A quick bit about chicken dilruba ...

Midway through my attempt at making this tasty curry (which I've had only one time - at Haveli in Ottawa, a truly excellent restaurant) I realized:

Oh hey!  I totally forgot to document this.  Oh well, I'm sure I'll make it again - next time!

Psht.  So glad I didn't waste my time.  It did not turn out at all like I was expecting and was certainly nothing you'd want to see a photo of.  I ground the nuts by hand and I'm not sure I cooked it properly (the recipe was a little vague) so it wound up lumpy, pasty and dry rather than creamy and rich like the one at Haveli.  So sad.  Tasted all right, if completely different than chicken dilruba, so the leftovers will still be eaten.

Thoughts for next time:

• Verify that I was using Punjabi garam masala ... seems odd to specify Punjabi if there's not some other variety that shouldn't be used
• Swap yogurt or milk for cream or coconut milk ... I think it could be creamier and I've always liked everything I've used coconut milk in
• Get a bit more generous with the saffron (again, the recipe was a bit vague)
• Buy properly ground nuts or find a way to powder them myself

Hopefully I get a chance to iron out the kinks and try this again soon.  The original was definitely worth a bit of fiddling around to be able to make myself!

Food Blog: Pasta and meatballs.

I've been itching to make myself something home-cooked, cheap and cheerful for a week or so now.  I've also been reading a number of food blogs, including my friend Gord's site, which has got me somewhat inspired.  Since I've been enjoying photo-documenting my other adventures, I'd thought I'd give it a go with a culinary adventure.

My choice of recipe: a very straightforward meatball and tomato sauce recipe borrowed from Jamie Oliver (with a few adaptations for those of us not feeling like the walk to the good supermarket).  The meatball recipe is almost identical to a burger recipe of his I was a big fan of two summers ago (not that I hated it this summer, I just lacked a grill) so when I saw an idiot-proof 8-minute clip of this recipe my mind was made up.  At a little over £2 a serving and about 30 minutes cook time, the dish certainly makes for a sensible and tasty mid-week meal.

While usually I enjoy a challenge in the kitchen, I prefer taking them on when I'm at my mom's where I've got a full kitchen of equipment and a better stocked pantry at my disposal.  Here in Scotland, I'm trying to avoid accruing excess gear so I liked the idea of ten pretty standard and versatile ingredients (plus olive oil and salt, which I always have around).  


The meatballs turned out really well and were a breeze to make.  No hiccups on the first round is an A+ for any recipe as far as I'm concerned.  I'd recommend them to both seasoned cooks looking for a quick one-off after class as well as anyone who's a bit scared of anything involving more than heating and stirring.  The sauce tastes as simple as it looks, and is a healthy two-minute miracle when you don't have anything on hand.


This would work well when having guests, too; it's so foolproof that it'll turn out great and won't keep you tied up in your cooking.  Hit the jump for a walk through of my experience, I'll pop a short breakdown at the end to summarize.