Services were temporarily suspended as the Teen left the Attic. It is only temporary. Since her return, normal cooking has now resumed!

As her return beckoned, I went into cooking overdrive. While she told me not to overdo it, I couldn’t resist. I so enjoy cooking but more than anything, I love cooking for her!

I put together some of her favourite dishes to welcome her home. Chicken curry, Daal and chocolate cake – not exactly a traditional ending to a spicy but it’s her favourite bake.

The Chicken Curry? It’s a tweaked version of Roopa Gulati’s recipe on the BBC Good Food website. The spicing is perfect for us and it’s a really tasty dish.

The Daal? I have no idea where it came from (another recipe scribbled on the back of a page) but whoever created the original, we thank you as its one of the best we’ve tasted.

And the chocolate cake? It’s the Chocolate Fudge Cake recipe on this blog but with a twist. Instead of the chocolate butter cream filling, I used whipped cream mixed with crushed Malteesers. It was surprisingly light and not too sweet as I’d feared. A really nice alternative.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped roughly
50g ginger, chopped roughly
6 garlic cloves
Water
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
5cm cinnamon stick
1 chilli, chopped finely with seeds removed
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp castor sugar
1 tsp caster sugar
10-12 chicken thighs, skinned and boneless
250ml hot chicken stock

Method
1. Place the onion in a small food process with three tablespoons of water. Process until a paste
2. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan
3. Fry the cumin seeds, fennel seeds and cinnamon stick for about 30 seconds
4. Add in the onion paste and fry for about 10 minutes until golden brown
5. Place the garlic and ginger in the food processor with 4 tablespoons water and blend into a paste
6. Add this to the onion mix with the chilli and cook for for another 2 minutes
7. Stir in the garam masala, turmeric, sugar and tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes until the tomatoes darken and reduce
8. Add in the chicken and coat with the paste.
9. Cook for about 15 minutes until the chicken is tender and the masala lightly thickened. The stock can be added if the sauce is becoming too thick
10. Serve with rice or naan bread

Daal

Ingredients
Stage 1
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
8-10 fresh curry leaves
1 chilli, deseeded and chopped very finely

Stage 2
3 tbsp butter or ghee
1 onion, chopped finally
1-2 chillis, deseeded and chopped finely
1 tbsp minced garlic
8 ounces red lentils
1½ pints water
3 tbsp roasted garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
7 ounces tomatoes, skinned and chopped
A dash of lemon juice
Salt and black pepper

Stage 1
1. Heat the oil. Add the cumin and mustard seeds, cooking for about 30 seconds
2. Fry the onion until crispy.
3. Add the garlic and chilli. Cook for a further 2 minutes until the garlic softens
4. Add the curry leaves and cook for another 2 minutes
5. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave aside

Stage 2
1. Heat the butter or ghee in the same saucepan. Add the onions, ginger and chilli and cook for about 10 minutes until golden brown
2. Add the lentils and cover with the onion mix
3. Mix in the water, bring to the boil and leave to cook for about 50 minutes
4. Add the garam masala and coriander
5. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and freshly ground pepper
6. Cook for another 10 minutes
7. Remove about one third of the mix and blend into a smooth paste
8. Return to the pan and mix in
9. Mix in the onion and garlic mix from the first stage
10. Serve as a main dish with naan bread or as a side dish

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Here is the link to the recipe on this blog
https://teeninattic.com/category/baking-and-stuff/chocolate-fudge-cake