SpiceofLife – Recipes from Curry Queen Sarah Choudhury

THE CURRY QUEEN

Warm up cold winter nights with recipes from Dorset’s curry expert Sarah Choudhury

Sarah Choudhury is an award-winning Indian food e pert and in uencer, once dubbed the nation s Curry ueen by Forbes Magazine. escribing herself as ha ing a passion for authentic, healthy and easy to create ndian food , the mother-of- honed her skills as a youngster, helping in her parents Bridport restaurant which she e entually went on to run. n 015, she sent an ndian cookery ideo to a production company and was chosen from thousands to join the Channel series My Kitchen Rules UK, featuring celebrity chefs rue eith, ichael Caines and aymond Blanc.

Now Bournemouth-based, arah s recipes ha e featured online and in print, she regularly takes part in cooking demos and gi es moti ational speeches across the . n the last years she has been presented with nearly 0 accolades and 8 awards. These include n uential oman of the ear 017 and Entrepreneur of the ear 019. he was also a finalist in an nternational ndian Chef competition where she was presented with an award from The rincess oyal. e caught up with arah to ask her a few questions.

Q. How do you get the balance right between business and parenting?

It’s sometimes very challenging but I include my children in everything I do. My eldest is 19, while my youngest is 9, and I have a 17 and an 11-year-old in between. Over the past few years, they have been my biggest fans and supporters. As a parent, single mum and business owner, they are my priority, but my work eeps us a oat so bein or anised structured and focused is essential when it comes to balance.

Q. How important do you think it is to get children involved in cooking?

I think it is one of the most important life skills and isn’t covered enough in schools. Over the past few years, I have worked with thousands of Bournemouth University students, teaching them about sustainability, cooking and budgeting around food. I’m currently working on workshop ideas for younger children.

Q. What do you see as your most essential piece of equipment in the kitchen?

I have a very old-fashioned stone pestle and mortar and something that looks like a glossy stone paving slab which was used by my grandmother to grind garlic, ginger, chillies, fresh herbs etc into a paste. I still use the pestle and mortar and there’s nothing like it. My grandmother is from Guyana in South America and she was an absolutely fantastic cook. She had 8 children and her life was all about cooking for her family, that’s where my mum learnt so much and passed it down to me!

Q. What do you consider your biggest work-related achievement?

Presenting BBC’s Inside Out about women in the Indian food trade. I was head hunted by a director for the BBC and I loved every minute fi lmin it. he pro ramme was screened in and went on to make it to BBC World News. It was translated into diff erent lan ua es and also shown in India.

Q. And your personal one?

My personal achievement is managing being a mum while running my home. I’m grateful for everything I have in my life especially my parents and brothers who are unconditionally loving and extremely supportive. I’ve recently met the love of my life and am a true believer that life works in mysterious ways. Sometimes when you think everything is falling apart, it might just be making way for better things.

Q. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I’m 44 now and by then I’d like to be living near a lake, river or the sea, with my own boat and my soulmate! A beautiful kitchen and garden for entertaining all my friends and family is essential and by then I think I’ll be a grandparent too. I’ll keep this article to re ect bac on and ma e sure I m on trac

Succulent Lamb Bhuna

SERVES 2 1.5 kg diced lamb 1 onion, fi nely chopped 5 cloves garlic, fi nely chopped 1 tbsp grated ginger Half tsp salt (or to taste) Quarter green pepper, fi nely chopped 1 large tomato, fi nely chopped 1 tsp concentrated tomato puree 1 bay leaf 3 cardamon pods 1 inch cinnamon stick 1 tbsp mixed curry powder Half tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp garam masala 1 tbsp coriander powder Quarter tsp chilli powder (optional) Quarter tsp paprika 2 tbsp sunfl ower oil Fresh coriander for garnish 50ml water

1 Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. 2 Add the bay leaf, cardamon pods and cinnamon stick. 3 After a few seconds, add the garlic, ginger, onion, green pepper and salt and fry on a low to medium heat, stirring regularly until the onions soften. This will take around 5-10 mins. 4 When the onions start to caramelise, add the turmeric, coriander, garam masala, mixed curry powder, chilli powder, paprika and tomato puree and stir well. 5 Add 50ml water and stir well, then add the tomato. 6 After about 10 minutes, you will notice a little oil come to the top of the mixture. This

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Butternut Bhaji

This dish pictured on the right of the bhuna) makes a great accompaniment to the lamb.

SERVES 2 1 small/medium butternut squash (peeled and fi nely diced) 1 medium onion, fi nely chopped 4 cloves fresh garlic, fi nely chopped 1 tsp coriander powder 1 tbsp cumin powder Quarter tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp concentrated tomato puree 1 tbsp sunfl ower oil Coriander or spring onion to garnish 25ml water

1 Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan 2 Add garlic, onion and salt. 3 Allow to soften and then add cumin, turmeric and coriander powder, along with the tomato puree. 4 Add the water and allow to cook on a slow heat for 5-7 minutes, then turn to a medium heat for 3-5 minutes. 5 Add the butternut squash, stir well and cover. Cook for about 15-20 minutes on slow heat to allow the squash to cook through properly, stirring regularly. 6 When done, serve and garnish with fresh coriander or spring onion.

means the spices are cooked and it is time to add the diced lamb. After doing this, stir well and cover. 7 Cook for around 15 minutes, regularly stirring to ensure it doesn’t burn and for the last 5, cover and leave on a slow heat. 8 Garnish with fresh coriander and serve.

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Spiced Grilled Seabass

SERVES 2

1 whole seabass (cleaned and gutted) 2 tsp garlic granules 2 tsp cayenne pepper A few fresh or dried curry leaves 1 tsp mustard seeds Salt and pepper Squeeze of fresh lemon 2 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE TOMATO AND ONION BASE 1 large shallot, fi nely chopped 3 small plum tomatoes Fresh coriander Pinch of salt 2 tbsp olive oil

1 Make incisions along the sea bass on both sides, then sprinkle some of the garlic granules, salt and pepper directly onto the fi sh, followed by a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of cayenne pepper. 2 Heat a glug of olive oil on a baking tray, then, when the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and allow them to pop and sizzle. Then add the garlic granules and cayenne pepper. 3 Place the seasoned fi sh directly onto the heated tray into the spice mixture for 1-2 minutes before turning the fi sh onto the other side to seal it. Add another tbsp of olive oil onto the fi sh and then place the tray under a medium grill. 4 While the fi sh is under the grill, heat a wok with olive oil, the chopped shallot and tomatoes and allow to soften. Add some salt and pepper and cook slowly. 5 After about 5 minutes, remove the tray with the fi sh from the grill and carefully pour the oil from it into the tomato and onion mixture in the wok. Put the fi sh back into the grill for a further 10 minutes or until crispy and golden. Remember to turn it over so that both sides are cooked thoroughly. 6 Stir the tomato and shallot mixture and cook for a few minutes before dividing between 2 plates. Place a fi llet of grilled seabass directly onto each pile of onions and tomatoes and garnish with fresh coriander to serve.

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Aubergine, Red Pepper And Potato Bhaji

This egan recipe can be enjoyed as a tasty main or side.

SERVES 2 4 tbsp oil 2 tsp panch phoran (an Asian spice blend) 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated 5 cloves garlic, fi nely chopped 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp coriander powder 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp turmeric 1 tbsp tomato puree 1 potato, peeled and cubed 1 aubergine cut into quarter-inch cubes 2 peppers green and/or red, cut into 1-inch pieces 500ml water 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

1 Heat oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. When hot, add the panch phoran and cook until sizzling then add the onion, ginger and salt, stirring occasionally. 2 When the onion softens, add the coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric and tomato puree and continue stir, frying until the oil comes to the top of the mixture. 3 Add the potatoes and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add the aubergine and peppers, stirring for another 2 minutes.

4 Pour in the water, cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Garnish with fresh coriander.

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