SPICE UP TO SLIM DOWN

Can spices help you lose weight? Kalpna Woolf shows how to spice up to slim down in Spice Diet  (Pavilion, $19.95). And also how to spice up a Valentine’s Day treat!

ANDA BHOURGEE (EGGS INDIAN STYLE)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

4 large spring onions, including green part, roughly chopped

½ tsp salt, or to taste

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp ground coriander

1 medium chilli, finely chopped

2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped into cubes

A large handful of fresh coriander stems and leaves chopped separately

8 organic eggs

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Add the garlic and spring onion and sauté gently for 3-4 mins. until soft. Add the salt, turmeric, ground coriander and chilli and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Mix in the tomatoes and coriander stems and cook for a further 2-3 mins. until the tomatoes are soft but not too mushy.

Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly with a fork. Pour into the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 mins., or until set. Check the seasoning, sprinkle over the coriander leaves and serve immediately.

AN INDIAN ABROAD SUNDAY ROAST

1 medium free-range chicken (about 1.5 kg, skinned)

2 large onions, peeled, one cut  in half and the other in quarters

1 whole head of garlic, cut in half

100 ml hot water

For the marinade:

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2-inch fresh ginger, peeled

1 green chilli, roughly chopped

1 large lemon

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp olive oil

150 gm plain yoghurt

2½ tbsp Tandoori Spice Rub*

½ tsp chilli powder (optional)

To make the marinade, put the garlic, ginger, green chilli, coriander, juice of half the lemon, salt and olive oil in a food processor and pulse to a paste. This can also be done in a large pestle and mortar. Place the paste in a bowl and mix in the yoghurt, spice rub and chilli powder (if using).

Using a very sharp knife, cut down the middle of the breast bone of the chicken. Separate the skin and pull off. To skin the drumsticks, cut around the bottom of the leg, then cut the skin up the leg and gently pull off. Turn the chicken over and do the same. There’s no need to skin the wings.

Make deep slashes into the breast and legs of the chicken, then rub the marinade deep into the slashes. Place an onion half and the remaining lemon half in the cavity of the chicken.

Cover loosely with foil and place in the refrigerator to marinate. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and place the four onion quarters and whole garlic pieces on the base of a large oven tray.

Seat the chicken on top. Pour hot water into the tray.  Cover the chicken loosely with foil and cook, regularly basting with the juice.

10 minutes before the chicken is ready, remove the foil and continue cooking until the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the meat. When cooked, take the chicken out of the oven, closely wrap with foil and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

*TANDOORI SPICE RUB

8 cloves

5 medium Kashmiri chillies

6 tbsp coriander seeds

8 whole black cardamom pods

4 two-inch cinnamon sticks

2 tbsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp chilli powder

Roast the whole spices together in a pan for 3-5 minutes, until the aromas are released. Grind into a fine powder and mix in the pre-ground spices.

Store in an airtight jar.

GOOD-FOR-YOU CHOCOLATE AND CARDAMOM POTS

75 g dark chocolate, broken into small cubes

1 tsp organic cocoa powder, plus ½ tbsp for dusting

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp ground cardamom powder

¼ cup low-fat fromage frais

2 egg whites

1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

1 cup strawberries, thinly sliced

Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water. Add the chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and ground cardamom powder and slowly melt. When melted, take off the heat and allow to cool.

Mix the fromage frais gently into the cooled chocolate mixture until everything is combined.

Whisk the egg whites in a freestanding electric mixer until stiff, then slowly add the sugar, while still beating. You should have glossy peaks. Slowly fold half the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture until it is mixed in, then add the rest and fold in gently. Don’t beat the mixture – the trick is to keep it light and airy.

Place a few strawberry slices at the base of each ramekin or espresso cup and put a portion of the chocolate mixture into each pot. Top with more strawberries. Chill in the refrigerator for around 45 mins. until set.

Dust each pot with remaining cocoa powder before serving.