Tropical Curryboats

• A great alternative to the usual meat-heavy Christmas canapés
• Soya Chunks or vegetables can be used instead of Soya Mince
• Equally good hot or cold
• Makes about 12

Ingredients    Organic Coconut Milk 400ml (Biona) 1 tin Coconut Milk    Mango Chunks in pure juice, Organic 400g (Essential) half a tin Mango Chunks    Organic Green Cardamom Pods 75g (Sussex Wholefoods) 12 Cardamom Pods    Organic Nigella/Black Onion Seed [Kalonji] 100g (Sussex Wholefoods) 1 dessert spoon Nigella Seeds    Soya Mince 300g (Hampshire Foods) 75g Soya Mince    Vegetable Stock Cubes, Yeast Free 66g (Kallo) 2 Vegetable Stock Cubes    Organic Ghee 300g (Pukka) 3 tablespoons Ghee    Organic Brown Mustard Seeds 100g (Sussex Wholefoods) 1 dessert spoon Mustard Seeds    Organic Turmeric Powder 100g (Sussex Wholefoods) 1 dessert spoon Turmeric    Organic Coriander Seed 100g (Sussex Wholefoods) 1 dessert spoon Coriander Seeds    Whole Cumin Seed 100g (Hampshire Foods) 2 heaped teaspoons Cumin Seeds    Hampshire Foods Dry Whole Chillies Stemless 100g 3 Dried Chillies    Organic 100% Wholemeal Plain Flour 1kg (Doves Farm) 100g Wholemeal Flour    Organic Chickpea Flour, Gluten-Free (1kg) - Sussex Wholefoods 200g Chickpea Flour    Organic Gluten Free Corn Flour 110g (Freee by Doves Farm) 1 heaped dessert spoon Cornflour    Organic Dried Coriander Leaves 25g (Sussex Wholefoods) 1 tablespoon Coriander Leaves    Himalayan Rose Pink Fine Salt 500g (Profusion) half a teaspoon Salt, and more as required

Other Ingredients

• 3 large onions
• A few cloves of garlic

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C
2. Dissolve the two stock cubes in 500ml boiling water, then stir in the soya mince before covering and leaving for at least half an hour.
3. Toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried chillies and cardamom pods in a dry frying pan until the coriander seeds start to ‘jump’, then whizz them up in a spice blender, or grind with a pestle and mortar.
4. Chop the onions and garlic into a small dice.
5. Put a tablespoon of ghee into a large, heavy-bottomed pan and place on a low to medium heat.
6. Add the chopped onions and garlic.
7. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until everything's soft and meltingly sweet.
8. Add the ground spice blend, turmeric and mustard seeds and stir in.
9. Squeeze what water you can out of the soya mince, either with your hands or by pressing down on it with a spoon in a sieve, then add this to the pan.
10. Stir for a couple of minutes before adding the Coconut Milk and Mango Chunks
11. Simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rotis.
12. Mix the wholemeal flour, chickpea flour and salt with a tablespoon of ghee (rubbing it between your fingers until it’s dispersed in the flour.
13. Add the nigella seeds and enough cold water to bring it together, then work it into a smooth ball of dough.
14. Melt another tablespoon of ghee, and use it to grease a muffin tin with a pastry brush.
15. Roll walnut-sized balls of the dough into flat spheres with a rolling pin or a tortilla press before placing them in the muffin tin.
16. Press them down and brush the tops with the rest of the melted ghee.
17. Bake them for around 15 minutes and set aside.
18. Add the coriander leaf to the curry mixture and stir in well.
19. Taste it and add salt as required.
20. Mix the cornflour with a splash of cold water, then add to the mixture and stir well.
21. Turn off the heat.
22. Once the bases are cool, store in an airtight container.
23. Once the curry mixture is cool it can be refrigerated until needed.
24. Before serving, bring the mixture to room temperature and spoon into the bases, topping with sliced fresh chilli, coriander leaf or a sprinkling of mustard seeds.
25. These canapés can also be gently reheated before serving.
26. Make sure everyone has a plate, to avoid turmeric stains on the carpet!