Magical Udaipur

We arrived to Udaipur in the evening and had dinner at the City Palace.

Wildlife.

This was the first time we managed to walk around and explore. So far it has been impossible and life threatening.

City Palace.

Wildlife.

Lunch at a lovely healthy and allergy-aware little restaurant. They even did gluten-free chapatis!

Udaipur is very colourful with paintings like this on the walls all over town.

Wildlife 🙂

City Palace.

Lake Palace at night.

Tonight’s dinner. Starters – chicken tikka, tandoori stuffed potato and spinach-chickpea kebab.

A good selection of mains (smoked mutton curry, stuffed tomato masala, vegetable jalfrezi, mushroom and pea curry, sun dried split green lentil dumplings with potatoes).

Gulub Jamun with ice cream – yum.

Old Delhi – an assault on the senses

If you want to experience a traditional bustling Asian city, it doesn’t get much more authentic then Delhi.

It was one of the most bizarre experiences we’ve had in India so far. We spent 4 hours in traffic to get from Gurgaon to pick up Jason and head to Old Delhi where we scheduled a street food tour. But that was just the beginning…

Crazy Old Delhi.

First stop – Aloo Tikki (fried potato and pea patties)

Some bizarre fruit called kiwi (?!) Wasn’t safe to try though.

Jalebi – deep fried doughnut-like spiral soaked in sugar sirup. So sweet I felt sick for a while. Don’t think I’ll be having that ever again!

Pea samosas.

Gurudwara – a Sikh temple during service.

Looking ridiculous but respectful.

At the Sikh temple they provide a free meal to everyone who attends the service. They feed more then 15000 people every day! The chapati makers are a well oiled machine 🙂

Burfi, David’s favourite Indian sweet.

Crazy Old Delhi.

Spice market. Supposed to be the biggest in Asia but I thought that was a slight exaggeration.

Last stop – mutton korma (has nothing to do with the English idea of a korma) and mutton kebabs.

At this point we were already an hour later then planned and were sure we’re missing our afternoon flight to Udaipur. By some miracle and the shortest car journey of all week we just caught it and started a new adventure in Udaipur – city of lakes…

First day in India

Last night we started our Indian adventure. We managed to get a good deal with BA Premium Economy which made the flight more comfortable then usual. We were also lucky with food, curry for dinner and breakfast, was great.

Cheers!

Dinner in the sky.

We must admit, for a first-timer, India is really overwhelming. Hot, humid, sticky, loud and crowded are definitely the first impressions. Not to mention cows, goats, pigs, camels and elephants walking on the motorway.

Thank you to Subhash Gubta (one of the top Indian bridge players) for meeting us at the airport and helping us with the arrangements.

Our first stop is Jaipur where we are staying for three days.

Tonight we had our first meal in India. We went for a safe option of a “Trip Advisor approved” slightly touristy but extremely charming Peacock rooftop restaurant not far from our hotel.

Hungry David.

It was the best Indian meal we have ever had. We went vegetarian (as we probably will for most of our stay here) and ordered a Chana Masala (chickpea curry), a Kadhai Paneer (Indian cheese with tomato and onion gravy and peppers), a Mushroom Matar (mushroom and pea curry) and a Tandoori Fish Tikka Masala. The clarity and intensity of all dishes was superb and we are going to sleep two happy, well fed people.

Marusa insisted it was too much food but David wouldn’t listen.

We almost managed the whole lot!

Our ride back to the hotel.

Curry Laksa (gluten free)

This is one of my all time favourite dishes and I have recently discovered how to make an amazing one. Marusa and I have played around with it a bit and this is what we have come up with.

Serves: 4 (2 Davids)

Ingredients:

• 12 prawns (raw and shell on is essential)
• Silken tofu
• 1 can of coconut milk
• Fish sauce (a good glug)
• 1 tbl spoon of palm sugar
• Rice noodles
• Chicken Breast

For the paste:

• 4 dry kashmiri chillis (soaked in hot water for half an hour)
• 2 stalks of chopped lemon grass (beaten with a pestle to release flavour)
• a finger of ginger
• a couple of large cloves of garlic
• 2 tsps of curry powder (we mix our own using cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder)
• a couple of shallots
• 2 tsp of shrimp paste (easily findable in a chinese supermarket)

Garnish:

• bean sprouts
• fresh lime juice
• (you can experiment here, once we added raw cucumber for crunch and texture)

The first job is the stock. Peel the prawns (keeping the shells!) and clean out the intestinal tract. Now fry the prawn shells in a little vegetable oil for a minute then add about 1 litre of water and simmer gently for half an hour to produce a stock.

While the stock is simmering, make the curry paste by blending the paste ingredients (use a food processor, stick blender or pestle&mortar). When that is done cut the tofu into small pieces and fry in vegetable oil until a nice golden brown on each side.

Now get rid of the prawn shells so you get a nice stock. Fry the paste in a little vegetable oil for a minute or two and add the stock. Now add the chicken breast, cut it into nice thin bite size strips. At the same time cook your rice noodles in separate boiling water for a few minutes (until soft). Simmer until the chicken is almost cooked, literally 5-10 minutes.

Now add the prawns, the coconut milk and the palm sugar and cook for a few minutes so that the prawns are just cooked, then squeeze plenty of lime juice and add the fish sauce – add a bit, then add more if you feel it needs it, don’t skip this step it is vital.

You will find that the fish sauce and lime juice add an amazing lift to the flavor. To serve put the tofu, noodles and bean sprouts in the bottom of your soup bowl and ladle the yummy soup on top. Some crispy onion and or garlic is a nice treat to sprinkle on top. And if you’re feeling adventurous, a spoon of sambal (chilly paste, easily available in any Chinese supermarket) is highly recommended, it will take the dish to another level! Enjoy!

Gluten-free Vegeterian Falafel Scotch Eggs

In the last two years I have been discovering just how much English food is under-rated. One of the ‘hidden gems’ are surely Scotch Eggs.

Being over 32 degrees in Ljubljana ever since we’ve been back from Norway and England, the heat is really getting to me. Of course the only solution is a picnic in the wild! Apparently there is no picnic without Scotch Eggs, but since David is gluten intolerant (not celiac, be careful with the recipe if allergic) and my sister is not a big pork meat lover I had to make some tweaks.

I found this recipe on the BBC GoodFood web site (which I love to use) but  it calles for the use of flour and breadcrumbs. I used the all-purpose gluten free flour and because I couldnt find GF breadcrumbs I just used finely crushed GF crackers (onion flavoured went very well in the falafel mix).

You need:

9 eggs → don’t boil all 9 as I did 🙂 one egg is for the falafel mix
a bit of olive oil → a couple of spoons to fry the onions
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
a 400g can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans if you are American)
fresh coriander → I didn’t use it because it’s not trivial to get here
150g GF breadcrumbs → the recipe said 200g but this is plenty
5 tbsp GF flour → I use the all purpose mix
oil for frying

Hard boil 8 eggs (will try and make it Heston style liquid centre someday but not really good for a picnic) and peel when cold. I suggest undercooking rather then overcooking the eggs because they cook a bit more later when you fry them.

Fry the onions and garlic in a pan until really soft and golden. Why are cooking instructions always so funny? Onions never turn golden but they get brown. And then if you keep waiting they turn black. Do not let them turn black. I suggest doing it on a low heat because if you overheat garlic it burns and gets very bitter and horribly unpleasant. Add the spices and fry a bit longer. Again, do it on a low heat, burned spices are no treat (bitter).

Using a food processor or a stick blender (immersion blender) whizz into a paste. Then add chickpeas (and coriander leaves) and pulse until its finely chopped but not pasty. You want some texture, noone likes baby food.

Stir in the GF breadcrumbs, GF flour and the last egg (beaten) and season generously. I find it best to beat the egg in a bowl and add salt and pepper to the egg before mixing it into the falafel mix. I think the seasonings incorporate with the mix better this way. If you like it spicy add chilli powder. I know it’s messy but my suggestion is go in there with your hands and mix it all up. Its actually great fun 🙂

Divide the mixture into 8 and wrap the cooked eggs. The mixture is quite sticky but brushing your hands with a bit of oil helps. I think the best way to wrap the egg is to flatten the mixture in your hand (like a big thin burger), put the egg in the middle and close up on the top. Make sure the egg is evenly covered then roll it between your hands to form a nice ball.

We fried them like that but I guess it’s even better if you roll them in a mixture of GF breadcrumbs and sesame seeds before frying. Or get creative and crush some GF corn flakes to make it extra super crunchy.

Fry the eggs in a deep pan (or a deep fryer) for about 2 minutes until crispy and looks cooked.

Scotch Eggs go great with a cold spicy yogurt sauce (just mix greek yogurt, sour cream, a squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of chilly powder).

Istanbul eats

I have been in Istanbul for the last few days with Kevin and Maruša. Yesterday, our second day we visited the spice markets and the Grand Bazaar.

We bought some saffron and sumak as well as some amazing Turkish delight (I love the stuff). I have decided I must have sumak in my cupboard at all times, it is absolutely magical on salads. Last night we had an incredible tomato salad which was tomatoes, red onions and a dressing made from pomegranate, oil and sumak.

We went to a famous restaurant which centers around the ockabasi grill, basically a large charcoal pit which must be on view. You can even get a seat right by the grill if you can take the heat. We had minced lamb which was really excellent, chicken which was good but the real highlight was the lamb kidneys which we had to order a second portion of.

Today we visited the fish markets, not big but plenty of fresh fish and seafront restaurants cooking the catch of the day. We tried a mix of all the fish caught on the day and it was great.

This city is so vibrant, so full of life. Even at night time the streets are packed, shops open, smells of barbeque, spices, bakery’s. Truly a great city.

Tommorow Maruša heads back to Ljubljana and Kevin and I fly to Izmir to take part in the Assael festival in Cesme.

Şerefe!

Stuffed (gluten-free) Adriatic Squid

Marusa and I went to the Ljubljana fish market today (I will post pictures of the market on one of it’s busier days in order to do it justice) and some beautiful Adriatic squid caught my eye.

Prešeren Square, Ljubljana.

Ljubljana market.

Spanish style stuffing felt like a good plan so here are the ingredients I went for:

1 small onion
6 cloves of garlic
1 red pepper
1 lemon
(gluten-free) Kulen sausage (similar to Chorizo)
1 cup of long grain rice
olive oil
chicken stock
tinned tomatoes
paprika
extra hot chilli powder
salt and black pepper
(saffron would work great I am sure but I cannot find it in Ljubljana)

Fresh squid.

Cleaned and ready for stuffing.

First I cleaned the squid thoroughly, removing the tough membrane and set the body of the squid aside to dry off.

Then into a hot pan a glug of olive oil and the onion, red pepper and sausage. I wanted to release the oils and the spices from the sausage. I added paprika, for some extra flavour and chilli powder as we both love heat. When the onions and peppers were soft I added the garlic, being careful not to burn it. Then a little extra oil and half a tin of chopped tomatoes. A good stir and the rice next making sure it was well coated in the mixture.

Frying the onions, red pepper, sausage, paprika and garlic.

Rice, tomatoes and squid tentacles added.

Stuffing almost cooked.

Then I added the chicken stock and some salt and pepper and cooked it for about 15 minutes, until the rice was done.

Separately I fried the finely diced tentacles and wings (I don’t like waiste!) and tossed them in. A good squeeze of lemon juice and with help from Marusa we carefully stuffed the squid, tightly but not too much filling as the squid rates to shrink when it cooks.

We used cocktail sticks to seal the end of the squid, then coloured it in some olive oil flavoured with paprika and cooked it at 200 degrees for 10 minutes in the oven adding extra lemon juice and a little water towards the end to create a natural sauce.

Stuffed squid, ready to cook.

Browning on the stove.

Very easy and the result was delicious. We served it with a simple tomato and basil salad. Yum!

Beautiful end product.

From another angle.

Dober tek!

Gluten Free Banana Bread

For many years I suffered with regular migraines and digestion problems. About 6 months ago I stopped eating gluten and my problems dissapeared immediately. Mostly not eating gluten doesn’t bother me but there are a few things which I have to find substitutes for – Gluten free beer is excellent and easy to find, Corn pasta isn’t the same but it’s ok, the big problem is bread.

Generally gluten free bread is dry but there are some decent ones I have found, sadly non of the good ones are available in Slovenia.

Today Marusa made a delicious gluten free banana bread, which is so moist and yummy that it’s hard to believe.

Marusa:
Banana bread is one of the easiest things to bake and it’s a great breakfast option. I used a simple recipe that I found online and just uses gluten-free flour mix. I can’t really be bothered with converting recipes from cups to grams so I decided to just wing it 🙂 And banana bread doesn’t really need exact measurinig (wherever says “cup” I just used my coffee mug)

Ingredients
• 4 really ripe bananas, mashed (potato masher is fine)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce (I actually used apple baby food)
• 1 1/5 cups gluten free flour mix (I use the mix because it already contains a bit of  xantam gum and don’t need to add it)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• about 40g of soft butter (it’s a “skinny” recipe, regular banana bread is an absolute bomb, thats what the apple sauce is there for)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (I used even less and it was more than enough)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• optional: chopped walnuts (I used a handful of pecans and might add some dried cranberries next time).

Combine the flour baking soda and salt. In a bigger bowl whisk sugar and butter untill fluffy (I never understood this part but when you’ve been whisking for a while and you’re contemplating what fluffy sugar looks like, it’s probably there) then add egg whites, mashed bananas and apple sauce. When all that’s combined add flour bit by bit (don’t put it in all at once, its a pain mixing it) and nuts (and any other dry ingredients you fancy using). Bake in a loaf tin until baked (another useless piece of instruction in recipes) – about 50′ on 175.

Dober tek!