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Indian cooking is an art and a science, with many home cooks deploying simple tricks and shortcuts to get food on the table effortlessly.
We start with a few basic recipes to kick-start our journey, developing a repertoire of dishes that will see you from rainy days and Sundays, to TV dinners when all you can be bothered to do is flop on a sofa with a defrosted meal.
If you fancy becoming a better Indian cook, here are some recipes and projects that will give you just the foundation you need and help you master some all-time favourites.
Khichdi
A savoury bowl of red lentils and rice, Khichdi is the ultimate comfort dish served when we have dodgy tummies, it’s raining or when a little pick me up is needed. The texture a harmonious mix of porridge and risotto. Master the basic recipe and serve it with pickles, chutney, and crispy things like papad, fried cauliflower and potatoes.
Mix it up: you can add chopped tomatoes, diced frozen or fresh vegetables when the rice and lentils are cooking, half a teaspoon of garam masala and fresh coriander at the end to serve to turn this into a more substantial one pot Masala Khichdi.
You can find Mallika’s Khichdi recipe here.
Simple Chicken Curry
This, simply put, is the how-to-boil-an-egg equivalent for any meat-eating Indian leaving home. This basic recipe is a masterclass in watching spices and ingredients change colour and texture, which is so fundamental to Indian cooking.
Mix it up: in the video that accompanies my recipe, I also show you how to turn it into two further dishes with minor tweaks. That’s three recipes in one!
You can find Mallika’s simple chicken curry recipe here.
Jhalfrezi
The quickest of quick fix meals, jhal means chilli and frezi is to fry, so it’s our version of a stir fry. The origin of this dish can be traced back to the days of the British Empire in India when leftover roast chicken or lamb were fried up with spices as with my recipe here. Consider this the perfect way to use up roast dinner leftovers.
Mix it up: if you don’t have leftovers lying around, make this with sliced chicken thigh fillets, steak or lamb leg steaks, paneer or vegetables of your choice.
You can find Mallika’s jhalfrezi recipe here.
Simplest tadka dal
Dal often forms the bedrock of our meals, but it’s not for drinking. We serve it alongside rice or rotis as curried lentils, usually finished off with a tempering of spices called Tadka (also Vaghar, Phoron and much more besides depending on where in India you are). Red lentils are the easiest to source in the UK, so my recipe will give you all the fundamentals you need to become a dab hand at dal making. If you don’t have asafoetida, add sliced garlic to the tempering.
Mix it up: pop cubes of frozen spinach, frozen peas, cauliflower or broccoli florets into the lentils when they are partially cooked to make this a wholesome meal. It’s great for lunchboxes and the freezer too.
You can find Mallika’s tadka dal recipe here.
Chana
Chickpeas are your friend in a quarantine kitchen and fabulously versatile when spiked with spices. I almost always use a tin because it really is the ultimate fast food. You can spice them into chana masala, or combine with frozen spinach or kale.
Mix it up: turn a tin of chickpeas into smoky, tea stained Pindi Chana with my video.
You can find Mallika’s chana masala recipe here.
Aloo Matar
This North Indian staple of potatoes and peas falls in the category of what we would generically call a subzi, vegetable side dish. The recipe is a testament to what the simplest of ingredients can achieve with the right blend of spices. You can use regular potatoes instead and use two tablespoons of tomato puree if you don’t have fresh tomatoes handy.
Mix it up: upgrade to Paneer Matar if supplies are readily available, and then add cashew cream to turn this into a more lavish Malai Matar Paneer.
You can find Mallika’s aloo matar recipe here.
Perfect rice
Not sticky, not mushy, but perfect fluffy rice is the best accompaniment to our curried dishes and the very first thing to master. The starting point is always good quality Basmati, but long grain rice also does the trick. Here is a step by step guide.
Mix it up: bubble the rice with a stick of cinnamon and some cardamom for a vibrant addition to the table. Or you could go a step up and cook pulao (see below).
You can find Mallika’s ultimate rice recipe here.
Pulao
Delicately spiced and steeped in vegetable goodness, a pulao elevates steamed rice to a more lavish height. Pulao originated in Persia, making its way to India via Muslim invaders who formed the long-lasting Mughal Empire, leaving a lasting and delectable impact on the cuisine of India. My simplest version makes excellent use of any selection of vegetables that you have handy.
Mix it up: make your ingredients work harder by making this moreish Popeye Pulao with spinach, leftover roast pulao or a Chicken pulao.
You can find Mallika’s pulao recipe here.
Roti
Our daily bread, these dry roasted flatbreads made with finely ground wholemeal flour are the third pillar of the humble dal, subzi and roti meal enjoyed across the nation. The Chappati, flat roti, flour comes in sacks and my recipe gives you a plain and bread flour substitute to get your roti making mojo on. The more you practise, the better you get!
You can find Mallika’s chapati (roti) recipe here.
Naan
Soft and pillowy, naan is universally loved and for good reason. These are normally made in a tandoor, but my version uses a frying pan to excellent effect.
Mix it up: Brush the naan with garlic butter for butter naan, or top with grated cheese to make cheese naan.
You can find Mallika’s naan bread recipe here.
