Veggie Rendang

Remember all our recent Indian bits and pieces – chicken salad … but not as you know it and Malai wali murghi (MWM) from Post holiday blues?

For a supper with friends I decided on the MWM, meatball size lamb koftas, and all the usual suspects, raita, mango and naan. The only element that was missing was for me – the veggie curry. Speed, as usual, was my main aim. Here's my veggie rendang.

You can make your own speedy rendang sauce :

Rendang Sauce

Serves 2

100ml coconut cream

50ml water

3 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp curry powder

(strength to suit your palate – I used mild

to suit my guests)

1 tbsp kecap manis

(sweet soy sauce)

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat and it's ready to roll. You can make this ahead and re-heat.

Add whatever veggies you like – do a fridge raid if you think you've got a miscellany of stuff that needs using up for a mid week supper. If your raid produces leftover cooked veggies that's great if not, then uncooked veggies should be cubed to the same size and sautéed in a drop of rapeseed oil. They don't need to be cooked through since you'll be adding them to the rendang sauce.

It's difficult to give exact quantities since I know from experience that meat eaters always eat the veggie stuff – don't ask me why it's one of the great mysteries of life! Some guests may take a spoonful to try or to compliment the meat and poultry dishes – to cover yourself I'd double the above recipe to serve 4.

I used onion, potatoes and chick peas :

1 medium onion chopped finely and sautéed in a drop

of rapeseed oil

500g baby potatoes (I used Cornish) cooked, cooled

peeled, cubed and bagged until ready to use

1 400g can of chick peas, drained, rinsed and shucked

2 handfuls of frozen petit pois – optional

There's a downside with chick peas … the shucking - just in case you're not sure about shucking it's to remove the outer covering of anything that is eaten from an oyster to cereal or corn.

I find it therapeutic but then I'm sad!

Rocky Road – step by step photos

Bag the Rocky Road in cellophane bags and add a chick or bunny and tie with yellow ribbon. There are loads of decorative bits and pieces out there and if you shop around you won't spend a fortune either.

Three different chocolate treats for Easter – all easy peasy – Pets D'Ange, Maya's Chocolate-Chip Cookies and Rocky Road Take 33!

Rocky Road – Hints and Tips

After your Rocky Road has been fridged you can let your inner Jackson Pollock take over and decorate with 150g of melted white chocolate. You can microwave, use a bain marie or an electric chocolate melting pot. I know I've said it before - I'm not one for spending huge amounts of dosh on kitchen kit that gathers dust but this little pot is worth the investment. It's quick and easy to use and all you have to wash up is one small pot. You get three pots in the kit – each will take a maximum of 250g of chocolate. This element is entirely optional. If you do decide to decorate then you'll have to fridge the Rocky Road again to allow it to set.

You can portion the Road as you prefer – I cut it into bite size pieces, measuring approximately 3.2cms (ish) – you don't have to lose sleep over exact pieces! The good news – you get over 100 pieces. I find the best way is cut the slab in half then cut each slab into lengths and then each length into bite size pieces.

The Road freezes well as have all the others – you might want to freeze in smaller portions if you intend to use it as part of your own muddle invention. Bear in mind that you have the freeze-dried raspberries and strawberries in the recipe and so can add a fresh fruit to a muddle. I know that it goes against the grain to buy fruits that are out of season but you can get fresh strawberries and a little indulgence in this miserable winter weather lifts the spirits – that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Here's a photo of the freeze-dried raspberries (10g) and strawberries (7g) - to give perspective the tubes measure 14 x 3cms. Try your favourite on-line grocer's search engine. If you live the in the UK then I may be able to save you time by saying that I bought mine from Waitrose.

Clever idea and they taste great in the Rocky Road.

Rigorous testing has of course taken place. The verdict – unanimous – better than all previous offerings and the shortbread ingredient is brilliant.

Step by step photo guide on its way.

Rocky Road – again

I know I can't leave it alone – I can't resist experimenting with different ingredients and I know that the consensus is “if it ain't broke don't fix it” but they also say “the exception proves the rule”.

Rocky Road – Take 33! - I know I exaggerate

225g each of dark and milk chocolate

300g shortbread

100g mini marshmallows

7g freeze-dried raspberry pieces

4g freeze-dried strawberry pieces

175g soft butter, unsalted - cubed

4x15ml tbsp golden syrup

150g brazil nuts, chopped

150g white chocolate to decorate

I used a foil tray bake – measuring 32 x 20cms.

Place the shortbread in a bag and bash away – a mixture of size of crumb is what you want.

Tip the crumb into a large bowl and add the marshmallows together with the raspberry and strawberry pieces. Add the chopped brazils.

Meanwhile, place the plain and milk chocolate, butter and golden syrup into a large saucepan and melt on a low heat.

Remove from the heat and leave on a cool surface for a minute or two and then tip the crumb et al into the melted chocolate and mix gently to ensure that the crumb mixture is covered. Tip it into the foil tray ensuring that it reaches all the corners. You will have a lumpy surface.

Fridge it for at least 2 hours – longer will not be a problem.

This smells really good … more good news to follow.

The chocolate chip cookie photo guide …

and adieu.

If you need to be convinced :

A definite candidate for an Easter treat.

Here's another thought – remember the “muddle”? You could use a microwaved, crumbled cookie as part of your creation, like this one :

Finally, huge thanks to “The Little Book of Chocolat” - it has been so much fun – this book does “exactly what it says on the tin”!

The chocolate chip cookie scale

As we have the Beaufort Scale for measuring wind speed from calm to hurricane and the Richter Scale for the magnitude of an earthquake it seems only right that we should have a Chocolate Chip Cookie Scale which I now dub “The Squidge Scale”. We all have our own specific requirements – is it squidgy or just soft – it's a quandary!

Here come the usual hints and tips from the recipe :

I used unsalted butter, ordinary caster sugar and ordinary brown sugar.

“Glue” or grease the parchment with a little butter to secure.

Size-wise it depends how precise you wish to be with your cookies – I used an ice cream scoop but a dessert spoon or tablespoon will do just as well.

Remember to leave space between each cookie.

Resist the urge to prod and move the cookies until they've cooled - “a prod-free zone” if you will – go build a bridge or clean your oven!

I carried out the mandatory freezer experiment – academic I think since I'd be surprised if they didn't all disappear immediately if not sooner. You could make a batch – cool them and then freeze - bagged or boxed.

When the urge becomes too much allow the cookies to defrost. Based on a measurement of 6-7cms in diameter per cookie and using a 700w microwave cook on medium for 10 seconds.

The microwave process is an exact science and I'd definitely suggest you begin as above and then apply the all important squidge test – or you can prod if you like! For me the magic is breaking the cookie open to reveal a soft inside with warm chocolate chips that still keep their shape.

Oh yes please!

9 down – the end - nearly!

Here is my final choice from The Little Book of Chocolat :

Maya's Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Every child should know how to make these.

For the days when only cookies will do.

Takes 40 minutes/makes 15-20

200g butter, soft

50g unrefined caster sugar

120g unrefined light brown sugar

120g dark chocolate (drops or chopped)

175g oats

200g self raising flour

Heat the oven to 160fan/180c/Gas 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Cream together the butter and sugars, stir in the chocolate and oats, then finally add the flour and blend.

Roll the mixture by hand into 20-25 even-sized balls. Flatten them sightly with the palm of your hand and place on the baking sheet, giving them enough room to spread when cooking. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Once golden and cooked, cool on a wire rack and, if not eaten at once, store in an airtight container.

As is usual the recipe is taken exactly as written from the book – have you spotted the deliberate mistake? There are conflicting numbers of cookies – 15-20 in the heading and 20-25 in the final paragraph.

I'm not pointing this out to be mean spirited – in fact we all measure in different ways – I actually got 16 cookies from the recipe given.

There's just a little more …