Nisha's thali
Nisha's thali consists of black cardamom rice, mustard cabbage, mango dal and a prawn curry. It will really impress the family or guests!
Ingredients
For the black cardamon rice
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 5 black cardamom pods
- 200g/7oz white basmati rice
For the savoy cabbage
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seed
- ½ savoy cabbage, finely shredded
- 150g/5½oz salted roasted cashews
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp English mustard
- ½ lemon, juice only
- salt, to taste
For the mango dal
- 200g/7oz red lentils
- 1 under-ripe mango, chopped into 2½cm/1inch cubes
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 large green chilli, pierced
- 4 tbsp tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp brown sugar
- ½ lemon, juice only
- handful coriander, chopped
- salt, to taste
For the prawn curry
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp panch phoran
- 1 large pierced green chilli
- 200g/7oz tin chopped tomatoes
- ½ tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- 150-200g/5½-7oz cooked king prawns, peeled
- 200g/7oz frozen peas, thawed
- 2 tsp English mustard
- squeeze of lemon
- handful coriander, chopped
- salt, to taste
Method
To make the rice, heat the oil in a saucepan with a fitted lid. Add the cumin seeds and fry for a couple of minutes, until almost black. Toss in the cardamom pods and fry for a few seconds. Stir in the rice and toss together. Add 400ml/14fl oz water and simmer without a lid until it is almost dry. Place the tight-fitting lid on and switch off the heat and leave for 10 minutes.
To make the cabbage, heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the mustard seeds and fry until they turn grey. Add all the other ingredients, except the lemon, and toss together until the cabbage softens. Add the squeeze of lemon and serve.
To make the dal, bring 5 cups of water to the boil in a saucepan, add the lentils and mango and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until soft.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan and add the cumin seeds. Fry until for a couple of minutes, until almost black. Now add the green chilli for a few seconds, then add the tomato and powdered spices. Fry for a couple of seconds. Tip the spices into the lentils with the sugar, lemon juice, coriander and salt to taste.
To make the prawn curry, heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the panch phoran seeds for a few seconds. Add the green chilli, tomatoes, sugar, turmeric, chilli powder and salt to taste. Cook for a few minutes. Add the prawns, peas and mustard. Cook for a couple of minutes until they are hot. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and the coriander
Serve the dishes in individual bowls or in a thali tray.