January is over and February’s well on its way, but it still just isn’t quite spring. It’s this time of year that I find myself most in need of a pick me up, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. For me, diet is always a contributing factor to my mood, so my pick me ups come in the form of deliciously healthy meals. This week’s recipe comes after racking my brains (and rooting around the internet) for something to lift my mood and wake up my brain – something that I’ve discovered turmeric is great for! Also known as ‘Indian saffron’, turmeric is a staple spice in a lot of Indian cookery. This easy recipe for a tikka paste not only contains this fantastic spice but is also extremely versatile. It can be used for paneer or chicken skewers, as a standard curry paste, to spice up a soup or add some flavour to a rice salad.
Ingredients:
½ tsp ground turmeric
10 black peppercorns
6 cloves
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp garlic paste/ minced garlic
1 tbsp ginger paste/ minced ginger
½ small onion
150g natural yoghurt
½ tbsp. tomato puree
1 tbsp gram flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Dry fry the peppercorns, cloves, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and poppy seeds in a frying pan, stirring constantly just until you start to smell the spices. Remove them quickly to avoid burning and grind straight away. This can be done in a Vitamix or other blender for ease, or with a pestle and mortar if you’re more traditional! Once ground to a fine powder, add in the chilli powder, ground cardamom, ground turmeric, garlic paste, ginger paste and onion. Blitz in a blender until a paste begins to form. Stir in the yoghurt, tomato puree, gram flour and oil, until well combined. That’s all there is to it!
To make paneer or chicken skewers, use the paste to marinate the paneer/chicken before grilling. For a curry, use in place of shop bought curry paste and add coconut cream for a richer meal. For soups, use a small amount in place of stock. Or experiment and come up with your own uses – let us know what masterpieces you create!