Recipes cut from a journey

Otago Daily Times

20-05-2025

MasterChef 2021 winner Justin Narayan asks just one thing — cook one meal for someone else.
"Just take one recipe and share what you make with someone.
"It doesn't even need to be a recipe; it could be a story or a picture that gets you inspired.
"It doesn't even matter if it is a fail.
"What that person will remember is that you invited them over, cooked for them and you shared a meal together."
That is the aim of his cookbook Everything is Indian .
"Not every meal I make is a masterpiece, sometimes it's just good — but you will at least make a memory.
"So, just one meal with one other person, one attempt, that is all I'm asking."
For Narayan it is the people he is cooking for that are important, not what he is cooking.
"Food is a way to connect with them and make them feel something. That is how my mum and my parti (grandma) cooked."
Everyone relates to food, eats and shares food, "it's part of what makes us human".
For Narayan food was a hobby. He never thought of it as a potential career until his MasterChef journey changed everything.
He used to watch the show on television but never realised what a learning experience it would turn out to be.
For seven months away from his home and family, it was all about cooking.
"I had access to every ingredient from every cuisine.
"I was surrounded by people constantly thinking about food.
"The amount of knowledge condensed into those seven months is crazy."
Everything is Indian 's recipes are about Narayan, his culture and where he comes from.
"Food is how I relate to the world and these recipes are how I've related to the people around me."
It starts with the Fijian-Indian recipes he grew up with and then goes into all the dishes he has learned to cook growing up in Australia.
The melting pot of cultures makes it one of the best places in the world when it comes to food, he says.
So while the recipes might look like they are inspired by his travels, they are inspired by the food from his family, the Chinese and Portuguese restaurants in his neighbourhoods and his friends, the people he grew up with.
"These foods are all part of me.
"That is where the title comes from Everything is Indian .
"I know everything isn't Indian but it's my world, it's the start of everything.
"It's why I think about making caramel slice with cardamom and nutmeg.
"Roast potatoes with turmeric and mustard seeds — that's my style of food."
Narayan believes anyone can cook, even if it's just instant noodles, it's a place to start from.
He advises faking it, till you make it, so he includes a list of basic tips to becoming a good cook in the book.
"Everyone starts somewhere.
"It's generally simple, straightforward cooking that doesn't take a lot of time.
"In other words, the time to flavour pay-off is high."
The book is divided into chapters based on different times in Narayan's life and includes stories of his and his family's journey in their home.
"I grew up very confused — so recipes for Victoria Sponge sit alongside dhal bhat." The book
Images and text from Everything Is Indian by Justin Narayan, photography by Rob Palmer. Murdoch Books. RRP: $45 OG caramel slice and a barfi-spiced twist
You go to the bakery, you get a caramel slice. You think it's going to be good, but it rarely is.
The ones that are good though, those super gooey, salty ones, they're the best things in the bakery. Those caramel slices are what inspired this recipe.
For a few years, I made giant slabs of these and gave out little bits as Christmas gifts for friends and family.
My favourite part was the extras I cut for myself.
I roughly chopped them and stuck them in the freezer for future sneaky snacks.
They're absolutely ridiculous mixed through ice-cream. Serves 6-10 Active time 25min Total time 55min + 4 hrs setting
Ingredients
Base
200g unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
270g plain (all-purpose) flour
70g desiccated coconut
190g soft brown sugar
Caramel
200g unsalted butter
190g soft brown sugar
2×395g cans sweetened condensed milk
For OG, add:
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
½ teaspoon salt
For barfi-spiced, add:
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
¾ fresh nutmeg (3g), finely grated
Chocolate
200g milk chocolate, chopped
150g dark chocolate, chopped
15g unsalted butter
For barfi-spiced, add: 10g chopped toasted pistachio kernels
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray (I use a 24 × 34 cm tray) with baking paper.(You can put a bit of butter between the paper and the tray to make sure it sticks and doesn't move too much, if you like.)
To make the base, mix the melted butter and vanilla in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients with a good pinch of salt.
Mix in the butter mixture. Evenly distribute the mixture over the prepared tray (I find the back of a spoon works best) and bake until lightly golden-brown, about 15 minutes.
Option 1: Original To make the caramel, get the butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, whisk or stir constantly until it begins to bubble.
Keep stirring for about 30-40 seconds, then, while continuing to whisk, add the condensed milk, vanilla and salt.
Cook, still stirring, until the mixture becomes golden brown and begins to bubble.
As soon as this happens, take off the heat, pour the mixture straight over the base and spread evenly.
Put the tray back in the oven for a further 15 minutes. Remove and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Option 2: barfi-spiced Do the same as option 1, adding the vanilla, cardamom and nutmeg along with the condensed milk.
Either use a microwave to melt all the chocolate ingredients and a pinch of salt (try 20-second bursts) or use a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water) and gradually heat until everything is melted.
Pour on top of the caramel layer (the caramel should be cool before you do this).
Sprinkle with pistachio if making the barfi-spiced version.
Let the three-layered sweet chill in the fridge until the chocolate is set, about 4 hours.
Slice (see tip) and serve. TIP
Use a hot knife and wipe after every cut to get that perfect straight cut and clean edges. Slow roast lamb curry with mint rice
Serving a whole lamb shoulder at the table is always a special moment; it's a bit of theatre at dinner.
If you're Greek, you've probably had that experience many times, but we never ate lamb shoulder.
I'd see it in restaurants and on TV, and I wanted to experiment with the same amazing cut, but with the spices and flavours of an Indian lamb curry.
As lamb is quite gamey, it can take a lot of spice.
To be honest, this recipe came from laziness.
It's easy — just marinate the day before everyone comes over, then on the day, put it in the oven, cook rice and the prep is done.
Go hang out with friends for two to three hours then, after you've finished that last game of Catan, dinner is ready. I'm busy, everyone is. Make it easy.
The mint rice adds freshness and texture. Plus, mint and lamb is such a classic combo.
If you want to pimp it up even more, serve with chilli chutney and pickles. Get it all in there. Serves 4-6 Active time 20min Total time 3hrs 30min +2hrs-overnight marinating
Ingredients
1 lamb shoulder (1.52 kg)
400g (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
Marinade
10g (¼oz) fresh ginger, finely grated, or 1 teaspoon ginger paste
8-9 garlic cloves, crushed, or 1¼ tablespoons garlic paste 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon lemon juice (from about ½ lemon)
⅓ cup (80ml) light olive oil
Mint rice
1 cup (200g) basmati rice
1 tablespoon lemon juice (from about ½ lemon)
100g (3½oz) roast slivered almonds
1 bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked
To serve
1 small bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro), leaves picked
Flaky sea salt, to season
Method
Place all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Pat dry the lamb with paper towel, then place in the bowl and massage in the marinade.
Allow it to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight (the longer the better).
Preheat the oven to 160°C. In a deep baking tray, add the tomatoes, then half-fill the can with water (I always like to fill the empty tomato can with water to get every last ounce of tomato) and pour into the tray.
Place the lamb on the tray and tightly cover with baking paper, then foil.
Roast until the lamb falls apart with the prod of a fork, about 3 hours.
Take out the lamb and crank the oven to 250°C. Remove the foil and baking paper, then put the tray back in the oven and roast until nicely charred and caramelised, about 15-20 minutes.
Allow the lamb to rest for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the mint rice.
Cook the rice then pour over the lemon juice, add the almonds and mint and mix.
Pour any of the rich tomato sauce from the lamb tray into a jug.
Bring the lamb to the dining table, family style, and shred with tongs or two forks.
Pour the tomato sauce over the shredded lamb and garnish with fresh coriander and flaky sea salt.
Serve with the mint rice and enjoy. Chicken curry tacos with coriander green chilli chutney
This recipe came out of the pressure of the MasterChef kitchen. The challenge was to make something creative out of instant noodles.
I blitzed the noodles into flour and made tortillas. I took everything you'd find in a chicken curry and blended it with the packet seasoning and marinated the chicken in it.
I cooked the chicken until it had a nice char and layered it on a noodle-flour taco with chutney.
Chicken curry tacos! I won the challenge and thought, this is actually really good, I should keep this recipe and work on it.
This recipe gave me a stepping stone. It wasn't a bold or courageous move, but it was a step in the right direction.
When people liked it, really liked it, I thought, why not just give them the authentic chicken curry and see what they think, because that's who I really am.
When I cooked it again, I took more inspiration from Mum's chicken curry for the flavour but kept the grilled chicken from the MasterChef recipe.
I love that charred crust you get and adding the flavour of a curry to that is just a sick combination. Serves 4-6 (makes 12 tacos) Active time 20min Total time 30 min + 2hrs-overnight marinating
Ingredients
6 chicken thighs (about 500g)
Marinade
4 garlic cloves
½ brown onion
1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1½ teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon lime juice (from about 1 lime)
1½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
100ml grapeseed oil
Pickled radish
½ cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar
1 tablespoon salt
4 baby radishes, sliced as thin as possible (use a mandolin to add that finesse)
Coriander and green chilli chutney
1 bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro), leaves and stems roughly chopped
12 jalapeno chillies
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon lime juice (from about 1 lime)
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¾ cup (200g) Greek-style yoghurt
To serve
12 × 10-15cm flour tortillas
½ white or purple cabbage, thinly sliced (a mandolin works a charm)
Method
Blitz all the marinade ingredients in a blender until smooth, then pour into a bowl.
Pat dry the chicken with paper towel, then add to the bowl and massage the marinade into the chicken. Place in the fridge, covered, for 2 hours or overnight to marinate.
Meanwhile, make the pickled radish.
Place the vinegar, sugar, salt and ½ cup (125ml) water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer while stirring constantly.
Once the sugar and salt have dissolved, pour the liquid into a heatproof bowl or jar.
Add the radish, making sure it is completely submerged. Allow it to pickle for 30 minutes or overnight.
To make the chutney, blend all the chutney ingredients, except the yoghurt, in a blender until smooth, then fold in the yoghurt and season with salt to taste.
Heat a barbecue grill plate or a cast iron pan on medium-high. In batches, add the chicken and grill until nicely charred and cooked through, about 34 minutes each side.
Allow it to rest for 5 minutes, then slice into 1cm strips.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat, then toast each tortilla until golden, lightly charred and puffed, roughly 30 seconds each side.
Wrap the tortillas in a clean tea (dish) towel to keep warm. Top each tortilla with the cabbage, chicken, chutney and pickled radish and get stuck in.
References:
Flour tortillas
Ingredients
1¾ cups (260g) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon baking powder
150ml hot water (boil then let it sit for 5 minutes)
1 tablespoon light olive oil
Method
Mix the flour, baking powder and a generous pinch of salt in a bowl.
Pour in the water and oil and mix using a fork (while the water is still hot). Use your hands to knead the dough on a clean work surface until you get a playdough-like consistency, around 5 minutes.
Cover with a clean tea (dish) towel and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.
Divide the dough into twelve golf ball-sized pieces, about 30g each.
Dust each ball with a little extra flour and roll out to about 2mm thick. Heat a cast iron frying pan or comal pan over high heat.
Grab a clean tea towel to wrap all the finished tortillas in.
Place a tortilla in the pan and cook for 10 seconds, flip and cook for a further 30 seconds, then do a final flip and cook for a further 30 seconds (you should see lightly charred spots on each side).
Place the tortilla on the tea towel and wrap up so it steams inside. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Let all the tortillas sit in the tea towel for 5 minutes to steam through.
(The extra cooking inside the tea towel will give you a soft and flexible tortilla.)