Woods says: “I love the riot of colour in this salad! The black backdrop of the rice is a dramatic canvas for the vibrant green of the tikka and herbs, ruby pomegranate seeds, rouge peppers and golden sweetcorn. Just as well it tastes eye-poppingly good too! You’ll be making this repeatedly.”

Serves 2 (with leftover tikka for wraps)

Ingredients

For the green/hariyali marinade:

• 30g fresh coriander leaves
• 15g fresh mint leaves 
• 50g young leaf spinach
• 10g ginger, grated 
• 10g garlic, grated
• 1-2 teaspoons minced finger chillies, or to taste 
• Juice of 1 lime
• Vegetable oil, a few generous glugs
• 250g Greek yoghurt
• 1½ teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
• 1½ teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 level teaspoon ground turmeric
• 6-7 skinless and boneless chicken thighs (this will feed the hungry, but leftovers are brilliant for sandwiches and wraps)

For the rice salad:

• 1 large red pepper
• 1 red onion
• 2-3 charred baby leeks (optional, lightly spray with oil and char on a griddle pan)
• Vegetable oil, for cooking
• Sea salt
• A sprinkle of cumin seeds
• 1 sweetcorn cob
• 250g cooked black rice (you can buy pre-cooked pouches)

For the dressing:

• Vegetable oil
• Juice and zest of 1 lime 
• 1 small clove of garlic or ½ to taste, grated
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• A pinch or 2 of sea salt
• ½ teaspoon light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon chilli flakes 
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh coriander 
• ½ teaspoon pomegranate molasses

For the garnish:

• Fresh coriander and mint leaves/micro herbs
• Finely sliced red chillies 
• 65g pomegranate seeds
• Finely sliced spring onions
• Charred lime wedges

Method

Start with the hariyali marinade. Blitz the coriander, mint, spinach, ginger, garlic, chillies and lime juice in a blender along with a few generous glugs of vegetable oil – enough to make a thick paste.

Put the yoghurt into a large mixing bowl and stir in the green paste, then mix in the salt, garam masala, ground cumin and turmeric thoroughly. Test the seasoning – you want to feel some chilli heat and it should be well seasoned. Adjust accordingly and set aside.

Cut your chicken into chunky bite-sized pieces, place in the marinade, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge, overnight ideally or for at least 2-3 hours. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Cut the pepper and red onion into 2cm chunks, coat sparsely with oil, season with sea salt and a sprinkle of cumin seeds and roast until slightly charred at the edges – about 20-25 minutes.

Place the sweetcorn under a very hot grill, and grill until cooked and golden all over with a hint of a char. Hold the corn upright, and slice off the kernels. Discard the core and set aside.

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

When you are ready to bring the dish together, cook the chicken under a grill on the highest setting to recreate that fierce tandoori heat; you want a little char without burning.

Cook or heat your rice – I use a shop-bought microwaveable pouch for convenience, but follow the packet instructions if cooking your own. Toss the rice and vegetables (including the charred leeks, if using) with the dressing in a large bowl.

Serve your sizzling green chicken tikka on top of the rice salad, adorned with the various garnishes. Divine!

Cook’s note: you can make this dish vegetarian by replacing the chicken with paneer, halloumi or tofu.

Woods says: “What could be more quintessentially Scottish than ‘neeps and tatties’, the traditional accompaniment to haggis – along with a wee dram of whisky – on chilly Burns Night! Swede is a delicious and underused vegetable, and a perfect partner to much-loved keema. The trick is to roast the swede separately, I find. It has a completely different texture to potatoes, and I much prefer it roasted, as the texture of the topping will be firmer than just boiling and mashing it. Of course you can also use 50/50 haggis to lamb mince in the keema for full effect. To me this desi twist on a British classic is sheer poetry.”

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the keema:

• Vegetable oil, for cooking
• 1-2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 black cardamom pod 
• 5cm cassia bark or cinnamon
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 large brown onion, finely diced
• 15g ginger, grated 
• 15g garlic, grated
• 1-2 teaspoons minced bird’s-eye chillies, or to taste
• 1½ teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons sea salt (reduce if cooking with haggis, as it is already salty)
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 100ml passata 
• 500g lamb mince (10-15% fat), or 250g lamb mince and 250g crumbled haggis
• 200ml water
• A pinch of Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek)
• 80-100g frozen peas

For the mash topping:

• 1 swede, peeled and cut into 2.5cm dice (approx 475g prepped weight)
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste 
• Vegetable oil, for cooking
• 4 Rooster potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm dice (approx 650g prepped weight)
• 50g butter
• 50-70g sharp Scottish Cheddar, grated
• 1 egg yolk

Method

Set your oven to 180°C fan. Toss the diced swede in a little vegetable oil, season with sea salt and pepper, and roast on a lined baking tray for about 40 minutes, until soft and golden.

Meanwhile make the masala for the keema. Heat 3 or 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a medium to large lidded saucepan, then add the whole spices: cumin seeds, cardamom, cassia/cinnamon and cloves. When they start to release their aromas, add the diced onion and sauté for 5-10 minutes on a medium heat, until the onions become translucent and soft.

Get the spuds on for the mash too. Boil them in water until cooked through, then drain and allow to steam-dry; don’t rush this step, as you don’t want sloppy mash. Note: You can boil both the swede and potato but do this separately, as the swede takes longer to cook. Steam-dry both thoroughly, to avoid the dreaded waterlogged mash.

Back to the masala while the potatoes are boiling. Add the ginger, garlic and minced chillies to the onions, cook out for a couple of minutes, then tip in the ground spices: garam masala and turmeric, and the salt. If the pan is too dry, add a splash of water so the spices don’t stick to the pan and burn.

Add the tomato purée and passata and mix, then increase the heat and bring to a simmer. After 5-10 minutes you will see that the oil on the surface of the spiced tomato mixture has taken on the tomato colour, which means it’s ready to taste. Check your seasoning here and adjust; you want a bit of a kick.

Add the mince (and the crumbled haggis if using) and mix together thoroughly, then crank the heat to maximum, breaking up the meat with the end of your wooden spoon as you do so. You want to seal and separate the mince. Add the water, along with a pinch of methi, and stir. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Keep an eye on it – don’t let the pan get too dry and catch. Add the frozen peas 5 minutes before it’s cooked. You want the keema to be quite dry, so cook uncovered for a little longer if need be, to reduce and evaporate any liquid.

Your potatoes will be ready by now – if they aren’t already. Remember, don’t rush the steam-drying step, and don’t let them go cold either. Mash the potatoes with butter and salt (say ½ teaspoon). You may find it easier to mash the swede separately then combine it with the mashed potato – it requires more elbow grease, as it’s quite fibrous. Mix in the grated cheese, taste and adjust the seasoning. Then mix in the beaten egg yolk – this will give the mash a golden and crispy topping when baked.

Reheat the oven to 180°C fan. Assemble the pie in an ovenproof dish (I use a 28cm oval ceramic dish), with a base layer of keema (you can fish out the cassia and black cardamom) topped with mash. Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes, or until bubbling and golden. Rest for 10 minutes or so before serving.

Cook’s note: Leftover keema and cheese toasties are knockout. Add a little diced red onion, a few fresh coriander leaves and extra diced chillies for the heroes – oh do come hither!

Woods says: “Here’s another way with eggs – we’re boiling them this time, for my Parsi-inspired Scotch eggs. In this dish we have gorgeous soft-boiled eggs, encased in an onion and potato bhaji batter. I warn you, these are seriously addictive, and for me they have to be served with a generous helping of mango chutney, and eaten in a quiet corner of a room, by myself, without any interruptions!”

Makes 4 scotch eggs

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 3 heaped tablespoons yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon garam masala 
• 2 teaspoons minced chillies, or to taste 
• 1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
• 100g chickpea flour (besan)
• 1 medium potato
• 1 large onion, finely sliced into half-moons
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• Extra chickpea flour, to roll the boiled eggs in

Method

Boil the eggs for 5 minutes in boiling water, then place in a large bowl of ice-cold water to halt the cooking process. Set aside.

Stir together the yoghurt, cumin, salt, garam masala, minced chillies and chopped coriander in a large mixing bowl, then mix in the gram flour – you want a thick batter/moist paste. Set aside.

Peel the potato and grate on the coarse side of a box grater, using long strokes – you want long strands, not a mush. Place the grated potato in a tea towel or muslin cloth and squeeze out all the moisture. Tip the grated potato into the bowl of batter along with the sliced onions, and use your hands to bring everything together. Set aside.

Heat oil in your deep fryer or kadhai to about 160°C.

Carefully peel your eggs, then put a few tablespoons of extra gram flour into a flat bowl.

It’s going to get messy. Take an egg and roll it in the dry gram flour, then cover the egg with the thick bhaji mixture, ensuring it is completely encased. You may find it easiest to take a quarter of the batter, shape it into a disc on the palm of your hand, sit the egg in the centre and gradually wrap the egg. Do whatever works for you.

Place on a large spoon and gently lower into the hot oil. Fry until golden and cooked through, which should take approximately 4 minutes but may vary. You don’t want to fry more than two at a time.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the Scotch eggs from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.

Serve with mango chutney, and savour every morsel!