Cookery book club - July - Hugh F-W Veg and curries by Madhur Jaffrey and the Hairy Bikers (vroom vroom)

[Curioustiger]

Come join the Mumsnet cookery bookclub! Each month we choose two cookery books - one popular, like Nigella / Jamie / Delia, so you probably already have it / can borrow it and one a bit more unusual. We cook a minimum of two recipes each - you choose the recipe, they just have to be ones you have never cooked before- which works out at four new recipes each month.Then we chat about them!

For June our books were:

• Mexican Food Made Easy by Thomasina Miers
  
• Thirty Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver
  

And we posted here

For July our books are:

• Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Veg Every Day
  
• Madhur Jaffrey Ultimate Curry Bible AND / OR madhur Jaffrey's Curry Easy AND / OR Hairy Bikers' Great Curries
  

For August, our books will be:

• Fuchsia Dunlop Every Grain of Rice (chopsticks at the ready ladies)
  
• Dan Lepard Short and Sweet
  

We will always try to pick at least one book with recipes available on the Internet, and local libraries are great for cookbooks if you can order in advance. We pick books three months ahead so will be choosing September's books this month.

[snoworneahva]

Just got the Hairy Bikers book - and they have a recipe for Indonesian Beef Rendang - Dh's favourite curry, so hard to get a good recipe, we've tried a few but none of them are quite right....this will definitely be one to try....hopefully it'll be the one dh has been craving for years.

[Parsnipcake]

I have just got book people order with hairy bikers - looks great. Also got Fuschia Dunlop which looks quite scary. Interested to see what everyone cooks from this, not sure how it's going to go down here.

[XBenedict]

Anyone got Simon Hopkinson's The good cook? I have been watching him this week as I have sooo much ironing and have loved his recipes. We are having his coq au vin tonight Maybe you could choose it for your Sept book and then I'd have to buy it

[Pantah630]

Really fancied a curry as weather is yuk, again. I have HB Korma on the stove, ready to go and TM Pork Scratching in another pan starting their long road to being eaten. 3-4 days drying 😔😒😞😢 don't know if can wait that long, it smells lovely and orangey coupled with the smell of korma 😀

[glorious]

shoe the courgette and green bean salad with tahini dressing is lovely.

I'll flick through the book for other favourites soon but from memory I'd also recommend:

• squash and fennel lasagne
  
• merguez chickpeas
  
• squash and blue cheese toasties (more an idea than a recipe)
  
• beetroot hummus
  
• dukkah
  
  My copy of Madhur has arrived at the library so I'll be picking it up soon and I'll see if they have Hairy Bikers too

[PeteCampbellsRecedingHairline]

Can anyone recommend any recipes from MJ please?

Off topic but I'm a name changer. I haven't just invaded.

[Curioustiger]

Ooh now you're making us guess Pete. I am long overdue a name change but I am bizarrely fond of my nn!

[showtunesgirl]

The Kenyan chicken curry is very good from Curry Bible

I also regularly do the South Indian Green Beans, Karhai Broccoli from Curry Easy.

Actually I do do a LOT of her chicken ones as they are quick and easy!

[Pantah630]

The korma was delicious if a tad hot. I used mild chilli powder instead of the hot so don't think it was that. I didn't have fresh ginger only cheats ginger in brine, I weighed that out instead, do you think too much ginger would add heat?

[PeteCampbellsRecedingHairline]

Thanks!

Tiger I only named changed because I managed to out myself on another thread.

I was quite fond of my name.

[PeteCampbellsRecedingHairline]

Name changed not named changed!

[ScienceRocks]

Pete, I have seen you on the MadMen thread (I lurk but don't post). Love the name!

[AlohaMama]

I know it's not July but...made the fish curry with half-ripe mangoes from MJ last night. Caveat - I was missing some key ingredients (grd cumin and coriander, curry leaves). I put in more coconut milk than she said as 50ml didn't seem like it was going to add anything, and didn't bother browning the fish. Other than all that, it was nice, not the best I've made though. I felt it could be sweeter - more mangoes would have helped. We ate it with mango chutney which much improved it. DS (2) loved it.

For Pete, my favourites from MJ include -
Royal Chicken Korma
Singapore style south indian chicken curry (using much less water than in the recipe)
Kadhai chicken
Singapore style prawn curry
Green cabbage sabzi (so easy and great side dish)
Natal red kidney bean curry (my go to store cupboard curry, using tinned not dried chickpeas and tinned tomatoes if I don't have fresh, it's really quick and delicious)
Malaysian split pea curry with vegetables
South African Chicken Biryani - only for special occasion as you prepare each layer separately so takes a while, but very aromatic

Have made more besides but those are the ones I keep going back to.

[PeteCampbellsRecedingHairline]

Thanks Aloha and Showgirl.

Don't lurk Science, come and join in.

Well maybe next season. Have you been on Tom and Lorenzo?

[showtunesgirl]

One thing to note about all of MJ curries though is that I put in substantially less salt than she specifies but I find this to be true of nearly all curry recipes where they put in too much.

[woollywomble]

Hi, is it ok to join you? I seem to have loads of cookbooks but always cook the same old things so this would be a great way to start being a bit more adventurous. Have ordered July and August's books from the library and look forward to reporting back soon!

[glorious]

Welcome woolly. Hope your library is speedier than mine, I'm still waiting on a June book (bought it in the end)

[Xiaoxiong]

Hello, signing in! I just lurked in June as it was manic here and I didn't have either of the books. But July and August are right up my alley (esp August - my two favourite books right now )

Curry bible: I love the few things I have cooked from there - Kenyan coriander chicken, chicken biryani, cabbage sabzi. Don't know why I haven't explored it more so looking forward to everyone else's suggestions.

HFW: back when everyone was raving about this on MN I tried two things as a test to see if I wanted to get the book. I looked at the recipes published in one of the Sunday papers as i figured those were likely to be the best if they were using them as a sales pitch.

Tried the chickpea curry - the one with ketchup - followed recipe to the letter and it was so foul even my very loyal DH who will usually choke anything down if I've made it pushed it round and round his plate - we binned the rest (have since found much better recipe on the Wednesday Chef food blog)

Then tried the shakshuka and it didn't hold a candle to ottolenghi's recipe.

Needless to say I didn't buy the book!! Did I just pick the two dud recipes?

[snoworneahva]

Just made the Avocado and Grapefruit with chilli salad from Hugh's veg - it was a bit of an assault on the tastebuds - sour, creamy, heat....I enjoyed eating it, it was interesting but my tastebuds were confused, I don't think I'd make it again but it would make a fabulous starter for a vegan meal.

[snoworneahva]

Just eaten the Vietnamese Kebabs from MJ - really liked this dish, I went light on the chilli hoping for a family success - no joy there but the meatballs were light on texture and tasty and enjoyed by all - loved the fish sauce and the mint leaves really gave it an edge.

[catwithflowers]

often use this naan recipe

[catwithflowers]

But I don't reactivate the yeast, I just throw it all in the bread machine. I do cook it in a very hot pan as recommended in this recipe as my oven never gets hot enough

[AlohaMama]

Well I made the spouffle tonight - courgette version. As recommended by pregnant pause I added more flavour by putting in extra nutmeg, substituting some parmesan for some of the cheddar, and adding some wholegrain mustard.it was surprisingly tasty but felt a bit like a slightly glorified pasta bake with a fluffier texture. I would make again or at least then idea of adding egg whites to other pasta bakes to achieve the same effect.

[glorious]

Other ideas from HFW are the pasta with raw tomato and the lettuce, spring onion and cheese tart (made this in the glorious weeks of mat leave before my 5 month old DD arrived and still remember it being delicious!)

[Parsnipcake]

My dd just made the DIY pot noodle from HFW and it was delicious. I am pleasantly surprised. Helped along by some chipotle paste. Very fresh tasting.