This recipe is so fresh and delicious, serve with cooked noodles or rice.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp veg oil

1 onion, diced

thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and grated

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp shrimp paste

1 small red chilli 

2 lemongrass stalks, bruised with a rolling pin

1 heaped tbsp medium curry powder

1 heaped tbsp light muscovado sugar

small bunch coriander

400g can coconut milk

450g skinless cod/pollock/hake fillets (any white fish)

220g pack raw prawns

1 lime, halved

Method

Heat the oil in a wide frying pan, then cook the onion for 5 mins. Increase the heat a little, stir in the ginger, garlic, shrimp paste, chilli and lemongrass, and cook for 2 mins. Add the curry powder and sugar, and keep stirring. When the sugar starts to melt and everything starts to clump together, add the coriander stems, coconut milk and 2 tbsp water, then bring to a simmer.

Add the fish to the sauce, then squeeze over half the lime. Pop on the lid and simmer for 5 mins more or until the fish is just cooked and flaking, add the prawns and continue to cook for a few mins.

Taste for seasoning, adding a squeeze more lime to the sauce if you like. Finish with coriander leaves.

This recipe produces the perfect, fluffy rice. Feel free to flavour this by adding spices to the rice before cooking.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup of basmati rice

water

sea salt

Method

Put rice into a medium saucepan, cover with 1/2 an inch of water and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat to the lowest possible setting. Pot the lid on and cook until all the liquid is gone (about 20-25 mins).

Best served with my Kadala Curry recipe and/or Dhal - these can be found in my blog.

Serves 2, or 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

1 cup red split lentils

2 cups water

1tbsp butter/oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cardamom pods

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp turmeric

2 small green chillies

½ tsp garam masala

1tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

salt

Method

In a medium saucepan bring the water to the boil, add the turmeric and garam masala and lentils with a generous pinch of salt. Leave this to simmer with the lid on for 20-30 mins or until cooked (flakey consistency), it will be quite, but as it cools slightly, it will thicken up. 

Once this is finished cooking, heat the oil/butter in a frying pan, add the garlic, cardamom pods and cumin, cook for a few mins, then add to the dhal. Finish with fresh coriander. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the paste:

2tbsp oil

1 onion, diced

1tsp fresh or dried chilli

1 small bulb of garlic (9 cloves), crushed

Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1tbsp ground coriander

2tbsp ground cumin

1tbsp garam masala

2tbsp tomato puree

For the curry:

2x400g cans chickpeas, drained

400g can chopped toms

100g creamed coconut

100g fresh spinach

½ small pack of coriander, chopped (can use frozen)

Salt, to taste

Method

In a large pan, heat the oil, then add the diced onion with a generous pinch of salt. Sweat this down on a medium heat until soft and transparent. Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend together the garlic and spices until they have formed a paste. Add to the onions, once cooked.

Continue to cook this out for 5 mins, to take the bitterness away from the spices and release their full flavour. Stir in the tomato paste and cook out for another 5 mins.

Then add the chopped tomatoes with another pinch of salt, leaving to simmer with a lid on for 5-10 mins. 

Next, add the coconut and chickpeas, put the lid back on and cook for 5 mins. Finally, add in the spinach and stir until wilted down. Top with fresh coriander and serve with basmati rice and dhal.