Student kitchens
Easy, delicious, healthy(ish) recipes that won’t own your budget.Archive for spice
My first curry (that actually resembled a curry)
Ok, I lie…I have indeed made curries that resemble curries in the sense that they look and smell like a curry…but they’ve tasted less than what I’d call a curry. Before you assume that I’ve reached curry nirvana already, let me assure you that I haven’t made anything “genuinely” Indian. That’s right – I’m not like those pretty frozen meal packets, which promise all sorts of ridiculous nonsense – I promise you only these things about this curry:
1. It ain’t difficult (well…I made it, after all. I’d say if you can boil pasta, you can probably get this to be pretty good).
2. The whole thing is cooked in ONE pot/pan, and because it’s got potatoes, you can eat it all in one bowl, without the need for making rice, getting naan, or any of that finicky business. Goodness gracious, isn’t enough you made curry from scratch already?! Yes. Thank you. Also, the person doing dishes will thank you for this.
3. It actually tastes like a curry (and the texture resembles one too – the thick and chunky kind anyway). See, I do actually decide not to post things that aren’t good, just so you know. This one is quite thick and is very vegetable-dense, ie…it’s not soupy with floaty bits like most of the curry you’ll get for takeout (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I did this to make it more of a complete meal (see promise #2), but if you want you can halve the amount of veges and you’ll get the floaty effect.
4. It is not as expensive or complicated as you think. Invest in some of the spices, ensure you have some of the canned stuff in the pantry, and a curry will never be far away. I’ve tried to make it as versatile as possible, and unscary as possible. Some of the spices may look expensive, but remember: they will last you more than one curry! I reccommend asian supermarkets (even the non-indian ones) or Piko wholefoods in Christchurch for inexpensive yet quality herbs and spices (particularly Piko for the non-ground versions and for really fresh stuff).
5. You will enjoy making it. There’s something about using all the spices on their own that makes you feel all grown up.
I’m going to be specific about the recipe, but that doesn’t mean it’s non-changeable or actually complicated. Before I descend into it, thanks to My Feasts for the basic recipe and inspiration. I toned down the spiciness of it, but even so I find it tests my tastebuds!
Cajun-style chips and wedges
You know what I’m referring to, right? That smoky, sweet and spicy taste, combined with delicious potato…sigh.
Well, now you’ll be able to re-create it at home, with less artificial colours and preservatives, and more flavour and customisation (let’s not forget it’s cheaper, too).
The basic formula is lots of paprika (that’s the sweetness and some smokiness), with a smidgen of cayenne (or more if you like your wedges hot), a bit of flour, salt, pepper, ground cumin (smokiness and warmth), turmeric (earthiness and colour), mixed herb (or thyme or oregano, for aroma) and garlic powder (for…zing?), possibly some onion powder (more sweetness and zing), and a generous splash (or three) of oil to coat well (2 parts paprika, 1 part everything else, except for oil).
Mix it all up in a roasting dish with some potatoes (wedges tend to need longer than chips), and bake on the middle rack of your oven at 200C or 400F for about 30 minutes for chips cut 1cm thick and 50 minutes for wedges (depending on thickness). Shake to prevent sticking about 10 mins into cooking, and flip halfway into cooking to get even browning. These don’t have loads of crunch to them, but if you want to add more crunch, you can add more flour or some very fine breadcrumbs.
A green meal without greens.
No green vegetables. Some people actually have this (weird) thing where they just won’t eat anything green (this one goes to you Yvonne, for your strange boyfriend). Also, we didn’t have anything very green in the fridge (apart from some chinese celery, which I have a feeling won’t make it until the end of this week). So here is a vegetarian meal without anything green in it, one in which you can hide all manner of vegetables and also get in plenty of protein. Nothing is particularly original (I used a glamorgan sausage recipe as the base for the burgers) and the roast veges are easy peasy. But hey. A great way to get veges into your flatmates (or kids I suppose) without a problem. Everything in this meal is absolutely BURSTING with flavour too, so even if somehow it is found out that there are veges present, there won’t need to be much persuading. You can change the spices and stuff to your liking, but the way I did it, it had a strong earthy, smoky, sweet taste overall. Also I promise the burgers are not dry like felafel – they are packed with cheese.
Start with the roast veges, as they’ll take a bit longer than the burgers.
Cumin-spiked roast veges
serves 3
4 large roasting potatoes, chopped into 2cm cubes (we like Nadines)
cauliflower florets, chopped walnut-sized (you want the floret bits to be walnut sized)
1 red onion, cut into 6 wedges
2 parsnips, cut into 4cm chunks
lots of oil – enough to coat everything
sprinkling of ground cumin and flour
1 tsp garlic powder of 3 large smashed cloves of garlic
approx 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
Preheat oven to 210C or 410F. Throw everything in a large roasting pan and mix well, coating veges in oil. Arrange on a single layer and throw in the oven.
While they’re cooking (they’ll take about 30 minutes) prepare the burgers. You’ll want to cook the burgers about 20 minutes into the roasting. Remember to shake the roasting pan after about 5 minutes so sticking doesn’t happen, and flip after about 20 minutes.
Vegetarian burgers
makes 7 burgers
half an onion, minced/chopped finely
130g wholemeal breadcrumbs
110g finely grated gruyere cheese (or tasty, or edam plus some parmesan)
1/3c drained and rinsed chili beans, mashed (or any type of bean. This can be left out if you haven’t got any)
2 eggs
1/4 c cooking oil
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp mixed herb
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
lots of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c flour
Mix everything except the flour together well, reserving some oil for the pan. The mixture should be easily moulded into golf-sized balls, which you squash flat onto a plate with flour on it. Heat oil in a medium sized non stick pan on medium high heat and fry until the undersides are golden brown. Flip, and fry until both sides are golden brown.
Serve alongside roast veges or salad, or between bread. Great as a protein in salads broken up too (although it could be easier to cook them as small meatballs).
