|
|
Posts Tagged ‘curry’
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 by urban foodie
 It’s the night before holiday (Spain, and it was lovely thanks), there isn’t much left in the fridge except some slightly sad spinach, it certainly won’t last the week, and a store cupboard full of beans and pulses. I decided to adapt a curry we’d had before inspired by one my sister makes. What a success, it was a real delight - easy to make and truly, truly scrumptious. Our only sadness was that we wouldn’t get to enjoy leftovers tomorrow as we’d be in sunny Spain (honestly, I was quite sad about it).
The secret is in the raw lemon/ginger mixture that is added right at the end to make the dish quite unique. This is one that you have to stop yourself from having a third bowl - except that it has nothing but goodness in there and as cheap as chips to make so go ahead, eat your fill.
Ingredients
1 tin chick peas
1 tin chopped toms
1 medium onion
1 bag spinach (250-300g)
1 green chilli
1 thumb of ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garam masala
1/2 lemon
1 Weight out coriander, turmeric and cumin together and garam masala and cayenne together, chop the onion, chilli and ginger finely
2 Put 1/3 of the onion, all the chilli, ginger, juice from the lemon and half the salt into a bowl, set aside
3 Heat some flavourless oil (a decent 15-20cm pool) and fry the rest of the onions gently
4 When they start to turn brown (10 mins) add the tomatoes and coriander, turmeric and cumin
5 Cook for 5 mins then add the drained chickpeas, the rest of the salt and the last of the spices (garam and cayenne)
6 Simmer very gently, lid off, for 20 minutes - you can put the rice on about now too - in the last few minutes add the spinach and cover to wilt
7 Lastly stir in the ginger, lemon mixture, mix well and serve with rice, a roti (or other bread) and lime pickle
Tags: chickpeas, curry, spinach
Posted in Recipes | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 by urban foodie
 Trying to fit in your weekly portion of oily fish can sometimes be a bit of a strech for the imagination. For some reason I never cook salmon, don’t know why, it seems to have dropped off my radar. Maybe I should think about a salmon recipe next… But this is a delicious and easy recipe that uses smoked haddock or mackerel.
Traditionally it is a breakfast recipe, great for Saturday lunch/brunch, but I also like it for a weekday supper. A tasty dish that makes you feel like a Victorian!
When I want to make a traditional recipe I always turn to the master Delia and this is an adaptation of one of hers.
Ingredients
150ml rice (measure in a measuring jug)
300ml water/poaching liquid
450g smoked haddock/smoked mackerel
70g butter
1 onion
3/4 teaspoon hot curry powder
2 eggs
3 tablespoons fresh parsley
100g peas
1/2 lemon
S&P
1 Put the room temperature eggs into just boiling water and simmer for 1 minute, take off heat and cover, put to one side to finish cooking
2 If using smoked haddock poach for about 7 mins in about a pint of water - if using smoked mackerel skip this step
3 Chop onion and fry gently for 5 mins in 2/3 of the butter, add curry powder, fry for half a minute
4 Add rice and stir, add the water/cooking liquid, stir once and cover, simmer very gently for 15 minutes.
5 After 10 minutes add peas
6 Flake fish, chop eggs and parsley and add to pan with a squeeze of lemon and the last knob of butter. I like it piping hot but it can also be eaten warm.
Tags: curry, easy supper, Eggs, oily fish, Quick Supper, rice
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | 1 Comment »
Monday, October 27th, 2008 by urban foodie
 As I have mentioned here before, I probably spend a bit more time and money than I should in the lovely Leon restaurants, brainchild of Allegra McEvedy, cook and charactere par extraodinaire. So imagine my excitement when they decided to bring out their own cookbook, proving again that they aren’t precious about their gift (it is even being serialised in the paper). Here is one of my favourites, gobi curry, which I am making with a rather psychedelic romanesco cauliflower that was in the box this week.
Recipe serves 4 (at least!)
Ingredients
From Allegra McEvedy’s fabulous restaurants and cookbook
1 medium onion
1 carrot
2 tbsp sunflower or peanut oil
1 to 1.5 red chili(s) (go for a bird’s-eye if you like it hot)
2 thumb-sized pieces of root ginger
5 cloves garlic
1 large tsp Madras curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp black onion seeds
1 medium sweet potato
4 heaped tbsp ground almonds
A good handful of sultanas
½ a small cauliflower
400ml tin of coconut milk
150g frozen peas
Juice of ½ a lemon
A really big handful of coriander
Salt
2 heaped tbsp desiccated coconut, to serve
1 chop the onion in half and into thick slices, cut the carrot into thick chunks and add to oil, salt and cook over a low heat, covered, for 15-20 mins (stir occasionally)
2 blitz the chili, ginger and garlic to a paste in a food processor and add to pan, cook for further 5 mins
3 wash and chop sweet pot into 2.5 cm chunks, add to pan with ground almonds, mix well
4 turn up heat and add 250ml water and sultanas, bring to a simmer and bubble for 10-15 mins (lid off) stirring occasionally
5 break cauliflower into florets and it and coconut milk to pan, simmer for further 10-15 mins, covered.
6 check veg is cooked and then turn off heat and add peas, more salt, lemon juice, the coriander chopped and the coconut sprinkled on top. I serve it with white rice, rotis and some lime pickle. Some sharp apple cider would be a great partner too.
Note, the veg in this recipe is quite flexible, for instance I am replacing the peas with some spinach that I had left in the fridge, and I have used a whole small romanesco head - the beauty of a dish that will actually get made is often it’s flexibility. To make it child friendly just leave out the chili and about half of the spices, see what I mean, felixible.
Tags: cauliflower, Coconut, curry, easy supper, peas, sweet potato
Posted in Kid Friendly, Recipes | No Comments »
Saturday, October 11th, 2008 by urban foodie
 I do love reading about food. A favourite Saturday morning relaxation is to read Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the Guardian Weekend magazine and then browse my recipe books for tasty ideas for the week ahead. If I am feeling stressed at work, or just in need of a break/lift I surf the net for recipes to add to the collection (usually based around whatever was in the veg box this week, repetition of unusual veg can make you quite creative).
So when I had an urge for a curry the other day, the crisp weather and quick night made me hanker after a colourful and spicy dinner, I turned my recent reading into the perfect composite dinner. The curry is from Skye Gyngell in The Independent (I have slightly simplified it) and the accompanying roti’s are from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the Guardian Weekend
Serves 3/4
Curry - Ingredients
from Skye Gyngell in The Independent
1 medium squash (onion, butternut etc)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 red onion
3 medium garlic cloves
1 green chili
10 curry leaves/ tablespoon curry powder
1 bunch of coriander
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp caster sugar, or to taste
2 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste
2 limes
15-20 little ripe San Marzano tomatoes (optional)
1 tin good-quality peeled plum tomatoes
250ml coconut milk (fresh or tinned)
1 Chop onion and add to heated oil in heavy bottomed pan - fry gently for 10 minutes
2 Chop chili & coriander stalks (reserve leaves for later), crush/chop garlic - add to pan with curry leaves/powder, whilst you…
3 Toast mustard and fennel seeds - crush and then add to pan, cook for a further few minutes whilst you…
4 Chop squash into thinnish 5 cm chunks (no need to peel, just remove middle fibres) - add to pan, cook for 5 minutes
5 Juice limes, mix with sugar and fish sauce - add to pan and check sour/heat/salt/sweet ratio (should be a good balance of each - amend as needed)
6 Add toms (tinned and fresh, if using) and cook for 30-35 minutes half covered
7 Add coconut milk and coriander leaves, cook for a further 5 minutes
8 To serve allow to cool and reheat gently with fluffy rice, a warm roti and some blanched chard/spinach/kale tossed in lime juice and olive oil. Oh and lime pickle - No curry is complete without it!
Roti - Ingredients
from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the Guardian Weekend
100g strong flour
1 small pinch salt
60ml flour
knob of butter for brushing
1 Mix all ingredients - except for butter - together on a bowl, knead on floured surface for a few minutes.
2 Separate into 6 balls, roll out into thin pancakes (15-20 cm across)
3 Heat non-stick frying pan and put in first roti, after about a minute, as bubbles appear, flip over and cook other side - spread with butter, move to a plate and cover with tea towel to keep warm whilst you do the next ones.
Tags: butternut squash, Coconut, curry, indian food, Lime, squash
Posted in Recipes | 5 Comments »
Thursday, August 14th, 2008 by urban foodie
Well we had a bit of a glut on courgettes this week (C picked up 3 from the ‘help yourself’ box not realising there were already 3 in our veg box) so courgettes may be a bit of a theme over the next few days.
 One of my favourite courgette recipes is this gorgeous and super quick curry recipe. So quick that it keeps all the freshness of its many green elements which beautifully compliment the seawater and sweetness of the prawns. Thanks Madhur for a firm family favourite.
Now we just need to make sure the new house guest (a lost ginger cat who is residing with us until we can find his owner - long story) doesn’t get to the prawns before we do…
Ingredients
From Madhur Jaffrey’s Illustrated Indian Cookery (a cookbook with the powerful accolade of having heavily stained pages)
2 med courgettes
1/2 teaspoon salt
vegetable oil (groundnut is good)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 packet coriander
1 green chili
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 heaped teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
tin chopped tomatoes
2 inches ginger
1 tablespoon lemon
1 Cut courgettes lengthwise into 4 then each strip across into 3, chop coriander, grate ginger, measure spices
2 Heat a 20cm pool of oil in medium high heat, crush garlic into pan and fry gently until golden brown
3 Add all other ingredients to pan except prawns and coriander bring to simmer
4 Add prawns and coriander simmer for 3 minutes, turn up heat and boil away a little of the liquid so that the sauce is thick
5 Serve on a bed of white basmati rice with a glass of chilled white Rioja and a little spoon of lime pickle on the side
Tags: courgettes, curry, easy supper, prawns
Posted in Recipes | No Comments »
Thursday, August 7th, 2008 by urban foodie
 Back from holiday number two, The Big Chill festival, with the memory of sunshine and dancing in a field still warm in my heart (and a swollen ankle too, but that’s another story - yes it involved cocktails, darkness and an unseen hole…).
One of the other great memories that lingers is of dinner on the first night - fresh mackerel fillet curry with rice and salad.
If you are heading to a festival this summer seek out the Goan Fish Curry stall, I implore you. Their standard curries, made with sustainable Cornish fish, are delicious fare but their mackerel fillet special would not be out of place on a (very good) fish restaurant table. Gone are the days when festival food meant a burger, tastless lentil pat or, at best, some chips with garlic mayo in a pitta - actually that one wasn’t always so bad 
‘I’m afraid it’ll be a few minutes as we cook them fresh’ was a promising start and it just got better from there. Juicy, fresh as the sea, mackerel seared on the griddle and smothered in tangy, thickly spiced sauce set off by just right rice and a clasic tangy tomato, onion salad speckled with fresh coriander.
I’m telling you it was delicious. Go, my friends, find a festival, dance in the fresh air and fill your stomachs with gorgeousness - it does an urban foodie soul good.
Tags: curry, festival food, fish
Posted in Not London Eating | No Comments »
|
|
My favourites
Add recipe
Search recipes
