Posts Tagged: spicy

Dhal Bat

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4 months ago    |   Tags: lentils dhal indian vegetarian spicy chilli side dish food dal pulses turmeric healthy budget   |   Notes: 2

Inspired by an article in the Guardian last week on meals that cost less than a fiver
Absolutely delicious, the nicest dhal I’ve ever had!


Ingredients

  • 250g lentils or dhal (I used a mix of moong and urid dhal)
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1 whole dried chilli
  • 1 tsp (heaped) cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida
  • ½ small garlic bulb, cloves peeled & thinly sliced
  • ½ onion, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp salt
  • thumb-size piece of ginger, grated
  • 2 green chillies, finely chopped (seeds in or out, according to taste)
  • 2 tsp (heaped) ground coriander
  • 1 tsp (heaped) ground cumin
  • bunch scallions, green parts only. sliced
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree, or a couple of tomatoes roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • fresh coriander or sliced chillies to serve (optional)

Serves 4

Directions

  1. Boil the lentils or dhal in a pan with 1.5 litres water. Simmer until they’re cooked to your liking (see packet instructions for guidelines on the type you’re using, mine took about 10 mins). If there is an excessive amount of liquid left, pour some out. though you don’t want to drain them completely
  2. Pour the oil into another saucepan and set on a medium/high heat. Once hot (test by dropping in a cumin seed), add in the dried chilli and the cumin seeds. Next add the asafoetida and half the garlic. Allow the garlic to brown a little before adding the onion. Again, give the onion a minute or two to brown
  3. Add the turmeric, salt, ginger, green chilli, ground coriander and ground cumin. If you get hit by a burst of steam, pop on a lid to hold it all in and continue once it’s calmed down again. Allow to cook until the oil seperates from the mixture. If your spices are too dry and starting to stick to the pan, add a small bit of water and deglaze the pan by scraping with a wooden spoon to form a paste again.
  4. Add the tomato (or purée) and sugar. Mix well and stir to dissolve the sugar
  5. Stir the whole lot into the cooked dhal (or vice versa) and mix thoroughly. Add the remaining garlic, scallions and garam masala. Simmer for another 5 minutes on a low heat. Serve garnished with coriander or sliced chillies. Or eat straight from the pot as I did :)

Tom Yum Goong soup

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9 months ago    |   Tags: soup tom yum prawns spicy   |   Notes: 3

… or as me and Liz call it, “coughy soup”. So spicy it makes you cough uncontrollably. Of course, you could tone it down, but that’d defeat the point entirely :)


Ingredients

  • 250g raw prawns, shell on
  • 950ml water
  • 4 peppercorns
  • small piece of bay leaf
  • half a celery stick, roughly chopped
  • 2 lemongrass
  • 4 kaffir lime leaves
  • 4 slices galangal
  • 2 birds eye chillies, sliced
  • 100g button mushrooms, halved
  • 8-10 cherry tomatoes
  • 3 scallions, sliced
  • 20ml fish sauce
  • 1.5 limes, juiced
  • 1.5 tbsp tom yum paste

Serves 4

Directions

  1. Peel and devein the prawns. Set aside. Add the heads and shells to a saucepan with the water, celery, bay leaf and peppercorn
  2. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins, removing any scum that forms on the surface
  3. Turn the heat off and set aside for another 20 mins
  4. Peel the outer layers off the lemongrass. You dont’ want any woody bits, keep peeling until you what you have left is bendy and tender. Slice thinly
  5. Strain the stock and add the lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chillies, fish sauce, lime juice and tom yum paste to a pot and bring to a boil. After boiling for 5 minutes, add tomatoes and mushrooms. After another 5, add the prawns. Cook for around 5 mins until they are fully pink. Garnish with sliced scallions and serve