Fresh Bread
I've recently been trying my hand at bread making. During the first COVID lockdown in 2020, I found I had time on my hands and thought, why not give it a go? Apart from making a bit of a mess in the kitchen, I find kneading the dough quite therapeutic. Whilst the results have been mixed,(see picture) generally the bread tastes good and makes fantastic toast!
If you fancy having a go yourself, I use a simple recipe from www.Bakingmad.com
Southampton has got some of the best curry houses around.
Here are some of my favourites
The Kohinoor of Kerala
A small curry house, but superb. Located in Portswood, Southampton. The food here is amazing, full of flavour and every dish is different. You need to book most nights here, but it's well worth it.
The Coriander Lounge.
Below Bar in the city centre, this is a superb curry house, set on two floors, the food is delicious and the atmosphere is lively, it's certainly not the place for a quiet meal and it's always busy so you need to book!
Jewels Indian Restaurant.
Located on Townhill Park Way, Southampton, Jewels is one of the most popular local curry houses in the city. Jewel and his staff will make sure your visit is a memorable one, they even cater for people trying to lose a little weight.
The Restaurant is modern, fully air-conditioned and the food is superb!
Kuti's Brasserie,
located in the former entrance to the Royal Pier in Southampton has been well established for many years and serves fine cuisine. Mr Kuti prides himself on locally sourced produce.
The restaurant is very popular. So check you can get a table before you leave home.
Now, I love my curry, in fact I think I could eat a curry every night. So I thought I'd join in with Hari Ghotra's Friday night curry club. She was cooking a Chicken Biryani.
Prep time took me nearly an hour and the actual on-line cook-a-long took nearly two hours due to a lot of questions from online followers, but, let me tell you, it was well worth it! Infused with whole spices, fresh coriander and mint, the depth of flavour was amazing. Who needs takeaways?
If you want authentic curry, download the Hari Ghotra app onto your phone or tablet and get cooking!
BOMBAY POTATOES
One of my favourite Indian side dishes is Bombay Aloo, so easy to make and so tasty. Some restaurants get it right, some don't, the flavours great, but if you don't use the right potatoes, then it can be a let down. If your going to try this dish you need a buttery or new potato, not a floury one. So here is my ( Hari Ghotra inspired) version.
Ingredients:
2-3 medium sized potatoes
1 onion sliced
1 tsp mustard seeds
5 or 6 curry leaves
1 small green chilli finely chopped
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1tsp garam masala
1 handful fresh coriander
Method:
Boil the potatoes in their skins until just cooked through, allow to cool for an hour or two, then remove the skins and cut into chunks.
Add the oil to a shallow pan, bring to a medium heat.
Add mustard seeds and when they start to pop, immediately follow with curry leaves, green chilli and onion, stir and leave to cook until soft and golden for 5 - 10 minutes.
Meanwhile crush the coriander and cumin seeds in a spice grinder, then add to the onions with salt and turmeric. Cook for a couple of minutes on a lower heat adding a splash of water if the mixture starts to stick. Now add the potatoes and warm through, stir in the garam Masala, check for seasoning, top with the chopped coriander and serve.
Delicious!!
DELICIOUS KEDGEREE!
Every now and then we have a Kedgeree at home. It's one of my wife's favourites, it's very simple and bursting with flavour.
Succulent smoked Haddock cooked with Indian spices and Basmati rice.
Ingredients :
2 tblsp of oil
½ a cup of Basmati rice cooked & drained
1 onion finely diced
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
3 cardomom pods slightly split
1" piece of cinnamon
2 tail end pieces of smoked haddock
2 hard boiled eggs
½ cup of frozen peas
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 small green chilli finely chopped (optional)
Salt to taste
Handful of fresh chopped coriander
Method:
Heat oil over a medium heat and add whole spices, cook until they release their fragrance.
Add the onion and cook until soft and golden (5-10 minutes), add a little water if they stick to the pan. Add the peas and turn heat to low.
While the onions are cooking, the Haddock should be cooked.
Place the fish in a shallow pan and just cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5mins or until the fish Flakes.
Once onions are ready add all the other spices, salt, green chilli, and the rice, stir well but gently. Turn the heat up a little.
Now add the flaked fish, top with sliced or quartered hard boil egg, sprinkle with the fresh coriander and serve.
Enjoy!!
I won't lie, a lot of my Indian cooking is inspired by the cooking of Hari Ghotra
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. 😊
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.
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