Gonglu gosht

Gonglu gosht or lamb & turnip curry is a curry that takes me straight to my childhood as it's something my mum would make often as I loved any kind of vegetable with lamb curry.

I had a random craving for it a few days ago so just had to make it.

To serve 4- 6 people you will need:

1kg lamb - ideally on the bone
4 medium onions sliced
1 bay leaf
1 level tsp curry powder (hot)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 black cardamom
3 cloves
1 tin chopped tomato
3 green chillies
1 whole bulb of garlic
1 inch peice of ginger crushed
1 small turnip par boiled & cut into chunks

• Start by placing all the ingredients ( except for the turnip ) into a heavy based pan

• Add enough water so that it just comes above the lamb. Give it a good stir then place on a medium heat and leave to simmer

• Simmer everything together until the onions & tomatoes have broken down, the garlic cloves are nice & soft & the lamb has no pinkness  - you may need to top the water up a couple of times until everything has broken down and mixed together.

• Once you have what looks like a curry sauce, add in the oil and on a medium to high heat, cook the lamb to brown all over & for the moisture to evaporate - stirring intermittently ensuring it doesn't catch & burn.

• Once the moisture has evaporated add in the turnip and cook together- again stirring intermittently- until the turnip is soft & cooked completely & the oil begins to separate

• Once the oil has separated add in enough freshly boiled water to cover the lamb & on a medium heat let it reduce & thicken up to your desired consistency.

• Alternatively you can add just a splash of water to slightly loosen the consistency & leave as a dry curry/ a bhuna.

• Garnish with fresh coriander & Serve with chappatis or naan

Chicken Tikka Masala

This is probably the most asked for dish amongst my friends and even a few family members. It is a curry classic, and an ultimate crowd pleaser with the combination of richness & subtle heat.

I have lost count the amount of times I've made it, and completely forgotten to note the steps down and end up mentally kicking myself because I know as soon as i mention it to anyone there will be that 1 person that wants the recipe.

FINALLY I remebered to write it all down so here you have it... There are so many recipes out there, anyone that's ever made a tikka has their own spin on it and mine obviously has my own little twists for example mine isn't the traditional bright red colour you'd get if you were to order it from a takeaway but it doesn't affect the overall flavour of the dish at all

I've used low fat ingredients for anyone that's a bit concious of overdosing in full fatness.. but if you're  treating yourself or just dont mind a few extra calories then just do the whole hog and use full fat stuff

To serve 4-6 people you will need

1kg boneless chicken thigh meat
4 meduim onions chopped
3 tsp garlic puree
3 tsp ginger puree
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 green chillies
1 tsp hot curry powder/ 1 1/2 medium curry powder
2 tins chopped tomato
200ml single cream/ double cream
150ml creme fraiche
50 ml fat free yoghurt/ full fat yoghurt
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp caster sugar
3 tsp cumin seeds
Red food coloring ( optional )


Marinade for the chicken:
7-8 tbsp tandoori masala
2 tbsp tomato puree
4-6 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp fat free yoghurt/ full fat yoghurt


• Start by putting all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, stir together till its all combined well. Add in all the chicken and again mix everything together until all the chicken peices are fully coated. Set aside to marinate*

•  In a heavy based pan, on a medium heat saute your onions, garlic and ginger in a little oil until soft and beginning to turn a dark golden colour. Add in the salt, cumin seeds and green chillies. Cook until the chillies begin to slightly soften

• Preheat your oven to 200c (fan) and cook the marinated chicken for 35-40 mins or until cooked through and the outside of the chicken just begins to crisp up - I let mine char very slightly. Once cooked,  set aside.

• Add in the curry powder, tomato puree, sugar and tinned tomatoes to the cooked onion base, simmer on a medium heat to cook the curry powder through, then using a hand blender,  blend the mixture to a smooth sauce.**

• Once you have a smooth sauce, add in the cream, creme fraiche, yogurt and red food colouring*** if using. Stir everything through.

• Add in the chicken, stir through then leave to simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the curry sauce is to your desired thickness. Serve with rice or naan







* For marinating, I marinate my chicken the night before. If you're in abit of a rush then marinate at least  for an hour before you start on the curry sauce

** If  you dont have a hand blender  you could use a masher or even a freestanding blender - i have used my nutri ninja blender in the past 

*** For the red food colouring you can add as little or as much as you like. I personally havent used it yet but it really wont affect the dishes flavour without it 

Channa chaat

Channa chaat is a popular Asian street food very similar to a potato salad, but with the additions of chickpeas, spices and condiments. It is often served as a starter to accompany a main meal and is traditionally made during Ramadan or on Eid. 

A slightly more upgraded version is samosa chat which basically involves piping hot samosas topped with the channa chaat. The combination of cooling yogurt colliding with crispy filled samosa is a real treat for your tastebuds 

To easily serve 4-6 people you will need

4 large potatoes 

2 tins of chick peas ( drained )
1 medium red onion
2 medium size tomatoes
1 level tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 level tsp of chilli flakes
2 small green chillies
Squeeze lemon juice
2 tbsp chaat masala
1/2 a cucumber
6 tbsp imli ( i buy the ready made type in the squeezy bottles )
Chopped coriander

2 1/2 500g tubs of yogurt

Cayenne pepper paprika - to garnish

• Start by chopping the potatoes into meduim size chunks & par boil them. Drain and let them cool

• Chop the red onion finely, then cut the cucumber and tomato into small chunks. Place them all in a bowl along with the chick peas.

• Finely chop the green chilli, add to the bowl along with the cumin, salt, lemon juice, imli, chaat masala and small handful of chopped coriander. Mix everything together until combined well.

• Add in the cooled potato chunks and give it one final stir.
Put the chick pea & potato masala into a serving dish, spreading out evenly.

• Add a splash of milk to the yogurt to loosen it slightly, mix togther till smooth & pour the yougurt over the chaat ensuring all top is evenly covered, sprinkle with a mix of cayenne pepper and paprika,

• Drizzle over a little more imli and finish with a little bit of chopped coriander. Refrigerate until ready to serve

• For samosa chaat, you can either pour the channa chaat over freshly made samosas then finish off with the yogurt and garnishes or make up the chaat fully, then let your guests pour the made up chaat onto the their samosa portion themselves

Chicken Tikka wraps

This is a dish that's always a hit no matter how many times a week i make it, as well as being super easy and you can always switch up the wraps for a mixed salad instead if you're wanting something lighter but just as tasty


For my chicken tikka wraps to serve 3-4 people you will need

700-750g boneless chicken - cut into medium chunks
5 tbsp yogurt
1/4 tsp salt
4 -5 tbsp tandoori masala powder/paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 tbsp olive/vegetable oil

To dress :
green leaf/ mixed leaf salad
cucumber
tomatoes
sauces of your choice

• Simply mix all the ingredients into a bowl (apart from the dressing)
• Leave to marinate for a minimum of 1/2 an hour or if you can overnight to let the tikka masala absorb into the chicken
• Bake the  chicken in the oven for 35-40 mins at 200c fan / 180c conventional oven till completely cooked through and the chicken starts to char slightly 
• Serve in your choice of naan, pitta bread or tortilla wraps, garnish with the salad and your choice of sauces. Alternatively serve with just a load of salad for a lighter meal.  
• My kids love the chicken once it's completely cool in bread as a sandwich for their school packed lunch or shredded in cous cous