BANANA STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE BITES

“Behind all your stories is always your mother's story. Because hers is where yours begin.”
― Mitch Albom, For One More Day

 

 

My mother recently pointed out that she'd had two kids by my age. While I don't have any plans to push any out in the near future, this lovely list of lessons from a mother to a daughter (read it here) inspired me to put together my own list of lessons learnt for any future female progeny.
 
1. If you can't figure out why someone is doing what they are - look at what they've done in the past.

2. Learn to play a team sport.

3. Wear nice shoes and take care of your feet.

4. You don't have to be a great cook but you need to be able to: (a) fend for yourself in the kitchen if there's not takeout available, (b) feed the ones you love once in a while, and (c) have a signature dish that you do amazingly well.

5. If you can help, do it.

6. Sunscreen is for everyone.

7. If s/he is telling you someone else's secrets then be sure they'll tell yours to someone else.

8. Marriage is not the solution. You are.

9. Find a shade of lipstick that works for you and wear it when in doubt.

10. Travel. A lot. Often.

11. Carbohydrates, gluten, men, women and/or math are not the enemy.

12. If you take their money they'll take your freedom.

13. Don't stop dreaming but nobody promised you a rose garden.

14. Make mistakes, everyone does. Just be honest about them.

15. There's nothing wrong with liking nice things but try to save atleast a little of your salary every month.

16. If he left someone for you, he will leave you for someone else.

17. There are some things we do for money and some things we do for love - know which is which and that both are valuable.

18. You should be able to wear/say/do what you want but the world is unfair. Make the most of what you've got. You're better off than most.

19. Value old things. Half your story is where you came from.

20. Pick your addictions, friends and fights well.

21. Cleanse, exfoliate, condition, moisturize. That's pretty much all of it. Don't let beauty magazines tell you there's more.

22. Don't change for a man and don't expect a man to change for you.

23. You need to be able to pay for your existence by 24.

24. Massages, bath products, great food, books and live performances are always worth it.

25. Diet pills, fairness products and cheap shoes are not.

26. Don't believe everything you read.   

27. Don't believe everything you hear.

28. Don't believe everything you see.

29. You don't have to pick a signature scent.

30. Hydrate.

31. Call me if you're in trouble. Any trouble.

32. Worry about the environment.

33. You have every right to pick your job, husband, religion, politics and wardrobe. Just remember all choices come with consequences.

34. Move abroad, if you like, it's probably a better life but I'd like if you made a difference here.

35. Don't worry about making people angry.

36. Life is only ever going to get busier. Learn to make lists.  

37. Hobbies are necessary.

38. Vote.

39. Sometimes the smartest thing to do is get out.

40. When you feel overwhelmed, walk away, drink a glass of water and wash your face.

41. Your surroundings reflect who you are and who you want to be.

42. Keep a journal.

43. The curative properties of a hot bath are greater than those of alcohol.

44. If you have an option, choose handmade.

45. Do not sideline your friends for a relationship. This has never worked out for anyone.

46. Know the difference between how you look in crepe, chiffon, georgette and silk.

47. You don't have to get along with your gossipy aunt, busybody cousin or chauvinistic uncle but you have to be polite to them.

48. Mentor someone.

49. Donate. Many in our country have very little.

50. There is a middle ground between what your heart says and what your mother says. Look for it.

51. Be kind to those who work for you, children and animals.

52. Learn how to tie a sari.

53. Your boss will lie to you. It's part of the job description.

54. Everyone needs a good dentist, tailor, gynecologist, dry cleaner, financial advisor, dermatologist and mentor.

55. Firsts are overrated. This first love/job/apartment drama is a scam - some people only get it right in their 35th try and there's nothing wrong with that.  

56. "This is how things have always been," "this is not our culture," "what will people say," are not valid arguments.
 
57. Don't put up with anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself.

58. This too shall pass.

59. Be ambitious.

60. Call your friends home often.

 

About 15 – 20 bites

Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows

 

What you’ll need:

3-4 bananas

Handful of strawberries
½ cup of chocolate (melted)
¼ cup of chopped almonds/ walnuts/ shredded coconut (whatever you have on hand)

How to:

1. Chop up the bananas and strawberries into the same number of pieces and make little skewers of strawberries and bananas.

2. Put together an assembly line to avoid getting melted chocolate and nuts all over the place with the bowl of chocolate first and then the bowl of chopped nuts.

3. Dip the skewer first in the chocolate and then quickly coat the melted chocolate with the nuts/coconut. 

 

4. Sit the skewers in cupcake liners and stick them in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes.

 

 

i-PROBONO AND A NUTELLA CAPPUCCINO

“While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary.”
― Chinua Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah

 

I know a lot of corporate lawyers who are looking for a chance to help out but aren't sure where to start. i-Probono is a great way to dip your toes into the pro bono world.

"i-Probono is a non-profit online network connecting organisations in need of legal assistance with lawyers and students who want to use their legal skills for the public good. The network's global outreach enables people to engage in projects from around the world and allows organisations to source assistance across jurisdictions. This is the first website of its kind for the international pro bono community, bringing people and projects together to give organisations the support they need and volunteers the experience they want. Organisations working for the public good, such as charities, social enterprises, NGOs and advocacy groups often need help with legal matters, but legal expertise is an expensive resource that often requires pro bono assistance." (From the i-Probono website).

The process is simple, just sign up and create a profile setting out your practice areas/ areas of expertise and they'll match you up with organizations that require your services. Check out their website here (http://www.i-probono.com/).

The perfect start to any work day, pro bono or billable, is this decadent chocolate-coffee blended Nutella Cappuccino.  
 

Serves 2

Recipe adapted from Alyssa and Carla

 

What you’ll need:

2 cups of milk

3 -4 tbsp Nutella (put more in if you like)
½ tbsp espresso powder (or more if you want it stronger)

 How to:

1. Pop milk into a saucepan and let it simmer.

2. Pour milk into a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend. Pour most of the drink into cups.  

3. Blend the remaining milk at high to froth it up and top up your mugs with the froth.

 

FANTASTIC FRIENDICOES AND AN UNEXPECTED STRAWBERRY SALAD

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”
― John Bunyan

Friendicoes began in 1979 in a tiny room with a curtain for a fourth wall, no electricity or water. Within a week they had 27 dogs and 12 cats in residence. Today, the city shelter is triple its original size and they have a country sanctuary to house animals who need lifetime care while also running 4 spay / neuter clinics to help control the stray dog population in Delhi and Gurgaon. There are ambulances on call for emergencies, a hospital for strays in Delhi, a well-equipped clinic /path lab for pets and a mobile equine clinic for working horses and donkeys. They also look after and find homes for abandoned and rescued animals.

All of this adds up to a ton of work to help out the animals that we often forget we share this city with and these guys can use all the help we can give them. Along with fundraising events, you can check out their website (http://www.friendicoes.org/ or their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/friendicoesindia ) and volunteer, foster, adopt or sponsor an animal. Also helpful would be fundraising activities or donation drives (for old newspapers, furniture, mattresses, wheat and dal) to help this incredible cause. Just because your schedule or lifestyle doesn’t allow you to keep a pet doesn’t mean you can’t help make a four legged furry out there really happy.

Happiness like the best food is usually just that simple. This super simple strawberry salad, is an explosion of happy tastes, sweet, salt, tart and peppery.

Serves 1

Recipe adapted from Good Food Magazine

 

What you’ll need:

 Handful of strawberries (chopped into bits)

Salt
Pepper
Juice of one lemon

How to:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve chilled.

PRODUCT REVIEW: I SAY ORGANIC

I choose a lazy person to do a hard job because they'll find an easy way to do it.

- Bill Gates

 

How cute is their van?

 

Trying to eat healthy often seems impossibly hard and I'm a very lazy person. Unfortunately my advancing age has made it obvious that I can't survive on a diet of just beer and cake. I try to order grilled chicken or fish when I'm eating out but I usually fail so the only option left is to try to eat as healthy as possible when I'm home.

From my conversations with nutritionists I understand the biggest problem with our diet is how little raw vegetables and fruits we're eating. The only way I can figure to add raw vegetables is to eat salads but ordering a salad at a restaurant makes for a pretty huge stomach bug risk in the summer/monsoon. Salad leaves aren't easily available in local markets and all of this makes I Say Organic a godsend - they have a wide range of organic produce, including fruits, vegetables, cereals and some miscellaneous seeds, honey etc. All of their products are organic and delivered straight to your doorstep. The website is super easy to navigate and you can either swipe your card or pay cash on delivery. My favorite feature is that you can choose the time slot you want delivery to be made - this way you can schedule exactly when you're home and want to get your groceries. Also, if you don't have any idea what to do with the vegetables you've ordered, check out their cute blog for healthy recipe ideas. You can order from their website (http://www.isayorganic.com/)

INCREDIBLE IDIA AND A BOWL OF PEA SOUP

 

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.  

 

The idea of IDIA (Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access) was started by Shamnad Basheer (ex-Professor of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS)) as a movement to eliminate inequities in access to higher education. Statistics show there's a shocking dearth of diversity amongst the students clearing entrance tests for most national law universities, the IDIA team was set up to help change these statistics. Their main aim is to provide access to resources required to crack the CLAT to students from marginalized communities and regions, who wouldn't be able to get through the exam otherwise.

 

Local IDIA Chapters have been set up across the country which have started an intensive training programme for students who are interested in pursuing law as a career. IDIA also selects students for the training program through its exam called IDIA National Aptitude Test which is held every year in several centres across the country. Contact Diptoshree Basu (INAT Coordinator) at dbasu3@gmail.com to find out how you can contribute, that is through donations, volunteering or maybe even mentoring some of the students that IDIA is trying to help.

 

 

I thought an appropriate pairing for the inspiring work being done by IDIA was this nourishing but simple Pea Soup - they're both good for you and good for your soul.

 

Serves 2

 

Recipe Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

What you’ll need:

 

1 cup shelled peas

 

2 onions (sliced)

 

2.5 cups vegetable stock

Note: I usually melt Maggi cubes into hot water for this but I’ve heard they may contain MSG. Explore other brands of stock cubes to find one you like.

2 tbsp olive oil

 

1 tsp salt

 

1 lemon (juiced)

 

Red chilli powder to taste

 

Oregano/Thyme/ Rosemary/ Parsley or whatever seasoning you prefer

 

 

How to:

 

1. Pop olive oil into the container you’ll be using. Heat the oil a bit and then add the onions, stir while they soften and caramelize.

 

2. Add the peas and stir till soft. Add the stock and the rest of the ingredients (except the lemon juice) and let cook for about 15 – 20 mins.

 

3. Puree the mix and check the seasoning. Adjust as per taste.

 

4. Add a squirt or two of lemon juice and serve.  



AN OPEN LETTER TO THE RESTAURANT OWNERS OF HAUZ KHAS VILLAGE

 

 

 

PRODUCT REVIEW: FOODPANDA

Just discovered foodpanda, a convenient way to order home delivery from your laptop or cellphone, which is super helpful if you're stuck on a call or meeting and getting hungry. Unlike most new fangled online services foodpanda has its act together with lots of delivery options for each locality (which is a godsend because I cannot eat anymore Nirulas at work) as well as menus for each restaurant! If you don't have cash you can even swipe your card on the site! 3,500 restaurants across 25 cities means you don't ever need to wonder where to order from.

 

THE GOOD PEOPLE AT GOONJ AND MEXICAN MOCHA CRINKLE COOKIES

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”
― Anne Frank, diary of Anne Frank

 

I think we all want to do good. I believe most people would like to leave the world a better place than they found it. Sometimes this life we're trying to better gets in the way of our efforts at improvement. Our good intentions can get buried under smaller but more numerous daily distractions. Unfortunately the world we live in makes ordering pajamas from a different country easier than helping the one we live in. Thankfully, people like the ones behind Goonj can inspire and remind us to do better.

Instead of throwing out your old stuff check out the Goonj website for the donations they accept and considering passing these things on to the people who need it more. They do excellent work reusing old clothes through their donation and Cloth For Work programs. They're also working to collect relief material for those struck by floods in Assam, Bihar and West Bengal and trying to forge long term strategic relationships between well off urban schools and rural schools. You can read more about their exceptional work at their website (http://goonj.org/).

Whether you just want to donate some things or some money, do reach out to this outstanding organization to see how you can help. One of the easiest but most effective things to do is organize a clothes drive to collect old clothes from our friends and acquaintances - me and my friend have tried this with enormous success.

Remind yourself of how much good we can all do if we put our minds to it and bake yourself these celebratory cookies once you're done. They're lovely, crunchy, sticky, spicy and chocolatey all at the same time and very, very easy to make.

 

Makes about 20 fat cookies

Recipe adapted from A Spicy Perspective

What you’ll need:

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1 ¼ granulated sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp instant coffee granules
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla essence
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 pinch red chilli powder

How to:

1. Whisk together the cocoa, granulated sugar, coffee, cinnamon, red chilli powder, baking powder and salt. Add the oil and mix together.

2. Add the vanilla and eggs - beating the batter till smooth. Refrigerate for an hour or 2 to firm up the batter.

3. Preheat the oven to about 170°C. Pull out 1 or 1 ½ inch balls of the batter, roll into balls and then roll the balls in a plate of powdered sugar.

Note: This rolling into balls business is not going to be as easy as it seems. This is the problem with most recipes. People just write stuff like “roll into cookies and bake” like it’s simple without telling you that this is going to be a fudgy mess that refuses to hold any kind of shape and destroys your manicure. So the best way to go about it will be to flour your hands lightly, use a spoon to scoop out the quantity you want (a heaping teaspoon is about right) and to use your fingers to scrape the batter off the teaspoon and into the powdered sugar. At this point use the sugar to give you traction and roll the dough into a ball.

4. Plonk on a greased baking tray and bake for 10 mins. Let the cookies cool completely before trying to scrape them off or eat them.

NOW PLAYING: GRIMM WITH CHEWY OATMEAL AND RAISIN COOKIES

 “The average TV commercial of sixty seconds has one hundred and twenty half-second clips in it, or one-third of a second. We bombard people with sensation. That substitutes for thinking.”
― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Remember that article on how if you wanted to do something well you have to do it for atleast 10,000 hours? I even write about it here where I whined about how I didn't know what I should spend my time on. On further reflection, I realize I've probably already spent way more than 10,000 hours watching TV. I suppose master of the idiot box is better than nothing at all.

 

My favorite genre of TV show is the police procedural and I watch an unholy number of these. On a day where I don't have much to do I might be witness to an easy 10 -15 murders. On occasion, if I'm in the mood I can be persuaded to watch comedy, some drama or even supernatural mumbo jumbo (okay so you can see I'm not too fussy). A lot of the great shows out there obviously don't need an introduction from me but I thought I'd write about some of the more oddball shows I've caught.

 

 

Currently playing on my screen is Grimm, a police procedural based on the brothers behind all the fairytales. The premise is that the Grimm brothers were actually hunters of supernatural beings (known as Wesen) and hunky Portland detective Nick Burkhardt is one of the few remaining successors of these "Grimms." Their job is to hunt down Wesen who misbehave and chop off their heads (Nick takes a softer stance on this but there's plenty of head chopping anyway). Turns out our favorite fairytale villains are real, more vicious and apparently all over Portland.

 

While the plot is cute, the adorkable cast of characters really carries the show forward. Monroe, Nick's reformed, gentle giant, Wesen sidekick; the sexy, the delectable Captain Sean Raynard; and the girlfriend Juliette are each very likable. As are the less often seen but also captivating Rosalee, the beautiful apothecary and Adeline, the relentlessly scheming, evil Hexinbeast.

 

Unfortunately, the show is too loyal to the police procedural format with Nick insisting on solving a case per episode at the cost of getting into the meat of all this supernatural crazy that's going on. I have a lot of fun trying to identify which characters relate to which kid's story (got Rumpelstiltskin and the 3 Little Pigs so far) and it's comforting because you know Nick is always going to triumph over whatever fanged beast comes hurtling his way.

 

Will you be entertained? 3.5/5

Does it make sense? 3/5

Is it full of good looking people? 3.5/5
Any chance anyone will get an Emmy? 2/5

 

My favorite!

Much, much better for your mind and body are these oatmeal and raisin cookies. This is my first stab at making these and I quite liked how they turned out, chewy and chockfull of sweet, golden raisins.

 

Note: Stick the batter in the fridge for a little while to freeze up the butter and make it easier to scoop on to your baking tray or you'll just end up with mush all over your hands.

Makes about a dozen cookies

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

 

What you’ll need:

½ cup butter

2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups rolled oats
¾ cup raisins

How to:

1. Throw the sugar and butter into a large bowl and mix well till light and frothy. Add egg and vanilla – mix some more.

2. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk into the butter batter. Stir in the oats and raisins.

3. Chill the dough for a bit in the fridge to firm it up, scoop it out with a spoon and plunk on to a greased baking tray, leaving some space between them because they’re going to swell.

Note: Chilling the dough helps make the cookie chewier.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely before devouring.
 

 

GOOEY CHOCOLATE FILLED CHOCOLATE COOKIES

“To do good is noble. To tell others to do good is even nobler and much less trouble.”
― Mark Twain

 

There's nothing more exciting for a writer (even a lowly food blogger) than somebody appreciating your work. Thank you so much to everyone who's ever bothered to call/ write in/ message words of kindness. You have no idea how much motivation it offers to someone who spends most of their time worrying about spoons and spatulas. It's easy to feel stupid or like you're wasting your time while everyone's employed at something more lucrative but every compliment lights the way.

 

To spread the sunshine, here are some food writers I love to follow, who are doing amazing things out there in the big, bad blogosphere:

 

1. Tongue Ticklers: Also run by someone who juggles foodblogging and a day job, this site has incredible vegan recipes with some mindblowing food photography. There are lots of Indian food blogs out there but very few with this level of aesthetic polish.

 

2. Sugar and Charm: An old favourite, I've been following Eden Passante and her beautiful family's adventures in California for over 3 years now. A very pretty, very pleasant, very feminine blog filled with design inspiration, photographs and mouthwatering dessert recipes.

 

3. M Loves M: Mara puts together some really charming outfits, simple recipes along with some great photos on this simple but elegant blog.

 

4. Passionate About Baking: Another Indian blog and this one has some hardcore, over the top desserts! Delightful to look at but a little intimidating to try, a lot of these recipes are on my ambitious to do list.

 

5. Sinfully Spicy: I realize I gravitate towards girly, dessert blogs and since we can't survive on cookies and cobblers alone, I'm going to end with this blog that has some seriously delicious savoury dishes.

 

One thing all these blogs have in common is the superlative food photography, I wish I could intern with one of them to figure out how they do it! These are of course just 5 out of the hundreds of food blogs out there and maybe I can make this into a more regular series where I get you more lovely links.

 

The only problem with the world wide web is that it stretches so far and while I'd like to send each of these talented blog owners a batch of these decadent chocolate cookies with gooey chocolate filling, I can't. I made these for a lunch my parents threw and realized that you never grow out of the desire for a crumbly, chocolaty, overload. Or at least my parent's friends haven't. And I haven't either. These are their own reward.
 

 

Makes about a dozen cookies

Adapted from Good Food magazine

 

What you’ll need:

200g dark chocolate

2 tbsp butter
1 egg
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
About a cup of Nutella

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter together.

3. Whisk the egg and sugar till light and fluffy.

4. Stir the flour and baking powder together. Sieve it in batches into the egg mixture. Chill the dough for 30 minutes to firm it up.

5. Now for the tough part, make 2 inch balls out of the batter and roll it into a fat little circle. Spoon the Nutella into the centre and fold it up like a gujiya. Try to ball the batter into a little bit of a circle so that it bakes into a cookie shape.

Note: As you know, as I repeatedly say, there’s no great value in making food very pretty. It’s best to focus on making it delicious. This cookie is going to be a gorgeous, deep chocolate beauty and nobody is going to judge you if it’s not a perfect circle.

Try to work the Nutella in the best you can, the more you can fit in, the better the cookie will be. Don’t worry about getting the shape perfect. I started out trying to make a dimsum sort of shape but I wasn’t able to work that one out so I picked this half moon instead. Eventually I’d manipulate the half moon into a sort of circle but you can see the cookies aren’t perfectly round even in the end.

6. Seal your little chocolate dimsums and refrigerate them again for about 10 – 20 minutes.

7. Plonk the cookies on a greased baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.

8. Let cool completely before devouring.

  

 

PEANUT CHUTNEY AND THE DILEMMAS OF ONLINE SHOPPING

“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
― Napoleon Bonaparte

 

Since I'm in office pretty much the entire day on weekdays and hate shopping malls, the advent of online shopping has saved me from the shame of having to dress in tunics made of A4 sheets. The big problems with online shopping are of course that (a) you haven't really seen what you're buying, and (b) you may not want to share your debit/credit card details with every random website out there. Since I've already burnt my fingers on a lot of e-stores I thought I'd share the fruits of my (expensively procured) wisdom.

 

The Good

 

Bhane: Gorgeous, simple, largely pure cotton and entirely made in India, Bhane has rightfully been called India's answer to Gap. I'm in love with the superior quality, the functionality of design, friendly customer care and adorable packaging. I mean these guys actually use normal people for models! How can you not love them? Cash on delivery available.

 

Limeroad: A wide range of clothes, jewelry and home decor items at reasonable prices. The photos are accurate and the delivery quick. Cash on delivery available.

 

Gilt: This site has great deals on super luxurious brands like Valentino, Chanel and Hermes along with those a rung or two lower like Kate Spade, Trina Turk etc. They host flash sales with a limited number of items, the site is easy to use and the product photos/descriptions accurate. Credit Card payment only.

 

Foodesto: A good resource for most basic kitchen needs, this site has a good range of food, serving dishes and baking paraphernalia. I got my measuring spoons and cups from here and though its a little pricey they are great quality. Cash on delivery available.

 

Craftgully: A great resource for crafting materials including scrapbooking paper, beads, paints, washi tape and a whole lot more. Very useful if you have a DIY project on your to do list but don't have the time to hunt down crochet tape in the right shade of lilac. Craft gully probably has it in lilac, pale blue, pastel green and black. Cash on delivery available.

 

The Bad

 

Rooja: A strange smorgasbord of clothes and accessories, what you see here is probably not what you'll get. The photos are plenty misleading, you can expect a call a few weeks after your order informing you that your stuff is out of stock and even if you manage to get your things, the quality is nothing to throw a party about.

 

Done by None: Most of the products look tacky. I managed to find something I liked, placed my order and got a call 2 weeks later telling me half my order was out of stock. I also learned (the hard way) that their shoe sizes aren't standard and their interpretation of size 39 is atleast 1 size smaller than what my foot is used to. Anyone wear size 7 shoes? I have a pair of brand new baby blue ballet shoes for you.

 

Shop In On It: The usual bright baubles, moustache earrings, cluster necklaces and plastic bits and bobs. Nothing new or particularly exciting.

 

Looking Forward to

 

Catbird NYC: I'm in love with these delicate designs.

 

Zansaar: Hosts a really wide range of imported kitchenware with almost everything an amateur cook or baker could need. I've just placed an order for a candy thermometer and am waiting to see how this turns out.

 

Page 99: Every avid reader knows that books can be incredibly, physically beautiful. This site reminds me of walking into a dusty old bookstore filled with written treasures. An absolutely jaw dropping collection.

 
This post has been far longer and more complicated than what I usually come up with so I'll offset it with a really simple peanut chutney recipe. You probably already have all ingredients in your kitchen already and I'll eat my laptop if it takes you more than 10 minutes to make. A nicely lively chutney that you can use as a dip, sandwich spread, spread for rolls or even a thick salad dressing.

 

Serves 4

Recipe adapted from Good Food magazine

 What you’ll need:

1 cup peanuts (without that annoying skin they tend to have)
3 -4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lemon

How to:

Throw everything into mixer and pulse till you have a chutney. If you need to, add a little more olive oil to make a smooth paste. Check the taste and see if you want to add anything more.