Preparation time: 10 minutes plus 1 hour to marinate
Cooking time: 20 – 30 minutes
Skill level: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower – cut into small florets
• garlic – 7 cloves – crushed
• cheddar cheese – 50g
• 4 red chillies – de-seeded and finely chopped
• live yoghurt – 6tbsp
• sunflower oil – 1½tbsp
• gram flour – 1½tbsp
• salt – 1tsp

Heat the oil and stir in the flour to form a roux. Set aside to cool.

Mix together the yoghurt, garlic, chillies, cheese, salt and roux to form the marinade.

Put the cauliflower into an oven-proof dish and pour over the marinade. Mix together and set aside for at least an hour.

Place in a pre-heated oven (220C/gas mark 7) and cook for 20 – 30 minutes or until the cauliflower has softened and the top is beginning to crisp.

Serve as a side dish or main dish with a crisp hearty salad.

Verdict: Very tasty indeed. Essentially a spicy cauliflower cheese with added attitude. We ate ours with the tandoori paneer.

Drink: Tesco’s finest Cava followed by some rather tasty bottles of ‘Wychwood Goldwing English Blonde Beer‘.

Entertainment: Repeat viewing of ‘Run Lola Run’ on Digital Versatile Disk.

Preparation time: 10 minutes plus 2 hours to marinate
Cooking time: 7 – 10 minutes
Skill level: Easy

Ingredients

• paneer – 200g – cut into 1 cm slices
• sunflower oil – 1½ tbsp
• gram flour – 1½ tbsp
• yoghurt – 130g
• ground coriander – 1 tsp
• tumeric powder – 1 tsp
• chilli powder – ½ tsp
• mint – 2 tbsp – chopped (or mint sauce)
• ginger – 1 tbsp – chopped
• cumin – 1 tsp
• saffron – pinch

Heat the oil and stir in the flour to form a roux. Set aside to cool.

Place the paneer in an oven proof dish.

Mix the roux together with all the remaining ingredients to form the marinade. Pour over the paneer and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours

Place in a pre heated oven (220C/gas mark 7) for 7 – 10 minutes.

Serve immediately

Verdict: Very spicy. Very tasty. Very good.

Drink: Fizzy.

Entertainment: ‘Run Lola Run’ on DVD. Buy Lola Buy or Rent Lola Rent, but just Watch Lola Watch.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 – 20 minutes
Skill level: Easy
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 fillets of sea bream or bass
• 2 medium onions – finely chopped
• 6 green chillies – slit lengthways
• 3 cloves of garlic – finely sliced
• 30 curry leaves
• coconut milk – 400 ml
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
• oil – 30 ml

Mix 1 tsp salt with 1 tsp turmeric and rub into the fish fillets.
In a deep frying pan heat the oil and sauté the onions, chillies and garlic. Add 20 of the curry leaves and continue cooking until the onions are translucent.

Add the coconut milk along with the rest of the salt and turmeric and heat through. Add the fish and simmer gently until cooked.

Meanwhile, fry the remaining curry leaves and use as a garnish.

Verdict: A lovely rich and luxurious dish with coconut sweetness and subtle spiciness. There is no reason why you couldn’t use a cheaper white fish.
Drink: See below.

Entertainment: See below.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Skill level: Easy
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• white onions – 150g – cut into thick slices
• red onions – 150g – cut into thick slices
• spring onions – 100g – cut into thick julienne
• vegetable oil – 50 ml
• cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• ginger/garlic paste – 2 tsp
• red chilli powder – 1 tsp
• coriander powder – 1 tsp
• turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• salt – 1 tsp
• water – 50 ml
• yoghurt – 2 tbsp

Heat the oil in a wok and heat the cumin seeds until they splutter. Add the ginger/garlic paste and sauté until cooked.

Add the dry spices, salt, water and yoghurt and cook for a few minutes.

Add the onions and continue cooking until the onions are soft – do not over cook.

Verdict: This is a hot and crunchy dish.

Drink: See Stir-Fried Spinach

Entertainment: See above

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Skill level: Easy
Serves: 2

Ingredients

• spinach – 250g – stems removed and shredded
• 1 small onion – chopped
• mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
• lentils – 1/4 tsp
• garlic – 3 cloves – chopped
• 2 whole dried chillies
• salt – 1/2 tsp
• vegetable oil

Heat the oil in a wok and add the mustard seeds, lentils, garlic and chilli. When it crackles, add the onion and sauté until translucent.

Add the spinach and salt and cook on a low heat until the greens are cooked.

Garnish with grated coconut (if you have any).

Serve hot.

Verdict: A great side dish for the main event.

Drink: See Tadka Daal.

Entertainment: See above.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Skill level: Easy
Serves: 2

Ingredients

• yellow lentils – 150g
• salt – 1/2 tsp
• turmeric – 1/2 tsp
• vegetable oil – 1/2 tbsp
• garlic – 1 clove – finely chopped
• red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
• 1 tomato – chopped

Wash the lentils and put into a thick bottomed pan along with the salt, turmeric and 1/2 litre of water.

Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are soft and cooked.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic until it is light brown. Add the chilli and cook for another minute. Add the tomato and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

Add this mixture to the lentils and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot.

Verdict: How could you not love daal. In fact it’s ‘Daalicious’. Ha.

Drink: A pair of Bitburgers down The Florist.

Entertainment: ‘Acorn Antiques’ on DVD. Brilliant, especially the pompous ‘making of’ episode at the end.