Indian India recipes

Perfect Rice Recipe This method of cooking Basmati rice will give perfect results every time! 1 large cup or tea-mug Basmati rice for 2 persons Wash the rice in several changes of warm water.  Boil a pan of plain tap water on the stove. Add the rice & stir. Bring back to the boil, lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes only. Quickly drain the rice, replace back in the pan & tightly lid the pan. Place back on the still-warm cooking plate. Uncover & gently stir every 5 minutes. After 15-20 minutes your rice will be perfectly steam-cooked and separate. Serve! Try with Classic Meat Curry or Tarka Dal

Classic Meat Curry Recipe This a good basic recipe for a classic lamb, mutton or goat curry. Try and get the meat from a shoulder cut, and chopped up into large cubes with the bone in. Cooking meat on the bone is universal in south Asia and greatly enhances the flavour and eating experience! 1kg / 2 lb cut up meat, bone-in 1tbsp ghee or light vegetable oil 3 medium onions finely chopped 6 cloves garlic, crushed/chopped, or 6tsp garlic paste 4 tsp grated fresh ginger, or ginger paste 2 chopped green chillies 3 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped (or 1/2 can tinned chopped tomatoes) small handful of chopped coriander stalks (save leaves for later) salt hot water Spices: 2tsp turmeric ("Haldi") 2tsp ground Garam Masala 1/2 tsp ground red chilli 2 tsp ground coriander Whole spices: 2 bay leaves (or if you can get them - "Tej Pattia" - dried Indian cinnamon leaves) 2" length of Cassia bark (like cinnamon sticks but darker and stronger)

Raita   Yogurt and mint salad that can be served with any Indian food Red / white onion Cucumber Tomato A few sprigs of coriander (‘Dhania’) Chopped mint or mint sauce Low fat plain yogurt Raita/chutney masala ½ tsp cumin seeds Finely chop your onion, cucumber, tomato & coriander. Add to yogurt, add chopped mint or mint sauce (2 tsp per 500g yogurt) Add raita/chutney masala, if wanted. In a dry pan, toast the cumin seeds then scatter these over your raita. Put in the fridge for a couple of hours, then stir and eat! 

Tarka Dal This is a good basic recipe for the the classic pulse dish served in many varieties all over the sub-continent. For the Dal: 1 x 500g (1llb) pack split red lentils (‘Masoor dal’) or Chana dal, Moong dal or Toor dal 2 tsp turmeric (‘haldi’) ½ tsp ground red chilli Salt to taste 2 tsp crushed garlic, or garlic paste 2 tsp grated ginger, or ginger paste 1 small onion, finely chopped One thick slice of lemon, de-seeded. A handful of chopped coriander stalks (save the leaves for later) For the Tarka: 1 tbsp ghee or mustard oil, or a light vegetable oil ½ tsp ground asafoetida (‘Hing’) 1 or more green chillies, sliced into fine rings 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced & chopped lengthways 1 tsp cumin seeds (‘Jeera’) Check the lentils for stones and wash them in several changes of water Put the lentils into a large saucepan or stockpot and cover with plenty of water. Leave to soak for a couple of hours. Add all the other dal ingredients, stir, cover and bring