Pan fried tandoori cod fillet

This is another one of those recipes that I've made with  a few shortcuts, but is still packed full of flavour whilst being super quick to prepare.

Lightly pan fried fish coated in tandoori masala for a bit of a spicy hit, paired with griddled asparagus, steamed baby potatoes and a side of Mexican rice.

For a bit of a treat, you could always swap the steamed potatoes for chunky chips and leave out the asparagus & potatoes.

To serve 4 people you will need

4 peices of cod*  fillet

6 tbsp tandoori masala

5 tbsp plain flour 

3 x packs of Uncle Ben's spicy Mexican rice
20 asparagus spears ( 4-6 per person )
700g herb baby potatoes**


• Preheat your oven to 100c, ( fan ) in a large flat plate, mix your plain flour & tandoori masala together. 

• Line a large baking tray/dish with greaseproof paper and set aside.

• Set your frying pan on a medium heat, add enough oil to just cover the base of the pan.

• Whilst the oil is heating up, dip each fillet of fish into the flour mix ensuring each peice is thoroughly coated.

• Place 2 pieces of fillet into the frying pan at a time and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, and transfer to the lined tray once cooked.

• Put the cooked fillets into the oven - this is to keep them warm just while you make up the side accompaniments 

• Cook the rice and potatoes as instructed on the packaging. For the asparagus, add a drizzle of olive oil to a griddle /frying pan, add in the asparagus and cook on a high heat until they are slightly charred but still have a bit of a bite. Season with sea salt & black pepper 

• Serve the fish with the accompaniments straight away once cooked

* for the fish i often swap it around. I use cod, haddock and basa 

** I love the prepacked butter and herb potatoes thar are microwaveable- so quick and easy but just as delicious 

Tandoori - not cooked in a tandoor - Roast Chicken

This is one of those recipes that sounds so much harder than it actually is .. Probably due to the 'tandoor' part of the name.. a tandoor is a clay pot or oven that meat or even breads are cooked in, over charcoal. As the fat from the meat drips on to the hot coals, the embers flare up onto the meat giving the meat a distinct charcoal taste & appearance. It's basically the equivalent of the much loved barbecue

Tandoori's are used in a lot of Indian & Asian restaraunts to this day, but obviously in home cooking it's the oven that takes centre stage for preparing large meals, and it's just as good for this recipe too. You can always get the barbecue out on a day when the sun decides to make a rare appearance then you're even closer to getting the authentic tandoor taste.

To serve 5 people you will need

10 drumsticks - skin removed

1/2  of 454g tub natural yoghurt

zest of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1/2 tsp carom seeds (optional)

6 tbsp oil

14 tbsp tandoori masala* (powder)

lemon wedges & fresh coriander to garnish 

• Start by making a small cut in the thickest part of each drumstick - this will help them cook through evenly
• Place the drumsticks in a bowl, add all the above ingredients to the drumsticks and mix well. Leave to marinate for a couple of hours minimum, or even better overnight for the marinade to be  absorbed by the chicken.
• Pre heat your oven to 200c, place the chicken in a roasting tray or oven proof dish. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Half way through the cooking time, remove the foil, and turn each of the drumsticks over. 
• Bake uncovered for the last half until the chicken crisps up a little . The chicken is ready when it has a charcoal like appearance and the juices run clear from the thickest part of the drumsticks 
• Serve garnished with wedges of lemon and fresh chopped coriander 

*Tandoori Masala is a red coloured powder mixed with other Indian herbs & spices that gives the chicken its well loved red colour. It's now widely available in most big name supermarkets too as well as any Indian & Asian grocery store*