Aloo Palak
A delicious combination of creamy potatoes cooked with coriander and fennel seeds, baby spinach and more! Recipe listed below. I used Asda’s Baby Spinach and British Belle Potatoes Ingredients – Serves 4 360g Mild Tender Baby Spinach – washed and chopped 4-6 potatoes – peel, cut into cubes and parboil in a pinch of salt and half teaspoon turmeric 1 tablespoon of ghee or mustard oil 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 large onion roughly chopped 2 inch ginger grated or chopped finely 5 garlic cloves chopped finely 1 teaspoon of turmeric 1 teaspoon of tomato puree water down in 2 tablespoons of hot water 1 teaspoon salt Green chillies to your taste or half teaspoon of red chilli powder Method
Gosht Beliram
Lamb cooked in warming spices Gosht meaning red meat and Beliram being the famous historical head chef in Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s kitchen, was renowned for being the best cook of that time. And who was Maharaja Ranjit Singh? Popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab – the lion of Punjab – he was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire ruling the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. Did you know he fought his first battle at the tender age of 10?! It’s been said that the Maharaja was so happy with the dish, he himself named it ‘Gosht Beliram’ so that his name would always be remembered through his recipe. Meanwhile, in 1970’s Southall, my lovely Dad who hailed from generations of a farming background in the Punjab, was now working as a labourer. He started working in a rubber factory and then moved on to work for BEA – British European Airways which merged with BOAC – British Overseas Airways Corporation – to form what we now know as British Airways. My mother in law to this day still calls it BOC – as she also worked there for many years. Does anyone else have a connection to the airline? So Dad ate simple meals consisting of vegetarian dishes during the week but come the weekend and he was ready to eat like a King – and his Queen, my Mum would make this delicious lamb curry for the whole family. I hope you will enjoy it as much as Maharaja Ranjit Singh and my kind, humble, loving Dad did. Ingredients – Serves 6 For the marinade – 1 kilo of lamb leg – cleaned and cut into pieces – ask the butcher to throw the bone in too 3 heaped tbsp of yogurt 2 heaped tbsp chopped ginger 2 heaped tbsp chopped garlic Green chillies to taste 1 heaped tsp turmeric 1 heaped tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) Salt to taste 2 tsp kashmiri chilli 2 tsp garam masala 1 cup fried onions – fry 2 sliced red onions in a little oil until they caramelise, then lay out on a tray and dehydrate in the oven on a low heat – alternatively you can use the air-fryer for this. Or buy ready-made from any good Indian grocer. For the sauce – 1 tbsp ghee 1 tbsp cooking oil 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick 2 bay leaves torn into pieces 4 green cardamom 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp crushed coriander seeds 2 large onions diced finely 300g plum tomatoes – pureed in a blender or mashed 2 large potatoes – cubed and par-boiled – this is optional A handful of chopped coriander leaves to garnish
Achari Tinde ~ aka as Apple Gourd
Tinde aka Apple Gourd, a seasonal vegetable, available in grocery stores June to September. When purchasing pick the ones that you can squeeze between your thumb and forefinger. Recipe – Feeds 4 6 x apple gourd peeled and cut into wedges, remove any hard seeds 1 tablespoon mustard oil 1 tablespoon ghee 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds 2 small or 1 large sliced onion Heaped tbsp of garlic paste Heaped tbsp of ginger paste 1 tsp turmeric 200g plum tomatoes – pureed or a tablespoon of tomato puree Green chillies to your taste – chopped finely or sliced 1 tsp Achari masala – optional 1 tsp Kashuri Methi 1 tsp salt 1 large potato cut into small pieces – optional Handful chopped coriander leaves Water as required if you prefer a runnier sauce – optional Method 1. Warm the oil/ghee in a heavy based pan and add the cumin & coriander 2. Once they have released their aromas add the sliced onions 3. Fry until slightly golden in colour then add the garlic/ginger paste 4. Wait until you can smell the aroma of the garlic then add the turmeric to the pan 5. Saute for a couple of minutes until the raw smell cooks off, then add the tomato puree/paste 6. Cook for a few minutes on a medium heat then add the remainder spices and salt 7. Allow this to cook until the oil separates from the mixture and creates little wells 8. Add the potato if using, and a splash of water to loosen the ingredients in the pan and cover and cook for 7-8 minutes on a low heat 9. Now add the apple gourd and stir well, cover and cook until cooked through. They should not be mushy but also shouldn’t be hard 10. Sprinkle on the chopped coriander and stir through 11. Serve with roti, naan or rice You can find me on all social media channels under The Authentic Punjabee. Facebook / Instagram / Tiktok / Youtube