March Cookery Book Club - Made in India and Prashad

[HuevosRancheros]

Welcome to the Mumsnet Cookery Book Club :)

Every month we choose two books to cook from - we aim to cook at least two new recipes during the month, reporting back to the group on how we got on.

This month our books are Made in India by Meera Sodha and Prashad by Kaushy Patel

Recipes are also available on line if you don't have access to the books - Meera Sodha's here and Prashad's here

If you would like to see what we cooked last month, the thread is here

Everyone is welcome, don't be shy :)

Like Sconess I am loathe to leave MiI - I think I shall be cooking from this regularly for months :)

But let's do Diana Henry - I have none, and have no intention of getting any, but shall look her up online. Though as pregnant says I will probably end up buying them all (except the chicken one!) - I didn't have MiI at the start of this

The kitchari was really good. Maybe a bit too much butter for my taste, it could be reduced a little imo and still retain the flavour. It was comforting and gently spiced and just lovely. The garlic pickle complemented it really well - it is quite an addictive pickle, I think I ate a bit too much . I will be on massive quantities of Smints for the school run and will probably reek tomorrow - oops

Huevos i was dubious about the date and tamarind as you say it is a chuck in blender job but it had a good balance of flavour. The beetroot samosas freeze which was my intention to freeze half but they were so good we ate them all.

mmm the Kitchari looks great might have to try that next week and the Pistachio curry yyyuuummmmm, agree this is a lovely book am really enjoying it.

Yes I agree about Made in India too, great book.

We had the lamb burgers, tomato chutney and masala chips last night. Really liked all of it. The spicing in the burger is well balanced and not over done, and the masala chips came out really lovely and crispy for oven chips (why?! I bet they'll never work as well again!). I didn't bother skinning the tomatoes and it was fine for me obviously not very refined tastes here

I have Roast figs, sugar snow from Diana H so any book of hers would be a good start for me next month. We should reprise MiI at some point .

Would definitely love to redo made in India at some point. I just got the book and am going away next week. I have marked so many things to try.

I have impressed myself and managed to knock up the cauliflower, pea and cashew curry for my tea tonight - multitasking and cooking shepherd's pie for DH and dd at the same time.

It tastes amazing, I am clock watching waiting for DH to get home, so I can eat!!

I am entirely behind a redo of made in India- it's become one of my top ten cookbooks in the two weeks I've had it. There's barely a recipe in it I don't want to try.

Glorious- I had the same results with the chips- crispy and fluffy, unexpected for an oven chop. I really liked the spice salt too.

Huevos- I've only looked through the roast figs book, but baring deserts I don't think it's very veg heavy. Perhaps the newer change of appetite is though as people compare to Anna jones.

Cauliflower curry was gorgeous, now I see why you all loved it :)
The sauce was so flavoursome, I think you could easy use other veg/meat if cauliflower and peas aren't your thing.

Maybe we should revisit MiI in the summer? I favoured different recipes when we revisited Plenty in January compared to when we first did it in ?July. You view books differently in different seasons and with different veg available :)

Snow fig iirc is cold weather food and very meat centric. I didn't have it for that reason. We cook about 50% vegetarian and only chicken and fish as meat. And not even roast chicken because DH hates meat heavy meals.

Do you have EYB? Have a look at plenty and a change of appetite on there? Plenty is about seasonal produce so should have more that suits you.

Actually i think you don't need to belong to EYB to see the book listing. These are recipes tagged as vegan and vegetarian in a change of appetite.
www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes?q=133862+%22Change+of+Appetite%22&f_special_diet=Vegan&f_special_diet=Vegetarian

There seems to be quite a few.

Blah that's just vegan recipes! The tags are quirky. If you select both vegan and vegetarian, then it shows recipes at are both vegan and vegetarian, not or.

Revisting MII is a great idea. Pistachio curry tonight - good flavour, a bit too much liquid...I think I'll be less generous with the stock next time.

Picked up The Little Paris Kitchen today at the library - I know shockingly little about French Food, it will hopefully be a good read if nothing else.

I found French food very meat heavy. Or it might just be my ignorance.

Thanks Two - I do have EYB and have had a look before, have also had a "Look Inside" on amazon....

I'll be honest, I'm not completely grabbed by any if it.
I am perfectly happy to just watch and read next month - face it, this month I started out with Prashad and no intention of getting MiI - I have hardly touched Prashad as MiI sounded so good that I bought it and have completely fallen in love with it . So there is a good chance that I will end up the proud owner of a Diana Henry, or two, by the end of April

I still want to explore MWoE more, as well as Deliciously Ella. And I have only made one thing from Plenty More, which I got for Christmas, despite the million sticky notes in it. I have been too distracted by this book club!!

I wonder how many got plenty more for Christmas. Would be lovely to explore it maybe in May?

I haven't dipped into plenty yet, so a plenty-themed month would be great! Maybe we could balance it with the cocktail book?

Oh, I'd forgotten about the cocktails, how could I?

Did we ever actually choose a cocktail book?

No,we didn't choose a book, but perhaps we could just use what we have (or websites) and then compare notes so we have an "ultimate" list.

Lots of cookbooks have some cocktail recipes in them - Nigella and Thomasina spring to mind.

Might be a good one for a warmer month.

I was just thinking exactly the same Science

There are some cheap kindle cocktail books on amazon for those that want to get one, but I guess the point is not necessarily to discover loads of new recipes, but discover the recipe for the ultimate margarita, for example :)

Although if anyone happens to know how to make a Chocolate Bunny that I had in Phuket in about 1999 I would be forever in your debt

Huevos, re the chocolate bunny: go to supermarket, buy Lindt bunny. Melt in Bain Marie, stir in tequila, chilli and cream. Sip and think of the chocolate's former form

On a more thread-related note, there are loads of cocktail apps too. My favourite ones involve selecting ingredients from a list that I have in the cupboard, then shaking my iPad to make it generate a recipe

I think I might have to get DH that app Science! He loves making cocktails and would appreciate the silliness. What's it called?

That app sounds great Science

As for the chocolate bunny, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to figure out, it seemed to be a combination of creme de cocoa, cream (this being Thailand, it came out of a tin, so evaporated milk maybe?), possibly a Baileys type drink and maybe brandy? I could just never justify the purchase of creme de cocoa at the time, we didn't have the money to spare :(

We did, however, spend a fun and silly afternoon with a bottle of Tia Maria and some double cream doing "experiments" - DH had read in New Scientist that you could see the vortices where they met if you poured it properly. So it had to be done in the name of scientific interest
And then we drank the rest of the Tia Maria :)

Having liked the sound of all the MiI recipes I've bought the book and will be doing the roast chicken on Sunday.

DD really doesn't like even slightly hot food, so do you think some of the sides would work without chilli/ chilli powder?

I have quite a few apps for cocktails but I don't have my ipad on me to check which has the shaking thing. Try The Barman, Mixology (or Mixologist), speakeasy, cocktail flow, liquor cabinet, and drinks and cocktails.

Last weekend I made the passionfruit margaritas out of the Wahaca book and was practically on my back after one (delicious it was too). I can't drink tequila like I used to, as the subsequent jug of bloody marias proved, though at least the rather dirty chicken nachos I made for dinner mopped up some of the alcohol...

BarBeasty DS1 doesn't either, I've been taking the seeds and membranes out of the fresh chillies and using a tad less chilli powder rather than none and he's been fine with it. Loves the coconut fish curry which is unusual for him.

We have the mushroom pilaf Weds night but it didn't go down too well, it was tasty but not right as a main, I think it would be fab as a side with meat or fish though, I did poach some duck eggs to give some protein but they weren't impressed. My only flop from MiI so far.

Twins I've got plenty more on indie but yet to cook from it. May do that next month along with the Diane Henry book.

I have a fully stocked drinks cupboard but only use it for cooking, though I love a Virgin Mojito after having one at Wahaca. Pretty sure DS1 has a cocktail book so I may have a go when I have a free day to recover as im cen more of a lightweight than science, it'll be one sip here