Pineapple Raita

This is easy and, dare I say it obvious, but here it is anyway. I’ve always prized raitas for their ability to tone down curries that go beyond spicy to hit my own personal pain barrier. You can put pretty much anything in them: tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions and a smattering of decorative spice as well. I ate once at a restaurant that put slices of birds eye chilli in their raita: a particularly cruel trick: the more I tried to cool it down, the worse it got!

Ingredients

• 200ml yoghurt
• 1 small tin pineapple

Drain and chop the pineapple (if it isn’t already) and then beat the yoghurt like you’d beat Donald Rumsfeld if you could get hold of him. By the time you’ve taken out the Nixon years on it, you should have a nice smooth, thick yoghurt. Slip in the pineapple and you’re away!

Khalonji Chicken

This is a mildly spiced, yoghurt-marinated chicken, ideal for the grill and a rice/salad accompaniment but also fantastic when barbecued. The more time you can leave everything to marinade and combine, the better!

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, halved lengthways
4 tbsp yoghurt
2 tsp dried tarragon
½ red onion, finely diced
2” fresh ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Mix everything together and then add the chicken. Marinate for as long as you can, then lay the chicken pieces out on a foil-lined baking rack and grill for 8-10 minutes before turning to brown the other side. Serve!