Arford Books Cooks

Easy recipes from Apple Tree

Tag: Indian (Page 2 of 2)

Chana Masala (Chickpea curry)

13/10/2018 / / 0 Comments
  • 200g dried chickpeas (or 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed) – dried chickpeas have a better taste and texture than tinned

If using dried chickpeas, soak them overnight, covered, in a pan of lukewarm water. The next morning, drain the water and cover with fresh water. Add ½ tsp salt and boil until soft (about 1½-2 hours). Drain and set aside.

  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Thumb-size piece fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 medium green chilli, finely chopped

Put the garlic, ginger and chilli in a small bowl and mix together into a coarse paste.

  • 3-4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 400g tin chopped tomato

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 10-15 minutes until soft and starting to brown. Add the cumin seeds and the ginger, garlic and chilli paste, and cook for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir for 2 minutes, adding salt to taste.

  • 1 level tsp ground turmeric
  • ¼ tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground cumin

Add the turmeric, chilli powder, garam masala, ground coriander and ground cumin and stir well, then add the chickpeas and cook for 15 minutes.

  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • Natural yogurt and lemon wedges to serve (vegan yoghurt for vegans)

Stir in the chopped coriander and serve with a dollop of yogurt and lemon wedges to squeeze over.

Slow cooked lamb Madras curry

29/01/2018 / / 0 Comments

This takes a lot of time but not much work. First make a curry paste and marinate your lamb, half an hour minimum or up to two days in the fridge.

  • 1 lamb shoulder or two halves
  • 1.5tbs mustard seeds
  • 4tbs coriander seeds
  • 2tbs cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp cardamom seeds from inside the husks

Dry fry until they give off a scent. Grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar. Add

  • 5 red chillies
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 x 5cm pieces of ginger
  • 1-2tbs chilli powder
  • 1stp turmeric
  • 3tbs tomato puree
  • 1tbs vinegar
  • 60ml oil

Whizz to a paste. Smear all over the lamb and set aside to marinate (in a plastic bag works well)

When you are ready to start cooking, scrape all the paste off the lamb and reserve. Put the oven on 220C and sear the lamb for 20 minutes. Meanwhile start on the sauce.

  • 4 onions sliced
  • oil

Sweat the onions very gently in a pan for 10 minutes. Add the reserved curry paste and cook another 5 minutes. Add

  • Can of chopped tomatoes
  • 400ml lamb or chicken stock
  • 1 aubergine, chopped into chunks

You can either cook in a very low oven or in the Instant Pot/Slow cooker. For the oven method, put the lamb and sauce in a pot with a tightly fitting lid and cook 170C for 3.5 hours. Watch it doesn’t dry out. A safer option is put it all in the Instant Pot and put on Slow Cook High Heat for 5 hours. You will probably need to reduce the sauce at the end if you have used the Instant Pot – simply take the lid off, put on Saute and bubble away. When you are ready to serve, take the meat off the bone (it will fall off), remove fat etc and put the lean meat chunks a serving bowl with the sauce. Top with plain yoghurt and fresh coriander. We served this with naan and a dhal.

 

Butternut squash and lentil dhal

22/10/2017 / / 0 Comments

Easy.

  • prepared squash
  • 2 tbs mild curry paste
  • oil
  • seasoning

Put cubes of squash in an oven tray, toss in oil and curry paste and season. Cook in a 200C oven for 30 minutes until soft. Meanwhile…

  • 200g green lentils
  • 600ml vegetable stock

Put in a pan and simmer 40 minutes or in a pressure cooker for 6 minutes.

  • 100g spinach
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced
  • pack of coriander, leaves chopped

Add to the lentils. Add the squash and heat until the spinach has wilted.

  • 1tbs desiccated coconut

Heat in a pan until slightly brown

  • 50 pomegranate seeds

Serve in bowls.  Add pomegranate seeds and coconut on top. Serve with warm naan breads and plain yoghurt.

 

 

 

Sag Aloo

27/09/2017 / / 0 Comments

Authentic enough…

  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 large red chilli, halved, de-seeded and finely sliced

Fry gently. Add

  • 500g potato cut into small cubes

Fry some more. add

  • 1 tbsp chopped ginger
  • ½ tsp each black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric

Fry some more. Add a splash of water and ½ tsp salt, cover and let cook for 10 minutes until soft. Add

  • 250g spinach   leaves

Continue cooking until wilted. Done!

Keema

Lamb Keema (Balti)

30/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

This is from “This Muslim Girl Bakes” and is an authentic Pakistani recipe. We tried it and want to try it again! Serves four with sides. Start with a frying pan or wok.

  • Oil
  • 1 onion chopped

Heat the oil and fry the onion until just starting to brown

  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
  • 2cm of fresh ginger, grated

Add to the onion and fry one more minute

  • 500g minced lamb

Add to the pan and brown

  • 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chilli powder (for mild, more if you want)
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp  ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 small potatoes, peeled and chopped

Add these to the pan mix in a bubble away, covered for 30 minutes. Add more water if it needs it

  • handful of frozen peas

Add the peas and cook for another five minutes.

Serve with rice, naan or paratha and Josh’s Dhal like so:

Keema

 

Dhal

Josh’s Dhal

06/11/2016 / / 0 Comments

Son Josh has decided to be vegan. Apparently he has halved his grocery bill! I find vegan food often lacks a bit of substance, but not this recipe. I call it Josh’s Dhal because it is always a hit when he comes home and it is great alongside a curry. So easy.

  • 1 cup yellow split peas
  • 4 cups water

Boil for 40 minutes

  • 1/2 cup red lentils

Add to your split peas and boil another 20 minutes more. Keep an eye on it, because it will probably dry out and catch. Just add some more water if it getting too thick too soon. While that is boiling, take the following:

  • 1 chilli, copped
  • 1 inch of root ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp cumin seed
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • Ghee or oil

Gently fry all these to create a browned topping to put on your dhal to serve. Finally:

  • 250g spinach

Add the spinach and cook until it wilts. Add

  • 1 tsp salt
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon

When the spinach has wilted and the dhal cooked to a gloopy consistency, put it in a serving bowl and top with the spicy garlicky mix. Serve as a side for a curry or a main course with rice or Indian bread and chutney. For a vegetarian rather than vegan meal you could top with quartered hard boiled egg.

dhal-2

There are several variations you could take for making dhal (even the spelling, daal, dahl!) . Try a simple and quick version with two cups of red lentils and five cups of water, cooked for 25 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally. Add salt and lemon juise to taste. You can also fry up onion, garlic, chilli, cumin seeds and mix in before serving to add a bit more interest to the dhal base.

Try dhal served with wedges of aubergine and wedges of shallot or red onion, which have been tossed in a mixture of oil, lemon juice, garlic puree, salt, ground cumin and ground coriander and oven baked for 20 minutes at 200C.

Balti Mince

15/10/2016 / / 0 Comments

You can cook mince in many difference ways starting from the same point: taco mince, chilli, Bolognese, shepherd’s pie and also this Indian version.
Instructions are vague as this is something you can experiment with. Recipe for one:

  • 125g beef mince (not too lean)
  • Balti Curry Paste in a jar
  • Garlic puree
  • Half a small onion chopped
  • Tomato
  • A small potato, cubed

Other soft vegetable as available: a handful of peas, a quarter of a pepper, or a few mushrooms, or half a courgette or whatever else is lying around
Fry the onion is some oil. Add the garlic, fry briefly then add the mince. Fry and stir until browned. This is how you start many recipes. Now add a tablespoon of Balti curry paste. Having tried it you may decide to use more next time. Now add a tomato, chopped, and stir around in the pan briefly. Now add a cup of water, the potato and the veg. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. It should be gloopy: if too runny leave the lid off and boil some of that juice away, if it dries out add a bit more water. Adjust the seasoning and serve with rice or naan bread. Feel free to experiment. You can make it more tomato-ey with some tomato puree; add some mango chutney; different veg; more curry paste and so on. It is not a purist’s Balti but pretty nice all the same.

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