week 33 - Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery

 

Following hot on the heels of one childhood classic - the infamous Delia's tarragon chicken, from her Summer Collection - this week features another beloved influence from when I was growing up - Madhur Jaffrey and her concise tome, published in 1982, on Indian Cookery. 

After the BBC aired the TV series that accompanied the book, her calming manner and her fail-proof recipes meant she quickly became a household name. Soon housewives all over the land were cooking whole legs of lamb in a yoghurt sauce; Indian-style pork chipolatas and pork chops with chickpeas; and mini cocktail koftas and chicken tikka skewers to serve at provincial dinner parties.

I still vividly remember the shelf of books in my parent's kitchen; and how I would sit and leaf through them after dinner, excitedly planning my future dinner parties from delights such as the Milk Marketing Board Cookbook and the Heinz Cookbook ( I recollect that my Sister made the bean-filled shepherds pie on several occasions). While Delia's Summer Collection featured a showy sunflower on the cover, tempting you in, Madhur went for something more, well, beige. 

That, coupled by a distinct lack of photos, meant it wasn't always one of my favourites to look at. But, as you could tell by the well-thumbed corners and oil-splattered pages it was much-loved by my Mum for cooking from, with recipes that were dependable yet exotic.

My absolute favourite of the dishes she cooked from it was the keema matar, or mince and peas. You can use beef or lamb, but I think lamb is best. Even better is mutton, and I bough half a kilo of course ground mutton from Turner and George for my version of this (which still wasn't as good as my mum's). 

I, for once, followed the recipe faithfully, but it's very adaptable and forgiving kind of dish and I have made with the addition of tinned tomatoes, and chunks of par-boiled potato (added with the water) and a mix of different spices, including cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric, and also with a mix of garam masala and curry powder, and it's always been great.

Minced meat and peas

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 medium cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

500g minced lamb (ground beef may be substituted) 

A 3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated 

1-2 fresh, hot green chilies, chopped

1tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp ground cumin seeds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

300g frozen peas

1 tsp garam masala

Half a lemon

Fresh coriander, chopped, to serve

Put the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, brown the mince (in batches if needed) set aside and drain all bit a tablespoon of oil from the pan.

Add the onion and stir and fry until lightly browned. Add the garlic, stir and fry for another minute. 

Add the lamb, ginger, green chillies, coriander and cumin.

Add ¾ cup water and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the peas, fresh coriander, salt and pepper garam masala, lemon juice, and the remaining water. 

Mix and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on low heat another 10 minutes or until peas are tender. 

I also made butter chicken, which wasn't strictly a Madhur recipe as I marinated the chicken in a tandoori spice mix and yoghurt, before grilling until charred in places, and then adding to a defrosted batch of sauce I made aeons ago but was still very tasty. Looking (and tasting) like a spiced-up version of Heinz tinned tomato soup. and none the worse for it. I'm afraid I used Google when I made it and don't have a recipe. But Madhur does, and it's probably very good

There has to be some ballast to soak up the sauce and the beer, and I would normally go for bread. A nice puffy peshawari nan or a virtuous wholewheat chapati for preference, but one of the things I am determined to master in 20202 is cooking rice. While I wouldn't say this was perfect, it was a decent effort and extremely easy.

Mushroom Pilau  

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking

Wash 450ml basmati rice, soak in cold water for about 30 minutes then drain.

Fry a small onion and 1 chopped clove of garlic. Add 200g sliced mushrooms, and fry for a few minutes, then add 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger and 1/4 teaspoon garam masala and a pinch of salt. Stir a couple of times and add the rice. Stir until the rice is coated in the oil and add enough water to just cover – less water than you would usually  add as the rice is soaked. Bring to a boil, put the lid on the pot, turn off the heat and leave for 15 minutes. Fluff through the grains with a fork and serve

And finally, some veg. As much as I love meat and fish, I think I could quite happily be a vegetarian on the Indian subcontinent with dishes such a cheesy peas, aloo gobi, aubergines cooked in picking spice and, my favourite bhindi bhaji (the much maligned okra). This recipe is fresh and crisp and helps balance out a big meal, the shredded stir fried carrot and cabbage, lightly spiced with mustard seeds and a little chilli.

Gujerati Cabbage with Carrots 

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking

1/2 a medium white or green cabbage

3-4 carrots

1 fresh, hot green chilli

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp whole black mustard seeds

1 whole, hot dried red chilli

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 lemon

salt to taste

Core the cabbage and cut in into fine, long shreds. Peel the carrots and grate them coarsely. Cut the green chilli into thin, long strips.

Heat the oil in a wide, casserole-type dish over a medium-high flame. When hot put in the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop (this takes just a few seconds), put in the dried red chilli, cabbage, carrots and green chilli. Turn the heat down to medium and stir the vegetables around for half a minute. Add the salt and sugar. Stir and cook for another 4 minutes or until vegetables are just done and retain some of the their crispness. Add the lemon juice. Stir to mix.