Ishrat's Menu
Ishrat Gazala's dishes included vegetable samosas and chicken curry:
Vegetable Samosas
Ingredients
1 med size bag of frozen mixed vegetables (usually has carrots, peas, sweet corn, green beans)
2 med onions finely chopped (preferably in a blender)
½ clove garlic crushed
1½ inch length size of ginger - optional (this must be chopped in a blender)
Coriander finely chopped
1½ teaspoons salt
2/3 green chillies finely chopped
2 teaspoons garam malasa
1 heaped tablespoon of geera
Vegetable oil
Filo pastry sheets
Cook the onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies and salt until brown. Add mix veg and continue to cook on medium heat until till veg is cooked. Allow veg mix to cool.
Taste the veg mix and add red chilli powder if not spicy enough and salt. Not any sooner but before you begin to make the samosas add the garam masala, coriander and geera.
Roll filo pastry into 4 inch diameter circle, half, dampen the edges and make a cone shape, fill the cone with the mix, seal by dampening with water, once sealed, fry in vegtable oil, you will know when samosa is ready it will float to the top of the oil pot, drain the excess oil by placing on kitchen roll, and serve hot or cold.
Kofta (Mini Me Mince Burgers)
Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/3 garlic clove, finely chopped (best to use blender)
750g minced beef
Coriander chopped
1 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 teaspoon of garam masala
2/3 green chillies finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
vegetable oil
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well blended. Shape the mixture into small burgers and chill until ready to cook. Remember the burgers will prob reduce slightly in slice as you cook them. Best to fry these unless you have a grill. Fry using very little oil on a med/low heat so meat cooks through and doesn't just burn on outside.
Cook one and taste and add more salt and chilli if too bland.
Dips
See Raita further down, this is the yoghurt dip that goes with the starter and main course. The sweet chilli dip can be bought at any major supermarket.
Keema mince and peas
Ingredients
1 ½ lb lamb mince
2 medium onions finely chopped
Small can of chopped tomatoes
½ clove garlic finely chopped (preferably in a blender)
1 inch length of ginger (preferably in a blender)
Small bag (or closest too) of frozen peas
1 tablespoon red chilli powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garam masala
Coriander (finely chopped)
2 medium potatoes diced (optional)
Vegetable oil
Put everything except the peas, potatoes, tinned tomatoes, coriander, garam masala into a pot. Add 2 mugs of hot water. Boil mixer on a medium heat. Occasionally stir mixer with a hand held whisk. This breaks up the lumps of mince. Boil for about 30-40 min or until nearly all the water has evaporated. Add the tomatoes.
Cook further for about 15 min. You want to be left with a keema mix where you can't see the tomatoes but it's still moist. Now you need to add the oil otherwise keema will be dry. Now add the peas and a little water, maybe 1/3 mug if it looks dry. Cook until the peas are done.
Add coriander. You can add a little more oil when you need to re-heat as it will dry out. Don't heat keema in microwave. Before serving garnish with finely chopped coriander.
Remember, it's better to start with fewer spices and add later if required.
Chicken Curry
Ingredients
5 chicken breast
2 large onions finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped or crushed
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of garam masala
Vegetable oil
Coriander finely chopped
2 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 jar of mango pickle
1 small packet of frozen peas
Cook onions, garlic and salt until onions are soft and brown. Slice chicken breast into bite size portions and add to onions, also add chilli powder and garam masala, mix well. Add boiling water to pot about 2 pints. Reduce heat to simmer. Add peas. Add mango pickle from jar to suit taste. When chicken is cooked , add chopped coriander and serve.
Tarka Dhall (spicy lentils)
Ingredients
1 packet of red or yellow lentils
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of salt
Finely chopped coriander
Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chilli powder
Soak lentils 1 hour before cooking in hot water. Boil lentils with chilli powder and salt into saucepan and bring to liquid to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently while lentils are simmering. Finely chop garlic and shallow fry in hot oil when garlic turns brown add the oil and garlic to the pot of lentils. Mix very well. Add finely chopped coriander before serving.
Rice
Ingredients
2 mugs of basmati rice – pre soaked about 1 hour prior to cooking
2 med onions chopped
Oil
1 tablespoon red chilli powder
2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon garam masala
Cook onion sin oil until the onions actually begin to burn slightly. Add salt, chill and garam masala and add 5 mugs of hot water (same mug you measured rice in). Bring this all to a simmer. Once simmering add the rice. Continue to simmer/boil for approx 10 mins or until the water can only just be seem making bubbles on the surface of the rice.
Only stir the rice gently and occasionally once you added it to the water. Cover the rice with ¾ pieces of kitchen roll and seal with a lid and put onto the lowest heat you have for 15 min. After 15 min, lift kitchen roll from one side and check to see if rice is cooked.
Raita Yoghurt
Ingredients
Plain natural yoghurt
1/3 of cucumber sliced into small pieces (remove the seeds in the middle)
1 small finely chopped onion
½ or 1 teaspoon garam masala (taste it before adding more)
Big pinch salt
1 teaspoon mint sauce (get it in a jar from supermarket)
Coriander finely chopped
Mix ingredients together. Coriander is only for sprinkling on top before serving. Pop it in the fridge. Don't make it too early it might start to thin. Or put the cucumber and onions in before serving.
Salad
Ingredients
Rocket lettuce
1 red onion
Cherry tomatoes
Yellow peppers
White radish
Cucumber
Wash and slice everything but lettuce, throw into salad bowl, sprinkle salt, toss the salad, add lemon juice or salad dressing to taste and serve.
Ingredients
1 med size bag of frozen mixed vegetables (usually has carrots, peas, sweet corn, green beans)
2 med onions finely chopped (preferably in a blender)
½ clove garlic crushed
1½ inch length size of ginger - optional (this must be chopped in a blender)
Coriander finely chopped
1½ teaspoons salt
2/3 green chillies finely chopped
2 teaspoons garam malasa
1 heaped tablespoon of geera
Vegetable oil
Filo pastry sheets
Cook the onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies and salt until brown. Add mix veg and continue to cook on medium heat until till veg is cooked. Allow veg mix to cool.
Taste the veg mix and add red chilli powder if not spicy enough and salt. Not any sooner but before you begin to make the samosas add the garam masala, coriander and geera.
Roll filo pastry into 4 inch diameter circle, half, dampen the edges and make a cone shape, fill the cone with the mix, seal by dampening with water, once sealed, fry in vegtable oil, you will know when samosa is ready it will float to the top of the oil pot, drain the excess oil by placing on kitchen roll, and serve hot or cold.
Kofta (Mini Me Mince Burgers)
Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/3 garlic clove, finely chopped (best to use blender)
750g minced beef
Coriander chopped
1 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 teaspoon of garam masala
2/3 green chillies finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
vegetable oil
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well blended. Shape the mixture into small burgers and chill until ready to cook. Remember the burgers will prob reduce slightly in slice as you cook them. Best to fry these unless you have a grill. Fry using very little oil on a med/low heat so meat cooks through and doesn't just burn on outside.
Cook one and taste and add more salt and chilli if too bland.
Dips
See Raita further down, this is the yoghurt dip that goes with the starter and main course. The sweet chilli dip can be bought at any major supermarket.
Keema mince and peas
Ingredients
1 ½ lb lamb mince
2 medium onions finely chopped
Small can of chopped tomatoes
½ clove garlic finely chopped (preferably in a blender)
1 inch length of ginger (preferably in a blender)
Small bag (or closest too) of frozen peas
1 tablespoon red chilli powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon garam masala
Coriander (finely chopped)
2 medium potatoes diced (optional)
Vegetable oil
Put everything except the peas, potatoes, tinned tomatoes, coriander, garam masala into a pot. Add 2 mugs of hot water. Boil mixer on a medium heat. Occasionally stir mixer with a hand held whisk. This breaks up the lumps of mince. Boil for about 30-40 min or until nearly all the water has evaporated. Add the tomatoes.
Cook further for about 15 min. You want to be left with a keema mix where you can't see the tomatoes but it's still moist. Now you need to add the oil otherwise keema will be dry. Now add the peas and a little water, maybe 1/3 mug if it looks dry. Cook until the peas are done.
Add coriander. You can add a little more oil when you need to re-heat as it will dry out. Don't heat keema in microwave. Before serving garnish with finely chopped coriander.
Remember, it's better to start with fewer spices and add later if required.
Chicken Curry
Ingredients
5 chicken breast
2 large onions finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped or crushed
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of garam masala
Vegetable oil
Coriander finely chopped
2 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 jar of mango pickle
1 small packet of frozen peas
Cook onions, garlic and salt until onions are soft and brown. Slice chicken breast into bite size portions and add to onions, also add chilli powder and garam masala, mix well. Add boiling water to pot about 2 pints. Reduce heat to simmer. Add peas. Add mango pickle from jar to suit taste. When chicken is cooked , add chopped coriander and serve.
Tarka Dhall (spicy lentils)
Ingredients
1 packet of red or yellow lentils
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of salt
Finely chopped coriander
Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chilli powder
Soak lentils 1 hour before cooking in hot water. Boil lentils with chilli powder and salt into saucepan and bring to liquid to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently while lentils are simmering. Finely chop garlic and shallow fry in hot oil when garlic turns brown add the oil and garlic to the pot of lentils. Mix very well. Add finely chopped coriander before serving.
Rice
Ingredients
2 mugs of basmati rice – pre soaked about 1 hour prior to cooking
2 med onions chopped
Oil
1 tablespoon red chilli powder
2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon garam masala
Cook onion sin oil until the onions actually begin to burn slightly. Add salt, chill and garam masala and add 5 mugs of hot water (same mug you measured rice in). Bring this all to a simmer. Once simmering add the rice. Continue to simmer/boil for approx 10 mins or until the water can only just be seem making bubbles on the surface of the rice.
Only stir the rice gently and occasionally once you added it to the water. Cover the rice with ¾ pieces of kitchen roll and seal with a lid and put onto the lowest heat you have for 15 min. After 15 min, lift kitchen roll from one side and check to see if rice is cooked.
Raita Yoghurt
Ingredients
Plain natural yoghurt
1/3 of cucumber sliced into small pieces (remove the seeds in the middle)
1 small finely chopped onion
½ or 1 teaspoon garam masala (taste it before adding more)
Big pinch salt
1 teaspoon mint sauce (get it in a jar from supermarket)
Coriander finely chopped
Mix ingredients together. Coriander is only for sprinkling on top before serving. Pop it in the fridge. Don't make it too early it might start to thin. Or put the cucumber and onions in before serving.
Salad
Ingredients
Rocket lettuce
1 red onion
Cherry tomatoes
Yellow peppers
White radish
Cucumber
Wash and slice everything but lettuce, throw into salad bowl, sprinkle salt, toss the salad, add lemon juice or salad dressing to taste and serve.