Momos

Being stuck at home did not prevent me from taking my tastebuds on a culinary journey to the faraway lands of Nepal, Tibet or Northern India where these steamed dumplings come from.Typically they are eaten with hands, often as street food, dipped in a spicy chili chutney.

You'll need:
round wrappers
pork mince
spring onion
red onion, finely chopped
fresh cilantro
garam masala
chili powder
turmeric
garlic, finely chopped
ginger, finely chopped
salt
For the chutney:
dried red chili(s)
1 tomato
garlic paste
rice vinegar
a pinch of sugar

1. Mix the ingredients for the filling all together. Make the dumplings by putting a tea spoon of the filling in the middle of the wrapper, wetting with water the edges of the wrapper and then closing it like a little pouch. You hold the dumpling in your hand and with the support of your thumb close the pouch by adding more and more of the wrapper with your index finger going round.

2. Prepare the chutney, by putting the tomato and the dried chilis in boling water for a few minutes. Remove from the water, deskin the tomato, and blend together with the chillies and some garlic paste. Add rice vinegar, a pinch of sugar and some water if need be.

3. Boil some water in a pot and steam the momos in a bamboo basket over the boiling water. To prevent sticking, put some cooking paper in first. Your momos should be ready withing 3-4 minutes.

Buon appetito!

Lamb yoghurt curry

It takes some time to prepare this dish, but it's definitely worth it. Deliciously warming smooth sauce covering soft pieces of lamb will make you reach for another helping.

 You'll need:
600gr lamb leg or shoulder cut into 3-4cm chunks
2 onions
3 cloves of garlic
4cm of ginger
6 cloves
5 green cardomon pods (seeds only)
garam masala
chili powder
150 ml greek yoghurt
200gr chopped tomatoes
fresh coriander (to decorate)

1. Roughly chop the onions and put to a blender with a bit of water. Transfer the mixture into a deep pan and fry over medium heat together with some oil for around 10 minutes.

2. In the same manner, blend the garlic and ginger. Add to the pan.

3. Stir in half of the yoghurt and add the meat. Brown the meat.

4. Grind the cardamon seeds and cloves. Add to the meat together with garam masala and chili powder. Add the rest of the yoghurt and simmer for around an hour with a lid on.

5. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for another 30-40 minutes, et voila!

6. Serve with chapatis or naan bread.

Buon appetito!

Saag aloo

Saag aloo is a great Indian side dish to accompany your tandori chicken or meat curries. It works very well as a lunch idea as well, even on its own.

You'll need:

4-5 waxy potatoes

2 big handfulls of fresh baby spinach

1 onion

a clove of garlic

3cm of ginger

brown mustard seeds

cumin seeds

chilli flakes

oil for frying

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Boil in salted water 'al dente' that is 2 minutes less than what is needed for them to be fully cooked (which depends on the potato variety and the size of the cubes).

2. In the meantime, toast mustard seeds and cumin on a hot pan before adding chopped onion. As the onion is on its way into becoming golden brown, finely chop the garlic clove and ginger.

3. Add ginger, garlic and chili flakes to the pan. Add the potatoes and then spinach, shredded into smaller pieces (don't forget to wash it beforehand). Stir and cover the pan with a lid and wait around half a minute for the spinach to soften, et voila!

Buon appetito!

Vindaloo aloo

Vindaloo is a Goan curry stemming from Portuguese carne de vinha d'alhos (meat with wine and garlic, which is served in Madeira as a Christmas dish). This special occasion curry can be found in most Indian restaurants in the UK where it is usually served as one of the spiciest dishes in the house. Myself, I usually prepare it as a rather mild curry, allowing ginger to dominate a bit more. The traditional version does not contain potatoes, but they are sometimes added, possibly through a mistake deriving from the name that contains the word 'aloo' (potatoes) in it. Since this version also contains potatoes I thought it would be best to call this recipe vindaloo aloo to avoid confusion. It is also most definitely a Europeanised version of the dish, since I use beef, rather than lamb or pork. The key ingredient, however, is the red wine vinegar in which the meat needs to be marinaded beforehand. Vindaloo done this way is a favourite recipe of Cristina, my landlady in Florence.

You'll need:

500g beef

5-6 medium potatoes
red wine vinegar
1 onion

2 spoons of sour cream

broth (optional)

4cm ginger

3 cloves of garlic

English yellow mustard powder

ground cumin

ground coriander

cinnamon

chilli

pepper cayenne
salt & pepper

oil

1. Cut the beef into cubes and marinade it in red wine vinegar, with some salt and pepper and a spoon of oil at least for 3 hours.

2. Chop the onion and fry over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and ginger and follow with the rest of spices, paying attention to not burning them.
3. Brown the meat, preferably in a thick den pot. When it's ready, add spiced onion and previously peeled potatoes cut into cubes.
4. Add water or broth to the mixture, enough to cover the potatoes and cook without a lid until they soften. The mixture will reduce itself quite a bit, so it might require a stir from time to time and possibly some more liquid.
5. Add sour cream, et voila!

Buon appetito!

Quick lentils curry

This mild lentils curry can be ready within 15 minutes and can be eaten as a dish on its own (preferably with naans or chapatis) or it can be served as a side dish. Perfect if you don't have too much time to cook.

You'll need:
a can of green lentils (400g)
1/2 medium onion
1 garlic clove
madras curry
cardamon powder
cumin powdered
1/2 glass of broth
1 spoon of tomato concentrate
3 spoons of sour cream

1. Chop the onion and fry it.

2. Add chopped garlic and the spices and stir.

3. Add the lentils, tomato concentrate and broth. Allow to simmer for around 10 minutes.

4. Add cream, et voila!

Buon appetito!

Masoor dhal

...or simply split red lentils. Digging deep into my archives for this Indian side dish recipe.

You'll need:
250g split red lentils
1 medium onion
2 tomatoes
1 long green chili
turmeric
garam masala
2 garlic cloves
4cm of ginger
oil
salt&pepper
1 litre water

1. Rinse the lentils in a sieve and then transfer into a pot. Add garam masala, turmeric and water and bring to the boil. Then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove any foam that accumulates on the surface in the process.

2. In the meantime, chop and fry the onion until it softens and starts turning golden brown. At this point add previously chopped garlic and ginger and fry for another 30 seconds or so, taking care not to burn anything.

3. Cut the chili longways and add to the frying pan with onions together with chopped tomatoes.

4. Once the lentils cooked for 20 miunutes, transfer the contents of the frying pan to the pot and simmer for another 20 minutes or until the lentils are completely soft. Add some water if necessary and stir regularly.

5. Season with salt&pepper if necessary.

Bon appétit!

Fish, sweet potato and spinach curry

Fish curries were somehow overlooked on my menu so far, so I decided it's time to change that. This one is a low-fat, sweet-spicy option ideal for spring time :)

You'll need:
200g white fleshed fish (I used halibut)
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
100g fresh baby leaf spinach
100ml coconut milk
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, fined chopped
mild curry powder
chili flakes
black mustard seeds
cumin
coriander leaves (optional)

1. Fry the onion on a warmed-up pan with a dose of vegetable oil. Once it softens, add garlic and the rest of the spices spices (except for the curry powder) and allow to fry for a few more seconds being careful not to allow the spices to burn.
2. Add the sweet potatoes to the pan together with the curry powder and stir. Leave on medium heat until the potatoes soften, which should take around 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
2. Cut the fish into bite size bits and add to the pan. Add the coconut milk. Carefully stir-in the spinach leaves. Once they soften, your curry is ready! Just sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves before serving, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Chicken dhansak with paprika

Staying true to my Indian soul.  A more traditional form of this dish would contain mutton rather than chicken. Dhansak is often served on the fourth day after a death of someone close. Hence, it felt strangely appropriate for me last week. Never to be served on weddings or other festive occasions.

You'l need:
1 chicken breast
200g red lentils
2 medium onions
2 garlic cloves
3cm ginger
400g chopped tomatoes
garam masala
chili flakes
cumin (optional)
bay leaf
around 300ml water
salt

1. Finely chop the onions and fry over medium heat. In the meantime chop garlic and ginger. Add both to the onion when it's nearly done. Add the remainder of the spices (except for bay leaf) and fry for another 30 seconds or so, paying attention not to burn the spices.

2. Add lentils to the pan, and then immediately proceed to add the tomatoes. Add bay leaf, some water and allow to simmer for around 40 minutes, checking from time to time if the mixture requires more water.

3. On a separate pan, preferably a grill pan, fry the chicken breast and paprika, both previously cut into bite size bits. Season them with salt and garam masala.

4. When the lentils are nearly done, combine the ingredients, et voila!

5. Serve with rice.

Bon appétit!

Chicken saag

Saag, sometimes also called saagwala, is a green-leaf based curry, popular especially in Punjabi cuisine. It can be served with meat (saag gosht) or with paneer cheese or as a dish of its own to be served with naans, rotis or rice. Meat version is commonly prepared with lamb, but today I suggest a quicker version with chicken. It is ideal for those preferring slightly milder curries.

You'll need:

1 chicken breast 

400g pre-cooked spinach

2 medium onions

crushed chilli flakes (or a fresh red chilli)

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 cardamon pods 

cinnamon

black mustard seeds

turmeric

ground coriander

cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

2 spoons of tomato concentrate

1/2 glass of water

salt & pepper

oil for frying

Naans, rotis or rice to serve with

1. Chop the onions and fry them on a hot pan with oil. Once it softens add garlic and chilli flakes and fry for one more minute.

2. Open up the cardamom pods and empty the contents into the pan. Add the rest of the spices, except for the bay leaves. Allow to fry for a few seconds (the aroma of the onions together with the spices is absolutely amazing!).

3. Add spinach, tomato concentrate, a pinch of salt together with water and stir. Allow to cook for a minute or two and then put aside to cool down.

4. In the meantime, cut the chicken breast into small pieces, season with salt and pepper and fry on a separate pan.

5. Once the spinach mixture has cooled down a little bit, blend it. Add bay leaves and chicken pieces and simmer slowly for at least 15 minutes (if you allow it to simmer longer, the flavours will come out even better), e voila!

Bon appétit!

Mulligatawny soup

This curry flavoured soup originates from Indian cuisine, but this particular Anglosaxon version probably doesn't resemble much its oriental original. The name derives from Tamil words for pepper water, but this version is more sweet than anything else, especially with the addition of apples. This recipe was inspired by one from Hairy Bikers with some modifications. Mulligatawny soup is usually thickened by rice or lentils, but the way I prepared it, it was already quite dense, so I left it as it is. If you want to add rice, then I would suggest adding more broth. This soup can be easily turned veggie friendly if using vegetable broth. Equally, meat lovers might want to add some meat chunks to it (I suggest chicken).

You'll need:

4 medium sized carrots

2 potatoes

4 celery sticks

1 apple

1 onion

2 spoons of tomato concentrate

2 garlic cloves

bouillon 

curry powder

sour cream

coriander, parsley or dill for decoration

freshly ground black pepper

butter 

oil

1. Preparation: peel the potatoes and cut them into 2cm cubes. Cut the carrots and celery. Finely chop the onions and garlic. 

2. Melt the butter with oil on a deep pan/ in a thick walled pot and add the onions, potatoes, carrots, celery and garlic. Stir-fry over medium heat for around ten minutes or until they start to brown.

3. In the meantime peel the apple and cut it into cubes. Stir it in towards the end of the frying.

4. Add curry powder and stir.

5. Add the bouillon and tomato concentrate, bring to the boil and then allow to simmer for around 30 minutes or until the vegetables become soft.

6. Put it aside and allow to cool, then blend. If it's too dense after blending, add some more broth.

7. Warm it up again, transfer to a plate, add some sour cream, sprinkle with coriander and pepper, et voila!

Bon appétit!

Light Chicken Jalfrezi

Jalfrezi is one of the most popular Indian curries in the UK. It includes a mixture of stir-fry vegetables, typically peppers, tomatoes and onions. Unlike many curries, vegetables are not cooked into a pulp, but left intact, making this curry a beautiful mixture of colours. I wanted my jalfrezi to be a bit lighter, so the sauce I prepared to go with it is not as thick as in most curries, but it has just as much flavour.

You'll need:

one double chicken breast 

3 tomatoes

1 green pepper

1 yellow pepper

2 onions

3-4 green chillis

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 table spoons of natural yoghurt

1/2 glass of water

turmeric

cumin

garam masala

salt and pepper

a pinch of sugar

sunflower oil

1. Chop 2 green chillis (remove the seeds if you don't want your Jalfrezi to be too spicy). I used two because in Italy green chillis are hardly ever very spicy, but if you find a spicy variety, one might be sufficient.

2. Chop 2 tomatoes. Cut the chicken breast into small cubes of around 3cm.

3. Heat up a deep pan and put some oil on it. Add chopped chillis and garlic.Allow them to fry for around 30 seconds and then add chopped tomatoes, tumeric, cumin, garam masala and a pinch of salt and sugar. Fry for another 3 minutes or so until the tomatoes get soft.

4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes and then add water and yoghurt.Cut the remaining chillis alongside, without cutting them into half and add to the pan. Allow the mixture to simmer gently for around 10 minutes or until the sauce reduces. The yoghurt might separate at first, but it should be fine after a while.

5. Cut the peppers into 4cm slices and cut the onions into wedges. Stir-fry them together on another pan, adding some salt and garam masala. 

6. Cut the remaining tomato into wedges and add to the pan with the peppers and onions towards the end of stir-frying them.

7. Add the vegetables to the chicken with the sauce and serve with rice or naans.

Bon appétit!

Chicken tikka masala

A mildly spicy curry for those who do not like too much hotness. Not to be confused with chicken tikka, which is simply spiced chicken grilled on skewers. Extremely popular in the UK, where it can be considered a national dish. As with every curry, there are many variations of the dish - the only thing that they all have in common is an orange coloured sauce (masala). Here is my take on it, inspired by Hairy Bikers' recipe.

You'll need:

    one chicken breast

 For the marinade:

    4 spoons of natural yoghurt

    4 cm of ginger

    2 cloves of garlic

    black pepper

    cumin seeds

    ground fenugreek seeds

    ground coriander seeds

    cinnamon

    sweet paprika

    pepper cayenne

    one clove (crushed)

    turmeric

    salt

For the sauce:

    2 onions

    3 cloves of garlic

    4cm of ginger

    turmeric

    3 spoons of tomato concentrate

    1/2 glass of water

    a pinch of salt 

    a pinch of sugar

    2 spoons of sour cream 

    butter (for frying)

1. Cut the chicken breast into pieces, put in a bowl, add the spices and yoghurt and stir. Put aside in a fridge for at least 4 hours or better overnight.

2. To prepare the sauce, first chop the onions, garlic and ginger. Melt the butter on a frying pan and start by frying the onion for 3-4 minutes. Then add garlic, ginger and turmeric and fry for one more minute, being careful not to burn the spices. Add the tomato concentrate, pour the water and allow to simmer until the sauce reduces. At the end add the sour cream and stir. The sauce should have a nice orange colour. Put the sauce aside to cool down.

3. In the meantime prepare the chicken. It's best grilled. In home conditions you might either use a grill option in your oven if you have one, or alternatively (all other grilling options failing) fry it on grilling pan.

4. Before you add grilled chicken to the sauce, you need to blend it. The smoother the sauce the better! Then add the chicken and warm everything up again, e voila!

Bon appétit!

Channa masala (channay)

A wonderful Punjabi vegan dish with a fresh citrus note. Popular in northern India as well as in Pakistan. As usual I don't give precise spice measurements since it's a question of individual taste - I leave it to you how spicy you would like it to be ;) Don't let the long list of spices scare you off, it's really easy to make.

You'll need:
a can of chickpeas (200g)
a can of chopped tomatoes
one onion
2 cloves of garlic
3cm of ginger
cumin seeds
garam masala
turmeric
ground coriander seeds
pepper cayenne
one red chili (or dried crushed chili flakes)
sweet paprika
fresh coriander leaves
a splash of lemon juice
1/2 glass of water
black pepper
a pinch of salt

1. Finely chop the onion, ginger and garlic. 

2.Warm up oil on a deep frying pan. Once it's warmed up, start by frying the onion for a few minutes, then add garlic, ginger, cumin seeds and chili. Allow to fry for another minute or so, being careful not to burn the spices.

3. Add garam masala, turmeric, ground coriander, pepper cayenne and paprika and stir.

4. Add canned tomatoes and water. Add some salt and black pepper for taste.

5. Rinse your chickpeas and add to the pan.

6. Allow to simmer for around 30 minutes.

7. At the end of the cooking, when the the sauce has reduced, add a bit of lemon juice. Serve with fresh coriander leaves.

Bon appétit!

Garlic and coriander naans

Naan is a type of flatbread, typically associated with Indian cuisine, but actually very widespread in many Asian cuisines. The name itself is of Persian origin. Traditionally prepared in a tandoor, but it can be done very easily and quickly at home in the oven. If you are a fan of curries, like I am, you should really learn how to make these.

You'll need:
300g of flour
1 spoon of baking powder (with soda bicarbonate)
a pinch of sugar
1 tea spoon of salt
1 egg
150ml of milk
1 spoon of sunflower oil
a bit of butter
3 cloves of garlic
fresh coriander leaves

1. Preaheat the oven to 280 degrees (or whatever is the maximum). Put a baking tray inside, so that it's hot as well.
2.  Break the egg and whisk it with milk and oil.
3. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and add the egg and milk mixture. You can mix the whole thing manually or in a mixer if you want to speed things up.
4. Separate the dough into 3 parts and form flat bread.
5. Chop the garlic cloves and the coriander leaves and spread both on top of your flatbreads.
6. Put in the oven for around 3 minutes. Your naans will be ready once they start turning golden brown.
7. Once removed from the oven, spread some butter on top, et voila!
8. Serve warm. For brown spots effect (of the type you get when making naans in the tandoor) put your naans on a hot pan for 30 seconds.

Potato and squash chicken curry

 

This is not my original recipe. I found it on BBC website and made only small changes to it. I liked it so much that I made it three times in a row. You will need a deep frying pan or a non-stick, thick den pot for this one.

You'll need:

small butternut or coquina squash (I used the latter), cut into cubes

potatoes (amount more or less equal to squash), cut into cubes

chicken (original made with turkey), cut into small cubes

one onion, chopped

2 spoonfulls of sour cream

3 spoonfulls of natural yoghurt

lemon

buillion (I used a cube) (around 0,5l)

fresh coriander

ground coriander

garam masala

chilli powder

dried crushed chilli

one red chilli (optional, if you want to make it extra hot)

pepper cayenne

turmeric

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3cm of ginger, finely chopped

salt and pepper

 

1. This time it might be advisable to prepare the ingredients first, there won't be enough time during cooking to do so.

2. First, start by frying the chicken on hot olive oil with pepper cayenne in it. Also add a pinch of salt and pepper.

3. Remove the chicken from the frying pan and start frying the onion. After around 2 minutes, add ginger, garlic, garam masala, chilli (in all forms), turmeric and ground coriander and fry for another minute being extra careful not to burn the spices as they will become bitter if you do.

4. Add squash and potatoes. Fry until potatoes become sticky.

5. Add buillion (around 0,5l) and boil until tender. You may start by adding just a glass and add more later if necessary. The important thing is not to add too much, you don't want to end up with a soup at the end (though the mixture will reduce itself quite a bit).

6. Once ready, add the chicken. Then proceed to add cream and yoghurt. You can regulate the level of spice by adding more cream/yoghurt. Don't forget to add fresh coriander leaves.

7. Once on a plate, add some freshly squeezed lemon juice. I know it seems counterintuitive to add lemon to a cream sauce, but it fits well here and really adds to the richness of the flavour.

Bon appétit!