On the waterfront 2016
Street, and street art 2016
Köpenicker Straße 2016
Spandau Citadel
The U-Bahn 2016
Pumpkin curry with black-eyed beans and coconut milk
1 kg pumpkin or butternut sqash, cut into large chunks
Olive oil to drizzle
1 tblsp garam masala
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 green chilis, slit lengthways
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
500 g (after soaking and cooking) black-eyed beans
150 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 x 400 ml tin coconut milk
Place pumpkin pieces in a bowl, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with garam masala, salt and pepper. Mix to coat evenly and arrange in an oven-proof plate in a single layer. Roast at 180 degrees until the pumpkin is soft and tender.
Heat olive oil in a large pan and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the chilies and the onion and cook till the onion is soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the beans, mix well, and add the tomatoes. Cook for another couple of minutes.
Now add the turmeric, a good pinch of black pepper, 1 tsp salt and the coconut milk. Heat gently and add the pumpkin. Cover and heat through, checing for salt and chili.
Chicken curry
For one kilo of chicken thigh meat (without skin and bones – METRO has it)
3 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 (real) cinnamon sticks
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
6 cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
6 cloves garlic, crushed
Chili to taste, for example 1 tsp chili powder, or 2 fresh chilies
1 tsp salt
200 g tinned tomatoes or tomato passata
2 tblsp tomato concentrate
1,5 tsp ground cumin
A half tsp ground turmeric
3 tblsp full-fat yoghurt
1 tsp garam masala
Heat the oil and fry cumin seeds and cinnamon sticks shortly. Then add the onions and cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
Blend the ginger, garlic, chilies and salt with just enough water to make a coarse paste.
Add the paste to the onions and simmer for a couple of minutes. Then add the tomato and cook for a few minutes to a thick paste, stirring occasionally.
Then add the tomato concentrate and the rest of the spices. Simmer.
Whisk the yoghurt and incorporate it, once tblsp at a time. Cook through and let all the flavours meld.
Add the chicken and simmer for arund 30 minutes. Before serving, add the garam masala and heat through.
“White” lamb curry
Spice blend for 1 kilo of lamb cubes:
2 tblsp fennel seeds
Seeds from 1 tblsp green cardamom pods
1 tsp cloves
1 (real) cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
Dry roast all of the above for a minute or two until lightly toasted. Then grind to a powder.
Mix the powder well with the lamb and 4 cm grated ginger, five cloves garlic finely crushed, and 100 g full-fat yoghurt. Marinate for at least half an hour.
Blend 100 g cashew nuts to a paste with 1 tblsp boiling water.
Heat 100 g ghee over medium heat and soften (do not brown) one medium-sized onion, coarsely chopped. Add the meat with all the marinade and enough water to almost cover the meat.
Cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Add a heaped tsp salt and 1 tsp ground seeds from green cardamom pods.
Add the cashew nut paste and 50 ml double cream. Add water if needed. Heat through before serving.
Krakow and Łódź 2016
Ground lamb and chickpeas in spicy cashewnut sauce
Many years ago, I won third prize in Politiken’s meatsauce competion (ten bottles of very nice redwine) for sending in this recipe :-).
Before and after that, it has been an old faithful dug out from time to time since then, and I last served it at my third house-warming party in early December 2016 (following a late-afternoon glass or two of glögg, some of my own interpretation of panforte, home-made marshmallows, and some goodies from Leysieffer in Friedrichstraße).
This time, I needed halal meat (2 kilos) which I had ordered in advance from the very friendly (and very reasonable-priced) Fleischerei Kasap, Kottbusser Straße 7.
I served it accompanied by aubergine in a tomato and ginger sauce, and white and brown rice.
4 tblsp olive oil
375 g onion, finely chopped
2 tblsp or more garlic, finely chopped
1 tblsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 tsp cumin, roasted and ground
2 tsp coriander, roasted and ground
1 tsp turmeric
Chili in some form or other, to taste
2 bayleaves
1 kilo ground lamb
500 g tomatoes, peeled and chopped
3 tblsp cashew nut butter
500 g dried chickpeas, soaked and boiled (keep approx. 1,5 dl of the water)
Brown the onions slowly, stirring regularly, till they start to caramellise (takes about 20 minutes)
Add garlic and ginger and fry, stirring, for another couple of minutes.
Turn up the heat a bit, and add the spices, fry for about a minute, mixing well.
Add the meat and stir till it is no longer red.
Add salt and freshly ground black pepper, tomatoes, cashew nut butter, chickpeas and water.
Turn heat down and simmer 45-60 minutes till the dish has thickened. Stir from time to time and add more water if needed.