Simon Daley got some mixed responses when he told people about his latest project.

“‘Working with your mother-in-law? No! Really, you’re brave! You can have mine if you like...’ Those were just a few of the reactions,” Simon says with a smile as he recalls the good-humoured jibes when he announced he was teaming up to cook with his ma-in-law.

Despite risking making himself the butt of traditional jokes from pals, it seems that this particular son-in-law has had the last laugh.

Simon, a keen self-taught home cook and curry addict, fell in love with his Indian mother-in-law’s cooking the first time they met 11 years ago.

Together they’ve now produced a book revealing her culinary secrets and irresistible dishes.

Cooking With My Indian Mother-In-Law includes traditional dishes inspired by his in-laws’ Gujarati roots in India, influences from Islam and Africa and modern adaptations so the dishes are suitable for today’s British cooks.

Simon, aged 36, is lyrical about that initial meeting with Roshan – whom he calls ‘Rose’ – Hirani after being taken to her house by his then-girlfriend and now wife, Salima, 38.

“The moment I tasted her divine chicken curry I was in awe. Like any Brit, I knew and loved Indian food, but the food I tasted on that day was something beyond what I had come to expect. Over the years he and Rose, 63, slaved over a hot stove together, Simon faithfully recorded the exact ingredients and methods.

Cooking With My Indian Mother-In-Law by Simon Daley with Roshan Hirani, is published by Pavilion, priced £20

INGREDIENTS

325g/11oz peeled cooked prawns (shrimp), thoroughly defrosted if frozen

3 tbsp groundnut (peanut) oil

1 small onion, very finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed with half-tsp salt

Half-tsp Madras curry powder

1 tsp dhana jiru (available from Indian grocers and supermarkets, online or make your own following the recipe below)

Half tsp chilli powder

Half tsp turmeric

200ml/7 fl oz crushed canned plum tomatoes and juice (about half a can)

1 tbsp tomato puree (paste)

Half tbsp finely-chopped coriander (cilantro) stems

Half tbsp roughly-chopped or torn coriander (cilantro) leaves

METHOD

First wash the prawns. Remove the dark vein running along the back of larger ones by making a light incision and scraping it away.

Dry the prawns, pressing them gently between sheets of kitchen paper to extract excess moisture. It is important to do this thoroughly; if the prawns are too wet, you'll end up with a rather sloppy result. Once dry, bundle them up in some kitchen paper and place in a bowl in the fridge while you make the masala. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pan and fry the onion over a gentle heat until golden-brown (about 10 minutes).

Keep the heat lowish and stir regularly to cook the onion evenly. Don't be tempted to do this over a high heat to speed things up – the onion will burn, or at least cook less evenly, and the resulting flavour just won't be as good.

When the onion is golden-brown, add the garlic paste and spices. Cook for a few seconds, then add three tablespoons of water and cook gently until reduced to a slushy paste. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and coriander stems, increase the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the oil pools around the sides of the pan. Add the prawns and cook gently for a few minutes until they are heated through (the size of prawns you have will dictate how long they need). Don't overdo it or the prawns will toughen. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the coriander leaves.

Serves two with chapatis.