Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course (14 page)

1
. First make the curry paste. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a dry, medium-hot frying pan for about 1 minute until aromatic. Grind in a mortar to a fine powder, then add the garlic and grind to form a smooth paste. Add the chilli powder, turmeric, ginger and salt and mix well. Loosen by adding a little oil.

2
. To make the soup, heat a large oiled saucepan over a medium heat. Sweat the onion for 5 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the curry paste and cook with the onion for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the potato and stir around in the curry paste. Pour in the stock, season and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently for about 7 minutes until the potato is soft and cooked through.

3
. Add the creamed corn, then add half the tinned sweetcorn and half the liquid it’s stored in. Heat through, then remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender until the chunks of potatoes have been fully blitzed and the soup is smooth. Add the remaining tinned sweetcorn and its liquid. Heat, taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve warm.

SPICY PANCAKES

MAKES 6 PANCAKES

These spicy pancakes are traditionally served for breakfast in India. I know some people might baulk at so much spice for breakfast but they are strangely addictive. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t have them for lunch or supper instead, washed down with beer instead of chai.

1
. Toast the cumin seeds with a pinch of salt in a dry, medium-hot pan for about 1 minute until aromatic. Add a dash of oil and sauté the chilli, garlic and ginger for a further 2 minutes until softened. Remove from the heat.

2
. Put the spice/garlic mix into a bowl. Sift in the flour, season and make a well in the middle, then break in the egg and add half of the milk. Whisk the flour into the egg slowly until well incorporated, then gradually add the remaining milk. Continue whisking until the mixture is smooth and has the consistency of double cream. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of oil, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Leave the batter to rest for 10 minutes.

3
. Meanwhile, make the spiced potato filling. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and cook for 1–2 minutes until the seeds begin to pop. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft and golden brown. Stir in the turmeric and cooked potatoes and season, adding a dash of olive oil if necessary to aid frying. Fry over a medium heat for 3–4 minutes until softened and heated through. Leave to one side while you cook the pancakes.

4
. Heat a large, wide frying pan, then add a little oil. If the batter has thickened too much, add a tablespoon or two of milk. Pour in a ladleful of batter and tilt the pan to spread the batter out. Cook for a minute on one side until golden and crisp, then flip the pancake and continue to cook for a further minute until cooked through. Keep warm while repeating with the remaining batter.

5
. Mix the yoghurt and coriander together and season to taste.

6
. To serve, place a large spoonful of the potato filling in the middle of each pancake, adding a dollop of the yoghurt if you like, then roll up into a sausage shape.

GRILLED CORN WITH
CHIPOTLE CHILLI BUTTER

SERVES 4

We’re switching continents here and going to Mexico, where you’ll find street vendors selling grilled sweetcorn on every corner. Chipotles are smoked and dried jalapeño peppers with a sweet, earthy flavour, and Lancashire cheese has just the right milkiness to tame the mild heat.

1
. Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add a little oil and gently cook the cobs in the pan for about 5 minutes until coloured and lightly charred all over. Add 3–4 tablespoons of water to the pan and continue to cook over a medium heat for about 8 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and the corn is cooked through (turn down the heat if it starts to colour too much).

2
. Meanwhile, mix together the butter, chillies, coriander and a little seasoning.

3
. Once the corn is cooked, remove and cover with knobs of the chipotle butter, allowing it to melt over the corn. Sprinkle over the cheese and serve with wedges of lime.

ROASTED SQUASH
HOUMOUS

SERVES 8–10

Just as there’s no universal curry powder, nor is there a universal ras el hanout. It is Arabic for ‘head of the shop’ and is traditionally a blend of the best spices a merchant has to offer. Combined with chickpeas, roasted squash and tahini, and served with pitta, it makes a lovely dip to accompany drinks or, with a salad, a nice light lunch.

1
. First make the spice blend. Break the cinnamon stick into pieces. Place in a dry pan with the cloves and seeds, and toast over a medium heat for about 1 minute until aromatic and the seeds are popping (shake the spices in the pan as you heat them to prevent them from burning).

2
. Once toasted, remove from the heat, and add the paprika. Place in a spice grinder, blender or mortar and grind until the mixture is a powder – sift it if necessary. This spice blend will keep for up to 3 months if stored in an airtight container.

3
. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.

4
. Make the houmous. In a large bowl mix the cubed squash, garlic cloves and ginger with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the spice mix. Season with salt and pepper and scatter in a single layer in a roasting tray. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes until tender all the way through.

5
. Once the squash is soft, add the contents of the tray to a blender, discarding the garlic skins. Add the tahini, chickpeas and a squeeze of lemon juice along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary – you might need some extra lemon juice.

6
. Transfer the houmous to a bowl and sprinkle with a little of the spice mix. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with warmed or griddled pitta bread on the side.

NOODLES WITH
CHILLI, GINGER
AND LEMONGRASS

SERVES 2

The best noodles to use for this dish are those fine ones dried into flattened nests sold in Asian supermarkets. They are packed slightly less tightly than the ones that come in round nests or sticks in other supermarkets, meaning that they will be even better at expanding and puffing up. If you prefer not to fry the noodles, you can simply rehydrate them according to the packet instructions.

1
. Heat a saucepan over a medium heat and add a little oil. Fry the onion for 3–4 minutes until soft, then add the garlic, chilli and ginger and fry for a further 2 minutes until the garlic is soft.

2
. Stir in the lemongrass and lime leaf. Sprinkle in the spices, being careful not to burn them, and immediately add the stock and coconut cream. Season with fish sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 10–15 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened, aromatic and flavourful. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary, adding more fish sauce if needed.

3
. To make the noodles, heat the vegetable oil in a large wok or wide, high-sided frying pan until it reaches 170°C or a cube of bread dropped into the oil sizzles and turns brown after 30 seconds. Drop small handfuls of the noodles into the hot oil (stand back as they will expand rapidly as soon as they hit the heat). As soon as they puff out, turn them over with kitchen tongs, and cook on the other side for 1 minute. Do not allow them to colour at all. Remove, drain on kitchen paper and repeat with the remaining batches of noodles.

4
. Place the noodle nests in 2 wide serving bowls. Remove the lemongrass and lime leaves from the sauce, then spoon it around the noodles. The underside of them will absorb some of the sauce, but the top will remain crisp and crunchy. Serve garnished with coriander leaves and chilli.