FREETASTERISSUE

STAR OF INDIA’S FOOD AND DRINK MAGAZINERECIPES ● INTERVIEWS ● SPICES ● WINE

dish…A dinner datewith Labour’sJohn Cryer

Spicy BBQ dishesWine and spice

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dish…TASTERISSUE

Dear fellow foodlovers!

As a local chef and restaurateur, I

obviously enjoy preparing and

eating wonderfulfood. I also feel

there is a responsibility for me to

promote the whole food experience,

from preparation to the final stages

when it is servedon your DISH.

With every issue ofDISH, we will aim

to bring you a selection of

topical recipes, not just those deve

loped bymyself andmy team

at StarOf India –but from around the world. DISH

is also about

the whole diningexperience and so we will include in

formation

on wines, beers,juices and also how to make that perfect ‘

lassi’ –

a true winner with our customers at Star of Indi

a. We will also

bring you guest interviews with ea

ch issue and cover hot local

topics – plus health issues, particu

larly those of a dietary nature.

We are all very excited about DISH, a bra

nd new venture for us

and we hope you all enjoy reading you

r first ‘taster’ issue. DISH

will be distributed to homes, rotating from

area to area – but it

will be available in StarOf India, so

please do come and pick one

up or take out a subscription.

Happy reading and happy cooking!

4 dish… taster

There’s nothing like a BBQ whenthe sun is shining and you want tospend as much time outdoors aspossible. What could be easierthan getting the BBQ going,grilling some fish and meat anddishing up with some crunchysalads to accompany. But if you’retired of sausages and chickenwings – then why not ring thechanges with dishes that are easyto prepare but a bit more exotic.Shah Ahmed introduces us toBBQ with a touch of Easternmagic. Try his spiced up sardines,chicken tikka, BBQ brinjal andgrilled poneer – served with afabulous apple and mango chatt.Simple but perfectly delicious.

Apple and MangoChattServes five✦ 2 large Granny Smith apples cored

and cut into thin strips (leave skinon)

✦ 1 mango skinned and cut into thinstrips

✦ 2 green chillies (chopped)✦ 1 bunch coriander leaves

(chopped)✦ Pinch of black pepper✦ 2 tbsp lemon juice✦ Rock salt to taste (kala namak)✦ 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

… Mix all the ingredients in a servingbowl.… Refrigerate for 2-3 hours and servechilled.

BBQ/GrilledChicken TikkaServes four✦ 4 Chicken breasts cubed✦ 400g natural yogurt✦ Drizzle mustard and rape seed oil✦ Juice of one lemon✦ ½ tsp pure curry powder✦ ½ tsp ground jeera (cumin)✦ ½ tsp ground turmeric✦ ½ tsp ground garam massala✦ 4 cloves of garlic - crushed✦ ½ inch ginger grated and then

crushed✦ Salt to taste✦ 2 crushed green chillies✦ Some fresh coriander crushed✦ Some water

Day 1:… In a bowl add all the ingredientsand mix well into a paste with somewater.

Day 2:… Marinate the chicken and leave inthe fridge.

Day of cooking:… Shake of any excess marinade andplace the chicken pieces on a skeweron a char-grill.… Cook for about 10 minutes andcheck the chicken is cooked bypiercing the thickest piece with askewer, if the juices run clear it iscooked.… Serve immediately with a freshsalad.

SPICEUP

YOURBBQTHIS

SUMMERShah from Star shares some delicious BBQrecipes with a touch of Eastern magic

BBQ/Grilled PoneerServes four✦ Poneer (Indian cheese) cut into

quarters✦ Tomatoes cut in quarters✦ Green peppers in chunks✦ Drizzle mustard and rape seed oil✦ Juice of one lemon✦ ½ tsp pure curry powder✦ ½ tsp ground jeera (cumin)✦ Salt to taste✦ 1 crushed green chilli✦ Some fresh coriander crushed

… In a bowl add all the ingredientsand mix well.… Add the poneer, tomato and thegreen pepper to the mixture and mixwell covering every piece.… Then on a skewer add alternatepieces of the poneer, tomato andgreen pepper.… Leave in the fridge for about 10minutes to rest.… Grill for a couple of minutes oneach side until the cheese turns to agolden brown colour… Serve immediately with a freshsalad.

Grilled BrinjalServes four✦ 1 large brinjal (aubergine)✦ Drizzle mustard and rape seed oil✦ Juice of one lemon✦ ½ tsp pure curry powder✦ ½ tsp ground turmeric✦ ½ tsp ground jeera (cumin)

✦ Salt to taste✦ 1 crushed green chilli✦ Couple of garlic cloves crushed✦ Some fresh coriander chopped

… Cut the brinjal in quarters and soakin water for about 5 minutes.… In a bowl add all the ingredientsand mix well.… Add the brinjal to the mixture andmix well covering the brinjal pieces.Leave in the fridge for about 10minutes to rest.… BBQ or grill for a couple of minuteson each side until the brinjal is justcooked.… Sprinkle with chopped freshcoriander and serve immediately witha fresh salad.

BBQ/Grilled HerbedSardinesServes four✦ 4 large sardines (prepared/cleaned)

✦ 1 tbsp mustard and rape seed oil✦ Juice of one lemon

✦ ½ tsp pure curry powder✦ ½ tsp ground turmeric✦ ½ tsp ground coriander✦ Salt to taste✦ 2 crushed green chilli✦ Some fresh coriander chopped and

a slice of lemon to garnish

… In a shaker add the mustard andrape seed oil, lemon juice, currypowder, turmeric and coriander, mixwell and set aside for about two hoursto allow the flavours to develop.… Prepare the sardines and pat drywith kitchen paper.… Heat the grill or barbecue until veryhot and oil the grill rack.Brush each sardine generously insideand out with the mix, season with salt,leave for about 10 minutes.Grill for three to four minutes on eachside, until the fish is just cooked,basting with more herbed oil as yougo.… Serve immediately with a freshsalad.

dish… taster5For more recipe ideas visit www.star-of-india.co.uk

6 dish… taster

On a recentAir China flight fromBeijing, the only wine on offerwas Chinese-producedGreatWall– white or red – both served atroom temperature. I declined totry the white but intriguedenough to look atGreatWall’swebsite where they are confidentthat the wines are goodmatcheswith Chinese food. I have yet toput this to the test but know fromexperience that the complexflavours of say, Cantonesecuisine, respond particularly wellto aromatic off-dry whites likeGewÜrtztraminer orTorrontes,Argentina’s answer to Malvasia orFiano orGreco diTufo fromaround Naples in Italy.

I have never found that red wineswork particularly well with Chinesefood - somehow the tannins, evenin softer reds like Beaujolais tendto conflict with spices like gingerand anise in the food. I am alwayssurprised at howmanyChineserestaurants in London push the drywhites at the expense of thesearomatic whites I have listed.

My localThai restaurant hasrecently addressed the problem ofwines to match their cuisine byoffering a wholly-Thai producedrange from the SiamWinery.MonsoonValley BlendedWhite(grapes: Malaga Blanc andColombard) is an excellent matchtoThai food and works particularlywell with flavours like lemongrassand dried shrimp paste. It hasreasonably good acidity with hintsof citrus fruits on the nose andmelon and lychee on the palate.SiamWinery also produces adelightful rose and a quite fruityred, both of which include Pokdum,a local grape variety, in theirblends.

Although the Indian subcontinenthas a long tradition of winemaking(possibly dating back as far as3000BCE), domestic consumptionis still extremely low.The Star ofIndia stocks a range of wines fromIndia and I recently tasted twofrom the restaurant’s list. Bothwere from the Indage vineyard inthe SahyadriValley nearNarayangaon in Pune.The first wasa white wine,TheGreyCountChenin Blanc 2008Medium dry, in

fact a little too much for my taste,it had a good nose with a honeyedpalate which was however a littleshort on the finish. I wouldrecommend it served very chilledwith really spicy food but, bewarned it has a 14.5% alcoholcontent.The second, from thesame producers,TheGrey CountReserve Zinfandel Rose 2008 had alot more to offer. Soft tannins giveit a backbone and there is a hint ofstrawberry on the palate. It wouldgo well with more subtly spicedfoods or, as it is really verypleasant, just drunk on its own asan aperitif.

What to drink with Szechuan orKorean food? I am at a loss torecommend anything here. Anexperience in a Szechuanrestaurant in Hong Kong last yearhas convinced me that beer, greentea and water (preferably all three)are the best choices. It is easier justto submit to the chilli rather thantry to complement it!

Dish…wine buffMarkTurner recommendsthe perfect vino to complement spicy foodGenerally, when talking about wine to match spicy food,the assumption is that one is talking about Indian style curries.

John Cryer is a British Labour politician who wasMember of Parliament for Hornchurch from1997 until 2005. At 33 years of age, John was

one of the youngest MP’s to take office in the newLabour Government of 1997. He is the son of AnnCryer,MP for the Keighley Constituency and thelate Bob Cryer (MP). John is a journalist byprofession and has worked for The Tribune and TheMorning Star. He is also a political officer forUNITE (originally the Transport and GeneralWorkers Union). John is standing as LabourProspective Parliamentary Candidate for Leytonand Wanstead in the May General Election.

What are your favourite foods?I’m not into anything too fussy. I really enjoy fishand chips and I also enjoy Indian food – chickentikka is one of my favourites.

Do you have any particular childhoodmemories of food you enjoyed?With both parents very actively involved in politics,I don’t remember anything special that might havebeen dished up.We were always so busy. However, Ido have one very enjoyable memory that hasrecently re-surfaced.When I was about six years ofage, living in Keighley, they were filming ‘TheRailway Children’ at the Keighley and Worth ValleyRailway.My father, as well as enjoying a successfulpolitical career, was also an expert in steam enginesand taught at a local further education college.Theproducers got to hear about this and called myfather in as technical director on the film.They alsoneeded some young ‘extras’ in some of the shots andso I got the chance to make my ‘acting debut’.Thefilm has recently been digitally re-mastered and re-released for its 40th anniversary and the recentdeath of Lionel Jeffries makes the new release evenmore poignant. I went to see it last week and wasamazed at the clarity and colour of the new version.

And yes, there I am in all my glory! However thepoint of this story is food! My big memory is eating‘actors’ food from the location vans. I can’t rememberwhat it was – but it was delicious!

Do you have any favourite restaurants?I really enjoy Italian, French and Chinese food. Andmy campaign office is next to Star of India inLeytonstone – so can enjoy delicious Indian foodtoo!

What’s your favourite tipple?As a Yorkshire man I enjoy a pint. I prefer beer tolager. I also enjoy a glass of white wine with a meal.I’m no expert and am not fussed which country thewine comes from. And obviously I have to add thatbeer and wine are always taken in moderation!

Do you enjoy cooking?I don’t get much time to cook properly at themoment. I do enjoy it though. I like to cook for mythree children (aged 15, 13, 10).They enjoy Italianchicken which is chicken cooked in a tomato basedsauce and served with pasta so I tend to dish thatone up on a regular basis.

Whowould you invite to a special dinnerparty?They would be people that have inspired me for onereason or another. I obviously have political interestsbut I enjoy historical writing especially ‘war’ history.I think I would go for the following:

Dennis Skinner – a brave politician, a great Labourman and a great friend of my father’sBarbara Castle – one of the most importantpoliticians of the 20th century – an icon of theLabour movement and a rousing speakerMuhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) – the greatest boxerever – and a great raconteurFitzroy Maclean – diplomat, soldier, adventurer,writer and politician. Author of ‘EasternApproaches’Richard Aldington – writer and poet and author of‘Death of a Hero’Sylvia Pankhurst – founder and leader of theSuffragette movement

You look very fit – do you work out or enjoysports?I love sports. I have always played or participated insporting activities since I was a kid. I like swimming,cycling, rugby, cricket and boxing. I don’t play teamsports any more – but swimming and cycling aregreat ways to keep fit at forty!

dish… taster7

A dinner datewith John CryerOur guest this issue is John Cryer, LabourProspective Parliamentary Candidate forLeyton and Wanstead

NATIONALVEGETARIANWEEK 2010

National Vegetarian Week(NVW) is the annual awareness-raising campaign promotinginspirational vegetarian food andthe benefits of a meat-freelifestyle. Celebrated by theVegetarian Society since 1992,the Week is now an establishedevent that gets bigger andbetter every year.

During Vegetarian Week book a vegetarianbanquet for two and PAY for one (wine/drinksnot included).

The banquet comprises 10 different dishesplus rice and bread and costs £12.95 perperson.

The offer applies on dine in vegetarianbanquet meals only (not take-away) and isonly available fromMonday 24 May – Sunday30 May.

For more information or to book aVegetarian Banquet please call Star ofIndia on: 020 8989 4028

Enjoy a vegetarian banquet at Star of IndiaMonday 24 – Sunday 30 May

Book a vegetarian banquet

for twoand pay for o

ne!