I've tried a few grated carrot salads in the past but never got it quite right. This attempt turned out exactly as I wanted; even better... The toasted coriander is key, and came from a Delia recipe (that I then decided not to stick to...).
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame seed oil
2 tsp white/red miso
1 tsp honey
salt+pepper
1 tiny clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp finely chopped onion
c 10 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp chopped chives
1/4 cup raisins
2 tsp black onion seeds
Toast the coriander seeds and then crush them in a pestle and mortar. Put in a medium bowl with the vinegar, oils, miso, honey, salt and pepper (not much salt, miso is salty), crushed garlic and chopped onion. Whisk together with a fork. Add the grated carrots, lemon zest, chives, raisins and black onion seeds and mix to combine. Keeps well in the fridge (the raisins will plump up) for a few days.
Showing posts with label kalonji. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kalonji. Show all posts
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Roasted butternut squash with cardamom and black onion seeds
This is Ottolenghi, by way of our friends S and N who have been staying with us these last few days. They are the first to test our 'spare' room, which we haven't really worked out what to do with yet. The squash was really delicious: the spices were perfect, and they made it with wild rice mix, which soaked up the wonderful juices really well. It is a surprisingly straightforward recipe for Ottolenghi: basically just squash and some stuff we always have in the cupboards.
20 g unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1 cm thick slices
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3 cm pieces
salt
30 g pumpkin seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds (black onion seed / kalonji), plus extra to garnish
½ tsp each ground cumin and coriander
¼ tsp ground turmeric
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick
1 green chili, halved lengthways
1 tbsp caster sugar
200 ml vegetable stock
100 g Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Heat the oven to 200C/400F. Put butter and oil in a large pan, and fry the onion for eight min over medium heat until soft. Add the butternut, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for 10 min, stirring occasionally, until it starts to colour.
Remove from the heat and add half a teaspoon of salt, the seeds, spices, chili and sugar. Mix and transfer to an ovenproof dish large enough to hold everything snugly. Pour in the stock and roast for 30 minutes, by which point the butternut should be tender and all the liquid absorbed or evaporated.
Serve warm with yoghurt spooned on top, a sprinkling of chopped coriander and a few nigella seeds.
Note: This other butternut squash Ottolenghi recipe looks good too. I really ought to buy one of his books.
20 g unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 1 cm thick slices
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3 cm pieces
salt
30 g pumpkin seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds (black onion seed / kalonji), plus extra to garnish
½ tsp each ground cumin and coriander
¼ tsp ground turmeric
4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick
1 green chili, halved lengthways
1 tbsp caster sugar
200 ml vegetable stock
100 g Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Heat the oven to 200C/400F. Put butter and oil in a large pan, and fry the onion for eight min over medium heat until soft. Add the butternut, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for 10 min, stirring occasionally, until it starts to colour.
Remove from the heat and add half a teaspoon of salt, the seeds, spices, chili and sugar. Mix and transfer to an ovenproof dish large enough to hold everything snugly. Pour in the stock and roast for 30 minutes, by which point the butternut should be tender and all the liquid absorbed or evaporated.
Serve warm with yoghurt spooned on top, a sprinkling of chopped coriander and a few nigella seeds.
Note: This other butternut squash Ottolenghi recipe looks good too. I really ought to buy one of his books.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Roasted carrots, chickpeas and cauliflower with yoghurt-tahini sauce
More cauliflower. I fancied roasting some chickpeas, and roasting carrots with coriander and spices. They all got roasted together and it was very very good.
Roast:
5 large carrots, scrubbed and top-and-tailed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tbsp paprika
1-2 tsp sumac
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne
1-2 tsp nigella seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
salt+pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cauliflower, broken into florets
about 1 cup cooked chickpeas
Sauce:
4 tbsp yoghurt
1 tbsp tahini
1 tsp lemon juice
Heat the oven to 230C. Put the carrots in a large baking tin along with all of the spices and seeds, salt and pepper and the olive oil (be generous with these - remember the cauliflower and chickpeas will be added partway through and they want to be coated with goodness too). Mix well and put in the oven for 10-15 min. Take out and mix in the cauliflower and the chickpeas. Put back in the oven and roast for another 20-30 min, until everything is tender and starting to crisp. While it's roasting make the sauce just by mixing together the yoghurt, tahini and lemon. Serve together.
Both roast and sauce are definite make-agains. S particularly loved the roasted chickpeas.
Roast:
5 large carrots, scrubbed and top-and-tailed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tbsp paprika
1-2 tsp sumac
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne
1-2 tsp nigella seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
salt+pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cauliflower, broken into florets
about 1 cup cooked chickpeas
Sauce:
4 tbsp yoghurt
1 tbsp tahini
1 tsp lemon juice
Heat the oven to 230C. Put the carrots in a large baking tin along with all of the spices and seeds, salt and pepper and the olive oil (be generous with these - remember the cauliflower and chickpeas will be added partway through and they want to be coated with goodness too). Mix well and put in the oven for 10-15 min. Take out and mix in the cauliflower and the chickpeas. Put back in the oven and roast for another 20-30 min, until everything is tender and starting to crisp. While it's roasting make the sauce just by mixing together the yoghurt, tahini and lemon. Serve together.
Both roast and sauce are definite make-agains. S particularly loved the roasted chickpeas.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Dukkah
One of our best food finds in Copenhagen so far has been Sticks n Sushi. The name didn't sound that promising but there was one near work and I'd read that they had some good veggie stuff, so S and I decided to check it out one lunchtime, and call it research for the interviews he was hosting soon for people in his new lab (!).
It was empty that first time, but really really good once we got going. We ate a veggie selection (I think called the Greens Keeper), and it had a bit of creative veggie sushi, some unusual summer rolls, grilled corn on the cob and edamame in pods, and something really simple but delicious: sticks of sweet raw veg, with a miso dip and a sort of a dukkah of poppyseeds and something red - so you dunk the veggie stick in the miso stuff then the dukkah so the seeds etc stick. Really fresh and tasty...
(nb they had exactly my kind of puddings too: little tasty things. I tried a caramel covered in dark chocolate with sesame seeds on the outside and it was gooood)
So anyway, we went there again the other evening and ate that dip/dukkah thing again, and I started thinking about dukkah, and how M gave me some she'd made a while back and it was yummy and fennel seed-y and I put it on everythingggg. And then I made broccoli with miso sauce and seeds, and realised the world was telling me to make dukkah. So then I did. I thought Ottolenghi would probably have a good way of doing it, and I had hazelnuts left over from S's birthday cake, so I followed this recipe (subbing black pepper for green because I didn't have green and I think I like black better anyway).
70 g hazelnuts
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp dry green peppercorns (or white... used black)
3 tbsp coriander seeds
1½ tbsp sesame seeds
½ tsp nigella seeds
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp paprika
Heat the oven to 140C/285F/gas mark 1. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking tray and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Add the sunflower seeds to the tray halfway through, keeping them separate from the nuts. Remove from the oven and leave to cool while you toast the seeds.
Heat a small frying pan, then dry-roast the fennel seeds for 30 seconds. Add the cumin seeds and cook for another 30 seconds, or until they start to pop, then tip both into a little bowl. Put the pan back on the heat, toast the coriander seeds, and tip into the same bowl.
Toast the sesame and nigella seeds together until the sesame turns light brown, then tip into another small bowl.
Rub the hazelnuts to discard some of the skin. Crush coarsely with a pestle and mortar, then transfer to a medium bowl. Lightly crush the cumin and fennel seeds, and add to the hazelnuts. Repeat with the coriander seeds, then the sunflower seeds. Add these to the nut bowl, along with the ground black pepper, sesame and nigella seeds, add salt and paprika, and mix well.
I ate it with celeriac puree made like this, and it was truly delicious, either on bread, with pasta, or just the dukkah and the puree. After making this I remembered making dukkah once before, that time slightly different (I really wanted the fennel seeds this time), and eaten with baked squash.
It was empty that first time, but really really good once we got going. We ate a veggie selection (I think called the Greens Keeper), and it had a bit of creative veggie sushi, some unusual summer rolls, grilled corn on the cob and edamame in pods, and something really simple but delicious: sticks of sweet raw veg, with a miso dip and a sort of a dukkah of poppyseeds and something red - so you dunk the veggie stick in the miso stuff then the dukkah so the seeds etc stick. Really fresh and tasty...
(nb they had exactly my kind of puddings too: little tasty things. I tried a caramel covered in dark chocolate with sesame seeds on the outside and it was gooood)
So anyway, we went there again the other evening and ate that dip/dukkah thing again, and I started thinking about dukkah, and how M gave me some she'd made a while back and it was yummy and fennel seed-y and I put it on everythingggg. And then I made broccoli with miso sauce and seeds, and realised the world was telling me to make dukkah. So then I did. I thought Ottolenghi would probably have a good way of doing it, and I had hazelnuts left over from S's birthday cake, so I followed this recipe (subbing black pepper for green because I didn't have green and I think I like black better anyway).
70 g hazelnuts
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp dry green peppercorns (or white... used black)
3 tbsp coriander seeds
1½ tbsp sesame seeds
½ tsp nigella seeds
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp paprika
Heat the oven to 140C/285F/gas mark 1. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking tray and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Add the sunflower seeds to the tray halfway through, keeping them separate from the nuts. Remove from the oven and leave to cool while you toast the seeds.
Heat a small frying pan, then dry-roast the fennel seeds for 30 seconds. Add the cumin seeds and cook for another 30 seconds, or until they start to pop, then tip both into a little bowl. Put the pan back on the heat, toast the coriander seeds, and tip into the same bowl.
Toast the sesame and nigella seeds together until the sesame turns light brown, then tip into another small bowl.
Rub the hazelnuts to discard some of the skin. Crush coarsely with a pestle and mortar, then transfer to a medium bowl. Lightly crush the cumin and fennel seeds, and add to the hazelnuts. Repeat with the coriander seeds, then the sunflower seeds. Add these to the nut bowl, along with the ground black pepper, sesame and nigella seeds, add salt and paprika, and mix well.
I ate it with celeriac puree made like this, and it was truly delicious, either on bread, with pasta, or just the dukkah and the puree. After making this I remembered making dukkah once before, that time slightly different (I really wanted the fennel seeds this time), and eaten with baked squash.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Brinjal chutney
At the end of my day at Drumlin, I became custodian of a large quantity of aubergines otherwise destined for the compost heap. I had no particular plan for them at first. A suggested preserving them in oil; I'd also seen them pickled in vinegar; but I wasn't really fancying either of those options. But then I started daydreaming about aubergine preserving, and what developed in my mind was more of a chutney: deep and dark and richly spiced. I used the spice combination from my favourite aubergine curry, and I based the chutney method on this recipe.
(made ~3 small-medium jars)
1 kg / 2 lb 4oz aubergines, chopped into ~1 in cubes
~2 tbsp salt
~4 tbsp veg oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
~2 medium chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
50 g / 2 oz ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp nigella seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 3 tbsp hot water
150g / 6 oz light brown sugar
300 ml / 1/2 pint cider vinegar
Layer chopped aubergines with salt in a colander, put a weight on top and leave to drain for approx 2 hours or overnight. Rinse and pat dry.
Heat oven to 400F. Toss the aubergine pieces with approx 2 tbsp oil and spread out on baking trays. Bake for ~30 min, until tender. Meanwhile, dry fry the whole spices. When fragrant, let cool a little and then transfer half of the mixture to a spice grinder and grind lightly - leave the rest as whole seeds.
Heat 1-2 tbsp of oil in preserving pan and add onion, garlic, chilli and ginger. Cover and cook until softened (~10 min). Add the ground spices (including turmeric), whole spices, tamarind, sugar, vinegar and aubergines. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then cook for about 40 min, until thick and the aubergines are tender.
Spoon into sterilised jars and seal. Let mature for at least a month before opening.
Oh wow, this is delicious. Exactly what I wanted. The few tbsp I couldn't fit in my three jars and became a test part-jar are already in my belly with no days' maturing time and the chutney is already delicious.
(made ~3 small-medium jars)
1 kg / 2 lb 4oz aubergines, chopped into ~1 in cubes
~2 tbsp salt
~4 tbsp veg oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
~2 medium chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
50 g / 2 oz ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp nigella seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 3 tbsp hot water
150g / 6 oz light brown sugar
300 ml / 1/2 pint cider vinegar
Layer chopped aubergines with salt in a colander, put a weight on top and leave to drain for approx 2 hours or overnight. Rinse and pat dry.
Heat oven to 400F. Toss the aubergine pieces with approx 2 tbsp oil and spread out on baking trays. Bake for ~30 min, until tender. Meanwhile, dry fry the whole spices. When fragrant, let cool a little and then transfer half of the mixture to a spice grinder and grind lightly - leave the rest as whole seeds.
Heat 1-2 tbsp of oil in preserving pan and add onion, garlic, chilli and ginger. Cover and cook until softened (~10 min). Add the ground spices (including turmeric), whole spices, tamarind, sugar, vinegar and aubergines. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then cook for about 40 min, until thick and the aubergines are tender.
Spoon into sterilised jars and seal. Let mature for at least a month before opening.
Oh wow, this is delicious. Exactly what I wanted. The few tbsp I couldn't fit in my three jars and became a test part-jar are already in my belly with no days' maturing time and the chutney is already delicious.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Colourful, robust winter salads
We ended up eating at / from Whole Foods quite a lot while we were out West. It was S's idea. We arrived in Vegas and had one very uninspired meal with awful service, and then he had the idea of looking for local Whole Foods (apparently his buddy who runs learning-to-play-poker courses there stocks up at Whole Foods before getting going on the poker). We found a huge one in Henderson, and that was us sorted for the next few days.
A recurring Whole Foods salad theme was mixed grains and pulses. Which put me in the mood for more on our return. Here are a couple of variants:
Giant couscous, lentils, rice, cranberries and pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup giant / Israeli couscous, cooked in 1 cup water with 1/4 tsp turmeric for colour
1/2 cup brown and/or wild rice, cooked in 1 cup water
3/4 cup brown lentils, cooked in 1 1/2 cups veg stock with a bay leaf
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
~8 salty black olives, chopped
~2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt+pepper
wholegrain mustard
maple syrup
Mix olive oil, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup and seasoning in a medium bowl to make the dressing. Add the cooked, cooled couscous, rice and lentils and toss. Add the cranberries, pumpkin seeds, olives and coriander and mix up again. Taste to check seasoning / that there is enough dressing.
Massive couscous (moghrabieh), chickpeas, beetroot and sesame
3/4 cup moghrabieh, cooked in 1 cup water with 1/2 tsp turmeric for colour
1 cup chickpeas, cooked and defrosted
2-3 medium beetroot, boiled until tender, cooled and diced into ~1 cm dice
~2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp black sesame seeds
1/2 tsp nigella seeds
juice of 1/2 lime
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt+pepper
Put the pre-cooked and cooled couscous, chickpeas and chopped beetroot in a bowl, add the seeds and coriander and toss. Then add the dressing ingredients: oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt+pepper, quantities to taste (use plenty), toss and eat.
A recurring Whole Foods salad theme was mixed grains and pulses. Which put me in the mood for more on our return. Here are a couple of variants:
Giant couscous, lentils, rice, cranberries and pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup giant / Israeli couscous, cooked in 1 cup water with 1/4 tsp turmeric for colour
1/2 cup brown and/or wild rice, cooked in 1 cup water
3/4 cup brown lentils, cooked in 1 1/2 cups veg stock with a bay leaf
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
~8 salty black olives, chopped
~2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt+pepper
wholegrain mustard
maple syrup
Mix olive oil, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup and seasoning in a medium bowl to make the dressing. Add the cooked, cooled couscous, rice and lentils and toss. Add the cranberries, pumpkin seeds, olives and coriander and mix up again. Taste to check seasoning / that there is enough dressing.
Massive couscous (moghrabieh), chickpeas, beetroot and sesame
3/4 cup moghrabieh, cooked in 1 cup water with 1/2 tsp turmeric for colour
1 cup chickpeas, cooked and defrosted
2-3 medium beetroot, boiled until tender, cooled and diced into ~1 cm dice
~2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp black sesame seeds
1/2 tsp nigella seeds
juice of 1/2 lime
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt+pepper
Put the pre-cooked and cooled couscous, chickpeas and chopped beetroot in a bowl, add the seeds and coriander and toss. Then add the dressing ingredients: oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt+pepper, quantities to taste (use plenty), toss and eat.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Quick aubergine with nigella seeds
1 large aubergine, chopped into 1cm dice
1/2 tsp nigella seeds
1/2 tsp salt
~4 tbsp olive oil
Heat olive oil in a frying pan with high sides. Add the aubergine, nigella seeds and salt (to taste) and stir / fry for ~10 minutes, until the aubergine is tender and tasty.
Simple and effective: a lot of my aubergine recipes are relatively long and complicated - this one is super quick.
1/2 tsp nigella seeds
1/2 tsp salt
~4 tbsp olive oil
Heat olive oil in a frying pan with high sides. Add the aubergine, nigella seeds and salt (to taste) and stir / fry for ~10 minutes, until the aubergine is tender and tasty.
Simple and effective: a lot of my aubergine recipes are relatively long and complicated - this one is super quick.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Red cabbage salad
Previous red cabbage experiments having led me to believe that raw in salad is by far the best way to eat red cabbage, more salad was definitely in order for this one. Dried fruit, nuts, honey and mustard were calling out to be added, so I obliged.
1/2 a red cabbage, outer leaves and thick stem in the middle removed and the rest finely shredded
1 tbsp chives, chopped
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
1 tsp nigella seeds
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tbsp golden raisins
1 tbsp flaked toasted almonds
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt+pepper
Put the shredded cabbage, herbs and seeds in a serving bowl. In a small bowl, mix the remaining (dressing) ingredients and check for tastiness. Pour the dressing over the cabbage, toss and eat.
S said he didn't think he liked red cabbage but then he really liked this, so that seems like a recommendation. Lots of space for adaptation, as ever with this kind of recipe.
1/2 a red cabbage, outer leaves and thick stem in the middle removed and the rest finely shredded
1 tbsp chives, chopped
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
1 tsp nigella seeds
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tbsp golden raisins
1 tbsp flaked toasted almonds
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt+pepper
Put the shredded cabbage, herbs and seeds in a serving bowl. In a small bowl, mix the remaining (dressing) ingredients and check for tastiness. Pour the dressing over the cabbage, toss and eat.
S said he didn't think he liked red cabbage but then he really liked this, so that seems like a recommendation. Lots of space for adaptation, as ever with this kind of recipe.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Autumn salad: beetroot, fennel, apple, seeds, crunch
A dropped off beetroot (the real pink deal this time) and mustard greens yesterday, and we talked about Borneo and SE Asian history. I sauteed some mustard greens simply with onion. As I biked home this salad emerged in my head as how I wanted to eat the beetroot - lots of raw, autumnal crunch:
1 large beetroot, peeled, top-and-tailed and cut into matchsticks
1/2 large bulb fennel, sliced into approximate matchsticks
plus 2 tbsp of fronds from the fennel, finely chopped
1/2 medium apple, cored and cut into matchsticks
1 heaped tsp poppy seeds
3/4 tsp white sesame seeds
3/4 tsp black sesame seeds
1/2 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
2 tbsp raisins, optional
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tsp cider vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
3/4 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
Prepare the ingredients, put together in a bowl and mix. Taste to check for seasoning, acidity and sweetness.
I really liked the seasonality, the sweet-tangy-earthiness, the colours, and of course the crunchiness of this. I decided to matchstick the beetroot instead of grating to keep the bleeding of colour a little bit under control, and that worked - the whiteness of fennel and apple was still visible. Although grating would have released more juice and made the beetroot softer - I relied on the acid to do this instead. I wasn't 100% on the raisins - they introduced sweetness and a different texture, but I also kind of liked it as an exclusively crunchy / seedy affair. Keeps well (perhaps even improves) in the fridge.
1 large beetroot, peeled, top-and-tailed and cut into matchsticks
1/2 large bulb fennel, sliced into approximate matchsticks
plus 2 tbsp of fronds from the fennel, finely chopped
1/2 medium apple, cored and cut into matchsticks
1 heaped tsp poppy seeds
3/4 tsp white sesame seeds
3/4 tsp black sesame seeds
1/2 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
2 tbsp raisins, optional
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tsp cider vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
3/4 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
Prepare the ingredients, put together in a bowl and mix. Taste to check for seasoning, acidity and sweetness.
I really liked the seasonality, the sweet-tangy-earthiness, the colours, and of course the crunchiness of this. I decided to matchstick the beetroot instead of grating to keep the bleeding of colour a little bit under control, and that worked - the whiteness of fennel and apple was still visible. Although grating would have released more juice and made the beetroot softer - I relied on the acid to do this instead. I wasn't 100% on the raisins - they introduced sweetness and a different texture, but I also kind of liked it as an exclusively crunchy / seedy affair. Keeps well (perhaps even improves) in the fridge.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Latest yellow split pea dal
Pretty much based on this recipe: trying to perfect my method.
1 cup yellow split peas
3 cups water
1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 in piece ginger, finely chopped
1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp nigella seed
1/4 tsp mustard seed
1/4 tsp cumin seed
seeds from 4 cardamom pods
1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp salt
Put the split peas and water in a medium saucepan, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the ginger, garlic and whole spices. Cook for a few minutes, until spices are aromatic and garlic light gold, then add the turmeric and cook for a few more seconds. Stir the peas and check they are soft and collapsing. When they are, Add the spice mixture to the peas, along with the salt, and stir. Eat with rice or with flatbreads.
This is really warming and good. I've worked through a few iterations and like this one best (with optional fried onion addition). Must be patient and make sure the peas are fully cooked - the softer the better, really.
1 cup yellow split peas
3 cups water
1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 in piece ginger, finely chopped
1/4 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp nigella seed
1/4 tsp mustard seed
1/4 tsp cumin seed
seeds from 4 cardamom pods
1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp salt
Put the split peas and water in a medium saucepan, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the ginger, garlic and whole spices. Cook for a few minutes, until spices are aromatic and garlic light gold, then add the turmeric and cook for a few more seconds. Stir the peas and check they are soft and collapsing. When they are, Add the spice mixture to the peas, along with the salt, and stir. Eat with rice or with flatbreads.
This is really warming and good. I've worked through a few iterations and like this one best (with optional fried onion addition). Must be patient and make sure the peas are fully cooked - the softer the better, really.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Black onion seed breadsticks
1 tsp dried yeast
40 ml warm water
100 ml fake milk
50 g fake butter
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
250 g wholemeal flour
250g strong white flour
1 tsp salt
15g black onion seeds
Oil, for kneading
Mix the yeast and warm water in a cup or small bowl until dissolved, then set aside. Bring the milk to a boil, add the butter and sugar, remove from the heat, pour into a mixing bowl and leave until the butter has melted. Add the flours, salt, onion seeds and yeast liquid, and mix to a smooth dough. Cover the bowl, leave for 10 minutes, then lightly knead until smooth. Return the dough to the bowl and leave for an hour until risen.
Cut the dough into quarters and one at a time roll out each quarter to about 1cm thick. Cut a 1cm-wide strip from this dough roll, and roll out into a smooth breadstick about 25cm long. Place on a baking tray lined with nonstick paper, and continue with the remaining dough until you've filled a tray or two. Bake at 180C/350F for about 30 minutes, until crisp and golden. These keep well for at least a week if wrapped well, but you can crisp them up in the oven (at the same temperature, for about 15 minutes) on the day of serving.
These look nice and fancy and were a big hit with S. Nice texture, the outside crisp and the inside bready. They cry out to be dipped in something - bit weird on their own. I made some black olive hummus to eat with them but baba ghanoush would be perfect.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Broccolini with sesame
2 bunches broccolini
4 tbsp tahini
1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
salt
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp nigella seeds
Steam the broccolini. It is pretty tender and doesn't take as long as regular broccoli.
Mix the tahini, honey, lemon juice and salt, and add enough water that it reaches a good, creamy consistency.
Toast the sesame and nigella seeds together in a dry frying pan.
To eat, splodge the sauce on top of the steamed broccolini on your plate and sprinkle some seeds on top.
4 tbsp tahini
1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
salt
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp nigella seeds
Steam the broccolini. It is pretty tender and doesn't take as long as regular broccoli.
Mix the tahini, honey, lemon juice and salt, and add enough water that it reaches a good, creamy consistency.
Toast the sesame and nigella seeds together in a dry frying pan.
To eat, splodge the sauce on top of the steamed broccolini on your plate and sprinkle some seeds on top.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Sweet and sour red lentils
250g/9oz/1¼ cups red lentils
¼tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp mustard or any other vegetable oil (used regular veg oil)
½ tsp brown mustard seeds
½ tsp panch phoran (= mixture of fennel seed, nigella, cumin seed, fenugreek and celery seed or black mustard seed - I didn't have celery seed so used a mixture of the first four)
4 hot dried red chillies (used 2 as thought they might be super hot)
1 bay leaf
1¼-1½ tsp salt
2 tbsp thick tamarind paste or to taste
1 tbsp sugar or to taste
Wash the lentils in several changes of water until the water runs clear. Put them in a medium-sized pan with the turmeric and mix. Cover with 1l/1¾pt/4½ cups water. Bring the lentils to the boil over a medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Stir now and then during the last 10 minutes. When the lentils are cooked, mash with a spoon to a pulp-like consistency.
Heat the oil in a large, wide, preferably non-stick pan or wok over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds. As soon as they pop, a matter of seconds, add the panch phoran, chillies and a bay leaf. Stir and fry for 5-6 seconds or until the chillies darken in colour. Add the cooked lentils, 150ml/5fl oz water and the salt. Stir to mix. Add the tamarind paste, a little at a time to get the sourness you desire. Add just enough sugar to balance the sourness. Bring to the boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes. The finished dal should have the consistency of a thick purée.
This is sooo good. The red lentils become this thick, lumpy, earthy paste, and the sweet and sour and spicy flavours mingle into that and just make it all incredible. Didn't really mash / puree it that hard - quite liked it with still-discernible lentils in it, and red lentils turn to mush with little encouragement anyway. Could have been more brave with the chilis. Love how much tamarind it has in it.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Naans, dehydrator vegetable chips
Naans
(makes six)
2 cups flour
1 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
pinch baking soda
2 tbsp oil (used veg)
2 tbsp fake milk
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup warm water
Mix warm water, sugar and yeast and leave somewhere warm for 10min. Sift flour, salt and soda. Add oil and milk/lemon juice mix and combine. Then add yeast mix and combine to a dough. Knead 5 min then cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for at least an hour, until doubled in size. Knock down and knead for 5 min then separate into 6 pieces and roll out to about 5mm thick. Heat oven to 500F and put a baking tray in to heat up. Switch oven to 'broil' (=grill, I think) and then put naans in. Do 2 min on each side. They didn't puff up much - perhaps better to do 4 min on 1 side. Can add garlic, veg butter, kalonji seeds to taste. Eat straight after cooking - had them with baba.
Veg chips update:
Sliced peeled sweet potato and beet thinly with a peeler. Steamed for 2min then tossed in a little oil and salt. Put in dehydrator at 57C. They didn't crisp up for a while: did about 6h at 57C then left overnight at 43C. Did notice that they crisped up as they cooled. These were pretty good, actually.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Sunday cooking: baingan achaari; potato apple latkes
Often seem to end up on a big cooking mission one day at the weekend, after rediscovering or buying lots of fruit and veg and realising it needs cooking... Today involved 1) aubergines and 2) red-skinned potatoes
Baingan achaari (aubergine curry)
This was one of my favourites when I lived at home. Shireen introduced me to it, and it originates from Madhur Jaffrey (but has been adapted along the way).
2.5cm cube fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6 large cloves garlic
55ml water
800g aubergines
350ml veg oil
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp kalonji (nigella)
1/2 tsp cumin seed
350g tomatoes peeled and finely chopped (or 1 tin)
1 tbsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/3 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
Cut aubergine into wedges 2cm thick / 4-5cm long. Rub with oil and put on oiled baking sheet in a hot oven (~400F / 250C) for 30min. When done put in a colander to drain.
Meanwhile blend garlic, ginger and water to make a smooth paste.
Put ~3tbsp of oil in a large high-sided frying pan on medium heat. Add fennel, kalonji, cumin and gently darken (few sec). Add tomatoes, garlic/ginger paste, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, salt. Bubble until thickens to a paste.
Add the cooked aubergine and stir gently. Cook 5 min, cover and cook 5 more min.
This is delicious. Ate it with jasmine rice (with cloves and whole cardamom in cooking water), fresh coriander on top is also good.
Potato apple latkes
Adapted from a recent recipe on the guardian webpage.
500g red salad potatoes
1 small onion
1 crisp apple (Braeburn or Cox's Orange Pippin), cored but unpeeled
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 1 tbsp water)
30g plain flour
2 tsp poppyseeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Groundnut or vegetable oil, for frying
Grate the potatoes, onion and apple. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible (in a mesh colander). Transfer to a bowl and add the lemon juice, flax egg, flour and poppyseeds. Season and mix.
Heat ~1cm oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Form the latke mixture into pancakes about 4cm in diameter and drop them into the oil. Cook for about four minutes a side, until cooked through and golden brown. Put the cooked latkes on kitchen paper to absorb oil.
The latkes were a faff, I don't know if I'll bother again - lots of grating (incl my thumbnail a wee bit), smelly frying and oily end product. They tasted quite nice - crispy fried potato and onion on the outside, waxy cooked on the inside, with little taste hits of poppyseed now and again (didn't really notice the apple). S liked them. We ate them with sweet chili or wholegrain mustard, the recipe suggested horseradish cream (2 tbsp fresh horseradish, finely grated, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp cider vinegar or lemon juice, ½ tsp caster sugar, 150ml crème fraîche, pinch of salt) - need a bit of heat and moisture. Maybe sometime in the future when I have a food processor I'll make latkes...
Baingan achaari (aubergine curry)
This was one of my favourites when I lived at home. Shireen introduced me to it, and it originates from Madhur Jaffrey (but has been adapted along the way).
2.5cm cube fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6 large cloves garlic
55ml water
800g aubergines
350ml veg oil
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp kalonji (nigella)
1/2 tsp cumin seed
350g tomatoes peeled and finely chopped (or 1 tin)
1 tbsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/3 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
Cut aubergine into wedges 2cm thick / 4-5cm long. Rub with oil and put on oiled baking sheet in a hot oven (~400F / 250C) for 30min. When done put in a colander to drain.
Meanwhile blend garlic, ginger and water to make a smooth paste.
Put ~3tbsp of oil in a large high-sided frying pan on medium heat. Add fennel, kalonji, cumin and gently darken (few sec). Add tomatoes, garlic/ginger paste, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, salt. Bubble until thickens to a paste.
Add the cooked aubergine and stir gently. Cook 5 min, cover and cook 5 more min.
This is delicious. Ate it with jasmine rice (with cloves and whole cardamom in cooking water), fresh coriander on top is also good.
Potato apple latkes
Adapted from a recent recipe on the guardian webpage.
500g red salad potatoes
1 small onion
1 crisp apple (Braeburn or Cox's Orange Pippin), cored but unpeeled
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 1 tbsp water)
30g plain flour
2 tsp poppyseeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Groundnut or vegetable oil, for frying
Grate the potatoes, onion and apple. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible (in a mesh colander). Transfer to a bowl and add the lemon juice, flax egg, flour and poppyseeds. Season and mix.
Heat ~1cm oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Form the latke mixture into pancakes about 4cm in diameter and drop them into the oil. Cook for about four minutes a side, until cooked through and golden brown. Put the cooked latkes on kitchen paper to absorb oil.
The latkes were a faff, I don't know if I'll bother again - lots of grating (incl my thumbnail a wee bit), smelly frying and oily end product. They tasted quite nice - crispy fried potato and onion on the outside, waxy cooked on the inside, with little taste hits of poppyseed now and again (didn't really notice the apple). S liked them. We ate them with sweet chili or wholegrain mustard, the recipe suggested horseradish cream (2 tbsp fresh horseradish, finely grated, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp cider vinegar or lemon juice, ½ tsp caster sugar, 150ml crème fraîche, pinch of salt) - need a bit of heat and moisture. Maybe sometime in the future when I have a food processor I'll make latkes...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)