Ravinder Bhogal’s courgette, pul biber and preserved lemon loaf. Photograph: Phoebe Pearson/The Guardian. Food styling: Hanna Miller. Prop styling: Louie Waller. Food styling assistant: Isobel Clarke. View image in fullscreen Ravinder Bhogal’s courgette, pul biber and preserved lemon loaf. Photograph: Phoebe Pearson/The Guardian. Food styling: Hanna Miller. Prop styling: Louie Waller. Food styling assistant: Isobel Clarke. Food A lemony loaf, a stir-fry and a cheeseboard pickle: Ravinder Bhogal’s courgette recipes Three ways with summer’s versatile vegetable: as a simple meal, a deliciously moist loaf and a South Asian achaar to spice up any cheese sandwich
Ravinder Bhogal Wed 17 Jun 2026 07.00 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google C ourgettes don’t have to be boring, thanks to their shapeshifting magic. Shave with a vegetable peeler, douse in olive oil and lemon juice and eat raw, or spiralise for noodles. Alternatively, grill until blackened, scoop out the creamy innards, and fold into tahini for a smoky dip. Courgettes are irresistible grated and turned into fritters, deep-fried or cut into thick rounds and roasted on a high heat so they caramelise, but don’t turn to mush. Finally, you can pickle them to enjoy their sunny flavour in the gloomier months.
The addition of grated courgette makes for a deliciously moist loaf. The dough requires no heavy kneading or proving, either, making this easy to prepare.
Prep 10 min Drain 1 hr Cook 55 min Makes 1 small loaf
300g grated courgettes 2 tsp sea salt 200g self-raising flour Freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp pul biber Rind of 2 preserved lemons , finely chopped 1 heaped tbsp fresh oregano , finely chopped 30g flat-leaf parsley , finely chopped 100g extra-mature cheddar , grated 1 egg , lightly beaten 2 tbsp whole milk Olive oil
Put the courgettes in a colander, sprinkle and massage them with a teaspoon of salt, then set aside for an hour to drain off the excess liquid. Rinse the courgettes, turn them out on to a clean tea towel and wring out any excess liquid.
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. In a large bowl, mix the courgettes, flour, remaining salt, some pepper, pul biber, preserved lemon, oregano, parsley, cheddar, egg and milk to form a soft dough (be careful not to overwork the mix). Shape into a round and put on a baking sheet greased with olive oil.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the loaf is golden and makes a hollow sound when tapped. Remove, put on a rack to cool, and serve warm, cut into eight or so slices, with butter or olive oil.
View image in fullscreen Ravinder Bhogal’s stir-fried courgettes with crisp tofu and chilli sauce. This is an addictive and incredibly quick weeknight stir-fry that makes great use of any courgettes languishing in your fridge.
125ml neutral oil , such as avocado 450g extra-firm tofu (I love the Tofoo Co’s ), torn into bite-sized chunks 2-3 courgettes (about 350g), cut into 1cm-thick rounds 5 spring onions , trimmed and cut into batons Toasted white sesame seeds , to garnish Rice , to serve
For the chilli sauce 1 tsp cornflour 3 garlic cloves , peeled and very finely chopped 2 tbsp crisp chilli oil 3 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar , or a mixture of 2 tbsp rice vinegar and 1 tbsp red-wine vinegar 1 tsp sesame oil 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp caster sugar
Start by making the sauce. In a small bowl, mix two tablespoons of cold water with the cornflour, then add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
Heat the oil in a wok until very ho…