Currying flavour

In an extract from her new book, Jenny Morris tells us why she loves Indian food

Growing up in Durban, there was Indian food all around me; an Indian family lived next door to us and became very good friends, and there were several Indian traders in our neighbourhood. So knowing the cuisine and loving it, whenever I smell Indian food I want to eat it straightaway.

Miriam and her husband Omar ran a little greengrocer on the corner of the street where I lived. I loved watching and learning from Miriam as she enveloped my kitchen with aromas. She taught the magic of tempering and blending spices that would transform the simplest of ingredients into the most mouth-wateringly delicious dishes.

The one thing I learned from Miriam is that a recipe is just a guideline of flavours and combinations of ingredients. Dishes are very personal to your own taste, curries are as varied as the people who cook them, and a masala changes from household to household. She taught me that Indian food does not have to be as hot as the breath of the devil. It is about harmony in your mouth, and heat that is comfortable for the individual.

This salad is served nice and chilled with a tandoori-style roast chicken or barbecued meats. It was inspired by all the raitas and sambals that I love served alongside a curry. I just adore the smoky flavour of flame-grilled brinjals, but if you don't have a gas hob you can bake them in the oven.

BOLLYWOOD BRINJALS AND NEW POTATOES

Yoghurt dressing:

• 500ml (2 cups) thick natural yoghurt
• 15ml (1 tbsp) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 green chilli, seeded
• 15ml (1 tbsp) chopped fresh mint
• 15ml (1 tbsp) chopped fresh coriander
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 5ml (1 tsp) toasted and ground cumin
• 2.5ml (½ tsp) salt

Salad:

• 3 large firm brinjals
• 350g new potatoes, cooked, peeled and halved
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 12 large fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 250ml (1 cup) peeled and chopped cucumber
• Fresh coriander sprigs
• Salt, to taste

Place the dressing ingredients in a food processor and give it a good whizz, blending well.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. Place the brinjals onto the open flame on your gas hob and keep turning them with a pair of tongs until they are soft all over. Watch them carefully on the flame as this happens quickly.

Put them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and leave to cool. If you are baking them, place in an oven preheated to 180°C.

Check them after 15 minutes and cook till softened. Peel the brinjals and chop them roughly.

Keep all the smoky juices to spoon back onto the chopped flesh.

Place the potatoes and brinjals into a bowl with half the onion, the mint, cucumber and coriander. Season with a little salt, pour over the yoghurt dressing and toss lightly.

Assemble the salad on a platter and garnish with the remaining onions and a few sprigs of fresh coriander. Serves 6

 - Text, recipe and image © Taste the World with Jenny Morris (Sunbird/Jonathan Ball Publishers, R295)

Buy the book

In Taste the World with Jenny Morris (Sunbird/Jonathan Ball Publishers, R295), the Giggling Gourmet cooks her way around the world, embracing each nation with culinary verve and gusto.

Apart from India, she takes readers to the kitchens of Italy, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Greece, Turkey and the Far East, sharing the secrets of places she has discovered, people she has met and recipes she has perfected.

* Jonathan Ball Publishers are giving away three copies of 'Taste the World with Jenny Morris'. To enter, tell us the name of the spicy Indian pickle usually made from mangoes.

E-mail your answer, name, phone number and delivery address (not PO Box) to food@sundaytimes.co.za with JENNY as the subject.

ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PLEASE. Entries close at noon on Tuesday October 29.