SWEET POTATO CHAAT

A summer essential! This is a simple twist on a recipe from Pakistan which originally uses just white potatoes and chick peas. You will love it! The flavours are complex and the textures are fabulous. A perfect weekend afternoon snack…and by the way, quite healthy too.

Serves 4 - 6

4 medium sized sweet potatoes

1 red onion sliced finely

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons of tamarind sauce

1 tablespoons of honey

1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

1 teaspoon of chaat masala (shop bought)

1 large red ripe tomato

½ bunch of coriander

Olive oil

Salt to taste

Slice the onions and macerate with lemon juice, tamarind sauce, honey, chilli flakes, chaat masala and cumin seeds. Boil the sweet potatoes and allow to cool slightly. Whilst the sweet potatoes are still a little warm slice into small bite size chunks and add to the seasoned onions. Add in a chopped tomato and fresh coriander. Drizzle over just enough olive oil to give the salad a glossy sheen. Garnish with toasted peanuts for extra crunch.

ROASTED TANDOORI CHICKEN LEGS

An absolute classic in South East Asia! The longer the marinating time the better, so try and prep this the night before if you can. Traditional recipes ask for two separate marinations: the first with lemon juice or vinegar and the next with yoghurt. I am a busy lady so condense the whole process down- and to be honest I think the end result is just as good. These would cook really well in a tandoor oven as well or even on a barbecue with the excess marinade taken off.

 Serves 4 - 6

1.5kg chicken legs with the skin removed

500g tub of full fat Greek yoghurt

Juice of two large lemons

2 tablespoons grated ginger

2 tablespoons of minced garlic paste

1-2teaspoons chilli powder

1 teaspoons chilli flakes

2 teaspoons toasted crushed cumin seeds

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

Mix the Greek yoghurt with all the remaining ingredients to form the marinade. Pour over the chicken legs and coat evenly. Place covered in the fridge overnight. Transfer into a roasting tin and cover with tin foil. Roast at 170 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, baste the chicken legs with the marinade and return to the oven for another 30 minutes, turning once in between cooking. The chicken legs should be moist, falling off the bone and slightly charred on the outside.

ROASTED MARROW STUFFED WITH MINCED CHICKEN, COURGETTES AND PERSIAN SABZI POLOW

Whenever I make this dish people ask me for the recipe. I must say it is one of the easiest things to cook and the flavours are surprisingly intense. Marrows are an under rated vegetable. I find they are abundant at this time of year and their delicate flavour lends itself well to experimentation. If you can’t get hold of marrow you could stuff the rice inside tomatoes or peppers and roast in the oven for slightly longer.

Serves 4 - 6

1 marrow

1 cup of cooked basmati rice

1 cup of raw minced chicken

1 courgette

1 preserved lemon diced finely

1 handful finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 handful coriander

3 tablespoons barberries

Olive oil

1 pinch turmeric

Salt and pepper to taste

Half the marrow, scoop out the seeds in the centre, drizzle olive oil and roast in a 180 degree oven for 30mins or until the marrow softens. Keep aside.

Dice the courgette into small pieces and fry until golden in some olive oil. Transfer courgettes into a bowl. Add the barberries to the warm courgettes and mix in the boiled rice and preserved lemon.

In the same pan that the courgettes were fried in, add in the mince chicken with a pinch of turmeric. Allow the chicken mince to cook through and add it into the rice mixture with the finely chopped herbs. Pile the rice onto the marrow and return to the oven for 5 minutes to warm through.  Serve immediately.