This is a side dish to truly wake up the senses. Juicy mango combines with crisp cucumber, crunchy red onion, fiery chilli, fragrant coriander and tangy lime to make a real treat for your taste buds, that’s visually enticing! It’s also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
I served it spooned over my Jerk Chicken with Roast Peppers, all wrapped up in a warm tortilla. You can just as easily serve it alongside a spicy mains or as part of a salad.
Thanks to the guys at Sunday Brunch for the inspiration with this one.
Totally tropical!
Servings
A side dish for 4 adult mains.
Timings
10mins to throw together.
You Will Need
1 red onion, chopped
1 mango, chopped
half a cucumber, chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
30g fresh coriander, chopped
zest and juice of 2 limes
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Place in the fridge until mealtime.
Customise It!
Feel free to chuck in a few nuts, seeds or dried fruit. Pomegranate seeds would look good and, in my experience, have never been known to detract from a dish such as this. Try not to over-complicate it though – part of the attraction is that it is so quick and easy to prepare.
Here’s La Roux, keeping up the fun, tropical theme with the catchy Tropical Chancer. Be mindful that the chorus of this track can lodge in the brain, resulting in in it being hummed and sung on repeat for the rest of the day. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Whenever I look at the above photograph, I just want to place the fingers of both hands on the top of the roll, my thumbs underneath, scrunch it all together and take a large bite.
Which is a pretty good clue to what happened next, the moment I’d set my camera phone to one side.
I love the taste of a good veggie burger, and many times will choose one over a meat version. So when a bag of freshly harvested pulse beans arrived from our local farm, I had little doubt what to make them into.
I soaked the beans overnight and then boiled them for around 45 mins, before draining, cooling and mashing. However, you can just as easily use a can of beans that are ready to use.
Mixing the mashed beans with breadcrumbs and an egg gives a good texture that ensures the burgers, once shaped into patties by hand, stay together during the cooking process.
A fun part of the exercise is deciding what spices to add, and you can really go to town on tailoring it to your tastes. I opted for chopped red chilli, ground cumin, freshly chopped coriander and nigella seeds. Hey, you want garlic? Crush it in!
Here’s another shot just before the lid was positioned, showing the toppings including raw red onion, chopped lettuce, sour cream and my home made tomato salsa. Don’t worry if some pieces topple over the side while building it – this is real food. The scrunching down of the brioche roll between your hands will hold everything in, as you go to take that first bite….
Getting hungry, yet?
Servings
This mixture made 6 burgers, each the size of a brioche bun.
Timings
If cooking the beans from raw, they need to soak overnight, then be boiled for around 45 mins before draining and cooling. You can save time on this by opening a can of beans instead. Otherwise, prepping the burger mixture and salsa takes about 20 mins, with another 20 mins to fry/keep warm.
You Will Need
For the bean burgers:
400g cooked beans e.g. kidney beans, butterbeans
100g wholemeal breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 red chillis, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
small bunch of coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbsp nigella seeds
For the tomato salsa:
4 – 5 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
half a red onion, finely chopped
small bunch of coriander, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
juice of half a lime
a splash of white wine vinegar
To serve:
6 brioche buns
chopped lettuce
soured cream
chopped raw red onion
Method
Mash the beans on a plate with a potato masher, and scrape into a bowl. Add in the breadcrumbs, egg and all the spices.
Roll up your sleeves and get your hands in there, squidging the mixture between your fingers till it is all well combined.
Pull out just enough of the mixture to make one burger, and flatten it down between the palms of your hands. Set aside on a tray. Repeat to make 6 burgers in all. Place the tray in the fridge to chill while you make the salsa.
In a separate bowl, combine all the salsa ingredients and give them a stir. Set the bowl in the fridge.
Switch on the oven to 140C. Fry each burger on the hob for 4 – 5 mins on each side, then transfer to a tray and place in the oven. This will keep the burgers warm until serving time, and also round off the cooking process, making them browned and crisped all over.
Serve each burger in a toasted brioche roll, on a bed of chopped lettuce, and topped with a dollop of the salsa. Add raw chopped red onion and sour cream.
Customise It!
The sky really is the limit here. Add slices of avocado to the bed of chopped lettuce if you want. Top it off with your favourite cheese, grated, and slam it back in the warm oven for a few mins to melt, before adding the salsa. Engage imagination!
The next band to feature on the ADK Playlist has been around for over 20 years, and is finally enjoying some well-deserved public attention, following a collaboration with Taylor Swift. Two critically acclaimed albums released in 2023 have also helped their cause. Their sound reminds me of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Arcade Fire, so they are definitely worth a listen if you haven’t heard their stuff. Here’s a good one to start with, included on 2023’s Laugh Track. From Cincinnati, Ohio, this is The National (featuring Bon Iver), with Weird Goodbyes.
Ready for some autumn evening comfort food? If that’s a yes, you’ll love this rich, smokey, spicy stew with seasonal roasted vegetables and puy lentils. It’s vegetarian and vegan, while the puy lentils are a great source of protein.
Servings
4 adult servings.
Timings
40 mins to make and cook.
You Will Need
1 roasting tray’s worth of chopped root veg (mine comprised sweet potato, swede, carrot, parsnip and celeriac)
1 red pepper, chopped
oil
1 clove garlic
2 medium chillis
1 tsp ground cumin
1 onion
8 – 9 mushrooms
1 tbsp gojuchang paste
1 500g carton of tomato passata
water
100g puy lentils
4 – 5 leaves of cavolo nero
Method
Warm the oven to 180C. Fill a roasting tray with the chopped root veg and red pepper, and drizzle to coat with the oil. Place in the oven for 30 mins, once it is up to temp.
Drizzle some oil in a wok. When it is warm, add in the crushed garlic, chopped chillis and cumin, and stir.
Tip in the chopped onion and mushrooms, and stir again. When the onion is softening, add in the gojuchang paste and stir.
Pour in the passata. Fill the carton with cold water and add in also. Put in the puy lentils and turn up the heat to boil, then reduce to a simmer. Leave for about 10 mins, while the sauce reduces and the lentils cook.
Chop the cavalo nero into strips and wilt in for the last 5 mins.
Take the roasting tray from the oven – the veg should be softened and a little charred around the edges. Scrape the roasted veg into the wok. Stir to combine.
Spoon into bowls to serve.
Customise It!
Feel free to swap in any veg you like or have to hand. Butternut squash or celery will work well. Boil or steam some brussels sprouts and add in if you wish. For the second serving of this dish I mixed in some new potatoes that were already cooked and in the fridge – see below.
The key ingredients you should keep are the passata, garlic, chillis and the gojuchang paste – which combine to create the delicious smokey background sauce – and the lentils, which give texture and protein.
Talking of Smokey, here’s a classic track to add to the ADK Playlist. I actually prefer this ska version to his original, however: The Beat with The Tears of a Clown.
Here’s a delicious side dish that is built for sharing as part of a spicy banquet or feast, ideally with some cold drinks. Give everyone a fork each and let them tuck in, choosing a roasted floret or two and twirling it round to become coated in the spicy Korean Sauce.
The recipe for the Korean Sauce can be found in my Korean Pulled Pork Sandwich post. Although I made the Sauce originally to pour over pulled pork, I found it goes equally well with other dishes, as shown here with roasted cauliflower florets. If you’re not making the pulled pork, or if you want the Sauce to be vegetarian or vegan, just add water in place of the pork juices.
Servings
Served alongside other sides and mains, this will feed 4.
Timings
5 mins to steam the cauli, then 20 mins to roast.
You Will Need
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
a saucepan of Korean Sauce (vegetarian version)
3 – 4 scallions
half a carrot
a handful of sesame seeds
Method
Heat the oven to 180C.
Put the cauli florets in a steamer basket over a pan of boiling water for 5 mins (I find this helps the cauli become tender and succulent in the roasting process).
Warm the Korean Sauce on the hob or in the microwave.
Remove the cauli from the steamer and lay out on a roasting tray.
Brush all over with the Korean Sauce, and put in the oven for 20 mins.
Remove the roasted cauli and place in a serving bowl. Drizzle over some generous spoonfuls of the Korean Sauce, and garnish with chopped scallions, carrot sticks and sesame seeds.
Customise It!
There will already be chopped chilli in the Korean Sauce, but you can add a bit more as a topping if you want an extra fiery kick. Matchsticks of cucumber also work well as a topping, and give a kind of antidote to the heat!
Here’s an old track I heard in a friend’s car the other day, and which I hadn’t heard in years. It has a really catchy chorus, so you may find yourself humming it, as I have been this week. This is Dr. Feelgood with Don’t You Just Know It.
Here’s a medium curry that is both vegetarian and vegan. While the base comprises a number of fresh vegetables and spices, the undoubted stars of the show are two particularly healthy ingredients.
Kale grows in our garden and seems to keep on producing new crops as the seasons progress. It is a source of fibre, calcium, vitamins and antioxidants, which help us stay well by removing toxins from the body.
Lentils are a good source of protein for anyone following a meat- or dairy-free diet. Puy Lentils are the variety that pack the most protein per calorie.
Servings
A meal for 4.
Timings
25 mins to prepare and cook.
You Will Need
a little oil
1 onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
half a red chilli
2 cm piece of root ginger
2 – 3 mushrooms
2 tbsp curry powder (I’m still using my Qatari Spices)
8 – 10 tomatoes (I used fresh as we have lots growing in the garden)
1 400g can of coconut milk
8 leaves of kale
60g Puy lentils
a handful of nigella seeds
6 – 7 cardamom pods
1 tbsp garam masala
basmati rice
Method
Heat the oil in a wok, and add the crushed garlic. Chop the onions, chilli, ginger and mushrooms and add to the wok. Chuck in the curry powder and give it all a stir.
Let it sizzle for a few minutes, then quarter the tomatoes and add in. Let them squash down in the heat, then add the coconut milk.
Fill the empty coconut milk can with water and pour in to the wok. Chop the kale leaves into 3 or 4 strips, and add in with the lentils. Check the liquid level at this stage, and top up with more water if necessary – there should be just enough liquid to cover the veg. It will reduce down to a creamy consistency as the kale and lentils cook.
After about 10 mins, add in the nigella seeds, cardamom pods and garam masala, giving it all another stir.
After another 10 mins, spoon out a lentil to check it is cooked. You should just be able to bite through without it becoming too soft or mushy.
Switch off and serve with steamed or boiled basmati rice.
Customise It!
It’s a vegetable curry, so add in whatever veg you have to hand or like to use. Peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots – all will go well.
I’m going to be off on my travels again soon, this time exploring Scotland. More of this in upcoming posts, but for now I’ve been getting in the mood and listening to some great tracks from Scottish bands. Here’s one of the best, Glasgow’s Franz Ferdinand with Do You Want To.
Summertime patty pan squashes are now starting to arrive in our farm shops and market stalls. They rarely feature on supermarket shelves, however, and consequently many of us are unsure how to prepare and cook with them.
My favourite method is to chop them into a roasting pan drizzled with olive oil, and place in the oven at 180C for about 20 mins. The chopped squash pieces sweeten and caramelise, and can then be used in a variety of dishes.
In this recipe, I have blended them with mashed kidney beans, tomatoes, onions and chilli in a stuffing for roasted peppers. The squash adds texture and sweetness. With the stuffed peppers emerging lightly charred from the oven, it all makes for a splendid looking vegetarian, and vegan, main, served with side veg of your choice.
Servings
4 adult servings.
Timings
20 mins to roast the squash before adding it to the rest of the stuffing mix. Then a further 25 mins to roast the filled peppers.
You Will Need
1 patty pan squash
2 peppers, red, orange or yellow
1 garlic clove
half an onion
1 medium red chilli
1 tsp ground cumin
half of 1 onion
1 400g can of kidney beans, drained and washed
1 440g can of chopped tomatoes
oil
seasalt and black pepper
a few handfuls of pumpkin seeds
Method
Peel the patty pan squash and chop roughly into pieces. Place on a roasting tray and drizzle with oil, then roast for 20 mins at 180C.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan, and add the garlic clove, crushed. Chop the chilli and onion and, as the oil begins to sizzle, add it to the pan with the ground cumin. Give it a stir and let it cook for a few minutes.
Roughly blitz the kidney beans in a food processor with blade fitted. Add to the pan with the chopped tomatoes. Give it all a few good twists of seasalt and ground black pepper. Stir to mix, and let it cook for 4 – 5 mins to reduce.
Chop the peppers down the middle to give four halves, and carefully trim out the seeds and white membrane from each, using a sharp knife. Brush the inside and outside of each half with a little oil.
When the patty pan squash is roasted and nicely caramelised, scrape the pieces in to the food processor and lightly blitz. Add to the kidney bean mixture and stir in.
Spoon the mixture into each half pepper, and press down with the back of the spoon to make sure the cavity is filled. Sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds on the top, and place back in the oven, still at 180C, for 25 mins.
Remove and serve with accompaniment of your choice.
Customise It!
As shown in the photo, mine are served with seasonal baby potatoes and sprouting broccoli, but feel free to serve up with other favourite veg or whatever veg you have to hand. Couscous or rice would also make a good side.
I must admit to having a bit of a laugh when I saw the photo I’d taken, at the top of the post. Due to a combination of the background and the lighting, it looks like the stuffed peppers are about to travel off into deep space. However, that isn’t the milky way behind them – it is a roasting tray, and the only place they are about to travel to is a hot oven in the ADK KItchen.
It has given me an idea for the next track for the Playlist, however. It’s a song from the great R.E.M., whose music I have enjoyed for many years, including seeing them play live twice. Here they are with Man on the Moon.
As the egg shortage in our shops continues, so does my search for alternatives to the use of eggs in baking.
Today I’ve borrowed a great recipe for vegan vanilla cupcakes over on Tulsi’s Vegan Kitchen. Click on the link if you wish to see it – there is also a very helpful You Tube instruction video that I can recommend. Thank you, Tulsi!
So what takes the place of eggs in the recipe? Unsweetened almond milk, curdled with a tablespoon of vinegar (I used cider vinegar). I wondered if this would add sourness to the taste, but it absolutely doesn’t. It just replicates the use of buttermilk in baking, which adds taste and texture through its extra acidity.
The one development that I have made is to add 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the dry ingredients, turning mine into chocolate cupcakes, as you can see in my photo above. The mixture rises well and is very moist. An undoubted success!
In the music world this week, I’ve been enjoying exploring more of a certain band I’ve admired for some time. As well as listening to music while I cook, I also tune in with my ear pods while at the gym. I’ve discovered that this, the band’s most recent track, has the perfect beat and rhythm to work out to on the elliptical trainer (perfect for me, that is, coming in at 68-69 revolutions per minute). So once you’ve enjoyed the choc cupcakes, burn those calories and get the arms and legs pumping in sync with LCD Soundsystem – this is New Body Rhumba.
Avocados in a chocolate mousse? Surely not, I hear you say!
This week I have been researching egg-free dishes, as there is currently a shortage of eggs in our local shops here in the UK. Higher costs for farmers, and a cull of animals due to an outbreak of avian flu, are being given as the reasons for this. I understand this is also the case in some other parts of the world at the moment.
I’m seeing it as an opportunity to explore some recipes that don’t require eggs, so expect a little more of this over the next few posts. Here is the first – a rich, chocolatey mousse based on ripe avocado.
Servings
This will make 4 desserts.
Timings
10 mins to make, and then an hour chilling in the fridge before serving.
You Will Need
2 large, ripe avocados
3 tbsp cocoa powder
juice of 1 lime
3 – 5 tbsp runny honey
2 – 3 slices kiwi fruit, chopped into pieces
0 eggs!
Method
Chop the avocados in half and remove the stones. Scoop out the flesh into a food processor with blade fitted. Add in the cocoa, lime juice and honey and blitz to a smooth consistency.
With a spatula, scrape the mousse into four pots for serving. I’ve used sherry glasses in the photo, but you could use ramekins or other small glasses if you wish. Top with the pieces of kiwi and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
Er, that’s it.
Customise It!
Cutting out the eggs is half way to making a vegan dessert, so why not go the whole way by replacing the honey with maple or agave syrup. You could also replace the kiwi with raspberries or cherries. Slices of banana, or chopped nuts, would be great also.
Turning to the ADK Playlist, I have still been buzzing this week after seeing Inspiral Carpets last weekend in London. It really was a great concert. Here is another of their tracks, this one reminding me of that memorable encore at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire – Commercial Reign.
This week I’ve been looking to make a snack to enjoy while watching this weekend’s Superbowl. I always stay up for the game, even though it starts at around 11.30pm UK time, and continues into the early hours.
This year’s should be a particularly good match-up – the Philadelphia Eagles have had an outstanding season, but will face their toughest challenge yet against the Kansas City Chiefs. Even though the Chiefs have the talented Patrick Mahomes as quarterback, I’m predicting that the Eagles will be just too strong overall, and will take home the trophy. We shall soon see if I am right!
As it’s Superbowl weekend, I’m keen that my snack should follow an American theme. I also want it to be savoury, that can be enjoyed alongside a cold drink while watching the game.
This has led me to popcorn, a classic American snack. It’s a food that sometimes gets a bad press online, typically for being served smothered in refined sugar and hydrogenated fats, in large cardboard buckets and consumed in dark multiplex cinemas. Even in the home, microwave-ready popcorn also comes in for some criticism with concerns over chemicals used in its packaging.
However, as I am sure my lovely American foodie followers will point out, popping corn, prepared properly, is essentially a healthy snack! As a grain, it is high in fibre, low in calories and a good source of antioxidants.
So why not have a go at making some? It is inexpensive, quick and easy. I bought a 500g bag of popping corn in Sainsbury’s for £1.45, meaning the portion size below costs about 15p (or 18 cents) to make.
The smoked paprika drizzle ingredients are minimal, and cooking it from scratch means that you are in complete control over what and how much is added. This means it can be enjoyed as a relatively healthy snack. It is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.
Will you be following the Superbowl? Feel free to leave any comments you wish at the foot of this post. Enjoy the popcorn, and enjoy the game!
Servings
This will make around 50g of popcorn, enough for two people as a Superbowl snack. If you’re expecting guests, especially hungry, or if the game goes into Overtime, just make extra!
Timings
10 mins to make in total (see, I told you it was quick).
You Will Need
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
50g popping maize corn
sea salt flakes
half to 1 tsp smoked paprika
Method
Put a heat under a heavy pan with tight-fitting lid. Add in 1 tbsp of the oil and the golden corn. Spread the corn in a single layer across the bottom of the pan (see photo above).
After a minute, pick up the pan and hold down the lid. Give it a good shake to ensure all the corn is coated in the oil. I actually do this a few times during the cooking process. Just make sure to keep that lid tight on the pan while doing so!
After another few minutes, it will all start kicking off. The corn will begin to pop and bits will be pinging off the lid and walls of the pan. A drop of moisture inside each corn kernel causes it to explode when heated, making it jump around (hence the reason for the tight fitting lid).
There are usually a few kernels that don’t pop, and the ones that have popped will toast nicely in the hot pan. After a few minutes the popping will slow down, and you can remove the pan from the heat.
Pause for a moment to enjoy the delicious aroma of cooked and popped corn that will just have filled your kitchen.
Tip the popcorn into a large sharing bowl and, while it is still warm, drizzle over the second tbsp of oil. Sprinkle over the sea salt and the smoked paprika. Give it a good stir so that all the corn gets coated.
Finally, taste and add further seasalt or paprika, if required.
Take the bowl (which should resemble my main photo at the top of this post) with your cold drink of choice, and retire to the TV room to enjoy the Superbowl.
Next track for the ADK Spotify Playlist is also Superbowl-inspired. It’s Rihanna’s turn to headline the Half Time Show this year. With no rain forecast for Arizona this Sunday, I wonder if she will still be bringing along her Umbrella? Let’s hope so!
One of the foods I have wanted to try, while in the Middle East, is falafels. I’m a fan, and was keen to see how they are prepared and cooked in this part of the world.
A spot of local research suggested an Egyptian Restaurant, the Khan Farouk Tarab Cafe was the place to visit. A hop on Doha’s excellent, state of the art metro, took us there. Having a number of impressive reviews, it certainly lived up to its reputation.
The restaurant is situated in the Katara Cultural Village part of Doha, another modern development impressive in size and quality, and which has clearly been built with a generous budget. It is the only place I can recall visiting where the streets are air conditioned from grilles in the pavements.
The restaurant specialised in Egyptian food. It was busy and doing a good trade, appearing to be popular with the local North African community. One of the upsides of Qatar’s policy of strict control of alcohol is that more restaurants and bars are family friendly, and this was certainly the case here.
I immediately liked the fact that there was a member of staff permanently stationed by a traditional clay oven, baking fresh flatbread that was then served to the tables warm.
It was inside one of these that my meal was served. The sliced falafel had a crunchy and golden coating, with a soft, green and spicy centre. It was mixed with crisp green salad and tahini dressing. Served with pickles, the whole sandwich was delicious (see main photo). Prices were reasonable once again – my meal cost 26 QAR which works out at under £6.
It’s been one of the pleasures of our time in Doha that we have been able to sample some genuine cuisine from across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, prepared and cooked by experts.
Today’s musical choice continues the Middle Eastern theme – here is Thief of Baghdad by The Teardrop Explodes.
A Different Kitchen 