Savoury Temptations | Crazy About Cooking

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

Karina Savoury Temptations, Vegan, Vegetarian 14/06/201924/07/2019 0 Comment

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Indian food is always (wrongly) associated with some sort of curry. The truth is, we have a plethora of dishes and ingredients that vary from state to state, mostly depending on the climate and produce available.

However, we do love our curries, especially during the winter months. The food is richer and if vegetarian, will usually be made of warming ingredients. This recipe, adapted from Jamie Oliver’s sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry (I left out the spinach) is made with coconut milk and combines North and South Indian flavours. The sweet potato cuts through the spice and chickpeas add a protein packed punch to this flavoursome dish.

Serves 2-3 people

Prep time – 45 mins + additional time if you’re using fresh chickpeas

Ingredients

2-3 tbsps olive oil
1 large red onion (sliced)
2 cloves garlic (crushed/chopped small)
1 green chilli
2 cm piece ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp each cumin and coriander powder
1 can of chickpeas (400 gms)
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut roughly
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped roughly (or 400 gm can)
1 can coconut milk
Salt and pepper, according to taste

Method

Heat a deep pan and the olive oil on a medium flame. Fry the onion till it softens and turns translucent. Tip in the garlic, chilli and ginger. Once softened, mix in the spices and fry till fragrant (you might need to add more oil).

Add the cut sweet potato and stir till coated with spices, and then stir the chopped tomatoes.

Bring to a light simmer and stir in the coconut milk (be sure the flame isn’t too high or the milk will split).

Once the potatoes are semi cooked (poke with a fork, if you can pierce the skin it’s good to go), add the can of chickpeas and stir till they are coated with the gravy.

Simmer till they soften and the potatoes are cooked. You can leave the lid open for the last few minutes if you prefer a semi-dry curry.

The health benefits of the ingredients are always a consideration when it comes to cooking Indian food at home. Whether it is the addition of mint and yogurt to cool the body, fennel or cumin seeds for digestion, turmeric for immunity, and many more fragrant spices which elevate the flavours of the dish, they are all perfectly paired with a bland base of carbs (rice or roti) for balance.

Happy Cooking!

Karina

Pickled Baby Radishes with Fennel

Karina Condiments, Savoury Temptations, Vegan, Vegetarian 06/06/201906/06/2019 0 Comment

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This lovely, refreshing recipe is very different to pickles we have back in India, but is more of a condiment that can be used in salads for a mouth-puckering bite, with fried chicken, or even on top of sandwiches. Finely sliced pink radishes, paired with the umami flavours of red wine vinegar and honey, come together in a beautiful, crunchy, salty-sweet harmony. Paired with fennel seeds for an aniseed-y touch, you will always have a jar in your house, just like I do.

Prep time – 15 minutes

Ingredients

5 pink baby radishes, sliced paper thin (use a very sharp knife or a mandolin)
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsps honey
1 tsp fennel seeds
salt to taste

Method

Put the sliced radish in a jar and set aside.

In a small saucepan, boil the vinegar, water, honey and fennel seeds together till vinegar is reduced by half (vinegar has a very strong smell when boiled, so be sure to keep windows open)

Once reduced, pour hot liquid in jar, on top of radishes.

Leave for half an hour and serve as you prefer, or leave overnight in pickling liquid and have the next day.

Store in a cool, dry area for up to 2 weeks.

Growing up in India, pickled vegetables were always present on the table as the perfect, spicy condiment to pair with rice/roti, a big bowl of veggies and of course, some homemade yoghurt. I have an unhealthy love for everything sour (except candy) and often ate spoonfuls of carrot, turnip (my absolute favourite), raw mango or lemon pickle.

It may sound silly, but pickles are almost a way to connect to the past. My grandmother is an expert pickle maker and uses recipes passed down from her mother and I still remember sneaking outside and picking out slices of turnips in their heady mixture of spices, jaggery and salt – doing their magic as they fermented in the sunlight. The aniseed is a homage to those flavours, but baby onions and radishes in vinegar are often a staple in many Indian households and restaurants, a thick slice of beetroot in the jar providing a delightful, pink tinge to the delicious condiment.

Happy Pickling!

Karina

Ginger Chilli Chicken Dumplings

Kerrin Asian Inspired, Not Vegetarian, Savoury Temptations, Snack Food, Uncategorized 31/05/201931/05/2019 0 Comment

Anyone who knows me will testify that I have literally never said no to dumplings. I absolutely love these bite-sized parcels of flavour-laden filling wrapped in light pastry. Although I live in an area with incredible Asian grocers that stock amazing dumplings, I do like to make my own as well. If you’re going to try this recipe I highly recommend getting yourself a dumpling press. It makes forming the dumplings 100 times easier and you can use it for making all kinds of sweet and savoury pastries as well.

Makes 72 wrapped dumplings and a few ‘naked’ ones

Ingredients

500gm chicken mince
1 handful of soggy old mushrooms (there’s sure to be a few hiding in the back of your fridge!)
1 medium zucchini
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
a few green onions (if you have them)
1 heaped tsp Korean seasoned soybean paste *
a cautious amount of chilli shrimp
soy sauce to taste
1-2 tbsp dehydrated mashed potato mix
2 x 36 packs of round wonton wrappers

Method

I love a recipe that calls for everything getting thrown in the food processor and this definitely fits that description.

Using the chopping blade, pulse all of the ingredients apart from the wonton wrappers in the food processor until well combined.

At this point, use your nose – the mix should smell gingery, and spicy and salty. Adjust any of your flavours until you’re happy with the smell.

Set a small pot of water to boil. Once it’s simmering, drop a teaspoon of the chicken mixture into the water and wait for it to float to the surface. Give it another 20-30 seconds or so then fish it out and have a taste. If you’re happy with how the flavours come together then you’re ready to make the dumplings. If not, then just add dashes of your different flavourings and keep testing a small amount until if has the flavour you want.

Grab your dumpling press and a small cup of water. Place one wonton wrapper in the press and drop about a teaspoon of mixture onto it. Wet your finger and run it around the edges of the wonton wrapper, then fold the press in half and squeeze to seal the edges. Place the dumpling on some baking paper for the seal to ‘set’.

This next step is optional. Take one dumpling at a time and rest it between your thumb and forefinger with the curved edge fitting into the curve of your hand. Push gently in the middle of the bit where the filling is and then push the two ends together so you’re effectively folding the dumpling in half.

If you have exactly enough mix for all of the wrappers then you should definitely go buy a lottery ticket 🙂

Usually I have some leftover, so I make some ‘naked’ dumplings – literally just teaspoon sized balls of chicken mix that I poach in either stock or Asian soup base. These can be stored in the fridge (in the liquid) for a few days easily.

These dumplings also freeze well, just make sure you freeze them on trays before portioning them out so that they don’t get all stuck together.

When you’re ready to cook them, drop them in boiling water, stock or soup base. When they float, leave them in the broth for another 20-30 seconds or until they’re cooked through.

Alternatively, they can also be air fried or deep fried (like I wasn’t going to air fry them!)

*Korean Seasoned Soy Bean Paste: where do I start? It’s an umami overload of flavour that adds SO much depth to a dish. I’m not going to say it’s life changing, but if you can get your hands on some it’s definitely going to rock your world. You should be able to find it in a dedicated Korean Grocer, otherwise your specialty Asian shop might stock it as well and it’s totally worth the effort to find it.

Veggie Black Bean Burgers

Karina Jamie Oliver Recipe Roadtest, Recipe Roadtest, Savoury Temptations, Uncategorized, Vegetarian 31/05/201906/06/2019 0 Comment

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Black beans are my new favourite ingredient. Packed with protein, inexpensive and easy to cook, black beans are versatile and can be used for both sweet and savoury recipes (I tried black bean brownies and my world has changed).

I adapted the Jamie Oliver Black Bean Burger recipe and put my own twist on it by ditching the tomato and caramelising the onions instead of lightly pickling them. Topped with kale, melty cheese and buttery toasted buns, this recipe is a perfect spin on a healthy burger.

Makes 6 burgers | Prep time – 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 small onions, sliced
1 red chilli
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsps red wine/ balsamic vinegar
3 tbsps barbecue sauce
2 x 400 gm tinned black beans
2 spring onions, chopped finely
150 gms bread crumbs (or almond meal if you’re gluten free)
2 tsps lemon juice
100 gms kale
olive oil
sour cream to serve (optional)
6 cheese slices
6 burger buns, cut in half

Method

Heat a frying pan with some olive oil and fry onions till softened. Add in the garlic and chilli. Fry till fragrant and pour vinegar into pan.

Allow the vinegar to evaporate and mix in the barbecue sauce. Cover the pan and leave on a low flame, allowing the onions to caramelise for 15 minutes. Stir the onions so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan – season according to taste.

Drain the beans and put them in a food processor with salt to season. Blitz till the mixture the beans are crushed. Combine with breadcrumbs, crushed garlic, lemon juice and spring onions. The beans may look dry, but once you start combining the other ingredients, you will notice the mixture is quite wet. Add breadcrumbs till the mix holds together.

Shape into 6 patties, and fry in a shallow pan on either side till brown. Top with cheese and turn off the heat. Cover the pan and allow the cheese to melt while the buns are toasted.

Toast the burger buns and layer with kale, the burger patty, caramelised onions and sour cream if desired. Serve hot with chips on the side.

I used canned black beans because they cut half the cooking time, especially on a long day after work or classes. You can use fresh/dried black beans, but be sure to soak them overnight so they cook faster. Boil/pressure cook with salt for 45- 50 minutes.

The great thing with this recipe is that it can be adapted to suit different tastebuds and choices. You can go the classic route and add plain sliced onions, tomatoes and lettuce, or even top with some garlicky yoghurt and use cumin in your patty for a Mediterranean twist.

Happy Cooking!

Karina

Zuggets (AKA Zucchini Nuggets)

Kerrin Air Fryer, Brunch Favourites, Savoury Temptations, Vegetarian 03/05/201903/05/2019 0 Comment

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You know how sometimes there are recipes that you just can believe taste as good as they do? This is one of them. Even if you’re not a zucchini fan, you’re pretty much guaranteed to like these zuggets. Is ‘zuggets’ a word? It is now. But maybe not if you’re trying to get a triple word score in Scrabble 🙂

Ingredients

2.5 cups grated zucchini
1 medium onion, finely minced
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup dehydrated mashed potato mix ( I like the Aldi one)
1/2 cup grated sharp cheese (something with a good strong flavour, like cheddar)
2 eggs, beaten
Herbs – you can use fresh or dried, Italian mix or Greek mix or any other kind of herb seasoning you want
Salt & pepper

Method

Grate the zucchini and then squeeze as much liquid as you can from it – smooshing it in a colander is probably the easiest way to do this.

Mince the onion finely. Try not to cry. Cry a lot.

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine.

Form tablespoons of the mix into nuggets and leave for about 10 minutes to ‘set’.

Cooking

“Can we air fry it?”

Yes, we can!

Air fry for about 15 minutes at 190 degrees or until golden and crispy on the outside. Depending on your air fryer you may need to spray the basket with oil to prevent them from sticking.

Alternatively, if you haven’t enriched your life by purchasing an air fryer yet, you can put them on an oven tray covered in baking paper and bake them for about 15 minutes in a moderate oven.

Or, if you want some extra crunchy golden goodness, you can shallow fry them for a few minutes or even deep fry them.

My preference is the air fryer because:

a) I LOVE my air fryer

b) It delivers a crunchy golden outer with soft fluffy filling using virtually no oil

Serve with dipping sauces if you like, but honestly, they are pretty amazing on their own.

Makes about 24, depending on how large you make the nuggets.

Not Empanadas

Kerrin Air Fryer, Brunch Favourites, Not Vegetarian, Savoury Temptations, Uncategorized 18/04/201902/05/2019 0 Comment

Before everyone gets all crazy about the name, let me start by saying that I’m not claiming that these little parcels of deliciousness are empanadas, but that they ARE inspired by them. Sure I could just call them ‘savoury meat parcels’ but where’s the fun in that?

Ingredients

500gm beef mince (Don’t like beef? You can use chicken, lamb, pork … it’s up to you)*
1 onion, finely chopped
Whole garlic cloves – as much as you like. I use about 3-4 cloves, but I really like garlic
Tomato paste – use the best you can get. How much you use will depend on how good it is.
1/2 cup stuffed green olives, roughly chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
Salt & pepper to taste
Puff pastry – if you’re really keen you can make your own, but honestly, the shop bought stuff is just fine
Egg wash or milk
The secret ingredient : pomegranate molasses

* Vegetarian? You can substitute TVP mince in this recipe – you just need to cook the mix down a bit longer for the flavours to absorb better.

Method

Saute the onions in a little oil or butter over a medium heat. Don’t let them get too browned – you want them more soft and golden. After about 5 minutes toss the whole garlic cloves in there with them. Keep stirring, it’s important they don’t stick. After the onions are done to your liking, add the mince to the pot in small batches to brown it nicely. Once browned, add the tomato paste. Again, how much you use will depend on how good it is – the stuff we have is insanely good. It’s so thick and rich that you only need a little bit, but if you’re buying supermarket brands you’re probably going to need a good couple of tablespoons.

Once that’s mixed in nicely, throw in those chopped olives, the frozen peas and add a little water (or red wine) if the mix is a little dry – just a tablespoon or so though, you don’t want it getting too runny or your pastry will be soggy. Lower the heat and let the whole thing stew along nicely for about 15 minutes, stirring it every now and then so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remember, if you’re using TVP mince, you’ll probably want to let it cook a little longer so the flavours really absorb. Just keep the heat nice and low.

Next, fish out those garlic cloves – they should be nice and squishy by now. Transfer them to a chopping board and crush them with the side of a knife to make a paste. Add that back to the mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now it’s time to add the secret weapon: pomegranate molasses. If you’ve never had it before, it is amazing. It really is a total explosion of flavour and it adds SO much depth to a savoury dish like this (I’ve used it in bolognese sauce as well and it’s a real game changer). Add about 1 tsp of pomegranate molasses to the mixture and give it all a good stir to distribute the flavours.

Turn off the heat and set aside to cool. If the mix is too hot, the pastry will get all melty, so make sure it’s good and cool.

Grab your pastry – if you’re using shop-bought sheets, peel one off at a time and leave the others under a damp cloth so they don’t dry out. Cut the sheet into 4 squares, and have a small bowl of cold water close by. Add a dollop of the cooled mixture to the centre of one of the squares and dip your finger in the bowl of water and run it around the edges of the square. Next pull two opposite corners of the pastry up to meet in the middle and squeeze them together gently. Hold that point with one hand and bring up the third corner to meet them, squeezing the ‘seam’ together as you go. Repeat with the final corner. Brush your parcel with egg wash or milk. And set aside while you repeat the process till you run out of pastry or mix or (hopefully) both.

Now you have all your little parcels made, it’s time to decide how you’re going to cook them.

Anyone who knows me will tell you how in love I am with my air fryer. And I confess, I may have gone through a phase of asking, ‘Can we air fry that?’ about practically everything. (Who am I kidding … I’m still doing that!) Well, if you love your air fryer as much as I love mine, you’re going to be thrilled at how well these turn out when they’re air fried.

Air fry them at about 180 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Obviously, some air fryers may be cook a little differently, so check your first batch partway through cooking to see how they’re progressing.

After about 10 minutes they should look something like this …

Just LOOK at that golden puffiness! >>>

Alternatively, if you don’t have an air fryer, you can pop them in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (375 degrees Farenheit) for about 10-12 minutes. Again, every oven is different, so check partway through cooking to see how they’re going.

Let them cool slightly before you bite into them – they will be blisteringly hot inside. Trust me on this, you don’t need to learn it for yourself the hard way.

Lentil Stew with Sujuk

SwedishChef Man Food, Not Vegetarian, Savoury Temptations 15/04/201931/05/2019one pot 0 Comment

When it’s cold and miserable outside and I need some comfort food that warms you up and sticks to your ribs, this is one of my go-to recipes. Lashings of flavour, not too much effort and (if you’re lucky) leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Oh, and did I mention it cooks in one pot?

Ingredients

2 cups green lentils
2 sujuk (decent plump ones)*
Mushrooms – a good handful, don’t be asking me weights (okay, 150-200g)
Half a red capsicum, unless your partner doesn’t care, in which case go crazy with the colours
A handful of sliced leek (whose hand? depends on how much you like leek)
6 plump anchovies or 10 stringy ones
2 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
Tin of diced tomatoes (alternatively you could steam, peel and dice your own, but f**k that shit, who has the time?)
1 cup of stock
The best tomato paste you can get

* Sujuk is a cured Turkish sausage but you can use chorizo if you can’t get it

Method

Crazy-about-cooking-lentils-soaking — Actual footage of lentils soaking

Take your 2 cups of green lentils and soak them for at least an hour. I say at least. You could put them in a bowl of water before you go to work or stick’ em in the water and go for a walk. As long as you give them at least an hour.

Oh, probably best to rinse them to get rid of any little bits and pieces; unless you’re playing chip tooth bingo. In which case, carry on.

Chop up your mushrooms and capsicum (that’s a bell pepper for those that call them that).

I don’t care how, you can dice them finely like a chef if you want to show off or hack them with a cleaver. Doesn’t matter because a) we’re not fancy and b) they’re going to be cooked for over an hour so they’ll go nice and soft.

Can I add onions, celery, carrots, blah blah blah? Knock yourself out.

Slice up your sujuk. Any decent sausage will do. I like sujuk, so I use sujuk.

Bring a medium-sized pot up to heat and throw in a tiny splash of olive oil, the 12 cloves of garlic (sorry, I meant 2. what can I say? I like garlic), the anchovies and add some pepper (although you can add it later if you’re timid).

Once the delightful odour of cooking garlic and pepper starts wafting over you, throw your sliced sausage in.

It will take a few minutes for the outsides to caramelise, so keep stirring from time to time, or be manly and flick your wrist to flip them over. Continue after you’ve bandaged your sprained wrist. I throw in a small amount of red wine (nothing but the finest boxed vintage for me) to add a little kick to the caramelising.

Toss in the chopped capsicum and mushrooms and stir them in.

Strain your lentils well and add them to the pot. Add the diced tomatoes. Add the cup of stock, which you have prepared by slowly rendering the finest free range chicken carcass and vegetables over a carefully regulated heat for a day. Alternatively, use a stock cube, it’s cheaper and easier, but does lack snob value.

Now, and this is actually important so actually pay attention: pour enough water in to make sure that the lentils are covered.

Mix in one or two tablespoons of your best tomato paste. The crappier the paste, the more you’ll need to add as it’s never as concentrated in my experience.

Bring the whole pot to the boil with the lid on.

Once it has started to boil, reduce the heat to simmer, take the lid off and walk away. For real, don’t go poking and probing it like a two year old, the food knows what to do. Every 20 minutes or so, give it a stir and walk away again. After 90-120 minutes, have a taste. The lentils should be soft but not mushy and they will have sucked up most of the water. If they are mushy you can still eat them, just tell your guests they’re having ‘un cassoulet de purée de lentilles’, they’ll think you’re fancy and be too scared to question.

Last steps. Add any salt or pepper to flavour and then serve in bowls. If you’re lucky and your partner will allow bread in the house, serve big torn chunks of crusty bread to sop up the juices – don’t be slicing the bread, that’s just weird.

Enjoy!