Spiced Beetroot or Subzi Poriyal

I decided to learn to make something new today. Using a recipe from Keith Floyd‘s India cookbook. The sensation of peeling very, very warm freshly cooked beetroot using my fingers was rather bizarre but quite meditative.
Once you’ve cooked the beetroot you cut it into small pieces and set it aside. Heat some olive oil adding black mustard seeds which you fry till they crackle. You then stir in some chopped Shallots and green chilies. At this point it’s giving out quite powerful fumes so be warned! Your eye balls will feel like they are burning! You then add grated coconut (I had to add a couple of those pre-packed fruit snack pot coconuts cubes as I couldn’t get hold of a whole coconut). I gave up on the idea of grating it and just finely chopped it so it’s a little bit chunky but it tastes delicious. Once the coconut in the pan looks slightly brown and toasted you then stir in the beetroot. You can apparently have it as a starter but I’m going to be having it as an accompaniment to other dishes today and tomorrow.

In other news It appears to be quite a windy day today, as expected, after a very calm start.

I’ve managed to source some aggregate which Mr H wants me to order and although it’s a little bit pricey I think it will look great and it will sort a very muddy path at the side of the house. The path is being used lots now as there is an issue with the front door so the back door is now my main way of getting in and out of the house.

I need to order fence posts, and fence trellis and check they don’t send a big van (as I live somewhere where it’s a single carriage way road for quite a while in the lead up to the house). I’m also supposed to be pricing up railway sleepers (bit worried I’m going to order the wrong kind) but I’ve been told it’s my job to sort it and in return MrH will do the fitting of all the stuff (I suspect he’ll need me to help him carry stuff tbh).

I’ve also ordered some mirror tiles so that I can attempt my own bit of creative DIY on the Bath (the side of which is currently painted mdf). For the last couple of years it has looked rather scruffy). It was sadly damaged, over time, by overflow /flood water. The bath overflow wasn’t plumbed in so any water just went in the area under the bath (not something you immediately think to check when you buy a house!)

Three things I’m grateful for today

Watching the birds from the living room window, some of the larger ones seem to be enjoying the wind!

My knee feeling a bit more like it’s old self

Being able to help my mum out with a quick pluming job