Indian dishes to spice you up for the spring.

*** ACKEE SOUFFLE Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 25-30 minutes Oven temperature 375 degrees F., Gas Mark 5 To Serve 4 You will need: 11 oz. butter 11 oz. flour 1 pint (US 11 cups) hot milk 3 eggs, separated 1 pint (US 11 cups) ackee puree 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper dash Worcestershire sauce BUTTER a 11 -pint souffle dish and tie a strip of buttered greaseproof paper round the outside to rise 2-inches above the top of the dish. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and add the milk very slowly, stirring all the time until the mixture is boiling. Allow to cool slightly, then beat in the egg yolks.

Add the ackee and season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk the egg whites very stiffly and fold them lightly into the souffle mixture. Turn into the prepared dish and bake immediately in a moderately hot oven for 25-30 minutes or until the souffle is risen and very lightly browned.

*** AUBERGINE BEEF PIE Preparation time 20 minutes Cooking time 40 minutes Oven temperature 375 degrees F., Gas Mark 5 To serve 4 You will need: 1 large aubergine (eggplant) 1 oz. bacon fat or lard 11 lb. minced raw beef 2 onions, grated 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley 1 teaspoon finely chopped marjoram salt and pepper pinch grated nutmeg 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup 1 cooked breadfruit, yam or large English potato, mashed 11 oz. crisp breadcrumbs (raspings) 1 oz. butter PEEL aubergine, slice and cut slices into strips about 1-inch wide. Fry them in fat for about 5 minutes, or until tender, shaking constantly to prevent them from sticking to the pan. Mix beef, onion, garlic, parsley and marjoram and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Grease a pie dish and cover the bottom with a layer of the beef mixture, cover with fried aubergine moistened with tomato ketchup. Continue the layers until the dish is nearly full, then top with finely mashed breadfruit. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, dot with butter and bake in the moderate hot oven for 40 minutes.

*** PUERTO RICAN POT ROAST Preparation time 25 minutes Cooking time 23 - 31 hours To serve 8 You will need: 4 lb. topside 2 oz. salt pork, skinned and chopped 1 teaspoon chopped capers 1 teaspoon chopped oregano 1 teaspoon vinegar 2 green peppers, de-seeded and chopped 3 chillis 2 onions, chopped 3 tablespoon olive oil 2 oz. lard 21 pints (US 61 cups) water 1 tablespoon salt 11 lb. English potatoes, peeled and diced 1 tomato, chopped 3 tablespoons tomato puree MAKE a deep cut with a sharp knife across the meat. Combine pork, capers, oregano and vinegar with half the peppers, chillis and onions and 1 tablespoon oil. Pound to a smooth mixture and stuff this into the joint. Melt the lard in a large saucepan and brown the meat on all sides over a high heat for 10 minutes.

Add the water, salt and remaining peppers, chillis and onions, bring to the boil and simmer over a moderate heat for 2-21 hours. Add the potatoes, tomato and tomato puree, mixed with the rest of the olive oil. Stir into the pot, bring back to the boil and cook uncovered for a further 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft and the sauce thickens.

Note: This kind of pot roast is very satisfactory cooked in a pressure cooker, reducing the cooking time by a third.

*** PINEAPPLE CHICKEN WITH SAFFRON RICE Preparation time 15 minutes, plus 1 hour marinating Cooking time 40 - 45 minutes To serve 4-6 You will need: 1 medium-sized chicken, cut into joints salt 4 tablespoons strained lime juice 4 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons stoned raisins 2 tablespoons rum dash Tabasco sauce 2 cooked tomatoes, skinned and pulped 1 teaspoon pepper 1 oz. butter 1 pineapple, peeled and cut into cubes soft breadcrumbs 8-12 oz. (weight before cooking) saffron rice 1 orange, thinly slices RUB the chicken pieces with salt and marinate in lime juice for 1 hour. Heat the oil and fry the chicken quickly until browned. Reduce heat and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the raisins, rum, Tabasco and pulped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and stir. Cover and cook for a further 15-20 minutes over a low heat.

While the chicken is cooking, melt the butter, roll the pineapple cubes in breadcrumbs and fry to a delicate brown. Put the hot saffron rice ion to a large dish and flatten it to form a bed. Pile the chicken on to the rice and pour over the sauce. Top with the pineapple cubes and garnish with orange slices.

*** FISH AND CRISTOPHENE VINAIGRETTE Preparation time 15 minutes, plus chilling time Cooking time 10 minutes To Serve 4 You will need: 1 large cristophene 1 tablespoon strained lime juice 1 small onion, grated 1 teaspoon chopped thyme 1 teaspoon dry mustard pinch salt pinch cayenne pepper 3 tablespoons olive oil about 12 oz. cooked fish, flaked BOIL the cristophene for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then chill. Put all the other ingredients except the fish into small bowl, stand in a larger bowl filled with ice and beat lightly. When well blended, peel and grate the cristophene and stir into the mixture.

Arrange the fish to cover the bottom of a shallow, chilled dish and put the cristophene mixture on top.

*** STEWED OKRA Preparation time 5 minutes Cooking time 35 minutes To serve 4 You will need: 1 oz. butter 1 onion, sliced 12 okras, cut in rings 2 tomatoes, chopped salt and pepper dash Tabasco sauce HEAT the butter in a frying pan and brown the onion and okra rings, stirring all the time. Add the tomato, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking over a low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring all the time until the vegetables are tender and the mixture thickens. Stir in the Tabasco just before serving.