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ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 3:01 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

I could always send you a food parcel, fresh tinda is available all the year round

i don't suppose tinda is that weird waxy looking thing that looks like a spikey cucumber is it? i've been wanting to try that but i can never get a straight answer about what to do with it!!

while we're on the subject of ethnic grocers, does anyone know of an afro/carribean shop in edinburgh? i used to go to solly's on great western road when we were in glasgow but i haven't found one here and i'm really craving cassava and plantains...

ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 3:03 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

Bugs wrote:

Ah, you read my mind. Any others?

Fenugreek (well worth it)
.

fenugreek... i have some dried leaves and some of the 'seeds' (they look like yellow stones

) the seeds smell lovely but i've no idea what to do with either really... any suggestions?

ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 3:06 pm Post subject:
speaking of cassava (known as yucca root in the states) can you grow it to eat here in the uk? i've heard tell of people growing yuccas as ornamental plants but i am not certain they are the same thing... i'd love to grow some as i think cassava are 10 times better than any potato i've ever had mmmmmmmmmm

twoscoops

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1924
Location: Warwickshire

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 3:08 pm Post subject:

I made a very tasty lentil curry on Wednesday, and used fenugreek seeds in the spicemix. I dry roasted them with cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and black peppercorns and then ground the lot. These I added to some onions and garlic which had been frying, and a few minutes later added coconut milk, vegetable stock and puy lentils. Covered and simmered for an hour it was beautiful, one of the best veggie curries I've made.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45434
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 3:19 pm Post subject:

ButteryHOLsomeness wrote:

i don't suppose tinda is that weird waxy looking thing that looks like a spikey cucumber is it?

That's karela (bitter gourd or bitter melon) and is appalingly bitter in my opinion, but people do love 'em.

The knobbly bits off the fresh fruit can be scraped off, liquidised and strained to produce a juice that reduces blood sugar levels, very handy in controlling diabetes.

There are two ways the vegetable is used:

1. Stuffed
2. An addition to lamb curries or keema.

For both you need to scrape off the knobbly bits slit the fruit from top to toe and scoop out all the pith and seeds, salt, rinse, drain and fry till golden brown.

Karela is usually stuffed with keema (lamb mince) or chana dhal, just fill up with your cooked curry, sew closed with some cotton and stick in the oven for 20 mins or so to heat through.

If you're adding it to a curry then slice fairly small and add it a few minutes before you finish cooking.

In my opinion a horrible veg, but as I said it is quite popular.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45434
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 3:21 pm Post subject:

ButteryHOLsomeness wrote:

fenugreek... i have some dried leaves and some of the 'seeds' (they look like yellow stones

) the seeds smell lovely but i've no idea what to do with either really... any suggestions?

Twoscoops beat me to it, the seeds are also a good addition to pickles, especially oil based ones like achar. the leabves can be added to any kind of curry that you fancy, they give a bit of a "curryish" tang.

twoscoops

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1924
Location: Warwickshire

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 3:31 pm Post subject:
Forgot to mention the tsp of med curry powder I put into it. This made it quite spicy, and a pal had told me about putting half a potato in to draw heat. It worked a treat, and made it much more palatable.

ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 7:07 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

ButteryHOLsomeness wrote:

i don't suppose tinda is that weird waxy looking thing that looks like a spikey cucumber is it?

oooh thank you for that, i am insulin resistant so i'll have to try some (if i can stomach them) to help keep my sugar levels stable.

ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 7:09 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

ButteryHOLsomeness wrote:

fenugreek... i have some dried leaves and some of the 'seeds' (they look like yellow stones

) the seeds smell lovely but i've no idea what to do with either really... any suggestions?

thanks for that! i'll have to get them both out and make a nice curry. i haven't made a curry for months now and i'm missing them. slowcookers and curries are such a lovely combination, think i'll try twoscoops recipe, sounds great! ( i always dry roast my spices too, they taste so much better!)

twoscoops

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1924
Location: Warwickshire

Posted: Mon May 16, 05 10:33 am Post subject:

I took a delivery from Amazon last week; The Curry Secret and a new book called Indian in Six. I’m usually one for lots of colour pictures in a cook book, but the Curry Secret is bereft of them. Indian in Six has around 100 recipes, most of which contain ginger+garlic paste, salt and oil. Apart from those three all recipes have a maximum of six ingredients. As I was going to my Mum’s for tea on Saturday in Hounslow I popped in to an Asian grocer, and stocked up on spices. Now I try and do this wherever possible but even I was amazed at how cheap everything was. I bought ghee, paneer, curry leaves, ginger, garlic and chapatti flour (is it just wholemeal flour?) as well as cardamoms (both green and black) cumin, turmeric etc. They even had a box of ten big mangoes for £6 (I was tempted). It was great.

Got up at half-seven yesterday, made garam masala, a load of ginger+garlic paste (which I froze in tablespoon batches) and the tandoori marinade from The Curry Secret. Last night we had basmati rice (what a revelation, I’ll never buy cheap rice again), chapattis (cooked on a griddle then an open flame) Indian cheesy peas and the best lamb tikka I’ve ever had. Did Quorn tikka for the OH and she said that it was the first time she had ever liked Quorn. I’m raring to go on Indian now, but it is more of a winter thing for me.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon May 16, 05 10:36 am Post subject:

Twoscoops wrote:

I’m raring to go on Indian now, but it is more of a winter thing for me.

Dunno, all Tahir's stuff at the barbecue was excellent.

twoscoops

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1924
Location: Warwickshire

Posted: Mon May 16, 05 10:38 am Post subject:

[quote="sean"]

Twoscoops wrote:

Dunno, all Tahir's stuff at the barbecue was excellent.

Let's have it then. Any of it veggie?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45434
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon May 16, 05 10:40 am Post subject:
Chapatti flour is a not 100% wholemeal flour. Fresh chappattis are amazing, and proper basmati cooked well is a real treat. BTW Tilda basmati is one of the few that don't contain large proportions of non basmati rice, even supermarket own brands were recently found to contain up to 40% non basmati.

twoscoops

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1924
Location: Warwickshire

Posted: Mon May 16, 05 10:43 am Post subject:
Twas Tilda that I bought. A 'small' 2kg bag.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45434
Location: Essex

Posted: Mon May 16, 05 10:46 am Post subject:

The only veggie thing I did was the channa chaat which is up on Neil's website, apart from that I did:

Mint & Coriander lamb chops
Marinaded in yoghurt with very finely chopped coriander, mint, chillies, salt and a touch of garam masala

Mustard & Honey chicken wings
Wholegrain mustard, sunflower oil, honey (about equal qtys of each) enough vinegar to give it a little tang, and a touch of chillie powder

Masala Chicken Tikka
Whole Cumin, garam masala, chilli powder, a tiny bit of turmeric, salt (which I forgot

), sunflower oil

And the missus did a choc chip cheesecake which seemed to go down well

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