Basic Curry Sauce

Ingredients  

•  3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter)  
•  1 medium onion - finely chopped  
•  4 cloves garlic - peeled and sliced  
•  1.5 inch piece root ginger - peeled and thinly sliced (it should look about the same volume as the 
garlic)  
•  (optional) 2 mild fleshy green chillies - de-seeded and veined then chopped  
•  half teaspoon turmeric powder  
•  half teaspoon ground cumin seed  
•  half teaspoon ground coriander seed  
•  5 tablespoons plain passata (smooth, thick, sieved tomatoes, US = purée) or 1 tablespoon 
concentrated tomato purée (US = paste) mixed with 4 tablespoons water


Method  


Heat the oil in a heavy pan then add the chopped onion and stir for a few minutes with the heat on high.
Add the ginger, garlic and green chilli (if using). Stir for 30 seconds then put the heat down to very low.
Cook for 15 minutes stirring from time to time making sure nothing browns or burns.
Add the turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook, still very gently, for a further 5 minutes. Don't burn the
spices or the sauce will taste horrid - sprinkle on a few drops of water if you're worried.
Take off the heat and cool a little. Put 4 fl oz cold water in a blender, add the contents of the pan and
whizz until very smooth. Add the passata and stir.
Put the puréed mixture back into the pan and cook for 20 - 30 minutes (the longer the better) over very
low heat stirring occasionally. You can add a little hot water if it starts to catch on the pan but the
idea is to gently "fry" the sauce which will darken in colour to an orangy brown. The final texture
should be something like good tomato ketchup. Warning - it WILL gloop occasionally and splatter
over your cooker, it's the price you have to pay!

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Aloo Bonda

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water  
• 3 whole cloves  
• 1 stick cinnamon  
• 3 to 4 cardamom pods (cracked open)  
• 1/4 cup loose black tea (or 4 tea bags)  
• 2 cups milk  
• 4 tablespoons of sugar (or a little less)  

Method: 
Bring water, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom to a boil; Add tea and milk and
bring to a boil. When hot, strain and add sugar. Serve hot.

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Spicy Rice Maharashtrian Style Masala Bhath

Ingredients: 

• Serves: 6 
• 3 cups long grain rice  
• 3 tablespoons ghee 
• 3 tablespoons oil 
• 3 large onions, finely sliced  
• 5 cardamom pods, bruised  
• 2 small sticks cinnamon 
• 6 whole cloves 
• 20 whole black peppercorns  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 5 cups hot water 
• 3 teaspoons salt 
• 1/2 cup raw peanuts/cashew nuts, split in halves  
• 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves or 20 dried curry leaves 
• 3 fresh green chillies, seeded and sliced 
• 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

Method: 

Wash rice well and leave to drain in colander for at least 30 minutes. In a large,
heavy saucepan heat half the ghee and oil and fry the onions and whole spices
until onions are golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove half the onions and set
aside for garnish. Add turmeric and rice to pan and fry, stirring with slotted metal
spoon, until all the grains are coated with the ghee. Add the hot water and salt, stir
well and bring to the boil. Cover with tightly fitting lid and turn heat very low. Cook
for 20-25 minutes without lifting lid.
Heat remaining ghee and oil in a small pan and fry the peanuts/cashew nuts until
golden. Remove with slotted spoon. Fry the curry leaves, green chillies and
mustard seeds until the seeds pop. Pour over the rice, lightly fork through. Dish up
rice and garnish with the fried cashews, chopped coriander leaves and grated fresh
coconut.

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Rice with Yogurt

In southern: India, this dish is often served as the finale to a festive meal, but it
may be presented as the meal itself, accompanied by curries and pickles.

Ingredients: 

• Serves: 4-6 
• 2 1/2 cups long grain rice  
• 4 cups water 
• Salt to taste 
• 2 tablespoons ghee or oil 
• 1 teaspoon black cumin seeds  
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds  
• 1 teaspoon urad dhal 
• 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida, optional 
• 3 fresh red or green chillies, seeded and sliced  
• 3 cups yogurt 
• salt to taste 

Method: 

Put well washed and drained rice into a saucepan with the water and salt. Bring
quickly to the boil, then cover tightly, turn heat very low and cook for 20 minutes
without lifting lid.
In another pan heat the ghee and fry the black cumin, mustard, dhal, asafoetida (if
used) and chillies until the mustard seeds pop and the dhal is golden brown.
Remove from heat, garnish into the yogurt and add a little salt to taste. Mix
thoroughly with the cooked rice.

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Rice in Coconut Milk Nariyal Bhath

Ingredients: 

• Serves: 6 
• 2 1/2 cups long grain rice  
• 2 tablespoons ghee 
• 2 medium onions, finely sliced  
• 10 curry leaves 
• 10 whole black peppercorns  
• 1 small stick cinnamon 
• 6 cardamom pods, bruised  
• 6 whole cloves
•  
•  
• a few cashew nuts 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 
• 4 cups coconut milk   
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• Garnish: 
• 1/2 cup fried cashew nuts 

Method: 

Wash rice and drain for at least 30 minutes. Heat the ghee in a heavy saucepan and
fry the onions, curry leaves and whole spices, cashew nuts, stirring frequently, until
the onions are golden. Add the turmeric and the rice and fry, stirring, until the rice
is coated with the ghee, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the coconut milk and salt, stir
and bring to the boil, then cover with a well-fitting lid, turn heat very low and cook
for 25 minutes or until the coconut milk is absorbed.
Serve the rice hot, garnished with fried cashews and accompanied by curries and
sambals.

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Raita and Pachchadi

Raitas and pachchadis based on yogurt to act as coolers in contrast to the hot and
spicy chutneys that dot the Indian meal.  All the recipes below serve 4 to 6 .


Ingredients: 

• 2 green cucumbers  
• Salt and black pepper to taste 
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onion  
• 2 cups yogurt 
• 1'/2 teaspoons roasted cumin seeds (optional) 
• Garnish: 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander or mint 

Method: 


Peel the cucumbers, halve them lengthways and remove the seeds. Cut the
cucumbers into small dice, sprinkle with salt and leave for 15 minutes, then drain
away liquid and rinse the cucumbers quickly in cold water. Drain well. Combine
with onion, yogurt, lemon juice and taste to see if more salt is required. Roast the
cumin seeds in a dry pan, shaking pan or stirring constantly, until brown. Bruise
or crush seeds and sprinkle over yogurt. Serve chilled, garnished with mint or
coriander.

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Super simple chocolate mousse

If you prefer to melt your chocolate in the microwave, by all means do so. I prefer
this gentle method because it doesn’t matter if I get side tracked and forget about
my chocolate for a while.

• 100g (3oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into small 
• chunks
• 300mL ( 10 fl oz) whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place about 2cm (1in) boiling water in the base of a medium saucepan
and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Place a heatproof bowl on the
saucepan and check to make sure that the base isn’t touching the water. Add
the chocolate and leave for about 5 minutes to melt, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, whip cream with icing sugar and vanilla until soft and fluffy. You
don’t want it to be too firm.
Stir the chocolate and when it is all smooth add chocolate to the cream and
fold through.
Divide between 4 small glasses or espresso cups and refrigerate until you’re
ready to serve.

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Raspberry Gelato

When it comes to fruit – raspberries are only just the beginning. It’s
pretty much up to your imagination. I’m toying with the idea of freezing
some fresh figs if only I could stop eating them long enough to get them
frozen. The only thing you’ll need to do is adjust the amount of sugar
to balance the natural sweetness of your chosen fruit. Raspberries
are pretty tart so if you’re using sweeter fruit I’d start with about ½ the
amount of sugar suggested below and add to taste.
The cream is really optional here. It adds a lovely creaminess but if
you’re after a fresher and more waistline friendly(!) option by all means
leave it out but you might need to play around with the sugar levels.

• 300g (10oz) frozen raspberries
• 1/3 cup sugar (approx 70g or 2 1/2oz) or to taste
• 1/2 cup double cream (48% milk fat minimum)

Place all ingredients in a food processor and whizz until you have a
smooth creamy mixture that looks like soft gelato.
Taste and add extra sugar if you think it needs it.

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Machine free honey Icecream

If you’ve always been a bit disappointed by icy semifreddo and other
machine-free frozen desserts I feel your pain. But trust me – even after
sitting in the freezer for 24hours this baby is creamy, smooth, soft and
seriously good – not an icicle in sight.
Delicious as a desert on it’s own, it would also be brilliant in all those
places that icecream works so well – with hot chocolate pudding, apple
crumble, bread and butter pudding. Yum. The only thing is that it is quite
strongly honey flavoured which is great in most cases but could be a
little overpowering as an accompaniment to something like a passionfruit
souffle.

• 1/2 cup honey (180g or 6oz ) 
• 300mL (1 1/4 cups) double (heavy) cream
• 300mL (1 1/4 cups) pouring (single) cream
• pistachios, to serve, optional

Place honey in a small saucepan and warm over a medium heat until
really runny. Remove from the heat. Stir though double cream until
smooth.
Whisk cream until it starts to thicken and form soft peaks. Fold
whipped cream through the honey mixture and place in a freezer
proof container. Freeze until you’re ready to eat – give it at least 3
hours.

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Instant malted Vanilla icecream

The [almost] disclaimer comes in because you need to freeze the
banana first. But as long as you have that simple step complete,
instant icecream is at your fingertips. I highly recommend making s
you have frozen bananas on hand at all times.
I have a thing for malted milk powder and love the creamy maltin
that it gives this super easy dessert. But you could easily give it a m
and use a litle icing (powedered) sugar to sweeten it instead.
Best if eaten within an hour or two of pureeing before the banana
browns off.

• 2 bananas, peeled & frozen
• 3 tablespoons malted milk powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup pouring cream

Place all ingredients in a food processor and whizz until smooth
and creamy.
Serve immediately.
icecream

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Spaghetti with rosemary and garlic

This may sound really boring but at the moment it’s my latest favourite meal.
Rosemary and garlic work so well together and turn the oil into a surprisingly
complex aromatic sauce for pasta.
If you aren’t lucky enough to grow rosemary or have a neighbour who does,
feel free to leave it out or substitute in any other herbs you happen to have
access to. If all else fails, a little dried chilli will make a different but delicious
alternative.

• 200g (7oz) spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large sprig rosemary, leaves picked
• 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled & finely sliced

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook pasta according
to the packet directions.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a small saucepan
over medium. Add rosemary & garlic and fry until garlic is golden and
the rosemary has gone crispy. Remove from the heat.
When the pasta is cooked, scoop up a mug full of cooking water then
drain the pasta well. Return drained pasta to the hot saucepan and
add the flavoured oil. Toss, taste and season. If it looks dry, add a little
cooking water from the mug.

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Smoked tofu cabonara

While it would never
actually replace bacon in my diet, it is something that I’ll continue to
eat. Good for when you feel like smoky bacon but don’t feel like eating
meat.
Feel free to use the pasta of your choice, although I think short pasta
is better here for some reason.


150g (5oz) pasta
200g (7oz) firm smoked tofu
2 egg yolks
2 handfuls finely grated parmesan
1/2 bunch chives, chopped

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the
pasta according to the packet directions.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium high heat with a few
tablespoons peanut oil. Cut tofu into batons no larger than your
pasta and pat dry with paper towel. Fry tofu until golden on all sides
then transfer to a large warm bowl. Toss through egg yolks and
cheese.
When the pasta is ready, scoop out a little cooking water into a
mug then drain the pasta. Toss hot pasta through the tofu mixture,
adding a little of the reserved cooking water if your pasta looks too
dry. Toss through chives and serve hot with extra parmesan passed
separately.

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Simple Prawns shrimp with yoghurt mayo

A  simple blend of virtuous natural yoghurt
and sinful whole egg mayonnaise it’s a super easy and versatile
sauce. Great with all fish and seafood and also delicious with roast
chicken. Definitely something I keep coming back to.
4 tablespoons natural greek style yoghurt

• 4 tablespoons whole egg mayonnaise
• 1kg / 2lb cooked prawns / shrimp
• mixed salad leaves, to serve

Combine yoghurt and mayonnaise. Season.
Divide prawns between 4 plates and serve with a handful of
leaves and a small bowl of sauce on the side. If you’re feeling
fancy you can serve little finger bowls so everyone can wash their
hands.

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Ricotta And basil open omelette

If you’re a fan of commercial ‘non-stick’ tefflon pans, by all means
go ahead, but I think it’s really worth the effort of investing the time
in seasoning a traditionally cast iron pan yourself (see instructions on
stonesoup). You’ll be guaranteed an omelette that comes free quite
readily every time, without having to worry about where the tefflon has
gone when it wears off the base of your pan.
Basil and ricotta is by far our favorite topping at the moment but feel free
to mix things up. A soft goat’s cheese can be lovely but if you’re up for
something more hearty, chorizo and cooked potato chunks could be just
the thing.

• 5 eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter
• handful, finely grated parmesan, optional
• 2 tablespoons ricotta
• 6 basil leaves, picked

Lightly whisk eggs and season. Heat your omelette pan over a
medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Add butter and allow to
melt and sizzle without browning then pour in your eggs. Stir quickly
to move the cooked part of the egg away from the heat for a couple
of minutes.
When the egg is mostly cooked, stop stirring and flatten the top with
a spoon and keep cooking for another minute or so until there is only
a little runny egg remaining on top. Remove from the heat. Scatter
over parmesan, if using, ricotta chunks and basil.

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Rice noodles with chicken and lime

This is based on the Thai dish ‘larb’ which is a fresh, fragrant stirfry of ground
chicken or pork. If you don’t want to invest in a bottle of fish sauce you could
use 1/4 cup soy sauce instead. It will be slightly more salty and heavy but sti
lovely and fresh with the lime and herbs.
Dried rice noodles are an excellent option when you’re catering for people
with wheat and gluten sensitivity.
Another allergen note. Most soy sauces contain some wheat derivitaves and
aren’t suitable for gluten free diets. The Japanese soy sauce known as Tamar
does not contain wheat so look for this if you need to.

• 375g (3/4lb) rice sticks (dried rice noodles)
• 600g (1 1/2lb) minced (ground) chicken
• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup lime juice + lime halves to serve
• 1 bunch coriander or fresh mint, leaves picked

Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and
allow to soften.
Heat some peanut or vegetable oil in a large wok or frying pan. Cook
chicken over high heat until well browned. Drain noodles and add to pan.
Cook until noodles are heated through and softened. Add fish sauce and
stir for a few seconds. Remove from the heat and toss through lime juice
and herbs.

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Rice And Lentils

Serve it as a one-bowl meal with natural yoghurt like I have here.
Or use it as a more protein-rich alternative to plain rice to serve
with a veggie curry.

• 1 onion, peeled & finely diced
• large pinch dried chilli flakes
• 2 cups cooked rice (approx 250g / 9oz)
• 1 can lentils (400g /14oz ), drained
• natural yoghurt, to serve (omit for vegans)

Heat a few tablespoons olive oil in a medium frying pan. Add
onion and chilli and cook over a high heat stirring frequently
until softened and starting to brown.
Add rice and lentils and stir fry for a few more minutes until
both are heated through.
Season and serve with a dollup of yoghurt.

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Quick steak sandwich

The great thing about this sandwich is that you pound the meat before
cooking. This means it only takes a minute or so on each side to cook.
Another benefit is that the meat is tenderised so it doesn’t matter if you
use slightly tougher cuts, like rump. It also means that the steak ends up
in bite sized pieces so there are no akward moments wrestling to chew
through your sandwich.

• 200g (7oz) scotch fillet, rump or New York steak
• 1 lemon, halved
• wholegrain mustard
• 4 large fresh slices bread
• small handful wild baby rocket, optional

Heat BBQ or char grill pan on its highest setting.
Place steak between 2 layers of plastic. Bash with your fist or a meat
mallet until it is flattened out to about 1/2cm (3/4in) thick. You want it
to be thin as possible with a few holes so it cooks quickly.
Season steak and drizzle over olive oil on both sides. BBQ for
approximately 1 minute each size until well charred. At the same
time cook the lemon, cut side down.
Place steak on a clean, warm plate and drizzle with more olive oil
and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Allow to rest for a few minutes
so the meat juices mix with the oil and lemon juice to make a super
tasty sauce. Tear meat into bite sized pieces.
Spread bread with mustard then pile the steak on top. Scatter with
rocket leaves, if using and drizzle over the juices. Top with another
slice of bread.

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Pasta with broccoli and pinenuts

The beauty of this dish, apart from the speed to plate, is how the
broccoli takes on the lightly creamy, cheesey sauce. I find myself
always wishing there was more broccoli and less pasta when I eat it.


400g (14oz) short pasta
2 bunches broccoli, cut into florettes
1/2 cup pouring cream
2 handfuls pinenuts, toasted
2 large handfuls grated parmesan cheese


Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Check the
cooking time for your pasta on the pack. Set your timer to go off
three minutes before the pasta will be done.
Cook pasta and when the timer buzzes, pop in the broccoli
and continue to cook for the remaining three minutes or until
the pasta is al dente and the broccoli bright green and cooked
through. Reserve a cup of the cooking water then drain.
Place the saucepan back on a low heat and add the cream,
pasta and broccoli. Toss to combine then add the pinenuts and
cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted. If it looks a little dry,
add some reserved pasta water.

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Pan fried salmon with broccolini seared

Broccolini is like a baby version of broccoli. The stems are lovely
and tender, a little like a cross between asparagus and broccoli
and just bursting with green goodness. Regular broccoli or
asparagus would also work well.
The secret to this dish is cooking the lemons with the fish. The
heat caramelised the surface and helps to release the juices
leaving you with an instant sauce to squeeze over your fish.

•  3 bunches broccolini (or 2 heads broccoli)
•   juice and zest of 1 lemon
•   4 salmon fillets, (approx 200g / 7oz) each
•   4 lemon halves, extra

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook
broccolini for 3 - 4 minutes or until just tender. Drain and toss
through lemon juice, zest and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive
oil. Season and keep warm.
Preheat a large frying pan or BBQ to medium high. Rub
salmon generously with extra olive oil and season well.
Cook salmon skin side down for 3 - 4 minutes. Turn and add
lemon halves to the pan cut side down. Sear on the other
side for another 3 - 4 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
Divide broccolini between four plates. Top each with a piece
of salmon and serve with lemon halves on the side.

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Linguini with rocket chilli oil

This is the perfect mid week meal. All it takes is boiling the
water for the pasta, grating some parmesan and you’re done.
If you feel inspired to make your own chilli oil there’s a recipe on
stonesoup.

• 200g (7oz) linguine
• 4 tablespoon chilli & garlic oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• small handful grated parmesan cheese
• large handful wild rocket (arugula)

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil & cook
pasta until al dente.
Meanwhile combine chilli oil & lemon juice in a bowl large
enough to hold the pasta.
Scoop some cooking water into a cup and then drain pasta.
Toss drained pasta in the bowl with the chilli oil mix and then
stir through the cheese and rocket. If it looks dry add some of
the reserved pasta cooking water.

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