Rosemarie's Recipes - A tribute to my wonderful mum

Rosemarie's Recipes - A tribute to my wonderful mum

I feel I should apologise and explain about the lack of posts recently. Those that follow me on twitter will know  this, but I lost my mum in April after a 2 1/2 year battle with bowel cancer. It has been a very difficult couple of months and my distinct lack of healthy eating during this time has shown on my hips with a weight gain of 10lb. I am trying to come to terms with such an enormous loss and trying to get back on track to shift these excess lb but I am not finding it easy.


I am going to make a conscious effort next week to start trying out some new recipes (as this is what I love doing) and hope I can make a start in eating better. After all, a healthy, balanced diet can go a long way to prevent bowel cancer. We are delighted to have raised £890 in lieu of flowers at mum's funeral for Bowel Cancer UK and hope they can continue to raise awareness and help others catch this disease early enough that it can prolong life expectancy.


I feel very lucky to have learnt some of my mum's recipes although I couldn't help but give them my healthy makeover to make them Weight Watcher friendly, and I have given a round up here. Mum's Anglo-Indian upbringing made her cooking very unique and I am so happy to have captured some of these on my food blog. Many of her other recipes exist and I hope to add these in time.  These, and other of mum's dishes will always be favourites of mine and will always continue to remind me how lucky I was to have the most wonderful mother for 37 and a half years. Sleep tight mum.

Chicken Biriyani

Marinated lamb chops / steaks

Devilled kidneys

Chicken and vegetable curry

Tandoori chicken and white bhaji

Tandoori Chicken & White Bhaji

I’m starting to build up a nice collection of my mother’s recipes.  Mum’s tandoori chicken is well renowned among their large circle of family & friends.  At every party my parents host, there is always a huge platter of drumsticks carefully marinated and grilled to perfection.  In the old days Mum would add a few drops of red food colouring to give it a more authentic colour but we live in a more health conscious time where additives are simply not required and can be happily omitted.  It doesn’t change the taste anyway.

The white bhaji is not like anything you will get in a British Indian restaurant or indeed in your local supermarket.  It is a really refreshing, light, mildly spiced mix of vegetables.  I add potatoes to the mix too if I fancy a change from having rice.  This delicious accompaniment does require a few rarer ingredients that you may not have in your store cupboard but these keep forever and are relatively inexpensive.

For the chicken:

• 320g chicken skinless breast, cut into large-ish chunks
• 300g fat free natural yogurt
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 level tsp mild curry paste such as Pataks

For the White Bhaji:

• 2 tsp sunflower or vegetable oil
• 1 heaped tsp Garam Masala
• ½ onion finely diced
• ½  head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
• Half a pack of fine green beans, halved
• 3 tbsp frozen peas
• ½ tsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp minced ginger
• 400g new potatoes, cubed into small chunks, quarters or 6ths.
• 1 heaped tsp mixed of Mustard seeds yellow & black, Cumin Seeds, Fenugreek seeds
• 2 – 3 mugs of water
• Seasoning

The chicken is best marinated overnight so this recipe does require some forethought.  Essentially you need to simply mix all the ingredients together and toss the chicken so it is coated.  You can use this with skinless drumsticks and thighs or use breast pieces on skewers as I’ve done.  If using pieces then grill for a good 30-40 minutes until cooked throughout.  The breast chunks will take much quicker.  Or you could stick them on the BBQ to get an even lovelier charred taste.

For the White Bhaji, heat the oil in a saucepan and once hot add the seeds.  When they start popping add the.  Once softened add the garlic, ginger and the garam masala.  Next add the potatoes and stir continuously for a few minutes.  Add the water to the pan and simmer for a good 10 minutes until starting to get tender.  Then add the vegetables and a little water if you think it looks a little dry.  Cover with a lid and cook on a moderate heat for another 5-8 minutes until everything is cooked through.  Lastly season to taste.

WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 12

Mum's Devilled Kidneys

I've watched tonnes of cookery programmes and read loads of recipe books.  I've lost count of the times on TV or in print, I have witnessed a well known chef quoting their mother's or grandmother's recipe as the best ever and the recipe they will showcase given a chance.  There is something inside us which makes us want to learn and long for those childhood comforting recipes.  My sister and my dad are vegetarians and mum rarely cooks something interesting for herself nowadays. Like many mothers, mine cannot understand portion control and is only physically capable of cooking on mass.  This bodes well for me as often we end up with a box of surprise food! 

I took it upon myself a few years ago to start learning my mum's repertoire.  I blogged last month about mum's chicken curry which you can see by clicking here. I decided to observe the kidney making today and will hopefully introduce my kids to this delightful dish at some point.

You'll need for 2 people:

• 1 pack 450g lambs kidneys
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp minced ginger
• 3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp malt vinegar
• 1 level tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp sunflower or vegetable oil
• Salt & ground black pepper

What to do:

Prepare the kidneys by slicing each half into thirds moving inwards towards the sinew tough bit in the middle.  Cut as close to the centre as possible to minimise waste.

In a saucepan, heat the oil and fry the onions until golden.  Add the kidneys and brown all over. 

Next add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, salt and pepper.  Also add theworcestershire sauce & malt vinegar.  According to my mum, the vinegar helps to neutralise the offal smell.  Season to taste.

Leave with a lid on to simmer for 10 minutes.  You can add a little water if you like but the juices that are ommiteed in cooking plus the worcestershire sauce create a wonderful gravy, which is just delicious mopped up with some fresh crusty white bread.

I like to serve these kidneys with boiled new potatoes and some steamed brocolli, although I must confess to wiping the plate clean with a piece of leftover baguette.

Weightwatchers Propoints Per Serving: 6 for the kidneys, add 4 PP for 220g new potatoes and 0 PP for steamed vegetables.