PERFECT RICE

 

Perfect Rice Everytime! 

For a long time, I'd struggled with my rice, it usually ended up too wet or stodgy! Now, I have a formula which I think is full proof! 

Serves two. 

1. As a rule I use 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water. 

2. Wash your rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Drain well. 

3. In a small pan, heat a dsrt spoonful of oil and add the rice 

4. Cook for a minute stirring constantly. 

5. Add the water, a little salt to taste and bring to a boil

6. Put a lid on the pan and turn heat to its lowest setting. 

7. Cook like this for exactly ten minutes, then take pan off the heat, leave to stand for a further ten minutes. 

8. Fluff up gently with a fork and serve.  

Add flavour. 

At step 3, add 2 black cardamom, 3 green cardamom, 4 cloves, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1"piece cinnamon stick to the oil and fry until the aroma is released, then follow the rest of the instructions. 

Bukka Chicken Curry

Bukka Chicken

Inspired by recipes I've followed, I concocted this recipe about 6 months ago and I have to say, its pretty damn tasty. I used a little mango chutney to add some sweetness. 

It's a very simple to follow recipe, so please give it a go. 

BUKKA CHICKEN Ingredients

10 curry leaves

3 cloves

3 cardomoms

Teaspoon cumin seeds

4 peppercorns

1 dried Kashmiri chilli

1" cinnamon stick

500gr chicken thighs (skinless)

4 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoon ground coriander

Half teaspoon chilli powder

Half teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 chopped green chillis

1 teaspoon Sainsbury's spicy mango chutney

2 medium onions chopped

3 garlic cloves crushed

1" piece ginger finely sliced and julienned.

1 teaspoon Garam masala

BUKKA CHICKEN Method

Fry dried spices in oil until fragrant

Add onion garlic and chopped ginger, cook until soft and golden, about ten minutes. Add ground spices and salt and chopped green chilli, stir. Turn the heat down to stop the spices burning. 

Stir in tomatoes a spoonful at a time and cook down, until you end up with a nice dense base. 

Add chicken, cook on medium high stirring frequently.

Add some water and cook for ten minutes. Add the mango chutney, julienne ginger and a splash of water. Put lid on and cook on low for a further ten minutes.

Stir in Garam masala. Leave to rest for a few minutes, then serve.

Using your Loaf!

 

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

CURRY LOVERS!

 

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.

Delicious Chicken Biryani

 

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! 

 

BEEF STIFADO

This is traditionally a Greek winter dish and it's delicious!

Ingredients:

1 tblsp olive oil

100g butter

1 onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 mug dry red wine

1 tblsp wine vinegar

pinch cumin

pinch cinnamon or 2"piece of cinnamon stick

700g stewing steak

700g small white onions

2 tblsps tomato puree

1 tsp salt

1 large bay leaf

Method:

Heat 50g butter and the olive oil in a casserole pot and fry the onions and garlic for five minutes.

Gently brown the meat on all sides, then stir in the tomato puree for a further minute.

Now add the cumin, cinnamon, bay leaf and salt. Mix well.

Add the red wine, the wine vinegar and gently cook for five minutes. Now add enough hot water to almost cover the meat, cover and simmer on a low heat for about two hours until the meat is tender.

Meanwhile soak the small onions in hot water for five minutes and peel the skin off.

Drain well and fry the onions in the remaining butter until browned. Set aside.

Once the meat is cooked through add the onions and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Taste, adjust seasoning and serve.

Amazing Bombay Aloo

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!!