From prawns to curry, all the recipes in Nadiya Hussain's new book

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Spice and easy! From tangy prawns to a mouthwatering chicken curry, all the recipes in Nadiya Hussain’s new book use a combination of her favourite eight spices

TANGY TOMATO PRAWNS 

Prawns need very little work, but as they take such a short time to cook all the work must go into creating a simple and delicious sauce for the prawns to be enveloped in. This sauce is rich, tomatoey and tangy.

Serves 4

Prep 6 minutes Cook 25 minutes

  • 100ml (3½fl oz) olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic,
  • thinly sliced
  • 6 tomatoes, finely diced
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1 lemon, juice only
  • 1tsp ground turmeric
  • 2tsp chilli powder
  • 3tsp tamarind paste
  • 450g (1lb) raw peeled prawns

To serve

  • A large handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves

Start by adding the olive oil into a large, non-stick frying pan or wok. As soon as the oil is hot, add the garlic and fry until very golden.

Add the tomatoes along with the salt and lemon juice and cook over a high heat for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are totally soft.

Now add the ground turmeric, chilli powder and tamarind paste, stir and cook until the tomato sauce has started to come away from the sides of the pan.

Next add the prawns and cook until they are pink and have curled into C-shapes.

To serve, take the pan off the heat and sprinkle with a handful of fresh coriander leaves.

Olly Smith’s wine pairing: Perfection with prawns

Extra Special Gavi 2022 (12.5%) £9.25, Asda

The Tangy Tomato Prawns are a heavenly match for the scented freshness of this breezy, upbeat Italian white that’s crafted to delight your palate with every sip.

WHOLE BAKED CAULIFLOWER

Cauliflower isn’t a vegetable we ate much in Bangladesh and when we did, it was often cooked in a curry with fish. I wanted to do something a little bit different, so here the cauliflower is baked and every crevice filled with flavour.

Serves 6-8

Prep 30 minutes (+ cooling) Cook 1 hour 5 minutes

For the cauliflower

  • 1 large whole cauliflower, leaves on
  • 1tbsp salt, plus extra for seasoning
  • 1tsp ground turmeric
  • 50g (1¾oz) ghee
  • 1tbsp Art Masala (see recipe, below)

For the filling

  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 100g (3½oz) chickpea flour
  • 1tbsp Art Masala (see recipe, below)
  • 2tbsp ghee
  • For the sauce
  • 100g (3½oz) pistachios, plus extra, chopped, to serve
  • 1tbsp ghee
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • A splash of water
  • 1tsp honey
  • 1tsp salt

Place the cauliflower in a large stock pot and fill with water. Add the salt and turmeric and pop the pot onto the heat. Bring the water to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Drain the water and leave the whole cauliflower upside down for at least 1 hour, until cool and drained of as much moisture as possible.

Heat the ghee in a pan and, as soon as it melts, add the Art Masala and a little salt and mix.

Kylie Minogue 0% Sparkling Rosé (0%) £6, Tesco

Cut a large piece of foil, place the cooled cauliflower in the centre and brush all over with most of the spiced ghee. Turn the cauliflower upside down and brush with the last of the ghee.

Now make the filling. Place the garlic, onion, salt, egg, chickpea flour, Art Masala mix and ghee in a blender and whizz to a smooth paste. Pop into a disposable piping bag and cut a small hole. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.

Lift the softened, cooked outer leaves of the cauliflower up and gently pipe the filling into the gaps in the cauliflower. Wrap up the cauliflower completely in the foil. Bake for 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the pistachios, ghee, lemon zest and juice, water, honey and salt in a blender and blend to a smooth drizzle.

Remove the foil from the cauliflower and bake for 15 minutes, until there is some colour on the cauliflower. Slice the cauliflower, drizzle with the pistachio sauce and sprinkle with chopped pistachios to serve.

Nadiya says: This recipes needs 2tbsp of my Art Masala (eight-spice mix) – you’ll find the recipe below. 

Olly’s wine pairing: Cauliflower cracker

Kylie Minogue 0% Sparkling Rosé (0%) £6, Tesco 

The summer berry thrill of this zero-booze bubbly is so refreshing with the Whole Baked Cauliflower and has the right fruitiness for the honey in the sauce too.

ART MASALA (EIGHT-SPICE MIX)

My new book is all about using eight spices in different ways. With just four whole and four ground spices you can make every recipe in the book. You can then truly experience the ease and simplicity of cooking delicious food using just these spices you have at home. There is a secret ninth spice too – a blend of all of the eight spices. That’s my very special Art Masala, which simply means ‘eight-spice mix’.

  • 28g (1oz) cardamom pods
  • 3g (1/10oz) bay leaves
  • 34g (1¼oz) fennel seeds
  • 100g (3½oz) cumin seeds or ground cumin
  • 38g (11/3oz) ground cinnamon
  • 100g (3½oz) ground turmeric
  • 44g (12/3oz) chilli powder
  • 200g (7oz) curry powder

A spice grinder is the best tool for the job, but lots of smoothie makers come with a milling blade that works well to really crush down these whole spices. Put the cardamom pods in the grinder, husk and all. Blend to a fine powder. Pour into a large bowl.

Put your bay leaves, fennel and cumin seeds into the same grinder and blitz to a powder. (If your grinder is small, you can do each spice alone, but when doing the bay leaves, always blend them with the fennel seeds. 

They need the seeds to get them moving enough to crush to a powder.) Add to the bowl. Mix thoroughly (do this after each addition to make sure the mix is well blended).

Add the cinnamon. I prefer to use ground cinnamon as it’s readily available and will save having to crush something quite hard. Add to the bowl and mix. Add the ground turmeric and mix.

 Add the chilli powder and mix. Add the curry powder and give everything a good stir. Now you have your very own ninth spice. Transfer into a jar or jars and you are ready to go!

SAAG ALOO CHICKEN JALFREZI

This is the kind of dish that you often see being served up at an Indian restaurant and while it may look complicated, it doesn’t have to be at all. This is like the Bengali stir-fry you never knew you needed. It’s spiced, fast and a feast for the eyes.

SERVES 4

Prep 12 minutes Cook 30 minutes

  • Oil, for frying
  • 3 dried red chillies
  • 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 400g tin of cream of tomato soup
  • 1½tsp salt
  • 4tbsp brown sauce
  • 4tbsp Art Masala mix (see recipe, below left)
  • 2 red onions, quartered
  • 2 red peppers, cut into large chunks
  • 560g tin of potatoes, halved
  • 200g (7oz) cooked chicken
  • 80g (2¾oz) fresh baby spinach

To serve

  • A handful of fresh coriander
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced

Put a large non-stick frying pan or wok over a high heat and drizzle a good amount of oil into the base. Throw in the dried red chillies and toast in the oil until they swell up. Lower the heat, add the garlic and toast till it turns a deep golden brown.

Pour in the tin of cream of tomato soup, add the salt, brown sauce and Art Masala mix and cook till the liquid thickens and is reduced by half. 

Add the red onions, red peppers, tinned potatoes and cooked chicken and stir in the sauce on a really high heat until everything is coated in the sauce and catching on the base of the pan. 

Take off the heat and stir in the spinach until just wilted. Serve the curry immediately with the coriander and spring onions sprinkled over.

Nadiya says: You can make this veggie by taking out the chicken and adding the same amount of whatever veg you fancy.

Olly’s wine pairing: Just right for Jalfrezi

Yalumba Organic Viognier 2022 (13%) £10.99 (reduced to £7.99 until 26 September) 

Waitrose Viognier is great with the Saag Aloo Chicken Jalfrezi thanks to its mellow fruitiness, and this is a peach of an offer. 

Olly’s wine pairing: Marvellous with meat 

Irresistible Pais 2022 (13.5%) £8.50, Co-op

Sourced from vines that are more than a century old, this vibrant Chilean red is on the lighter side with a satisfying smoky twist to match with beef or lamb curries. Decant for maximum impact.

BROWN DAAL

Daal, otherwise known as lentils, cooked gently for sustenance and comfort, is an absolute staple in our home and one of the first dishes I learnt to cook. There are so many variations, but I am sharing with you my fastest, yet still delicious, lentils.

SERVES 4

Prep 4 minutes Cook 55 minutes

For the daal

  • 2 x 400g tins of brown lentils
  • 1ltr (1¾pt) cold water
  • 100g (3½oz) hot lime pickle
  • 1tsp salt
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1tsp ground turmeric
  • For the tarka
  • 100g (3½oz) unsalted butter
  • 8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 6 large dried chillies
  • 2tsp ground cumin

To serve

  • A large handful of finely chopped fresh coriander

For the daal, start by having a large stock pot or dish at the ready.

Drain the brown lentils and rinse through a colander till the water runs clear and there are no bubbles or foam left from the brining liquid.

Put the lentils in the pan along with the cold water, the hot lime pickle, salt, bay leaves and turmeric. Mix through and pop onto the hob to heat.

Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes till the mixture has thickened. Make sure to stir occasionally, adjusting the heat as needed.

Now for the tarka. Put a frying pan over a high heat and put in the unsalted butter. Gently melt the butter till liquid. Over a medium heat, add the thinly sliced garlic and fry till golden.

Add the onion and chillies and cook till golden brown and the chillies have plumped up in the heat of the butter and are crispy-looking.

Take the tarka off the heat and add the ground cumin. Mix in well and toss the whole mixture into the lentils – you should get a sizzle as it drops in.

Mix well and serve with chopped fresh coriander.

Nadiya says: For when you run out of onions, stock up on crispy fried onions. They’re a great topping, but also work in cooking once rehydrated.

  • Nadiya’s Simple Spices by Nadiya Hussain is published by Penguin Michael Joseph at £26 © Nadiya Hussain 2023. To order a copy for £22.10 go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25. Promotional price valid until 08/10/23. Photography: © Chris Terry. Nadiya’s Simple Spices airs on Wednesday 27 September on BBC2.

OLLY SMITH: Our Bubbly drinks expert 

PERFECTION WITH PRAWNS: Extra Special Gavi 2022 (12.5%) £9.25, Asda


MARVELLOUS WITH MEAT: Irresistible Pais 2022 (13.5%) £8.50, Co-op (right)JUST RIGHT FOR JALFREZI:  Yalumba Organic Viognier 2022 (13%) £10.99 (reduced to £7.99 until 26 September) (right) 

CAULIFLOWER CRACKER: Extra Special Gavi 2022 (12.5%) £9.25, Asda

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