I’ve rediscovered my cooking mojo, after more than a year of being almost completely disinterested in doing anything in the pots and pans department. My fall from culinary grace began when we moved out of our house and into a series of short-term lets (seems a lifetime ago now, when we renovated our home, but we’ve actually been back in for less than twelve months) and all of these lets, without exception, had terribly equipped kitchens*. There’s nothing more disheartening, cooking-wise, than trying to chop an onion with a rusty bread knife and stir your pasta sauce with a plastic spatula. (You could have bought utensils! I hear you say, but I was very pregnant and trying to deal with a money-pit Grand Designs project. I had other things on my mind.) Anyway, as I said, I’m back on the cooking train and enjoying making my favourite food: curries. And rather than cracking out my faithful old recipes, tried and tested, I’m making an effort to discover new flavours and techniques – jazz things up a bit. Coconut prawn curries, spicy stir-fried greens, fresh and zingy relishes with mint, coriander and lime. All of it healthy, quick and supremely tasty. When it comes to Indian food I have three books that I like to turn to the most – I thought I’d give you a little run-down, in case you’re thinking of having a go!

Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Easy, £17.95 here.
Mahur Jaffrey has dozens of brilliant Indian books, but t...