When is curry too much curry?

After spending two months in India I thought I would never eat another curry again.
I can actually remember saying this to my sister about six weeks into our trip. We were sitting in a small, dingy restaurant in Darjeeling eating a sloppy curry for breakfast, yes breakfast, and each spoonful was a horrendous effort, it was as if my body was trying to repel the curry (oh wait actually, if I remember correctly, at that stage it was), and it was then I decided that after India I would never eat another friggin curry.


But after being back in the western world for over a year now, my love of curries has returned.
However I do tend to be a tad predictable when it comes to curry. There's always the usual suspects; coconut milk, curry paste, potatoes, and well basically anything in what I like to call the 'mmm carbs' family.
So the other day I decided to branch out and try a new recipe that I found in the library, and for once I was going to go out, buy all the ingredients and follow the recipe.
The end result was nice but it wasn't anything special, I felt that even as a lighter 'summertime' curry, it was lacking in flavour. Next time I will follow my instincts and stray the recipe slightly. But if you are in the mood for a light curry that doesn't leave the top button of your jeans undone, then definitely give this one a go, just spice it up a little bit more if you feel it's too mild.

Eggplant, Tomato and Red Lentil Curry

3 tbs olive oil

1 large eggplant, cut into 8 pieces

1 red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbs fresh ginger

250g cherry tomatoes

6-8 curry leaves

1 tbs cumin powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

1 tbs tomato puree

2/3 cup red split lentils

handful of coriander, chopped

Heat oil, cook eggplant for about 5 minutes, turning often until the oil begins to seep back off. Remove and set aside. With remaining oil, cook onions, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes, add cherry tomatoes until softened. Remove and set aside. Add curry leaves and cumin powder to the pan and cook for a few minutes, add chili, puree, 2 cups of water and lentils. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Stir in the eggplant and tomato for a few more minutes then add the coriander. Serve with rice.

Lazy Lady Penne

When I was younger I used to detest penne. The simplicity of it some what put me off, and for years I never ate it. But since then I've reintroduced it into my life.. and my heart. cough.
The Italians were definitely onto something good with simple combinations and limited ingredients. 
I've chucked in a little bit extra because I've been brought up in the 'chuck-everything-on-your-pizza nation' and just haven't been able to shake the habit.

Lazy Lady Penne

To serve one:

Ingredients:

1 cup of Wholemeal Penne

1 tbs olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 onion, diced

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 handful of basil, diced

2 handfuls of spinach

salt and pepper

walnuts, toasted to garnish (optional)

How to:

Boil water in a pot with a pinch of salt. Once the water is boiling, add the penne.

Heat a separate pan, add the olive oil and saute the onions for 4-5 minutes, add the garlic and saute for a further minute. Add the can of tomatoes and the basil, reduce the temperature and simmmer for 10 minutes.. Add the spinach on top of the pasta sauce, place a lid on the pan and allowed to wilter for 2-3 minutes. Stir through the sauce, add pepper and salt to taste and serve over the penne.

If adding walnuts, toast them either on the stove top of in the oven, then crumble on top of the dish.

Buon appetito!

Bean Stew-a-licious!!

In the highly respectable neighbourhood of Leith Walk, where I now reside, there is more Chinese restaurants and supermarkets than there is lamp posts. Which fits in well with my obsession with Asian Food. However Jackie Chan would probably faint with horror if he saw the alterations I've made to traditional dishes.
The thing is, I'm not trying to be creative, I just seem to lack both the ingredients and the skills to recreate some of my favourite dishes, so I simply improvise with whats in the cupboard.


The other day I bought a jar of Black Bean sauce with all the best intentions to look up a recipe online and alter it to make it vegan. But by the time I'd arrived home for work I was so hungus (humongously hungry), that I just started dicing and cooking everything in sight until I'd created a one-pot-wonder.


So I will post the recipe for my Bean Stew-a-licious, but first I require no judgement for using ketchup instead of canned or fresh tomatoes as planned.

Bean Stew-a-licious

Ingredients:

1 tbs olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 tsp red diced chilli 

1 red pepper, diced

handful of broccoli

1 can of kidney beans

couple of handfuls of spinach

1 tbs black bean sauce

dash of soy sauce

2 tbs of jamming jamaican tomato sauce (no I'm not kidding)

chopped coriander 

A grind or two of s&p

1 cup of brown rice

How to:

Chuck a cup of brown rice into a pot with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt.

Get this on the stove first because we all know brown rice takes a trillion years to cook. Use white rice if it tickles ya fancy, I'm just trying to be healthy because it's the first week into the new year.

Saute your onions and red pepper for 4-5 min, thrown in the garlic and red chilli and cook for a further minute. Tip in your well drained and rinsed can of kidney beans, your broccoli, and if you have it, now would probably be a wicked time to add a can of chopped tomatoes, but if like me you don't have any handy, just add some of your jamming jamaican tomato sauce along with your black bean and soy sauce. Mix it all together with some s&p and coriander, put on the lip and allow to simmer until the broccoli is cooked. Add the spinach and allow to wilter for a further couple of minutes.

By this stage, god be willing, your brown rice will be cooked. And you're ready to serve.

Delish. 

Be sure to leave some beans leftover because they're awesome on nachos.

Risotto on a budget

Risotto can be a great meal to make on a budget, well providing your time is not money, because you will be standing by that oven longer than a 1950's housewife.. believe me.

I usually just decide what type of risotto I will make depending on what veggies are in the discount bin at the supermarket, so last night it was a simple mushroom risotto with brown rice on a bed of kindly donated spinach with a side of chunky sweet potato chips.

I always thought risotto was such a complicated meal to make (though this was back in the day when I struggled to make soup in a cup), but it is an incredibly simple dish that just seems very impressive.

All you need is:

1-2 tbs Olive oil
1 onion, diced
couple of cloves of garlic, finely diced
a big handful or 2 of mushrooms
fresh parsley if available (I go with what ever herbs are in the free spice rack)
2 cups of brown rice
6-8 cups of vegetable stock
Salt and Pepper

Start by frying the mushrooms with the garlic in a dollop of oil, once the juices are running, remove from the heat and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in another pot and fry the onions until transparent, add the rice and fry for a couple of minutes. Add half a cup of the stock, once that's nearly evaporated, add another half. Keep repeating the process, making sure to stir all the while so it doesn't stick.
Now comes the time of great patience. Stir. Add stock. Stir. Add stock. Stir. Add stock Stir. and...Repeat.
When the rice is cooked (yay), add the garlic mushrooms, chopped parsley, s&p.

Serve on a bed of spinach with a nice glass of vino.



Don't be deterred by the cooking time, though do keep in mind that if you use brown rice, it really does take a long time to cook. But risotto is a fabulous meal and a great way to introduce your friends to vegan meals.

Now if you'll excuse me, my arm is in pain from excessive stirring and I must rest it.