Difficulty: My friend described it as foolproof. Hahaha...
Utensils Used: Wooden spoon plus a plastic one for serving
Cock Ups: 2
Serves: Two, with a little extra left over for lunch tomorrow
Recipe Book: Recipe kindly provided by Mel :)
Cooking: So it was definitely long overdue that I got back on the cooking wagon. With our impromptu holiday and other commitments, we've barely spent an evening together. This was a perfect dish to share while watching some House on DVD. Well, it would have been if I was anywhere near a competent cook...
Looking down the recipe, there didn't seem to be anything I hadn't done before, so I started chopping and frying an onion in oil for 2-3 minutes with great confidence. While the 2-3 minutes were ticking down, I realised I still don't have a garlic crusher (d'oh) and chopped a clove of garlic instead, mushing it slightly with the flat side of the blade.
Then came the big cock up. The recipe calls for two tablespoons of curry powder and 4 teaspoons of flour. So I was busy putting in four tablespoons of curry powder, and realised my error just as the last one went in. I suppose it could have been worse, but the onions were very well coated with powder.
Next I had to cube 350g of sweet potatoes. After peeling them, which was a mission in itself, I realised I had no idea how to cube something, and proceeded to make strange rectangular/triangular shapes out of the orange sweet potato flesh. I also realised I had no idea how to turn a cauliflower into 350g of florets, but managed to get somewhere with both in the end.
Meanwhile, a further realisation - this time on the inadequacy of my equipment rather than my skills - came in the shape of my 500ml jug, which could not make 850ml of vegetable stock without a quick bit of maths. Fortunately, I was always quite good at maths.
The stock and the cauliflower and sweet potato were then added to the frying onions. I realised my pan was far too small (cock up two) and had to switch everything over into a bigger one.
The mixture was then brought to the boil and left to simmer for 15 minutes, boiling off a bit of the water and thickening the sauce nicely. Then, I chopped 100g of green beans (actually, they were dwarf beans, but I'm not sure there's a difference, except the dwarf beans were on special offer in Morrisons) and found a packet of Uncle Ben's rice (I know it's cheating, but I'd already used my good pans...)
The beans were added to the mix, along with a tablespoon of garam masala, and cooked for a further three minutes - just long enough for microwave rice to cook and be served, it turns out, how convenient. Serve with a slice of lime.
Washing Up Required: Not that much (note the jug and Brita Filter in the background are the detritus of other adventures) though do add on an extra pan. If you're chronically stupid like me. Or want to cook your rice.
Result: I was really pleased with how it looked and smelled - delicious.
Taste Test: The Boyfriend complemented the appearance of the dish, its healthiness and its 'difference' to what we normally eat. He wasn't too happy about the spiciness though, saying it left a rather overpowering taste of 'chip shop curry sauce' in his mouth.
That would be the two extra tablespoons of curry powder then...
He did request that I make it again, which is a first.
I'm a bit more spice tolerant than him and thought it was really nice. I liked the way the lime complimented the dish, which is saying something because usually I'm strongly against mixing savoury and sweet.
Overall Verdict: A really tasty, simple and pretty quick to make dish. Thanks very much, Mel! :)
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| (very badly photographed) Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Curry |
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