Urban Rajah

1. Indian vegetarian recipes

2. When the perky team from Sunday Brunch got in touch to see if I could add a little spice to into their morning kitchen, I was there quicker than you could say 'steaming hot chapattis'.

3. Sift the flour into a bowl and combine with 60ml of the water to create a smooth paste. Tip in the rest of the water and keep whisking to avoid any lumps forming. Add the yoghurt, turmeric, sugar and salt and keep whisking; it’s essential that the mix is velvety and even. Decant into a saucepan and, over a medium heat, stir constantly and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, stirring regularly. In a separate frying pan, sauté the mustard seeds in the oil until they pop, then immediately add the ginger, chillies and curry leaves. Fry for 3–4 minutes until everything has darkened a few shades. Drop in the asafoetida, mix thoroughly and combine with the simmering karhi. Muddle the ingredients, remove from the heat and dress with the chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy the Indian Subcontinent spicy soup hot with a side of naan. 

4. For the spice crumble, pop the lotus seeds, coriander/cumin seeds and all purpose seasoning in a blender, if you have any stale bread hanging around it can join the party too. Pulse until everything is crumbly. Slide the contents into a plastic food bag (or bowl if you haven’t any handy) and throw in the fillet. Jiggle everything about until the meat is thoroughly coated. Now heat a griddle pan or skillet over a high heat until it starts to smoke and brown the fillet on all sides until you see a crust forming, this will take around 5-8 minutes, try not to agitate it too much, just gently turn it. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Next, slice up the radish, red onion, julienne (slice into matchsticks) the ginger and finely chop the coriander and chillies, slide everything into a large bowl along with the lime zest. Pay the fillet a visit and using a very sharp knife, cut slices 2-3mm thick until there’s nothing left and use the back edge of the knife across each slice stretching each piece a little. Pop the fillet into the bowl with the fresh ingredients and squish lime juice and a glug of olive oil over the top pitch in a dash of salt and mix well. Deliver the contents onto a chopping board and set this Indian spice crumble carpaccio before your hungry guests. They’ll adore you.

5. Fry up the onions in the oil until crispy and golden, then set them aside on kitchen towel to dry out. Keep the oil. In the same pan, using the onion oil, brown off the mutton, adding the cardamom, fennel, cumin, coriander and chilli powder. When the mutton is browned, drop in the cloves, peppercorns and salt and cook over a low heat for around 30 minutes, until the meat has started to cook in its own juices and the mix is looking darker. Blend the yoghurt, chillies, reserved fried onions and tomatoes, turning it into a paste. Add the paste into the pan and swish the ingredients around until everything is coated. Turn up the heat to medium and cook for a further 1½ hours, making sure you stir frequently. To stop the ingredients drying out and sticking to the bottom of the pan, add the water at intervals. The curry shouldn’t be too runny. Just before serving, add a teaspoon of kewra or rosewater. It takes time but classics like these shouldn’t be rushed. Serve with rotis or rice and garnish with chopped coriander.

6. Find us here UK2.NET http://www.uk2.net/ (email@uk2.net) One Canada Square,Canary Wharf,London,GB Zip: E145DY Phone: +44.2079871200 England, UK http://www.urbanrajah.com/how-to-make-Indian-curry/sweetcorn-daal-chowder