Romy Gill’s cookbook is for those looking for a refreshing take on Indian cooking

Published by Hardie Grant Books, Romy Gill’s India is about her journey both as a chef and as a food and travel writer. It began the day her parents moved from Punjab to West Bengal, a region in the east of India bordering Bangladesh. Her roots, like those of her parents, are Punjabi, however both Punjab in the north-east of India and West Bengal have had great impact on her personally. The daughter of Punjabis and being brought up in Bengal means that from a young age Gill developed an understanding of and respect for different cultures and their cuisines. Here are some snippets from her newest cookbook Romy Gill’s India.

Kumro

Stir-Fried Spiced Pumpkin

“Although my mum and dad were both amazing cooks, there were times when I craved Bengali food, which they didn’t often cook at home, so I’d head over to see my next-door neighbours and claim my parents hadn’t fed me. They’d happily oblige. They knew what I was doing, of course! They were wonderful people who also cared for us when mum was unwell. Sadly, when I recently visited, I couldn’t find any trace of them. Pumpkins are often abundant and relatively easy to grow in the region’s climate. People would share with their neighbours or the people they knew. The skin of the pumpkin is not peeled, the Bengalis cook with the skin on. It enhances the overall taste and the texture of the dish. I love eating this with poori (fried flatbread).”

Ingredients:

30 ml rapeseed oil, 1 tsp panch phoron, 3 dried red chillies, 1 dried bay leaf, 15 gm ginger root [peeled and grated (shredded)], 500 gm pumpkin [washed, seeds removed, skin on and diced into 2 cm (3/4 in) cubes], 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp granulated or caster (superfine) sugar, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp Bengali garam masala

Method:

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan (skillet). Once the oil is hot, add the panch phoron, dried chillies and bay leaf. As soon as the spices start to sizzle, add the ginger and cook over a high heat for 1 minute. Add the pumpkin and cook for 3–4 minutes. Lower the heat and add the salt, sugar, chilli powder, ground turmeric, coriander and cumin. Mix well, then cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Once cooked, sprinkle over the garam masala and serve with boiled rice or fried poor

Hakka Style Tofu

Spicy Tofu

The Hakka community, like many other communities, are an integral part of the cultural tapestry of Kolkata. Renowned for its unique, bold flavours, Hakka cuisine has made its mark in Kolkata and many other parts of India with restaurants and eateries offering Hakka-style, Manchurian noodles and other dishes that reflect the fusion of Chinese and Indian culinary influences. I have created this favourite dish from my teenage years; when we had saved up enough money, we would buy this spicy tofu served with fried rice from the street-food stalls. This dish marries the subtle richness of tofu with the warm flavours of spices.

Ingredients:

300 gm tofu [diced into 3 cm (1 in) cubes], 4 tsp oil

For the marinade: 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch), 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cumin

For the sauce: 5 tsp sunflower oil, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 4 garlic cloves (peeled and finely chopped), 25 gm ginger root (peeled and finely chopped), 6 green spring onions [(scallions) including the greens, chopped], 150 gm red onion (peeled and finely chopped) 4 green chillies (chopped), 1 tsp ground black pepper, 8 tsp dark soya sauce, 1 tsp brown sugar, 2 tsp tomato ketchup, 2 tsp cornflour [(cornstarch) mixed to a paste with 100 ml water]

To serve: Noodles or rice

Method:

To make the marinade, place all the ingredients in a bowl and combine well. Add the tofu and toss in the marinade to thoroughly coat and set aside. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over a high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and, as soon as they start to sizzle, add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the spring onions, red onions and green chillies and cook for 4 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the pepper, soya sauce, sugar and ketchup and cook for a minute more. Add the cornflour and water paste and cook for 4 minutes. Keep stirring with a whisk to ensure the sauce is smooth and not lumpy. While the sauce is cooking, heat the 4 teaspoons of oil in a pan over a medium heat, then add the marinated tofu. Cook for 2–3 minutes to brown the tofu on all sides, then add to the sauce. Cook the tofu in the sauce for 3–4 minutes, then serve hot with noodles or rice.

Narkel Naru

Coconut Balls

“These were not something my parents ever made, but we loved it when our Bengali friends gave them to us during pujas. I’ve been making this recipe, which came from my friend Reshmi’s mum, for my daughters for years, and they love it. You can use desiccated coconut if you wish, but if you can find fresh coconut then do use it—it tastes so much better."

Ingredients

1 medium fresh coconut [broken open and flesh grated (shredded)], around 170 gm desiccated coconut, 100 gm jaggery or brown sugar, 8–10 green cardamom seeds (crushed)

Method

Place the grated (shredded) coconut, jaggery or sugar, and cardamom seeds in a heavy-based pan and cook over a low heat, stirring continuously, until the jaggery or sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes sticky—it should be sticky enough to mould into round balls. If the balls are not holding their shape, continue cooking the mixture until they do, but make sure the mixture doesn’t become too dry otherwise the balls will disintegrate. Once the mixture is the right consistency, remove the pan from the heat and set aside until the mixture is cool enough to handle, then shape it into 12 equal-sized balls. Store the coconut balls in an airtight container to enjoy whenever you fancy.

Image credit: Pexels 

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