Guest Post - Cooking Tips from Uyen Luu (LoveLELUU)

I am really thrilled to have a guest post from the lovely Uyen Luu. An expert in Vietnamese food, Uyen demonstrated the basics of Vietnamese food to Jamie Oliver in an extended film shoot.  Uyen is currently working on her first book, a collection of classic Vietnamese recipes. An artist, photographer and filmmaker, Uyen is a woman of many talents. I am delighted that she was able to take some time for this post, in amongst her work of writing, running cooking classes and her hugely popular supperclubs. Uyen's fascinating blog can be found here: http://www.leluu.com/

Over to you, Leluu!

Food writer, great cook, blogger, cooking tutor, and all round talent, Uyen Luu

The best way to cook is when you really feel like doing it and you are making something for someone you like or love. Even if you are just cooking for yourself, that you enjoy the outcome and you try to make it with love and enthusiasm. Otherwise, it will never taste as good as it should. If I don't feel like cooking, I would get a takeaway or eat out. I cook badly when I don't feel like it.

It also helps if you are calm when cooking as being hectic, nervous and disorganised is going to make you stressed and brings the enjoyment of cooking to a low.

Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bo Kho)

When I set out to make a meal, say a roast dinner, I like to take all the ingredients I need out and place it to one side. I would put on an apron, have a couple of clean tea towels at hand. I sharpen all the the knives I need to use and make sure I have a clean surface to work on. Clearing away all dirty dishes, wiping down all surfaces. I have a bowl to collect waste from garlic peels etc so I don't have to move back and forth to the dust bin or make my surfaces messy.

I usually plan the outcome of the meal, for instance, pre heating the oven, putting a pot of water to boil. If you plan and have a strategy for the preparation, everything will be much faster. By the time you've peeled your potatoes, the water will be ready to put them in etc (although I heard you should always boil potatoes from cold water). If something can happen while you are doing a task, don't waste the opportunity.

Always clear up after you have used something, by putting it in the dishwasher or wash it. This makes cooking much more efficient and less stressful.

Prep all your ingredients, then cook it. Don't start a stir fry and only have chopped half the ingredients, then you'll be rushed or one thing may be over cooked and something else won't be cooked enough.

A woman of many talents

Always taste your food when seasoning and don't entirely rely on recipes.

Always set a timer because you're bound to forget something, especially if you have guests who will try to distract you and you don't want something to burn or over cook.

If you have guests, do as much as you can before they arrive so you can spend time with them, and I try to make unfussy meals when I have friends come over or if I don't have much time. 

(Words and pictures by Uyen Luu)

Making life easier in the kitchen - cooking tips from Snig's Kitchen and beyond

I am always completely up front with the fact that I am an enthusiastic amateur cook with limited skill rather than any kind of expert. My presentation is certainly not going to win me any prizes! But I am always keen to improve.

So I have been thinking about small ways in which we all can improve our cooking, both in terms of the experience and the product. As a result I've been putting together a special page of cooking tips which you can find here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/p/snigs-top-kitchen-tips.html

Here are some other ideas I have picked up over the years:

Peeled and/or chopped potatoes have a nasty habit of going grey as they are exposed to the air. Soak peeled or chopped potatoes in water (fully submerged) to prevent this happening.

Don’t put salt on meat until you are completely ready to cook it. The salt draws out the moisture in the meat. That makes it more likely to be chewy. 

If browning/sealing meat for a casserole, stew or curry, get the pan hot before you start. Then brown in batches. If you put too much meat in the pan in one go, the uncooked meat lowers the temperature of the pan, meaning you won’t get the same searing and browning. The meat starts to cook through.

A really simple tip from Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food is to mix salad dressings in a jar. All you need is an old jar you got for free with your jam or what not. You bung all the dressing ingredients inside, lid on, shake up. It’s so quick and clean! You don’t have to look for a whisk which you then have to wash up. And any dressing which is left over can be kept in the jar and put in the fridge for up to 2 days

I recently asked all my friends, be they foodies or reluctant cooks for their cooking tips. I got some really great responses – both serious and humourous.

From Rowena Poole:

If you need a taper, a stick of dry Spaghetti does the trick.

To reduce tears when cutting onions, suck a teaspoon.

When chopping onions, don't cut off the end bits until the last chip. That's the worst but for the tears.

From Lisa Troughton:

Cold hands make great pastry.

From Michael Hubbard:

Keep it simple, good ingredients speak for themselves.

From Michael Chapman:

Avoid lean meat for most recipes - it will lack the richness of fatty meat.

And now for the not-so-serious ones.... which have a lot of truth to them!

From Michael Chapman:

Under No Circumstances go for a pee after chopping chillies.

(Perhaps more applicable to men than women, Mike!)

From Toby Harrison:

Always drink while cooking.

Watch out – I have a special guest post from Uyen Luu coming up in Snig's Kitchen to offer you even more great advice!

What are your top cooking tips? Please share them with me, I'd love to know!

Don’t panic! Food poisoning is nasty, but easily avoided

The consumer organisation “Which?” has caused what appears to be a major media scare with its report that 18% (or as reported today, one in five) chickens it tested had food poisoning bug Campylobacter. 

Read about it here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9200506/One-in-five-chickens-contaminated-with-bacteria-Which-says.html

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/food-poisoning-bug-found-in-one-788890

“Which?” is a pretty well respected outfit. I greatly doubt that they wanted us all to panic and worry. I think the intention was to encourage the major supermarkets to ensure they and their suppliers worked to reduce the health risks to consumers.  But in the big media hoo-ha which has ensued, “Which?” have been accused of ‘scaremongering’. 

So let’s look at what this story is about, because there really is no need to panic.

Campylobacter? What is it and do I need to worry?

Campylobacter is a form of bacteria. It occurs naturally. It happens to dwell inside animals, including poultry. Remember those adverts for health drinks like Yakult and Actimel? Well, they have bacterial cultures which are designed to top up levels of ‘good bacteria’ living in your gut. Campylobacter is simply a not-so-good bacterium. (The singular of bacteria is ‘bacterium’; that was not a typo!)

It may help to think of Campylobacter as the ‘BBQ Bug’. Because the weather is warmer in Spring and Summer, the bug can multiply more easily, and it is many of the features of a typical BBQ party which can help cause food poisoning.

But there is NO NEED TO WORRY! There are few simple rules and techniques you can use in your kitchen and at a BBQ party to avoid food poisoning. I will deal with them later.

Why have I never heard of Campylobacter before? Is it new?

It isn’t new. It just hasn’t been the cause of major outbreaks of illness like the more famous bugs Salmonella, its unpleasant cousin E Coli (or Escherichia coli as it is known to its friends) or Listeria. 

What will happen if I get Campylobacter inside me?

You won’t feel very well and may spend a lot of time in the toilet. You are most likely to suffer vomiting and diarrhoea. You may also get stomach cramps. You are more likely to suffer these symptoms between 2 and 5 days of eating the affected food, although it could be a bit longer. It is highly unlikely to kill you, unless you have a weakened immune system or pre-existing illness.

How can it be avoided?

1.       Keep your fridge cold enough; Your fridge should be at a temperature of between 0°C to 5°C (or 32°F to 41°F). Please note that this will only prevent the bacteria from multiplying. Sadly, the little buggers are not killed in the fridge (or the freezer for that matter).

2.       Thaw frozen meat slowly; uneven temperature changes can cause the bad bacteria to multiply. Thawing in the fridge rather than by leaving frozen meat out in the kitchen or by soaking in hot water will be safer as the process will be even and gradual.

3.       Never refreeze anything you have thawed. Ever. As set out above, freezing doesn’t kill the bacteria. The thawed meat will be warmer than frozen, and once above 5°C, the bacteria will start to multiply again. Refreezing will just put the newly increased bacteria population into a sort of ‘suspended animation’ until they can come back at you with vigour. It is just not worth it!

4.       Wrap or box all meat and dairy products. Do not leave loose meat or cheese floating around your fridge. Please, please do not allow juices from meat to drip onto other items in your fridge. It is messy and will make you very ill.

5.       Keep cooked meat and meat products away from uncooked meats in your fridge. 

6.       If you are vulnerable (very young, very old, pregnant or suffering from reduced immune function), avoid any dairy products which have not been pasteurised. The pasteurisation process (which involves heating the milk used in the products to a very high temperature, maintaining that temperature for a given period then cooling very rapidly) reduces the possibility of the bacteria growing.

7.       Do not wash your meat. It doesn’t work in removing bacteria. It just means that you splash water droplets and bacteria all around your kitchen, which can result in everything being contaminated; your worktops, pans, utensils and other ingredients. Oh, and the floor.

8.       Cooking is what will kill the bacteria. You are aiming to get all meat up to a temperature of around 70°C (165°F). This is hot enough to kill the horrid beasties.

9.       Steaks and roasts made of red meat are the only meaty things you can eat cooked rare. And you still have to try to make sure that the pink middle reaches 70°C. Do not think of eating chicken rare; uncooked chicken is a major source of food poisoning. Mixed meat products like sausages cannot be eaten rare (as the production process will have mixed a whole load of potential nasties all through your sausages). There are similar risks to shop bought minced meat. Like steak tartare? Make it yourself from a slab of steak.

10.   Have 2 chopping boards; one for meat/fish and another for everything else. Wash them thoroughly after each use. If you have a dishwasher, get yourself 2 plastic chopping boards which you can just chuck in at the end of a cooking session. Wood will warp/split in the heat of the dishwasher. If you have wood boards, make sure you scrub thoroughly and allow them to dry completely between uses.

11.   Don’t eat meat products after the ‘Use By’ date (UK Readers).  After the ‘Use By’ date has passed, a food product is theoretically unfit for human consumption. ‘Best Before’ is literally about the optimum time to consume a food product. ‘Display Until’ is an indicator for the shop selling the product to remove from the display, usually for cosmetic reasons (ditto ‘Sell By’). ‘Best Before’, ‘Display Until’ and ‘Sell By’ dates can all be exceeded, but within reason. Don’t take too many chances.

12.   Make sure you cook things on the BBQ properly; the big mistake made is gauging whether the BBQ is hot enough to cook on or not. You will probably need to light your BBQ up to 30 minutes before you can start cooking. The coals should have had a really good chance to burn and start going white with ash. The biggest mistake made is putting the food on whilst the fuel is burning at its hottest, totally burning the outside of the food and leaving the middle nearly raw.

13.   Perfectly cooked BBQ meat has the following characteristics: it is NOT PINK, the juices run clear (no pink or red), the meat is steaming (piping hot) all over.

14.   Don’t reuse used meat marinade unless it is heated up to at least 70°C or until boiling. Don’t put it back in the fridge. Do not be tempted to use as a salad dressing. This is one of the easiest ways of giving yourself food poisoning! 

Do any of you have any other advice on how to enjoy your food safely?

Brain food

My students are in the middle of assessment season. It is tough for them. The course they study is only 9 months long, but has 6 exams and a host of other assessments. They are about to sit exams in civil litigation, criminal litigation and evidence, difficult and technical subjects with a massive syllabus to cover.

Their predicament has made me wonder whether there is any way of giving yourself the 'edge' mentally through what you eat. Just as athletes and sports people manage their diet for optimum physical performance, perhaps that is also possible to achieve the best mental performance.

So I've been doing some research. I've found that there is a wealth of research which shows the effect of diet on brain function. Often it is the case that the studies show that diets low in certain nutrients result in lack of mental abilities and even a higher risk of dementia, so it is question of reasoning that a diet high in those nutrients will assist your mental powers. In other cases, the improvement in cognitive power through the intake of certain nutrients can be proved.

This are some of the interesting facts I discovered:

Many products selling themselves as being good for memory and brain development tout the fact that that contain “Omega 3”. Omega 3 is a type of fatty acid, specifically a polyunsaturated one. They cannot be created by the body, so have to be part of our food intake. Omega 3 can be found in certain plants and in fish/ fish oils. Walnuts and linseed are a good source of Omega 3. Oily fishes are another good source, meaning mackerel, herring, sardines and salmon. Apparently human eyes and brains are made up of a large amount of these oils, so ensuring your diet contains Omega 3 oils will ensure brain renewal. There have been studies which suggest a diet low in Omega 2 oils can lead to a risk of Alzheimer's disease, another good reason for making sure you get your regular dose.

Minerals seem to be essential for memory recall and mental agility. Folic acid, iron and zinc appear to be the most important for brain function. Zinc can be found in pumpkin seeds, a great healthy snack, which will improve cognitive function and memory.

Iron is needed for the production of haemoglobin, which is the chemical that enables your blood to carry oxygen round the body. Without a good oxygen supply, the brain cannot function. Hence iron is very important for anything your might want to do with your mind. It is also thought that lack of iron can result in a listlessness, poor energy levels and an inability to concentrate; exactly what you don't need when trying to study for exams! What should you eat to keep those iron levels high? Egg yolks, red meat, lentils, red kidney beans and wholegrains. So the student classic Chilli Con Carne, served perhaps with some brown rice would go down pretty well here, wouldn't it? http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/exotic/mexican/black-bean-chilli-with-avocado-salsa.html

Don't like rice? How about:

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/exotic/mexican/cincinnati-5-ways-chilli.html

By the way, don't believe the hype about spinach; it isn't as high in iron as you may have thought. Popeye's favourite grub is not going to help. Don't believe me? Check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach#Popeye_and_iron

Vitamins also have an enormous influence on our mental powers. Vitamin B12 is said to improve information recall, as well as reducing homocysteine levels in the body, a chemical found in high levels in those suffering from dementia. Sources include milk, milk products, poultry and liver, although vegetarians and vegans may wish to consider supplements.

Vitamin C has been shown in studies to assist with memory and attention. Obviously, vitamin C can be found in all forms of citrus fruit.

Vitamin K improves brainpower and is known to improve thinking skills and can be found in broccoli. Now I know what some of you will say: 'But I don't like broccoli!'. If so, chances are you were served soggy, grey looking overcooked stuff as part of your school dinners. Try steaming it for 7-8 minutes. It is transformed into a whole new vegetable, with subtle flavour and al dente texture. I was a broccoli hater too, but learning how to steam it has totally changed my opinion.

Vitamin E is thought to improve memory. So eating foods rich in it may help prevent poor memory; nuts, seeds and wholegrains (time to bring out some muesli or better still sweet, crunchy granola!).

What you may notice from all the fascinating facts above is how varied the different sources of brain enhancing nutrients are. This makes perfect sense. A healthy diet ought to be varied, containing different sources of protein, carbs and some fats and oils. It should contain fruit and vegetables. Any diet which is good for the body is highly likely to be good for the mind.

So, if you are in the middle of exam fever, can I impress upon you the importance of looking after yourself. You need to study, but you mustn't overload yourself. Rests and breaks are needed, and they will help the learning and information stick. You need your sleep; all nighters are bad for you and you won't remember much of what you read when tired. It will do no good to eat your umpteenth Pot Noodle, because you don't have the time to cook or shop. Popping out to the shops to buy some fruit and veg will give you a break, some fresh air and a little exercise. Cooking a meal will give you a break from the books and get your mind working on a different challenge. How about making that chilli? You can make a massive pot and have 2 or 3 days dinners ready and waiting for you. As they say, a change is as good as a rest.

Get enough sleep, don't skip meals, keep away from those tools of procrastination known as 'facebook' and 'twitter', take breaks every hour or two and you will find the revision should come along nicely.

Good luck to anyone who is currently revising for exams, whatever they may be. I have my fingers and toes crossed for you all!

Back to School: Leluu’s Vietnamese Cooking Class

Led Zeppelin ROCK. When it comes to the question of who the quintessential hard rock band of all time is – we have a clear winner. But sadly, many of my readers will be too young to know all about ‘the Zep’, as they are known. They will not know the joy of listening, at preferably high volume, the classic that is ‘Whole Lotta Love’. The fantastic guitar riff, the way the sound bounces from speaker to speaker (or headphone to headphone) and the crazy break in the middle. 

The outrageously confident opening begins: “You need coolin', baby, I'm not foolin', I'm gonna send you back to schoolin'!” The song brings to mind my wonderful very recent experience of Uyen Luu’s (aka Leluu) Vietnamese cooking class. It was fascinating to be a student again, given that I teach for a living. Given my lack of knowledge of Vietnamese food, I really was being sent back to school!

Uyen runs her classes from her lovely Hackney flat. Spacious with a big kitchen, we all sat around a giant kitchen table to learn from someone who has Vietnamese food in her blood. Uyen has taught Jamie Oliver how to cook Vietnamese and is currently working on a book of traditional recipes. She and her mum provided us with a real insight, and confidence to recreate this vibrant and exciting food at home.

Ambitiously, Uyen decided to teach us 9 different dishes. They were:

Pho Bo – Beef Pho (Noodle soup in beef stock with sliced beef and garnishes)

Sai Gon Summer Rolls – Pork, prawn, rice noodle and herb filled rice paper parcels with dipping sauce

Bo La Lot – Beef marinated in chili and lemongrass, rolled and baked in Betel leaves

Chicken, Carrot and Banana Blossom Salad – a fresh and zingy flavoured salad with shredded poached chicken and Vietnamese herbs

Braised Pork Belly in Coconut and Pear Cider – an earthy, flavoursome stew with quail’s eggs

Baked Sea Bass – oven baked with lemon, garlic and ginger

Pan Fried Tilapia with Mango and Fish Sauce – crispy skinned fish served with an invigorating dressing and mango juliennes

Watercress Soup with Ginger – warming, sustaining brothy soup with tofu

Stir Fried Morning Glory – known as Ung Choi, stir fried with oyster sauce and garlic

Banana Fritters – wonderful dessert requiring no introduction

Vietnamese Frozen Yoghurt – healthy and tasty alternative to ice cream

On arrival at Uyen’s flat, we were greeted by her wonderful mother, cute dogs and our engaging host. The day, we were advised would be full of fun, food and drink, and immediately we found tea and basil seed drink ready for us.

The basil seed drink was quite a curiosity. I’ve had bubble teas and Indonesian Chendol (or Tchendol/ Jendol), so I have previously experienced the slightly chewy, sweet contents of south east Asian drinks. This was a surprise, since the basil seeds were just ordinary seeds soaked in water for around 10-15 minutes, yet somehow they rapidly created a gelatinous ooze which may sound terrible, but was actually delicious!

We started with Summer Rolls. I have previously made this at home on occasion, and always found them to be a right old faff. Thanks to Uyen, I have learnt the secret: buy the right type of rice paper (square) and to dip them very briefly in COLD water. This seems to make the assembly and rolling of the rolls all the easier. The square papers also allow you to enclose all of the ingredients in an envelope shape, meaning you don’t have all the contents spill out as you try to dip the roll in the dipping sauce.

Have a look, my efforts look so much more edible now, don’t they?

The Chicken, Carrot and Banana Blossom Salad was unlike any salad I’ve ever eaten. Served on perhaps the tastiest prawn crackers I have ever eaten (they actually tasted of prawns, rather than vaguely smell of them and no more), this salad had a unique combination of crunchy, chewy, sweet, sour and umami. It is this happy balance between all 5 flavours and textures which is the aim of Vietnamese food.

Next up were the preparations for Pho Bo. I’ve had this at various restaurants, both here and abroad. But I’ve never attempted making it from scratch. Although the authentic Pho is time consuming, Uyen has given me the confidence and knowhow to make this at home. The secret, it would appear, is to griddle roast an onion, some root ginger and boil up in a stock pot with some daikon, oxtail and beef. The result was such a pure tasting beefy broth, I am wondering where my next Pho fix will come from. If I weren’t so terribly busy at work, I’d be boiling up my own stock tomorrow!

Whilst the Pho was cooking, Uyen shown us around a local Vietnamese supermarket. She shown us the best ingredients to buy to recreate the dishes she demonstrated, knowledge which will be invaluable. Among her picks are the Bamboo brand square rice papers and the 3 Crabs brand fish sauce, superior products which assist in achieving amazing results.

The Bo La Lot was always going to be a dish I was going to be excited about making. I’ve had it in restaurants both on the Pho Mile in Kingsland Road, in the West End and the ‘mini Pho Mile’ of Deptford High Street (and environs). I’m so obsessed that I nearly always order it. Uyen’s recipe differs from the typical in that it used rump steak rather than mince, but that is all to the good. It was succulent, flavourful and the texture of the sliced steak with the cooked Betel leaf was superb.

Here are the prepared rolls before cooking.

After 12 minutes, the delicious little rolls were ready for devouring.

Of all the dishes, the Braised Pork Belly was the one I was most sceptical about. I have disliked eggs all my life (stemming from a mild allergy to them). However, what I tasted was a hearty Asian style stew which, if I can convince Him Indoors to eat quail’s eggs could become a Winter Warmer staple in our household. Score!

The fish dishes were very different, but both had that classic balance of eastern flavours. The Tilapia is a dish which would be great to share with others with salads and rice. The Sea Bass is a great simple supper dish which could be served with rice in the Vietnamese style, but equally could be teamed with steamed veg for a fusion twist.

Fried Tilapia with mango

Sea Bass baked in the oven

The vegetable dishes, particularly the Morning Glory, were achievable, simple yet tasty. Being someone who really could do with eating more veg (I’m a 2.5-3 a day person more so than a 5 a day girl), these are great ideas for having great tasting veggies with supper.

Stir fried Morning Glory

Watercress soup

 Somehow, after a day’s gluttony, I managed to find space for pudding. I don’t know where I put it all, but there was no way I was going to miss out on Banana Fritters! One of my favourite desserts (along with its sister, Pineapple Fritters), these are hard to get right. They need to be have a light and fluffy batter and cannot taste oily or the fruit flavours are ruined. Serving them with Vietnamese frozen yoghurt gave a sweet and sour tang to the dish rather than cloying the palate with too much sugar.

I had a great day learning about the philosophy of Vietnamese food and its balance of Yin and Yang. You can read an article by Uyen on her website about this here: http://www.leluu.com/2011/04/hot-cold-ying-yang.html

I also thoroughly enjoyed learning about new cooking techniques and ingredients. I hope to use my new knowledge to recreate some of these dishes at home. So thanks very much, Uyen, for sharing your kitchen, knowledge and skills with us, and it was a privilege to meet your lovely mum and to learn from her, too!

If you are interested in attending one of Uyen’s classes, they cost £75 and future classes will be held on the following dates: Apr 1, 7, 28; May 13, 20; Jun 3. You can contact Uyen at uyen.luu@gmail.com

South Indian Inspired Chicken Curry

My family does not hail from the South of India, so I don't claim to be any kind of expert. The food of South India is usually exceptionally hot, with lots of chili. Apparently this is because the chili encourages sweating, which means you can keep cool in the fiercely hot climate of the south. South Indian food also reflects the produce of the area, with coconut, coconut milk and bananas appearing in dishes. Many South Indian curries are also cooked in coconut oil.

The marinade ingredients pre-prepared

Slash the thighs a couple of times to allow the marinade to permeate them

Some readers will be familiar with South Indian dishes such as the Masala Dosa, a scrumptious dish served on an enormous stainess steel thali consisting of a lightly crispy pancake made of fermented dahl, curried potato, rasam (thin dahl) and spicy chutney. That dish is beyond my skill; the making of the pancake itself is an art. So here is something altogether more basic and manageable.

This chicken curry attempts to deliver some of the flavour of South India without the heat. Even though it has 3 chilis in it, the fact that the sauce is cooked in coconut milk seems to neutralise the heat. The spice list may seem a bit daunting, but once you buy these spices, you will find that you'll use them again and again in many other Indian dishes. Because the majority of them are whole spices, they will keep well in an airtight container kept away from the light.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

For the marinade paste:
2 small (or 1 large) white onion/s, peeled and roughly diced
7 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly diced
2-3” (5-8cm) piece of ginger,  peeled and roughly diced
3 green chilis, roughly chopped (please de-seed if you don't like too much heat)
1 tsp turmeric

8 chicken thighs, skinned and slashed

For the curry sauce:
4 dried curry leaves
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
3 tbsp mustard oil
2 sticks cinnamon
½  tsp ground black pepper
5 cloves
5 green cardamom pods
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm thick half moons
⅓  butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1cm slices
1 440ml (standard size) can coconut milk
2-3 tbsp fresh coriander
½  tsp ground sea salt

Serve with cooked basmati rice

Optional / variation: use chunks of sweet potato instead of ordinary potatoes.

Method:

Take all the marinade ingredients and put into a blender/food processor. 

Blender is loaded and ready to go!

 Blitz into a puree, although if it is too thick, feel free to add a tablespoon of water to loosen.

The marinade is ready!

Make sure the marinade coats all of the chicken

Rub the marinade paste over the chicken and place in a non-metallic bowl. It must be non-metallic or the acids in the marinade will react with the bowl, resulting in ICKY tasting curry!

Allow to marinate in the fridge. I did this first thing in the morning and left it whilst I went to work – around 8 hours. However, 1 hour at room temperature will do if you don't have that sort of time.

In a large saucepan, put your mustard oil and heat. Now fry the mustard seeds and curry leaves and allow to sizzle, about 2 minutes.

Now add the marinated chicken, any leftover marinade (which will make up the curry sauce) and all of the spices (including the salt). Brown the chicken all over.

Now add the tin of coconut milk and 100-150ml of water. Put the lid on and cook for 30 minutes.

Add the potatoes and squash. Cook for 5-10 mins with the lid on. Then another 10 minutes with the lid off.

Adding the veggies.....

Give them enough time to cook in the sauce....

Now cook your rice – which will take around 15-20 mins. Leave the curry cooking for 15-20 mins with the lid off.

Check the potatoes and squash are cooked. If so, then turn the heat off and stir through the chopped coriander, or serve topped with the coriander. (I served the coriander as a topping as it looks more attractive that way). Serve with the cooked rice.

The chicken is cooked as are the potatoes and squash

The finished dish, ready to enjoy!

Ringing the changes: new 'about' page

Hello everyone!


You may have noticed that I've not posted for a little while. Sadly, things at work have gotten a little bit busy. Much as I might dream of writing full time, it isn't going to happen, and I have to work full time in my day job as a university lecturer. I do love teaching, but the job isn't all about the classroom, and it is the endless admin and marking which has kept me from my blogging.

I have recently been reading about this blogging lark, because when I started I was really quite naive about it all, and just got on with posting stuff knowing very little about what I was doing. 

One thing I realised is that the old design I had been using (white/grey writing on a black background) might look good on screen, but is a terrible pain for people to actually read. Now, I actually WANT people to read the posts that I spend a fair amount of time writing, so I realised that had to change. Hence my recent redesign, which I hope works better than the old one.


What I have also discovered is that people who read blogs like to know a little bit about the blogger. So I've sat down and thought about what people might want to know. The result:   My brand new 'about' page!

I hope you all like it. If there is anything you think I should add, or anything else you want to know, do get in touch with me. 

I hope you are all cooking and eating well! 

love to you all
Snigdha