D-parture day is almost here!

It seems ages since I’ve posted any recipes but include two now – one which is delicious and the other untried as yet but it promises to be yummy and perfect for a breakfast, lunch or nibbles on the road. I have been busy preparing food for our 2021 Aussie Odyssey which, all going well, should start tomorrow.

The home freezers are packed to the limit, the caravan fridge is already on and a mass of sauces and condiments as well as veggies are already chilling out as we speak. It only remains for me to empty the freezers at home and load all that in the car freezer to take to the caravan. I just hope it all fits! Whatever doesn’t fit, we’ll just have to eat – tough life!

So I wish you bon appetit and I’ll talk to you from somewhere along the road!

Indian carrot Bhajias (fritters)

Ingredients

1 cup (150g) plain flour

1½ tsp ground cumin

1½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp turmeric

¼ cayenne

1½ tsp salt

½ cup beer

1 lg egg

6 spring onion inc green tops

150g grated carrot (med-lg)

Method

Sift salt and spices with the flour, add beer and beaten egg, mix well. 

Stir in chopped onions and carrot.

Heat oil and fry in spoonful until; golden brown, turn once. 

Drain well on paper.

Chook’s note: I make a lot of different fritters, onion, potato etc. It’s  a fantastic way of using up left-over veggies 

 if you don’t have any beer, use water or milk and add 1-2 tsp baking soda to plain flour or substitute SR flour. 

Eggplant and chickpea curry

Ingredients

500g eggplant (~2 large)

Vegetable oil for frying

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 onion finely chopped

½ tsp black mustard seeds (I used yellow)

½ tsp fennel seeds

5-6 curry leaves

1/2 green chilli finely sliced

1 tomato roughly chopped

2 Tbsp ground turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

1 Tbsp ground coriander

50ml tamarind juice (or paste)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

400g canned chickpeas, drained

200ml coconut milk

2 tsp sugar

Method

Remove tops of eggplants, discard. Cut into batons 1 cm wide.

Heat vegetable oil in large pan/pot and fry eggplant in batches until golden. Remove and drain on paper towel. Set aside.

Heat coconut oil in large pan over medium heat. Fry onions, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and curry leaves for about 3 mins, stirring frequently.

Tumble in greren chilli and tomato and stir to coat. Cooat for 10 mins, stirring occasionally or until tomatoes have collapsed.

Add turmeric, chili powder, ground coriander and tamarind. Stir well.  Add garlic and 200ml of water. Stir, simmer rapidly 203mins until sauce thickens and becomes fragrant.

Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, sugar and fried eggplant, Stir. Check for seasoning, add extra coconut milk if it is too spicy or more sugar if too sour. Simmer 5 mins. Serve garnished with fresh coriander.

Chook’s note: if you’re horrified by the amount of oil the eggplant sucks up, try either steaming it or sprinkle with oil and grill.  

Add more chilli fresh and powdered if you like your curries very hot. The original recipe called for more but I pulled back to the amounts on this list.

I think this would go very well with half the chickpeas and substitute potato or greens or simply a mix of vegetables.