I had thought that when we moved from London to the countryside, we would be entertaining a lot less. I couldn’t have been more wrong as many members of the lady wife’s vast circle of friends and family come to Dorset in the summer. The countryside around our tiny village is stunning when the sun is shining and there are lovely walks and drives in the area with the sea just around 10 minutes away.

All these (very welcome) houseguests translate into a lot of cooking. Back home, we are used to just telling the cook how many people will be eating at a particular meal and at the most we spell out the menu, but that’s about the extent of our involvement apart from paying for the ingredients. Here, we have to not only shop but cook and clear away as well. I’m not complaining, mind you, but when we boast about desi hospitality, we forget we have a lot of help in the kitchen.

To sum up, summers entail a lot of cooking for lots of people. Yesterday, I barbecued two dozen small lamb chops (after marinating them for a couple of hours in a mixture of yoghurt, salt, olive oil and powdered cumin, coriander and red chilli) when the charcoal had just settled into an even heat after the flames had died down. At this high temperature, each side needed around three minutes to lightly char the surface while leaving the interior a juicy pink. By all accounts, the result was excellent.

We tend to forget that desi hospitality entails a lot of help in the kitchen

Oysters have been a favourite occasional treat, but they are quite pricey: as starters, they cost around three quid each in restaurants. But our seafood delivery service Fish For Thought sends them to us for a pound apiece. The downside is that opening (or shucking, to use the technical term) oysters is a tricky business, and you can do serious damage to the hand holding the crustacean.

They arrive (or should arrive) tightly closed; this is a sign they are alive and holding their protective shells firmly shut. You need to grip them tightly with one hand while prying them open with the other, using a special short-bladed oyster knife. Often, as you press down, the tip of the instrument slides up, so you have to protect your hand. Professionals use special gloves made with flexible steel chain, but I have to make do with an oven glove.

Despite the hassle, the result is worth it. If you attempt to open your own oysters, try and ensure that most of the liquid in the bicuspid is left in the shell as it is delicious. Many people put a few drops of Tabasco on the oyster, together with some chopped onions and vinegar. I prefer mine with just a squeeze of lemon, so as not to kill the fresh briny flavour of the soft crustacean as it slides gently down the hatch.

Few people know that the coast around Karachi was famous for its oysters. In fact, the small island you can see from Clifton beach is known as Oyster Rock. As kids in the ’50s, we often fished off the rocky atoll, but today, I hate to think of the pollution levels there. In fact, when I once bought a few oysters at Empress Market, I ate them with some trepidation.

Back home, we are used to just telling the cook how many people will be eating at a particular meal and at the most we spell out the menu, but that’s about the extent of our involvement apart from paying for the ingredients.

Fresh sardines are fish that barbecue well. Marinated in crushed garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, they cook quickly and require some care to make sure they don’t break up over the charcoal. The single bone is easy to remove, and the meat is delicate and delicious.

One of our recent guests was my old friend Javed Ali Khan and, at my request, he made delicious beef qorma and chicken biryani. He spent a lot of time over the dishes, but it was time well spent. Although I usually look down on people who use pre-prepared masala mixtures, I must confess had Javed not told me, I would never have guessed. His secret is his very slow sautéing of the onions; he also roasts the spice mix three times before adding the meat. A couple of our guests said the qorma was some of the best they had tasted.

I had better stop now as some more guests are expected soon.

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 20th, 2017