Episode 26 - Show Notes & Advice

Egg fried rice with tofu

Serves 2 

- 175g uncooked basmati rice 

- Olive oil 

- 2 organic eggs (optional)

- Block firm tofu 

- A whole heap of garlic 

- A small handful of cashews

- A sprig of coriander

- 1 – 2 tablespoons soy sauce 

- Sesame or chilli oil

- Aromatics of your choice; ginger, onions, spring onions 

- Your choice of veg

 

Brilliant for children — and to have with leftovers. 

 

Choose a firm tofu – cut into matchsticks, cook until golden on all sides. Just before turning off the heat, add a generous teaspoon of soya sauce to coat the tofu and season it. 

 

Add aromatics e.g., garlic, ginger, onions and spring onions all sautéed

 

Add grated veg, in winter, grated roots e.g. carrots. 

 

In summer courgettes (sautéed, grated or finely sliced) and peas. 

 

Add rice N.B. cook well, keep adding oil to get some nice, crunchy bits for texture.

 

If adding an egg, move rice to one side, add egg with slurp of soya sauce and cook like a mini omelette on the side of the pan

 

Add cashews, and top with coriander 

 

Slurp chilli oil/nut preparation

 

 

Warm Salad with watermelon

Perfect for the hot summer months, with watermelon, garlic, roasted potatoes and tomato, Feta and herbs. 

 

Serves 4 – 6 

- 1kg small new potatoes

- 1 unwaxed lemon 

- 1 whole head of garlic

- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano

- 1kg melon

- 200g blog feta or vegan feta-style cheese

- A small bunch of Greek basil leaves

- A small bunch of mint, leaves picked

 

To serve

- 1 tablespoon runny honey or agave (optional)

 

 

Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius / 180 degrees Celsius fan / gas 6. Chop any large potatoes in half and keep the smaller ones whole, then transfer to a large baking tray. Use a speed peeler to peel the zest from the lemon in long strips, then add to the tray. Bash the head of garlic until the cloves are slightly split, then add to the tray with the olive oil and oregano. Season well, then roast for 20 minutes. 

 

Peel the melons and cut into thing half-moon slices and bite-sized pieces, removing the seeds as you go. 

 

After the potatoes have had 20 minutes, take them out of the oven, then squash them down into a potato masher until broken apart and flattened. Break over the feta, then return the tray to the oven for a further 20 minutes, or until the feta is golden and crisp all over. 

Remove from the oven, toss with the juice of half the lemon, then add the melon, basil and mint. Finish with a little honey or agave, if you like, and a drizzle of olive oil. 

 

 

Double Ginger Apple Cake

Inspired by Anja Dunk, this has the feeling of Jamaican ginger cake, so a real hit and depth of ginger with dark molasses.

 

Makes 1 cake to Serve 8 

- 200g plain flour

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda 

- 2 teaspoons ground ginger

- 200g unsalted butter or 150g coconut oil (plus extra for greasing)

- 150g dark brown soft sugar

- 5 balls of stem ginger (75g), finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons syrup from the jar for brushing and drizzling

- 3 medium organic eggs or 180ml sparkling water

- 5-6 small eating apples

- 1 tablespoon demerara sugar for sprinkling 

 

Grease a deep 23c, square springform baking tin. Heat the oven to 180 degrees / 160 degrees Celsius fan / gas 4. Put all the dry ingredients, except the dark brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger into a bowl. Whisk to combine. 

 

For the non-vegan cake

Melt the butter in a pan, then whisk in the dark brown sugar and chopped stem ginger. Leave to cool slightly, then beat in the eggs one by one, until emulsified. Fold through the dry ingredients and pour into the prepared cake tin. 

 

For the vegan cake 

To make the vegan version, melt the coconut oil in a pan, then whisk in dark brown sugar and stem ginger pieces. Add the coconut oil mix to the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Now, with the whisk running, add the sparkling water and mix until the batter is smooth and light. Pour into the prepared cake tin. 

 

Peel, halve and core the apples, then very thinly slice about two-thirds of the way down each half, leaving the last third uncut to hold the apple together. It is much like a hedgehog or a Hasselback potato. Arrange the apple halves cut side up on top of the batter, brush with some of the ginger syrup, then sprinkle over the demerara sugar and the remaining teaspoon of ground ginger. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45 – 50 minutes, unit golden and cooked through. Test the thickest part of the cake with a skewer, if it doesn’t come out clean, return the cake to the oven for another 5 minutes. 

 

Remove the cake from the oven and pour over the remaining syrup. Cool in the tin for another 10 minutes, then remove and serve. This is best eaten on the day but will keep well for up to 3 days, wrapped inside a tin. 

 

 

Lemon, tomato and cardamom dhal

Much fresher and lighter than most dhals made with stock not coconut milk.

 

Serves 4 – 6 

For the dahl 

- 2 tablespoons coconut oil 

- 2 red onions, finely chopped

- 1 red chilli, finely chopped (deseeded if you like)

- 1 green chilli, finely chopped (deseeded if you like)

- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds

- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

- 1 tablespoons black mustard seeds

- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

- The seeds from 6 cardamom pods, ground

- 200g, dried split red lentils, washed

- 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk

- 500ml vegetable stock

- 100g baby spinach, washed

- 4 ripe vine tomatoes roughly chopped

- 2 unwaxed lemons

- 16 fresh curry leaves (optional)

- 1 teaspoon coconut oil 

 

For the topping

- 100g toasted cashew nuts

- 1 green chilli (deseeded if you like)

- ½ unwaxed lemon 

- A small bunch of coriander

 

Rice 

Warm rotis or chapatis

 

Heat the coconut oil in a deep saucepan and fry the onions over a medium heat with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes, stirring regularly until they start to soften. Add the chillies and cook for another couple of minutes until everything in the pan is soft and fragrant. Add the cumin, coriander and mustard seeds and when the mustard seeds start to pop, stir in the ground turmeric and cardamom. 

 

Quickly add the lentils, coconut milk and stock to the pan. Bring the dhal to the boil, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 25-30 minutes until the lentils have softened and are cooked through. 

 

Now make your herb and cashew topping. Roughly chop the cashews and green chilli as well as the whole lemon half, discarding the pips, then add the coriander and chop the lot together with a good pinch of salt to make a rough lemon salsa.

 

Back to the dhal: stir through the spinach and the chopped tomatoes so the spinach wilts a little, then taste it and add the juice of up to 2 lemons, depending on your preference. Add the salt and pepper to taste. 

 

If you are using the curry leaves, melt about a teaspoon of coconut oil in a frying pan and when the surface is shimmering, fry the leaves for about 15 seconds to crisp up. 

Spoon the dhal into bowls, top with curry leaves and cashews and serve with rice and warm roti breads. 

 

Aubergine curry with basil & tamarind

 

 

Serves 4

- Coconut or ground nut oil 

- 4 medium aubergines, quartered lengthways

- 4 banana shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

- A 5cm thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

- 1 stick of lemongrass, halved and bashed

- 2 lime leaves

- 1 red chilli, thinly sliced

- 1 teaspoon ground coriander

- 300g vine tomatoes, roughly chopped, or 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste

- 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk 

 

To serve

- Sticky jasmine rice cooked according to packet instructions

- A small bunch of Thai basil, leaves picked

- 1 red chilli thinly sliced

 

Put a large pot over a medium heat, add a little oil, then fry the aubergines in batches for 3-4 minutes until golden. Set aside.

 

Back in the same pot, add a little more oil, if needed, followed by the shallots and ginger. Cook over a medium heat for around 10 minutes, until the shallots are soft and sweet. 

 

Add the garlic, lemongrass, lime leaves, chilli and ground coriander, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Next, add the chopped tomatoes, fried aubergine, tamarind and coconut milk, then simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the aubergines have almost collapsed and the sauce is thick, adding a little more water or stock if needed. Serve immediately with sticky rice, lots of Thai basil and fresh chilli. 

 

Toppings

Toppings are key to Anna’s recipes, and give them a more restaurant quality feel. It’s also easy to do, so have a good look at this section in the book. This adds the all-important texture to a dish that home cooks can forget.