A gorgeous vegetarian curry, proper custard and a spice-roasted chook
Plus I'm pondering why I can't just relax
Mushroom and chickpea curry
Serves 4-6
This vegetarian curry is full of flavour but fairly moderate on spice, making it a super family friendly meal. I’ve made this 3 times in the last month. The mushrooms are sautéed separately over a high heat which removes a lot of their moisture and gives them the perfect texture for a curry. Last time I made it, I chopped up half a block of firm tofu and added it in the last 5 minutes of cooking. It was a fabulous addition.
This recipe was written originally for my lovely clients Meadow Mushrooms. They’ve recently changed to more sustainable packaging that keeps the mushrooms fresher for longer. I also created a mushroom shawarma and a yummy pasta dish.
400g Swiss Brown Mushrooms
200g White Button Mushrooms
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 tablespoon finely diced ginger
1 fresh red chilli, seeds removed and diced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoons ground coriander
1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 400g tin coconut milk
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
200g green beans, trimmed
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Olive oil for sauteing
To serve: fresh coriander, steamed rice
Slice the larger mushrooms in half and leave the smaller mushrooms whole. Heat a sauté pan until very hot. Add a generous glug of olive oil along with the mushrooms. Toss once and then leave the mushrooms for a minute or so in the pan without moving, giving the mushrooms a chance to brown. Sauté, tossing occasionally, for 5 minutes until the mushrooms are glossy and browned. Stir through a generous pinch of salt and set aside.
Wipe out the pan, reduce the heat to medium and add another glug of oil. Add the onion and cook until tender and translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli. Cook for 2 minutes. Add all the spices and cook for a minute until fragrant.
Stir through the chickpeas, coconut milk and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes to thicken sauce and allow time for the flavours to develop. Add the mushrooms and green beans. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and season generously.
Proper Custard (dairy and dairy-free)
Homemade custard is wonderful. It doesn’t need a lot of sugar (I find most recipes for custard far too sweet) and can be whipped up in no time.
We love this as an easy dessert. At this time of year it’s often with frozen berries or tinned peaches.
Dairy custard
600ml full fat milk
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat the milk until hot but not boiling. Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and vanilla.
Pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk very slowly into the egg yolks and whisk briskly. Pour this all back into the hot milk pot and cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly, until it starts to simmer. Give it one minute more and then remove from the heat. Taste and adjust sweetness if desired.
Dairy-free custard
I find using two different plant-based milks gives a more well-rounded, creamy flavour.
1 ½ cups coconut milk (a good rich one)
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 free range egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour
Heat the coconut milk, almond milk and vanilla until just before simmering. Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour. Pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk very slowly into the egg yolks and whisk really briskly. Pour this all back into the hot milk pot and cook just below simmering point, whisking constantly, for 3-4 minutes. Watch the heat as plant-based milks will split if overheated. The finished custard should be thickened and coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust sweetness if desired.
I’ve been thinking about:
Relaxing (or more accurately, not relaxing)
I’ve seen the above passage of writing pop up online a few times in the last couple of years and it always elicits a sharp intake of breath. It hits me so hard.
I was at my desk searching online for a picture of it to add to this week’s newsletter when my lovely 12-year-old came up behind me and read a little of it out loud. I swivelled around in my chair and said “Do you think I’m a relaxed woman? Do you see me relaxing?”
She cocked her head to the side, looked towards the upper corner of the room and said “Ahhh hmmm…. um….I’m not sure”. You could see she was really considering it and couldn’t come up with an affirmative answer. So, the clear answer was no.
I don’t want to be overly hard on myself; I have plenty of positive qualities and of course an ability to relax isn't inherently a positive or negative quality as such. It's just that, as a parent I do wonder if I'm setting up my girls to the same patterns of behaviour. I have a really wonderful mum but she would agree, she was not a relaxed woman when I was growing up. Wonderfully, she's actually great at that now - an obsession with reading and watching all the international tennis games she can, has helped.
I've always admired my partner Luke's ability to take five minutes in the midst of work. We will be working on some big task at home, I'll be rushing him and myself, and he'll firmly say that he's taking 5 minutes to drink his coffee and do wordle / watch basketball highlights / read. He works really hard and takes healthy breaks.
I really struggle to relax or allow myself downtime unless all the jobs are finished. Since all the jobs of life are never finished, I don't relax much.
I’m a little better at active relaxing; going to the gym, walking the dog etc. It’s the kind of relaxing where I entirely STOP and am not at all productive that’s really hard for me.
I only allow myself some leisure time (in bed reading or knitting) at the very end of the day once the kids are in bed and all the night's chores are done. This can create a feeling of racing through the nightly family time to get a moment to slow down, which is a problem.
Up until recently, we had a vintage sofa set. It was attractive and low slung and did suit the room but wasn't particularly comfortable and wasn't what we called a 'cuddle couch'. It couldn't fit us all and wasn't the kind of furniture you could curl up and watch a movie on. We decided to slightly abandon our favoured look and get a big sectional sofa that is a bit boring but is indeed a fantastic cuddle couch.
I remarked to Luke recently that I realised I go days and days without ever sitting on the comfy cuddle couch, despite mostly working from home. During my work day, I'm either at my desk, up and about photographing or in the kitchen working. I would never think to sit down on the couch - not even for a cup of tea. I eat my lunches standing up in the kitchen, unless I'm editing at my desk; than I eat sitting while I work. Often, I won't have a meal seated until dinner.
And this isn’t to say I’m wildly efficient and that my never-sitting-down approach keeps everything in order—that’s definitely not true. My to-do list often isn’t completed, and domestically, the washing frequently sits unfolded. My theory is that I’m wandering, depleted, and probably less efficient because I don’t stop to recharge.
Away from home, on holiday, I can relax brilliantly; I even get a bit lazy. I read and take big naps in a way I never would at home.
I frequently joke at home that Luke is 'fun parent' and I'm like a robot who is learning how to be a fun parent. Thinking “What snacks would fun parent buy the kids at the movies?” or for any occasion are that involves a bit of frivolity. I play it up and say I was planning to pack broccoli and water bottles for the movies until my 7 year old yells, “Daaaaad, tell Mum what to get us!”
I think I'm going to approach this relaxing stuff a little like a robot learning how to 'fun parent'. I'm keen to reprogram the internal software and find some unproductive space in my day, amidst all the busyness, so I can recharge a bit.
Tips and advice welcomed! Be literal. Nuts and bolts of it. How and when are you relaxing in amongst a busy life?
Other recipes worth making:
These crepes with vanilla mascarpone and berries are a lovely weekend treat. I wrote this recipe for Valentines Day this year for favourite clients Otaika Valley Free Range Eggs. Use frozen berries while we wait for those glorious summer berries.
This Mexican-inspired roast chicken is a recipe I wrote for Bird and Barrow 5 or so years ago. It involves creating a spiced butter that it rubbed all over, including under the skin. It makes a very delicious bird.
I shared my incredibly easy one-bowl Gf pizza recipe with a truly delicious leek, mushroom and goat cheese topping on Radio New Zealand a few weeks ago. Jesse Mulligan was out sick so I chatted with Mark Leishman. Mark, being the host of Tux Wonder Dogs when I was growing up, is a proper childhood celebrity to me. We chatted a little bit about our dogs and dog nutrition (yes I’m a massive nerd) before we were on air so my day was made.
Today was a long one. Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful weekend! Kelly xo
I know it’s not quite the relaxation you are looking for but could you view cooking as a form of meditative, soothing comfort. I know the pressure is on to get it done quickly, beautifully (perfectly) and no doubt with the thoughts of recipe testing in your head, and it does involve being on your feet, cleaning up after …but I know for me there is great joy, anticipation and satisfaction in getting into the kitchen to just be alone and in my own thoughts. Even when there is time to sit on the couch and read or draw or journal I’ll often find myself itching to get up and do something. Maybe “relaxation” of this form is not all its cracked up to be -
Thank you for the particularly fabulous recipes this week. I plan to make the Mexican chicken & the mushroom curry 💖
Thanks too for your thoughts on relaxing; especially how it relates to parenting & modelling behaviours for children. A lot of nodding in agreement here but no tips as everything you wrote resonated!