Vivek Singh’s South Indian pumpkin and coconut curry
This is a very simple curry with coconut, curry leaves and chilli. You can make it as wet or dry as you like depending upon your taste. As autumn sets in and pumpkin is plentiful in the UK, the spices and coconut combine to make a delightful comforting meal.
Serves 4
pumpkin or butternut squash 1kg, peeled and seeds discarded
water 2 cups
cinnamon stick 1
green chillies 2 slit lengthways
curry leaves 15
fenugreek seeds ¼ tsp
turmeric ½ tsp
sugar 2 tsp
salt 1 tsp
red chilli powder ½ tsp
mustard seeds 1 tsp
black peppercorns 8-10
garlic 3 cloves, peeled
desiccated coconut 3 tbsp
coconut milk 1 cup
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
onion 1 small, finely chopped
Peel, deseed and cut the pumpkin into 1½ inch dice, place in a pot with the water, cinnamon stick, green chillies, 10 curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, turmeric, sugar, salt, red chilli powder and bring to a boil. Cook covered for 12–15 minutes until the pumpkin becomes tender, but not mushy – you should be able to pierce it with the tip of a knife or skewer, but it should not fall apart.
Meanwhile, using a blender or food processor, grind together the mustard seeds, peppercorns, garlic and 2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut along with the coconut milk. Pour this into the boiled pumpkin and allow it to simmer for a few minutes until the gravy thickens slightly. Taste for salt and turn off the stove.
In a separate small frying pan, heat oil until smoking, add the remaining curry leaves and, as they turn crisp (in about 30 seconds), add chopped onions and fry until pink for 3–4 minutes on high heat. Add the remaining desiccated coconut and fry until crisp and golden in colour. Sprinkle on top of your curry as garnish and serve with rice.
Vivek Singh is executive chef and CEO of The Cinnamon Club, London SW1; cinnamonclub.com
Trine Hehnemann’s frikadeller with mushroom, parsley and boiled potato and celeriac
Frikadeller is the national dish of Denmark and a favourite among children. Every family has their own recipe – this is ours. My grandmother taught me to use sparkling water instead of milk, which gives a lighter texture. Fresh thyme is my addition.
Serves 4
For the frikadeller
minced pork 500 g
onion 1 small, finely chopped
fresh thyme leaves 1 tsp, finely chopped
eggs 2
plain flour 50g
sparkling water 50ml
salt and freshly ground pepper
butter 30-40g (for frying)
For the potato and celeriac
potatoes 3 big
celeriac 300g
bay leaf 1
For the mushrooms
porcini mushrooms 400g or any mushroom of choice
garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped
butter 60g
curly parsley 8 tbsp, chopped
To make the meatballs, mix the minced pork, onion, thyme and eggs together and beat well. Stir in the flour. Lastly mix in the sparkling water and season with salt and pepper.
Leave the mixture, then peel the potatoes and celeriac and cut into 1.5cm cubes. Boil in salted water with the bay leaf for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan, and use a spoon and your free hand to shape the pork mixture into oval balls (you should be able to make about 14). Add to the frying pan and cook the meatballs on all sides until they are golden brown, for about 20 minutes, turning them now and then.
Rinse the mushrooms and sauté them in half the butter for 5 minutes, then add the garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the rest of the butter if you want the mushrooms more creamy, then turn the heat off and mix the parsley in.
Drain the potatoes and celeriac; serve with the frikadeller and the sautéed mushrooms.
Trine Hahnemann is a Danish chef and food writer; trinehahnemann.com
Anissa Helou’s baked fish with a coriander and nut stuffing
Here is a quick and particularly delicious way of preparing fish. I like to use sea bream but you can also use grey mullet, or pike if you happen to catch one. Its delicate and firm white flesh is ideally suited for the stuffing.
Serves 2
sea bream 2, each weighing 400-500g, scaled and gutted
For the stuffing
walnuts 30g, ground medium fine
garlic 5 cloves, peeled
fresh coriander 1 bunch (200g on the stalk), most of the stalk discarded
onion 1 small
tomato 1 small, diced into 5mm cubes
pine nuts 30g , ground medium fine
ground coriander ½ tsp
ground cumin ½ tsp
finely ground black pepper ⅛ tsp
cayenne pepper ¼ tsp or ½ tsp Aleppo pepper
extra virgin olive oil 60ml
lemon juice of 1, or to taste
sea salt
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6.
Put the walnuts, garlic, coriander, and onion in a food processor and grind until fine – do not pulverise into a fine powder as the stuffing should retain a nice crunch. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the tomato and pine nuts, the spices, olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt to taste and mix well. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary.
Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper and rub with a little salt, both inside and outside. Put half of the stuffing inside each fish. Press the opening shut over the stuffing and score one side of each fish to have two diagonal lines in the fattest part.
Drizzle a little olive oil inside a baking dish and lay the fish onto it. Wrap any leftover stuffing in aluminium foil and place next to the fish or on another tray. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. The fish should be just done. It will be rubbery if it is overcooked. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Anissa Helou is a food writer and chef; anissas.com
Le Caprice’s pan-fried John Dory with lentils, chorizo and kurly kale. By Tim Hughes
John Dory is not the kind of fish that you will generally find at the supermarket, but since I’m a great fan of the local fishmonger, this is no bad thing. Its meaty flesh is deliciously succulent and, I think, works really well with the spicy chorizo. The earthiness of the curly kale and puy lentils creates a good balance for this autumnal dish.
Serves 4
sunflower oil enough for frying
John Dory fillets 4 x 180g (with the skin left on)
salt and freshly ground pepper
cooking chorizo 200g, cut into ½ cm dice
curly kale 200g
flat leaf parsley ½ bunch, leaves and stalks, finely chopped
lemon juice of ½
For the lentils
extra virgin olive oil 40ml
onion 1, finely diced
garlic 2 cloves
thyme 2 sprigs
rosemary 2 sprigs, leaves removed and chopped
puy lentils 250g (if you have time, it’s good to soak them for an hour beforehand)
chicken or vegetable stock 1 litre (a good quality cube will do)
unsalted butter 30g
To cook the lentils, pour olive oil into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and gently cook. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook for 3 minutes. Add the lentils, stir well and then the stock. Bring to boil and simmer until the lentils are soft to taste, but not mushy. This should take around 20 minutes. The consistency should be like sauce. When ready, stir in the butter until it’s all melted.
Heat a non-stick frying pan and add the sunflower oil.
Season the John Dory fillets and gently cook, skin-side down for 4 minutes. Turn over and cook for a further 3 minutes.
At the same time as you cook the fish, heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan and add the chorizo for a few minutes (the natural oils will come out). Then add the kale and, when wilted, add the cooked lentils and check the seasoning.
To serve, spoon the lentils onto warm plates, place the John Dory fillets on top and finish with chopped parsley and lemon.
Tim Hughes is chef director at Caprice Holdings; caprice-holdings.co.uk
Yong Shuang Peng’s dry-fried prawns
Dry-fried prawns are highly addictive – these are hot, spicy, aromatic and crispy. The shell has all the flavour and adds a delicious crunch to this dish, so make sure you eat the prawns with the shells on!
Makes 4 portions
sustainably sourced fresh prawns 8 large, in their shells
cornflour to coat
Sichuan peppercorns 1 tsp
garlic cloves 2, thinly sliced
dried red chillies 5
spring onion stalks 2, cut into medallions
oil for frying
salt to taste
De-vein the prawns and remove their heads and feet but keep the shells on.
Dust the prawns in cornflour. Dab on a little water to help the cornflour stick to the prawns if necessary.
Add a good glug of oil to a wok and heat until nearly smoking. Deep-fry the prawns on a medium-high heat until they are golden.
Meanwhile, heat the Sichuan peppercorns, garlic and dried chillies in a separate pan with 1 tablespoon of oil and stir-fry for 1 minute until the mixture becomes fragrant.
When the prawns are ready, add them to the pan along with the spring onions and stir through. Add salt to taste and serve.
From Hunan: A Lifetime of Secrets from Mr Peng’s Chinese Kitchen (Preface, RRP £25). Click here to order it from the Guardian Bookshop for £18.75
