Kerala

Well I'm ready! Thank you.

We're in the Peak District on holiday this week. I don't have my full complement of ingredients, so I'm keeping it simple. Fish pie. Salmon, haddock, smoked haddock at £10 for 3 from Morrison's. I didn't pick up any flour so it was just double cream in the sauce. Worked alright! PS Oh, and prawns!

From my Portuguese haul, seems ages ago. This is my second tin of this fish. I'm not convinced that Ray is delectable. Light and delicate in texture and flavour, almost absent. If I add pepper or chilli oil, I'm tasting pepper or chilli oil rather than the ray. I wish I could like it but... It's a shame about Ray.

Sure, but there's a wide range of texture and bite that's acceptable. The only way I've ever cooked octopus is low and slow in red wine. For the fast method, are we literally talking about a couple of minutes on a hot grill? Am I feeling brave enough?

This looks great. Not tried fish in the air fryer, don't know why. High heat, short time I guess?

Shepherd's pie. The missus just returned from a month in Nepal. She was ready for her favourite.

Keeping it simple.

The only time I ever got sunburnt. I'm sure dehydration and salt depletion played a part in making those souvlaki and plastic bottles of water amongst the most beautiful things I've ever tasted!

Looking forward to this. I went to Athens Inter-Railing as a teenager lo, many moons ago. My budget was tiny, and there was a heatwave so it was 30C at dawn, but the souvlaki I had on the street has stayed with me as a highlight and reference point all these decades later.

Ooh, that stopped me in my tracks. Like someone designed a snack just for me!

Fish pie. I made too much of the white sauce, so I made a central well in the pie to let it bubble up rather than boil over the sides. I mixed some of the excess sauce into the mash after some thought. Butter, flour, milk, cream, nutmeg, bay leaf, a handy bit of ground pepper and a pinch of salt... actually works great in mash!

@Cooker Don't hold back. Cook now! The Mark Wiens Keralan fish curry is failsafe and easier, and will taste good! If it's not right, do it again a couple of times, and it will be better each time. You have the advantage of knowing when it tastes right. Equally with the fish molly, go for it! With both these dishes, the risk as an inexperienced cook from Kerala is overcooking rather than undercooking.

Fascinating. I'd never have thought to eat either bear or lion. To be fair I'll probably go to my grave never having eaten either. Interesting to know, though.

Longpigs.

Any pictures, by chance?

Eggs, Cumberland sausage, bacon, white pudding and a tomato, with a nice mug of tea.

Shepherd's Pie. Always with plenty of mash.

This might be helpful https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/apr/13/five-courses-in-55-minute

It's such a an international metropolis that London is great for non-English food. I'm looking forward to eating again at Hakkasan in June. Tayyabs for Punjabi food. I'm not a Londoner so I hope a lot of people jump in with recommendations.

I love music. I do often have it on when I'm cooking, but if I'm cooking I'm so focused on the process that the music is irrelevant. I'd never thought about it before reading this. Lately it's been Khruangbin, which is largely non-verbal.

My wife's cousin and her husband stayed with us for a few nights on a visit to Europe from Australia. Nepalese family get together= mo:mo! Different levels of expertise forming the mo:mo But it all tasted great!

Was this finished under the grill or all in the oven? You really got the mince quite dry - perfect. If it's beef, I'd call it cottage pie. Lamb for shepherd's pie. No garlic in mine as I'm pretending to be an English shepherd in 1920, but that's just me!

Just amazing.

Breakfast is generally not a planned meal for me. Avocado toast with three slices of anchovy, mug of tea to the side.

The ciabatta was toasted in the bacon fat seasoned pan.