E.ON Innovation

   

I was never the type who used to care too much about saving energy, wastage, etc etc. until I started running a home on my own. I then realised that there were umpteen ways in which you could save energy at home, and not just sourcing the food aspect alone, but with storing, cooking and even cleaning to be precise. So when E.ON announced the launch of an interesting project called the E.ON Innovation- an online community aiming at inspiring the general public (of course UK based) to come up with brilliant ideas to design the next big energy saving product or service- I decided it was high time I sat down and thought about ways to practise this at home.

Linked to the Channel 4 series 'Home of the Future', E.ON features five different challenges in the areas of rest, work, play, food and wellbeing, wherein you can put on your thinking caps and come up with innovative ideas that may make you the next big thing in the world of inventions, or even better, the best submission from each of these themes will win a home energy make over worth up to GBP 2000. If thats not enough, a 'Shining Star' winner will be selected, in which case the prize deal is increased to a home energy make over worth up to GBP 10,000.

This week the challenge is on the theme of food, and along with encouraging all of you to come up with ways to save energy with regard to storing, preparing and cooking food, I thought I'd ring up a few myself:

1. Use the kettle to boil water, and not use the hob top (which takes more time). Also, boiling the exact amount of water required and not huge quantities, which will go to waste and use up more energy.

2. Try and use the microwave as much as possible for reheating food, as opposed to using the oven or hob which requires a 10 minute pre heating time and then a minimum of at least 10 to 15 minutes to heat the food. A tip to save energy in case you need to use the oven, is to turn it off 10 minutes prior to the actual time as the oven will retain enough heat to do the job effectively. Same goes for a hob as well.

3. The pressure cooker, I think, is one of the best kitchen utensils I have ever owned. It not only does the job in half the time, but also saves loads of energy. If you dont have one, just get one without thinking twice. Trust me, its a good investment

4. You are usually given different ring options for cooking on the hob top, try and use the ring that matches your vessel and not a smaller one, in which case you are wasting energy.

5. Boiling rice, pasta, lentils etc take a whole lot of time. So if possible, make large chunks of this ahead and store in the refrigerator or freezer for later use. I know for a fact that rice and lentils stay in the freezer for week without any problem.

6. When you buy grocery, check the expiry date and think if you will be able to utilize it by the use-by date and wont have to waste it.

There are lots of ways in which you can actually save energy at home when it comes to food. I now make a conscious effort to do all this and more, and I hope you do too.

If you have a brilliant idea you want to put forth, then log on to www.eon-innovation.com and submit them there, before the 9th of April and be part of the project by following E.ON on Twitter @talkingenergy and keep a watch out for the hashtag #eoninno.

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Spicy Bombay potatoes

I honestly never intended to take such a long break from blogging. It just happened and I kinda started enjoying the peace and quiet that came after the cooking process.  I mean I enjoyed not rushing to catch the sun for good pictures, to arrange and wash the props and to be honest, I kinda liked the 'not cooking fancy dishes so i can show off on my blog' phase a whole lot that I pretended I didn't even have a food blog.

In between I would whine to Ro about how I haven't updated the blog in over 10 days and he would be least bit bothered. It kinda rubbed off on me too, I must add. So when a whole lot of you guys wrote in asking if everything was fine, I was overwhelmed. The London Riots didn't affect us much, except for a day when all the nearby supermarkets and shops were shut, just as a precaution, which put me in a bit of a distress considering I plan on a day to day basis (not just grocery, everything in life really). But otherwise, the affected areas were no where near ours and so it was fine. Its all under control now and thank you so so much for writing in.

Anyways, coming to the recipe...a couple of days back I was so lazy to cook that I decided to pick up one of those ready meals from the store. I would never learn from my mistakes, and so picked up Indian grub. Yes I bought Bombay Potatoes and pulao from a British grocery store. Did I think it would be authentic? I don't know, those Bombay potatoes looked so yum and I decided to just go ahead and buy it (without thinking, of course!). It tasted so horrid but I had to force it down my throat, because I had to "pay" for my actions. That's when I wondered, c'mon how difficult can it be to make these at home, and I did, today!

Bombay potatoes are so damn popular here in UK, you can find it in almost all the grocery stores and heck Shwartz even has a spice mix called Bombay potatoes. I wonder if there is actually something called Bombay Potatoes errr.. in Bombay? Or is it like the Chicken Manchurian which I presume originated in India and the Chinese have no idea about? Whatever the scene, I made it today and it was waaaay better than the store bought one. You can serve this hot or cold, and serve as a side to grilled chicken or Indian breads.

I have also entered this into the 'Love the Garden' competition (which I should have done long back, but obviously waited till 3 days before it ends), so it would be great if you can head over and vote for this recipe. I already feel kinda lame asking you guys for a favour :)

Baby pearl potatoes- 250 gms (washed and scrubbed well)

Red onion- 1 large

Ginger paste- 1/2 tbsp

Garlic paste- 1/2 tbsp

Coriander powder- 1 tsp

Chilli powder- 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/8th tsp

Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

Tomato- 1 small (optional)

Garam masala- 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves- a sprig (optional)

Oil- 1 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Pre cook the potatoes till they are about fork tender. Not too mushy though. You can do this either in a microwave, pressure cooker (1 whistle) or on the stove top by boiling it in water. keep aside.

Heat oil in a large wok and splutter the mustard seeds.

Add the curry leaves at this point (if using) and stir for a couple of seconds.

In goes the onions. Sauté till they are about light brown in colour, on medium heat.

Add the ginger and garlic paste and continue to cook till the raw smell disappears, about 5 minutes or so on medium heat. 

Add the spices- coriander powder, chilli powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder- and mix well. Cook till they no longer smell raw, but nice and fragrant instead.

Tip in the chopped tomato and stir well. Cook till oil starts separating. Add a wee bit of water if it starts scorching at the base.

Season with enough salt.

Add the cooked potatoes and mix them all together, making sure the masala coats the potatoes well.

Increase the heat a bit and let it roast in the spices for a couple of minutes. Make sure you keep stirring in between.

Sprinkle the garam masala on top, give it a good stir and after about 2 minutes, take them off the flame.

Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!

Notes: You can do the same with large potatoes, just that pre cooking them might take a bit longer. You might also want to peel them in that case.

Adjust the spice level if you are not up for it.
Some versions have bell pepper, I didnt have any at hand, so omitted it. Feel free to add it along with the potatoes.