Lemon rice is a South Indian dish, often served with dosa (filled lentil pancakes), sambar (a cross between a soup and a dhal), and rasam (a hot and sour soup). It’s not very traditional, but I think the zingy rice makes a fantastic accompaniment to rich, creamy curries.
In this recipe, turmeric is added to the simmering rice, giving it an attractive yellow colour. You could also use some star anise, cinnamon or sesame seeds for extra flavour. You can also add some toasted cashew nuts.
Ingredients
- 200g basmati rice
- ½ tsp turmeric (to be cooked with the rice)
- groundnut oil
- butter (or ghee)
- 8 curry leaves
- 4 dried red chillis, coarsely chopped
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric (to be cooked with the spices)
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- handful of fresh coriander
- juice of 1 lemon
Method
- Rinse the basmati rice and leave to soak in water while you bring a large pot of water to the boil.
- Add the rice to the boiling water and add the turmeric and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook the rice until it’s “just” done - a minute or so less than the time stipulated on the packet. Taste a few grains every now and then to ensure you have an “al dente” texture.
- Drain the rice in a colander and set over a pot of simmering water to keep it warm.
- Heat a teaspoon of oil and large knob of butter (or ghee, if using) in a large pot until sizzling. Add the curry leaves, red chillis, mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin seeds, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry until the mustard seeds start to pop.
- Add the cooked rice to the yellow spice mixture and stir-fry for a minute to warm through. Add the chopped fresh coriander and mix well. Serve.
Serves 2.
A raita is a classic yoghurt-based sauce from India. It can be used to accompany breads, poppadoms, biryanis and grilled meats. The restaurant version, made with bottled mint sauce, can be a little disappointing. This version is made with fresh mint leaves and cucumber which gives it a fantastic flavour. This recipe serves 2-4 people.
Remove the seeds from ½ of a cucumber and grate (or very finely chop) into a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Now squeeze the water out of the cucumber. Add 225g thick Greek yoghurt along with 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves. You can also add a pinch of ground cumin and a pinch of chili powder if you wish. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and mix. Taste and add a little extra salt if necessary.
There are lots of variations on the classic raita recipe, just add the following to 225g of yoghurt and season:
- Mint Sauce Raita - the restaurant classic, add 2 teaspoons of bottled mint sauce.
- Jeera Raita - add a teaspoon of freshly toasted cumin seeds, finely ground.
- Tomato & Cucumber - skin and de-seed 2 tomatoes, finely dice and add along with dived cucumber.
- Cucumber, Onion & Fresh Coriander
Seekh kebabs are a classic on Indian restaurant menus and typically cooked in the tandoor oven. “Seekh” means skewer, but the truth is you don’t really need skewers for this; just form the meat into long sausage shapes before cooking. You can also form the meat into patties, which will turn them into a “shami” kebab. My version uses great flavourings such as fenugreek, fresh mint and garam masala.
The trick to achieving a good seekh kebab is to finely mince the lamb. Minced lamb from the butcher or supermarket is typically too coarse. Use a food processor to pulse the lamb giving a finer texture. By doing this you won’t need any binding ingredients such as egg or flour. Don’t go crazy with the food processor, you don’t want purée!
Serve with naan bread, salad and raita.
(Note: you could also add a small pinch of red food colouring, as the restaurants do, but you really don’t need it.)
Ingredients
- 450g minced lamb (I used minced lamb shoulder)
- thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 green chili peppers, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 tbsp tomato pureé
- 1 tsp salt
- handful fresh mint
- handful fresh coriander
- juice of ½ lemon
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
- Run the lamb mince through your food processor to achieve a finer texture, as described above. Place in a mixing bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well before shaping, use metal skewers if you have them.
- I like to use a grill pan to cook this in the oven. This means a lot of the fat can cook out of the meat, but it will still be succulent. Place on the grill pan and cook for 15 minutes.
Serves 4 as a starter, 2 for a main course.
I can remember my first “proper” curry - a chicken madras in Khan’s Balti House in Donnybrook about 15 years ago. Strange I know, but I tend to remember things like that. I’ve been smitten with Indian food ever since, but some time ago I realised that restaurant style food is difficult to achieve at home. You need a lot of time and vast amounts of ghee, a type of clarified butter. You should also let your food rest overnight before serving; this allows the flavours to mature and the spices to mellow and mingle.
Happily, some restaurant dishes produce better results at home than others. This korma is the perfect example - it’s reminiscent of the restaurant version but includes fresh green chillis, dried fruits and toasted nuts. It tastes spectacular and it’s very quick and easy to cook. Serve with pilau rice and naan bread.
Ingredients
- 4 free-range skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
- 2 medium onions, chopped (about 200g)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- thumb-size piece of ginger, minced
- 2 tsp curry powder (good quality)
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp chili powder
- 150ml single cream
- 65g creamed coconut
- 4 tbsp ground almonds
- 5 tbsp sultanas
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1-2 fresh green chilli peppers, sliced
- 2 tsp garam masala (to taste)
- fresh coriander
- 5 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted
- 2 tbsp flaked coconut, toasted (optional)
Method
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy saucepan and add a knob of butter. Fry the onion gently for about 10 minutes until it’s well caramelised. At this point, add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add the dried spices and stir-fry for another minute.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add 2 cups of cold water. Whizz the mixture with a stick blender until it’s completely smooth.
- Add the chicken pieces and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Add the cream, ground almonds, sultanas and dissolve the creamed coconut then simmer gently for another 5 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and add a little extra sugar if you think it needs it. Stir through the garam masala and fresh coriander. Garnish with flaked almonds and toasted coconut, if using. Serve.
Serves 4.
