In my kitchen

East meets west in this dish. It’s a classic Gujarati recipe, at the same time making the most of Yorkshire produce, with mushrooms and spinach grown locally. The smoothness of the mushrooms against the earthiness of the spinach makes this one of the most popular dishes at Prashad.

You will need

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 2 bunches of large leaf spinach; 150g mushrooms; 1 medium onion; 2 medium vine tomatoes; 2 x bay leaves; ½ inch cinnamon stick; 1 tsp fenugreek seeds; 1 tsp mustard seeds; pinch of asafetida; 4 green chillis; 4 cloves garlic; 1 tsp turmeric; 1 tsp dry coriander powder; 1 tsp garam masala; 2 tsp salt; ½ handful fresh coriander; 3 tbs sunflower oil. (Asafetida can be found at most Indian supermarkets; naturally it comes in the form of a resin block, but is more easily used when bought as a powder. A little goes a long way!)

Method

Warm the sunflower oil in a pan on a medium heat. Once the oil is warm (around half a minute) add the bay leaves, cinnamon and fenugreek seeds.

Wait til they go slightly brown and add the mustard seeds. When they start popping, add the asafetida and the chopped onions, stir and cook for three minutes.

Add the chopped vine tomatoes and cook for another three minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms, finely chopped garlic and the rest of the spices. Add the spinach at the end.

Add a little salt and leave to cook without the lid for around seven minutes, then leave to restfor a minimum of ten minutes.

Serve garnished with fresh coriander.

Christine Austin recommends: The complex spices and smooth mushrooms in this dish can cope with both red and white wines. Try the bright, cherry fruit of Henry Fessy’s Beaujolais Villages 2009 (£7.99 Bon Coeur Fine Wines) or the smooth, rounded, light apricot flavours of Alain Grignon’s Viognier from the south of France (£5.99 Majestic, multibuy).