“For many years, I have followed the traditional way of cooking Indian food, but I have continually created different flavour combinations and experimented with cooking methods. These have been designed to make Indian food more accessible and less time-consuming, without taking away the delicious aromas and flavours from our cuisine,” writes Anjula Devi in her new book, 15-Minute Indian.
The trick to only needing one pot, and not a lot of time, is to cut ingredients small and cook on the hob with a lid.
Beetroot with Indian five spice
Preparation time: 4 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
500g shop-bought cooked beetroot
1 hot birds’ eye chilli
Large handful of fresh mint, plus extra to garnish
2tbsp coconut oil
½tsp fenugreek seeds
½tsp brown mustard seeds
½tsp cumin seeds
½tsp nigella seeds
1tsp fennel seeds
1tsp garlic paste
2tsp ginger paste
½tsp ground turmeric
Chilli powder, to taste
2tsp jaggery (or soft brown sugar)
1tbsp coconut cream
Fine sea salt, to taste
Juice of 1 small lime
Method:
1 Dice the beetroot.
2. Pierce several holes in the birds’ eye chilli, using a cocktail stick (toothpick).
3. Pick the fresh mint leaves from the stems and set aside.
4. Place a wok on a medium heat, then add the following ingredients in this order: coconut oil, fenugreek seeds, brown mustard seeds, cumin seeds, nigella seeds, fennel seeds, garlic paste, ginger paste, birds’ eye chilli, beetroot, turmeric, chilli powder, jaggery, coconut cream and salt to taste. Stir-fry for eight minutes, tossing occasionally.
5. Switch off the heat, then add the fresh mint and lime juice. Stir well, then place a lid on the wok and allow to sit for two minutes. Scatter over some more fresh mint leaves and enjoy.
Eggy masala bread
Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
2tbsp whole milk
1tbsp tomato paste
2tsp ginger paste
1tsp white wine vinegar
2tsp chilli oil
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
Fine sea salt, to taste
8 eggs
Oil or ghee, for frying
8 slices of brown bread
To serve:
Roasted cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped fresh coriander
Method:
1. Add the following ingredients to a mixing bowl: milk, tomato paste, ginger paste, vinegar, chilli oil, ground cumin and coriander, and salt to taste. Mix everything together well.
2. Crack the eggs into the bowl and whisk thoroughly.
3. Preheat a large frying pan on a low heat, then brush the pan with a little oil or ghee.
4. Dip two pieces of bread into the bowl and soak them in the egg mixture, then place them both in the pan.
5. Fry for one minute, then flip over and fry for a further one minute until the bread is golden brown all over.
6. Repeat to soak and cook the remaining bread slices and enjoy!
Hariyali monkfish
Preparation time: 3 minutes
Cooking time: 7 minutes
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
6 monkfish fillets
1tbsp coconut oil
For the marinade:
1tsp ginger paste
1tsp garlic paste
1tsp honey
1tbsp coconut oil
Handful of fresh coriander
Handful of fresh basil
Handful of fresh dill
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
2tsp garlic paste
1tsp cumin seeds
2tsp coriander seeds
1tsp fennel seeds
1 green chilli, or to taste
Juice of 1 small lime
Fine sea salt, to taste
Method:
1. Cut the fish into bite-sized chunks and place on absorbent kitchen paper.
2. Put all the marinade ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.
3. Pour the marinade over the monkfish and mix well.
4. Place a wok on a high heat until smoking hot, then reduce the heat to medium and add the coconut oil.
5. Now add the marinated fish and stir-fry for five to seven minutes, or until the fish is cooked through, tossing occasionally.
6. Switch off the heat, garnish with fresh coriander and dill and enjoy.
15 Minute Indian by Anjula Devi is published in hardback by Carnival, priced £22. Photography by Tom Regester. Available now
