Food & Drink
From barbecued prawns to a twist on roast pork, author Anjali Pathak imbues her dishes with the flavours of her Indian heritage
Author Anjali Pathak celebrates her Indian heritage, plus Rose Murray Brown chooses cool reds for a summer’s day
I’ve been fond of food from an early age, but mostly Indian food, and I’ve always loved cooking. My first memory of being in the kitchen was when my grandmother bought me a small rolling pin and board to help her make the rotis for the family dinner. She pronounced, “If you can make them round, you will find a good husband,” and as a little girl I thought this was rather strange. But day after day I would sit with my board and pin, concentrating on trying to get my rotis perfectly round. This was our time together, and I’ll never forget how much care she took in helping me find my love of cooking.
My parents were busy growing our family food business into the household brand they always hoped for, and I spent every holiday at the office leaning the tricks of the trade. My mum would bring home recipes she had been experimenting with and test them out on my brothers and me. If we liked them, they would find their way into a jar and onto the supermarket shelf. My parents made sure we were exposed to a wide variety of flavours from all corners of the world, and little did I know that I was training my taste buds for a life in food. n Secrets From My Indian Family Kitchen by Anjali Pathak, published by Mitchell Beazley, £14.99; @anjali_pathak
Coconut-crusted prawns
I have always been fond of seafood and it seems to taste so much better on the grill. This recipe requires a frying pan if you haven’t got skewers, and it really doesn’t make too much difference which method you use. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before using or they will burst into flames over the barbecue. I am using a mix of panko (Japanese-style) breadcrumbs as well as desiccated coconut to bread the prawns, but you can easily use regular breadcrumbs instead.
Serves four
2 eggs 1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garlic paste
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp black peppercorns, crushed with a pestle and mortar good pinch of salt
3 tbsp plain flour
75g desiccated coconut
75g panko breadcrumbs
20 raw king prawns, shells removed but tails left on, deveined
2 tbsp vegetable oil juice of 1 lime, plus extra lime wedges for squeezing over
1 Beat the eggs with the chilli powder, garlic paste, turmeric, crushed peppercorns and salt in a bowl. Put the flour in a separate bowl. Mix the coconut and breadcrumbs together in another bowl.
2 Pané the prawns by tossing them in the flour, making sure they are evenly coated, then dip them in the egg mixture and then roll them in the breadcrumbs. It’s best if you double pané them, so dip them again in the egg and then again in breadcrumbs.
3 If cooking in a frying pan, gently heat the pan on a cool part of the barbecue. Add the oil and then fry the prawns for a few minutes on each side. Once they are crispy and golden brown, drain on kitchen paper. If cooking on skewers, carefully skewer the prawns, trying not to lose too many breadcrumbs. Drizzle over the oil and cook over the flames, turning often, until crispy and golden brown.
4 Squeeze over the lime juice just before serving, with some extra wedges for lime lovers.
Paneer and broccoli masala
Making a masala from scratch is a lot easier than you think. I’ve made a few changes to a classic recipe that uses flavours from the shores of southern India. Frying the paneer in a little oil before stirring it through the masala not only makes it crispy, but also adds bags of flavour.
Serves four
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra if needed
1 pack paneer, around
225g, cut into large bite-sized pieces
20 fresh curry leaves (optional)
2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp peeled and finely chopped fresh root ginger
2 red chillies,
1 finely sliced, 1 slit down the middle but left whole
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp ground coriander 400ml coconut milk
100g broccoli florets
1 tbsp tamarind paste/concentrate, or to taste salt sugar, to taste small handful of fresh coriander, to garnish
1 Gently heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the paneer until it’s golden brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside for later.
2 Throw the curry leaves (if using) into the pan to crisp up. Take them out and reserve for sprinkling over at the end. Add a little more oil to the pan if you need to and toss in the mustard and cumin seeds. Once they start sizzling, stir in the turmeric and onion. Allow to soften for a few minutes before stirring in the garlic, ginger and chillies. After a further minute, stir in the tomato purée, garam masala and ground coriander.
3 Add a splash of water to the pan and pour in the coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and toss in the broccoli and fried paneer. Stir through the tamarind and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and sugar.
4 Garnish with the crispy curry leaves and the fresh coriander before serving with some steamed basmati or my pilau rice.
Slow-cooked tamarind-glazed pork
Slow cooking is one of the surest ways
to seal in moisture and keep meat succulent and tender. This recipe of pork shoulder cooked low and slow, glazed with sweetly sour tamarind and pomegranate molasses, is certain to impress. There is enough fat in this cut of meat to keep the pork juicy, but I like to baste the meat often to really layer up those deeply intense flavours. Once the crackling is crispy, turn down the oven and cook the pork slowly until it falls apart.
Serves six to eight
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 boneless pork shoulder, about 1.52kg, fat scored – your butcher can do this for you
2 onions, sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
1 red chilli, sliced 500ml orange juice
100ml pomegranate molasses
50ml tamarind paste/concentrate
50ml white wine vinegar
2 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp peeled and finely chopped fresh root ginger
1 tbsp chipotle chilli paste
2 tsp English mustard good pinch of salt seeds of 1 pomegranate
1 Preheat the oven to 240C/gas Mark 9. Grind the salt and fennel seeds together with a pestle and mortar. Rub this mixture all over the pork, making sure you really get it into the cuts.
2 Lay the onions, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and chilli in the base of a roasting tray (one that fits the pork snugly) and place the pork on top, skin-side up. Pop in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the crackling is golden brown and hard to the touch.
3 In the meantime, mix all the remaining ingredients except the pomegranate seeds together.
4 Once the crackling is ready, reduce the oven to 140C/gas Mark 1 and pour the orange juice mixture over the onions. Baste a little on to the flesh of the pork (not the crackling, or it will burn) and cook, uncovered, for about 4 hours, basting the meat every now and again. If you want to cook it for longer, then lower the heat. I suggest for every 10C/gas Mark lower you go, add on an extra hour of cooking time. The longer you cook it, the better it will be.
5 Take the pork out of the oven and baste one more time, including the crackling this time, then cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for around 20 minutes. The sauce in the roasting tray is going to be the gravy, so make sure you skim off any fat that rises to the top. If you prefer, you can pour the sauce into a saucepan and heat on the hob until thickened.
6 Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over the pork and serve with lots of the gravy and the usual trimmings of roasties and greens.