Spicy Egg Curry

This past week I have eaten a lot of food, and none of it was made by me. Not so great when you have a food blog… But here I am, back with a student staple, curry. Unhealthy as it may sound, I cook curry at least once a week; it’s just too simple to make, and always delivers on flavour and price. As my diet becomes increasingly vegetarian I have looked to find tasty alternatives to chicken and lamb. Chickpeas, paneer and tofu have all proved perfect substitutes, and the addition of the whole boiled eggs here work nicely too. The chilli paste adds a punch of heat, and I find just half a tablespoon the perfect amount, but feel free to add more or less depending on your preferences. The coconut makes this curry creamy and the spices and ginger create a really unusual, but very delicious, flavour.

Serves 2/3

2 tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced

2 cm piece ginger, finely chopped

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground turmeric

½ tbsp chilli paste

1 tbsp brown sugar

200ml coconut milk

4 eggs, boiled and peeled

large handful mange tout

1. To peel the tomatoes, cut a cross in the base of each, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for a couple of moments then drain, peel and roughly chop.
2. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or sauce pan and add the garlic, shallots and ginger. After a minute, add the spices, paste and tomatoes and stir for a few minutes more.
3. Add the coconut and sugar, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened. This should take around 5 minutes. Add the eggs and mange tout and simmer for another 4 minutes or so, until the mange tout are cooked and the eggs are warmed through. Serve with steamed rice. 

An Indian Feast

Last Bonfire Night, I hosted an Indian themed supper. Each guest brought a dish, and I made chutneys and onion bhajis. It went so well that I decided to recreate the feast again this week, but this time I made everything myself, including three curries, chutneys, raita, bhajis and naan bread. As you can imagine I was pretty exhausted after a good four hours of cooking - I think I chopped 12 onions, 12!!

All the recipes came from the wonderful BBC Food and Good Food websites, except for the main chicken tikka curry which is a Gordon Ramsay creation, originally found by my lovely friend Maddy. The best thing about these recipes is that they can all be made up ahead and reheated, saving time, energy and hob space later.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I doubled up the Chicken Tikka recipe to serve 6 people with leftovers. I started by making the sauce and blending it, then leaving it to one side, before reheating it just before serving and adding the browned chicken pieces which I allowed to infuse in the sauce for about 10 minutes or so. This curry has a good red colour, creamy texture and a deep flavour, with just a hint of spice that should appeal to even the most chilli fearing of friends.

Spiced Paneer and Tomato Curry

I’m a big fan of paneer, an Indian cheese similar to halloumi, and the Spiced Paneer and Tomato Curry I made was sympathetic to its delicate flavour. Again the spice level was more warming hint then blast.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

The final curry I made was a Chickpea and Spinach number, Ben’s favourite, which made for a bit of colour on the table, and also could be described as healthy (mainly because it was green). I made the entirety of the curry up ahead, except for the addition of the spinach, which I added to the warmed sauce to wilt, about 15 minutes before serving.

The mix for the onion bhajis was again made up ahead, except for the flour, which was added to the onion, egg and spices just before frying. Once fried, I popped the bhajis in a Pyrex dish and placed them in the oven, on a low heat, to keep them warm until I was ready to serve.

Onion Bhajis, Raita and Naan

I can’t take all the credit for the feast though. Ben did make the Naan breads. He followed this Madhur Jaffery recipe, and cooked them on a slightly oiled pan on the hob rather then in the oven. They puffed up perfectly, and made for a sweet and fluffy accompaniment to the meal.

Alongside all this I served my trusty coriander chutney with the addition of a little natural yoghurt to create a smoother consistency, and cucumber and mint raita to cool everything down.

Phew, I’m exhausted just recounting it all to you here, but I’m pleased to say the meal went down very well, and six people managed to eat almost all of the different curries, which had been meant to make 16 portions!!

Muttar Paneer

There is nothing better then a curry, whether it be homemade or takeaway, each has a time and a place. Their simplicity and throw-it-all-in-and-see-what-happens style makes them the perfect choice for the experimental cook. In regards to the curry recipes I’ve seen in cookery books, my top choice is Gizzi’s Kitchen Magic, as one reader commented, not the most trust worthy of names, but she sure does have some lovely and more unusual recipes. You may remember her Afghan Yoghurt Curry I made a few months back, well it was delicious, and I had high hopes for the Muttar Paneer Curry that I tried next.

Now my knowledge of vegetarian curries stretches little further then the obligatory butternut squash variety, which is great and all that, but gets a bit boring after a while. This curry uses paneer as the star ingredient, an Indian cheese with a squeaky likeness to halloumi. The cheese is fried until golden brown and then added to a delicious homemade curry paste (so simple to make and useable as a base for any curry) as well as peas. The mild sauce allows the sweetness of the peas to burst out with every mouthful and the cheese adds texture, making it a great alternative to tofu. Gizzi also suggests serving the dish with a naan rather then rice, a welcome change in my opinion.

Slightly adapted from Gizzi’s Kitchen Magic

Serves 2

1 tbsp vegetable oil

125g Paneer cheese

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

150ml vegetable stock

150g frozen peas

naan bread

-For the Curry Paste-

1 tbsp vegetable oil

½ onion, peeled and chopped

1.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

pinch of garam masala

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

1. Put all the ingredients for the curry paste into a blender and mix to a paste.
2. Add the oil to a pan over a medium heat, then fry the paneer until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on some kitchen paper.
3. Add the paste to the pan and fry for 5 minutes, until it starts to brown a little. Add the stock and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Add the paneer and the peas and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Season, and serve with naan bread.

Kedgeree

Aren’t food memories the best? I think probably most of my memories revolve in some way around food. Whether it be ‘Cosy Tea’ when I got home from school, eating turkey dinosaurs after Nursery, that duck we ate for my big 18^th Birthday dinner, or that first takeaway pizza on day one at University. This Kedgeree is no different, for it really reminds me of Mum and when she’s being extra lovely and treating me to one of my favourite suppers. Billed as a breakfast (and it does taste amazing the next day heated up) we always seem to have kedgeree as an early supper before an evening out, on this occasion to the theatre.

Kind of like a biryani I suppose, Kedgeree is an Indian dish brought back to England by the Victorians and enjoyed as a hearty breakfast ever since. Consisting of flaked white fish, onion, rice, peas, boiled egg, lemon juice, curry powder and turmeric, which gives it its slightly radioactive yellow colour, it really is very simple make. More importantly, it tastes amazing too, the tang of the lemon and punch of the curry powder complimenting rather then over powering the more delicate flavour of the fish. I always have seconds and I’m sure you will too!!

Adapted from The Breakfast Book

240g smoked haddock, cooked and flaked

240g cooked rice

2 small onions, finely chopped

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp curry powder

Juice of 1 lemon

120g butter

2 hardboiled eggs

2 tbsp peas

1. Soften the onions in half the butter in a large casserole dish. Add the turmeric, curry powder and lemon juice.
2. Fry gently for a couple of minutes before adding fish, rice and rest of the butter.
3. Hard-boil the eggs. Keep the fish and rice mixture over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Heat the peas for a few moments.
4. Chop the hard-boil eggs and mix lightly, along with the peas, to the dish. Season and serve.

Afghan Yoghurt Chicken Curry

I’M BACK! Well, I’ve actually been back for nearly a week but haven’t really had a chance to update the blog. Turkey was wonderful, and I have lots of lovely foodie photo’s to show you, and a couple of recipes that I picked up to share, but I’m afraid they will have to wait a little longer. I also have a proper camera now (I’ve gone photographing mad), and am planning a bit of an overhaul of the blog, so expect a few changes around here in the near future.

In the mean time, I wanted to share with you this delicious yoghurt based curry that I made during the week. Another of Gizzi Erskine’s, the curry is massively flavoursome, and the large dollop of Greek yoghurt added, which curdles slightly during simmering, makes the sauce deliciously thick. The addition of half a green chili adds heat but is not overpowering, thanks to the yoghurt, and all the different flavours shine through together. Fresh mint in a curry is a revelation for me, and it works so well. My new favourite curry.

From Gizzi’s Kitchen Magic (I’ve basically just halved the quantities)

Serves 2

½ tbsp vegetable oil

4 chicken thigh fillets, skins removed, and chopped into 4 pieces each

½ onion, peeled and chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely

½ green chili, finely chopped

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

2 crushed cardamom pods

250g Greek yoghurt

handful of fresh coriander, chopped

handful of fresh mint, chopped

1. Heat the oil in a deep pan which has a lid. Brown the chicken, then remove from the pan and set aside. In the remaining fat in the pan cook the onion over a low heat for 8 minutes, until softened, then add the garlic and chili for a minute.
2. Add the spices and toast over the low heat for a minute, before adding the yoghurt, chicken and a splash of water.
3. Stir and add the fresh chopped herbs and a little salt and pepper. Stir and cover with the lid. Leave to gently simmer for 20 minutes over a low heat, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
4. Serve with rice.

Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: UNDER £4

Kitchen Requirements: LARGE PAN WITH LID.

Curry Night

It was no mean feat getting everyone on my course together between holidays and the start of exams, but I managed it and the result was plenty of curry and cake. Managing to fit 8 people round my small table was also quite a challenge, considering I only have 4 actual chairs (a coffee table, step ladder and guitar amp made good alternatives). I started off by making two chutneys, coriander and mango, to dip poppadoms into, which went down very well if I do say so myself. I went on to make Sophie Dahl’s Dad’s Chicken Curry, brilliantly easy to make with a very delicate flavour making it suitable for all, while my friend Lydia rustled up a veggie option. Clean plates all round. And what did I get in return? 4 cakes, including 2 chocolate fudge cakes; don’t I have lovely generous friends.

-Coriander Chutney-

Makes one ramekin

One large handful of coriander, roughly chopped

½ red onion, roughly chopped

1 green chille

1 tsp cumin seeds

juice of ½ a lime

1 tsp light brown sugar

pinch of salt

1. Put all of the ingredients, apart from the coriander, into a blender and blend to a coarse paste.
2. Add the coriander and blend to a fine paste.
3. Check to see if you need any more salt.

Recipe for the Mango Chutney can be found here.

Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: CORIANDER CHUTNEY – UNDER £1.50, FOR THE WHOLE MEAL - £3 MEAT EATERS/£2 NON MEAT EATERS

Kitchen Requirements: CORIANDER CHUTNEY - BLENDER, RAMEKIN.

CAKE!!

Vietnamese Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry

I do apologise for the lack of posts recently. It’s not that I’ve given up on cooking, I’ve just been really busy, first with work experience, then with heading back home to Bath, and finally with my first cooking related injury (nasty cut to the finger whilst chopping tomatoes – not cool). But I HAVE been cooking, I promise!! Not only that, I invested in a new cookbook too, ‘Alice’s Cook Book’, by Alice Hart, at half price I couldn’t really resist. With recipes broken up into categories such as ‘Picnic, campervans and happy camping’, ‘seasonal Sunday lunch’ and ‘Party’, its really easy to follow and the recipes are genuinely things that you actually want to try.

My first recipe choice from the book is a Vietnamese Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry. I’ve really taken to coconut milk based curry’s of late, preferring that light, almost perfumed taste that they give to their heavy tomato based counterparts. This curry does not disappoint. Pretty simple to follow and containing mostly store cupboard items, the ingredients make a good basic curry which you can add just about any other veg to, depending on what you have left over in the fridge. The level of spice is also easily controlled; I was rather cautious with my half a teaspoon of chilli flakes, but you can be a lot more generous if you so wish.

Adapted from ‘Alice’s Cook Book’

Serves 2 very hungry students

2 chicken breast, cut into chunks (Alice uses thighs)

1 ½ tbsp medium curry powder

2 tsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

½ onion, chopped (Alice uses shallots)

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 lemongrass stalk, chopped

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp Thai fish Sauce

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

400 ml can coconut milk

coriander leaves, to serve

1. Mix half the curry powder, sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Coat the chicken in the mixture and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a deep pan and add the onion, garlic and lemongrass. Fry for a couple of minutes until softened. Add the rest of the curry powder, chilli flakes and chicken and stir fry for a few more minutes.
3. Add the sweet potato, 1 tbsp of fish sauce, coconut milk and half a wine glass of water. Bring to the boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken and sweet potato are cooked through. Taste and add more fish sauce if required. Serve with steamed rice and a sprinkling of coriander.

Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: UNDER £4

Kitchen Requirements: BOWL, LARGE FRYING PAN. 

Sophie Dahl's Chicken Curry

This weekend I took delivery of three new cookbooks, one of which being ‘Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights’. I was attracted initially by the mouth watering photography and the way in which the recipes are divided seasonally, and in to breakfast, lunch and supper. The book does not disappoint, and I’m looking forward in particular to trying my hand at the brown rice risotto with pumpkin, mascarpone, sage and almonds and the warm winter vegetable salad. An added bonus for a anyone who doesn’t really eat red meat is that Sophie is a vegetarian and only includes chicken and fish recipes in the book, a long with some really inventive looking vegetarian dishes.

Yesterday I wasn’t feeling too adventurous, so turned to Sophie’s dad’s Chicken Curry. I had all the ingredients in the house and it all looked very straightforward so I gave it a go, and I can’t tell you how pleased I was with the results. A lot of coconut is included in the recipe so I was expecting it to be overly sweet, but all of the other flavours shone through really nicely. It was absolutely delicious, and if this is anything to go by, I can’t wait to try cooking from the rest of the book.

Adapted from ‘Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights’ (I omitted the Serrano chillies and served it with boiled rice sprinkled with black onion seeds rather then the suggested cauliflower.)

Serves 2 hungry students

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

a thumb sized slice of fresh root ginger, grated

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp curry powder

2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces

400ml can of light coconut milk

salt and pepper

enough rice for 2

tbsp black onion seeds

1. Sweat the onion, garlic and ginger in oil in a large deep frying pan for a few minutes. Add the curry powder, and stir for a few more minutes. Add the chicken to the mixture and cook for another few minutes before seasoning to taste.
2. Pour the coconut into the pan and simmer over a low heat for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is properly cooked through.
3. Meanwhile boil the rice according to manufacturers instructions, and toss in some black onion seeds for the final minute of cooking.

Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: UNDER £4

Kitchen Requirements: LARGE DEEP PAN, SAUCE PAN.

Two Ways with Sweet Potato

The humble sweet potato is a versatile carbohydrate and a staple of my kitchen cupboard. It’s nice to have a different option to the trusty potato every now and again, and they taste good tossed into a curry, simply cubed and boiled, mashed or even chipped.

Sweet Potato Curry:

I know it’s another curry, but I really can’t say enough how perfectly suited they are to the student budget and kitchen. One big pan, lots of lovely leftovers and store cupboard basics, and you’ve got your self a flavoursome and eternally changing meal. I made this one before a night out, its heat and stodginess providing a defense against the long night ahead. I’d never tried a vegetarian curry before, but the sweet potato provided a great meat substitute.

Adapted from Leon: Naturally Fast Food

Serves 2

½ onion

large glug of vegetable oil

1cm piece of fresh ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp turmeric

200g chopped tomato (1/2 tin)

2 average sized sweet potatoes

½ cauliflower

200g coconut milk (1/2 tin)

50g cashew nuts

handful of frozen peas

1. Peel the onion, roughly chop and fry in the oil in a large frying pan for 5 minutes. Peel the garlic and crush, and peel the ginger and finely chop. Add to the pan and fry for 1 minute. Add the spices and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and peeled and cubed sweet potatoes (I suggest just over bite sized or they won’t cook in time). Cook for thirty minutes over a low heat, covered with a lid, adding water if it appears to be drying out.
3. Add the florets of cauliflower and the coconut milk. Put the lid on and simmer for around 8 minutes, or until the cauliflower is soft. Add the peas for the final 2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a dry frying pan.
5. Season and add nuts just before serving on rice.

 Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: UNDER £5

Kitchen Requirements: LARGE FRYING PAN WITH LID, SMALLER FRYING PAN, SAUCE PAN FOR RICE.

Sweet Potato Fries:

Cut into fine strips and sprinkled with salt, these sweet potato chips make a tasty snack, and best of all they take less then five minutes to make.

From Leon: Naturally Fast Food

Sweet Potato

Vegetable Oil

Salt

1. Finely slice the sweet potatoes into slim chips, leaving the skins on.
2. Fry small batches in hot vegetable oil until golden.
3. Drain, dab off with kitchen towel, season with salt and eat immediately.

Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: UNDER £1

Kitchen Requirements: FRYING PAN.

Curry Chicken Pot Roast

An unusual take on the traditional Sunday roast, this simple to make and delicious to eat recipe provides perfectly cooked chicken permeated with a lovely curry flavour, and a spicy yoghurt crust to boot. The chunks of potato left to cook under the chicken with slices of lemon pick up a citrusy flavour that offsets the curry chicken nicely. Served with simply steamed greens and a large glass of wine, and you’ve got the perfect excuse to get your friends round and celebrate the weekend.

From Leon: Naturally Fast Food

Serves around 4

3 cloves garlic

4 tbsp natural youghurt

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp chilli powder

750g potatoes (or enough to serve you and your friends)

1 lemon

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 whole chicken

fresh coriander (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Peel and grate the garlic into a bowl, and add the yoghurt, spices and chilli powder.
2. Slice the unpeeled potatoes fairly thinly and place in a large deep pan with the oil. Slice half the lemon and scatter amongst the potatoes, and season.
3. Smear the yoghurt mixture all over the chicken, stuff some of it under the skin too so that the flavours permeate the chicken further, and put the other half of the lemon in the cavity of the chicken.
4. Cook covered in the oven for 1 hour. Then remove the lid and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
5. Carve, and serve the potatoes sprinkled with the fresh coriander.

Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: UNDER £10

Kitchen Requirements: ONE LARGE DEEP PAN WITH A LID, ONE BOWL.

Coconut Chicken and Pea Curry

Curries are generally pretty simple to make, but the great thing about this one, that makes it different from others I’ve made in the past, is the fact that everything but the coriander can be found in the store cupboard or freezer, you just need to remember to take the chicken out of the freezer in the day or pick it up from the shops on your way home. The addition of the tikka paste was a real discovery, not only does it add a really deep curry flavour which really livens up the chicken, but it can be kept in the cupboard even after opening, so no need to take up valuable fridge space. The flavour’s complimented one another perfectly, it was very mild allowing the coconut to shine through, but I wouldn’t be afraid to throw in a chili if you prefer a kick to your curry.

From Leon: Naturally Fast Food

Serves 4

4 Chicken breasts

25g butter

2 tsp nigella seeds (black onion seeds)

2 tbsp tikka paste

300ml coconut milk

200g frozen peas

Handful of fresh coriander leaves

1. Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips
2. Melt the butter in a heavy based pan and cook the chicken and nigella seeds until the chicken is cooked, around 10 minutes. Stir in the tikka paste, coconut milk and peas. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil, and then simmer for a minute or two.
3. Chop the coriander and add to the pan before seasoning to taste. Serve with rice. 

Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: UNDER £5

Kitchen Requirements: BIG FRYING PAN.

Korean Keema

When I can’t think what I want to cook I tend to turn to a curry. Great for using up a whole host of leftovers, curry is a hearty, warming choice for cold winter nights. The Korean Keema is unlike curries I have made in the past, being less focused on a flavoursome sauce and more so on the marinated meat, and although there wasn’t a sauce the meat was wonderfully juicy. I was a little cautious having never cooked turkey before, but I found the results very pleasing, both price and taste wise.

Adapted from Nigella Lawson: Kitchen

Serves 2

150g rice

250g turkey mince

4 chopped spring onions

125g frozen peas

1 tsp vegetable oil

2 x 15ml tbsp rice wine

2 x 15ml tbsp chopped fresh coriander

For the marinade:

2 x tbsp red curry paste

1 x 15ml tbsp honey

1 x 15ml tbsp rice wine

2 x 15ml tbsp soy sauce

1. Cook the rice and put a kettle on for the peas later.

2. Whisk together the marinade ingredients and stir in the turkey mince. Leave to steep for 5 minutes.

3. Heat a heavy based frying pan on the hob, and while this is happening, blanche the peas with the boiling water in a colander. When the pan is hit add the oil, peas and spring onions, and fry for 4 minutes.

4. Add the turkey and its sauce and stir fry for 5 minutes, until cooked. Rinse out the steeping bowl by adding the 2 tbsp rice wine and then pour this into the pan.

5. Stir fry everything for a further 30 seconds, serve over rice, and sprinkle with the chopped coriander.

Culinary Know How: FRESHER

Budget: 500g TURKEY MINCE COST £2, BUT THE RICE WINE IS A LITTLE EXPENSIVE (MORE AN INVESTMENT AS IT’LL LAST A LONG TIME)

Kitchen Requirements: BASIC