Egg-Aloo (potato) Curry Trinidad style

Eggs are a great source of protein, iodine and essential vitamins. Eggs are great "first food" for babies (as long as they are not allergic to them) as long as they are thoroughly cooked. Please avoid giving runny eggs or partly cooked eggs to under 2 yrs old. Boiled eggs were one of the first foods that I gave Anjalie and since then she loves eggs in any form or fashion. Once I was sure that she enjoyed eggs, and was not allergic to them (after the first couple of weeks), I have made this curry (very mild initially) and used to mash the egg yolks in a small amount of curry sauce and give her. Lo and behold! no matter when it was given she would clean it all up :) Since then, this has been a easy and quick "single dish" that every likes in our home. It can be eaten with rice or roti or bread. Not only, is it healthy, it is also relatively low in calories.

You will need:
4 large eggs/6 medium eggs - hard boiled and shell removed
4 medium potatoes - peeled and cubed into bite size pieces
2 med. tomatoes- chopped fine
1 med. onion - chopped fine
1/4 habernero pepper (for adults only- beware it is extremely hot!)/ pimento pepper for milder taste (optional) - leave out for children
3 cloves or garlic- crushed
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tbsp curry powder (any store bought kind will do- but for authentic Trinidad taste look for Chief curry powder)

Nellikai/Indian Gooseberry/Amla thokku

One of my first memories of my mother telling me to eat a particular food that is "very good for me" is Amla/nellikkai/Indian gooseberry. She used to insist that I at least give it a chance since it has good medicinal values. Now after so many years I find myself repeating the same thing to my daughter, albeit, with more evidence from scientific research. My favourite way to eat these otherwise tart, some what astringent and sweet all at the same time is in the form of thokku/pickle. Of course, Anjalie likes it too but I take out her "thokku" before I add chilli powder and keep it mild for her. For the benefits of these gooseberries please refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllanthus_emblica

You will need:
Nellikkai/amla/Indian gooseberries- 10 nos
2 tbsp sesame oil/cooking oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek/methi/vendayam seeds powder
1/8 tsp asfoetida
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder (adjust to taste and omit for children)
10 curry leaves
salt to taste

Oven Roasted Potatoes

For a long while now, I have been experimenting with a hope of getting delicious roasted potatoes - crispy outsides and soft & fluffy insides. Trouble was to find the perfect variety of potatoes and also master the techniques to oven roast them successfully- until now that is. For past two or 3 experiments I was able to achieve the crispy texture and soft insides using Maris Piper potatoes (esp. new potatoes!). I got the technique to coat with flour from BBC good food website which does the trick. But the recipe itself was a bit bland for us. Here is the link. Since then I have modified it slightly to create what Anjalie & Naz called "Yummiest roast potatoes" that I have ever made :) Here it goes...


You will need:

• 1kg Maris Piper potato (preferably new potatoes)- peeled and cut to bite size pieces
  Water (as needed)
  100ml olive/vegetable oil
  2 tsp flour
  1/2 tsp black pepper (coarsely ground)
  1 tsp parsley, oregano, thyme or any of your favourite dried herbs
   3-4 cloves of garlic crushed (with the skin on)
  ½ tsp garlic granules (optional) – do not use garlic salt. It can burn quickly
  Salt to taste (preferably coarsely ground rock salt)

Gooseberry pickle(s) Spicy South Indian style and Trinidadian style

One of the best things about living in Scotland (& I am sure many other parts of the world) is being surrounded by farms and the change in seasons bringing wonderful "seasonal" fruits and veggies fresh from the farm. Best of all, is having a pick your own farm nearby which allows us to go in for a visit and pick fresh farm produce ourselves and pay for them (usually works out cheaper) by weight. Such trips make an excellent day out for the entire family and little children usually enjoy running about and seeing how their favourite fruits and veggies grow. On one such visit recently, we picked some late strawberries and lots of goose berries. I am familiar with Indian goose berries (nellikkai in Tamil) and love them in any form or fashion. The sour variety (aru-nellikkai) in particular is my favourite. Goose berries are rich in Vitamin C and can help fight off infections. The Scottish ones did not look anything like the Indian counterpart. But it tasted quite similar to the aru-nellikkais I knew. In fact, I prefer the Scottish ones since they are more tender and the seeds (yes there are many- unlike the Indian ones) are edible too! So using them to make pickles is a lot easier since I do not have to bother about taking the seeds out. After a days trip enjoying our farm visit, we pickled the gooseberries in both Trinidadian and South-Indian styles. While, Naz & I have both our preferred versions (no points of guessing!), Anjalie liked both of them (seems to depend on her mood) and ever the diplomat she says she likes a little bit of both! We like our pickles spicy so I give the recipe for what I used. But if trying out pickles for the first time, I will suggest to, go a bit easy on the peppers.

Spicy Cauliflower-Butterbeans roast

Cauliflower is low in calorie, fat & carbs but high in dietary fibre, folate, water, and vitamin C. It is usually one of the favourite veggies for little children and adults. I regularly make Spicy Cauliflower-Butterbeans roast and it is still on our family favourites and most requested lunch/dinner side-dish. The plus side for me is that it is easy to make. This is a colourful dish that will captivate children's attention which means that the meal-time war is already won! By adding butter beans to this I am satisfied that we all get good amount of dietary fibre, protein and vitamins. So a food that is colourful, tastes good and healthy & easy to make. Now that is jackpot for me :)



You will need:
1 cauliflower- cut the florets & wash well
1 can butter beans drained and rinsed well
1 small onion
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder/paprika (adjust to taste)
1 tsp chopped coriander leaves to garnish
2 tbsp oil
optional for tempering:
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal
pinch of asafoetida

Iyengar-style Arachuvitta kathirikkai vattral kozhambhu

Kuzhambu is a common South Indian curry usually made with vegetables and served with rice. Most of these Kuzhambhu varieties use dals (lentils) of some kind except for vattral/vatha kuzhambhu and koddu kuzhambhu. Vattral/vathal is a special way of preserving fresh vegetables by soaking in brine and drying them out in the sun to remove any moisture content. Such preserves can be stored for months and sometimes even years without spoiling. This was (& is) a great way to saving seasonal vegetables to use during the rest of the year. Vattral kuzhambhu incorporates these preserves/vattrals in a curry and makes them the star of the dish and avoids using any dals/lentils that could overpower the taste. Such a kuzhambhu is tangy, salty and spicy and is perfect with hot rice & vegetables & thogaiyals. Vattral kuzhambhu recipes vary depending on the regions, families and traditions. Even among the Iyengars there are two kinds of vattral kuzhambhu, one that uses fenugreek seeds (vendayam) and is commonly called vendhaya kuzhambhu and the other kind is arachu vitta (ground masala) vattral kuzhambhu. It is this arachuvitta variety that I miss most since my grand-mum passed away. Some how she made it taste fantastic. Although both my mum & I try and follow her recipe to the "T" it never comes close to doing justice to her's. But I still keep trying :) There is a saying in Tamil that some people have the "hand for flavour" (Kai manam) which some of us can only wish for! This is one such case :)

Chammanthi podi potta kari (spicy roasted vegetable)

While growing up, amma (mum) and patti (grand mums) used to make this roasted vegetable dish spiced with a spicy powder made from a combination of typical South-Indian spices such as dals, chillies, tamarind & peppercorn and serve them with rice, rasam and samabar. It was always my favourite kind of side-dish. Then one day, on the festival of Onam, I was invited to my friends' home where her Mum served a spice powder called Chammanthi. I was totally blown away with the spice combination with the lovely flavour of roasted coconut completely one with the rest of the spices. No, they do not actually compliment each other like in other dishes. They just enhance each other and become one. Unfortunately, I cannot think of any other way to describe it. Ever since, I have hunted for a chammanthi recipe that came close to my childhood memory and I finally found it at Bharathy's spicychilli blog here. I modified her chammanthi recipe (which does not include any dals unlike my grand-mum and mum's podi/spice powder) to include the dals to make this roasted vegetable. The end result was perfect spicy roasted vegetable greatly enhanced by the roasted coconut. I did save a little bit of the powder to mix with rice and eat like they do in Kerala :) Anyway, we enjoyed the dish so very much that I had to write it down asap and particularly thank Bharathy for the chammanthi recipe :) I chose to make brinjal/Indian aubergine (baby ones) for this. It turned out so good that both Naz & Anjalie who are not big fans of aubergine due to the gooey texture enjoyed it very much. That is high praise indeed. So here is the recipe for "modified" chammanthi podi potta kari...

Baingan da barta/Trinidadian Baigan choka/Kathirikai pachadi (Aubergine/Eggplant curry)

Like many children, Anjalie, also turned her nose up when we tried to give her aubergine for the first time. It took her some time to get used to the texture. We found she was more accepting of this spicy mashed curry made with aubergine. We first introduced this to her as a dip with rotis when she was around 7 months with reduced spice level and then slowly increased the spice level as she grew older. It is totally delicious and the full flavour of roasted aubergine is enhanced by the tangy tomatoes and complimented by the spices. This particular dish can be found in the cuisines from all over the world, including India, Trinidad, middle East, Greek, etc., and has many variations depending on the region. In Trinidad, at my in-laws house, this dish is typically eaten for breakfast with sada roti and is much loved. The Trinidadian version of this curry at my in-laws is made without involving any of the Indian spices and is spiced up with just fresh habernero peppers, yum! In my home in the south of India, we make this curry with plain yoghurt base which is another yummy variation of this versatile dish. This goes great with rotis, pitas, toasts, rice dishes, fresh veggies or anything that takes your fancy. Here are three variations of the recipe (Baingan bharta. Trinidad Baigan Choka and South Indian kathirikkai pachadi) and I hope you and your family get to enjoy this very soon.

You will need:
2 medium sized aubergine/egg plant
1 medium onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 inch ginger
2-3 medium tomatoes (peeled & mashed)
2 fresh green chillies for adults (optional) -slit in the middle
1/4 tsp mustard seeds (skip for children less than 1 year)
1/4 tsp cumin seeds (skip for children less than 1 year)
salt and black pepper to taste
coriander leaves &/or curry leaves for garnish
2 tsp oil

Spices (for Indian version):
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp clove powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp paprika or red chilli powder (for adults)
1 tsp butter/ghee
1 tsp lemon juice

Aloo-Mattar (potato-peas gravy/curry)

Aloo-mattar is a popular North Indian side dish that are served in many Indian/Bangaldeshi/Pakistani restaurants. It is very versatile and goes with rice and roti dishes. I particularly like this dish for the sweet taste of garden peas balanced with the spicy gravy with the potatoes adding to body and flavour. It is easy to make at home and the spice level can be adjusted to suit the entire family. While I make this dish, I leave out the chillies, pav bhaji masala and the chilli powder for Anjalie and after removing her share out, I add them into our (adult) share and cook it for another min or so. Potatoes and peas have been Anjalie's favourite since she was 6 months old and it continues to be her favourite even now. This dish is a great way to encourage children to eat green peas as well.

You will need:

200 g of garden peas (Canned/frozen/fresh)

5-6 medium potatoes peeled and chopped to bite-size pieces

salt to taste

black pepper - 1/2 tsp

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (for adults)

pav bhaji masala/kitchen king masala - 1/2 tsp (for adults)

garam masala - 1/4 tsp

coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

1/4 medium Onion- chopped fine

1 tsp tomato puree

1/2 tsp lemon juice

2 fresh green chillies (for adults) slit in the middle

coriander leaves for garnish

3/4 cup water

To grind to a paste:

3/4 medium onion

2 tomatoes

1 inch ginger (peeled)

3 cloves garlic

3 tbsp water

Ginger (inchi) pachadi/raita

Ginger is considered as a miraculous herb in India. Both in India and China it is treated as a medicinal plant that can cure a lot of illness and is also consumed everyday due to it's many health benefits. It is believed to help with digestion, reduce inflammation, increase immune strength of the body and relieve stress. It is especially given to those who suffer from flu and cold. We are all three of us still recovering from the after effects of flu and still have persistent sore muscles and tiredness. So I wanted to give us all a bit of ginger in the hopes of garnering it's health benefits. The catch is to get Anjalie to consume ginger which is a bit too spicy for any toddler. I usually give her spiced tea, but, her tea is usually very milky and less spicy. So I wanted to try another method of giving her ginger tonight. In South India pachadi/raita is usually made with yogurt or sweetened with jaggery/sugar to be used as a side dish or to clear once palate between meal courses. Anjalie loves anything made with yoghurt and this seemed like a perfect way to get her to eat ginger. As expected she alone ate more than half of what I had made and it was a great success at dinner with much appreciation from both Naz & Anjalie. The recipe is quite mild and spice level can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of yoghurt used.


You will need:
2 inch ginger peeled and grated
1/2 cup plain yoghurt (preferably Greek-style)
salt to taste
fresh chillies (for adults) - optional
For tempering (optional):
1/2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp urad dhal

South Indian spicy potatoes stir-fry

This is one of our family's favourites for a side dish to rice. Anjalie loves anything made with potatoes, in particular, this crispy potatoes. I usually make a smaller portion for her alone where I leave out chilli powder and use black pepper instead. However, I did not get a chance to take a step-by step picture of it tonight. Instead I give the pictures I took of the spicy version that I made for us adults. Other than the use of spices powder (chilli powder and sambar powder) the method given here is exactly the same as the one I use to make for her. You can adjust the amount of spices according to your taste to appeal to the whole family.


You will need:
5-6 medium potatoes
3 tbsps oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 urad daal
salt to taste
1 tsp sambar powder + 1 tsp chilli powder

Kosmari - South Indian salad/snack

Kosmari is a refreshing and tasty salad that can also be served as part of a healthy snack. The recipe from  the South of India uses lentils and vegetables together where the lentils provide a texture to the salad with the sweet taste of the  vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers and/or sweet corn which is complimented by a tangy spicy dressing made from lemon juice and fresh chillies. I make this often as a variation to the regular green salad. Usually, Anjalie's favourite for kosmari is carrots so I have used it in today's kosmari for the blog too. But you can mix and match your favourite fresh vegetables and/or fruits. I personally prefer sweet corn and/or pomegranate. You can also use sprouts to make this salad instead of or in addition to the lentils. It is versatile and easy to prepare and very tasty.

You will need.
1/4 cup Moong Dal/ yellow split peas.
1 carrot/cucumber peeled & grated or 1 small can of sweet corn drained.
1 pinch of asafoetida
1 fresh green chilly chopped fine (optional for adults)
salt to taste
1-2 tsp lemon juice



For tempering:
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal (split black gram)

Minestrone

This is a traditional Italian soup that is colourful and hence captures children's attention and looks appetising for them in particular when they are sick. After a week's break, in London visiting museums with Anjalie, we have come back but with flu :( Anjalie and Naz have been quite badly off for past 2 days. As the norm is that both parents are simply not allowed to be sick at the same time, I am trying to fight (although a losing battle) to postpone the inevitable. After making their favourite chicken-noodle soup, yesterday, I decided to make all our favourite Minestrone. To me a hot minestrone with thinly sliced and toasted rye-sourdough bread is like lying down on my mother's lap when I am sick. I replaced most of the vegetables with 2 cans of mixed vegetables (drained) to make a quick minestrone. But I will list my traditional ingredients for when you have time to try. Also I made mine with more stock than normal since it was for a sick child. You can adjust according to your taste. Here is the recipe:

You will need (all vegetables chopped to bite size pieces):
1 tbsp olive oil
1 med onion chopped
1 leek chopped
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 can chopped tomatoes in juice
1 carrot chopped
1 small turnip chopped
1 med potato chopped
1 stalk of celery chopped
3 cups water
4 cups vegetable stock
1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
1 cup leafy cabbage chopped
1 cup pasta of any shape (I used children sized penne)
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 tsp oregano (fresh or dried for garnish)

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Cheesy garlic bread are fluffy, cheesy, soft and garlicky, a perfect combination to make an excellent side dish to accompany pizza, pasta, soup or risotto or can be a part of healthy snack in the evening. Today, turned to be a lovely day with blue skies and warm sunny weather that we decided to take a walk together after lunch. So I expected that after a stroll we will all return home hungry and cannot wait for dinner time. So I decided to make cheesy garlic bread which as I had expected was very much appreciated by us all when we returned. It is quick and easy to make from scratch or it can be even more quicker if you use store bought pizza base. In fact, I made enough dough to make garlic bread for snack and pizza for dinner saving myself some time to enjoy playing with Anjalie :) For making two 12 inch cheesy garlic bread and/or Pizza

You will need:
For the base:
1.25 to 1.5 cups warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups unbleached white bread flour
1.5 tsp salt
0.5 tsp sugar
1 tsp rapid raise yeast

Chole/Channa Masala (Spicy Chickpeas curry)

Chole/Channa Masala is a spicy chickpeas curry usually mentioned as a Punjabi dish. Although, usually Chole/Channa is associated with Batura (fried unleavened flat bread), they are great with any Indian flat bread or even pita bread and tortillas. You can use dried channa/chickpeas to prepare this (& is usually cheaper to do this) if you have time and can plan ahead. But you can also use canned channa (like I did) if you want it asap. If using dried channa, make sure to soak them over night and pressure cook them for 20-25 mins until soft. As far as the recipe goes, this dish is prepared in a wide variety of ways that, each household probably has their own recipe with slight changes and differences to suit their taste. Here is the one I use.


You will need:
2 cans of chickpeas-drained (350 grams of dried chickpeas cooked) - Kabuli/white channa
2 small pieces of cinnamon stick
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 bay leaves (fresh/dried)
1/2 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 tsp tomato puree
2-3 tsps of cooking oil
1 small cup of tea brewed for 3 mins (yes, you read it correct!) - optional
2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped coarsely

For grinding to paste:
2 fresh green chillies
1/2 medium sized onion
1 tomato
2 inch ginger (peeled)
3-4 cloves of garlic
2-3 tbsps of chickpeas from above

Dry Masala/spices:
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp clove powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp channa masala powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (use more or less according to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
salt to taste

For garnish:
A wedge of lemon
Fresh green chillies
Fresh onion cut into rings

Sweet pepper macaroni and cheese/ macaroni pie

Macaroni and cheese or Macaroni pie in some parts of the world is a quick family dinner that everyone is bound to enjoy together. In Trinidad and Tobago, however, it is treated as a side dish and Naz usually likes to have it with red beans and rice during the weekends. Children often tend/want to eat the same food, they like, over a few days. Tonight, Anjalie insisted on wanting "white" pasta (cheesy pasta) again! So to cater to both of their desires, I modified the cheesy pasta into a Macaroni and cheese for Naz. Since we all enjoy Mexicano cheese, I used it and it does have a slight "spicy" taste. But you can use any cheese of your choice.

You will need:

250 grams dried macaroni pasta or pasta of your choice (I did use Fusilli since it is Anjalie's favorite)

4 tbsp of plain flour

1 tbsp butter/olive oil + for greasing

salt and white pepper to taste

100 grams of grated hard cheese of your choice

1 egg (optional)

1/4 cup sweet bell peppers (mixed colors)

2 cloves of garlic crushed

1/2 tsp oregano

500 ml whole milk/cream 

2 tbsps milk (optional)

Sausage masala (Indian curry)

Both Anjalie and I love Lincolnshire style veggie sausages. Given a chance we will eat them morning, noon and night :) So especially on cold winter nights, like tonight, Anjalie often requests this "curry". I usually make her a mild version (without chillies and chilli powder) while I like mine quite spicy. You can alter your according to your taste.


You will need:

Sausages (veggie or meat) - 6, cooked and cut into bite size pieces.

Onion - 1, chopped

ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp or ginger (1 inch piece) and 4 cloves garlic, chopped

Tomatoes - 2 ,chopped

fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp

mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

salt to taste

black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

2 green chillies chopped (for adults)

red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp (for adults)

garam masala - 1/2 tsp

chicken masala - 1/4 tsp (optional)

coriander powder - 1/4 tsp

coriander for garnish

oil - 2 tsp

Quick and easy potato salad

This is a quick and easy salad to make and regularly features as part of our dinner menu here. It just very ironic that I never got around to posting this one. The main reason is since it is one of the quick and easy food to prepare, I usually make this when pressed for time and never got a chance to click any pictures. So here it is finally, and without further ado,

 You will need:
3-4 large potatoes (cooking not baking): peeled, boiled and chopped into bite size pieces.
3 large eggs: hard-boiled, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
1 can of mixed veggies or peas and carrots: drained
3-4 tbsps of mayonaise/3 tbsp plain greek yogurt+1 tbsp milk
Salt and black pepper to taste
Celery leaves a few pieces
cilantro/coriander leaves for garnish

Pakoda Kurma/curry (mild)

This side dish is very versatile and can be eaten with just about anything, dosas, idlis, naans, rotis, bread, pancakes, pikelets, .... the list is never ending. I usually make this whenever I make pakodas for snack. I intentionally make extra amount of pakodas and use the left overs to make this kurma/curry. In fact, the gravy part of this is also very versatile and can be used in many dishes like tikka masala or any other Indian tomato based gravy. I some times make the gravy in advance and freeze it to use in a variety of dishes.

You will need:
Onion – 2, chopped
Tomato – 1, chopped
Green chillies – 2 or 3 (optional; skip if making for children)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder/paprika – ½ teaspoon (optional; again adjust according to taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coconut powder/coconut milk – ½ cup
Oil – 2 tablespoon
Salt – 1 teaspoon or as per taste
Pakodas made as shown here - 10-15 nos
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Potato Sagu

Potato Sagu/Sagoo offers a great veggie option to replace curries, in particular, as an accompaniment for Indian flat breads. It is semi-mashed in consistency and hence can be introduced to children at a much younger age (I first gave it to Anjalie around ~7 months), albeit, with milder spices.

You will need:

Potatoes – 4/5 Medium size
Onion - 1 medium size
Tomatoes – 2 to 3
Coriander leaves - ½ cup
Cumin seeds -½ tsp (optional)
Mustard - ½ tsp (optional)
Asafetida – pinch
Garam masala – 1tsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp or more according to your taste
Oil – 1 tbsp