Masala Pasta Bombay

✦ Ingredients

• Pilato Penne Pasta250g
• Free Pilato pasta masala — do not skip — this is the dishBoth sachets
• Onions — finely chopped2
• Tomatoes — puréed in a blender2
• Ginger-garlic paste1 tbsp
• Ghee — or neutral oil2 tbsp
• Lemon — for finishing1/2
• Fresh coriander leaves1 handful
• Saltto taste

✦ Method

1. N°01

   Bloom the masala

   Heat the ghee in a wide pan over medium. Tip in both Pilato masala sachets and toast for thirty seconds until the kitchen smells of cardamom, clove and fennel. This is the foundation — every other step builds on it.

2. N°02

   Cook the masala base

   Add the chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste. Cook six minutes, stirring, until the onions turn deeply golden and the raw edge has cooked out completely.

3. N°03

   Reduce the tomato

   Pour in the puréed tomato and season with salt. Cook six minutes over medium until the oil separates and beads at the edges — a clear sign the masala has reached its full depth.

4. N°04

   Boil the penne

   Meanwhile salt four litres of water and boil the penne to al dente, eleven minutes. Save half a cup of pasta water before draining.

5. N°05

   Toss and finish

   Tip the drained penne into the masala gravy with a splash of pasta water and toss thirty seconds until every tube wears the sauce. Squeeze the lemon over, tear in the coriander and serve while the masala perfume is at its peak.