ADD a little SPICE

Sumayya Usmani fuses the cooking traditions and essence of the Pakistani kitchen with flavour-forward recipes from her childhood

CHICKEN KORMA
SERVES 6-8

1 Combine chicken with yoghurt, ginger, garlic, chilli powder and salt. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.

2 Put onions in a small blender with a couple of tablespoons of water and grind to a paste.

3 Put saffron into a small bowl with an ice cube and leave to melt and infuse while you cook.

4 Heat ghee or oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and bay leaves. Stir for 30 seconds then add onion paste and 4 tablespoons water. Cook until paste is shiny and thick.

5 Add chicken with its marinade and stir well. Turn heat up to high and cook until yoghurt thickens and dries up, then add about 5 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

6 Next, add ground cumin and coriander, turn heat up to high and fry, stirring, until oil rises to the top. Stir in saffron water and nutmeg, then reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for a minute or so.

7 To finish, turn off heat and add extra yoghurt but don't stir it through. Garnish with coriander, green chilli and ginger strips, then serve immediately.

SHAMI KEBABS
SERVES 6-8

1 Make chutney by blending all ingredients in a blender.

2 Soak chana daal in water for 30 minutes. Place all remaining kebab mixture ingredients in a large saucepan. Add 450ml water or more to just cover everything. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, for 30-40 minutes until mixture is dry.