Easy Peasy Spicey Rice

(This pic is after you have added the rice and water. (rice is not cooked yet))

This is a Quick and easy recipe. Great for guests, impressing your husbands family and surprisingly moorish.

You will need:

1 Cup of rice (this serves 2, so 4 people is 2 cups of rice)
Tin of peas (if using fresh or frozen you will need to adjust cooking time)
1-2 onions
1-2 tomato's (chopped)
1 spoon of mixed garlic and ginger paste (or estimate for fresh)
1 Black Cardamon
1 Cinnamon Stick
5 Cloves
1tsp Ground Coriander Powder
1tsp Chilli Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
Oil for cooking

Step 1: Chop onions, then fry in oil till golden. Add little bit water and cover, cook a little bit and then add the tomato's, salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, black cardamon, Cinnamon stick and cloves. Cover and fry like this till tomatos are reduced, keep adding little water when dry, then cover and fry again, repeat till its a thick sauce, then add garlic and ginger.

Step 2: After 5 min, add the peas and half cup water or more so the peas are covered. When cooked check the taste, it should taste a little salty. You can add more chilli and coriander powder or pop a green chilli in if you like.

Step 3: Add the rice, stir and cook a little so the rice takes in the flavour. Then add 1 cup and half of water and leave to cook, covered. When rice is cooked but a little hard then put on low heat, put Dam on and leave for 5-8min. Then switch off and leave with Dam on till ready to serve.

**Instead of peas you can use Chickpeas, Chicken, Mutton, mixed Veg or Kidney beans.

**Dam is when you place a cloth in-between the pan and lid.

Serve with Gram masala Powder mixed in yogurt.

Onions

these are the type of onions i use in a curry.

Cinnomon Sticks

Pumpkin Soup

Its Autumn again, my fave season. What I love about this season is the incredible vegetables that come into season and taste at its best!

I am going to put up some yummy and simple recipes for you guys to make, full of veg or great warm up, keep you full up meals.

This is one of my fave soups, Me and my mom used to cook this together. now you can cheat and buy already chopped pumpkin, but then you cant serve it in the pumpkin skin!

There are many pumpkins to choose from, and squashes, i suggest to experiment or make like 3-4 for when guests come and you want to try or mix it up. it looks great on the table.

Heres a soup recipe, enjoy :)

1 Pumpkin

2 medium onions

knob of butter

chicken stock

black pepper

grated nutmeg

small piece Cinnamon stick

Step 1: Cut Pumpkin lid of carefully, as this will be the lid later. Remove seeds from inside, and discard. Remove flesh with a spoon. leave 2cm of the flesh inside. It is very important you do not go right up to the skin or Peirce the skin.

Step 2: roughly chop up the pumpkin flesh, and chop the onions.

Step 3: Melt the butter in a pan, add the onions and fry till golden, then add the pumpkin flesh, the Cinnamon stick and the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. increase heat to medium, cover with lid, and stir occasionally to stop from sticking. cook for 40-45 min until pumpkin is cooked right thru.

Step 4: add the stock and bring to biol. Remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly then pour into blender, blend, and pour back into the pan, bring to biol and cook simmering or another half an hour.

**pre heat the oven 45 min before serving on gas 3.**

Step 5: pour soup back into the pumpkin. Put the ''lid'' back on, and place the Pumpkin on a baking tray in the oven for 45mins.

to serve, carefully put on the table and ladle in to bowls.

try this recipe with other pumpkins and squashes for different tastes :)

Thai Mushroom Stir Fry

1x Packet Baby Corn
1x Box Mushroom
3x Peeled Carrots
3x Mixed Color Peppers
1x Garlic (as much as you want)
1 Big (or 2 little) Chicken Stock Cubes (or vegi ones)
Soya sauce (dark)
Thai Jasmine Rice (avalible in lidil)

You will also need,
a Wok
and some Oil

Please note: You can not use frozen veg, as this is a healthy meal, frozen would be like a insult to the pourpse.

Step 1->
Wash vegtables, slice corn in half, then half again (so like qauters).
Chop peppers up so they look like squares but not to big or too small
(like 1p).
Chop mushroom same like corn, but rinse do not bathe them in water
(we dont want soggy)
Chop carrots into 3 chunks, then cut each in half, then slice lengthways in to slices.
(not too thick, you should get 7ish slices.)

Step 2->
Put wok on heat (eletric 4)
Add little oil (oil should cover bottom of wok easy)
When oil hot, peel and crush garlic (using back of knife) and add to oil.
After a few min add vegtables and a little water and stir.
Open the chicken cubes and crumble over the vegtables.
Pour swish of soya sauce, and cook for awhile till mushrooms go small, and corn goes bendy. Carrot should be soft but little hard, same for pepper.
Add more soya sauce to taste.
Put on low heat, and put rice in water, you need to stir every 3 min intervals as it is a softer rice that burns easy.
When rice cooked, put on plate, put veg on top and serve.
Also nice with thai sweet chilli sauce (can get in tesco 98p)

Chicken Handi Curry

1 Chicken in small pieces.
2-3 Onions.
1-2 Big Tomatoes (if you only have one use some tomato paste, or a tin of tomatoes).
1 Piece of Ginger or 2 teaspoons of ginger paste.
3 Cloves of Garlic or 3 teaspoons of garlic paste.
1 Tablespoon of Yogurt (optional).
1 Black Cardamon ( if you don't have use 3-4 green cardamons).
1-2 Cinnamon Sticks.
7 Cloves.
2 Bay Leaves.
1 Teaspoon of Salt.
1 Teaspoon of Pepper.
1 Teaspoon of Chili Powder.
1/2 Teaspoon of Turmeric.
1 and 1/2 Teaspoon of Coriander Powder.
1 Teaspoon of Cumin Powder.


Right,
-> First get your chicken and stick it in hot water if frozen. If not then just put it in cold water.
->Then chop your onions, and put them in the pan with some oil, fry till light brown.
->while your oniouns are frying, blend or chop up your garlic and ginger. Then put them in a small bowl and add your spices. (Corriander powder, Cumin powder, Chilli powder, Cloves, Pepper, Turmaric, Cinnimon sticks, and Bay leaves) Stir and set aside.
-> Then chop or blend your tomatos, and Add your Salt.
-> When onions are ready (the oil will seperate (2 colors)), add your garlic/ginger/spice mix and stir, adding water if it sticks.
-> Cook for 5 min, keep checking that its not sticking, by stiring it.
-> Rinse chicken a few times, then add to the pan and stir to the sauce you have made is on the chicken, you may need to add some water, just so some of the chicken is covered, but dont add to much as chicken will release juices.
-> after the chicken goes white (it will be pink still inside), add the tomatos and stir. Add a cup of water, so the curry covers the chicken, and leave it bubbling for 25 min.
-> Keep checking on it in this time, and stir it now and then so all the chicken gets cooked.
-> Now eat it, with pitta bread or rice.

Rules : Teaspoon is the smallest spoon. Tablespoon is the biggest spoon. If you don't have a Tablespoon use 2 Spoons.

Sub note: if you forget to add anything, don't worry! just throw it in at last minute or leave it out. This recipe is pretty flexible with quantity.

Yummy Moorish Salad

2 Tomatos
2 small red onions (or normal onions)
1 Lemon
1 Tin of Chick Peas (optional)
1/2 of a Yellow Pepper
1/4 Cucumber
Handful of fresh or frozen Coriander.

Salt and Pepper

Step 1: Chop up onions into small pieces, and place in a bowl. Fill bowl with cold water and leave to sit.
Step 2: Chop up tomato's, yellow pepper, and Cucumber into small pieces.
Step 3: mix in bowl, drain and add chick peas.
Step 4: squeeze in the juice of the lemon, and add half teaspoon salt, half teaspoon pepper.
Step 5: Add the coriander and onion, stir and serve :)