Bombay Potato

For 6ish

1 kg Potatoes
Salt
Groundnut Oil
Roasted Cumin Seeds, about a teaspoon
Mustard Seeds, about a teaspoon
10 Curry Leaves (fresh if you can get them)
2 Dried Red Chillies
2 Onions, sliced
3 tablespoons of Tomato Puree
Turmeric Powder, a good teaspoon
Ginger, grated, depends on your love/hate for quantity
3 Garlic cloves, grated
1 fresh Green Chillie, finely chopped
1 generous bunch of Coriander, chopped

1] Cube or slice the Potatoes and drop them into salted boiling water. Simmer for 2 minutes then drain them and let sit.

2] Heat a little of the oil and fry off the Cumin, Mustard Seeds, Curry Leaves and Red Chilli quickly (10-20 seconds).

3] Add the Onions and Tomato Puree and stir and fry for a couple of minutes until the Onions start to brown.

4] Add the Turmeric, Ginger and Garlic - stir and fry for another couple of minutes.

5] Mix in the Potatoes and Green Chilli, lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes or so, checking that nothing is sticking.

6] When the Potatoes are cooked through, transfer to a warm dish and sprinkle the chopped Corinder over.

Dahl Masala

350g Red Lentils (orange or yellow ones are fine to)
500ml Water
100g Butter (or Ghee)
1 Onion, finely chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
2 Fresh Green chillies, finely chopped
Ginger, grated (to taste, say 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon Chilli Powder
1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
Salt
Fresh Coriander, chopped

1] Rinse the Lentils in a sieve until the water runs clear. Pick out any off colour ones.

2] Add the Lentils to the water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the Lentils are soft.

3] Meanwhile, heat the butter and add the Onions, Garlic and Chillies. Fry gently until the Onions start to colour.

4] Stir in the Ginger, Chilli powder and Turmeric. gently fry for a few minutes.

5] Mix in the Lentils and lower the heat right down. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Check to make sure nothing is sticking. (burnt Dal tastes horrible, and be careful it doesn't explode and burn you) [if it looks like it is drying out, add a little hot water]

6] Serve in a warm dish and sprinkle with the Garam Masala and Coriander.

Risotto with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Mozzarella

650 ml Vegetable Stock
20g Sun-dried Tomatoes
Olive Oil (or the Oil from the Tomatoes)
1 Onion, finely chopped
Dry White Wine
230g Arborio Rice
60g Mozzarella Cheese
50g Parmesan Cheese
Fresh Basil
Salt and Pepper

1] Warm the Stock in a pan.

2] Heat the Oil and slowly fry the Onions until they start to colour.

3] Stir in the Rice and fry for a couple of minutes until the grains start to get translucent.

4] Add in a glug of Wine and stir for a minute.

5] Gradually add the Stock until the Rice is just about cooked, about 20 minutes.

6] Shred the Mozzarella and gentle fold it into the Rice with the Tomatoes and grated Parmean. Cover the pan and let it sit for a few minutes.

7] Serve into warm bowls and sprinkle the chopped Basil over. Add some fresh Pepper and Salt if it needs it.