Indian express: Food writer Anjula Devi’s fast everyday dishes

An edited extract from 15-Minute Indian, by Anjula Devi. Photos / supplied

Aubergine Bhaji

If you have never cooked aubergines, then this is the dish for you to try. It’s packed with flavours and spices that complement this dark nightshade vegetable. My mum used to eat this dish with cream crackers.

Aubergine Bhaji. Photo / supplied

Serves 4

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

• 2 large aubergines (eggplants)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp salt, plus extra to taste
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 green chillies, or to taste
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 2 tbsp ghee or oil
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 8-10 fresh curry leaves
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp jaggery (or soft brown sugar)
• 2 tbsp natural Greek yoghurt
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
• handful of fresh dill or coriander

Fill and boil the kettle.

Dice the aubergines into small cubes, then add the lemon juice and sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over them. Toss and set aside.

Cut each tomato into 8 wedges. Slit the green chillies lengthways.

Lightly bash the black cardamom pod.

Place a wok on a medium heat, then add the following ingredients in this order: 100ml hot kettle water, ghee or oil, aubergines, black cardamom, garlic paste, ginger paste, green chillies, cumin seeds, fresh curry leaves, tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, jaggery, yoghurt, ground coriander, fenugreek leaves and salt to taste.

Stirfry for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the fresh dill or coriander.

Switch off the heat, then add the dill or coriander. Serve with easy rotis and a salad (optional).

Easy Rotis

Rotis (or chapatis) are an absolute staple in Indian households. Although made with simple ingredients, they do take a little practice to make. My advice is not to worry about their shape when you roll them. This is a 15-minute recipe book and I want you to enjoy making rotis with no pressure. The more you make them, the easier they will become. The best chapati flour to work with is chakki atta. It’s ground and is much finer and lighter. This should be available in most supermarkets.

Makes about 16 rotis

Preparation time: 4 minutes

Cooking time: 1½ minutes per roti

• 500g atta flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• Ghee, for brushing (optional)

Combine the chapati flour, oil and salt with 350ml of cold water, then bring the ingredients together with your hands and knead to create a soft, pliable dough. This should take you only about 4 minutes.

Preheat a griddle pan, or even better, a tawa, on a medium-high heat.

Divide the dough into roughly 16 portions – I tend to use around 50g of dough per roti. Keep aside any that you want to cook now and put the rest in the freezer.

Place the dough balls in some flour, flatten them down, then turn over to coat the other side. Roll each ball out to about 15cm in diameter.

Cooking them one at a time, place a dough ball onto the griddle pan and cook for 30 seconds, then turn over. Allow the roti to cook on the other side for another 30 seconds.

Flip the roti over and cook for a final 30 seconds. Feel free to brush the rotis with a little ghee as they cook to get them extra crispy.

Remove the roti from the pan and repeat to cook the remaining rotis.

Hariyali Monkfish

Possibly my favourite fish dish in this book. It shouts loudly with freshness and flavour. Feel free to use any other firm white fish.

Hariyali monkfish. Photo / supplied

Serves 4

Preparation time: 3 minutes

Cooking time: 7 minutes

• 6 monkfish fillets
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

FOR THE MARINADE

• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• handful of fresh coriander (cilantro)
• handful of fresh basil
• handful of fresh dill
• handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 green chilli, or to taste
• juice of 1 small lime
• fine sea salt, to taste

Cut the fish into bite-sized chunks and place on absorbent kitchen paper.

Put all the marinade ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.

Pour the marinade over the monkfish and mix well.

Place a wok on a high heat until smoking hot, then reduce the heat to medium and add the coconut oil.

Now, add the marinated fish and stir-fry for 5-7 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through, tossing occasionally.

Switch off the heat and garnish with fresh coriander and dill. Serve with easy rotis and lime wedges (optional).

Courgette Chips with Poppy Seeds

I love the simplicity of this dish. It’s packed with flavour and features mild, nutty poppy seeds. Courgettes are also an excellent source of vitamin C.

Courgette Chips with Poppy Seeds. Photo / Supplied

Serves 4

Preparation time: 3 minutes

Cooking time: 8 minutes

• 3 large courgettes
• handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp groundnut oil
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp jaggery (or soft brown sugar)
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• chilli powder, to taste
• 1 tsp black poppy seeds
• fine sea salt, to taste

Prepare the courgettes by slicing them into thin chips. Chop the fresh parsley

Place a wok on a medium heat then add the following ingredients in this order: oil, fenugreek seeds, brown mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic paste, ginger paste, tomato paste, vinegar, jaggery, turmeric, chilli powder and courgette chips. Fry for 6 minutes.

Now add the poppy seeds and salt to taste. Continue to fry for 2 minutes.

Switch off the heat, then add the parsley and stir well. Serve with easy rotis (optional).

An edited extract from 15-Minute Indian, by Anjula Devi (Quarto, RRP $55.00).