All posts tagged: Diwali

Halwa Spiced Carrot Cake with Condensed Milk Icing & Gold Leaf

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Styled and shot by Lauren Miller (www.laurenmiller.co.uk) (@millerisere) and Faye Wears (www.forksknivesblog.wordpress.com) (@forks_and_knives) Halwa is the most amazing Indian dessert – it’s a carrot-based, nut ridden version of our rice pudding made with loads of condensed milk, saffron, cardamom and golden sultanas. I thought how amazing it would be to have all of the flavours that make halwa taste so fab baked into a  light, spongy carrot cake. So I tried it. And it worked a dream! My fool proof carrot cake recipe has taken many forms in my kitchen (usually depending on what dried fruit and nuts I have in my cupboards) but this version is very special. It has a bold, aromatic taste that works really well with sweet carrots and orange zest. If you can’t get hold of cardamom powder, you can use ground cinnamon or allspice instead. Condensed milk is an essential ingredient in halwa, and here it gives a lovely shine and gooey texture to the icing, which trickles beautifully down the sides of the cake. It’s a perfect wintery treat Ingredients For the …

Turmeric Glazed Pulled Lamb Samosas & Green Chutney

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Styled and shot by Lauren Miller (www.laurenmiller.co.uk) (@millerisere) and Faye Wears (www.forksknivesblog.wordpress.com) (@forks_and_knives) Say goodbye to deep fried soggy samosas this Diwali! My lamb samosas are baked instead of deep fried and are made using filo pastry, creating a perfectly light, crispy case for the juicy, slow cooked lamb shoulder inside. An egg wash mixed with turmeric is a great way to achieve a fantastic bright yellow finish to these samosas, as well as making the pastry extra crispy when you tuck in. Green chutney is the perfect dip – crammed with fresh herbs, chillies and zingy lime! (Makes 12 samosas) 400g lamb shoulder, diced 5 tbsp yoghurt 3 shallots, peeled 3 garlic cloves, peeled  3 inch piece of ginger, peeled  2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp garam masala ½ tsp red chilli powder 3 tbsp groundnut oil 1 lamb stock cube 1 large onion, peeled and really thinly sliced 1 small bunch of coriander, finely chopped 12 sheets of filo pastry 3 tbsp oil, for brushing 1 large egg 1 tsp …

10 minute flatbreads with smoked salt, hazelnut dukkah & ghee – a Diwali celebration recipe

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All photographs styled and shot by Lauren Miller (www.laurenmiller.co.uk) (@millerisere) and Faye Wears (www.forksknivesblog.wordpress.com) (@forks_and_knives) It’s Diwali time! The Indian festival of lights takes place this Wednesday 11th November and I just can’t wait. I have been busy creating some delicious recipes inspired by the rainbow of colours and flavours that Indian food has to offer. These dishes are perfect for a celebration with friends and family and are all really quick and simple to prepare. I first came across dukkah whilst in Egypt with my family. We could smell it as we walked into the restaurant. You tear off a chunk of warm freshly baked flatbread, dunk it in quality olive oil and then into this amazing blend of roasted nuts, spices and herbs and devour. It is such a simple but fabulously tasty dish to plonk in the middle of the table over drinks and chats. So, I have adapted this great dish that I first tried in Egypt and given it an Indian twist. The great thing about dukkah is that you can put …

Do Diwali 2015 with Beth Does Food

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Do Diwali 2015 with Beth Does Food Diwali. the ancient Hindu festival of lights, is only two weeks away and i’ve been working on some delish recipes which celebrate the vibrant colours and flavours of Indian street food. Shot by the fabulous food stylists Faye Wears (www.forksknivesblog.wordpress.com) and Lauren Miller (www.laurenmiller.co.uk), my recipes are based around street food classics and are the perfect way to celebrate Diwali yourself. Hope you guys enjoy my recipes. In the meantime, here are some teasers to get your taste buds tingling. Check ’em out – alvida! BDF x

Leek bhajis

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For me, onion bhajis are one of the things I get most excited about when I go for an Indian meal. Their like a little explosion of everything I love about Indian food- the staples of a great curry paste (onion, ginger and chilli), carefully selected and delicate spices, and plenty of fresh coriander. In India, bhajis are more commonly known as pakora (fritters), and don’t exclusively contain onion. Some have potatoes, spinach, peas, chicken, or anything you fancy. The Onion bhajis that we know and love in this country have a distinctive taste and smell from ajwan and nigella seeds, and can range from big boulders served in chip shops to tiny delicate nests. In any case, When done properly they have a crisp fried onion shell and perfectly cooked batter and soft onions in the centre. I recently had the opportunity to learn how to make Spinach and Onion Pakoras with head chef Rakesh at Cinnamon Kitchen. His trick was to combine the chopped onions and spinach with spices and salt before leaving it …