Simple Lentil Curry with yoghurt दाल के साथ करी

I do love Indian food but I do not cook enough of it which is a shame as I am obsessed with spices. Spices just bring your taste buds to life! This lentil curry is very simple and fast to prepare. It is completely vegetarian, after all most of Indian cuisine is vegetarian! We used canned lentils as they are delicious and most of all it will reduce the preparation time. The natural yogurt gives this dish a very creamy texture but it is very important to add the yogurt at the end of the cooking time as this will separate if you heat it for a long time! If there is a base that every Indian curry starts with, this is onion paste and garlic paste and in this curry I use slices onions instead but I do mash my garlic cloves in my awesome mortar and pestle :) We served it with warm chapattis but you can also serve it with pilau rice or plain basmati rice instead. So give it a go!! For 4 people you will need...

• 2 onions, sliced
• 6-8 garlic cloves, mashed into a paste or finely chopped
• 4 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp medium curry powder
• 8 green cardamon pods
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 large cans green lentils, rinsed and drained
• 200ml vegetable stock, boiling hot
• 100ml natural yoghurt
• Chapattis, to serve

Method

1. Heat the ghee or oil in a wok or frying pan on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and fry until soft and transparent.
2. Add the spices and cook until fragrant, this takes approximately 5 minues. (Make sure you stir frequently).
3. Now add the tomato paste, lentils and the stock. Bring it to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Make sure the mixture is not too dry.
4. Take off the heat and stir in the yoghurt.
5. Ladle into bowls and serve with warm chapattis.

Enjoy!!

R&A

Super Moist Apple Pudding

Who doesn't love a moist cake? This was definitely one of my favourite desserts/puddings when I was younger. My mum used to do this and I obviously always went back for more :) It's just gorgeous, the secret for its moistness is the use of vegetable oil instead of butter and also the fact that you shake the 'wet' ingredients vigourously before then adding them to the 'dry' ingredients. We had it warm with whipped cream and sprinkles but this pudding can be served warm or cold with whatever topping you prefer. So give it a go and am quite sure you will do it again!! You will need...

• 6 medium sized apples, cored and sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (about 200g) sugar + 1 extra tablespoon
• 2 cups (about 260g) plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (about 250ml) vegetable oil
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• Whipped cream & sprinkles, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Put the apples in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with the cinnamon and the 1 tablespoon of sugar. Add the flour and baking powder to the apples. Give the apple mixture a quick turn with a wooden spoon.
3. In a shaker (one of those plastic container that bodybuilders use to prepare their protein shake in) or if not available you can use a large glass jar with lid, put the oil, 2 eggs, vanilla essence, 1 cup (about 200g) sugar and shake well to incorporate the ingredients well. 
4. Add the oil/sugar mixture to the apple mixture and stir well with the wooden spoon. Make sure you stir well so as you mike the dry mixture with the wet mixture. You can always put everything in a large plastic bowl with a lid and shake everything in there!!!
5. When mixed well, pour the mixture in a 23cm cake tin and put in the centre of the oven for around 30 minutes.
6. To test if it is cooked through insert a metal skewer or knife in the centre part of the cake and if it comes out clean it is done! Leave to set for about 10 minutes and serve with cream and sprinkles!

Enjoy!!

R&A

Wild Rocket & Feta Cheese Salad with a kick!!

Hello all, we are back :) It might be old age [I am 34 years old you know] but lately I am getting very fond of salads. In fact, I created this simple salad as a quick lunch to take with me to work. It turned out so delicious that I wanted to share the recipe with you. It is incredibly tasty and very easy to prepare. It is basically made up of ingredients that you can find in the Mediterranean diet like olives, rocket etc. You can even add some dry fried diced bacon with it! I chose some delicious Balsamic vinegar from Modena as dressing but feel free to dress it with whatever you like. A drizzle of good quality extra-virgin olive oil will definitely make it even tastier!! I enjoyed it with some crusty bread...loved mopping up the balsamic vinegar!! So if you need a quick lunch or use it as an accompaniment to a meat dish, give this a go...for 1 person you will need...

• 35g Wild rocket leaves, washed
• 8 small plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• 100g feta cheese, diced
• 2 gherkins, sliced
• 8 large Olives
• 1 fresh red chilli pepper, sliced (optional)
• Pimentón [Spanish paprika], to taste (if not available, regular paprika would do)
• Oregano, to taste
• 4 Basil leaves, hand torn
• Balsamic vinegar, for the dressing

NB: If you do not like it that spicy, devein and deseed the chilli before adding to the salad.

Method

1. Just put all the ingredients (apart from the balsamic vinegar) in a bowl and toss well to mix them up well.
2. Plate up and dress with the balsamic vinegar just before eating.
3. Serve with some crusty bread or even breadsticks (grissini).

Enjoy!!

R&A