Preparation time 15 minutes, cooking time 25 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

20 cherry tomatoes

Key Spices

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp red chilli flakes

1/4 tsp black peppercorns

Warming Spices

1 tsp fennel seeds

Other Spices

Pinch of asafoetida

1 tsp mango powder

Wet Ingredients

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 medium sized onion, diced finely

2 tsp pulped garlic

1 tsp pulped ginger

1 tbs white wine vinegar

Sea salt to taste

1 tsp grated jaggery

Small bunch of coriander, chopped

Method

Place a small dry frying pan on a low heat, add the key spices and fennel seeds, and warm for 1 minute. 

Remove from the heat, place in a pestle and mortar, grind to a powder and set aside.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan on a medium heat, add the asafoetida and allow to sizzle, then immediately add the onion and salt, and sauté until golden-brown for about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger, white wine vinegar, jaggery, the contents of the pestle and mortar and mango powder, then sauté on a low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the cherry tomatoes and turn the heat to a high simmer, cook the tomatoes until they start to blister. Remove from the heat, add the fresh coriander and serve.

‘This salad is humble yet amazing. It looks great on the plate and I love the flavour combination of tomato and cumin. Cumin is one of my very favourite spices, and is a great natural remedy for digestive problems as well as boosting the immune system.’

Spice for Life by Anjula Devi includes meat and fish recipes too and is published by Clearview Books

Photography by Dan Jones.  Priced at £25 and available online and from all good bookshops. 

ISBN: 978-1908337-375