Tag: curry

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Potato & Onion Pakora – With Cumin, Fennel And Black Salt

onion and potato Indian pakora

Typical Christmas eve in Spain: meet frineds for drinks around eight, home for family dinner at ten, out again by two (am), breakfast in the town square, bed, then . . . that was last year.

This year we’re experiencing reduced staying-power and early nights, the effects of not drinking since before Easter. Even so, I set the alarm to be up in time to prepare Christmas brunch – just in case.

  • air-fried onion and purple potato pakora
  • sweet tomato and black mustard relish
  • salted cucumber with dehydrated fermented persamons
  • south Indian sambhar
  • two poached eggs on buttered rye sourdough toast
  • with alcohol-free lager
  • and chocloate brownies. It is Christmas

Continue reading “Potato & Onion Pakora – With Cumin, Fennel And Black Salt”

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Shukto – Bengali Mixed Vegetable Curry

bengali vegettarian curry - Shukto

It’s the custom in the Bengal region of north-east India to start a meal with a bitter dish. Shukto achieves this through the use of karela, a bitter gourd readily available from most Asian grocers. If bitter isn’t your thing you can simply omit this vegetable and use any of your favourite ones.

Two other flavours are common in Bengali dishes, mustard in the form of seed, the oil or kasundi and panch phoran or five spice. This dish combines all these flavours for a traditionally sweet dish with a mild bitterness – or leave out the bitter and keep it sweet. Continue reading “Shukto – Bengali Mixed Vegetable Curry”

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Indian 5-Spice: Panch Phoran

indian masala splice blend

Five-spice is used in charchari and other dishes other from Bengal in north-west India.  The spice-blend (masala)  also makes a great aromatic coating for roasting vegetables.

The original uses lovage, or wild celery (radhuni).  You can buy these from larger Asian supermarkets. Otherwise black mustard seeds are a common replacement. Panch phoran is normally used whole.

Mix equal quantities of Continue reading “Indian 5-Spice: Panch Phoran”

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Warming Garam Masala – Your Top-Note

indian spices for garam masala

Indian cooks tend to use use individual spices in dishes then add spice-blends  to create extra layers of flavour.  Garam masala and Panch Phoran are often used this way. Sometimes it’s the other  way around: the masala forms the basic structure, other spices being added for individuality and regional variation. Sambhar powder, used to make a south Indian dish of the same name is used this way. Continue reading “Warming Garam Masala – Your Top-Note”

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Welcome Supper

group eating on yoga retreat

Yoga & Mindful Walking Menu 1

What a fantastic week! Thank you so much guys. The yoga, minfulness and nature walking really got those creative juices going, and what better outlet than cooking – and eating.

As promised here’s the first of the menus for you to request recipes.

You’ll need to join to request and comment.

  • why? because it’s really boring sifting through spammy comments which you, our dear users, would never make
  • ps: you don’t have to have been on the yoga-walking event to participate
  • and remember: we don’t spy on you with cookies or share your email address with ANYONE! Continue reading “Welcome Supper”