Methi Aloo

Excuse my bad attempts at food photography using Instagram. This probably looks like a bad version of bubble and squeak. Please trust me when I say this dish is delicious - full of spices and yummy potato.

The recipe is adapted from 'World Kitchen India' from Murdoch Books. I used fresh English spinach instead of methi (fresh fenugreek), and I added some cauliflower to bulk up the small amount of potatoes I had on hand.

The recipe was perfect for me as I spent the morning cruising the local markets for veges, and I already had the spices in my pantry. The guy at the markets told me to use the root of the spinach as it has heaps of flavour and iron. I'm a big fan of using the whole plant so I chopped the root finely and added it with the spinach. Be sure to cook it though as it is a little 'woody' otherwise.

Recipe:

1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2.5 cm (1 in) piece of ginger, roughly chopped
1/3 cup oil
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
600g (1 lb 5 oz) potatoes, cut into cubes
1/2 cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 green chillies, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bunches of English spinach, roughly chopped

Chop together onion, garlic and ginger. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and fry the onion mixture until softened. Stir in the turmeric. Add the potato, cauliflower and fresh chillis and fry for 5 minutes. Add the chilli powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and stir for 1 minute.

Add 2 tablespoons water to the pan, cover, reduce the heat and simmer. As the potato cooks, it might start sticking to the pan, so after 10 minutes, add two more tablespoons of water if necessary. At no stage should the potato be allowed to brown.

After 10 minutes, stir in the spinach and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, or until the potato and cauliflower is soft. Season with salt, to taste.

Rich and 'meaty' baked beanies

The meatiness comes from the mushrooms. The sugar balances the slight bitterness to the tomatoes. I always add my fresh herbs when the dish is still hot but removed from the stove - this makes sure the coriander is bursting with flavor. Eating the beans for work lunch the next day makes me truly happy.

Lightly fry on a low - medium low heat:

1 brown onion - sliced

1 clove of garlic - crushed and chopped to small pieces

1 small (thumbnail) knob of grated ginger

1 large finely chopped red chili (I'm a big chili baby - I take out the seeds to remove the heat but you can keep them in)

1 tablespoon Cajun spice

1 tablespoon rice bran oil 

Finely chopped parsley stalks (when using fresh herbs you don't want to waste all the delicious flavor - use the whole plant!)

Fry until onion is soft and transparent

Add a couple of handfuls of sliced button mushrooms and continue to fry on a medium heat until the mushrooms are soft and fleshy. YUM.

Add two cans of rinsed cannellini or other white beans and stir until the beans are coated.

Add two cans of canned chopped tomatos, a tablespoon or two of brown or raw sugar (this really needs to be done to taste). Add salt and pepper to taste. Remember, the flavours will improve overnght.

Bring to boil then lower heat and simmer for 5 or so minutes.

Remove from heat and add a huge handful of delicious fresh coriander and some chopped parsley. Stir and serve of wack in some Tupperware for work lunches.

Bliss balls

Bliss balls are truly blissful

In a food processor roughly chop 1 cup of pitted dates and 1/2 cup dried apricots, and 1/4 cup desiccated coconut.

Put to one side.

Boil water and mix a small amount of boiling water with 2 heaped tablespoons of cocoa, 1 tablespoon tahini (hulled or unhulled), a heaped tablespoon of honey, a teaspoon of cinnamon. Adding a small amount of very finely grated orange rind makes this recipe even more delicious but is optional.

Thorally mix the dry ingredients with the wet.

Roll into balls using hands.

Coat with coconut or cocoa (see pictures).

Refrigerate for am hour or so.

Try not to eat them all in one night.