Table at top of the world
MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Santosh Shah has a cookery book out, Ayla: A Feast of Nepali Dishes from Terai, Hills and the Himalayas. Pictures by Matt Russell.
Thukpa – Sherpa noodle soup SERVES 4
Thukpa is a soup shared by both Nepali and Tibetan Sherpa communities. To handle the freezing winters in high altitude, their diet is heavily based on carbohydrates. The soup is laced with the uplifting warmth of cumin, turmeric and timmur peppercorns. Some cooks add cornflour to thicken the soup but I prefer a thinner broth with my noodles.
Ingredients
• 100g soba noodles, or egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon hing
• 300g free-range chicken breast, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 50g finely chopped carrots
• 180g finely chopped mixed peppers
• 50g thinly sliced green French beans
• 80g finely shredded white cabbage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 800ml chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 lemon, quartered, to serve (optional)
For the spice paste
• 1 large garlic clove
• 4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
• 4 fresh green chillies, roughly chopped
• ½ tablespoon cumin seeds, dry roasted
• 5 timmur peppercorns, or Sichuan peppercorns
• ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped
• 1 small tomato, deseeded and chopped
METHOD
Start by making the spice paste. Place all the ingredients for the spice paste except the tomato in a small food processor or electric spice grinder. Blend until you get a paste. Add the chopped tomato and blend again. You should get a smooth spoonable paste. You can make it in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for two to three days or in the freezer for a month.
Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the hing and cook for a few seconds. Add the chicken and cook for five minutes, until slightly golden. Add the turmeric and cook for one minute. Add all the vegetables and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Stir in the salt and spice paste until all the ingredients are well coated.
Cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. Add the noodles and cook for a couple of minutes, just enough to reheat them.
Adjust the seasoning to taste, add the chopped coriander and serve with lemon quarters for squeezing over.
Aloo ko tarkari – potato curry SERVES 4
Aloo Ko Tarkari (potato curry) is so often eaten with puri that I have combined the two recipes for you here.
For the puri (makes 20)
• 500g plain flour or roti flour, or an equal mixture
of both
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for working into the
dough
• 1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for rolling
For the potato curry
• 2½ tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon nigella seeds
• ½ teaspoon garlic paste
• ½ teaspoon ginger paste
• 500g red-skinned waxy potatoes, unpeeled and
diced
• ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 dried hot red chillies, crushed
• ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder, or medium
hot chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon Sakahar Barha Masala
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 500ml vegetable stock, or water
• A kitchen thermometer
METHOD
First, make the puri dough. Combine the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the one tablespoon of oil and, using your fingers, work the oil into the flour until well incorporated. Make a well in the flour and measure out 250ml
of water. Add some of the water into the well and start mixing the dough, gradually adding the remaining water, a little at a time, until a firm dough forms. Knead the dough well with your hands for about 10 minutes until soft and elastic. Cover with a clean damp cloth and set aside for 15 minutes. Divide the dough into 20 pieces and keep them covered.
Next make the potato curry. Heat the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan, add the fenugreek seeds and let them crackle until they turn dark brown. Add the cumin and nigella seeds. Cook them for a few seconds just until they crackle. Add the garlic and ginger pastes, potato cubes, salt, crushed red chillies and all the ground spices. Sauté for a couple of minutes, until the potatoes are well coated with oil and spices. Add the vegetable stock or water, bring the mixture to the boil, and then turn down the heat to low.
Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the potatoes are soft. When the potatoes are soft enough, start stirring them while lightly crushing them with a spatula. You want the potatoes to absorb all the liquid and to have some chunkiness and texture. When they are thick and glossy from the juices, they are ready.
While the potatoes are cooking, fry the puri. Heat the oil in a deep sauté pan until it reaches 190 C. Roll one of the dough pieces in your hand to make a smooth ball. Apply a little oil on the dough ball and roll it out on an oiled surface with a rolling pin to obtain a 10cm disc. Repeat with the other dough balls. Keep the discs covered with a wet cloth. Place a puri in the hot oil. When it rises to the surface, press it down very gently into the oil with a skimmer. The puri will start puffing up. Flip it over and cook for a few seconds. When the puri are crisp and golden brown – this should take a couple of minutes on each side – remove from the oil and place on kitchen paper to drain.
Serve the potato curry hot with the crisp puri on the side.
Chana ko dal – spicy chickpeas SERVES 4
Dal is our comfort food in Nepal and a cheap source of protein. You will find as many different recipes as there are
households. Chana dal are the hulled and split kala chana, a small, dark brown type of chickpeas. To give an interesting texture, I process half into a puree, keeping the rest whole. What gives each dal its personality, apart from the type of lentils used, is the tempering. It is important to cook the onions until well caramelised as this will give the dal an extra layer of flavour.
Ingredients
• 280g chana dal (split Bengal gram)
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2-3 whole fresh green chillies, tailed and slit
lengthways
• 3-4 cloves
• 2.5cm piece of cinnamon stick
• 2-3 green cardamoms, lightly crushed
• 2 tejpaat (Nepali bay leaves)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh coriander
• leaves, chopped
For the tempering
• 2 tablespoons ghee, or vegetable oil
• 2-3 dried red chillies, depending on size or to taste
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 15g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Sakahar Barha Masala
To serve
• Bhat (plain rice)
• Puri
METHOD
Wash the chana dal under running water and soak them for 30-60 minutes in lukewarm water. In a medium heavy-based saucepan, combine the drained chana dal, turmeric, fresh green chillies, whole spices and salt. Cover with 1.4 litres of water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes, until the dal is cooked through, and the liquid has reduced.
Drain half of the dal and place in a blender with some of the cooking liquid. Process to a puree and pour back into the pan. Stir until well blended. The dal should have
the consistency of a thick soup. Keep the dal hot.
Make the tempering. Heat the ghee or oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the dried red chillies and cumin seeds. When the seeds start to crackle, add the onions and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caramelised. Stir in the ginger and tomato. Cook for two minutes, until the tomato is soft. Add the vegetable garam masala, stir well and leave to simmer for 30 seconds. Pour the whole tempering mixture into the simmering dal, add the chopped coriander and stir until well mixed. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Check and adjust the seasoning to taste, adding more salt if needed, and serve hot with rice and puri.
■ Ayla: A Feast of Nepali Dishes from Terai, Hills and the Himalayas by Santosh Shah, published by DK. £20. Photographer: Matt
Russell.