The Baynhams

In this house we love Indian food. So much so that Mr B has declared every Thursday be Curry night! Usually our idea of "making" a curry is to chop up chicken breast and fry in and then add a jar of Pataks curry sauce and serve up with some naan breads out of the toaster and mini poppadums from the microwave. Sorted! 

As time has gone by the kids tastebuds have adjusted to spicier and spicier sauces, from a one chilli rating up to three. All this changed this week when I persuaded my friend Simi to spend the day in my kitchen teaching me how to cook a few dishes. There was chopping of onions galore and hot mustard seeds hopping out of the frying pan and all over the counters and floor! 

There was a spoonful of this and a spoonful of that. I sat on the breakfast bar scribbling recipe notes furiously as Simi's hands weaved magic across the counter. 

By the end of the day Simi had cooked a beef curry and a cabbage side dish and a cooked yoghurt sauce that was to be poured over the cooked Basmati rice at the table. It was the nicest and spiciest curry I have ever had! The kids had to eat a portion of their normal butter chicken and just tried little bits of Simi's curry but Byron and myself really enjoyed the new tastes and tingle.

We had enough left over for another serving later in the week when Gareth's friend was staying over. He tucked in to everything and didn't seem to mind the beef curry burning the lining off his mouth! For this second meal I googled how to make naan bread and managed to produce a half decent batch of cheese naans and garlic butter brushed ones too. 

Jars of sauce on a Thursday night may not cut it in this house from now on. I think the bar has just been raised and I'm not sure my scribbled recipe cards will be legible enough for me to try to cook solo...

Simi, do you want to come cook visit again this week?!