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Mother India At Home: Recipes Pictures Stories by Monir Mohammed and Martin Gray

Glasgow is passionate about its curries and Monir Mohammed’s award winning restaurant Mother India is an institution, firmly established as one of the city’s best loved restaurants. In his restaurants in Glasgow and Edinburgh, you can always be sure of enjoying great service and high quality, authentic Indian food. Having made his customers happy in his restaurants since 1996, with his cookbook Mother India at Home, Recipes Pictures Stories, Monir has now extended the joys of his cuisine to your home.

However, Mother India at Home is no ordinary cookbook but provides an absorbing and entertaining read evoking a real sense of the integral role of Indian restaurants within Glasgow’s culture. Unique, with many wonderful recipes including some of Mother India’s signature dishes, but you will also find the fascinating stories behind the recipes.

(Mother India at Home review by Pat Byrne)

Monir’s Own Story

Additionally, the book incorporates Monir’s own story – from his beginnings as a boy from a British Asian family.  He tells of how he started working in restaurants at just fourteen and we also travel with him to the Punjab where, as a teenager, he learned the secrets of authentic home cooking and ancient recipes.

Monir also takes us on his journey to becoming one of Scotland’s most successful restaurateurs with ten very popular restaurants in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

“When I was creating Mother India, it was as much about opening a restaurant that would fit into the life and culture of a city as its Punjabi roots.”

The book is intimate and entertaining with many humorous anecdotes, and, of course, those fantastic recipes so that you can enjoy Mother India cuisine in your own home.   

It is beautifully illustrated with photographs by Martin Gray

Mother India At Home by Monir Mohammed and Martin Gray

Available at Waterstone’s and all good bookshops.

Buy online at Amazon

Buy online at Random House

www.motherindia.co.uk/

Also available in all Mother India Restaurants in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Mother India
28 Westminster Terrace
Glasgow
G3 7RU
0141 221 1663

The Wee Curry Shop,
Ashton Lane,
Glasgow West End, G12

A Couple of Recipes from Mother India at Home

CHANA DAAL WITH SCALLOPS

It’s quite hard not to let Indian spices overwhelm some fish species as their flavour is already so subtle and delicate, but if you do it right and work sensitively, the results can be delicious.

Serves two

1 Soak the chana daal in lukewarm water for 1 hour. Drain, then put the daal into a medium saucepan and add 600ml cold water. Bring to the boil, skimming off any froth that gathers on the surface, then add the salt, chilli powder and turmeric, reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

2 Heat the sunflower oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook gently for 5-10 minutes, then add the garlic, green chilli and butter. After another 3 minutes remove about a quarter of the onion mixture and reserve this for garnish. Add the cumin, cloves and cinnamon stick to the pan and stir thoroughly. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the tinned tomatoes. Cook for a further 2 minutes, then add the contents of this pan to the pan of daal.

3 Cook, stirring, for a final 10 minutes (or until the lentils are soft), then add the coriander leaves and season with black pepper.

4 Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a separate pan. When it sizzles, add the scallops one at a time, searing them for 30 seconds on one side and 20 seconds on the other.

5 Serve the seared scallops with the daal and garnish with the reserved onion.

POTATO PARATHAS

Parathas can be stuffed with any filling you prefer, but potato is quite popular for breakfast. They can be served with cucumber raita or even just plain yoghurt, with a few sprinkles of fresh coriander or mint.

Makes four to five parathas

1 Put the flour into a medium bowl. Slowly add the water while kneading with your hands to make a dough. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes, then knead again. Divide the dough into 8-10 equal portions, and place them on a floured baking tray. Coat each one with oil, then cover with clingfilm and put into the fridge.

2 Peel the cooked potatoes and put them into a bowl. Add the salt and all the spices and mash until the potatoes have absorbed the flavours.

3 Place a tava or heavy-based pan on a medium heat. Flour your work surface and take the dough out of the fridge. Place one of the balls of dough on the floured surface and press it with your hand until it’s about 12cm in diameter. Place a tablespoonful of the spiced potato mash in the middle.

4 Press out a second ball of dough to the same size, then lay it on top of the mash and press the sides to seal. Now carefully roll the paratha out to double in size. Lift it, shake off the dry flour, then place on the tava or pan. Cook for around 30 seconds on one side, then flip it over and cook the other side. Brush evenly with the butter, then flip the paratha over again and butter the other side.

5 Cook until golden and crispy, and keep them warm while you cook the remaining parathas. Repeat the process until all the parathas are cooked, and serve.

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