Has it really been 4 years since I last posted here? A rather enticing biryani recipe to boot, if I don't say so myself. For any long term readers and lurkers who've followed me on social media, you may have been keeping up with more up to date recipes on my official website www.theredlychee.com Click the link though and you'll see the site is down, some problem with the hosting or domain. I was going to resurrect the site when I was suddenly bit by the blogging bug again (it's been over a year since my last post), but quite honestly, time is always a tight squeeze these days and being stuck in a constant state of baby brain doesn't really allow mw to engage such technical intricacies. So, I thought, I know, why don't I return to my old familiar blogger site? I was surprised it still existed to be quite honest, but in a few minutes, I've managed to log in and open a new draft, and my fingers have been dancing over the keyboard, just like the old days...
So, what's happened in the past four years, I hear you ask? Well, I've probably moved about 4 times. I am now a Southerner in the Midlands, a fate I would never have predicted. I have now also left that awkward post-uni-early-20-something, not quite sure where they're going life phase and now hold the title of wife and more recently mother. I'm sure to many I can seem like a fairly put together person, but honestly some days I feel like I'm still getting to grips with 'adulting'.
Many things have changed and improved over the years. I can now confidently cook rice without exactly measuring out the water, huzzah! Though I will still measure when I make a pilau rice or the like. Me, the very un-natural baker, has garnered some praise for being able to produce tasty and relatively pretty cakes and bakes (I feel sorry for my family now for having to have endured all my experiemental hapless years of baking). Oh and I'm pretty sure I can roll out a round roti now!
But in many ways, things remain the same. I'm still a bit of a hurricane in the kitchen. I often am trying to cook as quickly as possible (whilst simultaneously creating the least amount of washing up for myself too). This almost always results in utensils and water flying everywhere, partly burning something (I set the smoke alarm off only yesterday) and it's a fairly common occurence for me to injure myself in some way.
My aims for my blogging redux are fairly low. To use one of my husband's favourite phrases, I'm managing my expectations. I'd quite like to just write and cook and take some pictures for the pleasure of it, without making it into some arduous task of making it SEO friendly and cross posting on social media and the like. I'd also quite like to thread in some food and lifestyle segments more applicable to my own personal life developments, such as recipes good for babies and kids.
But it wouldn't be a food blog without an actual recipe. So here's one for a quick weeknight dinner, a Moroccan inspired aubergine and chickpea stew. It's great with just some couscous and some roasted veggies. I think it'd be jazzed up even more with some harissa paste and perhaps a sprinkle of ras el hanout or any other middle eastern spice blend you fancy. You can make it in about 30 mins, so perfect if you have a baby like me. It's also pretty healthy and totally vegan (I'm not vegan but everyone and their Aunt seems to be these days...).
Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
1 onion sliced
1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic minced)
1 tsp cumin
1 aubergine diced
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1/2 can of plum tomatoes
Handful of baby plum tomatoes, sliced
1 medjool date, chopped
Squeeze of lemon juice
1/2 - 1 cup water
Sprinkle of red chilli flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
2) Add cumin and cook off for 1 min before adding in aubergine and giving a good stir.
3) Add in chickpeas, tinned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes and stir together before covering and leaving to cook for 2-3 minutes.
4) Uncover and add in chopped date, lemon juice and enough water until the vegetables are covered. Put the lid back on and leave to cook on a medium to low heat until the aubergine is cooked through and you have a thick tomato sauce.
5) Once cooked through, add chopped chilli, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with couscous and roasted vegetables.
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