Anjum's Indian Vegetarian Feast

indian Vegetarian Feast Anjum Anand

Anjum Anand grew up in London but has lived and studied in Geneva, Paris and Madrid. She has worked in restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, and New Delhi, but her real love is delicious, stylish and healthy modern Indian food that is simple enough to cook at home. She has family homes in Delhi and Calcutta but is based in London, where she lives with her husband and two children.

She has presented two series of BBC2’s Indian Food Made Easy and now has her own range of Indian sauces, The Spice Tailor.

Also by Anjum Anand: Indian Food Made Easy Anjum’s New Indian Anjum’s Eat Right for Your Body Type I Love Curry ‘I Love Curry’ is also available as an eBook on the iBook store

Cover photography by Emma Lee

www.quadrille.co.uk

As with all her cooking, her approach to vegetarian food is fresh, simple and healthy.

Here, she explores the abundance of glorious, easily available vegetables, pulses and grains to produce dishes that are perfect for the whole family to eat every day. From breakfast to supper snacks, taking in barbecues, dinner parties and family meals along the way, there’s something here for every occasion. All of it is utterly mouth-watering, but is also weighed up

by Anjum to make a balanced, healthy diet.

Whether you’re a vegetarian or just someone who loves vegetables, Anjum’s delicious recipes – both for authentic Indian food and for more westernised meals – will beguile you.

Anjum eats vegetarian food at home, so all the dishes have been tried and tested over and again for the domestic cook.

All published by Quadrille

Quadrille Publishing Ltd Alhambra House 27–31 Charing Cross Road London WC2H 0LS

indian Vegetarian Feast

Vegetables and vegetarian food have never been more popular. With her genius for flavour, as well as India’s wealth of vegetarian dishes, Anjum has created in this book a vibrant collection of recipes that deserves a place in every kitchen.

I S B N 978-1-84949-120-4

9

781849 491204

With this treasure of a book to hand, vegetarians and omnivores alike will adore every meat-free meal.

£19.99

Anjum’s scintillating flavours make every vegetarian meal a treat.

As much of the subcontinent is vegetarian by religion, Indian food is the ideal place to discover how to eat this way for life. In this book, Anjum adapts the authentic flavours of India – with a rainbow of vegetables, grains, cheeses and pulses – to her ethos of healthy eating.

Many of her recipes are based on the food both of her family and of the vibrant street food culture of India, brought bang up to date. Here you’ll find everything you need for a good, balanced diet at each meal of the day. The dishes are light, bright and modern, and provide all the protein and other nutrients we need for perfect health.

Anjum’s Vegetarian Feast is just that. For breakfast, choose from a delicious masala omelette or the more unfamiliar but seductive chillas, high-protein gram flour pancakes with a coriander chutney. There are recipes for the barbecue, such as mile-high chickpea burgers with purple Indian coleslaw, and for salads, sandwiches and full meals at home, not forgetting pudding. Get ready: your vegetarian kitchen repertoire is about to explode.

6 Introduction 8 Vegetarian Pantry

10 Breakfast and brunch 28 Starters, snacks and appetisers 46 Sandwiches, grills and salads 64 Vegetable main dishes 82 Beans, lentils, paneer and more 100 Side dishes 118 Grains

136 Raitas and chutneys 154 Desserts 172 Glossary 174 Index 176 Acknowledgements

Anjum’s scintillating flavours make every vegetarian meal a treat.

As much of the subcontinent is vegetarian by religion, Indian food is the ideal place to discover how to eat this way for life. In this book, Anjum adapts the authentic flavours of India – with a rainbow of vegetables, grains, cheeses and pulses – to her ethos of healthy eating.

Many of her recipes are based on the food both of her family and of the vibrant street food culture of India, brought bang up to date. Here you’ll find everything you need for a good, balanced diet at each meal of the day. The dishes are light, bright and modern, and provide all the protein and other nutrients we need for perfect health.

Anjum’s Vegetarian Feast is just that. For breakfast, choose from a delicious masala omelette or the more unfamiliar but seductive chillas, high-protein gram flour pancakes with a coriander chutney. There are recipes for the barbecue, such as mile-high chickpea burgers with purple Indian coleslaw, and for salads, sandwiches and full meals at home, not forgetting pudding. Get ready: your vegetarian kitchen repertoire is about to explode.

6 Introduction 8 Vegetarian Pantry

10 Breakfast and brunch 28 Starters, snacks and appetisers 46 Sandwiches, grills and salads 64 Vegetable main dishes 82 Beans, lentils, paneer and more 100 Side dishes 118 Grains

136 Raitas and chutneys 154 Desserts 172 Glossary 174 Index 176 Acknowledgements

This dish, khao sway, came to India during the Second World War and has grown in popularity over the years. Once a simple recipe, it is now a dinner party favourite. I have added a few vegetables and some eggs but you can vary the accompaniments to your own taste. The curry is normally served with coriander, chillies, fried garlic and lemons on the side, so guests add what they like. To shred the potato for the potato straws, I use the slicer part of my box grater, then finely slice the paper-thin rounds into long, fine julienne, it works beautifully.

Burmese vegetable and noodle coconut curry Heat the oil for the curry in a large non-stick saucepan. Add the fenugreek and fry until browned, then the onion. Cook over a high heat until caramelised at the edges. Meanwhile, blend the tomato, ginger and garlic with water until smooth. Add the gram flour to the onion and sauté over a medium flame for one minute, scraping the pan often.

Add the tomato, all the spices and salt. Give a good stir and cook until it has thickened considerably (12–15 minutes over a medium-low flame), stirring often. Remove and reserve the dried chillies, add a splash of water and blend until smooth. Pour back into the rinsed-out saucepan and return the chillies. Add the coconut milk and 150ml water and simmer for five minutes. Add the coconut cream, lemon juice and sugar. The sauce should be creamy but not too thick.

Meanwhile, boil the eggs for eight minutes. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the okra, season and stir for a few minutes, then cover and cook until soft (three to four minutes).

Remove. Heat another 1 tbsp of oil in the pan and add the mushrooms, season and fry until golden and crisp on the edges.

Toss the potato straws in the salt in a bowl. Gently heat 3.5cm of oil in a saucepan (the wider the pan the more you can do at once). When the oil is medium hot, squeeze out as much water as you can from the potatoes and add one or two large handfuls to the oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry for five to six minutes, breaking up tangled straws, until lightly golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat to cook all the straws.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions and mound in the centre of deep plates. Pour the sauce over and arrange the eggs, okra and mushrooms around. Sprinkle with coriander, peanuts and potato shreds. Serve with lemon wedges and sliced chillies. serves 4

68

vegetable main dishes

for the coconut curry

4–5 tbsp vegetable oil ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds 1 large onion, sliced 1 medium-large tomato, quartered 20g root ginger, peeled weight 5 garlic cloves, peeled 1 rounded tbsp gram flour 2–3 dried red chillies ½ tsp turmeric 1 tbsp ground coriander 1½ tsp ground cumin 1½ tsp garam masala, or to taste 400ml coconut milk 50g coconut cream 2–3 tsp lemon juice, or to taste good pinch of sugar (optional) to garnish and serve

4–6 eggs 2 tbsp vegetable oil 150g whole okra, or 1 small aubergine, sliced 8–12 large oyster mushrooms 220g egg noodles (I like wide flat noodles) handful of chopped coriander 4 tbsp salted and roasted peanuts lemon wedges, to serve 1–2 large red chillies, sliced for the potato straws (salli)

1 potato, shredded ¹⁄³ tsp salt oil, to deep-fry

This dish, khao sway, came to India during the Second World War and has grown in popularity over the years. Once a simple recipe, it is now a dinner party favourite. I have added a few vegetables and some eggs but you can vary the accompaniments to your own taste. The curry is normally served with coriander, chillies, fried garlic and lemons on the side, so guests add what they like. To shred the potato for the potato straws, I use the slicer part of my box grater, then finely slice the paper-thin rounds into long, fine julienne, it works beautifully.

Burmese vegetable and noodle coconut curry Heat the oil for the curry in a large non-stick saucepan. Add the fenugreek and fry until browned, then the onion. Cook over a high heat until caramelised at the edges. Meanwhile, blend the tomato, ginger and garlic with water until smooth. Add the gram flour to the onion and sauté over a medium flame for one minute, scraping the pan often.

Add the tomato, all the spices and salt. Give a good stir and cook until it has thickened considerably (12–15 minutes over a medium-low flame), stirring often. Remove and reserve the dried chillies, add a splash of water and blend until smooth. Pour back into the rinsed-out saucepan and return the chillies. Add the coconut milk and 150ml water and simmer for five minutes. Add the coconut cream, lemon juice and sugar. The sauce should be creamy but not too thick.

Meanwhile, boil the eggs for eight minutes. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add the okra, season and stir for a few minutes, then cover and cook until soft (three to four minutes).

Remove. Heat another 1 tbsp of oil in the pan and add the mushrooms, season and fry until golden and crisp on the edges.

Toss the potato straws in the salt in a bowl. Gently heat 3.5cm of oil in a saucepan (the wider the pan the more you can do at once). When the oil is medium hot, squeeze out as much water as you can from the potatoes and add one or two large handfuls to the oil. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry for five to six minutes, breaking up tangled straws, until lightly golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat to cook all the straws.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions and mound in the centre of deep plates. Pour the sauce over and arrange the eggs, okra and mushrooms around. Sprinkle with coriander, peanuts and potato shreds. Serve with lemon wedges and sliced chillies. serves 4

68

vegetable main dishes

for the coconut curry

4–5 tbsp vegetable oil ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds 1 large onion, sliced 1 medium-large tomato, quartered 20g root ginger, peeled weight 5 garlic cloves, peeled 1 rounded tbsp gram flour 2–3 dried red chillies ½ tsp turmeric 1 tbsp ground coriander 1½ tsp ground cumin 1½ tsp garam masala, or to taste 400ml coconut milk 50g coconut cream 2–3 tsp lemon juice, or to taste good pinch of sugar (optional) to garnish and serve

4–6 eggs 2 tbsp vegetable oil 150g whole okra, or 1 small aubergine, sliced 8–12 large oyster mushrooms 220g egg noodles (I like wide flat noodles) handful of chopped coriander 4 tbsp salted and roasted peanuts lemon wedges, to serve 1–2 large red chillies, sliced for the potato straws (salli)

1 potato, shredded ¹⁄³ tsp salt oil, to deep-fry

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a pie, they are comforting and homey and also special enough for when you have friends around. This pie filling is basically a curry, it works really well and doesn’t need any more than a salad on the side. I love the rustic, biscuit cobbler topping, it is really quick and easy to make and very impressive too, but you can also cover the pie with puff pastry if that seems easier. You can serve this in a large ovenproof dish, a fancy ceramic pie dish or even individual dishes.

I roast the squash here rather than cooking it in the curry, only because it is quicker and easier than cutting raw squash into pieces!

Autumnal squash, butterbean and mushroom cobbler Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Place the squash, skin on, in a roasting tin and cook until soft, around 30 minutes. Remove any fibres and seeds and cut into small 2.5cm squares.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan until hot. Add the onion and cook until soft and colouring at the edges. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until the garlic just starts to colour. Add the tomatoes, spices and seasoning and cook down until the sauce has thickened and has released oil back into the pan.

Add the mushrooms, cover and cook for another two to three minutes.

Pour in 200ml water and add the beans, squash and spinach and return to the boil. Cook for two to three minutes. Add the cream and milk, taste – making sure you taste both squash and sauce – and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the tomato purée if you feel the tomatoes are lacking flavour or colour. By now the sauce should be thick and cling to the vegetables. Spoon into a large pie dish, or six individual dishes.

Make the cobbler topping. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl, add the butter and rub between your fingers until you have a sandy texture.

Make a well in the middle, add the egg and most of the milk and bring together with a fork to a very soft dough. Turn out on to a flour-dusted work surface and lightly bring together. Pat out until it is about 1cm thick and, using a pastry cutter, cut out six rounds of pastry. (I like to use large cutters and make the pastry rounds big enough to cover the filling with just a little showing at the sides.)

Place the cobbler rounds on the pie filling, brush with the beaten egg, sprinkle over some sea salt and bake on the middle shelf of the oven until the pastry is a lovely deep golden, around 20–25 minutes.

For the pie filling

400g squash, I like butternut, hubbard or acorn 4 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 20g root ginger, peeled weight, grated 3 large garlic cloves, chopped or grated 3 tomatoes, quartered ¾ tsp turmeric ½–1 tsp chilli powder 2 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp garam masala salt, to taste good pinch of freshly ground black pepper 9–10 large chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced 400g can butterbeans, drained and rinsed 100g baby spinach 6 tbsp double cream 50ml whole milk ½–1 tbsp tomato purée (optional) For the cobbler topping

175g self-raising flour ¹⁄³ tsp salt 70g butter, cut into smallish pieces 1 egg 55–65ml whole milk plain flour, to dust 1 egg, beaten a few sea salt flakes

serves 5–6

beans, lentils, paneer and more

99

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a pie, they are comforting and homey and also special enough for when you have friends around. This pie filling is basically a curry, it works really well and doesn’t need any more than a salad on the side. I love the rustic, biscuit cobbler topping, it is really quick and easy to make and very impressive too, but you can also cover the pie with puff pastry if that seems easier. You can serve this in a large ovenproof dish, a fancy ceramic pie dish or even individual dishes.

I roast the squash here rather than cooking it in the curry, only because it is quicker and easier than cutting raw squash into pieces!

Autumnal squash, butterbean and mushroom cobbler Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Place the squash, skin on, in a roasting tin and cook until soft, around 30 minutes. Remove any fibres and seeds and cut into small 2.5cm squares.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan until hot. Add the onion and cook until soft and colouring at the edges. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until the garlic just starts to colour. Add the tomatoes, spices and seasoning and cook down until the sauce has thickened and has released oil back into the pan.

Add the mushrooms, cover and cook for another two to three minutes.

Pour in 200ml water and add the beans, squash and spinach and return to the boil. Cook for two to three minutes. Add the cream and milk, taste – making sure you taste both squash and sauce – and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the tomato purée if you feel the tomatoes are lacking flavour or colour. By now the sauce should be thick and cling to the vegetables. Spoon into a large pie dish, or six individual dishes.

Make the cobbler topping. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl, add the butter and rub between your fingers until you have a sandy texture.

Make a well in the middle, add the egg and most of the milk and bring together with a fork to a very soft dough. Turn out on to a flour-dusted work surface and lightly bring together. Pat out until it is about 1cm thick and, using a pastry cutter, cut out six rounds of pastry. (I like to use large cutters and make the pastry rounds big enough to cover the filling with just a little showing at the sides.)

Place the cobbler rounds on the pie filling, brush with the beaten egg, sprinkle over some sea salt and bake on the middle shelf of the oven until the pastry is a lovely deep golden, around 20–25 minutes.

For the pie filling

400g squash, I like butternut, hubbard or acorn 4 tbsp vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 20g root ginger, peeled weight, grated 3 large garlic cloves, chopped or grated 3 tomatoes, quartered ¾ tsp turmeric ½–1 tsp chilli powder 2 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp garam masala salt, to taste good pinch of freshly ground black pepper 9–10 large chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced 400g can butterbeans, drained and rinsed 100g baby spinach 6 tbsp double cream 50ml whole milk ½–1 tbsp tomato purée (optional) For the cobbler topping

175g self-raising flour ¹⁄³ tsp salt 70g butter, cut into smallish pieces 1 egg 55–65ml whole milk plain flour, to dust 1 egg, beaten a few sea salt flakes

serves 5–6

beans, lentils, paneer and more

99

Anjum Anand grew up in London and has also lived and studied in Geneva, Paris and Madrid. After gaining her degree, she devoted herself to Indian cookery and, in particular, making the food fresher, lighter, and simpler. She has worked in restaurants in New York, Los Angeles and Delhi, but her real love is home-cooked food. Anjum was one of the first writers to create health-conscious Indian recipes, achieving great success with her BBC series and book, Indian Food Made Easy, also published by Quadrille, followed

by Anjum’s New Indian, Anjum’s Eat Right for Your Body Type, and I Love Curry. Anjum has homes in Delhi, Calcutta and London, where she lives with her husband and two children.

Anjum Anand grew up in London and has also lived and studied in Geneva, Paris and Madrid. After gaining her degree, she devoted herself to Indian cookery and, in particular, making the food fresher, lighter, and simpler. She has worked in restaurants in New York, Los Angeles and Delhi, but her real love is home-cooked food. Anjum was one of the first writers to create health-conscious Indian recipes, achieving great success with her BBC series and book, Indian Food Made Easy, also published by Quadrille, followed

by Anjum’s New Indian, Anjum’s Eat Right for Your Body Type, and I Love Curry. Anjum has homes in Delhi, Calcutta and London, where she lives with her husband and two children.

indian Vegetarian Feast Anjum Anand

Anjum Anand grew up in London but has lived and studied in Geneva, Paris and Madrid. She has worked in restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, and New Delhi, but her real love is delicious, stylish and healthy modern Indian food that is simple enough to cook at home. She has family homes in Delhi and Calcutta but is based in London, where she lives with her husband and two children.

She has presented two series of BBC2’s Indian Food Made Easy and now has her own range of Indian sauces, The Spice Tailor.

Also by Anjum Anand: Indian Food Made Easy Anjum’s New Indian Anjum’s Eat Right for Your Body Type I Love Curry ‘I Love Curry’ is also available as an eBook on the iBook store

Cover photography by Emma Lee

www.quadrille.co.uk

As with all her cooking, her approach to vegetarian food is fresh, simple and healthy.

Here, she explores the abundance of glorious, easily available vegetables, pulses and grains to produce dishes that are perfect for the whole family to eat every day. From breakfast to supper snacks, taking in barbecues, dinner parties and family meals along the way, there’s something here for every occasion. All of it is utterly mouth-watering, but is also weighed up

by Anjum to make a balanced, healthy diet.

Whether you’re a vegetarian or just someone who loves vegetables, Anjum’s delicious recipes – both for authentic Indian food and for more westernised meals – will beguile you.

Anjum eats vegetarian food at home, so all the dishes have been tried and tested over and again for the domestic cook.

All published by Quadrille

Quadrille Publishing Ltd Alhambra House 27–31 Charing Cross Road London WC2H 0LS

indian Vegetarian Feast

Vegetables and vegetarian food have never been more popular. With her genius for flavour, as well as India’s wealth of vegetarian dishes, Anjum has created in this book a vibrant collection of recipes that deserves a place in every kitchen.

I S B N 978-1-84949-120-4

9

781849 491204

With this treasure of a book to hand, vegetarians and omnivores alike will adore every meat-free meal.

£19.99