Paneer is a fresh Indian cheese with a mild taste and a similar texture to haloumi. It is high in protein, making it a great addition to a vegetarian diet. For variation, add some leftover cooked chicken or lamb to the pizzas.
VEGETABLE PAKORAS WITH BEETROOT RAITA
Prep 15 mins • Cook 20 mins • Makes 20
2 cups Besan flour (chickpea flour) •1 tsp ground coriander •1 tsp cumin seeds •2/3 cup water •1½ cups broccoli, finely chopped •1 zucchini, grated •100 g green beans, chopped into 1-cm pieces •1 can (420 g) chickpeas, rinsed, drained •1 long green chilli, finely sliced •½ cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped, plus extra leaves to serve •Oil, for deep frying BEETROOT RAITA •1 large beetroot, peeled, grated •1 eschalot, peeled, finely chopped •1 lime, juiced •1½ cups Greek yoghurt
1 In a large bowl, combine flour, coriander, cumin seeds and water. Mix well and season to taste. Stir through vegetables, chickpeas and coriander.
2 BEETROOT RAITA In a medium bowl, combine beetroot, eschalots and lime juice. Season to taste. Set aside 5 mins. Stir yoghurt through.
3 In a large, deep saucepan, heat oil on mediumhigh (170 C) until a little batter sizzles as soon as it is added.
4 Working in four batches of five, gently drop tablespoons of mixture into oil. Deep-fry each batch 2 to 3 mins, until golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towel.
5 Serve warm pakoras sprinkled with extra coriander and accompanied with beetroot raita for dipping.
PRAWN, COCONUT & CASHEW CURRY
Prep 20 mins • Cook 15 mins • Serves 4
2 tbsps vegetable oil •1 red onion, finely sliced •2 cloves garlic, finely chopped •1 long green chilli, finely sliced •2 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped •2 tsps garam masala •1 tsp ground turmeric (optional, see tip) •500 g peeled green prawns, deveined, heads and tails on •1 can (400 ml) coconut milk •½ cup cashews, toasted •1 tbsp tamarind paste •Coriander leaves, steamed basmati rice, lime wedges, to serve
1 In a large, deep frying pan, heat oil on medium. Saute onion, garlic, ginger, and chilli 3 to 4 mins, until onion is tender.
2 Add tomatoes, garam masala and turmeric. Cook 4 to 5 mins, until tomatoes soften.
3 Stir in prawns and cook 1 min. Mix in coconut milk, cashews and tamarind. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 2 to 3 mins, until prawns change colour and are cooked through.
4 Serve sprinkled with coriander and accompanied with steamed rice and lime wedges.
TIP: You can use fresh turmeric root, found in some supermarkets, in place of ground. Peel off brown skin with a teaspoon, then grate double the amount you’d use for dried, to add to curries, soups and pilafs.
TANDOORI ROAST LAMB WITH MASALA POTATOES
Prep 25 mins (plus marinating) • Cook 35 mins • Serves 4
¼ cup tandoori paste •¼ cup natural yoghurt •2 x 500 g lamb round mini roasts, scored •Kachumber salad, to serve (see tip) MASA LA POTATOES •2 tbsps ghee •1 tsp cumin seeds •1 tsp mustard seeds •1 tsp ground coriander •1 tsp ground turmeric •¼ tsp cayenne pepper •4 cream delight potatoes, boiled, cubed •1 lemon, juiced •¼ cup coriander, chopped
1 In a bowl, combine tandoori paste and yoghurt.
2 Place lamb in a shallow dish. Rub paste mixture all over. Chill 2 hours or overnight.
3 Preheat oven to hot, 200 C. Transfer lamb to a small baking dish. Bake 30 to 35 mins, until cooked to taste. Rest 10 mins, covered loosely with foil.
4 MASA LA POTATOES Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat ghee on medium. Cook spices 1 min, stirring. Add potatoes and season to taste. Cook, stirring, 8 to 10 mins until golden. Add lemon juice and cook until dry. Remove from heat. Toss coriander through.
5 Serve lamb sliced with potatoes and kachumber salad on the side.
TIP: To make kachumber salad, combine 250 g quartered cherry tomatoes, 1 finely chopped red onion and ¼ bunch chopped coriander. Add 2 tsps whitewine vinegar. Season to taste.
NAAN PUMPKIN PIZZA
Prep 15 mins • Cook 35 mins • Serves 4
500 g pumpkin, peeled, cut into 2-cm cubes •2 tbsps korma paste •1 tbsp olive oil •4 garlic naans •1 small red onion, thinly sliced •½ cup frozen peas, thawed •200 g packet paneer cheese, chopped (see tip) •1 cup mozzarella, grated •Mango chutney, to serve
1 Preheat oven to hot, 200 C. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper.
2 In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, korma paste and oil. Toss to coat. Spread evenly over one tray. Bake 12 to 20 mins until golden and tender.
3 Increase oven to very hot, 220 C. Arrange naan on second tray and divide pumpkin evenly among each pizza base. Using a fork, roughly squash pumpkin onto bases. Top evenly with onion, peas, paneer and mozzarella.
4 Bake pizzas 10 to 15 mins, until golden and mozzarella melts. Cut into quarters and serve with mango chutney.
TIP: Paneer is a fresh Indian cheese with a mild taste and a similar texture to haloumi. It is high in protein, making it a great addition to a vegetarian diet. For variation, add some leftover cooked chicken or lamb to the pizzas.
