To celebrate National Curry Week this October (8th – 14th), British Onions have partnered with Indian street food entrepreneur, Vinod Patel of Chula Fused Foods, to devise some mouth-watering Indian recipes using the best homegrown ingredients, ensuring the highest quality.
Onions are a vital ingredient to adding distinctive flavour to any curry, sauce or Indian side dish, and these quick and easy recipes show off this essential vegetable at its best. Whether you’re an experienced chef or a beginner in the kitchen you’ll be able to impress your family and friends with these delicious recipes and celebrate an Indian summer!
Chula Fused Foods is Vinod Patel’s reinvention of the Burrito, through which he has taken the beloved Mexican concept and added an Indian fusion twist. Travelling from San Francisco to London, via Bangalore, Vinod immersed himself in all types of food, from dining at high end restaurants to trying out pop-up cafes on the roadside and was drawn to the creative side of creating high quality food for those on the go. His menu is a combination of slow-cooked meats and bean curries, roasted tomato chutneys, Gujarati yoghurt dips and crunchy salads, or as he says, a balanced lunch that will give you energy using less fat and salt than the norm. His first street food stall launched in June 2011 and he hasn’t looked back since. To discover more about Chula Fused Foods and to find your nearest market visit www.chulafusedfoods.com
Lamb Curry
Serves 4
Ingredients
Prep: 20 min
Cooking 50 min
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp green cardamom powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 kg lean lamb, diced
2 British onions, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
2 bay leaves
400ml boiling water
2 tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced
Juice of half a lime
1 tsp garam masala
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large non stick pan and add the ginger paste, garlic paste, cloves, cinnamon,
cardamom, turmeric, salt, chilli powder and cumin.
2. Cook for one minute then add the cubed lamb and onions, tossing well to coat evenly in the
spices.
Cook over a high heat for 5 minutes to seal the meat then add the boiling water. Bring to the boil,
then reduce the heat, cover the pan loosely and simmer for 40 minutes.
3. Add the sliced tomatoes, lime juice and garam masala, then stir well and cook for a further 5
minutes.
Onion Bhajis with Roasted Tomato Chutney
Serves 7
Bhaji Ingredients
3 large British onions cut into medium half rings
1 cup chickpea flour, also know as gram flour
1 tblsp coriander powder
½ tsp caraway seeds (ajwain)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1-4 Green chillies, depending on how spicy you want it
1 tblsp coriander leaves, chopped
1 tblsp cumin seeds
1 inch of ginger, chopped finely
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
Method
1) In a large bowl mix together the onions, chickpea flour, coriander powder, caraway seeds,
turmeric powder, green chillies, chopped coriander, cumin seeds, ginger, salt, red chilli
powder
2) Add sufficient water to form a moldable paste, and mix well.
3) Heat some oil in a non-stick wok, then make small dumplings of the mixture and deep fry
until golden brown.
Chutney Ingredients
2 medium tomatoes, roasted evenly until slightly black
3/4 tsp of salt or to taste
1 green chili
1/4 of a red British onion, diced
3 strands of coriander, finely chopped
1/4 lime squeezed
Method
1) Wash the tomatoes and place on a baking tray lined with foil. Grill the tomatoes on a high
setting, so that all the outside edges are slightly black.
2) Pulse all the other ingredients except the coriander and onion together in a blender.
3) Add the coriander and red onion and mix well. Serve alongside onion bhajis.
Onion & Potato Curry
Serves 5
Ingredients
4 medium potatoes, diced into small to medium cubes
2 medium British onions diced into medium cubes
3 tblsps sunflower oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp salt, add more to taste
1 tblsp heaped coriander powder
Method
1) Heat the oil in a wok or deep pan, then add the mustard seeds, cooking until warm
2) Add the potatoes and onions, then cover with a lid and cook for 2 minutes.
3) Add the turmeric, red chili powder, salt, and coriander powder then cook for 5 – 10 minutes
on a low to medium heat with the lid on.
4) Remove the lid and stir, then put the lid back on and repeat the process for up to 30 minutes
or till potatoes are cooked through.
