All across India you will find regional spice blends (known as masalas). Vers masala hails from Kashmir and is commonly made and stored in small round cakes or tablets. Depending on the recipe (and the volume you are making), you can add either a small piece of Vers masala or a whole cake; usually towards ... Read more »
This delicious chicken curry dish is from Romy Gill’s ‘On The Himalayan Trail’ cookbook. Yoghurt, saffron and a heady mix of spices meld beautifully into the yoghurt gravy, creating a fragrant and warming dish. Instead of a whole chicken, we made this using chicken thighs, which worked really well. Read our full review of On ... Read more »
This Himalayan recipe for a simple paneer in tomato curry is a revelation. Slicing the paneer into thin strips rather than cubes (as is more typical in the Indian cooking I’m familiar with) means more surface area to be fried. It really changes the textural mouthfeel of the paneer! The recipe is from Romy Gill’s ... Read more »
This is a very simple but satisfying dish where the flavour of the mutton is able to sing. It’s from Romy Gill’s ‘On The Himalayan Trail’ cookbook and reflects the simple, wholesome and delicious cooking of the region. The mutton and other meatball ingredients are pounded together into a smooth paste before being shaped into ... Read more »
I’m a little behind the curve getting my hands on this beautiful cookbook. On the Himalayan Trail: Recipes and Stories from Kashmir to Ladakh by Romy Gill was published by Hardie Grant in April since when it’s received great feedback from keen cooks. Gill, who was awarded an MBE in 2016, is a British-Indian chef, food ... Read more »
This quick and straightforward stuffed parotha recipe is from Urvashi Roe’s Biting Biting, a book full of delicious veggie and vegan Gujerati-style snacks and quick meals. The recipe hails from a friend’s mum, who Urvashi describes as a cooking legend. The dough and filling recipes are straightforward and quick, as is filling and rolling out ... Read more »
Biting Biting: Snacking Gujarati-Style is the cookbook Urvashi Roe was born to write. She’s written about food for several years at Botanical Kitchen, was a contestant on the Great British Bake Off 2011, hosted Gujarati cooking classes at Demuth’s Cookery School, and ran a successful cafe in Enfield Library for a few years before returning ... Read more »
This simple vegan snack is packed full of flavour; and is a healthy and filling dish for any time of the day. The lime dressing and coriander bring a wonderful freshness to the potatoes, chickpeas and spices. Chickpeas are a great source of protein, and one of the earliest known legumes to be cultivated across South ... Read more »
Cauliflower arrived in India in the 19th century and has become a very popular vegetable in Indian cuisine. In this recipe, cauliflower florets are stir-fried with spices and then scrambled in eggs to provide a wonderful contrast in texture. Read our full review of Indian Vegan & Vegetarian by Mridula Baljekar. Note that whilst this ... Read more »
Paneer, a non-aged fresh cheese made in India, is a common ingredient in Indian vegetarian cooking. Made by pressing fresh cottage cheese into a block, it’s often made at home but also readily available at the supermarket. As it has little flavour of its own, it’s a hugely versatile ingredient, and works in both savoury ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]