Getting spicy

 

So, all restrictions have been lifted, and the pandemic is over. Apart from the matter of the one hundred thousand new cases a day, that is (pause for hysterical laughter). The irony is, I think we are getting near to the end of it – but lifting restrictions prematurely pushes that end further away rather than bringing it nearer. It feels like we’re being left with a choice of either living a very restricted life, or accepting we’ll get Covid at some point in the near future and hoping we’re not unlucky. Which, given how much time and energy we're put into avoiding it, feels like surrender. 

That said, we are planning to go out more than we have been, because there seems to be no point in waiting for cases to go down any further. We are going out for dinner on Monday (launch event for local restaurant under new management) and we have booked a break in Edinburgh for our anniversary (late March, recommendations welcome, as its ages since either of us have been there). The destination was chosen partly because the Scots seem to have a more sensible approach to Covid than the English.

It is good to have things to look forward to, as January has been a long and dull month. I’m not sure if it’s the cold, or the relentlessly grey weather, but I have found myself particularly wanting spicy food. The fact that I got an Indian cookbook, Thali, for Christmas, may also have something to do with it – I made a few recipes from it this week.

First up was beetroot and potato cutlets, with dal (the book has a whole chapter devoted to dals, which I approve of). The cutlets were a bit of a faff. First, cook your beetroot, and boil a potato. Grate a carrot, the beetroot and the potato (I would not be making this if I didn’t have a food processor with a grater blade). Fry off the carrot and beetroot with ginger, chillies and raisins, then put this in bowl along with the potatoes, some breadcrumbs and various spices. Mix together, then form into cutlets. Put these in the fridge to firm up for 20 minutes (not easy when your fridge is full…).

Ready to go in the fridge

Mix cornflour and water, then dip the cutlets into this, then coat with breadcrumbs, and fry.

While I was doing all this, the dal was bubbling away, although perhaps not as much as it should have been, as it wasn’t cooked as much as I would have liked it to be, despite having longer than the recipe suggested. I’m not sure whether this was due to the age of the chana dal I was using, or whether my interpretation of ‘simmering’ is different to the recipe book’s. The spicing was good though, and I did like the cutlets, despite the faff. Next time I might just make the dal well in advance, and warm it up when necessary.

The finished result

The second meal from Thali was an unalloyed success though: much less faff, and delicious. It was Punjabi Kadhai Paneer – stir fried paneer and peppers (sorry, Melinda!) with Kadhai masala spice blend.  You start by making the spice blend, then it’s just a case of frying the peppers and paneer, making a spicy tomato sauce, and then combining the two.  Will definitely be making this one again.

Peppers and paneer, served with flatbread and yoghurt