Category Archives: Favourite recipes

My most flavourful recipes

Favourite recipes, Main courses

Rajma Masala – red kidney bean curry

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  • Soak 300 g kidney beans in plenty of water for at least eight hours. Discard soaking water, rinse, cover beans in water and cook for about an hour. Drain but preserve most of the cooking water.
  • Add 1 tsp salt the last five minutes of cooking

While the beans are boiling:

  • 2 tblsp oil or ghee
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 350-400 g (after trimming and peeling) red onion, chopped
  • 1 tblsp each of chopped garlic and chopped fresg ginger
  • 1 chili, chopped
  • 2 tins tomatoes
  • 1 tblsp coriander powder (preferably from roasted whole seeds)
  • 1 small tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1.5 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
  • 1 bayleaf
  • A small handful of curry leaves
  • 3 green cardamom and 3 black cardamom, slightly crushed
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Suggested garnish (optional):

  • chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)
  • 1 tablespoon ghee, drizzled on top
  • 1 dollop of yoghurt
  • Some julienned fresh ginger, fried in ghee if desired

To a pan, add 2 tablespoons oil on medium heat. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle.

Add the chopped onion and cook till they turn a light colden – about five minutes on medium heat.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and green chili and cook for one minute

Add the pureed tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.

Add the rest of the spices, mix well and cook for about ten minutes on medium-low heat.

Add the kidney beans and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes on low heat. Occasionally mash some of the beans to give the curry and creamy texture. Add cooking water if needed.

Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous

Okra yoghurt salad

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Inspired by the recipe for Okra Curd Salad in the book “Dakshin – Vegetarian Cuisine from South India”.

250 g okra, washed, trimmed, all water carefully wiped off, and sliced

3 dl yoghurt, whisked. (I prefer goat or sheep yoghurt).

2 tblsp oil or ghee

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tblsp black gram dal (black split peas, the smallest you can find) rinsed

1 red chili, halved (or a dollop of your favourite chili paste)

If available: a pinch of asafoetida powder

1 small handful curry leaves – dried, if fresh not available

Garnish (optional): fresh coriander leaves

Heat the oil and add all ingredients except okra and yoghurt and sauté till the mustard seeds start to splutter.

Add the okra and cook on low heat till the okra is tender. Add a splash of water if it starts to look too dry.

Season with salt and allow to cool.

Add the yoghurt, mix well, and serve at room temperature.

Main courses

Pumpkin and chickpea curry

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  • 1 pumpkin, about 1200 g when trimmed and deseeded (but not peeled) – cut in cubes
  • 600 g cooked chickpeas with the cooking liquid preserved
  • 4 cm piece of ginger (about 30 g) chopped
  • 5 red onions (about 350 g after trimming) chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic (about 30 g after trimming) chopped
  • 1 fresh red chili or to taste, in whichever form you have chili available
  • Ghee
  • 1 tblsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tblsp coriander seeds, roasted and ground
  • 1 tblsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground
  • 1 heaped tsp turmeric
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 bunch fresh coriander
  • A small handful of dried curry leaves
  • 1 tin coconut cream

Heat the ghee and cook the onions at low heat for about 20 minutes. Add garlic and ginger after about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally – the onions should start to turn golden but not brown.

Add the mustard seeds, stir, cook for another minute.

Add the ground coriander and cumin, stir, cook for another minute.

Add the turmeric and the curry leaves.

Add the pumpkin, stir well.

Add the coconut cream and some of the chickpea cooking liquid, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Add the chickpeas, bring to a simmer, and cook till the pumpkin is cooked.

Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous

Beetroot, cheese waffles

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Blend the following in a blender or food processor:

250 g of any kind of flour. I used half chick pea flour, and half oatmeal. If you are a gluten addict, you can of course use wheat flour. Next time, I will try amaranth and/or millet.

2,5 dl water

50 ml olive oil

1 large egg

2 cloves garlic

1 piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp sea salt

Remove to a bowl and stir in:

150 g cooked (boiled or roasted) beets, chopped or grated

75 g chopped onion

1 tblsp fresh herbs, chopped, or 1 tsp dried.

120 gram goat cheese, crumbled or grated

Big pinch freshly ground black pepper.

Mix well and bake in waffle maker for seven to eight minutes. Serve with for example a fried egg, a sauce made of goat yoghurt mixed with herbs, and caramellised onions.

Leftover waffles can be frozen and resiscitated in the toaster.

Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous

Chestnut-potato soup

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NOTE: The recipe that inspired me did not mention neither thyme, rosemary, ginger or garlic, but I think those flavours are required, and go well here. Alternatively at least a couple of bayleaves. There is no reason to make northern European food more bland and boring than it has to be. Perhaps I’ll add garam masala and chili next time.

It did list a dl of cream, but I have never been able to see the point in adding cream to savoury dishes, so I threw in 100 g oats instead (since I am trying to incorporate oats into everything these days).

  • 1 tblsp butter (I used ghee)
  • 200 g chestnut, cooked and vacuum packed
  • 400 g potatoes
  • 100 g oats
  • 2 red onions (the original recipe says 1)
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • Sprigs of thyme and rosemary
  • 1 l vegetable stock
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut the chestnuts, potatoes, onions and garlic in large pieces and add, together with the ginger to a pan and sizzle in the butter.

Add the stock, thyme and rosemary, salt and pepper and bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Fish out the herbs, and blend the rest. Season and serve garnished with chopped parsley or roasted oats.

Favourite recipes, Main courses

Baked Butternut Squash “Hasselback-Style”

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Here served with leftover Masala Oats, converted into a salad with the help of walnut oil, lemon juice, feta, and rucola and herbs from the balcony.

1 butternut squash

2 cloves garlic

2 red onions

1 tin tomatoes

1 tblsp harissa

1 knob fresh ginger

1 tsp turmeric

2 tblsp olive oil

1 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper

Bayleaves

1 tblsp honey

1 tsp smoked paprika

100 g feta

Herbs to garnish

Preheat the oven to 200 C

Halve the squash and remove the seeds with a spoon or an ice scooper, depending on the size of the cavity.

Place the squash peel up and cut almost through at about 4 mm intervals. Place a pencil on either side to make sure you do not cut it all the way through.

Slice garlic and onions and mix with the tinned tomato and 1 tblsp olive oil, season with turmeric, chili, salt and pepper, and spread this mixture in a small baking tray.

Place the squash peel up on top of this layer. Place a couple of bayleaves in the slits. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil on the squash halves and bake in oven for 20 minutes.

Paint the squash halves with honey, dust with smoked paprika and bake, uncovered, for another 20 minutes.

Scatter feta cheese over the halves for the last ten minutes in the oven, or just before serving.

Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous

Eat more oats: A quick breakfast to-go or just a snack

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160 g dried dates

60 g peanut or almond butter (I used almond butter, and next time, I might replace some of it with tahin

50 g honey

4 tblsp pumpkin seeds

4 tblsp chia seeds

100 g oats

50 g chopped almonds

Optional: for extra nutrition, add 1 tblsp baobab powder, and for extra flavour, 1 tblsp of the best and darkest cocoa powder you can find.

Coarsely chop the dates and purée them with hot water. Start with 1 tblsp water and gradually add just enough to make a thick, fairly smooth purée.

Slowly heat up and mix the nut butter and honey.

Mix all ingredients well – best done by hand.

Line a small, square plate, 15×15 cm or similar, with baking paper, and PRESS the mixture into it. You want to be able to cut it into compact bars once it has set.

Leave cold for at least an hour.

Favourite recipes, Main courses

Masala oats

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Again recently, a lot has been written about the health benefits of oats, so my current obsession is to try to incorporate oats into as many meals as possible.

In this case served with one of my favourite aubergine dishes – an old faithful.

2,5 dl oats

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic and a small knob of fresh ginger, finely chopped

5 dl vegetables, in this case red pepper and zucchini, chopped

1 dl cooked green lentils

1 small tsp turmeric

Salt

Chili to taste, in whichever form you have available

1 tsp garam masala

Dry-roast the oats till they smell good.

Heat the oil and sizzle the cumin seeds. Add onion, garlic and ginger and sauté.

Add the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients except the oats, and sauté till the vegetables soften. If it starts to dry up, add water rather than oil.

Add the oats, stir well, and cook through.

Garnish with (preferably) fresh coriander, or any other herb you have available.

Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous

Chili sauce made with red and orange chilis from the freezer

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(Home grown, on my south-east facing balcony, the summers 2018 and 2019).

Chilis really do freeze well. Strength and flavour remain unchanged but, as can be seen in the photo, they turn a bit soggy when thawed, so they cannot be used for anything that requires the crunch of fresh chilies.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO WASH YOUR HANDS EXTREMELY THOROUGHLY AFTER HANDLING THE FRESH CHILIS AND BEFORE TOUCHING YOUR EYES – OR ANY OTHER ORIFICE FOR THAT MATTER – BE IT YOUR OWN OR THAT OF SOMEONE NEAR AND DEAR TO YOU. ‘Nuff said,

About 300 g assorted red and orange chilis (after removal of stems and – most – seeds

2 large red onions

8 cloves garlic

1 red pepper

1 large knob of fresh ginger

4 tblsp rice vinegar

Run in food processor till it has the texture you want.

Heat a generous amount of olive oil and add the mixture. Then add

1 tblsp sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tblsp tomato paste

2 tso shrimp paste.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes.

Favourite recipes, Miscellaneous, Starters

Gazpacho

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There are many recipes on-line. This time, I did this (note that whatever I do, I never add bread, nor water):

  • 2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped
  • 1 kg ripe plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 2 onions, trimmed and finely chopped
  • Large glug of the best olive oil you can find
  • Small glug of the best sherry or red wine vinegar you can find
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper.

Bonus tip if you are the lucky owner of both a food processor and a blender: Save yourself a lot of fine-chopping for the blender and run the vegetables in chunks in the food processor first, and then blend with the rest of the ingredients. Time-wise, that is worth the extra washing up.

Pour some of the gazpacho into an ice-cube tray and freeze. That way, you have ice cubes to add when serving that will not dilute the soup.