Hot, salty, and vinegary, this addictive pickle can perk up the dullest of things. Makes a large jar (around 32 ounces) ½ small cauliflower (9 ounces)½ pound radishes2 medium carrots½ cup canola oil1 tablespoon mustard seeds3 whole Kashmiri chiles, broken into pieces1...
FRESH COCONUT CHUTNEY
Fresh, creamy, hot, and the perfect accompaniment to the dosas here and here. This is a fresh chutney, so it won’t keep long and ideally needs to be made on the day of eating. NOTE: You will need a blender for this recipe. Serves 2 1 Indian green chile1¾ cups fresh...
HARSHA AUNTY’S GREEN CHILE + MUSTARD PICKLE
Adding pungent mustard to hot chiles doesn’t sound as though it should work, but the combination is sublime. A couple of days’ fermenting with some lemon juice and salt really rounds the edges off the chiles and creates a champion worthy of a daily spot on the kitchen...
MRS. SURA’S LEMON + RED CHILE PICKLE
A tongue-tickler of a pickle: it’s fresh, bright, zesty, and hot. The ajwain seeds add a distinct flavor, not dissimilar to thyme. I am partial to using this pickle to liven up sandwiches and simple subjis with its salty and sour heat. It takes a couple of days to...
ADITYA’S EGGPLANT + TAMARIND CHUTNEY
I’ve been searching for the perfect eggplant chutney for years, and I think I’ve finally found it. Aditya is a good friend of mine who I worked with at Gymkhana, one of London’s best Indian restaurants. Following a few months of persuasion, he finally gave me his...
GUJARATI DAL WITH PEANUTS + STAR ANISE
This dal is my and every other Gujarati’s taste of home. One spoonful and I am transported. It has a more complex taste than most dals due to the subtle jabs of star anise, curry leaves, and lemon, all rounded off with the sweetness of honey. Because of the time it...
PANEER STUFFED ROMANO PEPPERS
I’m a child of the eighties—no one can stop me from stuffing peppers. These make for a beautiful starter alongside simply dressed leaves, and you can, if you want, stuff the peppers and refrigerate them, then roast them when you want to eat them. Serves 4 as a starter...
STICKY MANGO PANEER SKEWERS
Jim Pizer is more Indian than a lot of Indians I know. While growing up he was in and out of his Indian friends’ houses in Birmingham, eating their mums’ home cooking, and was so disappointed with the state of Indian food in restaurants in the UK that he decided to...
HUMAYUN’S EGGPLANT KUKU
Humayun was a Mughal emperor in Delhi in the 1500s. He earned the title “Perfect Man” for his patience and tranquility, and he was partial to refined Persian food, cooked by the best chefs of his day. When he wasn’t eating stuffed roasted whole sheep, or...
SESAME + TAMARIND EGGPLANTS WITH CRACKED WHEAT
The people of Andhra Pradesh love their pungent, spicy, and sour flavors, as well as cooking vegetables in rich pastes made of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or peanuts. This dish is typical of the region and uses tamarind for sourness and sesame seeds for rich...