‘BINDAS’ MEANS DARING, carefree – a free spirit.
At Bindas eateries in London, Mehak Kansal’s bold food feeds the soul, layering flavours inspired by her Indian heritage, her travels, and her rural English upbringing. Her crowd-pleasing recipes are born out of childhood summers in India spent watching street-food vendors and then later her travels around the world picking up new flavour combinations and techniques.
If, like Mehak, you’re someone who takes their food seriously and loves to feed people, you’ll be blown away by Bindas. Bombay Cheese Toast, Paneer Tikka Burger, Mehak’s bestselling Chicken Makhani, Masala Potato Skins and the amazing Chai-misu …
This is vibrant, unexpected Indian food with a global outlook.
SIMPLE CHICKEN TIKKA
This is an easy-peasy chicken tikka recipe that you can simply throw together and pop into the oven with minimal fuss: perfect for a midweek family dinner. I would recommend serving this with Plain Naan and Sweet Potato Tabbouleh (see next recipe).
SERVES 4
Ingredients
- 650-700g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp full-fat Greek-style yoghurt
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated purée)
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 2 tbsp garlic purée
- 2 tbsp ginger purée
- 3 green bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garam masala
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- 2 red onions, finely sliced
- 2 long red Romano peppers, sliced, or 200g mini red bell pepper (capsicum)
- olive oil, for drizzling
- 2½ tablespoons runny honey
- handful of coriander, chopped
- sea salt
Preheat the oven to 170°C.
In a bowl, combine the chicken with the yoghurt, tomato paste, ghee, garlic, ginger, chillies, ground spices and lime zest and juice. Mix well, then tip into a baking tray. Scatter the onions and peppers over the top, then drizzle with the olive oil and honey. Season with salt and bake for 15–20 minutes, then give it all a mix and bake for another 15 minutes.
The chicken should be cooked through, and the onions and peppers should be blistered and caramelised.
Scatter over the fresh coriander and serve with your chosen accompaniments.
SWEET POTATO TABBOULEH
This is my take on the classic Middle Eastern salad, using deliciously spiced sweet potatoes to give it more flavour and dimension.
SERVES 4
Ingredients
- 2–3 sweet potatoes, peeled
- 80g bulgur wheat
- 2 handfuls of parsley, chopped
- handful of mint, chopped
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 6 dried apricots, chopped into small pieces
- ½ cucumber, chopped into small chunks
For the dressing
- juice of 3–4 lemons
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 1 garlic clove, grated,
or 1 tsp garlic purée - ½ tsp ground coriander
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or agave syrup
- salt
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the sweet potatoes and boil for 15–20 minutes until soft, then drain and set aside to cool. Once cool, chop into small chunks.
Tip the bulgur wheat into a separate saucepan and add enough cold water to half-fill the pan. Bring to the boil, then cook for 15–20 minutes until cooked through. Drain any excess water using a sieve and set aside to cool.
Once cool, add the sweet potato and bulgur wheat to a salad bowl, along with the fresh herbs, onion, apricots and cucumber.
In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and season to taste with salt. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Adjust the seasoning if needed, and enjoy.
Images and text from Bindas by Mehak Kansal, photography by Sam Folan. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00.
