Rick Bartram

A crisp, irregular onion fritter became a curry-house staple because it is inexpensive, quick to portion and ideal for sharing.

Ingredients

• 300 g (10½ oz) onions, very thinly sliced
• 120 g (4¼ oz) gram flour (chickpea flour)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 80–100 ml (2¾–3½ fl oz) water, as needed
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• Neutral vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Method

1. Separate the onion slices into a bowl. Add the gram flour, spices, baking powder, salt and coriander.
2. Add the water a little at a time, mixing with your hands. The mixture should cling to the onions rather than form a pourable batter.
3. Heat the oil to 175°C (350°F). Drop in rough walnut-sized clusters and fry in batches for 3–4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp.
4. Drain on a rack or kitchen paper and serve immediately.

Cook's note. Let the onions sit in the mixture for a minute or two before frying so their moisture starts to hydrate the flour. Don't crowd the pan: a crowded fryer loses heat and makes greasy bhajis. Serve with mint sauce, tamarind chutney or the pickle tray.

One of Britain's most famous hybrid dishes. Glasgow's Shish Mahal and several other restaurants claim to have invented it. This is the creamy tomato version most curry-house diners know.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp ghee or butter
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp curry-house spice mix
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sugar
• 500 ml (17 fl oz) curry-house base gravy
• 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) cooked chicken tikka pieces
• 100 ml (3½ fl oz) double cream
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, crushed
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander

Method

1. Heat the ghee and fry the ginger-garlic paste for 30 seconds. Add the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the paprika, spice mix, cumin and sugar and fry for 20 seconds.
3. Add the base gravy and simmer briskly for 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken tikka and simmer for 3–4 minutes.
5. Lower the heat, stir in the cream and fenugreek, then finish with coriander.

From the book. The base gravy, spice mix, ginger-garlic paste and tandoor-style chicken tikka each have their own recipe in Part Two of the book.

Bean soup has been on the menu of the U.S. Senate restaurant every day for more than a century. This older version is thickened with mashed potato, and a smoked ham hock gives it its deep flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) dried navy beans, picked over and rinsed
• 1 large smoked ham hock (about 1 lb / 450 g)
• 3 quarts (2.8 L) water
• 2 tbsp (30 g) butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup (225 g) plain mashed potatoes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain and rinse.
2. Put the beans and ham hock in a large Dutch oven with the water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 1½–2 hours, until the beans are tender.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet and cook the onion for 6–8 minutes, until soft.
4. Lift out the ham hock, pull the meat from the bone and chop it. Return the meat to the pot with the onion.
5. Whisk in the mashed potatoes until the broth turns velvety. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then season with pepper, and with salt only if it needs it.

Cook's note. The Senate kitchen's modern recipe leaves out the potato. For a clearer, lighter soup, leave it out too. The ham hock is salty, so taste before salting.

The Lowcountry's New Year's dish, eaten for luck in the year ahead. Black-eyed peas are cooked with smoky bacon and then with rice, so every grain stays separate.

Ingredients

• 8 oz (225 g) dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight (optional)
• 4 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 4 cups (950 ml) chicken stock
• 1 cup (200 g) long-grain white rice
• Salt and cayenne pepper

Method

1. Fry the bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat for about 6 minutes, until crisp. Add the onion, pepper and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme for 1 minute.
2. Add the peas and stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 40–45 minutes (an hour if unsoaked), until tender.
3. You need about 2 cups (475 ml) of liquid left to cook the rice; add water if needed. Stir in the rice, cover tightly and cook on low for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
4. Rest off the heat, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and season with salt and cayenne.

Cook's note. For the full New Year's table, serve with collard greens (for money) and cornbread (for gold).

A generous splash of red colouring turned plain vanilla custard a fierce neon pink. It defied nature, it delighted children, and it became the defining memory of a generation.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp custard powder (such as Bird's)
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 850 ml / 1½ pints whole milk
• A few drops pink or red food colouring (leave out for yellow custard)

Method

1. Whisk the custard powder, sugar and 3–4 tablespoons of the cold milk into a smooth paste. Stir in the colouring if making pink custard.
2. Bring the rest of the milk to a gentle simmer. Pour in the paste, whisking constantly, and bring back to the boil as it thickens. Simmer for 1 minute until glossy.

Drowning or a lake? For the true hatch experience, let the custard stand for a few minutes so a skin forms, then pour it over the pudding (drowning) or around it (a lake).

Thick slices of tinned luncheon meat dipped in batter and fried until puffed and golden. A wartime ration standby that stayed on the canteen menu for decades, nearly always with baked beans and chips.

Ingredients

• 1 × 340 g / 12 oz tin Spam or pork luncheon meat
• 115 g / 4 oz self-raising flour, plus 1 tbsp for dusting
• Pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• 150 ml / ¼ pint cold milk
• Vegetable oil for shallow frying
• To serve: baked beans, chips or mash

Method

1. Whisk the flour, salt, egg and milk into a smooth, thick batter that coats the back of a spoon. Rest for 10 minutes.
2. Cut the meat into 8 slices about 1 cm thick. Pat them dry and dust with flour so the batter clings.
3. Heat 1 cm of oil in a large frying pan to 180°C / 350°F, until a drop of batter sizzles straight away.
4. Dip the slices in the batter, let the excess drip off, and fry for 2–3 minutes a side until puffed and golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
5. Serve hot with beans and chips.