Asparagus and paneer curry

Yet another seasonal favourite - English asparagus.  This is one of my absolute favourite vegetables and I just can't get enough of it during its short season.

There are so many ways to enjoy this from simple melted butter, Hollandaise sauce, dipping it into a poached or boiled egg, soup, quiche, steamed, griddled, barbecued, but I have been experimenting and after having pasta sauces and risottos with asparagus, I decided to have a go at adding it to a curry.

I can hear some of you screaming in protest - but I have to say that it was a delicious combination of flavours and because I added the asparagus right at the end, none of its magic was lost, simply enhanced.

1 tsp mustard seeds
1 onion sliced
2 tblsp coriander seed
1 tblp cuminseeds
10 cloves, 
 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 dried chill
1 tsp dill seed
1 onion, chopped
1" root ginger, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
600 ml water
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp amchoor (mango powder)
4 chopped fresh tomatoes
 2 tsp salt
 1 tsp sugar
2 tblsp double cream
1 bundle asparagus
1 block paneer, cubed

In a frying pan, dry fry the coriander, cumin, cloves, fenugreek, chilli and dill seed until lightly toasted.
Allow to cool and grind to a powder.

Combine the chopped onion, ginger and garlic with 100ml of water in a blender and process to a paste.

In a large pan  or casserole dish heat the oil and add the sliced onion and mustard seeds.

When the mustard seeds start to pop add the spice powder mix, turmeric and amchoor.
Fry for 2 minutes, stir from time to time.

Add the onion paste and cook for a further five minutes.
Add the chopped paneer and stir well to coat.  Then add 500ml water and simmer for 40 minutes.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, salt, sugar and cream and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the asparagus and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Serve with boiled rice. 

© Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2015

www.netherton-foundry.co.uk

Pinakbet - bet this is a new one for you!

I think this has to take the prize for most distant and unlikely seeming Twitter connection yet and most exotic recipe contribution to date.  
Social media certainly makes the world a smaller place and whilst we hear daily of the trolling and bullying side of it, I have to say,  everyone we have met through Twitter and Facebook has been polite, supportive, entertaining, amusing, enthusiastic, kind and/or just plain bonkers - in a good way! @NethertonNews

Perhaps if more people followed the example of our great followers and treated others as they would want to be treated themselves, the world would be a better place.
Granted that we cannot always financially support every deserving cause, some virtual support via the web to spread the word, help someone feel better about themselves, highlight some injustice or just pass on a compliment or *hug* this can go along way to help people achieve their goals.  The goal might be to save the world or it may be to get out of bed in the morning and save themselves, but love and manners spread across the net cost you nothing and the rewards are immeasurable.

Let's see more #mutualsupport out there, please.

Anyway - enough of the lecture and more about the food.............

Following a rambling conversation about a salted caramel ice cream recipe, which took 7 tweets to explain, I asked Dan Zapanta , also known as @FoodieZap for all you Tweeters, to reciprocate with a local recipe from his native Philippines.

A true gentleman, Dan e-mailed this over immediately, complete with photo.

Hello, this is one of the local dishes here in the Philippines, it’s called Pinakbet. it’s a medley of veggies (usually locally sourced) and pork belly strips stewed in fermented fish sauce. Perfect with steaming rice. Hope you like it! 

Pinakbet (mixed vegetable stewed in fish sauce)

3 tbsp cooking oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 medium red onions, sliced

3 small tomatoes , sliced

100 ml fermented fish sauce (locally known as "bagoong")

1/2 kg pork strips (you can use pork belly)

2 medium eggplants (aubergines), sliced diagonally

2 medium bitter gourd, sliced diagonally

200 grams squash cut into squares

200 grams winged beans, cut into 2” strips....I looked these up, they are known as asparagus peas here and you can grow them yourself!

200 grams okra (ladies’ fingers), cut into 2”

500 ml water

salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium heat, put oil in wok/pan, then sauté garlic and onions, until they’re transparent/soft
2. Saute tomatoes and crush them using the back of big wooden spoon, let it simmer of 1 minute
3. Put in pork strips, then mix well until they are well incorporated.
4. When the pork is slightly cooked, put in fish sauce, mix well. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. cover.
5. Pour water onto wok/pan, bring to a boil then simmer for another 10-12 minutes or until pork is tender. cover.
6. Time to add in the veggies. First is put the squash.
7. When the squash is half cooked, put in winged beans, bitter gourd.
8. Lastly, put eggplants and okra.
9. Cook for another 5 minutes until veggies are soft and cooked.
10. Adjust the taste with salt, (be careful with it since the fish sauce is salty, this is for the slight adjustment of taste only.)
11. Transfer in a bowl, serve with hot steaming rice.

Looks delicious and I love the tablecloth too..........

Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2014
www.netherton-foundry.co.uk