Indian Student Dish Recipes

As part of India Week, Farida Allana, an Indian student living in the UK, gives her take on Indian versions of two British dishes with some brilliant recipes:

Tomato Soup or Tomato Kadhi

Ingredients: 8-10 ripe red tomatoes
                        3- 4 tbspn corn flour
                        1 tspn mustard seeds (rai)
                        1 tspn cumin seeds (jeera)
                        2-3 curry leaves (kadipatta)
                        Pinch of red food colour (optional)

1. Store the tomatoes in the deep freeze over night. By morning tomatoes will harden and be cold. Take these tomatoes and run tap water over them. Peel the skin off. Once skin is peeled, cut the tomatoes in big chunks.
2. Put the peeled and cut tomatoes in a medium sized vessel and add 2-3 cups of water. Keep the vessel on a gas fire. Let the tomatoes cook for 15 minutes. Then using a hand blender or hand held Indian dal grinder smash the tomatoes to a pulp to form a soup consistency. 
3. Mix corn flour with a little water to form a paste and slowly add to the soup. Mix well and lower the flame.
4. For the Tadka or baghaar, take the oil in a separate small sized pan. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Heat the oil and when the seeds start to splatter add this to the tomato soup. Add salt, chilli powder as per taste. Enjoy!

Spinach Parathas (Indian Spinach Bread)

Ingredients: 1-2 cups wheat flour (makes 4-8 parathas)
                        1 bag of baby spinach
                        Garlic and ginger paste
                        Pinch of salt
                        2-3 tspn olive oil
                        A few cilantro leaves (coriander)
                        A few green chillies
                        Sunflower oil for frying parathas

1. Take a big bowl. Add the wheat flour. Tear the spinach into small pieces and add to the bowl. Add ginger, garlic paste, green chillies, cilantro and olive oil. 
2. Add water and knead the flour to form a medium dough (water added is usually half the amount of wheat flour). Make 4-8 balls of the dough. 
3. Heat a girdle (tava) ensuring it is hot. Add a little bit of flour on the top and bottom of one of the balls in order to keep it dry and smooth for rolling. Roll the ball into a circular shape using a rolling pin and place it on the hot girdle. When one side is slightly done flip it over. 
4. Brush sunflower oil on top and using a spoon add a small amount of oil to the sides. Lift the paratha slightly with a spoon and move the girdle so the oil shifts underneath the paratha. Turn the paratha until both sides are done. Then serve.

Share with friends