Recipes

Soak the basmati rice in some water for 20 minutes, drain and rinse. Cook in 960ml of boiling water with 1 teaspoon sea salt until absorbed and just cooked. The grains should be firm.

For the coriander paste, grind all the ingredients together with little water.

Heat the oil for tempering and roast the chana dal and urad dal until golden brown. Add the curry leaves and asafoetida and mix well. Now add the ground coriander paste and blend well adding enough salt. Throw in the green peas and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Switch off the heat and mix in the rice while the paste is still hot. Garnish with cashew nuts and chopped coriander leaves.

You can turn this dish into a delicious quick supper for 2 people

Add 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil into a large pan, add 1 small onion, chopped finely and gently fry until soft (add a little water to speed this up).  Grate a clove of garlic and chop a large chilli and stir this into the onion.  Next, add 1 dessertspoon of medium curry powder or I used ras el hanout, stir through adding a little water to keep it in a paste whilst the spices cook for 1 minute.  Add 100ml of water, then lay 300g of white chunks on top, followed by 150g of tiger prawn tails.  Load the rice on top of this, top with a handful of chopped coriander, mint and a tablespoon of lemon juice.  Place a lid over the top and gently heat through for 5 minutes.  You will know when it is ready when you remove the lid and a head of steam greets you.  At this point take a large spoon and briefly mix everything together- the rice will turn ia spicy colour and fish and prawns will be cooked through. Serve with a wedge of lemon.