Chilli Paneer

Chilli Paneer seems to be a very fashionable dish at the moment and I have seen very many recipes floating about the internet. It's a dish I relish, so tasty, fresh and moorish and with our masala blend for vegetable dishes it takes neither time nor effort!

Ingredients (serves 4 as a starter)

Cooking oil
1 Pack of Paneer (can be bought from any supermarket or indian grocery shop)
1 Medium onion thinly sliced
2 Fresh tomatoes
2 Tablespoons freshly chopped coriander
2 Spring onions finely chopped
20g Pot Shot Masala Blend for vegetables

Method

1.In a frying pan heat a splash oil and lightly fry the paneer until golden. Remove to a bowl and cover with hot water from the kettle (this keeps the paneer soft and moist)

2. In the same frying pan heat a splash of oil and saute the onions until lighty golden.

3. Add a good handful of the chopped tomatoes (leaving some to stir through at the end of cooking) and the masala blend. Stir together and cook for a couple of mins.

4. Drain the paneer before adding to the pan. Mix throughly with the masala base. Cook for 6-8 minutes on a medium heat.

5. Stir through the remaining tomatoes and a handful of coriander. Then garnish with the remaining coriander and spring onions before serving.

Enjoy!

Tip: Delicious served with natural yogurt and salad in a wrap.

Spice Fusions Spaghetti Bolognese

At university, I used to make the same dish over and over again whenever I was 'entertaining' or missing Mum's cooking. Spaghetti bolognese. It's so easy, because with the Masala Blend mix there is no long list of ingredients and minimal washing up! 'Back in the Day' Mum used to mix me a masala blend which is now the Spice Fusions Masala Blend for Meat. This took the hassle out of making a tasty meal and I used to freeze the leftovers. And, if there's one tip I can give you, nothing tastes better than a dish where the spices have been left to infuse!

Ingredients (Serves 4)
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 Finely chopped medium onion
400g Tin chopped tomatoes.
2 x 20g Masala Blend for Meat
500g Minced meat. I use turkey mince.

For washing up: 1 frying pan, 1 wooden spoon, 1 knife and a chopping board.

Method
1. In the frying pan heat the oil and saute the onions until soft.

2. Add the mince and the Masala Blend for Meat. With your wooden spoon, mix the mince with the masala blend and cook the mince until brown and all the excess water has evaporated.

3. Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes.

4. Serve with Spaghetti and spinkle with cheese.

Serving tip: This is a great dish for the kids and if you want to make it milder without compromising on taste then use the Masala Blend for Vegetables which has a lighter, fresher flavour.

Freezing tip: Allow your mince to cool and transfer to a freezer safe container. Follow the manufacturer's freezing/defrosting guidlines. When you heat the bolognese please ensure it's piping hot throughout before serving.

Vegetarian Sausage & Bean Casserole

I was set a task one Friday evening a few weeks ago. It had been a long week at work and after the gym I went for a wander around the supermarket - it was my turn to sort out dinner. I thought about making something with sausages, only my brother was home for the weekend and he's a vegetarian, he doesn't even eat eggs, so Quorn sausages were out of the question. Unperturbed, I diligently serched the frozen isles and found the completely vegetarian sausages - dinner sorted: sausages, baked beans and mash! But, that week I had just collected the fresh batches of masala for tasting and I wanted to try...

I decided to make a vegetarian sausage and bean casserole - it was FABULOUS! The recipe is below, and of course you can make it using whatever sausages you like. If you use meat sausages you might want to use the Masala Blend for meat instead, the spicier flavour profile will complement the stronger flavour of the meat beautifully.

Spice Fusions Vegetarian Sausage & Bean Casserole

Ingrdients (Serves 4)
8 Vegetarian sausages
1 Medium onion finely sliced
1 Tin of Baked Beans
400ml Hot water
2 x 20g Pot Shots Masala Blend for Vegetables

You will also need: a casserole dish and a measuring jug

Method
1. Cook the sausages according to the instructions on the packet. (If you did not use the oven to cook your sausages then preheat the oven at 180 degrees C, gas mark 4).

2. In a measuring jug, measure out 400ml hot water, add the tin of baked beans and the Masala Blend. Stir together.

3. Spread half the onion on the bottom of your casserole dish. Add the cooked sausages and the spread the rest of the onion evenly over the sausages. Pour the beans and masala casserole mix over the saugaes and onions.

4. Place the casserole dish in the middle of the oven and cook at 200 degrees C, gas mark 6, for 30 minutes.

I served the casserole with fine green beans and a carrot and swede mash.

Try it and let me know what you think. I guarantee even the meat eaters amongst you will love this dish!

The trickery of it all!

At home we always try the Masala Blends as they are produced to make sure they work and taste as they should. So the other week I visisted the factory to get my hands on some of the freshly produced stuff to try.

Last Wednesday day my cousin, a student at the local university, came round for dinner. Mum cooked chicken curry, as she would we he comes for dinner, but told no one, including me, that she had used the new lot of Spice Fusions Masala Blend. The pot was polished off and there were faces of utter disbelief all round when Mum revealed it was Spice Fusions! It really was that good! Taste test: DONE.

Funnily enough, I did comment that she had managed to cook the chicken quite quickly. I just thought she'd employed lightening speed in preparing the spices and the fresh ingredients, turns out all she had to do was dice the chicken, finely chop an onion and a couple of fresh tomatoes and throw in 2 Pot Shots of the Masala Blend for meat. Not bad after a tough day at work.

It really is that simple and delicious!

BBQ Seafood Skewers

With the sun shining there's nothing better to do on an evening then getting in the garden, having a barbeque and relaxing with a beer, or a glass of wine. And whats more, with Spice Fusions Masala Blends you can create simple marinades in minutes to add a fresh and spicy twist to your evening!

At home we love cooking marinated fish on the barbeque, hence why I'm starting with the receipe for seafood skewers, but, by following the reciepe below and using the Masala Blends for meat and vegetables instead, you can also create marinades to spice up your meat and vegetables (Inch sliced marinated aubergines are another favourite and a speciality of my mum's!)

Spicy seafood skewers with vegetables marinated with a fusion of the Masala Blend for Seafood, yogurt, tomato puree and coriander. Can be oven cooked, grilled or barbequed.

Ingredients
A splash of cooking oil
2 x 20g Pot Shots Masala Blend for Seafood
2 Tablespoons yogurt
1 Teaspoon tomato puree
1 Tablespoon finely chopped coriander
500g White fish. Cut the fish into 2 inch cubes. You can also use a mix of Seafood including prawns and salmon or whatever you prefer.
A selection of chunky cut vegetables of your choice for example courgettes, peppers, cherry tomatoes, onions, aubergine.
8 Skewers (soak them in water for 1/2 hour before using as this will help to stop them burning)

Method
1. In a large bowl mix together the oil, Masala Blend, yogurt, tomato puree and coriander.

2. Add the fish and coat thorougly in the marinade. You can cover and leave this to marinade in fridge for upto 4 hours of overnight.

3. Take your skewers and thread on the fish alternatively with the vegetables.

4. If you are oven cooking these then preheat your oven to 180 degrees C/gas mark 4 and cook for about 15 minutes. Please ensure that all food is piping hot throughout before serving.

Serving Tip: These skewers are great served with a yogurt and mint dip or just plain old tomato ketchup!

Triple Pack's first offical outing...

Well here's a preview of what you're looking for on the shelves. These packs were hot off the press on Monday this week, so much so I had to glue them together myself, ready for our first trade show which was today!

We already know the product works. When taste tested against a 'leading brand' only 1 in 10 people preferred the 'leading brand'. We have also trialed this product previously at food shows and the like and we know it's loved by all ages so you can make a curry for the family without worrying about whether it'll be too hot or strong in flavours for your little ones. The innovative 'Pot Shot' application is so easy to use, you could actually get your kids in the kitchen cooking with you AND creating their own dishes!

But... to get it to you we have to get it past the buyers and today was its our little Triple Pack's first outing in the big wide world! I am please to report from the reactions that the brand, the packaging and the concept were all well received. At this end we are all very excited, as we know it tastes brilliant too, and we are one step closer to YOU creating authentic Indian dishes in your home kitchen without any of the hassle usually associated with cooking a curry at home!

I'll of course be keeping you updated, but with the bright sunshine (My car was reading a temperature of 24.5 degrees C today :D) I think it's time to give you the first barbeque recipe idea....

Korma Potatoes

This dish wasn't an idea of mine and I've never thought to 'Google' it for a recipe, which threw up various names for the dish including Aloo Kurma, Potato Kurma and Potato Aloo Korma! I think I'll stick with Korma Potatoes, then we know what type of dish we're talking about right?

Anyway, the inspiration for this dish came from my school friend Heidi. Heidi knows and loves her potatoes and she makes the best potato wedges from scratch which she lightly seasons with salt and serves with a (strong!!!) garlic mayo dip. One evening, over these potato wedges, we were talking about her years teaching in China. Knowing her slightly fussy food ways I'm always intrigued as to what she ate, especially since I posted out some of our masala blends to her one time. That's when she told me about Korma Potatoes. Inspired, I tried it for myself...

This lightly spiced potato dish is a satisfying twist of the better known Chicken Korma. The potatoes are gently cooked in the masala infused sauteed onions, coconut milk, yogurt and ground almonds.

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 Finely chopped medium onion
200ml Coconut milk
2 Tablespoons natural yogurt
2 Tablespoons ground almonds
2 x 20g Pot Shots Masala Blend for Vegetables
500g Par-boiled potatoes. I used new potatoes cut into halves.

Method
1. In a sauce pan / frying pan heat the oil and saute the onions.

2. Add the coconut milk, yogurt, ground almonds and masala blend. Stir together. Cover and allow to cook gently for 2 -3 minutes.

3. Add the par boiled potatoes and gently mix thoroughly with the sauce. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are cooked through. 5 minutes before the end of cooking time add a little water and stir through, if more sauce is required.

4. Serve & Enjoy!

Cooking tip: Use only 1 x 20g Pot Shot if you prefer a very very mild curry.

Spring Masala...

I know I've been absent for the last month or so, the truth is that I have been trying to get Spice Fusions launched nationwide so you can get your hands on it easily! I'm getting many enquiries, and fortunately we are now in the final stages of production.

The last month has been occupied with taste tests, product promotion, artwork approval, photography and most essentially, like I've said: getting things into place for production! In amongst all of this and my spring fitness regime which has me running outside twice a week in the early mornings now the sun is out, I have been trying new recipes... there are 2 recipes ideas I would love for you to try using the Masala Blends; Korma Potatoes and Seafood Biriyani, which I will write up shortly.

I'm not sure about you but with spring in the air, I really feel like eating lighter, fresher flavoured foods and one of my favourite dishes is simply Chana Masala served with natural yogurt and a fresh, crisp salad of lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes dressed with lemon:

This Northern Indian chickpea dish is flavoured with a fusion of masala, sauted onion wedges and fresh tomatoes. Finish by stirring through spring onions and garnishing with fresh coriander to add colour and enhance this amazingly flavoured dish.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
1 Tablespoon Cooking Oil
1 Medium onion cut into wedges
1 x 20g Pot Shot Masala Blend for Vegetables
1 Tin of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 - 2 Fresh tomatoes diced
2 Spring onions thinly sliced
Handful of freshly chopped coriander

Method
1. In a sauce pan/frying pan heat enough of the oil to saute the onion wedges until lightly golden. Remove from the pan and leave to one side.

2. Heat the remaining oil and add the Masala Blend. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes.

3. Add the chickpeas and mix throughly with the Masala Blend. Cover and allow to cook on a low heat for about 8 minutes.

4. Add the sauted onions and fresh tomato and stir through. Cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.

5. Remove from the heat. Stir through the spring oinion, garnish with coriander and serve.

Serving tip: Delicious served in a pitta bread with salad, yogurt and mango chutney!

Recipe Of the Month: February 2011

Masala Coconut & Almond Chicken with Fine Green Beans

The Recipe of the Month for February was given to me by Andy Bushell, a Loughbrough Uni student who helps us out in the warehouse from time to time. Overhearing that he was going to cook a curry from scratch I threw him a couple of Pot Shots of the Masala Blend for Meat and told him to use them instead.

Needless to say he was impressed with the results and told me try it for myself....

This coconut infused dish is a perfect example of how creative you can be with Spice Fusions Masala Blends. Serve with noodles or rice for a Thai inspired meal.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
250g Diced boneless chicken
1 Medium onion diced
1 x 20g Pot Shot Masala Blend for Meat
150ml Coconut milk
150ml Chicken or vegetable stock
100g Fine green beans
Flaked almonds to garnish

Method
1. In a frying pan or wok heat the oil and brown the chicken.

2. Add the onion and continue cooking until it becomes soft.

3. Add the Masala Blend, mix throughly with the chicken and onions and allow to cook for 2 -3 minutes on a medium heat.

4. Add the coconut milk and stock, cover and cook for on a gentle heat for a 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the fine green beans and cook for a further 5 minutes. At this point add a little water if you require more sauce.
6. Garnish with the flaked alomnds and serve with Indian bread, rice or noodles.

Cooking tip: For a lighter flavoured, lighter spiced dish try using the Masala Blend for Vegetables instead.

A Tastier Curry: Tips & Tricks: Time

The beautiful thing about Spice Fusions is that you CAN make a quick, easy and tasty curry in no more than 1/2 an hour. In that respect its just as easy as popping open a jar, pouring the sauce over and warming it through. But you must know that investing a little bit of time in your cooking always makes the food taste better.... :)

The same applies when using Spice Fusions Masala Blends. For the cost of a little extra time, you can have an even more delicious curry! One where the spices have been given time to properly infuse your meat and seafood, to make it tender and tastier.

Below are 3 ways to tastier curry! They do require time and patience... patience is a virtue I know, but trust me it's one worth having when making a curry!

1. Marinade your meat and seafood.
Yes, it really is as simple as that. At least 4 hours before you cook, prepare your meat/seafood by cleaning it and dicing it. In a bowl, mix the meat/seafood with the Masala Blend. Cover and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, overnight is best. When you are ready to make your curry just follow the recipe.

For the barbeque here's a great little marinade for meat/vegetabels/seafood. You can also use this marinade when you ovencook or make a curry:

For 250 g meat/vegetables/seafood, in a bowl mix together a little (>1 tablespoon) cooking oil, 1 x Pot Shot Masala Blend (20g), 2-3 tablespoons natural yogurt (or try Greek style yogurt for a richer creamier taste) and a good handful of freshly chopped coriander. Add the meat/vegetables/seafood, coat throughly in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, again overnight is best.

If you are cooking your meat in the oven, it is best to cover the meat loosely with foil to retain the moisture of the meat. Once the meat is cooked remove the foil and cook for a further 8 - 10 minutes just to get that great oven cooked browning!

2. Slow Cooking
This is one for meat lovers and the trick is simple: allow your meat or chicken to cook on a gentle heat for about 40 - 45 minutes. If you are cooking meat on the bone the meat should melt away from the bone when you're eating it. This slow cooking gives the spices time to marinate and infuse the meat.

Vegetable and seafood dishes can also be cooked on a gentle heat for longer but as they are more delicate foods you do not need to cook them for too much longer. 5-10 minutes more than is recommended on the Spice Fusions recipes should do the trick!

For those of you that have, get out your slow cooker! When cooking a lamb or beef curry a slow cooker works wonders. For a straight forward curry such as the Spice Fusions Signature Lamb Curry follow this recipe:

Ingredients (Serves 4)

3 Tablespoons cooking oil

1 Finely chopped medium onion

200g Chopped tomatoes, tinned or fresh

2 x 20g Pot Shots Masala Blend for Meat

500g Diced boneless lamb

Chopped coriander to garnish

Method

1. In a non-stick frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and seal the lamb. Put the lamb in a dish and leave to one side.

2. In the frying pan heat the remaining oil and sauté the onions until soft. Add the tomatoes and the meat masala blend stir and cook for 3 - 4 minutes on a medium heat.

3. Add the sealed lamb and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a slow cooker, add ½ a cup of water and cook on a low heat for 4 - 5 hours.

4. Garnish with the coriander and serve with naan bread, rice and a simple salad cucumber, tomato and red onion salad lightly dressed with olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

3. Cook (and if you can resist the tempation to eat) leave it to stand.
As simple as it sounds, can you resist?

Once you've cooked your curry, allow it cool, then refrigerate until you are ready to eat. Take it out of the fridge and gently heat the curry through. Add a little hot water to create more sauce if required. Please make sure the food is piping hot before you serve.

Enjoy, and as always, if you have any tips and tricks you'd like to share with us then please drop us a line!

Recipe of the Month: January 2011

To start off I am sharing with you my FAVOURITE recipe idea using the Vegetable Masala Blend. It is a perfectly quick, tasty and satisfying recipe without all the effort usually associated with putting together Indian flavours and hopefully it shows you one of the many ways you can cook with Spice Fusions Masala Blends:

Curried baked beans on toast with cheese!

You will need:
A splash of oil
1 small onion diced
1 Large tin of baked beans
1x 20g Pot Shot Masala Blend for Vegetables
Toast and some grated cheese to finish!

Method
1. In a saucepan heat the oil and saute the onions until soft. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the masala blend and mix with the onions.
2. Return the saucepan to a low heat and cook for a further couple of minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the baked beans and mix thorughly with the masala blend. Warm through according to the instructions on the tin.
4. Serve on toast and sprinkle with cheese.

This recipe is SO quick, easy and tasty that it is a dinner time favourite in our house where we mix some freshly chopped coriander through the curried baked beans and eat it with chappatis or pitta bread and salad...so it can be as healthy as you make it!

Otherwise, try it on a jacket potato and let me know what you think by posting me a comment...I'd love to hear from you.

Send us your recipe ideas and we'll send you some Spice Fusions!

So on the Spice Fusions website we want you to get cooking using the Masala Blends and we want to know what you've made and how you made it! I love trying out new dishes, and I thought to myself what better dishes to try than the ones YOU make at home?!

Take a look at our website, www.spicefusions.com for details of where to send your recipes ideas to, and if you are featured as our recipe of the month then we will send you a set of Spice Fusions Masala Blends, so that you can cook some more! And, when you do, send us a picture of yourself too...

My Recipe for January 2011 to follow... Curried baked beans on toast with cheese!

Desert Island Dish: Chicken Curry...

My desert island dish. To be precise, home cooked chicken curry; the way mum makes it, using a masala recipe handed down through the generations from mother to daughter.

This authentic dish from the Gujarat region of India is gently cooked in the masala blend with onions and tomatoes, and garnished with a handful of chopped coriander. it is not necessary to pre-cook your chicken.

To make Chicken Curry for 4 people you will need:
2 Tablespoons of cooking oil
1 Finely Chopped medium onion
1 small tin (227g) chopped tomatoes/ 200g finely chopped fresh tomatoes
2 x 20g Pot Shots Spice Fusions Masala Blend for Meat
500g Diced chicken breast fillets or you can use skinless meat on the bone in which case allow 2 pieces/person
Chopped coriander to garnish.

Method
1. In a deep, large, non-stick frying pan heat the oil and saute the onions until soft and golden.
2. Add the tomatoes and the masala blend. Stir and cook on a gentle heat for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the chicken, mix throughly, cover and cook gently for 20 - 25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked. 5 minutes before the end of cooking time add a little water if more sauce is required.
4. Garnish with corriander and serve with basmati rice, pitta bread and salad. You might also like to serve lemon wedges so that you can squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on the chicken curry to add a fresh and tangy burst of flavour!

Cooking tips: Whilst Spice Fusions Masala Blends contain all the spices and fresh ingredients you need to make the perfect curry, you can always add a little extra of what you like for example, a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a stick of cinnamon, 2 -3 cloves or green cardamon pods and even a pinch of black peppercorns or a curry leaf or 2! Add these to the heated oil and once they begin to sizzle add the onions then continue with the method.
I personally like to mix a level teaspoon of cinnamon powder through towards the end of cooking to sweeten the dish! I'd really like to know what you think and what you've cooked using our masala blends so leave me a comment...

Deliciously Simple Indian Cooking...

Here at Spice Fusions we have created a series of Masala Blends, for meat, vegetables and seafood so that you can now make truly authentic Indian foods in your home kitchen, without all the hassle of searching, weighing, measuring and preparing the long list of spices and fresh ingredients!

Our Masala Blends are unique as they cleverly sit somewhere between the dry spices and the sauces that you can buy to make curries. We have mixed the dry spice blend with the freshest green chillies, ginger and garlic, not purees or powders, but freshly chopped chillies, garlic and ginger! And whats more, all these ingredients are naturally preserved with no additives or bulking agents.

See http://www.spicefusions.com/ for more information about our products...but as this blog is all about cooking tasty curries (with Spice Fusions Masala Blends) I'm going to get on with the recipe for my desert island dish!