“Our food is very vibrant, it’s full of flavour, it’s very quick, and the ingredients are deeply seasonal,” says Asma Khan, renowned chef and restaurateur at Soho’s Darjeeling Express, of Indian cuisine.
To mark her new series of Secrets Of The Curry Kitchen, here’s how to make two different Indian recipes from the show: jhal steak and mushroom hakka chow.
Jhal Steak
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
2 steaks, about 200-250g each
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp ground ginger
1 or 2 garlic cloves
Crushed 1 tbsp chopped green chillies (green ginger chillies are ideal; if you are using bird’s eye chillies, use ½-1tsp)
¼ tsp brown sugar
Vegetable oil, for frying
For the spiced garlic and chilli mash:
400g white potatoes
4 tbsp salted butter
1 bay leaf
1 dried red chilli, broken into small pieces
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ tsp salt
Method:
1. Put the steaks in a shallow dish. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, chillies and sugar and pour over the steaks; then turn the steaks to coat them in the marinade.
2. Cover and set aside in the fridge for at least two hours, or overnight. Bring the steaks to room temperature before frying.
3. To make the mash, boil the potatoes in their skins, with a pinch of salt. While the potatoes are still warm but cool enough to handle, remove the skins. Mash the potatoes until smooth, using a masher or fork. Warm the butter in a small pan over a medium heat, add the bay leaf, the dried red chilli and the garlic, stirring until the garlic stars to brown – but don’t let it burn. Pour the contents of the pan over the mashed potatoes and mix. Remove the bay leaf. Add the salt, then taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Keep warm while you cook the steaks.
4. Preheat a non-stick pan or griddle over a high heat. Add a drizzle of oil then add the steaks and cook for two minutes on each side, adding a touch more oil when you flip the steak.
5. Cook one steak at a time if you find that easier; wipe the pan with kitchen paper after cooking the first steak to remove any residue.
6. When they’re done, put the steaks on a plate and cover with foil to rest for a few minutes before serving with the mash.
Mushroom hakka chow
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
250g flat or portobello mushrooms
1 large carrot, about 100g
1 red pepper
250g dried egg noodles (or more depending on hunger!)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
200g white onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground white pepper
5 tbsp dark soy sauce
½ tsp brown sugar
Thinly sliced spring onions, to garnish
Method:
1. Cut the mushrooms into thick strips. Cut the carrot and pepper into strips about five to eight centimetres long and similar in thickness to the mushrooms.
2. Cook the noodles accordingly to the packet instructions, then rinse in cold water, drain and set aside.
3. Heat an empty wok until smoking hot.
4. Add the oil and then immediately add the onions, red pepper and carrot strips, garlic, salt and pepper and stir-fry for a minute.
5. Add the mushroom strips and cook for two minutes or until the mushrooms look glossy.
6. Add the drained noodles, soy sauce and sugar and cook for a further two to three minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, garnished with spring onions.
‘Secrets of The Curry Kitchen’ airs weekly on Food Network from 9pm on Thursday 8 May, and is available to stream on discovery+.
Squidgy, chocolatey, low in sugar – these air fryer brownies tick every box
Asma Khan wants you to stop overthinking Indian food
I’m a restaurant critic cooking for chefs – what could possibly go wrong?
Still adding salt before tasting? These recipes might change your mind
These stuffed courgettes are low-carb, high-protein – and air-fried in minutes
Scotch eggs go low-carb – and they’re even better in an air fryer
