I’m a sucker for spice. And if I’m in Norwich, my go-to every single time for lunch is the curry stall to the south of the city’s market for a ridiculously good value takeaway. Of chickpea curry, topped with veggie samosas, smooshed open and freckled with fiery, lurid green chutney and salady bits. I could seriously eat this every day.
If you’ve not been to Norwich Market, set your football allegiances aside and get thee there at once, because it’s absolutely rammers with good eats, from awesome bao buns and katsu curry, to craft beer, handmade hot dogs, and the most incredible sarnies from the Bodega. I was sad to see Cuppie Hut (maker of divine, addictive Mars cornflake slice) leave the market, but it only means a short stroll to their new permanent bricks and mortar site on St Giles Street, which is a hop from my favourite ice cream joint - Cafe Gelato, where they scoop some of THE best gelato you’ll ever introduce your tongue to!
On the subject of Norwich (sorry again ITFC fans) my top picks for dining are Benedicts, Don Txoko, Benoli, Brix n Bones, and Farmyard.
For afternoon tea, it has to be The Assembly House - a drop-dead gorgeous location in the heart of the city, where you can live out all your Bridgerton fantasies. Priced at just under £30, the teas are stunning. At the time of writing you can book the chocolate-themed one. It is, I can attest, truly scrumptious!
READ MORE: Make our Triple-Layered Devil’s Crunch Cake
Anyway, back to the curry. Clearly I’m not of Asian heritage, so I wouldn’t dare to claim this recipe is in any way, shape or form authentic. It is, though, delicious. Friends who tested it for me loved it. And there was high praise indeed from my youngest teen who said it was, quote, “banging”.
The ingredients list is long, and there are a few different elements to consider, but I think you’ll find the effort is more than worth it. I prepped everything on a Sunday, and simply had to reheat and assemble the next day. Dinner was on the table in under 15 minutes.
We’re talking beans and chickpeas in the silkiest curry sauce (which works alone with chips, chicken or white fish), topped with chicken and potato samosas, mango chutney, spicy green coriander chutney, pomegranate, roasted sweetcorn and Bombay mix. Every single mouthful delivers something different.
READ MORE: Make our Sausage, Caramelised Onion and Cheese Wontons
I’m all for switching recipes up, but I’m going to be strict here. You definitely need the fenugreek, which lends an earthiness to the curry sauce and samosas. And the chaat masala (available from most supermarkets now) contains a type of salt that brings a unique flavour to the party. Don’t leave out the green chilli in the samosas either - it is integral to the finished taste. If you like a lot of heat, you could add more…you devil!
As for everything else? Experiment. Use all chickpeas or all beans in the curry. Try making it with different pulses. Swap the chicken in the samosas for peas, halloumi or paneer.
Most of all…enjoy!
Ingredients
(Serves 4 generously)
For the chickpea and bean curry
2tbsps oil
1.5 onions, sliced thinly
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4cms fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1tsp turmeric
2tsps garlic powder
Pinch chilli powder
1tsp ground coriander
1/2tsp ground fenugreek
1.5tsps ground coriander
1/2tsp garam masala
1/4tsp ground cinnamon
½ star anise
400g ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube (I use Kallo organic)
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 tin white beans, drained
Salt to taste
For the samosa pastry
2 cups plain flour
1tsp nigella seeds
1/4tsp salt
2tbsps oil
4-6tbsps water
For the samosa filling
2 boned chicken thighs (mine were leftover from the roast), cooked and shredded
½ onion, sliced thinly (the remainder from the curry sauce)
250g potatoes, cut into 1cm pieces
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2cms fresh ginger, grated
1 green finger chilli (or 2 if you like it really hot), chopped finely
1tsp brown mustard seeds
1/4tsp ground fenugreek
1.5tsps chaat masala
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
For the green chutney
1 handful fresh coriander
1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Juice ½ lime
1/2tsp salt
To serve
Cooked rice - optional
Pomegranate seeds
Bombay mix - I like Cofresh
2 roasted sweetcorns, corn removed (or 1 small tin sweetcorn)
Mango chutney
Method
Start with the curry. Add the oil to a deep pan (ideally non-stick) and pop in the onions. Cook on a medium heat (be patient) until they’re golden and very very soft. They can be a little charred at the edges but don’t burn them!
Add the garlic and ginger, and stir for 30 seconds. Now put all the spices into a small bowl and pour in about a quarter of a cup of water. Combine, and then add to the onion mix. This prevents the spices from burning, which can ruin the flavour of the curry.
Carefully pour in the finely chopped tomatoes and turn up the heat to medium to high. You want to cook the mixture now, crushing it with the back of a wooden spoon, until the oil starts to separate around the edge of the pan.
Once that happens, add the stock cube and half a cup of water. Allow to cool for a little while, then blitz in a food processor until smooth.
Return to the pan with the beans and chickpeas, and test to see if you need to add any salt. Your curry is now ready and will last for three days in the fridge. Or freeze it in advance.
Next, prep your samosa pastry. It’s pretty simple to make. Just combine the flour, salt, oil and nigella seeds in a bowl and rub with your fingers until the flour dissolves into the mix - is if you were making scones. Then slowly add 4-6tbsps of water (maybe a touch more if needed) until it comes together into a soft (but not wet) dough. Wrap and set aside. It doesn’t need to go in the fridge.
To prepare the filling, pop the cubed potatoes in a pan and just cover with water. Bring to the boil, cover, and cook until knife tender - it doesn’t matter if they fall apart a little.
Add a spoon or two of oil to a frying pan, and fry the onion gently on a medium heat until golden and caramelised. Then add the ginger, garlic, chilli, and spices, and cook for a few more seconds. Turn off the heat. Drain the potatoes and add to the pan. Crush lightly with the back of your spoon. Finally, add the cooked chicken. Stir through. And add salt to taste. I used just under 1tsp.
Allow the filling to cool completely - perhaps giving it a spell in the fridge.
To assemble, cut the samosa dough into four pieces. On a very lightly floured surface roll a piece to an 18cm circle and cut in half through the middle.
I suggest you look online for a video explaining how to fold them, but I’ll do my best here. So, pick up a half of a circle, with the cut edge away from you, held by either end. What you need to do next is bring the points together, and slightly overlap them, so you have a cone shape. Press along the seam to seal.
Fill three quarters of the way up with your filling, and press the top over.
Once you’ve filled all the samosas you can either deep fry or shallow fry until golden, brush with oil and bake in the oven at 200C for 15 minutes, or air fry at 205C for 10 minutes.
For the chutney, blitz all the ingredients in a food processor with half a cup of water.
To plate up layer rice in the bottom of a bowl - if you’re using rice - top with a few spoons of warmed up curry, a couple of samosas (broken in half), and finish with as much green chutney, mango chutney, sweetcorn, pomegranate seeds and Bombay mix as you fancy.
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