Apologies for the recent lack of posts... I will simply have to make up for it. Now!
Last week the SO headed off on another trip, so while he was away, I munched my way through leftover lasagne. In between days of pasta-based goodness, I was out visiting friends and had two fairly hasty and substandard meals out. It's disappointing when you pay much more than you would spend on food at home, and end up with food you don't enjoy. On Monday we did have the misfortune of choosing a pub which was closing for refurbishment and therefore selling out of meals as fast as we could order them!
Having not been shopping in a week and a half, by the time the SO returned, we were down to very little in the fridge. However that can sometimes be inspiring: from adversity springs creativity! Or in this case, aloo gobi :) This is a nourishing and warming curry which is delicious with rice, but even better with naan or chapatis. I decided to have a little fun and make some peshwari naan, and a rough mint raita. Supplemented with a couple of onion bhajjis from our local Shop of Awesome, it made a surprisingly substantial meal from a nearly-empty fridge!
Ingredients:
Finely chop the onion, and in a deep saucepan, gently fry it in a little vegetable oil for 10 minutes, until soft, translucent and beginning to caramelise around the edges. Peel the garlic and ginger, and finely chop them together, then add them to the cooked onions. In a mortar and pestle, pound the cumin, asafoetida and dried chillies together, until they are a little broken up. Add the spices and turmeric to the onion, garlic and ginger, stir and allow to cook for a minute until the spices become fragrant.
Chop the potatoes into small cubes and add to pan, stir through, then add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to low, cover completely and allow to cook gently, stirring occasionally and adding more water if the pan goes dry. Meanwhile, break the cauliflower into florets. When the potatoes are just barely done, fold in the cauliflower and replace the lid, cooking for a further 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender but not collapsed. There should be no liquid at the bottom of the pan: this is a dry curry. Tear over the coriander and serve - preferably with naan or chapatis.
Last week the SO headed off on another trip, so while he was away, I munched my way through leftover lasagne. In between days of pasta-based goodness, I was out visiting friends and had two fairly hasty and substandard meals out. It's disappointing when you pay much more than you would spend on food at home, and end up with food you don't enjoy. On Monday we did have the misfortune of choosing a pub which was closing for refurbishment and therefore selling out of meals as fast as we could order them!
Having not been shopping in a week and a half, by the time the SO returned, we were down to very little in the fridge. However that can sometimes be inspiring: from adversity springs creativity! Or in this case, aloo gobi :) This is a nourishing and warming curry which is delicious with rice, but even better with naan or chapatis. I decided to have a little fun and make some peshwari naan, and a rough mint raita. Supplemented with a couple of onion bhajjis from our local Shop of Awesome, it made a surprisingly substantial meal from a nearly-empty fridge!
Ingredients:
- 1 medium white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- a half-inch piece of ginger
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2tsp asafoetida
- 2 small dried chillies
- 1 tsp turmeric
- Half a cauliflower
- 2 medium potatoes, scrubbed
- a handful of fresh coriander
Finely chop the onion, and in a deep saucepan, gently fry it in a little vegetable oil for 10 minutes, until soft, translucent and beginning to caramelise around the edges. Peel the garlic and ginger, and finely chop them together, then add them to the cooked onions. In a mortar and pestle, pound the cumin, asafoetida and dried chillies together, until they are a little broken up. Add the spices and turmeric to the onion, garlic and ginger, stir and allow to cook for a minute until the spices become fragrant.
Chop the potatoes into small cubes and add to pan, stir through, then add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to low, cover completely and allow to cook gently, stirring occasionally and adding more water if the pan goes dry. Meanwhile, break the cauliflower into florets. When the potatoes are just barely done, fold in the cauliflower and replace the lid, cooking for a further 10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender but not collapsed. There should be no liquid at the bottom of the pan: this is a dry curry. Tear over the coriander and serve - preferably with naan or chapatis.
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