Category Archives: Indian

Lamb saag

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Yes, it does look like greeny-brown gloop, but I promise it tastes fabulous. Honest.

Serves 4

500g diced lean lamb
1 medium onion, diced
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tbs crushed ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbs garam masala
1/2 a 400g can diced tomatoes
1 cup water (omit if using a slow cooker)
1 tsp salt
1 bunch English spinach, washed
1 tbs water, extra

In a large frying pan or flameproof casserole, fry onion, ginger and garlic over medium heat till onion is golden. Add all spices except garam masala and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the garam masala and cook for a further minute. Add tomatoes, stirring well to remove the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for a further minute or two. Add the lamb, and stir until well coated with the spice mix and sealed on all sides. Add 1 cup water and the salt, then cover and cook for one-and-a-half hours (if using a slow cooker, skip the cup of water, transfer the mixture at this point and cook on low for 6 hours).

Place the spinach and the extra tablespoon of water into a large saucepan. Add about one-and-a-half teaspoons of salt and cook, covered, till spinach is wilted and all the fibrous stems are soft. Process to a puree and add to lamb mixture, cooking for a further 10-15 mins (in the slow cooker, add and cook for a further hour).

Chicken and yoghurt curry

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One of my favourites….


Serves 4-6

1kg chicken pieces (skin removed)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp chopped ginger
½ cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tbs peanut oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 ½ tsp garam masala
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
½ cup low fat yoghurt
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
extra chopped coriander to garnish

Blend onion, garlic, ginger and fresh coriander in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan and fry the blended mixture, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add turmeric, garam masala, salt and chilli powder and fry for a further minute. Stir in yoghurt and tomatoes and fry until liquid dries up and the mixture is the consistency of a thick puree. Add chicken pieces, turning them in the mixture to coat, then turn heat low, cover tightly and cook until chicken is tender (about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces). If liquid from the chicken has not evaporated by this time, uncover and raise the heat to dry off excess liquid. Stir gently at base of pan to prevent burning.

Garnish with chopped coriander.

I sometimes add a big lot of chopped spinach to this at the end of the cooking time for extra veggies.

Spiced sweet potato and baby spinach salad

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Serves 2

½ a packet of washed baby spinach leaves
3-4 lettuce leaves or other salad greens, torn into bite-sized pieces
A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
About ½ a medium red onion, sliced very thinly
½ a cup or so of loosely packed mint or coriander leaves
½ a medium sweet potato, peeled and sliced into thick slices
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp turmeric
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, extra
Lemon juice to taste
1-2 tbs slivered almonds, toasted in the microwave

Steam the sweet potato in the microwave until tender, then bake it in the oven or cook on a BBQ till browned (it might sound fiddly, but it works well if you’re having this with a baked or BBQed meat dish). Arrange the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Mix 1 tsp of the oil and the turmeric in a small bowl and set aside. When the sweet potato is done, cut it into 2cm cubes and add it to the turmeric mixture. Coat well and season with salt and pepper. Add the spiced sweet potato and the toasted almonds to the salad. Mix the remaining oil and a little lemon juice together and pour over as a dressing.

This goes beautifully with BBQed lamb, especially if it’s marinated in some yoghurt and Indian-style spices.

If you prefer less calories and/or fat, leave out the dressing, or just use a squeeze of lemon juice.

Tandoori chicken

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This is easy-peasy, and great for a barbecue.


1kg of chicken pieces, skin removed (pieces with bones work best)
3 tbs natural yoghurt
2 tbs bought tandoori paste
A squeeze of lemon juice

Mix the yoghurt, tandoori paste and lemon juice together in a large glass or ceramic bowl, add chicken pieces and toss to coat with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Cook on a rack over a baking dish in a hot oven (or on a hooded or Weber barbecue) for about 45 minutes or until cooked.

Serve with steamed Basmati rice and accompaniments. Here are a few ideas:

Pappadums are great – you can cook them in a toaster instead of frying them. Just watch them carefully, they go from raw to burnt very quickly!

Bought chutneys and pickles add extra flavour. I love Patak’s range, especially the sweet mango chutney. Bike Boy loves the hot lime pickle.

Make some raita from natural yoghurt, diced cucumber, garlic and a little chilli powder. Add some chopped fresh herbs if you like.

Garlic spinach (pictured) – I got this one from the first CSIRO diet book. Just saute some sliced onion and crushed garlic in a little oil till onion is soft, then reduce the heat to low and add a HUGE amount of spinach, putting a lid on the pot, and stirring occasionally till spinach is wilted.

Tomato salad (pictured) – dice a whole tomato, about half a cucumber and a little onion. Throw it in a bowl with a tablespoon of chopped coriander, a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and some salt and pepper.
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**You can substitute fish or lamb for the chicken