KITCHEN TABLE
KOLD KOFFEE WITH KATONA
Nisha Katona, the founder of the Mowgli Street Food restaurants in Britain and a star of British cooking shows, shares what she cooks at home – in 30 minutes or less! – in 30-Minute Mowgli (Nourish, $32.95).
QUICK ANGRY TANDOORI
Image credit: 30-Minute Mowgli by Nisha Katona.
½ cup vegetable oil
3 cups plain yoghurt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cubes frozen, crushed ginger or 2 thumb-sized pieces peeled and grated
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp garam masala
3 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tsp salt
Juice of ½ lemon
1 kg skin-on boneless chicken thighs, lightly slashed
Preheat the oven to 425° F and line a baking sheet with foil.
Put all the ingredients except the chicken in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Add the chicken to the bowl and use your hands to massage the marinade into the chicken flesh, ensuring it is really well coated.
Transfer the chicken to the baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 20 -25 mins. until the chicken is tender and beginning to char slightly at the edges.
Serve hot.
BEETROOT AND BACK-OF-THE-FRIDGE CURRY
Image credit: 30-Minute Mowgli by Nisha Katona.
250 g new potatoes, quartered
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp paanch phoron
500 gms cooked beetroot, cut into 1½ cm pieces
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp salt
100 g greens (whatever you have in the fridge that needs using up)
1 heaped tsp English mustard
½ tsp sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice
Cooked rice or flatbreads, to serve
Put the potatoes in a large pan, cover with salted water, place over high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a lively simmer and cook for 10 mins. until the potatoes are tender.
Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a separate pan over medium heat, add the paanch phoron and cook, stirring, until the spice is fragrant and begins to fiz.
Add the beetroot and cooked potatoes and stir to combine with the oil and spice.
Add the ground turmeric, chilli powder and salt and stir again. Cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook for 8 mins., stirring occasionally.
Stir the chopped greens through the mixture, then return the lid to the pan and leave to cook for another 3 mins. until the greens are tender.
Once everything is cooked through, remove the lid and stir through the mustard, sugar and 2 tbsp water.
Squeeze over lemon juice to taste and serve with your choice of rice or flatbreads.
GREEN BEAN AND MANGO DAHL
Image credit: 30-Minute Mowgli by Nisha Katona.
1½ cups red lentils
1 large green mango, peeled, stoned, and cut into 1½ cm pieces
200 g chopped tomatoes
½ tsp turmeric
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 fat green chilli, sliced
100 g runner or green beans, cut into quarters
1 tsp sugar
1½ tsp salt
Juice of ½ lemon
Small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
Put the lentils, mango, chopped tomatoes, ground turmeric and 4 cups of boiling water into a large pan over a medium heat.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook for 15 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
When the lentils are almost done, heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.
Add the cumin and fry for a few seconds until fragrant and dark golden brown.
Add the sliced chilli and fry, stirring continuously, for 10 seconds.
Add the runner or green beans and cook, still stirring, for 2 mins.
Tip the contents of the frying pan into the pan with the lentils and stir to combine.
Add the sugar, salt and lemon juice to the pan and stir to combine, then spoon the dahl into serving dishes and garnish with fresh chopped coriander before serving.
CALCUTTA COLD COFFEE
Image credit: 30-Minute Mowgli by Nisha Katona.
2 tbsp dark-roast instant coffee
1¾ cups whole milk
6 tbsp sugar
1 green cardamom pod, seeds slightly crushed
1 black cardamom pod, seeds slightly crushed
4 cinnamon sticks, to serve
Put the coffee in a cup with just enough boiling water to dissolve it, then pour into a blender with milk, sugar and both types of cardamom seeds.
Blend the mixture to combine, then set aside for 10 mins to allow the spices to infuse.
Fill 4 small glasses with crushed ice, add a cinnamon stick to each, and then pour the coffee into the glasses through a sieve/strainer. Enjoy!
30-Minute Mowgli by Nisha Katona is published by b Nourish, $32.95.