Serves 4 as a side (and can be doubled easily) 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, plus extra to serve½ cucumber, plus extra to serve (about 4 ounces)1 generous cup plain Greek yogurtlarge handful fresh mint leaves, shredded1/3 teaspoon salt Place a frying pan over medium heat...
This is a great delicacy, and also a pickle with a purpose. Turmeric has been heralded as a hero in the kitchen, a fighter against all ills. A little of this earthy pickle on your plate will go a long way. Watch out when you’re cooking with it, though: turmeric will...
This chutney is a Gujarati favorite, made when the first mangoes of the season arrive. I asked my 83-year-old grandmother to show me how to make it. “I don’t remember how to,” she said, but amazingly, her hands rhythmically chopped the mango and stirred in the...
This is a wonderful pickle. Tangy, pungent, and delicious, it’s long-lasting too. Makes a large jar (around 32 ounces) 2 pounds lemons½ cup canola oil30 fresh curry leaves2 teaspoons mustard seeds½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds¾-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated5...
In this time of being able to access most fruit and veg all year round, forced rhubarb remains staunch in only making a brief appearance each year from late January to April. When it does, I want to preserve as much of it as possible, but despite my best intentions,...
In Kolkata there is a restaurant called Kasturi that has no menu. The chef there cooks some of the best food I’ve had, and always serves this pineapple and ginger chutney to boot. It really does go with anything—I’ve eaten it with fish, meat, and dosas, and it makes a...
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...
This classic and soothing creamy red lentil Sri Lankan dal is offset by spiky “mallum,” or shredded greens cooked with onions, coconut, and fresh lime. In Sri Lanka all sorts of nutritious greens are used to make mallum, from chrysanthemum leaves to turnip tops. I use...
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...
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...
