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FOOD DRINK who wasn’t too impressed by the addition of chilli. “But she was pregnant,” explains Singh. “She was worried it was going to bring on her labour.”
Todiwala adds: “Pick things up in the supermarket and try them. Experiment with an ingredient you haven’t used before. Let your palate be your guide, and try a bit of something different.”
He sums up their philosophy thus: “All we want is for people to get over the hurdle of spice equalling hot, and to think about easy ways to liven up their food.”
To get you started, here are three recipes from The Incredible Spice Men.
Smoked salmon with spiced beetroot salad (Serves 4-6 as a starter)
For the beetroot salad, first make the dressing - whisk together the lime juice and honey in a small bowl, then mix in the smoked paprika, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the beetroot, raisins and mint leaves and pour over the dressing. Chill for an hour. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary. To make the horseradish cream, whisk together the lime juice, honey and horseradish sauce in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Stir the horseradish and lime mixture into the whisked cream. Add the chilli powder and salt to taste, and sprinkle on the parsley. Set the salmon slices onto individual plates, and serve with the beetroot salad and a dollop of the horseradish cream.
Pulled pork with cinnamon and clove (Serves 6-8)
masala. Cover the meat and set aside in the fridge for a few hours, if possible. Pour the oil into a roasting tin and heat on the hob over a medium heat. Scrape any excess masala from the marinated pork, place the pork in the roasting tin and brown well on all sides. Transfer to the oven and cook for 30 minutes. After that time has passed, reduce the oven heat to minimum. You can now pour a few tablespoons of marinade over the pork for extra flavour, and any leftover can be set aside to use for another dish. Cover the pork tightly with aluminium foil, well tucked in so that it steams in the tin and the meat literally falls off the bone when cooked. Cook for a further three to three-and-ahalf hours if using a rolled joint; if using smaller pieces or individual chops, adjust your cooking time accordingly. Remove the pork from the oven and shred using two forks. To serve, put some pork on top of a lettuce leaf. Top with some coleslaw or some coriander.
200g sliced smoked salmon For the beetroot salad: Juice of 1 lime 3tsp clear honey ½tsp smoked paprika ½tsp ground cinnamon 1 fresh beetroot, very finely sliced 3tbsp raisins, preferably golden 3tbsp (heaped) torn mint leaves Salt For the horseradish cream: Juice of 2 limes ½tsp clear honey 4tbsp horseradish sauce 150ml double cream Pinch of chilli powder, or more to taste A small handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley Salt
2kg rolled pork loin, shoulder or collar 50ml vegetable or rapeseed oil Baby gem lettuce leaves, cleaned and well drained 3tbsp fresh coriander or coleslaw, to garnish For the masala marinade: 1tbsp broken pieces cassia bark or cinnamon 15 cloves 2 large dried red chillies 5cm (2in) piece fresh root ginger, roughly chopped 4 garlic cloves 2 small red onions, coarsely cut 1 longish fresh green chilli 1tsp turmeric 2½tbsp tamarind paste 100ml palm vinegar (you can also use cider vinegar) ½tbsp brown sugar 25ml sunflower or rapeseed oil ½tbsp salt Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. For the masala marinade, coarsely crush together the cassia bark or cinnamon and cloves with a pestle and mortar. Gently toast this mixture in a dry frying pan over a low heat, until a spicy fragrance emanates from the pan. Tear the red chillies into pieces and add to the pan. Continue to dry-fry the mixture for a short while but do not burn. Set aside to cool. Later, put the cooled spice mix in a blender. Add all of the remaining masala ingredients and blend the mixture to a relatively fine paste - this is your masala paste. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Rub the masala all over the pork, and place the meat in a dish in which it fits snugly. Set aside any remaining
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