Food: Speedy spice
Chetna Makan’s fast-cook, flavour-packed recipes will have you rustling up stunning and delicious homemade Indian dishes in half an hour or less
Tamarind aubergine curry
Spice up your cooking
Amchur (mango powder)
Distinctively tangy with a sweet and sour hit, amchur (or amchoor) is made from pieces of unripe green mango that are left to dry in the sun then ground. It is useful for adding acidity to dishes, just as you might add lemon or lime juice.
Asafoetida
This pungent powder is extracted from the gum of a herbaceous plant, giant fennel. Its powerful flavour is described as oniony, garlicky, salty and even slightly sulphurous, but don’t let that put you off. It adds deeply savoury notes and a little goes a long way. It is also sometimes referred to by its Hindi name of hing.
Tandoori masala roti; Courgette moong dal with tomato tempering
Kasuri methi
The sundried leaves of the fenugreek plant have a nutty, slightly bitter taste described as similar to celery. It is commonly used in Indian breads (as in Chetna’s masala roti recipe on page 47), can be added to curries with other spices during cooking or sprinkled over them just before serving for a flavour boost.
Garam Masala
Meaning ‘hot spices’, the composition of this blend varies regionally but it is used across the Indian subcontinent in all manner of dishes. Whole spices are typically toasted to bring out their flavour before grinding, and lend warming aromatic notes to cooking.
Most of the spices used in Chetna’s recipes are widely available in major supermarkets. Chetna also recommends buying online from spicemountain.co.uk and spicekitchenuk.com.
Now buy the book
Chetna Makan’s new book Chetna’s 30-Minute Indian is published by Mitchell Beazley, priced £20. To order a copy for £17.80 until 27 June go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. Free p&p on orders over £20