KRICKET DELICA PUMPKIN WITH MAKHANI SAUCE Serves 4
INGREDIENTS: 1 Delica pumpkin, about 18cm diameter; 1tsp vegetable oil, plus extra for frying; 1tsp ground cumin; 1tsp ground turmeric; 1tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder; a generous pinch of sea salt; 100g wild rice; 200g paneer, crumbled; a bunch of fresh micro coriander, to garnish
For the Makhani sauce: 2tbsp; vegetable oil; 4 green cardamom pods; 2 black cardamom pods; 4 cloves; 2 fresh Indian bay leaves; 4tbsp ginger and garlic paste; 2tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder; 2 green chillies, split down the middle; 1kg plum tomatoes – puréed; 200ml double cream – plus extra to serve; 250g unsalted butter; 1 tbsp garam masala; a handful of dried fenugreek leaves; caster sugar – to taste; sea salt – to taste
For the Hazelnut Crumble: 50g sesame seeds; 200g hazelnuts; 2tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder; 1 tsp chaat masala
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 160ºc/ Gas 3). Halve the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, slice the flesh into eight wedges and trim ends. Put them in a roasting pan and coat with the oil, cumin, turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Roast in the oven for around 30 minutes.
2. For the puffed rice: Heat about 2cm of oil in in a heavybased pan until very hot. Add the wild rice and stir for a few minutes until it puffs up, then drain on kitchen paper.
3. To make the sauce: Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the whole spices and allow them to infuse the oil for 30 seconds before adding the ginger and garlic paste, chilli powder and green chillies.
Cook for a couple of minutes, then turn the heat down to medium- low, add the tomatoes, then cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the sauce has reduced by one-third. Remove the whole spices, then add the cream, butter, garam masala and fenugreek leaves. Season to taste with sugar and salt and leave to one side.
3. For the hazelnut crumble: toast the nuts and sesame seeds with the chilli powder in a dry frying pan for a few minutes until golden in a dry frying pan. Cool, then roughly pulse to a fine powder, in a food processor, with the chaat masala.
4. Heat the makhani sauce and spoon into bowls. Grill the pumpkin for a few minutes on each side, until the slices get a little colour.
4. To serve: arrange two wedges of pumpkin on top of the sauce, and top with the puffed wild rice crumbled paneer, hazelnut crumble, and garnish with coriander.
■ (kricket.co.uk/)