Don’t expect to find your standard chicken tikka masala and bhaji recipes in Chetna Makan’s new cookbook, because Chetna doesn’t do the expected.
In her first cookbook, The Cardamom Trail, the 2014 Great British Bake Off contestant explored how to use Indian spices in baking, and now her second recipe collection, Chai, Chaat & Chutney, takes an even more interesting tack.
Packed with fresh, fast street food, it’s crowded with dishes best eaten with your hands, straight from the fryer and in twisted paper cones; dishes that Chetna couldn’t get enough of while munching her way around India for research.
“After The Cardamom Trail, I wanted to do something which is more my passion and my growing up; that showed a bit of where I come from,” she explains. “People think Indian street food is limited to the three or four dishes that we all hear about, like panipuri [hollow, deep fried crispy dough filled with sour, spicy water], and I wanted to show there’s so much more.”
Here are three of Chetna’s new recipes for you to try at home.
Tamarind Stuffed Chillies
MAKES 15
These morsels are spicy, crispy and have a “lovely sour flavour within”, says Chetna. “They make a lovely party canape, or snack served with a cup of tea.”
The ingredients
- 15 small fat green chillies
- 70g tamarind paste
- 1tsp carom seeds (available online or from Holland & Barrett)
- 100g gram (chickpea) flour
- 1/2tsp salt
- Up to 120ml water
- Sunflower oil, for deep-frying
- Sea salt flakes
The method
- With a sharp, pointed knife, slit the chillies lengthways along one side and remove the seeds and membranes. Combine the tamarind paste and carom seeds in a small bowl and use this mixture to stuff each chilli. Set aside.
- In another bowl, mix the gram flour and salt, then slowly add just enough of the measured water to make a runny batter. Heat enough oil for deep-frying chillies in a deep-fat fryer or large saucepan (ensuring the pan is no more than one-third full) to 180°C.
- Line a couple of plates with some kitchen paper. Working in batches, dip each chilli in the batter, then carefully drop it into the hot oil and fry for about two minutes, until lightly coloured.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer the chillies to a paper-lined plate to drain excess oil.
- Once all the chillies have been fried, dip them once again into the batter and (again, working in batches), fry them a second time for two minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
- Transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain excess oil. Season with sea salt flakes and serve hot.
Fish Chops
MAKES 15
If you want a quick pick me up, these delicious fish chops should do the trick. Just be sure to have a host of chutneys to dunk them in, and a lot of Sichuan sauce…
The ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 300g skinless cod fillets
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- Handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 small green chillies, finely chopped
- 1/2tsp salt
- Sunflower oil, for deep-frying
- Sea salt flakes
FOR THE COATING
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 100g golden breadcrumbs
The method
- Put the large eggs into a small saucepan, cover with water and boil for 10 minutes.
- Drain and leave to cool, then shell the eggs and mash them in a bowl.
- In a food processor, blitz the cod to a coarse paste. Add the fish to the mashed eggs, along with the onion, coriander, garlic, chillies and salt. Mix thoroughly so the flavours are well combined.
- Shape the mixture into 15 balls about the size of a lemon, then press to flatten them slightly.
- Dip each one in the beaten egg, then roll them in the breadcrumbs until fully coated.
- Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a deep-fat fryer or heavy saucepan (ensuring the pan is no more than one-third full) to 170-180°C.
- Line a plate with some kitchen paper. Fry the chops a few at a time for about two minutes, until they are cooked through and golden
- Transfer to the paper-lined plate and leave to drain excess oil while you fry the remaining chops.
- Season with sea salt flakes and serve warm with your choice of sauce or chutney.
Rice and Dal Papdi
MAKES 50-60
A quick, savoury fix required? “These super-crispy snacks are available all over India from little street-side shops and stalls,” says Chetna. “I found the ones readily available in Chennai to be the tastiest, and this recipe is my take on that version.”
The ingredients
- 60g split chickpeas (chana dal – available from Sainsbury’s)
- 125g rice flour
- 125g plain flour
- 1tsp salt
- 1/2tsp chilli powder
- 10 curry leaves, finely chopped
- About 120ml water
- Sunflower oil, for deep-frying
- Sea salt flakes
- Chutney of your choice, to serve (optional)
The method
- Put the split chickpeas into a bowl, cover with water and leave to soak for one hour.
- Drain the split chickpeas, then grind them to a rough paste using a food processor, adding one tablespoon of water if necessary to achieve a rough, thick paste that isn’t too runny.
- Put the ground chickpeas, the rice four, plain flour, salt, chilli powder and curry leaves into a large bowl and mix well.
- Very gradually mix in just enough of the measured water (or a little more, if necessary), a few drops at a time, to bring the mixture together into a soft dough.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
- Fill a deep-fat fryer or large saucepan with enough sunflower oil to deep-fry the papdi (ensuring the pan is no more than one-third full) and heat it to 190°C.
- Line a plate with some kitchen paper. Take small portions of the dough, roughly the size of a grape, and roll them into thin discs with a diameter of 5cm.
- Working in batches, fry the papdi for two to three minutes, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer the papdi to the paper-lined plate to drain excess oil while you fry the remaining dough.
- Leave to cool, then season with sea salt flakes and serve with the chutney of your choice.