Category Archives: Jon

Aloo Baingan

Posted on by

I am quite partial to Indian food. I have fond memories of memories of the British curry houses. Though the recipes I find on the internet are not similar to the take aways I am used to, there are some very interesting and tasty meals out there, the latest being Aloo Baingan (taken from Manjula’s Kitchen (.com).

Ingredients:

1 medium purple eggplant (baingan), un-peeled, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 medium russet potatoes (aloo), peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
4 medium tomatoes (tamatar) cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (hara dhania)
1 tablespoon oil
Pinch of asafetida (hing) – in its absence I used 1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 chopped green chili adjust to taste
1 teaspoon ginger paste (adrek)
1 tablespoon coriander powder (dhania powder)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
1/2 teaspoon paprika (dagi mirch)
1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
2 tablespoons water

Also needed:

Oil to fry

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.
Frying pan should have at least 1 1/2 inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put one piece of potato in the oil. The potato should sizzle right away. If vegetables are fried in low heat they will be very oily.
Fry the potatoes till they are cooked through, turn the potatoes few times while frying. Take out potatoes with a slotted spoon (this allows excess oil to drip back into the frying pan) and place on a paper towel.Test the oil again with a piece of eggplant. Fry the eggplant pieces same way.
In a small bowl, mix the shredded ginger, green pepper, coriander powder, paprika, turmeric, and 2 tablespoons of water to make a paste.
Heat the 1-tablespoon of oil in a pan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away oil is ready.
Add cumin seeds and asafetida after seeds crack add the spice mixture and stir-fry for a minute until you see the oil start to separate from the spice mixture.
Add chopped tomatoes stir-fry for a minute.
Add fried potatoes and eggplant mix it gently, let it simmer for three to four minute on medium low heat.
Subji should be not very dry if needed add three to four spoons of water.
Turn off the heat and add chopped cilantro mix it well.

I have just eaten this dish, and the taste of green chili is still causing me to sweat. And this with only half a chili instead of one. It is still a wonderful, fresh recipe, and one that will be added to the list of favourites (minus chili).

Bargain Hunting

Posted on by

I’ve been regularly visiting the local second hand shop, Stadsmission, the last month, in search of DVD’s for our daughters and games for me. Thus far I have purchased Dungeon Seige 2, The Sims, The Sims 2, The Sims 3, Command and Conquer – The first decade, Age of Empires 3, Age of Mythology and Civilization 4 – Colonization and Lionheart. All for 20 crowns each. Now that is a bargain.

When I will get the time to play them all is another story, but I am slowly making my way through an earlier purchase, Dungeon Seige 1. It is still a mammoth task ahead of me, especially when Command and Conquer itself is a collection of twelve games. Oh, how I shall suffer.

The Fight Begins. Again.

Posted on by

Sigh. Despite moving Zelda to Freya’s school, the food they have been given the last two days is of an unacceptable standard. Zelda is being inschooled, giving both Jo and I the opportunity to be with her for a few days. Including eating lunch and snack.

The school has a food policy of using organic ingredients, cooked in an on-site kitchen. The problem at the moment seems to be that the old chef has gone, and the new cook does not seem to have the knowledge (or maybe desire) to make interesting, tasty vegan food. This has lead to Yesterday’s lunch being Quorn (NOT vegan) and today’s being a tasteless chick pea, raw parsnip and undercooked courgette mess. Whilst the other children received a fruit smoothie at snack time, Freya and Zelda have been given a bit of banana. Fucking great.

We are on the case already, and shall instigate a short term and long term plan of action to better the food situation for our daughters. I did not give up at Zelda’s last school, the dividends of over a year’s discussions and meetings being an introduction of a daily bean salad and regular soya products at lunch. If the chef thinks he can get away with serving sub standard food then he shall soon realise his mistake.

Tom Yum Het

Posted on by

The anticipation is mounting, for I am soon to commence the preparation of a well-known Thai dish (vegan stylee, of course): hot and sour mushroom soup. For the record, the recipe is as follows:

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

4 cups water
1 medium onions, quartered
2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
3 -4 kaffir lime leaves, torn in half
4 cm cube galangal, chopped
2 cm cube fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
3 dried red chilies, chopped
2 fresh hot green chili peppers ( can use red)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tom yum paste
200 g deep fried tofu
6 shiitake mushrooms, cups sliced
50 g button mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions

Put the first nine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil (this is your stock). Simmer for 15-20 minutes over low-medium heat. Remove from the heat and strain. Reserve the stock and discard the rest.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the Soup Paste for a minute until fragrant. Add the tofu, shiitake and button mushrooms and stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute.

Bring the prepared stock to a boil. Turn the heat to medium and add the sautéed tofu and mushrooms, the soy sauce, sugar and lemon juice. Simmer for 5-6 minutes over medium heat until the mushrooms are tender.
Sprinkle the coriander and basil and remove from heat. Serve hot.

I have all the ingredients to hand, and will report back at a later time with the judge’s verdict…

…which is pretty nice. It was a spicy soup full of taste, almost overpoweringly so. I reckon I could take away a bit of the chilli, maybe replace the texture of the fried tofu with something else, and I am not sure if I like galanga or not. However, I give it an 8 out of 10, and its a sinch to make once the soup stock ingredients have been prepared.

First Weekend (of two) Alone

Posted on by

The rest of the family are still having their holidays up in the north, whilst I had to come back to work. It has now been a week without their presence, and I am starting to feel the last few days of drinking are getting to me.

I have not done anything stupid, and I suppose the first week at work is also playing a part in my current condition, which is one of tiredness and feeling a bit down, along with a generally bad physical and mental state.

I spent this morning mostly lying in bed, reading a book about The Pirate Bay, as well as trying to consume the liquids and food that my body needed to take away the nagging negative thought thoughts that filled my head. At about 3 o’clock this afternoon I decided to take action and go food shopping, which, as usual, helped a lot.

I am currently going through a phase of testing out new recipes. The month up in the north yielded some rather tasty results, and this has given me the boost to seek out interesting meals and side dishes. As I write this I am in the middle of making a variation of Aloo Masala. Potatoes, in all their forms, are the best foodstuff ever.

I miss the family, and will be glad to have them back, but, at the same time, this period alone is much appreciated, if not over indulgent.

Posted in Jon