Kasundi Chicken Curry

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may remember the amazing Indian relish that I made about a year and a half ago after being inspired by (of all things) a tasty mid-flight meal.  Who'd have thought it?  Anyway, I have had a hankering to make some more kasundi to put some into a curry and freeze some in my fancy new deep freeze *dances happily*. I'm keen to learn to do canning, and in time I want to make and can big batches of this stuff because it is so tasty and works in so many different ways.  We have used it in a butter chicken curry before, but tonight it will be a different kasundi curry and it will be high protein deliciousness.

Tandoori Chicken on Sweet Potato Pizza

 

I've discovered that tandoori chicken and pizza are a match made in heaven.  I've made this a few times now and it is always yum.  It is a blend of my two favourite foods - curry and pizza...drools.

Nom.

Years ago a friend shared her vegan pizza base recipe with me.  I have been tweaking and using it ever since.  It makes for a very unique pizza experience. Using this base it totally optional.  This is my first time of pairing the toppings with this base.  I've made this pizza on normal base multiple times.  I really wanted to try these flavours together and was very happy with how well they worked together.

Chickpea and Vegetable Curry of Dreams

We first made this slow cooker curry on a Sunday when we were home all day (such a rare treat!).  While technically a vegan dish, its original intention was to become a side dish for meat.  Bwahahahaha.  We had so much meat in the fridge, and I wanted to make up a big batch of side vegetables that could easily go beside any other meal we were serving up.  I'd had a lot of salad recently so wanted something that felt like carby comfort food but was really just veggies and beans.  We made a big batch and it lasted five nights for the two of us :)  As a main rather than a side dish, it serves three nights for two.  After bite one on night one, we were in love.  This curry is beautiful served over rice, as a side, or even as a stand alone meal.  It is creamy and healthy.  Even the most carnivorous person will love this vegan delight.

Curried Sausages: Traditional Australian Dinner

Ask any Australian of my generation what their Mum used to make them growing up, and a lot of them will include curried sausages with Keen's curry powder in their list.  It is a nostalgic Australian classic.  Every family has their own recipe, and the official Keen's recipe is here.  Mine differs from Keen's because I use stock and no cream, no peas (yuck) and include more veggies.  It is beautiful.

To be honest - unlike half of Australians, I stumbled upon this traditional recipe as an adult.  My Mum did her best to get me interested in food as a child, but (and this may sound odd given my diverse and expansive taste now) I didn't really like food growing up.  My poor Mum had very few meals she could tempt me with, and I was routinely sitting at the table for who knows how long (it felt like forever as a child but was probably not that long) after everyone else finished, pushing my partially eaten cold food around my plate disinterestedly, waiting for permission to leave the table.  Peas were the worst. The WORST.  I will occasionally eat peas now but only if it is in something really worthwhile.  My own favourite food memories of childhood were Spaghetti Bolognese, cheerios and baked beans (a real treat meal combo), and something Mum called a "picnic" which was a sliced apple, a slice of cheese, a boiled egg, ham and something else (fuzzy memory of Sunday nights).  Mum tried all sorts of other meals but I didn't eat much.  Poor thing had a terrible time making me eat.

But all that has changed now - perhaps too much!  Now I love pretty much everything, barring a few specific items.  Despite not having grown up with this beautiful dish myself, I adore it as an adult as ultimate comfort food.  Who could not? You know it is Australian - because after we finished I found myself saying to the Dragon - "It was bloody good wasn't it?"

Karahi Paste

If you feel like you've tried all the store curry pastes and are looking for a different flavour - look no further.  The following is an easy to throw together curry paste with Middle Eastern influences that will jazz up any curry in a flash.  We used it to make Chicken Karahi and it is gorgeous!  You can also mix it with yoghurt to make a lovely chicken or lamb marinade, or to provide a different pizza base sauce for something totally unique. The options are endless which is great because this recipe will do a couple of meals.  Basically - you've got to try this - it is delicious.

Easy Thai Green Curry

Who doesn't love it?  Green curry was my introduction to the beauty and balance that is Thai food.  Its creamy, spicy perfection on a plate. For years it was my go to order at Thai restaurants but over time I've diversified.  Tonight I wanted to make a quick and simple version for a bit of comfort given that my back pain has been playing up this week (silly thing - I'm way too young for back problems - right?).  There was very little prep and the outcome was great.  I was aiming for a purely green and white theme visually.  Texturally I wanted a mix of soft, semi soft and crunchy.  I think that this recipe ticked all the boxes.

Chicken Palak

Chicken Palak on a bed of basmati rice with turmeric stirred through the cooking water

Indian food……mmmm……it makes me drool.  Aromatic, filling, decadent, calorific noms.  Its always a treat and the food coma by carbicide afterwards is always worth it.  But it is often high in bad fats and fraught with post dinner guilt and bloating.  So I thought I’d play around with making a tasty curry that doesn’t incur too much guilt.  

I’ve made this a couple of times now and I really enjoy it.  The first time it came out perfectly. The second time I was cooking for the dragon (who despite what his name would suggest) does not have a high heat tolerance. When adding chili flakes, I opened the direct-pour side of the shaker instead of the let-a-little-out-at-a-time side and flooded it with crazy amounts of spice.  This was not so nice.  Much milk and tissues were consumed with that dinner I can tell you.  This time I’ve added a real chili with the seeds removed to make up for his last bad experience.  I’ve promised him it is actually nice when you can taste the flavour rather than just feel the burn on your tongue. Here goes!