This is your third cookbook in six years. What’s your favourite part of the process?
I love the ideas stage: deciding where the book’s going to go in terms of the story, putting together the recipes and testing them. Also, getting ready to shoot and collecting the props – it just brings out that whole creative side of me, which I love.
You seem to have four jobs: being an author, a nurse, a real estate agent and a mum. How do you balance all of this?
It’s quite a challenge. Obviously, the books have always been a side hustle and still are. I don’t do this full time, as much as I’d love to. As New Zealand is a small country, there’s not a lot of room at the top of the foodie world and you’re jostling with people who are already established. I’m a nurse with nearly 30 years’ experience. I came to New Zealand in 1997 from the UK, where I trained. I was fine with nursing until the pandemic, when I really realised that I’d had enough. My tank was completely empty. Nursing is a thankless job and I’d given everything I could to it. So, I went on to start my real estate business. Although it’s not the best economic situation right now, I’m in it for the long haul. And while I’m working on establishing my business, I still have this love of sharing stories and recipes through my cookbooks and cooking workshops.
What’s your favourite spice to cook with?
My second book was based on my two favourite spices: saffron and cardamom. What I love about those two is that you can use them in savoury and sweet dishes. The fact that you can use them in these different genres of cooking makes them so flexible, and they can do a lot of the heavy lifting with flavour.
You’re rather well-travelled. Which country have you visited which has the best food?
I must say New Zealand is pretty amazing. We have the most amazing restaurants and cafes and, for a small country with a small population, we’re pretty much up there with the rest of the foodie countries. We have some phenomenal food writers and chefs, as well.
Who among these chefs inspires you the most?
Quite a few! Al Brown has such a down-to-earth approach and uses such fresh ingredients. I love Nadia Lim as a home cook, and with her nutrition background, she really knows what she’s talking about. Abroad, Jamie Olivier and Nigella Lawson are classics.
Your cookbook cover has the vibe of a Nigella-esque dinner party, too.
This book is actually my favourite so far because it’s me on a plate, really. As an immigrant, I feel I have a lot to offer. You’ve got my family background, my love of spices, but also feeding the people I love, and making memories on a table laden with beautiful food.
Lamb biryani with all the layers & crunchy filo rosettes
Serves 8-10
This is my mum’s recipe and it is hands down one of the best biryanis! Seriously, nothing takes me back home more than eating this delicious dish, with its fragrant layers of saffron rice, fried onions and flavourful curry. Traditionally, biryani is cooked in a pot and then sealed with dough to create steam, which is referred to as dum. Mum always just covered the pot with a tight-fitting lid.
To really wow your guests, though, use filo roses to create a sort of seal and make the dish look spectacular.
FOR THE CURRY
- 1½ cups oil
- 5-6 small potatoes, peeled, halved
- 2 onions, sliced
- 5cm cinnamon stick
- 2-3 green cardamom pods
- 2-3 whole cloves
- 4-6 whole black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1-2 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground paprika
- 1½ tsp salt
- ground black pepper
- 2¼ cups tomato passata or puréed tomato
- 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1kg lamb (or chicken), cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
FOR THE SAFFRON RICE
- 4 cups basmati rice
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp butter or ghee
- 8 cups just-boiled water
- 4 tsp salt
- red and yellow food colouring
- ¼ tsp saffron
- 4 boiled eggs, cut in half lengthways
- handful of chopped fresh coriander
FOR THE FILO ROSETTES
- 10-12 sheets store-bought filo pastry
- 150g melted butter
- oil or ghee to drizzle
- Persian tea rose petals to decorate
FOR THE CURRY
Heat ¾ cup oil in a small frying pan and fry the potatoes until golden, about 10 minutes. In a large saucepan, heat ½ cup oil and fry the onions until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Add the whole spices to the same oil and fry for 1 minute, then add powdered spices, salt and pepper, passata and garlic, and cook over a low heat for 6-8 minutes. Add the lamb pieces and cook, covered, for a further 10 minutes.
Add tomato paste, vinegar and fried potatoes and simmer until sauce clings to the meat, about 10 minutes. If it starts catching on the bottom, add a splash of water. The sauce should be a thick consistency and not too runny. Turn off the heat.
FOR THE RICE
Soak the rice in water for 20-30 minutes. Drain then wash it until the water runs clear. In a large saucepan, heat the oil and butter, add the rice and stir until it starts to become translucent, then add just-boiled water and salt. Allow to boil for 1-2 minutes, then turn the heat down to low and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes until the water has evaporated. The rice should be cooked, fluffy and separated.
Mix 1 cup of the cooked rice with a drop of red and yellow food colouring mixed with a little water. Soak the saffron in 1 tablespoon just-boiled water for a few minutes then stir into the coloured rice and set aside.
Place a layer of curry into a large, 2-litre capacity ovenproof pan. Add a layer of cooked white rice to the pan, then a layer of the curry, and carry on until you have 3-4 layers, ending with rice.
Place the boiled eggs on top and then add your saffron rice, fried onions and chopped coriander.
Preheat the oven to 180°C bake.
FOR THE FILO ROSETTES
Unroll the filo pastry and cover with a damp cloth. On a clean work surface, one at a time, place a pastry sheet with the long side towards you and brush with butter. Fold roughly concertina-style lengthways and then roll up to form a rosette. Repeat with remaining filo. Place each rosette on top of the biryani until it is fully covered.
Drizzle with a little oil or ghee around the edges so it drips down the sides of the biryani. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filo roses are golden.
Decorate with Persian tea rose petals, if desired.
TIP
This can be made vegetarian by replacing the meat with 1kg of mixed mushrooms – portobello, shitake, white or brown button – or other vegetables of your choice.
You can skip the filo pastry. Instead, layer your biryani in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Put on the stove, drizzle ghee or oil down the sides of the pan and cook on a low heat for 15-20 minutes, lid on.
Parmesan-crumbed paneer with chilli & mayo
Serves 6 – 8 as an appetiser
- 2 blocks (400-500g) paneer cheese
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- salt and pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- neutral oil for frying
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
- chilli flakes
Paneer is quite a bland source of protein usually dressed up with a spicy curry sauce. Using Parmesan in the crumb gives a lovely, strong, nutty flavour which works well with paneer.
Cut paneer in sticks, lengthways, about 2cm thick. In a bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt and pepper.
Dip each paneer stick into the beaten egg then coat in the crumb mix. Set aside.
Heat a frying pan with just enough oil to cover the base. You want to shallow-fry the sticks until golden all over.
To make the dipping sauce, simply mix the mayonnaise in a small bowl with chilli sauce. Once all of the paneer sticks are fried, place them in a bowl with the chilli dipping sauce on the side. Sprinkle with chilli flakes and extra salt.
An edited extract from The Laden Table, by Ashia Ismail-Singer (Aotearoa Books, $59.99)
