Fancy rounding out the weekend with a big delicious Indian feast? We do - it normally does wonders for clearing the last cobwebs of that monster hangover. This week however, instead of spanking a whopping £20 quid on a delivery curry that'll show up cold and greasy, put thoughts of curry to the back of your mind and take a look at some other Indian inspired dishes that are A) healthier and B) cheaper - 'cos you're going to make them yourself. Anjum Anand is the chef behind BBC's Indian Food Made Easy and she's on a mission to bring Indian food up-to-date in her new book *Anjum's Quick & East Indian. *Here's one of our favourite recipes from her book.
One-pot meatballs, eggs and spiced tomatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the tomatoes and eggs
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 fat garlic cloves, grated
1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
1⁄4 tsp turmeric
3 large ripe tomatoes (about 450g), chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
good pinch of caster sugar
4 eggs
handful of chopped coriander
leaves, to serve
For the meatballs
250g minced lamb
15g chopped coriander leaves
and stalks
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
10g root ginger, peeled weight,
finely chopped
1⁄2 tsp garam masala
1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
Method
Start with the tomato sauce. Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan that has a lid, add the onion and cook until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the cumin and turmeric and stir for 20 seconds before adding the tomatoes, some salt and pepper and the sugar along with 50ml of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15–20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are cooked. Taste, it should taste harmonious. Adjust the seasoning.
Meanwhile, mix together all the ingredients for the meatballs, seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into balls slightly smaller than a walnut. Add them to the pan, cover and simmer for another 16–18 minutes, turning halfway.
Uncover the pan, adding a little water if it is looking dry. Make four little indents in the sauce and crack the eggs into them. Cover and simmer for another four to five minutes, or until the eggs are done to your liking. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve with a sprinkling of coriander on top.
ANJUM’S QUICK & EASY INDIAN by ANJUM ANAND, published by Quadrille (£18.99)
Photos ©LISA LINDER
Follow Jess on Twitter @jess_commons
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.