Indian Feast I

Indian food is extremely well known, greatly cherished in many communities around the world, and it’s easy to see why.
It’s a broad and fascinating topic, and we have to start somewhere, so we’ve gone through the archive of recipes and techniques we’ve collected from the region, and compiled a series of manageable but scrumptious dishes which, we think, reflect some of the diversity of Indian cuisine, whilst striking a good balance between authenticity and feasibility.

You will need

Raita:
300ml natural yoghurt
1/2 cucumber
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 green chilli (or to taste)
1/2 garlic clove
Zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves
Black pepper to taste

Bonda:
4 medium potatoes, halved and cooked
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of mustard seeds
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of black onion seeds
Small handful of cashews, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon of desiccated coconut
Small handful of chopped coriander

Batter:
110g gram flour
15g rice flour
1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of black onion seeds
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
Pinch of salt
Pinch of Bicarbonate of soda
100-150ml water

Mint and Coriander Sauce:
1 small bunch of mint, leaves only
1 bunch of coriander, leaves and stalks
1 lime, juice and zest
1 green chilli
200-250ml oil
Pinch of salt

Bhajis:
3 medium onions or 2 large (1 red and 1 white), sliced into half rings
2 eggs
150-200g gram flour
1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
2 tablespoons of black sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of ground cumin

Serves 2

Raita:
Toast all cumin seeds in a dry pan
Grate the cucumber into a bowl
Add the rest of the ingredients and combine
Check for seasoning and keep in the fridge until needed

Bonda:
Start by mashing the potatoes
Heat a large glug of oil in a frying pan
Add the onion, season with salt and fry until starting to colour
Add the garlic and all spices, fry for a couple of minutes
Throw in the cashew nuts and the desiccated coconut and leave it for another couple of minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning any of the mixture
Pour the spicy onion mixture onto the potatoes, getting as much of it as possible out of the pan, then mix together with a handful of fresh coriander
Making sure it’s cool enough to handle, squeeze and roll the mixture into balls, roughly 3 cm in diameter

For these batter:
Place the flours, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a bowl, combine
Pour the water in gradually, until you get the desired consistency (double cream)
Dip the binds into the batter and fry in hot oil (190C) for 2-3 minutes until golden brown
Use a slotted spoon or a skimmer to remove them from the oil, place on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil and sprinkle with a little salt
Serve hot with the sauce

Mint and coriander dipping sauce:
Place all the ingredients, apart from the oil into a blender
Pour half the oil in and start blending
Keep pouring the oil in until you reach the desired consistency (double cream)

Onion bhaji:
Cut the onions in half and them slice the into thin half-rings
Add the spices and seeds
Combine with the eggs and add as much flour as you meed (until the mixture is just holding together)
Preheat a deep frying oil to 190C
Grab a small handful and shape the onion mix into balls and gently place into the oil
You can fry more than 1 at a time, but don’t overcrowd the pan as the temperature of the oil would be lowered and the bhajis would fall apart
Cook for 2-3 minutes until crispy
Use a slotted spoon or a skimmer to remove them from the oil, place on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil and sprinkle with a little salt