MASALA CHAI

INGREDIENTS

4 cm piece fresh ginger, unpeeled, coarsely grated
1 cinnamon stick, lightly crushed with the flat side of a knife
6 teaspoons loose strong black tea or 6 tea bags
14 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed, or ¾ teaspoon cardamom seeds, lightly crushed
2¾ cups milk
¼ cup pure maple syrup

METHOD

Bring ginger, cinnamon, and 3½ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Lower heat and simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by a third and very fragrant, about 20 minutes.

Remove pan from heat, stir in tea and cardamom, and let steep 2 minutes.

Return pan to medium-high heat and stir in milk and maple syrup. Cook, stirring occasionally and keeping a close watch, until mixture begins to foam up and boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Strain chai through a fine-mesh sieve into a teapot or pitcher and serve.

SEA BASS AND TURMERIC POTATOES IN RASAM BROTH

INGREDIENTS

30g ghee
6 sea bass fillets (840g), skin lightly scored
1 tbsp lemon juice
10g coriander leaves (optional)
coarse sea salt and black pepper

Potatoes
620g Desiree potatoes (or a firm, waxy variety), peeled and cut into 21/2 cm cubes
15g ghee
8 stems fresh curry leaves (20g)
11/2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 medium onion, finely diced (100g)
4 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 medium tomatoes (170g), halved, seeds removed and roughly chopped (100g)
10g unsalted butter

Rasam
100g tamarind pulp
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced (200g)
8 garlic cloves, crushed
11/2 tbsp garam masala
12 stems fresh curry leaves (25g)
2 large dried red chillies
3 large tomatoes (300g), each cut into 6 wedges, 2cm wide

METHOD

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, until just cooked. Drain and set aside.

Wipe the pan dry and return it to a medium heat with the 15g of ghee. When melted, add the 8 stems of curry leaves and mustard seeds and fry for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the onion and garlic and fry for another 3 or 4 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the turmeric, tomatoes and cooked potatoes, stir to coat the potatoes with the spices, then cook for a minute or so before adding the butter, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Cook for a final minute, then set aside and just warm up when you need it.

To make the rasam, pour 900ml of boiling water over the tamarind and set aside for 30 minutes, for the pulp to soften and disintegrate in the water. Use your hands to break up and dissolve the pulp, then strain through a fine mesh sieve and discard the seeds. Put the sunflower oil into a large pot and place on a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring from time to time, until starting to soften. Add the garam masala, 12 stems of curry leaves and chillies and fry for another minute before adding the tomatoes. Pour over the tamarind water, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer very gently for 15 minutes; take care that it does not come to the boil, as this will cause the tamarind pulp to split. Add 2 teaspoons of salt, stir through and set aside. You can leave this to infuse for a few hours and then, when ready to serve, there are two options. For a more formal look, strain the rasam for a clear broth; for a more rustic and informal look, you can skip the straining and keep the onion, garlic, curry leaves and chillies in the pot. Either way, you’ll need to return it to the stove and warm it through before serving.

To cook the fish, place a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the ghee. Use 11/2 teaspoons of salt to sprinkle over the skin side of all 6 fish, along with a grind of black pepper. When the ghee has melted, add the fish to the pan, skin-side down: you might need to do this in two batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Fry for 3–4 minutes, until crisp and golden-brown. Use another 11/2 teaspoons of salt to sprinkle on the flesh side of the fish, along with some more black pepper, then flip the fish over and cook for a final minute. Remove from the heat and drizzle with the lemon juice.

To serve, spoon the warm potatoes into a bowl. Place a fish on top or alongside, skin-side up, and ladle over the rasam. Finish with a sprinkle of coriander, if using, and serve.

CHAMPAGNE AND SAFFRON JELLY WITH CARDAMOM SHORTBREAD

INGREDIENTS

For the jelly:
1 bottle champagne (750ml)
Generous pinch of saffron
150g sugar
5 leaves of gelatine (3g each) soaked in cold water (or 25g powdered gelatine)

For the shortbread:
100g butter
40g icing sugar
Pinch of salt
120g plain white flour
3 cardamom pods, freshly ground or crushed
Caster sugar for sprinkling

For the cream:
50ml double cream
50ml sour cream
½ tsp icing sugar

METHOD

Start with the jelly. Pour 200ml champagne into a saucepan, plus the saffron, sugar and 100ml of water. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Squeeze all the water out of the gelatine leaves, and add to the pan, stirring until they're dissolved (powdered gelatine will take longer). Pour the contents of the pan into a large bowl and add the remaining champagne. Stir, then pass through a  sieve into a jug. Pour into 8 wine glasses, stopping 2cm short of the top of each one. Place in the fridge to set.

Preheat the oven to 160C/310F/gas mark 2. To make the shortbread, cream the butter and icing sugar until light and airy. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until just combined. To prevent the pastry sticking to everything as you roll it out, place a sheet of greaseproof paper on your work surface, the pastry on top of that, then another sheet of greaseproof paper on top of the pastry. Press down with your palm to make a flattish circle, then roll out, still with the pastry between the two sheets of paper, until ½ cm thick. Transfer to a tray, remove the top sheet of greaseproof, and let it rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. Bake until golden (around 15-20 minutes). Once done, sprinkle with sugar and cut into 6cm-long fingers. Allow to cool.

To serve, whip both creams and the icing sugar until they begin to thicken. Pour a 1cm-deep layer on each jelly, as if it were champagne foam. Serve with the shortbread.

SALMON FISHCAKES WITH GARAM MASALA, CHILLI AND GINGER

INGREDIENTS

600g skinned and boned salmon fillet, finely chopped by hand into 2-3mm dice
3 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
2 tsp garam masala
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
20g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
4cm piece ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 egg, lightly whisked
60g popped amaranth seeds (or panko breadcrumbs)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
60ml sunflower oil
120g soured cream
1 lime, quartered, to serve

METHOD

In a large bowl, mix the salmon, spring onion, garam masala, chilli, coriander, ginger and egg. Add 15g of popped amaranth, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, then shape into eight patties about 10cm in diameter and 1.5cm thick. One at a time, dip these in the remaining amaranth, and press it on to the cakes so they are densely coated all over.

Pour half the oil into a large frying pan and put it on a high heat. Once hot, fry half the fishcakes for five minutes, turning them halfway through, so they go golden and crisp on both sides. Set aside somewhere warm and cook the remaining fishcakes. Serve at once with a spoon of soured cream on top and a wedge of lime alongside.

CARDAMOM RICE PUDDING WITH ROSEWATER AND PISTACHIOS

INGREDIENTS

400ml milk, preferably whole
120ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
8 cardamom pods
120g pudding rice
30g unsalted butter
2tbsp condensed milk
1tbsp mild-flavoured honey
1/2tbsp rose water
pistachios
edible dried rose petals

METHOD

In advance: over high heat, bring pan containing milk, cream, vanilla and cardamom just beneath the point of boiling, then set aside to infuse in the fridge overnight.

Combine 1tbsp honey with the rosewater and one teaspoon of water; mix until consistent. Set aside until needed.

Then: place the rice into the pan with the milk mixture, bring to the boil, then simmer on medium heat for around twenty minutes stirring as you go. Add more water or milk as needed.

Fish out the cardamom pods and vanilla pod; stir in the butter and condensed milk, and additional honey & salt.

Garnish with the pistachios and rose petals plus a spoonful or so of the syrup. 
 

PINEAPPLE, SAGE AND CLOVE MARTINI

INGREDIENTS

1 large pineapple, unpeeled, leaves trimmed and discarded (1.4kg)
4 cardamom pods, roughly crushed by hand or in a pestle and mortar
20 sage leaves, plus 2 extra to serve
1 x 700ml bottle of Tanqueray London dry gin
25ml lemon juice
20ml clove syrup (see below)

Clove syrup
250g caster sugar
4 whole cloves

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.

Wrap the pineapple in tin foil and roast in the oven for 3 hours. Remove and set aside to cool. Peel the pineapple and cut it, lengthways, into 4 wedges. Cut out and discard the core, then place the flesh in a blender. Blitz to form a purée and set aside.

Add the crushed cardamom pods and sage leaves to the bottle of gin and set aside for at least 3 hours, swirling the bottle from time to time. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discard the cardamom and sage and return the gin to the bottle.

To make the clove syrup, place the sugar in a medium saucepan with 250ml of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add the cloves and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Lift out and discard the cloves, then set the syrup aside until completely cool.

Pour 100ml of gin into a mixing glass with 50ml of the pineapple purée, the lemon juice and 20ml of the clove syrup. Add ice, shake vigorously for 10 –15 seconds, and strain into pre-chilled martini glasses. Garnish each with a fresh sage leaf and serve at once.