KEEMA CURRY NIGHT!

It's time for another curry.

KEEMA MATTAR  (Lamb Mince with Garden Peas).

Ingredients:
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 Cardomoms
4 Cloves
2 Kashmiri dried red chilis
1 tsp ground turmeric
Salt to taste
Tsp of sugar

3 Large Tomatoes
5 Cloves Garlic
15g Ginger peeled weight

8 Curry Leaves
50cm Cinamon stick
1 Green chili whole but pierced

1 Onion
500g Lamb Mince

Half tsp Garam masala
Mug of Frozen garden peas


To Cook:

In a spice grinder, grind the red chillis, cloves, cardomoms, cumin seeds and coriander seeds.
Set aside.
In a blender, Blend the garlic, Ginger and tomatoes with a splash of water.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan until hot, then add the curry leaves, cinamom and green chilli, sizzle for 10 seconds and add the onion. Cook until well browned.
Add the blended paste and cook with the onions for about five minutes on a moderate heast.
Now add the mince and all the ground spices and sugar along with the turmeric and salt.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for twenty minutes, adding a little water if the mixture becomes too dry.
Add the frozen peas and cook on low until the peas are cooked. Stir in th Garam Masala and serve.

Good with rice or Chapatis.

Lamb Keema with Spinach

Lamb Keema with Spinach

1 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic crushed

10g ginger peeled weight

1 tsp each of coriander, cumin and turmeric.

Half tsp chilli powder

Salt to taste

Small tin chopped tomatoes

3 tblsps veg oil

400g minced lamb

200g frozen or fresh spinach

To Cook:

Heat the oil in a saucepan, on a moderate heat, add the onion, ginger and garlic

Fry until golden. Add the lamb and spices and brown the meat

Add the tinned tomatoes and salt to taste, stir  and cook on a simmer for twenty minutes.

Add a splash of water if the mixture starts to dry out.

Finally stir in the Spinach and cook until it has wilted down.

Turn off the heat and leave for five minutes.  Serve with boiled rice or Chapattis

SOUTHAMPTONS FLOATING BRIDGES

Not so many years ago, if you needed to get from Woolston to Southampton you had either to travel about 4 miles by road or cross the river Itchen by chain link ferry. As a young boy my dad would take me down to the slipway at Woolston and watch the Floating Bridge come in, drop it's landing platform and see the cars, pushbikes and people getting off. On one occasion i saw a young chap, who was obviously late, riding his bike for all his worth down the slipway, getting off and throwing his bike on the departing ferry, only to see it fall short and into the water. Although it only took four minutes to cross, as a young boy it was an exciting experience!
Now, sadly the days of the chainlink ferry are long gone and in it's place is the 'New Itchen Bridge'.
If you want to board one of the original Chainlink Ferries you can. It is now a restaurant called The Ferry Restaurant  The food is very good, it's only a small restaurant so you will probably need to book.

COME ON YOU REDS

Another shining light in this great city is Southampton Football Club.
Under the guidance of Nicolas Cortese and  manager Nigel Adkins The Saints are currently riding high at the top of the Championship.
And to be fair, they fully deserve it, after watching them thump a resilient Brighton team 3-0 today.
Quite simply they are the best team by far, on the South Coast!

http://www.my-travel.me.uk/

Prawn & Coconut Curry

Prawn Curry with coconut

I cooked this curry a while ago, but if you like a rich tasting curry, you can't go wrong with this mouthwatering dish! 

Simple to cook, but full of flavour. If you like it hot, just up the chilli content. 

30g ginger cut into thin juliennes

1 medium onion

1 Tomato chopped

300g peeled raw prawns

Salt to taste

2 tblsps veg oil

1 tsp Cumin seeds

6 Curry leaves

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

½  tsp chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric 

1 green chilli sliced lengthways seeds removed

400g tin coconut milk

1 tsp Garam Masala

Small handful toasted Almond flakes

Some chopped coriander

To Cook:

Heat oil in shallow pan

Add ginger, cumin seeds, Curry leaves

And fry for 15 secs or until sizzling

Add the onion and cook until soft about 10 mins adding a splash of water to avoid sticking or burning

Add chopped tomato

Add the rest of spices and chillies

Continue to cook on moderate to low heat until the tomato breaks down with the onion and spice to form a masala

Stir in the coconut milk and carry on cooking until the sauce thickens, add the prawns, cook until prawns are done, turn off the heat, stir in a little Garam Masala, top with Almond Flakes and coriander leaves. 

Serve with rice.

SOUTHAMPTONS HISTORY

Just read a great article in the Southern Daily Echo about High Street and Bugle Street.
Really interesting, you will find it at: http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/heritage/9363832.Potted_history_of_city_s_major_streets/
Actually if you haven't visited old Southampton, you should make the effort.

Calling America.
Are there any people out there in America that are originally from Southampton UK?
Let me know and tell me about your memories.

Southampton to revive the Tram?

If its true, this is great news!
Apparently Southampton council is planning to restore an original city Tram that last saw service in the 1940's.
The plan is to run it from Old Southampton along the waterfront.

CURRY NIGHT 2

LAMB WITH SPINACH

400G Lean diced Lamb
200g spinach
1 onion chopped
6 garlic cloves 3 tomatoes
20g root ginger chopped
4 cloves
2 Black Cardomoms
5cm cinamom stick
5 tblsps Veg Oil
2 Bay Leaves
3 Green Chillies pierced
3/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1tblsp coriander
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Salt or to taste

To Cook

Fry the whole spices in oil for 30secs
Add onion and fry until golden 8-10 mins
Meanwhile blitz the toms, garlic and ginger with a little water in a blender until smooth
add the blended mixture to the pot along with all the powdered spices and salt
cook over moderate heat for ten minutes
add the lamb and saute over heat for five or six minutes
add enough water to cover meat bring to a boil and simmer with lid on for 60 mins or until lamb is tender.
using half a tblsp veg oil fry the green chillis for a minute drain with a slotted spoon and add to the curry with the Garam Masala, then add the spinach and cook until wilted.
by this time the sauce should be thick, if not cook uncovered over a high heat for a few minutes more.
Serve with Rice.

Southampton then and now

Just a very short Blog, to say that I met a book writer called Penny Legg at one of her signings. She has written a book about Southampton,Called "Southampton then & Now", which has got some amazing pictures in it.
So if your interested go out and buy it!

Armistice day

In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place, and in the sky
The Larks, still bravely singing, fly scarce heard amid the guns below

We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and we're loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If he break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae

CURRY NIGHT

Staying in tonight, how about a nice curry?
Try a Punjabi Chicken recipe, it's delicious!
You will need:
500g Chicken pieces bone in
15g ginger
8 cloves of garlic
4 green cardamoms
2 black cardamoms
2" piece of cinnamon
4 cloves
salt to taste
3-4 green chillies whole but pierced
1 large onion sliced
3 tomatoes
1 tbl spoon of ground coriander
1.5 tsps of ground cumin
half tsp turmeric
quarter tsp chili powder
handful of chopped coriander leaves

To Cook:
brown the onions well in 5 tablespoons of veg oil for about 8mins
meanwhile in a blender blitz the tomatoes, garlic and ginger with a little water until smooth
add the cardamoms, green chillies, cinnamon and cloves to the pot and cook for a further 2 mins.
remove skin from the chicken and add to the pot and brown for 5 mins.
add the blended ingredients powdered spices and salt  with half a  cup of water cook for a further 5 mins.
add enough warm water to come half way up the chicken and cook on a low heat for 20 mins or until the chicken is cooked turn off the heat and add the chopped coriander and serve.

GODS HOUSE TOWER MUSEUM UPDATE!

I now know what has happened to the museum. Unfortunately it has closed and all the artefacts have been moved to the new Sea City Museum in the centre of Southampton.  If you want to know more about the museum click on the following link: Gods House Tower

So a brand new museum is built in the centre of Southampton with funds from who knows where and a museum that was housed in original old city walls is closed and mothballed!

Well done Southampton City Council again!

SOUTHAMPTON

So, whats happened to The Gods House Museum? Can anyone tell me if it's still open. If it is then Southampton City Council are doing a great job advertising it, because i've not heard a thing about it for years! anybody know?

SPITFIRE MEMORIAL

The Spitfire memorial looks like it will finally be built, providing funding is in place, it will give us all something else to be proud of in this great city. Over the next few years, the waterfront area, near the Royal Pier is also going to be redeveloped, lets hope the planners get it right!
Lets hope it is built in such a way, that it brings tourism to Southampton, because at the moment, though it pains me to say it, Portsmouth's Gun Wharf Quays is the place to go.
I remember when Ocean Village was first developed into a commercial venture, it failed!
The new development is better, but it could have been a little more interesting, ie: more retail units, more eateries and maybe even more features which would reflect Southampton's Maritime history, like a Titanic Museum, Oh.. the City planners have already built it, in the centre of town!?

Changing the subject slightly, Labour leader David Miliband has come out in suppport of the St Pauls Cathedral protesters, God help us if he ever leads this country!

http://www.my-travel.me.uk