Open sandwiches
Prague's lahůdky delicatessens have sold chlebíčky since the early twentieth century, and these little open sandwiches are still the first thing laid out for office celebrations, birthdays and New Year's Eve. Diagonal slices of soft white veka bread are spread with potato salad, then decorated with a rolled slice of cooked pork ham, half a hard-boiled egg, cheese, gherkin and a dot of mayonnaise, so each one looks like a small, neat picture. They are creamy, salty and fresh at once. A common mistake is assembling hours ahead on soft bread, which goes soggy; build them no more than an hour before serving and keep them in the fridge, never out for more than 2 hours. Boil the eggs until the yolks are firm. For a meat-free tray, skip the ham and double the egg and cheese. Chef's tip: a firm, day-old baguette slices more cleanly than fresh bread.
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A smooth, bright green, dairy-free soup of spinach and onion blended with a little creamed coconut, then simmered with vegetable stock, soya milk and a hint of nutmeg. Cook the spinach only briefly so it keeps its colour. Serve immediately.
A light, low-calorie pullao from the book's Low calorie section. Basmati rice is cooked with baby carrots, baby corn and fine French beans, whole spices, garlic, ginger and green chilli, using a little semi-skimmed milk for softness and onions browned in the oven instead of deep-fried. Serve hot with the remaining baked onions and masala yogurt.
A lighter, eggless quiche: a crisp wholemeal pastry case made with soya spread, filled with red and green peppers and mushrooms bound with cottage cheese, soya yogurt and grated soya cheese, and baked until set. Serve hot with a green salad.
A full falafel meal: crisp chickpea fritters flavoured with fenugreek, spinach, chilli and ginger are stuffed into pitta pockets spread with hummus and tahini, then packed with a crunchy cabbage, cucumber and carrot salad and a fiery home-made red chilli sauce. Serve with green, red and tamarind chutneys.
A soft, spongy, low-calorie dhokra made from soaked black-eyed beans blended to a batter with fresh fenugreek, spinach and green chilli-ginger paste, lifted with fruit salt and steamed. Cut into squares and serve with green chutney as a snack or light meal.
A light, eggless and butter-free cake made with self-raising flour, cinnamon, light muscovado sugar, apple juice and a little sunflower oil, studded with juicy cranberries and diced apple and baked in a ring mould. Drizzled with warm cranberry jam and decorated with apple slices, it looks festive and is low in fat.
A warm, protein-rich and low-calorie bhel of mixed sprouts (green grams, bengal grams and moth beans) quickly cooked with cumin, onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli, tomato and spices, then finished with lemon and coriander. Ready in 15 minutes; serve hot as a snack or light meal.
The fasting-day version of Gujarati chevdo: fine strips and round crisps of fried potato tossed with fried peanuts, cashews, green chillies, curry leaves and coriander, and seasoned with black pepper, sugar, salt and a touch of citric acid. It's crunchy, peppery, sweet and tangy. Make a big batch, store it airtight and serve it on fasting days with tea. Makes about 1 kg.
The fasting-day gulab jambu: soft balls of mawa (khoya) and mashed potato bound with cassava flour, scented with saffron and cardamom, fried slowly to a deep golden brown and soaked in cardamom syrup with pistachios and almonds. Soak them for 3–4 hours so they turn juicy all the way through. Makes 35 small jambu.
Soft spiced potato kofta rolled in rajagra (amaranth) flour, fried crisp and dropped into a rich tomato and cashew gravy flavoured with coriander seeds and black pepper. It's a festive main dish for a fasting day, with no grains, onion or garlic. Add the kofta just before serving so they stay soft but hold their shape, and serve with farari thepla.
Crisp fried farari muthia made from very finely diced potato, crushed roasted peanuts, soaked sago and rajagra (amaranth) flour, seasoned with ginger, chilli, black pepper and a sweet-sour finish. They're crunchy outside and soft inside. Garnish with coriander and fresh coconut and serve hot as a fasting-day snack.
Crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth nankhatai made for fasting days with cassava flour and powdered cashews instead of wheat flour, rich with ghee and coconut and scented with cardamom. Each one is topped with half a cherry. They bake only until barely coloured. Makes 45 small biscuits (about 3 per serving).
On fasting days gram flour is off the menu, so this kadhi is thickened with mashed potato and coarsely ground peanuts instead. The buttermilk is tempered with ghee, cumin, cloves, cinnamon and curry leaves, and finished sweet-sour in the Gujarati way. Serve hot with farari samo khichdi.
Crisp, golden sago wada made from mashed potato, sago pearls and cassava flour, seasoned with green chilli, ginger, coarse black pepper and sesame, then rolled in soaked sago so the outside fries into a crunchy, pearly crust. Serve hot with coconut chutney on fasting days. Makes 20.
Samo (also called moraiyo, sama or barnyard millet) is the fasting-day stand-in for rice. Here it's simmered with potato cubes and crushed roasted peanuts after a ghee tempering of cumin, cloves and cinnamon, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, nutty and mildly spiced. Serve it hot with yogurt or farari potato kadhi.
A cool, creamy farari chatako of boiled potato, ripe banana and tomato folded into beaten yogurt with green chilli, ginger, fresh coconut and sultanas. It's sweet, tangy and gently hot, and ready in minutes once the potatoes are boiled. Serve it as a snack or side on fasting days.
Soft, spiced farari thepla made with ground soaked sago, rajagra (amaranth) and moraiyo (samo) flours and mashed potato, kneaded with yogurt and seasoned with sesame, coriander, chilli and ginger. They're rolled between sheets of plastic, as there's no gluten to hold them, and shallow fried on a griddle. Serve with yogurt or farari kofta curry. Soak the sago 6 hours ahead. Makes 15.
Pudas are thin savoury pancakes. These low-calorie ones are made from rice, maize and wheat flour mixed with crumbled paneer, spinach, fenugreek and coriander and a fresh paste of onion, chilli, mint, garlic and ginger. The moisture in the vegetables and paneer is enough to bind the dough, so no ghee, oil, yogurt or water goes into it. Cook on a griddle with just a little oil and serve with tea, or with plain yogurt and pickle.
Khakhra are thin chapaties roasted slowly on a griddle until they turn crisp, like a cracker. This masala version adds gram flour, fresh fenugreek, turmeric and chilli to the wheat dough. They are a light Gujarati breakfast or tea-time snack, and lovely with pickle, chutney or a smear of butter. You can also make them in a roti maker.
Small, crisp fried puris flavoured with cumin seeds and plenty of black pepper. The butter rubbed into the flour makes them short and flaky, and frying them slowly over low heat keeps them crisp right through. Serve them as a snack with tea; they keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Bhabhri are long, thin strips of plain and gram flour dough, fried until crisp and tossed straight away in a mix of powdered sugar, chilli, citric acid and salt. They are sweet, tangy and lightly spicy at once, and a favourite tea-time nasta. Pounding the dough makes it lighter in colour and gives the strips their crisp, flaky bite. They keep for weeks in an air-tight container.
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Mathia are thin, crisp, slightly sweet and peppery wafers made from mathia flour, a mix of ground husked moong and urad dal. They are a classic Gujarati Diwali snack. The dough is pounded until pale, rolled very thin between plastic sheets and fried one at a time. They are fragile, so store them gently. To make mathia flour, finely grind 4 parts husked green gram lentils with 1 part husked black gram lentils.
This is the big festive chevdo: crisp potato straws and rounds, fried chana dal, green grams and pawa, with cashews, peanuts and sultanas, curry leaves and green chillies, all coated in a sweet-hot seasoning and a fragrant whole-spice tempering with lemon. It makes a large batch for Diwali and keeps for weeks in air-tight tins. Golf potatoes are small, round potatoes.
Tum tum are thick, chunky gram flour sticks pressed through a 1 cm disc, spiced with chilli, cumin-coriander, black pepper and ajwain, and balanced with lemon and sugar. They are hot, tangy and crunchy, perfect with tea, and one of the components of bhusu.
Fafadia gathia are pale, airy strands of gram flour dough rubbed through a gathia jara straight into hot oil. Beating the salt and kharo water until white and frothy, then kneading the dough hard, makes them light and melt-in-the-mouth. Serve with fried green chillies, papaya sambharo or jalebi. For fuli (puffed) gathia, use coarsely ground black pepper instead of white pepper and press the dough through a fuli jara.
Bhusu is a festive farsan mix: crunchy fried pulses and lentils, three kinds of sev, tum tum, bundi, sakarpada cubes, puffed rice, cashews and peanuts, all tossed in a sweet, sour and spicy seasoning. It makes a large batch for Diwali and keeps for weeks in air-tight tins. It's a project spread over a few days, because the pulses need soaking first. Make the jini sev, jadi sev, tum tum and sakarpada from their own recipes in this section.
Chakri (also called chakli) are crisp, ridged spirals piped from a sev press and deep-fried. This version uses rice flour with a little gram flour and plain flour, flavoured with fresh coriander, ginger, chilli, sesame and lemon, with a touch of sugar. They are a Diwali favourite and keep well in an air-tight tin.
Jadi sev is the thick variety of sev: crunchy gram flour noodles pressed straight into hot oil, seasoned with coarse black pepper and green chilli powder. Eat it by the handful with tea, or mix it into bhusu and chevdo. For medium sev, use a disc with slightly smaller holes.
Sanchar papdi are thin diamonds of rice, gram and urad flour dough that blister and bubble as they fry, then get a dusting of sugar, chilli and sanchar (black salt). They are crisp, light and tangy, and a lovely tea-time snack. Pounding the dough until pale makes them extra crisp.
Potato chakri are crisp, light spirals made with rice flour and boiled potato, flavoured with ginger, chilli, lemon, sesame and coriander. The potato makes them extra tender-crisp. They keep for about 3 weeks in an air-tight container, so make them ahead for Diwali or guests.
A favourite chaat: golden potato patties stuffed with spiced crushed peas, topped with hot ragda (a tangy dried-pea curry), tamarind, green and red chutneys, fine sev, chopped onion and coriander. Make the jini sev from the recipe in the Nasta section, or use ready-made fine sev.
Soft, white steamed squares of ground rice and urad dal, spiced with black pepper and green chilli and topped with a mustard and sesame tempering. They're a classic Gujarati farsan. Serve with green and red chutneys. For yellow dhokra, use bengal gram lentils (chana dal) instead of black gram lentils, and add a pinch of turmeric and some garlic paste to the batter.
Uppma is a soft, savoury semolina dish cooked with vegetables, onion, green chilli, ginger and curry leaves. This version cooks the semolina in tangy buttermilk and finishes it with lemon, coriander and cashews. Toasting the semolina first keeps the grains separate. Serve it hot for breakfast or tea, with plain yogurt.
Chatako is a festive Gujarati mixed dish: slices of patra (steamed colocasia leaf rolls) tossed with potatoes and fresh green pigeon peas in a whole-spice tempering, then folded into a tangy yogurt masala with coconut, ginger, tomato and coriander, sweet-sour with jaggery and tamarind. Serve hot as a side dish with dinner or at tea-time parties. Ready-made patra from an Indian grocer works too.
Kanki is broken rice simmered until soft and creamy in water seasoned with a generous whole-spice tempering of cumin, cloves, cinnamon, sesame and curry leaves, with green chilli and ginger. It's a warming Gujarati snack like khichu. Serve hot with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of red chilli powder.
Light, fluffy fritters of grated cheddar, onion, green chilli and coriander in a yogurt and flour batter, fried until golden. Resting the batter makes them puff up beautifully. Serve hot with red or green chutney.
Soft, spongy steamed squares of semolina and gram flour, made tangy with sour yogurt and raised with fruit salt, then finished with a mustard, sesame and asafoetida tempering, coconut and coriander. A quick farsan for tea or a light breakfast. Serve with green chutney.
Lilva-style kachori: small crisp pastry balls filled with crushed green peas, potato and coconut, sweet, sour and spicy with sugar, lemon, ginger and chilli. They're a Gujarati winter favourite. Serve hot with red and green chutneys. The filling also makes a stuffing for stuffed buns.
Batata vada are spiced, sweet-sour potato balls with onion, coriander and cinnamon-clove, dipped in gram flour batter and fried until golden. They're a favourite snack for rainy days and parties. Serve hot with green coriander chutney and tamarind chutney.
Soft, fluffy semolina (rava) idlis made in half an hour, with no grinding or fermenting: the batter is raised with fruit salt. They're topped with a tempering of mustard, cumin, curry leaves, green chilli, fresh coconut and coriander. Serve with green and coconut chutneys.
Soft, golden bread buns with a surprise inside: choose a cheesy three-pepper and spring onion filling, a spicy peas kachori filling, or buttery mushrooms, or make some of each. They're perfect with soup or for a party table.
Small mushroom caps are filled with a garlicky, spicy breadcrumb and onion paste, dipped in a three-flour batter and fried until golden. They are crisp outside and juicy inside. Serve them hot with chilli sauce.
Little broccoli patties bound with gram flour and breadcrumbs, seasoned with garlic, green chilli and cumin, rolled in sesame seeds and pan-fried until golden. They make a light starter or snack. Serve hot with mint and yogurt chutney.
A family-style vegetarian take on enchiladas: crisp fried maize tortillas dipped in a home-made tomato and red chilli sauce, stacked with a paneer, onion and capsicum filling, topped with cheese and baked until bubbling. Serve hot with chilli sauce. You can use 2 cups ready-made grated paneer instead of home-made.
Mumbai's favourite street food made at home: a rich, buttery bhaji of mashed cauliflower, peas, potato, aubergine, carrot and capsicum, cooked with onions, tomatoes and pav bhaji masala, served with butter-toasted buns. This version adds a spicy garlic and tomato sauce on top. Serve with chopped onions and tomatoes on the side.
A fresh, fragrant pesto made with mint leaves and toasted pistachios. It is lovely tossed through hot pasta or spooned over roasted vegetables, and a spoonful lifts a plain vegetable soup.
Rigatoni tossed in a thick tomato sauce with soft aubergine, celery and garlic, with an optional splash of brandy for depth, and topped with grated cheddar.
A vegetarian moussaka for a crowd: fried aubergine and potato slices layered with a herby tomato sauce and a garlicky cheese white sauce, topped with cheese and mixed herbs and baked until bubbling. Serve sizzling hot with bread.
A spiced vegetable filling of potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, beans and peas with tomato, spring onion and warm cinnamon-clove, baked in a potato and bread crust and piped with a potato topping. Dotted with chilli sauce and ketchup, it makes a colourful centrepiece.
Crisp vegetable cutlets of potato, raw banana, peas, corn and capsicum, shallow fried in breadcrumbs, then baked in a tangy tomato sauce under cheese and green chilli. A good party dish: fry the cutlets ahead and bake just before serving.
Instant cannelloni tubes stuffed with feta, ricotta, walnuts, spring onion and lemon, baked in a gingery tomato and spinach sauce and finished with melted mozzarella.
Fettuccine tossed in a fresh tomato and chilli salsa with parmesan and a garlicky rocket and basil pesto, finished with toasted pine nuts. Serve hot with garlic bread. For a milder pesto, use baby spinach instead of rocket.
A simple, filling one-pan sauce of chickpeas, onion, celery and garlic simmered in tomato puree and tossed with pasta. Finished with chopped parsley, it is a good everyday supper.
An Indian twist on spaghetti and meatballs: soft paneer kofta, fried until golden, served on buttered spaghetti with a sweet and tangy tomato gravy and a sprinkle of cheese. Children love it.
Ribbons of tagliatelle tossed with a thick, creamy pesto of basil, toasted hazelnuts, green chilli, mozzarella and cream, which melts into the hot pasta. Finish with plenty of black pepper.
A quick, light pasta of penne and broccoli in a tangy garlic, chilli and yogurt sauce, finished with toasted pine nuts or cashews. Ready in under half an hour.
Layers of pasta, a mushroom and courgette tomato sauce and a spinach and ricotta filling, finished with white sauce and cheddar and baked until golden. A generous dish for a family meal; serve it hot with garlic bread.
A quick, nutty pesto of fresh coriander, garlic and roasted peanuts, blended with peanut oil. It is dairy free and vegan, and great tossed through noodles or pasta, or drizzled over grilled vegetables.
A bright green pesto of fresh coriander and mint, made creamy with toasted cashews and sharp with lime juice. Toss it through pasta, swirl it into rice or use it as a sandwich spread.
A rich, tangy paste of sun-dried tomatoes, black olives and toasted pecans, sharpened with red wine vinegar and herbs. Toss it through hot pasta for an instant supper, spread it on toast or crackers, or serve it as a dip.
A mild, bright green pesto made with baby spinach instead of basil and roasted walnuts instead of pine nuts. Keep a jar in the fridge and a bowl of just-cooked pasta becomes an instant meal; it is also good stirred into vegetable soup.
Pasta and crisp green vegetables in a light coconut milk sauce flavoured with coriander-chilli paste, lemon and fresh basil. Fresh, gently spicy and dairy free.
Gujarati-style samosas: thin, crisp pastry pockets folded into triangles and filled with peas, potato and carrot, sweet, sour and spicy with lemon, sugar, chilli and cinnamon-clove powder. Make the samosa chapaties (pastry) from the recipe in the Basics section. Serve with lemon wedges and green, red and tamarind chutneys.
Cannelloni tubes filled with a gently spiced stuffing of ground peas, grated potato and carrot, baked slowly in a herby tomato sauce under a layer of cheddar. The long, gentle bake cooks the dry tubes in the sauce.
Soft, fluffy steamed idlis of rice and urad dal, served with a tangy, lightly sweet pigeon pea lentil sambhar full of vegetables: aubergine, drumsticks, bottle gourd and potato, tempered with mustard, fenugreek, curry leaves and kokum. Serve with coconut chutney. The batter is ground the day before and left overnight.
The classic comfort dish: elbow macaroni in a smooth, rich cheddar sauce, topped with more cheese and grilled until golden and bubbling. Serve it with a green salad.
Dahi vada are soft, spongy dumplings of ground urad, moong and black-eyed bean lentils, fried, soaked and then covered in a cool spiced yogurt with cumin, chilli and tamarind chutney. They are a cooling, tangy party dish. Instead of soaking the fried vadas in hot water, you can soak them in thin buttermilk for an hour for an even softer, tangier vada.
Sata are rich, flaky rounds made from a ghee dough. Half the dough is cooked with extra ghee until golden and worked back in, which gives them their crumbly, layered texture. Fry them slowly over low heat. For salted sata, add ¾ teaspoon salt to the dough. For sweet sata, dip the fried sata in a thick sugar syrup and sprinkle with almond and pistachio flakes.
Thin potato slices and onion baked in fresh cream with plenty of garlic and coarse black pepper until tender and browned at the edges. Serve as a side dish with pizza or pasta, or as a snack with chilli and tomato sauce.
Mixed vegetables in a mild, creamy coconut gravy, spread over milk-soaked bread, topped with a buttery tomato sauce and cheese and baked until melting. Serve hot with naan or pitta bread.
Golden fried paneer cubes layered with a creamy, nutmeg-scented spinach sauce and a garlicky tomato gravy, then baked under cheese. Serve hot with naan or bread.
A golden baked dish of sweetcorn, mashed potato, peas and carrot, spiced with green chilli, ginger and lemon, and tempered with sesame, cumin, curry leaves, cashews and raisins. A ketchup and breadcrumb topping goes crisp in the oven. Serve hot as a snack or with soup.
Patta gathia are flat, ribbon-like strips of gram flour dough, rolled paper-thin under the palm on a wooden board and fried until crisp. Black pepper and ajwain give them their flavour. They are a classic Gujarati tea-time snack and are great with fried chillies and papaya sambharo.
Instant dhokri are soft, spongy steamed squares of gram flour and dhokra flour, raised in minutes with fruit salt instead of an overnight ferment. They're finished with a crackling tempering of mustard seeds, sesame and curry leaves. Serve with green and red chutneys. To make dhokra flour, coarsely grind 1 cup long-grain rice with 1 cup bengal gram lentils (chana dal).
Jini sev is the fine, thread-thin sev used on bhel, sev puri, ragda pattice and chaat, and in farsan mixes like bhusu. It's gently seasoned with turmeric, white chilli powder and asafoetida. For medium sev, use a disc with slightly bigger holes.
A colourful Gujarati pawa (poha) of flattened rice with tender sweetcorn, diced potato, peanuts and cashews, tempered with cumin and curry leaves and finished with lemon and plenty of fresh coriander. It's a hearty breakfast or tea-time snack. Serve it hot with green and red chutneys and plain yogurt. Use thick pawa so it holds its shape after soaking.
A hearty, family-friendly bake of shell pasta and baked beans in a spicy tomato, ginger and garlic sauce, topped with cheddar and capsicum rings. Serve hot with garlic bread.
Little crisp puris flavoured with green chilli, fresh coriander, sesame, lemon and a touch of sugar. They're fried slowly over low heat so they stay crisp for weeks, ready to serve as a snack with tea.
Papdi atta (papdi no lot) is a soft, steamed rice-flour dough cooked in water seasoned with cumin, ajwain, sesame, cinnamon and cloves, then shaped into little rounds and steamed until tender. It's a much-loved Gujarati snack, eaten hot with a drizzle of raw oil and khichi sambhar masala.
Soft dumplings (muthia) of boiled rice, dhokra flour and gram flour, flavoured with garlic, ginger and chilli, simmered in a lightly tempered broth and finished in a thin, tangy yogurt sauce. It's a comforting one-pot meal. Serve hot with bread. It can also be cooked in a pressure cooker.
An unusual, generous one-pot curry: boiled lentils, peas, beans, carrots and a few noodles simmered in a coconut milk gravy flavoured with a fresh mint, garlic and green chilli paste and a roasted masala of fenugreek seeds, cardamom, coriander and cinnamon. A curry-leaf tempering goes on top. Serve hot with chapaties or plain boiled rice.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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