Course Introduction

Welcome to Anjula Devi’s specialised course on Indian cuisine. Anjula will demystify cooking Indian food at home by taking you through all the fundamentals. These include using spices – essential to Indian cuisine – making a flavourful tomato sauce, cooking onions properly and mastering side dishes. The course has been designed to make cooking Indian food quick and easy. Many people think Indian cuisine is intimidating, time-consuming, and complex, but you will be cooking delicious Indian cuisine every week by the end of this course.

My Chef Story

A respected food writer and author, Anjula started cooking with her father at the age of eight. Since then, she has become an author, launched her cookery school, and created a range of authentic Indian recipes for Manchester United. Anjula’s mission is to pass on this wealth of accumulated knowledge and promote authentic Indian food using fresh produce and balanced spicing to create delicious and nutritious meals.

Lesson One: Masala Dabba

Spices are at the heart of Indian cuisine. So if you’re interested in cooking Indian food, a Masala Dabba is essential! This is a tin that contains seven key spices. In this episode, Anjula shows you her must-have spices that she keeps in her Masala Dabba and teaches you how they work together so that you can create authentic-tasting Indian cuisine at home.

Lesson Two: Preparing in advance (foundations for Indian cuisine)

This episode is the foundation of the whole course. Here, Anjula shows you the fundamentals of bulk cooking onions and tomatoes – key ingredients in Indian cuisine – and how to prepare ginger, garlic, and chilli in advance. Using this knowledge and preparation, you will be able to create wonderful Indian dishes in under 15 minutes.

Lesson Three: Indian Spiced Greens With An Easy Garlic Flatbread

Using the Masala Dabba (spice tin) and the ingredients prepared in advance in the previous episode, Anjula shows you how to create Indian Spiced Greens with a garlic flatbread quickly. This is a great, tasty, vegetarian meal, which can be made in minutes, perfect for a midweek meal after a busy day at work.

Lesson Four: Bashed Bombay Potatoes

Cooking vegetables well is at the heart of Indian cuisine. Here Anjula shows you how to make Bombay Aloo – also known as Bombay Potatoes. The humble spud takes on a new deliciousness with this quick recipe, where the potatoes are delicately spiced to a tasty effect. This classic recipe makes a beautiful dish to serve as part of an Indian feast or vegetarian main.

Lesson Five: Maa Ki Daal

Maa Ki Daal or Mother’s Lentils is a traditional lentil dish. The story is that mothers in India would wake at dawn to put the lentils to simmer on a fire where they cooked all day gently. Then, in the evening, the family will be greeted with a comforting, nourishing dish. Made from black and yellow lentils, it has a velvety texture and deep, delicious flavour.

Lesson Six: Paratha

The paratha is a traditional, much-loved, Indian, layered flatbread with an appealing flaky texture, enjoyed in India for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In this episode, you will learn how to make paratha dough and then roll, shape and fry parathas. These go well with any of the dishes on this course and can be enjoyed with an indulgent smear of chocolate spread!

Lesson Seven: Onion and Spinach Pakoras

Pakoras are a traditional Indian spiced fritter sold by street vendors in India and served as an appetiser worldwide. Anjula’s technique shows you how to achieve an extraordinarily light and crispy pakora packed with flavour. Once again, the recipe is quick, easy and highly effective!

Lesson Eight: Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken)

Murgh Makhani – or Butter Chicken – is a much-loved Indian restaurant classic. Learn how to make this appealing chicken dish yourself. The results are creamy, aromatic and full of flavour. It also goes beautifully with cumin rice, a recipe Anjula demonstrates in the next episode!

Lesson Nine: Cumin Rice

Using aromatic spices to flavour dishes is at the heart of Indian cuisine. Learn how to transform plain rice into a beautifully fragrant dish by adding spices, onion, and garlic. Rich and tasty, Cumin Rice is a beautiful accompaniment to other Indian dishes such as Murgh Makhani or Saag Aloo.

Lesson Ten: Saag Aloo & Makki Di Rotti

In this episode, you will learn to make Saag Aloo, a traditional Indian vegetarian recipe combining spinach and potatoes. Anjula will also show you how to make a classic accompaniment: Makki Di Roti, an unleavened flatbread made from cornmeal. Both dishes are nutritious and packed full of flavour!

Lesson Eleven: Indian Style Risotto

In this episode, Anjula shows you how to make her own dish, an aromatic Indian style risotto flavoured with spices, garlic and ginger and made with al-dente vegetables. This tasty and nutritious vegetable dish is a warm, colourful and satisfying recipe that everyone will enjoy.

Lesson Twelve: Garlic and Peshwari Naan

Learn the secrets of how to make your own naan breads. These light-textured Indian flatbreads are the perfect accompaniment to any of the dishes on the course. Anjula will show you both how to make a glorious garlic naan with a buttery finish and – that popular restaurant classic – a Peshwari naan filled with desiccated coconut, sultanas or raisins, and almonds.

Lesson Thirteen: Samosas

Who doesn’t love a samosa?! In this episode, you will learn how to make, roll and fold samosa pastry and then pack them with three different fillings: lamb with pea, paneer with pea and potato with pea. The results are crisp, savoury and irresistible! Your family and friends will be very grateful you’ve acquired this skill!