IF the weekend usually sees you reaching for your fave food-delivery app, we've got some great alternatives that will not only save you money, but time, too.
Dan Toombs, AKA The Curry Guy, is known for his achievable recipes, and his latest book The Curry Guy Air Fryer (Quadrille) is out on April 17.
With Indian cuisine still mega popular with Brits, and the fact we're a nation of air fryer converts, Dan's come up with a winning combination.
You'll find everything from onion bhajis to vindaloo, as well as tips on making the perfect air fryer basmati rice and naan.
All the inspo is there for your Friday-night fakeaway, and once you've built up your spice collection, you'll be making a saving every week by not ordering in.
It's time to spice up your life!
Lamb Madras
Serves:1-2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Ingredients:
*300g lamb, diced
*½tsp garam masala
*½tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
*Juice ½ lime
*2tbsp fresh coriander, chopped, to garnish
For the sauce:
*2 medium onions, thinly sliced
*1 red pepper, cut in half and seeded
*3 green finger chillies, chopped
*1tbsp oil spray
*½tsp salt
*1tbsp garlic and ginger paste
*½tsp ground turmeric
*1tbsp mixed powder
*1 generous tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
*1tbsp ground cumin
*½tsp ground coriander
*1tsp paprika
*175ml passata
*1tbsp mango chutney
*250ml warm meat stock
For the tempering:
*2tbsp rapeseed oil
*2 dried red Kashmiri chillies
*2 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
*3 green finger chillies, finely chopped
Method:
1. If you haven’t already cooked the lamb, do so now. Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Spray the basket with oil if you like, and cook the lamb for 15-20 minutes, turning once. Once tender, transfer to a plate.
2.To make the sauce, place the onions, pepper, chillies, oil and salt in a mixing bowl. Squirt the veggies all over with oil spray.
3. Mix well, then add it all into the cooking basket and fry for 10 minutes, stirring halfway. Carefully spread the garlic and ginger paste over the veggies for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Pour it all back into the mixing bowl or a blender and add the remaining sauce ingredients. Blend with a stick blender or in the blender until smooth. Set aside.
4.Now pour the oil for tempering into a small cake tin or a metal pan that fits inside your air fryer. Heat for 3 minutes, then add the dried chillies, cardamom and green chillies. Temper these in the hot oil for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
5. Pour the blended sauce into the pan. Add the cooked lamb and any juices that accumulated and air-fry for 10 minutes.
6.After 10 minutes, the sauce will be quite hot. You will notice that the top and edges of the sauce have browned and even caramelised around the edges. Stir that in for additional flavour. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until the curry is hot enough to serve.
7. To finish, season with salt to taste and stir in the garam masala. Add the kasoori methi by rubbing it between your fingers over the curry, then squeeze in the lime juice. Stir well and garnish with coriander.
Beef Bhuna
Serves: 1-2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time:30 mins
Ingredients:
*300g cubed rump/rib-eye/sirloin
For the sauce:
*2 medium onions, thinly sliced
*1 red pepper, thinly sliced
*1tbsp oil spray
*1tbsp garlic and ginger paste
*1tbsp curry powder
*1tsp tandoori masala
*½tsp ground turmeric
*½tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
*1tsp paprika
*125ml unseasoned passata
*70ml warm meat stock
To finish:
*2tbsp oil spray
*½ medium onion, finely chopped
*2tbsp chopped coriander stems, plus 2tbsp chopped to garnish
*½tsp garam masala
*½tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
*1 generous tbsp natural yoghurt
*Juice 1 lemon or lime
Method:
1. If you haven’t already cooked the beef, do so now. Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Spray the basket with oil to coat if you like, and place the beef pieces inside to cook for about 15 minutes or until tender, stirring halfway. Once tender, transfer to a bowl.
2. Place the onions, pepper, oil and 1/2tsp salt in a bowl. Squirt the veggies all over with oil spray and mix well. Pour it all into the cooking basket and fry for 10 minutes, stirring halfway. Spread the garlic and ginger paste over the veggies for the last 2 minutes.
3. Pour it all back into the mixing bowl or a blender and add the remaining sauce ingredients. Blend with a stick blender or in the blender until smooth. Set aside.
4.Pour the 2tbsp of oil into a small cake tin or other suitable metal pan that fits inside your air fryer. Set the temperature to 200°C. Add the chopped onion and coriander stems.
5.Spray the onions and stems to coat with cooking oil and air-fry for 2 minutes or until the onion is turning soft. Pour in the blended sauce and add the cooked beef along with any juices, pushing the meat right into the sauce. Cook for 10 minutes.
6.After 10 minutes, the sauce will begin to darken on the top and around the sides. Stir that in for additional flavour. If you used oil, the sauce will be hot, and if you used spray, it will be warm. Give it all a good stir and continue air-frying for another 5-10 minutes, or until the curry is hot enough to serve.
7.Add the garam masala and kasoori methi. Add the kasoori methi by rubbing it between your fingers over the curry. Whisk in the yoghurt and season with salt to taste, then squeeze in the citrus juice and stir well to combine. To serve, garnish with the chopped coriander.
Chicken Dhansak
Serves: 1-2
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time:30 mins
Ingredients:
*300g skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
*Oil spray (optional)
For the sauce:
*2 medium onions, thinly sliced
*1 red pepper, cut in half and seeded
*1tbsp rapeseed oil or oil spray
*1tbsp garlic and ginger paste
*3 green finger chillies, sliced in half lengthwise
*125ml unseasoned passata
*1tbsp curry powder
*2tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
*½tsp ground cumin
*½tsp paprika
*250ml warm chicken stock
*70ml pineapple juice
*2tsp tamarind sauce
To finish:
*2tbsp rapeseed oil (optional)
*90g Tarka dal
*2 tinned pineapple rings
*2tsp lemon juice
*2tbsp coriander, to garnish
Method:
1.If you have cooked chicken tikka, you can skip this step. If cooking raw chicken or raw marinated chicken, preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Lightly spray your cooking basket with oil and add the chicken in one layer.
2. Air-fry for 10-15 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. When the chicken is just cooked through and has a nice char on the exterior, tip it all into a bowl and set aside.
3.Place the onions, pepper and 1/2tsp salt in a mixing bowl and mix well to combine with the oil. If you are on a reduced-calorie diet, squirt the veggies all over with oil spray instead of adding the oil.
4.Pour it all into the air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes, shaking or stirring well halfway through cooking.
5.Carefully add the garlic and ginger paste on top of the veggies for the last 2 minutes of cooking.
6.Pour it all back into the mixing bowl or a blender and add the remaining sauce ingredients. Blend with a stick blender or in the blender until smooth. Set aside.
7.Adding oil at this stage is optional but it will help the curry cook faster and will give it a nice curry house glow. If adding oil, pour the 2 tablespoons of the oil into a small cake tin or another suitable metal pan that fits inside your air fryer. Heat the oil for a couple of minutes, then pour in the blended sauce and cooked lentils and cook for 10 minutes.
8.If you added oil, after 10 minutes your sauce will be quite hot, and warm if not. The top will have darkened a little and you might see some caramelization around the edges of the pan. Stir all this in for added flavour. Then add the chicken, push it right into the sauce and top with a couple of pineapple rings. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until the sauce is hot enough to serve. It will not hurt the sauce to cook longer, so if you want to char your pineapple a little more, do it.
9.Season with salt and lemon juice to taste. Garnish with the chopped coriander to serve.
