Coconut Raita

Tandoori Asparagus

2014-08-29T12:27:00.000+01:00

I discovered the delicate flavours of asparagus as an adult. My mum never cooked it and I'm not sure she has tasted it even to this day. The British asparagus season is short-lived but this year I created this lightly spiced dish that is great either as a starter or as a vegetarian barbecue dish.

In other news, my talented nieces have been creating food videos and this one shows you three delicious smoothie recipes in three minutes. Enjoy.

Serves 2 - 4 depending on portion size

Ingredients

230 grams asparagus
150 grams natural yogurt
2 cm cube root ginger - peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon coriander-cumin powder
1 teaspoon salt
0.5 teaspoon turmeric
Fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 green chilli - finely chopped
a pinch red chilli powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5 grams fresh coriander - chopped
15 grams butter

Method

Prepare the asparagus by bending each spear until it snaps. Discard the woody ends.
In a bowl place the yogurt, ginger, coriander-cumin powder, salt, turmeric, 0.5 tablespoon lemon juice, garam masala, green chilli, chilli powder, vegetable oil and coriander. Mix well.
Add the asparagus spears and ensure they are fully coated in the mixture. Leave to marinate for at least one hour.
When you are ready to serve, melt the butter in a small pan over a lot heat.
When melted, remove from the heat and add 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Mix well.
Line a baking tray with foil and place a wire grate over it. Place the asparagus spears onto the grate. Discard the excess marinade.
Drizzle lemon butter over each spear.
Place the tray under the grill.
When the asparagus is lightly charred, turn each spear. Drizzle again with lemon butter and return to the grill.
The asparagus is ready when lightly charred and still has an al dente texture.
Serve

Chilli roasted tomatoes

2014-08-18T13:25:00.001+01:00

One of Steve's favourite childhood memories is eating fresh tomatoes grown by his grandfather straight from the vine. We always have several punnets of tomatoes in the fridge and every week we use any excess to make this dish.

They are great with sandwiches, salads, barbecues, picnics or just as a cheeky nibble as you walk by the fridge.

Ingredients

450 grams tomatoes
olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
3 bay leaves (fresh or dry)
fresh or dried thyme
balsamic vinegar

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 165 degrees centigrade.
Wash the tomatoes and then cut each in half through the poles not along the equator.
Use an oven proof dish that will hold the tomatoes snuggly (you can always use a few more or less as required).
Add a thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of the dish.
Place the tomatoes on the dish with the cut side up.
Drizzle the tomatoes with more olive oil.
Now sprinkle the tomatoes with salt, black pepper and chilli flakes.
Tuck the bay leaves amongst the tomatoes
If you are using fresh thyme, lay a few sprigs across the top of the tomatoes. If using dried thyme, sprinkle a teaspoon or two over the tomatoes.
Now drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Place in the oven until slightly charred - in the region of 1 hour 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and use a fork to gently squash the tomatoes and release the juices.
Leave to cool before serving.

Lemon and sultana rye cookies

2014-08-01T14:39:00.000+01:00

Steve is away bivvy bagging* in Norway this week. Whilst it has been lovely to have a week to myself - catching up with friends, enjoying the peace and quiet, sleeping diagonally across the bed... - I have missed him and am planning a menu of his favourite foods for his return on Sunday.

Having become a wheat-free household in recent years, biscuits are a rare luxury. However these cookies are zesty and sweet at the same time and Steve loves them with a cup of tea. You won't even notice that they are wheat-free.

I leave you with a photo of Steve having conquered his first summit in the Arctic Circle.

*Essentially wild camping without a tent. Bonkers.

Makes approximately 20 biscuits

Ingredients

225 grams butter - at room temperature
150 grams caster sugar
1 egg - beaten
Zest of two lemons
0.5 teaspoon salt
340 grams rye flour
125 grams sultanas
3 tablespoons pearl sugar (optional)

Method

Cream together the butter and caster sugar.
Gradually add the egg to the mixture. Beating well between each addition.
Now add the lemon zest, salt, rye flour and sultanas. Mix well. It should form a dough.
Form the mixture into 2 logs and roll them in clingfilm. Put in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour.
When you are ready to bake the biscuits, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.
If you are using the pearl sugar, sprinkle it onto a flat surface and roll the logs over the top. Press it into the surface of the dough if you need to.
Slice the logs into 1cm thick rounds.
Place parchment paper onto baking trays and lay the biscuits onto the parchment paper. Leave plenty of space between the biscuits in case they spread.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack.

Potato salad without mayonnaise

2014-07-04T20:17:00.000+01:00

Steve has an aversion to mayonnaise so extreme that he treats any food served with a white sauce with scepticism. The recipe below is made with creme fraiche and tastes great - especially with a barbeque on a hot summer day. If you want a low fat version substitute natural set yogurt with the creme fraiche.

Serves 2-4 as an accompaniment

Ingredients

250 grams new potatoes
8 mint leaves - shredded
2 small spring onions - chopped (including the green stems)
1 large clove garlic - crushed
Pinch of chilli flakes
40 millilitres creme fraiche
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Boil the potatoes until cooked.
Drain and leave them to one side to cool. This may take an hour or so.
Once cool, dice the potatoes into 1 centimetre cubes.
Place the mint leaves, spring onions, garlic, chilli flakes and creme fraiche in a small mixing bowl.
Mix well and then season to taste with the salt and black pepper.
Add the diced potatoes and mix again.
Serve.

Terrine of goats' cheese and truffle mustard served with a salad and walnut oil vinaigrette

2014-04-22T20:03:00.000+01:00

The first time I tasted Maille's mustard with Chablis and black truffles was in Selfridges food hall last Christmas. The flavours were so concentrated and rich that I couldn't stop myself from exclaiming aloud - I really needed my own jar and I wasn't going to share it with anyone. I then saw the premium price tag, put the jar back on the shelf, and resolved to add it to my Christmas list for this year. In a happy turn of events, however, I recently received a gift set from Maille containing a jar of their mustard with white wine, celeriac and black truffle along with a bottle of walnut oil. Feeling inspired, I have created this recipe for goat's cheese terrine that showcases these two condiments in a fabulous seasonal starter.

Serves 4

Ingredients

25 grams raisins
50 millilitres white wine
Walnut oil
175 grams Capricorn goat's cheese
100 grams plain Greek yogurt
5 grams gelatine leaves
100 millilitres whipping cream
30 grams celery - very finely diced
1 Granny Smith's apple - 30 grams peeled and very finely diced, the remainder cut into thin batons
Salt
White pepper
2 teaspooons Maille mustard with white wine, celeriac and black truffle
70 grams plain goats' cheese log - cut into 4 slices
50 millilitres Maille walnut oil
10 millilitres white wine vinegar
50 grams mixed baby salad leaves
40 grams walnut halves

Method

Raisins:
- Place the raisins in a ramekin and cover with the white wine.
- Leave to marinade for a minimum of 3 hours. 24 hours is ideal as the raisins become plump and juicy from absorbing the wine.

Terrine:

Cut 4 strips of acetate 20 cm in length. Lightly oil them with walnut oil. Line 4 ring moulds (6 cm diameter) with the acetate. Line the base of the ring moulds with cling film. Place the ring moulds on a tray.
Remove and discard the rind from the Capricorn goat's cheese. Place the remaining cheese in a food processor and blend into a puree.
Add the Greek yogurt and blend again. It should be a smooth puree. Place it in a mixing bowl.
Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water.
Meanwhile, gently heat the whipping cream in a small pan.
When the cream is hot (but not boiling), take it off the heat. Remove the gelatine from the water and gently squeeze it to remove the excess liquid. Add the gelatine to the hot whipping cream and stir until it has dissolved.
Place the pan over a bowl of iced water and stir continually until the cream has cooled to room temperature.
Working quickly, add the cream to the goat's cheese and yogurt mixture and stir thoroughly.
Now add the diced celery, diced apple, salt, white pepper and truffle mustard. Stir well and taste the mixture. Add more seasoning or mustard as required.
Fill the ring moulds with half of the goats cheese mixture.
Place a slice of goats' cheese log in the centre of each ring mould.
Fill the ring moulds with the remainder of the goats cheese mixture.
Place the ring moulds in the fridge to set. This should take in the region of 2 hours.

Vinaigrette:

Whisk together the walnut oil and white wine vinegar.
Season to taste.

Salad:

Pick the salad leaves
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade. Place the walnut halves in a single layer on a small baking tray and bake for 5 minutes. Leave to cool.

To serve:

Toss the walnuts, apple batons and salad leaves in the vinaigrette.
Drain the raisins from the wine.
Arrange the salad leaves on serving plates.
Add the apple batons, raisins and a few walnut halves.
Gently crush the remaining walnuts into small fragments but not dust.
Remove the terrines from the ring moulds and place on the serving plates with the salad.
Decorate the terrines with the crushed walnuts.
Serve with freshly baked walnut bread.

Peppers stuffed with spiced lamb

2014-04-15T19:22:00.002+01:00

Since doing my Cordon Bleu diploma I've been finding dinner parties increasingly stressful. I seem to feel that unless I have spent 12 hours cooking then I haven't really made an effort for my guests. Unsurprisingly this has resulted in me not enjoying giving dinner parties and so for the last one, Steve and I decided on an Indian menu using recipes from this blog. Steve managed to cook a delicious meal for six people within 90 minutes while I had a manicure and pedicure in the next room. Our guests had a fabulous evening and everyone raved about the food. Steve can definitely do the cooking going forward!

This recipe is a great starter for a stress-free dinner party as it looks colourful and you can do most of the preparation well in advance.

Serves 8 as a starter or 4 as a main course

Ingredients

1 teaspoon light tasting vegetable oil
1 star anise
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4 black peppercorns
1 medium onion - finely chopped
10 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
1 small fresh green chilli - finely chopped
450 grams minced lamb
140 grams peas (fresh or frozen)
1.5 teaspoons garam masala
A small handful of fresh coriander - finely chopped
4 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt
4 red peppers
Olive oil
Ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a medium pan.
Add the star anise, cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns. Heat for 2-3 minutes.
Now add the chopped onions and cook until they are very soft.
Add the ginger and chilli. Stir well.
Now add the lamb. Stir well and let the mixture cook on a medium-low heat. Don't cover the pan. As the lamb cooks it will release fat and water. Stir occasionally and let the lamb cook until most of the moisture has evaporated. Be careful not to cook off all of the moisture as you don't want it to be too dry, however the lamb should have a granular texture. This is likely to take in the region of 20 minutes.
Add the peas and let the mixture cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Switch off the heat and remove the star anise and cinnamon stick.
Add the garam masala, fresh coriander, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir well and taste to check the seasoning.
Leave the mixture to cool until you are ready to stuff the peppers just prior to serving.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.
Cut the peppers in half lengthways and remove the seeds.
Place the halved peppers on a baking tray. Brush both the skin and inside of the peppers with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place the peppers in the oven to cook for 10 minutes.
Remove the peppers from the oven. Drain any water that has been released during cooking. Stuff the peppers with the lamb mixture.
Return the peppers to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. The peppers should be tender and the lamb stuffing hot and slightly crispy on top.
Serve with green salad leaves.

Walnut bread

2014-02-28T06:00:00.000+00:00

I created this recipe for pull-apart walnut bread as part of the menu for my penultimate exam for my Cordon Bleu Diploma last year. It is incredibly quick and easy and the resulting bread has a fluffy, soft texture and a slightly sweet, nutty taste. It's very versatile and goes well with a multitude of dishes including carrot soup, cheese boards and goats cheese terrines.

Ingredients

7 grams dried yeast
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
300 grams wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon salt
90 grams shelled walnuts (broken into small pieces)
10 grams butter

Method

Place the dried yeast in a bowl with 75 millilitres lukewarm water and 0.5 teaspoon of brown sugar. Whisk well and leave to one side until the surface has 2 centimetres of froth on it.
Meanwhile place the flour, remaining sugar, salt and walnut pieces in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Stir well.
Melt the butter on a low heat taking care not to burn it.
When the froth has developed on the yeast ferment, add it to the mixing bowl of the stand mixer along with the melted butter and 150 millilitres of lukewarm water. Mix well.
Use the dough hook attachment on the stand mixer and knead for 3 minutes. NB The kneading can be done by hand if required - the resulting dough should be springy and slightly sticky.
Shape the dough as desired. If you wish to make a pull-apart loaf like the one in the photos, split the dough into 12 balls weighing 50 grams each. Place the balls next to each other on a baking tray so that they are just touching.
Cover the dough with a clean tea towel and leave to prove until it has doubled in size. This should take in the region of 45 minutes.
Pre heat the oven to 230 degrees Centigrade.
Bake the bread for 18 minutes. To check that it is cooked, knock the underside of the bread. It should have a hollow sound.
Leave the bread to cool on a wire rack. Serve on the same day.

Sourdough tea bread

2014-02-21T06:00:00.000+00:00

If you don't have a pet sourdough starter of your own, you can use the instructions here to create one. It's really simple but don't be disheartened if it dies - I'm currently on my fourth starter and I'm sure it was nothing I did that led to the deaths of the previous ones. Hmmm maybe my parents knew what they were doing when they wouldn't buy me a puppy.

This tea bread is sweetened by the addition of glace fruit and is a great mid-afternoon snack especially when served with butter.

Day 1 - evening

Ingredients:

50 grams sourdough starter
100 grams organic whole spelt flour
100 millilitres mineral water
25 grams mixed peel
75 grams sultanas
200 millilitres cold black tea

Method:

Mix together the sourdough starter, spelt flour and water in a bowl and leave at room temperature. This is known as the ferment.
In a separate bowl soak the mixed peel and sultanas in the cold tea and leave at room temperature.

Day 2 - morning

Ingredients:

40 grams stem ginger in syrup - chopped
80 grams glace cherries - chopped
1 teaspoon salt
150 grams organic whole rye flour

Method:

Reserving the tea, drain the peel and sultanas and place in a large mixing bowl.
Add 100 millilitres of the tea to the bowl. If you have insufficient tea, make up the difference using mineral water. Discard any excess tea.
Add the ferment to the mixing bowl.
Add the stem ginger, glace cherries, salt and rye flour.
Combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
Using a Kitchen Aid with the dough hook attachment, kneed the mixture for 15 minutes on a medium setting.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside for two hours or until the mixture has doubled in size.
Grease a 1 pound loaf tin with light tasting vegetable oil.
Add the loaf mixture to the tin and smooth with a palette knife. Leave to rise until it reaches the top of the tin. This will take in the region of 1 hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 220 Centigrade.
Place the loaf tin in the oven on the middle shelf. Fill a baking tray with water and place this on a lower shelf to create steam. Bake for 35 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. During this time, add more water if the baking tray is drying out.
Leave the loaf to cool in the tin for five minutes.
Carefully remove the loaf from the tin and leave it to cool on a wire rack.
Once cool, wrap in greaseproof paper and leave to rest for a day (it tends to have a weird gummy texture on the day of baking).

Day 3

Your loaf is ready to eat.

Cluster beans with red potatoes

2014-02-14T06:00:00.000+00:00

Please accept my profuse apologies for not posting for so long. My poor, neglected blog has not been the focus of my attention for some time but rest assured it isn't dead.

When I first started this site, my intention was to document and share my family's recipes and prevent them from being lost in time. I'm absolutely delighted to say that it has become so much more than that and not only has it developed my love of cooking (resulting in me doing my Cordon Bleu diploma last year) but has directly led to me making lots of new friends from around the world.

One such friend is Chetan who sent me this recipe for cluster beans with red potatoes. Cluster beans (aka guar or guvar beans) have featured on this site previously in my mum's recipe for cluster beans with dumplings but Chetan's dish is entirely different in terms of both texture and flavour. I've used Roseval potatoes as they have a delicate nutty flavour but any small red or white potato would be fine.

Serves 2 people as a main course

Ingredients

175 grams cluster beans - topped, tailed and cut into bite sized pieces. Note: These should be a lime green colour and long, thin and tender. If they are dark green they will be overripe. If they are thick and knobbly they will contain seeds. You can still use thick cluster beans but they will probably required destringing.
5 small red potatoes (preferably Roseval) - chopped into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
3-5 curry leaves (fresh or dried)
A pinch of asafoetida
1 tomato - finely chopped
2 green chillies - finely chopped
5 grams ginger - finely chopped or grated
0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
1.5 teaspoons coriander-cumin powder
0.5 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lime juice
10 grams coriander - chopped

Method

Place the chopped cluster beans and potatoes into boiling water and cook for ten minutes.
Meanwhile heat the oil in a medium sized pan.
Once hot, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida and leave to cook until the seeds start popping.
Carefully add the tomatoes and green chillies (the water from the tomatoes will make the oil spit). Stir and leave to cook for a minute or two.
Now add the ginger to the mixture and stir again.
Now add the turmeric, coriander-cumin powder and salt. Stir and cook on a low heat until the beans and potatoes have had their time.
Once the beans and potatoes are ready, drain them in a colander.
Add the beans, potatoes and lime juice to the tomato mixture. Stir well and cook for 15 minutes on a medium heat with the lid on the pan. Stir occasionally.
Now take the pan off the heat, add the chopped coriander and serve with chapatis and a salad.

An interview with BBC's Chris Packham

2014-01-19T17:57:00.000+00:00

One of the things that has been keeping me busy recently (hence the lack of blog posts - apologies) is working as a Trustee for a small deafness charity called Sound Seekers. We are currently running a campaign* to support, build, equip and staff a comprehensive audiology service in Malawi. BBC's Chris Packham** is supporting the campaign and I was given the opportunity to catch up with him to discuss all things food-related.

Click here to read more about the Malawi campaign or here to watch a brand new short film featuring Sam Evans from Big Brother.

* Until January 20th all donations made will be matched by the UK government. Yay!
**For non-British readers, Chris is a much-loved English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, best known for his television work including the BBC’s The Really Wild Show and Springwatch.

How important is food to you?
Sometimes food can just be fuel especially when I’m working. I always say sleep when you are dead and eat just before. I like going out for nice meals but to me that’s similar to reading a good book or going to the cinema to see a film – it’s a selective choice to enjoy that meal. The nature of my work is that if we stop for breakfast we can’t get our job done; we are up at 5 am and quite often we don’t even have lunch. The result is that my colleagues quite often eat rubbish. I would rather just not eat.

You suffer from Meniere’s disease (a rare disorder that can cause vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of pressure deep inside the ear) have you changed your diet following diagnosis?

One of the first things the doctor’s told me was to give up caffeine. I never drank coffee anyway but I did stop drinking tea. I also avoid drinking too much alcohol.

You don’t eat meat or bread is this as a result of the condition?

No it’s a choice. I don’t eat meat, bread, crisps, soft drinks – lots of things. It is difficult when I am travelling. For example I’ve just come back from Australia where we stayed on a cattle station in the middle of the outback and they served huge steaks. The people were fabulous hosts – they thought I was barking mad -but they had bought some fish for me to eat. Not eating bread is difficult – as a society it feels like we live on a diet of sandwiches and lunch always seems to consist of a sandwich, a bag of crisps and a soft drink which rules me out. But when I’m working it’s not about the food it’s about maximising the job. If I’m going out for a nice meal then that’s different it’s pleasure with a purpose but in a professional context if there is nothing for me to eat then that’s fine – I’ll eat later.

When sharing food with people you meet on your travels are you touched by their generosity?

It’s a sharing process and I do eat what they give me. I stayed in a remote village with the Maasai once and because we were guests they gave us a mug of cow blood to drink every morning. Only the very elderly, pregnant women and honoured guests are given this blood to drink and so it would have been abjectly rude for me to refuse on the grounds of vegetarianism. The cattle are very valuable to them and they can’t kill them. So to obtain protein they harvest the blood by using a small bow and arrow to shoot into a vein in the neck and then hold a gourd to the wound to collect the blood. For the rest of the day a small child stays with the cow to keep the flies away so it heals properly. They use a stick to beat the blood. When they remove the stick it has a wodge of congealed blood on it like a thick, red jelly which is given to the pregnant women. The blood that remains in the gourd remains fluid and is given to the elderly.

Another time, in Indonesia, I was given dried freshwater eels to eat. They had the texture of bacon rind dripped in diesel and that was all I had to eat for ten days!

When returning home from working away what is your comfort food?

I crave Indian food especially tandoori king prawn masala. I don’t like it extremely hot but I do have a physiological need for curry.

I read that you don’t “do dinner parties”. Do you ever cook for other people?

I cooked Christmas dinner last year. My stepdaughter is vegetarian, my partner eats meat and I eat fish so normally we have three separate dishes so I decided that I would do a real Christmas dinner. But apparently my potatoes were undercooked and I’ve been told I’m not allowed to cook it again. They tasted alright to me so I don’t know what all the fuss was about.

What would your desert island meal be?

If the meal is a treat then I do like pan-seared scallops. But I don’t like an overabundance of anything like that so if it were food to be eaten everyday then I would choose small new boiled potatoes. I like the texture of potatoes. I know that’s really boring!

Egg bhajia and potato bhajia

2013-08-31T19:06:00.000+01:00

As far as I am aware this dish was invented by my mother. It is the vegetarian equivalent of scotch eggs and whilst I love scotch eggs (especially the original ones by Fortnum and Mason) these are far superior. The slightly crisp batter, soft mashed potato and citrus flavours create a wonderful comfort food that everyone loves - even those (heretics?) that claim not to enjoy Indian food.

The egg bhajia are deceptively filling. If you are vegan or just want to create a lighter snack, then omit the eggs and just create potato bhajia.

Serves 4 as a main course (if made as egg bhajia) or up to six as a snack (if made as potato bhajia)

Ingredients

850 grams waxy red potatoes - peeled and cut into large wedges
4 eggs
2 cloves garlic - crushed
3 small green chillis - finely chopped
10 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
4 teaspoons coriander-cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of turmeric
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
15 grams coriander - chopped
2 tablespoons sultanas (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
Light tasting vegetable oil for frying

For the batter

100 grams gram flour
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper - finely ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of turmeric
100 millilitres water

Method

Boil the potatoes for twenty minutes or until cooked.
Meanwhile hard boil the eggs. When they are done immediately run cold water over them as this makes them easier to peel and prevents a black ring forming around the yolk.
Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel and leave to one side.
Mash the potatoes in a large bowl. I find the best results are obtained using a potato ricer or vegetable mill but use whatever method you prefer.
Add the garlic, chopped green chillies, ginger, coriander-cumin powder, garam masala, salt, turmeric, lemon juice, sugar, coriander, sultanas and sesame seeds to the mashed potato. Mix well. I always taste the potato at this stage ostensibly to check the seasoning but in reality because I love the flavours.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan. Caution: Hot oil is dangerous, do not leave unattended.
Meanwhile, mix together all of the batter ingredients in a bowl to create a smooth batter. It should flow freely off the spoon but be thicker than water.
Take one of the eggs and cover it with the potato mixture. The potato should be evenly distributed around the egg with a depth of approximately one centimetre.
Test the heat of the oil by placing a drop of batter into the pan. The batter should sizzle and float to the surface immediately.
If the oil is hot enough, add a teaspoon of the hot oil to the batter. Stir well.
Dip the potato-covered egg in the batter.
Place the battered, potato-covered egg in the pan and fry until golden brown.
Place the egg bhajia on a piece of kitchen roll to drain.
Repeat steps 8, 11, 12 and 13 with the remaining eggs.
If you have any potato mixture left, roll it into small balls the size of a golf ball, dip them in the batter and fry as above to create potato bhajia.
Serve hot with tomato sauce or garlic chutney.

100 percent rye sourdough bread

2013-08-25T07:00:00.000+01:00

Loaves of commercial rye bread tend to resemble small, dark bricks. The texture is dense and dry and inedible unless toasted. Given that wheat sets off my allergies and I am a total carb junkie I thought I should expend some energy making a more palatable rye loaf.

The only reason I decided to try a sourdough loaf was because I have been wanting a pet sourdough starter for a while. They have a reputation for being challenging but I've found that it isn't creating the starter that is tricky - it is maintaining it. I used the instructions on this fantastic site to start off my culture (I've named her Mrs Fothergill). I've summarised the instructions below to demonstrate how simple it is but I suggest you read the original detailed instructions as they give useful back ground information.

I experimented with various rye bread recipes but eventually came up with my own which is moist, delicious and has a long shelf life. I have yet to try the bread toasted as it tastes so good au naturel. The coriander seeds may sound like a strange (optional) addition but give bursts of nutty, citrus flavours as you bite into them.

I have learnt that you can't rush sourdough. This recipe is a three day process but is actually not arduous in the least - you don't even have to knead your loaf.

Making a rye sourdough starter

Ensure you have a clean jam jar and spoon.
Add 40 millilitres mineral water* and 40 grams organic whole rye flour into the jam jar. Stir well. Cover and leave at room temperature (out of direct sunlight) for 24 hours.
Day two - add another 20 millilitres mineral water and 20 grams rye flour to the mixture. Stir well, cover and leave at room temperature (out of direct sunlight) for 24 hours.
Day three - If your mixture has doubled in size, throw away two-thirds of it. Then add another 30 millilitres mineral water and 30 grams rye flour to the remaining mixture and stir well. Cover and leave at room temperature (out of direct sunlight) for 24 hours. If your mixture didn't double in size repeat step three again.
Day four - The mixture should definitely be active by day four. Throw away two-thirds of it. Then add another 30 millilitres mineral water and 30 grams rye flour to the remaining mixture and stir well. Cover and leave at room temperature (out of direct sunlight) for 24 hours.
Day five - Your starter is ready for baking a loaf! You can let the culture rest for a day or two if you aren't ready to bake yet. The smell will become fruitier as it matures.

*Throughout the sourdough process make sure the water is at room temperature.

How to maintain your sourdough starter

Once your starter is mature (at least 30 days old according to various sources) you can keep your jar in the fridge. It is probably worth checking the starter every couple of days - simply give it a quick stir and then smell it. If it smells fruity then just put it back in the fridge. If it has acetone notes then it needs to be fed; discard two-thirds of the starter and then add 30 grams rye flour and 30 millilitres mineral water to the remaining starter. Stir it and leave it on the work surface to activate. Once the starter has doubled/ tripled in size, store it in the fridge. I've only had Mrs Fothergill for a few weeks and I'm still learning how to keep her happy. If you do have issues I suggest Google searching as there are people out there with a wealth of sourdough knowledge.

100 percent rye sourdough bread recipe

Day 1 - evening

Ingredients:

35 grams sourdough starter
135 grams organic whole rye flour
200 millilitres mineral water

Method:

Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl and leave at room temperature.

Day 2 - morning

Ingredients:

The mixture from day 1 above
60 millilitres mineral water
10 grams black molasses
5 grams salt
150 grams organic whole rye flour
2 teaspoons coriander seeds (optional)

Method:

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
Set aside for two hours or until the mixture has doubled in size.
Grease a 1 pound loaf tin with light tasting vegetable oil.
Add the loaf mixture to the tin and smooth with a palette knife. Leave to rise until it reaches the top of the tin. This will take in the region of 1 hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 210 Centigrade.
Place the loaf tin in the oven on the middle shelf. Fill a baking tray with water and place this on a lower shelf to create steam. Bake for 45 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. During this time, add more water if the baking tray is drying out.
Leave the loaf to cool in the tin for five minutes.
Then carefully remove the loaf from the tin and leave it to cool on a wire rack.
Once cool, wrap in greaseproof paper and leave to rest for a day (it tends to have a weird gummy texture on the day of baking).

Day 3

Your loaf is ready to eat.

Chilli chicken

2013-08-18T20:17:00.003+01:00

This rich dish is perfect for dinner parties. Despite the name it really isn't that hot especially if you avoid eating the whole green chillies - although Steve thinks that they are the best bit! I use Indian green finger chillies when cooking as these were the chillies that my family used when I was growing up. They are long and slim with a vibrant green colour and are moderately hot. They are becoming easier to find in supermarkets but you can always visit your local Indian grocer for a guaranteed supply at much more reasonable prices.

Serves 2

Ingredients

50 grams butter
1 medium onion - thinly sliced
5 green chillies
10 grams root ginger - peeled and grated
15 grams garlic - peeled and crushed
0.5 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
4 tablespoons tomato puree
0.5 teaspoon salt
2 chicken breast fillets - skinned and cut into chunks
100 millilitres water
20 grams coriander - chopped
2 spring onions - chopped

Method

Melt 20 grams butter in a saucepan.
Add the sliced onion and cook over a medium heat until dark brown in colour.
Puree the cooked onions and leave to one side.
Now melt the remaining butter (30 grams) in a saucepan.
Meanwhile finely chop 1 of the green chillies and add it to the melted butter along with the ginger and garlic. Sauté for a minute or until cooked.
Now add the red chilli powder and the dried fenugreek leaves and mix together.
Add the pureed onions, the tomato puree and salt and mix again.
Add the chicken breast pieces and the remaining 4 green chillies (keep them whole). Stir well. Put a lid on the pan and let it cook for a 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add the water and stir again. Cover the pan and let the curry cook until the chicken is cooked through. This should take in the region of 15 minutes.
Switch off the heat and stir in the chopped coriander and spring onions.
Serve with a green salad.

Masala mackerel with cumin spiced mushy peas

2013-05-09T21:42:00.001+01:00

This dish was the main course that I served in my budget lunch exam accompanied by Maru's bhajia and cumin spiced mushy peas. The total cost came to £4.59 for four people - although you may want to buy slightly bigger mackerel than Asda were able to provide.

I had never cooked with oily fish before and I was surprised at how well they went with the masala paste - you can still taste the fish through the spices. Also the tomato garnish looked like jewels on the beautiful blue skin and so I got good feedback for presentation.

The cumin spiced mushy peas are both simple and delicious. I'm off to make something to eat as I'm making myself hungry!
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 mackerel (or 4 fillets)
0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
0.24 teasapoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
2 cloves of garlic
0.25 teaspoon black pepper
0.25 teaspoon salt
0.25 teaspoon chilli powder
0.25 teaspoon turmeric
0.5 tablespoon sunflower oil
20 grams unsalted butter
2 vine tomatoes
5 grams coriander
20 grams plain flour
50 millilitres milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method

Put the ground cumin, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, garlic, salt, black pepper, chilli powder, turmeric and sunflower oil into a bowl. Mix to form a smooth paste.
Chop the coriander, garlic and two tomatoes. Put coriander and tomatoes to one side. Keep a little coriander in a separate bowl.
Fillet and pin bone two mackerel.
Coat the mackerel fillets with milk and dip into seasoned flour.
Melt 10 g unsalted butter in a frying pan.
Add half of the the masala paste. Stir and cook for a minute or so. Add fillets skin side down and cook on both sides. Remove from the pan.
Add the remaining 10g of unsalted butter to the pan and repeat with the remaining paste and fillets.
Add the tomatoes, the majority of the coriander and lemon juice to the pan and lightly cook.
Pour the tomatoes and coriander over the cooked fish. Garnish with the reserved coriander.
Serve.

For the cumin spiced mushy peas

Ingredients

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
0.5 teaspoon mustard seeds
350 grams peas (fresh or frozen)
25 grams unsalted butter
Salt
Black pepper

Method

Put a large pan of water on to boil.
Cook the peas until soft.
Drain the peas and blend in a processor. Let down with hot water if required.
Melt 25g unsalted butter in a pan.
Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds and cook until they sizzle. Add the peas and seasoning.
Cook for a minute or so.
Switch off the heat.
Reheat the peas just prior to serving.

Spiced mushroom tart

2013-04-21T18:10:00.002+01:00

In my last post I mentioned that I would share the recipes that I created for the budget lunch exam. This was my starter which I served with raita. Using Asda special ingredients it came to a grand total of £1.30 for four tartlets (roughly $2).

The examiner said that she thought the tart had good flavours and it was definitely one to keep making. Everyone who tasted this dish while I was practicing it enjoyed it too; thanks to all my guinea pigs out there - especially Deb for all her critical feedback.

In other news, I got my theory exam results and got 90.5%! I'm off to make some puff pastry in celebration.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 small onion
5 grams root ginger
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
30 grams natural yogurt
140 grams mushrooms
2 small spring onions
Salt
Pinch chilli powder
0.75 teaspoon coriander cumin powder
Pinch turmeric
Pinch garam masala
15 grams tomato puree
10 grams coriander
45 grams salted butter
175 grams plain flour
45 grams lard

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200˚c.
Grease four 9cm tartlet cases.
Put coriander cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala, tomato puree, salt, chilli powder, sunflower oil and natural yogurt into a mixing bowl.
Wipe the mushrooms and quarter them.
Add the mushrooms to the mixing bowl and mix.
Chop the coriander, root ginger, onions and spring onion.
Add to the mixing bowl and mix.
Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl.
Add the butter and lard in pieces and rub in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Make a well in centre of the mixture and add approx 7 tsp cold water to form a firm dough.
Divide into four and line four tartlet cases.
Fill the tartlets with the mixture.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until both the pastry and mushrooms are cooked.
Remove from the oven and serve.

Diary of a Trainee Chef - part 2

2013-04-14T19:30:00.000+01:00

Incredibly tomorrow sees the start of term 2 at Tante Marie. I am sure that time moves more quickly in Woking - seriously the first term flew by in the blink of an eye and a whirl of caster sugar.

As well as learning loads of new cooking skills, I've also learnt a little about my personality: I have spent my entire adult life thinking my parents pushed me to succeed while at school. It has become apparent that I am actually the driving force and I have a hugely competitive nature. My moment of enlightenment came one Sunday morning prior to my theory exam when my mum said:

"Don't you ever just wake up and think 'I can't be bothered. I'll relax today and work tomorrow.'? That's what a normal person would do. You've always been like this. You stress us all out. You are a total pain in the neck.".

Okay so maybe some quality parent- child counselling sessions are required...

News in brief since my last post:

Celebration cake

The surprise highlight of last term was designing and decorating a cake for a special occasion. I decided to make a cake for my friend Rachel's fiftieth birthday and you can see the result above. I have to admit I am secretly very pleased with it. Cakes have historically never interested me but I found this exercise very relaxing and Rachel was really pleased when I gave it to her. Who knows maybe professional cake making is in my future? The cakes from the rest of the group were fantastic - here are a few of my favourites.

Intermediate exam

This was the first exam I sat and as I mentioned in my previous post I was worried. Thirty minutes before the exam started we were presented with a three-course menu to prepare and serve in five hours split across two days. The first day went really well but I panicked when French trimming my rack of lamb on the second day. On the whole I did well though with a final mark of 70% against an average of 67% and a high score of 74% (well done Jenni!). My feedback from our all-seeing examiner, Mrs A, was that I sat a "nice exam" and that my food tasted good but my presentation was a little untidy in places. Hmmm presentation has always been my weak point.

Budget lunch exam

This initially felt like a Herculean task. The brief was to design and cook a three course family meal for four people with a budget of £8.50. As this was a budgeting exercise we had to account for every penny spent (we weren't allowed to use any special offers) and actually had to spend £8.50 exactly - not a penny more or a penny less. My final menu consisted of my own dishes. As I needed to incorporate all my newly learnt skills this meant creating new recipes that were within budget, could be cooked and plated within 2 hours 45 minutes and actually tasted nice!

My final menu was:

Spiced mushroom tart with raita
Masala mackerel with potato bhajia and cumin mushy peas
Carrot halwa with cinnamon biscuits

Essentially it was an Indian take on a very British menu - pie followed by fish, chips and mushy peas with carrot cake to finish. The exam went well, my fish was a little ripe (damn you Asda), but otherwise it generally went to plan. My final mark was 73.5% against an average of 68% and the feedback from the examiner (the very sweet Ally) was that the food was presented nicely (yay!), tasted delicious and that I should keep cooking the recipes! I can't begin to tell you how happy I was. A professional chef actually liked my recipes! I'll provide them for you in the next few posts. Meanwhile I'm busy thinking about what to cook for the Celebration Lunch exam next term - essentially the same exercise but it needs to be a three course blow-out lunch with a budget of £25.

Wine course

This was three days of tasting wine while listening to John Downes, Master of Wine download tonnes of information prior to an exam on the last day. I can't say that I especially enjoyed it - my allergies flare up significantly with alcohol and so mostly it felt like a three day lecture when I would rather have been cooking. Subsequently though I have made some amazing wine purchases purely by recognising regions and vineyards that John recommended. On a recent trip to Paris Steve left all wine buying decisions to me and I have to say we drank very well. Top tips include:

Puligny Montrachet - an amazing white Burgundy and my new favourite wine
Sparkling Saumur - a great alternative to champagne
Elqui Valley syrah - a full bodied Chilean red.

Theory exam

The last day of term saw us sitting a two hour theory exam covering everything we had been taught during the term. I am sure I passed but it really wasn't my finest hour. I get my results tomorrow - eek!

My dad

To say that my dad is not pleased about me quitting my job and doing this course is an understatement. His last words on the subject were:

"You can't even cook anyway. All you eat is fish fingers. Fish fingers! Shall I get you a fish finger?".

I have yet to find a counsellor willing to take on this case.

Diary of a Trainee Chef

2013-01-28T19:38:00.000+00:00

While I'm confident that I can cook a decent curry, the thought of making European staples such as shortcrust pastry fills me with terror. That is until recently; I am now three weeks into my Intensive Cordon Bleu Diploma course and already I can whip up a latticed apple tart that will have you dreaming of orchards in Normandy with the first bite.

This transformation hasn’t come easily however; the course is called “intensive” with good reason. Since I started the course I have cooked on average for 6 hours a day either at school or at home. When I’m not cooking I’m either watching a demonstration or reading about the theory of food. Coincidentally my book group is reading The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry - a factual account of the author’s experience at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. So before I go to bed I read about someone else going through a similar experience to the one I am living during the day. The result is that I am dreaming about cooking every night and I am grinding my teeth for the first time in years. Historically I have associated cooking with relaxation and leisure and I have been taken by surprise by the demanding nature of the course. In retrospect it should have been obvious - after all we are being trained for the fast-paced atmosphere of professional kitchens. So whilst I’m incredulous that this course is more stressful than my banking job, I am actually enjoying each day and learning more than I thought possible.

People keep asking why I chose to study at Tante Marie as opposed to Leith’s School of Food and Wine or Le Cordon Bleu London - both of which are much closer to home. The main reasons were the:

· length of the course – six month’s of lost income was significantly more palatable than nine months.

· staff to student ratio - as someone who likes regular feedback, this was important to me and at Tante Marie there is a ratio of one teacher to ten students. A friend who recently graduated from Le Cordon Bleu London stated that there were sixteen students in her class.

· culture and atmosphere - The clincher was when Andrew Maxwell, the principal of Tante Marie, explained his approach to recruiting teachers:

“They need to have to have the right temperament – the patience for teaching. They need to be able to hold themselves back slightly; if the pupil is doing something wrong they can’t just jump in and correct them as making mistakes is the best way of learning”.

I don’t thrive in fear cultures and this supportive approach to teaching resonated strongly with me.

With my intermediate practical exam looming in a week’s time I have to admit I’m worried. I am struggling compared to the majority of my classmates and I suspect this is primarily due to the fact that I didn’t grow up seeing my mum bake cakes, make pastry and stocks etc. In fact the reason I wanted to do a chef’s training course was precisely to learn these skills. The Intensive Diploma assumes more experience than I had anticipated and I am trying to compensate by practicing potential exam dishes in the evenings and at the weekends. As a result, my weekly food bill has tripled and my fridge is stacked full of lard, whole trout, beef, pork and stock – ingredients I would never have even considered buying prior to the course.

Thirty minutes before my exam starts next week I will be presented with a three-course menu to prepare and serve in five hours split across two days. I suspect the proof will literally be in the pudding and this will be when I find out whether I have bitten off more than I can chew.

Rocky Road

2012-12-21T05:30:00.000+00:00

In a moment of madness earlier this year I quit my job and signed up for a chef's training course! It's an intensive six month course starting in January and at the end of it (assuming I'm not a total duffer) I'll get my Cordon Bleu diploma. I've chosen to train at Tante Marie in Woking as I loved the atmosphere of the school; it is small, friendly and has a warm, homey feeling. At the moment I'm fluctuating between scared and excited (especially as we don't know how my allergies are going to react to the cooking and eating) but ultimately it is going to be an incredible six months.

Meanwhile I leave you with a very grown up version of Rocky Road that everyone with a sweet tooth will love.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas.

Ingredients

90 grams unsalted butter
3 tablespoons golden syrup
a pinch of sea salt flakes
200 grams milk chocolate* - broken into chunks
200 grams 70% cocoa dark chocolate* - broken into chunks
150 grams chocolate chip cookies - broken into small pieces
175 grams marshmallows - chopped into small pieces
50 grams dried sour cherries
50 grams dried cranberries
50 grams dried blueberries

*The secret to this dish is to use the best ingredients that you can source. I used Montezuma's organic milk chocolate and 73% cocoa dark chocolate. It is expensive but it turned this children's treat into an adult's spiritual experience!

Method

Grease a loose bottomed square baking tray approximately 20 centimetres in length.
Place the butter, golden syrup and salt in a medium sized saucepan and melt on a low heat. Stir to ensure a smooth consistency and then remove from the heat.
Meanwhile place both the milk and dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Don’t let the water touch the bowl. By keeping the bowl away from the water you are using indirect heat to melt the chocolate and this will reduce the chances of the chocolate burning. Stir constantly until all of the chocolate has melted.
Immediately add the melted chocolate to the pan with the melted butter and syrup and stir well.
Then add the broken cookies, chopped marshmallows, cherries, cranberries and blueberries and stir again.
When all of the ingredients are fully combined pour the mixture into the greased baking tray. Smooth down the top and then leave to cool for 30 minutes.
Now cover with cling film and place in the fridge for at least three hours.
When the mixture has set, carefully remove from the baking tray and cut into 1 inch squares.
Store in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Star anise and vanilla poached pears

2012-12-14T06:00:00.000+00:00

Here is a fantastic recipe for the holiday season - a reasonably healthy dessert with flavours that will cleanse your palate following a curry. However in case you are worried about wasting away it is superb served with a good quality vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 firm rocha pears
375 millilitres sweet white wine*
3 star anise
1 vanilla pod
1 lemon - halved
100 grams 70% dark chocolate
150 grams double cream
Vanilla ice cream to serve (optional)

*You need a very sweet dessert wine with no tartness for this dish. It is also worth spending a little more on the wine to get the best possible flavour.

Method

Peel the pears, leaving the fruit whole and the stalk in place.
Core each pear by pushing the corer two-thirds of the way up and then using a small spoon to scoop out the core.
Place the wine, star anise, vanilla pod and lemon halves in a medium sized pan.
Now add the pears and cover the pan. Let them cook on a low heat for 20 minutes. You will find that there isn't enough liquid to cover the pears and so you should turn the pears every five minutes. It's a good excuse to lift up the lid and inhale the amazing aromas.
Leave the pears in the pan to cool and marinade until you are ready to serve. The longer you leave the pears in the pan the softer they will become and so I wouldn't leave them for longer than 8 hours as they will lose their shape.
When you are ready to serve the pears, pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade.
While the oven is heating, gently lift the pears from the pan and leave them to sit on a few sheets of kitchen paper to soak up any excess liquid. This is important as any excess syrup will burn in the oven.
Strain the remaining syrup into a smaller pan and then heat gently to create a thick syrup. This may take in the region of thirty minutes.
Line a baking tray with baking parchment and then place the pears on the tray and roast for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile place the chocolate and double cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Don’t let the water touch the bowl. By keeping the bowl away from the water you are using indirect heat to melt the chocolate and this will reduce the chances of the chocolate burning. Stir constantly until a thick, glossy ganache has formed. At first it will look like dirty milk but keep stirring and you will see results! Once you are sure that all of the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the pan and set to one side.
When the pears have finished roasting, remove them from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Carefully hold each pear by its stalk and half-coat the pears in the chocolate ganache. Please don't be tempted to drown the pears in the ganache as all of the lovely flavours will be smothered and it will be as subtle as a brick to the head.
Place each pear on an individual serving plate.
Drizzle with the reduced wine syrup and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Bangladeshi Lamb Biryani

2012-12-09T13:12:00.002+00:00

This recipe is from my wonderful friend Anzela. It is entirely different from my family's biryani recipe and uses ingredients that I have never used before such as black cardamon and kewra water (a diluted extract of the fragrant pandanus flower). Each mouthful has a delicious surprise whether it's a prune, a whole green chilli or a tender piece of lamb. Despite the long list of instructions it is simple to make - I hope you give it a go.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 kilogram lamb - cut into medium sized pieces
2 large onions
175 grams unsalted butter
4 medium cinnamon sticks
10 green cardamons
1 heaped tablespoon whole black peppercorns
10 cloves
0.5 tablespoon cumin seeds
3 black cardamons
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground mace
5 teaspoons coriander-cumin powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons chilli powder
375 grams natural yoghurt (not Greek style, not fat-free)
150 millilitres kewra water
3 cloves garlic – peeled and finely chopped
35 grams root ginger – peeled and finely chopped
1 gram saffron
2 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
20 baby potatoes – washed
500 grams pitted prunes
8 green chillies – washed
300 grams rice
1.5 tablespoons salt

Method

Wash the meat and leave for an hour to drain thoroughly.
Meanwhile finely chop the onions.
Melt 25 grams of the butter in a pan and fry the onions on a lowish heat until brown and caramelised. Be patient, this may take a while.
Now add the cinnamon, green cardamons, black peppercorns, cloves, cumin seeds and black cardamons to the onions. Stir well and let them cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
In a very large pan (let's call it the "biryani pan") add the nutmeg, ground mace, coriander-cumin powder, turmeric, chilli powder, yogurt, 100 millilitres of the kewra water, garlic, ginger, the majority of the saffron (leave a generous pinch to one side) and two tablespoons vegetable oil. Stir well to create a paste.
Add the onion and whole spice mixture to the pan and stir again.
Dry the lamb with kitchen roll and and add to the yogurt, onion and spice mixture. Stir well and then cover the pan. Leave to marinade for a few hours or overnight.
When you are ready to finish cooking the biryani, parboil the potatoes for ten minutes.
Meanwhile add 150g butter to the contents of the biryani pan, cover and start to cook on a high heat stirring regularly to prevent burning.
After 10 minutes, turn the heat on the biryani pan to low. Drain the par boiled potatoes and add them to the biryani pan along with the prunes and chillis. Stir, cover the pan and leave to cook for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a glass bowl, infuse the remaining 50 millilitres of kewra water with the rest of the saffron.
Next par-boil the rice. It should still have a slight crunch to it. Set to one side. In case you want detailed instructions then follow the bulleted steps below.

Soak the rice in a microwaveable bowl for 20 minutes. The bowl should be at least four times the depth of the rice to give the rice room to expand and cook.
You will notice that the water has turned a cloudy white colour. This is the starch from the rice. Drain away the water.
Cover the rice with water again. Stir the rice and watch as the water turns white again. Drain immediately and then repeat this step a further two times. The water will still be turning cloudy as there is still starch in the rice but you will have removed a large amount of it. You do need some starch in the rice to stop it disintegrating.
Now add enough water in the bowl to cover the rice by approximately 1 cm. Place the bowl in the microwave and cook on the highest setting for 10 minutes.
Now remove the bowl from the microwave. Most of the water should have boiled off and the rice should have started to expand. At this point the texture of the rice should be slightly damp and have a slight crunch when you taste it. If it is very undercooked, return to the microwave for a little longer. Set to one side.

After the 45 minutes is up add the salt to the meat and stir well.
Oil should have risen to the surface of the meat and it should be fairly tender but not completely cooked. Remove from the heat and leave for 5 minutes.
Now add a third of the rice on top of the meat mixture. Really pack it down tight – the steam that will rise through the meat will finish cooking the rice but you don’t want too much of a gap between the grains. Do not mix the rice in with the meat mixture.
After adding the first layer of rice, drip some of the kewra-saffron infusion around the rice. This adds both flavour and colour.
Add the rice in a further two layers with the kewra-saffron infusion in between. Always ensure that the rice is tightly packed.
Add a piece of foil over the top of the pan and then put the lid on top of that. This should stop any steam escaping from the pan.
Return the pan to a very high heat, for five minutes.
Then turn the pan down to a low heat and cook for 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat and roughly mix the meat and rice. The colour of the rice should be quite uneven – white in places, yellow in others, brown in places where the meat has mixed.
Serve with a tomato, red onion and coriander salad.

CoconutRaita is in this month's Olive Magazine!

2012-12-06T22:31:00.001+00:00

I am delighted to say that my masala prawns recipe has been featured in January's issue of BBC's Olive magazine and was described as a "great quick supper"!

Welcome to any new readers from Olive magazine. To get you started here are a few of my favourite recipes:

For those of you that missed it here is the article in full.

Interview with Atul Kochhar

2012-11-30T19:25:00.000+00:00

Atul Kochhar is an Indian born, British based chef and is widely acclaimed for his take on modern Indian cuisine. I visited him in his restaurant Benares to understand more about his career to date, his plans for the future and to get some cooking tips!

How did your love for food start?
My love for food started very early in life. My father used to run a catering business. I saw it all happening in front of my eyes from the time I was born and so it was easy to get sucked in. I decided rather than taking the normal traditional routes of becoming a doctor, accountant or engineer I’d follow the food route.

Would you encourage your children to go into the industry?
I was never encouraged; Cooking was a passion that came to me and I would like them to find a passion. Perhaps that has what has made me a better chef. I still wake up every morning with great thoughts about what I’m going to do. I’m excited about my work and I want my kids to be excited about whatever they do in life. My father used to say that if you want to be useless be useless with passion otherwise it’s utterly useless! That’s what I want to tell my kids.

You have revolutionized Indian food and made it more contemporary. Was that always your aim?
I always thought that Indian food could be different but it was my upbringing that influenced my style; I was born into a Punjabi family, brought up in Calcutta and studied in South India. Everything was jumbled up in my mind. I wanted to use Punjabi ingredients, apply South Indian seasoning to it and present it to Bengalis. I think of it as unity and diversity which is the motto of India. When I lived in East India I was a Punjabi boy, when I went to South India I was a North Indian boy and when I went back to North India I had picked up a strong South Indian accent and so I suddenly became a Madrasi. I had to come out of India to become an Indian and here I could express the way I see my country, my ethos, my beliefs and that is a mix of everything. My food has evolved and will keep evolving because that’s the way I love it - the flavours of India, the ingredients of the UK, the techniques of the world and there is nothing wrong with that.

What do you consider your signature dish?
I would normally say that I haven’t made it yet! But there is a John Dory that I marinate with a herb paste made of mint, coriander, ginger and garlic. It is pan fried and then finished in the oven. I sprinkle fresh tomatoes with spices and roast them before serving them with the fish. It works really well.

I used all of my crowns at Taste of London at the Benares stall. My favourite dish was your grilled lamb chops with mint chutney - what is the secret to them being so tender and the flavour permeating through the meat?
We weren’t that expensive! The secret to keeping the lamb chops tender is the right ingredient – the quality of the lamb chops. I am not a magician the only thing I have is a passion for good quality ingredients and that’s what I always use. We were using the best of British, prime, spring-time lamb. They were marinated for a very short time as it was kid lamb which is very tender and it doesn’t need a lot to break down the muscle. If I had used mutton chops it would be a totally different story altogether as it is a much tougher meat. It doesn’t need that kind of marinade or cooking – you need to really braise them. So understanding of the meat, produce, where it is coming from, which part of the animal it is coming from, what you need with it, which flavours will go with it, what technique of cooking will work - these are the things which we need to learn when Indian cooking.

Indian households are restrictive in the meats they use. Did you use a variety of meats when you trained in restaurants in India?
I worked with Oberoi Hotels which are among the best hotels in the world so I had the liberty of using different kinds of meat. But you are absolutely right but that is because of the economics and eating ethos of India; a lot of people are vegetarian. Also over hunting and over killing of birds and animals has restricted as well for example partridge is extinct in India due to overhunting in the past. This country has got all these ingredients and an educated approach to what you should use and how much you should use. Hence I use whatever is available to me. Using local food has always been my mantra. England is my local now and so I use all the local produce be it turkey, guinea fowl, quail or courgette flowers.

When you were invited to cook for Prince Charles at St James's Palace, what was on the menu?
It was a five course meal. The starter was assorted kebabs and the main course was chicken supreme. The breast of chicken was filled with mild mushroom puree and served on a bed of Kashmiri pillau made with grapes and raisins along with five different accompaniments. It was a gala dinner that went very well.

What has been the highlight of your career to date?
The highlight has been achieving a Michelin star for Indian food. That has been the biggest high of my life let alone my career! I always thought that Michelin stars were for Europeans and only French and English chefs would get them. So I used to look at them from a distance and admire them. When I was given a star I couldn’t believe it for days.

With restaurants in London, Dublin and on a cruise ship, how do you manage your time?
It’s the same mantra: Good training, good staff and consistency in the product. That’s what we try to achieve wherever we are. I get on with the cooking and I let the rest of the team get on with their work.

Indian cuisine varies wildly by region. Which region's food is your favourite and why?
I haven’t found one yet. I’m still exploring. I’m a greedy person and so I love each and every region. I’m a fusion person and I like to mix up everything.

What are your plans for the future?
I don’t have a crystal ball! I don’t know! I live by the day. I’m a person who plans my diary for the next two or three months and don’t look beyond it. It’s pointless as the world changes so fast these days.

Which is your favourite non-Indian cuisine?
I love Thai food. I am hooked on spices and so that could be the reason.

Where would you go for a curry with your friends after a few beers on a Friday night?
Busaba Eathai – especially if I am paying as it is cheap and the food is great! If it is an Indian curry I would prefer to cook it myself. I wouldn’t bother any of my fellow restaurants by taking my half drunk friends there - I would rather keep them home in my garden!

Do you distinguish between Indian and Pakistani food?
It’s hard to distinguish because pre 1947 what was Pakistani food? I still lump them together – one border doesn’t do anything for me and the same goes for Bangladeshi food. Yes it is regional food but if I go to break down regional food there are five or six regional foods within Pakistan! So I would keep them under one flag - it suits me well.

Who is the main cook at home - you or your wife?
It is Deepti my wife and it’s the best way to keep it.

Chocolate and almond burfi

2012-11-14T21:44:00.000+00:00

Steve and I visited a gold leaf workshop in Mandalay when were in Burma last year. The gold is pounded using brute strength until it is a fraction of a millimetre thick - finer than a piece of tissue paper. As a result it is safe to be eaten and is often used in Indian cooking for decorating celebration dishes.

Having bought some gold leaf in Mandalay, I thought I would make an incredibly simple traditional Indian sweet called burfi for Diwali. I generally find Indian sweets cloying and so my recipe below is significantly less sweet than the shop bought variety and is covered with a good quality chocolate ganache to give it a luxurious quality. As I have used cream instead of ghee, you should store the burfi in the fridge and eat it within a few days.

Happy Diwali!

Serves 6 - 10 as petit fours

Ingredients

25 grams ground almonds
170 grams milk powder (I buy this from Indian grocery stores)
150 millilitres thick single cream
30 grams granulated sugar
butter for greasing a baking tray
50 grams 70% chocolate
75 grams double cream
Edible gold leaf (optional)

Method

Place the ground almonds, milk powder and single cream in a mixing bowl and combine. The mixture will take on a thick consistency.
Compress the mixture using the back of your spoon.
Cover the mixing bowl and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile place the sugar in a small saucepan and add 250 millilitres cold water.
Bring the sugar and water to a boil over a medium heat, stirring regularly.
Then reduce the heat to low and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Add the vanilla pod to the sugar solution.
Keep heating the sugar solution, stirring regularly, until it forms a thick sugar syrup. If you are using a candy thermometer, the syrup is ready when the temperature reaches 112 degrees centigrade.
Leave the syrup to cool.
Now remove the vanilla pod from the syrup* and then add the cold syrup to the bowl containing the almond, milk powder and cream mixture and stir well.
Grease a baking tray (I use a circular tray with a diameter of 20 cm but any shape of roughly that size is fine).
Pour the mixture into the greased tray and press down hard.
Place the tray in the fridge to set for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile place the chocolate and double cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Don’t let the water touch the bowl. By keeping the bowl away from the water you are using indirect heat to melt the chocolate and this will reduce the chances of the chocolate burning. Stir constantly until a thick, glossy ganache has formed. Once you are sure that all of the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the pan and set to one side.
When you remove the tray from the fridge, pour the ganache over the contents of the tray. Use a plastic spatula to spread the ganache evenly over the burfi.
Return the tray to the fridge to set for at least one hour.
Decorate with the edible gold if you are using it.
Cut the burfi into diamond shapes and then gently lever out of the tray.
Store in a fridge until serving.
Eat within 3-4 days.

* Given the expensive nature of vanilla pods, I rinse them at this stage in cold water. Once they are dry I add them to my sugar bowl to create vanilla sugar.

Methi butterbean curry

2012-10-22T20:17:00.001+01:00

Firstly apologies for the lack of blog posts, it’s been a crazy summer in London generally and for me specifically. Here are some of the things that have kept me busy over the last few months

1.       The Olympic and Paralympic games.   Other than attending various events – including the men’s gold medal tennis match(!) – I was part of the Paralympics opening and closing ceremonies. Although I was only a tiny cog in both ceremonies, it was an honour to be part of them and I have some fantastic memories (including meeting the charming Chris Martin from Coldplay) as well as making some new friends

2.       Trying to resolve my allergy issues.   The good news is that I’m feeling a lot better than I did a year ago; the not-so-good news is that I’ve managed this largely by adopting the world’s most restrictive diet.   As long as I don’t eat, well.. pretty much anything fun.. I’m much better.   A glass of champagne or a Fortnum’s mince pie (mmm!) won’t kill me but the pleasure of consumption has to be balanced with the misery of the allergy symptoms afterwards.   As a result, I’m a lot skinnier than I was but it has been fairly torturous given how much I enjoy food. The other issue is that my new diet has restricted my ability to create new recipes or revisit many of my family's old ones

3.       Writing for HonestCooking.com.    This was Saveur’s blog of the year 2012 and so it’s been really great to be writing for them.   So far, I’ve written a range of articles including my guide to eating in London, a day of foodie heaven in Warsaw as well as a number of interviews including Helen Darroze (Michelin starred chef).

The recipe below is one that neatly side-steps all of my allergy issues and was particularly well received by Steve.   I created it after a lovely afternoon of shopping for Indian spices in Tooting with my friend Debra.   While we were there I picked up a bunch of fresh fenugreek (methi) as this is one ingredient that I have yet to see in even the most enlightened supermarkets. If you haven't visited your Indian grocer yet, I highly recommend it even if it is just to buy a bunch of this aromatic herb.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 tablespoons light tasting vegetable oil
10 grams butter
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 black peppercorns
1 medium onion - peeled and finely chopped
5 grams root ginger - peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli - peeled and finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
30 - 40 grams fresh fenugreek (methi) - roughly chopped and washed (NB Use any of the stalks that are thin and crisp as well as the leaves. Discard any weeds, thick, rubbery stalks and brown leaves. The weight shown is the weight post discarding the weeds etc.)
150 grams canned tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato puree
100 millilitres water
400 grams butterbeans - drained (drained weight 235 grams)

Method

Heat the oil and butter on a medium heat in a small saucepan with a lid.
Add the cumin seeds and peppercorns and let them sizzle on a low heat for a minute or so.
Add the chopped onion to the pan and them cook until very soft. Sitr occasionally to prevent the onions for colouring.
Now add the chopped ginger and chilli and stir.
Add the salt, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala and stir again.
Add the washed fenugreek leaves to the mixture and stir well. Then leave to cook for a few minutes until the leaves have wilted.
At this point add the canned tomatoes, tomato puree and water. Stir and then place a lid on the pan and cook for 5 minutes on a low heat stirring occasionally.
Add the drained butterbeans, stir again and cook with the lid on the pan for a further five minutes or until piping hot.
Serve with rice.

Sixty second interview with Shelina Permalloo

2012-08-11T09:31:00.001+01:00

Shelina Permalloo was crowned winner of UK MasterChef 2012 earlier this year. Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace were amazed by the selection of Mauritian-inspired dishes that she presented saying she brought "sunshine to a plate" and was a "very special cook". I managed to squeeze into Shelina's busy schedule to ask her a few questions.

How does Mauritian food compare to other Asian cuisines?
Mauritian food is a mix of cuisines influenced through different settlers on the island - European, Indian, African and Chinese.

You’ve described being on MasterChef as the biggest roller coaster of your life. Has life calmed down since then?
Life has been really busy after the show as I am now busy writing my first cook book which is due out next year! I've no complaints as I'm now doing what I love and managing to cook food every day.

You knew you had won MasterChef three months before the results were made public. How did you manage to keep the secret?
It was really difficult but I was able to tell my husband and also my mum who both helped keep me sane throughout the months of not being able to talk about it!

What happens to all the food on MasterChef?
All the food gets eaten! And any left over food is either reused where possible or the crew got to take it home (in exchange for a donation to charity) which is brilliant for everyone who works on the show.

What are your plans for the future?
I'm writing my first cook book currently and will be writing my second one soon after! As well as this I will continue learning through doing stages in professional kitchens, and also catering private dining events. My long term goal is to have my own restaurant..

We all know your favourite ingredient is mango. What’s your favourite dish made from mangoes?
Ah, I absolutely love sticky Thai coconut rice with fresh mangos - a staple sweet dessert in Thailand that I've fallen in love with!

What is your favourite cuisine (other than Mauritian?)
Well, I love both Thai and Italian cuisine, and you can't beat a good roast dinner!

What are your top 3 places to eat in London?
I love low key places, gastro pubs and places where you can relax. My favourite restaurant would be Buenos Ayres, an Argentine Steak house in Hackney, and I love most eateries in Brixton Village as there is a lot of variety.

You were asked to do MasterChef in the same week that you handed in your notice to your previous job as a diversity manager. What advice would you give someone wanting to switch to a food based career?
Changing career is always hard, but as long as you have family and friends to support you through the tough times then I'd say go for it!

My friend Jo is visiting Mauritius later this year. Are there any specific dishes/ restaurants that you would strongly recommend she seek out?
She should definitely try the street food available. The best street food in my opinion is Dal Poori - a wonderful flakey layered flat bread made from split peas and typically served with butter bean curry ('cari gros pois') and some 'satchini' (ferociously hot yet fragrant sauces made from chilli, coriander, coconut and garlic).... Lovely! Gateaux Piment are also a firm favourite of mine, deep fried chilli cakes made with split yellow peas, chilli, spring onion, just beautiful in a fresh baguette! To cool Jo's mouth down, she can then have a glass of 'Alooda' - a lovely milky drink made with basil seeds and sweet flavouring, similar to a milkshake....Enjoy!

Shelina will be cooking live at the BBC Good Food Shows this Autumn. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.bbcgoodfoodshow.com or call 0844 581 1363.