Most of us love Indian food, but cooking it from scratch - well that just seems like too much hard work. But, it doesn't have to mean hours in the kitchen, mixing and marinading, promises Anjum Anand.

The British-born TV chef and cookery writer - who was taught to cook authentic Indian food by her mother and many aunts, and whose passion for her family's cuisine inspired her to launch The Spice Tailor range - is on a mission to bring dishes from the subcontinent up-to-date by making them easier to prepare while retaining their rich, spicy flavours.

As a busy working mum-of-two, Anand, 42, is well aware that although many people love to cook, they don't have limitless time to do it - and that's the theory behind her latest book, Anjum's Quick & Easy Indian, which is packed with the recipes she regularly cooks at home for her own family.

"The meals I cook are often simple, with lots of one-pot recipes, easy street foods, spice-laced sandwiches, salads and quick curries," she says.

"This book is a reflection of those meals."

She doesn't shy away from cheating.The book features a detailed list of time-saving ingredients, ranging from ready-cooked rice and pre-prepared crispy fried shallots or onions, to ready-made tamarind and date chutney and pani puri packets and kits.

As for her dishes that contain the Portuguese sausage chorizo, like her Goan Chicken And Chorizo Stew, Anand points out: "Chorizo was first brought to Goa with the Portuguese many hundreds of years ago, and the Indian, slightly spicier version is used extensively in Goan food."

She says it should probably take around 20-25 minutes longer to make a good chicken curry from scratch, with boneless cubes of meat, than to prepare one with a ready-made sauce.

"But it's worth the effort in my opinion, as the resulting tastes are so much better," Anand insists. "I do find once you're used to the flavours of a well-made curry, you can't go back."

And to prove her point, here's recipes from her new book for you to try.

Goan chicken and chorizo stew

(Serves 4-6)

2tbsp vegetable oil

4 links fresh chorizo sausages, sliced

1 large onion, finely chopped

15g root ginger, peeled weight, grated

4 large garlic cloves, grated

1-2 green chillies, pierced with the tip of a knife

1 1/2tsp ground coriander

1tsp garam masala, or to taste

1tsp ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 rounded tbsp plain flour

6 large skinless bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat

250ml chicken stock or water

1/4-1/2tsp tamarind paste, to taste, dissolved in hot water

Here's what you need to do

Heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan and add the chorizo. Cook gently on both sides until the slices release their oil into the pan. Remove with a slotted spoon or fork and set aside.

Add the onion and cook for six to seven minutes, or until soft and golden on the edges. Add the ginger, garlic and chillies and cook for one minute until the garlic smells cooked, adding a splash of hot water from the kettle if it starts to stick.

Add all the ground spices, seasoning and a small splash of water and cook for 40-50 seconds. Stir in the flour and, after a minute or so, add the chicken and stock or water and return the chorizo.

Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the joints are cooked through: pierce the largest chicken thigh at its thickest point, the juices should run clear. If not, cook for a few minutes longer, then check again. Uncover after 20 minutes and cook off excess liquid if it's a little thin, or add water from the kettle if it's a bit too thick.

Add the tamarind solution, taste and adjust the seasoning. I like to take the meat off the bone and stir it back in, but I leave that up to you. Serve hot.

Anjum's Quick & Easy Indian by Anjum Anand is published by Quadrille, priced £18.99. Available now