Aubergine curry or ‘Bagara Baingan’ as it is known in India originates from the Indian state of Andra Pradesh. It is delicious served as a main course with basmati rice or as a side dish.

Aubergine Curry Ingredients

• 2 aubergines
• 2 onions
• 4 teaspoons of desicated coconut
• 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon of crushed coriander seeds
• 3 green chillies (birds eye or similar)
• 4 red chillies
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small knob of ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of tamarind paste
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Method

Heat a little oil in a pan then add the cumin seeds and fry for a minute or so then add the sesame seeds and fry for a further minute. Remove from the heat.

Finely chop to the onions and fry in the pan slowly until golden brown. Don’t rush the onions as this is key to the whole dish.

In a food processor add the rest of the ingredients and pulse to form a smooth paste. If required add a little water.  This paste is commonly known as a masala in India.

Gently fry off your masala for 2-3 minutes before adding the browned onion to the pan.

While doing this chop your aubergines into small cubes and fry slowly with a bit of oil until tender. Then simply add the masala and onion mix to the pan (with a little water if required), put a lid on the pan then cook for a further 5 minutes on a low heat. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

This is a great one pot recipe for those cold winter nights. hat is even better is that this is one of those recipes that you can usually throw together out of things you might  find in any kitchen and store cupboard.

Chilli Bean Stew Ingredients

• 1 tin of borlotti beans
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves
• 3 fresh chillies (cayenne or similar)
• 5 potatoes
• 2 carrots
• salt & pepper
• 1 courgette

Method

Ok so first thing to say is that this recipe is very flexible so feel free to throw in any other vegetables that you have lying around or substitute any of the above that you don’t have to hand.

Heat a little oil in a deep saucepan and gently soften the onions until they just start to brown. At the same time boil the potatoes and carrots until they just start to soften.

Once the onions are soft and the potatoes and carrots have softened drain them and add them to the onions along with the rest of the ingredients. You may also need to add a cup of water or so.

Simmer on a low heat for about 30 minutes allowing the stew to reduce down and flavors to bled together. Your can either serve it on its own if your vegetables are chunky enough or serve with rice or pasta.

A yummy veggie main or side dish. It is made with Indian “cheese” which is cross between cottage cheese & hallumi.

Paneer Pepper Burji Ingredients

• 750 gms Paneer – grated
• 1 Red pepper – finely chopped
• 1 Yellow pepper – finely chopped
• 1 Green pepper – finely chopped
• 2 Onions – chopped
• 1tsp Cumin seeds
• 200gms chopped tomatos (tinned or fresh)
• 1tsp Chopped chilli
• salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsp sunflower Oil
• 1tsp Cumin powder
• 1tsp Coriander powder
• 1tsp Fresh coriander chopped
• 1tsp Turmeric powder
• 10tsp Red chilli powder
• 1tsp Chopped ginger

Method

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and allow to crackle . Add the chopped chilli, ginger,onion and peppers. Stir fry till the onions are starting to brown. Add the tomato, dry spices salt & cook on a low heat until the oil starts leaving the sides. Add the paneer and mix well. Simmer until the water from the paneer evaporates. Finish with chopped coriander as garnish.

Jerk sauce is a typical Jamaican seasoning that apparantly was originally used as a preservative. The recipe below is for Jerk Pork however you could easily substitute the pork for chicken or fish.  If ever there was the taste of the Caribbean this is it.

Jerk Pork Ingredients

• 1.5kg of pork loin
• 3 scotch bonnet chillies (or habaneros work well too)
• 1/2 an onion
• 4 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• a goof glug of vegetable oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large knob of ginger (grated)
• juice from 1/2 a lime
• a dash of vinegar (any kind will do)

Method

First task is to make the jerk sauce. To do this simply pulse all of the ingredients (apart from the pork) in a food processor. If you prefer you can always use a pestle and mortar. If the mixture looks a little dry either add more oil or a little water.

Ideally you should marinade the pork in the jerk sauce (over night if possible).  If not then a mere 30 minutes will suffice.

All jerk dishes are best coked on a bbq grill as this adds a nice smokey flavor to the meat. Adjust the cooking time according to the size of pieces of meat. Be sure to allow the pork to rest for about 10 minutes after cooking as this will help tenderize the meat.

Aloo methi is a famous Indian dish that literally translates as “Potato Fenugreek”.

Aloo Methi Ingredients

• 8 potato
• 1 knob of ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 chopped onions
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 chopped tomatoes
• 2 finely chopped green chillies
• 1 1/2 cups of methi (fenugreek) leaves chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
• oil
• salt to taste

Method

Wash and roughly cut the fenugreek leaves and peel the potatoes and dice.

Cook the potato until soft in a pan of salted water.

IN a pan heat a tablespoon of oil then add the cumin seeds and let brown for a few seconds before adding the garlic and ginger. After about 30 seconds more add the finely chopped onions and coook gently until they go golden brown.

Next simply add the turmeric, chopped tomatoes, methi and cook on a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes. Serve with fresh roti and or basmati rice.