a skint 'takeaway' no 1: masala lamb cutlets, tarka dal + naan

_Although it pained him to do so, Huey, AKA @BambuniNunhead, pointed out to me the other day that my photos are a bag of shite. He's right of course. I can't even blame the camera, cheap though it is. I just haven't got a scooby. So I'm sorry if the one above lacks the 'wow' factor. Because 'wow' is definitely what is called for here.

This is kind of my default takeaway order but, especially as any order for free home delivery usually has to hit the £12-£14 mark, it's something of a rare treat. So I thought I'd make it at home.

I made the dal and marinaded the cutlets the night before I ate and the naan dough at noon on the day. Of course, you could always just buy the naan's if you haven't got time, but they wouldn't be as nice.

cost

_The ingredients I had to buy specifically for this meal were: lamb cutlets, fresh yeast, ginger garlic paste, green chilli paste, coriander, turmeric, lime, onion, tomato, chillies, ginger and garam masala - the rest I already had.

I bought the eight lamb cutlets from United Meats, the yeast from Ayres and the rest from Khan's. The total cost was £10.50 (Khan's, with patrician disdain, threw in the pathetic bag of two chillies and the one tiny lime for nothing). The lamb cutlets cost £4. The same day, a rack of six cutlets from William Rose was £9 - three times as expensive. I know what you're going to say, but I like United Meats and their lamb is very tasty. Incidentally, they have a Southwark Scores on the Doors rating of 4/5. William Rose have 5/5 but their East Dulwich Grove branch has only 1/5. As does East Dulwich Deli.

If you removed the £3.96 cost of the pastes and spices, which will be in the cupboard for a goodly while now, and added in the price of the flour, yoghurt and eggs, the cost of this for two people would be almost exactly a tenner - much cheaper than picking up the phone and laying out £24 or so. Add £1 for DVD rental from Peckham library and you're hot to trot.

masala lamb cutlets

_Different recipes call for different methods of cooking the cutlets - some favour griddling over a fairly high heat, some a slower cooking in a frying pan and some suggest an oven method. I wanted the charring you get from a griddle, so that's the route I went. There isn't much chilli heat to these (though there is enough for me in the dal), just that from the green chilli paste; so if you're a chilli-hound you may want to add some.

serves 2
8-10 lamb cutlets
3 tbsps plain/greek yoghurt
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 
1 tbsp green chilli paste
1 tsp coriander powder 
½ tsp ground cumin 
a pinch of ground cloves
a handful of fresh coriander, chopped
½ lime, juiced
a pinch of salt
vegetable oil
2 quarters of a lime

Mix everything together, except the lamb, oil and the second ½ lime, in a large bowl. Add the cutlets, making sure each one is well coated. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge for 4-24 hours. Remove from the fridge an hour before cooking. Drizzle a little oil over the top of the cutlets and place them that side down on a smoking hot griddle/frying pan. Grill the cutlets for 3-4 minutes, drizzle some more oil over and flip. Cook for 3-4 minutes more. This should get you a charred exterior, but with a little pink in the middle still. You may prefer to cook them a minute or two longer. Serve with the lime quarters.

tarka dal

_This is a recipe from Anjum Anand, adapted slightly and the amounts altered to serve two people. It was absolutely delicious.

serves 2
125g chana dal (dried yellow split peas)
500ml water
2 dsps vegetable oil
1 dsp cumin seeds
½ onion, thinly sliced (original recipe specifies chopped - up to you)
2 whole green chillies, pricked with a knife
10ml piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into very thin strips
2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
1 tomato, chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
salt + black pepper
a handful of coriander leaves, chopped

Put the lentils and water in a pan, stir well and bring to the boil. Skim off the froth that comes to the surface. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

Remove the pan from the heat, drain off about 100ml of liquid - to use as necessary later - and beat with a wooden spoon to break down the lentils. Allow the mixture to cool.

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, and fry for 30 seconds or so. Add the onion, chillies and ginger, and fry until golden brown.

Blitz the garlic and tomatoes in a processor (I've got one of those little mini ones). Add the purée to the pan, and stir. Add the turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and a splash of the dal liquid and stir again. Season to taste, cover with a lid, slightly askew, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add the cooked lentils to the sauce, and stir well, adding more dal liquid as necessary to loosen the mixture. Bring to a boil and check for seasoning. Stir in the chopped coriander just before serving.

stove top naan bread

_
This recipe is from the website of The Curry Guy (there's a video there of yer man making one, which I found useful) and makes, I guess, about 16 frying pan-sized breads. I made the full amount, cooked four naan's on the night and put the dough I didn't use in the freezer in individual portions (not sure how that will turn out, but I do it with pizza dough so...). Next time I'll make a third of the amount and see how that works out.

300ml milk
50g fresh yeast
2 tbsps sugar
a scant 1 tbsp salt
900g plain white flour
2 tbsps baking powder
300ml plain greek yoghurt
3 eggs
extra flour for dusting
3 tbsps melted butter

Heat the milk in a jug in the microwave or on the hob until it is hand hot. Crumble in the fresh yeast, sugar and salt and whisk it all together. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for about 20 minutes. Now sift the flour into a large bowl and add the baking powder. Lightly beat the eggs and yoghurt and add to the flour.

When the yeast/milk mixture has bubbled up, pour it into the bowl and mix everything to combine. At this point it will be quite wet and sticky. Dump it onto a floured work surface and knead for about ten minutes, sprinkling more flour on the dough and your hands as necessary, until you have a soft and still slightly sticky dough ball.

Place the naan dough back  in the bowl and allow to rise for at least one hour and up to 24 hours. The longer the better.

When you're ready, heat a dry frying pan over a high heat. Tear off a chunk of dough about the size of a tennis ball. Roll the dough out into a flat circular disc that is nice and thin and will fit into your pan. Place onto the hot pan.

The naan will begin to cook on the underside and then bubble on the top. Check the bottom regularly to ensure it doesn’t burn. If it begins to get too dark, turn the naan over to get a bit of colour on the top. Spoon a little melted butter over the bubbly top of the naan.

Each naan should take you no more than a couple of minutes to make. Keep them warm while making the next by wrapping loosely in tin foil and placing in a very low oven.