Enjoy a lighter taste of Indian food with these low-cal dishes from Reza Mahammad
Spicy beef salad
Serves: 2-3
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
For the salad
- 2tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1tbsp soft dark brown sugar
- 370g rump steak
- 1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1 tomato, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 6 radishes, thinly sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 1tbsp vegetable oil
- 50g pomegranate seeds (optional but lovely)
For the dressing
- 2tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
- Juice of 2 limes, plus finely grated zest of 1
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced
- 2tsp fish sauce
- 1 sprig of mint, leaves shredded
Mix together the soy sauce and brown sugar and pour over the steak. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes. In the meantime, mix together all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together all the vegetables and herbs for the salad and set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan until hot but not smoking. Shake off any excess marinade from the steak and sear it for 2-3 minutes on each side. It will be rare to medium-rare, cook for longer if you like. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Cut the beef into thin slices and place in a bowl. Add a few spoons of dressing and toss. Fold in all the salad ingredients, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, if using, and fold in more dressing.
Serve immediately, with extra dressing on the side.
Nutritional Information: 242 calories 9g fat
Scallops with coconut and ginger
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
For the scallops
- 1tsp coriander seeds
- ½tsp cumin seeds
- 1tsp chilli flakes
- 500g king scallops
- 1tbsp vegetable oil
- 1tsp sea salt
For the sauce
- 2tbsp coconut or vegetable oil
- 10 curry leaves
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, grated
- 4 green chillies, slit lengthways
- ½tsp turmeric
- 500ml coconut milk
- 1tsp salt
- 25g caster sugar
Place the coriander and cumin seeds in a dry frying pan and toast until golden and wonderfully fragrant. Remove to a mortar and crush them with a pestle. Set aside.
Next, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the curry leaves, onion, ginger and green chillies. Cook and stir until the onion is soft, then add the turmeric followed by the coconut milk, salt and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce turns glossy and thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Keep warm.
Mix together the ground, toasted coriander, cumin seeds and the chilli flakes and coat the scallops to give an even crust. Heat 1tbsp oil in a large frying pan, then add the scallops. Sear for 1 minute each side until golden, sprinkle salt on each and remove from the pan. Serve with the sauce. These would be lovely served on top of a mound of spinach.
Nutritional Information: 485 calories 32g fat
- Recipes from Reza’s Indian Spice by Reza Mahammad (Quadrille, £17.99). Fabulous readers can buy Reza’s Indian Spice at the special price of £12.99 with free P&P. To order, please call direct on 01256 302699 quoting reference 7EJ. Offer is available until September 10, 2012.
