It’s rare that I look through a cookbook and want to create every single recipe that is included, but this one had me so inspired, and salivating!
CRAVEABLE, by Seema Pankhania, published by Penguin Michael Joseph (£22 hardback) is her first book, and is inspired by her travels (and food cravings).
Seema created this book to be a collection of simple trusted recipes that you can turn to when you need something savoury, sweet or fresh or just need to make a quick meal that’s still delicious. If you don’t have an ingredient, there’s a list of simple substitutes and it empowers you to make the recipes your own.
The NOW! chapter includes Seema’s immediate pick-me-up recipes to avoid an expensive takeaway. Dishes include Bombay Fish Finger Sandwiches, Pickled Jalapeno Mac n Cheese, Indian Fried Chicken, Caramelised Honey and Zaatar Cheese Toastie, and even a 30-minute Emergency Birthday Cake!
About Seema 
During a testing childhood, fighting cancer, she spent many hours watching cooking channels, and that fuelled her passion for food. She baked cupcakes to raise funds for travelling and began her culinary career working for Gordon Ramsay.
A moped accident, while commuting, resulted in another hospital spell. during which she applied to join Mob Kitchen as a food creator.
She now has over 1.3 million followers and 24.3 million likes on Tik Tok and over 444k followers on Instagram.
It really is a mouthwatering read – here are some recipes to tempt you to buy a copy:
BEETROOT & FETA CHAAT
(TIME – 15 mins SERVES 4 as a side or 2 as a main, VEGGIE)
“Chaat is one of the most underrated foods in India. It’s an all-encompassing salad, fresh, sour, spicy and crunchy. My mum would make this with yoghurt, potatoes and chickpeas, but in my version I’ve used the sweetness of cooked beetroot with salty feta to achieve a parallel version. Perfect with any curry or just on its own. Traditionally the crunch element would come from papri, which is fried dough, but I’ve used Bombay mix because it’s a bit easier to find. However, if you find any crunchy fried puri in the Indian supermarket, give them a go!”
COOK YOUR OWN BEETROOT: I love pre-cooked beetroot – all the fun without the mess. But if you want to use fresh, roast it at 200°C, brushed with a little oil and wrapped in foil, for 45–60 minutes until tender. Allow to cool before using.
250g cooked beetroot
2 large tomatoes, core removed
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
1⁄2 a red onion
2 green finger chillies
a small handful of fresh mint
3 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp honey ↔ brown sugar or agave
1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
200g Greek yoghurt
100g feta
100g Bombay mix
a small handful of pomegranate seeds (optional)
salt
Cut the beetroot into large chunks and the tomatoes into small pieces.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
Finely chop the red onion, chillies and mint. Make the tamarind dressing by combining the tamarind paste with the honey, 2 tablespoons of water and a pinch of ground cumin.In a bowl, combine the beetroot, tomatoes, chickpeas and onions, lightly season with salt. Spread the yoghurt on your serving plate and top with the beetroot mix.
Drizzle over the tamarind dressing and crumble over the feta, then sprinkle over the chopped mint and chillies and the Bombay mix.
Finish with the pomegranate seeds and a sprinkling of ground cumin, and enjoy.
CRISPY CHILLI GARLIC KERALA PRAWNS
(TIME 30 Mins, SERVES 4)
“Kerala has some of the most delicious fish and shellfish I’ve ever had, smothered in garlic and fried in coconut oil. I’ve been dreaming of it ever since. Seafood with Indian flavours isn’t something that I grew up with, but it is incredibly popular in the south of India. Make sure you mop up that crispy garlic chilli oil with some naan. I know you’re not meant to have favourites, but this may be my favourite recipe in the book!”
1kg head-on and shell-on prawns (750g de-shelled) 100ml coconut oil
1 bulb of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
10 long dried chillies (e.g. Sichuan chillies, De arbol chillies, but definitely not Thai chillies), finely chopped
1 tbsp chilli flakes (plus an extra tbsp if you like)
1 tbsp chilli powder
3 tbsp crispy shallots
1⁄2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp MSG
10 fresh curry leaves
2 limes, cut into wedges
Remove the shells and devein the prawns, keeping the heads on – they give lots of flavour to the oil and are great to suck on.
In a large pan, melt the coconut oil and add the garlic and desiccated coconut. Cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat, until the garlic is golden brown and crispy. Turn the heat to low and add the chopped chillies and chilli flakes, chilli powder (if using), shallots, sugar, salt and MSG. Cook for a further 2 minutes, until the oils start to look red.
Add the prawns to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Before flipping them over, add the fresh curry leaves.
Toss the prawns well in the garlic and lay them out on a platter. Add some wedges of lime and enjoy with rice or hot naan.
FRENCH ONION GNOCCHI
(TIME 60 mins. SERVES 4 VEGGIE – WITH SUBS)
“When it comes to winter soups, French onion soup reigns as the undisputed king. The slow caramelization of the onions is a labour of love in itself, resulting in a deep, rich flavour that’s worth every minute. In this recipe, those beautifully caramelized onions are paired with tender gnocchi, all swimming in a hearty stock infused with the umami goodness of miso and earthy mushrooms. It’s the kind of comforting meal that warms you from the inside out. Make this completely veggie by leaving out the Worcestershire sauce.”
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 
500g onions, thinly sliced
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tbsp miso -optional
1 tbsp Worcester sauce – use 1 anchovy, or omit
I tbsp balsamic vinegar – or white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp butter
½ tsp dried thyme – or dried rosemary
150 ml dry white wine. – or chicken or vegetable stock, plus 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
500g potato gnocchi
100g Gruyere cheese – or any melty cheese
50g panko breadcrumbs
50g Parmesan, grated – or veggie Parmesan or any hard cheese
Olive oil, Salt
In a dry pan over medium heat, cook the mushrooms with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes. The water in the mushrooms will evaporate first, and once they’re dry and start sticking to the pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook for an additional 3 minutes on a high heat until crispy. Transfer them to a bowl. Using the same pan (no need to clean it), cook the onions with a generous amount of oil on a medium heat for 25 minutes, until they are very caramelized. Add a tablespoon of water if the pan looks dry and continue cooking. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Crumble the vegetable stock cube into a bowl and add the miso, Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. Stir in 500ml of boiling water to dissolve the stock cube. Finely chop the garlic and add it to the onions along with the butter and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes, then deglaze with the white wine. Bring to a simmer, then add the vegetable stock mixture, cooked mushrooms and the gnocchi. Stir and cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
Grate half the Gruyère and roughly chop the rest. Mix the roughly chopped cheese into the pan of gnocchi. Transfer the gnocchi mixture to a baking dish and cover it with the breadcrumbs, the grated Gruyère and the Parmesan. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until it turns golden and crispy.
All photography by Haarala Hamilton
