Mumbai-style ladi pav

Ubiquitous across the length and breadth of the city, ‘ladi pav’ are soft and pillowy bread rolls that are synonymous with multiple street food icons like vada pav, keema pav and pav bhaji. Pav goes with anything, even just a simple spread of butter and a glass of cutting chai (tea).

Growing up in Mumbai, it was never considered anything special. Pav was just there. Everywhere! We didn’t normally eat it at home, except when making pav bhaji. At home we ate Wibs sliced bread. It’s only when I moved away, first for studies, then for work, that I really internalised that pav wasn’t really available everywhere, and that I missed it. Then every trip home became an excuse to eat pav with almost every meal.

Baked Spanish omelette OR ham, cheese and potato frittata

I’m a big fan of eggs, especially for breakfast. Inspired by the photos to laden Spanish tortillas, there’s great satisfaction in having a nice frittata, loaded with potatoes, cheese and meat. baked to a crispy cheese perfection, this makes a great meal, be it brunch, lunch or even dinner.

Baked frittata, fresh from the oven

A slice of frittata, with some homemade focaccia

Mangsh’er Malai Curry – Bengali meat curry

This is an old Bengali recipe for mutton (usually goat, but could be made with lamb too) cooked in coconut milk. Contrary to what one may expect, this dish takes its name not from ‘malai’ (cream) but from its Malay origins. The prawn version, Chingri Malai Curry is more famous nowadays, but this recipe was given to me by my friend Rhea from an Bengali cookbook that she’s been exploring. The book is Amish O Niramish Ahar by Pragyasundari Debi, and was first published in 1902. If you can read Bengali, it’s available online here.

The taste was great, but I think I need to work on the execution a bit. Her version comes out lighter in colour apparently. I have adjusted the recipe slightly.

Mangsh’er Malai Curry

Chilli bean pork with peppers

I’m a big fan of Chinese food, and not just the Indo-Chinese variety that I grew up with in Mumbai. After moving to the UK, I spent six months working in Manchester. I was a frequent (almost daily) visitor to the local Chinatown along with some Malaysian colleagues. They expanded my horizons beyond the usual fare and gave me a whole new appreciation for the wonderful flavours of this cuisine. And soon, my pantry had the standard stock cupboard ingredients to allow me to whip up a tasty and near authentic Chinese dish at a moment’s notice.

Chilli bean paste has been a firm favourite of mine for many years. The fermented beans and chillis bring a unique flavour to stir-fries and I love combining it with some choice pork meat like belly or shoulder. This recipe works equally well with chicken or fish. As long as the meat is sliced thinly, it cooks fast and tastes great with a variety of greens.

Butter crab masala sukka (dry)

I love eating crabs and have fond memories of many meals in Mumbai featuring the crustaceans in Maharashtrian and Goan style curries. Thanks to our local Costco, we have easy access to good quality claw meat (without the shells) so we often bring a box home. And along with crab cakes and Chinese stir-frys, the temptation is always there to make a nice, spicy sukka (dry) crab masala.

Quick and easy Kerala style fish curry

I grew up eating the fiery Kerala red fish curry that my friends mum used to make… it’s tangy with kokum and full of spices and very addictive. Her fish curry is still the best that I have eaten, and the last time I met her I asked her for the recipe.

But today, I was in the mood for the fish curry but not in the mood for cooking it. Plus I didn’t have any fresh fish. On another site I follow, I had a seen a recipe for Goan fish curry that used tinned sardines for speed and convenience. So I combined the two ideas, with some pinches of my own innovation to produce a very quick version of the Kerala fish curry. It was close enough for me to be a good substitute when I’m in a hurry. But best of all, it convinced my partner who isn’t fond of tinned sardines that this was a dish worth repeating.

Keema karela – lamb mince with bitter gourd

We love karela (bitter gourd) in our home. But we usually prepare it in one of two ways… cooked with yoghurt and onions, or stuffed and fried. A chance discussion led me to realise that karela is also cooked with mince (this seems to be a Pakistani dish). Combining two of my favourite ingredients? I was hooked! So on a Sunday spent mostly lazing around, I decided to get up and cook this dish.

East Indian curry with prawns, green beans and coconut

On a weekday, I’m not often left with too much time or energy to do anything complicated. That’s when prawns are a handy thing to have in the freezer. They’re quick to cook and we all love them. So win-win. And nowadays I’m trying to bring more green veg into our food, so I’ve decided that when I’m making my own dish and not following a ‘traditional’ recipe, I will try and add in some vegetables where earlier I may not have.

Avocado breakfast with bacon and poached eggs

I love avocados. I can’t get enough of their delicate nuttiness. And I keep trying to come up with different combinations for using this wonderful ingredient.

This latest recipe is so simple, I’m not sure I should even call it a ‘recipe’. Fry up a couple of rashers of streaky bacon (I prefer unsmoked), slice up and avocado and poach an egg (make sure the yolk is still molten). Arrange the ingredients on your plate and sprinkle with sea salt and togarashi (a Japanese spice powder). That’s it!

Sriracha sardines on sourdough

This is a great and tasty snack and so easy to make too. Pan-fry some tinned sardines in a little bit of their own oil, with a generous helping of sriracha powder (or sauce) – as much as you can handle. Lay them on some toasted sourdough and drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with some chopped chives (if you have some, I didn’t). And serve.

You should also play around with this, make it your own. Substitute sriracha with any other spicy masala mix. Use any other toasted bread, seeded, brown, multigrain, whatever takes your fancy. Butter the toast if you don’t have good quality olive oil to hand. Or do both. Add some roughly mashed avocado or finely chopped onions. Open sandwiches rule and the world’s your playground!