Gul and Sepoy, Spitalfields

Leave a comment November 29, 2017 chilliandmint

Have you been to Gunpowder or Madame D’s (which I reviewed for Binge) yet? No I hear you cry. Then ladies and gents, seriously, you have got to get your skates on and head over to Spitalfields in East London and give them both a try. They’ve both received the highly acclaimed accolade of ‘bib gourmand’ (bg’s are given to restaurants which offer both excellent food and good value for money, but do not have to offer the same level of service and pomp that those winning a star would have to).

Gunpowder focuses on home style Indian food, whilst Madame D’s focus is Himalayan, or rather ‘Hakka Chinese’, food. However the really exciting news and the purpose of this post, is that the husband and wife team, Harneet and Devina Baweja, along with Gunpowder head chef, Nirmal Save, have just launched their third restaurant in under two years. Impressive hey! Gul and Sepoy is a stones throw away from their other two restaurants based on Commercial Street, just along from Som Saa.

I went with an open mind and an empty belly, but secretly I was thinking, can they have nailed a third fabulous restaurant? The answer came after my first mouthful, an absolute high five, whoop whoop, YES. I spent the meal grinning ear to ear on the combinations of flavours and dishes that were presented to us. We went for the tasting menu – £25 per person, to be shared. The menu concentrates on cuisine from both south west Indian and north west India. The ‘gul’ part is inspired by the King of Punjab’s most famous courtesan and her love of cooking. This food focuses on rich, sumptuous dishes. The ‘sepoy’ (which means soldier) menu draws from the more rustic, coastal style cooking of the south west.

It was the bream and the ‘royal guchi (morels) pulao that defeated my companion and I. We had to save a little room after all for some ‘wild berries and lavender kheer’ to sweeten our palates. The staff kindly wrapped our leftovers into doggie bags that we could take home.

The restaurant is stylish and yet understated, with an eye catching navy exterior, gold writing type face (important details that I notice) and plum door with lots of foliage. It looks inviting and sets the tone perfectly. As you enter there is a large oak bar, offering some temptingly delicious sounding cocktails as well as a wider-ranging wine list than the other two restaurants. Upstairs, which I didn’t venture, apparently has ‘marble feasting tables providing a touch of luxury and a nod to north India’s ancient royal palaces’. It’s priced slightly more expensive than Gunpowder and Madame D, but not eye-wateringly. I went for a mid-week lunch and it was fairly quiet, but I imagine evenings will be busier and it won’t be long until lunchtimes will follow suit. It’s perfect for a lunch or dinner to be enjoyed at leisure and not hurried. The neighbouring table of 8 gentleman were clearly having a leisured client lunch, so it works for pleasure or work.

The final piece of good news I want to share with you is that in spring 2018 they will be launching their fourth restaurant south of the river at the new development ‘One Tower Bridge’. ‘Gunpowder Market Market’, will focus on Harneet and Devina Baweja’s heritage by serving up homestyle Calcutta cuisine. I know a fair amount about Calcutta cuisine, (my other half is originally from Calcutta) so I am very excited to see what they come up with. Apparently there will also be a bakery, which will turn into a wine bar in evening. I’ll report back once their new venture launches.

In the mean time go seek out their latest venture, Gul and Sepoy. All three restaurants rock and you won’t be disappointed. If you can’t take chilli then perhaps steer clear of Madame D, but it’s not crazy scotch bonnet hot, more like you know your alive kind of hot, if you know what I mean.

Gul and Sepoy

65 Commercial Street, London, E1 6BD

Lunch: Tuesday -Saturday: 12.oo-2.45pm

Dinner: Monday -Saturday: 5.30-10.30pm

+44 207 247 1407

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How to make Egg Hoppers/Appam

4 Comments September 25, 2017 chilliandmint

How do you breakfast? On the go, sitting down at your kitchen table or perhaps at your office? With good intentions we try at least to have a ‘proper’ breakfast as a family before we go our separate ways. My eldest daughter catches a coach to school and is out the house like a whirlwind by 7.20am and my youngest needs to at school by 8am and invariably I drive/scoot with her. As we approach Autumn and the darkness intrudes further into our mornings, I think it is important to fill your belly with some satisfying food before embarking on the challenges of the day ahead.

I always try to think of something new and exciting to feed my crew for breakfast and we often talk about it the night before. I thought it might be interesting and helpful if I create a ‘breakfast’ section under my recipe library and over the coming months I will put new ideas up here on my blog. I would love to hear what you think.

First up are my hoppers (Sri Lankan term) or appam (Keralan term). They are a typical breakfast in Sri Lankan and south India and are often eaten with a sambar or dal and a chutney. They have a coconut flavour and are made of rice flour. You do need to invest in a hoppers pan – something like this would be perfect, but my family are such fans of them that the investment made sense. I went and stayed with pals in the Cotswolds this summer and made a batch (15) for lunch one day for everyone to have with meat and vegetable curries and dal. All the kids – ranging from 4 to 14 gave them a thumbs up and for most it was the first time they had tried them. I’m sure if you give them a try you (and your kids) will be pleasantly surprised. If you are going to make them for breakfast before school/work I would advise activating the yeast (the first part in the instructions below) before you jump in the shower. Then when you are out you can then add it to the rice flour and coconut milk, whisk and then leave to rest whilst you get changed. It’s a multi-tasking kind of breakfast. Equally it is great to have at lunch or supper, so don’t feel limited to cooking these at breakfast time.

Next week I am going to post a sambar recipe for you (which you will be able to prepare in advance) but today I simply ate them with a bowl of my marrow dal (see below) – but any of my dals would work equally well accompanying the hopper/appam.

Hoppers/Appam

Makes around 6

4g/1 tsp dried yeast

1 tsp white sugar

35ml lukewarm water (warm to the touch but not hot!)

200g rice flour

1x400ml tin of coconut milk

pinch of salt

First you need to place the yeast, sugar and water into a bowl and give a good stir. Leave the mixture for 15-20 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl add the rice flour, coconut milk and salt and once the yeast mixture has frothed, and therefore activated, add it to the mixture and whisk so that the batter is smooth and thick.
Leave to rest at room temperature for at least 1/2 an hour.
Warm your pan and put one ladle full of the mixture into the pan. Slowly swirl the mixture around the edge of the pan so that the mixture has reached almost up to the top of the pan. I usually swirl it around a couple of times so that all the sides are coated. Place the pan on a low heat (the reason my edges look a little bronzed is that I had the heat too high ;o) and place the lid on top of the pan.
If you are going to make an egg hopper crack an egg into the centre of the pan and place the lid on top. Leave for around 3-4 minutes so that the sides are a little crispy and the egg is cooked sufficiently but is still soft in the centre. If you would rather not have an egg simply place the lid on the pan and leave for 3-3.5 mins
If you are using a non-stick pan the hopper will easily slide onto a plate and serve immediately with sambar/dal and some chutney.

Dal ideas to accompany the hoppers

Bengali Dal recipe

Sri Lankan Dal recipe

Red Onion Dal recipe

Toor Dal recipe

Marrow Dal recipe

Maharashtrian Stuffed Aubergines with Cashew, Coconut and Tamarind

4 Comments October 28, 2016 chilliandmint

I’ve been having quite a number of requests recently for aubergine recipes. At my local Indian grocers they have the full range from the small round ones, which I used for this recipe, to the small finger looking ones, to the more regular sized ones that you find in your general supermarket.

As far as recipes go I have quite a few already on the blog so do check them out:

miso aubergines

fried indian aubergines

aubergine, pork and rice noodle salad

moussaka

red Thai tofu, aubergine and egg curry

Indian aubergine peanut and tomato curry

baba ganoush (one of my favourites)

soba noodles with tofu, aubergine and mango

The one that I wanted to show you today is very similar to the Indian aubergine, peanut and tomato curry, however it uses small oval shaped aubergines that are easy to find at Indian grocers. It also uses cashew nuts, desiccated coconut and tamarind and does not include onion. This recipe is a traditional Maharashtrian dish often prepared over religious festivals. As diwali – the hindu festival of light – is fast approaching this coming Sunday 30th October I thought it was apt to show you how to make it.

Do not be put off by the length of ingredients as it really is pretty easy to make.

Maharashtrian Stuffed Aubergines with Cashew, Coconut and Tamarind

serves 6-8 if serving with a couple of other dishes (reduce the amount of aubergines if serving a smaller number)

12-14 small oval aubergines – slit (but not all the way through) crossways

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 Kashmiri chilli powder

10 fresh curry leaves

pinch of asafoetida

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 tsp salt

150ml water

Paste

70g cashew nuts

2 tbsp white sesame seeds

3 tbsp desiccated coconut

2 tbsp coriander seeds

30g fresh coriander – leaves and stalks

1 tsp salt

1 tsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp jaggery/brown sugar

First make cross incisions in all of the aubergines being careful not to cut all the way through. Place in a bowl of cold water with pinch of salt added.
Next make the paste. First dry roast the cashew nuts and when they begin to brown very slightly add the sesame seeds and keep them moving around the pan for about 20 seconds before adding the coconut and stirring for a further 20 seconds. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before adding to your spice grinder along with the coriander seeds.
As my spice grinder cannot take liquid I then move to my mini blender where I then add the fresh coriander, salt, tamarind paste, jaggery and a splash of water to loosen it slightly – although it is important it remains a paste as opposed to a runny liquid.
You then want to stuff each of the aubergines with the paste and place to one side. If you have any paste left over this will go into the pan so also leave to one side
Heat a deep pan and add the vegetable oil. When it is hot add the mustard and cumin seeds, followed by the asafoetida, curry leaves, Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric powder. Move around the pan for 15 seconds before adding any leftover paste and the diced tomatoes. Keep on a gently heat for a couple of minutes before adding the aubergines.
Add around 150ml of water – you can add more later if it becomes too thick and keep on a gentle simmer for 25 minutes with the lid on. Turn the aubergines over at intervals.
Taste the sauce and add more water if too thick. Add more salt or jaggery if need be.
Serve with a scattering of freshly cut coriander.

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Methi (Fenugreek) Paratha for Durga Puja

10 Comments October 7, 2016 chilliandmint

This coming weekend is the beginning of the Bengali Hindu festival of Durga Puja, which lasts for five days. I have written a few posts on the celebration here and here over the last couple of years. In short, the weekend is spent visiting temples in all corners of London, catching up with family and friends and eating vegetarian feasts at the temples. I am not Hindu but I enjoy being part of the occasion, which is always very lively and colourful, and of course the food is always so good.

I was pottering around in my local Asian supermarkets this morning when I came across some methi – fresh fenugreek. Fenugreek is jam packed with health benefits. We all need it in our diet – either the seeds or fresh leaves or both. It lowers blood cholesterol, reduces the risk of heart disease, controls blood sugar levels – therefore diabetics are advised to eat it daily. It aids digestion, weight loss, prevents colon cancer – the list goes on. Seriously if you have not had it before please try it and then try and incorporate it into your diet. One way you can do this is by making fenugreek/methi paratha. The hard part will be locating the fresh methi.

If you live in London then you will have no problem as you will find it at any Indian/Asian supermarket. Apparently it is really easy to grow so maybe it is something to look into growing if you are living outside a major city. I would love to hear how you get on if you go down this path.

Anyway back to the making of the paratha. It is important to carefully take the leaves of the fenugreek plant away from the stem, as the stem is very bitter and you don’t want to be eating that. I leave the leaves to soak in a bowl for 15 minutes so that the grit and dirt sinks to the bottom. Then you can easily remove the leaves and place them in a new dry bowl along with the spices and flour.

If you don’t have a tawa then simply use a frying pan. Once the leaves have soaked and you have made the dough it takes very little time to make the paratha.

They are great eaten with dal such as this one or this one or simply with chutney and perhaps a little yoghurt and lemon. In India they are sometimes eaten at breakfast, but I tend to eat them for lunch or dinner.

Methi Paratha

Makes round 5

150g wholemeal chapati flour/atta

50g gram/chickpea flour

50g fresh methi/fenugreek (leaves only), washed and finely chopped

1 small fresh green chilli, finely chopped (optional)

1/4 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp salt, optional

2 tbsp melted ghee/butter/oil

First remove the methi leaves and discard the rest of the methi stem. Place in a bowl of fresh cold water and leave to soak for 15 minutes.
Gently remove the methi leaves so that the grit and dirt is at the bottom of the water bowl. Discard this water. Place in a clean dry bowl.
Measure out the flours, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and fresh chilli (if using).
Use your hand to begin to bind the ingredients together. Gradually add a little warm water so that a dough forms. Be careful not to make it too wet.
Place a drop of oil in the bottom of the bowl and cover the dough, which you have now made into a ball shape. Cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes.
Knead the dough for a minute further and then break off a small part – about the size of a lime.
Place the dough in some fresh flour and then roll it out on a dry, clean surface. If you want to make triangular paratha roll the dough into a circle and then fold it in half and then half again. I kept mine round today.
Heat a tawa/frying pan and place a drop of ghee onto the pan. Then place the paratha on the pan and leave for a couple of minutes.
Whilst it is cooking begin making your next paratha.
Before turning over the paratha on the pan, brush a little ghee on the top and then turn over. You want the paratha to begin to have little bubbles that begin to bronze. Leave to cook on this side for a further couple of minutes. If need be turn over again and then place to one side.
Repeat until all the dough has been used up.

Eat warm with dal, chutney or yogurt with a splash of fresh lemon.

Notes: You can also add finely chopped onion, 1 tsp garlic paste and/or ginger paste, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp ajwain/carom seeds, 1/2 tsp coriander powder. There are so many options so try a variation and see what works for you.

Crispy Savoury Donut known as Medu Vada

5 Comments July 15, 2016 chilliandmint

I want to introduce you to a new kid in town that will seriously impress you.

Step aside donut and cronut (croissant and donut pastry) and make way for the Indian savoury donut known as ‘medu vada’. These savoury delicacies look very similar to their saccharin cousins the donut, but are filled with lots of wonderful spices instead of sugar.

They are really fun to make and you can add your own twists to make them your own. They are a little bit naughty in that they are fried, but hey a little bit of fried deliciousness now and again is absolutely fine in books. They are made of urad dal – the white dal you can easily find in any Asian grocers- that is soaked for at least 3 hours and then blended to form a soft fluffy paste.

My daughters find them equally irresistible so they really are a treat for the whole family. They are typically eaten in southern India and Sri Lanka either at breakfast time or as a snack with a coconut chutney or possibly a dal or sambal. I could quite happily eat them for my breakfast but more often then not I make them for an afternoon snack with a cup of warming tea.

They are crispy on the outside and have a soft texture on the interior.

My recipe makes around 13 little donuts, but if you want to make more just double up on the ingredients. There are no set rules here other than not making the dough too wet.

Medu Vada – Indian Savoury Donuts

Makes 13

175g white urid dal

1/2 tsp salt

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

12 fresh curry leaves, chopped (optional)

1 green/red fresh chilli finely chopped (optional)

Soak the white urid dal in a bowl covered with water for at least 3 hours.
Strain the dal and place into a blender. Blend and if needed add literally a tsp at a time of water to loosen it slightly. Do not over water. You want it to have the same consistency as a fluffy light dough.
Place the lentil dough into a large bowl and with your hand lift the dough, folding it over so that it gets air into it about 15 times.
Add all the ingredients and mix well with your hands or a spoon.
Heat a pan with cooking oil and when it is hot wet one of your hands and create a small ball (a little larger than a golf ball) and then place your thumb in the centre to create a hole through the dough. Then gently loosen the dough off your hand and place into the hot oil. Be careful when doing this as the movement from placing the dough into the pan and removing your hand needs to be super quick.
Place a few donuts in the pan at once and leave them to bronze on one side for a couple of minutes, before turning them over with a slotted spoon for another couple of minutes.
You are looking to get a yellowy bronze hue as opposed to brown, so be careful to watch them closely.
Remove them from the pan and place on kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.
Continue to make the rest.
If you are planning to serve them as a snack when friends come over simply place them in a preheated oven that has subsequently been turned off. They should stay warm for a good hour.

They are perfect to eat with a chutney, dal or sambal (see links in the body of my post).

Note:

I often don’t add chilli so that all my family can comfortably eat them. For those who like the chilli kick, you can serve them with a hotter chutney, which keeps all parties happy.

Indian Inspired Cucumber, Apple and Red Onion Salad

7 Comments April 20, 2016 chilliandmint

I’ve just returned from 10 glorious days in the Schwarzwald – or German Black Forest to you and me.

Days were spent hiking through dense forests where gentle streams turned into ferocious waterfalls.

We climbed many a hill and marvelled at all the spruce and pine trees peppering the landscape. Dramatic scenery at every turn.

Picnic lunch stops afforded us spectacular vistas, stretching for miles and the best thing was that we were completely alone – over the time we were there we passed only a couple of other walkers, one of which was a nun from the local nunnery. We live in such a frenetic, fast paced world that taking time out and spending time with nature away from the crowds is wonderfully cleansing for the mind and soul.

Upon returning to our gasthof we would often treat ourselves to the local speciality…….Black Forest Gateaux, because when in Rome…..

After resting our weary limbs we prepared for serious dining in the evening. The food was exquisite, refined and yet hearty – the lemongrass creme brule and the wild garlic soup being highlights.

Upon returning back in the UK however, I was ready to have a vegetarian spell. I began to crave green vegetables (I eat a lot of spinach) and fruit with a spice injection and simple Asian food. In fact the first thing I cooked for myself when we returned to Blighty was this.

With the bambinos having just returned to school and the sun giving us a lovely, welcome dose of vitamin c – check out the blossom and blue skies

I wanted to eat a lovely salad that I was given recently when I was in Kerala. It’s lovely on it’s own or eaten to accompany all manner of Indian, meat, fish or veg curries – see my recipe library. The crunch from all the different textures and the flavours sing sweet notes as you dive into this salad. Give it a whirl and let me know if you agree.

Indian Inspired Cucumber, Apple and Red Onion Salad

Serves 4 with another dish or 2 on it’s own

2 crunchy green apples, cored, skin removed, quartered and chopped into 3

1 cucumber, skin removed, halved and chopped into half moons

1 red onion, finely sliced

1 handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp agave nectar/honey

Skin, slice and cut the ingredients as specified above and mix altogether along with the honey and salt. Simple and utterly delicious.

This salad would also be perfect with meat, fish or vegetables off the BBQ.

Chingri Maach – Bengali Prawn Curry for Delicious Magazine (April)

9 Comments April 6, 2015 chilliandmint

Happy Easter Bank holiday everyone. I’m really excited to share with you the news that my ‘Chingri Maach – aka Bengali Prawn Curry’ is featured in the April edition of Delicious Magazine. So please go out and get your own copy so that sales for April sky rocket and Delicious Magazine want to feature me again ;o). It just so happens that the front of the magazine this month has my favourite cakes of all time – Portuguese custard tarts. They look so temptingly delicious that I will be trying to make them myself shortly.

So what are you waiting for….go grab yourself a copy and do try my prawn curry. The background to the curry is explained in the article. If you are in the US/Canada/India/Australia/NZ etc…then perhaps you could leave me a comment below telling me which are your favourite Food/Lifestyle Magazines in your country so that I can get in contact with them for future features.

Bengali Egg Curry

10 Comments October 18, 2013 chilliandmint

When I was staying in the heart of Kolkata, I was often woken from my deep slumber by the egg (dim) or milk (dudha) wallah shouting out in his crescendoing voice each morning. It was my regular wake up call to get out of bed and embrace the day ahead. There was something very charming about the wallah selling the fresh eggs and milk as he pushed his cart slowly down our road. Bengalis love eggs as much as I do. To this day, a picnic is not a proper picnic without a hard boiled egg. So when I was introduced to Bengali egg curry many moons ago, it was an immediate hit. Easy to execute, it makes for a most satisfying protein rich meal.

For the adventurous, this also serves as a wonderful late Sunday brunch with a kick.

After boiling the eggs, remove the shell and place a cross with a sharp knife at the top of each egg and make a few other incisions on the skin and then cover them with turmeric and salt. Shake the bowl gently so that the eggs are properly covered in the turmeric.

Fry the eggs in a pan so that the outer skins darken and harden. Then place to one side.

Bengali Egg Curry

Serves 4

6 eggs, hard boiled

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp vegetable/mustard oil

2 onion, blended into a paste

4 garlic cloves, blended into a paste

2 inches of fresh ginger, blended into a paste

2 bay leaves

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder

1 plum tomato from tin and a little juice (or 1 fresh tomato)

1 tsp garam masala

1. Boil the eggs in water for 5 minutes and then strain under cold water and peel off the shells.

2. Place a small cross incision at the top of each egg as well as a few prick marks over their sides so that they do not explode during cooking. Place in a bowl and cover with turmeric and salt.

3. In a pan heat up some oil and when hot carefully lower the eggs into the pan and let them sizzle away for a few minutes so that the sides are bronzed and the skins harden. Remove from the pan and place to one side.

4. With an electric blender, blend the onion, garlic and ginger to form a paste. Add a little water so that the paste runs smooth. In the same pan that you cooked the eggs in, add a little more oil before adding the onion/garlic/ginger paste and simmer gently, moving the paste around in the pan with a spoon. When it dries up add a little boiling water and continue to heat through.

5. Add the chilli, coriander and cumin powder as well as the bay leaves and fold into the paste. Now add the chopped plum tomato and a little tomato juice (about 2 tbsp) and leave to simmer. Add a little more boiling water and let it simmer gently.

6. Return the eggs to the pan and fold into the paste along with the garam masala. Simmer for a few more minutes and add a little more salt if necessary.

Serve with some plain basmati rice or naan bread.

Panch Phoron – Bengali Five Spice and Red Split Lentil Dal

17 Comments October 8, 2013 chilliandmint

From top right going clockwise: fenugreek, nigella, fennel, black mustard, cumin seeds

We’ve all heard, and no doubt use, Chinese Five Spice, but the Indian equivalent, Panch Phoron, for some reason is not given as much PR and voice in the West and yet across Bengal, it is a spice mix that is commonly used in every home and very much cherished.

When I launched my blog way back in 2011 one of the first recipes that I posted was my absolute comfort food – red split lentil dal. I cook it often as it is ridiculously easy and provides me with a quick-fix nourishing meal. You can choose whatever vegetable, if any, you need to use up, giving the dal a different twist every time you prepare it. A key seasoning to the dal, which imparts the unmistakable flavour, is panch phoron and whilst I am able to source it from a local Indian supermarket, I know that for some people getting their hands on this magic ingredient could be harder.

So I wanted to show you how to make your own panch poron. Panch in Bengali is five and phoron is spices and these five spices are: nigella seeds (other wise known as black onion seeds, Kalonji or kalo jeera), fennel seeds (mouri or saunf), fenugreek seeds (methi), black (brown or yellow) mustard seeds (rai) and cumin seeds (jeera). The aromatic spices working together provide a considerable depth of flavour to any dish and especially to dal.

Unlike most spice mixes these are not ground to a powder but are cooked whole, either dry roasted in pan or placed in a little oil until they begin to pop and release their flavours – this is known as tempering. There are significant health benefits from eating the spices. In short: cumin aids digestion, fennel contains vitamin a, e and c as well as anti-oxidants, fenugreek aids metabolism, mustard seeds contains omega 3 fatty acids as well as being a good source of selenium and magnesium, nigella seeds balance the hormonal system and have healing qualities.

They store for months in an air tight container so if you make up a batch that should last you for some time as you only need a teaspoon or two every time you use it in a dish.

There are a couple of lentils that do not require soaking over night and take a very short time to cook. Masoor dal or red split lentils, as they are more commonly known, are a staple in my store cupboard. From cleaning thoroughly to cooking, the dal takes no longer than 20 minutes to prepare – and that’s being generous – on average it’s a 15 minute meal to prepare and cook. Oooh Jamie Oliver would be so proud!

Red split lentils are also very reasonable to buy so all in all this dish is healthy, speedy and economically friendly. A win win surely!

I eat this dish all year round and like to change the consistency from a more runny, soupy dish to a thicker dal that may be eaten the Indian way, with your hands, accompanied by some rice or naan. When the months turn colder I tend to gravitate more and more towards dals and soups to warm me up so this really is the perfect autumn meal to give me that inner glow.

Panch Phoron – Bengali Five Spice

Makes enough to last you for months

3 tbsp cumin seeds

3 tbsp fennel seeds

3 tbsp fenugreek seeds

3 tbsp mustard seeds (I tend to use black, but brown/yellow is also fine)

3 tbsp nigella seeds (black onion seeds)

1. In a bowl mix all the seeds together thoroughly and place in an air tight container.

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Red Split Lentil Dal

Serves 2

200g red split lentils (masoor dal)

500ml of water, add more if you would like it a thinner consistency

1 tbsp oil (mustard,vegetable or sun flower oil)

1.5 tsp panch phoron

2 fresh chilli (red or green), chopped in half

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

5 cherry tomatoes (or carrots, courgette, marrow, peas etc)

optional

fresh coriander, to serve

lemon wedge, to serve

1. Boil the kettle and meanwhile rinse the red split lentils under the tap so as to fully clean them. Then place the boiling water in the pan with the lentils. Boil for about 10 minutes on a low heat, the lentils will become less orange in colour during the boiling. If you are going to add a carrot you need to add it to the lentils at this stage so that they are soft in time. Please note you may need to add more water if the water is completely soaked up by the lentils.

2. In a frying pan warm the oil and when it is hot add the panch phoron, fresh chilli and turmeric. Once the panch phoron begins to pop and release the flavours – this will be around 15 seconds, give it a quick stir and then add a ladleful of the watery dal into the frying pan and mix the ingredients together.

3. Now place the contents of the frying pan back into the main pot with the red split lentil and stir.

4. Add the quartered tomatoes (or peas, courgette, marrow, spinach) at this stage and simmer gently for a few minutes. Add salt to taste. If you want it more soupy, add more water and if you want it thicker, let it simmer for longer.