Grilled Spiced Corn And Keralan Coconut Aubergines: Andrew Clarke’s Indian-inspired Barbecued Vegetable Recipes

1 week ago

Vegetables return centre shape astatine our restaurant, Acme Fire Cult, beryllium they grilled, smoked aliases coal-roasted successful dying embers until they’re rich | pinch sweetness and char. Fire transforms vegetables successful a measurement that nary accepted room can, and that attack has followed maine connected my travels passim India, wherever cooking complete coals is embedded successful mundane life, from roadside tandoors to beachside grills. The bold, spice-laden nutrient of Goa and Kerala successful peculiar person shaped my cooking, and today’s dishes, some inspired by occurrence and spice, are veg-forward barbecue dishes pinch roots successful contented and flavour, only turned measurement up.

Aubergine recheado pinch Keralan curry and coconut-lime pickle

I’ve spent a batch of clip successful Goa and Kerala, and this is simply a emotion missive to both. Recheado, which intends “stuffed” successful Portuguese, is simply a fiery Goan masala paste that’s traditionally rubbed into oily food earlier frying aliases grilling, but it’s conscionable arsenic transformative connected vegetables (I’ve toned down nan chilli a bit, truthful conscionable dial it up if you want much heat). The condiment borrows from nan coconut-based curries of Kerala’s backwaters, each fragrant pinch curry leaves, sour pinch kokum and tinged reddish by Mexican guajillo chillies, which aren’t precisely traditional, but I look to put them successful almost everything these days. Kokum is simply a sour dried consequence from Goa’s Konkan seashore that I ever bring backmost successful my suitcase. You tin get it successful southbound Asian nutrient shops; failing that, tamarind will besides do nan job.

Prep 25 min
Cook 1 hr+
Serves 4

12 babe aubergines, washed and divided unfastened lengthways (don’t trim each nan measurement through)
Olive oil, for drizzling
Flaky oversea salt
Lime pickle (homemade aliases a good-quality jar), to serve
A fewer toasted coconut flakes, aliases shards of roasted caller coconut
1 mini bunch caller curry leaves, picked, washed, dried, fried until crisp and drained, to service (optional)

For nan herb paste
10g dried kashmiri chillies (about 3-4)
4 full cloves
3g achromatic peppercorns (about ½ tsp)
3g cumin seeds (about ½ tsp)
1 mini cinnamon stick
30g portion caller ginger, peeled and chopped (about 2 tbsp)
20g peeled ail (about 4-5 cloves)
20ml oliva oil
20ml merlot vinegar
20g jaggery, aliases caster sugar
12g dried kokum pieces (about 2½ tsp), soaked, aliases 2 tsp tamarind paste
10g smoked paprika (about 2 tsp)
4g flaky oversea brackish (about ¾ tsp)
2g crushed turmeric (about ½ tsp)

For nan curry sauce
40g coconut oil
4g yellowish mustard seeds (about 1¼ tsp)
1 mini bunch curry leaves (about 10 leaves)
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced (60g net)
20g portion peeled ginger, sliced
10g peeled garlic (about 2 cloves), chopped
50g caller greenish unripe mango, peeled and chopped
50g grated caller coconut, aliases stiff grated coconut
12g dried guajillo chillies (1-2 chillies), rehydrated successful acold water, drained and deseeded
5g crushed turmeric (about 1 tsp)
5g kashmiri chilli powder (about 1 tsp)
5g dried kokum pieces (about 1 tsp), soaked and not drained, aliases 1 tsp tamarind paste
400ml tinned coconut milk
Flaky oversea salt, to taste

First make nan paste. Toast nan dried chillies, cloves, peppercorns, cumin seeds and cinnamon successful a mini barren frying cookware connected a mean heat, turning often, until fragrant, past extremity into a mortar aliases herb grinder and grind to a good powder. Tip into a blender, adhd each nan remaining paste ingredients and blitz to make a heavy masala.

Now make nan curry sauce. Melt nan coconut lipid successful a wide pan, past fry nan mustard seeds and curry leaves until they pop. Add nan shallots, ginger and garlic, and saute, stirring often, until soft and lightly golden. Stir successful nan mango, grated coconut, chilli, turmeric, chilli powder and kokum, navigator for a fewer minutes, past move successful nan coconut beverage and 200ml water, and simmer for 15–20 minutes. Blend until silky-smooth and nan consistency of passata (if request be, adhd up to 100ml much h2o to loosen), past play pinch brackish to sensation and support warm.

Gently prise unfastened each aubergine, worldly them each evenly pinch nan masala paste, past overgarment nan outsides, too. (If you like, you tin do this up of time, and moreover nan time before.)

When you’re fresh to cook, get nan barbecue going, fresh to navigator complete some nonstop and indirect power (to navigator indoors, move connected nan grill to medium-high). Drizzle nan aubergines pinch lipid and play pinch a pinch of salt, past grill trim broadside up complete nonstop power for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly charred. Move nan aubergines to indirect power (or put them successful a cast-iron cookware and cover), adjacent nan lid of nan barbecue and time off to navigator for different 10-15 minutes, until soft and conscionable starting to collapse.

To serve, spoon nan condiment connected to a platter, put nan aubergines connected apical and decorativeness pinch a small lime pickle, crisp fried curry leaves and pieces of roasted coconut, if using.

Aslam’s food corn

Andrew Clarke’s food maize inspired by Aslam’s food chickenhearted stall successful aged Delhi.

Many years ago, while exploring nan constrictive streets of Old Delhi, I was tipped disconnected astir a spot called Aslam Chicken, a small, chaotic spot that serves a food chickenhearted dissimilar immoderate I’d tasted before. There’s nary herb sauce, conscionable skewers of grilled marinated chickenhearted pulled disconnected nan occurrence and drowned successful cream, yoghurt and an obscene magnitude of melted butter. I’ve reworked that look complete nan years, often swapping nan chickenhearted for maize aliases cauliflower, and it has since go 1 of our go-to rootlike dishes – indulgent, highly spiced and, if request be, easy adapted for plant-based cooking.

Prep 25 min
Marinate 4 hr+
Cook 20 min
Serves 6 arsenic a side

6 maize connected nan cobs, steamed aliases boiled until conscionable tender, past trim successful half widthways
Melted ghee, for brushing, positive 4 tbsp other to finish
Flaky oversea salt, to taste
1 generous pinch chaat masala
2 tbsp heavy greek yoghurt
3 tbsp double cream
2–3 caller mint sprigs, leaves picked
Pink onions, to service (see beneath and method)
1 caller reddish chilli, finely sliced (remove nan pith and seeds if you for illustration little heat), to serve

For nan herb blend
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
4 greenish cardamom pods
1 mini portion mace
1 mini cinnamon stick
2–4 dried kashmiri chillies, to taste
½ tsp achromatic peppercorns

For nan marinade
2½cm portion caller ginger, peeled and sliced
4 ail cloves, peeled
2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (AKA kasuri methi)
1 tsp chaat masala
2 tbsp heavy greek yoghurt
1–2 tsp salt, to taste
1 tbsp citrus juice
1 tbsp ghee

For nan pinkish onions (optional)
2 reddish onions, peeled and trim into ½cm-thick slices
1 tsp dried hibiscus (optional, for colour)
1 bay leaf
50g red-wine vinegar, merlot, ideally
25g sugar

First pickle nan onions, if making. Put nan sliced onions successful a heatproof vessel pinch nan hibiscus and bay. Put 100ml h2o successful a saucepan pinch nan vinegar and sugar, bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve nan sugar, past move this complete nan onions. Leave to cool, past screen and refrigerate. They will now support for up to a week.

Next, make nan herb blend. Put each nan full spices successful a barren pan, move connected nan power to mean and toast, turning often, until fragrant. Tip into a mortar, nutrient processor aliases herb grinder, past grind to a good powder.

Put each nan marinade ingredients successful a blender, adhd nan herb powder and blitz to a soft paste. Rub this operation each complete nan maize and time off to marinate for astatine slightest 4 hours, and preferably overnight.

When you’re fresh to cook, get nan barbecue going, fresh to navigator complete nonstop power (if cooking indoors, move connected nan grill to medium-high). Grill nan corn, turning them regularly and brushing pinch ghee, for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly charred each over.

Transfer nan cooked maize to a ample bowl, adhd a large pinch of chaat masala, nan yoghurt, pick and melted ghee, flip to overgarment evenly, past service topped pinch nan torn mint, pinkish onions and caller chilli.