I admit this post is a bit of a cheat, I've written this recipe before here (scroll to the bottom half) but it's been so popular, not just with you dear reader but with my own family however it wont show up on my smart phone, so I can't check the quantities on the move (I am terrible at remembering these things). So here it is again.
The microwave mug cake recipe
Who's it suitable for?
It's egg free, it's nut free, it's yeast free, it's wheat free, it's
vegetarian and also vegan and it's coeliac friendly. It's not high fibre
but the high levels of cocoa may not be suitable for all sufferers of
IBS and Crohns, best to check. And it does contain high levels of sugar
and fat (oil) so it's not suitable for those on a reducing diet.
It is extremely suitable for young children to make on their own (with a little supervision). Apart from the fact that they LOVE the result ("a whole cake, just for me?!!) it helps them with measuring and pouring skills as well as reading, maths and science (reversible and irreversible changes). The fact that the result is nice and quick is also a bonus in retaining their interest. Just watch the temperature when it comes out of the oven.
Ingredients
1/4 of a cup of rice flour (or other gluten free flour, but rice flour works best)
1/4 of a cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of (diary and gluten free) coco-powder
a pinch of gluten free baking powder
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of oil
3 tablespoons of water
1 drop of vinegar (do not trust yourself to pour this out of the bottle, pop some on a spoon and from there add one drip!)
Add all
the dry ingredients to the mug and mix, add all the wet ingredients, mix
and pop in a microwave for about 2 minutes (mines a 700W, if yours is
more powerful reduce the cooking time). And hey-presto one cake!! Eat
from the mug while still warm, maybe add a blob of cream!
I wont lie, sometimes it's been a bit of a stretch to get my girls to try something 'new'. Unless I call it cake and stick candles on it, it is always met with an air of reluctance (and that's putting it mildly). They are not naturally adventurous eaters. However I decided it was time we did curry so I looked back through my scrap book of recipes (I've been collecting since my early 20's) and came up with this recipe for dahl by combining something clipped out of a Sainsbury's magazine and an article by Madhur Jaffrey.
Who can eat it?
Vegans, vegetarians, coeliacs, children (as curries go this is very, very mild, if it was just adults eating I'd double all the spices). It has no gluten, no wheat and no nuts either.
Who can't eat it?
Those allergic to lentils (or other legumes) and those allergic to onions will have to leave this dish out. Some with Crohns, ulcerative colitus and highly sensitive IBS may also have to avoid this dish due to it's relatively high fibre content. I know some can't eat 'spicy food' but as I've already said this dish is very, very mild, this may just be the curry you can eat but if it's for a guest check with them first.
Ingredients
My top tip for your
ingredients is to get really good quality herbs and spices, if possible
buy whole and grind your own and then you know they haven't been thinned
out with wheat flour or anything daft. Avoid using old spices as they
don't have the same taste and never use a 'ready made mix' as all sorts
of allergens can be hiding inside.
250g red split lentils
1 bay leaf
500mls of water
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 bay leaf
1 cup of easy cook basmati rice plus 2 cups of water per person
A pinch of saffron
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh raw ginger root
2 small cloves of finely chopped garlic (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/2 ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
A handful of raisins*
Salt and pepper to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish
*I'm allergic to palm
and coconut which is often used to coat raisins to make them look nice
so I tend to use one small packet of Sunmaid Californian Raisins because
these don't have any oil on.
Start by rinsing your lentils well to remove any grit then place them in a good sized pan with the water and bay leaf and half a teaspoon of turmeric. Stir well and bring gently to the boil then simmer for 40mins by which time you should have a yellow mush, don't let it burn to the bottom of the pan as it's a devil to get off!
Use the next 25 minutes profitably by getting the rest of the stuff ready because then you will need to get the rice on.
Rinse your basmati rice and 25 minutes after you put the lentils on pop it in twice the quantity of boiling water with a pinch of saffron. (e.g. if you are using 2 cups of rice you need 4 cups of water) Put the lid on the rice and leave on a low simmer for the next 15minutes.
Moments later (and in your third pan!) warm the oil (you could use ghee or butter instead of oil if it doesn't have to be dairy free) and very gently fry your onion for about 6 to 8 minutes. We are after very gently cooked onion, burning will not enhance your dish!
Next add the ginger and the garlic (if you are using it) and cook for two further minutes.
While you are doing this take a your handful of raisins and add them to the rice, giving it all a quick stir before you slam the lid back on.
Now add all the rest of the spices and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring well. Then remove the bay leaf from your cooked lentils and add them to the onion mixture.
Give everything a gentle stir and if it has gone too thick to stir easily add a little water until it is as runny as you desire (I like mine to have a little substance but I have a friend who prefers it like soup).
Add salt and pepper to taste and that's it, you can serve up.
It looks nice if you can serve it with some Mango Chutney and possibly some plain yoghurt if you don't have to keep dairy free. If you'd like a nan bread to go with it Tesco do a nice gluten free one (but it's not vegan). It looks even better if you have a little fresh coriander to go on top but sadly I didn't. (Note to self - must get better at presenting and photographing food!)
Ringing the changes.
Adding some steamed/boiled veg such as carrot, cauliflower, sweetcorn and potato together with some fresh skinned and chopped tomatoes and a bit of extra water turns this into a nice vegetable curry.
Try adding a few handfuls of (gluten free) breadcrumbs to the dahl, roll it up into balls and press flat for burger shapes and you have an indian flavour rissole you can shallow fry later (this is great for using up the left-overs if you have any). This goes really well with a salad.
If you want something a little lower in carbs then skip the rice and go for lightly steamed cauliflower pushed through a potato ricer and 'thin out' the dahl with a tin of chopped tomatoes and heat through.
If you'd like to up the calorie content and don't have a problem with coconut then I suspect that grating in some creamed coconut would be really nice, (but not for me).
The verdict
At first the girls took a look and declared they would eat the rice but wouldn't touch "that other stuff", however with a little Mummy-know-how I got them to taste it and was rewarded with
"Actually that's really nice"
Daddy has now explained that it's better to say such sentences without such a sound of surprise in your voice. But 'really nice' from a really picky eater? I'll settle for that!
