Simple supper – beef keema pitta breads

Tonight’s dinner was beef keema in wholemeal pitta breads; very quick and super tasty – I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s leftovers. I also booked a table for dinner at Cinnamon Soho in early June – can’t wait!

Marks: 7/10

Cooked – Michael Pollan

The nature and food writer Michael Pollan stopped by Penguin Towers this lunchtime to tell us all about his new book “Cooked”, which was published last week. In a packed tenth-floor meeting room against a gloomy London skyline and slate-like 45-degree rain, he spoke to us  about his background in journalism and eventual metamorphism into a writer. Initially working as an editor for Harpers with writers such as Tom Wolfe and Margaret Atwood, the job gave him the insight to see that not all great works arrived fully formed and the confidence to pursue his own writing projects. About the same time that he bargained with his boss for a published feature of his own in the magazine in lieu of a pay rise, he also started dabbling in gardening at his second home outside New York, and it was here that his attraction to nature and biology germinated.

I’m looking forward to getting stuck into my proof copy of Cooked soon; Pollan told us that the book is a vital link in his series of works that explore our food chain, and spoke eloquently about cutting onions in a zen-like state, the false economy of time-saving ready meals and how young American’s have caught the pickling bug. I totally agreed with his’s astute observation that profound conversations take place when people are cooking and not making eye contact, and also his discussions about the fetishization of food.  He mentioned his surprise at spotting ready-cubed chicken breasts in Tesco that  morning – apparently this “time saving” phenomenon hasn’t reached the US yet.

You can read more about this most important of subjects here:  http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781846148033,00.html

The Bengal Lancer • Kentish Town

Bank holiday Monday found us at The Bengal Lancer in Kentish Town. The original inspiration for Kentishtowncurryclub this was only my second visit of the year as I’ve been cooking so much at home and I was surprised to see that the decor had changed slightly. The modern-art splash paintings have been replaced with old black-and-white portraits from India that immediately make the whole restaurant much cosier and more elegant. The service was as effusive and attentive as ever, without being overwhelming, and the curries were all top of their game, featuring fresh spices, natural colourings and a reassuring lack of oily puddles. The menu here boasts plenty of unusual options that you won’t find in other curry houses, including guste kabul (a tangy lamb and chickpea curry) and ghost hydrabadi (a creamy, mustardy leg of lamb). The standout dishes this visit were a lamb pasanda as rich and comforting as a hot bath and a good book, and the goru mangsho (diced beef curry), for it’s brilliant garum masala seasoning. I got chatting with the manager JJ on the way out and he told me that he has plans to publish a cookbook in the pipeline – happy days!

 

Marks: 8/10. Looking forward to a return visit.

Pakistani lamb chops and pan-grilled courgettes

We rolled in with the larks last night after a fun night of birthday celebrations in Tooting Broadway at The Antelope Pub (theantelopepub.com) – where I tried “monk’s beard” greens for the first time – and the Tram and Social bar/club, – a cavernous, shabby-chic warehouse-type affair. Luckily MrCurrycub put some Pakistani lamb chops in the fridge to marinate yesterday and they were just the tonic for our weary heads this evening. The  combination of home-made garam masala (ground in our Cuisinart Mini Food Processor – ideal for a small kitchen) and juicy lamb was toe-curlingly good; eat your heart out Tayyabs.

Both recipes were easy to follow, and the only adjustment he made was to crisp up the fat on the lamb chops in a frying pan  before putting them under the grill, to make them nice and crispy.

We also enjoyed some more vegetable pakora courtesy of our friend Bobby’s mum with dinner, which was a real treat – thank you Mrs Parmar.

I’m looking forward to making something special for next week’s Bank Holiday Curryclub (perhaps a sweet treat), and there’s also a Cinnamon Soho visit in the pipeline for early June – very exciting.

Marks: 9/10 for the lamb chops and 7/10 for the courgettes, which were a great accompaniment, but not particularly special.

Easy like…Curry Easy

Almond chicken & sweet and sour baby aubergines

It’s been a busy few weeks here with weekend trips up to Edinburgh for a hen do and Machynlleth in Wales for a comedy festival, with a few curries along the way: dinner at the always dependable Rasa in Stoke Newington (www.rasarestaurants.com); a takeaway for 21 hungry hens in Edinburgh;  moreish samosas from @TheCurryStall in Machynlleth. The train journey back from Edinburgh was particularly amusing as we somehow found ourselves sandwiched between Vince Cable (serious legend) and David Milliband (surprisingly sauve).

I decided to treat myself to a new curry book this week after leafing through the sumptuous photos and eye-popping colours of Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Easy  at a friend’s house the other day. It’s already been a revelation – the great illustrations make it much more approachable than The Curry Bible and there are lots more interesting vegetable recipes in this book too.

Dinner this Sunday was Curry Easy‘s “Whole Chicken Baked with an Almond & Onion Sauce” and “Sweet and Sour Aubergines” (serves 4). Both of the recipes were incredibly easy to follow, and after 24 hours of marination the chicken tasted out of this world – tender and tangy, with lovely warm ginger undertones; the only change I’d make next time would be to reduce the amount of salt in the chicken before my blood pressure goes through the roof. The sweet and sour aubergines were a doddle too and used much less oil than some of the other aubergine dishes I’ve made.

Mr Curryclub’s leftovers corner

Serves three (using two portions of chicken)

• Heat 2tsp vegetable oil in a small pan, with one cardamon pod, a small cinnamon stick, a pinch of coriander seeds and cloves, one dried chilli and a handful of raisins.
• Add basmati rice for three people to the same pan and a pinch of salt.
• Fry the rice and oil mix while you boil the kettle.
• Add boiling water to cover the rice by 2cm.
• Simmer on a low heat with the lid on until the rice boils dry.
• Pull leftover chicken meat off carcass. Heat in a large pan and add drained rice. Mix thoroughly, pat rice down flat and leave on a medium heat with the lid on until the rice at the bottom goes brown and crispy. Repeat process until all the rice is nice and crispy.  Serve with Greek yoghurt and mango/brinjal pickle.

We also enjoyed some vegetable pakoras with our leftovers tonight courtesy of my friend Bobby’s mum – thank you!

Marks: A whole-hearted 9/10; the leftovers verged on a knockout 10/10.