What do you call them? In Gujarati they are called rotli, and in other parts of India roti, and also chapati – which is often used outside of India. They are a soft, unleavened, flat bread made from a mixture of brown and white wheat flour, used to scoop up your curry. (more…)

I suspect that most of you reading this have a jar of mincemeat languishing in the back of your fridge, not quite enough for a batch of mince pies (which, let’s face it, you’re probably sick of by now) but definitely not something you want to just throw away. Let’s embrace leftovers with a cake!
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I’m struggling with the weather at the moment, it’s very cold. We’re counting down the days until we can move into our new (warmer) house and out of this very charming but freezing 17th century cottage that we’ve shivered in for the last 4 winters. It’s been lovely, don’t get me wrong, but I’m looking forward to insulation and working radiators. Until then, this hot toddy is helping me get through the January weather. (more…)

We spent our holiday in Rome three years ago existing on pizza and gelato, it was pretty sweet. Rome style ‘pizza al taglio’ is cut to the size you’d like from a large tray, warmed and handed to you wrapped in paper, the perfect takeaway. (more…)

Chana masala, chickpea curry, is probably the best place to start if you’ve never cooked Gujarati, or even Indian food before. It’s simple to make yet so authentic, and doesn’t require lots of obscure ingredients.
For me it’s a staple, something I ate at least once a week growing up and something we eat nearly as often now. Sometimes potatoes are added but more often than not it is simply chana and rotli (chapati) sometimes with some mango pickle or yogurt.
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