Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil such as avocado or coconut
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-size piece ginger root, grated
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• scant 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons curry powder, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• approx. 3 cups vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, peas, carrot, green beans, etc.
• 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 1/4 cups white quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup split red lentils or mung dal (yellow lentils), rinsed
• 4 3/4 cups water

Preparation

1. In a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot, press the saute button and let it get hot. Add the oil. Once hot, add the cumin seed and cook for 30 seconds. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Stirring occasionally, cook for 2 to 3 minutes. The garlic and ginger will start to stick to the bottom; don’t worry about it.
2. Next, add the spices and bay leaf. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add about 1/2 cup of water, and scrape the bottom until everything is released. Press cancel to end the saute.
3. Add the vegetables, rice/quinoa, lentils, salt, and remaining 4 c. water. Stir very well.
4. Turn on and close the Instant Pot, and set it for 4 minutes on high pressure. At the end of the 4 minutes, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then open.
5. Let stand for a few minutes. I like serving it with a garlic/lemon greek yogurt to add over the top.

adapted from My Quiet Kitchen + others

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced or finely grated
• 2 1/2 teaspoons garam masala, store-bought or homemade (see related recipe)
• 4 cups vegetables, such as bell peppers, summer squash, dark leafy greens, tomatoes, carrots, corn or peas, chopped or otherwise prepared as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tablespoons unsalted cashew or almond butter
• One 15 oz. can light coconut milk
• Water, as needed
• One 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus more as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Flatbreads, for serving

Preparation

Make the korma: In a large Dutch oven or 5-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir in the garlic, ginger and garam masala, letting the aromatics warm up for just a few seconds. Add any hardy vegetables and the salt, and stir, scraping up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Stir in the cashew butter and coconut milk, swirling the nut butter into the vegetables so it melts into the sauce. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a lively simmer, cover (see Notes) and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed, until the vegetables are fork-tender and the broth thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.

Adjust the heat to medium. If the korma seems dry, add water, 1/4 cup at a time, until it is as saucy as you’d like.

Stir in any frozen or tender vegetables, plus the chickpeas and maple syrup. Simmer until all of the vegetables are warmed through and coated in the sauce, 2 to 4 minutes.

Taste, and season with black pepper, and more salt and maple syrup, if desired. Remove from the heat.

NYT

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup ghee or vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp minced ginger
• 2 green chilis
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 10 whole green cardamom pods smashed with flat side of knife
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 3/4 cup whipping cream or coconut milk
• 1 1/2 lbs large shrimp or prawns peeled and deveined (tail on is ok)
• 1 tbsp finely minced cilantro

Preparation

Heat oil over medium heat and cook onions with 1 tsp salt until very soft and deep golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Add garlic, ginger and chilis and cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

Stir in garam masala, coriander, cayenne, cinnamon and cardamom pods and cook a minute more.

Add tomato puree, almond butter and water plus remaining 1 tsp salt; cook until oil starts to bubble up and shimmer on top. Stir in shrimp; cook, covered, about 5 minutes or until opaque, then stir in the yogurt and cream to heat through. Top with cilantro.

Foodess

Ingredients

• 910g cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• sea salt
• 60 ml vegetable oil
• 150g red onion, minced
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. red chili powder (optional)
• 30g chickpea flour
• 480 ml fresh kefir or buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. red chili flakes
• 2 tbsp. cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 200C fan/gas mark 7.

Place the cauliflower in a roasting pan or baking dish. Sprinkle with the garam masala, season with salt and toss to coat. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and toss to coat evenly. Roast the cauliflower for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and slightly charred. Stir the florets halfway through roasting.

While the cauliflower is roasting, place a deep, medium saucepan or casserole pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the pan. Add the onions and sauté until they just start to turn translucent – 4-5 minutes. Add the turmeric and chilli powder and cook for 30 seconds. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the chickpea flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and fold in the kefir, stirring constantly. Watch the liquid carefully as it cooks until it thickens slightly – 2-3 minutes. Fold the roasted cauliflower into the liquid and remove from the heat. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin and black mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop and the cumin starts to brown – 30-45 seconds. Remove from the heat and add the chilli flakes, swirling the oil in the pan until the oil turns red. Quickly pour the hot oil with the seeds over the cauliflower in the saucepan. Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve warm with rice or parathas.

Nik Sharma / BBC

Ingredients

• 1 kg lamb leg shank, diced
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 habañero peppers
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 400ml coconut milk
• salt and pepper
• handful parsley

for the spice mix:

• 3 uda pods, deseeded and bark discarded
• 100g cashews, roasted and coarsely ground
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6.

Using a pestle and mortar, grind all the ingredients for the suya spice mix until you have a fine powder. In a large bowl, season the diced lamb with the suya mix, salt and pepper, and set aside to marinate.

Put the onions, garlic, ginger and habanero peppers in a food processor and blitz to create a paste. Over a medium heat, melt the coconut oil in a large casserole dish and add the onion paste. Fry for 5 minutes before adding the marinated lamb. Cook for a few minutes until the meat has browned, then pour in the coconut milk and heat until it begins to bubble, stirring every so often. Cover the dish with a lid and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes before removing the lid and cooking for a further 30 minutes – this will allow the sauce to reduce. Taste for seasoning and adjust as you see fit.

Serve the curry scattered with parsley leaves.

The longer you wait to eat this curry, the better the flavour will be. To reheat it, place in the oven at 180C fan/gas mark 6 for about 15 minutes, then serve immediately. If you have a slow cooker, you could just put all the ingredients in at once and cook for 2 hours on a high setting.

Lopè Ariyo / BBC

Ingredients

for the paste:

• 2 shallots
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 coriander root
• 12 long dried chiles
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 2 cloves
• seeds of 1 cardamom pod
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
• 2 sticks lemongrass, bashed and finely chopped
• 1/4 nutmeg, grated
• 1 heaped tbsp. kapi (shrimp paste)

for the curry:

• 2 tbsp. ghee
• 400g goat meat, cubed
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 shallots, peeled and halved
• 4 new potatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp. coconut cream
• 400ml coconut milk
• handful raisins (optional)
• 200ml water
• 2 tbsp. tamarind paste
• 6 cardamom pods, broken open
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1-2 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1-2 tbsp. roasted peanuts

Preparation

To make the paste, preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6.

Wrap the shallots, garlic and coriander root tightly in tin foil and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until soft.

Meanwhile, in a dry frying pan, toast the dried chillies until they are crispy, shaking them in the pan to ensure they don’t burn. Set aside to cool, then snip them up into small pieces with scissors, discarding the stalks and the seeds. Soak the pieces in warm water for at least 20 minutes. Dry them thoroughly with paper towels.

Toast the cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and coriander seeds in the dry pan until they’re fragrant. Then grind the paste, starting with the dried chillies and the salt, followed by the toasted spices, the remaining dry spices, and the lemongrass. Peel the shallots and garlic, cut the coriander root into small pieces, and pound them into the paste, followed by the grated nutmeg and the kapi.

Keep grinding until the paste is as smooth as possible, and everything is thoroughly incorporated.

To make the curry, melt the ghee in a large frying pan, and gently brown the meat. You will need to do this in batches.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok or saucepan, then add the paste, and fry until it’s very fragrant. Add the meat, shallots, potatoes and the coconut cream, and stir them thoroughly into the paste. Then add the coconut milk, raisins (if using) and water, bring up to the boil, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Now add the tamarind paste, cardamom, palm sugar and nam pla and gently simmer, partially covered, for another 30-40 minutes, until the meat is tender. About 10 minutes before you finish cooking, add the peanuts.

Finally, taste the curry and adjust the seasoning. You’re looking for a sour start to its taste, which then develops in the mouth to become sweet and savoury.

Kay Plunkett-Hogge / BBC

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg fish fillets (cod, halibut, etc.), skinless
• 3 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 6 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 lg. white onion, finely grated
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2.5cm piece ginger, crushed
• 1 tbsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 3 tbsp. tomato puree
• 200g tomatoes, cut into 1" cubes
• 600ml warm water
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• green chiles
• a few sprigs cilantro

Preparation

Cut the fish fillets into 12 equal portions. Mix 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the turmeric, then rub on all sides of the fish and set aside for 30 minutes.

In a shallow saucepan, heat 5 tablespoons of the oil over a medium-high heat. If you are using mustard oil, heat the oil until it is smoking hot – this removes its bitter pungency – then bring it down to a medium-high heat. Add the fish to the pan and fry to seal each piece, but do not let the fillets cook through. Remove from the pan to a plate and set aside.

Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes over a medium-high heat. If the paste is burning or sticking to the base of the pan, add a splash of water. Add the remaining salt and turmeric, followed by the coriander, cumin, chilli powder, tomato puree and diced tomatoes. Pour in the warm water and cook for 5 minutes. Let the liquid reduce for 15 minutes or until the oil comes to the surface and seeps to the sides of the pan.

Gently return the fish fillets to the pan and cover with the gravy, ensuring all sides of each fillet are cooking evenly. If possible, cook the fish fillets in a single layer in the pan as this will prevent them from breaking up into flakes. Lower the heat, add the sugar and cook, covered, until the fillets are cook through – this should take no longer than 5 minutes.

To serve, garnish the fish with whole green chillies and sprigs of fresh coriander leaves.

Asma Khan / BBC

Ingredients

• 750 g pork shoulder, cut into 1" pieces
• 4 tbsp. vegetable or coconut oil
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 500g red onions, finely sliced
• 5 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 2 small green chiles, stalks removed
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. tamarind pulp
• 6 small sweet pickled onions, each cut into 2
• 20g fresh cilantro, finely chopped

for the paste:

• 5cm cinnamon stick
• 6 crushed cardamom pods
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 10 cloves
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 10 cloves garlic
• 5 cm piece peeled ginger
• 60ml malt vinegar

Preparation

Grind together the paste ingredients, starting with the largest spices first, then adding the cumin and coriander seeds, and blend to a fine consistency. Add the chilli and turmeric powders and mix well. Add the garlic and ginger and grind, adding the vinegar to make a paste.

Rub the paste into the diced pork and leave to sit for at least an hour or overnight in a refrigerator.

Heat the oil in a wide, pan (one that has a lid) over a medium-low flame, add the mustard seeds and let crackle for 30 seconds. Add the onions and fry until soft and golden. Add the tomatoes, chillies and curry leaves, and cook until the tomatoes start to break down.

Add the pork and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook for 10-12 minutes stirring continually until the pork browns. Add 250ml of water, stir well, add the jaggery, salt and tamarind and mix through. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, turn the heat right down and cook gently for 45-60 minutes.

Check the amount of liquid in the pan and, if needed, cook for another 15 minutes, or until the meat is very tender and the sauce has thickened.

Scatter the pickled onions and chopped coriander over the dish and serve hot.

Vivek Singh / BBC

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced shallots (about 1 large)
• 1 Granny Smith apple, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
• 2 thyme sprigs
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound skinless cod fillets—bones removed, fish cut into 2-inch chunks
• Crusty bread, for serving

Preparation

Soak the porcini in the boiling water until softened, 10 minutes. Strain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid, and rinse to remove any grit. Finely chop.

In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the shallots, apple, garlic, curry powder, thyme sprigs and porcini and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the mussels and toss. Add the wine. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over high heat until the mussels have opened, 3 minutes. Add the cream and 1/2 cup of the porcini soaking liquid, stopping before you reach the grit. Bring to a simmer. Nestle the cod in the broth, cover and cook until the fish lightly flakes, 4 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs. Transfer the cod and mussels to large bowls and spoon the broth on top. Serve with crusty bread.

Food & Wine

Ingredients

For marinating the chicken:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup greek yogurt (7 oz.)
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

For the sauce:

• 15 ounces canned tomato sauce or puree
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

For serving:

• basmati rice
• naan
• freshly chopped cilantro

Preparation

Combine all marinade ingredients (minus the chicken) in a bowl and mix well. Add chicken chunks and coat with the marinade. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Select the saute mode on the pressure cooker for medium heat. When it has reached temperature, add chicken chunks (along with any marinade sticking to them) to the pressure cooker. Saute until the chicken is cooked on all sides, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the saute mode.

Add all of the sauce ingredients except the cream to the pressure cooker, over the chicken, and stir. Secure and seal the lid. Select the manual mode to cook for 10 minutes at high pressure. Use the quick steam release handle to release pressure.

Select the saute mode on the pressure cooker for low heat. When it has reached temperature, add cream to the pot, stirring with the other ingredients. Simmer until the sauce is thickened to your liking, a few minutes.

Serve with basmati rice or naan. Garnish with cilantro.

Savory Tooth