Meat Free Mowgli: Simple & Delicious Plant-Based Indian Meals

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Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes to brown the veg slightly and take on the spicy kimchi flavours. Serve sprinkled with the toasted seeds, chopped coriander and lime wedges on the side.

Heat the sesame oil in a wok over a high heat, add the cooked rice, the radishes and pak choi and toss for 2–3 minutes, then add the kimchi. We bring a selection of exciting competition opportunities to our readers online and hope you enjoy getting involved. Coffee: sometimes I want to cry when I smell a good bag of ground coffee. It reaches into my heart; coffee is my absolute drug.Use a sharp knife to make deep cuts in the entire surface of the cauliflower. Add the cauliflower to the marinade and use your hands to rub the marinade all over. Cover, then leave to marinate in the refrigerator overnight. I worked as a barrister on domestic violence for 20 years and the mantra of abusers was: “I shout because I care. I shout because I’m a perfectionist.” And that’s the mantra in many professional kitchens. There is nothing attractive about that. I rail against that “Yes, Chef!” military discipline. It’s pernicious and it needs to change.

Add the vinegar, sugar, bay and spices. Stir well to dissolve the salt. Cover the pan and leave for as much time as you have available, ideally 4–6 hours. The longer you pre-salt the cauli florets for, the more tender they will be when you grill them. L’Enclume up in the Lake District, that’s a real treat. There are very few Michelin-star places where I necessarily remember the things that I’ve eaten, but Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume is the dream. Place the cauliflower on the baking sheet and roast it in the oven for 45 minutes–1 hour, or until cooked through. A sharp knife or skewer should easily go all the way through the cauliflower with no resistance. If I’ve got happy chefs, you taste it in the food. If you’ve got happy servers, you see it in the service. At Mowgli, if you get a dog, you get “pupternity leave”, a full week of completely flexible working. You have a day off for your child’s first day of school, you have your birthday off. We send 40 to 50 members of our team to India every year: we pay them to live in villages and help with female entrepreneurship and sustainability projects. As a result, we’ve got 700 jobs and only four vacancies. F ruity, nutty, creamy, sunshiny delight, this dish is a real lift to the senses. Make sure you get large, ripe mangoes for optimum flavour. It is easily doubled to serve four.”Nisha Katona MBE is the creator of the much-loved Mowgli restaurant chain. She can regularly be found sharing her passion for simple, honest cookery on the TV and radio; including BBC’s Great British Menu and Saturday Kitchen; ITV’s This Morning; and an expert panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Kitchen Cabinet.

Add the chopped ginger, garlic and green chilli, cook for 2–3 minutes, then add the ground spices, chilli powder, salt and sugar. Meat Free Mowgil also has a section called The Mowgli Spice Box where Nisha has put together a list of key spices that bring instant, bold flavour to dishes. These Mowgil spices are used in the various recipes in this cookbook, and Nisha has explained how to use them and when to add them to dishes to maximise flavours. You’ll come across all the Mowgil spices you’d expect to find in Indian cuisine like cumin seeds, cardamom and ground coriander, but there are also less common spices like amchur (dried green mango powder) and asafoetida (a gum from a variety of giant fennel). Arrange the marinated squash over a large baking sheet or roasting pan, then roast for 25–30 minutes, or until cooked through, stirring every 10 minutes to ensure even roasting. Serve garnished with lemon juice and coriander

In a large mixing bowl combine the semolina, flour, soda water and salt. Mix until it forms a stiff dough, then knead well for 5 minutes. Rest under a damp cloth for 15 minutes.

When hot add the fenugreek and fry until the nuggets turn a dark brown. Add the drained potatoes and fry, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and crisp. Take your chapati and spoon on the Mowgli chutney, then carefully slide the cooked omelette out of the pan and on top of the chapati. Roll tightly, slice in half at an angle and serve immediately. This is a typical Bengali dessert. Baked yogurt is gently sweetened with a light tang and has a firm texture rather like cheesecake. For a pretty pink colour, try to find a genuine Indian rose syrup (in the Asian aisles of supermarkets or in Indian grocers). Other rose syrups will not give such a depth of colour, but will still taste wonderful. You can either make this in a large dish or in individual dishes. Either way, it is the perfect dessert for entertaining as it can be made ahead of time and is super easy.” Add all the ingredients, except the cauliflower, to a large mixing bowl. Mix well and taste for seasoning. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, wide pan that has a lid over a medium heat. When hot, add the cinnamon and stir for 30 seconds, or until fragrant, then add the red onion. Cook for 4–5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and ginger paste and cook for a further minute. Add the chopped aubergine and potato with the salt and stir together before adding the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, spices and the sugar. Cover with the pan lid and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften.

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This is a typical Bengali dessert. Baked yogurt is gently sweetened with a light tang and has a firm texture rather like cheesecake. For a pretty pink colour, try to find a genuine Indian rose syrup (in the Asian aisles of supermarkets or in Indian grocers). Other rose syrups will not give such a depth of colour, but will still taste wonderful. You can either make this in a large dish or in individual dishes. Either way, it is the perfect dessert for entertaining as it can be made ahead of time and is super easy. This is a vegetarian take on the classic Parsi dish of meat (usually mutton) cooked in a lentil and vegetable base, known as dhansak. The Parsi community originally migrated from Persia to India, settling on the coast of Gujarat. Their cuisine still heavily reflects their ancient Persian origins. Hearty and comforting, a good dhansak should be spicy, tangy and a little sweet. Here, aubergine/eggplant replaces the traditional mutton and soaks up the flavours of the sauce just as beautifully. It can easily be eaten on its own or with some chapatis and brown rice. A simple kachumber (onion and cucumber salad) makes a perfect side dish.