Originally from Persia, and introduced in India by Mughal rulers, the dish is a delight to eat and a challenge for chefs to prepare. In a perfect pot of biryani, every grain of rice is separate, yet infused with aromas of various spices and has meat or vegetables paired with it

Pickled Jalapeño Peppers
Ingredients 1 cup white vinegar 1 cup water 2 smashed cloves garlic 2 tablespoons sugar 1 TBPS salt 1 TBSP sugar 1 tsp Dried Oregano 2 tsp Peppercorns 7-8 sliced jalapeno peppers Instructions Combine the vinegar, water, garlic, sugar, and salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Add your jalapeno slices, stir, and remove from heat. Leave for about 10 minutes then remove the jalapenos and …

Berbere (Ethiopian Spice Blend)
Berbere is a traditional spice blend that is the backbone of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. It’s used in many different dishes, including Ethiopia’s national dish, doro wat (chicken stew).

Chicken Madras
Invented for the British during the 19th century, and originally hailing from the city of Madras (now Chennai) – the capital of the Tamil Nadu region of South India – Madras curry powder is a subtle blend of aromatic spices, with a mild chilli kick.

Chicken Jalfrezi
Jalfrezi represents exactly what Indian restaurant food is — a mixture of ‘Kareh Masale’ — raw spices (cardamom, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and more) cooked into a fat (ghee, oil or coconut oil for South Indian dishes) topped with fresh onions which slowly absorb the flavour of spices.

Green Lentil/Coconut Dahl
This is one of my favourite dahl dishes and this recipe could easily feed up to six people if having it with rice.
As with most of my recipes, it’s been borrowed from elsewhere, this one is from The Happy Pear.

Sandra’s Tofu Thai Curry
1 punnet mushrooms1/2 block of Tofu1/2 jar Green Thai Curry Paste1 can Coconut milk (reduced or regular)1 Veg Stock150 grams red lentils (about 1/2 cup)1 courgetteSugar snap peasHead of brocolli So pop 1 punnet of mushrooms, a half block of tofu, 1/3 of a jar of green curry paste, 1 can of reduced fat coconut, …

Madras Spice Mix
Madras curry powder really stands out amongst the plethora of curry blends on the market at the moment. This blend is truly aromatic and great for adding some depth to your dressings as well as your curries.

Chicken Korma
Korma is a cherished South Asian dish with Mughlai origins. The word ‘korma’ (or qorma) means ‘to braise’, or pan-sear. In the Pakistani and North Indian way of preparation, chicken is sautéed in ghee/oil and whole spices before a blend of yogurt and fried onions is added to produce a rich curry.