Showing posts with label curry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label curry. Show all posts

Wednesday, 22 August 2012

Recipe: Lamb Curry with French Beans

After a long week, mainly filled with dreaming up and cooking up seasonal summer dishes, The Boy and I were in need of a good curry and were determined not to give up on our newly found self-sustainable lifestyle in favour of a takeaway. I've made a number of Thai curries from scratch in the past but decided it was high-time I attempted to make an Indian curry paste. A trip to Radmore Farm Shop for some locally reared lamb was all the incentive I needed to give it a try. I also picked up some green beans (regrettably, a little early for the British season so imported would have to do) and some fresh ripe tomatoes (UK grown) to add to the sauce.



Thursday, 2 August 2012

Exploring Foodie France: Le Bistrot du Peintre, Paris



One of my steadfast favourite Paris eateries is a laid-back, unassuming bistro occupying prime position at the corner of a busy junction on Avenue Ledru Rollin in the 11th arrondissement. The Bistrot du Peintre is a simple Parisian establishment. Tables and chairs sprawling onto the street with a plastic sheet awning to protect from the wind and rain in winter; tarnished Art Nouveau-style mirrors and polished mahoghany bar; and hastily scribbled menu boards displaying the day's plat du jour and the vin du moment

Tuesday, 19 June 2012

Recipe: North African Pork & Lentil Curry

Determined not to waste (or, more likely, nibble on every time I open the fridge) some delicious slow-roasted pork belly, I knocked up a little leftovers recipe on Monday evening. It was the perfect start to a long week and made great use of some great quality meat. 

I love improvising in the kitchen and usually take inspiration from combinations of ingredients in a handful of favourite recipes. My inspiration for Monday's quick supper was from a North African chicken tagine recipe. I decided to use the sweet and spicy flavours with a tomato-based sauce to liven up my leftover pork belly; served on some cous cous with a good hit of red chili, the dish really hit the spot. 




Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Review: Rodells, Watford - World food and laid-back drinking

I'm always excited to be given the opportunity to review a restaurant located outside of Cambridge, especially when it turns out to be an unexpected foodie haven like Rodells in Watford, Hertfordshire. Rocking up to an unassuming shop front nestling surreptitiously at the corner of a rather unattractive crossroads close to Watford Junction station and then discovering that a small but perfectly formed bijou wine bar with a fascinating food menu lies within is a food blogger's ideal Friday night....


The dining room at Rodells, Watford

Monday, 26 March 2012

Recipe: Sweet Potato & Thai Coconut Soup


I'm on my third week of making soup for packed lunches and I'm still loving it. My latest batch, of Sweet Potato and Thai Coconut Soup with cashew nuts, really hits the spot. Thai curry is one of my favourite flavours and the sweet potato makes this soup delightfully filling and satisfying. It's easy to make and you can re-heat it without affecting the quality too. 

Here's what you need: 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
1 onion, chopped
1 - 2 teaspoons Thai curry paste - I use red from Mae Ploy (it's quite feisty!) 
1 litre vegetable stock 
100 - 150ml reduced-fat coconut milk 
750g sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 
Handful cashew nuts
Creme fraiche or extra coconut milk, to serve 
 
What you do:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the chopped onion. Fry gently for 4 - 5 minutes. Stir in the curry paste (note: if using good quality thai paste, 1 teaspoon will be plenty). Cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.

2. Add the sweet potato and stock and bring to the boil. Simmer until the potato is tender (about 10 - 15 minutes). 

3. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the coconut milk and season well. Leave to cool for a few minutes and then whizz in the blender until smooth.

4. Serve with a dollop or swirl of creme fraiche or coconut milk and a handful of crushed cashew nuts.

Delicious!! Enjoy :-)

Next week: I want to try something new!! Ideas please...

Saturday, 10 December 2011

Recipe: Chicken & Spinach One-Pot Pilaf


Gorgeous pilaf / biryani dish using frozen veg, basmati rice, chicken and not much else!



This is my favourite "store cupboard" recipe at the moment; for times when I fancy something tasty but can't be bothered to go shopping for lots of fresh ingredients. You can make it as spicy or mild as you like (or let the heat be guided by the variety of curry paste you happen to have in the kitchen if you're lazy like me!).

What you need:

Chicken breast pieces
Onion - diced
Ground cumin
Ground turmeric
Chicken oxo cube - made up to stock of about 300ml
Cardamon pods
Garam Masala
Curry paste - vindaloo is good for a spicy kick, or tikka paste is full of flavour but milder
Basmati rice (one portion)
Frozen veg - like green beans / peas
Frozen leaf spinach
Creme fraiche to serve (optional)

1. Fry the onion in a little oil in a big pot, on a low heat, until soft. Add about a tsp each of ground cumin and ground turmeric (or similar indian spices, if you don't have those in the cupboard).
2. Boil some water and make up chicken stock (about 300ml - 400ml depending on how much rice you use). Add a couple of cardamon pods and a good shake of garam masala. Stir and leave to infuse.
3. Add chicken cut into pieces to the pot and fry until coloured on the outside.
4. Add about 2 tsp of curry paste and the basmati rice to the pan and stir through for about one minute.
5. Pour in the stock and stir through.
6. If you are using large pieces of frozen vegetables (such as broccoli), add them now, bring to the boil and cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Be careful not to let it stick! Keep stirring regularly if in doubt!
7. Add the remaining vegetables and the frozen spinach (nestle them into the rice) and leave the lid off with the mixture simmering for about another 10 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or natural yoghurt and some fresh coriander! Voila!

Enjoy :-)

Saturday, 7 May 2011

Recipe: Canarian Curry

A hotty but a goody!

I brought back a bottle of Mojo Picon (canary chili sauce) from Gran Canaria earlier this year as lots of dishes in the restaurants we went to contained it and it gave a nice kick in a kind of fruity way! Whilst on holiday we cooked a chicken smothered in it one night in our apartment (I think in the microwave if I recall correctly!!) and had it with salad and rice and it was absolutely delicious! On the last night of the holiday we ate at a fantastic restaurant on the little square off the harbour in Puerto de Mogan. It was very traditional and rustic, with friendly staff, authentic embroidered table cloths and wall hangings, and little maritime artefacts and lanterns hanging around our heads. "La Bodega" served us a tapas selection of traditional Canarian Delights - including potatoes cooked in canarian sauce and also succulent rabbit in the picon sauce - plenty of chili, garlic, peppers and a warming fruity sauce.

Last week we experimented with the last few dollops of sauce, having only used it on unoriginal things like chips and pizza until now, and created this curry. We used beef but I think chicken would be fab with it.

Ingredients:

Beef or chicken
Red onion, chopped
Garlic, pressed
Celery, chopped
Jalapeno or similar chili, in rings
Chopped tinned tomatoes
Tomato puree
Chickpeas, drained
Red wine
Canary chili sauce
Seasoning
Fresh coriander leaf, roughly chopped
Rice
Lemon juice

I really did chuck it all together and guess quantities, to taste, but here are some rough instructions:

1. Fry the cubed meat off in a large, deep frying pan in olive oil until no pink bits remain - I squeezed half a lemon over the meat before I started cooking

2. Add chopped onions, garlic and celery and soften on a fairly low heat

3. Squeeze a generous amount of tomato puree over the meat and veg and add the canary chili sauce according to your spice threshold - I dribbled over about a tablespoon altogether

4. Coat everything with the sauce, and use like a paste

5. Once coated and frying nicely, add the tin of tomatoes, allow to boil, season, stir and pop a lid on, leaving to simmer on a very low heat for as long as you like

6. When you are happy with the consistency of the sauce and that your meat is cooked through / tender enough according to your liking, remove the lid and reduce down slightly whilst you cook the rice

7. Sprinkle with coriander and serve with haricots verts or similar, and lemon wedges if you desire

Photo to follow next time I make it - I didn't expect it to be nice enough to blog about :D

Enjoy! :-)