Family favourites
In her book Modern South Asian Kitchen, chef Sabrina Gidda pays homage to her mother’s most iconic dishes and also includes personal tributes to dishes her grandmother made.
Prawn, spring onion & curry leaf pancakes
There is something very special about a prawn pancake. Effectively a thin spiced egg batter holds it all together, and a lot of spring onions and prawns. I like to eat mine drizzled with some crispy garlic chilli oil.
Serves 2. Ingredients: 50g gram flour, sifted, 4 tbsp water, 2 free-range eggs, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ginger paste, 2 green chillies, finely sliced, ½ tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp garam masala, ½ tsp black pepper, 10 fresh curry leaves, finely shredded, 1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed, 500g peeled raw prawns, small handful of chopped coriander, vegetable oil, for frying
In a bowl, mix together the gram flour, water and eggs until smooth. Add the salt, ginger paste, chillies, spices and curry leaves. Cut each spring onion into thirds, retaining the green tops, then in half lengthways. Wash well and drain on paper towels. Split the prawns (shrimp) lengthways as if you were butterflying them but cut them into two. Add the spring onions, prawns and coriander to the batter and mix well. Heat one teaspoon of oil in a non-stick frying pan (skillet) over a medium– high heat. Add a couple of large spoonfuls of the batter, tilting the pan to form a pancake (crêpe). Turn after a minute or two and cook the other side for a further couple of minutes. Repeat until all the batter is used, oiling the pan each time.
Remove from the heat and eat with chutneys, achaari mayo or with the crispy garlic chilli oil.
Masala pork belly
I absolutely adore pork belly – in all of its many variations. The layers of fat help keep the meat moist and it really stands up to big flavours. This technique was shown to me by my friend Karan Gokhani and I’m quite sure I won’t make pork belly any other way now.
It’s so disheartening to have roast pork and not have crispy crackling – this way ensures you will always have success. Cook this as an alternative Sunday lunch serving with jeera roasties, roasted chaat and chutneys or serve with mango salad, slaw and flatbreads for a delicious feast. The one important thing to note is that the pork benefits hugely from having time to dry out in your fridge for a day or two – this is one of the keys to a winning crunch.
Serves 4. Ingredients: 800g piece of pork belly, 1 tsp black cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder), 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp garam masala, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2 tsp white vinegar
You will need to pat dry your pork belly to make sure any excess liquid has been removed – paper towel is perfect for this. Using a sharp knife, carefully score into the skin of your belly
without cutting through too far into the fat and flesh. You can score however you please, but 1–1.5cm is a nice width between cuts. You can cross-hatch if you like, by scoring in the opposite direction – however you please. Pop the belly on a tray or dish and leave, uncovered, in the bottom of the fridge for a day or two.
In a dry pan, toast your cumin and coriander seeds until they are coloured and release their aroma. Use a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder to grind them coarsely and tip into a bowl. Add the amchoor, salt, chilli powder and garam masala. Set aside.
When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 150C fan/ 170C/gas mark 3.
Rub the spice mix all over the pork belly. Put the bicarbonate of soda into a small bowl or mug and add the vinegar – it will fizz and foam. Use a spoon and then your fingers to spread this over the crackling.
Cook the pork for two hours. You should see the skin begin to puff up nicely. About 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, preheat the grill to its hottest setting. Once the two hours have passed, pop the pork under the grill to puff up any remaining areas of skin that have not crisped – watch carefully and keep rotating to make sure it doesn’t burn. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Mrs Gidda’s trifle
Sukey Gidda is the Queen of My World. And here we have perhaps her most iconic dish: trifle. Now of course you are welcome, most welcome, to make your own sponge, make homemade jelly, custard from scratch. But, frankly, my mother believed the best part of trifle-making was the eating and, in turn I feel exactly the same. She always had a giggle when it came to soaking the sponges – usually because of the very generous free-pour of Malibu, followed closely by ‘and one for luck’. This is about enjoyment, nostalgia, love and celebration – and I will always make this for my family to celebrate her in all of her glory.
Serves 4–6.Ingredients: 1 x box trifle sponges or sponge fingers, 250g strawberries, hulled, large ones quartered or halved, 200g fresh pineapple, diced, 200g raspberries, 200g ripe mango, diced, generous glug of Malibu rum, say 180–200ml, 2 sachets or 70g quick-set jelly, 105g Bird’s custard powder, 850ml milk, 250ml whipping cream, 1 tsp icing sugar, splash of vanilla extract, handful of toasted almond shards.
Find yourself a good-sized (20cm) bowl or trifle dish. Line the bottom and sides with your trifle sponges. Tip in all the fruit and spread over the sponges. Pour a glug of Malibu over the fruit and sponges. Leave it to soak in while you make the jelly following the pack instructions and allow to cool slightly. Pour the jelly over the fruit and sponges and put in the fridge to set.
Your custard prep can be done in a jug in a microwave or you can do it in a pan. Mix the custard powder with a splash of milk and stir until there are no lumps. Add the remaining milk and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, to avoid any lumps. Cook out for 10 minutes until thick. I don’t add sugar as everything else adds more than enough sugar for me but add a teaspoon if you want. Allow the custard to cool for a few minutes before pouring over your jelly evenly. You should have clear layers now. Allow to cool at room temperature before returning it to the fridge to set. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until firm ribbons appear. Top the custard with the whipped cream and sprinkle over the toasted almonds.