Warm milk at bedtime has long been something we associate with a good nights sleep. As a child I would heave at the idea of warm milk so thus never consumed it.
Now I know Golden Milk is a trend….and is of course linked to the Motherland/India.
But for the ones like me that have links to these region we’ve known for a while how good things like ‘haldi’ are for you.
Fast forward to my 30’s and 1 Heart Attack later with a million lifestyle changes and I now understand the enormous blessings a cup of this milk can bring into my life when drank on a regular basis.
I haven’t added coconut oil. I know for many this is a travesty however this is my take on it.
My recipe creates an earthy, golden spicy milk that is like an internal and external therapeutic hug in a mug.
To break down what I have in my milk I’ve written the summary below:
Turmeric-of course it gives it the golden colour but the truth is ‘haldi’ is awesome for Cardiac health and also for those that suffer arthritis.
Ginger- helps regulate sugar levels, helps aid digestion and also boosts your bone health (and offers joint pain relief).
Cinnamon-helps regulate sugar levels, some research shows it can help boost new hair growth, also good at assisting with weight management.
Now let me be real with you. ONE CUP OF GOLDEN MILK won’t cure your problems even if they are listed above. You need to be realistic and combine something like this with a healthy lifestyle. If you are eating 5 doughnuts and 8 bags of chips a day and are expecting a simple cup of golden milk to regulate your sugar levels and help you lose weight you need to get back on your unicorn and leave the planet before reality hits you and you understand some things are self inflicted.
Okay rant over. Lets get down to business. To make a mug of this awesome deliciousness you will need:
350 ml skimmed milk
1 TSP turmeric (I use an organic variety that I also use in my face masks)
1 x 2 cm piece of fresh ginger
1 small stick of cinnamon
Sweetener of your choice
1.Heat the milk in a pan with the spices.
Bring to the boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 3 minutes.
3) Strain into a mug. If you have a milk frothier you can froth up the milk at this stage.
4) Add sweetener of choice.
5) Enjoy.
I love old Skool family meals and for me Shepherds Pie screams not just comfort food but good family grub. Although pies are linked to Autumn and colder days I feel pies are great even in Spring…when the weather is warming up.
Since I can remember I have added tweaks to classics; however I brand them or let folk know that this is a variation of the classic. Perhaps the purest in me couldn’t face classics being destroyed.
Anyhow I love spice. Show me how spicy you like it baby and I’m likely to match it or go large on you.
This is my ‘desi’ aka spicy take on Shepherds Pie. I find a bit of spice helps warm me up super quick in colder months. Of course you could omit the spices and make an awesome classic as it would have been make back in the day pre-Alliyahism.
To serve 4/6
Ingredients:
500 grams mutton mince (Or beef/lamb/sheep whatever you use)
2 medium onions finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic-crushed
1 piece of ginger-whole (you will fish this out before baking)
2 medium carrots peeled and sliced (not too thick as you want them to cook through. You could also finely chop them if you wish)
80 grams peas (I use Petite Pois)
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
150 ml water
1 tablespoon Rapeseed oil
1 level tablespoon salt
1 level tablespoon cumin
1 level tablespoon coriander seed powder
1 piece of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
For the mash: 750 grams potatoes peeled and cubed Low carb alternative (this is a bit more grainy in texture): 300 grams cauliflower, 200 grams parsnips 250 grams potatoes 4-5 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon butter (or a little bit more) Salt-to taste
1) Boil the potatoes as you usually would. If you making the low carb version you need to peel and chop up the parsnips and potatoes and boil til tender. Boil or steam the cauliflower separately. Once cooked mashed with the milk, butter and salt.
2) Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and fry until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 2 minutes (watch that the garlic doesn’t burn).
2) Add the spices and stir well. Add the mince once you can smell the spices. Fry for 5 minutes. If you find that the mince is catching onto the bottom of the pan add two tablespoons of water.
3) Add the carrots, water and the tinned tomatoes. Bring the mince up to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes with the lid on. Stir occasionally. If you find that the pie mix is too dry (I find this can happen depending on the quality of the mince) add some extra water. If you end up with too much you can crank up the heat, remove the lid and let the liquid evaporate.
4) Turn the heat off and remove the ginger. Add the peas. Stir well.
5) Place the mince in an ovenproof dish and add the mashed potato. Place in the oven at 160 for 35 minutes.
6) Serve. I serve ours with baked beans and chili sauce.
Leftovers can be frozen. Due to the spices this pie tastes awesome the next day…for the record.
Sometimes you don’t want a mince based pasta sauce and you certainly don’t have the patience to make meatballs. That’s when this winning meal comes in.
Meatloaf are a popular staple of many families Stateside. To explain what a Meatloaf is it’s literally what is says on the tin. It’s that simple.
I love meatloaf; its a simple humble meal you can tweak to your own desires. I serve mine with spaghetti and a simple sauce.
Why not get the children to mix the Meatloaf mixture?
Enjoy.
To serve 4/6) people….
Ingredients:
500 grams mince (I use lamb/mutton etc)
2 onions fried until soft
2 TBSP italian seasoning (herb mix) OR
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp crushed black pepper
Salt-to your taste
Optional: 1 tsp chili flakes (if you like it hot)
I egg
4 TBSP breadcrumbs
1 ball of mozerella cheese
For the sauce:
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 carton passata
2 TBSP rapeseed oil
1 large onion diced (or two smaller onions; diced)
6 cloves of garlic; crushed
2 TBSP Italian seasoning (herb mix) or
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp crushed black pepper
Salt-to your taste
Juice of one lemon (I feel it brings out the flavours of all the ingredients so if you don’t fancy it leave it out).
1) To make the Meatloaf:
Mix together all of the Meatloaf ingredients (apart from the cheese). Shape into a loaf and place in an ovenproof dish.
2) To make the sauce: Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions. Fry until the onions are soft. Add the garlic, black pepper and herbs. Try for 2 minutes on a low heat (FYI: burnt garlic tastes horrendous). 3) Turn the heat back up to a medium flame. Add the tomatoes, passata and salt. Stir. Bring up to the boil and simmer on a low heat for 25 minutes. Turn the heat off. Add the lemon juice. 4) To complete the Meatloaf: Cover the Meatloaf with 1/4 of the pasta sauce and add the cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake in the oven at 150 for 50 minutes. 5) To serve: Stir the sauce (the 75% you have left) through the pasta and serve with the Meatloaf. Squirt over the lemon. Enjoy!
Notes:
Meatloaf freezes well. Cut into slices, wrap up well and freeze.
To change things up: add chopped up olives, chopped up sun dried tomatoes and zest of a lemon.
You could also add a layer of cheese in the ‘middle’ of the meatloaf. Oh the possibilities!
When I switched my diet to low carb I started to notice exactly how many dishes contain carbs…soups with pasta being one of them. So one day I got thinking and came up with this soup that I have to admit I really really like. Packed with lots of protein it’s pretty amazing really. It also uses my browned mince hack that helps cut prep time on the day no end.
Now this is a recipe INSPIRED by Bolognese (the American-Italian pasta sauce). Note that I have added cannelloni beans. You can however use any beans that you feel fit your taste buds.
Even my daughters love it. So to add carbs to their meals I add cooked pasta. The oldest takes this to School with her Thermos (apparently the other kids wanted to know what the awesome smell was-result).
As you can see from the ingredients list I have my ‘mince hack’ on there which is mince browned with onions.
This soup tastes awesome to the last drop. It’s that good.
If you want to serve this to the family and want to add pasta then that’s cool too. I didn’t miss the lack of carbs so doubt anyone else would…enjoy.
PS: you can switch the mince for Quorn mince and make it vegetarian.
To serve 4/6
Ingredients: 500 grams browned mince (with onion and garlic) 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes 1 carton of passata 125 ml of water 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix (or x1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme) Salt-to taste Handful of kale 80 grams sliced mushrooms 1 can white cannellini beans rinsed and drained (or use any pulse you wish)
1) Place all the ingredients APART from the kidney beans in a Slow Cooker and cook on a high heat for 2 hours. Stir half way.
2 Add the kidney beans 15 minutes before the end cooking time.
3) Turn off the Slow Cooker and serve.
I have a confession to make; I love Nargasi koftas but I seriously cannot stand the hours needed to create these egg filled delights and cook them. Most probably because I’m usually cooking around other tasks and don’t have hours on end to commit to cooking one dish.
So my compromise is this dish: Kofta and Egg Masala. It contains koftas and eggs and it doesn’t take all day to cook and it tastes awesome. There isn’t much ‘sauce’ (curry/gravy-whatever you choose to call it) so it’s not a wet curry. I just thought I would mention that.
I’ve actually broken this recipe down so that if you cannot actually cook it all in one go you can break up the workload over 2 days. If you wish to cook it in one go just work your ways through the steps.
As I utilise the use of my oven I can place the dish in there to cook and get on with other tasks.
I actually serve this rich dish on Eid; it’s that good.
Serves 4/6
Ingredients:
500 grams minced lamb/mutton
1 slice of bread (whizzed up in a food processor)
Salt-to your taste
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander seed leaves chopped finely
1 green chili chopped finely (optional)
1 small onion finely chopped
To fry the koftas: 1 tbsp oil
Non-stick frying pan
For the masala:
1 400 gram tin of tomatoes (pureed/liquid in a food processor)
1 medium onion finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic crushed
1x 1 inch piece of ginger (Whole-remove before serving)
1 large cassia bark stick (can be removed before serving-it’s not edible in case you were wondering)
2 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
2 tbsp rapeseed oil (or other oil to your liking)
Salt-to your taste
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp coriander seed powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
3 bullet chilies sliced in half
6 hard boiled eggs-peeled (you’ll need to cut a small slit into each egg to prevent them from possibly exploding in the oven. Chances are slim but I despise cleaning the oven!).
To serve: lemon wedges & naans (I also serve this with Pulao rice or Jeera Rice).
1) Take the mince out of the bag. Do not wash it. That will create a big mess so please ask your butcher to just wash the meat before they mince it. Add all the ingredients listed for the koftas. Now mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. I find the easiest way to do this is by hand. Yes your hands will get messy but your hands really are the best tool for the job.
Now comes the fun part: shape your meatballs (koftas). I take about a walnut size piece (a heaped tablespoon even) and squish the mixture together as tight as possible. Place on a plate/tray. Shape all the koftas. You can either place the shaped meatballs in the fridge for 30 minutes to 3 hours and then move onto step 2 or just move onto step 2. Seriously. I rarely chill the koftas I never have the time.
2) Heat one tbsp of oil in a medium sized non stick frying pan. Now fry your koftas to basically seal them and give them a bit of colour. Do not keep turning them over; they will break. Instead check them by gently lifting one after 3/4 minutes and if they are golden turn them over. Seal on the other side. This step takes around 15 minutes.
3) Once the koftas are brown take them out of the pan and place them on kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil. I usually give the koftas a pat all over with kitchen paper and I don’t like lots of grease. That’s optional.
IF YOU ARE PREPARING THIS DISH STEP BY STEP: once the koftas have cooled down place them in a ziplock food bag or a freezer proof container with lid. Place in the freezer and use within a month.
4) Once you’ve got the koftas done you’ve actually got the hardest bit done. To make the masala heat the two tbsp oil in an oven proof cooking dish on a medium heat. Add the onion and fry until lightly brown. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes or until the garlic is lightly brown. Now add the salt, cassia, powdered spices and stir. If you find the mixture is sticking to the pan feel free to add a tbsp of water. Repeat if required. Fry for 3/4 minutes. At this stage you are cooking out the spices.
4) Now add the tomato liquid/puree. Stir well. Now add the sliced chilies (if using) and half the chopped coriander leaves. Cook on a gentle heat until you start the see puddles of oil literally separating from the tomato mixture. This indicates your masala is done. Yay!
5) IF YOU ARE PREPARING THIS DISH STEP BY STEP: You can turn off the heat once the masala is done. Cool it down and place the mixture in a ziplock food bag or freezer container and freeze the mixture for up to a month. Or if you wish you can make the masala up to two days in advance and cool it and place it in a suitable container in the fridge. Yes it really is that simple.
6) If you are cooking this recipe in one go: add 400 ml of water to the masala and turn the heat up and bring to the boil. The masala may look at bit watery. Don’t worry, this is normal. The texture improves in the oven. Turn the heat off.
IF YOU ARE PREPARING THIS DISH STEP BY STEP:
Defrost the koftas and masala overnight in the fridge. Alternatively defrost in a microwave and ensure both items are thoroughly defrosted before use. By preferred method is defrosting in the fridge.
To cook complete the dish using frozen products:
Place the masala in an oven proof dish. Spread it out evenly. Add 250 ml (approximately a glass) of water and place the dish in the oven at 180 for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Lower the oven temprature to 150. Proceed to step 7.
7) Add the Koftas to the masala. Stir to cover the koftas. Cover the pan before placing in the oven. If your dish doesn’t have a lid (or let’s face it you cannot locate it in your overloaded cabinets) cover loosely with a piece of foil-shiny side outwards). Now bake at 150 for 45 minutes.
8) After 45 minutes take the koftas out of the oven. Your koftas will be cooked at this point. Now add the eggs. Stir so they are covered in the masala. If the masala has evaporated you can add 3 tbsp of boiling water (be careful) to the mixture and stir well. This will give you a bit of sauce to work with. Cover the koftas and return the oven for 10 minutes.
9) Take the koftas back out of the oven…and your dish is ready to serve. Sprinkle on the remaining coriander. Serve with naans and a wedge of lemon. Enjoy.
NOTES:
This dish isn’t suitable for freezing unless you remove the eggs.
Do not refreeze the kofta masala if you are using frozen koftas or masala.
I find this dish also goes superbly with jeera and lemon rice.
