What makes masala red

Simply add a few tablespoons of water to them about 30 minutes before cooking and they will mush down lovely during cooking. Alternatively you could also use almond flour. Start by heating the pan on medium and add the oil, the tomato paste and the fenugreek leaves. Stir them together gently then fry for a minute to start releasing the flavours.

Add the coconut powder then the almond powder and cook stirring gently for 2 minutes. If it starts to look a little dry add some of the heated up base gravy. Finally, add the curry base, the red food colouring powder, the pre-cooked meat, paneer or veg, and then the cream.

Mix occasionally so the smaller seeds do not burn. Once cooled, transfer to a high-power blender, Vita Mix, or coffee grinder reserved for spices. Take your time and grind down into a fine powder.

Put this mixture into a large bowl. Add powdered spices ginger, garlic, turmeric, nutmeg, and paprika. Mix well. I use a whisk to make sure everything blends. Store in an airtight jar preferably glass. This mixture will last you up to 6 months. I use it to make everything from tandoori chicken or tofu to seasoning popcorn. The recipe for Tandoori Chicken or Tofu will be in my next blog post.

The key is to take this blend and mix it with yogurt use soy or coconut cream if you are Vegan and marinate your veggies or meat in this blend for a few hours or overnight. Then bake or grill. AND help me reach my goal of 20, likes by the end of the year! Thanks so much for explaining Tandoori in a way that is easy for me to understand. I am fond of all types of Indian foods and occasionally try to make something myself.

I look forward to using your spice mix recipe and experimenting even more. Samples were tested from restaurants across London, and around 46 per cent were found to contain hefty levels of artificial colourings, including tartrazine, sunset yellow and ponceau 4R, which is banned in the US.

The interim report says that in these samples, colouring levels were in excess of the mg per kg permitted by food regulations. High doses of such additives have been linked to asthma, rashes and digestive problems. The study suggests that some restaurants may be chucking colour powder in rather recklessly, "either judged by eye, or spooned in". And it's not just the colourings in a typical Indian takeaway that give cause for concern. According to nutritionist Patrick Holford, author of The Optimum Nutrition Bible , "a chicken tikka masala is way too high in fat.

It's not Indian food itself that's the problem — we could all do with eating more beans and lentils — it is the way it is prepared. There is no question that a diet steeped in fat increases the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Few would suggest that eating traditional Indian takeaways every night of the week would be a healthy option, but according to Tania Ahsan, the editor of Tandoori Magazine , Indian restaurants are unfairly singled out. Most Indian restaurants have menus tailored to British tastes. And if customers demandluridly coloured dishes, then they only have themselves to blame for the results, Ahsan believes.