Keeping warm in the kitchen

Tomorrow we have the family coming for a Birthday Celebration meal as Jon's mum was 83 yesterday. As it wasn't so long ago we had a lovely Sunday Roast for Mother's Day I decided to do something different. I bought this book, a bargain at £4.99 and it is fantastic! Normally I follow my own recipe when making a curry but for once I am following the ingredients and method to the letter.

The reason I am being so precise is because I have decided to have a theme of a "Curry Festival" or as I am calling it a "Curry Fest" so I want to cook a variety of curries - each with a distinct flavour. If I cooked a range of curries from my own recipe - which is basically shake a few jars into the pan/casserols - they would all taste the same.

Yesterday I bought a few new jars of various spices and am now beavering away in the kitchen.
Using crushed corriander I tossed some chunky carrots into a simple brown rice I had cooked - was lush. This was just an idea - nothing mentioned in the book.

As we all have our own preferences regarding the heat of a curry I am making sure the curries vary too. Last night I experimented with the Lamb Rogan Gosh.  Note I didn't use lamb steaks as I wanted a slow cooked version (no hassle and all that!)
SW Lamb Rogan Gosh
Ingredients
 1 onion, peeled and chopped
 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
 Frylight
 1 tsp each of ground coriander, paprika, ground ginger and chilli powder
 454g/1lb lamb steak, all visible fat removed and cut into bite-sized pieces (I used shoulder with all fat cut off) Approximately £8 in price
 400g can chopped tomatoes
 1 bay leaf
 2 x 2.5cm/1in pieces of cinnamon stick
 4 cardamom pods
 3 cloves
 198ml/7fl oz chicken stock
 2 tsp artificial sweetener

 Method
1. Fry the onion and garlic in frylight until soft. Add all the powdered spices and fry for 1 minute (add a little water if it gets too dry).
2. Add the lamb steak, tomatoes, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, stock and sweetener and simmer for 30-35 minutes until reduced. (or transfer to oven if using shoulder and cook for several hours)
3. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon sticks. Stir in the chopped coriander and serve immediately.

We tried this last night and it was beautiful.

Looking in my freezer I discovered a packet of low far pork sausagemeat so I used it in place of the the turkey mince in another recipe from the book....

Turkey Shami Kebabs
794g/1lb 12 oz lean minced turkey
1 small red onion, peeled and finely grated
1 tsp peeled and finely grated ginger
1tbsp medium curry powder
 1tsp finely grated lime zest
 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely choppped
3 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp fat free natural yoghurt
salt and freshly ground black pepper
low calorie cooking spray
red onion rings and lime wedges, to serve

1. Place the turkey in a mixing bowl with the onion, ginger, curry powder, lime zest, red chilli, chopped coriander and mint, and the yoghurt. Season well and using your hands, mix until well combined. cover and chill in the fridge for 6-8 hurs (or overnight if time permits) to allow the flavours to develop.

2. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.Divide the turkey mixture into 12 portions and shape each portion into a flat, oval kebab shape. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and spray with low calorie cooking spray. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.

3. Remove from the oven and serve with red onion rings and lime wedges to squeeze over.

Again delicious!

So.......as Jon has been busy with his saw.....I have plenty of fuel..........

The Rayburn is behaving.....

I will be busy in the kitchen where today I will be cooking a Beef Madrass and a Creamy Chicken Korma!

Watch this space.