Smoked Salmon Kedgeree

 

Enough with chocolate already! My last six posts were about chocolate. It’s not to say we don’t love chocolate, we do… especially J, but the page is getting a little overly-chocolatey, if that is at all possible.

I’m not a huge fan of cold-smoked salmon. Although it’s packed full of flavor, I just find it a little over-slimy for me. Hot-smoked salmon on the other hand is another matter. It is far more robust in flavor, and not at all slimy. The last few months I keep seeing it in the chilled seafood displays in PCC, but I never got around to buying any. Once I bought some, I was thinking of a way to incorporate it into a whole, wholesome, square meal.

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Cauliflower and Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Curry

  

This is a delicious and quick curry, which is easy to make, vegan-friendly and tastes fantastic. It’s Indian-inspired, and uses the cheat ingredient of pre-made concentrated curry paste. I’ve grown up with Patak’s, so I’m delighted that they sell it in the US. I have a variety of Patak’s curry pastes. On this occasion, I used the biryani (cilantro and cumin) paste. If you use a different brand, you may need to adjust the amounts to get the flavor right.

The dish can be made in under 30 minutes. I pop on the rice to cook first, then start prepping the cauliflower, onion and garlic. When ready, I just start to cook it. The curry is a dry one, with the spices sticking onto the cauliflower and chickpeas (garbanzo beans). The trick is to cook the cauliflower and chickpeas (garbanzo beans) until they are soft and tender. I love to serve it over brown rice.

  

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Badam Burfi (Almond Candy)

  

I have fond memories of my mother picking me up from junior school and occasionally stopping off at her Indian friend, Dolly’s shop. I don’t even remember which shop was Dolly’s, what she looked like, or what her shop sold… but I do remember that she used to have a limited selection of mithai (Indian sweets). We’d buy a very small selection (as our budget didn’t allow for more), but more often than not, we’d have jalebis or burfi (barfi) of some sort.

Many years have passed since then. When I visited my parents (who still live in the same place for over 40+ years) in the mid 2000’s, I noticed a couple of shops (directly opposite each other) who specialized in mithai. I was like a child at the window of a sweet (candy) shop. The shops were well lit and the displays were vast. Now that I could afford it, I had to buy one of everything!

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Moist Vegan Mango and Cardamom Cake

 

Many varieties of mangoes exist, however the king of mangoes is the Alphonso. No other mango compares to this wonderful mango, which is also known as an Indian mango. They are large, yellow, juicy, sweet and not at all stringy. They are the type of mangoes that you have to devour over the sink because they are so juicy.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a multi-cultural society in England, where Alphonso mangoes were sold in boxes of 6-8. America has been starved of this wonderful mango for 18 years, until the ban of its importation was lifted in 2007. However, I still have not seen a fresh Alphonso mango in the

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Tandoori Chicken Skewers

 

This is a delicious recipe that you can use to make roasted tandoori chicken or grilled (broiled) chicken skewers. The skewers are particularly delicious with rice and salad, or in pita/naan bread. 

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Spinach & Tofu Curry

 

I try to cook at least one dinner a week that has no meat in it. To ensure that we have enough protein for the day, I usually substitute the meat for beans or tofu. 

The ingredients of this curry are nothing special. However, it is well balanced with fruit, vegetables and protein, and when served with rice, it will give you a good square meal. It’s a truly

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Dairy-Free Tikka Masala

 

The exact origins of tikka masala are unknown. However, it is now labeled as the “true national dish of Britain”. Apparently, one in seven curries sold in the UK is tikka masala! 

Chicken tikka masala is one of those dishes that most carnivorous Brits enjoy. That includes me! It’s a curry dish where roasted chunks of chicken (tikka) are served in a creamily rich, lightly spiced, tomato-based sauce. Although

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Fluffy Naan Bread

 

There are an abundance of “curry houses” within the UK. They’re dotted all over the country, with the city of Birmingham being known as the curry city of the UK. I’ve lived and worked in a number of cities in the UK, and I’m happy to say that I’ve never visited a bad curry house. It’s really hard to find a bad Indian curry in the UK!

When we moved to Seattle, I was so disappointed. I can almost count the number of Indian restaurants in this area on one

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Baked Gulab Jamun

 

Yep,  gulab jamun is another one of those fried Indian delights that I love. Gulab jamuns are powdered milk dough balls that are normally fried, then soaked in syrup. Since, I’m a health freak – I wanted to see if I could bake them. It sounds like a radical idea, but I wanted to try it! 

The result was pretty good! I made a batch in a day in advance at around 9:00 pm. I wanted to try one,

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Chicken & Cashew Curry

 

It’s a shame that Indian food doesn’t photograph well. Then again, Mexican food isn’t that photogenic either. It also doesn’t help when I shoot a photo when I’m in a rush to eat. You’ll just have to believe me when I say this curry was good!

I never knew that an Indian-style curry could take under 30 minutes and taste so good without tons of ghee. The chicken and mushrooms are coated in a rich, thick, creamy and mildly spiced curry that will work well with plain basmati rice and

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