Cheat's Curry and Rice

I've got the post Christmas overindulgence guilt quite badly this year which is frustrating as I tried so hard to moderate the nice stuff and not go too overboard for a change! Nevertheless I clearly had just one (yeah right) Quality Street or glass of fizz too many as this side of the festive season is feeling decidedly more podgy than the other end did.

This has resulted in very early morning workout sessions at the gym (something I am dubious about as at that time in the morning I'm not sure I'm even standing, let alone running) and trying to eat a tad more healthily than we normally do.

I still want nice food though - straight up diet food is just plain boring.  This is a cheat's curry not because you are cheating on flavour but because you are cheating on calories!  I've subbed out the coconut milk and rice and instead played some of the back benchers who have just been waiting for a shot at the big leagues.  Come on out fat free yoghurt and cauliflower!

Yes, you heard me.  Cauliflower.

Cauliflower 'rice' is a concept that has been doing the rounds a lot and for good reason.  I have no idea where it first came from as there are so many versions of it online and it has been raved about for a long time.  It is healthy, quick, easy, gluten free and has next to no calories compared to regular rice (100g of cauliflower rice has 24 calories compared to 100g of rice at 355 calories apparently!).

I hate cauliflower normally and was so dubious about making this - I had a bowl of regular rice soaking ready to go in case this turned out horribly but it is amazing.  It is so mild (it smells quite bad but tastes wonderful) and just absorbs whatever flavours you throw at it. It comes out light and fluffy and honestly feels like you are eating a bowl full of rice.

Steve came in from cricket and I thrust a spoonful of the 'rice' at him and demanded he try it without telling him what he was about to chow down on.  He loved it and was really surprised when I told him what it actually was!

I teamed this "rice" with an easy, low fat curry (most of the calories are in the lamb so sub it out for chicken or fish to reduce the calorie content even more).  This is a very mild, tomato based curry that is packed full of flavour.  Most of the heat comes from the madras paste and the chilli powder but if you want to amp it up a notch throw some whole chopped chilli's in.  Naga's have a lovely tone that will go really well with this dish but may be a little hot, otherwise a couple of red birdseye will do just fine.

Curry:

300g lamb neck, chopped into chunks
1/4 lemon
3 whole tomatoes
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 carton fat free natural yogurt
1/2 onion, chopped
1tsp fenugreek seeds
1tsp coriander seeds
1tsp black peppercorns
1tsp fennel seeds
2 tsps curry powder
2 tsps chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 tablespoons madras paste
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 tablespoon almond (or other mild) oil
2 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)
Splash of water (start low, 2 tablespoons and add more if needed)
Coriander and spring onion (chopped to serve)

Rice

1 head cauliflower
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon almond oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 handful dessicated coconut (to taste)
2 tablespoons turmeric (to taste)
Salt and Pepper

So, let's get cooking.

Start with your whole spice seeds and peppercorns.  Lightly toast them to release their fragrance then get an arm work out in by bashing them in a pestle and mortar until they are all cracked open.

Put your toasted spices into a blender and add everything else from the curry list, barring the lamb, tomatoes (whole and chopped), yoghurt, onion, coriander and spring onion.  Whizz them altogether to make a thick, fragrant paste (add a little more water if it is too gloopy).

Rub this paste into your lamb and leave it to marinade for at least an hour (overnight is best if you have the time and patience). 

When you are ready add your meat to the pan and allow it to brown for a second and then add your onions.  The marinade already has enough oil in it to cook the onions so don't add anymore.

Cut a small cross in the base of your tomatoes and stick them in a bowl of boiling water for 30 seconds.  Fish them out and the skin will have peeled back from the cross, making them easy to peel.

Peel and chop the tomatoes into chunks then add them and the tin of chopped tomatoes to the lamb and onions.  Pour enough of the yoghurt over the top to make a sauce and bring to a rapid boil.  Turn it down and leave it to simmer for a half hour or so.

While the curry is simmering away make your rice.  Remove any brown sections, stem and leaves from the cauliflower and break it into florets.  Stick it in the blender and whizz to a rice-like texture.  It doesn't smell very pleasant but just ignore that.

You are looking for a texture and consistency like this.  At this point it really doesn't look much like cauliflower anymore.

In a pan cook the chopped onion in the almond oil and butter.  When soft and translucent add the cauliflower to the onion and quickly turn it so it becomes lightly glossed in the butter-oil mix.

Cover the pan with tinfoil and allow the cauliflower to steam for about 10-15 minutes. 

When you are ready, remove the cover and add a good handful of dessicated coconut and enough tumeric to dye the cauli-rice a golden yellow.  Season well.

Serve - don't tell people what it is and ask them to guess.  They will never realise that they are basically eating a giant pile of veg!

Salmon Pepita

I'm always looking for ways to jazz up fish a little.  We probably don't eat enough of it in our house, mainly because it can be a bit dull.  I came across this recipe in my wanderings on the internet and thought with a little tweaking to suit our tastes it could be worth a go for an easy weeknight supper.

The flavours are fresh and punchy so I combined the salmon with seared asparagus tips and smoked sea salt and garlic new potatoes.  Perfect for a summers evening out in the garden with a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc and some jazz playing softly in the background.  Or in front of the TV while the kids argue about bath-time.  Whichever.

Ingredients:
3 fillets of fresh salmon
1 packet new potatoes
1 packet asparagus tips
20g pumpkin seeds
Butter
1 red birdseye chili
1 lime
2 cloves garlic
Oak smoked sea salt

Lightly toast the pumpkin seeds in a hot pan until fragrant.  Tip into a cold bowl and grate the lime over the top.  Add the juice of the lime, the chili (finely chopped) and a slither of butter.  Set aside.

In another pot combine another slither of butter with the crushed garlic and oak smoked sea salt and mash well.  Set aside.

Season the flesh of the salmon with pepper and the skin with salt.

Sear the salmon skin side down in a hot skillet lightly brushed with oil until it turns golden and crisp then turn the heat down, flip the fillets and continue to cook until the dark pink turns light all the way through.

In a separate pan boil the new potatoes and the asparagus tips.  After 2 minutes whip the asparagus tips out and add them to the skillet.

When the salmon is cooked, set it on a plate with the asparagus and tip the pumpkin seed mix into the hot skillet.  Cook for 10 seconds until all the butter has melted, remove and top the salmon with the sauce.  Add the garlic and salt butter to the new potatoes and serve.

PS.  This little number ticks all sorts of health diversity boxes.  It's low in fat, low in calories, diabetes appropriate, gluten free, low in saturated fats, low in carbohydrate and high in omega 3.

Clever fishy.

Beefy Steak Burritos

It is (slowly, oh so slowly!) getting warmer in Kent.  The sun is starting to creep past the clouds, days are getting longer and the breeze is gentler (more Notos than Boreas to use my Classics degree and sound like I didn't just have to google the names to remind myself).  Almost exponentially as it gets warmer my desire for fresh, zingy flavours undercut with warm chilli heat also increases.

I fancied Mexican for dinner, on a work night no less when normally I can't be bothered to do more than chuck some meat and sauce in a pan and serve it with whatever form of carbohydrate is closest.

I took inspiration from Tim Maddams recipe on the BBC Food website and modified it slightly.  As previously explained, this was a work night and there was no way on this earth I was making tortilla wraps from scratch when the supermarket had done all the work and presented me with pre-made ones.

These Beefy Buritos really hit the spot - tangy from the lime, warm and deep from the re-fried beans and packing a little bit of a punch.  Next time though I would add some chipotle chili to the steak marinade to add some extra smokey warmth and some more birdseye chili to the salsa.  This would turn this dish from a lightweight to a heavyweight in my books!

They are actually really easy to do and once your prep has been done (which you could do a day in advance and leave the flavours to develop), it only takes moments in the pan to cook.

For the steak:
400g sirloin steak, fat removed and cut into strips
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin seeds (lightly toasted in a dry pan until aromatic)
1/2 tsp allspice
Juice of 1/2 lime
Glug of olive oil

Bung it all in a bowl and allow to marinade.

For the salsa:
2 ripe-but-firm vine tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 red chili, (with or without seeds), finely chopped.
Mix in a bowl.

For the yoghurt:
Fat-free natural yoghurt
Zest of 1 lime, finely grated

For the re-fried beans:
1 tin black beans, partially drained
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp olive oil

When you are ready to serve, heat a large frying pan and chuck the steak mix in with a bit of salt.  Allow it to sit for a couple of minutes until the steak has seared on one side and then flip the whole lot.  Sear the other side, remove and allow to rest.

In the same pan you cooked the steak in, heat the olive oil and add the garlic and cumin from the re-fried beans list.  When it starts to smell fragrant add the tin of black beans and start to lightly crush it with a wooden spoon.  When it becomes slightly more mushy (technical term) remove it into a bowl.

Serve the whole lot with tortillas, chopped coriander and any salad you feel like.    This is a really healthy and low fat meal and takes a grand total of about 15 minutes from the moment you heat up your frying pan.

Assemble and munch.  I am hopelessly incapable of eating any form of wrap without making a huge mess; I just don't have the right wrapping technique!

Ice cold Coronas with wedges of lime squashed in the top are the perfect accompaniment for a warm summer evening.

I have a random story about my first time working with red onion.  In Year 7 in my home economics class we were told to bring in the ingredients for coleslaw.  My mum sent me in with a red onion.  We were told to remove 'all the brown' from the onion until we got to the white skin.  By the time the teacher got to me I had no onion left and just a pile of red pieces all over the work surface as I valiantly tried to find the white.  Hopefully my cooking has improved since then!