Innocent Veg Pots - Homemade Version?

SailorSam

I've never had a innocent veg-pot, isn't it a bit like a pot-noodle ?
Well it's easy enough to do them home made.
http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/617510
Just change the ingredients a bit with what you have to hand.

kittycatface

hugh fearnley whittingstall did a version of these in latest cookbook river cottage veg Haven't got recipe to hand, will update post: basically put raw ingredients such as noodles, mushroom, peas and stock in one of those glass storage jars, take to work, add hot water and leave for 4min.
cheap and nice looking chickpea curry (for the innocent dhal recreation) on the site here:
http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/tv-show-recipes/river-cottage-veg-recipes

kiwihelen

Hi Guys,

I came I lurked and then I bit the bullet and got doing my own recipes using a bit of knowledge dredged up from my degree 20 odd years ago.

So far, cooked one and it is as good as the original, but not as pretty :rotfl:

I'm going to have a go at a second one when I can get to an Asian bulk supermarket (thank goodness I am working in Peterborough regularly) to reduce the cost of some of the more exotic ingredients.

Please feel free to share these around and make any suggestions on how to improve them.

kiwihelen

This is equivalent to 5 pots each weighing 390g, which I have rounded up slightly due to the numbers being odd. If you are an ounces person I calculate 1oz =30g

Yellow Split peas
Rinse the peas under cold running water and put in a pot with 3 x the volume of water as peas. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 40 min. Drain and add salt and lemon juice. Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes to absorb the lemon juice

Rice
I use brown basmati rice, and use the absorption method but that requires you to use an eagle eye to avoid burning the rice. Add 3x the volume of cold water to rice and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat and allow to stand for another 15 minutes (without taking the lid off). In fact, try to avoid taking the lid off in cooking this method unless you smell burning rice!

Chick peas
The easiest way is to open a can, but if you are doing this regularly, it would be worth investing in a pressure cooker and doing your own. You can freeze pre-cooked legumes of any kind, but always cook from frozen as they can be a food poisoning risk if they are left to thaw.

Curry mix
Fry the onion , garlic and leek slowly in the vegetable oil , then add the spices (inc chilli and curry leaves) add the water, then add the veg (excluding the spinach if you are going to keep them authentic!), cooked chick peas and tomato, cook for about 15-20 minutes. Thicken with cornflour (retain about 50ml water, stir the 6g of cornflour into it, and add to the mix at the end and heat for 2-3 minutes). This is one big change I may make - I may end up using potato starch instead as it is generally more freezer stable.

I split the rice, the yellow split peas and the curry mix evenly between the pots and then put a portion of spinach on top. I am currently eyeing my windowsill as to whether I could grow a crop of baby spinach and save money that way - but wonder if my cats might think it is a cat toilet! Less authentically, the other option is frozen spinach bullets added on top, which won't be as pretty but will be as rich in vitamins and minerals.

If you put these in the containers, and seal them then chill them quickly I am confident they will stay food safe for 5 days as long as you reheat them for the 6 minutes recommended on the pots.

Ingredient Weight (g)
water 400 carrot 300 yellow split peas 240 onion 200 potato 160 chickpeas 140 peas 120 cauli 110 tomato 100 rice 100 leek 60 spinach 20 vegetable oil 20 lemon juice 6 cornflour 6 garlic 2 sea salt 2 corriander 2 ginger 2 cumin 2 mustard 2 spices 2 red chilli 2 curry leaves 2

redfox

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kiwihelen

Rice
Cook as described previously

Split peas
As above

Curry sauce
Heat oil and add garlic, onion and cook until soft. Add thai curry paste and cook until fragrant, add coconut milk, desicated coconut, sugar and all the other herbs and spices. Add water to thin slightly the add the vegetables excluding the Edame, water chestnuts and spinach, cook for about 10 minutes. Thicken as appropriate then add the edame and water chestnuts at the very end.

Layer and seal as described above, and then store in the fridge for up to 5 days.


Ingredient weight carrot 360 water 300 rice (cooked) 260 split peas 220 onion 190 water chestnut 100 edame 100 spring greens 80 savoy cabbage 60 coconut cream 40 red thai curry paste 40 red pepper 40 spinach 40 desicated coconut 20 ginger 20 cornflour 20 demarera sugar 20 garlic 20 corriander 20 soy sauce 20 sea salt 8 vegetable oil 8 lemon grass 2 lemon juice 2 basil 2 cumin powder 2 lime leaves 2 mint 2 tumeric powder 1 black pepper 1

Honeythief

Are these recipes for pot noodle style lunches in a jar? I love the idea of being able to make lunches in advance and freeze them or put them in the freezer until required.

I've tried DIY pot noodles but haven't found quite the right jar yet so I end up with something far too watery. It's a work in progress...

ThriftyFelicity

kiwihelen wrote: »

Chick peas
The easiest way is to open a can, but if you are doing this regularly, it would be worth investing in a pressure cooker and doing your own. You can freeze pre-cooked legumes of any kind, but always cook from frozen as they can be a food poisoning risk if they are left to thaw.

If you just want to cook one tin's worth, it's easy and cheap to do it in a good quality thermos. Can do beans that way as well.

hobbitfancier

This sweet potato dahl recipe is the bee knees and is as cheap as chips to make! Great for reheating for lunch and my unadventurous meat eating family LOVE it http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/96608/

ThriftyFelicity

hobbitfancier wrote: »

This sweet potato dahl recipe is the bee knees and is as cheap as chips to make! Great for reheating for lunch and my unadventurous meat eating family LOVE it http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/96608/

ooo, that looks scrummy, thanks!