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. 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. Environmentalists are calling for us to reduce our meat intake and Indian cuisine, being naturally healthy, flavoursome and meat-free, is fast becoming the go-to cuisine for modern families.

Preheat your grill/broiler. Mix together the grated cheese, ground coriander, ground cumin and fresh coriander and set aside. A sparkle of white flakes on a seared steak in the sun. Silky smooth, buttery potato mashed with smoked sea salt. Salt falling gracefully from your fingertips onto grilled asparagus in chaotic perfection. Every pinch makes a difference to an ingredient and changes the way we eat. 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.”In a large saucepan set over a medium-high heat, add the chopped potatoes, salt and ground turmeric and cover with cold water. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8–10 minutes or until the potatoes become soft but still hold together. Drain well and set aside. Pour 100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup boiling water over the tamarind pulp and leave to soak for a further 15 minutes. Squeeze as much of the liquid as you can from the tamarind and add to the first batch of tamarind water. This makes more tamarind water than you need for this recipe and extra can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Following the success of the Mowgli restaurants, Nisha released a cookbook called ‘ Mowgli Street Food: Stories and Recipes from Mowgli Street Food Restaurant’. Published in 2018, the cookbook features some of her favourite and most successful recipes from the restaurant’s menus, as well as personal stories from Nisha’s journey as a restaurateur.

To make the tamarind water, place the tamarind into a bowl and pour over 250ml/9fl oz/1 cup of boiling water. Leave to soak for 15 minutes. Using a fork mash the tamarind to a pulp, then strain the water into a clean bowl. 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. For the chutney, put all the ingredients except the salt into a blender and pulse until a smooth paste forms. Season with salt to your liking. The chutney will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days Take the dough and divide into 40 equal-size portions. Roll each portion into 4cm/1½ inch circles, then place under a damp cloth and allow to rest for a further 5 minutes. In a large saucepan set over a medium-high heat, add the chopped potatoes, salt and ground turmeric and cover with cold water.Toss the drained potatoes with the chat masala, then add to the tamarind treacle sauce and toss vigorously until fully coated. The potatoes should have a glossy sheen. Nisha is a self-described “ curry evangelist“. Inspired by “how Indians eat at home and on their streets”, she infuses her food with bright flavours and healthy ingredients, to delight tasters. After initially training and working as a barrister Nisha changed careers after identifying a gap in the market for the Mowgli offering and wanted to share her love of everyday Indian cooking with the public. Having first opened in Liverpool in 2014, Mowgli has gone on to enjoy incredible success and critical acclaim and has now grown to 15 restaurants in 8 years, with more to follow. Nisha’s previous books include Pimp My Rice, Mowgli Street Food, The Spice Tree and 30 Minute Mowgli. 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). Meat Free Mowgli– I’m such a fan of Nisha Katona’s recipes, so I was delighted to learn that she has another new book. Meat Free Mowgli was published at the end of last year, but I thought January the perfect time to tell you about it, as so many of us are trying to cut down on our meat consumption – and quite a few are vegetarian already and/or perhaps following Veganuary. As Nisha herself says in the introduction of the book: “Indian food is the perfect go-to cuisine for the modern family who want to eat less meat. And thus, the idea for Meat Free Mowgli was born – a collection of simple, plant-based meals in the Mowgli style we know and love.” And many Indian recipes are vegan anyway, but not necessarily by design. 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

Next, I like to parboil the cauliflower in the brine for 5–10 minutes. Once parboiled, strain the cauli florets in a colander and leave to dry for a few minutes to allow some water to evaporate off, then tip into a bowl and toss with the rapeseed oil and chilli or barbecue salt. 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. If you’ve ever eaten at a Mowgli restaurant, you’ll recognise the signature flavours of the Angry Bird, the House Lamb Curry and the delicious Chat Bombs. This book lets you recreate these iconic dishes at home, where you can impress guests with tempting starters like the Fenugreek Kissed Fries, eat more plant-based dishes like hearty dahls and the Calcutta Tangle Greens, and indulge in a whole range of desserts and drinks like Cardamom Custard Tart to a Sweet Delhi Diazepam.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. Nisha’s turning the samosa on its head and transforming the flavours into a delicious Samosa Tart. It’s super simple - just a ready-rolled sheet of shop-bought puff pastry that Nisha tops with her spiced cauliflower and potato filling for a mouth-watering slice of heaven! Samosa Tart

Meanwhile, in a separate dry frying pan/skillet, toast the remaining panch phoron for 3–4 minutes, or until fragrant. Let cool, then blitz to a fine powder in a spice grinder or small food processor. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8–10 minutes or until the potatoes become soft but still hold together. 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. Place 4 ovenproof ramekins in a baking dish, then carefully divide the yogurt mixture among them. Pour enough boiling water into the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins, then cover the dish tightly with kitchen foil. Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes, or until set, then remove from the oven and let cool.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. The book is organised by ingredient to be as useful as possible, and all the ingredients are easy to source. Once again, Nisha weaves her magic, conjuring up incredible flavours with just a handful of carefully paired ingredients. Chapter by chapter find out: * What to do with Roots * What to do with Beans * What to do with Squashes * What to do with Brassicas & Leafy Greens * What to do with Lentils & Other Grains *What to do with Fruits * What to do with Eggs and Dairy. There is one vegetarian chapter for eggs and dairy products; otherwise the book is fully vegan. No Indian would fry potatoes without first rubbing them with turmeric. Turmeric is a deep earthy flavoured root, ground to make a golden yellow powder. This spice adds to the earthiness of potatoes, which makes them taste sweeter and richer. I add fenugreek as it lifts them to another spicy level. This is how I cook my roast potatoes at home too, but with a sprinkling of brown sugar and garlic purée. Add the chopped ginger, garlic and green chilli, cook for 2–3 minutes, then add the ground spices, chilli powder, salt and sugar. Curry sensation! Join us for an evening with chef, TV presenter, food writer and founder of Mowgli Street Food Restaurants, Nisha Katona MBE, as she talks about her latest cookbook Meat Free Mowgli.