Prawn Bhuna Curry

Bhuna is a Bengali dish, traditionally a slow cooked 'dry' (not much sauce) medium hot curry, heavy on mustard oil.  I made a quicker and wetter curry, which is more to our taste.

Serves 4

Prawns:

500g frozen cooked prawns

1/4-1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp mustard oil (optional)

Bhuna Sauce:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp mustard oil (another tbsp of vegetable oil can be used instead)

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

4 cardamon pods

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4-1/2 tsp chilli powder

2 medium onions

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 cm root ginger 

500ml passata

1/4 tsp salt

Toss the frozen prawns with the spices listed whilst you get on with the sauce.

Roughly chop the onion, garlic, and ginger and liquidise with 75ml water to make a paste.

Get all the dried sauce spices ready in a ramekin/small pot.

Heat the vegetable and mustard oil in a sauce pan over a medium high heat.  When hot, stir in the dried sauce spices, and then quickly add the onion paste, taking care as this will spit in the hot oil.

Stir the onion paste regularly until it starts to dry out.  Add the passata, salt, and a little water to make a thick but pourable sauce.  Bring to the boil, cover, and turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add the prawns.  Don't worry if they are still frozen, just turn up the heat and bring them back to the boil.  The prawns will release a lot of liquid into the sauce so boil the sauce hard for a further 5 minutes to reduce the sauce a little and thoroughly defrost and heat the prawns through.

Serve with basmati rice.

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One Pan Salmon Biryani

A simple but flavour packed one pan Salmon Biryani.  If you don't have the individual spices listed in the recipe below, you can always use curry paste.  

Defrosted cooked prawns can be used instead of salmon, and a vegan version can be make with 2 cans of drained chickpeas instead of salmon or prawns.

Serves 6

500g boneless salmon fillet joint cut into 4 fillets, or 4 boneless salmon fillets

250g baby spinach leaves 

1 large mug (300g) basmati rice

2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cm fresh ginger, finely grated

2 large garlic cloves

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

Recently boiled water

4 tbsp mild curry paste (only if not using the dried spices listed below)

1 heaped tsp cumin seeds

5 green cardamom pods

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes

1 tbsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp dried mint 

2 bay leaves

In a large casserole dish with a well fitting lid, fry the onions gently in the oil over a medium low heat, stirring from time to time until golden. This takes about 20 minutes, giving you time to assemble the other ingredients.

When the onions are golden, add all the dried spices if using. Stir the spices in well then add the garlic and ginger.  Add the curry paste now if using and stir in.

Weigh the rice into a large mug and note where it comes up to inside the mug.  Add the rice to the pan, then pour in 1 & 3/4 mugs of recently boiled water, so the water comes 1cm above the level of the rice.  As this is a little hard to see with the spices or curry paste colouring the water, the dry end of a wooden spoon works well as a level indicator.  Crumble in the stock cube and mix in well.

Cover the rice with the baby spinach leaves, and then lay the salmon skin side up on top of the spinach.  Put the lid on the pan and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to the lowest and cook for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes remove the lid and peel off the salmon skin and discard.  If the skin doesn't come away easily, put the lid back on and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. If the skin does come away easily, flake the fish with a serving spoon. Again, if it doesn't flake easily and is not cooked through, put the lid back on and cook for a further 5 minutes.

When the salmon is cooked, turn off the heat and flake the salmon.  Mix the salmon and spinach into the rice. Serve immediately.

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Chicken, Lamb, or Vegan Pasanda Curry

We have lured our eldest daughter home for the evening to watch the Lionesses play in the Euros, and have a homemade Lamb Pasanda. 

I mostly followed BBC Good Food's Chicken Pasanda recipe, using cashews as I had no almonds, adding cumin seeds and more ground coriander as one of the reviews said the curry was a little bland, and omitting the cream.  Our Lamb Pasanda was tasty and with a medium kick of chilli.

This curry can be 'veganised' but substituting the meat with chickpeas/white beans and firm tofu, and using plant based yoghurt and milk.

Serves 4

500g diced lamb or chicken, or 200g black of firm tofu and a can of white beans/chickpeas

200g plain dairy or plant based yoghurt

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated

2½ cm root ginger, finely grated

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

½ tsp salt

Curry sauce

50g blanched almonds or cashews

100ml whole or plant based milk

4 tbsp sunflower oil

4 onions, peeled and thinly sliced 

4 garlic cloves, peeled & finely crushed

2½ root ginger, finely grated

4 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 red chilli, thinly sliced or ½ tsp chilli flakes

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp garam masala

Marinade the meat in the yoghurt, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli powder, and salt for 30 minutes or more whilst you make the curry sauce. I tip the yoghurt and flavourings into the plastic tray or bag it comes in to save on washing up. 

To make the curry sauce, warm the milk for 1 minute in a mug in the microwave, add the almonds or cashews, and leave to the side to soften.

In a large pan, fry the onions in the oil over a medium high heat for about 5 minutes until golden brown.  Stir in the whole spices (cardamon pods, cinnamon stick, cumin, and chilli), followed by the garlic and ginger, and then the ground spices (turmeric, coriander, and garam masala).

Liquidise the almonds/cashews with 300ml water and add to the pan with the onions.  Add the marinated meat, making sure you scrape out as much of the yoghurt mixture as you can.

Stir well, bring to the boil, then cover and turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes.

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Spicy Chana Masala

Chana Masala is surprisingly easy to make.  You could even get away with just garam masala (and chill obvs) if you don't have all the dried spices.

Serves 4-6

2 cans chickpeas including liquid (or 200g dried, soaked overnight then cooked in fresh water until tender)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 
1 tbsp grated root ginger
30g fresh coriander, finely chopped
2-4 green chillies, finely chopped, seeds and all
1-2 tsp chilli powder to taste
500g passata 

1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice

Fry the onion in the vegetable oil in a saucepan over a medium low heat until they start to turn golden brown.

Stir in the cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala, grated ginger, and garlic. When you can smell the warm spices, add the rest of the ingredients including the liquid from the canned chickpeas or enough of the cooking water to cover the chickpeas with about 1cm of liquid.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with basmati rice or naan.

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Sweet Potato & Lentil Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny is a curried vegetable soup from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, taking it's name from the Tamil words for 'pepper' and 'water'.  The traditional Indian version is vegan, but the British of the Raj liked to add chicken or mutton - Mulligatawny with Lamb.

This vegan Mulligatawny is from diabetes.org.uk's recipes, with a few tweaks of mine.

Serves 4 (original recipe suggests 8 servings)

2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, diced
1 sweet potato, diced (250g)
400g tin tomatoes
75g red lentils
2 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed

1cm root ginger, roughly chopped (optional)
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tbsp medium curry paste (or powder)
1 litre boiling water
75g brown rice

Soften the onion in the olive oil in a soup pan for about 5 minutes until it starts to brown.

Stir in the carrot and sweet potato (I did not peel either, as the soup is liquidised), and cook for a further 5 minutes stirring regularly.

Add tomatoes, lentils, garlic, stock cube, curry paste/powder and 1 litre of boiling water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  I added cooked rice at this stage, not realising the recipe said to add it after the soup had been liquidised, for texture.

Blend the soup with a stick blender or food processor until smooth.

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Curried Bubble & Squeak (Potato Cakes) with Coriander Relish

Got leftover boiled or mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and greens? I thought I'd jazz up Bubble & Squeak with some curry spices and some coriander relish to use up some odd leftovers.

Serves 2

200g potato

Handful of cooked carrot, cabbage, Brussel sprouts etc

1 tsp garam masala or curry powder 

1 tbsp plain or chickpea flour

2 tbsp olive oil for frying

Relish

30g pack of coriander 

1 large garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

2 cm ginger, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes 

2 tbsp dried mint

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 

1-2 tbsp water

Mash the potato well, before adding in the finely chopped vegetables and spice.  Do not add any oil or butter as you need a stiff mash that you can shape into four 'burgers' and keep their shape.  Add a little flour to the mash if needed to make it stiffer.

Fry the potato cakes in the olive oil in a non-stick pan over a medium high heat for about 5 minutes each side or until golden brown.

Whilst frying the potato cakes, whizz together all the relish ingredients until you have a pourable, double cream-like, consistency. Add more water and vinegar if needed to get a pourable relish.

Dip the potato cakes into the relish or pour over.

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Easy Aloo Gobi, Indian Potato & Cauliflower with Green Lentils

Most Indian recipes call for a long list of spices.  We do have these, but I thought I'd make an easy Aloo Gobi with a ready mixed spice blend. I used a spice mix called Chaat Masala as it needed using up (and goes well with potatoes - see Yotam Ottolenghi's Chaat Masala Potatoes), but Garam Masala, or even curry powder would work well.

I also added a tin of green lentils, and some ground flax seeds, for more fibre and to thicken the dish a little.

500g salad or all round potatoes

2 tbsp light olive oil

1 small cauliflower

1 small onion

1 large clove of garlic

1 tbsp chaat masala or garam masala, or 1 tsp hot curry powder

1 can green lentils, including liquid 

1 mug frozen peas

3 tbsp ground flax seeds

Turn the a medium heat on under the olive oil in a large sauté pan and start chopping the potatoes into bite sized piece.  Place the potatoes cut size down in the pan as you cut them.

Once potatoes are all cut and frying gently, cut the cauliflower into similar sized pieces to the potato.  

When you can smell fried potatoes, turn the potatoes over with a slice, make a clearing in the middle of the pan and add the cauliflower.  Cover with a lid whilst you peel and thinly slice the onion.

Flip over the cauliflower and potatoes when you have sliced the onion. Mix the cauliflower into the potatoes and make a clearing in the middle of the pan for the sliced onion. Put the lid back on until the garlic is peeled, sliced and ready to go into the middle of the pan.

Whilst the onion is frying (don't worry if there not much oil left in the pan - browning adds flavour!), sprinkle over your chosen spice and stir every thing together.

Pour in the cooked lentils and their liquid, and another can of water from the tap.  Cover and bring to the boil.

Once boiling add the frozen peas and the ground flax seeds.  Bring to the boil again, this time without the lid.  Once boiling, set a timer for 5 minutes to make sure the potato is cooked (You should be able to push a for into a piece without it feeling hard like uncooked potato. If it crumbles it is definitely cooked!), to cook the peas, and dry the dish out a little.

Serve with chutney and/or extra chilli if wanted.

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Samosa Potato Salad

Digging up over a kilo of salad potatoes, and having a vegetable samosa for lunch from a family butcher, gave me the idea of a samosa potato salad. OH thought it a bit dry to have for lunch at work, so I added a cashew and tamarind cream. It is ideal for a packed lunch as nothing in it needs to be kept cold.  And for those following Zoe Health, the plant count is over 20, with 10 in the garam masala alone!

Serves 4

Samosa Potato Salad

1kg cooked salad potatoes

1 tbsp light olive oil

1 large onion

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 medium carrots, grated

200g frozen peas

100ml recently boiled water

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp mixed seeds (optional)

Cashew & Tamarind Cream

50g cashews

100ml recently boiled water

1 tbsp tamarind sauce or lemon juice

1 small garlic clove

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Boil the salad potatoes whole for 10-20 minutes, drain, and leave to cool.

Fry the onion in the light olive oil a large saute pan over a medium heat until golden brown.

Stir in the garlic and grated carrot and fry for a few minutes.  

Add the peas and hot water.

Simmer gently whilst you cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces into the pan.  Sprinkle over the seeds if using and mix well.

If making cashew cream, soak the cashews In 100ml boiling water. Once cool enough to handle, place all the cashew cream ingredients into liquidiser cup and blend until smooth and pourable like single cream.

Serve hot or cold.

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Tandoori Salmon & Potato Traybake

Oven season begins, and with a surplus of potatoes I thought I'd combine Tandoori Salmon with potatoes and cook a hands off traybake.

Serves 4

500g salmon fillet

100g greek yoghurt

2 tbsp tandoori masala powder

1 clove of garlic, peeled & crushed

Juice of a small lemon

1kg white or salad potatoes

1 tbsp light olive oil

Mix the yoghurt, tandoori masala, garlic, and lemon juice together.  Spread over the flesh side of the salmon and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

About an hour before you want to eat turn the oven on to preheat to 220C/200C Fan.

Cut the potatoes into wedges, or in half if smaller salad potatoes.  Place in a high sided baking dish big enough to spread them into a single layer, toss in a tablespoon of light olive oil and turn skin side down.

Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes then remove the dish from the oven.  Toss the potatoes so the ones on the outside are moved to the middle then make space in the middle of the dish for the salmon. Scrape all the marinade onto the salmon, and arrange the potatoes around it.

Return the baking dish to the oven for 15 minutes.

Serve with something green like wilted spinach, peas, green beans, or cucumber raita. 

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Rasam, Light Curried Tomato Soup

Rasam is a quick, budget curried tomato soup thrown together in a matter of minutes.

Serves 4

1 can chopped tomatoes, or 4 large tomatoes liquidised

100g red lentils 

2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fenugreek seeds 

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1 litre recently boiled water

1 level tsp salt

Heat the oil in a saucepan until smoking.  Remove from the heat and add the crushed garlic, cumin, seeds fenugreek, mustard seeds, and chilli flakes.

When it stops sizzling, add the rest of the ingredients apart from the salt, and return to the heat and bring to the boil.

Cover and turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are tender.  Stir in the salt and serve.

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Gluten Free Lentil & Spinach Pancakes

I've seen a lot of posts on Instagram for lentil wraps and vegetable pancakes, so I thought I'd combine the both, as I have something of a chard glut at the allotment.

I didn't soak my lentils as long as many recommend, which may explain why they were not as flexible as those in reels. I also put a teaspoon of dry garlic chutney (garlic, chilli, fenugreek, mustard, cumin, coriander, sesame, turmeric, asafoetida, & mango powder) into the mixture, and ate the wraps like Indian roti canai.

Makes 4 

100g red lentils

250ml water

100g spinach, chard, or kale

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp dry garlic chutney (optional)

Soak the lentils in the water for a minimum of 4 hours

After soaking, whizz up with the rest of the ingredients until smooth.

Heat a non stick frying pan or pancake pan with a drizzle of olive oil.  Pour in about 1/4 of the mixture and spread out to to round pancake shape with a spatula. 

Cook for 1-2 minutes each side.

Use as wraps (if flexible enough), eat with a curry, or just as snack on their own.

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Gluten Free Vegan Curried Vegetable Pancakes

We've gone pancake mad this Shrove Tuesday. Kids made sweet pancakes, OH made savoury pancakes with cheddar and chorizo, and today I've made Curried Vegetable Pancakes based on my Asian Vegetable Pancakes.

As the gram flour can be a little bitter, I made a quick Coconut Chutney to go with these.

Serves 4, as a light lunch

Pancakes

180g gram flour
350ml water
1 tsp salt
Thinly sliced, grated vegetables; 1 carrot, 1 small onion,  quarter cabbage (I used homegrown brussel sprouts)
1 tsp medium curry powder, or 1 tbsp garam masala, or 1 tbsp curry paste
Vegetable oil for frying

Coconut Chutney

100g desiccated coconut

100g cashew nuts

4 tbsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp mustard oil

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1cm ginger root

100ml water or as required

Whisk the flour and water in a large mixing bowl. 

Finely slice and/or grate the vegetables, and mix well into the batter.  It should look like the vegetables are lightly coated in batter, rather than swimming in it.

Leave the veggies to rest in the batter whilst you make the Coconut Chutney if using.  Liquidise all the chutney ingredients, adding enough water to make a thick but pourable 'chutney'.

Heat a non stick frying pan over a medium high heat, greasing with about 1 tsp vegetable oil. 

Add 1/4 of the mixture and flatten out in the pan.  Fry for a few minutes until golden brown. Flip over with a fish slice and fry the other side till golden brown too.  

Remove to a warm plate and continue to fry the next three pancakes one after the other (unless you have more frying pans).

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Madhur Jaffrey's Lamb Dalcha (Red Lentil Dal with Roast Lamb)

Use your leftover lamb roast in this healthy Indian lentil dal, Madhur Jaffrey's Lamb Dalcha. 

Serves 6

225g red lentils
½ tsp ground turmeric
4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cm cinnamon stick
6 whole cardamom pods
1 medium-sized onion, peeled, cut in half length-wise then sliced into half moons
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
225g boneless cooked lamb
1 tsp finely grated garlic
¾ tsp red chilli powder (or cayenne pepper)
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp tamarind pulp or about 2tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp ghee (or vegetable oil)
½ tsp whole cumin seeds
1-2 dried whole hot red chillies
8-10 fresh or dried curry leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half lengthways

Put the lentils in a heavy-based pan with 900ml of water and the tumeric. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are soft and mushy.

In a wide based pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium heat. When hot, put in the cinnamon and cardamom. Stir for a few seconds, or until the cardamom begins to darken. Add the onions and fry until slightly browned. Add the ginger, garlic, and ¼ tsp red chilli powder. Stir for 1 minute to allow the spices to brown then add the cooked lamb and 175ml of water and bring to a simmer.  Turn the heat off until the lentils are ready.

When the lentils are tender, stir them vigorously into a purée. Add the tamarind, salt and chilli powder. Either add the lentils to the lamb, or the lamb to the lentils, whichever is the bigger pan! Simmer with the lid off whilst you prepare the tarka/tadka (spiced oil).

Heat the last 2 tbsp of vegetable oil a small frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds, whole red chilli and the curry leaves. Stir. As soon as the chilli darkens a bit, add the sliced garlic. Stir until the garlic turns a light brown in colour then pour over the lentils and lamb and serve.

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Salmon Tikka Masala Curry

 

Healthy, Omega 3 rich, salmon works really well in a curry.  

Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil

1 large onion, peeled and finely diced

1 tbsp peeled, finely grated root ginger

5-6 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp brown mustard seeds or English mustard powder

1 tbsp ground coriander

¾ tsp chilli powder

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 carton passata 

500g side of salmon, skinned and cubed

400g greens, green beans, or squash (optional)

300ml double cream,  or a can of thick coconut milk

1 tsp salt

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.  Add the chopped onion and fry for 10-15 minutes until brown.

Add the all the dried spices, stir around, then add the garlic and ginger. Fry for a minute or so then add the passata, 400ml recently boiled water, and coconut milk and vegetables if using.

Bring the boil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes whilst you put some basmati rice on to cook.  

After 20 minutes stir the cubed salmon in gently then cover again for 5 minutes until the salmon is just cooked.

Remove the lid and simmer to reduce if you've already added coconut milk.  If using cream, add it at the end then heat gently but do not boil.

Serve with basmati rice.

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Tinned Tuna or Salmon Kedgeree

Tuna Kedgeree is a great quick budget store cupboard meal.

I used to make kedgeree with smoked haddock, but the kids found one bone too many and took against it. 

Discovering a recipe for Smoked Salmon Kedgeree got me thinking whether tinned tuna Kedgeree might be a possible alternative.  Turns out there are several recipes on the web, and is very similar to a Frankfurter (or Tuna) & Sweet Corn Risotto taught to me by my first boyfriend's mother, fearing we young students were going to starve when left to housesit for a week.

Serves 4 

4 medium free-range eggs

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely sliced

1 tsp medium/hot curry powder 

1 tsp garam masala (optional)

300g basmati rice

1 mug frozen peas, or sweet corn of a combination of both (I used half sweetcorn, half homegrown sliced runner beans)

2 x 160g tinned tuna or salmon

600ml recently boiled water

In a large saucepan with a lid, gently fry the onion in the oil for 10 minutes until soft. Stir in the spices and fry for a couple of minutes, then stir in the rice and vegetables.

Pour in the hot water, season well, place the eggs in their shells on top of the rice, then cover the pan, bring to the boil, then turn down to a very low heat and  cook for 10 minutes until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked.

When the rice is cooked, turn off the heat, remove the eggs. Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the tuna.Replace the lid whilst you cool the eggs under cold running water, then peel and quarter.  Serve the kedgeree with a quartered hard-boiled egg per plate.

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Yotam Ottolenghi's Chaat Masala Potatoes with Yoghurt, Coriander, & Tamarind

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Chaat Masala Potatoes with Yoghurt, Coriander, and Tamarind courtesy of The Happy Foodie. A wonderfully easy, flavoursome dish. I made it as a side with some left over Tandoori Chicken from the bbq at the weekend. Do hunt out Chaat Masala spice. It makes all the difference.

Serves 4 as a side dish

750g baby new potatoes, cut lengthways into 1cm-thick slices

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp chaat masala

½ tsp ground turmeric

250g Greek-style yoghurt

½ small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 green chilli, thinly sliced into rounds

1½ tsp coriander seeds, toasted

1½ tsp nigella seeds, toasted

Salt

For the coriander chutney:

30g fresh coriander

1 green chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped (10g)

1 tbsp lime juice

60ml olive oil

For the sweet tamarind dressing:

1½ tbsp shop-bought tamarind paste (I used ready sweetened & spiced Maggi Tamarind Sauce)

1½ tsp caster sugar

¼ tsp chaat masala

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.

2. Put the potatoes and 2 teaspoons of salt into a medium saucepan and top with enough cold water to cover by about 4cm. Place on a medium-high heat, bring to the boil, then simmer for 6 minutes, or until they’re almost cooked through but still retain a bite. Drain through a sieve and pat dry, then transfer to a large parchment-lined baking tray and toss with the oil, chaat masala, turmeric, ⅓ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Roast, stirring once or twice, for 35 minutes, or until deeply golden.

3. Meanwhile, make the coriander chutney. Put all the ingredients and ¼ teaspoon of salt into the small bowl of a food processor and blitz until smooth. Set aside until needed.

4. For the tamarind dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl with 1½ teaspoons of water and set aside.

5. Spread the yoghurt out on a large round serving platter. Top with the coriander chutney, swirling it through without completely incorporating. Drizzle with half the tamarind dressing, and top with the potatoes, onion and chilli. Drizzle over the remaining tamarind, then sprinkle over the seeds and serve.

As usual, I didn't quite follow the recipe. As one child is not keen on coriander I decided against stirring it into the yoghurt, and then decided to omit yoghurt entirely. The sauces were served separately to everyone's individual taste. The tamarind dressing was a big hit! I used dried chilli flakes instead of green chilli, and didn't bother with coriander and nigella seeds.

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Pilau Rice

Thought I'd try a pilau rice for the first time with last night's Sweet Potato & Chickpea Jalfrezi. Providing you have the spices, it's pretty straightforward.

Serves 4-6

2 tbsp vegetable oil 

½ tsp ground coriander
6 cardamom pods
1 tsp cumin seeds
8 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp black mustard seeds
300g basmati rice
500ml vegetable or chicken stock, fresh or made from 1 stock cube

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat.  When hot add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly. Stir in all the spices and fry gently for 2 minutes, stirring.

Add the rice and stir it around in the buttery spices before adding the stock. Stir well, cover with a tight fitting lid, and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cook for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, turn off the heat. DO NOT lift the lid, but leave to steam with the residual heat for another 10 minutes.

Fluff gently with a fork and serve, warning diners about the whole spices.

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Vegan, Vegetarian, or Meat Jalfrezi Curry

I generally cook vegetarian curries, having enjoyed these in Rajasthan many years ago, and having a part time vegetarian son. But the vegetables could be easily switched for meat, or half meat half vegetables...

Serves 4

4 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil 

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric


1/2-1 tsp chilli flakes


4 cloves garlic – smashed and finely chopped


1 inch piece of ginger – grated


1 large onion, finely sliced


1 carrot cut into 2mm thick pieces


1 green pepper cut into strips


700g vegetables and/or meat (chickpeas, sweet potato, cauliflower, beans, diced chicken, diced lamb)

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 bunch coriander leaves finely chopped


1 tbsp garam masala


Juice of 1 limes
s

1 tsp salt

Heat the oiI in a large pan. When hot add the mustard and cumin seeds. When they begin to pop, add the ground coriander, turmeric and chilli powder and sizzle for about 20 seconds. Add the onion and fry for about 2 minutes until slightly browned. Add the garlic, ginger, carrots,  green pepper and stir fry for about 2 more minutes.

Add your vegetable and/or meat.  Stir around in the spiced onions then add the chopped tomatoes and a can of recently boiled water to just cover the vegetables/meat. Jalfrezi is typically a 'dry' curry without much sauce, but I personally like a curry with a bit of sauce, and also think you enough to cook the meat or vegetables.

Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil then simmer gently with a lid on for 30 minutes whilst you cook some basmati rice.

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Chickpea & Vegetable Biryani

During lockdown 12 year Big Boy (5' 11" on his 13th birthday!) made Biryani with Scouts via Zoom.  By their own admission, it was their most ambitious cooking session yet (Leek & Potato Soup, Fried Cheese Toasties, Mincemeat, Pancakes, & Fajitas).

He made a vegetarian version, having become vegetarian 6 months previously. It was an outstanding success, and has made his head even bigger. I did ask the Scout leader who talked them through the session if I could have the full recipe, but I am still waiting. Instead I have muddled through, twice, working it out from the list of ingredients provided to the Scouts the week before. So I will write up my method now before I forget.

Serves 4-6

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 heaped tsp cumin seeds

10 grams garlic (3-4 cloves), peeled and crushed

10 grams ginger (small thumb sized piece), finely grated

5 pods green cardamom (smashed)

1-5 Green chilli peppers  (The chilli is an important flavour but use milder varieties if you don’t tolerate spice or none at all)

1 tbsp garam masala

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp turmeric, or a pinch of saffron if you have it

5 grams mint (finely chopped), or 1 tsp dried mint 

10 grams fresh Coriander (finely chopped)

1 large box of mushrooms, or 300g of other vegetables (grated sweet potato, butternut squash, carrot, swede etc)

1 tin of chickpeas including liquid

1 bay leaf

1.5 mugs basmati rice

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled 

3 mugs recently boiled water

1 tsp salt

Start with caramelising the onions. Fry gently in the vegetable oil over a medium low heat, stirring from time to time until golden. This takes about 20-30 minutes, giving you time to prepare the other ingredients.

When the onions are caramelised add the dried spices including the chillies, but not the saffron if using. Stir around then add the garlic and ginger. Stir again then add in the grated vegetables and stir fry for a few minutes. Add the chickpeas, rice, water with the stock cube (and saffron if using) dissolved in, salt, and bayleaf. The water needs to come about 1cm above the level of the mixed vegetables and rice.

Cover and bring to the boil then turn down to the lowest and cook for 20-30 minutes until you can hear a slight frying noise, meaning the water has been absorbed and the rice is just starting to brown on the bottom of the pan. Serve.

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Vegan Courgette & Cashew Nut Curry

The kids were horrified to learn I was planning to make courgette curry (or any dish for that matter) with my courgette glut.  I've made a couple of courgette curries before, a Courgette Sabzi and Malai Kofta, so thought I'd kind of combine the two. I am honoured to learn that this curry has made it onto my 15 year old daughter's very short list of acceptable courgette dishes.

Serves 4

500g/3 large courgettes, grated

2-4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, finely sliced

1 large clove of garlic, finely diced or crushed

1cm fresh ginger, finely diced or grated

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

2 tsp ground coriander

500g carton of passata 

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

Large pinch extra strong chilli flakes

50g cashew nuts

1 tsp salt

Ideally, fry the grated courgettes in advance. If not, just fry the courgettes best you can after frying the onions.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. When hot add each courgette as you grate it and spread out to a single layer fry for a few minutes. You want them to fry rather than steam. Add each courgette as you grate it, push the courgettes the pan to the side, and spreading  out the 'new' courgette out as much as possible and continue frying. The courgette is ready when slightly translucent and lightly brown. Turn off the heat.

In a large saucepan heat another 2 tbsp oil and add the sliced onions. Fry gently until they start to go lightly brown and caramelise.  Add the dry spices, stir around, then add the courgette and passata, half a carton of recently boiled water. Stir and bring to the boil. Cover and turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Weigh the cashews into the carton then pour over half a carton of boiling water and leave to soften whilst the curry simmers.

After 20 minutes, liquidise the cashews in the warm water and add to the curry together with the salt. Bring to the boil again. Like most curries this benefits from standing as long as possible for the flavours to develop. But it can be served as soon as the cashew cream shot.  Serve over basmati rice.

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