Georgina Hayden

Feeding since 1982

Dal Makhani

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India is my total happy place. If I could jump on a plane right now and go anywhere, it would be India – it is beautiful, colourful, fascinating and most of all delicious. (Also with Christmas looming I could really do with not being in this country for a bit). It is the only country in the world I have spent a significant amount of time in and not got bored of the cuisine. Curry for breakfast, lunch AND dinner? Yes. Please.

Rewind a few years and I was lucky enough to go to the opening week of a trendy new London eatery – Dishoom.  A dear friend of mine is the brains behind the incredible menu, and invited us along. It blew us away. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times we have been back since, but if there were a loyalty card system I would be platinum by now. There are so many delicious treats on the menu it is unreal. I try and mix it up every time we go but there is one constant and that is the black dal. Black dal and if I am feeling really naught a side of cheesy naan. Washed down with chai, lots of chai.

I’ve cooked various versions of this recipe, however today I have finally settled on a worthy Dishoom substitute. I know the Dishoom dal is cooked for a whole day, so in comparison my 6 hour version is a quick cook meal! And it is totally delicious. This is what I would consider real healing food –  in the cooking sense and the meal itself. It is wholesome, warming and meditative. For long lazy days at home and bowls of deliciousness.

Dal Makhani
Dal Makhani

 

DAL MAKHANI

Serves 8 – 10 (you can easily halve this recipe but for the time and effort it is definitely worth making a larger batch and then freezing any extra dal for a rainy day)

  • 500g urad dal
  • 50g butter
  • 2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
  • 12 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • A large thumb size piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 heaped teaspoon mild chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • A heaped tablespoon of tomato puree
  • A tin of good quality plum tomatoes
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 500ml organic whole milk
  • Double cream or Greek yoghurt, to serve (optional)

Soak the urad dal in plenty of water the night before you want to cook it.

The next day place the soaked dal in a large saucepan and cover with plenty of fresh water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 40 minutes until the dal is soft (scooping off any scum that comes to the surface). While the dal is cooking saute the veg. Melt the butter in a large non stick saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and soften for 10 – 15 minutes so it is cooked down and soft but not coloured: you want gorgeous sticky onions. Add the cumin and chilli powder to the pan and cook for a couple more minutes before adding the tomato puree. Cook for a few more minutes and then add the tinned tomatoes. Gently crush the tomatoes, breaking them down and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes and season generously.

When the dal is cooked, drain and add to the pan with the veg. Pour in the milk and top with enough water to just cover the dal. Bring the mixture to the boil, giving everything a good stir and then reduce the heat to low, so it is gently simmering away. This is where you need time. You could cook this for 1 – 2 hours and it would be ok. But don’t settle for that, you want crazy delicious dal and for that you need to cook it for at least 4 hours. 5 if you can. 6 would be amazing. You could keep going…

Leave the dal ticking away uncovered, giving it a stir every now and then. If it looks like it is getting too dry top it up with a bit more milk, or a bit more water, alternating the two. After a few hours you’ll notice it start to darken, this is great, let it get darker and thicker (try not to drown it in too much liquid) and keep stirring.

Check the seasoning, it is a vast amount of dal so don’t be surprised if it needs more salt and pepper. And serve with poppadoms, rice, naan, chutney, a swirl of cream or yoghurt, or however you fancy. I just like it straight up, it is that good.

Herby omelette with crispy ham hock and spinach

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Like a lot of people brunch is a big deal in our house. Weekday breakfasts are rushed and are mostly a solo affair. So Saturday morning is a special occasion, a chance to cook together, leisurely, and a sort of ‘it’s the weekend’ celebration.

We mix it up at home, but one thing is for sure it will almost always be a savoury brunch as opposed to sweet (I don’t have the sweetest tooth and I was told that starting the day with protein was the best way). Below is a classic example of a Saturday morning Hayden-house staple. If you know me you know I love anything ham-y and cheesy, so this was a winner. Pimped up with the chilli and spinach, and opting for a crumbly tangy, yet creamy Lancashire cheese, it was a strong (and awesome) start to the day.

Honeyed ham hock omelette
Herby omelette with crispy ham

 

HERBY OMELETTE WITH CRISPY HAM HOCK AND SPINACH

Serves 2

  • 5 large eggs, free range or organic
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Handful of soft herbs, washed (I used coriander and parsley)
  • 2 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
  • ham hock, shredded (you can use leftovers, or Waitrose sell slow cooked shredded ham hock)
  • Olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon runny honey
  • 100g baby leaf spinach, washed
  • 40g lancashire cheese (or any soft crumbly cheese)

Chop your herbs as fine as you can and place in a bowl with the eggs and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk everything together well and leave to one side.

Drizzle a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and place on a medium high heat. Add the  shredded ham hock, chilli and most of the spring onions and fry for around 5 minutes until everything starts to turn golden at the edges.  When the ham is starting to look crisp, drizzle in the honey and toss it all together. Give it another minute or two until it turns sticky and caramelised, and then add the spinach. Give everything a stir and cook the spinach down, this will only take a minute or two. Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the filling into a bowl. Wipe the pan out and then return to the hob. Lower the heat to medium-low and then pour in the beaten eggs. Using a spatula gently swirl the mixture around so that you ripple eggs and cook them almost all the way through. When it is almost ready spoon the ham and spinach filling down the middle of the omelette and crumble over the Lancashire cheese. Turn the heat up a little so that the underside of the omelette browns, and then using a spatula or fish slice flip it over to envelope the filling. Cut the omelette into two and dish up. Sprinkle with the remaining spring onions and extra chilli sauce, if you like.

 

Filling the omelette
Filling the omelette
Crispy ham hock and spinach omelette
Crispy ham hock and spinach herby omelette

Sweet potato, chickpea and spinach soup

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This bowl of goodness was created for Ma and Pa Socratous. On a recent trip up north they ate something similar and have been trying to find a recipe for it ever since. With no such luck I decided to write one for them based on what I know: that it had sweet potato, chickpeas, spinach and a generous amount of cumin. And that they both loved it. (I can only hope that this soup does the original one justice, as it is pretty rare for my folks to like the same thing!)

With its natural sweetness and creamy texture sweet potato makes a fantastic base for soups. And it works incredibly well with the rest of these ingredients creating a hearty yet wholesome soup, with a North African/ Middle Eastern feel. It’s wheat/ gluten and dairy free, and a great fertility boosting dish. Heck its a great everything boosting dish!

If you like your soup a little chunky, try mashing it with a potato masher, or only blitzing it a little.

 

Sweet potato, chickpea and spinach soup
Sweet potato, chickpea and spinach soup

 

SWEET POTATO, CHICKPEA AND SPINACH SOUP

Serves 6

  • 2 onions, peeled and chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
  • Olive oil
  • 1.5 teaspoons of ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 – 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
  • A tin of chickpeas, drained
  • A tin of reduced fat coconut milk
  • 800ml vegetable stock
  • Around 800g sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 150g spinach, washed well
  • A handful of coriander, washed
  • A juicy lemon
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place a large non-stick saucepan on a medium-low heat and add a lug of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for around 10 – 12 minutes until soft and sticky, but not coloured. Add the cumin, coriander and chilli and fry for a further 3-4 minutes. Pour in the stock and coconut milk, and add the chickpeas and chopped sweet potatoes. Gently bring everything to the boil, season well, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for around 15 minutes, or until your potatoes are soft and completely cooked through. Add the spinach and coriander and cook for a couple more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and using a stick blender, blitz the soup until smooth. If the soup is a little on the thick side add a little more stock or water until you get to the texture and thickness that you like. Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir through. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve.