All That I'm Eating

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

Keema Rice

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Keema Rice - All That I'm Eating (2 of 2)

I don’t know about you but during the week when it comes to cooking dinner I want something quick, easy and full of flavour. It’s also a winner if it’s cheap to make and uses up a few bits and bobs I have hanging around in the fridge too. Keema rice is one of my guilty pleasures; I love the heavily spiced lamb, golden onions and fragrant rice. I thought it was about time I attempted to make it at home.

You will need (for 4):

  • 250g easy cook, long grain rice  £0.35
  • 2 cloves  £0.02
  • 2 cardamom pods  £0.02
  • 1 bay leaf  £0.02
  • 300g lamb mince  £2.40
  • 1 small tin peas, drained  £0.30
  • 1 onion, finely chopped  £0.10
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed  £0.10
  • Handful mushrooms, chopped  £0.35
  • Oil for cooking  £0.02
  • 2 tsp garam masala  £0.02
  • 1 tsp ground cumin  £0.02
  • Salt and pepper  £0.02
  • Fresh coriander £0.15

Total £3.89

Gently fry the cloves, cardamom and bay in a saucepan with a little oil. Add the rice and stir well to coat in the oil and spices. read more

Pea, Carrot and Paneer Pilaf

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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

Cheat’s one pot Paella

By 21 Comments

I didn’t realise how much rice I had been eating until I thought about the last time I ate pasta or potatoes and I can’t remember when that was. I like rice as a plain side to something, a herb encrusted rice salad or as a risotto. This quick and easy rice dish (or a cheat paella) is not a paella by any means but it’s a great dish to knock up after a hectic day with a nice bit of chorizo for a mid-week Spanish pick me up. Get out your flamenco. 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

Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Mixed Mushroom Risotto

By 13 Comments

Broccoli
I do like purple sprouting broccoli. It seems less like broccoli than a standard green tree and so I feel I should pay it extra care and attention. As much as I enjoy a stem or two on the side of the plate sometimes I want it to be the star attraction. There was a lot of purple sprouting broccoli to get through; a whole bag full in fact from the veg box. One of the reasons I like purple sprouting so much is that it signals the start of Spring. Along with rhubarb, when you see the purple tipped stems standing proud you know it’s only a matter of time until ‘the other stuff’ starts appearing; asparagus, beans, fruits, tomatoes and all sorts of other treats.  

An Italian deli has recently opened up nearby and I am lucky to have access to many interesting ingredients that I didn’t before. This also means I have another local shop to happily support and one of the many reasons for returning is their mushrooms. Similar to mushrooms you can buy in a jar but you don’t pay for oil you don’t use. You get all different sorts of mushrooms in a light oil with herbs and a slightly acidic taste. These earthy mushrooms would make a brilliant partner for my sweet broccoli to top a white risotto. read more

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