Recipes
Acknowledgement
I am indebted to my friend, gifted cook and co-author, Tanya Fairey, for her instigation and support in preparation of this collection of recipes. She has tested each of them and made many useful comments and suggestions which have been incorporated.
My family have insisted on the inclusion of many of the recipes, always reminding me of “what mother used to make” or, “do you remember the recipe you showed us…?”
We hope they, and all our other readers, will enjoy this collection for many years to come.
Patrick O’Meara.
Surbiton,
England.
2008
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Dedication.
This collection of recipes some - familiar to our family, friends and relatives - and others which have been devised with the aim of simplifying and reducing the ingredient cost and labour content of others, is dedicated to everyone who ventures along its guided path.
May they have success in easily finding, for the ladies, “the way to a man’s heart…”
and, for the gentlemen, a short-cut from the dining room to the more relaxed atmosphere of…
“… a glass of wine, a book of verse and thou, beside me singing in the wilderness… And the wilderness is Paradise, enow..”
Eat, savour and enjoy !
Surbiton, 2008
Index and list of Recipes
Page no.
Introduction------------------------------------------ 7
Conversion guidelines.----------------------------------------------- 14
Cooking Temperature------------------------------------------------ 15
Important General Procedures and Techniques------ 16
A Guide to Cooking times--------------------------- 18
Herbs and Spices etc--------------------------------- 19
Methods of Cooking--------------------------------- 38
Soups------------------------------------------------- 43
Cottage Pie------------------------------------------- 46
Creamy Mashed potato------------------------------ 48
Minced Lamb Curry---------------------------------- 49
Pasta Recipes----------------------------------------- 52
Basic Spaghetti Napoli------------------------ 53
Tasty Spaghetti Napoli------------------------ 54
Sauce Arrabiata-------------------------------- 55
Rice Recipes------------------------------------------ 57
Plain Boiled Rice------------------------------ 57
Mock Fried Rice------------------------------- 58
Real Fried Rice-------------------------------- 59
Boiled Yellow Rice w Peas------------------- 59
Coconut Rice---------------------------------- 60
Vegetable Pilao Rice-------------------------- 62
Levantine Style Meat Pilaf-------------------- 62
Egg Fried Rice--------------------------------- 63
Summer Rice---------------------------------- 64
Potato Curry------------------------------------------ 65
Continued.
Bombay potato Curry-------------------------------- 67
Vegetables (Fugarde)-------------------------------- 68
Cabbage Fugarde------------------------------------- 69
Vegetable/Meat Curry and Presentations------------ 71
Puffs, Rolls and Vol-au-Vents---------------- 72
Pulses------------------------------------------------- 73
Dhal Saudi Style------------------------------- 73
Pepper Water----------------------------------------- 75
Fish Recipes – Fish Moolee-------------------------- 77
Shrimp/Prawn Moolee------------------------- 79
Shrimp/Prawn w Yoghourt and Tomato------ 79
Six-Minute Fish Curry------------------------- 81
Egg Curry-------------------------------------------- 83
Pot-Roast Chicken----------------------------------- 84
Coconut Chicken------------------------------------- 86
Chicken Curry---------------------------------------- 87
Chicken Moolee-------------------------------------- 89
Meat Recipes----------------------------------------- 90
Vindaloo--------------------------------------- 92
Meat Curry------------------------------------ 95
Bhuna Gohst----------------------------------- 97
Pot-Roast Lamb Shanks----------------------- 99
Roast Pork Fillet w Veg. Stir-Fry------------- 101
Salad Dressings-------------------------------------- 103
Simple Salads – Medicine Sambal------------- 105
Raita------------------------------------------- 101
French-style sliced Green Bean Salad--------- 107
Cucumber and Yoghourt Salad--------------- 108
Continued.
Roast Leg of Lamb----------------------------------- 109
Devil Fry--------------------------------------------- 111
Chutney---------------------------------------------- 113
Mint and Coriander Green Chutney----------- 113
Pickles------------------------------------------------ 115
Coconut Toffee-------------------------------------- 116
Recipes From the Internet-------------------------- 117
Chicken Tikka Masala-------------------------------- 118
Chicken Korma--------------------------------------- 123
Vegetable Stock-------------------------------------- 125
Felafel------------------------------------------------ 128
Hummus---------------------------------------------- 132
Appendix----------------------------------------------------- 143
Notes and recipes for mixing your own spices
Recipe for Curry powder No1.----------------------- 144
Recipe for Curry powder No.2.---------------------- 144
Recipe Book
Forget QED (Quod Erat Demonstrandum) and all that geometric jazz… In this case QED stands for –
Quick Easy Delicious cookery.
There are literally scores of books of recipes on the market. In fact, it appears that almost every man, his wife, cat, dog and children are already on, or about to set off on the project of scribbling about their own favourite recipes ! However, as pretty and as clever as they might be, it is our opinion that they are for looking at when one is quite hungry or bereft of ideas and then being replaced on the shelf in a hurry, in despair, in trepidation lest the recipes are far too complex, require too many ingredients or, for a host of other reasons.
Thoughts (in desperation) : “Might as well buy a ready-meal !!”
No ! No !… a thousand times… No !
“QED cookery” takes a different, non-intimidatory approach to cookery and, with a few basic ingredients and methods of procedure – rather than the over-blown, hard-working and complex style of Mrs. Beeton…“Take twelve eggs…”, - its aim will be to show simple techniques and methods to enable you to create a winner every time.
“QED cookery” is written for beginners, people on a budget, students away from home and taking their own first tentative steps in the arts and skills of cookery, experienced cooks and, at the far end of the scale, people who thought they did “not have the skill to boil a pot of water.”
On the other hand “QED cookery” is NOT about to teach you how to fry an egg, a rasher of bacon or a sausage or how to make a welsh rarebit. Those are all rather mundane cooking skills and you have probably learned them at your mother’s elbow. Instead, our intention is to show you how you can very easily learn and develop more “out of the ordinary” and, we hope, more exciting and taste-bud tickling recipes, to say nothing of the appreciation which you and your guests will show at your culinary skills.
Between its first and last pages you will find many “gems” which could become favourites. All are quick, simple and - unless you are keen on caviar and venison - cost-effective recipes which you, your family and your guests will find different and appetising.
Soon you will hear many congratulatory expressions –
“Wow ! This is marvellous.” –
“You really must teach me how to make this.” –
“I just never knew that a dish could be so quickly prepared and without any fuss at all.” –
“I like this one so much that I am going to try it for my next luncheon party.” –
“ I would never have believed it could be made at such a low cost.” –
…and so on…
Essentially, this type of cooking successfully comes down to tasting and savouring the results of blending the ingredients, especially seasonings, rather than just following the recipe instructions by rote : To try and eat beef, lamb, pork, fowl or fish without any seasoning at all would be bland and a waste of time and effort – virtually every food item, especially when raw, can be improved and enhanced with seasoning of one type or another.
In contrast, fruit and vegetables are usually easier and more pleasant to consume even when uncooked. But quite a few of these do not have “taste-bud-exciting” flavours and they need to be enhanced with seasonings as well.
One of the main reasons why cooking can be un-interesting is because it would seem to be too difficult, fiddly or “just too much hassle”: In our opinion we feel that many chefs do over-complicate their procedures and, quite frankly, tart up their dishes unnecessarily ; while presentation is important, it is not everything – many a delicious-looking meal can taste awful – how often have you seen cookery-demonstration programmes on T.V. ?
The final product looks really scrumptious, but when the assembled coterie of “gurus” dip in for a sampling you can often see them gagging but, at the same time trying to portray an expression which says “yummy”. They are “actors”, after all !!
In the old days one had, of necessity, to prepare everything from scratch – peel, blend and crush various seeds, mix appropriate herbs and spices and so forth. However, these days there is a plethora of producers who do most of the hard work for you and sell the results in a jar, packet or bottle, ready-to-use, for a few pence..
It really does not make sense to go to the trouble, time and effort, for example, of milling the flour, measuring and mixing the yeast, salt, sugar and water or milk to create a dough, working in the appropriate temperature-controlled environment, proofing, checking the pre-baking mix for suitability and then often, finally, not being satisfied with the finished product –
(Gosh! The idea of all that work makes me feel tired already !) –
- when, for a few coins you can choose from a huge variety of tried and tested, in this case, breads.
We believe in taking advantage of the products created by reliable professionals : Let them select and blend the herbs and spices to a standard procedure, make the pickles, clean and wash the pulses and do all the
mundane and, sometimes boring and time-consuming jobs, so that we can get straight into our recipes.
However, there IS one proviso to my above statements, and this because a couple of highly recommendable and dependable pieces of kitchen equipment are available in most local kitchen supply houses : There will be occasions when some of the “ready-made” proprietary ingredients, sauces, spice mixtures and so on, are difficult to obtain or are not readily available. Additionally, you may find that even a small jar of curry paste or mixed ingredients is too large for your requirements. For this reason I will give you our alternative recipes, in an appendix, for some of them such as - Tanya’s Paprika paste instead of Kashmiri masala paste. Do try them out when you have time ; you will almost certainly become even more skilful at blending your own mixtures.
“QED cookery” is the easy, economical and effective way to get to grips with food preparation.
Furthermore, as you will become more and more aware, basic methods of cooking are really so few that eventually almost 90% of culinary skill and craft is in being able to prepare the sauces, juices and accompaniments and as little as 10% in the presentation.
The Tale of the Naive Suitor
Hoping to make a good impression on an attractive young German lady, I purchased what I thought was a great-looking cheese-cake at a high-class and well-known patisserie in London and presented it to her because she had said that she “loved cheese-cake” and I thought this would be a clever, maybe even gallant, way of impressing her – she really was very good-looking !
This happened in the mid-fifties before continental foods were widely available in England. I knew nothing of cheese-cake (except for the four-penny coconut sprinkled, tart-like “things” one could buy in the NAAFI) so, I could not show off as the “expert” !
Imagine my disappointment then, when, at presentation time and, having taken a taster-bite, she pronounced - rather haughtily I thought - that the cake was “off”.
I took it back to the patisserie and complained bitterly to the owner that he had probably ruined my chances with the young lady, to say nothing of the fact that the cake was “off”.
He was most apologetic, tasted a morsel and pronounced that the cake was, in his opinion, up to his usual high standard but that, since I was not satisfied, he would refund my money, present me with whichever pastries I chose and, in all seriousness, would introduce me to another, perhaps even better-looking, German girl !!
The punch-line to the story is that the patisserie owner did add a few words of counsel:
“If you are trying to impress a stranger with one of their own favourite dishes, you are very likely to fail because…
’ It is almost certain that you will NOT make it like mother used to do…’”
Therein lie the difficulties encountered by exponents of the culinary arts – they will never please all the people all the time.
“QED cookery”, however, will teach you how to please, and certainly impress, most of the people most of the time. Best of all, I hope that it will also show you how easily you can concoct your own recipes by understanding how different herbs, spices, other ordinary products and condiments can blend with each other to produce quite different results.
Throughout this compilation of my own favourite quick and tasty recipes, I will exhort you to taste regularly that which you are preparing during the cooking process and, remembering that “you cannot please all the people all the time”, you be the judge and cook for your own palate encouraging your guests to add their own preferred and quantity of seasonings and condiments at the time of eating.
Conversion guidelines.
For liquid measures:-
1 teaspoon = about 5 millilitre ( ml ) = 5 grams ( g )
2 teaspoons = 1 dessertspoon
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
5 tablespoons = half a cup or half a wineglass
3 fl.oz (uk) = 85 millilitres (ml.)
10 tablespoons = 1 cup or 1 wineglass
6 fluid oz. (uk) = 170 millilitres (ml.)
Ounces Millitres Litres
1
28.4
5 (1/4 pint)
142
9
256
1/4 litre
10 (1/2 pint)
284
12
341
1/3 litre
15 (3/4 pint)
426
18
511
1/2 litre
20 (1 pint)
568
35.2
1000
1 litre
Note:
Imperial (UK) 20 fluid ounces = 1 pint = 0.568 litre
USA 16 fluid ounces = 1 pint = 0.454 litre
Cooking Temperature
conversion (approx)
100 deg F = 38 deg .C av.“slow-cooking” temp.
212 deg F = 100 deg C “boiling point”
350 deg F = 175 deg C -------av. “roasting” temp.
450 deg F = 230 deg C -------av. “baking” temp.
Important General Procedures and Techniques.
01. Unless you really do NOT like garlic and/or ginger, you should start all your stews, curries, roasts and pot roasts with these two important and taste enhancing spices, preferably in minced or paste forms. Read the general information on these two spices in the section on Herbs and Spices.
02 Rather than using corn-flour, potato-flour or ordinary bread-flour to give “body” to your stews, curries and many of your soups which improve with thickening, we suggest that, provided their flavours do not adversely affect the taste you wish to achieve, you should seriously consider the use of such vegetables as minced celery and carrot which, incidentally, have excellent fibre and digestion-aiding properties.
03 Where recipe instructions say “film-fry” you should use the minimum amount of frying medium (e.g. vegetable oil), barely covering the base of the cooking vessel you are using. Remember that animal fats (e.g. lard, suet) generally begin to smoke (and ignite!) at substantially lower temperatures than vegetable oils (e.g. corn oil, rapeseed oil, groundnut oil)
04 Be generally aware of cooking times for various meats and vegetables !!!- Certain cuts of beef, for example, do take longer than others. The age of the animal also affects the tenderness of the flesh. – In the United States the beef industry is very particular about the slaughtering age and, for the best beef, will insist on slaughtering a precise number of days after the calf is born.
Mutton usually needs more cooking than lamb.
Root vegetables are usually cooked for longer periods than, for example, vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus or aubergines otherwise known as “surface” or “sprout” vegetables.
While following general guidelines, “trial and error”, otherwise known as “experience”, will set you well on the way to becoming an expert.
A guide to Cooking times :-
For domestic portions - up to a domestic saucepan full –
and… with the uncooked temperature at room-ambient :-
1. Frying/sealing – about five or six minutes max. or until the meat looks sealed. It should be stirred about to try and get all the meat sealed.
2. Steaming/boiling- irrespective of quantity. 45 minutes for beef and mutton –
30 minutes for chicken and lamb.
Potatoes, dependent on age and size of cut ( easiest thing is to prod them and test.)
3. Finishing off curries and stews. Mix in the final ingredients thoroughly e.g. curry paste, and switch off the heat.
4. Finishing off vegetables – It depends on your definition of “cooked”. I personally prefer mine to be under-done rather than “pulped”.
5. On the other hand, underdone meats are not for me and though I used to love a rare steak , for example, I am very wary of meat quality nowadays.
Herbs and Spices etc..
As mentioned earlier, beef, lamb, pork, fowl and fish etc., need to be flavoured with herbs, spices and other seasonings in order to make them palatable. That is to say nothing of the reputed medicinal properties of many herbs and spices : It may interest one to know that until the National Health Service began in Britain in the late 1940s the majority of medicinal products, both ethical and non-ethical, were vegetable/herb based and it is only since the mid-fifties that these medicinal herbs and spices have been synthesised by major drug companies.
There are many items which come into the “herbs and spices” category but, in order to add zest to a meal one can restrict them to those which are most readily available. In other words, it is not necessary to maintain a huge selection of herbs and spices in order to be able to flavour a cooked item. Neither is it necessary to keep herbs and spices fresh for daily use even though, where possible, fresh products are often tastier. This is because nowadays manufacturers do produce excellent ready-mixed products with reasonably long shelf lives and at competitive prices e.g. tomato ketchup.
Below, you will find a list of individual herbs and spices - with short descriptions -from which, according to your taste, you will choose to maintain a stock in your kitchen.
Allspice Allspice is used in a variety of foods as a condiment, as a flavouring ingredient in bakery items, in the processed meat industry and also in pickling. It is widely used in European cooking as an ingredient in sweet recipes and festive baking. The ground or whole spice is used in preserves and chutneys.
Aniseed It is used in Italian sausage, pepperoni, pizza topping and other processes meat items. The essential oil is used to flavour absinthe, and Pernod liqueurs. Anise oil is sometimes used as an adulterant in the essential oil of liquorice. In India, the seeds are chewed after a meal to sweeten the breath. Aniseed has for many years been used in the preparation of “gripe water” used in used to ameliorate the effects of flatulence in babies. Aniseed oil is used as a mild carminative and to flavour sweets – “aniseed balls” and so-called “cough tablets” for example.
Asafoetida Asafoetida has been a popular spice in Europe since Roman times and has been widely used in the Middle Ages (for instance, to flavour barbecued mutton), but is less used for this purpose nowadays. It is still an important ingredient in Persia, and is popular with Brahmins and Jains in
India who refuse to eat onions and garlic. In Indian cuisine, it is normally not combined with garlic or onion, but is seen as an alternative or substitute for them; it is nearly always used for vegetable dishes. The Tamil (South Indian) spice mixture 'sambaar podi' frequently contains asafoetida.
Basil The leaves, fresh or dry, may be used to improve the flavour of tomato dishes, cucumbers, green salads, eggs, ricotta cheese mixes and shrimp. It is a popular culinary flavouring, typical of Mediterranean cuisines. Oil of basil is used in perfumery, soaps, cosmetics and liqueurs. It is a good insect repellent. In herbal medicine it is used to soothe pain and treat vomiting, nervous stress and headaches.
Bay leaf The smooth and lustrous dried bay leaves are usually used whole and then removed from the dish after cooking; they are sometimes marketed in powdered form. The crushed form is a major component in pickling spices in processed meats and pickle industry. Ground bay is utilized in many seasoning blends and products. Both oil of bay and bay oleoresin are used in soluble pickling spices.
Black pepper It is used in processed meats and in applications where dark specking is not desired. Black pepper is added to fruit cakes and gingerbread and is also used as a light seasoning on fresh fruit.
Caraway Caraway is used extensively in East European, German and Austrian cooking. The whole form is used in rye and other speciality breads, cakes and biscuits. Caraway may be used in potato salads, cream or cottage cheese, biscuits, or bread. Its leaves, when fresh, can be snipped into salads or used as a garnish. The carrot-shaped root has the same flavour as the seeds and it can be cooked in the same way as parsnips, either by baking or boiling.
Cardamom Cardamom oil is a precious ingredient in food preparations, perfumery, health foods, medicine and beverages. In seed form, it may be sucked or chewed. It helps in combating digestive ailments and preventing blood-clotting. It can be used to freshen one’s breath and encourage digestion and other stomach problems.
Chilli Chillies have a chemical effect on our bodies as they stimulate the appetite and cool the body. Flavours of different chillie
revolutionised the cooking of tropical countries. Red pepper is used in a large variety of products, often in the meat and pickling industry in the form of crushed red pepper or ground red pepper. A fine powder made from specially mild varieties of chilli, C.annum, is known as paprika. Paprika is used more extensively whenever a red-to-orange colour is desired, such as in processed meats, snack, foods, sauces, gravies, salad dressings etc.. Contrary to current misconception that curries and other hot foods cause heartburn, indigestion and ulcers, it has been found that chillies block acid production and improve blood-flow in stomach tissue, which helps in both the prevention and healing of ulcers. Other research shows that chillies burn up more calories and fat than other spices.
Celery Celery leaves are eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable. Whole seeds can be added to bread dough or when making cheese biscuits. Celery salt and celery pepper are both made by grinding the seeds with either salt and/or peppercorns in the required proportions.
Cinnamon Nowadays, cinnamon is used to flavour a variety of foods, from confections to curries; in Europe and the USA it is especially popular in bakery products. Stick cinnamon is added whole to casseroles, rice dishes, mulled wines and punches, and to syrups for poaching fruit. Ground cinnamon is used in baked goods like cakes, pastries and biscuits. Cinnamon leaf oil is used in processed meats, condiments and also in bakery items. Oil from the bark is used in the manufacture of perfume. Cinnamon is a stimulant, astringent and carminative, used as an antidote for diarrhoea and stomach upsets. Research studies in the U.S show that men and women with type 2 diabetes given daily doses of cinnamon powder showed that blood-sugar levels of up to 20 per cent lower than that in a control group were experienced.
Clove Cloves are ingredients in many classic spice mixtures. Whole cloves are frequently used to flavour cooking liquids for simmering fish, poultry, game and meat. They feature in classic sauces and are used in the bakery industry and the processed meats industry as a ground spice. Medicinally, oil of cloves is used in
the treatment of toothache and in a weak solution with salt as an astringent in mouthwash preparations.
Coriander Coriander seeds, available whole or ground or as extracts, are used primarily as a flavouring agent in the food industry or as spice in the home kitchen for breads, cheeses, curry, fish, meats, sauces, soups, pastries, and confections. It is often used in Mexican cooking and is a component of chilli powders. Coriander is essential in Indian cooking and is a major ingredient in curry powders and other Indian spice mixes such as “garam masalas”. Whole coriander is used in pickling spices, for meats and pickles. The seeds are also used to flavour alcoholic beverages, such as gin, and in liqueurs. They are used as a flavouring for bread, and yield an essential oil for soaps and perfumes. Fresh leaves and shoots are especially popular where the plant is produced locally for use as a flavouring agent in salads, soups and stews. Studies at the University of Ulster suggest that it may help insulin levels in diabetes and has been shown to have beneficial effects both on cholesterol and on colonic cancer.
Cumin Cumin is used as a flavouring agent in many ethnic products such as cheeses, pickles, sausages, soups, stews, stuffing, rice and bean dishes, and liqueurs. It is an essential component of Mexican foods, along with chilli pepper and oregano. Its use is prevalent in many Latin American cuisines. Cumin is a key ingredient of Indian cooking such as all types of curries and chilli mixes.
Curry leaves Curry leaves are extensively used in Southern India and Sri Lanka and are absolutely necessary for the authentic flavour. They are also of some importance in Northern India. They have been introduced to Malaysia by many South Indian (mostly Tamil) immigrants during the British colonial era. Outside the Indian sphere of influence, they are rarely found. In Sri Lanka, the delicious chicken and beef curries are flavoured with curry leaves; the leaves are furthermore used with vegetables and sliced bread which are quickly fried together. Curry leaves are of growing importance in flavouring and are available both fresh and dried in most Indian sub-continental grocery/vegetable stores. Research at the University of Chicago indicates that eating
curry leaves lowers cholesterol and weight and may be useful for people with diabetes.
Dill Dill is used as a condiment and flavouring and as a pickling spice. It is used to season foods, particularly in eastern Europe and Scandinavia. The entire plant is aromatic, and the small stems and immature umbels are used for flavouring soups, salads, sauces, fish, sandwich fillings, and particularly pickles. The leaves freshly chopped may be used alone or in dill butter for broiled or fried meats and fish, in sandwiches, in fish sauces, and in creamed or fricasseed chicken. The major commercial use of dill is in the form of dill-weed oil, used in the pickle industry. Dill has a warm, slightly sharp flavour somewhat reminiscent of caraway.
Fennel Both the seeds and the oil distilled from them are used for flavouring. Fennel seed is used in the food and flavour industry for addition to meats, vegetable products, fish sauces, soups, salad dressings, stews, breads, pastries, teas, and alcoholic beverages. Crushed seeds are used in salad dressings, in mayonnaise, in savoury and
sweet baking and as a substitute for juniper in flavouring gin. Ground fennel is used in many curry powders. The essential oil and the oleoresin of fennel are used in condiments, soaps, creams, perfumes, and liqueurs. Several types of fennel are available for ornamental use and as a fresh vegetable. Soft growing tips are widely used to flavour and garnish fish dishes, soups and baked foods.
Fenugreek The herb is a characteristic ingredient in some curries and chutneys and fenugreek extract is used to make imitation maple syrup. Because of its high nutritive contents, it is an important ingredient in vegetable and dhal dishes eaten in India. In India, young fenugreek plants are used as a pot herb. The leaves are widely used, fresh or dried, in Indian cooking and are often combined with vegetables. Fenugreek seeds are used in a wide range of home-made or commercial curry powders. In northern Africa the plants are used for fodder. A report from Purdue University in America says the plant has been used with some benefits for bronchitis, fevers, sore throats, skin irritations, diabetes and ulcers. Fenugreek
leaf is widely used in the Middle and Far East as a nourishment for nursing mothers.
Garlic Although known to the Ancients and probably cultivated and used as food and medicine by them, it is likely that the uses of garlic are far more ancient. Today, there is a rapidly increasing world-wide interest in garlic, and the number of scientific studies performed every year is increasing exponentially. These studies have supported the idea that the regular consumption of garlic can reduce blood pressure, blood cholesterol levels, act as an inhibitor to the overgrowth of pathogenic organisms in the body, such as Candida Albicans, be useful as a worming medicine, and have a number of other beneficial effects. It aids digestion and prevent flatulence. It is considered to be beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. Pharmaceutical preparations of garlic are manufactured throughout Europe. In the U.S., garlic products are extremely popular and are widely sold in natural food stores, supermarkets, and pharmacies. Garlic is available as a ready-made paste from specialist stores and most ethnic food grocery shops.
Ginger Ginger, being a major spice, has many uses in food, flavouring and medicinal products. The aroma of ginger is pleasant, spicy and flavourful, pungent and slightly biting. It is a common ingredient in Asian cooking and it flavours several products like confectionary, curry powders, pickles, several soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. It is traditionally used in Chinese cooking as a body- deodorant. It is also essential in Western baking as in traditional gingerbreads, cakes, biscuits etc. It is available fresh, and preserved in brine or syrup. The essential oil is used in commercial flavourings for savoury cooking as a ready-made paste from specialist stores and most ethnic food grocery shops.
Horse radish Horseradish is a potent gastric stimulant and is the perfect accompaniment for rich or fatty foods. It is richer in Vitamin C than lemons or oranges. Young leaves are used for flavouring in salads, or cooked. Roots are often made into a sauce.
Marjoram A herb of many culinary uses, marjoram is particularly appreciated for the taste it imparts to sausages, meats, poultry, stuffings, fish, stews, eggs, vegetables,
and salads. It has been used as a substitute for oregano. Marjoram is used in Italian herb blends and is often a component of pizza and spaghetti sauce mixes.
Mustard Mustard is an indispensable ingredient in cooking. As a condiment, mustard is sold in three forms: as seeds, as dry powder that is freshly mixed with water for each serving to obtain the most aroma and flavour, and as a paste that is blended with other spices, vinegar or wine, and starch or flour to tone down the sharpness. The whole white seeds are mainly used both for pickles and in the meat industry. The brown seeds are used throughout India in curry powders and in spiced ghee. Mustard is widely used as a condiment with various foods, particularly cold meats, sausages, and salad dressings. It is also used as an ingredient in mayonnaises, sauces, and pickles.
Nutmeg &
Mace In Western cuisine, nutmeg and mace are more popular for cakes, crackers and stewed fruits; nutmeg is sometimes used to flavour cheese. The combination of spinach with nutmeg is somewhat a classic, especially for Italian stuffed
noodles. The greatest lovers of nutmeg in today's Europe, though, are the Dutch. They use it for cabbage, potato and other vegetables, but also for meat, soups, stews and sauces. Since quite a large fraction of
nutmeg is today grown in Grenada, nutmeg has entered several Caribbean cuisines. In Grenada, it is omnipresent, the locals even eating nutmeg-flavoured ice cream! Nutmeg is an optional ingredient in a famous Caribbean spice paste, “Jamaican jerk”. Recent studies at the University of Aligarah in India appear to suggest that the male libido is positively influenced by the intake of nutmeg.
Oregano In the United States the use of oregano rose sharply in the late 20th century. Owing largely to the popularity of pizza. Italians call it the “mushroom herb” but use it with many other foods as well. The leaves are also made into tea and beer, or distilled into an oil for perfumes and cosmetics. Oregano is a tonic, digestive and expectorant used to treat coughs and sore throats, indigestion and gastric upsets. Antiseptic leaves are chewed for toothache and added to baths and poultices.
Parsley Both seeds and dried roots of parsley are used as spices. It is used in a large variety of products, anywhere a green leafy piece is desired. It is usually used as a visual and does not contribute much flavour. The leaves may be used for flavour and for garnish in soups, vegetables, salads, meats, and poultry. The roots go well as a vegetable in soups.
Peppermint For culinary use the leaves and stems are gathered before flowering and, in full flower, for distillation of essential oil. The upper part of the plant may be tied in small bundles and hung up, or the leaves and flowering tops spread on a screen and dried in the shade. As soon as the leaves and stems are brittle, any excess stems should be removed and the clean dry leaves and flowering tops packed in a closed container.
Pomegranate A sweet and fresh syrup, known as Grenadine, is made from the juice of pomegranate. Pomegranate syrup, used in Middle Eastern cooking, has an intense concentrated flavour. Pomegranate seeds are used in Indian cooking as a souring agent. Crushed seeds are sprinkled in some Middle Eastern cuisines.
Poppy seeds The opium poppy is also grown for its non-narcotic ripe seeds, which are used for seasoning, oil, and birdseed. Tiny dried seed of the opium poppy is used as food, food flavouring, and is the source of poppy-seed oil. Poppy seeds have no
narcotic properties, because the fluid contained in the bud that becomes opium is present only before the seeds are fully formed. They have a faint nut like aroma and a mild, nutty taste especially popular in breads and other baked goods. Poppy seeds are more common in India, where they are ground and used as a thickening agent in curries and sauces. They are also sprinkled over cooked noodles, or sweetened with honey and made into a dessert dip or sauce. Dry-fried seeds are added to salads and salad dressings.
Rosemary Rosemary is a popular culinary flavouring added to meat dishes, baked foods and Mediterranean recipes. The fresh or dried leaves may be used sparingly for special accent with cream soups made of leafy greens, poultry, stews, and sauces. Rosemary oil is used in processed meats for flavouring. Rosemary extract has antioxidant properties in food products.
Saffron This spice is also widely used in sweet recipes like milky rice- or vermicelli puddings and sweet custard-like desserts from India. It flavours baked goods and is one of the ingredients in the liqueur Chartreuse. It is used in sedatives, as an antispasmodic and for flatulence. It is also used in perfumes.
Sage Sage is a very popular herb generally used as a potent condiment for meat, fish, Mediterranean dishes, and as a base for sage tea. The powdered leaves rubbed on the outside of fresh pork, ham, and loin gives a flavour resembling that of stuffed turkey. The major flavour component of fresh pork sausage seasoning is sage. The extracts of sage are also utilised primarily in the processed meat industry.
Tamarind The ripened pulp of the fruit is widely used in the Orient in foods, beverages, and medicines. It also constitutes a major part of the well known Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce. It is a standard ingredient in curries, chutneys, soups and several other dishes of India and South East Asia. The juice is made into a refreshing drink in both the Middle East and the West Indies.
Tarragon Tarragon contains 0.2 - 1.5% volatile oil. It has an anise or liquorice-like flavour. It is used in salads and stews
Thyme Thyme is a widely used herb. The leaves, usually blended with other herbs, may be used in meats, poultry stuffings, gravies, soups, egg dishes, cheese etc. Thyme oils are used in some processed meats and some sauce and prepared foods applications. Leaves make a tonic and stimulating tea, used to treat digestive complaints and respiratory disorders.
Turmeric Turmeric is a very unique and versatile natural plant product combining the properties of (a) a spice or flavouring, (b) a colouring agent of brilliant yellow dye, (3) a cosmetic and (4) a drug. When used as a spice the colouring properties are usually more important than its flavour attributes. Turmeric is a major ingredient in curries and curry powders, contributing flavour as well as the characteristic yellow colour. It is also used in chutneys and pickles. In South East Asia, the fresh spice is much preferred to the dried variety. In Thailand, the fresh rhizome is grated and added to curry dishes. It is also part of their yellow curry paste. It is popular on
the Eastern islands of Indonesia where it derives its colour from fresh or dried turmeric. In Bali, where alone in Indonesia Hinduism has survived, a tasty “nasi kuning” is prepared from rice, turmeric, coconut milk and aromatic leaves. It is considered a "cultic dish" and sacrificed to the Gods. Moreover, Indonesian cooks frequently add dried turmeric to their stews and curries. Western cuisine does not use turmeric directly, but it forms part of several spice mixtures and sauces; it is also used in the food industry as an edible colouring in mustards, butter, cheese and liqueurs.
Vanilla Vanilla is the world's most popular flavouring ingredient for numerous sweetened foods, several commercial food products, liquors, perfumes etc. Vanilla extracts or essences are extracted with alcohol and contain the aroma and flavour principles, and sweetening and thickening agents. They are widely used as a flavourings par excellence for ice creams, soft drinks, chocolates, confectionary, candy, tobacco, baked foods, puddings, cakes, biscuits, liquors, and in perfumery. Vanilla sugar is a mixture of vanilla extracts and sugar.
Methods of Cooking
There are really only a few basic methods of cooking. Think of these as :-
1. Boiling This is cooking in a water environment and includes such variations as stewing, steaming, poaching, steam-pressure-cooking and so forth.
2. Frying This is cooking in an edible-oil or animal-fat environment and includes such variations as deep-frying, shallow-frying, film-frying, cooking in a wok, oil pressure-frying (who can ignore Kentucky Fried Chicken ?) etc
3. Roasting Normally, this is cooking in a dry hot-air environment such as baking, barbecuing and such similar methods as require a conventional hot-air oven. Some cooks interrupt the cooking cycle by basting the product to be cooked with the juices which drip from it. In normal circumstances and, provided that the product to be roasted it correctly dressed and cooked at the optimum temperature, we feel that this is unnecessary.
4. Grilling This is where the food product is cooked by being exposed to a high-temperature radiant heat such as is used in a modern electric toaster – in the old days this method of cooking was done by affixing the food item to a long fork and holding it over glowing hot coals –
You will come across many other terminologies such as broiling, sautéing, broasting, barbecuing, poaching, microwave cooking and… almost ad infinitum. However, all of these are really only variations or mixtures of the basic four methods as indicated above.
…and a brief note about some of the Cooking Equipment and Utensils used.
Over the years many new inventions have produced different pieces of equipment which combine the basic four cooking methods. Probably the most modern of these is the microwave oven ( The truth is though that I demonstrated the first commercial microwave oven 50 years ago at the London Hotelympia in 1958 !) in which a special electronic (magnetron) tube produces very high-frequency waves of energy which vibrate the liquid molecules in the product against each other to be “cooked” so that heat is generated and “cooks” the product. Further developments have now been added to the basic microwave oven so that the food to be cooked is rotated and cooked more evenly and/or radiant heat is
introduced so that food can be “browned” to be more appetising-looking and palatable.
Then there is the forced air convection oven or fan-assisted oven which, when used (and one might add, designed !) correctly, overcomes the problem of the hotter air rising to the upper part of the oven and causing uneven cooking and “shrinkage” of the product which, particularly in commercial applications, can mean a high loss in portions available for servings and consequent loss of profits.
After World War II, when the Allied Forces entered Germany, they found a strange-looking piece of equipment in the kitchens of the military barracks. It was called a “bratt” pan and was a most versatile piece of equipment. It was used to boil, fry, roast and steam, and who knows what other functions! It measured roughly four feet wide by two foot six inches front to back with a depth of some eight inches. It was equipped with a hinged lid and a pouring spout and was manually operated to tilt appropriate products into smaller containers for serving at the food-service counter. It could hold a goodly quantity of stew or soup and was sufficiently large to accommodate a few dozen eggs for boiling or frying and all-in-all was a really smart piece of industrial food-service equipment.
The “bratt” pan has been modified and sized both for commercial and domestic use and is generally known as
an electric skillet or multi-cooker. It is quite one of the cleverest pieces of kitchen-equipment that exists, especially for use in small kitchens and even bed-sitters, it can also provide a very useful item in a normal kitchen.
Finally, there is the grinder/food-chopper. This piece of equipment comes in various guises but is essentially a small container with a whirring blade used to speedily chop soft foods such as ginger, garlic, carrots and so on. While, as mentioned before, many products are available in ready-ground paste forms, there are still many vegetables and other food items which you will need to chop freshly and finely - a food-chopper can become a useful part of your kitchen’s equipment.
If you intend to grind hard spices such as coriander seeds, mustard seeds, bits of cinnamon stick, cloves, pepper and so on which, incidentally, you would need to do for some items described in the appendix, I recommend that you equip yourself with a small electric coffee/seed grinder available at a cost of under £20 at most electrical retailers.
If you are “well heeled” you could also benefit from the use of a versatile food processor !
Soups
I mentioned that there are only a few basic methods of cooking. The first one of these is boiling, under which heading comes stewing and soup-making.
Assuming that you have no knowledge of cooking, it is in your interest to understand soup-making. You can wash and cut up a few potatoes and drop them into a saucepan with sufficient water to cover them. Bring the water to boiling point and stay at that temperature for twenty minutes or so. Add some salt and pepper to the pan and… hey, presto! You have a soup. It is not very interesting, but it is a soup.
If you now add a few herbs, spices and other vegetables – peas, carrots, bits of cauliflower from yesterday’s lunch and even the bone from that half leg of lamb from Sunday’s dinner, you are well on the way to creating a really tasty soup. There are many commercial/restaurant kitchens which, even today, ( shades of 1939-1945 !) toss most of the scraps of vegetables and odd bones and bits of meat into a huge pot of boiling water and let them stew for hours on end, then use the resultant juices as the basis of stock for gravies, stews and soups !
So, do experiment with soup making and remember…
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
On those cold winter nights or when someone is not feeling well enough to eat normal meals, soups can come as a real solace.
Try thickening and flavouring them with a drop of milk or cream, rice, potatoes, pasta, grated cheese and so forth – a little bit of spice here, herbs there and even some ready-made sauce such as Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce. You really can have fun experimenting with making up soup recipes; they become your own concoctions and the cost is minimal…
Here is the best and a very important part ; you will soon learn how to combine ingredients and develop flavours – the basis, after all, of good cooking.
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
Regular taste-testing
Quite often during the course of these cookery starter ideas you will find that I have reminded you regularly to taste your cooking as you go along. This “tasting” need not be more than the dipping of a spoon into the product and tasting a few drops of the sauce or a piece of the meat or vegetable you might be cooking.
In order to underline this importance, I am going to start you off by doing two different recipes one after the other. It will not be necessary for you to follow the same procedure but, you will notice that both of the recipes have similar starting methods and only really change at the time of adding spices and a few other ingredients and finishing off the cooking. However, you will find the end results quite dissimilar. Do try each of them in turn.
We are going to make (1) Cottage Pie followed by
(2) Minced Lamb Curry.
Cottage Pie with a covering of
Creamy Mashed Potato (recipe follows)
450 grams minced lamb
1 heaped teaspoonful minced garlic
1 heaped teaspoonful minced ginger
2 cloves
½ a medium sized onion (sliced)
1 tablespoonful vegetable oil
Seasoning to taste- salt, pepper, clove etc..
1 medium sized carrot coarsely chopped into small pieces.
1 medium stick of celery coarsely chopped into small pieces.
METHOD
Fry the garlic and ginger together in the vegetable oil in a saucepan for two or three minutes.
Add the minced lamb to your saucepan, stir well and fry for a further 4-5 minutes.
Chop and add the carrot, celery and onions .
Dissolve 2 vegetable flavouring cubes in a cup of hot water and pour over the mince.
Stir well, turn down the heat and cover the saucepan.
Allow to cook for a further 10-15 mins.
Add more water if you wish a looser consistency.
Transfer the cooked minced lamb to a suitable oven-proof dish and spread a covering of creamy mashed potato over it.
Place the dish under the grill for approximately 10 minutes or until the mashed potato is appetisingly browned. Enjoy your first efforts.
The cottage pie can be refrigerated and re-heated the next day later consumption.
Creamy Mashed Potato
Pre-prepare the Creamy Mashed Potato and either set aside for consumption in its own right or use it to cover your cottage pie as described above.
Do not waste any left-over mashed potato : It can be made into tasty potato cakes by using a billiard-ball sized portion and flattening it to about ¾ inch before dusting it with flour and frying it in a frying-pan with just a tiny film of vegetable oil.
Creamy Mashed Potato
1.5 kgs medium sized peeled potatoes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Dice the potatoes into roughly 1-inch cubes. Place them into a saucepan of slightly salted water and bring to boil.
When they are cooked (check by prodding with a fork which should enter the potatoes easily).
Drain the water out and mash the potatoes with a potato masher.
Add 2 ozs of butter and continue to mash.
Gradually add approximately one a cup of warm milk to the potatoes and mix again. Add more milk to soften the potato and then, placing the saucepan back on the hot ring whip vigorously with a wooden spoon.
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
Does your mashed potato taste and feel creamy ?
Adjust by adding more warm milk or/ butter or /salt.
If you are making a Cottage Pie or some other pie dish with a mashed potato covering, carefully spoon the mashed potato onto your pie and spread it over the top with a cooking spatula.
Sprinkle chopped chives on to the mash and you are ready to try out your creation !
Note: If chives are not available, you might like to try some chopped green parsley or other green decorative herb.
Minced Lamb Curry
450 grams minced lamb
1 heaped teaspoonful minced garlic
1 heaped teaspoonful minced ginger
2 cloves
½ a medium sized onion (sliced)
1 tablespoonful vegetable oil
. One tablespoonful of a Mild Curry Paste.
(see Appendix )
DO NOT SEASON YET !!
wait until the last of the cooking instructions.
Three or four fresh curry leaves if available.
3 medium sized potatoes diced into ¼ inch cubes
1 medium sized carrot finely chopped into small pieces.
1 medium stick of celery finely chopped into small pieces.
Note: If you prefer you can mince the carrot and celery instead of chopping : Mincing the carrot and celery gives a curry “body” in addition to the subtle flavour imparted.
Minced Lamb Curry (continued)
1 teaspoonful of tamarind paste.
(available from most Asian grocers ).
1 dessertspoonful lemon juice.
METHOD
Fry the garlic, ginger, cloves, carrot, celery and onions together in the vegetable oil in a saucepan for two or three minutes.
Add the minced lamb to your saucepan and stir well.
Fry for a further 4-5 minutes, stirring well.
Adjust the thickness-consistency of the cooked mince by adding a small quantity of water if necessary.
Add the curry leaves.
Add the diced potatoes.
Allow to cook gently for about 8 or 9 minutes – dependent on the size of the potato dices.
Squeeze approximately three inches of concentrated tomato paste from its tube into the saucepan and stir well.
Immediately add the Mild Curry Paste, tamarind paste and lemon juice.
Stir well for two minutes and remove from heat.
Serve with green vegetable fugarde – cabbage, courgette, okra or similar.
Note : As your palate becomes used to savouring spiced foods such as curry, you will probably want to use more curry paste and, perhaps, even a small chilli.
Do remember : Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
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Pasta Recipes.
In general, we will refer to “pasta” as spaghetti because it is the most commonly used pasta and is admirably suited to the recipes which follow. There are many other pastas such as indicated in the list below. But these are for your later cooking consideration and practice.
Spaghetti, from spago, "cord"
Linguini, "little tongues"
Vermicelli, "little worms"
Conchiglie, "shells"
Rigatoni, "furrows," short, wide fluted tubes
Lasagna, broad, sometime ruffled, ribbons of pasta (from Latin for "pot")
Fettucine," "small ribbons"
Ravioli, "little turnips"
Rotini, "spirals" or "twists"
Capellini (angel hair), "fine hairs"
Fusilli, "little spindles" (spirals)
Penne, "quills"
Tortellini, "little cakes"
Cannelloni, tube-or cane-shaped pasta
Basic Spaghetti Napoli
4oz per serving quick-cook long spaghetti broken in half to fit into the pan.
Boiling water to cover the spaghetti to a depth of 4-5 inches.
Stir the spaghetti immediately and well to prevent the individual strands from sticking together.
Salt to taste. Boil for 6-7 minutes stirring occasionally..
Note: You will be aware of the expression “al dente” which means “to the tooth” and indicates that the pasta is still firm when cooled. The firmness is controlled by the amount of water and length of time for which the pasta is cooked and is a matter of your own personal preference.
Meanwhile…
The contents of a 400 ml can of peeled plum tomatoes should be heated in another pan and mashed well with a potato masher.
Add a clove or two of crushed garlic and some dried herbs such as tarragon and basil.
Salt to taste.
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
Drain spaghetti and serve together with the mashed tomato
Tasty Spaghetti Napoli.
4oz per serving quick-cook long spaghetti broken in half to fit into the pan.
10-12 ozs of boiling water which should just cover the spaghetti.
Stir the water and spaghetti in the water immediately to prevent the individual strands sticking together
Add one level teaspoon each of garlic and ginger paste
Add half a teaspoon of mixed dried herbs.
Add one teaspoon of olive oil per serving.
Salt to taste.
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
Boil for 6-7 minutes turning down the heat and allowing the spaghetti to absorb all the added water. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking – add a little more water if it is. Add more boiling water if you prefer the spaghetti softer in texture.
Meanwhile, prepare the following…
Tasty Napoli - Sauce Arrabiata.
14-oz can of peeled plum tomatoes should be poured into and heated in another pan and mashed well with a potato masher.
Salt to taste.
Add three or four curry leaves and a quarter-teaspoon (or to taste) of Tanya’s Paprika Paste –
see Appendix.
Add a half teaspoon of lemon juice.
Serve spaghetti and sauce with grated cheddar or parmesan cheese to taste.
Parmesan cheese contains less fat than cheddar.
Serve a side-salad and French or Italian bread and butter for a great meal.
Notice that the two versions differ only in the addition of curry leaves plus the “zing” factor of Tanya’s Paprika Paste, lemon juice and the cheese. One other important difference is allowing the pasta to absorb all the water.
The difference in cost per serving is virtually nothing but…
Ooooh.. what a great taste !!
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
Note : Tasty Napoli - Sauce Arrabiata is an ideal addition to stews, curries, barbequed pork chops and steaks of meat, chicken, grilled fish etc..
You now have two basic pasta recipes which can effectively be used with all the other pastas listed above with the possible exception of lasagne and ravioli.
Please be aware that some of the pastas are somewhat more delicately produced and manufactured e.g. capellini and vermicelli and times of cooking vary from the others.
Spaghetti Napoli with Arrabiata sauce, grated cheese and chopped fresh coriander plus cucumber salad.
Rice Recipes.
Rice.
Rice is the staple food of over two-thirds of the world’s population. There are many different types of rice and as many different ways of cooking it. Success will come with practice but, it is recommended that you work with one type of rice and one style of cooking until you develop a degree of competence in preparation of the finished product.
To start with, try basmati rice from one producer so that you have a constant ingredient quality. Any variations in the cooked product will then be due to the methods used.
Plain boiled rice.
Put 1 cupful of basmati rice in a saucepan (lid optional) and add 2 pints of boiling water.
Add salt to taste and stir well to make sure the rice is not forming lumps. Do not continue to stir or, the rice might become stodgy.
Cooking will take about 10 minutes. Take a few grains of rice from the boiling water and taste them. If they are still hard, add more boiling water to the saucepan and boil for a few more minutes until the rice is of the correct softness.
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
Add cold water to the saucepan to prevent it continuing to cook. Pour the rice and water through a colander, rinse with a further small amount of cold water and drain well. Serve.
Plain boiled (mock fried) rice.
Put 1 cupful of basmati rice into a deep frying pan and add
2 cupfuls of boiling water.
Add salt to taste and stir well, but gently to make sure the rice is not forming lumps. Do not continue to stir or the rice might become stodgy.
Add a single clove, a pinch of ground cinnamon, a pinch of dried parsley and a dessertspoonful of olive oil. You might also like to experiment by adding half a teaspoonful of each, dried cumin seed and fennel seed. Cover the frying pan and turn down the heat to simmer.
Cooking will take about 8 minutes. When the water is absorbed and small holes appear on the surface of the rice, remove the lid and turn the heat off. Use a fork to lightly tease the rice and allow to stand for a minute or two before serving.
Note: Real Fried Rice is a lengthier process. It involves gently frying the rice in a little oil until the grains turn opaque rather than their original semi-translucent appearance. The same 2:1 ratio of water to rice is then added and proceeded with as for mock fried rice.
Real Fried Rice is excellent with added sultanas, fried onions, stick-cinnamon, whole cloves and some halved almonds (peeled). Real Fried Rice is often served coloured with turmeric. (see Plain boiled yellow rice with peas.)
Plain boiled yellow rice with peas.
Method as for Plain boiled rice. plus, add half a mustard spoonful of turmeric for colour before adding boiling water to prevent lumping of the turmeric.
Add half a cupful of frozen garden peas.
(Optional) Add a couple of small pieces of cinnamon stick and one pod of cardamom. Cover the frying pan and turn down the heat to simmer.
Cooking will take about 8 minutes. When the water is absorbed and small holes appear in the rice, remove the lid and turn the heat off.
Use a fork to lightly tease the rice and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.
Coconut Rice.
Method as for Plain boiled rice. plus, add half a mustard spoonful of turmeric for colour.
Use a 14 oz can of (unsweetened) coconut milk plus sufficient boiling water to make up two cupfuls of liquid. Add this to the rice and stir in the liquid.
Optional - Add three or four seeds from a cardamom pod with cinnamon stick or powder to taste.
Cover the frying pan and turn down the heat to simmer gently
Cooking will take about 8 minutes. When the liquid is absorbed and small holes appear in the rice, remove the lid and turn the heat off.
Use a fork to lightly tease the rice and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.
Rice.
You will now have the basic skills to prepare boiled rice and some variations on the method.
It should be mentioned that, whereas the conventional method of boiling rice is concerned - Plain boiled rice.– the quality of most rice produced for use in the west is excellent and there is no need to waste heat and cooking time only to throw the cooking water down the drain.
Other ways of preparing boiled are to add frozen mixed vegetable such as corn, broccoli, peas, carrots and so on to produce a colourful and appetising display. The vegetables should be added when most of the water has been absorbed.
Adding half a teaspoonful of ghee (rendered butter) will add flavour and richness.
Re-cover the pan and allow the cooking to continue for a total time of about eight minutes. Do not overdo the ghee until you have found your ideal blend.
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them. When cooking with liquids, a simple dip into it with a ladle and tasting for seasoning is usually sufficient.
Vegetable Pilao (pilaf) rice
Make a gravy with “Oxo” or any of several commercial brands of gravy-flavouring cubes or powder. Otherwise, use a Napoli sauce for flavouring. The total amount of the liquid should constitute part of the water used.
A green or mixed side-salad makes a welcome addition to a pilaf.
Variation Levantine style Meat Pilaf.
Cut up into small pieces the remains of your Sunday joint to make a lamb, beef or chicken pilaf. Simply add the pieces to the pilaf rice when the holes appear and stir them into the rice.
Egg Fried Rice.
Slice and coarsely chop half an onion so that the individual pieces are about 2cms by 3cms. Place the pieces in a deep frying-pan or wok with roughly two tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry until the pieces turn translucent (about two minutes).
Beat two to three eggs and add to the onions.
Add two cups of cooked rice and continue to stir for another minute or so until the eggs begin to appear scrambled. Turn off the heat.
Add seasoning to taste and add a few generous squirts of soya sauce.
Remove from heat and serve.
Add more interest to egg fried rice with the addition of garden peas, corn, slices of spring-onion stalks chopped, mange tout, your favourite stir-fry vegetables and so on. If the overall appearance of your egg-fried rice is drier than you would wish, you could add a healthy portion of bean-curd.
Summer Rice.
The title does not mean that this rice style is only a summer special. In fact, you will find it a pleasant style at almost any time of the year.
Either use the rice you have left over from yesterday’s meal or make a new batch of plain boiled rice with a small amount of olive oil. Add colour and variety with tinned corn, peas and grated carrot.
Finally, sprinkle coarse freshly ground pepper, garlic granules and fresh chopped coriander, basil and freshly chopped carrot.
Serve with chopped tuna-fish (canned and drained of oil works admirably), olives and chopped “Haimisha” pickled cucumbers. To add a bit of spice-heat you can also finely mince a green chilli and add to the tuna. Add a small amount of vinegar to taste
Potato Curry
Use the equivalent of two egg-sized potatoes for each serving.
Peel and dice the potatoes into ¾” cubes.
Boil the potato cubes for approximately ten to twelve minutes - dependant on age of the potatoes and size of the cubes - in water salted to taste and…
Colour lightly with half a teaspoon of turmeric powder.
Meanwhile, roughly cut, quarter and slice a small onion.
In a separate pan, just cover the base with a film of vegetable oil and slowly fry a heaped teaspoonful of garlic and ginger.
Add the onion pieces.
Add a finely chopped small green chilli.
Mix a ¼ teaspoonful of Tanya’s Paprika Paste with a small amount of water. And add it to the garlic, ginger etc..
Check the potatoes are cooked but not overdone.
Drain and add the potatoes to the pan in which you have cooked the garlic, ginger, onion and chilli.
Mix well but gently, and turn down the heat.
If convenient and available, finely chop some chives, spring-onion stalks or fresh coriander leaves and sprinkle over the cooked potatoes.
Serve with warm pitta-bread or tortilla wraps or as a side-dish to which you would normally add potatoes.
Now surprise yourself with the potato curry you have created !
Bombay Potato Curry
Proceed as for Potato Curry but…
Do NOT use Tanya’s Paprika Paste or onion.
Instead, in a cup, mix one teaspoonful Mild Curry paste per serving with a dessertspoonful of vinegar. Add just sufficient water to make this mix easy to pour.
Do not use too much water !
Add ¼ inch of tomato puree per serving to the same cup. Mix well and pour over the cooked potatoes.
Mix in sufficient yoghourt to taste.
Stir gently until the potatoes are coated with the curry-paste/tomato mix.
Serve with a sprinkling of thinly-chopped fresh coriander leaves or thinly-sliced fried onion. (Available from most Indian grocers OR make your own.)
Like Potato Curry, Bombay Potato is admirably suited for serving with pitta bread or chapatti or puree.
Vegetables
Fugarde
Vegetables can be generally classified in two groups
(1) root crops such as potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips etc., and
(2) sprout crops such as cabbage, lettuce, and most herbs e.g parsley, mint, basil etc. whose main edible parts grow above the soil.
Many root crops are prepared by boiling or roasting.
Sprout crops are often eaten raw or boiled or prepared in a wok.
Preparation of foods in a wok is now very popular and it made even simpler by the preparation of a huge variety of ready mixed washed and cut, so-called, wok-salads, mixed bean sprouts, mange tout and so forth.
Long before the mass availability of various shapes and sizes of wok and, even to this day in some parts of the country an old traditional method of preparing cabbage, for instance, was to boil it to a pulp and squeeze it through a sieve (pouring all the goodness down the kitchen sink !) leaving just some faded green mess to be served as “food”.
The French and Portuguese were much more astute and cooked their cabbage and several other vegetables as
“fugarde” . – Two things to note here, (1) I have never been able to say with certainty where the word came from and (2) I am not overly worried by my ignorance because fugarde is easy and magic to the taste. Try it !
Cabbage Fugarde
Wash and finely shred cabbage leaves and rinse them through a colander with water.
Finely slice a small onion and fry it in your saucepan with a little oil for a minute or two.
Add a small amount of garlic paste and fry for a further minute.
Shake off the excess water and put the still damp cabbage into the saucepan.
Sprinkle a dessertspoonful of grated coconut over the lot.
Season to taste with salt and a pinch of cinnamon powder.
Cover and let the cabbage cook in its own generated steam for about four minutes and then taste it for yourself before presentation.
Kids love fugarde !
You will have to adjust cooking times of fugarde depending on your own palate. Ideally it should be more crispy than soggy. Maybe you would like a bit more - or a bit less - coconut in it.
Try cooking cauliflower, spinach, spring greens, mange tout and/or a mixture of them and with other vegetables varying the actual cooking times to maintain the crispiness which you prefer. Remember this :-
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
The more you follow this guidance the better your cooking will be appreciated by you and your guests and the quicker you will become a connoisseur in the art of mixing and blending the subtle tastes of spices and herbs.
Vegetable / Meat Curry and Pastry Presentations.
The name “vegetable” curry is like saying “meat” curry because they are general nomenclatures - as many different types of vegetables as there are meats. However, since just about all can be curried there is no real clash.
Apart from individual meats and vegetables, mixtures are quite suitable. You will most likely have heard of “samoosas” both vegetable and meat. The samoosa is an Indian sub-continental snack.
Compare them to the same fillings within a puff-pastry casing, which can be as puffs, rolls, or “vol-au- vent”, for example. This is usually the preferred style of presentation of non-Indians. Unfortunately, however, as the number of European ex-pats has decreased, the pastry-type presentation has been forgotten.
By now, if you have followed many of the recipes in this collection, you will feel confident enough to make a mixed minced-beef or lamb curry or a mixed vegetable curry.
Keep either version fairly dry and eat them in the usual way. But, if you do not finish them, do not throw the remains away… Allow them to cool and then make them into delicious puff- snacks. These puff-snacks can be
frozen or refrigerated for later thawing and finishing-off in the oven.
A little filling goes a long way.
Puffs, Rolls and Vol-au-Vents
Thaw a commercially prepared puff pastry and roll it out to make 5” squares about 1/8th inch thick. It is much too time consuming to make the puff pastry yourself !
Place a dessertspoonful of your curry ( vegetable or meat and veg. as described on the previous page ) in the middle of each square. Fold the pastry over and seal the edges ( a drop of water and a squeeze, usually does the trick ). Prick the shapes to allow for air to escape from them while baking.
Your puff-snacks can be refrigerated for several days before baking - ideal for accompanying those chilled glasses of Bacchus before lunch or dinner !
Bake on a wire-rack on the middle shelf of the oven at about 200deg. C for roughly ten minutes.
.
Your guests will love them as pre-prandial snacks or, for that matter, whenever they are presented.
…and Pulses –
There are many food pulses such as red lentils, yellow lentils, dried lentil-peas and so on. Unfortunately, many of them are neglected foods yet nearly all of them are excellent sources of both carbohydrate and protein. They are mostly easily cooked in soups and stews, for instance, but I would like to show you how to prepare dhal which is prepared from red lentils.
You will usually find dhal on menus in Indian restaurants and it is also usually tastily prepared. But I will show you a different method of cooking which I learned while in Saudi Arabia.
Dhal – Saudi style
Use 1 heaped tablespoonful of red lentils per portion.
Add boiling water to just cover the lentils by a centimetre or so.
Bring to boil and stir to prevent sticking.
Add one teaspoonful of garlic paste and ginger paste. When, as you get more and more familiar with this recipe, you will find the amount you prefer to be slightly more or less than described above.
Keep topping up the amount of water to just maintain the dhal under the surface.
Stir regularly.
Add ½ a teaspoonful of turmeric powder and stir it into the dhal.
Dhal can be eaten quite “runny” but can also be pleasant when quite “thick” like a “dry-ish” porridge. But in any event the individual lentils are better when they are not hard.
Now add lemon juice to taste and finally salt to taste.
The whole cooking time should take about 15 minutes.
This is an excellent and healthy method of preparation and can safely be given to infants when they are being weaned onto so-called “baby foods”.
It is almost certain to become a life-long favourite.
Pepper Water
There is a famous accompaniment for fish and rice – it is called “pepper water” – otherwise known as “mulligatawny” from the Tamil words “mulliga” (pepper) and “thanni” (water). During the years of the European colonies in India, the expatriates had their cooks modify the basic recipe to make thicker concoctions, - such as by the addition of red lentils (dhal) – and called it by the name of “mulligatawny soup”. Please do not confuse “mulligatawny soup” with pepper water ( the tastes of the finished products can be as different as “Welsh rarebit” and plain bread and butter – both pleasant but very different.
Mulligathanni
Fry half a medium sized onion, peeled, sliced and chopped, in a one pint saucepan with sufficient sunflower or vegetable oil to just coat the bottom of the pan.
Add half a teaspoon of each garlic and ginger paste.
Add one cupful of hot water to stop the spitting of the oil. Let the mixture cook for a minute or two.
Add water to approximately half a pint.
Squeeze about four inches of tomato puree concentrate from a tube into the pan.
Add a teaspoonful of tamarind concentrate and stir well.
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
At this stage the pepper water will be almost tasteless even insipid – a slightly sweet/sour taste.
The magic ingredient is salt. Add about half a teaspoonful and taste again. Add salt to your personal taste.
Add water to make up the quantity required.
Finally, to add a bit of “zing” to the mixture, add “Tanya’s Paprika Paste” about a ¼ teaspoonful at a time, until the taste is to your satisfaction and, keeping your fingers crossed, to the satisfaction of your guests.
This may look like a complicated recipe but, rest assured, it really is simple and takes only about three minutes to prepare. Best of all, it is the basis of so many delightful soups, gravies and sauces.
Serve pepper-water with plain boiled rice as a tasty soup.
Fried or grilled fish with pepper-water and rice is delicious and you do not even have to go to the trouble of
preparing your fish… fish fingers or ready battered or deep-fried fish goes down a treat with pepper-water and rice.
Fish and sea-food Recipes
Fish Moolee.
This is a really tasty way to prepare sea-food. Try it with cod or haddock fillets, prawns and shrimp. These are all short cooking-time items. If you are using frozen product, you should allow it to defrost thoroughly beforehand. You will also find that you can use many other types of sea-food such as scampi, crab and lobster.
Base your cooking on the following recipe.
Use one, three to four ounce fillet of cod cut to a thickness of ½ to ¾ inch or so, for each person.
In a shallow frying pan, gently fry together a teaspoonful of garlic paste and ginger paste. Do not use more cooking oil than barely covers the bottom of the pan.
Add two or three curry leaves to the oil and stir the mixture. The addition of a small finely chopped green chilli to the mix will give it that authentic oriental taste. If you add chilli, do make sure to rinse your fingers so that you do not accidentally touch your nose, eyes or other sensitive areas of the body.
Gently place the fillets of fish onto the pan and fry for about two to three minutes.
Turn the fillets over carefully ; (they are delicate and will break up very easily), and fry the other sides.
Pour a 14 oz (400 ml) can of unsweetened coconut milk into the frying pan. Lower the heat.
Dissolve ½ level teaspoonful of turmeric in a separate ½ cup of hot water and mix well into the coconut milk.
Add ½ a teaspoonful of Tanya’s Paprika Paste to the water/turmeric mix. Stir well and pour the mixture into the fish/coconut milk mixture in the frying pan or a wok.
Gently stir the liquid around. The fish will be cooked within a total of about six minutes and you should be careful not to cause it to disintegrate.
Turn the heat off and add salt to taste.
Serve moolee with boiled rice and also a fish pickle or the pickle of your taste.
Shrimp/ prawn moolee
If you have decided to make moolee of the above sea-food, it will not require any cooking (they are usually sold read-prepared). Merely stir the foods into the coconut sauce mix for sufficiently long to get heated - say three minutes.
And now try this:
Shrimp/ prawn with yoghourt and tomato
Fry a heaped teaspoonful of (a) minced garlic (b) minced ginger together in a wok.
Add a finely chopped small green chilli.
Add 100 grams of unsweetened coconut milk.
Stir in half a pint of yoghourt and a generous dessertspoonful of butter.
Season all the above with salt, pepper, crushed coriander seed and crushed cumin seed.
Using a tube of concentrated tomato puree, add about four to five inches of tomato puree to the wok.
Add 150 grams or more of shrimp or prawn
Turn off the heat, stir well and serve with any version of the rice you have learned to cook and…
…Maybe a hint of chilli sauce?
Six-minute Fish Curry.
Your guests are ravenous and convince you that they are about to die of starvation unless they eat something…. Now !!
Save them from the undertakers and the cemetery with…
Six-minute Fish Curry ! – quite the fastest meal preparation of the lot.
Start the boiled rice recipe shown under Plain boiled rice.
Meanwhile…
The Curry.
Place a teaspoonful each, garlic and ginger into a saucepan and add a few curry leaves to the mix.
Add a 400 ml can of peeled plum tomatoes to the pan and use a potato masher to mash the mix well.
Stir in a teaspoonful of Tanya’s Paprika Paste and stir well.
Add salt to taste.
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
Open a can of pilchards in tomato sauce (about 400 ml) and gently empty the lot into the tomato-mix saucepan.
Lift the pan off the heat source and gently rotate it so that the pilchards do not disintegrate. Instead of pilchards you can use other similar fish if you prefer.
By now the rice will be cooked.
Serve your guests the Six-minute Fish Curry and rice, and with yoghourt if available,
…and send the undertaker on his way !!
Egg curry
You have hard-boiled eight eggs… (boiling water for ten minutes or so, ok?) and now, unexpectedly, a couple of your friends are going to visit you and you will want to give them a meal.
Cool the eggs.
Fry a heaped teaspoonful each of garlic and ginger paste in a little oil in a saucepan.
Use a can of peeled plum-tomatoes as the basis for your sauce. Empty it into the saucepan and mash up the mixture with a potato masher. Cook the mixture for a couple of minutes. This is actually to heat the tomato rather than boil it.
Add a tablespoonful of Mild curry paste and a couple of curry leaves. If you like the curry with somewhat more spicy-heat, add half a teaspoonful of Tanya’s Paprika Paste. Put some “sharpness” into the tomato by the addition of a tablespoonful of vinegar or lemon juice or both.
Shell the eggs and cut them in half. Gently place the eggs into the sauce so that they retain their cut shapes rather than separating into pieces of yolk and white.
Serve with a rice of your choosing and a raita or other cooling salad.
Pot-roast Chicken
The following recipe will take about half an hour to complete, but once you have set it up ( about 10 minutes), you can sit back and sip a glass of wine for half an hour.
This recipe assumes that you will be using a feathered and dressed chicken
Remove the tie-binding from the chicken. Discard the “aileron” wing-tips, the “parson’s nose” and the excess fat from the lower part of the abdomen. Also remove the extra skin from below the neck.
Now make incisions between the thighs and the torso so that you can “bend” back the thigh. The bird now resembles a “Bombay lady with legs spread apart”, as my dear mother termed the appearance !
Dress the bird with a mixture of 1 teaspoonful of (creamed) garlic and 1 teaspoonful of creamed ginger. You might even wish to crumble a small vegetable cube into the pan, but this is not necessary as you can adjust the taste of the gravy produced at the end of the cooking cycle.
Rub some butter and salt on the carcase and put the whole into a sufficiently large saucepan that has a lid.
Fry the bird on the top, bottom and both sides for about 10 minutes or until it looks tanned or nicely “done”.
Place your vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes and so on, into the pan with a half cupful of water.
Place the lid on the saucepan and let the pot steam for about 25-30 minutes. Sip on your vino !
Voila, your pot-roast should be ready. Easy, tender and tasty !!
Serve plain or with rice (cooked separately) and be prepared to use the bits and pieces after you have tucked in, to make a (see) Levantine style pilaf.
Coconut Chicken.
Proceed as for Pot Roast Chicken in cutting off the excess fat, the wing “ailerons” and the “parsons nose”.
Separate the legs and thighs plus the wings from the torso. Carefully remove the breasts from the breast-bone. Dispose of all the skin. Now bone the chicken and place all the muscular tissue into a saucepan. Dispose of the bones (although some people love to pick at the bones – in which case be prepared to drop them into the saucepan with the rest of the bird.
Use a heaped dessertspoonful of each, garlic paste and ginger paste and, using a cupful of water, braise the contents of the pan for approximately ten minutes.
Pour a full can (400ml) of coconut milk into the pan and simmer for a further ten minutes.
Add finely chopped chives or the stalks of some tender spring onions and salt/pepper to taste.
Stir well and serve with rice and peas or creamed potatoes.
Chicken Curry
Cut off the lower legs, wing ailerons, “parson’s nose”, extra skin at the neck end and any additional skin and fat and dispose of them. I prefer not to “skin” the bird as I find that by not doing so the individual pieces retain their shape and are less inclined to disintegrate during cooking.
Slice and/or chop the bird into acceptably sized pieces. ( I can usually get about eighteen pieces from a medium sized bird)
In the cooking saucepan, start off in the usual way with vegetable oil, chopped celery and carrot for thickening the gravy sauce.
Chop in a chilli to taste and add four or five curry leaves together with a medium sized onion sliced. Fry this mixture gently for three or four minutes and if it starts to splatter, add half a cupful of water.
Place the individual pieces of chicken carefully into the saucepan and stir gently . (There can be few more non-professional and unappetising sights than a pan full of crudely hacked or disintegrated, rather than properly cut and sized meat.)
Cook the chicken for not more than 30 minutes.
Add 1” sized dices of potato and/or peas as desired.
Cook gently for a further fifteen minutes adding a small quantity of water if the cooking seems to be too dry.
Add a dessertspoonful of lemon juice.
Add a heaped tablespoonful of Mild curry paste mixed with four to five inches of tomato puree from a tube and blended with a little water in a separate cup to make it pour-able.
If you, at this stage, care to add a level teaspoonful of tamarind concentrate to the mixture in the cup however, do be aware that it will almost certainly be necessary to use hot water to assist in dissolving the tamarind.
Stir the mix into the chicken/potatoes.
Turn off the heat and allow to marinade gently for a few minutes.
(This is not a necessary step but, somehow, a re-heated curry always seems to taste better even the next day.
Serve with the rice recipe of your choice, yoghourt, your favourite pickle or chutney, dhal and “medicine” salad –see below.
Enjoy !!
Chicken moolee
Chicken moolee is a change of main ingredient from fish to chicken. Chicken breast will be most effective as far as taste, tenderness and appearance is concerned.
Use previously boiled potatoes cut into bite sized pieces.
Fry the sliced chicken breasts, first rubbed with garlic and ginger paste, in a small amount of vegetable oil in a wok.
Cook for about three or four minutes each side or until “done”.
Dissolve half a teaspoonful of Tanya’s Paprika Paste in a little hot water and add it to the chicken.
Pour a 400 ml can of unsweetened coconut into the wok and cook for three or four minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste and finally mix in the pre-cooked potatoes
Turn off the heat and allow to stand for three or four minutes before serving with a rice and pickle of your choice.
Meat recipes.
Growing up in India – my father was in the British Army – and it was before the days of Indian Independence and Partition which happened in 1947 - the whole of the Indian sub-continent was “India”.
Hindus, Moslems, Christians, Buddhists, Jains and lots of different atheists moved about relatively freely.
It was the custom to employ servants and among them were cooks or khansamas and these servants most often had religious beliefs. The problem was that, in general, Hindu cooks were reluctant to cook any flesh at all, Moslems would not touch pork and other religions had their own “please, not me, Sahibs”.
If you were lucky enough to have a Christian cook, you could just have the single person doing the cooking. Otherwise, it was necessary to employ two or even three different souls.
In the circumstances, it was not uncommon to “borrow” your neighbour’s cook to cook the early morning full English breakfast of bacon, pork sausages and whatever else you were going to eat which did not conform to your own cook’s religious beliefs. In any case it was rarely that you were totally dependent on one person in the kitchen – most times you would, at least, also have a “masalchi” , a kind of general factotum and “dogsbody”,
and an ayah who would take care of the food for the children of the house.
I am giving you this background, otherwise irrelevant information, so that you will appreciate more the differences in cooking styles and menus.
When I was a lad, even as young as eight years, I loved to “spend the day” with friends and neighbours, usually from one’s own school. Spending the day meant that you went around to the friend’s house after breakfast, got up to all the mischief you could but, very importantly, stayed for lunch and tea.
Surprisingly, for a child of my age, I was fascinated by the different recipes produced by the neighbours’ cooks – they always seemed to be so different from those our own cook produced : Mrs da Costa’s cook produced marvellous pakoras and chicken curry. Mrs Fernandez’s cook was an expert at all the fish dishes and chutneys. Mrs Stubbs had a cook who must easily have been the best cake-maker in the whole world – I could have eaten all the cakes he made and still have wanted more.
But, no one could make a pork vindaloo like Mrs Johnson’s cook. Sure enough he was a Christian by name Samuel. I never did get to know his surname but what did it matter… his vindaloos were totally different and more tasty that anyone else’s.
… And now I am beginning to feel hungry again !
Vindaloo
The name is reputed to come from the Portuguese “vin d’alho” which means “wine and garlic” or vinegar and garlic. Another derivation is supposed to be from the colonial instruction to the cook “vin daalo” which means “put wine” (vinegar). Whatever the origin of the word, it is now of no consequence because the people of the south of India have taken over the name and claim it as their own.
A word of caution: Do not let any old Indian restaurant tell you that vindaloo is hot. It is not… that is, unless you want it to be so! Most Indians have never even been to the south of India nor have they learned the cooking skills of the south. European expatriates of the past two or three hundred years developed most of the recipes.
Vindaloo is a particular favourite of mine especially when preparing fatty meat such as pork or duck. The great thing is that the recipe results in an amazing breakdown of fat tissue and at the same time imparts a delightful taste to the meat.
Start with 500 grams of pork belly or beef skirt.
Cut the meat in such a way as to leave some fat on as many pieces as possible. – if it is pork belly you are using, slice it through like ½” thick rashers of bacon and then cut each rasher into several “finger” slices leaving the rind on each slice.
Use a teaspoonful of garlic paste and a teaspoonful of ginger paste in two tablespoonfuls of vegetable oil in a saucepan..
Put the pork into the saucepan and fry gently for five or six minutes. Cover the pan and allow the meat to sweat and make its own stock. If the pot does really look very dry, add the minimum of water to prevent burning.
Stir in half a teaspoonful of turmeric powder.
Put three or four curry leaves into the pan and, if you are hell bent on burning your tongue, !!! you can put in the appropriate number of finely chopped green chillies. Cover the pan and continue to cook gently for a further ½ hour.
In the meantime, in a separate cup…
Mix two heaped tablespoonful of Mild curry paste,
One heaped dessertspoonful of Colman’s mustard powder and half a cupful of malt vinegar – (you can also use cider vinegar instead but, you should try malt vinegar the first time you cook vindaloo and then you will have a better idea of the difference that exists between the two vinegars.)
Add about four or five inches of tomato puree from your tube and stir well.
The vindaloo should now look as though it has sufficient liquid to make it palatable.
If it tastes good to you, remove it from the heat and…Serve with boiled rice and cabbage fugarde.
I DO love pork vindaloo !
Meat Curry.
Meat could mean lamb, beef, pork, venison and a host of other meats.
The important thing is to identify the meat and its cut and arrive at a cooking time.
In general, the best beef for curries is NOT the best beef for other dishes : You will appreciate that best fillet is wasted in what is essentially a boiling style of cooking. Use a coarser beef-cut such as brisket, flank or skirt. Which, incidentally, are my own favourite cuts because they are tasty – with their “marbled” streaks – and yet “chewy” without being like old boot leather !
The above cuts when properly sized (1”cubes) will usually take about ¾ of an hour to soften sufficiently to make a curry in which you do not have to worry that your guests are going to leave their dentures embedded ! Neither are they going to gag on a half swallowed piece of meat.
In the case of lamb and chicken the initial cooking time will be about ½ an hour.
Remember now that you will, first of all, have fried some garlic and some ginger paste and some chopped celery and carrot together in the cooking saucepan. If available, you should now add three or four curry leaves and a finely chopped chilli.
Put in the meat and fry it for about three or four minutes. Add a little water if necessary.
Add vinegar to taste (say, a tablespoonful at a time.) Try with about two tablespoonfuls at first and vary the amount according to your taste.
Cover the pan and allow to cook for the appropriate ½ or ¾ of an hour.
Finally, add your diced potatoes and allow to steam/boil for a further 15 minutes or, as appropriate, for the size and type of potatoes.
Put a teaspoonful of tamarind paste into the pan and stir it in well. If necessary, you might have to dissolve the tamarind paste in half a cupful of hot water.
Put in the quantity of Mild Curry Paste which suits your taste – usually about a tablespoonful for each pound of meat, but more if you prefer the curry to be stronger. Stir in well.
Turn the heat down low and allow to cook for five or six minutes more.
I usually add about two dessertspoonfuls of lemon juice at this point.
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
Bhuna Gohst – means “dry meat”.
Many people prefer this drier version of curry to the normal curry with its gravy-sauce. However, the recipe is exactly the same as the previous one but with less liquid.
Of course, many chefs – especially the “prima donna” types will tell you that there is a special blend of spices used. Don’t believe them – they only want to justify their existences !! The biggest confidence trick currently being carried out in this regard is that many of the foreign ones had not done ANY cooking before they arrived on these shores : They are brought in under the guise of “highly trained personnel” to dodge immigration controls whereas in their own countries they were probably unemployed agricultural minions, taxi-drivers, “tonga-wallahs” and such. What a great scam !!!
Since “bhuna” means dry, it follows that one can prepare bhuna chicken, bhuna fish and even bhuna vegetables.
Bhuna curries are admirably suited for serving with breads of almost any type, chutneys, yoghourt and so forth. Probably even more importantly, because of the spices and preservatives (such as vinegar) they contain, together with the lack of excess liquid, they are suitable for transportation on the many longish journeys (sometimes 2 or 3 days and nights) which Asian people undertake and so, if you think you are going to fancy a curry on a long journey by road or rail and don’t worry
about what your fellow passengers think, - (of course, you could always offer them a “taster” !) – go “bhuna” !!.
Pot-roast Lamb shanks.
Please read the instructions under the Pot-roast Chicken recipe.
You now have your chance to really start to express yourself and experiment with your cooking and spice-blending skills.
Lamb shanks are usually sold in pairs and make an ideal main meal for a couple, particularly if they do not have the convenience of an oven. On several occasions when suddenly visited by a friend or two at meal-time and about to tuck in to a couple of lamb shanks, we have found that we could almost “bless and break” our repas and easily make a substantial meal for ourselves and our guests.
All you have to do to extend the meal is - boil a cupful of rice and add a can of garden peas and canned corn or make a French-style sliced green bean salad. This, together with the vegetables which you have pot roasted, will add a whole stomach-full of additional nourishment.
Getting back to the business in hand – the pot-roast lamb shanks – dress the shanks with garlic and ginger.
Fry them in a little oil, turning them over regularly to give the shanks an appetising look.
Put in your choice of vegetables with a bay leaf or two or a few curry leaves and steam for about 30 minutes.
Add your seasoning to taste – a couple of cloves, a few herbs, (parsley, mint, and so on). If you have some spring onions, don’t forget to chop the stalks and sprinkle onto the meat.
When you are cooking small portions of a menu, do begin to have fun and experiment. If you have been making up the recipes elsewhere in this cookery guide, you will have developed the confidence to experiment – a little bit of this, a little extra of that : Suddenly you will discover a great combination. Note it down and pat yourself on the back when your “guinea-pig” guests start “ooh-ing and aah-ing” with delight !
Roast pork fillet
with vegetable stir-fry.
Pork fillet is not an expensive item to purchase and is often sold in pairs as fillets especially if they are smaller than usual – “two for the price of one”- type offers.
They are quite delicious and easy to prepare. Then, along with the trimmings should go down well in any pork-eating gathering.
Unfortunately, there are two stages in preparation and that means a longer preparation/cooking time. However, like pot-roasts, you will soon get used to starting off the cooking and letting it carry on without constant supervision.
If you own an electric skillet, you will find this recipe extremely simple and in no way arduous. If you do not possess a skillet it will be necessary to use a frying pan.
Slice the pork fillet through its length without cutting completely through.
Dress the insides with garlic and ginger paste, and pepper and salt to taste.
Drizzle a little Soya sauce along the insides of the fillett. Place the two sides together and secure them by tying them together with some twine.
Pour sufficient cooking oil to barely cover its base into the skillet.
Place the dressed fillet/s in the skillet or frying pan as the case might be and begin to cook gently. Place the lid back onto the skillet.
After a minute or two, open the skillet and roll the fillet so that it begins to look appetising. Do this until the whole of the outside is nicely tinged with colour.
The overall cooking time should be about ten to twelve minutes depending on its girth.
Turn off the cooking, remove the fillet from the pan and set it aside to cool. In fact, if you do not intend to work on its presentation immediately, cover it and place it into the refrigerator where it can safely remain for a couple of days.
When you are ready to serve the fillet, slice it into 1/8 inch slices as though it was a roll of bread.
Fry the pieces in a wok with a stir-fry selection of fresh vegetables.
Add some Chinese bean-curd sauce to the fry and serve with your choice of rice.
Salad Dressings
At this point I think is a good idea to write a note about salad dressings…
There are loads of different dressings available on the market today. However, in my opinion, many of the proprietary brands are over-priced and, in view of the fact that home-recipe dressings can be so easily mixed, I am going to give you a few ideas about mixing your own.
Think about this and try it : Take a raw lettuce leaf and taste it. It is ok… especially for rabbits !
Basic salad dressing consists of a mixture of oil and vinegar.
Dip and try the raw lettuce in the mixture… a bit more zesty, isn’t it.
Now place a teaspoonful of olive oil in a small saucer and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into it with, maybe, a tiny pinch of salt.
Dip in the lettuce and taste again. Was it better ?
OK, now stir in a tiny pinch of mustard and a couple of grains of granulated garlic and try the lettuce-dipping exercise again. Good, eh?
Finally, if you have any of the mixture left, mix in a tiny drop of yoghourt (unsweetened, of course) and taste again. Did you feel the earth move for you ???
But you can see what I am getting at. It is dead simple and very cost effective, to say nothing of the fact that you can devise your very own and exclusive favourite blends.
If I want a very quick salad dressing I mix olive oil, vinegar, garlic granules, “Aromat” powder and lemon juice and toss my salad into it. The whole process literally takes less than three minutes and most people who try it for the first time say…
“Wow !”
Be brave and try out your own blends of herbs and spices, basic mixes like oil and vinegar or yoghourt or thin creamed cheese, soured cream and so on. You might even produce the “Elixir of Life”. Here’s to good experimenting!!
Simple salads
Sambal
The Indians have a word for it – Sambal.
Almost every combination of fresh fruit and vegetables together with a mixture of herbs, spices and juices are mixed for different sambals. Here is one we got used to as children and have loved ever since. In fact, the love of this particular one has passed on to our own children : They call it “Medicine” because when they were young we used to tell them that they HAD to eat it – “you’ve got to have your “medicine”. They had loved it from the beginning and always insist that it is prepared freshly with every curry they eat.
“Medicine” Sambal
Shred and chop a medium sized onion.
Shred and chop roughly twice that volume of unpeeled cucumber.
Slice and dice two medium sized tomatoes.
Mix the above in a bowl and pour a few tablespoonfuls of cooking oil and the same amount of vinegar.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Voila, your “medicine” sambal is ready.
Actually, we usually add a small green chilli (chopped) and we have, over the recent years used Aromat and garlic granules instead of the salt and pepper. Try it !!
French-style, sliced green bean salad.
Some years ago a young American student spent a few weeks with us. During the first term at the local university, there was to be a “get-together-get to know you” for the new students and they were each to bring a “dish” which they had prepared themselves.
“I have never cooked in my life.” the embarrassed youth told me. “What shall I do ?”
I showed him how to make a French-style sliced green bean salad.
Use a bag of frozen sliced beans. Blanch them in boiling water for three or four minutes. Drain them and run cold water over them to save them from over-cooking.
Drain them again and place them in a bowl of dressing made up of crushed garlic, vinegar, oil (preferably super virgin olive oil), crushed pepper, and salt. Add a few drops of lemon juice to taste. Toss well.
His bean salad was a huge success and throughout the term his fellow students reminded him that he “must make the same thing at the end of term.”
He often writes to tell us how it is his one great accomplishment in food preparation.
Bon appetite, mon ami !
Raita
Finely chop four inches or so of cucumber.
Finely chop a palm-ful of fresh green (spear)mint.
Sprinkle both the above on to 200 grams of yoghourt thinned with a tablespoonful or so of milk. Mix well.
Add ½ a teaspoonful of crushed cumin seeds and a pinch of crushed fennel seeds. Use a pestle and mortar if required.
Add salt to taste. Stir well and stand in a cool place for ten minutes.
Raita is often used to moderate the spice heat of curries. Serve it (with your curry) and smack your lips !!
Cucumber and yoghourt salad
If your guests are reluctant to eat spicy foods, you can cool their palates with a mixture of finely sliced cucumber in a bowl of yoghourt sprinkled with Aromat and garlic granules.
Yoghourt and cucumber have for centuries been the accepted cooling agents for spicy-hot foods while yoghourt itself has been credited with many traditional intestinal and abdominal “remedies” and even with longevity by the Bulgarians in whose country yoghourt is said to have been first used as a foodstuff.
Roast leg of lamb
This recipe, because of the cooking-time required, will take on average up to two hours to prepare. However, as it is a very traditional Sunday lunch menu and the fact that the follow-up meal is so different and, in my opinion, delicious, I am going to describe it.
Dress the leg of lamb with the usual garlic and ginger dressing on all sides.
Pierce the outside of the leg with a boning knife and rub in the dressing.
Salt to taste (on average about a teaspoonful).
Put two or three slices of lemon on the leg and having heated the oven to 375 deg F., place the leg into a baking dish and on to the centre shelf of your oven.
Peel sufficient potatoes carrot and the other vegetables you intend to offer your guests and let them soak in a separate saucepan of water.
The roast will take approximately an hour and a half to cook, depending on its size.
However, you can check if is “done” by inserting a boning knife or a skewer into it after about one hour and checking if it is still bleeding – The French often prefer their lamb to be a bit red.
After about half and hour after starting the roast, you should cut the potatoes into something smaller than a golf-ball and boil them separately for ten minutes or so.
Now cut your carrots, parsnips and/or whichever hard root-crops you are intending to serve and, having seasoned them with salt and pepper to taste plus drizzling them with a drop of cooking oil and a dusting with bread-crumbs and parmesan cheese, begin roasting them in a separate pan.
Add the potatoes to the roasting pan.
The roast and vegetables should all be ready at roughly the same time.
If you are going to serve cabbage or cauliflower too, don’t forget the fugarde style
Using some Bisto gravy granules, make up a gravy and add a dash of wine (red or white) to it.
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
Mix some mint sauce, vinegar, water and salt and serve with the roast and accompaniments.
Enjoy the tradition !
The “follow-up” for next day…
Devil-fry !
That leg of lamb still has a fair amount of meat on it – unless, of course, you have sliced it up for lamb and tomato sandwiches !! Or given the bone to the dog ! Well, I’ll assume that there is still some flesh on the bone and the dog has had to go hungry !
Cut off the meat and slice or dice it into roughly 1” cubes. Break the femur (thigh-bone) into two pieces – hacksaw, hammer or whatever.
Start off the Devil-fry with garlic and ginger purees in a little oil in the saucepan.
Mince and add a small green chilli.
Add a couple of curry leaves and a roughly sliced onion.
If you have some of yesterday’s gravy, add that to the saucepan. Otherwise, make up a fresh batch – a cupful or so- and add that to the pan.
Mix up some tamarind paste with hot water ( the amount will depend on the amount of meat you are cooking). Add enough Tanya’s Paprika Paste to the tamarind mix. This is where the main chilli heat will come from so, the quantity is a matter of taste.
Add as much of a can of peeled plum tomatoes as you deem necessary to maintain the taste.
Tip: Get used to tasting and adjusting the recipes while you prepare them.
Add salt and pepper and a drop of vinegar as required.
Stir the contents of the pan and there you are. Try it !
Incidentally, if you have vegetables left over from that roast leg of lamb, you might like to consider adding them to the Devil-fry.
Serve Devil-fry with rice.
Note: The gravy for Devil-fry is effectively Pepper water with a bit of a Bisto-type gravy thickening.
Finally, I will give you my excuse for reciting the recipe for Roast leg of Lamb : Members of our family have, before now, roasted the lamb and let it cool, then diced the flesh and gone straight into the Devil-fry recipe, ignoring the traditional Sunday joint and two veg.
They love it so much !!
Chutney
With the modern equipment available today, it is easy to produce excellent chutneys and sauces quickly.
Chutneys add zest, excitement and subtle tastes to meals, for the most part enhancing them. There seems to be no dividing line between chutney and pickle so for the purposes of differentiation let us regard chutneys as instantly made and consumed whereas pickles suggest pickling or marinating over a period of time before being ready for consumption. Almost by definition then, chutneys are made mainly with fresh, uncooked ingredients and eaten raw.
Mint and coriander green chutney
This is one of my favourites and it is so simple nowadays, especially when I remember how difficult and time-consuming its production used to be for the servants, usually an ayah who was, perhaps, the wife of the cook. She would be on her haunches for well over an hour in the sweaty heat of the kitchen, pounding, mixing, adding the juices of a lemon, maybe, grinding, scooping the mixture back into the centre of the grindstone with her fingers, once again lifting the pounding stone and continuing the whole tiring business until such time as she was satisfied with her efforts. They literally would spend hours crushing all the ingredients together,
especially the hard spices, now so easily available in ready-crushed form or in a Tanya’s Paprika Paste.
Mint and coriander green chutney (cont’d)
Mince a handful of fresh (spear)mint leaves and the same amount of fresh coriander in your food blender.
Add a small green chilli and mince again.
Blend in salt and a little vinegar and/or lemon juice to taste. Don’t drown the crushed coriander and mint. The consistency should be such that a spoonful should stand up in a saucer.
Do NOT be tempted to add any onion – it makes the mixture too bitter.
Finally, add a teaspoonful of tamarind paste and a teaspoonful of crushed garlic paste plus ½ a teaspoonful of Tanya’s Paprika Paste.
Now dip in and taste the result. Adjust with salt, vinegar, lemon juice until you feel you are reaching the Seventh Heaven ! And you have not even sweated a drop at the grindstone !
Pickles
Pickles are a somewhat trickier proposition. Consideration must be given to the spices you intend to use, the vinegar, brine or wine in which the marinating is to occur, the items which are to be pickled and so forth.
In many parts of the world where there are bountiful pickings in the summer, pickling is somewhat easier. However, that is not to say that less favourable climates are devoid of pickling devotees – pickled onions, beetroot, gerkins and so forth are very popular. However, in our opinion most successful pickling is done on an industrial scale and is best left to the people with years and years of experience.
This simple recipe has been added at the request of one of our au pairs.
Coconut Toffee.
Ingredients
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup milk
2 cups sugar
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon fresh butter
A few drops of vanilla essence
Directions:
Mix both the milks together. Use a thick-bottomed vessel and bring to boil.
Add sugar and salt and cook on a low heat, stirring continuously.
When the mixture thickens, test it by dropping a little in a cup of cold water. If it forms a soft ball, remove the vessel from the heat, add butter and vanilla essence and again cook on a low heat till it thickens. Add a few drops of food-colouring e.g. cochineal, if desired.
Pour the mix onto a greased flat dish and cut into square or diamond pieces. Allow to cool…. Eat and enjoy !
Recipes from the Internet.
I have copied the following recipes from the Internet and although I have not tested them personally, they do use similar techniques and ingredients to those which I would use in their preparation.
The only other caveat is that, for the most part, they are not particularly “Quick…” as in the title of this collection. However, I suggest that when you have more time to spend developing your new-found interest in cooking, you try some of them out. Have fun !!
Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe.
A very popular Indian chicken dish which is bursting full of flavour and colour. Taste our Chicken Tikka Masala recipe.
Weights & Measures:
Metric US Imperial UK Imperial Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
You Will Need
· 3 chicken breasts
· 4 Tbsp olive or groundnut oil
· 5 cardamom pods
· 1 ½ onions
· 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
· 2 tsp garlic, minced
· 1 tsp cumin powder
· 1 tsp coriander powder
· ¼ tsp turmeric powder
· ½ to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
· 1 Tbsp paprika
· 1 tsp garam masala powder
· 1 large tomato
· 1 tsp tomato purée
· 150 ml water
· Yoghurt or 1 tin coconut milk, if desired
· 1 sharp knife
· 1 chopping board
· 1 plate or tray
· 1 mixing bowl
· 1 large wide pan
· 1 bowl for mixing the spices
Step 1:
Prepare the ingredients
First of all, chop up the tomato finely and set aside for later use. Next, finely chop the onions and set aside. Finally, cube the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, season with a little salt and also put to one side.
Step 2:
Make the masala paste
Mix together in a bowl the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, garam masala and paprika.
Step 3:
Flavour the oil and fry the onions
Put the oil into a pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick, leave for a few seconds and then remove. This flavours the oil, giving it a wonderful aroma. Add the onions and cook while stirring, until brown.
Step 4:
Add the spices
Add the masala paste and stir for a minute.
Step 5:
Add the remaining ingredients
Add the tomato and tomato purée and stir for a minute till thoroughly combined.
Pour in the water and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly.
Taste the sauce and season with salt if necessary.
Step 6:
Cook the chicken
Add the chicken cubes and mix well into the masala. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the chicken is cooked and tender. Check this by piercing the chicken with a sharp knife - if it goes straight through and comes out clean, it is done. For a weaker curry flavour, add either 1 small tin of coconut milk or 1 medium sized carton of yoghurt. Mix well and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Step 7:
Garnish and serve
Place the chicken on a serving dish, decorate with coriander leaves and serve
Chicken Korma
Chicken Korma is a very popular dish, particularly in Britain, and favoured by those who prefer a milder tasting curry.
Weights & Measures:
Metric US Imperial UK Imperial Serves: 4
You Will Need:
· 1 ½ kg Chicken Breasts
· 1 Tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste
· 150 g Plain Yoghurt
· 2 medium Onions , Finely Chopped
· 1 Tbsp Ground Coriander
· pinch ground black pepper
· 1 tsp turmeric
· 1 tsp garam masala
· 75 g creamed coconut or coconut milk
· pinch salt , to taste
· 2 Tbsp ground almonds
· coriander leaves , to garnish
· 1 Bowl
Step 1:
Marinade the Chicken
Cut the chicken breasts into 2 inch sized pieces.
In a bowl, mix the chicken with the ginger, garlic, yogurt, salt and spices. Cover and marinade for 3-4 hours or in the fridge overnight.
Step 2:
Fry the onions and chilli
In a saucepan, heat some oil. Add the onion and chillis and fry for 5 minutes
Step 3:
Add chicken
Reduce the heat, add the chicken and the marinade. Save some marinade to add later. Stir for 5 minutes
Add remaining marinade, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Step 4:
Add coconut milk and almonds
Add the coconut milk and the almonds and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes
Step 5:
Add more yoghurt and simmer
Add some more yoghurt, cover and leave to simmer for another 10 minutes.
Vegetable Stock
Vegetable Stock Recipe. This is a key ingredient in many recipes. remember that you can always make a stock using a stock cube like Oxo or Bisto
Weights & Measures:
Serves:
recipe makes 1.5 litres
Preparation Time:
10 minutes
Cooking Time:
45 minutes
Step 1:
You will need
2 carrots
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
5 ml coriander seeds
1 ltr water
1 lemon
· 1 sharp knife
· 1 chopping board
· 1 large saucepan
· 1 measuring jug
· 1 wooden spoon
· 1 ladel
· 1 sieve
Step 2:
Prepare the vegetables
Chop the 2 carrots into pieces about 2 centimetres long.
Now roughly chop the 2 onions.
Next the 2 courgettes
And the 4 celery sticks
Remove any stalks from the fennel bulb. Chop into 4 large pieces, then chop each of these into smaller pieces.
Finally slice the lemon
Step 3:
Into the pan
Warm 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large saucepan for about a minute over a medium heat. Then add the onions, carrots, courgettes, fennel, celery and lemon. Then add the bay leaf and sprig of thyme. Leave to sweat down for 8-10 minutes.
Step 4:
Add water
Pour in the litre of water and stir well. Put on a lid, or if your pot is too big for a lid you can cover it in tin foil. Cook for about 30 minutes.
Step 5:
Strain
Ladle the liquid through a sieve into a bowl or jug and discard the vegetables.
The stock can be used immediately or stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. You could even freeze it until needed.
Falafel
Falafel Recipe. A traditional middle eastern dish. A very filling vegetarian dish, perfect as a starter, main course or just a snack. Savour this Falafel recipe.
Weights & Measures:
Serves:
4 people
Step 1:
You will need…
250 g chickpeas
3 cloves of garlic , chopped
1 handful of parsley , chopped
1 handful of coriander , chopped
1 chilli , chopped
2 Tbsp flour
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander seeds , crushed
1 ltr vegetable oil
2 bowls
1 spoon
1 tray
1 saucepan
Step 2:
Prepare the chickpeas
Take a large bowl and put in the chickpeas. Then, pour over enough water to cover the chickpeas and an additional 2 cm more. Leave to soak overnight. In the morning they will look plump and swollen.
Step 3:
Drain and purée chickpeas
Hold the chickpeas over the sink and drain off the water with your hand over the bowl.
Now spoon the chickpeas into the blender bowl.
Don't overfill the blender! If the blender is small, you will have to do it in batches. If you have a bigger mixer you can do it all at once.
Close the blender and pulse a couple of times, then blend on full power until you create a breadcrumb like mixture. Check the consistency
by stirring with a spoon. If necessary, blend again on full power until you create a fine purée. Then transfer into a bowl.
Step 4:
Purée the rest of ingredients
Introduce the parsley, coriander, chilli, garlic along with 2 tablespoons of the puréed chickpeas into the bowl of the blender. Put the lid on and blend until well combined.
Step 5:
Mix and season
Spoon the blended mixture into the bowl of puréed chickpeas. Then add the flour, the cumin, the crushed coriander seeds, the baking soda and about one and a half tablespoons of salt. Finally, add some pepper. Combine it all together thoroughly with a spoon. If it looks too dry, a few drops of water can be added.
Step 6:
Preheat the oil
Place the saucepan on the hob and add the oil. Then heat it up on a medium high setting.
Step 7:
Make the Falafel balls
Take a small amount of the blended mixture in your fingertips and mould into small balls. Then place onto a baking tray.
This amount of ingredients should make around twenty five to thirty balls.
Kept covered, this mixture will keep for one day in the fridge.
Step 8:
Fry the Falafel balls
The oil should now be hot enough to fry. Individually, spoon half the batch of falafel balls into the oil. Allow to fry for 2 minutes until golden brown, stirring with the slotted spoon, so they brown evenly. Then remove and drain on a tray prepared with some kitchen towel. Now
repeat the process with the remaining falafel balls.
Step 9:
Serve and enjoy. The falafel balls are now ready! They are usually served inside pitta bread with tahini, humus, or chopped salad.
Hummus
Hummus Recipe. A very popular and traditional middle eastern food. Great as an accompaniment to a meal, or as a dip.
Weights & Measures:
Preparation Time:
10 minutes
Cooking Time:
1 hour 30 minutes
You Will Need
· 250 g chickpeas, presoaked over-night
· 150 ml tahini
· 1 Tbsp lemon juice
· 1 ltr water
· salt
· ½ tsp cumin
· ½ tsp paprika
· 3 Tbsp olive oil
· 1 Tbsp parsley , chopped
· 1 lemon juiced
· ½ green chilli , chopped
· 2 bowls
· 1 spoon
· 1 whisk
· 1 blender
Step 1:
You will need…
Step 2:
Soak the chickpeas
Take a large bowl and put in the chickpeas. Then, pour over enough water to cover the chickpeas and an additional 2 cm more. Leave to soak overnight. In the morning they will look plump and swollen.
Step 3:
Cook chickpeas
Place a saucepan on the hob and add the chickpeas with their water. Then, add a little more water and turn on to a high heat. As the chickpeas begin to simmer, a foam will rise to the top, skim off this foam into a bowl with a spoon and discard. Then, turn down the heat to a very slow simmer and cover with the pan lid leaving an opening. Cook for an hour and a half, adding more water through out the cooking if needed. Once cooked the chickpeas should be plump and soft. You should be a able to squash them with a spoon.
Canned chickpeas can be used if you are short of time, however they will not be as flavoursome.
Step 4:
Make the hummus
Place two spoonfuls of the chickpeas into a bowl and set aside for later on. Then spoon the remaining chickpeas into a blender. Put the lid on and purée until it becomes a fairly smooth paste. Repeat the process until all the chickpeas are used. Then, spoon the blended paste into a bowl.
Really authentic humus is made in a bowl with a pestle!
Step 5:
Finish the Hummus
Take the juice from the squeezed lemon and add it to the bowl of blended chickpea paste. Add in the tahini, season with salt and whisk well. Then, add a little water to moisten the mixture. Whisk again until it is all well combined.
Check that the amounts of salt and lemon juice are to your liking.
Step 6:
Make chickpea garnish
Add the paprika to the bowl with the reserved chickpeas. Follow with the cumin, the tablespoon of lemon juice, the olive oil, the chopped green chilli, the chopped parsley and some salt. Then mix it all together.
Step 7:
Serve and enjoy
Place two big spoonfuls of hummus onto a serving plate. Then, using the back of the spoon, spread the humus around in swirls creating a
hollow in the middle. Then, place the chickpea garnish in the centre. Your hummus is now ready.
It can be served with fresh pitta bread, a drizzle of olive oil and baba ganoush.
A versatile vegetarian dish, Hummus goes with almost anything. It will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days in a sealed container
A Selection of ingredients used in this book of recipes.
Garlic and Ginger paste.
Some ingredients to make a lamb Stew
Yellow coconut rice with fried onions
and 6-minut fish curry
Appendix.
Mixing your own spices. - This information is for those who wish, or need to mix their own spices.
The following are the main DRY ingredients of many curry pastes, hot curry mixes and pickle marinades. They are rarely, if ever, ALL used in one mix. Their blending and the quantities mixed give the individual tastes to be achieved. You should use your seed-grinder for crushing
Ground coriander seeds Ground cumin seeds
“ black peppercorns “ red chillies
“ black mustard seeds “ fenugreek seeds
“ turmeric powder “ fennel seeds
ground cinnamon powder “ cloves
“ dried curry leaves “ garlic powder
“ ginger powder
“ nutmeg and mace. ” Salt
The following are the main WET (i.e. not dry) ingredients commonly used in pastes.
Water, vinegar,
white vinegar, vegetable oil,
lime juice/zest, lemon juice/zest,
tamarind paste, tomato,
tomato paste, green chillies,
fresh ginger, fresh garlic
As required, you should use your mini-food chopper to chop the items.
Curry Powder No.1 (hot)
Ingredients:
10 dried chillies, less if milder paste required
6 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
4 curry leaves
1 teaspoon ground ginger.
Curry Powder No.2 (mild):
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons coriander seeds
3 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
5 cm piece of cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cloves
8 green cardamons
6 dried curry leaves
1-2 teaspoons chilli powder (vary quantity for mildness)
Method: (for both Curry Powder 1 and 2.)
1. Heat up a heavy frying pan (cast iron “karahi” is best). Using medium heat, individually dry fry or roast the coriander, cumin, fennel and fenugreek as they roast at different speeds. Remove and set aside. Then, dry fry or roast the cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamon together until they give off a spicy aroma. (3-4 minutes).
Note: if you are using pre-ground spices, this step is not necessary.
2. Remove the seeds from the cardamon pods. Using your seed-grinder or a pestle and mortar, grind all the ingredients with the dried curry leaves and chilli powder until a fine curry powder is obtained.
Use this rich curry powder with fish, poultry, meat or vegetables
Both Curry Powders 1 and 2 may be made into pastes by adding vegetable oil, tomato paste, water, salt and vinegar to taste.
Tanya’s Curry Paste:
Ingredients:
6 teaspoons black cumin seeds
1 ½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ cup coriander seeds
½ teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
5 hot red chillies (or to taste) crushed
1-2 teaspoon(s) freshly crushed garlic
1-2 teaspoon(s) freshly crushed ginger
3-4 tablespoons white vinegar
Salt , lemon/lime juice as required, to taste.
I prefer to use a curry paste rather than a powder. However, it is strictly a matter of taste and convenience. Pastes tend to keep more easily and seem to maintain a marinade ability which can easily be enlivened by the addition of a few drops of lemon juice.
I feel that using a powder means the possibility of losing aroma and freshness due to the fact that the ingredients have been fried…and I find them rather “grainy”. Worst of all, in my opinion, is the effect of making a curry the amateur way – such as by making a stew and then sprinkling on dry curry-powder, mixing it in and hoping for the best…! Chinese curries are often like that too. Whoops !!
…And here I have to make a confession – most of the time I mix both the wet and dry ingredients into a paste, test the mixture for taste and then let it marinate for a couple of hours or more. The result is that when I want to use a curry mix I can take the appropriate quantity and mix it in just before I remove the curry, stew or whatever.
Please note that I have favoured the use of paste throughout this book. Of course, there are variations such as when I make a vindaloo where I separately mix extra dry mustard powder with extra vinegar to add to the curry paste/marinade.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity of describing Tanya’s Paprika paste.
In this book, mention has been made of Kashmiri masala which is almost a generic term since it means that “Kashmiri” chillies have been used in its recipe – Kashmiri chillies are reputed to have a regular, dependable “heat” quotient.
However, paprika is also of a stable spice-heat almost irrespective of where it is grown. Its other big advantage is that its grind quality and colour is dependable.
Tanya’s Paprika paste is designed to be able to make smallish quantities rapidly and to be able to use it to flavour a wider range of foods because of its milder flavour.
Do try it and enjoy the variation in colour and pungency you can introduce by varying the quantities of the individual ingredients slightly.
Tanya’s Paprika paste.
Using your seed/coffee grinder – or the hard way with a pestle and mortar - mix and grind the following spices together.
2 tablespoonfuls coriander seed.
2 teaspoons cumin seed
2 teaspoons pepper corns
1 teaspoonful fennel seed
2 whole cloves
Transfer the above to a small mixing bowl and add the following :-
2 tablespoonfuls Paprika powder
1 teaspoonful garlic paste
1 teaspoonful ginger paste.
1 tablespoonful of tomato concentrate
1 teaspoonful concentrated tamarind paste
2 teaspoonful vegetable oil
4 dessertspoonfuls of malt vinegar, white wine vinegar or a combination of both.
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt to taste.
Mix well and you should wind up with a thick reddish paste mixture.
Dip your finger-tip in and taste it !
Now here is the beauty of Tanya’s Paprika paste mix…
Throughout this book you have been sticking to an ingredient list and, I hope, gradually varying it to your own taste as I earlier suggested you do.
You can “go to town” with Tanya’s basic recipe – a little more of this, a little less of that but do, please keep testing the resultant tastes…… and then, once you have got it absolutely as you require, you can bottle it and store it at room ambient for two or three weeks – if you have increased the salt and vinegar content, it will keep for even longer and will be available at short notice.
This will have been the ultimate test of your ability to blend and adjust the taste to precisely the way you and, hopefully your co-gourmets, nod assent and approve.