My Vegetarian Shepheard’s Pie

My Vegetarian Shepheard’s Pie is as good as the original. Nuterla soya granules and vegetables, spiced with meat masala, topped with spinach and chilli mashed potatoes. If you are not in India, you can substitute the soya granules for 2 cups of frozen soya mince and omit the steps 2.3 & 4.

For meat eaters: use 2 cups of fresh mince beef or minced chicken.

My Vegetarian Shepheard’s Pie Serves 4

You will need: 

500g potatoes    1tsp turmeric    salt    1 cup soya mince granules   3 cups water   1 onion chopped   1/2tsp garlic and ginger paste   1 ½ cups veg stock   1tsp meat masala    150g chopped carrot   1 green pepper chopped    50g sweetcorn    100g mushrooms sliced   100g pumpkin chopped    300g tomatoes skinned and chopped   1tbsp Worcester sauce   1/2tbsp soy sauce 1tbsp oil    1 onion chopped green chilli to taste   1tsp mustard seeds   100g spinach washed and chopped salt and pepper

Add salt and turmeric to a pan of water and boil the potatoes.

Add 3 cups of water to soya granules and bring to the boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes.

Drain the soya granules well.

Dry fry the soya, until all the water has evaporated.

In a pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil and fry the onion, garlic and ginger paste for 2-3 minutes.

Add the meat masala and 2tbsps of water to make a paste. Fry for a few minutes.

Add the soya mince.

Add all of the vegetables except for the potatoes and spinach.

Add tomatoes

Add stock

Add Worcester and soy sauce.

Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer while you prepare the mashed potatoes.

Mash the potatoes until smooth.

Heat ½ tbsp. oil in a pan and fry the onion, chilli and mustard seeds.

Add the spinach and fry until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix the spinach mixture into the mashed potatoes.

Transfer the soya mince mixture to an ovenproof dish.

Top with the mashed potatoes.

Cook in oven 200c/400f/gas 6 for 30-35 minutes or until the potatoes are browned.

Serve with spring greens or any cabbage.

Follow the video to make this yummy veggie Shepheard’s Pie

My chicken sausage biryani -serves 2

Vegetables and rice cooked together makes a quick and easy one pot meal. Great for lunch, supper, even cold for our picnic lunch on the beach.

1 1/2tbsp oil. 1tsp mustard seeds. 1onion chopped. 1 fresh green chilli sliced (or to taste). 8 cloves. Cinnamon stick. 4 green cardamom pods. 1tsp turmeric. 2tsp garam masala. 1/2 TSP ginger and garlic paste. 2tbsp water. 1cup basmati rice. 300g chopped vegetables. 600ml chicken stock. 4 venkys sausages sliced. Chopped fresh coriander to garnish

1. Heat oil, fry the mustard seeds until they pop.
2. Add onion and chili. Fry 2-3 minutes.
3. Add all the spices and garlic and ginger paste plus 2tbsp water make into a paste. Fry 2-3 minutes
4. Add rice. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add vegetables and stock. Season with salt. Bring to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until all the liquid has absorbed.
5. Fry or grill sausages.
6. When rice is cooked, remove cinnamon stick.
7. Pile rice onto a plate, top with the sausages and garnish with fresh coriander.

My Spanish Style Rice Chicken

Not just a recipe for this yummy, chicken dish. You also get a video of me cooking it!

Spanish Rice Chicken Serves 2

2 boneless chicken breasts       salt and pepper      1tbsp olive oil      1 onion sliced    

 ½ medium red pepper cut into strips      2 cloves of garlic chopped    

 300g tomatoes, skinned and quartered       1 cup chicken stock       1 bay leaf      

salt & pepper          75g rice            70g sweetcorn      70g green beans     

50g sliced olives      Basil to garnish

1.       Cut the chick into strips and season well with salt and pepper.

2.       Heat the oil. Fry the chicken for 3 mins. Set aside.

3.       Add the onion and the red peppers, fry for 3 mins.

4.       Add the garlic, fry for 2 mins.

5.       Add the tomatoes, bay leaf and stock. Bring to the boil.

6.       Add the rice. Season with salt and pepper.

7.       Bring to the boil, then lower heat and cover. Cook for 10 minutes.

8.       Add the chicken. Cover and cook for 10 mins.

9.       Add the sweetcorn and green beans.

10.   Bring back to the boil, and then lower the heat. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and the green beans are tender.

11.   Remove bay leaf. Stir in the olives and then served garnished with basil.

Lunchtime review of Great-E-Punjab Fort Aguda Road Calangute Goa

Great-E-Punjab is a recently opened restaurant, near Jambhleshwar Temple, Fort Aguda Road Calangute. Menu offers veg, non veg, Punjab, South Indian, tandoori and seafood. Service was okay, staff seemed pleasant and surroundings, clean and tidy.

What we ordered

Veg Kofta Masala, Mixed Veg Masala and Veg Biryani.

Veg Kofta Masala-Rupees 170/£1:94/€2.19/₽155.20/$2.40 2 medium sized koftas

lightly browned on the outside, but oh my! So light and fluffy on the inside, they just melted in your mouth. Then the gravy sauce. Tiny shards of garlic that just gave an extra something to the masala gravy.

Mixed Veg Masala- Rupees 170/£1:94/€2.19/₽155.20/$2.40 Plenty of vegetables and paneer in a medium, spicy gravy.

Veg Biryani- Rupees 120/£1:37/€1.54/₽109.55/$1.69 more often than not, restaurants use cheap rice, that personally I find to stodgy and sticky for my palate. This was not the case today due to basmati rice being used for a lighter taste. I loved the addition of star anise and cinnamon sticks. Something I always add to my own biryani when cooking at home.

TOTAL SCORES

Staff and ambience: 2.5/5

Food: 5/5  4/5  4/5

Overall score 3:9 Red Hot Chilies Certainly worth a revisit.

My Slow Cooked Coriander Chicken with Cumin and Cardamom Bread Sauce

We customarily have Coriander Chicken for our Christmas Day dinner. However, every so often it makes a welcome change for Sunday dinner. Chicken legs, in a coconut gravy, with lots of fresh coriander and fresh green chillies. Yummy. This Sunday, I tested out a new idea, bread sauce infused with cumin and coriander. Winner, winner to my chicken dinner!

Chicken from Azavedo Farms Candolim Goa Opp Candolim veg market.

Because Azavedo  Farms chicken breasts are so big, there was enough on each leg for Mr R and I to have cold chicken and bread sauce cobs for tea. Spreading the bottom of the cob with horseradish sauce, then spread on the cold bread sauce. Top with chicken and then spread the top of the cob with cranberry sauce. Mummmmm….

Coriander Chicken Serves 2

(Remember just double the amounts for 4)

1 ½ tbsp. sunflower or Vegetable oil       2 large chicken legs      20g fresh coriander leaves

 1-1 ½ large fresh green chillies, deseeded and chopped      1 large onion thinly sliced

3 cloves of garlic chopped      1 tsp turmeric      3/4tsp ground cumin      ¾ tsp ground

 coriander    75ml chicken stock (This can be boiling water with a stock chicken stock

 cube)      150ml coconut milk      1/2tsp salt      Fresh coriander to garnish.

1.       Heat 1 tbsp. of the oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken legs on both sides. While the chicken legs are browning, place the coriander and the green chillies into a processor or blender and blitz until it makes a paste.   Remove chicken and put into slow cooker.  In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the onions over a medium heat until they are soft but not brown.

2.       Stir in the garlic, turmeric, cumin and coriander, stirring for 2-3 mins.  Reduce the heat to very low and add the coriander paste, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes.

3.       Add the stock, coconut milk and salt and bring to the boil. Then pour over the chicken legs.

4.       Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 1/2 – 5 hours. Or until the juices of run clear when skewered.

5.       Transfer to plate, cover with a little of the gravy sauce and sprinkle with coriander. Put the remaining gravy sauce into a gravy boat.

NOTE IF YOU WANT YOU CAN DO THIS ON THE OVEN TOP IN A HEAVY BASED PAN. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS, INSTEAD OF PUTTING CHCIKEN IN SLOW COOKER ON STEP 1 JUST LEAVE TO ONE SIDE. CARRY ON UNTIL STEP 4 AND INSTEAD, ADD THE CHCIKEN, COVER AND SIMMER FOR 50 MINS.  CAREFULLY TURNING THE CHCIKEN OCASSIONALLY.  

Cumin, cardamom Bread sauce. Serves 2

1 large onion peeled      4 cloves      1 bay leaf      3 peppercorns     3 cardamom pods      

2 tsp cumin seeds       ½ pint milk      2 slices medium sliced bread broken up into bits

     20g butter       salt and freshly ground pepper

1.       Stud the onion with the cloves then place into a milk saucepan with, bay leaf, peppercorns, cardamom pods and cumin. Bring to the boil then remove the pan. Leave on the side for 5-10 minutes longer if you wish a more intense flavour.

2.       Remove the onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and cardamom pods. Mix in the bread bits.

3.       Return the pan to the heat and cook gently stirring so the bread is absorbed into the milk and it becomes quite thick. But don’t let it stick to the bottom of the pan.

4.       Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and then season to taste.   

My Easy Homemade Soda Bread.

There is nothing I love more than freshly baked, homemade bread. But making your own bread can be time consuming. That’s why most days I make soda bread. It’s easy to make, quick and darn right yummy.

For special occasions, I add dried fruit and or nuts. Mixed herbs and/ or, sundried tomatoes and olives.

If you want the bread to be dairy free, you can substitute the milk with soy or almond milk.

Easy Homemade Soda Bread

Makes 1 loaf

350g plain flour      1 teaspoon salt      1 teaspoon baking

Soda (bicarbonate of soda)      300 ml milk     

1       tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

1.     Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F. Dust a baking tray with a little plain flour.

2.     Put the measured milk into a bowl or cup and then add the lemon juice or vinegar and stir into the milk to make it curdle.

3.     In a mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together thoroughly. Add the soured milk, and stir to combine.

4.     Keep stirring until the ingredients come together as a dough, then knead together to form a ball.

5.     Place the ball of dough on the baking tray and cut a deep cross in the centre. This helps the centre of the bread to cook properly.

6.     Cook for around 30 minutes until golden brown. Tapping the bottom, you should hear a hollow sound, this means the bread is cooked.