Tandoori Flavoured Whole Baked Cauliflower

I know that making the paste might sound like a bit of a faff but I highly recommend that you give it a go, the colour is amazing and it really makes the humble cauliflower a bit of a star turn.

Obviously liquid smoke doesn’t have a place in Indian cuisine, so I apologise in advance, but, it does give you a fab, just out of the tandoor oven flavour. If you don’t have any, consider swapping out some of the paprika for smoked paprika.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

1/2 brown onion, roughly chopped

3 ripe tomatoes, quartered

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 thumb sized piece of ginger

100mls water

50mls oil or ghee

4 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 lemon, juiced

125mls natural Greek yogurt

1 large head of cauliflower, leaves removed and some of the inner stalk removed

Method

Whizz the onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger and water in a food processor to make a smooth runny paste.

Heat the oil or ghee in a frying pan over a medium to high heat, add the tomato and onion paste, bring up to a simmer and simmer until you have a thick, dark red paste that the oil or ghee is separating from.

Add the dried spices and salt and cook for 1 minute.

Take the pan off the heat and add the liquid smoke, lemon juice and yogurt, stir well.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade.

Line the base and sides of a large casserole, that will fit the cauliflower snuggly, with two large pieces of baking parchment.

Turn the cauliflower upside down and spread some of the paste over the base, pushing it into all of the nooks and crannies.

Turn the cauliflower the right way up and smear over the remaining paste until completely covered.

Carefully place the cauliflower in the prepared pan, cover the top of it with another piece of baking parchment and then the lid.

Bake for 50 minutes and then remove the lid and paper and bake for 20 minutes until the cauliflower is beginning to colour.

Beef Jhal Faraizi

One of the best ways to use up leftover roast beef and potatoes.

This has a bit of heat to it but if you like your food spicier then, throw a sliced red chilli in when you are cooking the onion.

Serves 4-6 depending on sides. When it comes to frying the eggs, I take a straw poll of those eating and just cook enough for them with no spares!

Ingredients

900g potatoes, cooked and peeled

1-2 tablespoons oil

500g cooked roast beef, cut into 0.5cm dice

1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chilli flakes

2 medium or 1 large red onion, diced

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 handful fresh coriander

6-12 fried eggs depending on appetites

Method

Boil the potatoes with their skins on, drain and set aside to cool.

Once cool enough to touch, peel the skins from the potatoes and dice roughly to 1cm.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, I use a 32 cm pan for this.

Add the seeds and chilli flakes, once fragrant, add the beef and onion.

Cook over a medium heat until the onion has softened.

Now add the potatoes, turmeric, salt and pepper. Turn the heat up high and let the potoatoes catch a little on the pan to get some colour.

If they aren’t  browning up enough for you, turn the grill on and slide the pan under, being careful not to melt the handle!

Once the potatoes have some colour, stir through the coriander, fry the eggs and serve with the eggs on top.

Smashed Indian Potatoes

These are very moreish! 

What’s not to love really, spicy, crunchy potatoes are always a winner!

Although I’ve included boiling the potatoes in the recipe, leftover spuds from the day before will work just as well and don’t peel them! The skins help to hold them together.

If you have any leftovers, and I doubt that you will, keep them for breakfast, reheat the potatoes and pop a fried egg on top, absolute heaven!

Serves 6.

Ingredients 

1kg baby potatoes

30g ghee, butter or oil

1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 teaspoon salt flakes

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water up to the boil. Add the potatoes and boil until cooked, mine took 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and leave them to cool.

Once they are cool enough to handle, gently squeeze the potatoes until they break in two in rough uneven pieces.

In a large frying pan, heat the ghee or oil over a high heat. Add the mustard, cumin, chilli and salt.

As soon as the mustard starts popping, around 30 seconds, add the squashed potatoes and stir through.

Reduce the heat to medium and fry until the potatoes are coloured and crispy.

Toor Dal

There is something extremely comforting about dal. 

Leftovers keep well in the fridge and I happily eat this the following day for breakfast but then I do have more of a savoury tooth!

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Ingredients

200g toor dhal, rinsed and drained

800mls water

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt to taste

50g ghee

1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 dried chillies

1 shallot, finely sliced

Method

In a medium pan, bring the dal and water to the boil. Skim off the foam, add the turmeric, stir well and then leave to simmmer, partially covered, for 50-60minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the dal is cooked, heat a small frying pan over high heat.

Add the ghee and once hot add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and chilli. As soon as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the shallots and fry until golden.

Pour the fried seasoning and ghee into the dal with a little salt, stir well, check for seasoning and serve.

Kerala Beef Curry

This curry is very popular in our house. It isn’t the prettiest of dishes but the flavour is amazing!

 I love the fact that the meat and veg are all in one pot and the boys love that they get to eat it with bread and poppadoms while using their fingers!

Serves 12, this curry freezes well so I tend to make this quantity and freeze half for a night off another day.

Ingredients

50g ghee

15 whole cloves

15 cardamom pods

20 black peppercorns

4x5cm sticks of cinnamon

2 medium onions, diced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and bruised

30-40 curry leaves

Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1.75kgs diced beef, around 3cm

1 litre water

Salt

750g potatoes, kipfler are great, cut into 4cm pieces

1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

500g frozen baby peas

270mls coconut cream

2 tablespoons corn flour mixed with 3 tablespoons water

75g fresh chopped coriander, stalks and leaves

Method

In a large pan with a lid, heat the ghee, once hot, add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks and peppercorns.

As soon as they begin to sizzle, add the onion and cook over a medium to high heat until colouring a little.

Add the garlic, curry leaves and ginger to the pan and cook for two minutes.

Add the beef to the pan and over a high heat, brown the meat, around 4 minutes.

Pour the water into the pan, cover, bring up to simmering and simmer for 90 minutes. Uncover for the last 30 minutes.

Now, add the potatoes, cayenne and salt to the pan, bring back up to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes covered and then ten minutes uncovered.

Carefully pour the cornflour slurry into the curry sauce and stir until thickened.

Now add the peas and coconut cream, bring up to a simmer and sprinkle over the coriander. Serve.

Cheats Salmon Tikka

I love all Indian cooking and sometimes it’s nice to mix it up a little as salmon wouldn’t usually be used for a tikka curry but for a quick dinner option this is fab and doesn’t have a huge long list of ingredients.

Serve with rice and dhal, on top of a crunchy salad or I sometimes make this for nibbles and just pop a little salmon onto baby cos lettuce leaves which works beautifully too

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

150g Greek yogurt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons garam masala

3 teaspoons paprika powder

1/2-1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder

8 teaspoons chickpea flour

juice of 1 lime

salt and pepper

600g skinless salmon fillets, around six small fillets

Method

Combine the yogurt, garlic, garam masala, paprika, chilli powder, chickpea flour, lime juice, salt and pepper in a zip lock bag and mix well.

Add the salmon, gently squish it around to make sure that it is all covered in  marinade and then pop back in the fridge for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven or BBQ to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Line a baking sheet with baking parchment if using the oven.

Place the salmon onto the baking tray, spreading it out so the fillets aren’t touching and then top with the remaining marinade and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Beef And Coconut Curry

I love a good curry!

With meat falling apart and a really flavourful sauce this curry doesn’t last long in our house. I make this quantity to ensure I have some leftovers to freeze in individual meal boxes with some rice or to use as a home made pie filling, it’s an Australian thing, we love our pies!

Although you might be put off by the quantity of ghee, don’t worry! Towards the end of cooking the fat all rises to the surface of the curry and I just spoon it off.

Serves 10-12 and freezes very well.

Ingredients

100g ghee

4 large tomatoes

1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped

6 garlic cloves, peeled

70g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

3 onions, peeled and sliced

3 tablespoons ground cumin

3 tablespoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground fennel

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder

1.5kg beef, fat and sinew removed, diced

670mls coconut milk

400mls passatta, sieved tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

a pinch of saffron

salt and pepper

100g raw cashew nuts

fresh coriander to serve

Method

Heat half the ghee in a large oven proof pan, with a tight fitting lid,over a medium to high heat.

While the ghee heats, process the tomatoes, one onion, garlic, ginger and 200mls of water to make a paste.

Add this paste to the pan and bring it up to a gentle simmer, let the paste slowly reduce down until you have a thick, dark red paste left in the pan, this usually takes around 40 minutes.

Scrape the paste out of the pan and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Centigrade.

Add the remaining ghee to the pan and add the three sliced onions, cook the onions until soft and then add the cumin, coriander, fennel, ground cloves and chilli powder.

Stir well and cook for 1 minute.

Return the paste to the pan, heat through, stirring well.

Now add the beef and stir through regularly for a couple of minutes to allow it to seal a little.

Pour in the coconut milk, passatta and tomato paste and sprinkle over the saffron. Stir well and season with salt and pepper.

Cover with the lid and pop the pan in to the oven.

Bake for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Towards the end of cooking, spoon off the fat that will have risen to the surface.

Heat a frying pan over a high heat, add the cashews and dry fry until they are colouring up.

Pour the nuts not a chopping board to cool, once cool, very roughly chop them . Roughly chop a handful of fresh coriander, leaves and stalks.

To serve, sprinkle over the nuts and coriander.

Teriyaki Chicken Burgers

Burgers are always very popular with the boys, anything that they can eat with their hands and all that!

This is a bit of a double whammy recipe as any leftover cooked chicken and the cooked down marinade can be combined to become the starting point of teriyaki sushi, another popular meal in my house.

I use gluten free soy sauce, my local Asian shop is a treasure trove and I can buy an enormous bottle of GF soy sauce for the same price as a tiny one in the big chain supermarket, they also have mirin, Japanese cooking sake and the most beautiful fresh herbs, hence the coriander in these burgers.

Serves 6-8 depending on appetites and sides. For the gluten free option, I have my chicken with a side salad and some steamed rice.

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts, mine were 1.2kg

175mls gluten free soy sauce

75mls mirin

30g caster sugar

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

40mls sesame oil

8 bread rolls

salad leaves

fresh coriander, stems and leaves

mayonnaise mixed with a little wasabi

Method

Take a chicken breast and cut it at an angle downwards to create one thick half and one thinner half.

Line a chopping board with baking parchment, place one of the halves on it, cover with more baking parchment and use the flat side of a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin to whack the chicken down to around 1 cm thickness.

Now, take a fork and pierce it all over.

Set aside and repeat with the other half and then continue with the other chicken breasts.

In a large bowl combine the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, garlic and ginger. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Place the chicken into the marinade and allow to marinade for 30 minutes.

Let most of the marinade drip off and lay the chicken breasts on a tray.

Drizzle the sesame oil over the chicken breasts and rub in.

Pour the leftover marinade into a shallow pan and reduce over a high heat until thick and syrupy. Take off the heat.

Preheat the barbecue or non stick frying pan over a medium to high heat.

Cook the chicken, turning once and ensure its cooked through.

Remove to a warm plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes while you get the rolls ready.

I spread the base of the roll with a little mayo and wasabi, top with salad leaves.

Spoon a little of the concentrated marinade over the cut side of the top of the roll. It can be quite salty so check for flavour first, less is more with this sauce!

Place the chicken on the salad leaves, top with coriander and then the lid.

 

Naan Breads With Nigella Seeds

Naan bread with an extra hit of garlic!

These are great with a bowl of soup or dhal and make great dipping bread too.

Makes 6 naan.

Ingredients

350g plain flour

1 teaspoon caster sugar

2 teaspoons instant yeast

3 teaspoons nigella seeds

45g ghee, melted or oil

110g Greek yogurt

150g warm water

TOPPING

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

50g melted ghee or oil

Method

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, yeast and nigella seeds.

In a jug, whisk together the ghee, yogurt and water.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and form into a dough.

Knead the dough for 5 minutes.

Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or plastic film.

Leave to rise for 1 hour.

While the dough is rising, combine the garlic and ghee, set aside.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium to high heat.

Gently divide the dough into six portions and roll out to 3mm thickness.

Brush one side of the dough with the garlic and ghee and cook this side down, as it cooks brush the top side with ghee. Turn once the underside is golden and repeat.

Keep warm under a tea towel while you cook the remaining naans.

Almond and Cumin Roast Chicken

This is a treat!

The marinade creates a crust around the chicken that keeps it deliciously moist. By removing the spine and flattening the chook you manage to cut down on the cooking time. I roast the spine with the chook and then use the bones to make a beautiful stock with the scrapings from the pan.

Serves 4-6 depending on sides and appetites!

Ingredients

1 x 1.8kg chicken, spine removed and butterflied

4 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons garam masala

1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli

3 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

100g dry roasted almond, unsalted, skin on

300mls Greek or natural yogurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1 lime

salt and pepper

Method

Process all the ingredients except the chicken.

Flatten the chicken in a roasting tin, using a very sharp knife, slash the skin and flesh of the breasts and legs.

Pour the marinade over and rub all over the chicken, including the cavity.

Set aside to marinade for 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Roast the chicken for 45-50mins, basting regularly.

Allow to rest for 20-30 mins, covered with foil before serving.