Chetna's 30-minute Indian: Quick and easy everyday meals

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Trying out new techniques and challenging myself is what keeps me going. Being on Great British Bake Off 2014 has been an amazing journey and has given me the confidence to try new combinations of flavours. I will always cherish this experience and the time I spent in the tent with my fellow bakers. In a small pan, add the sesame seed oil and heat until it becomes smokey. Pour this onto the spices and mix well. After having my 2 children I found my interest in baking grow, it was a perfect way for me to relax and found it very relaxing. I am a creative yet meticulous baker and find baking a perfect outlet for my creativity. Add the tomatoes and ½ tsp salt. Stir through and cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes have softened.

This is a delicious hearty dal recipe with some added goodness of spinach and depth with lovely garlic. Enjoy it as a soup or with some piping hot rice. This Parsi recipe is super special for two reasons; I learned it during my recent trip to India and I’m cooking it for one of my very good friends. Using the scales, add 400g/ml boiling water and use the simmering basket instead of the measuring cup to cover. Heat enough oil for shallow-frying in a frying pan. Carefully add the paneer to the hot oil and cook over a medium to high heat for 1–2 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and crispy. Serve warm with Coriander Peanut Chutney (recipe follows).

Ingredients

This kofta recipe is a true crowd-pleaser in Makan’s household. “It’s really flavourful, but quite light,” she explains – making it one of her children’s favourites from her new cookbook.

Heat a frying pan, add the flour and toast over a low heat for about 2 minutes until it starts to change colour, stirring constantly. Step 2 I am using the stunning THERMOMIX for this recipe. You can book a free demo with the team at any time. This can also be made in a pan in the same way. This is a very well-known dish but isn’t, in fact, traditionally Indian – it was invented in the UK but still equally delicious! Add the potatoes and make sure they are fully submerged in the curry. Cover again and cook for another 20 minutes.Add 5 tbsp of oil to a hot pan. Add the thinly sliced onions and cook for 10-15 minutes until golden. For the paneer, mix the yogurt, tandoori masala and salt together in a bowl. Add the paneer cubes and gently turn in the marinade until well coated. Set aside while you start to prepare the masala. Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and urad dal and cook over a low heat for a minute. Then add the curry leaves and chillies and cook for a few seconds.

Soon after the show, I started work on my first book which is all about Indian flavours in some very western bakes. The book is called ‘The Cardamom Trail’and was published in 2016.Article content Chetna’s 30 Minute Indian is Great British Bake Off alum Chetna Makan’s fifth cookbook. Photo by Mitchell Beazley CRISPY PANEER CUBES Put the toasted flour into a bowl with the yogurt, salt and spices and mix together well. Add the paneer cubes and gently turn in the marinade until well coated. Step 3 Add the onions and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Then stir in the coconut and cook for five minutes. Top Tip – The curry is now complete however, if you can let it rest for at least 30 minutes, the curry will be even more delicious.