sartoric

What's in the fridge minestrone with "pizza" toasties.

Indian vegetarian feast. Sweet and sour chickpeas, pumpkin curry, basmati rice, parathas, fresh tomato chutney, spring onion & mint raita. Host's note: for more delicious inspiration, please see the next segment: Dinner 2017 (Part 3)

A grainy mustard mayo. It was delicious !

Fish and chips, by the seaside in northern NSW.

@Anna N, the packaging is in the bin, but it definitely said spatchcock. Funnily enough, the packaging also recommended spatchcocking the birds ! Anyway, @blue_dolphinhas confirmed the terms use. They were yummy little suckers !

Roast spatchcock, potatoes, beetroot and asparagus. Served with a sauce of sherry and pan juices.

Bacon and mushroom risotto with a green salad and toasted sourdough.

Japanese style udon noodle soup with chicken and egg.

While it's fresh in the memory ....Himalayan chilli pork. Served with sautéed cabbage and beet greens, steamed rice, paratha and my green mango pickle.

They don't use miso paste in Assam, rather an indigenous bean paste. This is one of the substitutes that Kade uses when not able to source the original ingredient. Australia has very strict quarantine rules. All food has to be declared on arrival, an indeterminate brown pasty type thing would almost certainly be confiscated.

Not specifically. I suspect there would be a reason. He explained many things about the way of life in his village. People eat largely what they grow or raise, and make use of traditional medicines, herbs and oils. They are very spiritual (animist) and enjoy excellent longevity.

Chinese takeaway from our local restaurant. They make a great chicken chow mein using whatever veggies are in season and cheap. This one had zucchini, green beans, cabbage, carrots and bean sprouts. I love their crunchy fried noodles, and we always get a large special fried rice - it has red cooked pork, prawns, chicken bits, egg and spring onions. The previous night I zoomed off to the country house of a friend of a friend for a Himalayan cooking class. Details are tacked on to my "food tour through India" in the India dining section.

A Himalayan cooking class - led by Kade from Assam state in the north east corner of India. Snacks of fried pumpkin skin, eggplant and pumpkin shoots. Kade slices the green striped pumpkin skin into matchsticks and deep fries in rice bran and mustard oil until crispy. The eggplant slices were dipped in a thin batter and fried. The handfuls of pumpkin leaves and shoots were fried briefly and drained on paper. Momos. In mustard oil, sauté 5 cloves of garlic, pierced with a thumb nail, a big slice of ginger, lots of sliced cabbage, small bits of chopped chicken, grated carrot, red miso paste, pepper, soy, sesame seeds, bay leaves, Mangal brand spice mix (turmeric, roasted cloves, green cardamom, coriander, chillies, garlic, cumin, ginger, pepper, mango powder, nutmeg and mace). The dough is plain flour, cold water and salt. The trick is to use many hands, thereby developing the gluten. Pass the bowl around so everyone kneads, keep going until the dough is really stretchy. Pinch off a small amount, roll into a ball, then pinch edges to make a circle and use palms to flatten to paper thin. Add filling, and seal edges to make a money bag shape, twist. Steam for 10 minutes and serve with a dollop of sambal olek. Chilli chicken.We make a batter with plain flour, garam masala, Mangal brand spice mix (chicken tikka masala variety), leaving it lumpy and the consistency of tempura, then add chopped chicken breast. Deep fry bits in rice bran oil, mustard oil and a bay leaf without crowding.To make the sauce, slice onions, green or red capsicum, then saute with lots of ginger, one clove of garlic ( roughly pounded together) and brown sugar, cook until onions are translucent. Add soy, a little abc (sweet soy) sauce, a pinch of baking powder and pepper. Combine the sauce and chicken, serve with rice.This is suitable for all meats, no need to batter say pork or beef. During the demo, which could be hands on or not as you preferred, Kade imparted food philosophy from his home region, hints, tips and substitutes for impossible to find items (like miso paste). All the vegetables were organically grown in his garden. The cook. It's forbidden to taste while you cook. So taste with your nose ! The beautiful countryside.

Baby spinach omelette with eggs laid yesterday by free roaming, happy chooks.

Corn and zucchini fritters with tzatziki and a mixed salad. The salad comprises leaves, mango, toasted macadamias and tiny tomatoes with a preserved lemon dressing.

Chicken parmigiana with potato cauliflower mash and buttery garlic spinach.

Felafels with chickpea & cauliflower tabouli, tahini sauce and pita bread.

A South Indian meal. The sambar from two nights ago was repurposed with extra dal, masoor dal this time. I made mango pickle on the weekend (was given about 30 green and ripening mangoes), so we tried some of that. Also a potato and spinach curry, plus dosas and a little yoghurt with green chillies.

I had a packet mix in my hands when I approached the counter...the owner suggested I try her frozen batter, then gave me some instructions. I also watched some u tubes to get the technique....it's pretty easy. To make from scratch you soak rice and urad dal separately, drain and grind them, then leave to ferment. I will be trying these at some stage. I'm so lucky to have this great indian shop nearby, it's been in the same spot with the same owner for more than 20 years.

Not a mix, but I was still cheating. There's an Indian grocer only a few minutes away from my place. She makes the batter and sells it frozen in tubs. I'll eventually progress to making my own batter, but first wanted to get the cooking technique sorted. I think they're filling, usually I'd have two for breakfast, larger ones than these though.

My first attempt at dosa, served here with sambar and fresh tomato chutney.

Thank you so much @gfron1. I've just watched the episode on Tamil Nadu where we spent ten days recently. Not only did the matriarch of our accommodation in the Chettinad region make an appearance, but we also recognised the grounds of the hotel and some of the men who cook there. Fascinating how the cuisine evolved too.

Winner winner, chicken dinner ! Served with mash potatoes, roast carrots, garlic beans and roast garlic gravy.

Thai beef salad. Loosely based on this recipe. http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/thai-steak-and-noodle-salad

Thanks for your thanks everyone. The food was fantastic, okay there were a couple of forgettable meals, but overall we were very lucky. The best thing, he who must be fed has lost 4 kilos, and feels that he doesn't need to eat as much meat as before.