Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji

Potatoes, cauliflower, peas boil until tender. A masala base softens onions and tomatoes in butter with ginger-garlic paste, then chilli powder, turmeric and pav bhaji masala. Capsicum joins. Boiled vegetables mash in roughly; everything cooks together 10-15 minutes, mashing as you go, until the bhaji turns a deep orange-red and the consistency is thick-spreadable. Finishes with extra butter, lemon juice, coriander. Pav rolls split horizontally, griddle-fry in butter with a sprinkle of pav bhaji masala till the cut sides char. Serve bhaji in shallow bowls topped with diced raw onion, lemon wedges, a coriander shower; pav on the side.

Indian 55 minutes Serves4
Pre-Cooked Chicken

Pre-Cooked Chicken

A BIR-kitchen staple. Chicken breast is simmered in a deeply spiced onion-and-tomato stock just until it is cooked through, then drained and held back for service. The poaching liquid is reduced down into a concentrated spice stock that gets used in the final curries. Pre-cooking lifts the flavour of every BIR-style curry that follows: the chicken is already seasoned through, and the cooking stock carries spice into the finished sauce. Make a big batch, portion into bags, and freeze.

Base 2 hours 10 minutes Serves2
Rajma

Rajma

Dried kidney beans are soaked overnight and pressure-cooked (or simmered for 2 hours) until completely tender. A separate pan builds a base of onion, ginger and garlic browned with whole spices, then a tomato puree is added and cooked down with the ground spices until the oil separates. The cooked beans and a portion of their cooking liquor are folded in and simmered for 30 minutes to thicken; a few are mashed against the pan to thicken the sauce. Finished with garam masala and butter.

Indian 1 hour 45 minutes Serves4-6
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