GARAM MASALA
GF DF VE
Makes approx. 1/3 cup
2 x 3-inch cinnamon sticks
2½ tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons whole cloves
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
This is our family recipe for the classic “garam” or warming spice mixture.
Place a small frying pan on medium heat and, when hot, put the cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, and cloves into the pan. Toast the spices for 1 minute, swirling them around the pan to toast them evenly. Tip them into a spice grinder, and add the ginger and cardamom seeds (neither of which need toasting). Blitz to a fine powder and keep in an airtight container or a glass jar for up to 3 months.
YOGURT
GF
Makes just over 2 cups
2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup whole-milk live yogurt (it’s important that it contains live cultures as you’ll need these yogurt-making bacteria)
Pour the milk into a deep-sided saucepan and bring to a boil over gentle heat. Stir frequently, making sure the milk doesn’t catch at the bottom. Once it starts to froth, take the pan off the heat and decant the milk into a bowl to cool.
According to my mum, you need to wait for it to cool down to “just warmer than room temperature” before adding the yogurt. To gauge, stick a (very clean) finger into the bowl after 10 minutes. If the milk is painfully hot after a few seconds, it needs a bit longer to cool; if it’s very warm but you’re just able to keep a finger in there for around 10 seconds, it’s about right. (If you have a thermometer, the optimal temperature is 120–125°F.) The milk has to be at the right temperature because yogurt-making bacteria are delicate souls and the conditions need to be just right for them to thrive. If the milk is too hot, the yogurt will curdle. Too cold, and the yogurt won’t set.
Whisk the yogurt into the milk so they mix properly. Then pop a lid on the bowl, wrap a towel around it, and put it in a warm place to set for 6 to 8 hours. I preheat the oven to 250°F for 5 minutes, then turn it off and leave my yogurt there overnight. In the morning, you should have a mild, creamy yogurt.
Put it into the fridge to set properly. Your yogurt will last for around 4 days and, as with most live yogurts, it will become a bit more flavorful and tart with time. Don’t forget to leave a little aside to make your next batch.
CHAAT MASALA
GF DF VE
Makes enough for a couple of dishes
3 teaspoons mango powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon black salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
“Chaat” means “lick” in Hindi, and that’s exactly what this mix of sprinkling spices makes you want to do to the food you’ve just put it on.
Put all the ground spices into an empty jar, and shake to mix.
CHAPATIS
DF VE
Makes 16 (enough for 4 people)
3¼ cups chapati flour, or 1¾ cups whole-wheat and 1¾ cups all-purpose white flour (plus extra to dust)
½ teaspoon salt
canola oil
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water
Put the flour into a bowl, add the salt, and mix together. Make a well in the middle, add 3 tablespoons of oil, and mix, using your fingers, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Pour in 1 cup of the water, then add the rest little by little—you may not need it all—until you can knead the mixture into a soft and pliable dough, which will take 6 to 8 minutes.
Lightly rub the dough with oil (so it won’t dry out) and put to one side while you get your rolling station ready. You will need a floured board or clean surface, ideally on one side of the stove top. You’ll also need a rolling pin, a bowl of flour in which to dip the balls of dough, a spatula (or chapati press), a frying pan, and a plate for your cooked chapatis.
Once all is ready, divide your dough into 16 balls. Put the frying pan on medium to high heat. Take one piece of dough, coat it generously with flour, then roll it out to around 6 inches in diameter, coating it with a little flour as you need it to stop it from sticking. Put it face side down on the hot pan.
Wait for the edges to color white and for the chapati to start to bubble (30 to 40 seconds), then turn it over and cook the other side for the same amount of time. Turn it over again—it should start to puff up at this point, so press down with the flat side of the spatula—and cook for around 10 seconds, then turn it over again and do the same. Check that all the dough is cooked (any uncooked spots will look dark and doughy) and put onto a plate. Cover with a towel or wrap in foil to keep warm, then repeat.
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