Garlic by the bulb (and a faster way to peel it)

Peeling lots of garlic

Cooking for a crowd means a lot of garlic. To peel a whole bulb fast, break it into cloves, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes and the skins slip off. Or crush each clove under the flat of a knife. Then blend it with ginger into paste and freeze what you won't use this week.

Tarka

A tarka is the sizzle of spices in hot oil or ghee poured over a daal just before serving. Sliced garlic fried until just golden, with cumin seeds and dried red chillies, is the classic. Take it off the heat the moment it turns golden: burnt garlic is bitter.

Every day, by the bulb.

Storing garlic

Keep bulbs somewhere cool, dark and dry, with air around them, not in the fridge. Whole bulbs keep for weeks; once broken into cloves they last about 10 days. If a green shoot appears, cut it out, as it's bitter.

What to make

• Lamb karahi Bone-in lamb cooked hard and fast with tomatoes, green chillies and black pepper. The Pakistani street-side classic, made at home in one pan. 1 hr 30 minHot
• Chicken biryani Marinated chicken on the bone layered with saffron basmati, fried onions and mint. The one-pot party dish everyone asks for. 1 hr 45 minHot
• Sunday roast chicken A whole chicken roasted with lemon, garlic and thyme until the skin is golden and crisp, with an easy gravy made in the tin. 1 hr 55 minMild
• Chicken tikka masala Charred chicken tikka in a creamy, gently spiced tomato sauce. Often credited to a Glasgow restaurant, and still the city's favourite curry. 55 minWarm
• Spaghetti bolognese A rich, slow-simmered beef mince sauce with tomatoes, carrot and herbs, tossed with spaghetti. The midweek dinner every family loves. 1 hr 30 minMild
• Lamb biryani Spiced lamb layered with part-cooked basmati, saffron, fried onions and mint, then steamed until every grain is fragrant. 2 hr 30 minHot

Peeling

Pick up a few bulbs at 44 Kilmarnock Road, Shawlands, Glasgow G41 3NH. Opening hours.