Spiced Okra and Egg Curry

So last night was one of those evenings, when, my husband was working late, and eating out,  the children had to be fed early as Adam had a basketball game at 7pm. I didn't want to eat burgers, which is what I had made for them.

I fancied a vegetarian curry, so this lovely off the cuff recipe came about, it looks and tastes divine.  I make this okra curry that my mum always cooks, but I wanted to add something to it for a different, texture and flavour, okra can be a little bitter.

I bought Rick Stein's India (cookbook) when I was in the UK visiting family in July last year. (12 quid from Tescos!!)  And I have been drooling over his series on TV, he showed a simple egg curry, so I got inspired and decided to create this dish.

150 -200 g Okra cut into chunks (you can get frozen packets from Indian supermarkets)
1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 small red onion, finely diced
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp green chilli and coriander mix ( the recipe for this is earlier in the blog)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 -1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
salt & pepper
3 hard boiled eggs
oil

1. Heat 1 tbl  oil in a saucepan, add the onions and cook until pale golden, add garlic and salt, cook for a further 1-2 min
2. Add the tomato and the rest of the spices and cook on a low heat for 5-7 min
3. Meanwhile, add about 1 tbl oil into a frying pan and fry the okra until, slightly brown, remove and set aside. Peel and cut the eggs length ways in half, set aside.
4. Add the okra to the tomato mixture and cook on a low - med heat for about 5 min, then gently add the boiled eggs, coating with the tomato mixture, heat through for a further 5 min, serve with roti.
Simple, easy, delicious!

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time

 

Ashia

Chicken Cakes with ginger & green & red chilli

I made these gorgeous easy chicken cakes, one day last week, when I was pressed for time ( running around for after school activities with the children) it had been a particularly busy day, and I always like to plan ahead. I usually take some sort of meat out of the freezer, either that morning or the night before and then decide what I will be cooking, or think about it during the day, and get stuck in when we get home. Usually with my daughter at the dining table doing her homework.

I had some chicken mince out, and decided to make these delicious, juicy little patties. I served this with a green salad and a tomato and avocado salad and some skin on chunky home made chips.

500g chicken mince ( or use  chicken breast and pulse in a food processor)
1 tsp garlic & ginger mix (I buy a ready made mix from one of the Indian shops and it keeps well in the fridge for a few weeks)
1tsp green chilli & coriander mix ( I use this a lot in my cooking)
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
You can always add more if you wish
Juice of 1 lemon
50g breadcrumbs
1 tsp fish sauce
2 -3 small potatoes boiled and mashed

1. Pre heat oven to 200 c/ 180 fan

2. In a bowl, add the chicken, ginger & garlic and all the other ingredients, mixing well, you can add a little more bread crumbs to make the texture less wet

3.Mash the boiled potatoes and add to the mixture, combine well and season with salt and pepper. Shape into small patties (approx. 18-20).

4. Place on an oiled baking tray, brush with oil and bake for 10-15 min on each side until golden

Serve as a main meal with chunky homemade chips, aioli or sweet chilli sauce, or make them into bite size pieces  and serve them as appetisers at a dinner party.

Enjoy!

Till next time

Ashia

International Food Festival

My daughter's primary school had an International Food Festival a week or so ago.  They had tried it has a fund raiser last year and it was a real success, so this year I decided to be a part of it. 

I was involved in the Indian family stall. I made two large vegetarian curries, Peas and Paneer and my dad's basmati rice.  There was also a Pea and Potato curry, a chicken curry from Fiji and a Lamb curry. And we were giving roti and samosas, on the plate as an extra.

I made my dad's rice ( recipe is on the blog, one of the first entries) and I used the Paneer recipe on my blog but also  added peas, which gave it a wonderful flavour.

It was a gorgeous evening, there was Thai, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Iranian, Arabic, Danish, Indian and good old Kiwi. There was entertainment in forms of traditional dance, a bagpipe band, the swimming pool was open and a dessert stand and an ice cream kiosk, plus much more.  It was a great way to fund raise and everyone there had a fabulous time.

 

The curries were all gone, and our stand was really busy, it was a great buzz, and I will definitely get involved next year, the school raised a lot of funds and everyone had a great time!

Enjoy!

Till next time.

Ashia