Let baigans be baigans

The more I cook, perhaps the older I get (or is it tireder), the fewer ingredients I want to use in a dish. And the simpler the food I'm making, the more delicious it seems to be.This week it's been a case of taking a vegetable and using that as the starting point for a meal. A little more thinking has had to be applied rather than thoughtlessly going with the usual starchy suspects you reach for on a rapidly darkening Tuesday evening.As if dealing with the sad acceptance that we don't live in an endless Swallows and Amazons summer wasn't enough, now we have to start eating properly again. No more cream teas and cake for the evening meal. Out has gone the pasta, rice and potatoes that form so many daily meals, and in, the sad acceptance that we are no longer inhabiting our 20 year old bodies.But it need not be dull as we slip headlong into turnip season. We are still heavy with aubergines, broccoli, cauliflower, courgettes and sweetcorn among other things. The salads are fading, but my appetite is growing. And as we lose nearly two hours of daylight over September's delicate and gentle colour change, we can start to get bolder and deeper with flavours.This recipe is based on the gloriously named Pushpesh Pant's 'curried aubergine in coconut sauce', which he says is from India's 'coastal region'. So just a small area then. I've added saffron, almond flakes, green chillies and coriander to mine to pep things up a little.Rich and exciting, it's texture is indecently silky, as if Liberty's had opened a dodgy Soho alleyway silk scarf shop. We had it twice this week, the juices mopped up with spiced chickpea flatbreads. I've still got one more aubergine in the fridge from the veg box, so we haven't seen the last of this in our house.Ingredients1 medium-sized aubergine1tsp asafoetida1tsp chilli powder1/2tsp turmeric powder200-240ml coconut milkA sprinkle of flaked almondsA pinch of saffronA small green chilli, sliced thinlyCoriander leaves to garnishSalt and pepper to seasonGroundnut, rapeseed or vegetable oil to fry. And plenty of itMethodMix the spices together in a little dish or ramekin with enough water to make a fairly thick paste.Trim and slice the aubergine into discs roughly 1/2cm thickHeat the oil in a large sauté pan and fry the aubergine in a couple of batches until golden on each side, having seasoned with a generous hand. Set each batch aside on a plate until you have finished.Add the spice paste to the pan and fry for a second or two, stirring well so it breaks up a little. Add the coconut milk and mix well until the spices dissolve into it, giving it a golden amber colour and releasing its aromas.Gently add the aubergines back to the pan and simmer for a few minutes until heated through. Don't cook them for too long or they will collapse.Sprinkle with the green chilli, nuts, saffron and coriander, give a good twist of pepper and serve hot.

Aaloo sailor

 Potato has to be one of life's great comfort foods. And while I rail about the result versus the time and planning taken to bake a jacket potato to golden crunchy skin and a fluffy inside, there's no denying that slathered in butter, salt, pepper and melting Cheddar cheese, there's not much to rival it in the crawling under the duvet of food stakes.There are so many things you can do with the potato as we know, but here, because it's such a great absorber of flavour -think of the roast potatoes sucking up the juices from the meat at the end of Sunday lunch- I've used it in a curry. This goes a little beyond the quick spinach and potato saag aloo in that the spice mix is a lot more involved, it's a little saucier and the addition of tomatoes gives it a tangy and sweet richness.It's a dish I happily have on its own, but equally will go fantastically well as a side dish for a slow-roast spicy marinated lamb dish if you want a more exciting Sunday. It also makes a great dosa filling, and the chilli in this will certainly make for a more exciting breakfast. Perhaps a little too exciting, but it will certainly wake you up. And possibly ruin the day if you feed it to the children instead of egg on toast or porridge.Make the spice mix in advance and keep it in an airtight jar, then it's a matter of moments to put the dish together and leave it to simmer away for about 25 minutes to cook and thicken.IngredientsFor the spice mix:I used a combination of the following in fairly equal quantities, but you can adjust if you prefer it to have more or less heat, more aniseedy flavour and so on.SaltChilli powderGround turmericBlack mustard seedMango powderCardamonClovesFenugreek seedCuminCoriander seedFennel seedNigella seedCitric acidGarlic powderBlack pepperFor the curry:1kg Maris Piper potatoes, cut into smallish chunks150g cherry tomatoes4tbsp spice mixA few handfuls of spinachFresh coriander and sliced green chilli to serveMethodBlitz the ingredients for the spice mix into a powder. After you've blitzed it all, add some whole coriander, cumin, fennel and nigella seeds which give the finished dish an extra element of flavour.Put the potatoes, four tablespoons of spice mix and tomatoes in a large saucepan and just cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook until the potatoes are soft and the water has reduced by about half.Mash some of the potato into the liquid to thicken it and add the spinach.Stir well until the spinach has wilted, check the seasoning, add some coriander leaves and green chilli and serve. Easy.

Punjab dhal dumpling curry

 I always get excited when I stumble across new ingredients. I'll try anything as long as it's not a joke or a dare. Or fugu. Or a still beating snake heart. Or a Ginster's pasty.The food that really captures my imagination and makes my appetite dance around with anticipation is Indian. The spices, the variety, the flavours, the smells, the occasional cartoon version of me with steam coming out of my ears all get me going.If I go too long without some form of Indian food, my curry levels drop and I need treatment. That just doesn't happen with any other cuisine for me. As much as I love rich, subtle and elegantly robust French food and the beautiful simplicity of Italian food, it's just not the same level of wonder.I made one of my regular, but too infrequent trips to Tooting last week to seek inspiration and hopefully a green chilli pakora or two from Ambala if I timed it right. (They're at their best straight from the fryer, before they've had time to sit around and lose their enthusiasm). I didn't time it right, they didn't open for another hour. Instead, I managed a spicy container of chickpea chaat failing dismally at pretending I was walking through the street-food markets of Mumbai on a cold January London morning.My favourite shop since the much missed Dadu's mysteriously closed down is now V&B, not too far down the traffic-filled road. As I was loading the trolley with things I had no idea about, and vegetables I photographed the names of to Google when I got home, I found a packet of 'Punjabi wadi'. The word wadi looked similar to 'vadi' to me -you'll be impressed at my deduction there- which are one of my favourite snacks, so in they went. (There is a recipe here). These dried lentil dumplings turned out to be a popular Punjabi ingredient, which should come as no surprise to the sharper among you.The packet instructions suggested cooking them in a tomato based sauce and that's exactly what I did. I followed the instructions and even looked up on the internet what they are supposed to look and taste like and what texture they are supposed to be. I got everything right. I'll not be making them again.These are from an extensively vegetarian cuisine, but I'd rather have ande ki sabji, the tomato and egg dish, or chana masala. They are equally quick to make, and you're quite likely to already have the ingredients in the cupboard. If you're vegan though, these may be a winner. The sauce was delicious, the accompaniments and flavours all tasty. I just couldn't get along with the texture. Almost meaty, quite substantial, but a little reminiscent of compacted damp cardboard. Perhaps my mind can be changed if ever I'm in Amristar, but it won't be my life's mission.You can buy these online if you want to try them, but if I've not filled you with excitement and ambition, use the sauce base for an aaloo egg curry. I'd recommend trying the radish pods (mogri) if you can get hold of them, they were simple, tasty and fun. And I bought the sarson ka saag ready-made. It's a dish I love, but can be tricky to get the right leaves.Ingredients for two100g Punjabi wadi1tsp cumin seeds1tsp black mustard seeds1/2 thumb of grated ginger1/2tsp ground turmeric1tsp chilli powder250g chopped tomatoes1tbsp palm sugar/jaggery250ml waterRapeseed oilA few green chilliesSaltFor the mogri masalaA couple of handfuls of mogri1/2tsp mustard seedsSmall pinch asafoetida1 green chilli1tsp ground corianderRapeseed oilSaltFor the sarson ka sagBuy a tinMethodMake the tomato sauce by heating the oil in a heavy saucepan then adding the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the remaining spices, cook for thirty seconds on a low heat then add the ginger and wadi then cook for a further minute.Add the tomatoes and water and simmer away for ten minutes. Slice the green chillies and throw in the pan toward the end of cooking.Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan for the mogri and add the oil and mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the remaining ingredients and toss around the pan for a couple of minutes until they've cooked a little but are still crunchy.Warm the sarson ka saag and serve everything together. 

Garam Masala

This spice mix, key to much Indian cooking, is so easy to make.You can tailor it to have more cinnamon, fewer cloves, a pinch of chilli heat and so on, as you wish. It goes in at the beginning of cooking and at the end to finish a dish. It peps up scrambled or baked eggs and can go in a flatbread dough. It's a real store cupboard essential here.There must be as many recipes for garam masala as there are spices and combinations. Here's mine.Ingredients1tbsp dill seeds2tbsp coriander seeds1tbsp green cardamom seeds1 black cardamom1 dried red chilli1 cassia bark stick (about six cm)1tbsp ajwain seeds1tbsp black peppercorns1tsp ground nutmeg1tsp ground mace1tbsp cumin seeds1tsp black salt powder (or Maldon salt)MethodPut all the spices in a heavy-based pan and heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Leave to cool and grind in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder until it becomes a fine powder. Store in an airtight jar and use as needed.

Sri Lankan Beetroot and Coconut Curry

First of all, if you don't like beetroot, please leave the room becausea: I don't trust youb: you won't like this curry. It tastes of beetroot.For those of you still here, this is a rather special curry. One of those where the taste lingers long after in the mind. In fact, I was dreaming of this dish the day after I made it, keen to cook it again at the soonest opportunity. It's rich, soothing, earthy, firey (and possibly windy), and the dense texture of the beetroot is quite unusual in that the in the curries I usually have, the main ingredient is soft, tender long cooked meat that falls apart, delicate prawns, or meaty fish. This has bite. And the sauce... dredging the chapatis through the deep burgundy velvet is an indecent event.I'd stress the importance of fresh curry leaves. Don't bother with dried ones really. At the very least, use fresh curry leaves you have frozen (which they are very good for). I normally buy quite a few bags and keep them in the freezer just in case. They are so distinct and have such a recognisable aroma when they hit the hot coconut oil in the pan that they immediately hit my memory button of being in Sri Lanka.You can use the base of this curry with prawns if you like and it will be delicious. But please, try this one. You can have a prawn curry any boring old time.Ingredients2tbsp coconut oil4 large beetroot1tsp mustard seeds. I used yellow, but you can useblack1 small cinnamon stick1tbsp ground coriander4 green chillies, sliced (I'd go up to six)1 garlic clove, crushed1 onion, finely slicedA handful of fresh curry leaves1tsp grated fresh turmeric root1/2tsp grated ginger1 tin of coconut milk2tbsp pistachios, chopped2tbsp dessicated coconutSome coriander leavesFor the chapatis:300g wholewheat flour170ml warm waterA good pinch of salt1tsp garam masalaMethodHeat the coconut oil in a large wide pan and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop add the cinnamon stick and onion. Stir well, season a little and cook gently until the onions start to soften and turn golden. Add the turmeric, coriander, garlic and ginger then stir in the curry leaves.Add the chillies and beetroot, stir well and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and mix well.Bring to the boil then turn to a low simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, turning the beetroot occasionally so they cook evenly and the sauce reduces and thickens.If the sauce gets too thick, add a splash of hot water and stir well. Taste, adjust the seasoning and leave to rest while you make the chapatis.Mix the flour, salt, garam masala and water together in a bowl until it forms a dough. Knead for a few minutes then divide into eight balls. Heat a cast iron skillet until red hot and thinly roll out a dough ball into a circle. Cook it in the dry pan until it starts to bubble up. Flip it over and cook until the other side bubbles. If you have a gas hob, finish each bread directly on the flame for about 20 seconds, they puff up really well and char a little.Repeat until you have used all the dough.Heat the curry through, sprinkle over the pistachios, coconut and coriander and serve with the chapatis and some basmati rice if you like.

Curried spelt with salmon

Apart from the smell of onions and garlic cooking in a little butter and oil, I don’t think anything beats the aromatic and almost mysterious smell that comes from toasting a mix of spices in a pan, then adding puréed ginger, onion and chilli.This dish is for when you don’t feel like a curry, but want a little of that wonderful spicing to perk something up. Toasting the spelt gives it an extra nuttiness, adding an almost a popcorn-like flavour. And the spices turn it into a thing of beauty.Ingredients• 4 salmon fillets, removed from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking• 200g spelt• 1 tbsp of olive oil• 1 tsp cumin seeds• 1 tsp coriander seeds• ½ tsp turmeric• 1 tsp of chilli powder•  ½ tsp chilli flakes• ½ tsp fennel seeds• 1 tbsp of olive oil• Water• Salt and pepper to seasonMethod1. In a saucepan with the heat on already, pour in the olive oil. Add the spelt and toast for a minute or until the grains start to pop a little.2. Add the spices and stir well. Lower the heat and cook for a further minute. Pour in enough water to well cover the spelt, bring to the boil and cover with a lid. Turn the heat down and cook for 20 minutes or so, until the spelt is soft, but with a little bite. Set aside.3. Heat a frying pan with a little oil and season the salmon well. Add it to the pan skin-side down and cook for five minutes, until the skin is crisping. Turn over and turn the heat off. Leave for five minutes.4.  Serve the spelt on warm plates topped with the salmon and a side serving of garlicky green beans.