dip or sauce.

This tomato chilli chutney is best made on the day with the fresh ingredients. I know I say to use tinned (canned) tomatoes but if you live in an area that has really red and ripe organic tomatoes that grow in under the sun, use them.

Want to try some other popular raitas, chutneys and pickles?

I have lots of delicious recipes for you that would be perfect for your next curry feast.

Raitas: Potato Raita, Cucumber Raita, Onion Raita, Honey and Mustard Raita, Pakora Sauce, Chilli Raita and Mint Raita.

Chutneys: Red Onion Chutney, Roasted Tomato Chutney, Onion Chutney, Tamarind Sauce, Tamarind Chutney, Coriander Chutney, Coriander and Coconut Chutney, Ginger Chutney, Garlic Chutney, Mango Chutney, Coriander, Mint and Mango Chutney, Coriander and Mint Chutney.

Pickles: Lime Pickle, Vegetable Pickle, Onion Pickle and Mango Pickle.

Step by step photographs.

Ingredients for the chutney. — Get all your ingredients together before starting.

The onion, garlic, chillies and coriander in a food processor. — Place the onion, garlic, chillies and coriander (cilantro) in a food processor.

Finely chopped onions, chillies, garlic and coriander in a food processor. — Blend to finely chop these ingredients. I prefer to do this before adding the liquid tomatoes.

Adding the chopped tomatoes to the finely chopped ingredients. — Pour in the chopped tomatoes and blend to combine.

Adding salt and lime juice to taste. — Now add salt and lime juice to taste.

It is so important to taste as you go for the perfect tomato chilli chutney.

Tomato chilli chutney in a serving bowl with poppadoms. — Serve with poppadoms, samosas, kebabs or whatever you think sound good.

Tomato chilli chutney spread over a poppadom. — Enjoy!

Yield: 4 to 6

Chilli & Tomato Chutney

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

400ml tinned chopped tomatoes
1 small onion chopped
3 cloves garlic - smashed
4 green chilli peppers - chopped (more or less to taste)
1 small bunch chopped fresh coriander
Juice of two limes
Salt to taste

Instructions

Place the onion, chillies, garlic and coriander (cilantro) in a food processor and blend to finely chop. This can of course be done with a knife.
Add the chopped tomatoes and blend again to combine.
Now add salt and lime juice to taste. For best results, place the finished tomato chilli chutney in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.
That's it. Believe me, this tomato chilli chutney can make a good meal great!

Pinto Bean Thoran

October 21, 2011 By Dan Toombs 6 Comments

If you're looking for a nice vegetarian curry recipe, check this out!

What a nice flavour this curry has! It's easy and cheap to make and above all, it's filling. I often make it for lunch for my wife and me or serve it as a side dish at one of our many curry feasts.

Vegetable thorans are very popular in southern India. They are dry curries often served at special occasions. You can use any sturdy vegetable that will keep its shape when cooked such as green beans, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and pinto beans like I've used in the recipe.

In other words don't use vegetable like spinach that will wilt.

If you are looking for a vegetarian curry recipe that is certain to go down well, this will be it. Simply use the vegetables you and/or your guests love and you're off.

Love Indian Vegetarian Recipes? Why not try one of these too...

All Indian Vegetarian recipes

Yield: 4

Pinto Bean Thoran - A Vegetarian Curry Recipe That Tastes Great and Can Be Made in a Hurry

Ingredients

250g dried beans of your choice (You can use about 500g tinned beans but rince them first)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
About 15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 small onion - finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (optional)
1 red chilli pepper - finely chopped
3 heaping tablespoons desiccated coconut
1 pinch turmeric
1 small bunch chopped coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Soak the beans overnight if using dried beans and then cook them until tender - 30 to 40 minutes will usually suffice.
Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat and throw in your black mustard seeds and curry leaves.
When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the chopped onions, garlic (if using) and chilli pepper.
Mix in the beans and the turmeric. Again, stir to combine.
Add the coconut and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Top with the chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime juice.

Easy Monkfish Curry

October 12, 2011 By Dan Toombs 10 Comments

This easy monkfish curry recipe is so good!

Of all the quite difficult recipes I've attempted over the years, this easy monkfish curry recipe is still my wife's favourite. The flavours are simple work so well together.

If you like monkfish, you are going to love this easy monkfish curry recipe!

You really could use any meaty fish such as cod, halibut or coley but I have to say that I prefer it with monkfish.

How to get this recipe right...

It is essential that you use the freshest ingredients you can find.

Do that and you've expect a party in your mouth.

There are so many complimentary flavours in this easy monkfish curry. It may be simple but it just works.

About the coconut milk...

I have developed this recipe so that you can use a whole tin of coconut milk along with a little block coconut.

Block coconut is not available in every country but there are substitutes.

When I learned this easy monkfish curry recipe, I made it with freshly prepared coconut milk.

The light coconut milk was added first and then the creamy coconut milk was added at the end.

When using the tinned coconut milk, try to cook the fish in the light stuff. Then stir in thick coconut milk and/or as I have done block coconut at the end. You may need to open two 400ml tins if you can't find the block coconut.

What is kokum?

Kokum is a delicious souring agent used in many south Indian fish curries.

It is a dried berry that is added to the curry to give it a delicious sour flavour. I really hope you can find it where you live. There really is no substitute.

That said, you could substitute other souring agents like lemon juice or tamarind concentrate. The flavour will be different but it will still taste amazing.

Although edible, the kokum berries are not meant to be eaten.

Working ahead...

You can make the sauce up to a day ahead of time. Then just cook the monkfish in the heated up sauce until cooked through.

If working ahead makes things easier for you, then go ahead and do that with this easy monkfish curry.

Do you like cooking by photographs?

I have included step by step photographs of the recipe for you below. Just get your ingredients together and you're ready to go.

The written recipe is at the bottom of this page.

Monkfish marinating in turmeric — Marinate the monkfish with the turmeric.

Infusing curry leaves in oil — Heat the oil in a frying pan. When hot, add the curry leaves and infuse them for 30 seconds.

Adding onions to the oil — Add the chopped onion and fry for about 30 seconds.

Adding ground spices — Add the ground spices and chopped chillies and stir into the oil.

adding coconut milk and kokum — Add the coconut milk and kokum and simmer for a few minutes.

Stirring in the fish — Stir in the fish to begin cooking. Add the sliced chillies.

Adding tomatoes and coconut — Add the tomatoes and block coconut and continue simmering for a few minutes until the fish is cooked through.

Adding coriander — Add the coriander and lemon juice. Season with salt to taste.

If you like this easy monkfish curry recipe, you might also like to try some of these...

Keralan prawn curry
Keralan fish curry
White fish curry
Goan fish curry
Tandoori prawns

Easy Monkfish Curry

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

700g monkfish cut into bite size pieces
1/2 tbsp ground turmeric
3 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
10 fresh or frozen curry leaves
1 onion - finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 green chilli peppers - finely chopped
2 green chilli peppers - halved
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
400ml coconut milk
3 - 4 kokum berries
10 cherry tomatoes - halved
50g block coconut
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
Juice of one lemon or lime (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala

Instructions

Place the cubed monkfish into a bowl with the turmeric and mix well with your hands. Allow to marinade for about 10 minutes.
In a large pan or wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the curry leaves and fry for about 20 seconds or until fragrant.
Throw in the chopped onion and fry until translucent and lightly browned. That should take about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger paste along with the chopped green chilli peppers.
Stir in the cumin and coriander powder and stir to combine.
Now pour in the coconut milk and bring to a bubble.
Add the kokum berries and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add the halved chili peppers followed by monkfish, block coconut and the tomatoes. Stir it all into the mixture.
Allow the monkfish to cook through in the sauce. This should take about 5 minutes.

To serve

Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with chopped coriander.
I like to serve this monkfish curry with plain white rice because nothing more is needed.
Simply pour the monkfish curry into warmed bowls and enjoy.

I hope you enjoy this easy monkfish curry recipe. If you do try it, please let me know in the comments. I would love to hear from you.

Chicken Jalfrezi Curry

September 27, 2011 By Dan Toombs 97 Comments

Chicken jalfrezi is one of the easiest BIR chicken curries to make.

This chicken jalfrezi recipe is the same as those found in my cookbooks 'The Curry Guy' and 'The Curry Guy Bible' but done as a British Indian restaurant (BIR) portion to serve 1 - 2 people. In my cookbooks, the recipes are family size to serve 4 or more as part of a multi-course meal.

Chicken jalfrezi curry is THE MOST POPULAR curry in the UK Indian restaurants. That's right, it's not chicken tikka masala like many people think but that's still a close second. Chicken jalfrezi is so good with plain Basmati rice or flavoured Basmati rice. You might also like to try it with naans or chapatis. Don't forget the homemade dal and samosas! You might also like to serve this with homemade poppadoms and a selection of chutneys and raitas.

Chicken jalfrezi is a great beginner curry!

There are two good reasons I say this.

If you want to make a British Indian restaurant (BIR) curry and you're not sure which one to start with, this chicken jalfrezi curry could be it.

Unlike other curry house favourites, chicken jalfrezi only requires two ground spices which are mixed powder and chilli powder. Easy!

It is also great from a spicing point of view. Fresh chillies are also added to the curry along with the chilli powder. Chicken jalfrezi is usually quite spicy but you are in control there.

You can reduce the amount used to your own taste preferences. That or add more like I usually do.

Chicken Jalfrezi

In this video you will find new information that will make your Chicken Jalfrezi absolute perfection!

Recipe Card

What exactly is a jalfrezi curry?

This is not an authentic chicken jalfrezi recipe like you might find in the cookbooks from the British Raj.

It's like what you would find in most good curry houses. The only real difference between and authentic chicken jalfrezi and this is the use of the curry house style base curry sauce. This is what gives the curry the flavour and sauce texture you are looking for.

Chicken jalfezi is a quick stir fry.

Back in the days of the British Raj, it would normally be made on the Sundays after big hunts.

The hunt parties would often be grand occasions. The Indian chefs would create massive feasts with the wild boar, deer and game birds shot.

Sunday, however was the day of rest and no one liked waste. So the pre-cooked meat served at the party would be cooked into a curry like this chicken jalfrezi.

Ingredients

Fresh ingredients are key to getting the best flavour from this Chicken Jalfrezi recipe. You’ll find the ingredients listed below, while the precise amounts are provided in the recipe card at the end of the page. For smooth cooking and the best outcome, it’s a good idea to have everything measured and prepared before you begin. All of the authentic Indian restaurant style curry recipes on my site use a base curry sauce. My 'go to' recipe is here.

See recipe card for quantities.

vegetable oil
onion thinly sliced
red bell pepper thinly sliced
garlic and ginger paste
green chilli peppers - finely chopped
teaspoon red chilli powder
mixed powder or curry powder
tomato puree (1:3 ratio water)
base curry sauce
pre-cooked chicken
tomato quartered
fenugreek leaves and a teaspoon of garam masala ( these are both optional )
chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

How To Make Base Sauce

In order to get this Chicken Jalfrezi to taste just like it does when you go out, you will need to do some forward planning. First, you will need to cook a base sauce and have it hot and ready to add to the curry. Following, you can watch my video demonstrating how to make a curry house style base curry sauce at home. Or, you could just try this base curry sauce recipe.

You can prepare and freeze the base sauce for that last minute Chicken Jalfrezi craving. Just be sure to label and date it and freeze it in convenient sized containers. It will freeze for up to 6 months.

Pre-Cooked Chicken

Although you could add raw chicken and let it cook through in the sauce, that isn't what curry house cooking is all about! By pre-cooking the chicken you will add another delicious layer of flavour. I have many chicken tikka recipes on this site but the following will all be delicious stirred into the chilli garlic sauce:

Step by step photos

Below, you’ll see step-by-step photographs to guide you through the recipe. At the bottom of the page, you’ll also find the full recipe card, which includes the complete list of ingredients and written instructions in an easy, printable format.

Step 1: Heat the oil over medium-high heat. When visibly hot, stir in the onions, bell peppers and chillies.

Adding garlic and ginger paste to the pan

Step 2: Fry the vegetables for about three minutes and then stir in the garlic and ginger paste.

Step 3: Add the mixed powder and chilli powder and stir well to coat the veggies.

Pouring in the tomato puree — Stir in the tomato puree and bring to a simmer.

Step 4: Stir the tomato puree into the pan and bring to a simmer.

Step 5: Add a ladle or two of the base curry sauce. Top it up from time to time if the curry is looking dry.

Adding meat to the chicken jalfrezi curry

Step 6: Add the pre-cooked chicken to the pan and stir to coat in the sauce. Bring to a simmer.

Step 7: Stir together and allow the sauce to simmer gently for 5 minutes

Step 8: Season with salt to taste and then add some coriander (cilantro). A nice squeeze of lime or lemon juice is also good.

Step 9: Stir in the kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves. One last stir and then serve.

Do I have to use chicken?

Of course not! This Jalfrezi recipe is all about the vegetable base. Any meat, vegetables or paneer can be used as a main ingredient. For example, try this tandoori paneer.

What do you serve with Chicken Jalfrezi?

Other Curries: If you are serving a group, why not make a few other popular rich Indian curries such as, Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Dhansak, Chicken Madras, Chicken Patia, Chicken Korma. Lamb Dopiaza,

Rice Dishes: All of these side dishes will go great with dahi chicken curry - Steamed Basmati Rice, Boiled Basmati Rice, Pilau Rice, Mushroom Fried Rice

Breads: Tandoori Naans, Tandoori Roti ,Chapatis , Spiced Chapatis , Stovetop Naans (1493)

Dals: Chana Dal , Tarka Dal, Spinach Dal, Dal Makhani

Storage

Fridge: Allow your dish to cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Flavours often develop even more after a night in the fridge.
Freezer: Portion and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then reheat gently on the hob or in the oven until piping hot.

Top Tip

Stir-fry the peppers, onions, and chillies on high heat so they stay slightly crisp. This gives the curry its signature smoky, fresh flavour instead of soft, stewed veg.

FAQ

How do I get the smoky flavour like in restaurants?

Cook the vegetables quickly on high heat and don’t overcrowd the pan. Some chefs even “char” the peppers slightly before adding the base sauce.

Can I make Jalfrezi less spicy?

Yes – simply reduce the green chillies or use a milder variety. The dish is meant to be medium-hot, but you can adjust the heat without losing flavour.

Why is my Jalfrezi turning out watery?

Simmer the sauce uncovered until it thickens. If needed, add a little extra tomato purée (diluted) to help bind the sauce and give it that restaurant-style consistency.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

Rice

Have you tried this Chicken Jafrezi recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow The Curry Guy on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

I also have a Youtube Channel where I share full videos on how to prepare my recipes. Cook along with me.

Yield: 2

Chicken Jalfrezi

Learn how to make the most popular curry in UK Indian restaurants: Chicken Jalfrezi. Serve it with basmati rice or naans for a flavorful meal.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper thinly sliced
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 - 3 green chilli peppers - finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 tbsp mixed powder or curry powder
2 tablespoons tomato puree (1:3 ratio water)
250ml (1 cup) base curry sauce
300g (11 oz) pre-cooked chicken
1 tomato quartered
1 teapsoon of fenugreek leaves and a teaspoon of garam masala ( these are both optional )
1 small bunch chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. When hot, add the onion and bell peppers and fry for about three minutes. You want the veggies to still have a bit of bite to them.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for a further 30 seconds and then add the green chillies, chilli powder and mixed powder.
Stir well to coat the veggies with the spices and then add the tomato puree and bring to a simmer.
Now add a ladle or two of the base sauce. Let this come to a simmer. Do not stir unless the sauce is sticking to the pan.
Add the chicken to the simmering sauce and stir so that it is coated with the sauce mixture. You are building this curry from the bottom up. If it is looking dry, add more base sauce. If you add too much, just cook it down until you are happy with the consistency. Ad the tomato and stir in and heath through for a minute
Season with salt to taste and adjust other seasoning too. If you want it spicier, you could add more chilli powder or green chillies for example. Just be sure to simmer any added spices for a while to cook out the raw flavour.
Sprinkle the fenugreek leaves and garam masala on top. Garnish with the chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves and a twist of lemon or lime to serve.

How To Make Indian Butter Crab

September 5, 2011 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

You've got to try Indian butter crab

Indian butter crab is probably the most fattening recipe I've ever made. I've cooked similar recipes on many occasions but last week I decided to try the real thing. I think every region in the world that has access to good fresh live crab has its own take on this dish but India gets the credit for being the originator of butter crab. This is a rich crab recipe that is great served with plain white rice or fresh naan bread.

If you have ever cooked live crabs before, you will know that they are usually cooked in boiling salt water. I was once invited to a seaside crab feast where the freshly caught crabs were cooked in the salty water of the Pacific and then eaten with melted garlic butter and crusty San Francisco sourdough bread. The simple dish was amazing.

Indian butter chicken is just as easy to make but it is slightly messier to prepare and eat. You won't need to burden yourself with serving the crab with melted garlic butter because the live crabs are cooked in the stuff! I served this to a group of friends while on holiday in Cornwall and the end result was extraordinary.

Here's what you need...

Cornwall caught crabs — Crabs caught off the Cornwall coast

INGREDIENTS for butter crab

1 one pound crab per person
4 litres melted clarified butter
20 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 Tablespoon garam masala
Freshly cracked black pepper
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

method

In a large pot large enough to hold one or two crabs comfortably, bring the clarified butter to a bubbling boil.

Add the live crabs and cook one or two at a time for about eight minutes. Remove from the butter and set aside.

Continue until all of the crabs are cooked in this way. The butter will ooze into every crevice of the crabs' bodies. I guess that's why they call it butter crab.

When the crabs are all cooked through it's time to get your hands dirty.

Separate the top and bottom shells and remove the spongy finger-like bits inside along with any white membranes.

Remove the white bodies and cut them in half. Then using a mallet or something else with a little weight, crush the bodies slightly. This will make it easier to remove the meat from the bones.

Next, remove the brown meat from the inside of the shells. This meat may have hardened during cooking and be quite solid or it could be runny. Whatever it happens to be - it's also very tasty.

Set the brown meat aside and place the two body parts back in the shell to serve.

Again, using a mallet, crack the claws and legs open to make it easier to eat the crabs at the table.

Take about 250ml of the left over clarified butter and heat it up again in a saucepan. Add the chopped garlic and the brown crab meat. Whisk together to combine and cook for about two minutes. Be sure not to burn the garlic.

In a large tray, rebuild your crabs so that the large shells holding the bodies are in the centre and the legs and claws are on the outside.

Pour the hot garlic butter and brown crab meat mixture over the shells and sprinkle with garam masala, cracked pepper and the chopped coriander leaves.

Important ==> Butter crab needs to be served immediately or kept warm in a low oven for up to 15 minutes.

If you have any questions about preparing Indian butter crab, please do not hesitate to ask.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes - 5 Ways

August 15, 2011 By Dan Toombs 11 Comments

The perfect creamy mashed potatoes, every time!

Whenever I make creamy mashed potatoes at home, it's always a big hit with the family.

I have tried my share of masala mashed potatoes but this recipe takes them to a whole new and delicious level.

It is both easy and tastes great.

The trick is to use a ricer. Do that and you can adjust this recipe any way you see fit.

These creamy mashed potatoes just plain get it!

Creamy mashed potatoes done Indian style — Masala creamy masala potatoes are so good!

5 Options for creamy mashed potatoes...

OK, so this is primarily a curry blog so the main part of this recipe is for masala mashed potatoes. I love them and hope you give them a try.

These creamy mashed potatoes are superb, not just with Indian food but whenever you want to serve mashed potatoes.

They go well with most cuisines. I love them with my Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey!

Just under the recipe at the bottom, however I will give you a few alternatives that are equally as delicious but a bit more western in flavour.

Advice on getting the creamiest potatoes possible

Use a ricer! This will break down all the lumps so that you are left with super creamy mashed potatoes every time.

You could get away without using a ricer but you will need to mash and whip those potatoes much longer.

It is so important to get all of the potato lumps out if you want perfection.

Never Blend Mash!

It makes sense that some chefs would think you could get the same results by blending the mash in a food processor.

If you have every had those gooey mashed potatoes served at so many restaurants, that is what the chef did. Blending gives the potatoes and consistency of, for lack of a better word, glue or paste.

If you want really creamy mashed potatoes, you need to use a ricer or mash and whisk much longer. Food processors are not the answer!

Working ahead...

The great thing about making mashed potatoes is that once cooked and ready, they can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

Then just heat them up in the microwave or bake them in the oven until steaming hot.

If you like seeing recipe cooked step by step, I have you covered!

Getting ingredients for creamy mashed potatoes together — Get all of your ingredients together ahead of time.

boiling potatoes — Boil the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are soft enough to break apart with a fork.

potatoes in pan — Strain and then return the potatoes to the hot pan. Let them sizzle while moving around it the pan to get rid of any excess water.

Mashing potatoe — Move the potatoes to a bowl to mash. Mash until all the lumps are gone or use a ricer.

running mashed potatoes through a ricer — Press the mashed potatoes through a ricer if you have one.

melting ghee — Clean the pan and then melt the ghee over medium heat. Then add the cumin seeds to infuse into the ghee.

Adding chopped onions to the ghee — Stir in the chopped onion and fry for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.

Adding turmeric, chopped garlic, ginger and chillies to pan — Add the chopped garlic, ginger and chillies and fry for about 30 seconds. Then add the ground turmeric.

adding double cream — Stir in the double cream and bring to a simmer.

adding coriander (cilantro) to pan — Add the chopped coriander (cilantro) and stir well to infuse the flavour into the cream.

simmering cream — Bring to a simmer for about 2 minutes to thicken slightly.

Adding mashed potatoes — Stir in the mashed potatoes and season with salt to taste.

Masala creamy mashed potatoes go very well with venison curry, lamb raan and tandoori chicken. In fact, they go well with any dish, Indian or other where you would normally serve mashed potatoes.

Last Christmas I served them with our Christmas turkey and they were devoured within minutes.

These creamy mashed potatoes are go good, you won't need any gravy. In fact, I often serve them with crispy fried sea bass with just a little coriander chutney.

So then... why not give these incredible mashed potatoes a try? You'll be glad you did.

Love Indian Vegetarian Recipes? Why not try one of these too...

All Indian Vegetarian recipes

Dahls

See more Dal Recipes →

Yield: 8

How to Make Out Of This World Masala Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 Kilo (2 lbs 4oz) Floury potatoes quartered
3 tablespoons ghee or butter
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
3 garlic cloves - smashed and finely chopped
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger finely chopped
1 onion - finely chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric (Add a little more if you want more colour)
2 tablespoons green chillies very finely chopped
1/4 cup double cream
1 bunch finely chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

Instructions

Cook the potatoes in boiling water until they fall apart easily when pricked with a fork.
Drain and return the potatoes to the same pot and cook over medium heat for about a minute. This will get rid of any remaining water.
Mash the potatoes. I like to put mine through a ricer so that the potatoes are creamy smooth without any lumps.
Now in a large saucepan, melt your ghee/butter and throw in the cumin seeds. When the seeds begin to pop a little, add the onions and cook until translucent.
Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric and chillies and cook for a further minute.
Pour in the cream and coriander leaves and the add the mashed potatoes and stir to combine. The turmeric will give the potatoes a nice yellow colouring that is both attractive and very tasty!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 92mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

As much as I would like you to try these creamy mashed potatoes as per the above recipe, here are four alternatives.

Plain creamy mashed potatoes

Perfect with any meal... Simply follow the instructions above, melting the ghee and adding the cream. The stir in the mashed potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garlicky Mash

I love garlic mashed potatoes. To make these, fry about 8 cloves chopped garlic in the ghee/butter until soft. Then add the cream and mashed potatoes and whip them up. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Few things beat potatoes and cheese together! To make these, heat the ghee/butter in the pan. Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer. Add about two handfuls of sharp Cheddar cheese and whisk briskly until smooth. Then add the mashed potatoes and whip them up. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

Rather than using the butter/ghee, heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a pan until hot but not smoking. Add one clove finely minced garlic and fry for about a minute. Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer. Then add the mashed potatoes and whip this all up together. Add a drop more olive oil and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Lamb Chops

July 29, 2011 By Dan Toombs 4 Comments

This is a Kashmiri recipe for spicy lamb chops. Kashmiri lamb chops just don't get any better.

I've been making this recipe for many years. In fact a version of these spicy lamb chops was featured in my book 'The Curry Guy'. You will find this version in 'The Curry Guy BBQ'.

About this recipe

You will find kashmiri lamb chops featured on many curry house menus but they rarely look this good. Usually these spicy chops are boneless and pound until flat. This time around I decided to cut the lamb into double chops, perfect for picking up and enjoying at a family barbecue.

How do you make Kashmiri spicy lamb chop?

In India, mutton often refers to goat meat and this recipe is really good when made with goat, too. Here you will find the authentic way of making these amazing chops, marinating them and then frying. If you would rather place your chops on the grill instead of frying them, go for it. That’s nice too. Just grill over direct heat until charred and cooked to your liking.

The meat is first simmered in a spiced milk mixture which gives the spicy lamb chop a subtle yet outstanding flavour. Then you fry those seasoned tender chops for a couple of minutes. This really is the perfect starter course for any curry barbecue though these spicy lamb chops also make an excellent main course too.

What do you serve with these spicy lamb chops?

These spicy lamb chops are delicious served simply as a starter with a squeeze of lemon juice or a good chutney. If you would like to make them as part of a larger meal, why not try some of these one pan curries?

How about serving these spicy lamb chops with homemade naans? You find the naans you want to make here ---> instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you're cooking outdoors, karahi naans. Oh, and really easy but just as delicious are homemade chapatis.

Step by step photos

Toasting the gram flour — Toast the gram flour over a medium heat in a frying pan.

Toasted gram flour — You want the flour to turn about two tones darker from the toasting. Set aside.

Cutting the lamb chops into double chops — Cut your lamb chops into double chops and remove most of the surface fat.

The lamb chops in a pot with the whole spices. — Place your prepared lamb chops in a pot with the whole spices.

Simmering the lamb chops with the whole spices in milk. — Cover with milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer the spicy lamb chops for 30 minutes.

Lamb chops after being simmered. Patted dry. — Remove from the milk and pat dry.

Marinating the lamb chops. — Mix the lamb chops with the marinade ingredients and allow to marinate for 24 to 48 hours or just start cooking.

Frying the lamb chops — Fry the lamb chops until crispy. You could also cook them on the cooking grate over the coals. Frying is more authentic though.

Fried lamb chops on a paper towel. — Transfer the cook spicy lamb chops to a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

Spicy lamb chops ready to serve. — Enjoy

You will find many spicy and delicious recipes on my blog. Here are some you've got to try!

Curry house style base sauce - Make a curry just like those at the best curry houses using this sauce.
Lamb Bhuna from Scratch - This one is from my book 'The Curry Guy One Pot'
One Pot Chicken Dhansak - from my book 'The Curry Guy One Pot
Asian Honey Glazed Baked Salmon
Sri Lankan Black Chicken Curry
Peruvian Chicken - Pollo a la Brasa
Korean Braised Beef Stew
Dal Makhani - An Indian restaurant favourite!
Tonkotsu Broth - When only the best will do. This one takes some time but it is just like you find at the best ramen restaurants!
Tonkotsu Ramen - Use that homemade tonkotsu broth in this ramen!
The Best Butter Chicken - Try it and you'll agree.
Authentic Saag Recipe - This is so good
Thai Beef Green Curry - Authentic recipe with homemade curry paste
Air Fryer Chicken Biryani
Cajun Mac and Cheese - The creamiest mac on the planet!
One Pot Chicken Vindaloo
Chicken 65 - One of my favourites. You might also like to try this air fryer chicken 65.
One Pot Chicken Chilli Garlic Curry
Homemade Sriracha Sauce - So much better than any sriracha you can purchase!
Tandoori Chicken Tikka - Homemade is alway best and this recipe gets restaurant quality results.

Have you tried this spicy lamb chops recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow The Curry Guy on Instagram and Facebook for all our latest recipes.

Yield: 4

Indian Lamb Recipes - How To Make Kashmiri Lamb Cutlets

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

3 tbsp gram (chickpea) flour
8 double-cut bone-in lamb or mutton chops
500ml (2 cups) full-fat (whole) milk, plus extra as needed
1⁄4 tsp cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 blade mace (about 2.5cm/1in)
5cm (2in) piece of cinnamon stick
3 green cardamom pods, lightly bruised
1 onion, quartered
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt, whisked 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt, or to taste
Rapeseed (canola) oil, for frying Lemon wedges, to serve
Flaky sea salt, to serve

Instructions

Place a frying pan over a medium heat and toast the gram (chickpea) flour for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously until fragrant and about two tones darker in colour. Set aside.
Place the lamb or mutton chops in a saucepan and pour the milk over them. The meat should be completely covered with liquid, so add more milk if needed.
Stir in the cloves, fennel seeds, mace, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and onion and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes and then remove the meat from the milk and pat dry.
Place the chops in a large bowl and coat with the garlic and ginger paste, lemon juice, yoghurt, chilli powder, cumin, coriander and salt. Once thoroughly coated, add the toasted gram flour and mix well with your hands. You can start cooking immediately or let the meat marinate in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
When ready to cook, heat about 2.5cm (1in) rapeseed (canola) oil in a frying pan over a high heat. When visibly hot, add the chops and fry for about 3 minutes until charred, then flip over to cook the other side. Continue cooking until charred and crispy in places. Drain on paper towels before serving with lemon wedges and flaky sea salt.

Notes

Although the traditional way to finish these chops is to fry them, they are also amazing grilled over a high heat on a cooking grate or skewered and cooked until charred to your liking. You can, however, get a delicious smoky flavour to the chops by using the dhungar method, which involves using a piece of burning charcoal to smoke the marinated meat. I find it easiest to do this by marinating the meat in a lidded wok. Make a well in the centre of the meat, then fold a sheet of foil in half and place a of burning charcoal on top. Put this into the well in the centre of the meat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of ghee – it will begin to smoke. Immediately cover the wok and leave until almost all of the smoke has subsided. Cook as above.

How To Make Restaurant Style Lamb Rogan Josh

July 18, 2011 By Dan Toombs 92 Comments

Looking for that classic curry house style rogan josh? Here you go...

This rogan josh recipe is simply delicious and exactly as I have seen it made at so many popular curry houses! I have been making this for years and though I love more authentic Indian recipes, there is something about a UK curry house rogan josh. You can try a more traditional Kashmiri rogan josh here.

Lamb rogan josh is so good with plain Basmati rice or flavoured Basmati rice. You might also like to try it with naans or chapatis. Don't forget the homemade dal and samosas! You might also like to serve this with homemade poppadoms and a selection of chutneys and raitas.

Rogan Josh curry with rice — Just like the best curry house style rogan josh curries! You've got to try this one.

The difference between this and the rogan josh recipe in my cookbooks...

When I wrote my first cookbook 'The Curry Guy', I decided to write the curry house recipes to serve four people.

That is really the only difference between that recipe and the one you find below.

This recipe shows how to cook a rogan josh curry as it would be made at most Indian restaurants to serve 1 - 2 people.

If you would like to make this two person curry to serve 4, simply double the recipe but be careful with how much chilli powder you use. That should be added to taste.

Lamb Rogan Josh

In this video you will find new information that will make your Rogan Josh absolute perfection!

Recipe Card

The difference between curry house style rogan josh and authentic Kashmiri rogan josh

With more authentic Indian rogan josh cooking methods, this curry needs to slowly simmer for a few hours. It needs to in order for the meat to become tender and to flavour the sauce.

With British curry house style cooking, rogan josh can be whipped up much faster. That said, there is some forward preparation to do.

The idea behind curry house style cooking, like this rogan josh recipe, is to get the curries out to the customers in minutes while still making the curry taste like it has been slowly simmering for hours.

Ingredients

Fresh ingredients are key to getting the best flavour from this Lamb Rogan Josh recipe. You’ll find the ingredients listed below, while the precise amounts are provided in the recipe card at the end of the page. For smooth cooking and the best outcome, it’s a good idea to have everything measured and prepared before you begin. All of the authentic Indian restaurant style curry recipes on my site use a base curry sauce. My 'go to' recipe is here.

See recipe card for quantities.

ghee or vegetable oil
garlic and ginger paste
1 - 2 tablespoons paprika
red chilli powder (or more to taste)
tsp cumin
mixed powder
tomato puree 1:3 ratio water
heated curry sauce
Pre-cooked lamb
cashew paste (Simply pound a cashews with a little water into a paste)
plain natural yogurt
garam masala
tomato quartered
salt to taste
dried fenugreek leaves
chopped coriander
Chopped red onion to garnish

How To Make Base Sauce

In order to get this Lamb Rogan Josh to taste just like it does when you go out, you will need to do some forward planning. First, you will need to cook a base sauce and have it hot and ready to add to the curry. Following are a few methods you can try with the first and second options being the closest to how. base sauce is cooked at restaurants.

You can also freeze the base sauce for that last minute Lamb Rogan Josh craving. Just be sure to label and date it and freeze it in convenient sized containers. It will freeze for up to 6 months.

Pre-Cooked Meat

I have used pre-cooked lamb for this recipe. Pre-cooking the meat not only makes cooking faster but also adds another delicious layer of flavour. Here is my recipe for this method.

You could use the main ingredient of your choice. For example, try this vindaloo recipe with tandoori chicken tikka or marinated and grilled paneer.

You may also like to try a more tandoori style lamb. Here's my tandoori lamb tikka recipe which tastes amazing in a vindaloo.

Step by step photos

Step 1: Fry the garlic and ginger paste in the oil for about 30 seconds to cook off the rawness.

Step 2: Add the ground spices and stir well.

Step 3: Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and tomato puree followed by a ladle of heated base sauce.

Step 4: Add the pre-cooked meat and the ground cashew paste. This is just soaked cashews that are then blended to a paste. It's a thickener more than anything else.

Step 5: Stir in the yoghurt a little at a time. Then add the quartered tomato pieces.

Step 6: To finish, season with salt to taste and garnish with the dried methi, coriander and chopped red onions.

What main ingredient should I use in a rogan josh?

Authentic rogan josh originated in the Kashmir region of India where mutton is the meat of choice. 'rogan josh' translates as red meat and this curry is famous for the use of red meat and the fact that the sauce is quite red in colour.

At curry houses, however it is all about the sauce.

A rogan josh can be ordered with lamb, chicken, vegetables, prawns, minced meat, panner for example. When you are making this rogan josh curry at home, you can add the main ingredient of your choice too.

In this recipe I use lamb as that is what I prefer but use what you like. You're making it... make it the way you want.

What do you serve with Lamb Rogan Josh?

Other Curries: If you are serving a group, why not make a few other popular rich Indian curries such as, Chicken Jalfrezi, Chicken Dhansak, Chicken Madras, Chicken Patia, Chicken Korma. Lamb Dopiaza,

Rice Dishes: All of these side dishes will go great with dahi chicken curry - Steamed Basmati Rice, Boiled Basmati Rice, Pilau Rice, Mushroom Fried Rice

Breads: Tandoori Naans, Tandoori Roti ,Chapatis , Spiced Chapatis , Stovetop Naans (1493)

Dals: Chana Dal , Tarka Dal, Spinach Dal, Dal Makhani

Storage

Top Tip

Add your pre-cooked lamb towards the end and let it simmer just long enough to soak up the spices. This keeps it tender and prevents it from drying out.

FAQ

How do I still get depth of flavour if the lamb is already cooked?

Build flavour in the sauce with well-fried onions, garlic, ginger, and spices. The lamb will then absorb those flavours in the final simmer.

Will pre-cooked lamb taste as good as slow-cooked?

Yes – restaurants often pre-cook lamb in stock or lightly spiced water. As long as it’s simmered briefly in the curry, it will be tender and full of flavour.

How long should I cook the lamb in the sauce?

About 10–15 minutes is enough. You just want the lamb heated through and coated in the rich Rogan Josh sauce.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

Rice

Naan

Have you tried this recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow The Curry Guy on Instagram and Facebook for all our latest recipes.

I also have a Youtube Channel where I share full videos on how to prepare my recipes. Cook along with me.

Yield: 2

How To Make Restaurant Style Lamb Rogan Josh

Delicious and authentic rogan josh recipe inspired by popular curry houses. Perfect with Basmati rice, naans, and homemade chutneys.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
1 tablespoons garlic and ginger paste
1 - 2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon red chilli powder (or more to taste)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp mixed powder*
70ml (1/4 cup) tomato puree
300ml (1 1/4 cup) heated curry sauce
350g (12oz) tandoori lamb tikka
1 generous tablespoons cashew paste (Simply pound a cashews with a little water into a paste)
1 1/2 tablespoons plain natural yogurt
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tomato quartered
salt to taste
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
Chopped red onion to garnish

Instructions

In a large sauce pan, heat the ghee or oil until bubbling hot.
When hot, add the garlic and ginger paste and let it come to a sizzle for about 30 seconds.
Stir in the paprika, cumin, mixed powder and chilli powder. Stir well to combine..
Add the tomato puree followed by a ladle of the base curry sauce. Bring to a simmer. Add more base sauce if the curry is looking dry.
Stir in the meat and then cashew paste. Simmer for a couple of minutes adding more base as needed. Remember, if you add too much base, you can always cook it down to thicken. If too dry, just add more.
Reduce the heat and add the yogurt one teaspoon at a time whisking as you do to combine. If you add the yoghurt all at once it could curdle. Add the tomato.
Check for seasoning and add salt to taste along with the dried fenugreek leaves.
Top with chopped coriander and serve with white rice and/or naans.

Indian Hotel Style Curry Gravy

June 24, 2011 By Dan Toombs 19 Comments

With this Indian hotel style curry gravy, you can make so many delicious curries.

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while or have cooked from my cookbooks will know about the British curry house style base sauce. It's used to prepare all of the curry house favourites. This hotel style curry base gravy is used in a similar way but it's actually a curry sauce in its own right. With this easy tomato and onion based gravy, you can prepare so many delicious and authentic curries quickly and easily. Read on to see how to make it and discover how you can use it.

Indian Hotel style curry gravy, blended and unblended versions — Blended and unblended versions of this tasty and very useful curry gravy.

What is hotel style curry gravy?

At busy hotel restaurants around India, the chefs prepare several different gravies such as this hotel style curry gravy. This is done so that the chefs don't need to prepare a new base gravy for every curry ordered.

The hotel style curry gravies are made in large batches so that they have them to hand when needed.

Each hotel style gravy like this tomato and onion gravy are actually curries in their own right. You can simply add meat, seafood, paneer or vegetables to them and you've got yourself a curry. More often, however, these gravies are used together. You can mix two or three of them together to come up with the curry you want.

Ingredients

You’ll find the ingredients listed below, while the precise amounts are provided in the recipe card at the end of the page. For smooth cooking and the best outcome, it’s a good idea to have everything measured and prepared before you begin.

See recipe card for quantities.

rapeseed (canola) oil
green cardamom pods, smashed
cloves
cinnamon stick
Indian bay leaves (cassia leaves)
onions, roughly chopped
salt
garlic and ginger paste
green chillies, roughly chopped
ground cumin
ground coriander
Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
ground turmeric
chopped tomatoes, tinned (canned) are fine
coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves
salt, if needed and to taste

See recipe card for quantities.

How do you use this gravy?

Let's say you want to prepare a chicken chengezi curry or a lamb keema shimla mirch. Both of these curries start with a base of onions and tomatoes just like this hotel style curry gravy does.

Although the exact measurements of each ingredient may not be the same, the base masalas in each are pretty similar. So in a busy restaurant kitchen, the chefs simply use a big scoop of this gravy to produce them. You can of course adjust the flavour by following the recipes so that your chicken chengezi or lamb shimla mirch tastes as they should.

Here are more curry house curry favourites that require a base sauce you might like to try!

Chicken Korma

Chicken Chilli Garlic

Can you work ahead?

This is batch cooking! So working ahead is the whole idea behind it. You can make this hotel style curry gravy and then place it in the fridge if using in about three days or freeze it.

I usually freeze it in portions of about 250ml (1 cup) which will easily serve one person but you should freeze it in batches that are convenient for you.

Step by step photos

Infusing the flavour of the whole spices into the oil.

Step 1: Heat the oil over a medium high heat. Then add the whole spices and let them infuse into the oil for about 40 seconds.

Step 2: Stir in the chopped onions and salt and fry for about 15 minutes or until golden brown in colour.

Adding garlic and ginger paste and the chillies to the pan.

Step 3: Add the garlic and ginger paste along with the chillies to the fried onions and stir them in to combine.

Adding the ground spices to the onion mixture.

Step 4: Now add the ground spices and stir them in too.

Step 5: Stir in about 70ml (1/4 cup) water so that the spices don't burn.

Adding the chopped tomatoes to the pot and bringing to a simmer.

Step 6: Stir in the chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue simmering for about 20 minutes.

Adding the chopped coriander and kassori methi to the pot.

Step 7: Uncover the pot and add the chopped coriander (cilantro) and dried fenugreek leaves. Season with salt to taste if needed.

Step 8: Your hotel style curry gravy is now ready. If you'd like a smoother sauce, let it cools and blend it. The colour will change to a lighter red.

Blended and unblended versions of the hotel curry base gravy.

Step 9:The blended sauce is great in curries where you want a smooth base.

Storage

Top Tip

Always simmer your curry sauce gently and allow it to cook slowly for at least 20-30 minutes. This helps the spices fully infuse and the flavors to develop a rich, authentic taste just like you get in Indian hotels.

FAQ

What is Indian hotel style curry gravy?

Indian hotel style curry gravy is a versatile, tomato and onion-based sauce made in large batches at busy hotel kitchens across India. It serves as a ready-to-use base that can be turned into a variety of authentic curries by simply adding meat, seafood, paneer, or vegetables

Can I use hotel style curry gravy for different types of dishes?

Yes! This gravy is very versatile, you can use it for meat, seafood, paneer, or vegetable curries. You can also blend or keep it unblended depending on the texture you want, and even combine it with other gravies to create new flavour profiles.

Try out your Indian Hotel base sauce in one of the following curries...

Other Base Sauce Recipes

Pairing

Once you have cooked up a curry with this multi-cooker base sauce, you might also like to pair your curries with...

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Yield: 8 cups

Hotel Style Indian Curry Gravy

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

70ml (1/4 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
3 green cardamom pods, smashed
2 cloves
1 x 5cm (2 inch) cinnamon stick
2 Indian bay leaves (cassia leaves)
1kg (2 lbs) onions, roughly chopped
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
3 green chillies, roughly chopped
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp ground coriander
2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1kg (2 lbs) chopped tomatoes, tinned (canned) are fine
5 tbsp coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
2 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves
More salt, if needed and to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When visibly hot, stir in the whole spices and let them infuse their flavour into the oil for about 40 seconds. Stir in the chopped onions and salt and fry for about 15 minutes or until they are soft and turning a deep golden brown in colour. The salt will help release moisture from the onions and cook them faster.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and then the chopped chillies. Then add the ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder and turmeric. Stir the spices into the onion mixture along with about 70ml (1/4 cup) water so that the spices don’t burn.
Add the chopped tomatoes and bring it all to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes. When you lift the lid, the oil will have separated and floated to the top. Stir this back in and add the chopped coriander (cilantro) and the kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) by rubbing them between you fingers.
Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool. If you prefer a smoother sauce, blend it until smooth or just leave it as it is.
Season with more salt, if needed to taste. Then use immediately or store the gravy in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze it in 250ml (1 cup) portions.

Have you tried this recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

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20 Minute Base Curry Sauce

June 24, 2011 By Dan Toombs 188 Comments

This 20 minute base curry sauce could not be easier!

One of the things I hear most about making the base curry sauce is that people just don't want to spend 1 1/2 to 2 hours making it. If this applies to you, this 20 minute base curry sauce recipe could be for you. I actually made it in 13 minutes but I chop my veggies quickly. if you are new to cooking and perhaps don't cut your onions as quickly as I do, give yourself 20 minutes and you'll have a delicious base sauce to use in your curries.

20 minute base curry sauce on a countertop, ready to use. — Blended and unblended versions of this tasty and very useful curry gravy.

About this 20 minute base curry sauce recipe.

The most authentic way to make a base curry sauce is as I do in this base curry sauce recipe. I love to cook so putting the time in to slowly simmer that base like they do at most curry houses is something I enjoy doing.

With this speedy recipe, I set out to develop a 20 minute base curry sauce that tasted just like the slow cooked version. You will see that this is not only possible but there are things you can do to make it even better.

To ensure the timings were right, I set my stopwatch so that only the time preparing and cooking was counted in between taking the step by step photographs that you will see below.

Ingredients

See recipe card for quantities.

large brown onions, chopped
garlic and ginger paste
green bell pepper, roughly chopped
red bell pepper, roughly chopped
carrot, roughly chopped
ghee or rapeseed (canola) oil
ground turmeric
passata
ground cumin
ground coriander
ground fenugreek
sweet paprika
garam masala

See recipe card for quantities.

How do you use this gravy?

Here are more curry house curry favourites that require a base sauce you might like to try!

Chicken Korma

Chicken Chilli Garlic

How can a quick base curry sauce be as good as one that is slowly simmered?

You are really just making this 20 minute base curry sauce in reverse. You blend the onions and other vegetables before you even begin cooking. This blend is quite strong in flavour so you need to simmer it as long as you can to mellow it some.

You pour everything into your pot and let it simmer. The longer you let it simmer, the more the flavours will develop and mellow. So even though this is a 20 minute base curry sauce, allowing it to simmer longer will be a bonus.

That said, after 15 minutes of simmering, the sauce in this case was ready to use and tasted amazing in the chicken tikka masala I was cooking.

Step by step photos

Step 1: If you have a good blender, you only need to roughly chop your vegetables. If not, finely chop them.

The onions, bell peppers and garlic and ginger paste in a blender.

Step 2: Place the onions, garlic and ginger paste and bell peppers in a blender.

Blending the onions, bell peppers, carrot and garlic and ginger paste until smooth.

Step 3: Pour in 125ml (1/2 cup) water and blend until smooth.

Step 4: Melt the ghee in your pan over a medium-high heat. You can substitute oil. Add the turmeric and fry it for about 40 seconds or until a tone darker.

Stirring in the ground turmeric to fry for about 30 seconds.

Step 5: Stir in the turmeric and let it sizzle for about 30 seconds or until it turns a tone or two darker.

Pouring the blended onion mixture into the pot.

Step 6: Pour the blended onion mixture into the pot.

Step 7: Pour in 500ml (2 cups) of water and stir well to combine.

Step 8: Bring the sauce to a simmer over a medium heat. It will be quite thick so be careful as the simmering sauce will spit some.

Step 9:Stir in the ground spices.

Step 10:Let the sauce simmer until the strong onion flavour has mellowed. It will be quite thick. If freezing, allow to cool and freeze it before diluting.

Storage

Water added to the sauce to make it about the same consistency as full fat (whole) milk or single cream. — To use in your curries, be sure to add just enough water so that it is about the same consistency as full fat (whole) milk or single cream.

So is this really a 20 minute base curry sauce?

Yes! You can cook and use the base curry sauce in 20 minutes and you will love how it tastes in your curry house style curries. Remember, however that the more you let it simmer, the better.

At busy restaurants, a big pot of base sauce will be stewing away all day. The chefs will add more ingredients to it if it's running low but this longer simmering time does have its benefits. Just like when you slowly simmer a bolognese sauce over a day, the results are better than if you just through it together in minutes.

The big difference is that base sauce really has very little flavour. The magic happens when you add it to the pan with other ingredients to make the different curries.

20 minute base curry sauce ready to use in a curry. — You could continue simmering the sauce longer but it will be ready to use in 20 minutes.

How can you perfect this base sauce?

Although you can make this base curry sauce in 20 minutes, it doesn't mean you have to stop cooking it at 20 minutes.

Let it simmer while you prepare the curry or curries you want to make. Add water or stock to it to keep it thin, like full fat (whole) milk or single cream. The longer cooking time will mellow the flavour and let all the flavours develop further.

If I'm really honest, I can only taste a small difference between this 20 minute base curry sauce and the slow cooked version. In fact, if you add this quick base to a curry and then use the slowly cooked base sauce to make the same curry again, I bet your friends and family will taste no difference between the two.

The concept behind the secret base sauce

Think of the curry sauce as you would a vegetable stock. It is quite bland but when you add different spices to it you can make your favourite curries very fast.

Over the years I have tried many different recipes for base curry sauce and most of them are quite similar.

Rather than cooking a curry the more traditional and authentic way, frying onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes to form a base, the base sauce becomes that base cutting the cooking time down a lot.

Top Tip

Add a pinch of sugar or a small splash of lemon juice at the end of cooking to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and enhance the overall flavor of your quick curry base.

FAQ

Can I make a flavourful curry sauce in just 20 minutes?

Absolutely! Using fresh ingredients and the right spices, you can create a quick, tasty base sauce perfect for many curries without compromising on flavour. In fact, you can make it in less time in the pressure cooker.

What ingredients are essential in a 20-minute curry base sauce?

Try out your Indian Hotel base sauce in one of the following curries...

Other Base Sauce Recipes

Pairing

Once you have cooked up a curry with this multi-cooker base sauce, you might also like to pair your curries with...

Rice

Naan

Dahls

Have you tried this base curry sauce recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow The Curry Guy on Instagram and Facebook for all our latest recipes.

Yield: 2 litres (8 cups) or more

20 minute Base Curry Sauce

This simple curry sauce is a must when making curry house style curries. It can be made in minutes. If you prefer to cook the base curry sauce like they do at restaurants, try this recipe.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 large brown onions, chopped
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1/4 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
7.5cm (3 inches) carrot, roughly chopped
70ml (1/4 cup) ghee or rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
200g (3/4 cup) passata
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tsp garam masala

Instructions

Place the chopped onion, garlic and ginger paste, carrot and the bell peppers in a blender and add 125ml (1/2 cup) water. Blend until smooth and set aside.
Now heat the oil or ghee in a pot over a medium-high heat and stir in the ground turmeric. Let is sizzle for about 30 seconds or until it turns a tone or two darker and then pour in the blended onion mixture.
Stir continuously to cook the onion mixture in the oil for a couple of minutes and then stir in 500ml (2 cups) water.
Bring to a simmer and then then add the ground spices and passata. Cover the pan to simmer for about 15 minutes or longer if you like. You could let it continue simmering while you prepare the ingredients your are making, for example.
After 15 minutes, the strong onion flavour will have mellowed and the sauce will be quite thick.(See note). This is the perfect consistency if you want to freeze your base sauce. Freezing it at this time will save freezer space.
To use the base curry sauce in a curry, it needs to be the same consistency as full fat (whole) milk or single cream. To do this, add water or stock to the pan until this consistency is reached. Enjoy.

Notes

How long to simmer?

I developed this recipe for people who don't have a lot of time to make my slowly cooked base curry sauce. That said, just because it is a 20 minute base sauce, you don't have to stop cooking at 20 minutes! If time allows, go ahead and simmer the sauce a little longer if you like.

Spiced Chapatis Recipe

June 22, 2011 By Dan Toombs 1 Comment

This spiced chapatis recipe can easily be tailored to taste

If you're just looking for an easy chapati recipe that works, you can check out my plain chapati recipe here. This recipe takes them all up a notch, adding different spices and chillies. What you add is in your hands but the idea is the same. Flavour those chapatis with the seasoning and aromatic ingredients you like. If it sounds good, add it! By the way, you might like to try some of my other Indian bread recipes including naans!

About this chapatis recipe

You might have already make homemade chapatis and loved them. Fresh homemade chapatis right out of the pan just plain get it!

With this chapatis recipe, you add other ingredients to give them more flavour. You could simply go with what I have recommended below but I can assure you that no two chapatis recipe are the same when I make them.

You can add what you have on hand. Experiment with different spices and add loads more chillies. Once you get the art of making chapatis down, the next step is to make them spectacular.

What are spiced chapatis?

When you try this chapati recipes like this, you are in for a treat. You will be preparing one of the most popular Indian flat breads around.

In fact spiced chapatis are so good, they play a big part in many south east Asian cuisines, not just Indian.

For this chapati recipe, you will be making chapatis as they should be, with chapati flour. You can serve your chapatis with different curries, chutneys, pickles and/or dals.

Another popular option is simply to enjoy chapatis drizzled with butter or ghee or serve them as a wrap as in this chicken chaap recipe.

Is it difficult to make this chapatis recipe?

No! But practice does make perfect. Even if your chapatis don’t perfect at first, they will still taste amazing right out of the pan.

If you have ever made tortillas, you’ll find that this chapati recipe is made in a similar way. The only difference is the type of flour used and that tortillas often include pork lard instead of oil.

How do you make chapatis?

When your spiced chapati dough is ready, you need to roll it out into flat round discs. It is important the chapati discs be as flat and round as you can roll them.

You might find this the most difficult part of making them. As important as it is for perfection, it's not the be all and end all!

You could use a tortilla press if you have one as it make the job much easier.

How do you cook chapatis?

You can make this chapatis recipe in a tawa or frying pan. The flat chapati is first placed in the pan and cooked until light brown spots are beginning to form on the underside.

You then flip it over to cook the other side until light brown spots colour the chapati. Then you flip it over and put pressure on the top with a spatula or damp kitchen towel.

Doing this will cause bubbles to form. You need to focus on the parts of the chapati surface where there are no bubbles. This will help the chapati puff right up and become airy and amazing.

What you need for this chapati recipe.

Only four ingredients are required to make this chapati recipe.

Chapati flour: You need to look for chapati flour or atta flour which is a mixture of whole wheat and plain white flour.

Spices and fresh ingredients: Add the spices and fresh ingredients of choice to the flour

Warm water: Room temperature or warmed water will suffice. You do not need to use hot water.

Salt: Add a little salt to taste to the flour.

Oil: I recommend using rapeseed (canola) oil. Just a little will do the trick.

Ingredient ideas

You will see from the recipe card below that I have kept this spiced chapatis recipe quite simple.

You can, however add lots of other delicious ingredients to your chapati dough. Try spring onions, red bird's eye chillies, whole cumin seeds, finely chopped fresh methi, coriander or mint.

If you like your food spicy, try adding some Kashmiri chilli powder to taste. If it sounds good, it probably will be.

Storing Cooked Spiced Chapatis

You can cook your spiced chapatis up to 3 days ahead of serving.

If you do this, be sure to wrap them tightly them tightly and place them in the fridge.

To warm them up, dampen lightly with a little water and place in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

Pro Tips

Be sure only to use chapati or atta flour for this recipe. You can use plain flour to make an equally delicious roti but it will not be a chapati.
Ensure your dough is soft and pliable. It should be easy for you to make an indentation with your thumb.
Make sure that the dough is not too sticky. If it is sticking to your hands, then you have added too much water. Simply adding a little more flour will fix that problem.

Frequently asked questions…

Can these spiced chapatis be frozen?

It is best to eat the chapatis made with this chapati recipe right out of the pan. You can, however freeze the cooked chapatis for another day. They will still be delicious and much better than anything you can purchase from the shop.

How many days ahead of cooking can I prepare the dough?

You can prepare the dough up to 3 days before cooking. Doing this actually improves the flavour.

Why aren't my chapatis puffing up?

This will most likely be down to using a dough that is too sticky or you haven't rolled the dough out flat enough. You might just need to practice some but you will get there. Roll your spiced chapatis out as flat and round as you can. This is important as they will not inflate properly if not completely flat. Again, a tortilla press will help ensure they are perfectly flat.

Step by Step photos

Ingredients for this chapati recipe — Get your ingredients together before starting. You should check out the ingredient suggestions above. I ended up adding some turmeric to my blend.

Flour and spices in a mixing bowl. — Add you additional ingredients of choice to the flour and salt.

Dough ball for this chapatis recipe in a bowl. — Knead for a few minutes and then place your dough ball in a bowl and cover to rest for 30 minutes or longer.

Dough rolled out into a rope shape. — After resting the dough, oil you hands and roll it out into a rope shape. Then divide into 8 to 10 equal sized pieces.

Chapati balls ready for rolling. — Roll into 8 to 10 balls, kneading each for a minute or so until you have a smooth surface.

Chapati rolled out. — Keeping the balls covered to keep them moist, roll out one of the balls into a chapati.

Cooking a chapati — Place the chapati in a pan over the heat and when it begins to brown on the underside, flip it over. Small bubbles will begin to form on top.

Chapati puffing up over the heat. — Flip it over again and put pressure on it, focussing on where no bubble are. The chapati will puff right up.

Spiced chapatis — Enjoy brushed with ghee or as they are.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

Yield: 8

Spiced chapatis recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

500g (2 cups) chapati flour
190ml - 250ml (3/4 to 1 cup) warm water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
2 – 3 green finger chillies, finely or roughly chopped
1 tsp rapeseed (canola) oil
Ghee (optional)

Instructions

Pour the flour and salt along with your chillies and spices of choice into a bowl and then add the water a little at a time. Stir with a wooden spoon or your hands until you have a soft dough.
Knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Form into a dough ball and set aside covered to rest for about 30 minutes.
Dust the work surface with a little flour and wet your hands the oil. Knead for a couple more minutes with oil hands and then roll out into a long rope shape. Divide this into 8 to 10 equal sized pieces and then form them into smaller balls.
Flatten each ball between your hands and then flatten them more with a rolling pin until they are about six inches in diameter and 3mm thick. Try to keep the chapati as round as possible by rolling from different angles. Dust off any excess flour.
Now heat a large frying pan or tawa over a medium heat and add one of the chapatis. Cook until bubbles begin to form and then flip it over to continue cooking for 30 seconds. Flip it over again and begin pressing down on the chapati with a flat spatula or dish towel. Larger bubbles will begin to form and then it should puff right up. If it doesn’t puff completely, no worries! It will still be light and delicious.
If cooking over gas, you could also place the chapati directly on the flame in it will puff up.
If you are cooking in a pan gass or on an electric stove you can still make it puff up. Turn the chapati over one last time and apply pressure to the surface, concentrating on the areas where there are no bubbles. It should puff up completely or at least look nice and bubbly.
As you finish the chapatis, stack them to keep warm. For best results serve immediately. Chapatis will keep for about 2 days wrapped tightly. You can dampen them slightly and reheat in your microwave. Serve as the are or brush with ghee.

How to Make Tandoori Style Lobster

June 13, 2011 By Dan Toombs 4 Comments

Tandoori style lobster is tender with just enough bite!

When I made tandoori style lobster for my wife, Caroline last night she was not very pleased at first. In her opinion, the delicate sweet natural flavour of lobster needs nothing more than a little butter and garlic. I have to say, I agree. But as you may or may not know by now, I am just over four months into a year of eating and cooking nothing but Indian food. Yesterday two nice one and a half pound live lobsters were on my hit list.

Though I do prefer my lobsters without much seasoning, this tandoori style lobster was delicious. Even Caroline had to apologise in the end as she absolutely loved it. I served the lobster with saffron rice which was all washed down with a bottle of ice cold Pinot Grigio.

I cooked the tandoori style lobster on a Webber kettle barbecue over a wood fire but you could cook it much easier in a conventional oven without losing much flavour.

Serves 2

Preparation time: 30 minutes plus marinading time
Cooking time: 6 minutes

INGREDIENTS for tandoori style lobster

2 live lobsters (1 1/2 lbs each)

Marinade

125ml (1/2 cup) plain yogurt
1 egg
5 cloves garlic - smashed
2 inch piece ginger - grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
Juice of two lemons
2 tablespoons gram flour
1 tablespoon garam masala
4 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
1 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoon finely chopped coriander

How to kill and prepare the lobster

Place the point of a sharp knife toward the top of the lobster's head with the sharp part of the blade facing away from the tail.

Very quickly stick the knife into the lobster's head and slice downward bringing the sharp blade through the head to the work surface.

Now cut the lobster the other way down the body and tail so you have to long halves.

Remove all the black and green goo and other membranes.

Carefully remove the meat from the tail and claws. If you do this slowly, you should be able to keep the pieces whole.

Wash the shells and set aside.

Method

Place the marinade ingredients in a blender and blend to a fine paste.

Cover the lobster meat with the marinade and allow to sit for about an hour.

Preheat your oven to its highest setting.

Remove the lobster meat from the marinade and cut into bite sized chunks and place back in the shells.

Place these in your oven and baste with butter after about three minutes.

THIS IS IMPORTANT!

Watch your lobsters very carefully. I suggest cooking tandoori style lobster for six minutes but ovens can vary. Overcooked lobster is ruined lobster. You want the meat to be just cooked through and tender.

Be sure to stop back by and let me know how you liked tandoori style lobster!

Partridge Curry

June 7, 2011 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Looking for a delicious partridge recipe? Try this partridge curry!

Every Autumn I get wild partridges dropped of at my door by a friend who hunts in our village. And every year I try develop a new partridge recipe or two to get them most out of them.

I barbecue them with tandoori marinades, stew them and braise them. If it sounds good, I do it.

This partridge recipe could also be done with chicken and other game birds but I have to say, the partridge curry version is my favourite.

Preparing the partridges for this partridge recipe

Although I don't mind feathering and cleaning my freshly killed partridges, you might like to make things easier on yourself.

Most good butchers will supply partridge when it is in season. If they don't have it fresh, they will often have it in their freezer section.

You want to cut the partridges into 4 to 8 pieces. I usually go for about 6 pieces. As long as the pieces are quite small so that they can simmer in the sauce and cook through evenly, they will be fine.

wild game — My partridges ready for plucking and cleaning.

Working ahead

As with most curries, this partridge recipe can be prepared a day or two in advance. The flavours will actually develop as the curry sits in the fridge and your curry will be even better.

I recommend making the curry up to adding the coconut milk. The finishing touches of adding the coconut milk, tamarind and soy sauce can be done when you heat it up again.

What if I can't find partridge?

This recipe works really well with chicken and other game birds that don't have a strong flavour of game. If it sounds good, it will be.

Still, I hope you can find the partridge for this unique partridge recipe. You'll love them in it!

If you like this partridge recipe, you might like to try some of these too...

Venison Rogan Josh
Tandoori partridge
Game pickle curry

Yield: 4

Partridge Curry

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
two prepared wild partridges
20 fresh or frozen curry leaes
3 - 4 dried Kashmiri chillies
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 red onions - finely chopped
2 green bird's eye chillies finely chopped
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 tsp black pepper
225g chopped tomatoes
250ml water plus more if needed
3 tbsp coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
200ml coconut milk
1 - 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate

Instructions

Heat 3 tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the partridges and brown for about five minutes on all sides. Transfer to a platter and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and throw in the curry leaves, Kashmiri chillies and cumin seeds and allow these ingredients to infuse into the oil for about 40 seconds.
Add the chopped onions and chillies and fry for about five minutes until the onion is soft, translucent and starting to turn a light brown.
Stir in the garam masala, chilli powder and turmeric and then the garlic an ginger paste. Stir well to combine.
Now add the black pepper and chopped tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and place the browned partridges back in the pan. Add the water plus a little more if needed. Add the chopped coriander (cilantro). You want the partridge to be just covered with the water.
Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the partridge pieces are completely cooked through. Uncover the pan and add the coconut milk, dark soy sauce and tamarind concentrate.
Turn up the heat to high and simmer until you are happy with the consistency of the sauce. Season with salt to taste.

I hope you enjoy this partridge recipe. Partridge in a curry is amazing. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

How to Make Indian Beef Chilli Curry

June 6, 2011 By Dan Toombs 13 Comments

Beef Chilli Curry is fast and easy to make!

This Indian beef chilli curry is amazing — This Indian beef chilli is very tasty!

This beef chilli curry recipe is proof that curries do not need a long list of ingredients to be absolutely fantastic! A friend of mine stopped by the other day to show it to me. From start to finish, the curry only took 30 minutes to make and most of that time we were drinking beer and watching TV while it simmered away in the background.

Beef is not eaten a lot in India for religious reasons. Even in southern India where there is a large beef eating Christian population, you will normally find curries like this in restaurants but not served at home. Many Christians like to serve beef chilli curry at weddings and other special events.

This is a great curry for using up your Sunday dinner beef roast. All of the ingredients are easily found in the supermarket but can also be purchased at good Asian markets. If you are serving beef chilli curry to friends, you can make it the day before and then warm it up again at the last minute. In fact, the taste improves with time.

Yield: 4 - 6

How to Make Indian Beef Chilli Curry

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

700g beef rump or sirloin cut into cubes - raw or left over meat can be used here.
1 two inch piece of ginger
4 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
2 large red onions - finely cut
3 Large tomatoes finely chopped
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 red pepper finely sliced
4 green chillies sliced in half down the middle
1 glass of red wine (optional)

Instructions

Smash the garlic and cut the ginger finely. Place it all in a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder with a little water and grind to a fine paste.
In a small frying pan, roast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds over medium heat until they begin to smoke a little. Be sure to move the seeds around a little so that they roast evenly.
Grind the seeds in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder to a fine powder and set aside.
In a large heavy bottomed frying pan, warm the oil over medium heat at then add the chopped onions.
Fry the onions until they are nice and brown.
Add the garlic and ginger paste along with with turmeric, garam masala and the coriander and cumin powder.
Bring to a nice sizzle and then add the meat. If you are using raw meat, brown it for about two minutes.
Now add the chopped tomatoes and about 600ml of water along with the red wine if using. You may need to add a bit more liquid if cooking the beef from raw.
Throw in the sliced red bell peppers and green chillies and allow to simmer covered for about 20 if using cooked meat or an hour if cooking from raw. Allow to simmer until the meat is very tender.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve with white rice or chapati bread.
Let me know how you like this recipe.

Beef chilli curry is a tasty meal for groups large and small!

Chicken and Lamb Kebab

June 4, 2011 By Dan Toombs 3 Comments

These chicken and lamb kebabs are great as a starter or main.

This chicken and lamb kebab recipe is easier to prepare than it might look.

I usually serve them cut up as a starter but they are delicious rolled into a hot naan or chapatti with a couple of sauces and some salad veg.

The recipe is more of a technique as any good lamb and chicken kebab mixture will work. I use the meat from my lamb kebab and chicken kebab recipes.

chicken and lamb kebabs — So good! I think you're going to like this one.

Getting this chicken and lamb kebab recipe right...

The same rules apply to this recipe as in making the individual chicken kebabs and lamb kebabs.

I go into more detail in those individual recipes by the most important thing is that the minced kebab meat be really cold and just out of the fridge.

Once you have cooked the lamb for this recipe, you need to let them cool on the skewers to room temperature. This doesn't take long and you can prepare your chicken kebab mixture as the lamb cools.

Be sure to always have a bowl of water to hand while forming the meat around the skewers. Work with wet hands and it will be easier to form the kebabs and they will also have that authentic smooth finish.

Working ahead...

The lamb skewers can be made a couple of days in advance of the final cooking.

Just place them, skewers and all in the fridge and cover.

Then take them out just before you are ready to form the chicken mixture around them.

You can also make the kebab meat mixtures a few days ahead of cooking.

Can I use other meats?

Yes! I made mine with lamb and chicken but idea works the same with other kebab meat mixtures.

Try this with minced beef, venison, pheasant... whatever sounds good.

Step by step photos

Grilling kebabs — Cook the lamb kebabs fully on the barbecue and allow to cool.

Forming chicken and lamb kebab — Once the lamb kebabs have cooled, form the chicken mince around them. You really need to squeeze the meat on there so that it adheres.

Cooking the kebabs — Place the chicken and lamb kebabs over the coals and cook the underside for about 5 minutes.

meat skewers cooking over the coals — When browned on the underside, rotate and baste with ghee. Continue rotating until browned all round.

Cut up kebabs — Perfect served as a starter.

Yield: 8

Chicken and Lamb Kebab

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

Lightly grease a skewer with oil and then take a pool sized ball of the lamb kebab mixture and slide it onto the skewer.
Now start squeezing the ball into a long sausage shape. The meat must be cold out of the fridge. It is important that you squeeze really tightly to get the meat to adhere to the skewer. It's easier to do this with wet hands. It is also important that you get the kebab as uniform as possible. It should look like a long sausage that is the same thickness all the way down the skewer with not bits hanging off. Once you think the meat is securely on the skewer, shake it a few times. If it stays on, it should be ok but if it falls off at the shaking stage, you need to squeeze it on tighter.
Repeat with other skewers and then place over a hot, direct heat fire. Cook the underside until browned, about 5 minutes, and then rotate the skewers to cook the other side. Rotate often so the the kebabs cook evenly.
Once cooked through, transfer to a plate to cool. They need to be at least room temperature before proceeding or cold from the fridge.
When the meat has cooled, Do the same with the chicken mince. Carefully squeeze the chicken kebab mixture abound the lamb skewers, squeezing tightly with with wet hands until you can shake it without the meat falling off.
Place your finished skewers over the fire to cook for 5 minutes or until the underside is cooked. Then rotate to cook the other side and start basting with ghee.
Continue basting and rotating until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve immediately with hot sauce or a good raita.

I hope you enjoy this unique and delicious kebab recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Easy Tandoori Chicken Recipe

June 2, 2011 By Dan Toombs 35 Comments

You don't need a tandoor to make mouth-watering tandoori chicken.

If you ever order tandoori chicken legs as a starter at your local curry house, you might be surprised at how easy it is to make at home.

The simple marinade in this recipe will get you restaurant quality results. You can use it on chicken legs, chicken tikka or a whole chicken. This is a tandoori chicken recipe you need to know!

The chicken made using this tandoori chicken recipe.

Abut this tandoori chicken recipe

You will probably know that there are many recipes for tandoori chicken. I have quite a few on my website in my books.

You need this recipe to make the most popular version of tandoori chicken. This is the one you find at most curry houses and it might even be the only tandoori chicken recipe they use. You can use the same marinade to make chicken tikka for your curries or to cook a whole roast chicken.

Although it is 'tandoori' chicken, the chicken at restaurants is rarely cooked in a tandoor these days. Instead, you cook it over fire. That said, you could also cook this tandoori chicken recipe in you oven at about 200°C/400° for about 40 minutes or until cooked through and nicely charred.

Why is the tandoori chicken bright red?

I'm afraid that is completely down to food colouring. You do not need to add it but a lot of people like the fiery hot look it gives to the chicken.

There is red chilli powder in the recipe so even if you don't use red food colouring, it will still have a natural red tone to it. The red food colouring adds no flavour so it really is a personal thing whether you use it or not.

How do you make this tandoori chicken recipe?

Removing the skin: Remove the skin from the chicken legs and score it in several places on both sides.
Using food colouring: Red food colouring powder is often added at restaurants. To do this, mix the powder with a little lime juice to make it a liquid. Then rub it all over the flesh of the chicken.
Applying the first marinade: Mix the chicken with all of the ingredients in the first marinade and let it sit for about 20 minutes. This give the marinade time to soak in.
Apply the second marinade: In this case, the second marinade is just yoghurt. Rub this into the meat so that it is evenly coated. Marinate for 30 minutes to 48 hours, the longer the better.
Cook: Cook the chicken over hot coals on a cooking grate or skewers. This can also be done in an oven set to 200°C/400°F for about 40 minutes. The tandoori chicken recipe is ready to serve when the internal temperature reaches 74°C/165°F.

Why are there two marinade?

This is quite standard with Indian tandoori cooking. The idea of the first marinade is to get the flavour of the lime juice, garlic and ginger and the spices right into the flesh of the chicken.

The second marinade, which often has more ingredients in it than just yoghurt such as garlic and ginger paste and lime juice is used to tenderise the meat. It also works to counter the effects of the lime juice.

Lime juice is a natural tenderiser but if it is left on the meat too long, it can make it rubbery and not very nice. The yoghurt counters this so you get perfectly tender chicken that is full of flavour.

Why do you add the red food colouring powder directly to the meat?

You might know that you are not supposed to add food colouring directly to meats. It actually states this on most food colouring powder containers.

The reason you do it is because that's the way it's done! If you were to add it to the yoghurt instead, you would get pink yoghurt and your chicken would look pink instead of bright red.

So you aren't supposed to use food colouring this way but that is what is done at every curry house I have visited. If at all concerned, just leave it out.

How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?

This tandoori chicken recipe is best served hot, right off the grill. That said, if you do have any leftovers you can store them, covered in your fridge for at least 3 days.

The leftovers can be served hot or cold. If you want to serve your tandoori chicken legs hot, just place them in your microwave for a couple of minutes or better, place them in an air fryer set to 200°C/400°F for about 5 minutes or until heated through.

Step by step photographs.

Ingredients to make the recipe. — Get all your ingredients measured out and ready before starting. It's easier that way.

The chicken legs skinned and scored on a plate. — Remove the skin from the chicken legs and score them in a few places on both sides.

The chicken rubbed with lime juice and red food colouring powder. — If using red food colouring powder, rub it right into the chicken with a little lime juice and the salt.

The coriander and chilli paste mixed with garlic and ginger paste. — Pound the chillies and coriander (cilantro) to a paste with the lime juice. Then stir in the garlic and ginger paste.

Applying the pastes and dry spices to the chicken. — Rub the paste and the ground spices into the chicken and leave it for 20 minutes.

Adding the yoghurt to the chicken. — After 20 minutes, add the yoghurt to the chicken and rub it right into the flesh. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes to 48 hours. The longer the better.

The chicken legs skewered. — If using skewers, skewer the chicken by weaving the skewer lengthwise through the chicken legs.

The chicken on skewers cooking over a charcoal fire. — Place the chicken on skewers or on a cooking grate over the hot coals.

Basting the chicken with melted ghee. — Turn the chicken regularly. When it is almost cooked through, begin basting the chicken with melted ghee from time to time.

Charring the chicken over the hot coals on the barbecue. — Your tandoori chicken recipe is ready when the meat is cooked through and you have a nice char on the exterior.

The tandoori chicken recipe cooked and plated up to serve. — Serve hot. I like to serve mine over a bed of sliced onions and chillies that have been fried in ghee.

If you like this tandoori chicken recipe, be sure to try out some of the other barbecue recipes on my site.

Yield: 4

How to Make Easy Tandoori Chicken

I prefer cooking this recipe on the barbecue but the oven works well too. If cooking in the oven, set your oven to the highest heat. Place the chicken pieces on a rack and cook for about 25 minutes. Turn the pieces half way through the cooking time. The chicken is ready when the juices run clear when pricked with a fork and the edges are blackened slightly.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

4 large chicken legs with thigh attached
FOR THE FIRST MARINADE
Juice of two lemons or limes
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp red food colouring (optional)
2 - 3 green finger chillies, finely chopped
1 bunch of coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
210g (1 cup) Greek yoghurt
TO FINSIH
3 tbsp melted ghee for basting

Instructions

Remove the skin from the chicken thighs.
Using a sharp knife, make three slits in each thigh. This is done so that the marinade gets right into the flesh.
Squeeze the juice of one lime all over the chicken thighs and sprinkle with the salt and let sit while you make the marinade. You can also add about a tsp of red food colouring powder at this time but that is optional.
Place all the first marinade ingredients, including the juice of the remaining lime in a food processor or pestle and mortar and grind to a fine paste. Cover the chicken pieces with the marinade and rub it with your hands deep into the flesh of the chicken. Let the chicken soak up this marinade for 20 minutes.
Rub int the yoghurt and allow to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 48 hours - the longer the better.
When ready to cook, build a charcoal in your barbecue. The flavour of the burning charcoal together with the marinated chicken is phenomenal! You can however, place the chicken in an oven set to 200°C/400°F until cooked through, turning once. This will take between 25 and 40 minutes.
You are ready to grill when you find it unbearably hot to hold your hand at cooking height for longer than 2 seconds.
Cook the tandoori chicken turning occasionally until the chicken is cooked through and the edges are blackened. When the chicken is almost cooked and charred in places, baste it several times with the melted ghee.

Green Beans Curry South Indian Style

May 24, 2011 By Dan Toombs 13 Comments

Direct from Kerala, this is green beans curry South Indian style.

When Caroline and I were in Kerala, we tried some of the most amazing food. This green beans curry, South Indian style was one of the many mouthwatering surprises we had. It's simple and easy to make but the flavours are out of this world! Who would have thought that a green beans curry could leave such a memorable impression?

You really need to try this one. It's healthy and can be served as a main course with rice or you could serve it with other curries for an incredible feast.

About this recipe.

So I can almost hear you saying, how could South Indian green beans curry really be that good? It's green beans after all! The thing is, the vegetarian cuisine in southern India really does take vegetarian food to a whole new and exciting level.

They know how to use their local ingredients to produce some of the best vegetarian dishes on the planet and this green beans curry is one of them.

What are thorans?

Thorans are dry vegetable dishes originating from Kerala, South India. A staple in Kerala cuisine, thorans involve stir-frying vegetables like cabbage or beans with grated coconut and spices.

The term "thoran" specifically reflects the South Indian context, though variations of similar dry vegetable stir-fries are found across the Indian subcontinent. Commonly, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and spices enhance the flavour.

While thorans are prominent in Kerala, comparable dishes with different names and regional adaptations can be enjoyed in other South Indian states.

How do you cook this South Indian green beans curry?

This is really just a quick stir-fry. It can be made in minutes so you really want to give it a try soon.

You start by tempering mustard seeds and curry leaves in coconut oil. Yes, coconut oil is essential for a more authentic green bean thoran.

Then you stir in the ground spices, beans and chopped tomatoes. Allow it all to cook through and then stir in grated coconut. It's really that easy.

What are the key ingredients for this green beans curry south Indian style?

Coconut oil: This oil is used not just to fry the thoran but also to flavour it. You will notice the subtle flavour of coconut that comes from coconut oil. There are no substititutes.
Mustard Seeds and Curry Leaves: These are a must. The black mustard seeds give the curry a nutty flavour while the curry leaves flavour the curry in a way only curry leaves can.
Onions, garlic, ginger and chillies: All of these are staples in Keralan cooking and a must for any thoran curry.
Chilli powder and ground turmeric: The chilli powder adds a spicy flavour and should be added to taste. The turmeric adds a mildly bitter flavour and should also be added to taste.
Tomatoes: The tomatoes not only add a sauce to the curry but also give it a tart and mildly sweet flavour.
Green beans: This is an obvious. You can't make green beans curry South Indian style without them. 🙂
Grated coconut: Grated coconut is added for both flavour and texture. It's a must in any thoran curry.

What do you serve with this South Indian style green beans curry?

Rice! White basmati rice is delicious and a traditional side for this curry. You could also serve it with matta rice.

How long can you keep this curry in the fridge?

Freshness is key to a good green bean thoran. You can store it in the fridge for one to two days. You could actually store it longer as it won't go off but I find this green beans curry to be much better right out of the pan.

If you do have leftovers and want to reheat them, you can heat them up in a little coconut oil in a pan over a medium heat. You could also heat this curry in your microwave but the pan method is better.

Can you freeze green bean thoran?

You can but as I mentioned above, it is best served as fresh as possible. If you do decide to freeze it, allow it to defrost completely and then reheat it in a pan with a little coconut oil over a medium heat.

Pro Tips:

Freshness is Key: Only use the freshest green beans, coconut and spices you can get your hands on. You can use tinned (canned) tomatoes though. They are often better than fresh depending on the season and where you live.
D0n't overcook: You want to stir-fry this curry until the beans are just cooked through. They need to have a nice healthy bite to them and not be too soft. So watch it, try it and serve it when ready.
Check for seasoning: Always check for seasoning at the end of cooking. There isn't much to this green beans curry so ensure you try it first and adjust the flavours to your personal taste.

Step by step photographs.

Ingredients for the thoran — Get all your ingredients together and prepared before you start cooking.

Tempering the mustard seeds and curry leaves in the coconut oil. — Heat the coconut oil over a high heat and add the mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle, stir in the curry leaves and fry for 40 seconds.

Adding the red onions to the pan. — Stir in the sliced red onions and a little salt and fry for about 7 minutes or until they are soft and just beginning to brown.

Adding the garlic, ginger, chillies and ground spices. — Add the chopped garlic and ginger along with the chillies. Stir well and then stir in the ground spices.

Adding the tomatoes and green beans to the pan. — Add the green beans and chopped tomatoes along with about 70ml (1/4 cup) water.

Stirring the curry. — Stir it all up and when it comes to a simmer, cover the pan for 3 minutes.

Adding the grated coconut. — Stir in the grated coconut and continue cooking for a couple of minutes until the beans are cooked through and you have a thick sauce.

Seasoning and serving the green beans curry — Season the curry with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

The green beans curry south Indian style served on a plate with basmati rice. — Enjoy!

If you like this green beans curry South Indian style recipe, you might like to try some of the Indian Vegetarian favourites.

Love Indian Vegetarian Recipes? Why not try one of these too...

All Indian Vegetarian recipes

Rice

See more Indian Rice Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Dahls

See more Dal Recipes →

Have you tried this green bean thoran recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 4

How to Make an Authentic Indian Vegetarian Green Bean Curry

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

3 tbsp coconut oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
6 green chillies - halved
2.5cm (1 inch) ginger, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and finely chopped
1 tsp black mustard seeds
20 fresh or frozen curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder (more or less to taste)
3 chopped tomatoes or the equivalent tinned (canned) tomatoes. About one can.
5 tbsp freshly grated coconut
400g fresh green beans trimmed and cut
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan or wok over a high heat.
When the oil begins to glisten in the pan, add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, stir in the curry leaves and temper in the oil for about 40 seconds.
Stir in the sliced red onion and fry for about 7 minutes or until soft and beginning to brown.
Now add the green chillies, ginger, garlic, turmeric and chilli powder. Cook stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.
Stir in the green beans, tomatoes and about 70ml (1/4 cup) water and bring to a simmer. Cover and allow to simmer until the green beans are cooked through and tender. This should only take about 3 minutes.
Add the grated coconut and stir it in well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately with fluffy white rice.

Notes

Grated Coconut: You can use frozen grated coconut which is a lot easier than cracking a coconut open and grating it.

Keema Mattar

May 22, 2011 By Dan Toombs 19 Comments

Keema mattar is so good. Try this today!

Whenever I want to make something easy and quick, keema mattar is always on my list. I have a long list of such recipes but today I decided to make my keema mattar recipe again. You can literally prepare and cook this keema mattar in 30 minutes if you're in a rush.

I recommend taking a bit more time though and letting the meat and all those aromatic ingredients stew for a while. You are going to love this one.

What is keema mattar?

Keema Matar is a popular Indian dish made with ground meat (keema), typically lamb or beef, and green peas (matar).

It's a flavorful and spiced dish often prepared with a combination of aromatic spices, tomatoes, onions, and sometimes yoghurt, but not in my recipe. The ground meat and peas are simmered in the spicy and rich gravy until cooked through, creating a delicious and hearty curry.

What do you serve with keema mattar?

This is a meaty curry that resembles bolognese sauce but tastes completely different. I just wanted to mention that as keema mattar is really good over pasta.

Traditionally, however keema mattar is serve over hot white Basmati rice or breads such as naans or chapattis. You can scoop it up at the table with the breads. No cutlery (silver ware) required!

What part of India is this keema mattar from?

India is huge and every area has their own take on keema mattar. This is the Punjabi version. I will be posting keema mattar recipes from other regions too so watch this space.

The South Indian version I tried in Kerala with coconut milk and grated coconut will be next!

Can you work ahead?

This really is a quick and easy one pot recipe. So there really isn't much to do except cook it. Of course you could prep your vegetables beforehand but if you're going to do that, you might as well cook it.

This keema mattar curry can be prepare about 3 days before serving. Place it covered in your fridge. As it sits in the fridge, the flavours will develop and it will be even better when it finally hits the table.

To reheat it, just pour it all into a pan over medium-high heat and heat it through. You could also place it in your microwave for a few minutes but I think you get better results with the pan method.

A note about the whole spices.

The whole spices are added to the keema mattar at the beginning of cooking. They continue to flavour the curry while it is cooking.

If you do not like serving curries with large pieces of whole spices in them, remember to count them in and then count them back out again. They usually rise to the top and are easy to find in the sauce.

Can you freeze the leftovers?

Yes you can! This curry freezes really well for up to 6 months. Some say it actually gets better when frozen. It's made with minced (ground) meat so there are no texture issues.

One thing I will say is that if you are making this curry to freeze for later, don't add the peas. You can add those when you defrost and reheat it for better presentation.

Which meat can you use in a keema mattar?

Any minced (ground) meat you like. I have made keema mattar with so many different meats. From turkey to chicken, Beef to venison and pork any minced meat can be used. If you have ground meat on hand and you are trying to find a good recipe to use it in, keema mattar is always a good choice.

Are there different variations of this recipe?

This is the base keema mattar and also the most popular version. You could, however get creative and add other ingredients. Popular ingredients to add to keema mattar are chickpeas, paneer and spinach.

Step by step photographs.

Ingredients for the recipe. — Get all your ingredients prepared and at the ready before you start cooking.

Tempering whole spices into oil. — Heat the oil over a medium-high heat and add the whole spices. Temper them in the oil for about 40 seconds.

Adding onions, garlic and ginger paste and chillies to the pan. — Add the chopped onions and fry for about 7 minutes or until golden brown. Then add the garlic and ginger paste and chillies.

Adding the ground spices and tomatoes to the pan. — Fry for about 4 seconds and then stir in the chopped tomatoes and ground spices.

Adding the meat to the pan. — Stir it all up nicely to combine into a thick sauce and then add the ground meat.

Adding water or stock to the pan. — Add about 250 - 375ml (1 to 1 1/2 cups) water or stock to the pan. Break the meat up into the stock. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Simmering the sauce. — Remove the lid and continue simmering to thicken the sauce. Simmer it down until you are happy with the consistency.

Stirring in the peas. — Add fresh or frozen peas to the sauce and cook them through. This should only take a couple of minutes.

keema mattar in a serving dish. — Dig in! This keema mattar is so good with rice, naans or chapattis.

If you like this keema mattar recipe, you might like t0 try some of these too.

Beef Biryani
Chicken Biryani
Chickpea Biryani
Chicken Karahi
Lamb Korma
Shami Kebab
Aloo Gobi
Lamb Nihari
Chapli Kebabs
Lamb Seekh Kebabs
Staff Chicken Curry
Butter Chicken
Chicken Haleem
Tarka Dal
Pilau Rice
Chicken Tikka Masala
Grilled Lamb Chops
Lamb Tikka
Spicy Kashmiri Lamb Chops

Have you tried this keema mattar recipe?

If so, please give it a star rating in the comments below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

If you are not already doing so, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for all my latest recipes.

Yield: 6

Keema Mattar

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

500g (1 1/4 lbs) lean minced lamb
5 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
5 cloves
2 black cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic - mashed into a paste with a drop of water
1 inch ginger - mashed into a paste with a drop of water
3 green chillies - finely chopped
300ml (1 1/4 cup) chopped tomatoes
200g (1 cup) frozen or fresh peas
1 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Pour the oil into a large sauce pan and heat over medium heat.
Add all the whole spices and allow to fry for about 40 seconds. Throw in the chopped onions a continue frying until the onion turns translucent and lightly browned.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for about 30 seconds. Then add the chopped green chillies followed by the chopped tomatoes. Stir well to combine.
Add the minced lamb (or other minced meat) and stir it into the onion mixture in the pan. Then pour in about 250ml to 375ml (1 to 1 1/2 cups) water or stock.
Cover the pan and simmer for about 20 minutes. If you are in a rush, just simmer it without the lid but a longer simmering time will produce tastier results.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid and continue simmering until you are happy with the consistency of the sauce. This curry can be served quite dry or with more sauce so it's really up to you.
Add the garam masala and half of the chopped coriander leaves and stir them in with the peas. Continue to cook until the peas are heated/cooked through.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, squeeze the lemon juice over the top and serve hot.

Almond Rice

May 20, 2011 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

Almond rice goes great with any curry!

If you are looking for a unique and very tasty rice to serve with your next curry, almond rice needs to be on you 'must try' list! This is really easy to prepare and it's not just about the flavour but all those textures you'll get.

The crunchiness of the almonds together with the mild sweet flavour from the raisons just plain gets it. My almond rice recipe is really just a play on my fluffy white rice recipe but with a few more ingredients that really take it up a few notches.

About this almond rice recipe.

As I mentioned above, this almond rice recipe is really just a version of my Basmati rice recipe but with a few other key ingredients thrown in. You will love the crunchy almond flakes that are not just there for their crunchy texture but for flavour.

And flavour is exactly what you are going to get with this almond rice recipe! Although it is great as a side for curry or stew, it can also be enjoyed on its own.

How do you cook almond rice?

In this cooking method, the rice is simply steamed with spices. The water is brought to the boil and then the rice is left to steam, untouched for 40 minutes.

While the rice is steaming, you can fry the almonds in ghee and then fry the onions until soft and light brown in colour. Raisins are added to the onions at the end of cooking to soften them some. Then the onion and raisin mixture is added to the steamed rice. It's really that simple.

Can you use any Basmati rice?

You can but for best results, look for premium quality, aged Basmati rice. I use VeeTee Extra Long Premium Rice.

There are lots of good brands but you want to look for aged, extra long grain Basmati rice. You will taste the difference.

Working ahead

If more convenient, you can allow the rice to soak overnight. This is not at all necessary but it won't hurt the rice to soak longer. Please allow it to soak for at least 30 minutes after washing it in several changes of water.

You can toast the almond flakes a day or two ahead of finishing your almond rice. They might look a bit sticky because of the cold ghee. If you would rather, you could toast them without the ghee to your liking and they will keep for a good week.

How long does almond rice keep in the fridge?

Cooked rice will keep in the fridge for about 3 days. Be sure to cover it tightly and heat it until steaming hot before serving.

Can you freeze almond rice?

You sure can! Rice freezes really well and this almond rice is no exception. You can will freeze onion fried rice for at least 6 months. Just be sure to freeze it in portion sizes that work for you. You don't want a container of frozen almond rice that serves four if you are only cooking for one.

You don't want to freeze it all in one large container if you only want to serve yourself.

How do you reheat almond rice?

Whether you place it in the freezer or fridge, the easiest way to heat up your almond rice is in a microwave.

If you are cooking it cold from the fridge, your onion fried rice should heat up in about a minute. You can microwave the rice from frozen in the covered container in 3 to 4 minutes.

Just ensure that it is piping hot before serving.

Can this recipe be upscaled or downscaled?

Yes. No problem there!.

Generally speaking, 185g (1 1/2 cups) of raw rice will make two generous portions of cooked rice, though when served as part of a larger meal, you can probably stretch that to three people.

If upscaling, the water to raw rice ratio is 1 part rice to 1 1/2 parts water.

What do you serve this almond rice with?

If you want to make a simple meal, you could just serve it topped with a nice chutney or two.

It's also delicious served with dal, either on the side or over the top. Here are a few popular dal recipes for you.

Of course this rice will go well with pretty much any curry. Not just Indian curries. Try it with a Malaysian, Indonesian, Sri Lankan or any Asian curry. I know you won't be disappointed!

Is there a way of making this almond rice into a meal?

Yes. When heating the ghee and spices, you could add some cubed paneer or minced (ground) meat or chicken tikka. Cook it through and then stir in the rice.

You'll have a delicious restaurant style biryani in minutes! If cooking leftover onion fried rice, just fry up your protein of choice and add the rice to the pan to heat through.

Pro Tips

Make sure to rinse the rice in several changes of water and let it soak.
Never stir the rice too vigorously. You just want to move it around in the hot ghee until heated through.
Season carefully. If adding salt or turmeric, be sure to add these to taste. In the recipe, I recommend 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. If unsure, add half that much.

Step by step photographs.

Ingredients for the rice — Get all your ingredients together before you start cooking. It's easier that way.

The rice and spices in a saucepan covered with water. — Pour the rinsed and soaked rice into a saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Add the water and all the spices. Cover and bring to a boil and then turn off the heat. Let sit for 40 minutes.

Frying the almonds in ghee. — Meanwhile, melt half of the ghee and toast fry the almonds.

Fried almond flakes. — When ready, the almond flakes should be lightly browned and crunchy. Transfer all the almond flakes to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Frying the almond flakes and raisins. — Add the remaining ghee to the pan and stir in the chopped onions. Fry for about 10 minutes on a medium heat and then add the raisins. Fry for an additional minute and set aside.

The steamed rice in a pan. — After 40 minutes of steaming, the rice will be cooked to perfection. Lightly stir with a fork to separate the grains of rice.

Adding the fried onions and raisins to the rice. — Add the fried onions, half the almond flakes and raisins and then stir them carefully into the rice. Do not stir to roughly or the rice will split and turn to mush.

Don't stop here! Try some of these other delicious rice recipes!

Fluffy Basmati Rice
Mushroom Fried Rice
Saffron Rice
Pilau Rice
Lemon Fried Rice
Jeera (Cumin) Rice
Coriander (Green) Rice
Gunpowder Rice
Sticky Rice
Jasmine Rice
Chashu Rice

Have you tried this almond rice recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I'm sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

Yield: 4 - 6

Almond Rice

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups (500ml) Basmati Rice.
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 Handful of raisins.
4 bay leaves.
2 black cardamoms
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 onion finely chopped
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoon flaked almonds

Instructions

Pour the rice into a large saucepan of water. Using your hands, stir the rice around. The water will turn a cloudy white. Pour the water out and fill it back up with fresh water. Repeat nine to ten times until the water runs clear.
Pour fresh water over the rice and allow to soak for 30 minutes
Drain the water and add fresh water so that the rice is covered by about an inch of liquid.
Add basmati rice, turmeric, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cardamoms to the water.
Cover the pan and bring to a boil. When the water boils, allow it to boil for ten second and then turn off the heat.
Leave the rice covered without disturbing for 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan and add the chopped onion. Fry over a low setting for about 10 minutes until the onion is translucent and lightly browned.
TO SERVE
Remove the lid from the rich and stir with a fork to separate the grains. Don't stir too rigorously or the delicate grains will split.
Add the fried, onions and raisins and fold into the rice.
Transfer to a serving dish with the flaked almond sprinkled on top.

Mustard & Honey Raita

May 18, 2011 By Dan Toombs 1 Comment

Mustard and honey raita makes good food great!

Mustard and honey raita is one of my all time favourite raitas.

It goes with almost every British Indian restaurant (BIR) style meal.

Try this flavoursome mustard and honey raita with poppadoms or samosas and you'll know what I'm talking about. This creamy raita is so full of bright and tangy flavours and it only takes about ten minutes to prepare.

The different uses for this mustard and honey raita...

The raita is also tasty used in other ways. I have used it to marinade cubed lamb and chicken for barbecues. Let the meat marinate for a couple of days for amazing results.

I have also used it instead of plain yoghurt in naan recipes. Simply substitute the mustard and coriander raita when asked for plain yoghurt and prepare to be amazed at the flavour of your fresh naans.

This recipe is different. It will make people take notice. It will leave them begging for more.

Honey Mustard Raita

In this video you will find new information that will make your Honey Mustard Raita absolute perfection!

Recipe Card

Make this raita your own...

Use this recipe and add or omit what you like. If you don't like coriander, for example leave it out.

You can also spice it up some by adding more chillies.

If you prefer a thinner raita, stir in a drop of milk.

Forward preparation...

You can make this raita a day in advance.

No need for last minute preparation. Just store it in the fridge until ready to serve.

Step by step photographs.

Ingredients for the raita — Get all your ingredients prepared and ready before starting.

Pounding the chillies and coriander (cilantro) in a pestle and mortar. — Lightly pound the chillies and coriander (cilantro) to release their flavours.

The whisked yoghurt, garlic and ginger paste and the pounded coriander and chillies in a mixing bowl. — Whisk the yoghurt and add the garlic and ginger paste and the chillies and coriander (cilantro).

The raita stirred together before adding the infused oil. — Stir well to combine.

Infusing mustard seeds, curry leaves and ground turmeric into oil in a pan. — Now heat the oil over a medium-high. Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle add the curry leaves and turmeric. Allow to cool!

Pouring the cooled infused oil over the raita. — Pour the cooled, infused oil over the raita.

the infused oil on top of the yoghurt. — It will look like this. Now whisk it all together.

Adding lime juice to the raita. — Season with salt to taste as well as the lime juice to taste.

Honey mustard raita on a poppadom. — Enjoy with poppadoms, samosas, seekh kebabs or whatever sound good.

If you like this mustard and honey raita, you might like to try it with one of the following...

Homemade poppadoms
Homemade Naans on the BBQ
Chicken seekh kebabs
Lamb seekh kebabs

Yield: 250ml

Honey Mustard Raita

Unique and delicious. Go on... you know you want to try it. This has to be one of my favourite raitas.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

250ml (1 cup) Full fat plain yoghurt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbs black mustard seeds
10 fresh curry leaves (optional) Don't use dried curry leaves for this recipe
3 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
1 green bird's eye chilli (more or less to taste), finely chopped
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
Juice of one lime
Salt to taste

Instructions

In a bowl, whiske the the yoghurt until creamy smooth. Set aside.
Pound the chilli and chopped coriander leaves a little in a pestal and mortar. Then add this with the honey and ginger and garlic paste to the whisked yoghurt.
Now, in a small saucepan, pour in the two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat and then add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, pour in your 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and the curry leaves if using.
Pour the hot oil over the yoghurt mixture and whisk again so that the yogurt doesn't curdle. The raita will turn a light green colour. Check for seasoning and sprinkle with salt to taste.

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How to Make Homemade Paneer Cheese

May 12, 2011 By Dan Toombs 11 Comments

You can flavour homemade paneer cheese or leave it plain.

Homemade paneer is easy to make. You can of course purchase paneer that is totally fine for adding to curries, baking or grilling. To be honest, that's what I normally do but making your own homemade paneer means that you can add other flavours and even serve it as a starter with a few crackers.

Once you make your homemade paneer, you might like to try it in recipes like chilli paneer, paneer fry, muttar paneer, paneer balti and/or saag paneer. If serving your homemade paneer in a curry, don't forget the rice and/or homemade naans and chapatis for a complete meal.

What is paneer?

Paneer is the most basic of cheeses and is often likened to cottage cheese in flavour. Homemade paneer is delicious stirred into a curry or marinated and cooked over fire on your barbecue.

The popular Indian cheese is really easy to make and is usually made plain but you can add other ingredients such as spices and herbs if you like.

How do you make homemade paneer?

Cooking the paneer only takes about 10 minutes. Then you need to collect the curds in a muslin and allow them to drip for a couple of hours over the sink.

Once that is done, you place the curds in a mold of some sort. Something like an open cake tin will do fine. Whatever you use needs to be open at the bottom. Place a heavy object over the paneer in the mold to form it into the hard paneer shape of your choice.

As the paneer is pressed down in the mold, more whey will be released, leaving you with a delicious chunk of homemade paneer in the end.

Do you have to add spices and herbs to your homemade paneer?

No. This is a recipe from my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Veggie' where I wanted to give the homemade paneer more flavour. If you just want plain paneer, that is fine. Just leave out the herbs and spices.

How do you use homemade paneer?

You can use this homemade paneer in curries, fry or grill it. This homemade paneer recipe is delicious in any recipe that calls for paneer.

If adding to a curry, your homemade paneer should be added at the end of cooking. If paneer simmers too long in a sauce, it has a tendency to fall apart.

When adding to a curry, you might also like to cut it into cubes and fry it in a little oil first. This helps the cheese stay together when added to a curry.

Can you add paneer to any curry?

Yes! Paneer is the perfect vegetarian substitute for meat in a curry. If you like curry house style curries like chicken tikka masala, you could substitute the paneer for the chicken tikka.

You might like curry house style curries which are perfect for paneer. Try this homemade paneer in any of these famous curries.

Yield: 4

Homemade Paneer Cheese

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

1.5 litres (6 cups) whole milk
2–3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp dried chilli (hot pepper) flakes
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tsp salt (or to taste)

Instructions

In a 3-litre (3-quart) saucepan, heat the milk until it is almost boiling. Be careful, as when it does boil, it will quickly bubble up and go all over your hob. So, when almost to boiling point, turn off the heat and allow to cool for a minute or two.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. The milk will begin to curdle. Add more if necessary but you only want to use as much lemon juice as required to separate the curds and whey.
Stir in the remaining ingredients, if using. Cover a sieve with a cheesecloth or muslin and carefully pour the curds and whey into it. The whey will run through the cloth, leaving just the curds, spices and chopped herbs behind.
Wrap the cheesecloth around the curds and squeeze as much excess whey out as you can. Then tie it up and hang it on your tap to drip into the sink for 1–2 hours.
To finish, place an open mould on a clean surface and fill it with the curds. You could use a small loose-based cake tin (pan) for this, leaving the base out. Press the curds down firmly and lay something heavy on top so that it becomes compacted. You want the bottom to be open so that the cheese can continue to drain excess whey.
Leave it in a cool place for a few hours, then remove your very attractive piece of paneer from the mould.
Store in the fridge and serve as is, or use it in your curries, grill it or fry it.

Cedar Plank Salmon with Chilli Garlic Oil

May 8, 2011 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This cedar plank salmon is so good dressed with the chilli garlic oil!

I love the flavour of salmon cooked on a cedar plank.

This cedar plank salmon is one of my favourites.

You need to make that oil as it is far better than you will get in a bottle at the shop.

Making the oil...

One of the reasons this cedar plank salmon is so good is the delicious chilli garlic oil that goes over it.

You can drizzle as much or as little as you like. The oil is easy to make.

Just watch the heat while cooking so that you don't burn the ingredients. After 15 minutes, you've got a delicious tasting chilli garlic oil that keeps for ages and is great on so many foods.

How to get the best flavour in the fish

It is essential that you use the freshest salmon you can get your hands on.

Then you need to choose the right charcoal. Never use that quick light charcoal or any starter fluid.

Think of the charcoal as an ingredient as it really does add to the flavour.

I use restaurant grade lumpwood and natural wood charcoal from Big K.

Then you need to find a good cedar plank. I get mine here.

Step by step photos...

Dried red chillies — You could purchase dried chilli flakes but you will get better results if you grind your own.

Simmering oil — Place the ground chillies and the remaining oil ingredients in the oil and bring to 107c/225f and no hotter than 121c/250f.

Checking the oil temperature

I used to use an oil thermometer but now I just know what it the oil is supposed to look like when simmering.

If you don't have an oil thermometer, just watch the oil as the ingredients cook. It should have small bubbles on the surface.

Stir and watch the ingredients in the oil. They should be simmering away nicely with no sign of burning. They can take the required heat for 15 minutes and still look soft and nice.

Making chilli garlic oil — Ingredients after turning off the burner.

Chilli garlic oil — This oil will keep for months. I leave all the ingredient in it and serve them too but you can filter it if you prefer.

Roasting cedar plank — Soak the cedar plank at least 30 minutes in water before starting. Bring your bbq to 150/300f and place it on the grill for two minutes.

If you like this cedar plank salmon recipe, you might like to try some of these BBQ recipes too.

Lamb seekh kebabs
Chicken seekh kebabs
Chicken and lamb seekh kebabs
Cheesy lamb seekh kebabs
Spicy lamb burra kebabs
Stuffed potato kebabs
Homemade karahi naans

My all purpose rub recipe...

This delicious spice rub is not only great for cedar plank salmon. It's delicious on slow cooked meat joints like pork butt, whole chickens and beef brisket.

It's also good on smaller cuts cooked over fire. Give it a go. You will have lots leftover but it keeps for at least three months as long as you aren't using old spices.

You could of course scale it down if you like.

4 tbsp paprika
4 tbsp salt
4 tbsp light brown sugar or grated jaggery
4 tbsp granulated garlic
3 tbsp granulated onion
2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tsp black pepper
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp ground coriander

Pour all of the ingredients into a glass jar and mix well to combine. Store in a dry, cool location until ready to use.

Here are a few other popular salmon recipes to try!

Yield: 4

Cedar Plank Salmon with Chilli Garlic Oil

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1 side of salmon, skin on
3 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
4 tsp all-purpose rub (see page 00)
2 lemons, quartered
FOR THE CHILLI, LEMON & GARLIC OIL
750ml (3 cups) Rapeseed (canola) oil
2/3 cup chilli flakes, homemade or good quality shop bought
2/3 cup garlic, finely chopped
2 lemongrass stalks, pounded and cut into paper thin slices ( or close enough)
5 spring onions, cut into rings
Zest from 3 lemons, minced
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Soak the cedar plank for at least 30 minutes before starting.
Make the oil first. Put all of the oil ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a steady bubble over moderate heat. It is important to cook the oil between 107c/225f and no hotter than
121c/250f.
I now know what this looks like but if this is your first time, you might want to use an oil thermometer or at least watch it closely to ensure the ingredients in the oil aren’t burning.
Simmer at about 107c/225f for 15 minutes then allow to cool a little. Pour into a clean glass jar and store at room temperature in a cool, dry location like a cupboard.
To cook the salmon, set up your BBQ for indirect heat cooking. Close the lid and bring to 150c/300f. When ready, place the soaked cedar plank over the cooler side for two minutes, covered.
Now place the salmon on the plank and sprinkle with the all-purpose rub and lemon slices.
Place back in the barbecue and cook for 15 minutes or until you are happy with the doneness. 15 minutes will cook the exterior and the centre will still be a bit pink so cook for longer if desired.
Serve, garnished with coriander (cilantro) and some of the chilli garlic oil.

Lime Pickle Recipe

April 29, 2011 By Dan Toombs 153 Comments

Once you try this lime pickle, you won't go back to shop bought!

I really recommend scrolling down and looking at all the step by step photos of this delicious lime pickle recipe. There are a few steps to this recipe but I have photographed them all for you.

This lime pickle goes fantastically well with my easy poppadom recipe and my homemade poppadoms. If making those, you might also like to add a few more chutneys or raitas.

Want an easy meal? This lime pickle is also amazing served simply of plain or flavoured Basmati rice. Or you could serve it in a wrap with homemade naans or chapatis, chicken tikka or lamb tikka or keema.

Lime pickle being served with other raitas and pickles and poppadoms — This lime pickle just plain gets it! I always have some on hand.

Why make your own lime pickle?

There was a time when I always had a supermarket brand name jar of lime pickle in the fridge.

These days I make my own and believe me the taste is so much better.

This recipe was taught to me by the chef of our local tandoori. He too used to serve those name brand pickles but now swears by this recipe.

My lime pickle recipe makes quite a lot but the pickle lasts indefinitely in a sterilised jar in a cool dark place such as a cupboard to the fridge.

How is this lime pickle different to shop bought?

Mass produced lime pickles can be good. Nothing wrong with them. But, and this is a big but, you know you are in a good Indian restaurant if they make their own pickles, chutneys and raitas.

If you are like me, you will taste that familiar flavour that the mass produced pickles have. You can probably taste when it's Pataks and why would you want to pay over the odds for something you can purchase yourself from a jar?

This lime pickle tastes fresh and authentic because it is. Placing the lime pickle in the sun to ferment like they do in India and carefully frying the spices, before stirring them in makes this a lime pickle that is hard to compete with.

No mass produced brand can do that!

You can make this lime pickle chunky or smooth.

Personally, I like my lime pickle chunky. Biting into those chunks of spicy lime is so tasty!

You might prefer a smoother pickle. That's no problem at all.

Just follow the recipe exactly as written. Then blend the finished lime pickle until smooth. That's all you have to do.

How long can you keep this lime pickle in the fridge

It should last for months. It's a pickle after all. If you are planning on keeping it for a long time, I recommend spooning the finished lime pickle into smaller jars.

Then you can use up one jar at a time while keeping the other stored in the fridge with a tight fitting lid.

Can you freeze lime pickle?

Perhaps surprisingly yes. It's not something I do often or even recommend but you can do it.

I tested it once and thought the frozen pickle, one defrosted taste pretty good.

Step by step photographs...

Ingredients for lime pickle — Get all your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way.

Stabbing limes with a fork in preparation for the pickle — Stab each lime about four or five times with a fork.

Chopped limes in mixing bowl. — Slice each lime into about 10 pieces and place in a mixing bowl.

Adding chopped garlic to the mixing bowl. — Add all the chopped garlic and ginger to the bowl.

Adding chilli powder and salt — Then add the chilli powder and salt.

What about all that salt?

You might notice that it is quite salty. Lime pickles have been served for hundreds of years and they are usually salty in flavour.

Think of this lime pickle and others like it like you would salt. Use it as you would salt.

Instead of adding salt to plain white rice, serve it with some of this pickle.

Serving rice in this way is how it is done all over India. It's a vegetarian meal in its own right! The salt also help preserve the pickle.

Squeezing juice from the limes and garlic — Squeeze this lime mixture with your hands to extract as much juice as possible.

Juice from limes and garlic — You will be left with loads of juice in the bowl. Transfer the squeezed limes and garlic to a steamer.

Steaming the limes and garlic — Steam the limes and garlic for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the limes are becoming quite soft.

Lime pickle in the sun — Pour the steamed lime mixture into a jar and stir in the juice from the mixing bowl. Allow to sit, covered in the sun for 2 days, stirring every 12 hours.

Now it's time to finish this pickle off!

After two days of fermenting the limes in the sun, bring the jar indoors.

Time to make this lime pickle taste amazing.

Frying mustard seeds. — Heat the oil over a high heat and stir in the mustard seeds.

Frying mustard seeds in oil — When the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. Infuse for 30 seconds and take off the heat.

Fermenting lime pickle — Pour the oil and spices into the lime pickle. Be careful. You might want to cool it some before adding. Set in sun for 2 more days.

What other uses are there for lime pickle?

Sometimes I add this tasty pickle to my curries as well.

Again, do this before you add salt. It is delicious stirred into a curry like my curry house style chicken Madras for example.

It takes some time to make this lime pickle but it's worth the wait!

Now let's tackle the one thing that scares a lot of people off making this. It takes about four days and then it is best not to serve it for another week for optimum flavour.

Put that out of your head and make it. I promise... you'll be glad you did.

Make a huge batch and keep it in the fridge for when you need it. I often double or even triple this recipe. I like it that much.

Hope you do too! Enjoy.

Thinking of a great gift for a friend?

Every year I make a few huge batches of this pickle along with a few others.

As the delicious pickle keeps for ages, there is no rush to give them away.

Simply make them up and put the lime pickle into some attractive sterilised jars and you have a gift that any curry fan would love.

What's more, you made it yourself which makes the gift even more special.

If you like the look of this delicious lime pickle, you might like to try these...

Indian Mixed Vegetable Pickle
Easy lemon pickle
Chickpea, Garlic and Carrot Pickle

Lime pickle on a poppadum — Time for a curry feast! Dig in!

Yield: 750ml (3 cups)

Lime Pickle Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 4 days

Total Time 4 days 45 minutes

Ingredients

1kg (2 lbs) limes - stab holes in each lime and then cut into eight pieces
5 level tbsp salt
40 cloves of garlic - smashed
50g (about a thumb sized piece) ginger, very finely chopped
2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder - Or another and to taste
FOR THE TEMPERING
150ml (scant 2/3 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
3 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
½ teaspoon asafoetida

Instructions

Using a fork, stab about 20 holes in each lime, then cut each into 8 to 10 wedges. Place in a mixing bowl and add the garlic, ginger, salt and chilli powder
Mix well with your hands, coating the limes and pressing down on them to release a lot of juice.
Transfer the limes to a steamer, leaving the juice in the bowl, and steam for about 15 minutes until quite soft.
Transfer the limes to a sterile glass jar and pour in the juices from the mixing bowl. Stir well.
Cover tightly and set in the sun for two days or in a warm place like a kitchen window if the sun isn't cooperating. Stir every 10 to 12 hours to keep the limes coated with the juices.
After two days, heat the oil for the tempering in a large frying pan over high heat. When visibly hot, stir in the mustard seeds. They will begin to crackle. When they do, stir in the cumin seeds and asafoetida and infuse for another 30 seconds.
Allow to cools some and then pour this over the limes in the jar. Place back in a sunny spot, tightly covered for another two days.
You can eat it immediately but the lime pickle will get even better if you allow it to sit in the fridge for another week before serving.

Salmon Fish Cake Bhuna

April 12, 2011 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This delicious salmon kofta bhuna featured in my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Easy'.

This is a salmon fish cake bhuna that I was introduced to a few years before writing 'The Curry Guy Easy'. In the book it is called salmon kofta bhuna and it can be found on page 78. The delicate flavour of the salmon mixed with all the other ingredients makes this dish something you've simply got to try.

About this salmon fish cake bhuna...

This recipe was sent to me by my friend Milon Miah, Head Chef at Spice Island in Barnard Castle. The recipe was taught to Milon by his mother, but he claims to have modernized it a bit.

I’ve never tried the original but have to say his version, which he makes with chital (a fresh water Bangladeshi fish) is truly delicious.

I’m not the only one who thinks so. Milon won first place with this dish on the reality TV show ‘The Chef ’. The ingredients are all very simple but they work so well together. All you need is a little plain white rice and you’ve got yourself a masterpiece meal in minutes.

Working ahead...

Salmon is best cooked as fresh as you can get it. That said, if it is more convenient, you could blend and form the salmon fish cakes a day ahead of cooking.

You can also prepare all the other ingredients a day or so ahead of time.

You might also like these recipes...

Korean Baked Salmon
Asian Honey Glazed Salmon Recipe

Yield: 4

Salmon Kofta Bhuna

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE KOFTA
500g (1lb 2 oz) salmon fillet
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
3 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste Oil, for shallow frying
FOR THE SAUCE
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1/2 each green pepper and red
pepper, diced into small
pieces
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 3 spring onions (scallions),
roughly chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp mixed powder
20 cherry tomatoes, cut in half Salt
Lemon or lime wedges, to serve

Instructions

In a food processor, blitz the salmon until you have a thick paste. Add the rest of the kofta ingredients, except the oil, and mix well. Set aside.
To make the sauce, heat the rapeseed oil in a large pan over medium–high heat. When visibly hot, stir in the chopped onions and diced peppers and fry until the onion is soft and translucent.
Stir in the garlic, spring onions (scallions), chillies, coriander (cilantro) and the ground spices and stir it all up well.
Add just enough water to cover and simmer until the water is almost evaporated.
Meanwhile, form the fish paste into about 12 small, flat koftas. In a large frying pan, pour in oil to the depth of about 2.5cm (1in) and heat it over medium–high heat.
When hot, add the koftas and fry for about 2 minutes on one side. Flip over and fry for another 2 minutes or until cooked through.
Place the tomatoes and koftas on top of the simmering sauce for a couple of minutes until
the tomatoes are warmed through. Season with salt to taste.
To serve, divide the sauce mixture equally between four warmed plates. Place three koftas on each and serve with wedges of lemon or lime.

Stuffed Brinjal Masala

April 11, 2011 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This stuffed brinjal masala recipe is easy to make!

I have been cooking this stuffed brinjal masala recipe in one shape or form since I was a child. I grew up in Turlock California where there is a large Indian population. I had a friend growing up whose mother used to make this for us. Every now and then we got to help her make them. My friend's family was originally from North India and the recipe they taught me was slightly different to this but still quite similar. This Stuffed Brinjal Masala recipe stems from Goa - I love Goan food the most!

It is important to find medium sized aubergines. Large aubergines can be difficult to work with in the pan and baby aubergines are too small to bother stuffing.

Try to find the freshest ingredients possible. You really cannot go wrong with this recipe as long as your vegetables are fresh. Even if it all falls apart you will still love the amazing flavours on offer here. It is one of my favourite Indian vegetable dishes.

Love Indian Vegetarian Recipes? Why not try one of these too...

All Indian Vegetarian recipes

Rice

See more Indian Rice Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Dahls

See more Dal Recipes →

Stuffed brinjal masala is easier to make than you may think!

Yield: 4

Stuffed Brinjal Masala Recipe - An Indian Aubergine Dish That's a Perfect Starter or Main Course

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 medium sized aubergine
FOR THE STUFFING
2 potatoes peeled and cut into four pieces
salt
1 Teaspoon black mustard seeds
4 Tablespoons ghee
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 Teaspoon asafoetida (Optional - available at Indian markets and online)
1 inch piece ginger grated
1 green chilli finely chopped
1 Tablespoon white cumin seeds
1 medium sized carrot peeled and grated
50g (1/4 cup) cauliflower
1 teaspoon medium hot red chilli powder
1/2 Teaspoon turmeric
1 Teaspoon jaggery (This is Indian sugar. Unprocessed sugar can be substituted)
A handful of chopped coriander leaves
Vegetable oil for shallow frying
FOR THE SAUCE
250ml plain yoghurt
1 tablespoon jaggery or unprocessed sugar
1 pinch of salt
1/2 inch chopped ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon black mustard seeds
6 fresh curry leaves (optional)
a pinch of turmeric
Juice of one lime

Instructions

I usually make the sauce first as it is served at room temperature and can be put aside until ready to use.
With a fork, stir the yoghurt rapidly to get rid of any lumps. Add the jaggery, salt, chopped ginger and the mint.
Heat the oil in a small frying pan. Throw in the black mustard seeds, curry leaves and the turmeric. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, pour the hot oil into the yoghurt mixture and stir it in to combine.
Stir in the lime juice and set aside.
Now for the stuffed brinjal masala.
Cut four one inch thick slices from the centre of the aubergine. Remove the pulp in the centre but leave about a centimetre of aubergine on the border. Sprinkle the aubergine rings with salt and leave for one hour.
This will get rid of the bitter juices.
Now make the stuffing.
Peel and quarter the potatoes into cubes and then boil in salted water for about eight minutes.
Drain the water and then grate the potatoes when they are cool enough to handle.
Heat the ghee in a pan and add the asafoetida, garlic, ginger, green chilli, and cumin seeds. Fry for about a minutes until the garlic is translucent. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Add the cauliflower, grated potatoes and carrots and then stir in the turmeric and chilli powder and fry for about ten minutes. Set aside to cool slightly
Rinse the aubergine steaks and wipe dry with paper towels.
Spoon the stuffing into the holes in the aubergines. Pour a thin layer of oil into a frying pan and saute the aubergine steaks for about two minutes per side until the aubergines are nicely browned.
Serve the stuffed brinjal masala with a nice spoonful or two of the yoghurt sauce.

Be sure to stop back by and let me know what you think of this stuffed brinjal masala!

Pan Fried Sea Bass with Masala Mash

April 10, 2011 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

Are you ready to learn an incredibly delicious pan fried sea bass recipe?

Getting sea bass just right can be a bit tricky. There are of course a number of ways to do it but this pan fried sea bass recipe will get you excellent results every time.

Pan fried sea bass can be served in so many ways.

Here I serve it with masala mash, kachumber salad and coriander chutney.

Those flavour together with the mouthwatering crispy sea bass are incredible!

Pan seared sea bass — This pan seared sea bass is delicious with masala mash and a good chutney.

How to get crispy bass skin

Have you ever gone out to a restaurant and been underwhelmed by the state of the skin? So often it is moist or even oily.

In order to make sure this doesn't happen to you, I want to show you how to ensure you get the crispiest skin possible.

There is a lot of moisture in the skin and that has to come out before frying.

If you look at the knife above you will see the moisture being scraped out of the skin.

This is a technique that is beneficial for any skin-on fried fish.

Scrape the skin down the fillet or whole fish a few times until all of the moisture has been extracted.

Perfect crispy skin every time!

Working ahead...

The scraping of the skin can be done a couple of hours before cooking.

You can also sprinkle the skin with the tandoori masala at the same time.

As this pan fried sea bass is served with masala mash, kachumber salad and coriander chutney, you might also like to prepare them ahead of time too.

You can do this one or two days ahead of serving and then just heat the masala mash up before serving.

The frying of the fish should be done just before serving though.

Completing the fried sea bass...

cutting the fillets in half — The fillets can be cooked whole or cut into pieces. I cut mine to fit my pan.

Sprinkle the bass fillets with tandoori masala.

Shop bought is ok but if you really want to take your pan fried sea bass to a whole new level, try my homemade version! The recipe on my site for tandoori masala has food colouring in it.

I don't usually add this as it add no flavour.

sea bass with tandoori masala — I used my own homemade tandoori masala but you could use a good quality shop bought masala.

Frying sea bass — Fry the sea bass over medium high heat, skin side down until crispy on the underside. Pressing the fillets down with a spatula will get a crispier skin.

Frying bass — Sprinkle the top with a little more tandoori masala if you like and then flip over to cook through. Flip again to give the skin one last sear.

About those sides...

masala creamy mashed potatoes — This mash is delicious served with the pan fried sea bass.

The side dishes suggested in this recipe are exactly that... suggestions.

You can find the recipe here. Feel free to halve or double the recipe. You will need to add the time of making this mash recipe onto the time it takes to make the sea bass but it can be made ahead of time.

The recipe for kachumber salad is also quick and easy to make. You will find that recipe here.

Yield: 4

Pan Fried Sea Bass with Masala Mash

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 38 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE SEA BASS
4 sea bass fillets - halved
1 - 2 tbsp tandoori masala
3 Tablespoons rapeseed (canola) oil
Salt to taste
FOR THE CORIANDER CHUTNEY
1 large bunch coriander (cilantro)
3 cloves garlic - smashed
3 - 5 green bird's eye chillies
250g (1 cup) plain Greek yoghurt
Juice of one lime
Salt to taste

Instructions

Scrape the moisture out of the skin of the bass as demonstrated in the photo above. Then sprinkle with tandoori masala and set aside while you make the chutney.
Place the coriander (cilantro), garlic, chillies and half 1 quarter of the yoghurt in a blend and blend to a paste. Blending yoghurt makes it really runny which is why you don't put it all in.
Transfer the coriander paste to a bowl and whisk in the remaining yoghurt.
Squeeze in the lime juice and season with salt to taste. Set aside
Now heat the oil in a frying pan. When hot, add the bass fillets skin side down. Fry for a few minutes or until the bass easily comes away from the pan and the skin is super crispy.
Flip over to cook the other side and then flip over a gain for one last sear of the skin.
Season with salt to taste.
To serve, place some heated mashed masala potato on a heated plate. Top with a couple of pieces of the sea bass. Then serve with the kachumber salad and a good amount of coriander chutney.

I hope you enjoy this pan fried sea bass recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

Saag Aloo

April 7, 2011 By Dan Toombs 12 Comments

Saag aloo makes a great side or main dish for any curry night.

This delicious saag aloo recipe is so easy to prepare. The recipe was sent to me by my chef friend Vipin Vu who at the time was the head chef of Lake Canopy Hotel in Alleppey, Kerala. All of his dishes were amazing and this saag aloo was one of our vegetarian favourites.

Getting saag aloo just right…

At the restaurant, Vipin used a local spinach or saag which was different to what we get in the west. Here, most chefs use baby spinach leaves which work perfectly well in a saag aloo.

All is explained in the recipe card below but you really want to ensure that you don’t overcook the spinach in this one. Some saag aloo recipes call for blended spinach but with this version, you want to be able to see the individual wilted spinach leaves.

Also, always be sure to taste it before serving. You can always adjust the spicing to taste at any time during cooking.

Getting the spicing right…

In my version of this authentic saag aloo recipe, I use quite a lot of fresh chillies. This is done to my taste so if you are not sure, use less. The heat can always be adjusted before taking your saag aloo masterpiece to the table.

Cooking the potatoes…

You will first want to par-cook the potatoes just as you would if you’re making roast potatoes. This gives them a good head start. Shake the par-cooked when you strain them which will give them a fluffier exterior and make them crispier when fried.

Are there any convenient cheats for this saag aloo recipe?

Yes. Talking about roast potatoes, if you have some left over from Sunday dinner, use those. Leftover roast potatoes work perfectly well in this recipe. This applies to the frozen roast potatoes you can purchase in the freezer section of your local supermarket.

Just roast them up and use them.

You could also use frozen spinach cubes. Some say frozen spinach is better for you than the fresh stuff because it is frozen immediately when harvested.

That said, the dish will not look the same if you use frozen spinach in your saag aloo. The curry will still be delicious though.

How does this saag aloo differ to what you find at curry houses?

At curry houses, the curries are prepared with a base sauce. I have a lot of curry house style recipes on this blog but this isn’t one of them.

With the base sauce, you can quickly whip up a curry, any curry, in about 10 minutes. This recipe uses more authentic cooking techniques but the flavour is just as good if not better.

IMPORTANT: Infusing the mustard seeds and cumin seeds…

Many home chefs don’t realise how important it is to infuse their spices in the RIGHT ORDER.

Spices cook to perfection at differently. The black mustard seeds, for example can take a lot of heat. You want them to start crackling in the oil before adding any other whole spices.

This is why the cumin seeds are added to the oil only after those mustard seeds start bursting their flavour into the oil. If you were to add the cumin at the same time, it would burn and become bitter.

Is this recipe easy?

Sure is! You start by infusing mustard seeds and cumin into a little oil or ghee. Then you immediately add the chopped onions as they cool down the pan and prevent the spices from burning.

Then you just sauté those onions for about 7 minutes or until golden brown. Add in the garlic and ginger paste, fresh chillies and ground spices and your saag aloo is almost complete!

Stir in the par-cooked potatoes and brown them until beginning to get crispy on the exterior. Then just add the stock and fold in the spinach. You are going to be able to get this dish to the table in under 30 minutes even if you are starting with raw potatoes.

If you like this saag aloo recipe, you might like to try some of these curries too...

15 curry house curries from scratch!

Love Indian Vegetarian Recipes? Why not try one of these too...

All Indian Vegetarian recipes

Rice

See more Indian Rice Recipes →

Naan

See more Indian bread recipes →

Dahls

See more Dal Recipes →

Yield: 4

Saag Aloo

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

600 g (1 1/4 lbs) floury potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
3 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
2 green bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
1 red spur chilli, thinly sliced
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp tomato concentrate paste
125 ml (½ cup) unsalted chicken stock
150 g (4 packed cups) baby spinach leaves
1 generous tsp kasoori methis (dried fenugreek leaves)
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste and optional
4 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Instructions

Place the bite sized pieces of potato in a large frying pan and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to medium high and simmer to par-cook the potatoes until fork tender. You should easily be able to stick a fork in but the potatoes should still be a bit too hard for eating.
Strain through a colander and set aside.
Place your pan back over a medium high heat and add the ghee or oil. (I use ghee). Stir in the mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle and pop, add the cumin seeds and fry for a further 30 seconds.
Now add the chopped red onions and fry for about 7 minutes or until the onions are soft and lightly browned.
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and stir it in for about 30 seconds. Then add the chillies and ground spices. Stir well to combine so that the onions are coated with the spices.
Return the par-cooked potatoes to the pan and mix well with the other ingredients. Then add the stock and spinach leaves.
Stir the spinach into the potatoes. As the spinach cooks, it will wilt and coat the potatoes nicely.
Add the kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves by rubbing the leaves between your fingers. Continue simmering until the potatoes are completely cooked through.
Season with salt to pepper to taste and garnish with more coriander (cilantro) and more thinly sliced red chillies if you want more heat.

Masala Fish

March 27, 2011 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

The masala fish recipe is featured in my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Easy'.

I had to come up with over 100 easy recipes for my cookbook 'The Curry Guy Easy' and this masala fish was one of them. This is an authentic masala fish or masala machli recipe from Pakistan and it is definitely one to put on your 'must try' list!

About this masala fish recipe...

This is a light and delicious fish dish that is often seen on starter menus but masala fish works really well as a main dish too.

It may be easy to make, but you’d never know it from all the fantastic flavours.

This recipe was sent to me by Zulfi Karim, owner of Curryosity near Bradford long before I wrote The Curry Guy Easy, so I have been making this recipe for years.

Zulfi uses haddock but lately I’ve been making this dish with my favourite fish, halibut. It might be a little more expensive than haddock but I love the meaty texture. You could use the meat fish of your choice.

Does the fish have to be cooked exactly as photographed?

Nope. You can use whole fillets of fish or cut them into bite-sized pieces. The choice is yours and both are authentic.

I like to serve the fried fish with my spicy coriander chutney with about five tablespoons of natural plain yoghurt whisked into it. It is also equally as good with tomato salsa.

You might like to try some of these recipe too...

Indian fish fry
Tandoori baked salmon
Asian Honey Roast Baked Salmon
Baked salmon Korean style

Yield: 4

Masala Fish

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes

Total Time 16 minutes

Ingredients

700g (1lb 9oz) halibut, cod or haddock
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour 4 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tbsp ground tumeric
3 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp ajwain seeds
2 tbsp tandoori masala
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp crushed chilli (hot pepper)
flakes 1/2 tsp salt
Rapeseed oil, for frying Coriander chutney or tomato
salsa, to serve

Instructions

Marinate the fish in the lemon juice for no more than 10 minutes. While the fish is marinating, mix the flours, dried spices and salt together in a large bowl. Turn the marinated fish pieces in the flour mixture to coat
and shake off any excess. There only needs to be a thin dusting of the flour mixture on the fish.
Heat about 2.5cm (1in) depth of rapeseed oil in a large frying pan. The oil is hot enough when thousands of little bubbles form around a wooden chopstick or spatula when placed in the oil
Place the fish in the oil and cook for about 2 minutes. Then, flip the fish over and cook for another 1 minute on the other side, or until just cooked through.
Serve the fish with the above mentioned coriander chutney or tomato salsa which
also goes really well.

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I hope you enjoy this easy masala fish recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Duck Curry

March 24, 2011 By Dan Toombs 6 Comments

I'm not going to lie and tell you that this wild duck curry is an easy one to eat. In fact, if you don't like getting your hands dirty I'd suggest using larger farmed duck breast cut into bite sized pieces (tikka).

You could use the same recipe with about 800g of farmed duck breast. It's easier buy I prefer the flavour of a wild duck curry.

Last week, however I had a few wild mallard ducks delivered to my door by a neighbour and I decided to develop a new recipe.

This one is based on British Indian restaurant (BIR) style cookery where a base curry sauce is used.

You will need to make that first. Believe me though, this one is worth the effort. I made enough for eight people and served four. There wasn't a spicy spoonful left.

Cooking the wild duck curry and making the base sauce and special spice blend can all be done a day or so ahead of time so that the final cooking only takes about then minutes.

There are so many things going on in this recipe. You've got the tartness of the tamarind, the spicy chilli powder, the sweetness of the sugar and don't forget a nice sprinkling of salt.

All of this is brought together by the spice and coconut powder blend.

The ingredients used in this recipe are used mostly in south Indian cooking. Many Pakistani and Bangladeshi curry house chefs are beginning to introduce these southern ingredients to their curries. One thing is for sure, the flavour and texture of this wild duck curry is 100% BIR!

Making duck curry — Roasting the spices and coconut before grinding them.

Yield: 4

Easy Indian Duck Curry with a Tamarind Sauce

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 Ducks cut into about 12 pieces (discard the tails as they taste awful.)
5 Tablespoons gram flour
1 tablespoon madras curry powder
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 - 3 tablespoons chilli powder
1 teaspoon black onion seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
20 fresh or frozen curry leaves
1 teaspoon turmeric
750ml base curry sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 handful chopped coriander leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 200c / 400f.
Start by making your coconut spice powder.
In a dry frying pan over medium heat, roast the coriander seeds, sesame seeds, coconut and cumin seeds until they become warm to the touch and fragrant.
Allow to cool slightly and then place these ingredients in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.
Meanwhile, In a large frying pan heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Dust the duck pieces with the gram flour and madras curry powder and shake off any excess. Brown the duck pieces in the hot oil for a couple of minutes and then place on a rack in an oven tray.
Roast the duck for a further 20 minutes.
While the duck is roasting away, prepare your curry sauce.
Heat two tablespoons vegetable oil you used to fry the duck pieces in a large pan or wok. Toss in the mustard seeds and onion seeds. When they begin to pop, add the curry leaves and fry for about a minute.
Add the garlic and ginger paste followed by the coconut spice powder. Stir to combine.
Now add the base curry sauce and stir some more.
Add the roasted duck pieces, sugar and the tamarind paste and allow to cook for about 20 to 30 minutes. The duck should be very tender. Farmed duck only needs about ten minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh coriander to serve.

Alleppey Fish Fry

March 21, 2011 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

This fish fry has to be one of my favourite ways to prepare fish.

My wife and I hired an overnight riverboat in Alleppey, Kerala and it was fantastic!

The scenery was simply amazing and the food out of this world! This fish fry was prepared for us by the chef that evening on a barbecue at the back of the boat.

I watched him make it and knew I had to make it when I got home.

In Kerala, the fish fry is made with silver pomfret which is delicious but difficult to get in England outside of London. So here I prepared it with sea bream for my wife and we weren't disappointed.

Keralan fish fry — Currently my favourite fish recipe!

About the recipe...

So the chef lit up the barbecue and when the coals were flaming hot, he placed a frying pan on the grill and poured a large amount to coconut oil into it and brought it to a bubble.

The amount of oil used was crazy but it added so much to the dish. I guess when you figure how much we love fish and chips here in the UK, the amount of oil used there was fine.

He brought out some small silver pomfret that had been scored and marinated with his special marinade and he placed them into the oil to fry.

The technique for cooking the fish fry was really unique...

As the marinated fish fried in the coconut oil, the chef continued to coat it with more marinade.

He spooned and marinade that had fallen into the oil back onto the fish.

Then he flipped them over and continued adding more marinade and spooning hot oil over the fish fry.

More and more marinade went into the pan and he kept coating the fish before letting it rain with fresh curry leaves.

Curry leaves play an important roll in this Kerala fish fry...

The two flavours that really hit you when you eat this fish fry are curry leaves and coconut oil.

You can of course taste the delicious marinade but it plays second fiddle to those fresh curry leaves and hot coconut oil.

You really can't add too many curry leaves. Just take a few large handfuls and let them fall onto the fish and into the oil to flavour it.

If there's one fish fry you've got to try, it's this one!

Does this fish fry have to be cooked on a BBQ?

No. Cooking outdoors for me is a lot more fun. It is also the way I saw this fish fry cooked.

Feel free to take it indoors if you like and cook in a pan over medium-high heat.

Step by step photos...

Scored sea bream — Score the fish on both sides so that they soak up the flavour of the marinade and oil.

Marinating fish — Marinate the fish for at least 20 minutes, rubbing the marinade right into the fish.

Coconut oil in pan — Melt a lot of oil. I used 8 tbsp spoons but the chef I learned this recipe from used a lot more.

Frying fish — Once the oil is hot, place the marinated fish in the oil and fry for about 5 minutes.

Fish fry — Flip the fish over and top with more marinade. You can continue adding more as needed, Don't forget to keep basting the fish with marinade and oil.

Fish fry with marinade and curry leaves — Let in rain curry leaves as the fish cooks through. Notice how much more marinade I added.

If you like this Kerala fish fry recipe, you might like to try some of these too...

Keralan prawn curry
Keralan fish curry
Keralan Lamb curry
Stir fried crispy lamb

Finished fish fry — Dig in! This is so good!

I have given details instruction on how to make the marinade below. If you would like to see step by step photos of the process, click here.

Yield: 4

Alleppey Fish Fry

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

5 medium tomatoes
50g chana lentils
2 tsp rapeseed (canola) or coconut oil
5 cloves garlic – smashed and roughly chopped
3- 6 green bird’s eye chillies
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 1/2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
1 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)
Salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
250ml (1 cup) coconut oil
4 x 400-500g sea bream or silver pomfret if you can get it
60 fresh or frozen curry leaves

Instructions

Roast the tomatoes in a large pan or, better yet, directly over a open fire until blackened. You will need to turn regularly while doing this. Set aside to cool slightly and then dice them.
Now, in a dry frying pan over medium heat, toast the chana lentils for about five minutes, stirring regularly until toasted and brown in colour. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Meanwhile, add one teaspoon oil to the large pan, preferably large enough to hold all the fish and stir in the cumin and garlic cloves and sauté well for about a minute.
Add the green chillies, coriander leaves, roasted chana lentils and diced, roasted tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the chilli powder, chaat masala, cumin and amchoor (mango powder). Stir well and take off the heat to cool slightly.
Once cooled, blend this into a smooth paste. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt to taste.
Clean out the pan and heat the coconut oil in it over high heat. When bubbling hot, dip the fish in the paste so that they are coated all over and add them to the sizzling oil.
Fry for a couple of minutes and then flip the fish over to fry the other side. As the fish is frying, baste it with the remaining paste and splash the tops with the hot coconut oil.
You might want to flip the fish again and do the same on the other side. Keep splashing the fish with the oil and dabbing it with more paste.
When the fish is looking lightly charred and the aroma is making everyone hungry, let it rain with the curry leaves all over the fish.
You’ll know when the fish is ready because it will look too good to leave in the pan one second longer! You could test it with a fork though. When the fish is flaky and comes off the bone easily, it's ready.
Carefully transfer the fish with some of the paste and curry leaves to a platter to serve and dig in!

I hope you enjoy this authentic Keralan fish fry. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you. Be sure to also check out our indian fish fry recipe!

Malabar Fish Curry

March 14, 2011 By Dan Toombs Leave a Comment

So easy and delicious... Malabar fish curry needs to be on your 'must-try' list!

Have you ever tried a homemade Malabar fish curry? If not, it's time you did. I think that one of the most valuable things I learned during my visits to southern coastal India is the low-fat way they cook up amazing seafood curries.

Hardly any oil is required as many of the aromatic ingredients are simply boiled in water to produce a delicious sauce.

Although you can use tamarind concentrate instead of kokum for this recipe, it is traditionally made with kokum and that’s the way I like it most.

What is kokum?

Like tamarind, kokum offers a unique and delicious sour flavour to a curry. It's weird stuff really but really tasty too.

Usually, it's just rind of the kokum berry that is used to flavour a sauce. The sour, dried rind is simmered in water with other spices and ingredients giving the sauce an amazing flavour.

The dried kokum once cooked are edible but I wouldn't recommend biting in to one. Just let them work their magic into the sauce.

Simmering coconut mixture — Simmering coconut, turmeric, kokum and chilli powder.

simmering malabar fish curry — Simmering the sauce to pick up the sour flavour of the kokum.

Adding the fish — You want to add the fish just before serving. Then cook it through and serve topped with the tarka.

MAKING THE TARKA

The tarka is very important to the flavour of this Malabar fish curry. It is really simple to make and only takes seconds.

The hot oil, herbs, onions and mustard seeds are poured over the cooked fish curry. Then stirred in.

You won't believe the difference it makes to the flavour. So good!

Making the tarka — Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds, followed by the curry leaves.

Stirring in onions — Stir in the chopped shallots or onion.

Tarka added to Malabar fish curry — So good!

The finished Malabar fish curry is delicious served with rice. This time I used Matta rice which is one of my favourite varieties.

Looking for other seafood curry ideas? Try some of these...

Hake Curry
Keralan Prawn Curry
Sri Lankan Halibut Curry
Pan Seared Salmon in Saffron Sauce
Salmon Curry with Broccoli and Coconut

Yield: 4

Malabar Fish Curry

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

150g (11⁄2 cups) fresh or frozen grated coconut
1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric 
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder 
2 tbsp minced ginger 
1 green chilli, finely chopped 
3 kokum peels or 2 tsp tamarind
concentrate 500g (1lb 2oz) cod or other meaty fish
like halibut or ling, cut into
medium chunks 
1 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
10 curry leaves
 3 shallots, thinly sliced Salt, to taste

Instructions

Blend the coconut and turmeric into a
fine paste or powder and set aside. Bring 500ml (2 cups) of water to the boil in a pot, preferably a clay pot if you have one.
Add the coconut mixture, chilli powder, ginger, green chilli and kokum and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the fish and simmer for a further 7 minutes with the pan covered, or until the fish is just cooked through. Be careful not to overcook the fish or it will fall apart.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium–high heat. When visibly hot, add the mustard seeds and
when they begin to crackle (after about 30 seconds), reduce the heat to medium and stir in the curry leaves and shallots and fry until the shallots are soft and lightly browned.
Pour over the curry. You can leave it as a garnish or stir the infused oil into the curry. Check for seasoning and season with salt if needed.

Chicken Cafreal Recipe

March 5, 2011 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

No knives and forks allowed here. Chicken Cafreal is meant to be torn apart by hand. Dip naan or even French bread into the gravy. It's spectacular.

It is normally served with rice though. That sauce with the chicken and rice are out of this world gorgeous!

I have made this chicken cafreal recipe many different ways. In the Summer I often cut the chicken into pieces and grill it on the BBQ.

I've fried it and roasted it in a tandoor which is my favourite way to cook it.

Make this recipe your own

This recipe is written for the home cook using a conventional oven and believe me - it tastes great!

Be sure to try the sauce and adjust the flavours. The chicken cafreal recipe you'll find below is my favourite combo but feel free to adjust the spices as you see fit.

It's nice to know that something so easy can bring so much happiness. My family love this dish and I bet yours will too.

So without any further delay, I offer you one amazing and authentic chicken cafreal recipe!

Looking for more authentic chicken curry recipe ideas? Try these!

- Murgh (chicken) Malai
- My 'go to' chicken curry
- Cumin Chicken Curry
- Goan Chicken Xacutti
- Bengali Chicken Curry
- Sri Lankan Black Pepper Chicken Curry
- Peshwari Turkey (or chicken) Curry
- Chicken Keema Aloo

Yield: 4 - 6

Impress Your Family with this Chicken Cafreal Recipe!

Ingredients

2 x 1.5kg ( 3 lbs) chickens
Juice of 3 Limes
1 Large handful of chopped coriander leaves
FOR THE DRY MARINADE
4 tablespoons coriander seeds
3 tabelspoons white cumin seeds
1 4" piece cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
8 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cloves
5 black cardamom
10 cloves garlic smashed and chopped
1 5" piece of ginger finely grated
6 spicy green chilies (more or less to taste)
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon jaggery (Or light brown sugar)
200g (2 cups) coriander stocks
1/2 coconut grated
3 Anchovies
1 lime

Instructions

In a small frying pan, dry fry the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and cinnamon stick. Break the cinnamon stick into pieces before doing this.
When the spices begin to smoke, take them off the heat.
Add them to the rest of the dry marinade ingredients and grind together in a fine paste using a food processor or pestle and mortar.
Rub the paste inside and out of the chickens.With your finger, carefully separate the skin from the meat and place some of the marinade between the skin and meat.
Leave to marinade for six hours or overnight. The longer the better.
To cook chicken cafreal
Preheat your oven to 200c / 400f.
Place the chicken in a oven proof dish and roast for 40 minutes or until the chickens are cooked through. The liquid should run clear when you stick a knife into the breast.
Remove from the oven and place the chickens on a warm serving platter to rest for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, reduce the juices slightly over medium heat. You may need to add about a cup of water or chicken stock. i usually do.
Just before serving, squeeze the lime juice into the gravy pour over the chickens.

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I hope you enjoy this chicken cafreal recipe. If you do try it, please don't be a stranger. Leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Spicy Salt - Indian Spiced Salt Mix

March 2, 2011 By Dan Toombs 2 Comments

spicy salt mixture — Give this spicy salt a try!

This spicy salt recipe is a good one for many reasons. When you mix salt with freshly ground spices, you can use less salt in your Indian dishes without losing on flavour.

In fact, I think that when you use this spicy salt, you'll prefer it to the plain stuff!

This spicy salt recipe was suggested to me by a doctor friend of mine. He is originally from Southern India and this was his family recipe. He uses it in everything from delicious curries to T-bone steaks.

When you try it, you'll understand why.

Make this recipe your own...

I should say that this is almost his family recipe. We all have different taste preferences and the mixture you see below is mine. Feel free, however to adjust the spices to your preferences.

I used Maldon salt because I love it. If you aren't familiar with Maldon salt, it's a nice flaky sea salt and definitely worth sourcing.

Any good quality salt will do though.

I always have this spicy salt on hand.

As you will see in the recipe, this spicy salt recipe is really easy to make and it lasts for months.

So whip up a batch and keep it for whenever you want that amazing flavour in any of your dishes. It works well with meat, seafood and vegetables.

Useful Tips

If you have a spice or coffee grinder, I recommend grinding the cinnamon and almonds yourself. This is certainly not necessary but improves the flavour.

You can add this salt to any Indian dish. For that matter, you can add it to a lot of more Western dishes with great success. Add it to burgers instead of salt alone or make your next chicken sandwich a little more interesting.

Used sparingly it actually adds a lot more flavour than salt alone and it is better for you.

I hope you enjoy this Indian spicy salt recipe and look forward to hearing your comments.

Here are a few other spicy powders you might like to try!

Homemade Curry Powder
Chaat Masala
Garam Masala
Tamil Curry Powder
Homemade Green Chilli Powder

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Yield: 250ml

Spicy Salt - Indian Spiced Salt Mix

Ingredients

1 250g box of Maldon Sea Salt or similar good quality flaky salt
1 heaping tablespoon ground allspice
1 heaping tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 heaping tablespoon dried mint
1 heaping tablespoon finely ground almonds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Place all the ingredient in a bowl and stir. That's it... Job done. Enjoy.

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I hope you enjoy this spicy salt recipe. If you do give it a try, please don't be a stranger! Leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

Lemon Pickle Recipe - Easy Indian Lemon Achaar

March 1, 2011 By Dan Toombs 8 Comments

This Indian Lemon Pickle tastes amazing!

The finished lemon pickle. Delicious!

So often it is the little things - the easy things that make a good meal great. This holds true whether you are eating Indian food or any other type of cuisine.

I used to live in Monterey California where my friends and I frequented an outstanding Middle Eastern restaurant as often as we could afford it.

They used to bring out a lemon pickle that was served with lamb and flat breads along with a yogurt and cucumber sauce. It was amazing and not far off what I am going to show you here.

Step 1

Heat the mustard seeds then add the salt, pepper and turmeric and remaining seeds.

Step 2

Coat the lemons in the seeds and spices.

Step 3

Throw in the chillies and ginger and combine everything well.

Step 4

Once cooled place everything in a covered jar and leave for a few weeks, stirring every few days.

You could make this a lime pickle too.

One of the most popular pickles available in markets and Indian restaurants in the UK is the lime Indian Pickle. Limes could be substituted here but I hope you try this lemon version. The bright yellow colour really brightens up a dish.

This recipe only takes minutes to make. Everyone loves a good homemade lemon pickle. It's so much better than anything you can purchase in a jar.

It packs a punch for you spice lovers out there. In fact when I make this Indian lemon pickle at home I use two more hot chilli peppers. Call me crazy!

You should experiment and add or take out spices as you see fit.

Are you ready to try this? It only takes minutes.

Believe me - once you try this lemon pickle, you will never go back to store bought. Not that store bought Indian pickle is bad! This one is simply so much better.

If you like the look of this easy lemon pickle, you might like to try these...

Indian Mixed Vegetable Pickle
Indian Lime Pickle
Chickpea, Garlic and Carrot Pickle

Yield: 1 jar

Easy Indian Lemon Pickle

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp onion seeds
4 black peppercorns
1/2 turmeric powder
4 large lemons cut into 2mm thick slices and then in half
250g ginger cut into 1mm thick slices
4 large red chilli peppers cut into three pieces
2 generous tbsp salt
Sugar (Optional) and to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil over high heat in a frying pan. When it is shimmering hot, add the mustard seeds. When they begin to crackles, turn the heat down to medium.
Add the remaining seeds and let them infuse their flavours into the oil for about 30 seconds.
Stir in the salt, peppercorns and turmeric. Add all of the lemon and ginger slices along with the cut chillies
Toss everything around in the pan for a few minutes coating the lemons and ginger with all the spices.
Pour all of the contents of the pan into a bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. Taste a little of the juices. If it is too bitter, add just a little bit of sugar to taste. This is not a sweet pickle!
Once cooled, place everything into a large jar with a tight fitting lid and leave unopened for at least two weeks.
That's it! Done. Store in a cool dark location such as a larder cupboard or in your fridge.

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Prawn bhuna is a thick curry that is great served on its own

Prawn Bhuna INGREDIENTS

The word Jalfrezi is a combination of two words, 'Jal' meaning spicy and 'frezi' meaning stir-fry

Prawn jalfrezi INGREDIENTS

Easy and delicious... Give this roast pheasant recipe a try!

About this roast pheasant recipe.

What does pheasant taste like?

Do you have to cook tandoori roast pheasant in a tandoor oven?

Can you upscale or downscale this recipe?

How long can your store leftovers in the fridge?

Are there other ways to use tandoori pheasant?

Step by step photographs.

If you like this roast pheasant recipe, you might like to try some of these other recipes, cooked in the Doori Tandoor.

Have you tried this grilled rabbit recipe?

Ingredients

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Notes

Oven and BBQ Cooking.

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Yield:

Serving Size:

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Dal Makhani just like you get at the best Indian restaurants!

About this dal makhani recipe...

Which dal is most commonly served at restaurants?

My first real bowl of dal makhani

Dal makhani in India

Cooking makhani dal in an electric pressure cooker.

How to make one pot dal makhani

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

STEP 4.

Step 5.

Step 6.

Step 7.

Can dal makhani be frozen?

If you like this dal makhani recipe, you might like to try some of the Indian Vegetarian favourites.

Dal Recipes are often served alongside a delicious curry or two. Here are my top Indian curry recipes you may like to try.

Rice

Naan

Have you tried this dal makhani recipe?

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Yield:

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No fuss pumpkin soup! There are so many ways to make this.

Ingredients and substitutes

Working ahead

If you like this pumpkin soup recipe, you might like to try some of these too.

Ingredients

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You really can make stove top naans that are as good as the cooking in a tandoor oven!

Stove Top Naans

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Stove top naans in step by step photographs.

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Banana dosas are so easy to make!

This tomato chilli chutney goes great with so many different Indian dishes.

About this recipe.

Is this tomato chilli recipe difficult?

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Want to try some other popular raitas, chutneys and pickles?

Step by step photographs.

Ingredients