Cooking for one

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  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 15,197
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    PN You could try these guys rather than buy everything individually

    https://myspicyblends.co.uk/

    I have had a few of their combinations and they are gorgeous
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698
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    edited 12 February 2017 at 4:39PM
    I'll try that one day
    ariarnia wrote: »
    1 Cup plain yoghurt
    This scares me rigid. I have a pathological fear of buying/seeing/using yoghurt and knowing it exists within half a mile of me :)

    I'm also a bit short on "bowls" ... but could improvise.

    As a rule I don't need big bowls. I've got one plastic mixing bowl - and I recently bought a collander/bowl combo at Poundland ... then there's the slow cooker pot. After that "bowls" gets a bit trickier, although I could adapt something or other maybe, e.g. lining the colander with foil if I'm just mixing in it and not cooking... and, actually, for microwave bowls, I've only got tiny ones.

    :)

    When you're only ever cooking for one/tiny portions you tend to accumulate lots of random microwave dishes from chilled meals bought in ... and a few other small microwave safe dishes and jugs.

    The indian biryani always has some random stuff lobbed in: a bayleaf maybe, some wooden sticks and bits of bark and some long green seed pods.
  • karcher
    karcher Posts: 2,069
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    My baked bean curry is a bit more complicated/cheffy :p

    I soften chopped onion and garlic in olive oil, then add chopped carrot, peppers, mushrooms (or whatever veg you have/fancy..I've used broccoli, cabbage, spinach even sliced up sprouts :D) cook to soften then add curry powder and a tin of beans plus a bit extra water if required and heat through.

    Always better the next day and I serve it with 2 or 3 slices of wholemeal toast and butter on the side.

    Enough for two meals if you're not greedy like me and scoff the lot :o

    Twas my staple daily meal when I was a student..cheap, quick, easy and reasonably healthy :cool:
    'I'm sinking in the quicksand of my thought
    And I ain't got the power anymore'
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698
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    karcher wrote: »
    My baked bean curry is a bit more complicated/cheffy

    I've always loved curried beans, for decades... I've had just about every canned variety you could buy, but not really had them for a couple of years now. I've got a big can of Heinz in the cupboard.

    Mostly though, these days I will make my own, starting with a can of beans. They changed the tin recipe some years back, so they lost their bite and lure.
  • caronc
    caronc Posts: 8,049
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    Nelski wrote: »
    PN You could try these guys rather than buy everything individually

    https://myspicyblends.co.uk/

    I have had a few of their combinations and they are gorgeous

    Great site thanks some of the mixes are really decent, I always try to get some if I'm in Glasgow and can get to an Asian supermarket, I really like the Butter Chicken and Jalfrezi ones :)

    This scares me rigid. I have a pathological fear of buying/seeing/using yoghurt and knowing it exists within half a mile of me :)
    You could use coconut milk instead :)

    Baked bean curry not made that in a least ten years or a mushy pea one, yep the aftermath can be a little antisocial but hey when you live by yourself.........

    I've had a "bits of" day food wise and ended up having a snack which I don't tend to. Thought I'd keep it light earlier as tonight's meal is pretty substantial so only had a slice of toast with cottage cheese and some fruit, of course hungry mid afternoon so scoffed 2 greek biscuits (they're not wee either...) should have known better and had a better brunch :o
  • karcher
    karcher Posts: 2,069
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    I've always loved curried beans, for decades... I've had just about every canned variety you could buy, but not really had them for a couple of years now. I've got a big can of Heinz in the cupboard.

    Mostly though, these days I will make my own, starting with a can of beans. They changed the tin recipe some years back, so they lost their bite and lure.

    I've never bought the actual already done tins of curried beans, I always made my own, using the cheapest tin of normal baked beans I could find.
    'I'm sinking in the quicksand of my thought
    And I ain't got the power anymore'
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698
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    I just did all the washing up ... so treated myself to a cheese triangle.

    I am having a personal scoff-a-thon today!
  • ariarnia
    ariarnia Posts: 4,225
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    This scares me rigid. I have a pathological fear of buying/seeing/using yoghurt and knowing it exists within half a mile of me :)

    Try plain soft cheese, maybe slacked with a drop of hot water. What you need is something 'creamy' that carries the spices and 'coats' the veg/meat.
    I'm also a bit short on "bowls" ... but could improvise.

    For one person, depending on appetite, I expect you could 'marinade' the spices and veg in a large mug and use a plastic jug to cook the rice.

    You could 'layer' the final mix in the same jug with a bit of shuffling. You just need the veggies to be topped by the rice to steam/heat through. It lets the [strike]yogurt[/strike] cheese melt into the rice underneath. I expect making a well to bury the veggies would work but you'd need to stir it quite well between heatings.
    The indian biryani always has some random stuff lobbed in: a bayleaf maybe, some wooden sticks and bits of bark and some long green seed pods.

    There are lots of spices that you can add. Try cardamom pods in the rice water (if you just happen to have some in) and turmeric powder and cumin seed rather than ground cumin in the marinade.

    But the combo above tastes 'indiany' enough to satisfy without blowing the grocery challenge on a takeaway.

    Plus it's basically all stuff from the stores/freezer so great for a day when I just CBA.

    At a pinch you can even just use generic 'curry' powered rather than garam - but garam is sweet rather than spicy so very different. A bit like all spice. Also good in savoury scones and home made soup if you're looking to use it up.
    Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. Anne Lamott

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  • caronc
    caronc Posts: 8,049
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    ariarnia wrote: »
    Try plain soft cheese, maybe slacked with a drop of hot water. What you need is something 'creamy' that carries the spices and 'coats' the veg/meat.



    For one person, depending on appetite, I expect you could 'marinade' the spices and veg in a large mug and use a plastic jug to cook the rice.

    You could 'layer' the final mix in the same jug with a bit of shuffling. You just need the veggies to be topped by the rice to steam/heat through. It lets the [strike]yogurt[/strike] cheese melt into the rice underneath. I expect making a well to bury the veggies would work but you'd need to stir it quite well between heatings.



    There are lots of spices that you can add. Try cardamom pods in the rice water (if you just happen to have some in) and turmeric powder and cumin seed rather than ground cumin in the marinade.

    But the combo above tastes 'indiany' enough to satisfy without blowing the grocery challenge on a takeaway.

    Plus it's basically all stuff from the stores/freezer so great for a day when I just CBA.

    At a pinch you can even just use generic 'curry' powered rather than garam - but garam is sweet rather than spicy so very different. A bit like all spice. Also good in savoury scones and home made soup if you're looking to use it up.
    Thanks would never have thought of using soft cheese instead of yoghurt great idea :)
  • karcher
    karcher Posts: 2,069
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    :hello: Anyone about :D

    I know I have asked about eggs before, but I have another question :o

    New pack of eggs bought last week, but one was cracked. Put it in a pan of water, it's bottom stayed on the bottom of the pan but the top lifted iyswim....left it to hard boil for 10 mins and it is nearly floating now :eek:

    Q: Would you eat it?

    I know I sound ridiculous, but I've had food poisoning 3 times over my life time and each were probably caused by eggs..the first being in France in 1978 after a (restaurant) omelette.. Oh blimey was I ill :(, the most recent a couple of years ago after HM egg and veg stir fry mix...so hope you understand my paranoia :o

    TIA :)
    'I'm sinking in the quicksand of my thought
    And I ain't got the power anymore'
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