HARD POTATOES

My perennial problem - from Avial to Aloo Gobi - is making sure the potato is cooked sufficiently. They always turn out slightly hard for me. What can I do? Also, have you any recipes that use whey? Thanks so much!

Dermot Canniffe, Galway, Ireland

Anjum responds: It is really gratifying to know people are actually cooking and enjoying my recipes. I love Avial and find it is a filling and satisfying way to eat our vegetables.

Potatoes do take some time to cook but there is no reason for them to remain hard. I am sure if you allowed them to cook a little longer they would have turned out fine. Covering the pan with a lid will retain heat and moisture and will help the potatoes cook a little quicker. That and a little patience should do the trick but if you are still not getting there then simply cut the potato into smaller pieces. Aloo gobi is a popular potato and cauliflower dish and one of my favourites. When I make it I cut the cauliflower into large florets and the potatoes into long wedges which allows them to cook in the same amount of time.

I don’t have any recipes as such for whey but in Indian homes we would use whey to make roti dough instead of water and likewise added it to dishes as a substitute for water, such as a lentil curry, as it was considered quite nutritious.

KULFI

I absolutely love Kulfi and have made it a couple of times, but it is so time-consuming. You mentioned on the programme that you bought it so can you let me know from where please?

Linda Paige, London, England

Anjum responds: Kulfi is easy to make but does require a rainy day and some free time to make the effort. I did find these tubs in an Indian supermarket and they were excellent but I am wracking my brains trying to remember the name of the brand. If I do find it I will post it on my website: www.anjumanand.co.uk as soon as I do.

The restaurant I went to taste the kulfi, in the second episode, was called La Porte des Indes and is situated on Bryanston Street, W1 in London.

GINGER AND GARLIC PASTE

Can fresh garlic and ginger be used in lieu of garlic paste / ginger paste?

John Durrant, Los Angeles, USA

Anjum responds: I always use fresh ginger and garlic and use a microplane grater to make a paste from them.

INDIAN SCRAMBLED EGGS

The episode with the "indian" omelette! come on seriously, how do you call that indian...the fact that corriander was bunged into it doesnt make food "Indian"!

S Rai, London

Anjum responds: In the North of India and indeed the Parsi people often make their eggs this way. It is not me who is calling this dish Indian, this genuinely is the way they eat their scrambled eggs and I for one love them made this way and as such am really happy to include it in the show and my book. It is delicious, for those of you who like eggs, give it a try.

FUSION FOOD

At the end of the day, people might like to watch cooking programmes but it doesn't necessarily mean that they'll all start rustling up a curry every week just because of an attractive presenter who is peddling fusion rather than traditional cuisine. But good luck to her, everyone gets their 15 seconds of fame.

Jaz, Birmingham

Anjum responds: For those who are saying my food is fusion, they are not watching properly. In the first few episodes there is tandoori food served in wraps with green chutney which are my take on kathi rolls normally made with romali rotis, something few of us will bother to make. I make handvo (a typical Gujerati dish but using local vegetables). I have made lamb burgers which are a simplified version of kebabs and on this side of the world, the former are eaten more often than the latter, fresh paneer and tandoori paneer, easy pan-fried malpoa, aloo tuk (a Sindhi way of eating potatoes). In the third episode there is Bengali cholar dal, okra, Avial from South India, Shrikand and much more. And, yes, there is the crumbed spicy chicken which I did invent, is really delicious, and I am very proud of. Those who cook are always experimenting and this is their artistic license and nothing to be ashamed of.

The Modupuri mystery

I'm not a big fan of Indian food because I can't stand spicy food. I usually run away from Indian restaurants. However, occasionally, I find a wonderful Indian restaurant, like one in South Gloucestershire, called Tamarind. They make a Chicken Modupuri, which is beautiful, because is not spicy at all. Have you ever heard of this dish, and if so, could you give me the recipe? Everytime I eat it I try to work out the recipe, but it's a bit hard...

Karin Hildinger, Bristol

Anjum responds: The Modupuri is a mystery to me - I have never heard of this curry. It is quite normal for Indian restaurants to make up names to go with their own concocted dishes. I am happy to recommend you a recipe that is similar but I would need to understand the basic character of the dish first. If any readers can help with the Modupuri mystery please post a comment.

Frying onions

Fried onions are the most important ingredient of Indian cooking. Is there any way one can fry onions in very little oil?

Almitra Tachakra, London

Anjum responds: Unfortunately there is no getting away from the fantastic flavour of fried onions, however we can minimise the oil in two ways. Firstly, you can cook the onions in a small non-stick frying pan in just one tablespoon of oil over a low flame, covered but stirred every now and again; it will take longer than when using more oil but will come out fine. Secondly, you can use more oil but once the onions are cooked they will release the oil back into the pan; you can then drain the oil out of the pan using a small strainer and place the cooked onions back into the pan without the extra oil.

Tomato allergy

I am a second-generation Indian and love eating Indian food. However, I have just discovered I am allergic to tomatoes. What alternatives are there for when I'm cooking a curry or any dish which requires tomato paste or puree as so many indian dishes do?

Alia, London

Anjum responds: Sorry to hear of your tomato allergy, it must be difficult what with tomatoes being such a big part of many cuisines. However, in Indian food tomatoes are not used throughout the country as they do not grow everywhere. Many dishes use yoghurt as their base and are creamy to boot; cook on a low heat. You can check out my yoghurt chicken, chicken korma, Himalayan Lamb and many of the fish dishes in my new book, Indian Food Made Easy which is published in August. Also my website should be up and running in a few weeks where I will post more recipes. Other than that, the South uses tamarind as a souring agent along with coconut milk for the base of their curries and I absolutely love them.

Semolina cake

I saw your programme and was absolutely thrilled to see how to cook indian food properly. I'm pleased to see that I'm not doing too badly and I love cooking indian food - it's so quick and easy (in my opinion). However, your polenta loaf cake with peas and beans - please could you post up the recipe as I'm keen to make this for my boyfriend. Best of luck with the show - I'll be buying your book without a doubt.

Hannah Davies, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Anjum responds: Hi, I'm so glad you like the semolina cake, it is one of my tea-time favourites and is absolutely delicious and so easy to make. You can find the recipe on the BBC website.

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