The tinda masala is one of my favourite dishes at Tayyabs; certainly my favourite vegetarian dish and a no-brainer when it comes to ordering. The very first time I went there, I noticed it clinging on at the bottom of the menu and decided to try it as a sympathy order. When I put the first mouthful in my greedy gob however, there was no doubt that the dish was laughing in the face of my pity. I’ve only ever been served one disappointing tinda which, sadly, arrived after I’d been talking my mate’s ear off about it in the pub beforehand. It was watery, bland, lukewarm and all the worse for me bigging it up so much. Generally though those juicy little gourds are cooked on a fierce heat with a punchy, slightly sour sauce, the main ingredients of which Tayyabs insist are just garlic, ginger and chilli; I can’t blame them for not wanting to reveal their secrets.

I’ve seen fresh tinda around recently, but they always seem to look very tired. I cannot tell you the frustration this caused me until eventually, the canned ones stepped in to offer succour.  As soon as I opened that tin, I got a familiar waft of briny tinda – Tayyabs must use the canned version too.

I used this recipe from Mamta’s kitchen, although I omitted the potato and used mustard seeds where she suggests a choice between mustard and cumin. Overall I was pleased with the result: a perfect starting point for some experimentation, although I did think the tomato dominated and will reduce that considerably or just add some fresh at the end like Tayyabs do. A crispy onion garnish would also be most welcome. The tinda don’t really have much flavour of their own but are special for being so incredibly thirsty, soaking up the spiced juices which then burst into the mouth at the slightest pressure. Next time, I will tweak the spices and cook it faster at a higher heat, to avoid breaking up the tinda so much. Of course, I’ll need to make a trip to Tayyabs first for research purposes, just to make sure I get that spicing right. What a hardship.

I orginally intended to post these spiced pumpkin patties for Halloween but the first time I made them, the ratio of pumpkin to chickpea was off and they were too mushy. I wanted a bit more texture and nutty flavour from the chickpeas and so had to hold off until I made them again. This time I cracked it by upping the chickpea content and leaving some of them whole which gave the burgers a lot more bite.

Since making the switch from canned chickpeas to dried, I literally cannot get enough of them. The difference in flavour and texture is staggering. I always thought the humble chickpea was a bit bland and boring, having absolutely no idea what I was missing out on. And really, it’s not that much hassle. OK, so it is (mainly the cooking time), but I think the rewards are well worth it.

You could use any orange-fleshed squash for this recipe – you can see that I didn’t use a ‘traditional’ pumpkin this time around, basically because I couldn’t find one – and I have no idea whether the squash I used was even grown in this country to be quite honest – I know, I know, my bad. I was desperate, desperate I tell you!

I’ve subtly spiced the burgers with a touch of cumin, coriander and a scant teaspoon of smoked paprika, which is great with the sweet pumpkin flavour. Be careful though, not to overdo it with this spice, it’s very easy to sprinkle too far and end up with a smokyness that completely overwhelms everything. For herbage, I tried using coriander the first time around and then basil and parsley the second, both were delicious. Some onion and garlic and they’re good to go, couldn’t be simpler. Chuck everything in a blender then shape as desired. Healthy, easy (pumpin carving aside, I really need new knives) and so satisfying.

To serve, I topped them with tzatziki (yes, I categorised this post as ‘vegan’ so just skip this or use an alternative) and a quick salsa made from tomatoes, red onion and lime juice. A nice bit of tang and crunch to contrast the soft and sweet burger. One small bit of advice though – despite using a beautifully crafted and truly delicious baguette for the bun, I actually wanted something a bit more wholesome and, ideally, seeded – alas, I could not find anything. I recommend this option if it’s your thing as I think it would complement the burgers much better.

So, there we have it. A Halloween recipe that is 9 days late. Good job these burgers are far too good to eat just once a year anyway.

Pumpkin and Chickpea Burgers
(makes 6 burgers)

500g cooked chickpeas
300g roasted orange fleshed squash (I like it roasted, which you can do while getting the other ingredients ready. Just splash with oil, season with salt and pepper and stick in the oven until tender – mine only took about 20 minutes)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
A good handful herbs of your choice (basil, parsley and coriander all work well), roughly chopped
Salt and pepper

- Add everything to a blender, apart from 150g of the chickpeas. Blend everything together until well mixed, then stir in the whole chickpeas. Adjust the seasoning then shape into burgers.
- Fry the burgers in a non-stick pan in a small amount of oil until golden on both sides.

I haven’t cooked much since we’ve been back from Iceland, mostly due to the humidity. As the plane was landing we listened to the usual pleasantries from the pilot, ” welcome to London Stansted, local time is approximately 19.30, temperature 27C.” 27! At 7.30? Has the summer happened while we’ve been away? Of course, I’m not complaining or anything, us Brits should celebrate whatever we can get. It was a stark contrast though, leaving the cool, clear, crispness of Iceland and plunging into the sticky city. Straight off the express train and a run for the bus, which was packed, by the way. Squeeze our way on only for the driver to promptly get off and start an argument with a cabbie in the next lane. Welcome home.

So we are mostly eating raw foods at the moment, salads filled with refreshing ingredients and the odd piece of fish. Poppy seeds are my ‘new thing’ and they work really well in this perky little dressing. I love their little flecks against the orange and fennel. I threw in some purple radish shoots which added a nice peppery element but you could easily do without. A nice little twist on a classic Sicilian salad. We ate it with a piece of pan fried haddock, which I managed to coax Chris into cooking, such is my summer oven fear.

This dressing is my entry for this month’s ‘No Croutons Required‘ hosted by Lisa at Lisa’s Vegetarian Kitchen. The theme this month is, you’ve guessed it – dressings.

Fennel and Orange Salad with Raspberry Vinegar and Poppy Seed Dressing

4 small oranges
2 small fennel bulbs
Small handful purple radish shoots (optional)
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Salt and pepper

- Finely slice the fennel and segment the oranges. Combine in a bowl with half the radish shoots.
- To make the dressing, whisk together the raspberry vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl. Add salt, pepper and the poppy seeds and mix again. Add to the salad to taste. Sprinkle the remaining radish shoots on top.

Alfalfa sprouts used to be terribly unfashionable didn’t they? My how times have changed. Cast your minds back to when ‘health food shops’ were only frequented by people who modelled their lives on Neil from The Young Ones. Dried pulses, fruits, nuts, carob, tofu, gluten-free, lactose-free, spelt – all of these things are now widely available and celebrated.

So, let’s cleanse our virtual systems shall we? After all those potatoes and cheeses we’ve been cyber-munching the past few days (I ate the lot fo’ real don’t forget), it’s time to lighten up a little. The inspiration for this salad came from the most unlikely of places. A little while ago I found myself stranded late at night in a train station with a problem, I was hungry, really hungry. I can’t remember where I was going or why I ever considered buying food at that moment rather than waiting for the safety of my own kitchen but we’ll let it go.

The options were bad, real bad. No decent purveyor of grubbage in sight. Not even a Pret or an EAT for chrissakes. And that is when it happened. I was forced to buy a sandwich in Boots. Yes, Boots the chemist. After a quick soul destroying scan of the pre-packaged sarnies my eyes settled on a sandwich that looked slightly more edible than the rest (not made by Boots I hasten to add), containing carrot, alfalfa and houmous. So there, I nicked the idea and made it better. Ha. It’s crunchy, fresh, damn good for you and surprisingly filling. I like to make a batch and add a good pile to my plate for extra angel points. Don’t worry, there’s a zingy dressing to liven things up a bit and of course, you could add some cheese, if you were feeling naughty. Cheers bugs!

Carrot, Alfalfa and Chickpea Salad with Seeds

4 large carrots
1 large handful alfalfa sprouts
1 handful sunflower seeds
1 tin chickpeas (or soak you own, if you have the time)
1 dessert spoon wholegrain mustard
Juice of 1 large lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

- Grate or shred the carrots and mix with the alfalfa and chick peas.
- Mix the mustard , black pepper, a pinch of salt, lemon juice and oil. Adjust the quantities to your taste if necessary.
- Mix some (or all) of the dressing into the salad and sprinkle in the seeds.

Poor old celery, so rarely made the star of the show. It’s either chucked in as an afterthought or worse still, left to fester in the vegetable crisper until someone finds the heart to throw it out and end the misery. In recent years I’ve really grown to love this underrated vegetable – it’s crispy freshness and delicate flavour.

Far too little use is made of the leaves too – I always look for specimens proudly sporting a bush of yellow-green leaves – it even brings it’s own salad – how thoughtful. I’ve mixed the celery with some carrot strands for sweetness and finely sliced fennel for a surprising aniseed crunch every so often.

I used a mix of pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, hemp and linseeds for crunch and a super health boost, then coated everything in my favourite fruity orange-raspberry vinegar dressing. Don’t you feel healthy just looking at it?

Celery, Carrot and 5-Seed Salad

25g mixed seeds (I used sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, hemp and sesame – they came ready-mixed)
2 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips (I have a special peeler that does this but you could use a mandolin or a regular peeler or even chop by hand if you have skill and patience in equal measures)
1 small fennel bulb, finely shredded (add any fronds that look healthy too)
2 large sticks celery, sliced (use the yellow leaves too if you have any)

Find the dressing recipe here

- It couldn’t be simpler, mix everything together. You’re done.