FROM INDIA TO BRITAIN
RIANNE KARRA
CONTENTS Introduction.................................................5 Recipes........................................................7 Roti..............................................................8-11 Moth Bean Lentil Dhal (Desi Dhal)..................12-15 Mixed vegetable sabji with paneer..................16-17 Pakora..........................................................20-23 Cha..............................................................24-25 Barfi.............................................................28-29 Gulab Jamun.................................................30-33 Acknowledgements........................................34
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INTRODUCTION Welcome to ‘From India To Britain’, a mini cookbook zine inspired and created to highlight the significance of food in the purpose of sharing, learning and forming cultural exchange within the community. It is filled with Indian-South Asian recipes that I have grown up with, which represent my Indian culture and I have had the pleasure of cooking them for you all alongside my Mum. My Mum grew up in India and was taught how to cook from my Nani, who now in turn has taught my siblings and I not only the recipes but so much of our culture and heritage through them. I now want to share a piece of this with you all. I have selected a range of different recipes, not only family favourites but also picked just vegetarian dishes. In Sikhism, langar (translated meaning community kitchen) was created by Satguru Nanak for the purpose of anyone, from any background, ethnicity, religion, gender, social class etc. to come and to have a meal together (langar is always vegetarian so it does not offend anyones religion or beliefs)- a forming of a community and uniting one another through food. Which is at the very heart of this work so I hope you all enjoy these recipes as much as we do. Rianne and only made possible with help from Kulvinder
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RECIPES 7
ROTI Roti is a flatbread eaten alongside a dhal or sabji, normally made on a tava and coated in butter. It is best enjoyed warm! Makes 6 Takes approx. 30mins Effort medium Ingredients: • 200g of roti flour (or alternatively making with plain flour you will need 200g of plain flour, 1tbsp of any oil, ½tsp salt) • 100ml water • 1tbsp oil for the frying pan • Butter to grease the roti You will also need: • Rolling pin
Note- Can be made vegan by substituting the butter for oil
If making with normal roti flour skip to step 2 if you are using plain flour start at step 1.
1.Making roti with the plain flour- mix together the plain flour, 1tbsp of oil and ½tsp salt. 2.Put the flour into a bowl and add warm water a little at a time till a dough is formed approximately 100ml- this will vary. The dough should not be too wet, sticky or hard. Knead the dough for 5 minutes till it has formed. 3.Leave the formed dough on the side for 5-10 minutes and cover with a tea towel. 4.Coming back to the dough, separate it into 6 equal dough balls, rolling them till there are no cracks and place them in a bowl with a little bit of dry flour.
5.Flour a surface and grab a rolling pin. Get one of the dough balls and flatten it in your hands keeping it to that circle shape. 6.Roll out the dough with a rolling pin (sprinkle extra flour if it gets sticky) make sure it is thin and even. Whilst doing this, heat a non-stick frying pan, adding a little bit of oil. (Normally it would be cooked on a tava so if using a tava there is no need to use oil). 7.When your roti is rolled out place it in the pan/tava, flip to the other side once it starts to harden after about 10 seconds. Cook it equally on both sides (tip- you will start to see brown circles on the roti being formed). You might have to press down on the roti in the pan/tava to make sure it cooks properly (but be extremely careful of the heat from the pan/tava). 8.Take the roti out of the pan and butter or oil one side. It is ready to eat!
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MOTH BEAN LENTIL DHAL (DESI DHAL) This dhal is made from moth bean lentils and is high in protein, normally it is eaten alongside roti or rice with salad and even plain yogurt for a tasty meal. Serves approx. 4 Takes approx. 1hour Effort medium Ingredients: • 200g moth bean lentils • 1 medium onion • 1 medium tomato • About 3 inches of ginger • 5 garlic cloves • 3 green chillies • 1tsp cumin seeds • 1tsp powdered turmeric • 1tsp garam masala • 2tsp salt • 2tbsp desi ghee • 2tbsp mustard oil (or any cooking oil) • A handful of coriander for garnish • 1.2L water You will also need: • A pressure cooker
Note- Can be made vegan by not using the desi ghee
1.Place 1.2L of water into a pressure cooker on a high heat, bring it to boil, this will take approximately 5 minutes. Add 1tsp salt and ½tsp turmeric into the pressure cooker. 2.Wash the lentils and add to the water in the pressure cooker. Reduce the heat to low and place on the lid. Allow that to simmer for 40 minutes. 3.Peel the ginger and garlic. Cut the ginger up into smaller pieces and wash both of them. Cut the chillies and place all 3 ingredients into a food processor and blend. 4.Peel, wash and dice the onion. In a pot add the desi ghee and oil and place on a low heat, allowing it to warm up. Once warm add the cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle add in the onions. 12
5.Start chopping up the tomato into small pieces and leave to the side for now. 6.Once the onions in the pot soften a little add 1tsp of salt and mix. Add the blended garlic, ginger and chillies and 1 cup of water approximately 200ml, so it does not start to stick to the sides of the pot. Put the lid on and increase to a medium heat. 7.After 5 minutes, give the ingredients in the pot a mix and add the tomato. Place the lid on once again. Once the tomato has softened (5-10 minutes) add ½tsp powdered turmeric and 1tsp garam masala, give it a stir and place the lid back on.
10.Leave the base of the dhal on longer for 10 more minutes and the base should be looking like a paste. Pour the contents of the pressure cooker into the pot and mix it well, you can turn off the hob now or if the consistency of the dhal is too runny, leave it on for an extra 5-10 minutes on a medium heat to thicken it up. 11.For the garnish, chop up the coriander and add it to the dhal. 12.The dhal is ready! For a nutritious meal eat alongside roti or rice with salad and even plain yogurt.
8.Check on the lentils in the pressure cooker after the 40 minutes are up and give them a mix. Then put it back on for another 10 minutes to simmer. 9.Give the base of the dhal in the pot a good mix and place back onto a low heat. Once the 10 minutes are up turn off the pressure cooker and allow for it to sit on the side till you can hear all the steam come out, which takes about 5 minutes.
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MIXED VEGETABLE SABJI WITH PANEER A sabji is a dish made from a range of vegetables and spices which is eaten alongside either roti or rice, to become a nutritious and flavoursome meal. This sabji includes carrots, green beans, peas, sweetcorn, potatoes as well as paneer which is a type of cheese. Serves 4-6 Takes approx. 1hour 50mins Effort medium Ingredients • 500g carrots (5 medium) • 1 packet of green beans (about 240g) • 100g peas • 100g sweetcorn • 4-5 medium potatoes • 2 medium onions • 1 medium tomato • About 3 inches of ginger • 4-5 cloves of garlic • 200g-250g paneer • 3 green chillies • 2tsp salt • 1tsp garam masala • 1.5tsp turmeric • 1tsp cumin seeds • 2tbsp any cooking oil • 2tbsp desi ghee • 300ml water • A handful of coriander for garnish Note- Can be made vegan by not using the desi ghee
1. Start by peeling the carrots and potatoes and then chop them up into small pieces and place into a large colander. Chop up the green beans into small pieces about an inch or ½ inch long and place into the colander alongside peas and sweetcorn. Wash thoroughly with warm water then put to one side. 2. To make the base of the sabji, peel and dice the onions. Peel and chop the garlic and ginger and wash before placing them into a food processor. Chop up the chillies and add to the food processor and grind, leave them to one side for now.
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3. In a pot pour in the oil and add the desi ghee, place on a low heat and allow for it to heat up before adding the cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds start sizzling, add the onions to the pot. Give the onions a stir before adding the salt. 4. Once the onions have softened, add the blended garlic, ginger and chilli to the pot and mix. Add 100ml of water to the pot so the onions do not stick to the sides and place the lid on the pot. 5. Wash and cut up the tomato into small pieces and leave to one side. After 5 minutes add the tomato to the pot and mix then place the lid on once again. Start cutting up the paneer into small squares cubes and give them a wash in warm water and allowing them to stay in the water for a few minutes before rinsing. Then place aside. 6. After 10 minutes check on the contents within the pot and give it a mix. The base should be thickening (there still might be water inside this is perfectly fine). Add the turmeric and garam masala and stir well.
7. Add the paneer to the base of the sabji first and stir. After a minute add in all the other vegetables that we put aside earlier (carrots, potatoes, peas, green beans, sweetcorn) and mix. Add 200ml of water to the pot and stir then put the lid back on and leave for about 10 minutes. 8. After 10 minutes give the contents a mix once again as we do not want the sabji to stick to the sides of the pot. At this point it should be bubbling. The sabji will be cooked once the vegetables are soft and cooked through, allowing to cook for another 15 minutes but mixing it every now and then during this time. 9. After 15 minutes, check on the sabji it should be done by now, check by trying to cut through a potato and carrot to see if they are soft. The water inside should also be gone by now if so turn off the hob if not allow to cook on the hob for 5 more minutes with the lid off. 10. Your mixed vegetable sabji with paneer should now be ready to enjoy now.
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PAKORA WITH CHUTNEY A savoury fried snack made from a gram flour coating, containing onions, potatoes, spinach, coriander and spices. Alongside a tangy carrot and onion chutney. Serves approx. 6 Takes approx. 1hour 30mins Effort high Ingredients • 3 medium onions • 4-5 medium potatoes • 500g gram flour • 1 handful of fresh coriander • 200g fresh spinach • 3-4 chillies (or however spicy you would like it) • 1.5tsp coriander seeds • 1.5 cumin seeds • 1tsp carom seed • 1tsp chilli flakes • 1tsp garam masala • 2tsp salt • 1tsp tomato ketchup • 200ml water • Vegetable oil (1L) for • frying the pakora
For the chutney • 1 medium carrot • 1 medium onion • 3tsp mint sauce • 3tsp tomato ketchup • ½tsp garam masala • ½tsp salt • ½tsp coriander powder • 100ml water 1.Start by chopping up the spinach, coriander and chillies and place them into a large bowl (preferably one that is larger than 25cm at its widest part), this will give more space for mixing later on. 2.Peel the potatoes and the onions. Give them both a wash before chopping them thinly in short slices, so they get cooked properly inside the pakora when frying. Place them both in the bowl with the other chopped ingredients. 21
3.Add the salt, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, carom seeds, chilli flakes, garam masala and tomato ketchup to the bowl and mix it all together thoroughly. 4.Add the gram flour and stir the contents, adding the water to create a thick consistency (at this point you can check if there is enough salt by tasting the batter and adding more if required). 5.In a pot or deep pan, heat up the oil on a medium heat. After 10 minutes or till the oil is hot and bubbles are forming, start placing the pakora mixture into the oil, either by hand or on a tablespoon (be extremely careful as the oil is hot). You will have to do this section in batches. Once the batter is placed into the oil it should start bubbling and taking a solid form. 6.Prepare a tray covered in kitchen paper ready for when the pakoras come out of the oil. 7.With an oil skimmer or large spoon move around the formed pakora in the oil so they cook thoroughly. Once the pakora is a golden-brown colour (after approximately 10mins on a medium heat) remove them
from the oil and place onto the prepared tray so excess oil can be removed. 8.Continue placing the mixture into the oil for frying, repeating the last few steps till the batter finishes. Once all the pakoras have been cooked serve warm alongside chutney or even tomato ketchup and enjoy best with a cup of cha. To make the chutney 1.Peel and wash the carrot and onion before chopping them up and placing them into a food processor and blend them till they become a puree (if you don’t have a food processor very finely dice the carrot and onion). 2.Place the carrot and the onion puree in a bowl and add the mint sauce, tomato ketchup, garam masala, salt and coriander powder to the bowl. Stir well and add 100ml of water (possibly more depending if the consistency is too thick). 3.It is ready to be eaten alongside pakoras.
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CHA In India, cha means tea, it is a milk tea made from black tea and brewed alongside spices such as fennel and cardamom and sweet in flavour. It is a popular drink in South Asia and around the world, enjoyed with both sweet and savoury snacks. Serves 4 Take 25mins Effort low Ingredients • 1L water • 4 green cardamom • 1 black cardamom • 1tsp fennel seeds • 1/2 tsp carom seeds • 1/2 inch of root ginger sliced • 4tsp sugar (optional) • 2 black tea bags • 400ml milk
1.) In a pot pour in 1L of water and put on the hob to boil. 2.) Add 4 green cardamom, 1 black cardamom, 1tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp of carom seed and 1/2 inch of root ginger sliced to the pot of hot water. Add the sugar to the pot although this is optional. 3.) Allow for it to boil on a low/medium heat for 15 minutes (the water should start to infuse and turn green). After 15 minutes add in 2 black teabags and the water should turn a darker brown colour. 4.) After 5 minutes add approximately 200ml of milk to the pot and allow it to boil so the milk gets heated allowing it to simmer for another 5 more minutes. The tea will start to rise up and once this happens you can turn the hob off. 5.) Pour the tea into the cups with a sieve to catch all the spices. Your cha is ready to be served and enjoyed either alone or with a savoury or sweet snack.
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BARFI Barfi is an Indian sweet known as mithai made mainly from milk. This recipe makes a creamy sweet treat enjoyable for all ages. Serves 6 Take approx. 50mins making Effort medium and 2 hours to set Ingredients • 200g milk powder • 75g sugar • 2tbsp butter • 250ml double cream • 1tsp cardamom powder • 30ml water • 7 pieces of almonds • 5 pieces of pistachio
1.Start by lining a small oven tray with greaseproof paper (enough paper to cover it all) and put to one side.
You will also need • Greaseproof paper
3.Whilst you continue mixing, in another small pan on a low heat add the sugar and water and leave till the sugar dissolves. After 5 minutes increase the heat of the sugar water to medium. You should still be continuing to mix the milk powder mixture.
This recipe requires continuous mixing throughout- but for the end result it is worth it!
2.Place the butter into a non-stick pot, on a low heat. Once it melts add the double cream. Give it a mix and start adding the milk powder a little at a time so it mixes well and does not become lumpy or sticks to the pot.
4.In the pot your milk powder mixture should start to become thick, continue mixing it. Turn off the pan of water and dissolved sugar, as at this point the sugar should have dissolved and start to pour it into the milk powder mixture a little at a time. It is important you continue mixing.
The consistency should be a lot thinner now. 5.Keep mixing for the next 20 minutes still on a low heat making sure no lumps form (at this moment it should resemble custard). Continue mixing till the mixture begins to fall away from the sides of the pot. 6.After about 10 minutes when the mixture has thickened and starts to fall away from the sides of the pot, add in ½ tsp of cardamom powder. Mix it well for another 2 minutes. 7.Turn off the hob but continue to mix for another 5 minutes as the mixture will still be cooking in this time and we do not want it to burn. Pour the barfi mixture into the tray that was set aside earlier and even it out. 8.Either using a mortar and pestle, crush the almonds and pistachios into small pieces or alternatively chop them up. Sprinkle the almond and pistachio pieces onto the barfi mixture in the tray. Using a spatula or spoon, delicately flatten the pieces into the barfi mixture to make sure they are firmly secured. 9.Leave to the side for 2 hours, cover it with a tea towel. Once coming back, make sure the barfi is firm and solid before cutting it into small square/diamond pieces, it is ready to be eaten!
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GULAB JAMUN Gulab jamun are a sweet dessert of fried dough balls soaked within syrup and best served warm alongside vanilla ice cream. Serves approx. 8-10 Takes approx. 1hour 20mins Effort medium Ingredients • 200g milk powder • 2tbsp plain flour • 1tbsp semolina • 2tbsp desi ghee • 400g sugar • 750ml water • 1tsp green cardamom powder • 140ml milk • 2-3 strands of saffron (optional) • 2 tbsp desiccated coconut • Oil for frying
1.In a pot place the sugar and add the water and place on a low heat, the sugar needs to dissolve into the water which will become the syrup for the Gulab jamun. 2.In a bowl, add milk powder, semolina and plain flour and mix the dry ingredients together. Add the desi ghee and mix it once again. Check on the sugar water and give it a stir. 3.Start to add the milk to the bowl a little at a time and start stirring, continue stirring so the mixture comes together. When you are left with half of the milk still to put into the bowl, start using your hands to join the mixture together to form a dough. Placing the rest of the milk in at a little at a time. 4.Knead the dough for the next 5 minutes. The dough should not be sticky nor dry but soft. Once formed place the dough to one side, covering it with a tea towel for 10 minutes. 30
5.Once again check on the sugar water in the pot and give it a stir, once the sugar has dissolved leave it for 4-5minutes on a medium heat. Then put in cardamom powder and the saffron strands. After 5 minutes turn off the sugar syrup. 6.Heat up the oil in a deep pot/ pan for frying on a medium heat. 7.After leaving the dough to rest for 10 minutes, place a small amount of oil in your palms, starting to make small round balls out of the dough. The oil is to stop the dough from sticking to your hands. The dough balls need to be round, smooth with no cracks (this is important so they do not break apart once in the oil for frying). Continue making all the dough balls till you run out of dough and place on a plate to one side. 8.On a tray, place kitchen tissue and set aside. Once the oil has heated up (you can test by placing your hand above the pot and seeing if it is hot but be extremely careful) place on a low heat and put a handful of doughballs into the oil (be careful of the hot oil and it splashing back).
With an oil skimmer or large spoon move the dough balls continuously around in the oil, it is important to do this so they do not burn. 9.After a few minutes once they have turned a golden-brown colour remove them and place on the tray that was put aside earlier so excess oil can be drained. 10.Once they all have been cooked and have been removed of excess oil, place them into the warn sugar syrup. Allow for them to soak for 30 minutes then sprinkle desiccated coconut on top. They are now ready to eat! Add ice cream alongside for a truly tasty dessert.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to say a big thank you to OUTPOST and their entire team for this amazing residency opportunity and allowing me to continue making as a graduate. I would also like to thank my mum Kulvinder because without her help this work would not exist, from the cooking to the documenting and to having an incredible time together this week.
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