Meghan Markle served up a delicious feast for her first official palace luncheon last week, which she hosted on the grounds of Kensington Palace with Prince Harry and her mom, Doria Ragland, by her side.

 

The Duchess of Sussex hosted the afternoon event in celebration of Together: Our Community Cookbook, which she launched to support the Hubb Community Kitchen. In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, a group of local women gathered together to cook fresh food for their families and neighbors.

 

At Thursday’s palace event, Meghan helped serve up a few of the delicious recipes from the cookbook (see below), flipping chapatis confidently and turning koftas on the grill.

 

 

In a speech to guests, she said the project had been a “tremendous labor of love.”

 

“I felt, on a personal level, so proud to live in a city that can have so much diversity. That there are 12 countries represented in this one small room, is pretty outstanding.”

 

Below are three of the recipes that Meghan served at Thursday’s luncheon, extracted from Together: Our Community Cookbook (Clarkson Potter; $16.99):

 

JAYSHA BORA’S Kuku Paka Coconut Chicken Curry

 

“When I was growing up I hated cooking,” writes Jaysha Bora. “My family is from India and preparing big meals for the extended family was part of our culture, but I used to beg for any job other than cooking. Then I got married and moved to Africa and suddenly everything changed – I began calling my mother and asking her for recipes. She told me: ‘Cooking for someone you love is what makes you a good cook.’ This curry is a particular favorite of my family in Tanzania.”

 

1 large chicken, cut into 8 pieces, excess skin trimmed
1 large ripe tomato, roughly chopped
1 onion, quartered
¾-in. piece fresh ginger, peeled
4 garlic cloves, peeled
6 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed (use fewer if you prefer milder curries)
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tbsp. coconut oil
2 cans coconut milk
3 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and halved
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Rice, chapatis or flatbreads, to serve

 

1. Score each piece of the chicken in two or three places, slicing about 1/4-inch into the meat.

 

2. Put the tomato, onion, ginger, garlic, chiles, cumin, coriander, turmeric and some salt and pepper into a food processor and blend to a rough paste. Rub one third of the paste all over the chicken, into the cuts and under the skin; reserve the rest of the mixture. Refrigerate the chicken for at least 1 hour, or up to 5 hours.

 

3. Preheat the broiler to the highest setting, and line a large baking dish with foil.

 

4. In a large pan, melt the coconut oil on a medium heat; add the remaining paste and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until all of the moisture evaporates. Increase the heat slightly and cook for 3–5 minutes until the paste is thick and dark. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 25–30 minutes until the sauce is thick.

 

5. Meanwhile, put the marinated chicken, skin side up, in the lined baking dish and broil in the lower third of the oven for 10-15 minutes, until well colored and charred, then turn the chicken over and grill for another 5 minutes to make sure it is cooked through.

 

6. Stir the chicken and any juices into the curry pan, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes until the flavors have combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add the boiled eggs and the lemon juice to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve with rice, chapatis or flatbreads.

 

Serves: 4

 

GURMIT KAUR’S Eggplant Masala

 

“It was 1976 and our mother was teaching me and my teenage sisters to cook – passing on her recipes,” writes Gurmit Kaur. “I was the best at making aubergine masala, so she allowed me to call it my signature dish – I’ve made it ever since. Back home in Uganda, I run a restaurant where I serve this along with other local dishes. When I’m in London helping my daughter Munira with my grandchildren, I make it for them and for the women at the Community Kitchen.”

 

4 tbsp. sunflower oil
2 large eggplants, chopped into 1½-inch cubes
12 oz. new potatoes, halved
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 dried curry leaves
3 tbsp. tomato purée
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. ground turmeric
4 vine tomatoes,finely chopped
¾ cup water
3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

 

For the rice
2½ cups water
Pinch of salt
1½ cups basmati rice

 

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan on a high heat. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until well browned. Tip the eggplant into a large bowl and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium–high and add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the pan. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Add the potatoes to the eggplant and set aside.

 

2. Heat a large pan on a medium–high heat, add the cumin, mustard and fenugreek seeds and toast until fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Then add the remaining oil and, when it is hot, add the onion and curry leaves and cook for 10 minutes until soft and golden.

 

3. Add the tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes, then add the garlic paste, ginger paste, turmeric and tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the tomato juice has evaporated and the mixture is starting to dry out in the pan.

 

4. Meanwhile, prepare the rice. Put the water and salt in a pan and bring to the boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat slightly, cover and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, keeping the lid firmly on, and set aside for 10 minutes.

 

5. Add the cook eggplant and potatoes to the curry pan, along with the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and simmer for 5–10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add half the chopped cilantro and stir through.

 

6. Remove the lid from the rice and fluff up with a fork. Serve alongside the curry, sprinkled with the remaining cilantro.

 

**This recipe was provided to PEOPLE by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional. It has not been tested for home use.**

 

Serves: 4

 

FAIZA HAYANI BELLILI’S Caramelised Plum Upside-Down Cake

 

“As soon as I heard about the Kitchen, I volunteered to help, cooking recipes from my homeland, Algeria,” writes Faiza Hayani. “This cake is one my Mum used to make. She always said plums are an unreliable fruit – they can be quite sour when raw. This brings out the best in them.”

 

2 tsp. sunflower oil, for greasing
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
7 tbsp. unsalted butter, very soft
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
8 plums, halved and pitted
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp. cornstarch
⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp. almond meal
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder

 

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch round springform cake tin with the sunflower oil and place on a baking sheet.

 

2. For the caramel, put i cup but 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar into a small, wide, heavy pan on a low heat. Without stirring, let the sugar dissolve completely. Once liquid, let it gently bubble for 15–20 minutes or until it is a deep golden color. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter, half the vanilla extract and the salt, gently swirling the pan to combine the butter as it melts. Once fully incorporated, immediately remove from the heat and pour the caramel into the prepared cake tin. Place the plum halves on top, cut side down, nestled tightly together, and set aside.

 

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the remaining butter together with the remaining granulated sugar and the brown sugar until pale and creamy: this will take 2–3 minutes using a handheld electric whisk; if you don’t have one, use a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well. Once the eggs are well combined, add the remaining vanilla extract, the corn our, ground almonds, our and baking powder to the bowl and fold through with a metal spoon until just combined (taking care not to over-mix), then pour over the plums. Smooth over the top, then bake for 40–45 minutes until cooked through: a thin skewer inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.

 

4. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate. To do this, put the serving plate on top of the tin and ip over before releasing the sides of the tin and removing the base. Let the cake cool for a further 5 minutes before slicing.

 

Serves: 4