Chicken and rice porridge
Madrouba means 'beaten', and in Doha and across Qatar and Oman it is a Ramadan favourite, cooked in big pots and beaten with a wooden spoon until the rice and chicken become one creamy porridge. It is soft and savoury, warmed by cumin, cardamom and black lime, and finished with a pool of ghee and sometimes crisp fried onion. Families eat it at iftar after dates and soup, or on cold evenings. The mistake is adding all the water at the start and walking away: the rice needs stirring so it breaks down evenly without catching. Chef's tip: use a whisk or a sturdy wooden spoon in the last 15 minutes and beat hard; the texture should be smooth with only tiny threads of chicken.
A new country every day, from every cuisine on the site.
Small long brinjals slit and packed with a spiced filling of coconut, peanuts, gram flour, fenugreek and coriander, then cooked slowly in tomato with a topping of coarsely ground peas. For a stuffed potato and brinjal curry, fill small potatoes too and cook them the same way; for a stuffed banana curry, fill ripe bananas and cook them in a saucepan, without pressure or baking. Serve hot with chapaties or naan.
Par-boiled potato halves filled with a buttery mix of sweetcorn, fresh coconut, onion, chilli and cream, topped with sesame seeds and coriander and baked. Serve hot with chilli sauce as a starter or side.
Boiled potato halves scooped out and filled with a creamy, gently spiced vegetable stuffing, baked in a sweet tomato cream sauce under cheddar. Serve hot with garlic bread. For a change, fill them with fresh corn or mushrooms instead of mixed vegetables.
Small potatoes scooped out, deep fried and stuffed with spiced crumbled paneer, then simmered in a pale, luxurious gravy of yogurt, cashews, almonds and fresh cream. Finished with coriander, green chilli and a dusting of cinnamon, it's a true party dish. Serve hot with naan.
A party-sized pot of chickpeas and golden paneer cubes with stir-fried capsicum, in a deep, glossy gravy built on browned onion, ginger, garlic, tamarind and a little jaggery. Coarsely ground black pepper and halved coriander seeds in the tempering give it warmth. Serve hot with naan or bhatura.
Whole aubergines charred over a flame until the skin blackens and the flesh turns soft and smoky, then chopped and tossed with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and green chillies. A few black specks left in the flesh add to the smoky flavour. Serve hot with yogurt and millet rotla.
Cauliflower grated into small crumbs and cooked until tender, then mixed with peas and a smooth, spicy onion-tomato paste flavoured with cardamom, black pepper and cumin. The texture is just like a kheema (mince) but completely vegetarian. Serve hot with parathas.
A quick pressure-cooker curry of chana dal and plenty of spinach with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and green chilli. It's earthy, lightly spiced and full of goodness. Serve hot with chapaties or boiled rice. For a change, use green gram lentils with skin (soaked for 8 hours, then washed to remove the skins), or replace the lentils with four potatoes cut into 1 cm cubes and ½ tbsp lemon juice.
The classic Punjabi winter dish: mustard greens, spinach, fenugreek and a little cabbage pressure cooked until meltingly soft, then blended and thickened with maize flour. It's finished with onion, garlic and tomato fried in ghee and a sprinkle of Punjabi masala. Serve hot with chapati or makki ki roti.
Little half-moon calzones of a soft yeast dough made with plain and maize flour, filled with pizza sauce, mushrooms, red capsicum, onion and cheese, and baked until golden. Serve hot with chilli sauce.
Big squares of capsicum and quartered button mushrooms, seared quickly so they keep their bite, then folded into a smooth gravy thickened with a little bengal gram dal, tomato and milk. Butter and split coriander seeds give the base a nutty, gently spiced flavour, finished with lemon. Serve hot with naan.
Golden paneer cubes in a smooth, gently spiced makhani gravy of tomato puree, cashew paste, milk and cream, scented with kasoori methi. It's mild, creamy and a favourite with children. Serve hot with naan.
A Punjabi home favourite: red kidney beans pressure cooked until creamy, then simmered in a deep red masala of ground onion, garlic and ginger, tomatoes and yogurt, and partly mashed so the gravy turns thick and velvety. Serve hot with chapaties or boiled rice.
A colourful mix of baby aubergine, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, beans and carrots simmered in a ground onion, coconut and whole-spice paste loosened with coconut cream and yogurt. The vegetables go in stages so each one stays tender, not soft, and roasted cashews add crunch at the end. Serve hot with naan.
Chunks of fresh corn on the cob cooked in coconut milk, then simmered in a thick, nutty gravy of roasted peanuts, tomato, ginger and fresh coconut. It's mildly sweet, lightly spiced and best eaten with your hands, gnawing the kernels off the cob. Serve hot as a main curry with rotlis or rice.
Steamed carrots, beans, peas and potatoes in a vivid green gravy ground from fresh coriander, spinach, mint, coconut, green chillies and whole spices. It's fresh, fragrant and spicy, and big enough for a crowd. Serve hot with naan or chopadia.
A festive mixed vegetable curry from Kolhapur: fried potatoes, beans, carrots and paneer with peas, corn and three colours of capsicum, in a thick gravy of tomato, onion, mawa, cashew and yogurt spiced with coriander seed, cardamom and dried pomegranate. Topped with fresh cream, it's rich enough for a party. Serve hot with naan or choppadia.
Diced potatoes, carrots, beans and peas cooked until tender in a pale, creamy gravy of yogurt, ground cashews and fresh coconut, finished with cream and chopped cashews. It's mild, rich and comforting. Serve hot with naan. You can also make it with boiled, peeled baby potatoes instead of the mixed vegetables, or with corn kernels, peas, fenugreek and a squeeze of lemon juice.
A royal potato curry: halved potatoes are hollowed out, fried golden and filled with paneer, peas, cashews and raisins, then laid in a creamy, aromatic gravy of onion, yogurt, whole spices, tomato, cashew, nutmeg and mace. Make the gravy ahead and add the potatoes just before serving so they hold their shape. Serve hot with naan or paratha.
Julienned carrots, baby corn, capsicum, beans and peas, blanched so they stay tender-crisp, tossed with fried potato fingers in a quick tomato gravy with curry leaves, mustard, ginger and amchur. It's colourful, a little tangy and spicy. Serve hot with naan or parathas.
Small capsicums and firm, unripe tomatoes hollowed out and filled with a spiced mix of potato, peas, carrot, beans and paneer seasoned with roasted cumin, chaat masala and amchur, then topped with cheddar and cooked gently until tender. A lovely dish for a dinner party. Serve hot with naan or chapaties.
Paneer two ways, fried cubes and coarsely grated, with green peas in a silky gravy of onion, tomato, yogurt and cream, flavoured with whole spices, poppy seeds and cashews and then blended smooth. It's rich and mildly spiced. Serve hot with naan.
Soya granules soaked until soft and cooked like a kheema with lots of browned onion, ginger, garlic, tomato, fresh fenugreek and coriander, spiced with cinnamon and clove. It's hearty and high in protein, with a texture just like mince. Serve hot with naan or bread.
Home-made paneer mashed with peas, carrot and potato, rolled into small koftas and fried, then dropped into a mildly spiced, creamy gravy of onion, tomato, cashew and mawa. Add the koftas only just before serving so they stay soft but whole. Serve hot with naan or paratha.
A one-pot Gujarati meal: sweet and sour tuvar dal with kokum and peanuts, with squares of a spiced wheat and gram flour dough simmered in it until tender. If the dal thickens as the dhokri cook, add more water. Garnish with coriander and jini sev and serve hot.
A rich, thick dal of pigeon pea, green gram, black and masoor lentils cooked until meltingly soft with potato, brinjal, spring onion, tomato and fenugreek, then simmered with a spiced coriander paste, tamarind and jaggery. It's sweet, sour and warming. Serve amiri dal with jeera fenugreek paratha.
A smooth, gently spiced curry of thick and thin coconut milk with a ground paste of onion, coconut, coriander, ginger and green chilli and a tempering of cumin and curry leaves. It's mild and silky, and good with almost anything. Serve hot coconut curry with any baked vegetables or rice.
A thin, silky Gujarati kadhi of sour yogurt and gram flour, gently sweet with jaggery and fragrant with cinnamon, cloves, curry leaves and fenugreek seeds. Stir it all the time as it comes to the boil so it doesn't split. Serve with pigeon pea lentil khichdi or rice.
The Punjabi favourite: whole black grams and a little chana dal cooked long and slow until creamy, then simmered with tomato, kasoori methi, nutmeg and butter and finished with milk and cream. It's rich, smoky-tasting and velvety. Serve hot dal makhani with naan or tandoori chapati.
Short lengths of okra slit and stuffed with a spicy masala of peanuts, coconut, onion, coriander and gram flour, then cooked covered until tender and finished with tomato. The lemon juice in the filling keeps the okra from turning sticky. Serve hot with chapaties.
A handi-style mixed vegetable curry: potatoes, carrots, beans, peas and long pieces of brinjal cooked in a tangy yogurt gravy with ginger, garlic and chilli, finished with cream, fresh coriander and a touch of mild curry masala. Serve hot with naan or chapaties.
A golden bake of blended and whole sweetcorn with potato, carrot, beans, cauliflower and spinach, tempered with curry leaves, sesame and green chilli and finished with fried cashews and raisins. A favourite for parties; serve hot.
Oval potato koftas with a hidden filling of paneer, cashews and raisins sharpened with lemon and chilli, fried crisp and served in a smooth tomato and onion gravy finished with cream. Add the koftas to the hot gravy only at the last minute so they stay whole. Serve immediately with naan or parathas.
Soft wheat and maize flatbreads rolled around a spicy kidney bean and potato filling, baked in a fiery tomato and red chilli sauce and topped with sour cream and cheese. Serve with extra hot sauce, sour cream, spring onions or salad.
A creamy, cheesy bake of sweetcorn, baby potatoes and spaghetti in a sauce of blended capsicum and cashews mixed with white sauce, topped with cheese and capsicum rings. Serve hot with tomato ketchup and chilli sauce.
An eggless quiche: a crisp wheat and potato pastry case filled with a herby tomato, vegetable, pasta and paneer mixture, topped with cheese and tomato slices. Serve hot with salad and baked potatoes.
Whole eggs baked in layers of rich onion, tomato and capsicum masala, flavoured with cumin, black pepper and mild curry masala. Serve hot with bread or naan. Contains egg.
Jacket potatoes split and piled with a spicy kidney bean and capsicum chilli, topped with sour cream and served with a crunchy mixed salad. A filling supper for two.
Thin pancakes folded around a spiced paneer and vegetable filling, baked in a garlicky tomato sauce under cheese and capsicum. Serve hot with green and mint chutneys.
Crisp-fried brinjal and potato slices layered with a rich gravy of tomatoes, fresh fenugreek (methi) and ground peanuts, tempered with mustard, cumin and asafoetida, and baked. Serve hot with naan or paratha.
Light, crisp koftas of gram flour and chopped spinach dropped into a pale green kadhi of yogurt and spinach puree, spiced with a fresh-ground masala of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and coriander seed. Add the koftas just before serving so they stay soft but hold together. Serve hot with any paratha or puri.
Tindora (ivy gourd) slit and lightly fried, then stuffed with a sweet, sour and nutty masala of peanuts, coconut, tomato and spices and cooked gently until tender. A simple everyday Gujarati shaak. Serve hot with chapaties.
A showpiece party bake: a spiced mashed-potato base, a layer of tempered vegetables, a layer of spinach, sweetcorn and rice, then coconut chutney, all sealed under more potato and baked with sesame seeds. Serve hot with masala yogurt, tamarind and red chilli chutneys and a fresh salad.
Everyday Gujarati dal: smooth, thin pigeon pea lentils simmered with tomato, peanuts, drumsticks, kokum and dried dates, sweet with jaggery and sharp with lemon, under a fragrant tempering of cloves, curry leaves and mustard. Vary it by changing the seasoning and tempering: for example, temper it with curry leaves, mustard and onions fried in oil, and finish it with green chillies, sambhar masala and kokum pieces. Serve hot with plain boiled rice.
The South Indian classic: smooth pigeon pea dal cooked with ridge gourd and drumsticks, soured with tamarind and spiced with sambhar masala, curry leaves and mustard seeds. It's tangy, thin enough to pour and full of flavour. Serve hot sambhar with idlis, masala dhosa or uttapam.
Showing 45 of 7,762 recipes
Show more recipesPage 818 of 863
Indian
Spanish
Italian
American
Chinese
Mexican
Brazilian
Japanese
Paraguayan
