Wednesday 28 July 2010

I bought a book: Miss Masala

"A large sign greeted us: 'No smoking, drinking alcohol or eating non-vegetarian food' Gulp. Our lives were temporarily over."


Or, alternatively, my life. Now I could be offended or I could be captivated by the glossy and often irreverent style of Mallika Basu. Let's go with the second. There recipes here - and there are 90 of them, 63 (clearly marked!) vegetarian, 35 vegan - are nestled amongst talk of food, kitchen gadgetry, and personal stories. You can read it cover to cover, like a novel. I did, twice. And it was a lot of fun. As was the cooking.







Well what of the food? It's simple and delicious. The morning after I bought the book I was up early making Pakoras. Well I don't smoke, drink or eat meat, I had to do something! They're shallow fried which is a relief. And ridiculously easy considering how long I've been putting it off. The hardest part is finding the chickpea (also known as gram) flour and I already had a bag in the pantry. For other Torquay residents you can buy a bag on the market or order online from Doves Farm.

After the smashing success of my pakora breakfast I thought I'd treat myself to a block of paneer and try out the Mattar Paneer. Again it was very easy to follow. The instructions are written in a very intuitive, easy to use way. And it turned into a very delicious supper.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Clare, thanks for not being offended. The joke was actually more relevant to my meatarian, smoker husband. I quit fags yonks ago and happily eat veg over meat... Your paneer looks absolutely yum. Thanks for the kind words and happy cooking/eating!!

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  2. There is a definite difference between a respectful and joking 'not for me thanks' and... well my Mum (love you Mum, but cut out the bacon cracks)

    I hope I didn't give any fellow veggies reason to fear. Each vegetarian recipe is clearly marked and very welcome on my book shelf.

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