A Pakora is basically an Indian snack involving something deep fried in a chickpea batter. And very tasty they are too. Perfect as a snack or a side-dish. Yum!
I've called this "aubergine and broccoli" pakora but really you could try any vegetable you fancy in this - give it a whirl and it might turn out great!
What's the cost?
Depends on the vegetable. I'll do a costing for mixed broccoli and aubergine pakora 50-50.
Came out at 0.90 zl per person (18 pence, 21 Euro cents, 1.59 Danish Kroner)
You'll need:
- 1/2 aubergine
- 1/4 head of broccoli
- 3 tablespoons of chickpea flour (gram flour)
- 1 tablespoon of rice flour
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 chopped green chillies
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
- a pinch of ajwain seeds
- a tsp of roughly ground coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/3 bottle of veg oil for frying
Let's go!
1. Grind down the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar.
2. Add everything (except the vegetables) into a bowl
3. Add enough water to form a crepe-like batter. Whisk well.
4. Get the deep frying oil medium hot. Do the onion test. Put a small slice of onion in the oil. When it rises to the surface and starts bubbling, the oil is the right temperature - keep on medium heat. Dip the vegetables into the batter to cover and then into the oil.
5. They should take around 5 minutes or so. Drain when brown but don't burn!
Enjoy!
One thing - this recipe uses something called "ajwain" - these are tiny seeds with a very strong thyme-like flavour. You only need a pinch but they impart a special je ne sais quoi to the dish. Get them from an Asian store.
What did this cost?
- Veg: 2 zl
- Oil: 1.7 zl
- Rest: 0.80 zl
Total: 4.5
Would serve around 5
Per person: 0.90 zl
Remember the falafel recipe? They go well with a simple salad, especially now that so much good stuff is in season and at its best.
I'm not into dry salad so I always make some kind of dressing to go with it. Here's a mustard vinaigrette - probably the easiest thing you'll ever make after which you'll wonder why people buy dressings from the supermarket at 5 times the price.
You'll need:
- whatever salad you fancy
- a good old glug of extra virgin olive oil
- a tsp of strong mustard
- a splash of white wine vinegar (or perhaps cider vinegar)
- a tiny caress of salt
- a generous dose of freshly milled black pepper
Just a couple of things before we begin:
1. Use extra virgin olive oil for uncooked stuff like salads. Use a lower grade olive oil for cooking. Trust me.
2. NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER use ready ground black pepper. NEVER!! ALWAYS mill the pepper yourself from pepper corns. Did I make myself clear?
Got that off my chest so let's get going:
1. Olive oil, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper in a bowl.
2. Whisk up till combined.
3. Add the salad to the bowl and rub into the dressing with your hands.
4. Enjoy
What did this cost?
Bugger all!
Thanks to Dorota Kamińska-Jones for cooking this one!
Leczo is basically a Hungarian stew with peppers, onion, tomatoes and sausage finished off with a little paprika and cayenne. Simple and hearty, it makes excellent use of the seasonal peppers you find in markets around August-September. Seasonal stuff means stuff at its freshest (and cheapest).
Serve on its own or with bread rolls to mop up the delicious juices.
Serves: 6
Cost per person: 2.42 zl (49 UK pence, 58 Euro cents, 4.50 Norwegian Kroner)
What you need:
- 1 kg mixed peppers
- 3 large onions
- 3 large tomatoes
- 1 real (from a butcher) pork sausage (the less fatty, the better)
- 1 tsp tomato puree
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- salt and pepper to taste
Let's get on with it!
1. Chop up the peppers and put in a deep pan.
2. Pour in water up to half the height of the peppers. Bring to a boil and reduce to low.
3. Onions chopped. Into the pan. Sprinkle with salt. Sauté till transparent.
4. Meanwhile, skin the tomatoes. Make a criss cross on the back. Then put in a bowl and pour boiling water over. Wait till the skins separate from the flesh. Peel back and off like you're skinning a cat!
5. Onions in.
6. Tomatoes in. Sweat them down nicely.
7. Tomato puree in.
8. Spices in.
9. Season. Keep the heat on low and let the stew develop.
10. In the meantime, fry the sausages till brown.
11. Drain on kitchen paper.
12. Sausages in.
13. Done!
Enjoy!
Cost:
- peppers: 4.50 zl
- onions: 1.50 zl
- tomatoes: 4 zl
- sausage: 4 zl
- the rest: 0.50 zl
Total: 14.50
Serves: 6
Per person: 2.42 zl
When I lived in Alexandria, I really fell in love with falafel, the Middle-East chickpea staple. It's full of flavour, versatility and nutrition. You've got protein from the chickpeas and then there's the immune system boost from the garlic and onion. Put it together with special hot sauce and a salad and then you've got a balanced meal packed full of vitamins and fibre too.
And it's dirt cheap!
You can eat this in many many different ways. I mean, it goes with many many different things. In terms of eating, you're generally going to use your mouth. In this version, I'm just letting it work alongside a simple salad (recipe to follow).
Cost (for falafels only): 0.30 zl per falafel (6 UK pence, 10 US cents, 0.53 Argentinian Pesos)
What you need for the falafel:
- 2-3 handfuls of dried chickpeas
- a good handful of chopped up spring onion (the green stem)
- 1-2 cloves of sliced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- a good amount of freshly milled black pepper
One word of warning before we begin: NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER use pre-cooked or canned chickpeas for this dish - they will disintegrate during the deep frying process. ONLY USE DRIED CHICKPEAS SOAKED OVERNIGHT.
Let's go!
1. Soak the chickpeas overnight or for at least 8 hours. Drain.
2. Add all the ingredients to a food processor.
3. Whizz up to a fairly coarse paste. You shouldn't need to add extra water. What you want is a pretty firm paste, not soggy.
4. Here's an important step: PUT THE MIXTURE INTO THE FRIDGE FOR 30 MINUTES. This helps the binding process and helps the falafel stay together during the deep frying process.
5. Deep fry on a medium heat until golden brown.
6. Enjoy with salad, yoghurt and special hot sauce (see a previous posting for the recipe)
What this cost?
- chickpeas: 1.50 zl
- the rest: 1.50 zl
Total: 3 zl
Makes approximately 10 falafel
Per falafel: 0.30 zl
As promised, the follow-up to yesterday's recipe for special hot sauce. Here I'm using it almost like a pizza sauce spread over the bread, topped with cheese and tomato and grilled in the oven. Dead easy. Dead delicious. Let's rock!
This one's great at the moment with tomatoes being in season. I went to the local market (http://www.sopockirynek.pl/doc_10.html) this morning and had a field day. Raspberry tomatoes for only 4.50 zl a kilo! That's real shopping.
Total cost: 2.37 zl per person (49 UK pence, 57 Euro cents, 76 US cents) - cheaper than a frozen pizza from your local supermarket, eh? Healthier too!
Serves: 2
What do we need for this?
- a small baguette
- special hot sauce (around 4 tablespoons)
- 125g mozzarella
- a handful of basil leaves
- one medium tomato
- salt and pepper
Let's get cracking!
1. Halve the baguettes. Spread with special hot sauce.
2. Mozzarella on.
3. Basil on.
4. Slice the tomato and cover. Season with salt and pepper. Don't be shy!
5. Grill in the oven on max till the cheese starts to bubble.
Enjoy!
Cost breakdown:
- baguette: 1 zl
- special hot sauce (around 4 tablespoons): 0.65 zl
- 125g mozzarella: l lucked out in Lidl and picked up a pack for 1.88 zl
- a handful of basil leaves: 0.20 zl
- one medium tomato: 1 zl
Total: 4.73 zl
Serves: 2
Per person: 2.37 zl
This is my very own special hot sauce, good for anything really - barbecues, meat, sandwiches, falafel, wraps etc. Whatever it is, this sauce will lend your meal a nice warm comforting kick!
Cost per jar: 2.20 zl (45 UK pence. Now that's cheaper than your Reggae Reggae Sauce, eh?)
You'll need:
- a dash of olive oil
- 3 dry red bird's eye chillies
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- a good dash of soy sauce
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- a handful of basil leaves (optional)
- some fresh coriander (optional)
- 1 tin of tomatoes
- salt to taste
What to do next?
1. Olive oil in a hot pan. Cumin seeds and dry chillies in.
2. Onions in. Add a little salt to help them sweat down quicker. After around 7 minutes, add the chopped garlic.
3. After around 10 minutes add the sugar
4. Soy sauce in
5. Tomatoes, bay leaves, herbs in
6. Reduce down for about 30 minutes on a low heat till you have a fairly thick sauce.
7. You can leave it like this for a chunkier feel or you might want to whizz up in a blender for some smoothness. Up to you.
Enjoy!
Some recipes with the special hot sauce will follow real soon!
What does it cost to make this sauce?
Approximately 2.20 zl per jar. How many people will it serve? How long will it last? Depends! Keep it in the fridge, though and it will last about a week or so.
One of the many reasons why I love Indian food is the great abundance of vegetarian recipes. I mean genuine vegetarian recipes. Not the usual "Oh no! My mate's girlfriend is a vegetarian so what shall I cook? I know! I'll replace the beef with a bit of tofu! Sorted!" No, no, no no no! A chilli con carne with soya is not a chilli con carne. It's a chilli con soya. Right?
Not so with Indian food - this is the real deal.
Spinach kofta goes really well with yesterday's easy red curry sauce. Full-flavoured, wonderfully textured - you will not miss the meat, I assure you. Guaranteed or your money (5 zloty) back.
Koftas are balls! Meat balls are found in many cuisines. Vegetarian balls, less so.
Serves: 4
Total cost of koftas: 1.15 zl
Total cost of meal with spinach koftas, sauce and rice: 2.15 zl (44 UK pence, 68 US cents, 1 Bulgarian Lev)
What you need:
- 200g of spinach
- 2.5 tablespoons of gram (besan) flour - that's chickpea flour
- 1.5 tablespoons of rice flour
- 1-2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1-2 green chillies finely chopped
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Let's rock!
1. Get the flours ready in a bowl. Chickpea flour adds body and protein to the dish. Rice flour adds a lightness and crispiness to the frying and finish.
2. Chop up the spinach
3. Add to the flour
4. Finely chop the chilli by quartering lengthways and keeping on the stem. Then dice across.
5. Bash the garlic under the blade of your chef's knife once - this will help you remove the skin quickly. Then mince with a fine grater.
6. Add the chillies and minced garlic to the bowl along with the coriander, garam masala and salt.
7. DON'T add any water! Instead, scrunch the mixture with your hand until you form a dough - this process releases water from the spinach which is enough to form a nice softish dough.
8. Make ping-pong sized balls and deep fry on medium heat
9. When they start to lightly brown, turn up the heat to full and blast for around 1 minute. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
10. Enjoy!
Cost:
- spinach: 2 zl
- chillies, garlic and spices: 0.40 zl
- flour: 0.20 zl
- oil: 2 zl
Total: 4.60
Serves: 4
Total per person: 1.15 zl
