Basic Curry Sauce

Ingredients  

•  3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter)  
•  1 medium onion - finely chopped  
•  4 cloves garlic - peeled and sliced  
•  1.5 inch piece root ginger - peeled and thinly sliced (it should look about the same volume as the 
garlic)  
•  (optional) 2 mild fleshy green chillies - de-seeded and veined then chopped  
•  half teaspoon turmeric powder  
•  half teaspoon ground cumin seed  
•  half teaspoon ground coriander seed  
•  5 tablespoons plain passata (smooth, thick, sieved tomatoes, US = purée) or 1 tablespoon 
concentrated tomato purée (US = paste) mixed with 4 tablespoons water


Method  


Heat the oil in a heavy pan then add the chopped onion and stir for a few minutes with the heat on high.
Add the ginger, garlic and green chilli (if using). Stir for 30 seconds then put the heat down to very low.
Cook for 15 minutes stirring from time to time making sure nothing browns or burns.
Add the turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook, still very gently, for a further 5 minutes. Don't burn the
spices or the sauce will taste horrid - sprinkle on a few drops of water if you're worried.
Take off the heat and cool a little. Put 4 fl oz cold water in a blender, add the contents of the pan and
whizz until very smooth. Add the passata and stir.
Put the puréed mixture back into the pan and cook for 20 - 30 minutes (the longer the better) over very
low heat stirring occasionally. You can add a little hot water if it starts to catch on the pan but the
idea is to gently "fry" the sauce which will darken in colour to an orangy brown. The final texture
should be something like good tomato ketchup. Warning - it WILL gloop occasionally and splatter
over your cooker, it's the price you have to pay!

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Aloo Bonda

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water  
• 3 whole cloves  
• 1 stick cinnamon  
• 3 to 4 cardamom pods (cracked open)  
• 1/4 cup loose black tea (or 4 tea bags)  
• 2 cups milk  
• 4 tablespoons of sugar (or a little less)  

Method: 
Bring water, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom to a boil; Add tea and milk and
bring to a boil. When hot, strain and add sugar. Serve hot.

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Warm lentil salad with beets and ricotta

If you’re up for roasting your own beets, scrub beets and trim tops.
Wrap in foil and bake at 200C (400F) for about an hour or until
tender (the bigger your beets the longer they’ll take). Cool slightly
before using in the salad. To be fair, I was pretty impressed with
the canned baby beets I discovered in the supermarket. Packed in
beet juice they are a lot closer to home-baked than their old school
pickled cousins.
For a more substantial meal, serve with a poached egg on top. Or
if you’re feeding a die-hard carnivore – fry some chopped bacon or
chorizo and stir through the lentils. For our vegan friends, roasted
walnuts or pinenuts would make a lovely substitute for the cheese.

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 can lentils (400g or 14oz), drained
• 2 handfuls flat leaf parsley, leaves picked
• 1 can baby beets (400g or 14oz), drained
• 1/2 cup ricotta (approx 150g or 5oz)

Boil your kettle. In a medium bowl mix together balsamic and 3
tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and season. Place lentils in a
strainer and pour over boiling water.
Drain well then toss through the dressing. Mix in the parsley
leaves and divide between 2 plates.
Top with drained beets and generous dollups of ricotta.

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Fennel salad with snowpeas mangetout and mint

To turn this into a main course salad, serve on a generous bed of
soft fresh ricotta, or crumble through some sharp goats cheese.
If you don’t have a mandoline or v slicer, you can still make shaved
salads with a sharp knife and a steady hand. Your fennel might be a
little thicker but it won’t be the end of the world. I prefer to slice my
fennel lengthwise but if I’m using just a knife if find it easiest to slice
crosswise into fine rounds.

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small bulb fennel
• 150g (5oz) snowpeas, trimmed
• 1/2 bunch fresh mint, leaves picked

Combine lemon juice and 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a
medium bowl and season.
Shave fennel into fine slices using a mandoline, v slicer or sharp
knife. Toss in the dressing.
Add snowpeas and mint and toss again.

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Serves 3-4 brown rice and almond tabbouleh

I’ve used short grain brown rice. By all means use whichever rice or grain
you like best.
I’ve made this really substantial by adding a heap of almonds. If you were
serving as a side dish you could easily get by with a quarter of the nuts or
ditch them all together.
Lovely with fish or lamb, it’s a brilliant little BBQ salad as it is happy to sit
around in the fridge while you hang out with your guests.

• 2 cups cooked brown rice (approx 250g / 9oz)
• 1 large bunch flat leaf parsley, coarsley chopped including 
• stalks
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup whole almonds (approx 100g / 3oz)

In a large salad bowl stir parsley and onion through the rice.
Combine lemon juice and 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and season
well.
Dress salad and toss though nuts

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Butter bean and tuna Salad

Before I was introuced to butter beans, I used to make this
with cannellini or borlotti beans or even chickpeas. All are
delicious so by all means mix it up.
I’m a big fan of tuna in oil because it seems to have more
flavour. If you’re really concerned about your waistline though,
you could substitute in tuna in springwater.
One of the best things about this salad, apart from how fresh
and tasty it is, is that it transports well and makes a great do-
ahead lunch to take to work.

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 can tuna in oil (185g /6oz), drained
• 1/4 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 can butter beans (400g /14oz), drained
• handful mixed salad leaves

Combine lemon juice & olive oil in a salad bowl and
season.
Add beans and onion to the dressing. Flake tuna into large
chunks on top of the beans and gently toss.

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Chicken and couscous soup

Couscous is brilliant in soup as it cooks quickly and adds a lovely hearty
texture to make your soup more of a meal-in-a-bowl.
If you have access to kale or other greens they may be substituted for
the baby spinach for a more rustic soup.

• 6 cups chicken stock or broth
• 2 chicken breasts, finely sliced into ribbons
• 1/2 cup couscous
• 2 bags baby spinach, washed
• 4-5 tablespoons lemon juice

Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan.
Add chicken and cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until just cooked through.
Scoop our the chicken and divide between 4 bowls. Keep warm.
Meanwhile return the broth to the boil. Add couscous and return to
the boil then stir through the spinach leaves until they are just wilted.
Add lemon juice, season and taste. Add a little more lemon juice if
you think it needs it.
Divide couscous and spinach broth between the bowls and serve
hot.

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Pea and pasta soup with bacon

This is my take on the classic ham and pea soup.
Frozen peas are a life saver when you’re in the mood for something
green and the larder is empty. Peas are one of those vegetables that start
to loose their natural sweetness and flavour as soon as they are picked
so unless you have access to peas straight from the plant, frozen will
generally taste better.
I’ve used bacon instead of ham and served it in chunks on top but you
could skip the bacon and use vegetable stock if you wanted a vegetarian  soup.

• 4 rashers bacon
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 packet frozen peas (250g or 1/2lb)
• 200g or 7oz macaroni or other small pasta
• 1/2 bunch chives, chopped, optional

Cook bacon under a broiler or overhead grill until brown and crispy.
Meanwhile bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add peas
and pasta and boil for about 8 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.
Stir through chives, if using. Taste and season.
Serve soup topped with bacon pieces.

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Little baileys cheesecakes

I made these for a dinner a few weeks ago and they were a BIG hit. I’ve
used the oat based biscuits I used for my little fig and ricotta tartlets a
few weeks ago but and plain sweet biscuit would work well here.
Make sure you use good quality firm ricotta from a deli, not the soft stuff
sold in tubs. Otherwise you run the risk of sloppy cheesecakes.

• 6 butternut snap cookies or other plain sweet cookie
• 1/3 cup baileys
• 200g (7oz) ricotta
• 250g (9oz) philidelphia cream cheese
• 1/3 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar) (60g or 2oz)

Line a large muffin tin with 6 muffin papers.
Place cookies upside down in the base of each – you may need to trim
them with a knife to get them to sit flat. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of baileys
over each cookie.
Combine remaining baileys, ricotta, cream cheese and icing sugar and
mash it all together with a fork until smooth. Alternatively, whizz in a
food processor.
Divide ricotta mixture between muffin papers and refrigerate until
you’re ready to eat.

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Fresh dates with blue cheese

This is one of those really simple ideas where the whole far
exceeds the sum of the parts….a flavour explosion. As with any
simple recipe, it is really critical that you use the highest quality
ingredients. So make sure you use the best fresh dates you can
get your hands on. If all you have is supermarket pitted dates you
would be better off to turn them into sticky date pudding and save
this recipe for another day.

The dates are a great thing to serve at the end of a casual dinner
when you want something simple to go with some warming
Rutherglen Muscat or a luscious Botrytis Semillon (Sauterne).

• 6 - 8 dates
• blue cheese, such as gorgonzola

Cut a slit down one side of each date and remove the seed. Fill
the cavity with a chunk of blue cheese.
Serve at room temperature with a good grind of black pepper.

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A chocolate tasting The world's easiest dessert

We’ve all been there. You’ve invited some mates over for a mid week dinner. The
plan was to slip away from work early. Home by five. Plenty of time to knock up
three courses. Right? If only.
Rather than give up mid week entertaining, I’ve decided to be more realistic with
my planning. One of the secret weapons I’ve developed is to host a chocolate
tasting for dessert. I used to sample chocolate and biscuits (cookies) on a regular
basis for a living.  And had the inspiration that tastings could be fun to do with your
friends.

1. Choose three different chocolates.

It’s up to you what type of chocolate you offer for tasting. You could choose
three different brands of say 70% cocoa solids chocolate and have a bit of a
comparison. You’ll be surprised just how different they will be.
Another option is to go for a white, milk and dark from the same producer so
you can get everyone to explore which is their favourite type. Or you could try
three different dark chocolates with different levels of cocoa solids. Or a cheap
cooking chocolate, a mid range and a more expensive… the possibilities are
endless really.

2. Plonk them in the middle of the table.

For an added level of complexity, you could serve them unlabelled or ‘blind’ as
we professional tasters like to say. But this can make it a little intimidating for
some people. Maybe save this for a follow up session.

3. Explore, discuss and enjoy.

You can make it as in depth or as casual as you like. I like to keep it very
conversational and fun. Just let everyone taste and talk about what they are
experiencing – their likes and dislikes.

If your guests want to get a bit more serious about their chocolate appreciation,
you could give them a few pointers as to what the professionals look for. I’ve
pulled together a bit of a guide on stonesoup.

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Whipped Jewel Yams

• 5 firm jewel yams
• 1 cup water
• 2 ounces (1 /4 stick)
• butter
• Freshly ground
• nutmeg
• Salt to taste

1. Place trivet in bottom of a 4-quart or larger
pressure cooker. Add yams and water.
2. Close lid and bring pressure to second red
ring over high heat. Adjust heat to stabilize
pressure at second red ring. Cook for 15
minutes.
3. Remove from heat and use Natural Release
Method, see page 10.
4. Slip the yams out of their skins and mash with
butter, nutmeg and salt. Place in a decorative,
warmed serving dish.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Approximate Nutritional Analysis Per Serving:
212 calories / 2g protein / 38g carbohydrates / 6g fat
5g dietary fiber / 17mg cholesterol / 73mg sodium.



The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity.
When cooked in the pressure cooker the
yams slip out of their skins, eliminating the
need to peel or peel them before cooking.

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Vegetable Medley with Brown Rice

• 1 cup brown rice
• 11 /2 cups water
• 1 small turnip, peeled
• and cubed
• 1 pound banana 
• squash, peeled 
• and cubed
• 2 carrots, peeled and
• sliced
• 1 small zucchini, 
• quartered 
• lengthwise and 
• sliced
• 3 stalks Swiss chard,
• leafy greens 
• coarsely chopped, 
• stems diced
• 1 stalk broccoli 
• including stem, 
• coarsely chopped
• /3 cup finely chopped 
• water chestnuts.

1. In a 4-quart or larger pressure cooker, bring
rice and water to a boil.
2. Close lid and bring pressure to first red ring
over high heat. Adjust heat to stabilize pressure
at first red ring. Cook for 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and use Natural Release
Method, see page 10.
4. Add vegetables, stir until mixed.
5. Close lid and bring pressure to first red ring
over high heat. Adjust heat to stabilize pressure
at first red ring. Cook for 1 minute.
6. Remove from heat and use Natural Release
Method, see page 10.

Makes 6 to 8 servings
Approximate Nutritional Analysis Per Serving:
131 calories / 4g protein / 28g carbohydrates / 1g fat
4g dietary fiber / 0mg cholesterol / 60mg sodium
For those looking for a little more adventure in
their vegetable cooking, try the following
variation:
Warm 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate, 1/4
teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of
ground clove in a skillet. Lightly sauté the
vegetables in this mixture before adding them to
the pressure cooker. If reheated later, these
seasonings mellow and improve.



The beauty of this dish is its tendency to let the individual vegetable
flavors shine. If this recipe seems too bland for your personal taste,
add a light seasoning of salt and freshly ground pepper. There is also a
nice organic Swiss seasoning called Herbamare, by Bioforce, that can
be used. It is available at specialty markets and health food stores.

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Simple soba noodle soup

Soba noodles are made of buckwheat as well as regular wheat and
have a subtle ‘healthy’ flavour. Most other noodles could be used here if
you prefer. Likewise, the veg can be varied to suit your taste (and what
you have in the fridge!) baby spinach would be lovely.
Remember that the noodles are going to keep cooking in the broth after
you’ve served up so best to slightly undercook first.

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• handful soba noodles (approx 50g or 2oz)
• 3 heads baby bok choy, leaves separated
• large pinch chilli flakes, optional
• 1 – 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Bring stock to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add noodles and
simmer for 2 minutes.
Add bok choy and chilli and 1T soy sauce and simmer for another
minute or until noodles are only just cooked (see note above).
Remove from the heat. Taste and add extra soy if needed. Serve
hot.
simple soba
noodle soup

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Monsoon Curried Yams and Potatoes

• 1 /2 cup finely 
• chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, 
• peeled and
• finely chopped
• 11 /2 tablespoons curry 
• paste
• 3 cups diced yams
• 1 cup diced 
• potatoes
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 /4 cup mango 
• chutney
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cucumber, peeled 
• and sliced.

1. In a 2-quart Pressure Frypan, or larger
pressure cooker, sauté onion, garlic and curry
paste over medium heat until onion is
translucent.
2. Stir in yams and potatoes. Let them sizzle for
1 minute or until the bottom of the pan is sticky
and slightly burned.
3. Add sake.
4. Close lid and bring pressure to first red ring
over high heat. Adjust heat to stabilize pressure
at first red ring. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and use Touch or
Automatic Release Method, see page 10.
6. Add peas. Close lid and bring pressure to first
red ring over medium high heat.
7. Immediately remove from heat and use
Natural Release Method, see page 10.

8. Accompany each serving with dollops of
yogurt and mango chutney and several
cucumber slices.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Recipe provided by Steve Sloane.
Approximate Nutritional Analysis Per Serving:
219 calories / 6g protein / 44g carbohydrates / 2g fat
5g dietary fiber / 1mg cholesterol / 385mg sodium.




The sake may be replaced with apple juice.
Curry paste may be difficult to find, but it is
a good addition to any well stocked pantry.
Even without the yogurt, mango chutney
and cucumber this recipe is a good side dish
with dinner.

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Beet Salad with Danish Blue Cheese & Walnuts

• 4 medium-size beets 
• (about 11 /2 pounds)
• trimmed*
• 3 tablespoons red 
• wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons walnut
• oil
• 1 /4 cup shelled 
• walnuts, halves or 
• pieces
• 2 ounces Danish 
• blue cheese, 
• crumbled

1. In a 4-quart or larger pressure cooker, place
whole beets on a trivet with 1/4 cup water.
2. Close lid and bring pressure to second red
ring over high heat. Adjust heat to stabilize
pressure at second red ring. Cook for 10 to 12
minutes, depending on age and size of beets,
see page 16.
3. Remove from heat and use Natural Release
Method, see page 10.
4. Remove beets and allow them to cool.
5. Peel and julienne beets.
6. Mix red wine vinegar and walnut oil together
in bowl.
7. Add beets and stir to mix.
8. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
9. When chilled, toss with crumbled Danish blue Beets are a vegetable that are widely
neglected in many diets, yet they are a good
source of vitamin A and potassium.
They are usually in plentiful supply
throughout the year, and easily cooked in
the pressure cooker.

cheese and walnuts.
Makes 6 servings
*When preparing whole beets to be cooked in the
pressure cooker, it is important to wash them gently
so as not to break the skin. Also, leave one to two
inches of the leaf stem still attached. The rootlet
should be kept intact until after cooking.
Approximate Nutritional Analysis Per Serving:
154 calories / 5g protein / 13g carbohydrates / 10g fat
3g dietary fiber / 7mg cholesterol / 218mg sodium

Beets are a vegetable that are widely
neglected in many diets, yet they are a good
source of vitamin A and potassium.
They are usually in plentiful supply
throughout the year, and easily cooked in
the pressure cooker.

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Savory Potato Salad

Here’s a potato salad that’s both traditional and new—with great
taste and a low-fat twist.

• 6 medium potatoes (about 2 pounds)
• 2 stalks celery, inely chopped
•  
• 2 scallions, inely chopped
•  
• ¼ cup red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
•  
• ¼ cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
•  
• 1 tablespoon onion, inely chopped
•  
• 1 egg, hard boiled, chopped
•  
• 6 tablespoons mayonnaise, light
•  
• 1 teaspoon mustard
•  
• ½ teaspoon salt
•  
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
•  
• ¼ teaspoon dill weed, dried

1. Wash potatoes, cut in half, and place in saucepan of cold water.
2. Cook covered over medium heat for 25–30 minutes or until tender.
3. Drain and dice potatoes when cool.
4. Add vegetables and egg to potatoes and toss.
5. Blend together mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, and dill weed.
6. Pour dressing over potato mixture and stir gently to coat evenly.
7.  Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

  Yield: 10 servings 

  Serving size: ½ cup 

  Calories 98 

  Total Fat 2 g 

  Saturated Fat 0 g 

  Cholesterol 21 mg 

  Sodium 212 mg 

  Total Fiber 2 g 

  Protein 2 g 

  Carbohydrates 18 g 

  Potassium 291 mg 

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Coconut Chutney-Thengai Thigayal - South Indian

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup fresh coconut, shredded 
• 1/2 cup Toor dal dry 
• 1/4 cup Urad dal dry  
• 1/4 cup Channa dal dry  
• 1/4 tsp tamarind concentrate  
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida  
• Whole red chillies as per taste up to 3  
• Salt to taste 
• 2 tsp. cooking oil 

Method:  

Dry roast toor dhal, chana dhal, urad dhal, red chillies and asafoetida in cooking
oil. Grind this mixture in water into a thick paste. Add coconut, tamarind and salt
and grind it for a few more seconds until all the mixture blends into a smooth
paste. Serve with steamed rice or can be served with dosa (rice pancakes).

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Tamarind Chutney

 Ingredients: 

1 cup cleaned tamarind  

1/2 cup dates deseeded 

1/4 cup sugar 

2 cups water 

1/2 tsp. red chilli powder 

1/2 crushed cumin seeds 

1 tsp. salt 

3/4 cup jaggery  

Method:  

Wash the tamarind clean.
Place the tamarind, jaggery, sugar, dates and water in a deep boiling pan.
Soak for a few minutes. Put to boil for about 7-8 minutes.
Cool to room temperature. Blend in a electric blender till smooth.
Strain and transfer to the pan again. Boil till thick enough to coat the back of a
spoon thinly.
Add the seasoning. Cool again. Store in clean airtight bottles and refrigerate.

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BOILED RICE

• Ingredients  
• Rice  500 gm 
• Salt  to taste 

 
Method:
 
•  Pick, wash and soak rice.
•  Bring water to boil
•  Add rice, salt and simmer
•  When rice is cooked, drain water and serve hot.

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