Rose Harissa Dal

Exam results are supposed to come out today but no one seems to know when so I thought I'd distract myself with a new post. Other than that, my week has gone well. I've finally put pen to paper on my dissertation (a comparison of French and English food magazines) and am looking forward to seeing where it goes. I went to an amazing pizza place in Manchester last week, Rudy's, which I cannot recommend enough. I'm beginning to visit the last places on my "to review for the top 10 piece" list that I've been working on since 2013! I plan on uploading it before I graduate (which is scarily soon; I only have 15 weeks until my time in Manchester is over) and then I can start one for London in my new Moleskine travel guide.

Comfort For All Seasons

We recently changed our internet provider and I’m afraid it’s been rather out of the frying pan and into the fire, so you’ll have to excuse the strange timings of posts - I might go to a cafe and schedule a few posts for the upcoming weeks, just until the internet settles down and behaves.

The weather has been weird. A few days ago it was so muggy I thought I was in a colder version of Singapore, and today it’s been drizzling for all it’s worth. I know Glastonbury weekend means rain but this is June, not October. Make your mind up, weather! I’m struggling to know what to cook - something hearty to guard against against the chill or a light meal to keep the heat at bay? Fortunately I stumbled upon a solution by way of Anna Jones’ cookbook A Modern Way To Eat. It’s a red lentil and spinach dal, topped with roasted sweet potatoes. Thee result is filling enough for the wettest, coldest day but still light and palatable in warmer climes (perfect for the Indian weather then, really). 

Special Egg Fried Rice

The 'special' bit is that the dish is really easy to make but versatile. (shhh, don't tell anyone!)

So, I'm currently taking a break from writing a french essay and translation in order to write another type of essay! Hopefully this one will be shorter and more interesting than the one I have to submit (2,000 words on why I chose this way of translating it and not that one). This is my easy and lazy recipe for speedy asian comfort food, because, lets face it, you won't always have chicken and the necessary veg for more complicated recipes but you will always have rice, eggs and frozen peas, with a bit of soy sauce or kept manis to add flavour.

Warming Leftovers Lentil Bake

My mum made this dish often in Singapore and I enjoyed it but felt the meal was too warming for the climate. I made it for my flatmate and a friend in Manchester and it was perfect for the colder weather! It's incredibly healthy with everything you need for a balanced meal - protein, vegetables, carbohydrates and dairy. It's easy to make in advance and reheats well (excellent when it's a recipe for 4 and there's only 2 of us). If you need to omit the meat that's fine otherwise it adds a nice bite and you can use leftovers from the Sunday roast. Also from your Sunday roast you can use uneaten potatoes and vegetables. Food recycling at it's best!

Lentil Bake

Preheat oven or grill

Use a Le Cruset style pan (mine is a size 20)

Ingredients

¾ cup of lentils

1½ cup tomato passata (otherwise puree a tin of tomatoes)

1 roughly diced onion

1 large diced carrot

1 diced red pepper

½ cup of sweetcorn

½ cup of peas

Green beans chopped small, if you have any leftover

Packet of lardon/diced leftover roast lamb or beef/4 diced rashers of fried bacon

2 baking sized potatoes, thinly sliced and boiled

Enough grated cheddar cheese to cover the potatoes

Method

Fry the onions, carrots, peppers and meat on the hob in a bit of oil until soft.

Add the lentils, passata, peas and sweetcorn and cover with a lid, simmering until the lentils are cooked and the liquid has all been absorbed (about 30-40 minutes).

Top with the sliced potatoes and the the cheese.

Place under the grill or in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

leave to cool for 5 minutes and then enjoy.