Month: Sep 2025

Seekh kebabs

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Savoury and delicious little lamb patties

  • 1 red onion, grated
  • 400g lamb mince
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 inch ginger, grated
  • Handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp ground fenugreek
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder
  • Juice of half lemon
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp gram flour
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • Put all the ingredients except the oil into a large mixing bowl and mix everything together well until completely combined
  • Leave to rest in the fridge for around 20 mins to prevent them falling apart in the pan
  • Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium/high. Roll golfball-sized balls, flatten in your hand, and then gently place in the pan
  • Cook for 3-4 mins per side until browned and crisp
  • Serve with naan, cachumber salad and herb raita (finely chopped mint and coriander, plain yoghurt, cumin, chaat masala, squeeze of lemon, salt)

Lions head meatball soup

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Big juicy meatball lions heads with Chinese cabbage manes, floating in a lovely savoury broth. Feeds 2-4, depending on hunger and wish for leftovers.

  • 500g pork mince
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 2 tbsp grated ginger
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 6 water chestnuts, finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp ground white pepper
  • 50ml shaoxing rice wine
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and bashed
  • 2″ ginger, sliced into thick coins
  • 4 spring onions, cut into 3″ pieces
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp shaoxing
  • 1 chicken stock cube
  • Chinese cabbage leaves, cut into vertical quarters
  1. Mix meatball ingredients (the first 12 listed) together well and form into golfball-sized meatballs
  2. Lower into boiling water, turn to a simmer and cook for 5 mins, then remove. Keep the cooking liquid
  3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a deep frying pan and fry the meatballs briefly on each side until golden, then remove and set to one side
  4. In the same pan, add the next 1 tbsp oil and then fry the garlic, ginger, spring onion until softened but not brown
  5. Add soy sauce, shaoxing, sugar and stock. Stir together, then add 1 litre of the meatball water (topping up with boiling water from the kettle if there’s not enough)
  6. Bring to the boil then add the meatballs back in, curling the cabbage leaf strips around the meatballs in the pan (voila lion+mane)
  7. Simmer until the cabbage is cooked and the meatballs are hot through

Bread rolls

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The simplest, most delicious, fluffy white rolls. I make a batch and keep them in the freezer for lunches. Probably 20-30 mins of your actual time, plus 2-ish hours of waiting.

  • 2 tsp yeast (easy bake or fast action)
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 600g white bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  1. Combine the yeast and sugar with 350ml of warm water. Whisk together and leave for 5 mins, then add the oil
  2. In a large bowl combine the flour and salt
  3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients
  4. Stir to bring the dough together, and then tip it out onto the counter and knead for 8-10 mins. You should be left with a stretchy, pliable dough that isn’t stuck to your hands
  5. [Alternatively, if you have a stand mixer, add the wet ingredients first and, once the yeast has bloomed, add the flour and salt. Set it to knead with a dough hook for 7-8 mins]
  6. Wipe out the big bowl, brush a little oil on the inside surface, place the dough ball into the bowl and cover it. I use a plastic bag over the bowl but you can use a shower cap, clingfilm or a tea towel. Put it somewhere warm (the airing cupbpard is perfect, just nestle it among the towels)
  7. Leave to prove for an hour and a half, until the dough is puffed up, doubled in size and deeply satisfying to prod your finger into
  8. Tip the dough out of the bowl and knead it for a minute. Then divide it into 8-12 roughly even pieces. 12 will give you little palm-of-the-hand rolls, 8 will give you burger bun-sized rolls. Roll these into neat roll-shapes like this – https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WkK6k0QW6to
  9. Place on a lined baking tray and cover with a tea towel for a second prove. No need to go back into the airing cupbpard, these can just sit on the counter. Turn the oven on to 220C fan (240C) to pre-heat
  10. After 30-40 mins, pop your rolls into the very hot oven for 12-13 mins until golden on the top and bottom
  11. Cool on a rack – use tongs to transfer them! – and then when cooled, pop in the freezer in a ziplock bag. Or eat immediately with more butter than is perhaps advisable.

Creamy chicken kofta curry

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The ingredient list makes this look harder than it is, but trust the process and you’ll end up with a delicious dinner of succulent, moist (not sorry!) chicken meatballs in a gently spiced creamy, tangy sauce. Feeds 2 to 4, depending on hunger, choice of sides, and chickpea-addition.

  • 500g minced chicken
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 green chilli, finely chopped
  • 1″ ginger, grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • Handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
  • Handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • Juice of ½ a lemon
  • ¼ tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3 tbsp plain flour or gram flour
  • Veg oil
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 green cardamom pods
  • 1 black cardamom pod
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1″ ginger, grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1 green chilli, finely chopped
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 4 tomatoes, pureed
  • Salt
  • 125g plain yoghurt
  • [1 tin chickpeas – optional]
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • Handful fresh coriander
  • Toasted flaked almonds
  1. Mix the kofta ingredients together thoroughly, leave to sit for 10 mins to firm up, and then form into balls (with damp hands or spoons)
  2. Cook them by 1) heating oil in a frying pan and frying the kofta on both sides until golden brown, 2) place on baking paper in air fryer and cook at 190 for 7 mins, or 3) bake in the oven on a lined tray at 180C fan for 15 mins. Then remove and set to one side
  3. In a deep frying pan over a medium heat, heat the oil and add the whole spices, stirring and cooking for 2 mins
  4. Then add the chopped onion, stir and cook until golden and soft, then add the garlic, ginger and chilli, stir and cook for another 2 mins
  5. Tip in the ground spices and stir together before adding the pureed tomatoes and salt to taste
  6. Bring to a bubble, and cook for 5 mins until reduced and fragrant before adding 250ml boiling water and the yoghurt
  7. Cover the pan and cook for 20 mins on low heat, then add sugar and garam masala.
  8. Remove the whole spices, then blend the sauce until smooth
  9. Pour it back into the pan over low heat and stir before popping the kofta into the sauce and very gently turning them over in it, adding more boiling water to loosen the sauce if needed. If you want to bulk it out, you can also add a tin of chickpeas at this stage.
  10. Continue to cook until everything is well combined and hot, then sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander and toasted flaked almonds
  11. Serve straight away, with rice or paratha