EXCITING NEWS: MY COOKBOOK IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER WORLDWIDE

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I have been ever so quiet on my blog now for a long time. I do apologise to those who have waited patiently for a post. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to blog, but more a case as I have been focusing all my energy and attention on my cookbook, which is launching late November this year. It is all very EXCITING.

I hope you love the cover above. I wanted something striking and beautiful and I think my publishers have excelled.

As the title states this book is really for anyone who wants to learn how to cook delicious, healthy, Indian home cooking. These are authentic recipes you will see being cooked in households across India. The recipes are very accessible with all of the ingredients being readily available. Since Lockdown I have been teaching a number of Zoom classes with people who in many cases are new to Indian cookery. These recipes have been tried and tested by the uninitiated and work efficiently. The book features recipes I have learned from my Indian family (my husband is of Indian descent) and from my travels to India and Sri Lanka over the last 23 years. There are 106 recipes in total. 70 are vegan (or can be easily adapted to be) and the remaining 36 have meat and/or fish/shellfish.

To give you a snapshot of some of the recipes photographed see the slideshow below.

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I’ll show you a sneak peek of the back of the book too, which I absolutely love. It’s a photo I took of my magnificent guide when I was staying in the Aravalli Hills in Rajasthan. I don’t think I have seen a more splendid attire for a sunrise walk.

So the exciting thing for you is that you can pre-order  the book now. For the first 100 folks to order through me, who have seen this post,  I will also send a little gift as a thank you with each order. All you need to do is go to www.chilliandmintcookbook.com it’s that easy. Pop a comment below too if you have time.

If you are based outside the UK OR are wanting to send the book overseas then the best way for you to order is through Book Depository . I won’t be able to send the extra gift this way, but at least you get a copy of the book.

So please share on all your social media platforms to spread the word. Pre-orders are immensely helpful as they are a good early indicator of a book’s success, and can lead to retailers increasing their initial orders, it really is that simply.

Thank you so much in advance for your loyal support.

Torie

 

 

 

Lamb Keema an alternative to Spaghetti Bolognese

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A British staple is good old spaghetti bolognese – we all grew up eating it and many regard it as the ultimate comfort food. These days I rather gravitate towards the Indian twist on the bolognese known as ‘lamb keema masala’. My girls adore it too and I personally like to eat it with some hot Indian flat bread. It has onions and garlic in it, like bolognese, but how it differs is the range of fragrant spices that go into it: cloves, cardamom, coriander, cumin, garam masala and ginger. I like to dice a large potato and throw that in too and it soaks up all the glorious flavours.

So how about this giving my keema a go next time you think of cooking a mince dish? It’s versatile, very easy to prepare and tastes really delicious. Bolognese with a twist. I hope you agree.

Lamb Keema Masala

Serves 4

800g minced lamb

2 tbs vegetable oil

1  red onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 fresh green chilli, finely chopped

5cm ginger, grated

6 black peppercorns,  roughly ground

5 cloves, whole or ground

5 cardamom pods, whole or ground

1 bay

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp ground almonds

1 heaped tsp of tomato puree

1 tsp salt

1 large potato, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces

2 handfuls of peas, optional

handful of fresh coriander to garnish

1. Warm the oil in a pan and then add the onion and garlic. When it begins to darken after 3-5 minutes add the ginger, green chillies black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom and bay leaf and gently fry all the ingredients for another couple of minutes.

2. Add the ground mince and chopped potato and stir into the onion, garlic and spices. Allow the lamb to brown, but use the back of a wooden spoon to break up the mince and make sure it does not clump together.

3. Now add the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and garam masala, along with the ground almonds and tomato puree. Don’t forget to add a little salt. If you are adding peas add them at this stage.  You can add a little water – around 100ml will do – to moisten it all.

3. Gently simmer, with a lid on for 20 minutes, stirring intermittently. Check that the potatoes have softened.

4.  You can cook it earlier in the day and reheat it when you are ready to eat.

Note: You may find you need to add a very little boiling water when reheating it. 

5. Garnish with fresh coriander when serving.

 

It’s great with boiled rice or Indian flat bread.