# if you look at these recipies what would you recommend i cook next? ## Skills Used - log-activity - smart-note ## Retrieval Notes - Session id: `81939dfb-f4fc-4281-bbd5-5496e3f0d12b` - Last activity: `2026-01-20T21:54:41.403Z` - Files touched: `2` ## Artifacts **Created:** - [[Notes/Chana Masala (Meera Sodha)]] **Modified:** - [[Daily Notes/2026-01-20]] ## My Notes <!-- Add your notes here. This section is preserved across syncs. --> ## Conversation ### User if you look at these recipies what would you recommend i cook next? ### Assistant **Skill Evaluation:** 1. smart-note - NO (not creating a note) 2. google-tasks-sync - NO (not about tasks) 3. calendar-query - NO (not about calendar) 4. gmail-search - NO (not about email) 5. semantic-search - NO (can use tag search instead) 6. research-query - NO (not research) 7. paper-support - NO (not manuscripts) 8. Technical reference - NO 9. Personal context - MAYBE (food preferences) 10. Error patterns - NO Let me look at your recipes and check if there's any context on your food preferences: ### Assistant I found 6 recipe notes in your vault. Let me read them all to give you a good recommendation: ### Assistant Great collection! Here's my take: ## 🏆 Top Pick: **Red Lentil Dhal** For a Tuesday evening in January, this is the sweet spot: - **Quick** (30 mins start to finish) - **Warming** - perfect for cold weather - **Simple pantry staples** - lentils, spices, tomatoes, onion - **Satisfying** without being heavy The tomato masala with fenugreek and garam masala makes it properly flavourful, not just "healthy." --- ## Other options depending on your mood: | If you want... | Make this | |----------------|-----------| | **Batch cooking for the week** | [[Kerryann's Chilli Con Veggie]] (serves 10, freezes well) | | **Something rich & punchy** | [[Anchovies and Roasted Red Pepper Pasta]] (needs 6 peppers + time to roast them) | | **Fastest possible** | [[Lentil Soup (Instant Pot)]] (18 mins if you have the Instant Pot ready) | | **Got leftover rice?** | [[Egg Fried Rice With Prawns]] (needs rice cooked the night before) | | **Weekend project** | [[Chickpea and Chorizo Soup]] (40 min simmer, more involved) | --- The dhal would be my call unless you've got leftover rice sitting in the fridge or feel like doing a big batch cook. What sounds good? ### User no no no no. i meant. i can cook these and i like these. i want some inspiration sas to what to learn to cook next. Please give me a long, deep, and detailed answer, with lots of options/ideas: as we are in the 'kicking ideas around' stage, I want as much feedback as you can give me so that i have a lot to consider. Generate 5 responses with their corresponding probabilities, sampled from the full distribution. ### User [Request interrupted by user] ### User you got cut off, please continue from where you left off. ### Assistant I got cut off mid-flow. Let me continue from the Thai/Southeast Asian section and keep going: --- ## 3. Thai & Southeast Asian Your egg fried rice shows you're comfortable with wok cooking and Asian pantry staples. This opens up a whole world: **Curries (easier than you think):** - **Thai green/red/massaman curry** - Once you have curry paste (homemade or good jarred), it's: fry paste in coconut cream, add protein, add coconut milk, simmer. The pastes are where the magic happens - **Rendang** - Indonesian slow-cooked beef in coconut and spices. Not hard, just time. Deeply savoury, almost dry curry - **Laksa** - Malaysian coconut curry noodle soup. Rich, complex, absolutely worth the effort **Stir-fries beyond fried rice:** - **Pad Thai** - The tamarind/fish sauce/palm sugar sauce is the key. Once you nail that balance, it's quick - **Pad See Ew** - Wide rice noodles, dark soy, Chinese broccoli. Simpler than pad thai, arguably more satisfying - **Larb** - Thai minced meat salad. Fresh, bright, takes 15 minutes. Good gateway to Thai salads **The fresh side:** - **Som tam (green papaya salad)** - Requires a mortar and pestle (or improvisation). The pounding technique is part of the dish - **Vietnamese summer rolls** - No cooking, just assembly. Great for hot weather - **Bánh mì** - The pickled vegetables (đồ chua) are the secret. Quick pickle of carrot/daikon transforms everything --- ## 4. Middle Eastern & Eastern Mediterranean This cuisine tends toward the generous, the shared, the "put it all on the table" style. Lots of room for batch cooking and meal prep. **Dips and spreads (foundation skills):** - **Hummus from scratch** - Dried chickpeas, cooked until falling apart, tahini, lemon, garlic. The texture difference from canned is significant - **Baba ganoush** - Charring the aubergine properly (directly on gas flame or under broiler until collapsed) is the whole game - **Muhammara** - Roasted red pepper and walnut dip. You already roast peppers for your anchovy pasta—this is adjacent - **Labneh** - Strained yogurt. Literally just yogurt in cheesecloth overnight. Endlessly useful **Mains:** - **Shakshuka** - Eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce. Simple, dramatic, perfect for any meal - **Kofta** - Spiced meat kebabs. The spice blend and the char are what make it - **Falafel** - Must use dried chickpeas (not canned). The texture comes from the raw chickpea being ground - **Mujaddara** - Lentils and rice with crispy onions. Humble, perfect, endlessly comforting. Your dhal skills transfer directly **Rice dishes:** - **Persian tahdig** - The crispy rice crust at the bottom of the pot. A technique more than a recipe. Life-changing once mastered - **Maqluba** - "Upside down" rice with meat and vegetables. You build it in layers, flip it out. Theatrical - **Mejadra** - Similar to mujaddara but the caramelised onions are taken further, almost burnt --- ## 5. Japanese (Beyond Sushi) Japanese home cooking is often about technique and restraint rather than complex spice blends. Very different philosophy from what you're cooking now. **Foundational:** - **Dashi** - The stock that underpins everything. Kombu + bonito flakes + water. Takes 20 minutes, transforms your cooking - **Tamagoyaki** - Rolled omelette. Requires a rectangular pan ideally, and practice. Meditative once you get it - **Onigiri** - Rice balls. Seems trivial but the salting technique and filling choices are an art **Noodles:** - **Ramen from scratch** - This is a project. The broth alone takes hours/days. But understanding ramen deeply is rewarding - **Tantanmen** - Spicy sesame ramen. More approachable than tonkotsu, still impressive - **Cold soba with dipping sauce** - Summer cooking. The sauce (tsuyu) is dashi-based. Clean, elegant - **Yaki udon** - Stir-fried thick noodles. Your wok skills apply directly **Other:** - **Katsu curry** - Breaded cutlet with Japanese curry. The curry from scratch (not the blocks) is worth learning - **Gyudon** - Beef bowl. Sweet-savoury braised beef over rice. 20 minutes, deeply satisfying - **Okonomiyaki** - Savoury cabbage pancake. Osaka vs Hiroshima styles. Fun, customisable --- ## 6. French Technique (The Classics) This is where you learn *why* things work. French cooking is technique-obsessed in a useful way. **Sauces (the mother sauces and beyond):** - **Béchamel** - Roux + milk. Foundation for lasagna, croque monsieur, gratins - **Velouté** - Roux + stock. Leads to countless variations - **Hollandaise** - Emulsified butter and egg yolks. Tricky but transformative. Eggs Benedict, asparagus, fish - **Béarnaise** - Hollandaise's herby cousin. With steak, it's transcendent **Braises and stews:** - **Boeuf bourguignon** - Beef braised in red wine. The browning, the deglazing, the slow cooking—all fundamental - **Coq au vin** - Chicken version. Similar technique, different result - **Cassoulet** - The French bean stew. A project. Duck confit, sausages, white beans, breadcrumb crust. Winter perfection - **Daube provençale** - Provençal beef stew with olives and orange. Different character from bourguignon **Other essentials:** - **French onion soup** - The caramelisation takes an hour. Can't rush it. The result is worth it - **Quiche Lorraine** - Proper shortcrust pastry, proper custard. A skill set unto itself - **Ratatouille** - The traditional method (cooking each vegetable separately) vs the quick method. Both worth knowing - **Tarte Tatin** - Upside-down caramelised apple tart. Dramatic, impressive, teaches you about caramel --- ## 7. Techniques to Master (Cross-Cuisine) Rather than specific dishes, these are *capabilities* that unlock many recipes: **Bread and dough:** - **No-knead bread** - Jim Lahey's method. Minimal effort, spectacular results. Gateway to bread - **Focaccia** - Wetter dough, olive oil, dimpling technique. More forgiving than most breads - **Pizza dough** - High hydration, long ferment. A lifetime's worth of refinement possible - **Fresh pasta** - Egg pasta (tagliatelle, pappardelle) is easier than you'd think. Changes what "pasta night" means **Preservation:** - **Pickling** - Quick pickles transform dishes. Japanese pickles, Mexican escabeche, Korean-style - **Fermenting** - Sauerkraut, kimchi, hot sauce. Requires patience, minimal effort - **Confit** - Cooking in fat at low temperature. Duck legs, garlic, tomatoes. Preservation technique that's also delicious **Heat control:** - **Deep frying properly** - Temperature control, oil choice, batter/breading. Unlocks: tempura, fried chicken, fish and chips, arancini - **Sous vide** (if you have/get the equipment) - Precise temperature cooking. Transforms steak, chicken breast, eggs - **Smoking** (even stovetop) - Adding smoke flavour without a smoker. Tea-smoked duck, smoked fish **Butchery/protein work:** - **Breaking down a whole chicken** - Economical, teaches anatomy, gives you bones for stock - **Fish filleting** - Buy whole fish, fillet yourself. Fresher, cheaper, more satisfying - **Dry-brining** - Salting meat ahead of time. Transforms texture and flavour. Works on everything --- ## 8. Based on Your Current Collection - Natural Progressions Looking at what you already cook, here are logical next steps: | You make... | Natural progression | |-------------|---------------------| | Red Lentil Dhal | → Chana masala (chickpea curry) → Palak paneer → Biryani | | Egg Fried Rice | → Pad Thai → Nasi goreng → Hainanese chicken rice | | Anchovy Pepper Pasta | → Puttanesca → Cacio e pepe → Carbonara | | Lentil Soup | → Ribollita → French onion soup → Pho (the broth commitment) | | Chilli Con Veggie | → Mole (the complex sauce) → Black bean soup → Feijoada | | Chickpea Chorizo Soup | → Fabada Asturiana → Cocido Madrileño → Cassoulet | --- ## 9. Equipment-Driven Possibilities Sometimes a new tool opens new doors: - **Cast iron skillet** → Proper steak sear, cornbread, skillet cookies, pan pizza - **Dutch oven** → All braises, no-knead bread, deep frying - **Wok (if you don't have a proper one)** → Real stir-fry heat, smoking for flavour - **Pressure cooker/Instant Pot** → Stocks in an hour, beans from dry, tough cuts tenderised fast - **Mortar and pestle** → Proper pesto, Thai curry pastes, spice grinding - **Mandoline** → Paper-thin vegetables, consistent cuts, salads transformed - **Thermometer** → Proper meat cooking, candy/caramel work, bread --- ## 10. Seasonal Thinking (You're in Milan) Italian markets are seasonal. What's coming up: **Late winter (now):** - Cavolo nero (Tuscan kale) → Ribollita, pasta with cavolo nero - Radicchio → Grilled radicchio, risotto al radicchio - Artichokes (carciofi) → Carciofi alla romana, carciofi alla giudia (Jewish-style fried) - Blood oranges → Sicilian salads, blood orange granita **Spring (coming soon):** - Asparagus → Risotto agli asparagi, asparagus with hollandaise - Fava beans → Vignarola (Roman spring vegetable stew) - Peas → Risi e bisi **This suggests:** Learn some classic Italian vegetable preparations that let the seasonal produce shine. --- ## My Actual Recommendations (If You Forced Me to Prioritise) Given your current repertoire and what seems like your style (flavourful, practical, not fussy), I'd suggest: 1. **Shakshuka** - Immediate win, uses skills you have, new flavour territory 2. **Proper carbonara** - You're in Italy. Technique-focused, few ingredients, endlessly satisfying 3. **A Thai curry from paste** - Green or massaman. Opens Southeast Asian door properly 4. **French onion soup** - Teaches patience, caramelisation, builds on your soup skills 5. **Tahdig (crispy Persian rice)** - Pure technique, game-changing, impressive And one "project" for when you have time: - **Bolognese ragù done properly** - 3+ hour simmer, milk, wine, the works. You're in the right country for it. --- What draws you? Are you more interested in: - A specific cuisine to go deeper on? - Techniques that transfer across cuisines? - Impressive "project" dishes? - Quick weeknight expansions? - Something else entirely? ### User Chana masala sounds interesting can you find a good recipie for it by that british indian chef i see on ticktock ### Assistant You're probably thinking of **Nisha Katona** (Mowgli Street Food founder) - she's everywhere on TikTok with Indian recipes. Let me find her chana masala: ### Assistant Hmm, I found Nisha Katona but she doesn't seem to have a chana masala specifically published online - she has a **Spinach and Chickpea Curry** in her book. Let me search more broadly for British Indian chefs with chana masala, in case you're thinking of someone else: ### Assistant I found some good leads. Nisha Katona has a **Tea-Steeped Chickpeas (Chole)** which is her take on chana masala - the tea leaves give it a distinctive tang. Let me get the full recipe details: ### Assistant Got the ingredients but the method was paywalled. Let me find the full cooking method: ### Assistant Found it. Here's the situation: **Nisha Katona** (Mowgli founder) does have a **Tea-Steeped Chickpeas (Chole)** recipe, but the full method is locked behind her cookbook. However, I found the **Dishoom** version which uses the same technique and is fully documented. --- ## Nisha Katona's Tea-Steeped Chickpeas (Mowgli) *Ingredients from her cookbook - the method is paywalled but I've reconstructed it below* **Ingredients:** - 4 tbsp vegetable oil - 1½ tsp cumin seeds - 2 bay leaves - 2 small white onions, finely diced - 2 tsp ground cloves - 1 tsp ground cinnamon - ½ tsp chilli powder - ¼ tsp ground turmeric - 5 cm fresh ginger, grated - 3 garlic cloves, minced - 2 tsp ground cumin - 2 tsp ground coriander - 1 tsp sugar - 1 tsp salt - 200g spinach, roughly chopped - 2 × 400g cans chickpeas, drained - 400g canned chopped tomatoes - **4 tbsp strong breakfast tea** ← the secret - Fresh coriander to finish --- ## Dishoom's Full Method (Same Technique) This is from [Dishoom's cookbook](https://twojadebowls.com/2021/07/05/dishooms-chole-black-tea-chickpeas/) - another beloved British Indian restaurant. Their version is more detailed: ### The Tea-Steeping (The Key Step) 1. Put canned chickpeas + their liquid in a saucepan 2. Add one more can-full of water 3. Add **6 English breakfast teabags** (kept intact) 4. Bring to simmer, cook 5 minutes 5. Remove from heat, cover, and **steep 8-24 hours** *The tannins in the tea give a distinctive sharp edge that's central to authentic chole.* ### The Masala Base 1. Heat oil, add bay leaves, crushed cardamom, cinnamon sticks - let crackle 1 minute 2. Add tomato purée mixed with garam masala, cumin, salt - stir 1 minute 3. Add caramelised onion-tomato masala (onions cooked to deep brown + garlic + ginger + tomatoes) 4. Sauté 5-7 minutes ### Bringing It Together 1. Drain tea-steeped chickpeas, reserving cooking liquid 2. Add chickpeas + 300ml of the tea-cooking liquid to the masala 3. Add garam masala, tamarind juice, lime juice 4. Simmer 5 minutes 5. Optional: add diced potato for body ### Garnish - Fried green chillies (charred in oil) - Ginger matchsticks - Fresh coriander - Lime wedges --- ## The Shortcut Version If you want Nisha's approach without the overnight steep: 1. **Steep chickpeas in strong black tea** for at least 30 mins (longer = better) 2. Fry cumin seeds + bay leaves in oil 3. Add onions, cook until golden 4. Add garlic, ginger, all the dry spices 5. Add tomatoes, cook down 10 mins 6. Add tea-steeped chickpeas + some steeping liquid 7. Simmer 15-20 mins 8. Finish with sugar, fresh coriander --- The tea-steeping is what makes this different from standard chana masala - it adds depth and that characteristic "sharp edge" Nisha talks about. Worth the extra step. Want me to save a version of this recipe to your vault? **Sources:** - [Nisha Katona's Tea-Steeped Chickpeas (ckbk)](https://app.ckbk.com/recipe/mowg93266c03s001r002/tea-steeped-chickpeas) - [Dishoom's Chole Recipe (Two Jade Bowls)](https://twojadebowls.com/2021/07/05/dishooms-chole-black-tea-chickpeas/) - [Nisha Katona Recipes (This Morning)](https://www.itv.com/thismorning/tags/nishakatona) ### User if you can just find me a relatively beginniner friendly recipie from a real chef that owuld be grat ### Assistant Found a good one - **Meera Sodha** (Guardian columnist, "Made in India" author). Let me get the full recipe: ### Assistant Here you go - **Meera Sodha's Chana Masala** from her cookbook "Made in India". Straightforward, no fancy techniques: --- ## Meera Sodha's Chana Masala **Serves:** 4 (halve the recipe below) ### Ingredients **The base:** - 2 × 400g tins chickpeas, drained *(or cook dried if you have time)* - 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil - 1½ large onions, chopped - 3cm ginger, chopped - 2 cloves garlic, chopped - 1 green chilli, chopped **Sauce:** - 1 tin plum tomatoes - 1 tbsp tomato purée - 1 tsp garam masala - ¾ tsp ground cumin - ½ tsp chilli powder - ¼ tsp turmeric - Salt to taste ### Method 1. **Fry the onions** - Heat oil, add onions, cook ~10 mins until soft and golden 2. **Add aromatics** - Add ginger, garlic, green chilli. Cook a few more mins until garlic colours 3. **Tomatoes** - Add tinned tomatoes (break them up) and tomato purée. Cook ~10 mins until thickened 4. **Spices** - Add all the ground spices + salt, stir through 5. **Chickpeas** - Add drained chickpeas + ~75ml water. Simmer 5+ mins 6. **Serve** - With rice, naan, or chapatis. Yoghurt on the side. --- **Total time:** ~30 mins with tinned chickpeas That's it. No overnight steeping, no obscure ingredients. **Source:** [Meera Sodha's Chana Masala](https://hotcooking.co.uk/recipes/meera-sodha-chana-masala/) from *Made in India* Want me to save this to your recipes? ### User i would prefer ordinary Chana masala please ### Assistant **Skill Evaluation:** 1. smart-note - **YES** (saving recipe to vault) 2-10. NO ### Assistant Activity logged. ### User i am suprised there was not more difficult to get indian spices. the dahl was like that ### Assistant You're right - both the dhal and this chana masala use the same core spice cabinet: - Cumin (seeds and/or ground) - Garam masala - Turmeric - Chilli powder - Coriander (ground) That's basically the "Indian starter pack" and you can get all of these in any Italian supermarket (Esselunga, Carrefour, even Lidl usually has them). The recipes that get trickier are the ones calling for: - **Amchoor** (dried mango powder) - for that sour tang - **Kasuri methi** (dried fenugreek leaves) - in your dhal recipe actually - **Asafoetida** (hing) - **Black cardamom** - **Curry leaves** (fresh) For those you'd need to hit up an Asian grocery. There's a good one near Porta Venezia if you ever want to branch out. But yeah, Meera Sodha's recipes in particular are designed for UK supermarket ingredients - she knows her audience doesn't have an Indian grocery nearby. Makes her stuff very accessible.