Jeera Quorn

I ate meat under duress as a child, so as soon as I was allowed to do my thing I stopped eating it.

I did however develop a taste for some some meat dishes in this time which I have very easily recreated with Quorn.  Quorn is not vegn as it contains egg.

So if you are a meat eater and want to eat less meat but can't give up the sensory experience or are a vegetarian who eats egg like me then give it a try.

It is a super fast dish that is yummy main or side dish.

Ingredients (to serve 4-6 people)

• I x 300g bag of Quorn chunks refrigerated or frozen 
• 3tbsp Light olive oil or Ghee-(clarified butter)

• 2 tsp Cumin/ Jeera
• 1/2 tsp Oragano seeds/ Ajowan seeds (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped or crushed
• 1/2-1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1-2 tsp Garam masala -
• 1 tsp salt
• Hand full of fresh chopped coriander

Directions

1. Add your oil/ghee, set the pan at a medium heat add your cumin seeds and ajowan seeds, when they begin to crackle add your quorn chunks.
2. Cook this till the quorn chunks go light brown and then add your garlic and continue stirring frequently.
3. Once the garlic starts to colour add your dry spices and stir, cover and cook for as long as it takes the quorn to heat right the way through.
4. Last stage is to add your coriander and serve with rice or roti and enjoy! 

Saag (greens)

We refer to most mashed greens as saag, traditionally we use mustard green or chard, but you can use any greens of your choice or a mix. We would serve this with maaki thi roti (corn bread), you could serve it with fried polenta for a similar taste combination. You can just serve it as a side dish too with other daal and subji. You can also make variations adding paneer ?(indian cheese) or potatoes.

As other dishes can be cooked vegan or sathvick too.

Ingredaints (serves 4)

• 1lb/ 500g I used broccoli tops, wash well in plenty of water.
• 1tbsp gram flour/ fine polenta flour mixed in a few spoons of cold water.

Tarka - We cook the saag and tarka separately and then combine them.

• 3tbsp Light olive oil or (Ghee-clarified butter if you are making this vegetarian, prefered in this recipie)
• 1/2 Chopped onion
• 1" fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped/ grated
• 1 -2 fresh green chilli's chopped (the more you put in the hotter it gets)  Optional
• 1/2 tin tomatoes or 3 fresh tomatoes chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp Cumin/ Jeera
• 1/2 tsp Oragano seeds/ Ajowan seeds (optional)
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric/ Haldi
• 2 tsp salt
• Hand full of fresh chopped coriander

Directions

1.  Add your washed greens to a thick based pan, and top up with 2" or 5cm boiling water from kettle (this just speeds up the cooking) cover and boil until cooked.  While these are cooking we can cook our Tarka.
2. In a second pan add your oil/ghee, set the pan at a slow heat this is the secret to good tasting Indian cooking.  Add your cumin seeds and ajowan seeds, when they begin to crackle add your onion.
3. Cook the onion till it is light brown and then add your ginger and chilli, stirring frequently.
4. Continue to cook this till the ginger is brown too, if the ginger starts to stick to the pan just add a couple of tea spoons of water and stir until it comes free.
5. Once the mix is caramel coloured, add your dry spices and salt and tomatoes, you have now made your tarka. Continue to cook this for a few more minutes until it is bubbling together nicely and the tomatoes have started breaking down.Set this aside until you have done 6.
6. Once the greens are cooked, take a hand blender and immerse in the pan and blend until there are no large pieces of greens left, it doesn't have to be a smooth puree, if it is too hard to mash then add more water.  Once mashed add your polenta flour/ gram flour mixed in water and continue cooking on low heat. You can now add your tarka to your greens pot!
7. Add a little greens to your tarka pan to make sure you get all the yummy spices and oil off and add back to the main pot.
8. Cook on a slow heat for 20mins once you have added the tarka. Taste it and add more salt if you like more.
9. Last stage is to add your coriander and serve with a dollop of butter, enjoy! 

Maa ki daal (Mother's daal)

Maa ki daal is my all time favourite!  It is also known as Daal makhani (makhani means creamy) in some eating establishments as it is so creamy.

Maa is hindi for 'Mother' hence I call it mother's daal, I always tell my kids it is called this as it has a lot of love in it.  This dish is a speciality of Punjab, where my father is from and it is a really hearty dish.

We call most beans and lentils daal but this one is  also known as Whole Urid/Urad beans, Black gram, black lentils. You can buy these lentils in some English supermarkets but mainly in indian shops.

You can cook this as a vegan or vegetarian dish I shall give both variations so you can choose.  Maa ki daal makes a great main with vegetable pillau rice or plain rice or roti or serve it with side dishes, it is another daal  that marries well with other dishes.

You can also decide to make this dish Sathvick just remove the garlic and onions, it takes on a whole new flavour complex.

Ingredients for serving 4

• I cup of urad beans, washed.  Wash the daal well in a sieve, or bowl until it runs clean. 
• A handful of Kidney beans, prepare as Urad. These are best soaked in double their volume of water together overnight.

Tarka - We cook the daal and tarka separately and then combine them.

• 3tbsp Light olive oil or (Ghee-clarified butter if you are making this vegetarian, this is the authentic choice)
• 1/2 tsp dried ground ginger
• 1/2 Chopped onion
• 1" fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped/ grated
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 -2 fresh green chilli's chopped (the more you put in the hotter it gets)  Optional
• 1/2 tin tomatoes or 2 fresh tomatoes chopped 
• 1 tsp Cumin/ Jeera
• 1/2 tsp Oragano seeds/ Ajowan seeds (optional)
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric/ Haldi
• 1-2 tsp salt
• Hand full of fresh chopped coriander

Directions

1. If you can't soak it overnight, then soak in boiling hot water for a couple of hours or pressure cook the daal for 20mins and then go to 3.  I think it is best cooked slowly in a pan, but if your short of time, then you have the choice.
2. Add your washed daal to a thick based pan, and top up with 3" or 8cm boiling water from kettle (this just speeds up the cooking). Cover and set it going at a rolling boil so the beans will boil and cook but not boil over.  It takes about 30-40mins for them to cook, but the final dish needs 6 hours to taste really good.  This daal tends to be quite thirsty, so if you see it is cooking dry just top it up with more water, if you accidently add too much it is not a problem, just leave it to simmer without a lid on. When your beans are cooked use your ladle or a potato masher and mash a bit of the daal to help thicken it. Keep stirring occasionally.
3. Add your dry ground ginger and salt to the pan while the beans are cooking. While these are cooking we can cook our Tarka.
4. In a second pan add your oil/ghee, set the pan at a slow heat this is the secret to good tasting Indian cooking, this recipe is very similar to other daal recipes given.  Add your cumin seeds and ajowan seeds, when they begin to crackle add your onion.
5. Cook the onion till it is light brown and then add your ginger and chilli, stirring frequently.
6. Continue to cook this till the ginger is brown too, if the ginger starts to stick to the pan just add a couple of tea spoons of water and stir until it comes free.
7. Once the mix is caramel coloured, add your dry spices and salt and tomatoes, you have now made your tarka.
8. Continue to cook this for a few more minutes until it is bubbling together nicely and the tomatoes have started breaking down, then add the tarka to your daal pot!  Add a little of the daal liquor to your tarka pan to make sure you get all the yummy spices and oil off and add back to the daal pot.
9. I like to cook my Maa ki daal for a good six hours in total, but it can cook in as little as three sometimes the lentils vary.  It won't do it any harm for longer cooking, just make sure you don't forget to stir.  Taste it and add more salt if you like more, I do add a bit more salt to this daal.
10. Last stage is to add your coriander and serve with rice or roti and dollop of butter, enjoy! 

Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower and potatoes)

I love eating seasonal vegetables, they are always at their best. Autumn is perfect for this yummy dish, but you can eat it any time of year.

You can make many variations of this dish, I recommend having a play with it changing things to your taste and give yourself some variety.

I tend to cook this dish as vegan (with oil) and will add variation by adding coconut milk.

You can also make this Sathvick, by removing the onion and replace with a little additional ginger.

As most Indian vegetable and lentil dishes this is also gluten free. Remember if you have any leftovers it keeps in the fridge and reheats beautifully.

Ingredients for serving 4-6 (the size of your cauliflower will determine how many you feed)

• 1 Cauliflower, wash and chop the florets into  even sized pieces  Remove and dispose of outer leaves but the younger greener leaves can be chopped up and used. This is also true of the stalk too, you can peel the thick outer skin and use the inner creamy part of the stalk.

• 1 medium sized potato, peeled and chopped into pieces about an inch square

• 3tbsp Light olive oil or (Ghee-clarified butter if you are making this vegetarian)

• 1/2 Chopped onion

• 1" fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped/ grated

• 1 tsp Cumin/ Jeera

• 1 tsp Black mustard seeds/ Rye

• 1 -2 fresh green chilli's chopped (the more you put in the hotter it gets)

• 1/2 tin tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes chopped (optional)
• 1/2 tin coconut milk (optional instead of tomatoes)

• 1 tsp Garam masala

• 1tsp Turmeric/ Haldi

• 1 tsp salt

• Hand full of fresh chopped coriander

Directions

1. Add your oil, set the pan at a slow heat this is the secret to good tasting Indian cooking, this recipe is pretty idot proof, just keep your heat low and you can't go wrong.  Add your cumin seeds and black mustard seeds, when they begin to crackle add your onion.
2. Cook the onion till it is light brown and then add your ginger and chilli, stirring frequently.
3. Continue to cook this till the ginger is brown too, if the ginger starts to stick to the pan just add a couple of tea spoons of water and stir until it comes free.
4. Once the mix is caramel coloured, add your dry spices and salt and tomatoes/coconut milk, you have now made your base (masala). You can cook this without the tomatoes or coconut milk and it is still yummy.
5. Add you cauliflower and potatoes and combine the masala and vegetables, cover and cook on a medium heat for about 10mins until the dish starts to bubble and you can see the cauliflower starting to cook.  You want to turn the veg but be very gentle so that you son't end up smashing it up.
6. Uncover the dish and cook for a further 10mins until the potatoes are cooked through. I test this by stabbing a potatoes with a sharp knife or skewer, if it goes in without effort then you know it is cooked.
7. Add the chopped coriander and serve as a main or side dish with roti, naan, or rice of your choice. And enjoy!

Masoor ki daal (green/ brown lentils)

This dish is a very fast easy family favourite!
You can buy these lentils in any English supermarket, they are normally labelled green lentils or brown lentils, they can vary a little in size too, but they are from the same family.

You can cook this as a vegan or vegetarian dish I shall give both variations so you can choose.  Masoor daal makes a great main with vegetable pillau rice or plain rice or roti or serve it with side dishes, it is such an easy dish to accompany with any vegetable.

You can also decide to make this dish Sathvick just remove the garlic and onions, it takes on a whole new flavour complex.

Ingredients for serving 4-6

• I cup of Masoor daal, washed.  Wash the daal well in a sieve, most daal sold in english supermarkets are quite clean so don't need sifting and repeated washing. You can soak the daal the night before this will speed up cooking but it is not absolutely necessary for this lentil, if you do this just add a little less water on cooking.

Tarka - We cook the daal and tarka separately and then combine them.

• 3tbsp Light olive oil or (Ghee-clarified butter if you are making this vegetarian)
• 1/2 Chopped onion
• 1" fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped/ grated
• 2 cloves of garlic finely/ grated
• 1 -2 fresh green chilli's chopped (the more you put in the hotter it gets)
• 1/2 tin tomatoes
• 1 tsp Cumin/ Jeera
• 1/2 tsp Oragano seeds/ Ajowan seeds (optional)
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric/ Haldi
• 1 tsp salt
• Hand full of fresh chopped coriander

Directions

1. Add your washed daal to a thick based pan, and top up with 2" or 5cm boiling water from kettle (this just speeds up the cooking). Cover and set it going at a medium heat so the lentils will boil and cook but not boil over.  It takes about 20mins for them to be cooked, but taste nicer the more you cook them longer.  Whilst cooking your lentils may develop a white froth, just skim this off with a ladle and tip it down the sink. While these are cooking we can cook our Tarka.
2. In a second pan add your oil/ghee, set the pan at a slow heat this is the secret to good tasting Indian cooking, this recipe is pretty idot proof, just keep your heat low and you can't go wrong.  Add your cumin seeds and ajowan seeds, when they begin to crackle add your onion.
3. Cook the onion till it is light brown and then add your garlic, ginger and chilli, stirring frequently.
4. Continue to cook this till the garlic and ginger is brown too, if the ginger starts to stick to the pan just add a couple of tea spoons of water and stir until it comes free.
5. Once the mix is caramel coloured, add your dry spices and salt and tomatoes, you have now made your tarka.
6. Continue to cook this for a few more minutes until it is bubbling together nicely and the tomatoes have started breaking down, then add the tarka to your daal pot!  Add a little of the daal liquor to your tarka pan to make sure you get all the yummy spices and oil off and add back to the daal pot.
7. If the lentils are cooked they will be split in the middle and the lentils inside will be soft and mashy between your fingers.  If not just continue to cook them till they are.  I like to cook my daal for a good 20mins once I have added the tarka, you can cook it for longer on a slow heat the flavours just develop further. Taste it and add more salt if you like more.
8. Last stage is to add your coriander and serve with rice or roti and enjoy!