July 2010

Spice Mix

For all it’s wonderful things , I have but one failing in NZ so far.

They simply don’t know to make a proper curry , and you definately cannot buy a decent one anywhere I have ever been , so I have posted this into my online resources for when I travel.

8 parts coriander powder
7 parts tumeric powder
5 parts cumin powder
4 parts curry powder
4 parts paprika (optional)

Simply measure the required quantities (e.g. teaspoons full), mix together and store in an air-tight jar, in a cool place, out of direct sunlight.

Kris Dhillon Curry Gravy

How To Make The Curry Sauce

For approximately eight main course dishes.
Preparation and cooking time: 1 hr 30 minutes approx.

2 lb (900g) cooking onions
2 oz (50g) green ginger
2 oz (50g) garlic
2? pint (I litre 570ml) water
1 teaspoon salt

1 tin (8oz/225g) tomatoes
8 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon tomato puree
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika

Stage One

Peel and rinse the onions, ginger, and garlic. Slice the onions and roughly chop the ginger and garlic.
Put the ginger and garlic into a blender with about ? pint of the water and blend until smooth.
Take a large saucepan and put into it the onions, the blended garlic and ginger, and the remainder of the water.
Add the salt and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat to very low and simmer, with the lid on, for 40-45 minutes.
Leave to cool.

Stage Two

Once cooled, pour half the boiled onion mixture into a blender and blend until perfectly smooth. Absolute smoothness is essential. To be certain, blend for at least two minutes. Pour the blended onion mixture into a clean pan or bowl and repeat with the other half of the boiled onion mixture.
Wash and dry the saucepan. Reserve about four tablespoons of the sauce at this stage to use in cooking the chicken and lamb.
Freezing. Freezing is best done at this stage.

Stage Three

Open the can of tomatoes, put into the rinsed blender jug, and blend. Again, it is important that they are blended perfectly smooth, so blend for two minutes.
Into the clean saucepan, pour the oil, tomato puree, turmeric, and paprika.
Add the blended tomatoes and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes.
Now add the onion mixture to the saucepan and bring to the boil again. Turn down the heat enough to keep the sauce at a simmer.
You will notice at this stage that a froth rises to the surface of the sauce. This needs to be skimmed off.
Keep simmering for 20-25 minutes. Stirring now and again to prevent the sauce sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.
Use immediately or cool and refrigerate for up to four days.

Caramelised Scallops with Thai Salad

This is inspired by a Thai salad that’s usually made with green papaya. It has a delicious sweet spicy flavour and goes beautifully with the sweet, pan-seared scallops.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serves 4

2 courgettes
2-3 carrots
1 firm mango
1 garlic clove, chopped
A bit of red chilli, deseeded and sliced lengthways
A good pinch of sea salt
2 limes, juice and zest
2 tsp honey
A pack of 8 fresh scallops
A lump of butter
A handful fresh coriander leaves
100g roasted peanuts, roughly crushed, to serve

Using a potato peeler, peel the courgettes along their length, then just keep going, making strips of the flesh until you reach the seed pod in the centre. Nibble the seed pod while you cook or thinly slice it and add it to the salad. Peel the carrot in the same way. Peel one side of the mango using a vegetable peeler and then shave off long, thin slivers of the mango’s flesh using the peeler, so it’s a bit similar in shape and texture to the courgettes and carrots. Continue around the whole of the mango until you’ve used most of it up.

Mix the courgettes, carrot and mango with the garlic, chilli, salt, lime juice and zest, and honey. Divide the salad between plates. Place a frying pan big enough for the scallops over high heat. Add a lump of butter. Once it starts to froth up, add the scallops. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until golden, on each side. Season. Plonk the scallops on top of the salads. Garnish with coriander leaves and crushed peanuts. Delicious with a cold bee

Bombayed New Potatoes

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves 4 as a side dish

3 glugs of vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ a thumb of ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp chilli powder, to your taste (optional)
Enough new potatoes for 4, scrubbed and cut into 2.5cm pieces

Heat the oil in a hot, lidded frying pan and fry the cumin and mustard seeds for a minute or so until they pop. Now add the ginger, garlic and onion and continue frying for a further minute before adding the turmeric, garam masala and chilli powder (optional). Cook for 1 more minute.

Now turn the heat down to low and add the potatoes to the pan. Mix in half a mug of water, put the lid on and continue cooking for about 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly, or until the potatoes are just tender. You may need to add a little extra water to stop them sticking to the pan as they cook. Add just what you need to keep the potatoes mobile in the pan, though, so they’re quite dry when you serve them.

Souper Mix: Vegetable Bouillon

_MG_1115

250g leeks, sliced and well-washed
200g fennel bulb, chopped
200g carrot, well scrubbed and chopped
100g celery
100g celeriac, peeled and chopped
50g sun-dried tomatoes
100g onions chopped
3 medium garlic cloves
250g fine grain sea salt
100g flat-leaf parsley, loosely chopped
100g coriander, loosely chopped

Everything into the blender .

Blitz until moist and granular

Store off in jars.

You’ll never use veggie stock cubes again.

Use 2 tsp to 500ml of hot water.

Sooper Mix : Fresh Vege Stock