• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 4 cups of water
• Juice extracted from 1 inch diameter of fresh tamarind or Half a tbsp of the ready tamarind paste

Tadka:

• Half tsp mustard seeds
• Half tsp cumin seeds
• 1 whole dry red chilli
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tsp sunflower oil

Bring the water to boil in a large pot. Smash the garlic, whole cumin and ground pepper up in a pestle and mortar. When the water starts boiling, mix in this paste and the tamarind extract. Lower the flame and simmer for 10 minutes. When the time is almost up, heat the oil in a small pot and sizzle the tadka ingredients for a few seconds until they turn a darker shade. Finally mix the tadka into the soup and add salt to taste. Drink this piping hot in a large mug and let it work it magic.

Just as I was getting in touch with my inner Zen zone after the glorious starter, the waiter handed me the beautifully-presented menu, asking: “Would you like some inter-course?”

I hastily turned down the strange request only to realise he was refering to the option of a mini nibble between the starter and main course.

As I tucked into my spicy marinated quail and coconut rice, I thought fondly about the sunny weekend in Cambridge and the other Indian BBQ dish I made.

It was a tandoori paneer shashlik - chunks of Indian cheese marinated in a tandoori masala and threaded onto skewers with peppers and onions. Paneer can at best be described as solid buffalo mozzarella when hot and polystyrene when cold (Not that I eat polystyrene regularly or anything). It is widely available from Indian shops and I have even bought it at the local supermarket recently.

The paneer gets marinated here in tandoori masala. This is just about the only pre-mixed spice powder I use, because a) it’s a drag to make it from scratch and b) it won’t stink your house up because you tend to cook it outside.

A popular vegetarian tandoori dish at home, this was real hit with the British and Peruvian members of our family. Try this dish with some naan for a really lovely summer lunch.

This recipe serves 10 if alongside other BBQ dishes, 5 on its own:

3 x 250 gm paneer

4 heaped tbsp tandoori masala powder

6 cloves garlic

3 inches ginger

300 gm low fat natural yogurt

Juice of 1 lemon

6 peppers

2 onions

3 tbsp sunflower or corn oil

Salt to taste

Chop the paneer into bite-sized cubes, about one square inch each and puree the ginger and garlic.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the cubes of paneer with the yogurt, tandoori masala, ginger, garlic, lemon juice and some salt. You want a bright red, strong marinade.

Now chop the peppers and onions into large, even chunks - halve and then quarter. In another bowl, mix them with the oil and some salt.

Finally thread the ingredients into bamboo skewers - pepper, onion, tandoori paneer, pepper, onion and another cube of paneer. Repeat this with 10 skewers.

When the BBQ is ready, cook the skewers until the peppers and onions get charred on the outside and the paneer softens to a mozzarella -like texture. Eat it straightaway before the paneer goes cold.

P.S. = Happy Independence Day. I tried and failed to write something less frivolous on this historic day, but others have had more success than me…

I threw myself into our Knight Rider piled up high with two brothers in law, the little sister and hubby at the steering wheel with all the essentials for a weekend in the countryside:

• Antihistamine: for any severe allergic reactions to fresh, country air
• Flat shoes: for walking (good heavens…)
• Oversize handbag and sunglasses: You never know who you’ll meet!
• Bag of spices: for an Indian BBQ

As per usual, the whole thing was disorganised. We took longer than planned punting in Cambridge, making friends on the River Cam with every boat stocked with alcohol.

Back in the house, the BBQ miraculously got ready before I could do any real marinating. And my third brother-in-law’s garden occupants turned from the quiet couple next door to an ASBO-worthy extended family, complete with Harry the Hungry Dog.

The obvious choice for the first BBQ dish on this blog was the much maligned chicken tikka - a kebab spiced with masalas, tenderised and grilled on a tandoor. More recently, this lovely, juicy wonder has been the centrepiece of a tasty but totally wrong English Indian curry - the chicken tikka masala.

In a rush, I forgot to use oil and the result was fantastic nonetheless. In India, we ate these with hot naans and some raita and cucumber salad on the side. And fresh air only makes it taste even better!

This recipe serves 10 if served with other BBQ dishes, 5 on its own:

1.5 kg chicken breast, cubed into bite-sized chunks

500 gm low fat natural yogurt

12 cloves garlic

3 inches ginger

4 green finger chillies

5 tsp coriander powder

5 tsp cumin powder

Half tsp ground black pepper

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon meat tenderiser

Juice of 1 lemon, freshly squeezed

Finely puree or chop the ginger, garlic and green chillies.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients with the chicken. You want a strong marinade that forms an even coating on the submerged chicken pieces.

Leave them sitting in their marinade for up to two hours. I gave mine an hour.

Just as the BBQ is ready, skewer five pieces of chicken onto bamboo sticks keeping about half a centimetre space between each piece. Cook the skewers until the middle of the chicken is pale white, but still juicy.

Serve drizzled with fresh lemon and coriander leaves.