Bad Bhajis

I got a little ambitious in the kitchen today and made an attempt at making my own Onion Bhajis and Bombay Potatoes to go with the Tandoori Chicken I marinated overnight.  I say ‘made an attempt’ as it didn’t turn out quite as it should.

I cheated on the marinade by combing natural yoghurt with a shop bought tandoori sauce.  Sometimes it pays to leave it to the professionals though as it tasted yummy!  The potatoes turned out pretty damn good if I do say so myself but sadly the Onion Bhajis were a disaster... and I was really looking forward to them!  More batter ended up on my hands than over the onion strips which made it almost impossible to get them to stay in a ball when they entered the pan.  So we ended up with crispy fried onions instead.  Not bad.  Not what I had hoped for.

Exhibit A

Bombay Potatoes:

Cooking oil

250-300g potatoes (parboiled)

1 bay leaf

1 onion, sliced

1 tomato, chopped

½ tsp grated garlic

½ tsp lemon juice

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2cm piece ginger, grated

1) Boil the potatoes in their skins.  When they are done run cold water over them before peeling the skins.  Chop into medium-sized chunks.

2) Heat the oil in a frying pan then add the bay leaf, ginger and onion.  Fry until the onion is brown.

3) Add the remaining ingredients and stir to release the flavour.  Try not to break the potatoes

If you’d like to try the onion bhaji for yourself – Good luck! 
I followed this recipe http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/onionbhaji_85976 on the BBC website. 

Bon appétit!

Playing with Fire

When I was younger I actually managed to set fire to a croissant in the microwave.  A bright spark caught my attention, erupting into flames as I dashed across from one side of the kitchen to the other.  I could have sworn I only put it in for 30 seconds but the charred crisp said otherwise!  Ever since then I have always chosen to take a back seat when it comes to cooking.  When the household chores are divided up between housemates, or family members I will do anything to get out of cooking (and they are usually thankful). 

So as my 25^th birthday approaches and I look more seriously at my future I have decided that I no longer want to live off my old student diet of bread, frozen veg and noodles.  I’m not promising amazing recipes, there will probably be some disasters and I am definitely going to cheat on difficult sauces but I do promise a variety of meals and easy dinnertime suggestions, perfect for tired, hungry people.

Spinach stuffed chicken breast with homemade fries and garlic mushrooms:

(serves 2 – most of my ideas will be designed for two people)

Note, I am terrible at preparing menus in advance so the choice of stuffing was entirely dependent on my under-stocked cupboards.

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts

5oz fresh Spinach leaves

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

2 cloves garlic

6-8 mushrooms

6 potatoes

Method:

·        Pre-heat oven to 375F

·        Peel and chop potatoes into strips.  Place on baking tray.  Drizzle olive oil to cover.

·       Mince up 1 garlic clove.  Place the spinach in a glass bowl and pop into microwave for three minutes.  Stir every minute.  Add the minced spinach and grated cheese to the bowl. Stir.

·        Stuff the chicken with the mix

·        Bake the chicken and fries for 30 minutes

The mushrooms were a last minute addition and I didn’t have any cream to make ‘creamy’ restaurant style so literally fry them up with olive oil and one crushed garlic clove.

I thought it tasted yummy but a little messy as the filling spilled over onto the baking tray.

I’ll try and remember photos for future recipes...

Bon appétit!

Welcome!

What would a travel blog be without a section dedicated to delicious food?  With the influence of ingredients and recipes found from across the globe this page documents my recent kitchen adventures as I am trying to teach myself to create something a little more exciting than pasta with pesto or smoked salmon salads.  I hope to regularly update with any fantastic restaurant discoveries, cooking disasters, beautiful dishes and mouthwatering recipes that I find along the way!