Lamb Lollipops, Curry Sauce, Rice and Peas

Meal 107 - December 14th - Lamb Lollipops, Curry Sauce, Rice and Peas

Lolz got up very early this morning (well, early for a Saturday) to go and do her Christmas shopping and she assures me that everything she bought was for me, and she let me watch a truly abysmal game of football whilst she did the wrapping up, so I thought it only fair that I treat her to a nice 15 minute meal tonight. I decided to make lamb lollipops (slim pickings now with Lolz and her new found fussiness), which, continuing our recent gastronomic world tour, sounded like it might be taking us to some kind of Willy Wonka spin off business. I was excited and scared.

Beef Kofta Curry, Fluffy Rice, Beans and Peas

Meal 40 - April 30th - Beef Kofta Curry, Fluffy Rice, Beans and Peas

Now here's a thrilling statistic: according to the Office for National Statistics around 92 percent of UK households own a microwave. Lolz and I are one of the 8 ish percent who rely on more traditional cooking techniques. Therefore, these 15 minute meals are about as fast as it gets when we are looking for a speedy dinner. As I got to Waitrose on my way home from a crazy day at work I was torn between doing a 15 minute meal or taking advantage of their curry themed dinner for two for £10 deal. I wasn't exactly overflowing with enthusiasm but, given that our lack of a microwave meant that "ready meals"  would take longer to cook than the Jamie alternative I decided to opt for the former.

Keralan Veggie Curry, Poppadoms, Rice & Minty Yoghurt

Meal 28 - March 23rd - Keralan Veggie Curry, Poppadoms, Rice & Minty Yoghurt

I've been getting pretty good lately at maintaining some degree of order in the kitchen as I cook my 15 minute meals. Occasionally this is at the expense of going very slightly over 15 minutes but I've definitely developed a bit of a technique for minimizing mess. And so I was surprised when, taking a step back to survey the damage and assess the amount and difficulty of washing up that lay in store for Lolz, that the kitchen resembled some kind of bomb site. The picture below I feel does not really do it justice, but the rather large glass of wine is telling.

Tasty Daal Curry, Warm Tomato Salad and Naan

Meal 19 - Feb 23rd - Tasty Daal Curry, Warm Tomato Salad and Naan

I do find it a little strange how some meals in the 15 Minute Meals book have incredibly positive adjectives attached to their names. "Incredibly Delicious Chicken Salad" or "Gorgeous Greek Chicken" for instance. That this particular dish is described merely as "tasty" makes me think it may turn out to be a bit meh.

Anyway, Lolz has been struck down by the same man-flu bug that I was afflicted by last weekend (although apparently when transferred to females it becomes just "flu") and she was requesting something spicy to clear her sinuses. Curry was an obvious choice and despite being vegetarian, we thought this would be a good option for a cold February evening. The first task, obviously, was to do the shopping and, as is becoming a frustratingly regular occurrence it wasn't without it's difficulties. I was unable to find mixed colour cherry tomatoes and had to make do with the standard red cherry variety (although one did have a slight orange tinge). Curry leaves also eluded me and I concluded that you would need to find an Indian supermarket to find such an item. I also begrudged buying rapeseed oil when I already have an array of oils in my cupboard so decided to make do.

The cooking would have been straightforward if my food processor hadn't refused to work. Lolz helpfully suggested I check it was plugged in, and although that wasn't the problem, I did manage to patch it up.  I also discovered that mustard seeds are fairly excitable little things. Upon hitting the hot pan they promptly jumped straight back out, popping like popcorn. Some did remain in the pan (probably because at that point I decided to put a lid on) thankfully and I managed to crack on with the tomatoes.

The dish was nice but lacked a bit oomph. Lolz described it as being a bit like an Innocent Veg Pot and I think she hit the nail on the head - nice but not really a meal in itself. Personally I would have loved to have added some prawns or something into the equation. The tomatoes were bizarre – does the recipe really tell you to chop the whole lemon or have I misread something? Unsurprisingly, the outcome is really bitter. If you cook this dish, only use the juice and zest!

Lolz gave the dish 8/10. Difficulty rating 3/10.