All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Pea, Carrot and Paneer Pilaf

By 14 Comments

Pilaf with peas, carrots and paneer

I hadn’t done a vegetarian option for my Feed 4 for £6 series for a little while so I thought it was about time I did. I am a big fan of recipes which involve putting ingredients into a pan, putting a lid on and leaving it to its own devices and this is one of those. If you can’t find paneer for this recipe you can use halloumi but it’s saltier. All you need otherwise is onions, carrots, peas, curry powder and rice. Sorted.

Ingredients

You will need (for 4):
Rapeseed oil for frying  £0.02
1 medium onion, diced  £0.10
2 medium carrots, diced  £0.18
200g frozen peas  £0.25
250g basmati rice  £0.45
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped  £0.05
2 heaped tsp curry powder  £0.05
700ml hot vegetable stock  £0.10
Salt and pepper  £0.02
225g paneer, cubed  £1.54
Total  £2.76

 Method

Heat around 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the onion, carrot and garlic. Fry for around 10 minutes or until softened.  Add the curry powder and rice and cook for a further minute. Add the frozen peas and pour in the hot stock. Bring the pan to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer, put on a loose fitting lid.  Simmer the rice for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed. Check on the level of stock while it’s cooking and top up a little if needed. While the pilaf cooks heat a pan up on a medium heat and add a little bit of oil. Season the paneer all over with salt and plenty of pepper before adding it to the pan. Fry the paneer until golden brown. Check the seasoning before dishing up the pilaf and divide the cheese between the plates.

Rice is always welcome on my table in whatever form it comes. In this it’s got a lovely curried flavour along with the sweet carrot, peas and onion and the peppery slightly salted cheese. My favourite bits are the golden edges of the paneer. I have to say that this has to be one of the most filling things I have ever made, I almost couldn’t eat it all (but I had just had some cake!). This costs less than £3 for four, is very satisfying and is easy to make. Ideal weeknight grub. read more

Curried Lamb Pie with Bombay Potato Topping with Schwartz

By 18 Comments

Curried Lamb Pie with Bombay Potato Topping All That I'm Eating (1 of 3)
Dinner parties have a set of criteria that they should fulfil; the host doesn’t want to be stuck in the kitchen away from guests, the food should be tasty and the guests want to be relaxed and leave full. This is why I think something that can be prepared in advance and then finished later on is ideal. I love lamb curry and I have really been enjoying my new Hairy Bikers curry book so I fancied having a go at a curry using lamb mince. So when Schwartz got in touch to see what dinner party ideas I could think of using their spices I set about creating an ideal dinner party dish: Curried Lamb Pie with Bombay Potato Topping. I thought this would meet the above ‘Caroline Criteria’ very well.

Ingredients

You will need (for 4):

For the lamb:
  • Flavourless oil for cooking
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 tomato, seeds removed and chopped
  • 2 tsp tomato puree
  • 3-4 tsp Schwartz Curry Powder (I used mild but you could use a hotter one if you like)
  • 400g minced lamb
  • 100g frozen peas
  • Salt and pepper
For the potato topping:

  • 700g potatoes, peeled and diced
  • Flavourless oil for frying
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
    • read more

    Review: Easy Indian Cookbook by Manju Malhi

    By 17 Comments

    murgh makhani
    Spices in food have always made me curious. I like all spices, those that I’ve tried anyway, and a little bit of fresh or dried chilli is always welcome when spices are around. When I’ve attempted making a spiced dish before it’s always lead to interesting results. The ras-el-hanout I add to lamb is great, the fajitas are good but I am normally disappointed if I try to make a curry. The flavour never seems deep enough; too much of one thing and not enough of something else. Manju Malhi asked me to review her Easy Indian Cookbook published by Duncun Baird, so I thought I’d have one last attempt and try out her recipe for Murgh Makhani.

    ingredients

    The below recipe is from Manju’s book with a few of my own tweaks.
    For Murgh Makhani for two you will need:

    • 50g peeled plum tomatoes
    • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 1 tbsp. natural yoghurt
    • 1 tbsp. double cream
    • Black pepper
    • 1/4 tsp paprika
    • 1 small dried chilli, ground
    • Pinch ground cinnamon
    • 2 tbsp. rapeseed oil
    • 250g chicken breast pieces
    • 1 onion, finely chopped
    • Salt
    • 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
    • Knob of butter
    • Pinch garam masala

    The below recipe for flatbreads is from Jamie Oliver and it makes fantastic cheat’s naan breads!

    For 6 cheat’s naan breads you will need:

    • 250g self raising flour plus extra for dusting
    • A pinch of salt
    • 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
    • 250g natural yoghurt
    Blend the tomatoes until smooth and put to one side. Put the chicken into a bowl and add the garlic, yoghurt, cream, a nice helping of black pepper, paprika, chilli, cinnamon and 1 tbsp. of the oil and mix everything together really well. Refrigerate this for at least 30 minutes but ideally overnight. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the remaining oil. Fry the onions until golden brown then add the salt and dried fenugreek and fry for a few more minutes. Add the tomatoes to the onions and keep cooking until thickened. Add a small knob of butter to the pan then add the chicken and all the marinade, reduce the heat to low and simmer for around 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Add the garam masala and serve with rice and the easy naans. To make the cheat’s naan breads mix together all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined. You might need to add a little extra flour if the mixture is looking a little wet. Put some extra flour onto the worktop and divide the mixture into six. Get a frying pan on a high heat. Roll out the dough so it’s quite thin and then dry fry the breads until they puff up a little, turn them over and cook until each one is cooked through and has some nice brown patches all over. It takes less than two minutes per flatbread.

    I can safely say, hand down, that this is the best curry I’ve ever made.  The level of spice and chilli was perfect for me and I loved the creamy taste even though the actual quantity of cream and butter was very small. Guilt free! I think next time I would double the quantity of the sauce for the same amount of chicken. I really like this book, the pictures are clean and simple and the recipes easy to follow. The recipes are certainly a step up from other ‘easy’ recipes (which are only easy because they require you to open a jar of paste) but you’re not cooking and preparing for hours either. There’s a good balance between meat, fish and vegetable curries too. I will definitely be cooking from this book again; the only problem being which recipe to choose!
    Thank you to Manju for the book and for permission to print one of her lovely recipes. read more

    Spiced Turkey Mini Meatballs with Chillied Cranberry Sauce

    By 12 Comments

    Spiced Turkey Mini Meatballs with Chillied Cranberry Sauce
    Although not my favourite meat you can’t very well ignore a turkey at this time of year. I’m not going to be cooking a whole turkey (there’s only two of us!) so instead, to make a nod to this festive bird, I made these spiced turkey meatballs. They are great with the chillied cranberry sauce. This recipe does have a whiff of a turkey curry about it but it’s an ideal dish to make for party finger food.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for a good platter of nibbles):
    500g turkey mince (not lean)
    1 1/2 tbsp garam masala

    200g cranberries
    125g granulated sugar
    250ml water
    1 red chilli, finely chopped

    Method

    Mix the garam masala into the turkey mince until well distributed and well mixed together. Form into mini meatballs then cover and refrigerate until needed.

    Put the water and sugar into a pan and heat slowly until the sugar dissolves. Add the cranberries and chilli and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until thickened and the cranberries have burst.
    Put the sauce to one side to cool. read more

    Chicken Tikka Wraps with Cucumber and Onion Salsa

    By 18 Comments

    chicken tikka filling
    I wanted to make something with meat for my next frugal recipe but I didn’t want to compromise on the quality of the chicken I decided to use. I bought two free range chicken breasts from my local farmers’ market as they are much more reasonable than buying them anywhere else. In order for this recipe for four to cost less than £6 the chicken needed to be bulked out with plenty of other bits. Enter the wrap; it looks like it’s not that filling but after just two of them I am stuffed! This recipe is fresh, vibrant and full of flavour and makes a light, quick and easy meal.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for four):
    2 free range chicken breasts
    £3.42
    2 tbsp tikka paste
    £0.20
    150g organic natural yoghurt
    £0.49
    1/2 large lettuce
    £0.25
    1/2 cucumber
    £0.33
    1 small red onion
    £0.10
    Small handful fresh coriander
    £0.15
    8 wraps
    £1.00
    Salt and pepper
    £0.02
    Oil (for frying)
    £0.02
    Total
    £5.98

    Method

    Start by slicing the chicken breasts into thin, inch sized pieces. Put these into a bowl with the tikka paste and 1 tbsp of yoghurt. Mix together and then cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

    While the chicken marinates prepare the rest of the meal.
    Wash the lettuce and drain well before shredding it.
    To make the salsa finely chop the cucumber and the onion. Put half of the onion and all of the cucumber into a bowl. Tear in the coriander and then mix it all together with some salt and pepper. Put this to one side.

    When you are ready to cook the chicken get a large frying pan on a medium heat. Add a little oil and the other half of the chopped onion. Fry the onion for around five minutes to get a little colour then add the chicken and all the marinade.
    Continue to fry it all together for around ten minutes or until the chicken is cooked and some of the edges of the chicken have started to catch. Leaving the chicken to catch really adds to the flavour. read more

    Curried Squash Soup with Toasted Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

    By 27 Comments

    Curried Squash Soup with Toasted Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
    Squash to me is just something orange taking up precious room in my fridge. I have no desire to hack into it, scoop out the seeds and cut up the rest to make something I wish I hadn’t bothered putting the squash in to. I don’t hate them as such; I’d just rather not have anything to do with them. A squash is plain awkward and it knows it. It’s well aware I don’t want it there and it doesn’t want to be there. I’m sure it had grand visions of being made into a wonderful pie or part of a roasted vegetable medley but now it’s stuck with me and it’s going one of two ways; in the compost or in the dog.  Perhaps I am being unkind. I am the only person I know who doesn’t like it. People seem to love it but it’s the texture and flavour which sets me convulsing. However, due to the ever growing list of people who have a deep affection for squash I felt like I should give it one more try. One more attempt for it to win me over before I deemed it only suitable for composting or, in a mad moment of desperation, a secret Santa present.

    You will need (for two big bowls):

    • 1 squash (I had an onion squash), chopped
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 1 clove garlic, chopped
    • 3 tsps curry powder
    • 1 litre vegetable stock
    • 1 sachet concentrated coconut milk
    • Handful pumpkin seeds
    • ½ tsp each of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and cardamom seeds
    • Oil for frying
    • Salt and pepper

    Fry the onion in a little oil until starting to soften and then add the garlic. Fry for a minute more and then stir in the curry powder.

    Keep frying for a few minutes to allow the spices to warm up and coat the onion.

    Add the squash, give it all a final mix and then add the stock and coconut milk.

    Leave the squash to soften for 20-30 minutes before blending. Check the seasoning and keep it warm until you’re ready to serve.

    Take your spices, adding or removing any that you deem fit and add them to a dry frying pan with the pumpkin seeds. read more

    Coronation Chicken: using up leftover chicken

    By 14 Comments

    Eggs for making mayonnaise
    Removing all the meat from a cooked chicken has to be one of the most rewarding things to do; ending up with a plate full of bones and a bowl full of meat opens up a world of possibilities. As I mentioned in the previous post the bones were used to make stock; half of this was used in a bright broccoli, celery and stilton soup. I think the other half will end up in a risotto in the near future. 

    First and most importantly it was essential to make some form of chicken sandwich from the leftovers. As Jubilee fever is gripping the nation at the moment I thought the most appropriate sandwich would be Coronation chicken. Possibly my favourite sandwich filler but one I’ve never made myself and I wanted to do it properly, do it justice and so I set about making some mayonnaise.

      You will need: 2 egg yolks 250ml oil (I used half groundnut, half rapeseed) Cooked chicken Curry Powder Mango Chutney Bread, salad, other sandwich bits

    My mixer would be the perfect thing to make glorious, fresh, silky mayonnaise, at least that’s what I thought. As far as I was aware 1 egg yolk can emulsify 100ml of oil but none of the recipes I found followed this rule so I trusted both my instincts (which are apparently useless) and a few recipes and went for 2 egg yolks and 250ml oil.  read more

    Aubergine Curry

    By 10 Comments

    Spice mix for curry
    Every time I have attempted to make a curry I have always been disappointed. I had almost given up when I got a craving for aubergines and a desire for spice. This turned out to be a subtle and fragrant aubergine curry rather than a powerful and punchy dish. At the market there is a kind man who sells all the spices you could ever need. I purchased what I knew; coriander, cardamom, cumin, mustard and turmeric. I have since been back and purchased an awful lot more. I’m a bit of an onion fiend. If I had my way and the smell was tolerable for everyone else I’d happily munch through one like an apple. However as this might be considered unusual I try to cram as many onions into my food as possible. Some recipes call for a can of tomatoes but I wanted more texture and decided to use both fresh and tinned. Sometimes tomato seeds can add a nice bit of acidity to a meal but some meals are better without them. I used to read recipes that said to remove the seeds from the tomatoes and it filled me with dread. I persevered and having now mastered tomato seed removal I have to say it can be done in no time at all. Don’t get all caught up in appearance is my advice and forget any equipment, your hands are the best tools for the job.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for five to six large portions):

    • 1/2 a teaspoon each of cardamom, mustard seeds, cumin and turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds 
    • salt and pepper 
    • 2 large aubergines, in roughly chopped
    • 4 onions, sliced
    • 4 large garlic cloves
    • Oil for frying
    • 4 tomatoes, seeds removed and quartered
    • 1 tin tomatoes
    • 2 chillies, sliced (add more or less depending on how hot you like it)
    • 1 tin coconut milk
    • 300ml vegetable stock
    • Large handful coriander, roughly chopped

    Method

    Add all the spices and salt and pepper to a pestle and mortar and grind them up. The smell is so fresh.

    I have a real aversion to soggy, slimy, sloppy aubergines and so to prevent my distress I always cook them separately first. In this case I griddled them to give them a characteristic smoky flavour. Don’t add oil to the aubergine, I find the oil soaks in too much. I have found that for some recipes soaking the aubergines in salt is absolutely necessary but in this recipe, not so much. 

    Sweat the onion and garlic in a little oil until they look fairly sumptuous and then add the spices. Stir until your nostrils are dancing. read more

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