Indian food inspirations

 I won't lie, a lot of my Indian cooking is inspired by the cooking of Hari Ghotra 

Her recipes are easy to follow and delicious.

This is the Lamb Bhuna from  the Hari Ghotra app. 

I highly recommend you download the app. Follow her online tutorials and popular Friday night live cook-ins! 

You won't need any more Indian cookbooks! Using Haris recipes and techniques has improved my knowledge of Indian cooking so much, that I now experiment with my own flavours (not always successfully) and styles. 

Thank you Hari. 😊

Rock Buns

 MOTHER IN-LAWS ROCK BUNS

My late Mother In-Law used to make Rock buns that I just couldn't stop eating, in fact, on one occasion I ate an entire batch whilst drinking one of her amazing cups of tea. So I've baked my interpretation of those wonderful buns and I must say, they're not bad. 

Here's my recipe:

100g butter

225g plain flour

2 tsps baking powder

Pinch of salt

100g mixed fruit

100g demerara sugar

1 egg beaten

2 tsps vanilla essence

A little milk

Line two baking trays with greaseproof baking paper and turn the oven to 200c, fan 180c.

Mix the flour, baking powder & salt in a bowl. 

Cube the butter and rub into the flour until you have a breadcrumb like consistency. 

Add the sugar and fruit. 

Make a well in the midlle and add the egg & vanilla essence. Using a fork, mix the ingredients until they come together to form a thick rough dough, you may need a little milk to help. 

Using two forks, grab some mixture and put in the oven trays. You should be able to make around ten buns. 

Bake in the oven for around 18 - 20mins.

https://eltelofdaya.picfair.com

Lamb, Spinach and Chickpea Curry

Lamb, spinach and chickpea curry:-

Gently fry one chopped onion and 2 cloves chopped garlic.  Add 3 tsps garam masala, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chilli (or to taste), 1 tsp ground ginger and gently fry for 2 minutes.  Add 1 tin chopped tomatoes and stir.  Leave for 1 minute and add 350 diced lamb.  Put lid on saucepan and simmer for hour or so until lamb almost completely soft.  Add one tin chickpeas (drained) and add 1/2 - 3/4 bag baby spinach and cook until wilted.  That's it pretty much I think.  

CHINESE STYLE TWICE FRIED PORK

I tried this for the first time tonight and its delicious!

Ingredients

Any left over roast pork from your Sunday dinner, finely sliced.

2 tblsps ground nut oil.

1 Red Chilli finely sliced.

2 Cloves Garlic finely sliced

15 grams fresh ginger finely sliced.

2 tsps. Chinese five spice.

2 tblsps. Hoi Sin Sauce.

Method

Heat the oil in a wok and add the pork, sprinkle with the Chinese five spice and stir fry until the pork starts to crisp up.
Throw in the red chilli, ginger and garlic and stir fry for a minute more.

Add the Hoi Sin Sauce and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Serve with Egg fried rice.

Quick and easy Sweet Beef Madras

This is a simple way to use Sundays roast joint .
Fry a sliced onion in a wok with a little oil for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add a chopped tomato and ten curry leaves, followed by the beef cut into strips.
Pour in a jar of Pataks madras sauce and stir fry for about ten minutes. Add two teaspoons of sugar, stir and cook for five minutes.
Serve with rice. Delicious!

Southampton, Exciting Southampton

Looking for somewhere to visit?
Then come to Southampton. Walk the Titanic mile.
Visit Tudor House Museum or The Sea city Museum.
Walk the historic City walls. There are even a couple of medieval pubs!
The Red Lion, Below Bar and The Duke of Wellington in Bugle St.
For shoppers look no further than West Quay.
For dining try Kutis Thai Restaurant which is housed in The Royal Pier.
Take a stroll along Weston Shore and look out over the waters where the great liners have sailed.

Southampton has a lot to offer, all year round. I've lived here all my life and i still find places to go, and things to do, that I haven't done before.

Hidden treasure

Southampton has one or two hidden treasures and one of them is Hatch Grange. Until we got a dog three years ago we never new it existed. Perched on a hill in West End, the park is a real gem. When the leaves on the trees change colour in autumn the colours are amazing.
The views are good too, with plenty of walks to take your dog on. Where is it? You'll have to find it!