Nisha says: “Manti is a traditional Turkish dish of meat-filled dumplings, usually lamb, with the same beautiful marriage of ingredients as Turkish eggs [on page 68 of her book]. Use frozen dumplings or shop-bought fresh tortelloni to make this winning dish to wow your guests. I hold no snobbery for a good shortcut; in fact – I live for it – it’s like getting a bargain in the sales when you were about to buy it at full price! Enjoy this natural high!”

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 20 frozen chicken, veg or meat gyoza or 300g shop-bought fresh filled tortelloni (any of your choice)
• Sprinkling of dried mint or finely
• chopped fresh mint
• For the yoghurt sauce
• 1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste
• 300g Greek yogurt
• Sea salt, to taste

For the chilli butter:

• 25g salted butter
• 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper (or regular chilli flakes with a pinch of paprika)
• 2 tbsp pine nuts (optional)

Method

Mix the garlic into the yoghurt, add salt to taste, mix and set aside. This can be gently heated if preferred, or brought to room temperature, but I like the contrast of cold, creamy yoghurt against the hot dumplings.

Now melt the butter in a pan until foaming and turning slightly brown, then add the Aleppo pepper and pine nuts (if using), swirl it around, let it foam and combine for a minute, then take off the heat.

Steam the gyoza or boil the tortelloni according to the packet instructions.

Grab a large platter, spread the yoghurt over the base, place the dumplings or tortelloni on top, pour over the chilli butter and sprinkle over the mint. Share and enjoy, or create individual plates of this delicious concoction.

Nisha says: “If you have followed my page on Instagram for the last few years, chances are you bought this book for this recipe alone! These dumplings have a cult following: they are a huge favourite of Joe Wicks, and everyone has been asking me to share the recipe. I wanted to turn the elements of the Indo-Chinese dish chilli paneer into one of my favourite things of all to eat – a dim-sum-style dumpling. In the Himalayas they have momos, a Chinese-style dumpling with Indian undertones, using spices in the filling and served with a tomato-curry-style chutney.

“You are welcome to make your own dumpling pastry [see page 178 in Share] but for the lazy cook in me, I love the convenient dumpling wrappers, often called gyoza skins, available in Asian supermarkets and online. The dumplings can be made in advance, then steamed just before guests arrive. If serving later, leave them in the steamer and gently reheat to serve.”

Makes 30

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
• 5 spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 romano red peppers, deseeded and finely diced
• 100g mangetout, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp white pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 230g firm paneer, grated
• 30 gyoza wrappers 
• Cornflour, for dusting

To serve:

• 5 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
• 3 tbsp kecap manis
• 5 tbsp crispy chilli oil
• Small handful of coriander, to garnish

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok, add the ginger and garlic paste and stir-fry over a medium-high heat for 20 seconds, then add the spring onions, peppers and mangetout and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Add the soy sauces, white pepper and salt, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, mix through the grated paneer and check for seasoning.

While the mixture is cooling, mix the black vinegar and kecap manis together in a bowl and set aside.

Spoon 1 heaped teaspoon of the filling onto the middle of each gyoza skin. Now begin to pleat the sides in a circular motion around the filling until all the edges come together into the middle. Pinch the top together to seal and place onto a plate dusted with cornflour and continue until you finish the filling and dumpling wrappers. Cover the dumplings with a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out. If you need a visual guide to shaping the dumplings, I have a video on my Instagram showing how to do it.

You can now store the dumplings in the fridge for up to 8 hours, or steam them straight away. They can also be half-steamed at this point, then reheated in the steamer when guests arrive. In batches, arrange the dumplings in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes over a high heat.

Add 1 teaspoon of the soy-kecap-manis mixture to each bowl, arrange 3–5 dumplings on top and spoon over 1 teaspoon of crispy chilli oil. Garnish with a few strands of coriander cress and serve.

Nisha says: “A British dessert with an Asian makeover, this was born in the 2020 lockdown when I was bored of banana bread and had some leftover gyoza skins. A traditional banoffee pie sits on a biscuit base, but these crispy dumplings replace that element. With a coconut caramel instead of toffee sauce, this dessert can be totally plant-based by using vegan cream and vegan chocolate.

“It’s absolutely beautiful and a memorable way to finish your dinner party. All elements can be made ahead of time, with the dumplings fried to serve, as they are best warm.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 medium bananas, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 45g dark muscovado sugar
• 2 tbsp coconut rum (optional)
• 16 gyoza wrappers 
• 200ml coconut oil (or rapeseed oil)

For the coconut caramel:

• 1 x 400g can of full-fat coconut milk (ideally at least 70% coconut extract)
• 3 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
• Pinch of flaky sea salt

For the vanilla chantilly:

• 250ml double cream
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste

To serve

• Dark chocolate shavings
• Chopped pecans (optional)

Method

In a pan, combine the bananas, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar and rum (if using). Place over a low heat and cook for 4–5 minutes until the sugar has melted and the mixture is glossy, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, make the coconut caramel by gently simmering the coconut milk, sugar and salt in a pan over a medium-high heat for about 12 minutes, until it turns into a dark brown, slightly thickened caramel. Remove and set aside.

At this point you can start to assemble the dumplings. Place a tablespoon of the cooled banana mixture in the centre of a gyoza wrapper. Dip your finger in a small bowl of water and run it around the edge of the gyoza wrapper. Fold it over into a half-moon shape and seal, and repeat with the remaining banana mixture and wrappers. Th e dumplings can at this point be refrigerated for up to 5 hours.

When ready to serve, whisk the ingredients for the vanilla chantilly together until thick, but don’t over-whisk or the cream will turn to butter!

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the dumplings in batches of 4, and fry for 1–2 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Meanwhile, warm the caramel through gently to reheat. Spoon some caramel into the base of shallow serving bowls, place 4 dumplings per person on top, then add some vanilla chantilly. Grate some chocolate over the top and sprinkle over chopped pecans (if using) to finish.