Freyja's horse-sized winged cats; more about mythological felines

Do you know in Norse mythology that the Goddess Freyja is often depicted riding through the skies on her golden chariot?  The chariot is pulled by two large blue cats, a gift from the God Thor.

PATRIPATAN A Mythological Cat - South East Asia

Have you heard of Patripatan?  A cat in Hindu mythology?

It was a monk's cat.  When his rival went to heaven in Devendiren and came back with a flower from the parisadam tree, the monk sent his cat to do the same thing.  The cat was kept in heaven for 300 years as one of the goddesses fell in love with him.

When he returned to earth, he brought not a flower but a whole branch of the sacred tree.

Black cats...lucky or not???

In the UK and Japan, seeing a black cat cross your path is considered good luck.  Did you know the same encounter means bad luck in the United States?

In Scotland it is thought to bring prosperity.

Quick lamb curry to go with vegetable rice

Yesterday I posted a vegetable rice with turmeric.  So here is a quick lamb curry to go with it.

Ingredients:  For 3 people

1 onion, finely chopped
Some vegetable oil to fry, or ghee if you prefer
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
Half a kilo of fillet neck lamb, diced......use a kilo for more than 3 people
2 tablespoons of paprika
1 teaspoon of dried chillie or chillie flakes
8 cloves
8 cardamon pods
1 pot of Greek yoghurt


Put some oil or ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the meat until it is sealed.  Take the meat out with a slotted spoon and leave it aside on a plate.

Then fry the chopped onion in the oil or ghee in the same pan if you like, and when the onions are golden add the garlic and stir for a minute.  Add the cloves and cardamom and let them spit a little in the oil.  Stir in the paprika and chillies.

Fold in the Greek yoghurt on a very low heat and add a little water.  Put the meat back in and bring to a simmer.  Cook for about an hour on a low heat on the hob.

Great for a Friday night meal with vegetable rice (see earlier post).

Vegetable rice with turmeric to accompany curry

Ingredients:

1 dessertspoonful of vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped or crushed
8 cloves
8 cardamon pods - green
2 teaspoons of turmeric
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
Coriander leaves, washed and chopped with a few stalks chopped as well
1 teaspoon of salt and a few grindings of black pepper
Water to cover

Additional options
a few frozen peas
a few fresh green beans topped and tailed, then cut in half

Method:

Put the oil in a pan and fry off the onions and carrots until the onions are a golden colour, then add the garlic, cloves, cardamon, turmeric, coriander and potatoes.  Stir for a minute to incorporate the turmeric.  Then add the salt and pepper and cover the ingredients with water, just a fingernail over the ingredients.  Bring to the boil and put a tight fitting lid on the pan (with a small tea towel between pan and lid or a piece of tin foil.  Turn the heat to very low (preferably with a diffuser) and leave for 20 minutes.  Take off the heat and leave for 10 minutes before peaking inside.  It should be fluffy and the vegetables cooked through.

HOME-MADE VEGETABLE SOUP

Home-made Vegetable Soup

1 onion, peeled and chopped into slices

3 carrots, peeled and cubed

2 leeks, chopped in slices

Quarter of a white cabbage, sliced

2 large potatoes cubed

A few frozen broad beans

1 tablespoon of tomato puree

1 chicken stock cube

1 teaspoon of green pesto

2 pints of water

A splash of Worcestershire sauce

Mixed Provencal herbs to taste (2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon of oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

100g of orzo pasta

Put the leeks, onion and carrots in a large saucepan with the stock cube and water.  When softened, add the other ingredients and give it a big stir, before leaving to simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with half a lemon and crusty bread and butter

Variations could include:

Adding frozen peas or sweetcorn

A tin of white beans

A handful of left over cooked chicken