Vegetable Biryani WITH Tamarind Raita

Vegetable Biryani WITH Tamarind Raita
by Rhys

YUM.

Vegetable Biryani

Subs: None, I don't think. Oh, I didn't have any ground cumin, so I ground some cumin seeds, and it ended up looking a lot like ground cumin.
Score: 9/10

This was almost definitely the best thing I've made from the book, and definitely the best curry-type thing I've ever made. You do all these things, like with different pans and things, and you're all 'am I going to set fire to this tea towel?' But then you don't, and you make this yummy yum yummy meal that looks amazing and all your guests are full of praise and you feel POWERFUL AND AMAZING.


I'm possibly overselling this. But yeah, I really liked it. The one downside was the peas, which I think you could probably add at a later stage (like when you're doing the sultanas). I am not in love with yellow peas. Otherwise, I was very pleasantly surprised by how deliciously it turned out.

This is the kind of meal you need to prepare everything in advance, because things happen quite quickly once you start.

Oh, it does need some seasoning when you've done the stewy bit on the bottom. And I think you can afford to be reasonably bold with the chilli, because it's a big dish.

Tamarind Raita

Subs: None.
Score: 7/10

This was a nice alternative to normal raita, though I do love the old cucumber/garlic version too. It went well with the Biryani too, because it's all fresh and things.

One piece of advice: DO NOT TRY THIS WITH SET YOGHURT. It was disgusting, and I had to throw it out. It reminded me of this one Lent when I'd given up sugar and tried to make a pudding out of yoghurt and cocoa powder. It was the worst 'pudding' I've ever eaten.

Oh, I think the recipe says that the coriander is optional but I don't think this would have been anywhere near as good without it, so it's worth shelling out for, in my opinion.

Anyway, yes, this was delicious. And the serving size was very generous. There was three of us, who at least had seconds, and half of it was still left the next day! It wasn't as nice the next day though, so... probably a good one for parties.

Dhal

Dhal
by Rhys

Substitutions: 1 Cal Spray instead of oil, a Knorr jelly stock thing instead of Hugh's veg stock. I also added chilli flakes, for a bit of spice.

Score 8/10

This recipe contains one of my favourite things in the world: burnt onions. Also, you have to love a dhal, at don't you? I don't think I've ever had it as an entire meal, just as a delicious side, but I can now attest to it making a delicious main meal.

It's all fairly easy to make, and leads me to believe that Hugh may be a bit of a genius with lentils. This is the second recipe of his where I've done something weird with them (in this case, skimming off the lentil froth), and the end product massively exceeded my expectations.

And also, I love burnt onions.

I prefer my dhal with a bit more of a kick, so I added chilli flakes and that was nice. I guess you could also do that thing where you put a whole chilli in and take it out when you serve.

My only real complaint is that this supposedly serves four people, but it only made, like, two bowls. All of which I ate in one sitting. Maybe he meant as a side. Or maybe I'm just a disgusting pig!

Oven-roasted Ratatouille

Oven-roasted Ratatouille
by Rhys

Substitutions: We didn't have any peppers, so replaced with a jar of flame-roasted red peppers, and put them in later in the cooking. I suspect this may have actually improved the flavour.
Score: 9/10

So I should probably preempt this by saying that I didn't actually make this, I just ate it. Well I watched it being made, so I have a fairly good idea of what goes into it, ingredients and effort-wise. Oh, also, I took this photo the next day, straight out of the fridge, which is why it looks a bit... solid.

It's a bit of a faff, yeah, because you do the veg and the sauce separately but, I would like to say that this is hands-down the tastiest ratatouille I have ever eaten. Like, it's seriously delicious. I want to eat it all the time! Also, because you haven't just boiled the veg in the tomatoes, it's not all watery, it's rich and thick. AND DELICIOUS!

It's probably a bit weird to be this into a ratatouille, and I'm probably only raving about it because I had such low expectations (because nobody loves ratatouille, do they? Even when it's a Pixar film!) and now you won't. But it was a lovely hidden gem that I am almost scared to make again myself, in case it's not what I remember it being.

Oven-Roasted Root Frittata & Lentil and Parsley Salad

Oven-Roasted Root Frittata & Lentil and Parsley Salad
By Rhys

So these things have nothing in common bar the fact that they share the flip sides of the same page in the book (in the Store Cupboard section - in your face, Amy!) but they are both dishes that can be eaten hot and cold, which I wanted to happen for reasons I won't go into. Sooooo... here is what I thunk.

 Oven-Roasted Root Frittata

Score: 8/10
Substitutions: No real subs but my local supermarket was WOEFULLY understocked, so the vegetables I chose were based on availability. Also, they only had cooked beetroot, so I just used that and cut it larger.


Man, when I went to the supermarket is was literally ON FIRE. And then I went in and they DIDN'T HAVE ANY SQUASH! Fortunately, I found some in our greenhouse. There were gourds all over the place! Also, our chickens have laid two eggs this month EVEN THOUGH IT'S WINTER! So I used those (plus half a dozen from the shop).

So I added a bit of extra garlic, because I need more, always, and I put these in: shallot, potato, squash, suede, beetroot and carrot. It's a good way of clearing out old, manky veg. Aside from cutting up veg, this is a pretty simple meal, with all the food groups. I used a bit of thyme and a bit of parsley, but I think I'd do all thyme next time.

Anyway, yeah, this was yummy! I make frittata about once a week, but this is the best I've ever made, definitely. Yum, yum.


Lentil and Parsley Salad

Score: 8/10
Substitutions: I didn't use Hugh's stock, I used one I made from a Knorr jelly vegetable stock.

The thing about lentil dishes is that they quite often taste like stock, and they have the consistency of porridge. But I liked that this one was covered in a dressing and mixed in fresh parsley and spring onions. (Speaking of spring onions, the supermarket-on-fire had THREE different kinds... but still no squash! WTF?!) And... I think it's the nicest lentil dish I have made, and possibly ever eaten.

Though it still tastes predominantly of stock.

I think the way that Hugh does things (boil the lentils in water for one minute, drain and then cook in stock), means that the lentils, while still well-cooked, remain separate and not at all stodgy. I'm not sure what boiling it all with the bay leaf, garlic and parsley stalks actually achieves, flavour-wise, but picking soggy parsley stalks out of the lentils at the end was a bit of a faff. The rest was very easy.

I will say though, that the dressing got kind of lost amongst the other flavours, but I'd rather that than something overly tangy. And it still tastes super-fresh and yummy and kind of good for you. So. Yeah. I will make this again! I love the concept of a lentil salad, it's brilliant.


In summary: two more recipes to add to my mid-week repertoire, for delicious evening meals and delicious leftover lunches.

Pinto Bean Chilli

Pinto Bean Chilli
by Rhys

Rating: 8/10 or maybe 9/10

Substitutions: 
Bloody Pinto Beans - Why does nobody stock these?! I used butter beans, because I love butter beans, and black beans, because I found some. 
Fresh Oregano - This was also not stocked in my local supermarket so I used more coriander and a bit of dried oregano.


The triumvirate of Pinto Bean Chillies is complete! And there's nary a pinto bean between them. Well I like my beans better. Butter beans are delish, obviously, and black beans are the baddest. What's so good about a pinto anyway, apart from its hilarious name?

OK, so having been warned that this was a really spicy recipe, I only used two green chillies, and instead of chopping the garlic, I crushed it in a pestle and mortar with salt and the spices. And then I added the chillies and crushed it all some more until I had... a paste! I love paste. And when I put it in the onions it was possibly the most beautiful smell I'd ever smelled...

Anyway, the recipe went a bit wrong after that, because everything happens all at once and I am the kind of cook who does things as they appear in the recipe. But often when an ingredient appears in the recipe, it has already been cubed or diced, or measured or crushed, or whatever; I just wasn't prepared. But, some way, some how, I coped.

And it is delicious! I imagine that mine is on the watery side (possibly because I wasn't that good at doing the liquid measuring), but it was so tasty, I couldn't believe it, kind of. And mine was the perfect heat level, for me. It has a nice kick but you can taste all the flavours. It's really just a spicy, beany ratatouille but I think it's now going to be a stock one-pot favourite.

Does anyone else wish we'd done a taste off?

Aubergine and green bean curry with Marinated cucumber with mint

Aubergine and green bean curry
by Rhys

Substitutions: None. Kind of.


Rating: 6


So, on top of loving dry frying spices and crushing them, I really love making a curry paste. It makes curry feel so authentic and, let's face it, you feel more pleased with yourself because of that. My paste for this went a bit all over the place due to vegetable sizing. My shallots were tiny and my chillies were huge, so I wasn't sure how many of each to put in. My Struggle.

The paste was still fun. What was not fun was the aubergines. It is very hard to divide something into same-sized wedges when it is the shape of a cashew nut! (More on cashews later.) And then you have to fry them in batches which took about, oh, MY WHOLE LIFE!

When it was finally finished, I seasoned it to buggery and, to be honest, it just didn't taste that amazing. It was aromatic, for sure, and had a quite nice delicate flavour. But... well I wanted it to taste more amazing, that's all.

Also, the aubergines, due to their non-uniform sizing, were either completely mushy or a bit spongy. Spongy aubergines are the worst.

My co-diners said they liked it and thought it was full of flavour (which immediately made me think less of them), but the most compliments I got were for the roasted cashews on top. Which I think speaks volumes.

Marinated cucumber with mint
also by Rhys

Substitutions: None. 


Rating: 7

I was really excited to make this one! Not sure why, thinking back, but I was. Maybe because I just feel so bourgeois peeling and coring a cucumber. La dee da, look at me flushing all the bits with texture down the waste disposal! I have made it.

Anyway, it was pretty nice, though I would have liked if it had tasted a little more vinegary and a little less salty/oily. The salty bit may have been me over-seasoning, but the oil I weighed out and I used a very large cucumber. The mint didn't really pop like I wanted it to, but I possibly didn't have the requisite 'good handful'.

Which brings me to another point that has weighed heavily on my mind for a while now: what is with the inaccurate herb sizing in cook books? What is a 'good handful'? And what do they mean when they say 'two tablespoons of parsley, chopped'. Is that tablespoons before we've chopped it or after? It makes a difference! I find it nigh on impossible to figure out how much herbage (to steal a phrase from Hugh's kitchen rival Jamie Oliver) one is supposed to use. I wish cookery writers would just say '45 mint leaves' or '300 chive stalks' or whatever.

Yes, I know they already do that with bay.

So I don't have any more to say on the cucumbers. They were nice, very refreshing, and I'd do them again some time.


Aubergine and green bean curry WITH Marinated cucumber with mint

Substitutions: None, obviously.

Rating: 7.5

You wouldn't think to put these together. I don't think Hugh did; they're in very different parts of the book. But if you think about it, the cucumbers are basically a yoghurt-free raiita and that goes brilliantly with curry. I only put them together because they both looked nice, but I have to say they work very well together. The cucumber really cuts through the spicyness of the curry and feels so light on your tongue after the coconut milk. So, yeah, I'd recommend them together.

Beetroot hummus

Beetroot Hummus
by Rhys

Substitutions: Not really a substitution but I decided to use peanut butter instead of tahini (Whole Earth, natch). The recipe gives you the choice to do that though so it is FINE.

Rating: 8

This did not come out looking like it does in the book! In the book it's all rich looking, and quite coarse. Mine looks like blueberry mousse. I was going to put a filter on it but... that would be wrong. I am riddled with photographic self-doubt.

Anyway, on to the food. This was easy to make, and I happen to love dry frying and crushing spices, so that bit was no hardship. But I did burn the walnuts on the first go round, which is either because Hugh's cooking times were a bit long or because I am not very good at measuring time. Either way, the second batch was fine and I had something to nibble on while I made the rest of it.

I added about half as much more beetroot and it sill came out pinker than I'd imagined, but tasted lovely. It's very sweet, as you'd imagine given all the beetroot, and there is a slight bit of  nut-related cloy (I may have put in too much peanut butter here, and obviously this wouldn't happen with tahini), but the cumin and garlic tang is lovely. It's pretty rich, so you won't eat loads of it, so good for waist watchers!

Or maybe I just filled up on burnt walnuts...

Anyway, in summary, it was good and I may make it again.

One thing though Hugh: Can you call something that has almost none of the same ingredients as hummus, hummus? I would rebrand this as Beetroot Nut Dip to avoid unfair comparison.