Mendu Vadas with Chilli, Apple and Mint Chutney

Whilst I was in India last year I sampled some outstanding food. Moreish snacks are my favourite Indian food and every region in India has their specialities. 

Despite travelling in mainly Northern/ middle India, it was probably Southern Indian food that I ate the most. Who can resist a hot crispy dosa? Definitely not I!

But it's not only dosa the South Indian cuisine is famed for. If you haven't tried mendu vadas yet, this is your chance! It is as simple a dish as dosa but much easier to make as home. (If you have ever tried to make a dosa as thin and crispy as you can get in restaurants, then you'll know that making dosa at home is never as satisfying as eating it out!)

Chutney Cheese Sandwich with Pickled Onions

With September being the start of the academic year (here in the UK at least), it got me thinking about my school lunch box. Kids these days seem to have such exotic palates, growing up exposed to so many different cuisines both at home and when they go out, I can’t imagine they are satisfied with just a sandwich and a piece of fruit anymore. However when I was growing up my packed lunch always begun with a sandwich – cucumber and mustard mainly, sometimes jam, sometimes peanut butter, often the two together (you can tell I had a limited palate). Something between two slices of bread was always the starting point for my lunch box, followed by a box of fruit, packet of crisps, maybe a chocolate or a piece of cake and a couple of snacks for the journey home (I had a very high metabolism – and also very hungry friends on the coach home from whom it was impossible to hide any scrap of food!).

Since those lunch box days I have progressed in the way of sandwich fillings. Now pretty much anything is permitted between any two slices of bread that enter my mouth. This recipe was born in that vein because almost every Indian household will have some green chutney hanging about in their fridge, and naturally anything that is hanging about in the fridge is game when it comes to sandwich fillings. A lot of people will have their own version of this sandwich adding all sorts such as sliced tomatoes or shredded lettuce. But my recipe keeps it classic; simply chutney and cheese.

Chutney Cheese Sandwich with Pickled Onions

However it should be noted this chutney is not your average sweet mango marmalade-ish chutney. This is the real deal chutney, the chutney that my grandmother, like her own grandmother and her grandmothers grandmother too (probably) means when she refers to chutney. It gets its vivid green colour (and name) from the hoards of coriander that it begins with, plus a little extra from the mint I’ve added in for freshness. This chutney is used as a dip for absolutely anything, so even if you're not too keen on the sound of the sandwich, the chutney alone is worth a try.

To make this sandwich properly, the bread you use has to be white. You just won’t get the same crisp lightness on your toast without white bread. A packet of crisps is never too far away from any sandwich but I like mine with a side of pickled onions. They add a satisfying crunch and sharpness to the dish. Furthermore, they really couldn’t be any easier to make.

So if you want to spice up your lunch box here’s how you make my Chutney Cheese Sandwich with Pickled Onions.

Chutney Cheese Sandwich with Pickled Onions (serves 4)

Ingredients for the Chutney

For the Chutney:

1 bunch of corriander, roughly chopped

Approx 30 mint leaves

2 tsp cumin seeds

¾ tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 lemon, juice only

3 chillies, or less depending on how spicy you like it

Approx 10/15 roasted peanuts

For the Pickled Onions:

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 pinch of sea salt

To make the chutney, simply add all the ingredients, apart from the peanuts, into a blender. Blitz until smooth. Check the consistency of the chutney. Add the peanuts to thicken if necessary. Blitz until smooth – and the chutney is done. It will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks. Alternatively you can freeze it ready for a later date.

Ingredients for the Pickled Onion

For the pickled onions, simply mix all the ingredients together and leave the onions to pickle in the juices for at least a couple of hours. (If you can make this day before you want to eat it, even better! The flavours develop over time, so the longer you leave it the better it will taste).

To assemble the sandwich simply toast one side of each slice of bread. Spread the chutney on the un-toasted side. Pile on the cheese (grated/sliced – however you like it) and sandwich together. Serve with the pickled onion on the side. This recipe couldn’t be any simpler but still tastes delicious!

Just couldn't help but take a bite!

// Click here PRINT RECIPE //

Until next time...

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My Indian Vegetable Curry

I've called this post "My Indian Vegetable Curry" because yes, it is a recipe for vegetable curry, but it's my take on curry. Though they're not hard and fast, there still exist some unwritten rules to curry making in each region of India, rules particular to each region and general rules that apply to all Indian curries. These have mainly come to my knowledge through trying different kinds of curries and (inevitably, considering I come from a proud Gujarati family who think Gujarati cuisine is the supreme of all those in India) a little hear say. The Punjabi's cook with cream and ghee (clarified butter) and tend to flavour their food more heavy handedly than say Gujarati's, who prefer milder, more delicately flavoured curry with thoroughly cooked vegetables (some might say over cooked). Rajasthani cuisine is rich and uses a lot of wheat compared to South Indian food which prefers rice as its carbohydrate and is big on coconut milk. The array of curries available across India is astounding. And of course within each region there are even more variations. For my curry invention, I have taken elements from a variety of curries which I enjoy and probably broke the rules in all regions as a result! 

I started out by ignoring my Gujarati roots, heading straight for the pungent flavours of onion, garlic and ginger. I then indulged myself further in a tablespoon of rich ghee. One thing all curries have in common is the tempering process. This is when the cooking fat is permeated with the flavour of spices; it also takes the harshness away from the spices, bringing them together into a singular, deep and rounded taste. It was at this tempering stage that I decided, this curry was going to be mellow. A slow cooker.

The next step in my curry revolution was the combination of spices I used. With no rule book to constrain me, the spice cupboard was my oyster. Immediately drawn to cinnamon (I think I am in a decidedly Christmas mood these days) my head said warm and rounded, mellow is after all my motto. Nutmeg, star anise and cardamom followed suit. So far, super unconventional... but stick with me! If this was going to be a proper curry it had to involve heat in some way, but fiery heat and mellow do not match. As an alternative to hot heat, black pepper and peppercorns offer a gentle nudge where a chilli would give a karate style kick. And then the usual mix of tumeric, cumin and coriander joined the party. 

This whole process was the basis for my curry sauce, as I like the idea of making a curry sauce separately to the vegetables that will eventually go in it. To finish the sauce all that was needed was some whizzed up tomatoes, and then I whacked the whole lot in a blender. This is a brilliant technique, as now the sauce is ready to douse anything you wish; vegetables, rice, meat, whatever takes your fancy! My goal being a vegetable curry, the sauce was used to coat and enrich a vegetable medley of potato, carrot and courgette which had been steamed gently until cooked.

Though at first glance it might not seem it, this curry recipe really works. The slow cooking technique is what makes this curry mellow, all the flavours mingle slowly and eventually mesh into one rounded taste. The spices I've used are warming and gentle, great for those who don't like heat of chilli but love the layers of flavour in curries. 



Here's the details of this recipe:  

1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp coriander and cumin powder
a pinch of cumin
a pinch of black pepper 
a pinch of cardamom
a pinch of nutmeg
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole black peppercorns
1 star anise
2 medium white onion, sliced thinly
1 inch ginger piece, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, peeled whole
2 tomatoes, skinned and whizzed into liquid
1 tbsp ghee

Cook the onion, garlic and ginger in the ghee on a low to medium heat, with the cinnamon sticks, star anise and black peppercorns. Let this cook slowly for 15 to 20 minutes with a tbsp of salt until everything is softened but not brown. Add the rest of the dry spices and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Finally add the liquid tomatoes and season with salt again, about 1 tbsp should be enough. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes. Finish with a squeeze of lemon, then remove the stare anise and blend in liquidizer. Return to the heat and this is the point to check the seasoning with a quick taste. Add a tbsp of yoghurt to finish off when serving. Delicious!

To make the vegetable curry (feeds about 4 to 6):

2 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 courgette, cut into 1 inch pieces
a large handful of spinach

Simply, steam the veg until cooked. The carrots and potato will take about 10 minutes, the courgette 5 and the spinach will only take a minute to wilt down. Once cooked simply mix with the curry sauce.
My carbohydrate of choice comes form the South in the form of rice, but feel free to serve with whatever takes your fancy!



Until next time...

Indian Tartiflette

So this week I thought it's about time I paid homage to my Indian roots. My mum for one was slightly offended Indian food has yet to feature in any of my posts! It's not that I don't love Indian food, I do. But it's just that most of the time I do eat anything Indian, it's something I've had a million times before. Indian food ceases to surprise me. (Having said that, it's probably partly down to the fact that I hardly ever eat Indian food out.) Indian food is something I eat at home, and have done for my entire 21 years! Furthermore it's something my Mum, Aunts and Grandmas do so expertly, why would I try to mess with that?!

When I cook, I prefer to cook something experimental. Often something I've never cooked before trying to replicate something I've seen, tried, heard about. Hence my first Indian food post is actually an Indian twist on a French classic, tartiflette. 

Tartiflette are basically cute, little potato and cheese nests: crispy, chewy and the perfect moreish snack. Traditionally they are made from potatoes, lardons (pieces of smoky, fatty pork) and  Reblochon cheese. I was tempted the moment I heard about these! To make something so obviously French, (I mean it contains super stinky cheese, makes no apology for the butter necessary to bind it all together and is full of lardons. Carb central!) Indian, well, all I had to do was add the most obvious Indian ingredient: spice!

Here's how they're made...

450g potatoes (about 4/5 average sized potatoes), shredded/grated
1 white onion, chopped finely
1 garlic clove, minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced/grated
1 green chilli, chopped finely
100g or so of cheddar cheese, cubed
a handful of coriander, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2/3 curry leaves
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 a lemon

Start by draining the water out of the potatoes. Put all the shredded potato in a tea cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Add a little salt to the potatoes to help draw out the moisture.

Next, put the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves, let the spices infuse the oil until the seeds start popping. At this point, add the onions and cook gently, so that they soften not brown. After about 5 minutes, add the garlic, ginger and chilli. (Adjust the amount of chilli you put in according to your taste and the heat of the chilli. If you don't like hot spice, take out the seeds as they are what gives the chilli its real heat.)
This is a good point to season the mixture with salt to taste, I would say at least 1/2 tsp is necessary. Once the garlic, ginger and chilli have cooked for 2 minutes, switch off the heat. Mix in the potato, cheese and coriander. The amount of cheese you add is your prerogative, I know French recipes would call for at least about 250g!

Spoon into the greased muffin tins (grease with oil or butter, grease really well to ensure your tartiflette come out with ease post baking). Bake at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly. 

To serve, I suggest tamarind or mint and coriander chutney. Believe it or not these taste exceptionally good with a healthy dollop of tomato ketchup! And there you have it, Indian tartiflette.

Until next time...