Aubergine, peanut and tamarind curry

One of our favourites round here is Yoma - a little Burmese place. I've never eaten Burmese food anywhere else so cannot speak for its authenticity, but we love the tastes - all the best bits of Thai, Vietnamese and Indian food, pretty much. Tea salad is a favourite, and their chickpea tofu, and the coconut-pumpkin-tofu curry. The okra is also good. And aubergine, peanut and tamarind curry.

We had an increasing mass of various aubergines (including cute little green ones called Kermit) from the CSA. I was going to make the classic aubergine curry, but then on the way home went right off the idea of following a recipe and decided instead to make something up involving aubergine, peanut and tamarind. This is that.

~3 medium aubergines (or equivalent amount of small ones), trimmed and cut into ~2 in wedges
olive oil
salt
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 in piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 small onion (or ~5 spring onions), peeled and chopped
~2 tbsp tomato puree
~2 tbsp peanut butter
~1 tbsp tamarind paste
juice of 1/2 lime
salt
water
peanuts (optional)

Heat the oven to 400F. Prepare the aubergines and put into a roasting tin. Sprinkle with salt and olive oil and mix. Put in the oven and roast for ~ 30 min, until tender and lightly browned.

Meanwhile, heat 1-2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and add the chilli, garlic, ginger and onions. Cover and saute until soft. Mix the tomato puree, peanut butter, tamarind and lime juice in a bowl with ~ 1/2 tsp salt and enough water to make a thick, creamy sauce. Add to the chilli-garlic mixture and saute for a minute.

When the aubergines are ready, take out of the oven and add to the pan. Mix it all together, taste and adjust for salt and acid. If you have peanuts, you could chop and dry-fry some, then sprinkle over.


Different from the Yoma one, but good nonetheless. Even better the next day when everything has mellowed together. Even cold.

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.

Greens, chickpeas and tamarind

I'd been looking at this recipe for a while - caraway and tamarind are two of the ingredients I am most into at the moment.  But hadn't had that much chard recently.  Used a mixture of chard, beet greens, kale and a little large-leaf spinach, since that was what I had in the fridge / in the plant pot on the balcony, crying out to be used before we leave on Thursday.  Apart from that I mostly stuck to the ingredients, although played pretty loose with the method and quantities.

4 tbsp seedless tamarind
400g swiss chard (stems and leaves), cut into 1cm slices
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp whole caraway seeds
1½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1 tsp tomato paste (didn't have, so used extra tinned tomatoes and reduced more)
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
350ml water
1½ tbsp caster sugar
400g cooked chickpeas
1½ tsp whole coriander seeds, toasted and ground to a powder
salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 big handful coriander leaves

Put the onion, caraway and olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and golden.  Add the tomato paste (if using) and cook, stirring, for about a minute.  Add the tomatoes, water, sugar, tamarind and ground coriander, and season.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, adding chickpeas after 10 minutes and greens after 20min.  Adjust consistency and seasoning.  Finally, add the lemon juice, and serve with rice and coriander.


Is good.  The tamarind gives nice depth of flavour, while the caraway is surprisingly subtle... yet exciting!  Chickpeas, tomatoes and greens are otherwise quite a tried-and-tested combination.

Tamarind spice biscuits

Felt like making biscuits for some reason.  I love tamarind right now, and stumbled across this recipe - sounded quick enough and I had a couple hours before going apple picking.  Ate a few with some hot cinnamon apple cider - autumnal loveliness.

125g margarine
250g sugar
25g tamarind concentrate
1 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 3 tbsp hot water
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp garam masala or mixed spice (used lebanese 7-spice)
200g chopped glacé ginger (only had a little bit of crystallised, so used that instead)
250g plain flour
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Also added a handful of oats

Beat the marg, sugar, tamarind and linseed mix until smooth, then beat in the spices and glacé ginger. Stir in the flour and bicarb evenly, then scoop small unshelled walnut-sized balls from the mixture, roll each one between your hands to smooth, and place 5cm apart on a tray lined with nonstick baking paper. Bake in batches at 170C (150C fan-assisted)/335F/gas mark 3 for about 15 minutes.


A week later, and these have been in a airtight box and I swear they got better.  The spiciness seems to have matured / intensified and they are a great texture.  Thumbs up from our friend who is visiting from the UK - she's been waking up early with jetlag and eating tea and biscuits for breakfast until S+I get up.

Sweet and sour red lentils

 

It has been raining since Monday.  Now it's Thursday, and it's wetter than ever.  It felt like weather for comfort food.  I decided that = dal.  I was looking for a red lentil dal, with the thought at the back of my mind that I'd like to use some of the fenugreek I bought the other day.  I came across this recipe by Madhur Jaffrey on the BBC, and it caught my eye - it includes a few of my current favourite things (tamarind, fenugreek, nigella, fennel seed...).

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.

Pune chickpeas

From my Covent Garden Soup Company cookbook.  An old staple (good store cupboard fare - tin of tomatoes, chickpeas and ginger I usually have in the freezer, a bunch of dry spices and we almost always have garlic and onions...)

8oz / 225g dried chickpeas (ie about 2 tins worth cooked ones)
2 x 2.5cm pieces ginger
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
few black peppercorns
seeds of 5 cardamom pods, ground
1 red chili, seeded
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp veg oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
6 tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 1 400g tin)
1/4 tsp tamarind paste
chopped coriander to serve

Soak chickpeas with ginger, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns. Drain, rinse and boil ~ 1 hour.  Drain, reserving 570ml cooking liquid and separately the ginger and bay leaves. 

Put ground cardamom, bay leaves, ginger, chili, onion and garlic in liquidiser with 75ml / 3 fl oz water.  Puree til smooth.  Heat oil and cook cumin, turmeric and cinnamon for 30sec.  Add paste and cook 10 min gently without burning.  Add tomatoes and reserved cooking liquid.  Cook til sauce is dark and thick.  Finally add cooked chick peas, stir and cook for 1 min.  Stir in tamarind paste and serve garnished with coriander.

I often adapt this as I have pre-cooked the chickpeas / don't have cooking liquid / don't have fresh chili / don't have fresh tomatoes.  Then I grind the bay leaves with dried chili and cardamom, then blend this with the onion, garlic and ginger.  I use veg stock or just water instead of cooking liquid and substitute tinned tomatoes for fresh - it comes out just as tasty.