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Recipe ideas by Vivek Singh
Masala mashed potatoes
Mashed potato is common in India – just not alongside a plate of sausages! The Punjabi stuff parathas with it and the Bengalis eat it spiked with chillies, onion and mustard oil. Our version is designed to act as a starch alternative to firm meaty dishes.
2 tbsp ghee or butter
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 chopped red onions
¼ tsp ground turmeric
2 chopped green chilli chopped
½ inch long ginger chopped
1tsp salt
2 large desiree potatoes boiled and mashed or crushed
Pinch of chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 tomato deseeded and diced into ½ centimeter pieces
20g cooking butter
Method
In a pan heat the ghee, add the cumin seeds and when they start crackling, add the onions and cook till they turn light brown.
Now add the turmeric, ginger and green chilli and sauté for 30 seconds
Add the salt and the potatoes and mix well on a slow heat until the potatoes are heated through and covered evenly by the colour of the turmeric
Now add the coriander and the tomatoes and mix well for a couple more minutes
You can add some butter to give extra shine and richness.
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Masala sautéed potatoes
In the west potatoes are seen as a main starch accompaniment to a protein dish, whereas in the sub continent potato dishes are often eaten with rice or bread. Potatoes are often fried in strips with a little turmeric and chilli and eaten with bread. At The Cinnamon Club we were keen to extend starch accompaniments to our dishes beyond just rice and breads and have adapted traditional sauté potatoes and given them the spice treatment!
5 large charlotte potatoes, peeled and slice in ½ cm discs
2 tbsp oil
1tsp cumin seeds
1 onion large chopped fine
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
1tsp ground cumin
½ inch long ginger chopped fine
2 green chillies chopped
1 red onion sliced into rings
1 tomato, deseeded and diced
25gm chopped coriander leaves
Method
To blanch the potatoes, boil them in 500ml of salted water (2tsp salt) with half of the turmeric for 5 minutes then strain and leave aside
Heat the oil in a pan; add the cumin seeds and when they start to crackle, add the onions and sauté until they start to turn golden brown.
Add the potatoes and sauté for a minute, adding the remaining half of the turmeric, the chilli powder, cumin powder and salt. You may sprinkle some water if the spice powders are burning.
Add the onion rings and stir quickly. When the onions starts to soften add the deseeded tomatoes and stir quickly. Sprinkle the ginger, chillies and the coriander.
Cook until the onion rings are starting to wilt and the potatoes are almost crisp.
(Above) Masala sautéed potatoes
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Maharashtrian lentil salad
60g whole green moong lentils
30g split yellow moong lentils
50 g cucumber finely diced
50 g carrot, finely diced
1 tbsp fresh green coriander
½ tsp salt
The juice of half a lemon
For tempering
1tbsp oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig of curry leaves
Method
Soak the lentils for 6 hours, then drain and cool.
Wash the lentils together, adding the vegetables,salt and lemon juice. To temper them, heat the oil in a pan and when hot add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the curry leaves and as they start to wilt, pour them on to the salad and mix.
(Above) Maharashtrian lentil salad
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Lemon rice
400 g Boiled basmati rice
2 tbsp oil
10 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chana dal (available in supermarkets and health stores)
½ tsp white urad lentils
½ tsp ground turmeric
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp g salt
Method
Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, chana dal and white urad lentils and let them crackle. When they start changing colour, turning almost golden, add the curry leaves.
Add the turmeric (you may sprinkle some water to avoid turmeric burning)
Add in the boiled rice and the salt and lemon juice and toss to mix well without breaking the rice grains
*** To boil rice
Rinse and soak raw rice for 15-20 minutes in water,
Boil more than double quantity of water than rice, when boiling. Add the soaked and strained rice
Boil for 15 minutes until grains are long and soft but not mushy.
Strain
For 4 people you will require 200 grams of rice.
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Naan bread
This popular bread is usually made by slapping a disc of dough onto the side of a tandoor oven. If you ever meet someone claiming to be a tandoori chef, check his right forearm and if there’s any hair on it, he’s lying to you. Generation after generation of tandoori chef have forsaken this sign of manhood so that others may eat naan bread. Now we can reveal a new way of making naan without tears.
750 g plain flour
400 ml whole milk
35 g sugar
1 tbsp/15 g salt
50 ml vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp/ 8 g baking powder
2 eggs
Method
Mix the sugar and eggs into the milk, then mix the baking powder and salt to the flour. Add the milk solution to the flour mix and knead lightly to make a soft dough. Take care not to work the gluten too much or the dough becomes too stretchy. When all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Add the oil at the end and mix lightly.
Divide the dough into 16 small parts and roll out each part into a circle of approximately 4 inches in diameter.
Pre-heat a baking tray in the oven to 225 deg C and then spread the circles on the hot tray and bake for 4-5 minutes. You might need to turn the bread like you cook a pitta bread if need be.