Tag: Indian

Tzatziki/raita

~ Sophie ~ 4 Comments

There are over 3000 miles between Greece and India, but it seems the combination of yoghurt, cucumber and herbs either evolved independently in both places because it’s amazing, or travelled between them. Who knows? What I do know is that it’s delicious enough that you might be tempted to eat it all on its own.

  • Half a cucumber
  • 300g Greek-style plain yoghurt
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • Pinch of salt
  • Chopped mint (or dill for tzatziki/coriander for raita)
  • Squeeze of lemon
  1. Slice the cucumber lengthways and remove the seedy core. Eat it because it’s nice!
  2. Grate the cucumber and squeeze out as much liquid as possible
  3. Mix the well-squeezed cucumber with the yoghurt, garlic, salt, lemon and herbs

If you fancy a different raita, I highly recommend the incredible smashed pineapple and turmeric raita from Meera Sodha’s Fresh India.

Madhur Jaffrey’s lamb rogan josh

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Flipping amazing and entirely worth the effort. I’ve made it for 2 people and for 40, and it is without fail fragrant, succulent and rapturously received. Which just goes to prove that Madhur Jaffrey is a flipping genius and the queen of Indian cooking!

  • 2″ fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 cups water
  • 5 tbsp veg oil
  • 900g lamb shoulder, cut into 1″ cubes
  • 10 whole cardamom pods
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 cloves
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 4 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp plain yogurt
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  1. Put the ginger, garlic and 4 tbsp water a mini food mixer. Blend into a smooth paste
  2. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy saucepan over a medium-high heat. Brown lamb in several batches and set aside in a bowl
  3. Put the cardamom, bay, cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon into the same hot oil
  4. Stir and wait until cloves swell and the bay leaves begin to take on colour.  This only takes a matter of seconds
  5. Now add the onions. Stir and fry for 5 mins until the onions go a medium-brown colour.
  6. Add ginger-garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds
  7. Add the coriander, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Stir fry for another 30 seconds. Add the browned meat cubes and the meat juices
  8. Now put in 1 tbsp of yogurt, stir and fry for about 30 seconds until yogurt is well blended
  9. Add the remaining yogurt, a tbsp at a time in the same way.  Stir and fry for another 3-4 mins
  10. Add the remaining 1¼ cups water and bring the contents of the pot to a boil, scraping in all the browned spices on the sides and bottom of the pot
  11. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for about an hour or until meat is tender
  12. Every 10 mins give the pot a good stir to prevent burning
  13. When the meat is tender, take off the lid, turn the fire to medium high and boil off some of the liquid, stirring all the time, until the sauce is thickened
  14. Sprinkle the garam masala and black pepper over the dish and mix them in just before you serve

Serve with rice, raita, mango chutney, samosas, a huge feast of delicousness!

Saag paneer

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Brilliant dish as part of an Indian feast with friends, or just sitting on the sofa in pjs, watching Queens Gambit and eating a bowl of it on its own. It’s the power of squeaky cheese. This is enough for 2 if you’re not having anything else with it. And for 4 as a side dish.

  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • 220g firm paneer, cut into small cubes
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cm piece of ginger, grated/minced (highly recommend a microplane grater for this!)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 300g spinach, washed and roughly chopped
  • 50ml single cream
  • ½ tsp salt
  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a deep frying pan, pop in the paneer and fry until golden. Then remove from the pan
  2. Add the other tbsp oil and the cumin seeds. Fry for 1 min until you can smell them, then add the onion
  3. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-8 mins until the onion is golden and completely soft
  4. Stir in the garlic and ginger, cook for 1 min and then add the garam masala and turmeric. Season with salt
  5. Add the tomato to the pan and stir everything together. Cook with the lid on for 10 mins, stirring occasionally and adding a small amount of water if it’s starting to catch
  6. Put the spinach in the pan and carefully stir into the mixture – you might have to do this in stages
  7. Once spinach is wilted, pour in the cream, a splash of boiling water and the paneer cubes and combine
  8. Heat until bubbling and serve straight away