Hotel Indian Curry Gravy

Hotel Indian Curry Gravy, I first came across this Hotel style gravy from Romaine Saha of Glebe Kitchen.

I have never made Glebe Kitchens hotel style gravy. However reading his recipe inspired me to look in to the technique.

It wouldn’t be fair to write this post without giving Romaine some credit for starting me off on this journey.

If you have never seen the Glebe Kitchen blog you should! Click the link above to take you there.

Hotel Indian Curry Gravy

The Technique

One of the main differences between my Hotel Style Curry Gravy and other recipes is the whole spices used. Mine are not blended up with the gravy at the end of cooking. I just don’t have a blender that can cope with that. Although I have read some recipes that blend and grind the sauce and then pass it through a sieve.

The addition of tej patta leaves and cinnamon, for me, gives me a good flavoured gravy which you can easily fish out before you blitz the gravy.

To make up for the lack of whole spices used I use a little Garam Masala. I find it an acceptable substitute.

The key to this gravy though is the browning of the onions. This takes time and a little patience. You have to watch them to make sure they don’t burn. After all you want sweet, caramelised onions in your Hotel Style Curry Sauce not bitter burnt ones!

The other key ingredient, which as far as I found was in every other hotel gravy, is the green chilli. This along with the Kashmiri Chilli powder gives a little spiciness to the finished result. I like it. If you don’t like the idea, leave it out.

How To Use

So once you have made this gravy you can use it in most B.I.R style curries in place of base sauce, unless it’s a mild dish such as Korma. This gravy is just a bit to gutsy for that!

As a starting point I would suggest using it in my Lamb Madras. If you like you could replace the lamb with chicken.

To be honest though you can be use this gravy in any of your favourite chefs recipes where you would normally use a base sauce. Because the onions in your gravy are already caramelised, your sauce doesn’t have to reduced on a high heat, so you can avoid decorating your kitchen with splatters of curry sauce! That has to be a bonus surely!

Watch out for my Christmas Turkey Curry, which uses this gravy, soon!

Turkey Curry using Hotel Indian Curry Gravy



Hotel Style Curry Sauce

Similar to a base gravy, this sauce can be made in advance and added to fried ingredients to create a tasty curry. This Hotel Style Curry Sauce has a bit more depth of flavour, is thicker and caramelises the onions first so no high heat reduction is necessary.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
  

  • 750 g sliced onion About 4 medium onions
  • 110 ml oil Any neutral oil such as vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed (not cold pressed)
  • 4 Tej Patta leaf (also known as Indian Bay or Malabar leaf) Bay leaf can be substituted but won't give the same flavour.
  • 2 sticks cinnamon or cassia
  • 1 tsp chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp chopped ginger
  • 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder substitute with 1 tsp sweet paprika and 1 tsp chilli powder if not available
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tbsp Mild Curry Masala
  • 1 tsp Garam Masala
  • 1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 1.2 litre water 3 x empty tomato tins worth!
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp fresh coriander stalks can be used if wished
  • 2 green chillies deseeded and chopped

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan
  • Add the onions, tej patta leaves and cinnamon to the pan and fry on a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until just starting to turn brown.
  • turn the heat to the lowest you can and fry for another 30 minutes, stirring quite often until the onions have turned a deep brown colour.
  • Add the garlic and ginger and gently fry for another 20 seconds
  • Add the Kashmiri Chilli and stir in. Add the turmeric and stir in again before adding the curry masala. Fry for 20 seconds.
  • Add the tinned tomatoes and water and bring to a simmer.
  • Add the salt and cook for 20 minutes.
  • Add the fresh coriander, chillies and Garam Masala
  • continue to cook for another 10 – 20 minutes
  • Take the pan off the heat and let cool a little before fishing out the cassia and tej patta leaves
  • Now blend with an immersion blender, food processor or blender. If using the latter I would recommend to let it cool slightly first as hot steam tends to blow the lid off!
  • Use in any recipe that requires a Hotel Style Curry Gravy or try using as a replacement to Base Gravy in any highly flavoured B.I.R curries that require a base sauce.
Keyword Base Curry Sauce, Curry Gravy, Indian Hotel Curry Sauce, Indian Style

Mutton Curry

Rich & Spicy Mutton Curry Recipe

I do like chicken and lamb in a curry. Sometimes though you want a more traditional dish, cooked long and slow. Mutton is ideal for this. Mutton Curry is ideal if you’re looking for an Indian dish for a special occasion. We had this dish as part of an Indian meal.

Where To Get Mutton?

It’s not something you’re going to get from the supermarket!

Ask your local butcher or get some direct from the farm yourself.

If you’re in the Sheffield area you could pay a visit to Whirlow Hall Farm Shop. It’s where we got ours from but it is advisable to give them a bell first to make sure they have some in.

Be warned though. I only went in for Mutton and make a delivery but came out with mutton and a hefty piece of Sirloin steak! It was calling me!

If you are struggling to get mutton you can use lamb, just cut down on the cooking time. You could even use chicken thigh but again decrease the cooking time further.

What Cut Of Mutton For A Mutton Curry?

This is entirely up to you. I just asked for a little over a kilo of diced. I think it was shoulder. To be honest any cut will be good enough for a mutton curry. As it needs slow cooking any fat will render down and give a lovely rich sauce. If you want a really traditional Indian dish you could of course cook the mutton on the bone. This way you will get even more flavour in your gravy.

How Spicy Is Spicy?

Most of the spice in this recipe comes from Kashmiri chilli. This recipe isn’t blow your head off spicy. It’s quite easy to adjust the spiciness by either using more chilli powder or adding more fresh chillies. I added some whole fresh birds eye chillies towards the end of cooking to give it an extra kick.

If you like the look of this curry you may want to have a look at my recipe for Lamb Madras

Rich Spicy Mutton Curry

Slow cooked diced Mutton with onions, garlic and ginger in a rich tomato & yoghurt sauce, thickened with cashew nut paste.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Marinade

  • 1 kg mutton diced
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 3 tsp chopped ginger
  • 6 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder use 3tsp chilli powder and extra 3tsp sweet paprika if you can’t get hold of Kashmiri
  • 6 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp yoghurt

Curry

  • 1 onion sliced
  • 2 onions pureed in a food processor
  • 6 cloves garlic finely chopped or grated
  • 1 inch cube piece of ginger finely chopped or grated
  • 4 tbsp of oil or ghee
  • 2 sticks of cinnamon or cassia bark
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 12 fresh curry leaves if you have them
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 3 tsp tomato puree dissolved in 300ml of hot water
  • 140 g cashew nuts just covered with hot water and left to soak for 20 minutes and then blended
  • 1 tbsp of ‘Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masala (or other curry Masala)
  • 400 g tinned tomatoes pureed in a food processor with 3 red chillies (more if you like heat, or fewer for a milder curry)
  • 500 g natural plain or Greek yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp of Kasoori methi or fenugreek leaf
  • 2 tsp dried mint
  • 2 tsp of ‘Ome Made Garam Masala or any other brand
  • 1 tsp of ground all spice optional
  • 1 tbsp of sugar jaggary or a dark sugar is better
  • 2 limes juice of
  • 1 bunch fresh coriander chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • Toasted almond flakes optional

Instructions
 

  • Put the mutton to marinate overnight or for at least 3 hours.
  • Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan
  • Add the sliced onion and gently fry until brown and caramelised. Once the onion is browned remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve for later.
  • Add the curry leaves, cinnamon and star anise to the pan (careful they may splutter)
  • Add the onion puree and 1 tsp of salt. Continue to fry gently for 15 minutes
  • Add the garlic and ginger and fry gently for 30 seconds
  • Add the curry Masala and fry for 20 – 30 seconds
  • Add the mutton and any marinade, stir and let seal
  • Add the watered down tomato puree, stir and let reduce back down to a thick paste.
  • Add the blended tinned tomatoes and chillies. Bring back to a simmer
  • Add the yoghurt and cashew paste, stir and again bring back to the simmer.
  • Turn the pan down and cover with a lid. Either cook on a very gentle heat on the hob (use a heat diffuser if you have one) or cook in the oven on a low temperature around 140°C. It wants to cook for around 2 ½ – 3 hours. If the sauce is looking to thick after an hour of cooking then you can thin it with a little water.
  • After 2 ½ – 3 hours you can add all the other ingredients, including the caramelised onions from earlier (keep a few almonds and coriander leaves back to garnish if you wish). Cook for another 20 – 30 minutes on the hob, lid off, before serving with pilau rice & Indian style breads.
Keyword curry, Indian, Mutton, spicy

Chicken Jalfrezi

Chicken Jalfrezi is a favourite curry. It’s my go to curry when I have some leftover Tandoori Chicken. In fact it’s worth making some Tandoori Chicken Just to make a Jalfrezi!

What Makes A Chicken Jalfrezi?

Jalfrezi has it’s origins in Bengal. It was a way of using leftover meat or fish that was stir fried with onions, chillies and often peppers.

The B.I.R (British Indian Restaurant) version has more of a tomato sauce but it still has the onions, peppers, chillies and sometimes tomatoes.

I also like plenty of ginger in a jalfrezi, it gives it a lovely fresh ‘zing’

I used little Thai chillies in this version that pack some serious heat. It’s entirely up to you what sort of chillies you want to use and how you present them. Some people prefer their chilli to be chopped more, which is fine.

I prefer to use normal sized salad tomatoes for a Jalfrezi, cut in to quarters or sixths. On this occasion I had run out so I threw some cherry tomatoes in, you might prefer this option though.

Base Sauce

I’ve included a recipe for base sauce for this Chicken jalfrezi. It’s a very simple one but I love it!

If you have your own tried and trusted base sauce you can use that instead of the one in the recipe. If it’s not heavy on the tomatoes though you might want to add a little extra tomato puree or some tinned chopped tomatoes.

If you don’t use all the base sauce. Just pop it in a container for the freezer for another time.

Curry Masala & Spices

I obviously use ‘Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masala & Tandoori Masala when I was making this which are available to buy at www.omemade.co.uk

B.I.R Curry Masala

You can substitute your favourite brand or your own if you have your own favourite mix.

And if you’re stuck for a Tandoori recipe follow this link British Indian Restaurant Curry

Happy cooking!

Chicken Jalfrezi

This is my go to dish when I have leftover Tandoori Chicken to use in a curry. Hot & Spicy with plenty of fresh peppers, onions and tomato.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Base Sauce 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

Curry Base Sauce

  • 4 tbsp oil (vegetable, sunflower, rapeseed)
  • 3 large onions sliced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger chopped
  • 3 tsp mild curry masala (you could use 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp turmeric instead)
  • 1.2 litres water
  • 1 handful coriander stalks (if you have them)
  • 1 400ml tin of tomatoes

Chicken Jalfrezi

  • 500 g Tandoori/Tikka Chicken cut in to chunks
  • 1 medium onion cut in half and then quarter each half
  • 2 whole peppers (whatever colour you have) deseeded and roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic grated or finely chopped
  • 1 inch cubed fresh ginger grated or finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp oil or ghee
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder (optional)
  • 4 tsp curry masala
  • 1 tsp Tandoori masala
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree diluted in 300ml water
  • 1 portion base sauce mix
  • 1 tbsp Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek) leaves
  • 4 large tomatoes cut in to 4 – 6 (or around 250g of cherry tomatoes, left whole)
  • 6-8 finger type chillies cut in half and half again if large (or leave whole if small)
  • 1 handful chopped fresh coriander
  • 1 tsp salt to taste
  • 1 tsp Garam Masala If you don't have any a grind of black pepper

Instructions
 

To make the base sauce

  • Heat the oil in a large pan. Once hot add the onions and salt. Gently fry for 10 minutes until the onions are starting to soften.
  • Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a couple more minutes.
  • Add the curry masala or spices along with a splash of water. Give a quick stir around and then add the water.
  • Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
  • Add the tinned tomato and coriander stalks/
  • Bring back to the simmer and cook for another 30 minutes
  • Take the pan off the heat and blitz with an immersion blender until you have a very smooth sauce.
  • Put back on a low heat ready for adding to your curry. If it looks a little thick add some water. It should be the be slightly thicker than full fat milk.

To make the curry

  • heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan or karahi.
  • Once the oil is hot add the onion and peppers. Fry until they are just blistering and colouring. remove the peppers and onions from the pan with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl.
  • turn the heat down on the pan and add the garlic and ginger. Fry for a few seconds
  • Add the Kashmiri chilli and stir through. Add the curry masala, tandoori masala and other spices. mix in and fry for 20 seconds or so. If they start to catch add a splash of the water/tomato puree.
  • Turn the heat up to medium and add the Tomato paste and water. let this simmer and reduce down almost to a paste.
  • now add a couple ladles of base sauce, stir in a and let reduce. Now add 3 ladles of base sauce and let reduce. Now you can add most of the base gravy (leave around 200ml for adjusting your finished sauce) and simmer until you have a thick sauce and see little craters appearing. Don't stir to often as the sauce reduces. You want the sauce to caramelise around the edges of the pan and then the caramelised edges can be stirred in to the sauce. That's where all the flavour is.
  • Now you can add your chicken, Kasoori Methi, garam masala, tomatoes, chillies, peppers and onions. Heat through for around 15 minutes, if the sauce is too thick add more base sauce 'till you have your preferred consistency and then add your chopped coriander. Heat gently for another 5 minutes. Taste and add extra salt to taste.
  • Serve your curry with some pilau rice and Indian bread such as naans or chapatis.
Keyword Base Curry Sauce, British, curry, Indian, Jalfrezi, Ome Made, Restaurant

Lamb Madras

I do love a Lamb Madras. The good thing about a Madras is it can be as simple or as complicated as you like.

The basics of Madras are tomatoes, something sharp & sour such as lemon juice or tamarind and plenty of chilli heat.

As we don’t have lamb curry all that often I decided to go to town with this recipe with a deep, rich sauce.

The Lamb Madras Curry Gravy

This recipe has a curry gravy which is made separately. There is enough gravy for the Lamb Madras and I had about 250ml left which could be frozen and used in another curry at another time. If you like plenty of sauce though you may decide to use all of it.

The Lamb

For this recipe I used lamb shoulder, off the bone. You could of course use leg or neck and it’s entirely up to you if you want to leave the meat on the bone.

I didn’t pre-cook the meat in this recipe. I added the lamb to 1/2 of the gravy which had been allowed to reduce so it was nice and thick. This coated and sealed the lamb before I added the rest of the gravy and allowed the dish to cook slowly, resulting in a deep rich sauce.

The lamb would be cooked after 45 minutes but in my opinion its best left for 1.5 hours so it’s melt in the mouth tender.

The Heat

We have our Madras reasonably hot but the level of heat can be altered to suit your taste with the addition of chilli powder for more heat or less chilli powder if you want something milder.

Of course you could add fresh chillies or if you like real heat try adding some Naga Chilli Pickle!

For More Curry Recipes Click Here

Click Here To Buy ‘Ome Made Curry Masalas

For my recipe I use ‘Ome Made Curry masalas. Of course the recipe will work with your own or favourite brand of curry powder.

Chicken Tikka Masala With Paneer & Chilli

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Paneer Tikka Chilli Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala is a favourite in the ‘Ome Made house. Only thing is, we have to have it a little hotter. Madras hot is about right for us. Paneer is also a great addition. If you’re not a fan or you’re struggling to get hold of some, it can always be left out.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka & Paneer

For this recipe I use chicken breast which I coat with a basic Tandoori Marinade and bake in the oven. I also coat the paneer in the marinade as well and bake that alongside the chicken.

For this recipe I use 1kg of chicken and 400g of paneer. This will feed the six of us with a little left over for 2 more light meals. If you want less just halve the ingredients.

Paneer Tandoori

For the marinade I take 4 teaspoons of ‘Ome Made Tandoori Masala (you can use your own mix or another brand) and mix that with about 4 tablespoons of plain yoghurt. I also added about half a teaspoon of red food colouring powder, this is optional as it’s purely cosmetic.

I leave the chicken breasts whole, just scoring the tops of them slightly to help the marinade stick. I also leave the paneer whole in a block. It’s a lot easier and less fiddly to cut the paneer in to blocks and slice the chicken after they’re cooked. I also like the contrast of the red marinade on the outside against the white interior of the chicken and paneer.

The chicken and paneer want cooking in a pre-heated oven at 200℃ for around 25 minutes.

Onion Paste

Onions frying

Quite often when I’m cooking curries I will purée the onions, garlic and ginger before frying. However for this recipe I fry sliced onions with a little salt until they are starting to caramelise. I then add sliced garlic, ginger and fry some more before adding some chopped coriander stalks, some diced red pepper and sliced chilli. The mixture is then cooked to soften the peppers before being left to cool so it can be blended in a food processor.

This paste is the fried again before adding the spices and everything else.

This method gives a lovely deep and sweet, from the natural caramelisation of the onion, base to build the curry on.

Frying Mix For Chicken Tikka

Spices

For this curry I use my ‘Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masala which is a Madras style masala with a few added extras to give that authentic Indian restaurant flavour. Of course you could make up your own masala, or use one of the recipes from the many curry chefs out there such as Mistys, Dans or Als! And of course you could use any shop bought curry masala/powder.

I also use Kashmiri Chilli powder. This is mainly to give a deep rich red colour. If you haven’t got any either leave it out or use a little sweet paprika instead. Also I add some chilli powder for some heat. If you don’t want extra heat and prefer a more ‘traditional’ Tikka Masala, then leave the chilli out.

Tomatoes

For the tomatoes in this curry I use a little tomato purée and tinned tomatoes. The tinned tomatoes get blitzed in the food processor for that smooth texture that you get in an Indian restaurant or takeaway.

If you haven’t got a food processor you could get a way with cooking the onion etc and instead of pureeing them as described above you could carry on adding the spices, tomato purée and then use a stick blender to blitz the whole lot in the pan.

I think that about covers everything.

Chicken Tikka Masala

If you want to read some more about curries have a look at my other post British Indian Restaurant Curry.

So here is the recipe… enjoy!

British Indian Restaurant Curry

East Indian Mumbai Masala

Buy Curry Masalas from ‘Ome Made.

Available to buy – Madras Curry Masala, B.I.R (British Indian Restaurant) Curry Masala, Tandoori Masala & Garam Masala.

‘Ome Made Curry Masalas are made on a small scale in Sheffield, UK

British Indian Restaurant Curry. Jalfrezi made with 'Ome Made Curry Masala
British Indian Restaurant Curry Masala Powder
'Ome Made Garam Masala
Tandoori Masala powder
Madras curry Masala powder

British Indian Restaurant Curry has been a favourite in the UK for a while. Over the last few years more and more people have wanted to recreate their favourite restaurant or take away curry at home.

‘Ome Made have developed a range of curry masalas to help recreate your favourite Indian curry dishes at home.

‘Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masala

This Masala, or curry powder takes a traditional curry masala and adds extra amounts of some spices to give the flavour of the special ‘mix’ powder that many Indian Restaurants use in their curry dishes.

‘Ome Made Madras Curry Masala

Madras Curry Masala a traditional blend of spices that are used for creating many Indian dishes. Madras refers to a type of curry masala and not the heat, so don’t think this is an extra spicy curry powder. A mix of spices of medium strength so that extra chilli can be added if you like some more heat!

‘Ome Made Garam Masala

This Masala blends warming spices and is often used towards the end of cooking to enhance a dish.

‘Ome Made Tandoori Masala

The masala that is used in Tandoori cooking or for making Tikka. Rubbed on to chicken or meat along with a blend of yoghurt, garlic, ginger and coriander.

‘Ome Made Pilau Rice Seasoning

A seasoning developed to give the perfect restaurant Pilau Rice!

We now have around 20 different curry masala on the site with new ones added on a regular basis!

How Do You Make British Indian Restaurant Curry?

If you really like curries and want an easy guide to making them we suggest you have a look on our blog page www.omemade.com. Here you will find recipes, hints and tips to get you started!

Don’t Forget To Check Out Our Range Of Other Rubs & Seasonings Here!

‘Ome Made Kebab

‘Ome Made Kebab

I have been fond of kebabs since my beer swilling teenage years… You could not beat that garlicky, salty meat stuffed into a pita with slice cabbage, grated carrot, raw onion, sliced tomato and cucumber then drizzled with lemon juice, yoghurt & mint and hot chilli sauce after a night out on the beer!

Of course once I had kids, nights out were a thing of the past and a greasy donner kebab became something I’d have once in a blue moon.

Kebab

And then I noticed that when I was having them I was enjoying them less and less. The meat seemed to have less flavour, you got less salad,yoghurt and mint seemed to not be an option and ask for lemon juice and you got funny looks. And why can’t you get a kebab in a pita anymore?

It seems that a lot of takeaways standards have dropped these days. And to be fair there is a lot of dubious establishments out there selling things they shouldn’t be to make a bigger profit. Not that I want to tar all takeaways with the same brush… there are of course some excellent takeaways out there.

The thing is, sometimes you just fancy a kebab. So it’s handy to be able to make your own.

If I had my way I would have a big rotisserie spit in one corner of the kitchen but I don’t think Kit would approve!

'Ome Made Kebab

 

So how do you get something that tastes and has the texture of a Doner meat?

I’ve found the best method is what I refer to as ‘The Big Sausage’ method!

So here’s how you make it;

You will need

1 kilo lamb mince (or beef, or a mixture)

3-4 cloves of crushed garlic

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Plenty of black pepper

1/2 tablespoon oil

Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. The best way to mix is with your hands, so get in there and give it a good squish. The more like a paste you can get it the better.

Once all the ingredients are well combined get a large sheet of greaseproof paper and a large sheet of tinfoil.

Lay the greaseproof paper on top of the tinfoil and then get your meat mixture and lay it out in a line, round about 12” long. Now mold the meat into a ‘Big Sausage’ shape. Once you have a rough sausage shape you can roll it in the greaseproof paper to get it nice and round and compact. Wrap your ‘Big Sausage’ in the greaseproof and then the tinfoil. Lay the package on a baking sheet or dish (some juices may escape) and put in an oven at about 165°C (145°C for fan assisted)for around 80 – 90 minutes.

The meat will now be cooked. To serve slice the meat thinly and place on a baking sheet before giving it a flash under a hot grill.

Kebab

The meat can then be served in a pita bread with Turkish Salad, yoghurt and mint and of course a good dollop of chilli sauce (preferably ‘Ome Made!) or as I’ve done here in a gigantic Naan bread which is then rolled up and sliced (and by the way if you wrap it tightly in cling film and put in the refrigerator overnight, it slices really nice and is ideal served cold on a picnic or as pack-up).

Dj’s SҠool DiИɳɘr Experience

 

So, for 1 week only, Dj requested to have school dinners. He was mainly tempted by the change from  the ‘normal’ menu to ‘International Food Week’.

A week of dishes from 5 different places in the world.Dj Blog 7

We asked him if he’d like to write a blog on his experience & he jumped at the chance.

Everything that follows (apart from the actual Menu bit) is word for word that Dj wrote….we just corrected the spellings & some punctuation  to make it easier on the brain for you good people.

 

Dj Blog 1

Monday: French

Croque Monster, avec Pomme Frites et Harico

Tart Tatin with Ice Cream

I liked the cheese & ham baguette but the bread wasn’t as good as Daddys’.

I didn’t like the chips or the beans because the chips were soggy & the beans are out of a tin, unlike daddys, he makes his own.

The pudding was nice & my friend went mental on it.

*******

Tuesday: Caribbean

Chicken Stew with Rice & PeasDj blog 2

Sticky Ginger Bread

I liked the sticky bread but if my Daddy made it, it would be better, & I didn’t like the chicken stew & rice & peas because the peas weren’t in the rice & the chicken was soggy.

The pudding which was sticky bread was nice.

I don’t thinks that’s a Caribbean.

*******

Wednesday: Portugese

Portuguese Cheese Flan with Half Jacket, Coleslaw & Sweetcorn

Vanilla Biscoitos with Ice Cream

Dj blog 3Today I had a cheese flan with half a jacket potato.

I liked none of it because the cheese was cold & yucky!

The jacket potato was yummy but it didn’t have any butter on. The sweetcorn was nice like any other persons.

The pudding was fab & my friend liked it & I loved it too!

& there wasn’t any coleslaw.

*******

Dj blog 4

Thursday: Indian

Chicken Curry with Boiled Rice

Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce

Today I had curry & I liked the curry & I don’t mean the rice & today the chicken was better than Tuesdays because the chicken that was in the stew was soggy but todays one was better.

The pudding was really nice & it was ice cream with chocolate sauce.

*******

Friday: Italian

Dj Blog 5Margarita Pizza with Potato Wedges & Sweetcorn

Iced Lemon Sponge

Today I had margarita pizza with soggy chips.

I liked the margarita pizza but Daddy’s ‘Ome Made pizza is 10 billion, trillion times better.

Todays pudding was sponge with grated lemon in & I liked it but Daddy’s ‘Ome Made lemon drizzle cake is better

*******

 

Dj Blog 6

That’s the end of my Blog.

Thank you for reading it.

Love Dj  XXXXXX

************

After reading Dj’s blog we know that some of you lovely people will be thinking ‘Yeah, well your Kids are lucky (& probably spoilt) to get nice food at home all the time’, & yes, you’re right!

We do tell our Kids that they are VERY lucky to have a Daddy who can cook them fabulous dishes at home (sometimes Mummy does too!).

We also make our Kids realise that for other children this maybe the ONLY good plate of food that they get in a day. For some busy/working full time parents it’s easier & they know their child is getting a meal at school. For some parents it’s the affordable option & a lifeline for their children.

Could it be better though?

This is just Dj’s 7yr old  view of what he thought was going to be a fabulous week of school lunches. He did a fab job of sitting down everyday  after school & writing (most) of his thoughts on paper.

We can’t help feeling he was a tad disappointed with the meals….apart from the puddings!!!

 

Great  work Dj!!! XXXXX

 

 

 

Curried Bakers Oven Lamb

Here’s a traditional English dish given an ‘Ome Made twist, to be fair it was Kits’ idea. I was just going to do the plain English dish of lamb shoulder baked on top of layers of potato and onion, which in it’s own right is delicious. Add some spice, herbs and a curry sauce though and it takes the dish to a completely different level… This really was scrumptious! This is a fantastic dish to prepare the day before so that you can bang it in the oven the next day, forget about it and get on with all those things you need to catch up on, take the kids out or… go to the pub!

  It really is simple. You will need a full or 1/2 shoulder of lamb. Some White potatoes, onions and garlic. I also used some dried mint, fresh coriander and some red chillies.

 

 

First of all slice some potatoes (skin on) thinly and some onions. These need to be layered in a deep buttered baking dish. I did about four layers adding seasoning as I went along. On the middle layer I put a heap of chopped fresh coriander, a couple of chopped red chillies and some dried mint. On the top layer I sprinkled some more mint and some black cumin seeds.

 

 

I then fried some mild curry masala in a little oil and added some chicken stock and let this cook for twenty minutes or so. Next prepare the lamb. With a sharp knife make a few slits in the meat and push in some pieces of garlic. Now rub the lamb all over with some Kashmiri Chilli powder and some ground cumin. Sit the lamb on top of the layered potatoes and onions and give it a good grind of black pepper and a good sprinkling of salt. Pour your curry sauce into the corners of the baking dish. You want enough so that it comes about 1/2 way up your potato and onion layer.

 

 

Now cover the whole baking dish with a double layer of foil, creating a tight seal.

 

 

When your ready to cook pre heat your oven to 200°c. Put the lamb in the oven and then turn the temperature down to 165°c Which means the lamb will be ready after about four hours (but should be fine up to six). If you want to cook it for longer (or your having a really long session in the pub!) then you can cook the lamb on 145°c. The lamb will then be ready after six hours but be even better after around eight hours. To finish the dish off, remove the baking dish from the oven. Carefully remove the lamb to a warmed plate or dish. The meat should be falling off the bone. The layered potatoes then need to go back in a hot oven to brown and start to crisp up. If the liquid is above the potatoes just spoon some off ’till you can see the top layer. Put the baking dish back in the oven for about twenty minutes.

 

 

To serve, pull apart the lamb, spoon out some potato into a dish and place the lamb on top, spoon a bit more of the curry sauce over. A nice dollop of natural yoghurt goes nicely with the dish but that’s all it really needs.

 

 

A tasty, warming and comforting dish for a lovely lazy Sunday. Give it a go!

 

Don’t forget you can buy ‘Ome Made Curry Masalas at www.omemade.co.uk