Hustle and Bustle of Markets and a recipe for Garam Masala

The memories of food shopping!

I remember going to the food markets with my mum, she would always take so long in making sure the vegetables she bought were the right ripeness, the spices had to be fresh and I would always get so frustrated and bored as I was hanging around the shops waiting for her.  Other things are far more interesting than going food shopping when you're a kid!

Looking back at my experiences of these places, (Queens Market in Green St, East London brings back so many memories!) I have learnt so much about what to look for in vegetables, which brand is the best to use for certain foods and most importantly making sure the spices are the freshest and the best, as these are what make Indian food so aromatic.

I now love the hustle and bustle of a market, the smells and atmosphere which you can't get in a sterile supermarket and the varieties of foods from all around the world is amazing.

Its quite easy to buy a garam masala mix from the supermarket but in Indian cuisine you must have the right blend of spices to make each recipe unique.

This is why we tend to make our own garam masala at home, but I will always have the ground spices separately too so that we can add a bit more cinnamon for example to get that uniqueness in Indian food.

So, you may be thinking what actually goes into a garam masala mix..... the quantities of how much to add of each spice is really down to the individual (the variations of recipes is vast and differs from family to family), below is a basic one, once you've made and used this, you can judge which spice you want more or less of.

Garam masala is best used when it has been freshly made, but if like me you haven’t got the time or patience, you can make a batch and store for several months in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 0.5 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 tsp dry ginger
• 1 tsp black cardamom seeds(4 large pods)
• 1 tsp cloves (3 pieces)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (2 medium sized sticks)

Preparation

• Heat a heavy frying pan on a low/medium heat and gently roast the ingredients except the ginger, till they turn a few shades darker (this will take about 5-10 mins. Move the spices around to ensure even cooking

• When the spices are roasted turn the heat off and let them to cool.

• Once cooled, remove the cardamom seeds from their skins and add them back with all the other spices.

• Grind them all together, to a fine powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder. Or if you have the time, the old fashioned way, in a pestle and mortar

• Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.

Now you know how to make it, don't buy it, give it a go and you will be amazed at how wonderful your food will taste.

Hope you enjoy making this and look forward to hearing your comments on how you have used this wonderful aromatic spice mix!

Mashed Aubergine curry (Eggplant/Brinjal)

When its cold, wet and windy outside (even though we are spring) and we want the sun to shine, there is nothing better than this easy to make curry.  Its full of authentic flavours which make your tongue tingle with delight!

This recipe is bursting with flavours of garlic, chilli and tomatoes and the smokiness delights of the humble aubergine.

The aubergine can have a bitter taste, but when it's cooked it becomes tender and develops a rich flavour. I've seen lots of recipes which say to salt, rinse and drain the vegetable to soften it and to reduce the amount of fat absorbed during cooking, but mainly this method is used to remove the bitterness. However the large, purple ones you see in the supermarket don't need this treatment. You can make rich dishes and it can often be used as a meat substitiute due to its texture.

Aubergines are used in a variety of ways in Indian cooking and many friends have no idea what to do with the amazing vegetable.  Its such an extremely versatile vegetable, it can be used in:

• Aubergine dip
• Vegetable pasta
• Warm vegetable salad
• Grilled aubergine, tomato and hallomi stack
• Great with Mediterranean flavours in cous cous
• Amazing Potato and aubergine curries (see my recipe on the blog)
• Ratatouille
• Stuffed aubergines

The recipes are endless and so much can be done with this vegetable, so next time you're in the supermarket, don't just walk past it, pick it up and experiment!

So today, the recipe is for a mashed aubergine curry (called oro in Gujarati)

Ingredients:
60ml Sunflower Oil
2/3 cloves Garlic
Small bunch of Coriander, washed and finely chopped
400g/Medium size Aubergine
2 medium fresh tomatoes
1tsp Salt
1.5 tsp Cumin and Coriander Powder
0.5 tsp Turmeric

Cooked aubergine

Method
There are two ways to cook the aubergine, so use whichever method works for you:
1. Stick a fork in one end and lightly grill it over a flame, keep turning until the skin is slightly burned and you can take it off
2. Prick the skin with a fork and put in in a microwaveable dish with a lid for 5 mins with a couple of teaspoons of water

I tend to go for the second option as its quicker and easier! once the aubergine is slightly softened chop it in to medium pieces and put to one side.

In a saucepan add the oil and finely chopped garlic, wait for them to sizzle (but not go brown)

The sauce

Add the chopped tomatoes and salt, cumin and coriander powder and turmeric, mix well and leave to simmer for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes cook down.

Next add the Aubergine and mix well, leave to simmer for a further 10 minutes and remember to mix as it can stick to the pan.  You can add a little warm water at this stage if the curry needs it.

That's it! - It doesn't take long but it tastes amazing!

You can have this with chapattis and toovar dahl (lentil soup) - Pictured above.

So like I said, don't walk past this vegetable in the supermarket, try it out and give it a go, would love to hear your comments.

Cooking Vegetable Curries

Everyone always asks me how to make an authentic Indian curry

Recipe books are always an absolute nightmare as there are so many different variations and so many ingredients that you may not have in your kitchen cabinets, and if you do they are probably so old as you never get a chance to use them!

I've always been taught how to make simple vegetarian curries and they really are simple but have a wonderful, aromatic flavour. which will make your tastebuds tingle with delight.

Working parents also want to put a nutritious meal on the table for dinner. With tired kids, who just want to watch TV after from being at school all day, can be a nightmare especially when you try and juggle complex recipes from cookbooks.  Hunting around your kitchen cabinets to try and find all the variety of spices you need, coupled with kids running around your ankles, can be exhausting and you find yourself reaching for the takeaway menu!  

Most Asian households have a spice box, which will hold everything you need and it makes it easy to make sure you have all essential spices in one place. Here is a picture of mine!  As you can see I have Cumin Seeds, Fenugreek seends and Poppy Seeds - I use these mainly for dahls.  I keep the jaggery in there for when I am making the kids curries as they like it a bit sweet!

The good thing with vegetarian curries is that you can literally just chuck everything into a pot and let it simmer and you can have a fabulous meal on the table in less than an hour and the cost is next to nothing.  They are really appealing to the eye, as you can use so many different coloured vegetables.  You can serve a curry with rice, chappatis or naan bread.

The main ingredients I would use are as follows (for 4 people):

• 1-2 tsp Chilli Powder
• 2 - 3 tsp Cumin and Coriander Powder
• 1-2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 5 tsp Sunflower or Vegetable oil
• 1/2 can of tinned tomatoes or 3 fresh chopped tomatoes

So you would basically add oil to the pan, chuck in the tomatoes and then the spices above and let it simmer for 5 mins.  You can then get creative and add your vegetables, some examples of what would throw together:

• Potato and Aubergine
• Carrots, Peas, Sweetcorn
• Potatoes and Green Beans
• Cauliflower and Peas
• Brussel Sprouts
• Sweet Potato and Spinach
• Courgette, Aubergine and Peppers
• Spinach and Peas
• Okra (lady fingers) - be careful with this one as the curry can get sticky!

The combinations are endless, so have fun experimenting.

With this as your base for a curry, you can add any vegetables to it and cater it to your own needs, if you don't like too much chilli, only use a little bit or if you don't like too much salt then you can vary this to suit your own tastes. 
Cooking curries doesn't have to be complicated, it can be as simple as you want it to be and there is no set way of how to cook.

Lots of people use garam masala and onion and garlic in their curries, but I find that adding these will make all curries taste the same and what you actually want is to taste the vegetables.  I would only use garam masala if I am making things like chickpea and potato curry, paneer or pau bhajji. 

Friends and family always comment about my lack of using garlic and onions in my curries, I know it sounds strange but I really don't like using them, and haven't really been bought up to use those ingredients in my cooking.  If my husband wants onion and garlic, then he can have them on the side!

So why don't you give it a try and see how you get on, I would love to hear your comments.

Kudhi (Yogurt and Gram Flour Soup)

I officially have a cold, but that doesn't stop me from cooking! and what a better way to unblock your nose and feel better than to have kudhi (yogurt and gram flour soup) with vegetable rice.  Its perfect as it has lots of ginger and chilli and is quite tangy and it tastes so good.

It was the first time the kids tried it and the verdict: the older one didn't like it but the younger one did, I suppose 1 out of 2 isn't too bad and the verdict from the husband..... 'absolutely amazing, it's better than my mum's!' I can't get a better compliment than that.  The recipe will follow below.

Its been a busy few weeks, with the kids attending birthday parties (and the parents being chauffeurs!), tube strikes and storms hitting the UK have been an absolute nightmare, I feel for those people who have lost their homes and businesses and having to contend with such bad weather, its meant I've done lots of cooking, rather than go out in this horrible weather (when is it summer?!)

We had a dinner party with some friends and they specifically asked for a 'Bare Veggie' authentic Indian meal.  This was the menu:

Starters: Aloo Tikki Chat (Potato patties) with date and tamarind chutney and yogurt
Main: Potato and Aubergine Curry served with rice and chapattis and poppadoms with an assortment of chutneys
Dessert: Gulab Jabum (fried dough balls in a sweet sticky cardamon flavoured syrup, served with vanilla ice cream

All served with copious amounts of wine!

The meal went down extremely well (plates looked as though they had been licked clean) and I received a 10/10 from our friends!

So back to the Kudhi and the recipe I'm sure you've all been waiting for:

Ingredients
100g Gram Flour (chickpea flour)
250g Plain Yogurt
100ml Warm Water (at first)
5 Cloves
1/4 tsp Jeeru (cumin) Seeds
6 Lemon Leaves
2 tbsp Ginger paste
4 Green Chillies made into a paste
600ml Warm water (during cooking)
1.5 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Turmeric
Small bunch of Coriander
1 Fresh Tomato chopped
1/2 Juice of a Fresh Lemon

Method
1. Add the gram flour, plain yogurt and 100ml warm water to a pan and whizz together with a handheld whisk until smooth.
2. In a large pan, heat the ghee and add the jeeru, cloves and lemon leaves until they sizzle.
3. Add the gram flour and yogurt mix to the pan, here is where you have to constantly mix it as the yogurt mixture can split, I would say you need to mix this constantly for about 20 minutes.  
4. During the mixing you will find that the soup will start to thicken, have the 600ml of warm water to hand to add to the soup at about 100ml at a time, until you reach the right consistency (which is a bit like a well known brand of soup!).
5. Add the ginger and chilli paste, salt, turmeric and coriander and freshly chopped tomato
6. Let the soup simmer on a low heat for approx 15 mins, mixing occasionally.
7. Just before serving squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon
7. Its ready! Serve and enjoy...

We have this with a vegetable rice or you can have it with plain rice or even just on its own

Date and Tamarind Chutney

Date and Tamarind Chutney

Its great having a day off without the kids running riot in the house, I can get so much done!

As its my day off today I told the husband I would make him his favourite Indian snack, Chakri.  These are usually made on Diwali but as a special treat for him I made some, well, quite a lot so I'm hoping it will last him for a few weeks at least.  You might say I am just too good to him, making it on my day off when I should be relaxing but I love cooking!

The recipe for these will follow in a few weeks.  What I really wanted to blog about today was Chutneys, they are a staple in every Indian household and who doesn't love a good chutney?!

I usually made a Date and Tamarind Chutney or a Spicy Tomato Chutney to go with Bhajjiya or any meal!  When I was younger I used to have green chutney (made with coriander and chillies) in a cheese sandwich, some people might think this is a strange combination but it tastes so good!

The texture of chutneys vary from course, wet or fine, they are used in a variety of ways in Indian cuisine, and I suppose the best translation I can think of them is its kind of like a relish and a great accompaniment to any meal, not just Indian cuisine.  Back in the old days when the existence of blenders and food processors weren't around, you would make chutneys using a pestle and mortar, usually you would ground all the spices and add oil or tomatoes to make the chutney, but now with good old technology in our kitchens a chutney is extremely easy to make.

I've recently made two different chutneys, date and tamarind and a spicy tomato chutney (the latter will be in the next blog)

The recipe for the date and tamarind chutney is:

Ingredients

250g tightly packed pitted dates, broken up into small pieces

1.5 cups of water

1 tsp coriander and cumin powder (Dhana Jeeru)

1 tsp salt

0.5 tsp red chilli powder

4 tbsp jaggery (Gor)

2 tsp tamarind paste (or you could use fresh tamarind, approx 100g)

Additional water may be needed for a consistency to suit your taste

Method

Boil the water and dates in a saucepan until it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer.

Add the coriander and cumin powder, salt, chilli powder and jaggery and cook until the dates are softened

The mixture will thicken, so make sure you mix it regularly and add a little extra water if the consistency doesn't appear right or if it starts to stick to the pan.  This process will take approx 15 minutes.  The dates have to be softened.

Leave to cool for about 1 hour and then transfer to a blender and grind the mixture until its smooth, again you may need to add a little bit of water, depending on the texture that you like.

Once the chutney is smooth, sieve it through a strainer and add the tamarind paste (if using fresh tamarind then you don't need to add).

Once cooled you can keep the chutney in the freezer and defrost as and when you want to have it! - For ease I put these into ice cube trays so you can defrost how much you want.

Spicy mashed potato bhajjiya

I have used this chutney as an accompaniment to so many different meals, the sweet/sour taste of this chutney will just about go with anything! My daughter even has it with chips!

Stuffed parathas

Potato patties