Sneaky Mums & Their Recipes!

So it’s official! I am like my mum and we are exactly the same!! Both of us were very cheeky and sneaky today in getting our children to eat goodness as they are unwell. One big child, being me and my little ‘un. My mum made me an extremely spiced ginger tomato soup to help my cold and I made chapati flat bread with broccoli and cauliflower to get vegetables into my youngest!

It worked, the soup was so refreshing and allowed me to breathe again properly after days of being blocked up. Whilst my little one munched away on the green chapati not knowing that he was eating lots and lots of vegetable goodness! Worked out for both parties!….

INGREDIENTS

1 small broccoli in florets
1 small cauliflower in florets
1 clove garlic minced
½ tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp soft cream cheese
2-3 tbsp sunflower oil
200g chapati flour
1 level tsp salt
1 level tsp garam masala
1 heaped tsp cumin & coriander powder
Flour for rolling
Butter for spreading

METHOD

Boil the cauliflower and broccoli until tender.  In a food processor put the boiled florets with everything except for the flour

Whizz into a thick paste, will look a bit like a pesto, gradually add the flour to form a soft dough

Heat a non stick frying pan on a medium heat

Take about a tablespoon and a half of dough, roll into a ball, dust in some flour and gently roll out into a flat round approximately 6 to 7 cm

Place into the frying pan, wait for a minute or so until it bobbles, turn over and cook until both sides have a few brown spots. Make sure the flatbread is cooked all the way round

Serve with a little melted butter

I’m taking some over to Angie’s Fiesta Friday Party!

A Baked Broccoli Kofta Curry….

I absolutely love to find new recipes to try and am able to get a variety everyday on the Facebook interactive food group. With over 6000 members, I have made many friends and you can imagine the amount of vegetarian food dishes, recipes and ideas that are flying around.

I see so many that I wish to make, that now I have started to bookmark them. The first one I couldn’t wait to cook was The Baked Broccoli Kofta Curry by Swathi Pareek @ Cooking wid joy and what an outstanding recipe. Firstly what stood out at me was that the koftas were baked rather than fried and the ingredients were really healthy with hardly any use of oil.

What resulted was a superb curry with an intense broccoli hit of kofta in the most delectable tomato based curry. Swati! What a fantastic recipe!! One I know I will be making over and over again. Thank you so much!

It’s a must make…Do visit Swati and check out more tasty vegetarian recipes. Hope you all enjoy it. Have a relaxing, stress free Sunday! Much love D x

I followed the recipe with one acception.  I added a handful of cheddar cheese to the broccoli mash!  You know me and cheese! Lol!

Everyone loves roast potatoes! And Curry!…

Everyone loves roast potatoes! And everyone loves curry, so this is what I decided to make and what a dish! Even though I say so myself! 😉 This particular dish left my husband eating out of the saucepan!

With the addition of roasted garlic this really is a treat. It is tangy, flavoursome and spicy! Perfect with some fresh crusty bread or pitta bread for a warm autumnal meal.

Brilliant if you have some roast potatoes left over from a Sunday roast. This way you can transform them into a different meal altogether!

INGREDIENTS

For the first part

1kg baby new potatoes
6 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp sunflower oil
salt to taste

For the curry sauce

1 tbsp sunflower oil
400g crushed tomato passata
1 tsp ginger puree
1 green chilli finely sliced
¼ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
2 fresh tomatoes chopped
6 Roasted cloves of garlic
2 tsp cumin & coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste approx 1½ tsp

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°c

Par boil the potatoes for 10 minutes so they soften a little. Drain them, coat in a little sunflower oil

Place in a roasting tray along with the garlic cloves, sprinkle with salt and roast for 30 minutes

In the mean time, heat the tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan. Add the mustard and cumin seeds, once they start to sizzle, throw in the fresh tomato with the roast garlic and ginger

Sauté for a couple of minutes. Pour in the tomato passata. Throw in the rest of the spices and seasoning. Cooked on a slow simmer for 10 minutes

Gently place the roasted potatoes into the curry sauce and smash them a little in order for the flavour to be absorbed

Mix well and carry on cooking for a further 20 or so minutes

For flavours to absorb further need to sit for a while before serving

Saag Aloo, I’m back to being healthy!

So the plan was to take a cheeky break from our relatively healthy diet that both my husband and I are on. We did for a while…And I’m extremely happy to say I am back to eating healthy and even healthier! Yay!

The reason for the termination of the cheeky break was that I started to feel horrible physically. I felt bloated and guilty that I had to go back to the wonderful way it was!

I think anyone can tell you to eat healthy, but it’s only when you see what a difference it makes to you! It’s when you realise it’s the best thing for you. You feel better, not only physically but emotionally too!

So what better way to celebrate then to share my saag aloo recipe with you all. Fresh vivid green baby spinach draped over soft spiced new potatoes! It just couldn’t get better. Enjoy, much love D x

INGREDIENTS

500g new potatoes quartered and par boiled
200g baby spinach
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 green chilli finely sliced
½ tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp sunflower oil
¼ mustard seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of dried red chilli flakes
⅓ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander & cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste

METHOD

• Heat up the oil in a large saucepan with the chilli flakes, mustard and cumin seeds. Once they start to pop, gently add in the garlic, ginger and par boiled potatoes, mix well and ensure the potatoes are coated in the oil

• Throw in all the spices and seasoning, combine well, pour in a little water to aid the cooking process (½ cup)

•Cover and simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes.

• Put in the whole bag of baby spinach and cover to allow it to wilt, stirring occasionally

• Leave to cook for a further 10 minutes, ensuring that the potato is now soft and fluffy. You may like add a little single cream to make the curry a little richer (leave out if Vegan)

• Serve up with some naan bread or chapattis

Coriander Paneer Curry

I make paneer in many ways but have not made one draped in a zinging coriander and peppery marinade. This curry turned out to be a refreshing change to a tomato base paneer curry which is extremely common in Indian restaurants.

Blending all the main sauce ingredients together including the spices and seasoning before cooking, really adds an oomph to this dish! You’ll be surprised to know that I very much am an artist at work whilst cooking and this dish was the result of a bit of colour, texture and as much flavour as I could find to complete the final dish! I work with what I have and go with the flow! This is one thing I am absolutely loving about making up my own recipes.
Now that I have started, I just can’t stop!

INGREDIENTS

250g paneer diced
1 tbsp sunflower oil
40g fresh coriander
1 green/yellow bell pepper chopped
1 large tomato chopped
2 cloves garlic
1½ tsp coriander & cumin powder
½ tsp red chilli powder
⅓ tsp turmeric
2 tsp shahi paneer masala
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
⅓ tsp mustard seeds
Tomato passata/puree for colour optional
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

METHOD

• Put all ingredients apart from the paneer, oil and lemon juice into food processor and blend until you have a marinade type of paste

• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan along with the mustard seeds, once they start to sizzle and pop, gently pour in the coriander paste and stir well

• Cover and simmer on a low heat for 6-8 minutes and then drop in the paneer cubes

Make sure all the paneer is coated in the masala paste

• To add a bit of colour stir in a little tomato puree or passata and then simmer again on a low heat for a further 15-20 minutes, until the paneer is soft and succulent

• Finally squeeze over a little fresh lemon juice and serve with some naan bread

An Amazing Pastry Chef! Look At These!

One of the most delicious delicacies I always get to devour every year, thanks to my Aunty N. Either when I visit her or somehow they are passed on to my parents for express delivery! The Ghugra is a flaky pastry encased sweet filling of semolina, coconut, ground nuts and Indian warming spices. Very traditionally made at Diwali but I thought I would share my Aunt’s famous ghugra with you all at Christmas. A lot of skill goes in to making them especially the stunning crimping that my Aunt is brilliant at! Just take a look at the gorgeous pictures ~

My Aunty N, is an amazing baker and cook. I’ve known her since I was born and her family is like a second family to me. I’ve always looked up to her and her family. I used to say to my mum that I wanted to be like her daughter always!

Our Aunt and family have always been there for us. When my mum was having my younger brother she was hospitalized urgently and we stayed with our aunt. I vividly remember her brushing my hair and getting me ready for school.

I just wanted to thank her and her family for what they have done for me over the years and she is truly an inspiration to me and my cooking. Oh! of course I forgot to mention her rock cakes! They too are very much out of this world. I will try and get her to do a guest post for me soon, so you too can see how talented my Aunty N is!

For now I am linking up to a ghugra recipe Ghugras for Christmas ~ but I will try and share my Aunt’s beautiful recipe with you all. But first I have soo much to learn from her! I can’t wait xxxx

Much Love D x

Potato & Spinach Theplas & A Chilli Tomato Chutney

I woke up this morning and I asked my 2 year old what he wanted for breakfast?
I got an instant answer that just rolled off of his tongue…”Thepla please Mummy!”

I couldn’t resist the sweetness in the reply and I did ask what he had wanted to eat. So I’ve just finished making them and thought I would share my spinach theplas again but with a variation…

I grated a red potato with peel and combined it into the flour as I do with the spinach in my spinach theplas

Please note that you may have to use a little less water to bind the dough as the potato releases its own moisture. Otherwise follow my thepla recipe and add a little more seasoning according to taste

This way my little one will be full up for longer and the potato does add to the softness of the thepla

Carrying on the theme of tomatoes from the last post I felt an impullse to make a hot fresh tomato chutney to accompany the theplas. Within fifteen minutes I had a chutney good to go!

INGREDIENTS

For the chilli tomato chutney
1 tbsp sunflower oil
½ tsp red chilli flakes
2 tomatoes chopped
2-3 long green chillies
⅓ tsp salt
1 tsp cumin and coriander powder
pinch of turmeric
½ tsp red chilli powder

METHOD

• Heat up the oil in a small saucepan with the chilli flakes, on a low heat let the flakes infuse into the oil for 5 minutes

• Add the rest of the ingredients to the oil, mix well and let the tomatoes and chilli cook in the oil on a low heat for 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally and squashing the tomatoes a little with a fork to tenderise them

• Once the chutney is mushy and the the chilli soft serve it with the potato spinach theplas

Even he couldn’t resist pretending to make some thepla! 🙂