My secret ingredients are Henderson's relish (sort of vegan worcester sauce), Encona chilli sauce (scotch bonnet taste) and palm oil (from West Indian food stores).
Fab sauce for pasta/polenta.
Roast 3 tomatoes, a red chilli, a red pepper in olive oil.
Blend with a slice of bread, a splash of wine vinegar, 125g of hazelnuts.
Variation on classic five spice. For 2 people.
Fry 1 clove garlic, 1 inch of ginger, 1 tsp crushed szechuan pepper, 1 star anise.
Mix with cooked chinese veg, 1 tsp honey and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
For 8 people, or store for up to a month in the fridge (cover surface with oil).
Blend 10 green bird's eye chillies, 5 shallots, 3 cloves garlic, big handful of fresh coriander, knob of galangal, stalk of lemongrass, teaspoon of coriander powder, 1 tbsp of fish or soy sauce, a little water.
Use a tablespoon of sauce per person, fry until fragrant with a lime leaf, add veg (eg tofu, mushrooms, broccoli, new potatoes) with 150 ml coconut milk and 150 ml water. Cook through. I'm told it's superb with fish.
Fry mustard seeds, curry leaves, urid dal, pinch asafoetida and a green chilli. Use to dress chopped cucumber, tomatoes, carrot with lemon juice, fresh coriander and grated coconut.
South Indian aubergine curry. Lots of variations!
Roast an onian til black on gas flame. Grind with 1 tsp each of coriander, cumin, fenugreek, chilli, 2 tsp sesame seeds, 2 tbsp dessicated coconut.
Fry chopped aubergine until cooked. I usually salt for 30 mins, but I'm not sure it's necessary... A fancier way is to quarter the aubergine down to the stalk. Add spice paste, fry for a minute or two, then add tamarind juice, fresh mint and coriander.
Dress with a fry of half teaspoons each of mustard and whole cumin, 6 curry leaves, ginger and garlic.
This Indonesian fried rice can contain anything and everything. But it should be moist, so I like to throw in chopped tomatoes and cucumber.
Cook rice ahead of time, allow to cool. Cook veg separately eg carrot, green beans, cabbage, mushrooms.
Fry 1 tsp each of ground cumin, coriander, paprika, quarter tsp each of turmeric, cinnamon, a clove, a lime leaf, minced lemon grass and galangal. Add garlic and red chilli paste (sambal). Mix with rice and veg, soy sauce, dress with toasted dessicated coconut, crushed peanuts, fresh coriander.
A variation on a Middle Eastern classic desert.
Melt some margarine, add seeds of 3 cardamoms, fry until fragrant. Melt 4 oz margarine altogether, mix with 8 oz ground almonds (cheaper from Indian supermarkets), 8 oz semolina, 4 oz sugar, splash vanilla essence, 250 ml yogurt/yofu, 1 tsp baking powder. Bake at 200 for 30 minutes until risen and golden.
Meanwhile, dissolve 8 oz sugar in 300 ml water with 1 tbsp lemon juice, boil for 10 mins to make a light syrup. Leave to cool, add a tsp of rosewater.
Slice the cake into small rectangles, pour over syrup and return to oven to allow to absorb. Dress with toasted blanched almonds.