The Cradle of life

So, they say many of us originated in or around Ethiopia, unless you clearly believe that god created you just as beautiful as you are somewhere in the Mid West.

So they've had plenty of time to create some interesting food. Injera aside, which seems to be a polarising force amongst people, if you like spicy food, you should love a Wat or too. 

There are a few issues with sourcing ingredients so be prepared for a hunt, or if you are lucky enough to live in Brixton a visit to the nice lady in the Reliance arcade who can sell you most of what you need.

Here's a great recipe to get started

Doro Wat 
 
Roughly 1 kilo of chicken - thighs and drumsticks or cut up a whole chicken
1 lemon or lime
3 large red onions (chopped - I use a food processor on pulse)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup Niter Kibbeh (you'll need to make this)
1 cup berbere
1 tsp mitmita (or more, optional)
1 tsp mekelesha
1 tsp Koraima Ethiopian cardamom
1/2 tsp ajwain,
 
1 tsp ground ginger
1 egg per person eating hard boiled and cooled
water, as needed
salt, to taste

Make Niter Kibeh

Chop onions and add to a dry pan. I used a big Le Creuset casserole

Cook the onions on a low heat for at least 30 minutes or more. (NO OIL) They should break down considerably. A splash of water will stop them sticking if your pan is too hot, but just go easy and all will be well.


Skin the chicken pieces . Squeeze the lemon/lime juice over the chicken and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. 


When the onions are ready, add the Niter Kibbeh, the berbere, garlic, and the spices except for the mekelesha. 

Cook the spices gently for 30 minutes over low heat. Taste for heat. To increase spiciness, add up to an additional half cup of berbere, or add some more mitmita.

Add the chicken and 200 - 400 ml of water. Just enough to almost cover the meat. 

Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is done, and the sauce has thickened 30-45 minutes. 


Taste for seasoning 

Add the eggs. Sprinkle with mekelesha, stir, and serve on top of injera - or more realistically rice

Meat Free Monday

If you can avoid any complicated cooking on a Monday you should. Sadly, due to an unforeseen infestation of gannets on Saturday night there's was to be no left over curry. Which led to a look for something new and that would use up things around the fridge. 

The lovely Brixton Roti lady was also missing this weekend so in homage to her, a Guyanese curry modestly adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's curry bible which I'm on a mission to cook through eventually.


Ingredients

Two cans of chickpeas (Kala Chana if possible, and dried and cooked if you have the time) 
1 large onion - roughly chopped 

6 garlic cloves
1/2 -1 Scotch bonnet - depending on heat level you like. 

3-4 Tablespoons of oil
1 heaped Tablespoon of hot curry powder (I'm currently keeping Bolsts which is easy to get or make your own)

1 heaped Teaspoon of dry roasted and ground cumin  

4 medium potatoes peeled and 2cm cubed
Teaspoon of Salt + more to taste at the end
Green Cabbage / Spring Greens - lots - maybe a whole cabbage. just keep putting it in until you have enough. - cut the core out of the leaves and then cut the leaves into inch wide strips and then crossways to give roughly 1 inch square pieces.

Coconut Milk - Optional

Directions:

1 Put the onion, garlic, Scotch bonnet and 4 Tablespoons of water in a blender and process until smooth. 

2 Heat the oil over a medium high heat. Put in the onion paste and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

3 Reduce the heat to medium low, then cover and continue cooking the paste. for another 2-3 minutes. Stir it frequently just to prevent sticking, and keep it covered between stirs.

4 Add the curry powder and the cumin, stir.
  

5 Add the chickpeas, potatoes, 1 Teaspoon of salt, and a pint of water or weak vegetable stock.   Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover. Cook gently, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are done to your tastes, 20 - 25 minutes.
  

6 Add in the cabbage and half to one can of coconut milk if you have it - if not just 200ml of hot water. Bring back to a simmer, cover and cook for an additional 10 - 15 minutes, or until the cabbage is just softened. Do not over cook the cabbage.
  

7 Taste and add more salt and / or chillies if you need to.

A Greek lunch in Cyprus. Aubergines with olive oil, garlic, parsley and feta

 

A quick break in Cyprus to see my mum and get some last sun before a the British winter sets in the damp for a few months at least.

Saw this on TV at the weekend and combined with some leftover masala chops and some local cheese bread it was a great lunch and beautifully simple.

Aubergines with olive oil, garlic, parsley and feta (Simon Hopkinson)

Serves 4 with the dressing below

• Aubergines – as many as you think you can eat – probably a couple of the thin asian ones depending on size per person
• Garlic, 2-3 cloves, finely chopped
• Parley leaves, a large handful, finely chopped and then chopped together with the garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil, 5-6 tbsp
• Salt and pepper go easy on the salt
• Feta cheese,made with sheep and goat's milk rather than cow's – as much as looks generous without being overwhelming
• lemon juice, to taste

Heat the grill on high. Run a knife around the neck of the aubergines, one centimetre away from the stalk, just cutting through the skin. Now make four very shallow cuts (just through the skin – think scoring crackling) down, right to the bulbous end.

Grill them, turning them every 5 minutes. This part should take about 20 minutes. You want them soft and yielding but not too collapsed.

Whilst they are grilling, mix together the parsley, garlic, olive oil and a small amount of salt and leave to mingle. the dressing should be quite wet but still thick with the parsley.

When the aubergines are ready, transfer to your serving plate. (ideally a big one that can hold the aubergines in one layer) and allow to cool for a few minutes. With the help of a knife, peel off the skin in 4 sheets and discard. Without cutting through the stalk end, split the aubergines in two – they’ll look a bit ugly at this stage.

Grind on some black pepper and spoon the dressing over the aubergines. Crumble the feta over the top and squeeze some lemon juice. Add a bit more oil if you think it needs it

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chana Dal from The Sunday Times

This is warming, gentle and very good.

However, if it serves four people on it’s own I'd be surprised, so up or double the quantities. Makes sense to double as then you can use a whole tin of coconut milk.

You might also need more chilli if you like that sort of thing.

Left overs would be great for lunch as part of roti filling.

Serves 4-6
Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 35 minutes

1 tbsp coconut or other oil – maybe some ghee….
2 onions, peeled and chopped
6 cloves of garlic, grated
2 red chilli, finely chopped
5cm piece of ginger, grated
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cumin
100g red lentils
400ml chicken or vegetable stock
200ml coconut milk
400g can of chickpeas

Rice and fresh coriander, to serve

Heat the oil in a pan. Fry the onions slowly for about 15 minutes until they have really softened and started to go golden brown. Add the garlic, chilli and ginger and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the spices and toast them for 1 minute. Throw in the lentils and stir to coat them in the spicy onions. Cover with the stock and coconut milk. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and cook for a final 10 minutes until everything is cooked through and wonderfully aromatic.

Mejadra–very moorish…

Strangely I come across this recipe almost three years to tge day that it appeared in the Observer. I imagine most of west london has already moved on, but more fool them as it’s a particularly suitable dish for this time of year when you start to think about needing something warming to fight of the first wave of colds sweeping the city.

So – better late than never….

Bittersweet fried onions cooked with sweet spices and topped with yoghurt make a meal to remember

Photograph: Colin Campbell for the Guardian

Yotam Ottolenghi  -  Serves four

250ml sunflower oil
4 medium onions, thinly sliced
250g green or brown lentils
2 tsp cumin seeds
1½ tbsp coriander seeds
200g basmati rice
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground turmeric
1½ tsp ground allspice
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
Salt and black pepper
350ml water

Heat the sunflower oil in a medium-size heavy-based saucepan. When very hot, carefully add a third of the sliced onion. Fry for five to seven minutes, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon, until the onion takes on a nice, golden-brown colour and turns crispy. Use the spoon to transfer the onion to a colander and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with two more batches of onion.

I did this in a wok, which in hindsight was a little dangerous even on a stand, but did mean i used a little less oil. Don’t be tempted to shallow fry the onions as it takes forever and they won’t be as crisp

Meanwhile, put the lentils in a small saucepan, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the lentils have softened but still have a little bite. Drain into a colander.

Wipe clean the saucepan in which you fried the onion and drop in the cumin and coriander seeds. Place over a medium heat and toast the seeds for a minute or two, until they release those distinctive aromas. Add the rice, olive oil, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, half a teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Stir to coat the rice with oil, then add the cooked lentils and water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on very low heat for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat, lift off the lid and cover the pan with a clean tea towel. Seal tightly with the lid and set aside for 10 minutes. Finally, tip the rice and lentils into a large mixing bowl. Add half the fried onion and stir gently with a fork. Pile up in a shallow serving bowl and top with the rest of the onion.

Serve with plain yoghurt or some tzatziki. Some fiery chili sauce on the other side is also very good for a hot  / cold / soothing contrast.

Add grilled fish / meats and salad for more of a complete dinner.

Saag Paneer–better than Khan’s..

 

Saag Paneer probably appears on 95% of all our takeaway curry orders but I’d never made it from scratch – too much spinach and cream for me to be bothered with.

Frozen spinach and yoghurt completely transform the prospect and paneet keeps in the fridge for ages so you can pretty much always have the ingredients for this. I made a cauliflower curry on the side too – not so successful. Still – better than Khan’s is good enough to make it again.

Recipe courtesy Aarti Sequeira – Foodnetwork

Prep Time:

10 min 

Cooking Time:

45 min

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or Kashmiri chilli powder
• Sea salt
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 tablespoons veg oil or ghee, or mix of both
• a block of paneer – around 200-300g, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 500g frozen chopped spinach
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped – if you can get Indian pink onions they are beautiful although often pricey – well, for onions anyway.
• 1 thumb of ginger, peeled and finely chopped (about 1-2 tablespoon)
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 2-3 Indian green chillies, finely chopped or other chillies to whatever heat strength you like it.
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 heaped teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup plain yoghurt, stirred until smooth

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons oil. Gently, drop in the cubes of paneer and gently toss, taking care not to break the cubes if you're using the homemade kind. Let the cubes marinate while you get the rest of your ingredients together and prepped.

Thaw the spinach in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish, and then chop a bit more if it’s too chunky for you. 

Place a large frying pan (non-stick if it is undamaged or a good well seasoned cast iron one preferably)  over medium heat, and add the paneer as the pan warms. In a couple of minutes give the pan a toss; each piece of paneer should be browned on one side. Fry another minute or so, and then remove the paneer from the pan onto a plate.

Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chili.

Gently fry the onion mix until it’s a rich golden colour - which should take about 15 minutes, although inevitably it takes longer. Don't skip this step - this is the foundation of the dish! If you feel like the mixture is drying out and burning, add a couple of tablespoons of water.

Add the garam masala, coriander and cumin. If you haven't already, sprinkle a little water to keep the spices from burning. Cook, stirring often, until the raw scent of the spices cook out, and it all smells like it knows each other a bit, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the spinach and stir well, incorporating the spiced onion mixture into the spinach. Add a little salt and 1/2 a glass of water, stir, and cook about 5 minutes with the lid off.

Turn the heat off. Add the yogurt, a little at a time to keep it from curdling. Once the yogurt is well mixed into the spinach, add the paneer. Turn the heat back on, cover and cook until everything is warmed through, about 5 minutes.

Eat with bread or rice. In general also think most of this kind of food should come with some sort of salad, from a kachumber, to a simple green or tomato, it often needs just a sharp lemon juice and salt dressing to offset the richness of the spices. Try it and see what you think.

Bean Curry–adapted very slightly from Madhur Jaffreys Ultimate Curry Bible.

 

Get yourself some fresh curry leaves. Really nothing like them. Although they did lead to a week of Curry.

No great harm in that. 

Probably takes about 20-30 mins all in.

Ingredients

• 1 can of beans – drained and rinsed (Black Eye were good, Kidney if you must)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 whole, dried, hot red chillies
• 1 tsp whole brown mustard seeds
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• A generous pinch of ground Asafetida
• 15 fresh curry leaves, if available
• 3 medium tomatoes, grated on the coarsest part of the grater  (or just chopped up a bit if you think life’s too short)
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3 fresh, hot green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 tsp peeled fresh ginger grated to a pulp
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1½ tsp salt

Method

1. pour the oil into a medium pan and set over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the red chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the curry leaves and tomatoes. Stir once, then add the turmeric, coriander, cumin, green chillies, garlic, ginger, sugar and salt. Stir and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
2. Pour the beans into the pan with the spiced tomato mixture. Bring to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, on a very low heat, for 10-15 minutes.

Pineapple Curry

 

Didn’t make this myself, L did, but brought back fantastic memories of our trip to Sri Lanka in January and a very welcome ice cold drink and fan at the Sun House in Galle at the start of the Galle Literary festival.

From their kitchen via Rick Stein and the BBC.

For this recipe, you only need a small amount of the roasted Sri Lankan curry powder. The remaining curry powder can be stored in a screw-top jar for up to three months and used in other recipes.

If you are in Sri Lanka pick up a bag of this and the unroasted kind as well and this curry can be ready before the rice is cooked. Pandan Leaf not that easy to come by, but you can get essence in Asian food shops.

Great with a Sri Lankan cooked salad (and maybe some chicken curry too if you eat meat)

 

Ingredients

For the roasted Sri Lankan curry powder

• 1 tbsp uncooked long-grain or basmati rice

• 50g/2oz coriander seeds

• 25g/1oz cumin seeds

• 25g/1oz fennel seeds

• 1 x 7.5cm/3in cinnamon stick

• 1½ tsp fenugreek seeds

• ½ tsp cloves

• ½ tsp cardamom seeds (from about 10 green pods)

• ½ tsp black mustard seeds

• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns

• 3 dried red Kashmiri chillies

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

For the pineapple curry

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil

• 25g/1oz finely chopped garlic

• 100g/3½oz onions or shallots, peeled, finely sliced

• 1 x 5cm/2in cinnamon stick, broken into smaller pieces

• 24 fresh curry leaves (available from some Asian supermarkets)

• 6 x 2.5cm/1in slices pandan leaf (available from some Asian supermarkets)

• 3 tbsp roasted Sri Lankan curry powder (see above)

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 x 400ml/14fl oz can coconut milk

• 650g/1lb 7oz pineapple chunks

• 4 green cayenne chillies, peeled, finely sliced

• 1 tsp salt

Preparation method

1. For the roasted Sri Lankan curry powder, heat a heavy-based, deep-sided frying pan over a medium heat. Add the uncooked rice and cook for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan regularly, until the rice is toasted and pale golden-brown. Transfer the toasted rice to a large mortar or spice grinder and set aside to cool.

2. Repeat the dry-frying process with the spices, then tip into a bowl and set aside to cool.

3. In the same pan, repeat the dry-frying process with the dried chillies, then tip into a bowl and set aside to cool.

4. When the toasted rice, spices and chillies have cooled, add the remaining spices, dried chillies and ground turmeric, and grind to a fine powder (do this in batches if necessary).

5. For the pineapple curry, heat the oil in the same frying pan. Add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes, then add the onions or shallots, cinnamon stick, curry leaves and pieces of pandan leaf and fry, stirring regularly, for 2-3 minutes.

6. Add the three tablespoons of the roasted Sri Lankan curry powder and the ground turmeric. Continue to fry for a further minute, or until the spices are fragrant.

7. Add the coconut milk, stir well and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, then continue to simmer for a further 1-2 minutes.

8. Add the pineapple chunks, green chillies and salt and return the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat again until the mixture is simmering and continue to simmer for a further 4-5 minutes.

9. Serve immediately.

Chipotle Smoky Beef–best easy recipe yet

Easiest Chilie beef ever.

Chipotles add a smoky flavor but aren’t that hot…..probably. 

Prep Time: 10 minutes (max)

Cook Time: 4 hours ish

Feeds a lot, 6 as a main I reckon – especially if you turn it into burritos then probably about 10 or more.

Ingredients:

· Anywhere between 1kg and 1.5kg of beef – ideally in one piece and the kind that will respond to long slow cooking. Buy quality, but no need for a quick roasting  joint or steak.

· 1 can of chopped tomatoes

· 1 can full of  beef stock (put stock cube – the knorr jelly ones are good into the empty tomato can, fill with boiling water, stir, add to pan)

· 1 can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce ( you can get these in Picante next time you go) or you could use some dried chilies(10 or so depending on heat) and a large slug of smoked paprika ground together and some tomato paste– but that’s a lot harder than opening a tin and not as good.

· Peppers (two – red and / or orange Ideally) chopped into smallish bits

· 1 tablespoon cumin (maybe more if you feel like it)

· 1/2 tablespoon oregano

· 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped or crushed

· Optional (1 or 2 large dried ancho chilies toasted and ground)

· Some fresh chilies – depends on you really how many – Scotch Bonnet or The Thai ones are good here but any will do.

· A large onion, peeled and medium chopped

· Optional (if you must have beans in your beef, use a tin of rinsed black beans and stick them in for the last half hour after you’ve shredded the meat)

Preparation:

1. Turn the oven on to about 130 – 140 for non fan.

2. Boil Kettle for the stock

3. Get a big lidded casserole dish

4. Stick the beef in it fat side down

5. Pour tomatoes and beef stock over the top.

6. Pour tin of chipotles over and add the remaining ingredients so they are all poured on top of the beef.

7. Stir everything together

8. Cook for 4 or 5 hours.

9. Turn the beef over every hour or so if you remember, but at least after the first hour.

10. Could be ready after 3 if you are in a hurry – see if you can easily shred the beef into the sauce if you can, then do so with a couple of forks and then stir it all together and give it another hour ideally.

 

Serve with some or all of Rice, Salad, pickled Jalapenos, fresh tomato salsa, avocado slices, tortilla chips, Tortillas etc etc.

Oh – and Fresh Coriander and Lime wedges

 

Gets better over a couple of days.

Bloody Good Coriander Chicken

 

Make more than you need because it's great reheated the next day or shredded into flatbreads with salad leaves a drizzle of minty yoghurt or tzatziki and some extra fresh chillies. 

Either way, pretty much a 30 minute meal once you start cooking.

 

Adapted from From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes from the Indian Spice Trail. © 2003 by Madhur Jaffrey. Published by Clarkson Potter.
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, coarsely chopped (a big thumb)
• 5 good-sized cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice (a large squeeze)
• 4 chicken legs, skinned and separated into drumsticks and thighs
• 1 medium to large tomato, chopped
• a big bunch (90g) of coriander leaves and small stems
• 3-4 fresh hot green chilies, coarsely chopped (or more if you are addicted – Scotch bonnets also work well here – about 4 or 5 as the yoghurt tempers the whole thing)
• 2-3 teaspoon tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup plain yogurt, lightly beaten with a fork

 

Instructions

Put the ginger, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the lemon juice into a blender. Add about 2 tablespoons of water and blend, pushing down with a rubber spatula if necessary, until smooth.

Place the chicken pieces in a stainless steel or non-metallic bowl. Pour the ginger mixture over the top and rub it in. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or for up to 24 hours. Without bothering to clean out the blender, put into it the tomato, cilantro, chilies, tomato paste, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth.

Pour the oil into a large, nonstick, lidded pan and set over high heat. When very hot, put in the chicken pieces, together with the marinade. Fry, stirring, until the chicken pieces are light brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato mixture from the blender. Continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick and clings to the chicken and the oil separates from it, another 10 minutes. Add the yogurt. Stir and cook until the yogurt disappears and leaves a thick sauce edged with oil, 4 to 5 minutes.

Cover, reduce the heat as low as possible, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. If you think that he pan is drying out too much, stir in a tablespoon or two of water.

Summer….

Seeing as it's chucking it down with rain i needed a bit of sunshine...

This is it on a plate.

I didn’t have any chicken, but was just as good with rare beef left over from the weekend

 

Vietnamese chicken salad with Chinese cabbage and bean sprouts recipe

 

This recipe is from Rick Stein's book, Far Eastern Odyssey

Spicy, sweet and sour salads, such as this recipe, appear all over Southeast Asia in one form or another.

You will need:
750g chicken thighs and/or breasts on the bone
100g shallots, very thinly sliced
400g Chinese leaf, core removed and the leaves finely shredded
100g bean sprouts
1 large carrot, halved across and finely shredded
15g Vietnamese mint, or a mixture of coriander and mint, or Thai sweet basil leaves, roughly chopped
40g roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing:
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp very finely chopped garlic
2 red bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped

Put the chicken pieces into a saucepan with 1 teaspoon salt and enough water to just cover. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and leave to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Leave to cool in the cooking liquid. Then remove and discard the skin and bones and break the flesh into long thin strips. Save the stock for another dish.

Put the shallots into a large bowl, toss with half a teaspoon salt and leave to soften for 30 minutes. (skip this bit if you forget, which I always do) Mix together the ingredients for the dressing. Just before serving, add the chicken to the bowl of salted shallots with the Chinese leaf, bean sprouts, shredded carrot, herbs and most of the peanuts.

Pour over the dressing, season generously with black pepper and toss together well. Mound the salad decoratively on a plate and serve sprinkled with the remaining peanuts

Asparagus is here

 

Of course there’s not much better than just butter, lemon and maybe a scraping of parmesan, but this recipe from Le Caprice looks pretty good. Maybe one for the bank holiday.

Serves 4

400g sea trout fillet, skin off and kept aside
300g green asparagus
20ml olive oil
1 head dandelion
60ml vinaigrette
10g chervil
10g tarragon
10g chives
20g baby watercress
Rock salt and freshly ground pepper

Season the trout skin with sea salt and place between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper and then between 2 baking sheets. Bake in a 90°C oven for 55 minutes, or until crispy.  Remove and leave to cool.  Cook the asparagus in salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes until tender.  Season the trout fillet with salt and pepper and coat in the chopped herbs (chives, tarragon and chervil).  Fry the fillet in a pre heated non stick pan until golden brown, the centre of the trout should be pink.  Dress the asparagus with vinaigrette and serve with the flaked sea trout and crispy skin.  Finish with dandelion and baby watercress.

Bloody Good Tofu

This came from a small book of Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes that was free with a national newspaper this weekend.  L was making Vietnamese Salad and this was fantastic with it, especially with some spiced roast chicken pieces on the side.

Black pepper tofu. Photograph: Colin Campbell / Guardian.co.uk

This tofu dish is a veggie version of a Chinese classic, best served with plain steamed white rice.  If you have an Asian grocer nearby, get the fresh tofu that's set in a tub. It has a wonderful silky, light texture. Serves four.

800g firm, fresh tofu
Cornflour, to dust the tofu
Vegetable oil, for frying
150g butter
12 small shallots (350g), peeled and thinly sliced
8 red chillies, thinly sliced
12 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp chopped ginger
5 tbsp crushed black peppercorns
3 tbsp sweet soy sauce / Kecap Manis
3 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
16 small, thin spring onions, cut into segments 3cm long

Cut the tofu into 3cm x 2cm blocks and toss them in cornflour, shaking off the excess. Pour in enough oil to come 0.5cm up the sides of a large frying pan, and bring up to frying heat. Fry the tofu in batches in the oil, turning the pieces as you go. Once they are golden all around, and have a thin crust, transfer to a paper towel.

Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan and throw in the butter. Once it has melted, add the shallots, chillies, garlic and ginger, and sauté for about 15 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the contents of the pan are shiny and totally soft. While you wait, crush the peppercorns, using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder. They should be quite coarse.

When the shallots and chillies are soft, add the soy sauces and the sugar, stir, then stir in the crushed pepper. Warm the tofu in the sauce for about a minute, then add the spring onion and stir through. Serve hot with steamed rice.

• Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi in London

 

Technorati Tags: Vegetarian,Tofu,Vegan

The Conversation Prism – Brian Solis

Very nice visual by Brian.

 

Dim Sum for 7

2 Pork Sui Mai
3 Prawn Har Gau
1 Char Siu Bun
2 Shanghai Dumplings

1 Turnip past
1 Scallop dumpling
3 Crispy Wonton
3 Spring Rolls
2 Choi Sum (garlic)
2 Beansprout Fried Noodles
1/2 Crispy Duck

Technorati Tags: Dim Sum,yum cha,victoria

 

The Radio Magazine

Adrian Juste writing for The Radio Magazine

A PERSONAL MEMORY OF BRMB’S JOHN RUSSELL

by Adrian Juste

I was saddened to hear of John’s death last week. Back in 1974 it was he who gave me my first big break in commercial radio

A slight, sometimes theatrical man with large gestures, blessed with a ready smile that revealed a set of perfect white teeth, and a trademark trimmed black beard, he cut an almost piratical figure along the corridors of the old ATV studios in Aston.

As one of ILR’s founding fathers, and programme director of the new Birmingham station, John breathed life into this peculiar radio hybrid, having opened the ambiguous instruction manual you got in the IBA box along with your licence: ‘Er, we want a.. um - sort of BBC local sound with added pizzazz, self-op and ad breaks.

Ooo, and you can play a bit of that noisy pop music too - but not much.’ And if you can make a few quid .. all well and good.’

In those days of course it was ‘Independent Radio’ - not commercial radio - that would have been just too, too vulgar!

Despite this daunting edict from Brompton Road, John used his forces radio background to breathe life into the cheap ‘n’ cheerful mix of features, talks & phone-ins that we had to do to flesh out our meagre 9 hours a day needle-time.

And by crikey, did he make it work - After a few months on air I seem to recall we had a market share of 56%! - here in 2009 you could put a decimal point between the 5 and 6 and most stations would be delighted. We beat the BBC hollow, both local and national.

Wherever you went in Birmingham in those early days, BRMB was on. I smile as I recall Les Ross walking down his road during the hot summer of ’76, and thinking: ‘Why’s Adrian got all that echo on his mic?’ He soon realised that I hadn’t - it was just that every house had their windows open and I was rattling all the way up the street!

We did Outside Broadcasts in abundance - ‘You have to be out there, meeting the audience’ was Russell’s philosophy.

And we were; our OB truck had more miles on it than Paula Radcliffe’s trainers.

If it was in Brum, so was BRMB: Pancake races, theatre premieres, sporting events, even ghost hunts, the cheery red & white logo was always prominent. I recall one afternoon when Jason King (alias Peter Wyngarde) was appearing with us the police were forced to close the Bull Ring as the overcrowding was getting dangerous.

All good stuff for a fledgling station!

After a very enjoyable year doing the afternoon show, John promoted me to breakfast, and I still have fond memories of watching the sun rise over Saltley gasworks as I woke up Birmingham. No idle boast that - we really had a huge audience.

But there was no way I could cope with the 3.30 alarm call that accompanied the breakfast show, and I had to quit, screaming ‘Get Les Ross!’ ... so the poor programme director didn’t really have anywhere left to put me.

It’s no secret that John and I didn’t get along too well during that time, and after three very enjoyable years with some really wonderful Brummies, I was ‘let go’. To be fair to him I don’t suppose I was one of the easiest turns to get along with either!

I’m very glad that he and I patched up any remaining differences we may have had at a Radio Academy seminar in the mid-80s. We parted that day on extremely good terms, our paths never to cross again.

I was doing rather well at Radio 1 by then, and think John was secretly proud that he’d discovered a little Station Assistant from BBC Radio Leicester - and let me loose on BRMB to cultivate my radio eccentricities. Well, broadcasting six hours a day, as you often had to, soon knocked you into shape!

As Robin Valk commented last week; in BRMB’s early years us jocks were a bunch of young, rather insecure types with egos that needed more than a little massage, but the fact that, armed with those decidedly dodgy components, John forged a cohesive and successful team who bonded well, is to the man’s eternal credit.

“I believe I hired presenters with not only engaging personalities, but above all with brains so they did not sound like ‘I speak your weight machines’. Many of them were deeply rooted, born and brought up in Birmingham and those that did not have that background were encouraged to become part of the community and the area’.

That’s true. When I started at the station I was commuting from Leicester, and John told me; ‘It’s important that you move to Birmingham to get the feel of the city and its people’. And he was right. It did make a difference. Oh dear, that must all sound rather twee to the voice-track & plug-liner brigade of today!

Here’s one of John Russell’s final thoughts on UK radio when speaking last year: ‘In my view the path of over-formatted sound, often produced centrally for a group of radio stations presented by anodyne presenters, was and is a grave mistake and has contributed to the decline of commercial radio today.”

When I left BRMB, as a joke, a couple of the jocks bequeathed me a large publicity photo-board of John as a ‘keepsake’.

What they don’t know is that, after all these years and three different houses, I still have it - in the roof of my garage.

You know, I’m going to dust it off and have a quiet reminisce about a man who, despite our occasional personal spats, had faith in me as a presenter ... where many hadn’t.

Hot Lunch

Image by specialkrb via Flickr

When a recession hits, its time to think about what's most important. We need to feel like we still have a place in a civilized world, and a proper lunch goes a long way to instilling a renewed sense of hope.

In that vein, we'll be sampling some of the best offers available around London over the next few weeeks. The main requirements are to try and come in around £30 per person including at least one glass of wine. For civility's sake.

First up (well second - but more on that later) Corrigans in Mayfair

The Bill

32.50 per person including service (there were 4)

£24 3 courses - including a 250ml carafe of wine
£2 Cover Charge (a bit crap)
Sides - some small money

The Food

Lambs Heart and Onion - 7
Monkfish Cheeks - 5
Blue Cheese Bavarois -6

Staff - Bloody lovely - 9

Value - 7

Overall - 34 / 50

The Stag

Weird Victoria pub, good friend leaving for Middle Eaast

Late late night.

No sausage this morning.

It hurts.

Got home late - needed something quick and hot and that would feed the Vegan.

Indian, South East Asian and Chinese vegan food can be good as long as its hot.

We've always got a block of tofu in the fridge and a massive bag of Szechuan peppercorns in the cupboard and the rest anyone who cooks Chinese food regularly should have.

This version is hot but no long term burn. Upweight the chilies if you want it hotter. I used a mix of dried and fresh because it's what I had to hand, and I prefer it that way, but one or the other will do.

Tip: Dry roast your peppercorns in a frying pan and grind them to a fine powder. It can be a bit gritty otherwise.

Serves 2-3 depending on hunger and side vegtables etc.

Some salad leaves with lemon juice or some steamed greens, pak choi is good. Plus lots of steamed basmati rice.

Recipe: Ma Po Tofu

Ingredients:

1 block tofu (firm is easier)
150 - 250g of Quorn or Soya mince
3 dessertspoons spicy bean paste
1large scotch bonnet chilli shrerdded or 1-2 birdseye chillies finely chopped
Couple of dried chilles broken up
1 dessertspoon cooking oil
3 dessertspoons chili oil
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns (roasted and ground to powder)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon fermented black beans (these last forever in the fridge, but soak / rinse them before use as they tend to be very salty)
3 large spring onions chopped into 2-3cm chunks
3 gloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 mug of water


Method:

First roast your peppercorns in a medium size dry frying pan (big enough to put the tofu in later) then grind in a pestle and mortar.

Cut the tofu into chunks put gently in the frying pan and and simmmer  for 5-10 minutes. This firms it up a bit. Drain the water from the tofu.

Heat up a wok and pour in the cooking oil and chili oil. Add the chopped garlic, quorn or soya mince, spicy bean paste and stir-fry for a few minutes until the mince is mostly cooked.

Then add the fresh and dry chillies, soy sauce, drained black beans and stir-fry for a minute or so. Add in the tofu and the water, be careful when stirring through as the tofu can break easily. It's not the end of the world, but you want some big chunks left at the end.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 3-5 mins or until the sauce thickens. Add in the roasted Szechuan peppercorn powder and chopped spring onions.

Gently stir and serve with rice - or noodles if you want.

(With thanks to www.rasamalaysia.com where the above is adapted from)

Some things are worth avoiding.

Image via Wikipedia

Nandos

Don't go till it's free range.

This is one of their suppliers. Now the situation may have changed since these pictures were taken, but this is a company that is incredibly hard to find information about.

http://www.viva.org.uk/campaigns/chickens/faccendainvestigation.htm

I wonder why.