Naan Bread

 

MUNCH RATING: 4.5/5

 

I copied this recipe into my recipe book ages ago, but I didn’t write down where I got it from. After the nice naan bread that I’d made using the Hairy Bikers’ recipe, Steve was reluctant for me to try a different recipe. But I love to try new recipes, particularly as the Hairy Bikers’ one wasn’t perfect enough to warrant a 5/5 Munch Rating!

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

The only thing I changed was the amount of yoghurt I used. The recipe said to use 4 tablespoons, but when I measured it out from a 150g pot there was only about another tablespoon left and I didn’t want to put it back in the fridge or in the bin so I just added it to the mix.

 

I also only used ½ teaspoon salt as I always try to cut down on salt. Perhaps that’s why they weren’t as tasty as they could have been, but I would rather add healthier flavourings, like herbs and spices, than add more salt.

 

TASTE TEST:

I made 6 small naans that were about the size of a small side plate. They were just the right size when served with curry and rice.

 

Steve said these were the closest I’ve got to making naan bread like you get from a restaurant or from a packet from a shop. They had a lovely soft texture and went really well with the curry we had (leftover from a Keema Pie I made). They didn’t get a full 5/5 because they needed more flavour, as we couldn’t really taste the garlic or onion seeds.

 

But this is definitely going to be the naan bread recipe that I’m going to stick to and just experiment with different flavourings. Not only does it taste better, but it has less ingredients than the Hairy Bikers’ recipe.

 

• Makes: 4 large or 6 small naans
• You will need: a large bowl, a large non-stick frying pan

 

Ingredients:

• 250g plain flour (plus extra for dusting/kneading)
• 7g sachet fast action dried yeast (I used Allinson Easy Bake Yeast)
• ½ – 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 level Tablespoon black onion seeds
• 1x 150g pot natural yoghurt
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 100ml warm water
• sunflower oil for greasing

 

Directions:

1. Sift the flour, stir in the yeast, salt and black onion seeds.
2. Mix together the yoghurt, garlic and the warm water, then pour this onto the dry ingredients.
3. Mix to form a soft dough, then knead on a floured board for 5-8 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic (you may need a couple of handfuls of extra flour).
4. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with cling film/plastic bag and leave to prove for 30-45 minutes until roughly doubled in size.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and split into 4-6 pieces. Flatten and stretch the dough until approx. ½ cm thick (cover with a tea towel if not cooking straight away).
6. Lightly grease the frying pan with the oil (use a piece of kitchen towel to mop up any excess oil and use this to continue oiling the pan) then fry the naan in batches over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes on one side until golden brown, then use the oiled kitchen towel to lightly oil the naan on the uncooked side and flip over and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

 

COOK’S TIPS:

• Cooked naans can be frozen. Store them in an airtight container with greaseproof paper in between them. To reheat: bake in an oven from frozen at Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C for about 5-7 minutes.
• The warm water that you add to the dough should be quite hot, but cool enough to be able to stick your finger in it for a few seconds.

 

NUTRITION:

• 150 calories, 0.6g fat per large naan

Oven baked Rosti Potatoes

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

I’ve never had much luck making rosti potatoes in a pan, as they never go as crispy as I’d like them to be, so they’re not overly satisfying. But these oven baked ones go really crispy on the outside whilst being soft and fluffy on the inside and they are just so good! This is how good they are: Steve doesn’t really like potatoes and he ate 6, which is the same amount as me and I LOVE potatoes!

 

They do require a fair bit of effort to prepare and 1 hour to cook in the oven, but they really are worth it.

 

1 small onion might not seem like enough, but you don’t need too much as you don’t want the onion flavour to overpower the potatoes. I add garlic powder for a little extra flavour, but this is optional and you can obviously use fresh garlic too.

 

• Makes: 12
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C
• You will need: a 12 hole bun tray, lightly oiled

 

Ingredients:

• 675g (1½lb) potatoes, scrubbed clean (this is roughly 6 medium potatoes)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 50g (2oz) butter, melted
• salt and pepper
• oil for drizzling

 

Directions:

1. Par boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, until they are half cooked. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle.
2. Peel and grate the potatoes coarsely and place in a bowl with the onion, garlic powder and the melted butter. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C.
4. Press the mixture into the prepared bun tray.
5. Drizzle a little oil over each rosti and cook for 1 hour or until golden brown and crispy.
6. Remove from the tin as soon as possible, otherwise they might stick as they cool down.

 

ALTERNATIVE IDEAS:

• Top with cheese and cooked chopped bacon 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
• Add herbs, such as parsley, before pressing the mixture into the tray.

Butternut Squash Risotto

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

Although I discovered the wonders of oven-baking risotto, nothing can really compare to a properly made risotto and all that stirring is really worth it for this risotto!

Half of the butternut squash is cooked in the stock and then mashed into a puree. This makes the rice beautifully creamy. The other half of the squash is roasted and this gives it a wonderful charred flavour and a different texture. I love the smell of roasted squash; it just screams of Autumn.

Unfortunately I didn’t use a home-grown squash as they’re not quite ready yet!

• Serves: 2
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C
• You will need: a roasting tray, a small saucepan, a medium saucepan

Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 600ml/1 pint vegetable stock (I used 1 Knorr Stock Pot)
• 25g/1oz unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, picked
• 140g/5oz risotto rice (I used Arborio)
• 100ml/3½ fl.oz white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
• 50g/2oz Parmesan (I used Twineham Grange)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C.
2. Peel the squash and separate the bulbous seeded section from the long end. Chop the long end into 2cm cubes, toss in half the oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven, turning occasionally until they are golden brown and tender (should take the same amount of time as to cook the risotto rice, about 30 minutes).
3. Cut the bulbous section in half and remove the seeds with a spoon, then cut into 2cm cubes. Warm the stock in the small saucepan over a low heat and add the squash and allow it to gently poach.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil and the butter in the medium saucepan, then add the onion, cover and cook for 3 minutes until the onion turns translucent.
5. Add the garlic, herbs and some black pepper. Increase the heat slightly, then add the rice and stir uncovered for about 5 minutes until the rice has turned almost completely translucent.
6. Turn up the heat and add the wine and allow it to bubble away until it has evaporated. Reduce the heat then start adding the stock a ladle at a time, stirring constantly whilst you allow each ladle of stock to be absorbed. It will take between 15-20 minutes for all the stock to be absorbed. Check the rice is cooked (it should be tender but not mushy) and then mash the squash that has been cooking in the stock before adding it to the cooked rice.
7. Turn off the heat, add most of the Parmesan, cover and leave to rest for 2 minutes, then stir and check for seasoning.
8. Spoon the risotto into shallow bowls, sprinkle over the roasted squash and more Parmesan if you like.

Rice Pilaf

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

This is Alton Brown's method for cooking rice pilaf and it's brilliant! The rice was perfectly cooked, each grain separated and fluffy.

He says you shouldn't use the 1:2 rice to water ratio as there will be too much water. So you will need to remember the following measures:

• To serve 2 people = 1 cup rice = 1 1/2 cups water
• To serve 4 people = 2 cups rice = 2 3/4 cups water
• To serve 6 people = 3 cups rice = 3 1/2 cups water

I cooked 1 cup of rice and I can vouch that his ratio works. Next time I will cook 2 cups of rice as the result was so delicious that Steve wanted more!
'Pilaf' is the cooking method, so you can add whatever extra ingredients to this basic recipe. He recommends using long grain rice.

• Serves: 2 
• You will need: 1 medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid, 1 damp tea-towel*
• Oven temperature: Gas Mark 4/350°F/180°C

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 cup rice (I used long grain jasmine rice)
• 1 1/2 cups stock (I used chicken from a cube)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/350°F/180°C.
2. Heat the oil and sweat the onion and garlic until softened over a low heat, don't allow to brown.
3. Add the rice and gently fry until it smells 'nutty', about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the stock, stir once and bring to a boil.
5. Cover the saucepan with the damp tea-towel (it must be damp otherwise you might set it on fire!) and clamp on the lid. Fold up the corners of the tea-towel over the lid so that it's not hanging loose.
6. Put the saucepan in the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and leave for 10-15 minutes with the lid still on, as during this time the rice is still cooking and absorbing the liquid.

* The tea-towel will capture any condensation that forms on the lid and prevent it from dropping back into the rice. I was a bit worried about putting the tea-towel in the oven, but absolutely no harm came to it during the making of this recipe.

Potato Galette & Sweetcorn Succotash

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

I bought some frozen ready-marinated Mahi-Mahi (similar to swordfish) from the supermarket so all I had to do was pop it in the oven to cook. This meant I could turn all my attention to the side dishes.

I knew I wanted to serve potatoes with the fish but I wanted to try something new. I knew I would already have the oven on to cook the fish so that narrowed down my cooking method and I knew I wanted to achieve something with a crispy texture to counter-balance the fish. Somehow the idea of a Potato Galette came into my head even though I've never made it before. After a quick search on Google I discovered there are a variety of ways to make this dish, so I went with what sounded best.

I've been wanting to make Sweetcorn Succotash ever since we went to The Cheesecake Factory (TCF) and I tried it for the first time. To be honest, before that meal I didn't know Succotash was an actual dish, I just thought it was part of a catchphrase by Sylvester The Cat! I couldn't find a definitive recipe on Google, it seems to be one of those dishes which is open to interpretation, so I made up my own recipe based on what I remembered of my TCF experience.

POTATO GALETTE

• Serves 2
• Oven Temperature: Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C
• Cooking Time: 25 minutes
• You will need: A mandolin or a box grater, small baking pan

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 white potatoes (Russet or Maris Piper are good for this), peeled
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Some Italian seasoning or other type of mixed seasoning (optional)
• 2 handfuls of grated cheese (I used a bag of Quattro Formaggio which had Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina and Mild Provolone)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C.
2. Slice your potatoes as thinly as possible, preferably with a mandolin. But if you haven't got one then I found that the wide slicing blade on a box grater works really well. To make it easier, lay the grater flat on a board with the slicing blade facing upwards and then push the potato away from you as you slice them.
3. Put the tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl and add salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add the sliced potatoes and toss in the olive oil until evenly coated.
4. Starting from the middle, arrange your potatoes in the dish so that they are overlapping and the bottom is completely covered.
5. Sprinkle on half of the cheese.
6. Arrange another layer of potatoes on top and then sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.
7. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the potatoes feel tender when you insert a fork.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes (perfect timing for me to cook the fish which takes 12 minutes!)

For convenience I used the 9" round silicone pan that I use to bake cakes. It gave a good result and was very easy to clean afterwards, however next time I would put a disc of foil at the bottom to give it a crispier bottom. Alternatively you could use a metal cake tin or simply arrange your potatoes in a circle shape on a metal baking sheet.
Of course you can use a much smaller dish but you will have more layers and your Galette is going to be much thicker, therefore it may take twice as long to cook.

SWEETCORN SUCCOTASH

• Serves 2
• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Cooking Time: 15 minutes
• You will need: A medium saucepan

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed, grated or finely chopped
• 1/2 red pepper (bell pepper), diced
• Approx. 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 1 432g/15.25oz tin whole kernel sweetcorn, drained
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in your saucepan, add the onion and gently saute until softened and slightly golden.
2. Add the garlic and cook gently for another minute.
3. Add the red pepper and cook until softened.
4. Add the chilli flakes and then stir in the sweetcorn.
5. Add the chicken stock and simmer until it has reduced and evaporated away.
6. It is now ready to serve.

Yasai korroke (Japanese vegetable cakes)

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

This is a recipe from the Wagamama cookbook which I've made before but not actually tried in the restaurant.

In San Francisco it's easy to find ingredients like Panko Breadcrumbs, I got mine in Safeway so I didn't have to make a special trip to Japantown for them.

• Makes: 6 cakes

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• salt and white pepper
• 25g (1oz) frozen peas
• 25g (1oz) canned sweetcorn, drained
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped (or use spring onion and skip step 4)
• 1 red chilli, trimmed and finely chopped (or some chilli flakes
• 3-4 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 50g (2oz) panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Put the potato and sweet potato in a pan of boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes until tender. Add the peas for the last 2 minutes.
2. Drain, return to the pan, then crush slightly with a wooden spoon to create a lumpy mash.
3. Stir in the sweetcorn.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and chilli over a low heat for 6-8 minutes until soft.
5. Combine the onion and chilli with the mash in a large bowl, season and mix evenly.
6. Allow to cool slightly, then divide into 6 equal portions and shape into flat cakes.
7. Place the flour in a bowl, the beaten egg in another and the breadcrumbs in a third.
8. Dip each cake first into the flour, then in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs.
9. Fill a pan two-thirds full with oil and heat to 180C/350F or until a cube of bread added to the oil browns in 30 seconds.
10. Deep fry the cakes for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crisp, then drain on kitchen paper. Alternatively you can shallow fry them, carefully turning them on all sides until golden brown - takes a bit longer but just as tasty!

One-pot Spicy Rice

My friend Kim cooked this for me when I went to visit her and it was so delicious I had to have the recipe so I could make it for Steve. However, he was a bit dubious about trying it because it had raisins/sultanas and chickpeas in it and it's vegetarian! So he looked a bit worried when I dished it up but after the first few mouthfuls he did an Oliver Twist and asked for seconds but unfortunately there was no more, as I'd only cooked enough for 2. So next time I'll cook more by doubling the quantities.

The recipe here has a couple of tweaks as I had half a butternut squash to use up and didn't have any spinach so I used peas, but you can use whatever's going. I really like the different textures and tastes that the sultanas and cashews bring to the dish, they really compliment the curry flavour - a fruit and nut sensation!

I made this for the second time here in San Francisco and I used the cup measurement method and the rice came out perfectly! It's basically 1 part rice to 2 parts liquid. So I used 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of stock (to serve 4 people). I didn't have any peas or spinach but it still tasted great!

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into bitesize pieces (optional)
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 or 2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tbsp medium curry paste (I used Madras)
125g/4.5oz [1 cup] basmati rice (or brown rice - see note below)
225ml/8fl oz [2 cups] hot vegetable stock
1 can of chick peas (241g), drained
1 or 2 handfuls of frozen peas (replaced 2 or 3 handfuls of spinach)
A handful of raisins or sultanas
A handful of cashew nuts
Dash of double cream (optional)

Directions - If using the butternut squash:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4
2. Put the butternut squash pieces in a baking tray and drizzle with little bit of oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Roast in the oven on the top shelf for 45 minutes or until tender but not mushy.
   

Directions - Normal:

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan that has a lid, then fry garlic and curry paste until it smells toasty.
2. Tip the rice into the pan along with the stock, chick peas, raisins/sultanas and squash. Stir well and season with salt and pepper (stock is quite salty so go easy on the salt), then cover and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce to a medium heat and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. If it’s taking a long time for the liquid to reduce, just take the lid off the pan for a few minutes. Add the frozen peas 10 minutes before end of cooking time.
   
4. Stir in the cashew nuts (and spinach and let it wilt).
5. Stir in the dash of cream just before serving, this will take off the spicy edge of the curry paste.
   

Note – if using brown rice, cook the rice in plenty of boiling water for 20 minutes first, and then add to the pan as normal in step 2.

Sweetcorn cakes

Just made these for lunch as had some leftover tinned sweetcorn. I used Bill Granger's recipe and added some extra ingredients for flavour.

Makes: 8 mini cakes to serve 2 for lunch/snack
You will need: mini chopper/food processor

Ingredients:
Small tin sweetcorn (198g)
2 tablespoons plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg

Added extras:
1/2 spring onion roughly chopped
1 small orange pepper roughly chopped
small pinch chilli flakes
dash worcester sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put the chopped spring onion, 3/4 of the sweetcorn and 1/2 the pepper into a mini chopper/food processor and whizz for a few seconds.
2. Add the flour, baking powder, chilli and worcester sauce and whizz again.
3. Add the egg and whizz until combined.
4. Stir in the remaining sweetcorn and pepper and season with salt and pepper.
5. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan or wok and drop in tablespoons of the mixture.
6. Fry for a couple of minutes on each side until nicely golden brown.