Its a curry thing

 

We all know we are a nation of curry lovers. Many of you have indeed fallen in love with our Brazilian Moqueca Curry Paste with its spices and creamy coconut and its great to hear you have been trying out our recipe for the Brazilian fish stew, Moqueca de Peixe. But if you are not a massive fish fan or just want some alternatives to an Indian curry we’ve got some great recipes for you.

A takeaway has become a bit of a treat in our house – the expense alone feels a little extravagant and we have certainly cut down on the amount of visits to our local (and very good) Indian restaurant.  I also find that we tend to buy the same dishes and afterwards feel as greasy and full as the brinjal bhajee and peshwari naan themselves when all that is left is some empty foil containers and stains on the table.

So making your own curry at home certainly has its appeal (especially as you can guarantee exactly what is in it!).  As our children are getting more adventerous we like to introduce them to more flavours so these recipes can also be adapted for chilli lovers or not as the case may be. So there is the opportunity to make something for everyone using the same Moqueca paste but still give a diverse range of flavours.

A quick word about portions – these recipes are for a 300g per person and I’ve allowed slightly less meat than usual – you can of course increase the amount of meat but in these animal conscious days I have been working on recipes that use more vegetables or protein alternatives to supplement the meat so you will see chick peas, cashew nuts as well as aubergines, potatoes and spinach but feel free to substitute at will!

All recipes should feed 6 and are great served in a bowl to eat with a spoon with a side of something to mop up the juices. You can of course thicken the curry if you like with a little corn flour (mixed with water first) or reduce the liquid over high heat if you prefer a thicker, dryer curry. Also switch the Secret Firecrcacker Spices to Secret Wild Garlic Spices if you prefer a mild flavour and vice versa to spice it up!

So here is a quick curry guide and the links to the recipes:

 

 

The Hot One: Moqueca Chicken Curry- recipe here
Hot and fruity with coconut milk - try this one if you like a Chicken Ceylon or Madras.
Uses: 3 tbsp Moqueca Curry Paste + 2 tbsp Thai Dressing with Kaffir Lime + 1 tbsp Secret Firecracker Spices

 

The Medium One: Moqueca Lamb Curry - recipe here

Rich and savoury with potatoes and spinach - try this one if you like Bombay aloo or Bhuna

Uses: 3 tbsp Moqueca Curry Paste + 2 tbsp Miso Dressing with Ginger + 1 dsp Secret Firecracker Spices

The Mild One: Moqueca Mushroom Curry - recipe here

Mild and creamy with chick peas and roasted cashew nuts - try this one if you like Korma
Uses: 3 tbsp Moqueca Curry Paste + 2 tbsp White Wine & Porcini Finishing Sauce + 1 tsp Secret Wild Garlic Spices


Enjoy!

Clare
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Sweet Heart Honey Buns

Pancake day and Valentines day in one week - aren't we lucky! Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent and pancakes originated as a way to use up ingredients that would traditional be avoided for the next 40 days and nights (butter, sugar, eggs). Valentines day has its origins in a fertility festival and feast so what better reason to make something lovely for your lovely?

Somewhere between a crumpet and a pancake, these soft fluffy buns are made with our Original Beer Bread Mix and new Secret Honeycomb Spices and then doused in our new Hibiscus and Rose Nectar.  Really easy to make, they can be whipped up in a jiffy and made to whatever shaped metal cutters you have at home.

Sweet Heart Honey Buns
Makes at least 4 buns - depending on the size of cutter used
1/2 pkt My Secret Kitchen Original Beer Bread Mix
1 tbsp My Secret Kitchen Secret Honeycomb Spices
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 large egg
1/4 pint milk
Vegetable oil / butter for frying
My Secret Kitchen Hibiscus & Rose Nectar, to serve

In a large jug, stir together the Beer Bread Mix, Secret Spices and sugar.  Add the egg and milk and whisk together to make a smooth batter.  Heat some vegetable oil (or butter) in a frying pan and place a metal cookie cutter (heart shaped if you have it) in the middle of the pan. Pour the batter into the cutter until it is half full (the batter will expand and bubble up on cooking).

Reduce the heat (watch they do not burn on the bottom) and continue to cook gently until the top of the bun looks dry and is ready to be turned over. Quickly flip and cook for a few seconds just to lightly brown the top. Whilst still warm, spoon over the Hibiscus & Rose Nectar.

And for those of you with less of a sweet tooth or if you and your lover are cheese lovers, we have some perfect partners to these mini camembert hearts - clockwise from the top, Tapenade with Smoked Garlic, Balsamic Reduction, Fig Pudding Pickle, Jumping Jack Chilli Jam.  All make great accompaniments for a range of cheeses and a hearty red wine (excuse the pun) or bubbly - lay down a rug for an oh-so-romantic indoor picnic.

So whatever the origins and meanings to the celebrations this week, Happy Pancake Valentines and here's to great reasons to love yourself and others with My Secret Kitchen.

Clare
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