The Spice Club Manchester

Spice Club Indian Street Food Pop-Up @ Spinningfields | 13th June

Monica — Sun, 12 May 2013 21:23:03 +0000

Be prepared to be whisked away to the colourful and cultural streets of India when The Spice Club comes to Spinningfields in a pop up traditional, beautifully decorated Maharaja style tent hosted by Raj Tent Club. We will be selling delicious home-made, freshly prepared Indian street food to hungry-passers by over the lunch period on Thursday 13th June from 11am-2pm so be sure to come hungry! No booking necessary.

Intrigued? Well why not check out the street food inspired snaps from my travels to India and the mouth watering menu that we will be serving up, below..

MENU

Bhel Puri Chaat
Puffed rice, crunchy sev noodles, potatoes, cucumber, red onions, lime juice, raisins & pomegranate seeds tossed together with tamarind chutney & coriander & mint sauce served in a paper cone

Samosa Chaat
Traditional Indian pastry stuffed with spiced potatoes topped with chickpea masala, tamarind chutney, coriander & mint sauce, red onions & fresh coriander

Paneer Masala Kati Roll
Indian paneer cheese cooked with capsicum, onions, ginger, garlic, tomato, paprika & garam masala topped with coriander & mint chutney, rolled into a buttery chappati

Mango Lassi
Yoghurt drink flavoured with alphonso mangoes & crushed cardamom

Cardamom Chai
Traditional Indian tea infused with crushed cardamom & fennel seeds

Like what you see? Then we look forward to seeing you on the day! If you have any questions, please drop an email to: monica@spiceclubmanchester.com.

Monica and The Spice Club fam x

Easy Mango Kulfi Recipe

Monica — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:50:56 +0000

As I write this, I can see the frost hardening on my window sill and the pavement covered in a blanket of ice through my bedroom window. We are well and truly in the midst of winter here in the U.K and the temperature has decreased dramatically this week consequently resulting in it being absolutely freezing outside. That said, after dinner last night (I had home-made tadka dal and cumin rice if you were wondering), I had the biggest craving for ice cream! I was in the mood for something fruity and decided nothing apart from a creamy home-made mango kulfi would satisfy my craving! Ma and I made this for the dessert course at the Diwali supper club we hosted (the photos are from said event) and it went down a treat with our guests.
This recipe is a twist on the traditional one. It’s creamier in texture and is so simple to make! Take a closer look..

Makes: 1L ice cream approx

What we need:

825g mango puree (pureed fresh Alphonso mangoes are preferable if available, if not, you can get mango puree in most supermarkets)
600ml double cream
6 heaped table spoons powdered sugar
Pinch crushed cardamom
Halved pistachios and dried cranberries for garnishing (optional)

How we do:

Add the mango puree to a bowl and mix together with the cream, cardamom and sugar. Ensure you mix well so the mixture is smooth throughout.
Turn on your ice cream maker and slowly pour in the mixture. Allow it to churn until the mixture heavily thickens. The time can vary between different ice cream makers so please follow the instructions as per yours.
Empty into a container and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours.
Scoop into an ice cream glass and garnish with pistachios and dried cranberries.

Classic Chicken Curry Recipe

Monica — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 15:22:54 +0000

This classic Chicken Curry recipe really takes me back to my childhood. It reminds me of spending perfect Sundays at my Grandma’s house. Every time I make this dish it takes me back to our weekly family gatherings. Uncles, aunties and cousins would congregate at my grandma’s home every Sunday and whilst all the ladies would be busy helping to cook up a grand feast in the kitchen, all the men would be catching up on the latest business gossip or discussing the most recent sports headlines over chai (general man stuff !)

I was always in charge of kneading the chapati dough and I took my given duty very seriously, ensuring I had made enough and constantly pressing on the dough to check the consistency of it was just right. We always made a plethora of dishes, with plenty of fragrant cumin rice and rotis to go round, at least twice..it’s the Indian way! The aroma of the chicken curry dish would always pull me in immediately and I would scurry in-between family members to make sure I could land myself a generous portion before anyone else. Thinking about it, my eating habbits haven’t changed much since then..this still happens to this day!

The recipe below is for the boneless version. You can of course customise this recipe according to your preferences. I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think of it below or alternatively tweet me @thespiceclub

Serves 4-6

What we need:
500g boneless chicken thighs (cut into 2″ cubes)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp garlic, grated
1/2 tin plum tomatoes
1 tsp cumin
2 bay leaves
1 small piece of cinnamon
1 black cardamom (optional)
2.5 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp yoghurt
Handful fresh coriander

How we do:

Place the chicken in a bowl. Add 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp garam masala & 2 tbsp yoghurt and mix well. If you have time, cover & leave to marinate overnight. If not, add oil to a wide pan. Once hot, add the chicken. Stir continuously & cook until the chicken is cooked & white all the way through. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Turn off & remove from heat.
To make the masala, heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin, bay leaves, cinnamon & cardamom. Once they begin to splutter add the chopped onions, green chilli & 1 tsp of salt. Cook the onions on medium heat until they become translucent & are soft. (This should take 5-7 mins). Now add the 1/2tsp garlic and 1 tsp ginger. Mix well & cook until the masala turns golden.
Reduce the heat slightly & add 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garam masala and 1 tsp turmeric powder and mix together. Now add the tomatoes to the masala & mash them together to make a paste.
Once the oil begins to separate from the masala, add the chicken to the masala. Add 1 cup of water and bring to boil. Now add 1 tbsp yoghurt. Continue to cook for a further 5-10 minutes. Now add a handful of fresh coriander. Turn off the heat. Check for salt and adjust accordingly.
Best served with hot basmati cumin rice!

Indian Street Food Supper Club

Monica — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:28:22 +0000

Last Saturday we hosted our Indian Street Food supper club. Our intention from the beginning was to showcase what authentic Indian street food is all about to our guests. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to India several times (over 15!). It’s a truly amazing country full of so much vibrancy, colour, culture and (of course) amazing food. The vastness of Indian cuisine never ceases to amaze me. From the delicious paper thin dosas in South India cooked on hot plates, to mouth watering North Indian Afghani chicken roasted in charcoal tandoors, there are so many different types of appetising dishes on offer! India’s huge range of cuisines can be seen best on the streets. Stopping at a road side vendor for a quick snack, on the way to work or whilst running errands in the city is a way of life for Indians. On one street you may see road side vendors serving up anything from hot samosas and spicy aloo tikkis to freshly pressed sugar cane juice!

Re-creating street food back in Manchester is one of my favourite things to do in the kitchen. In preparation of our street food supper club, Ma and I created a feast of a menu for our guests to enjoy..

The menu was a huge success! We had a great supper club evening and enjoyed sharing our passion for Indian street food with our lovely guests. Here are a few snaps from the evening..Potli Samosa

Vegetable Biryani

Dahi Bhalle

Guests in good spirits

Suji Halwa

We received some lovely feedback from our guests. Reading such comments are what makes supper-clubbing all worth it..

“Fantastic evening, the best Indian food I have ever eaten” Paul W
“Such a warm welcome, wonderful food and a great evening!” Zoe A
“Superb food and hospitality. A very memorable evening. “Andrea B

We had a fantastic time hosting our Indian Street Food supper club. A significant proportion of the donations made to us are given to charity. On Saturday night our guests helped to raise over £80 for our nominated charity Narayan Seva who help young adults and children to get over Polio & other conditions so a big thank you to all of you who joined us!

Our upcoming supper clubs are fully booked until 2013 but if you’d like to be added to the waiting list, please email: monica@spiceclubmanchester.com.

See you soon!

Monica x

Our 2nd Birthday Party!

Monica — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:47:34 +0000

Last Saturday saw the celebration of The Spice Club’s 2nd Birthday! We celebrated in style by hosting a home-made, grand, Indian feast with a menu featuring a mixture of classic Spice Club favourites and new dishes too. It doesn’t feel all that long ago when I approached my Mum with (what I thought was) a simple proposition…inviting strangers into our dining room for dinner. Of course without hindrance my Mum being the sensible and responsible parent she is, said no. After a little (a lot of) persuasion however, we were on the way to establishing our very own underground restaurant from our home! At our very first event we hosted a supper club for 8 guests.. 2 years on, we now host monthly dinners for 30 guests. I can’t believe how much we’ve grown over the last 2 years and would like to take a moment to say a big THANK YOU to all of our guests who have dined with us and supported us so far! Without you, we wouldn’t be where we are now! We’ve shared a lot of amazing moments with you over the last couple of years and as a result have made so many friends.

Of course, hosting a restaurant from your own home doesn’t come without its “interesting” moments..we’ve had everything from the BYOB policy getting out of hand to guests turning up at our door on the wrong day! Each one of our supper clubs is a special event and we put our heart into every single one to make sure every single one of our guests leaves feeling well and truly satisfied . We had a blast at our celebratory birthday supper club last Saturday. Some guest comments from the evening included:

“We had a fabulous time, the food was out of this world!” Runa N

“One of the best dining experiences of my life” Jim G

“A fantastic evening, can’t wait to book with you again” Joanna W

I’ll stop waffling for now and let the photos below do the rest of the talking!

Before I do sign off though, The Spice Club has been nominated as “Food Pioneer” in the prestigious Manchester Food & Drink Awards 2012. If you would be so kind as to vote for us, it would be much appreciated (we’ll slip you an extra chappati or 2 as a thank you!). Please cast your vote for us here: http://foodanddrinkfestival.com/awards/.
Monica x

Spicy Potato and Mushroom Curry

Monica — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 17:28:09 +0000

This dish is great if you’re looking to cook something wholesome and nutritious but don’t want to sacrifice on flavour and taste! I love the combination of vegetables in this recipe-the meatiness of the mushrooms combined with the comforting potatoes marriages together perfectly to create a delicious and satisfying dish. I’ve also added peas to add a little bit of colour and slight sweetness. The beauty of this recipe is how customisable it is. If you’re not a huge fan of mushrooms, you can omit them (potatoes and peas is a very popular Punjabi dish!) or you can even replace with paneer.

I cooked this dish in a pressure cooker and it literally took 5 minutes. However, it can be cooked in a normal pan too and this is the recipe I’ve written below for y’all.

With Autumn around the corner and the temperature dropping slightly, served with some hot chapatis, this dish is a great “warmer-upper”! Try it out and comment or tweet at me to let you know what you think @thespiceclub.

Serves 4

What we need:
3 tbsp olive oil
3 medium potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
250g button mushrooms, halved
1 cup peas
1 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of asafoetida (optional)
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 green chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp yoghurt
3 plum tomatoes with 2 tbsp juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
1tbsp kasuri methi (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Handful fresh coriander

How we do:

Heat the oil in a pan. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds begin to sizzle add the ginger and chilli. Stir for 1-2 minutes until they begin to turn slightly golden. Now add the yoghurt and mix well.
Add the plum tomatoes and mash well. Add the salt, garam masala, paprika, turmeric, kasuri methi and fresh coriander and stir together. Cook on medium heat.
When the oil begins to separate, add the potatoes, mushrooms, peas and enough water to just cover the vegetables.
Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and put the lid on. Let it cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes become tender.
Best served with hot chappatis!

Vegetarian Shammy Kebabs

Monica — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 21:09:15 +0000

This recipe is one that has been tried and tested at many family dinner parties and always go down a storm. Shammy kebabs are usually made with minced lamb and channa dal and although this recipe is a vegetarian twist to the traditional one, they are still meaty in texture and delicious! Let me know what you think and tweet a pic to @thespiceclub with your results!

Makes 12 kebabs

What we need:

½ cup channa dal lentils
½ cup soya granules
1 slice of white bread
½ cup boiled potatoes mashed
1/4 tbsp gram flour
1 green chilli, chopped
½ cup fresh coriander, chopped
½ cup carrots, grated
2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
Oil for frying

How we do:

Soak the channa dal lentils overnight
Grind the bread in a food processor to form bread crumbs and place in a mixing bowl
Drain the lentils (do this well so there is no excess water)and grind in a food processor
Add the ground lentils to the breadcrumbs. Now add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well together until it begins to collect together. Knead for 2-3 minutes until you have a firm dough.
Separate into little balls then pat slightly to make round kebabs, approx 7cms wide and 2cms thick.
Heat the oil on medium. Once hot, add the kebabs one at a time and be careful not to overcrowd (I fried 3 at a time in a small wok). Once golden on one side, turn them over until golden on the other. (NB-You can also shallow fry on a flat griddle with a little drizzle of oil if you prefer)
Drain on a paper towel and serve hot with mint or tamarind chutney!

Pairing Wine with Indian food

Monica — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 20:55:10 +0000

The right wine choice can really complete a meal, bringing out unexpected flavours and adding to the gamut of tastes you experience. Choosing the right wine can be a fine art, particularly with Indian cuisine where you already have bold and controlling flavours to begin with!

As many of you know, we have a “bring your own” policy when it comes to drinks at The Spice Club. Some guests have found selecting the right wine to bring and match with Indian food a little bit tricky and understandably so..walking down the wine aisle of a super market can be confusing when there is so much variety available on the shelves nowadays.

I also used to feel a little confused about choosing wine until I took a few wine tasting classes (which contributed as credits to my undergraduate degree may I add!). These classes cut through the “snobbery” that is sometimes associated with drinking wine and cut straight to the chase so at the end of the course I had (what I considered) a pretty decent understanding of pairing wine with food and most importantly, establishing the sort of wine I liked and didn’t like.

To help you in your wine pairing journey, I thought I would clear the choice-fog with some personal suggestions and also the recommendation from wine expert, Omar from Didsbury Wine Club (a great wine club that holds regular wine tastings in Didsbury).

My personal favourite wine to drink with Indian food is a German Riesling. It’s quite sweet white wine which I find compliments the spiciness of Indian food really well. Also, it goes well with vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes which works quite well as an all rounder at our supper clubs as we serve a diverse range of dishes. I also love Gewurztraminer-this is another German white wine. (It’s names apparently translates as “spice traminer”). Again being fairly sweet in taste, I love how this wine cuts through the spices in Indian food. Also, I always think Gewurztraminer tastes like lychees (I heart lychees) which is just another reason that is is one of my favourites!

So enough of what I think, let’s see what our wine expert’s suggestions are…

Omar says: For meatier dishes, I would suggest Shiraz because it is a red that goes very well with spicy bold dishes. It is in itself slightly spicy and tannic and so compliments the spice and heat in the dishes..Shiraz is always a good choice as it works well with Indian food without overpowering the food or being overpowered whilst enhancing the dining experience. Champagne or a good Cava is also great paired with Indian food as their texture just works brilliantly with a dishes with complexity and varying levels of spice!

I hope this has helped you a little bit and guided you a little bit in the right direction. If you have any questions about wine or upcoming supper clubs, feel free to drop me a line.

Monica x

Road to Rajasthan….at The Spice Club

Monica — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 19:32:17 +0000

This Saturday we will be hosting our “Road to Rajasthan” themed supper club. I have been to India over 18 times (see the holiday snaps below!) and out of all of the states I have visited so far, Rajasthan is my absolute favourite. My Mum was born and brought up in Jaipur, the capital of the state and I feel lucky that I have had the chance to view and roam the city from a tourist and a local’s perspective. Known for its beautiful palaces, rich culture, art & jewellery and Royal history (Rajasthan translates as “Land of the Kings”), you get that feeling of never wanting to leave when you’re there.

But let’s be honest, there is obviously another reason why I love this place..can you guess what it is? Yep that’s right..because of the FOOD. Rajasthani food is famous all over India and rightly so because it is delicious! Consisting of spicy dishes made to nourish during the harsh dry Summers in Rajasthan, the cuisine has been made up of delicious mouth watering dishes that immensely satisfy the appetite.

My Mum and I have been looking forward to hosting this supper club for a while now and we have carefully crafted a lovely menu for our guests to savour and enjoy. Without further ado I present our royal Road to Rajasthan Menu…

If you’re joining us tomorrow evening-we look forward to meeting you! For more information on this beautiful state, read my lovely friend’s blog on her recent visit there. Her photos are also amazing: http://la-concordia.co.uk/http:/la-concordia.co.uk/rajasthan-revisited.

Monica x

A Spice Club Catch-Up and Exclusive Menu Preview

Monica — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:44:53 +0000

I think I need to start this blog with a little apology as it has been far too long since I last posted. My reason (not excuse) is that we have been incredibly here at The Spice Club over the last couple of months! In March we had 3 supper clubs events which were really enjoyable and we got the oportunity to meet over 70 new lovely guests! We also had a great time hosting private events in March; from catering a dinner party at a guest’s house to planning a private customised cookery class and even hosting an office party supper club! We have also been taking part in a new project called the “Smarter Living Challenge” hosted by the Telegraph and Zurich which involved a film crew coming into The Spice Club for a weekend….I will be posting more on this very soon! (Apology accepted yet?)

We’ve had an incredible past 2 months and are really looking forward to our upcoming events this Spring and Summer. This weekend we are hosting our 5 Course Indian Vegetarian Feast. Here’s an exclusive sneak peek of the menu:
Like the sound of the menu? Well, I have good news! I have just added a few more last minute places for this supper club on 21st Apil. Dinner starts at 7.30pm and our suggested minimum donation is £25. If you would like to book, please email: monica@spiceclubmanchester.com. Places are very limited so do get intouch as soon as possible.

In other news, we will posting up our Summer 2012 dates very soon, so keep posted to our upcoming events page.

Until then, why not check out some delicious Indian recipes on our food blog www.spicediary.com?

Monica x