Cupboard Shots

MARCH 12th 2011 
Ingredients (clockwise from top left) 
Avocado Leaves
Koeze Cream Nut Peanut Butter
Flamin Hot Cheetohs
Biona Coconut Oil
Bim's Kitchen BBQ Sauce sampler
Mexican Oregano
Saffron Rock Sugar Sticks (for tea)
Jar of Sumac
Hoja Santa Leaves
Venere Nero Risotto
Pistachios
London Bee HoneyComb
(bottom shelf - starting from right)  
San Marcos Chipotles en Adobo (behind: Nopales rajas canned)
Carey Tinned Tomatillos
Honey with nuts
De La Rosa Mazapan de Cacahuate (peanut marzapan candy)
Grey Poupon Whole Grain Mustard
Mc Vittles Rich Tea Biscuits
Harrods Scottish Honey
some Mexican chocolate in the back
Tinned chickpeas
Rowse honey
Dried Mangos
Package of Nairns Oat Cakes
Nam Jai Palm Sugar
Bulgar, fine grain
Rose Petal Jam
Faella Spaghetti
Martelli Spaghetti

--------------

APRIL 21st 2011 
Ingredients (clockwise from top left) 
Duck Gizzards
Duck Confit
Fois Gras
Koeze Cream Nut Peanut Butter
Cascabel Chiles
Empire Made Peanut Pate
Biona Coconut Oil
Hoja Santa Leaves
Avocado Leaves
London Bee Honeycomb
(bottom shelf from right) 
San Marzano tinned Tomatoes
Pecans
Harrods Scottish Honey
Whole Foods Refried Pinto Beans
Carey tinned Tomatillos
Brindisa Tortilla de aciete olivo w/anise seed
Carey rajas de poblano
Frijoles Charros
TRS Rose Water
Dittys Oat Cakes
Cajeta dolce
Jar of Sumac
Nairns Oat Cakes
Pine Nuts
Palm Sugar
Mexican Tamarind candy
Rose Petal Jam
M&S Rich Tea Biscuits
San Marcos Chipotles en Adobo
Faella Spaghetti
------------


...send me a shot of yours? no arranging!

CHAI

I prefer tea over coffee. Guess thats not a bad thing when you find yourself living in the UK. I was a little let down expecting to find loads of Chai being served up all over London dude to the large Indian community. Besides one experience in Southall (a particularly large and concentrated Hindu community on the western edge of London) I still find that my homemade Chai is still the most satisfying. Perhaps thats how its meant to be though....

CHAI
Ingredients 
-about 20 green cardamom pods
-1 black cardamom pod
-about 1/2 inch of canela cinnamon (use whatever whole cinnamon you have, i just prefer mexican canela)
-10 black peppercorns
-2 cloves
- 1 cup or 1 and a half cups milk (whole milk is tastiest obviously but suit yourself)
- 4 bags of assam black tea (dont waste money on a super fancy grade here)
- sugar (optional I guess... but its always sweetened in India I hear...)

Method 
Using a mortar and pestle, smash up the green and black cardamom until the pods break and the seeds escape. Put the milk in a small pot over medium heat. Add all the listed spices and the broken up cardamom. Cook milk and spice mixture until slightly reduced and be sure to stir occasionally.
Meanwhile brew the tea. I prefer really strong Chai, so I use 4 bags of tea brewed (for about 3 mins) in 3 1/2 cups of boiling water.
Strain the tea bags and remove from tea. Combine the milk and tea into a vessel (most likely a tea pot but  whatever - sometimes I add the tea to the milk in the pot). Add sugar to taste, pour through a strainer into cups (to catch whole spices and pieces) and serve.

I also like not straining it and just having a couple bits of spice floating about in my cup but I guess im dirty like that.

Untitled

via alternate ending/alternative ending