Quick Rogan Josh and Spicy Carrot Salad

I find myself searching for more and more Monday-night-meal options lately as work has been heating up.  At home this often means leafing through Jamie's 30 Minute Meals, where I found rogan josh curry and spiced carrot salad.

I definitely seem to be a little Indian influenced recently with Saag Paneer and Chicken Tikka (here) or Channa Chat (here), but when it's home made it's easier to make healthier versions of what I would get eating out.


Quick Rogan Josh Curry with Spicy Carrot Salad

I made my own rogan josh paste using another of Jamie's recipes - he has a fabulous page with a multitude of different curry paste recipes for an easy reference (here).  I followed the recipe as written and ended up with almost exactly the right amount of paste.

I was also 'shopping in my pantry' so used frozen spinach and a tin of cannelini beans instead of chickpeas.


Curry
2 onions, sliced
1 medium pumpkin, cut into 1cm chunks
1 small cauliflower, separated into florets
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
a bunch of fresh coriander, chopped including stalks - keep a few leaves for garnish
1/2 283g jar of Patak's rogan josh paste
1x400g tin of chickpeas, rinsed
100g prewashed baby spinach
1x500g tub natural yoghurt

Cook onions in a pan with a few good lugs of olive oil, add cauliflower and pumpkin, chilli, garlic and coriander with a few good splashes of boiled water.  Add curry paste, chickpeas and half a tin of water.  Season and cook, stirring occasionally.  Closer to serving time check the consistency of the curry - add more water if needed.  Season if necessary, add spinach and stir through.  To serve, dollop some of the yoghurt onto the curry, sprinkle with coriander leaves and take to table.

Spicy Carrot Salad
a handful of flaked almonds
5 or 6 small carrots
1 fresh red chilli
a bunch of fresh coriander
2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1 lemon

Toast almonds in a small pan over a medium heat, tossing until golden.  Set aside in a small bowl.  Grate carrot, chilli, most of the coriander leaves and ginger.  Tip into serving bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil, add a pinch of salt.  Grate lemon zest and squeeze lemon juice over the top.  Sprinkle over the almonds and remaining coriander leaves and take to the table.

To Serve
basmati rice (cook with a few cloves for added flavour)
naan bread or chapattis or poppadoms

Review: Little Diner

The sign outside Little Dinner says Food Drink Hang - exactly the three things we were looking for on a mid-week public holiday.

I was inclined to like this place on the interior alone - Lower-East-Side-inspired, small cool space, textured concrete walls and a back wall dominated by a wine cellar - and I hadn't even seen the menu.  The punches kept rolling as we sat down and were promptly bought iced water served in funky jars with handles (I want some!), Toby's Estate coffee and menus.  Attentive service made up for a somewhat haphazard food arrival, and they were happy to accommodate Laura's inability to order anything off the menu just as it is, which we find a constant challenge in cafes around Singapore.

The food is very affordable, especially compared to the new Dean and Deluca (review here) in Orchard Central.  I paid $15.50 for my salmon eggs benedict.  I'll definitely go back to sample the dinner menu, and it's great to see an affordable selection of wine by the bottle (especially when they're from New Zealand!).  They also have weekend brunch specials where for $20 you can enjoy free flow cider from 12 - 2pm.

Eggs benedict (hold the hollandaise)

There was a constant flow of people in and out, so it might pay to book as this place becomes more popular, which I'm confident it will.

Little Diner
www.littlediner.sg
Menu here
789 Bukit Timah Road
Ph:  +65 6466 4088

They're open Monday evenings for drinks only, and Tuesday until Sunday for brunch, lunch and dinner.

Review: Dean & Deluca

Dean and Deluca must have been one of the most anticipated cafe openings in Singapore.  The New York cafe was destined to be a Singaporean favourite - it's a big international brand and it serves all day brunch.  Having not yet made it to NYC (I know, I know...) I didn't have a strong basis of comparison, but my taste buds were pleased, although my wallet was slightly shocked.

First up, everything looks amazing.  There is a fantastic bread and sweet treat selection, much of which is supplied by Baker & Cook (review here) and the cabinet food is much more affordable than the brunch menu and has a wide variety which you can mix and match, including old favourites like mac and cheese.

I think the brunch menu is the star of the show and the Ladies Who Brunch sampled it vigorously.  The French toast received two thumbs up, the New Yorker (scrambled eggs and salmon on a bagel) was delicious but the clear winner was the jamon iberico poached eggs - perfect!

Expect to pick up your own coffee from the barista bar, but brunch will be brought to you.  Oddly, almost everything is served in takeaway coffee cups - even the water.  The gourmet store has a vast array of goodies - good luck not picking anything up on your way out.

I think the only downside (apart from the price) of our experience was one rude waiter who tried to usher us off our table.  After nine ladies had brunched, coffee'd and smoothie'd, you'd think we'd earned the right to enjoy a bit of chat - we ordered a second coffee and lingered as long as we could out of principal.

Oh, and one last tip - go early or expect to wait.

Dean and Deluca
Level 4, Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
Singapore

+65 6509 7708

Review: Kith - Just Redeemed

It's fair to say my first experience with Kith on Roberston Quay was a disaster (here) which put me right off the place for almost a year (I don't forgive a bad brunch easily).  When I saw they'd opened a new place in Park Mall on Penang Road I thought the time had come to give them a second chance and they just made it back... just.

The menu covers brunch, lunch and dinner, with an extensive drinks menu.  I had more trouble deciding what to drink that what to eat.  I decided on a ice blended latte which they obligingly left out the ice cream and swapped the milk for soy (my August dairy-free challenge).  Feeling virtuous, I ordered a grilled vegetable salad and Caro ordered a grilled chicken sandwich - both of which disappointed from the moment they were set on our table.  My salad fit the description to a tee - grilled eggplant, zucchini, tomato and green apple with balsamic dressing.  Two long strips of eggplant, three zucchini rounds, two halves of a grilled tomato with a quarter of a fresh tomato, two thin green apple slices, all very lightly drizzled with balsamic.  Each was spread around the plate to maximise coverage with absolutely no artistry.  What a disappointment!  I wouldn't put in this little effort if I was making this for myself at home, let alone pay $14 for it.

Caro's chicken sandwich was worse.  Four huge bits of bread covered the plate, two of which were clearly for decoration purposes only and were completely plain.  Riddle me this - what is with the excessive serving of bread in Singapore cafes?  The 'sandwich' was a thin layer of gherkin topped by grilled chicken cubes, completely unadorned.  No mayo or relish to stick it all together - completely dry.

This is where the redemption occurred.

When Caro politely enquired as to whether the chicken sandwich usually came like this the staff very quickly picked up she wasn't happy and offered to replace it with another item from the menu, which she did.  When her eggs arrived (very quickly) I was asked whether I was happy with my salad, to which I replied that I was a little disappointed with how plain they were.  After apologies all round, she returned with an offer of a drink, coffee or smoothie for each of us on the house, and an explanation that the chef was brand new chef.  We both decided to get a ginger, lime and mint cooler which was delicious.

So, would I go back?  I think I'll give them one more chance - the food coming out around us looked much better than our order, and the coffee needs a trial run.  It is just around the road from my house, and a peek at the wine list showed surprising value.  

Third time lucky perhaps?

July 30-Day Challenge: Recaffeinated

Oh I how I have missed my (sometimes twice or thrice) daily double shot macchiato.  It's great to be back!

I actually fared a lot better than I expected - no headaches, no sleepiness, just an extreme jealousy whenever I saw someone drinking a cup of joe.

Initially I didn't actually think I felt/saw any benefits of my caffeine-free month, but after digging a little deeper perhaps I did.  I certainly slept well in July.  I fell asleep quickly, and slept deeply, but that could also be because I was travelling and working so much that I was exhausted.  I didn't notice reduced anxiety (was I anxious before?), but my energy levels were pretty high and I didn't succumb to afternoon sugar cravings as often.

But aside from tasting damned good, my daily coffee is improving my memory, warding off Alzheimer's and helping me recover from my morning boot camp sessions.  Sounds like three pretty good reasons to stick to my double mac.

August's challenge is to go dairy-free.  One week in and I'm missing my breakfast yoghurt and have had to painfully pass up two delicious meals involving buffalo mozzarella - one of my favs.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

A year and a half ago we paid a visit to the D-Day Beaches and military cemeteries in Normandy (an incredible trip).  This year we decided to visit Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing, the largest WWI Commonwealth grave site just out of Passenale, a short day trip from Holland where we were staying.

Tyne Cot is a beautifully kept area on top of a peaceful rolling hill.  When we were there it was surrounded by fields of beautiful purple flowers (not lavender), and the graves are dotted with vibrant red roses.  It's hard to believe it was in the middle of year after year of bloody trench warfare.

We also visited the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres which has recently reopened after extensive renovation.  The museum chronicles the build up to WWI right the way through to the end of WWII with an amazing mixture of multimedia interactive displays - videos, audio, exhibits, photos.  One of the most memorable items was a video of actors playing soldiers from a number of countries retelling how the soldiers from both sides of the trenches put aside their differences to celebrate Christmas Day together.


If you're within driving distance, I'd highly recommend a visit to both places.

In Flanders Field Museum

In Flanders Fields Museum
Cloth Hall, Grote Markt 34, B 8900 Ypres
+32 57 239 220