Atul Kochhar was born in Jamshedpur, eastern India, in 1969. His father, a catering manager, wanted his son to study engineering. But Kochhar, seeing cooking as his ticket to travelling the world, left for Delhi to work in the kitchens of the Oberoi Hotel. A year after he had worked his way up to sous-chef, he left for London. Within a week, he landed the job as head chef at Tamarind in Mayfair, one of Britain's best Indian restaurants. In 2001, Kochhar's modern Indian cooking won the restaurant a Michelin star and made a name for the precocious 32-year-old chef.

Within the year, he had left to set up his own restaurant, Benares. There are now five Indian restaurants in Britain that hold Michelin stars, all taking influences from different areas. OFM asked Kochhar to create regional recipes, from Rajasthan to Kerala, which are easy enough to cook at home.

Then he blind-tested over 50 ready-made meals, to discover which chicken tikka masalas - if any - are worth buying .
MF

· Benares, 12a Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, London W1, 020 7629 8886

Kerala

Meen molee
Coconut fish curry

Serves 4

1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
4 small fillets of sea bass or sea bream (about 150g each)
30ml coconut oil
2 medium onions, finely sliced
6 whole green chillies, slit lengthways
3 garlic cloves, sliced into fine strips
30 curry leaves
400ml coconut milk
small bunch of coriander, chopped

Mix 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp turmeric, and gently rub into the fish fillets. Heat the coconut oil in a wide pan, then sauté the onion, chillies and garlic. Add 20 of the curry leaves and keep cooking until the onion is translucent. Add the rest of the turmeric and salt, pour in the coconut milk, heat through, then add the fish fillets and simmer very gently. Fry the rest of the curry leaves in a separate pan. When the fish is cooked, serve garnished with the fried curry leaves and chopped coriander.

Tadka daal
Home-style lentils

This is a highly seasoned dish, which is very easy and needs no forward planning.

Serves 4

300g yellow pea split peas or toor or chana lentils
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp chopped coriander leaves

Put the lentils, salt and turmeric into a thick-bottom pan with a litre of water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are soft and cooked. In a sauté pan, heat the oil and fry the garlic to a light brown colour, add the red chilli powder, sauté for a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the cooked lentils and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tamil Nadi, Kerala and Karnataka

Keerai poriyal
Stir-fried spinach

I have used plain spinach for this recipe. The equivalent of such dishes in Kerala are called 'thoran'.

Serves 4

1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp split black gram lentils
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 whole dried red chillies
1 small onion, chopped
500 g spinach, stems removed, washed and shredded
1 tsp salt
3 tbs grated coconut

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the mustard seeds, lentils, garlic and red chilli. When it crackles add the chopped onions and sauté until translucent. Add the shredded spinach and the salt. Cook on slow heat until the greens are cooked. Garnish with grated coconut.

Rajasthan, north India

Kande ki subzi
Spicy onions

In Rajasthan, onion is an essential part of the diet and is cooked in various forms. This is a very simple and straightforward recipe that tastes delicious. It goes very well with millet bread.

Serves 4

50ml vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
50ml water
2 tbs yoghurt
150g white onions, cut into thick slices
150g red onions, cut into thick slices
100g spring onions, white part cut into thick julienne strips; green part cut into julienne strips and deep-fried for garnish

Heat the oil in a wok and sauté the cumin seeds until they splutter, then add ginger-garlic paste and sauté until well cooked. Add all the dry spice powders, salt, water and yoghurt. Cook this mixture well and then add the onions and stir fry. Sauté until the onions are cooked, but not overcooked. Remove from the heat and serve with some deep-fried spring onion greens.

Gujarat

Fulaver gajjar vatana nu shak
Cauliflower, carrots and green peas

This is one of the everyday vegetable dishes eaten in Gujarati homes.

Serves 4

2 tbs vegetable oil
a pinch of asafoetida
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 green chillies, slit lengthways
300g cauliflower, washed and cut into small florets
100g green peas, fresh or frozen ( if fresh blanch in salted water)
100g diced carrots, blanched in salted water
1/2 tsp mixed cumin and coriander powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbs coriander leaves

Heat the oil, add the asafoetida and mustard seeds and sauté. As the seeds splutter, add the green chillies and cauliflower and some salt. Cook over a slow heat until the cauliflower stems soften. Add the green peas, carrots and powdered spices. Cook for a few minutes and remove from the heat. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with Indian breads.

Vaingan katri
Aubergine steaks stuffed with spicy mixture

I have cooked this recipe with different regional influences but this is easy and the one I like most.

Serves 4

1 large aubergine, cut into 4 steaks of 2 cm thickness
1 tsp salt

For the stuffing:

50ml vegetable oil
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 green chilli, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
50g grated carrots
50g grated cauliflower
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarse brown sugar or jaggery
200g boiled, grated potatoes
1 tbs chopped ginger
3 tbs coriander leaves chopped

For the aubergine steaks, scoop out the flesh in the middle, leaving a 1cm ring of of flesh on the skin. Sprinkle with a little salt and set aside for half an hour.

For the stuffing, heat the oil in a pan, and add the asafoetida, chopped garlic, green chilli and cumin seeds, and sauté. Add the carrots and cauliflower, and continue to sauté. Then add the powdered spices. Next, add the salt, sugar, boiled potatoes and ginger. Cook well and then add chopped coriander leaves. Remove and set aside. Rinse the aubergine in running water and dry with kitchen towel. Fill the aubergine steak rings with the potato stuffing and shallow fry on a medium heat with a little oil in a non-stick pan until golden on both sides, then drain on kitchen paper to remove any excess oil. Serve warm with yoghurt chutney.

Dahi aur sarson ki
Mustard and yoghurt chutney

300g natural set yoghurt
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp finely chopped mint
1/2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp lime juice, optional

Whisk the yoghurt with the honey, salt, chopped mint and chopped ginger. Heat two tsp of oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and the turmeric. As the mustard seeds start to sizzle, add them to the yoghurt and mix well. The sharpness of the yoghurt can be adjusted with a teaspoon of lime juice.

South India

Urulai soyikeerai variyal
Sautéed potatoes with dill leaves

Soya or dill leaves are considered very nutritious in Indian food. These leaves are extremely popular mixed with other greens in various dishes. In this particular dish, I have combined the spices to blend with the flavour of the leaves. It is extremely simple and quick - perfect for a hungry family in a hurry.

Serves 4

2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp split black gram lentil, or 1 tbs groundnuts or chopped peanuts
4 tbs chopped onions
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp salt
2 medium tomatoes, chopped tomatoes
100g dill leaves, chopped
400g Jersey new potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into quarters

Heat the oil in a pan, then add the mustard and sesame seeds and sauté; till they splutter. Add the split black gram lentils or ground nuts and sauté; to light brown in colour. Add the chopped onion and sauté; it till it goes light brown. Add all the spice powders, chopped ginger and salt.

Cook this mixture for few minutes without letting it burn and add the chopped tomatoes and dill leaves. Cook to allow the dill leaves to blend well with spices. Add the potatoes and cook gently, stirring until well coated with the spice and dill mixture. Serve hot.

Lucknow, north India

Aloo tikki
Pan-fried potato cakes

Lucknow has a long food tradition and its own cuisine called Awadhi. Tomato chutney goes well with this.

Serves 4

400g boiled potatoes, peeled and grated
1 1/2 tsp toasted cumin seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbs chopped ginger
1/2 tsp chopped green chillies
2 tbs chopped coriander leaves
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs vegetable oil for frying

Mix together all the ingredients except the oil. Shape the mixture into 6cm-diameter cakes of 2cm thickness. Pat them into shape firmly and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Heat a non-stick pan, pour in the oil and pan-fry potato cakes on both sides until they have a crisp, brown surface. The pan shouldn't be too hot or smoking. The best results are achieved on medium heat. Serve with tomato chutney.

Tomato chutney

vegetable oil
1 tsp chopped ginger
3 tbs chopped onions
250g chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 sugar
1/2 tsp nigella or cumin seeds

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan, and sauté the chopped ginger and chopped onions until translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, salt and sugar. Cook the mixture until the tomatoes are melted to form a sauce consistency. Blend the mixture with a hand blender and pass through a fine sieve. In a separate pan sauté the nigella or cumin seeds in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and add to the sauce and mix well.

• Video: Watch Crash Test Kitchen's Waz and Lenny road test the coconut fish curry here