It's National Curry Week, so time to inject some spice into your food. Ditch the takeaway and instead mix and match from our three starter, main and pudding suggestions.
Starters
Classic Malaysian curry puffs are usually cooked with beef and baked with a Malaysian pastry, which creates a special textured finish. But Gary Rhodes has gone veggie with his recipe, stuffing the little puffs with a garlicky potato and lime mix, then serving them with a homemade mango yoghurt dip.
An Indian-style panzanella (usually an Italian salad made from leftover bread and tomatoes), made with paneer marinated in Balti paste. For colour, add cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cumin seeds, sliced fennel, chickpeas and lime juice, then serve with warmed naan bread.
Spiced kidney bean pakoras are the perfect starter to share around a big table. They are a common snack in India; fried, crisp golden brown bites perfect with chutney. Pan-fried in a mix of madras paste, fresh coriander, onions and lemon zest, this version makes the ideal veggie snack.
Mains
A tender and fragrant lamb curry, flavoured with ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric, cumin, lime and onion. What’s great about this curry recipe is the fact that it takes only 20 minutes to prepare; then all you need do is leave it bubbling away nicely for 50 minutes.
Nagore chicken curry, fresh from the legendary Madhur Jaffrey’s kitchen. The recipe comes from a coastal town is South India (Nagore) and calls for a homemade spice paste, blended from freshly grated coconut, spices and curry leaves. Read our interview with the curry queen herself here.
This baby pumpkin masala from Kerstin Rodger is the best option if you’re catering for veggies. The recipe calls for ‘tinda’, which are baby pumpkins, and you might need to go to Asian stores to get hold of these tiny Satsuma-sized pumpkins. A lovely gingery coconut sauce finishes the dish.
Puddings
What a gorgeous photo of Kaushy Patel’s halva recipe… who wouldn’t want to eat that? 'Gajar halva' is a traditional Indian carrot and cardamom pudding, made from milk, ghee, carrots, sugar, cardamom and pistachios. Any leftovers will keep, covered and in the fridge, for a couple of days.
What better way to cleanse that spicy palate than with roast peaches and honey? Anjali Pathak gives her roast peaches an Indian twist with crushed cardamom pods and a good sprinkling of cinnamon. Why not try this recipe with plums or figs instead?
Carrot kheer is chef Anjum Anand’s all-time favourite Indian pudding… “I have fond memories of making this with my mother,” she says. It’s made from milk, carrots, sugar, saffron, nuts and spices, and is a great dessert to serve at a gathering, because you can make it all the day before.
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