Cookbook Challenge

[Sakkarin Profile]

Made the Chicken Biryani from the Brilliant book yesterday - by far the best biryani I've ever made, and "leftovers" tasted even better today. Still some tweaks to get it to LOOK attractive (it ended up slightly mushy), but flavourwise absolutely spot on.

[Lusciouslush Profile]

Anything different about the recipe? What made it so good do you think?

[Sakkarin Profile]

I've no idea, I'll see if I can work it out. Much heavier spicing than you'd expect is part of it!

EDIT: Just found the recipe from the book online on her website - I followed it pretty much to the letter, except for the food colouring, which I left out.

http://www.dipna.com/content.php?code=chicken-biryani

[Lusciouslush Profile]

Interesting Recipe Saks, adding water to the yoghurt marinade & then cooking the rice in it - I 've always oven baked or grilled the chicken in the yoghurt paste separately - so I can see how the rice would be a bit on the mushy side - I'm curious now, so I'll give this a try next week!

She says in her forward that the recipe doesn't use food colouring, but it does! ........I have some in so will use it.

[Dena Profile]

Does sound interesting Sakkarin, Did you use the Kewda/kewra water. I hadn't heard of it so had to google. Is it worth buying. I see Spices of India sell it - I get most of my spices from them and as it is only 75p I might put it on my next shop from them.

[jeral Profile]

Hi Dena. I asked on here about kewra water with several replies: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2140&p=25225&hilit=+kewra#p25225 Like you, I decided it wouldn't break the bank to buy a bottle. I ought to store it next to the rice as I forget I have it, remembering it only when too late, tsk. Mine came from a local shop, probably Turkish oriented.

[Sakkarin Profile]

Lush, I think the quality of the rice has a bearing on how it turns out. The rice I used was cheapo stuff, with pretty small grains. In the past I've treated myself to the top grade rice, with long, large grains, and it is undoubtedly better. In fact I remember reading that some of the rice companies cheat, and what you get is NOT true basmati. I have a feeling that may apply to the stuff I bought

The method is similar to the way I've made pilau rice for some time (i.e. several short cooks and turning), so I can vouch for it working when you get all the steps right, although again occasionally it ends up a bit mushy, which as I say, I put down to the rice.

Not an expert, but I think the age of the rice has a bearing on it too.

I used rosewater, but didn't have kewra water to hand so didn't bother with that. I have pandanus leaves in the freezer, maybe adding a few inches of that at an appropriate point might have been a substitute. It didn't really bother me, I didn't think the lack of it would have a great effect, just slightly less of a perfumed overtone.

I keep on harping on about Dipna's Achari Tikka, but I don't think anyone else has actually tried it yet. Hopefully if you like this, you might give that a bash too, Lush!!

[jeral Profile]

Not sure how relevant this is but I always buy basmati as I like the taste (rice isn't just rice) and preferably Tilda brand.

I once bought some "broken basmati" thinking that after I'd rinsed it well, given it a "bring to the boil for 1 min" then draining & washing starch/dust off, then adding new boiling water that it would taste as good. Wrong. It might be OK if stuffing things but hopeless as rice on a plate (to me).

Jasmine rice costs an arm and a leg too. Mostly on the shelves is "fragrant rice" (not sure what that is).

I guess one either is or isn't a rice person.

Just found some medium egg noodles in the cupboard so off on a different tack now.

[Sakkarin Profile]

New cookbook alert. Picked up "Pierre Gagnaire - Reinventing French Cuisuine" for £2.50 in charity shop, vaguely recognised the name, but a flip through it looked top drawer, so bought it anyway.

Got it home, and opened it up, to find that it's a signed copy!!! He's signed it as proprietor of the 2 Michelin starred Sketch restaurant. Apparently he's TWICE achieved 3 stars in France.

The only thing is I have a feeling there won't be much in there I will be able to afford to cook! We'll see.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Lucky find, Sakkarin. Hope it's a keeper.

Yesterday cooked from my new book by Bill Granger: everyday asian (I bought 4 books and this one is the one I really like)

Lamb Cutlets with satay sauce: tweaked not to have nuts in it, so not satay at all but thai red curry sauce, and jolly good it was too
with Asian Greens/ bok choi - the sauce was particularly refreshing and light.





8/10 - the change I would make is not to put the tamarind in the sauce. It went from a gutsy red coconut "dressing", to overly complex and confusing.

[Sakkarin Profile]

I couldn't have identified the lamb cutlets had you not said what they were!

I succumbed to the Pim book, on the Homesense thread...

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

I am seriously considering having a go at this challenge. But I haven't got that many books that I haven't already used, despite my large collection of cookbooks. I may have to resort to trying something out of one of my original Masterchef books, in honour of Joanbunting, and the late Ross Burden!

[Sakkarin Profile]

Didn't realise he came to fame through Masterchef! I am not sure I've made anything from any of my Masterchef books (all from the early period), I'm pretty sure I must have.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Got the J Sheekey book out again.
I do like the simplicity. And made roasted bream (just stuffed with parsley and lemon), with an endive walnut and blue cheese salad.

I wasn't sure it would go well, but the fish took the flavours nicely.

The recipe asks for whole fish which would be better - but my recent adventure offered too many bones, so I went for fillet this time to save OH moaning.

The instructions also said to blitz the blue cheese with other ingredients - but then to dot the salad with the blue cheese.
Still, pleasant offering nevertheless, however it is meant to be.

(Salad bowl made by myself)

[Sakkarin Profile]

Used to be a friend of mine - we fell out many years ago, but I love her ceramic work...
http://www.handpaintedtiles.org.uk/handpainted.html

Another friend whose work astonishes me...
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Diamante ... tos_albums

[Dena Profile]

I have bought a few new cook books - just so I can try the cookbook challenge!!!! I have started buying them from Amazon for 1p plus postage.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/9625 ... UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Place-Like-Home ... wley+leigh

I don't know much about Rowley Leigh, but want to see his recipes for his piscatarian Aunt.

I realised, after I had made the maqluba, I had made other things from the book so it wasn't really your challenge

Next time it will be from books I haven't already used at least once.

[Sakkarin Profile]

I have the Malaysian book - those Periplus books are always good, and seem to throw a slightly different slant on the food they cover from the run-of-the-mill books. I would like to collect a complete set, but some of the titles are prohibitively expensive (like the Lonely Planet World Food series, although I bit the bullet and ended up with a complete set of those). I have the Indonesia, Balinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian and LONDON (!) Periplus books. Maybe the prices have dropped on some of the expensive titles, I'll have a look.

Quite a few of the recipes which caught my eye in the Malaysian book I've already made from other books, having a quick flick through the pandan pancakes at the back intrigue me. Looking through again, I am reminded of a souring agent called "asam gelugor" that I've never managed to get hold of and would like to try.

I also got Joan's "Cooking with Love" book through the post which I found on Amazon. I was intrigued to see that she includes a recipe for "Chicken with 40 cloves of Garlic", way back in 1992. The first I ever came across that dish was a year or three ago in the Nigel Slater "Real Food" programme below (jump forward to 11' 09"), where Rowley Leigh says "I've always heard of the dish and looked through my cookbooks but couldn't find anything" and then Alastair Little says he's never found a recipe either, then makes his own version.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/nige ... od#2921717

[Joanbunting Profile]

Saks, I am really touched. I expect it too was 1p+postage though. The publisher was as useless as the writer and, anyway I had only just started food writing then.

As to chicken with 40 cloves etc, I discovered it in the late 70's when we used to travel all over France in our Renault 4 with two kids in the back. As a huge ED fan I always had a note book on my person and used to pester restaurants for tips and recipes shamelessly. All the more impressive that I got answers because at that time I couldn't speak French and M refused to translate and used to sneak off. I was often taken into the kitchen and just shown how to do things.

I will get into my boxes next door in the next couple of days and fish out a book I genuinely have never used. I am not allowed to buy any more. I don't suppose anyone would appreciate a dish from Eat the Norwaywould they? marinated Elk anyone.

[Sakkarin Profile]

I will pretend I bought it NEW, Joan...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listin ... dition=new

Incidentally, I see you have your own "chef" page on the BBC website, although unfortunately there's nowt on it ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/chefs/joan_bunting

I have a handful of Scandinavian books too, not a lot in them to inspire, maybe I should opt for the meatballs in the IKEA one...

[Joanbunting Profile]

Good grief Sakkers! I have several new copies here. Could have sent you one with love