Recipes include Lamb Curry with Chickpeas and Coconut Fish Curry.
LAMB CURRY WITH CHICKPEAS
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
150g chickpeas, soaked overnight
3 bay leaves
7 cloves
4 black cardamom pods
1 tsp salt or to taste
6 tbsp vegetable oil
200g onions, finely sliced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
1 tsp ground cumin
200g tomatoes, finely chopped
4 lamb steaks, each about 100g
To garnish: chopped coriander leaves
Combine the grated ginger and garlic with a little salt and mash to a paste. Drain the chickpeas, put in a saucepan and cover with fresh water. Add one of the bay leaves, one clove and one cardamom pod and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the chickpeas are cooked, about one-and-a-half to two hours. Season with salt towards the end of the cooking. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a deep sauté pan. Add the remaining bay leaves, cloves and cardamom pods and sauté until they crackle. Add the onions and sauté until they are softened and translucent. Add the ginger and garlic mixture and cook, stirring for two to three minutes. Add the ground coriander, chilli powder and cumin and stir for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and lamb steaks, salt, and enough water to cover the mixture. Cook gently for about 30 minutes. Add the chickpeas and simmer for a further 10 minutes, or until the lamb is cooked. Serve, sprinkled with the coriander leaves.
RED CHARD WITH CORIANDER AND PEANUTS
800g red chard or spinach
1½ tsp coriander seeds
1 dried red chilli
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and finely sliced
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp ground turmeric
half tsp salt, or to taste
2 tbsp unsalted peanuts, toasted and crushed
Remove the stems from the chard or spinach and wash the leaves. Drain well. Lightly toast the coriander seeds and dried red chilli in a small heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat for a minute or two, until they begin to crackle. Shake the pan constantly. Crush finely, using a pestle and mortar.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or deep sauté pan. Add the crushed coriander and chilli mixture and sauté for one minute. Add the chopped garlic and sauté until golden brown in colour.
Add the sliced onion and sauté until softened, then add the tomatoes. Stir, and add the turmeric. Cook on a low heat for a couple of minutes.
Add the chard or spinach leaves to the pan, along with the salt, and cook on a low heat for a few minutes until all the moisture has evaporated and the chard leaves start to wilt. Add the crushed peanuts, toss to mix and remove from the heat. Serve at once.
COCONUT FISH CURRY
4 sea bass fillets, each about 150g
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1½ tsp turmeric
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced
6 green chillies, split lengthways
3 garlic cloves, sliced into strips
20 curry leaves
400ml coconut milk
coriander sprigs to garnish
Remove any small bones from the fish fillets with tweezers. Mix half a teaspoon of salt with half a teaspoon of turmeric and rub gently into the fish fillets.
Heat the coconut oil in a wide pan. Add the onions, chillies and garlic and sauté for a few moments. Add the curry leaves and keep cooking until the onions are translucent. Take out half the curry leaves and set aside as a garnish.
Add the rest of the turmeric and salt to the pan. Pour in the coconut milk and heat through. Then add the fish fillets and simmer, very gently, for three to four minutes until just cooked. Serve garnished with the reserved curry leaves and coriander.