Tag: spicy

Tomato and onion salad

Very simple but effective side dish.

Ingredients
2 tomatoes, deseeded and sliced
½ onion, finely sliced
½ cucumber, sliced in half lengthways, middle scooped out and sliced into half moons
A pinch of sugar
3 tbs fresh mint, chopped
A squeeze of lime (or lemon)
½ tsp fresh red chilli, very finely chopped (optional)
Salt

Equipment
Sharp knife
Chopping board
Bowl

Method
Mix the cucumber, tomato, onion, chilli (if using), salt and sugar together, leave for ten minutes. Add the lime and mint.
Ready to serve.

Saag halloumi

Modelled on the classic Sag paneer spinach-and-cheese curry, but with some local halloumi from High Weald instead of the paneer. Halloumi is a great camping standby.

Ingredients
500g spinach, washed
1 x 200g packet halloumi , wiped dry with kitchen towel and cubed into small pieces
1 tbs flour
1 tomato, deseeded and chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ to 1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Juice of half a lemon
3 tbs fresh coriander, chopped
2 tbs garam masala
2 tbs single cream or plain yogurt (optional)
1 tbs garlic and ginger paste
Vegetable oil for frying

Equipment
Lidded saucepan
Sieve
Bowl
Sharp knife
Chopping board
Spoon for stirring
1 ring stove

Method
First cook the spinach with a little water in the lidded saucepan. As soon as the spinach wilts, which only takes a few minutes, take it off the heat and leave to drain completely in the sieve, squashing it to remove all the water. Wipe out the pan and heat up a tablespoon of oil. Coat the cheese in flour and fry until browned on all sides. Set aside. Wipe out the pan with kitchen towel and heat up another tablespoon of oil and gently fry the onion, garlic and ginger paste. Once the onion is soft, but before it is browned, add the chilli, garam masala and tomato. While they cook, chop the drained spinach, add this to the pan along with the cheese, a squeeze of lemon, coriander and cream or yogurt. Taste, you probably won’t need salt as halloumi is salty enough.

Chana masala

This chickpea curry will serve four people if other curries are on the table.

Ingredients

1 jar or tin of chickpeas, drained (my favourites are El Navarrico)
1 tomato, deseeded and chopped
3 tbs plain yogurt
1 onion, chopped
1 tbs garlic and ginger paste
1 tbs garam masala
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbs fresh coriander, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
Salt
Vegetable oil for frying

Equipment

Chopping board
Sharp knife
Lidded saucepan
Spoon for stirring
1 ring cooker

Method

Heat the oil in the pan, add the onion, garlic and ginger paste and fry until soft. Add the chilli, garam masala and fry for a minute or two. Add the chickpeas, tomato and a little water. Simmer for ten minutes or until the chickpeas are nice and soft. Stir in the yogurt, squeeze in the lemon and turn in the coriander. Add the salt at the last minute, taste and serve with bread and another veggie curry dish.

Garlic and ginger paste

Make this at home and use in curries, Moroccan and Chinese dishes.

Ingredients

Equal quantities of garlic and ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
Water
1 tbs vegetable oil

Method

Finely chop the garlic and ginger, use a mezzaluna or a food processor, add a splash of water. Store in a jar for a week or two, covered with oil.

Puy lentils and spicy sausage stew

Serves 4
Sausage stew was the first meal we cooked when camping, made with red table wine from a plastic bottle and a Mattesson’s sausage that Math’s Mum had pushed into his rucksack. Things have moved on since then but the principle remains the same: a warming and easy dish that does not require finesse. Here the sausages should be sturdy bangers and sufficiently dense to withstand boiling without turning into mush. A string of fat cooking chorizo is ideal. If you don’t want a particularly spicy flavour then omit the chilli. The dish could be made with Toulouse sausages, chives and parsley.

Ingredients

250g puy lentils
8 sturdy spicy sausages, such as cooking chorizo. Brindisa make some good ones
1 small or 1/2 large onion, chopped
1 long red chilli, spliced length ways
2 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
Juice of ½ lemon
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 stick of celery, diced
8 baby tomatoes (or 4 standard tomatoes quartered, the important thing is they are the tastiest you can get)
2 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 tbs fresh herbs, flat leaf parsley and/or coriander, chopped

Equipment

Chopping board
Sharp knife
Sieve
Large bowl
Large lidded pan
Wooden spoon

Method

Rinse the puy lentils and put in the bowl, cover with cold water and soak while you get the other ingredients ready. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the onion, carrot, red pepper and celery until soft. Drain the soaked lentils and add to the pan, add the whole garlic cloves, pepper, the split chilli and sausages. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to a simmer and cover. Stir regularly, but carefully, making sure the lentils don’t stick to the pan. You want enough liquid to make a soupy sauce, but not so much that the dish is watery. After ten minutes, add the tomatoes. Once the sausages are cooked through (should take about twenty minutes in total) and the lentils are soft, but still whole, then you’re ready to serve. Turn off the heat, squash the garlic cloves, against the side of the pan and throw them in, along with the herbs, season with salt, stir and serve with chunks of bread and olive oil.