Chana Masala

How I wish there was smell-o-vision around..

Recipe taken from a beautifully presented blog: ekant cook curry.

Well, I found WiFi! Day one in Dubai and there has been a lot of skyscraper admiring and pool lounging. This is a 'here's one I made earler' post. And I'm posting it because a similar item was a part of today's breakfast buffet. Yes, curry for breakfast. Yes, I ate some. It was eye-wateringly beautiful. I will have more tomorrow morning.

This was originally supposed to be just chickpeas, as I fancied a little veggie dinner. But my boyfriend came back from the gym and requested some protein for his “guns” so I had to oblige with a little meat.

I love curry in all flavours, meats and sizes. And I bow down to the chickpea. Those two loves combined in this extremely tasty meal which had a depth of flavour and a hint of hot spice. And unsurprisingly, it was even nicer the next day, as the flavours developed.

Baked Samosas

These are my favourite type of thing: morsels of delicately spiced veggies, with potatoes included!

I got the recipe from one of my favourite cooking blogs: ekant cook curry. This guy makes some delicious curries, beautifully spiced and photographed. I have a few more of his recipes tucked away which I am DYING to try.

And these little beauties are just fantastic, the spicing inside is perfection and I love the mix of vegetables. Baking them also means they are going to be far less high in fat than the fried versions you get in restaurants. It also means that they are ever so slightly dry, which is why they make a great addition to a saucy curry. They would also be delicious with some dipping sauce. I’m thinking sweet chilli sauce would work amazingly well.

Quick Curry

Every time I make this, I ponder the fact that those premade curry sauces in glass jars are so popular, yet take nearly the same amount of effort as this curry and don’t taste half as good. You can feel as smug as me once you've made this! 

It’s adapted from a Pioneer Woman recipe: Trinidadian Chicken Curry, and when I made it for the first time it was a revelation. It just uses curry powder instead of a complex array of spices, which makes it simple, quick, and tasty. It’s really hard to mess this up, promise.

Delicious Vindaloo

First off, don’t be put off by the name. This is as spicy as you want to make it. And the underlying flavour has depth and spice enough to compensate for if you prefer it slightly milder. As a general rule, 2 chillis = gentle underlying spice, 4 chillis = pretty spicy, and 6 may make your mouth cry but is also very tasty. 

Yes, some of the ingredients sound a little alien, but the spice aisle of your local supermarket will have most, and your local Asian foodstore will have the rest. They are infinitely reuseable so definitely worth picking them all up.

Heads up, it requires slight preparation and marinating, but once you’ve prepared it, cooking the next day is easy as pie. You might be panicking that there is no discernible sauce-ifying element. And you’d be right to notice- there isn’t. But it works anyway. Go with it. The chicken should be juicy enough on its own.

Veggie Pilaf

First announcement.. I got a new spice rack! My spices were all piled in a little cupboard before this, resulting in much cursing during cooking when I couldn't find the one I wanted at a crucial stage. I also mistook chilli powder for paprika a few times, so there was that. Bad times. Real issues.

But look how gorgeous now:

It's just so.. Beautiful. Organised alphabetically. My life is changed.

Okay, back to the serious business of food going in my mouth. This was one of the first Indian-style dishes I ever made. And I was hooked. I pretty much make this once a month at least. It can easily be changed to add chicken if you fancy that, just fry it off at the start. However, this is plenty flavourful without the addition of chicken. As so often happens with delicious, spicy Indian food, it is almost better as leftovers, and for making colleagues jealous at lunch the day after.

Good things about this meal: quick, easy, and delicious.

Bad things: NONE.