Neil McLaren
I live and work in Bratislava and have been teaching for more than twenty-five years. I’m the Social Community Manager in charge of the British Council’s global social media channels for learners.
Location Bratislava, Slovakia
Activity
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Neil McLaren replied to Angelika Wittek
You can make your own @AngelikaWittek . Just follow the instructions here: https://www.culinaryhill.com/how-to-make-clarified-butter/
I actually made my own because ghee is very expensive here - like four times the cost of butter. -
Thank you! :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to Анна Ким
Hi @АннаКим, in my opinion it really doesn't need it and I didn't add any extra - the flavours are rich enough already. But of course you can add salt to taste when making the sauce.
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Hi @WilliamGonzálezvillada , kidneys are one of the two internal organs in animals that clean the blood and remove waste (the other one is the liver). They're shaped a bit like a bean. The general word for all the organs that are used for food, such as kidneys, heart, liver etc. is 'offal', and you can find a full list here:...
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Neil McLaren replied to MariaAlessandra Pecora
Definitely @MariaAlessandraPecora - you can find recipes for them here: https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/68751113
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Neil McLaren replied to Gloria L
It's lovely @GloriaL - very aromatic!
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Neil McLaren replied to Raquel Varela
Masala just means a mix of spices @RaquelVarela and you can make your own at home from spices that you can easily find - check my comment here for recipes. https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/68751113
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Neil McLaren replied to felix N
You can make your own easily @felixN - see my answer here: https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/68751113
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Neil McLaren replied to Yuriy G
You can easily make your own @YuriyG - see my answer here: https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/68751113
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Neil McLaren replied to Sabine Lucas
See my answer here @SabineLucas : https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/68751113
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Neil McLaren replied to Martha Romero
See my answer here @MarthaRomero : https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/68751113
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Neil McLaren replied to Kalina Maneva
They're just ready-mixed blends of regular spices @KalinaManeva . You can probably find all the individual spices where you live, then mix them yourself using any of these recipes:...
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Neil McLaren replied to Julia Allert
I know what you mean @JuliaAllert - I've never been a dunker and none of my family do it either! I never really understood the attraction of soggy biscuits! And it always surprises me to hear that Claire, Tina Chris and Sally dunk!
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Neil McLaren replied to Nataly Golubyk
Glad you liked it @NatalyGolubyk . It's one of my favourites and I'm sure you'll enjoy it when you make it :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to roberta tomasi
Glad you liked it @robertatomasi ! You're right - adding the yogurt from the marinade to the sauce is just as good as using cream, and healthier! The only thing of course is, since it had raw chicken in it, you need to make sure you cook it thoroughly if you add it to the sauce. whereas the cream is just added at the end.
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Good question @LyudmylaTkachenko . The reason I do it that way is because I don't have grill pan with a rack to put it on. You can't cook it in a baking tray etc. because the juice coming out of the chicken will mean it cooks in the liquid instead and it won't get that slightly charred, barbecue taste that real chicken tikka has. Real chicken tikka is cooked...
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Neil McLaren replied to Vera A
Yes @VeraA I love my TARDIS teapot too - it was a present from my daughter :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to roberta tomasi
Yes Roberta, you can easily mix them yourself if you can't find them ready-made: https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/garam-masala-recipe-garam-masala-powder/
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Neil McLaren replied to Lyudmyla Tkachenko
Exactly @LyudmylaTkachenko , like this recipe: https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/garam-masala-recipe-garam-masala-powder/
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Neil McLaren replied to Reina Himelfarb
There are lots of recipes online @ReinaHimelfarb ,like this one https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/garam-masala-recipe-garam-masala-powder/
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Neil McLaren replied to Hend Abu Krayem
Exactly @HendAbuKrayem all the spices in it shouldbe available, like black and white pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander seeds, anise etc. Then you can mix it yourself the way you like it.
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Neil McLaren replied to Laura Wilhelm
They're convenient @LauraWilhelm , and spices definitely, but sauces and pastes don't taste quite the same! Honestly, try this recipe - it's delicious! :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to Alvaro Solis
Good guess, but I'm afraid that's not it @AlvaroSolis ! I'm talking to everyone with both.
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Neil McLaren replied to Zachary Jones
I'm sorry about that @ZacharyJones ! All the videos on this course were done by the educators at home during Covid restrictions, and none of us are professionals - it's what we cook at home! It's still delicious though!
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Neil McLaren replied to Tale Lady
That's right @TaleLady ! :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to Muhammad Junaid Anwar
I agree @MuhammadJunaidAnwar ! I was concentrating on the filming so much I skipped any garnish! Green chillies would be great, or maybe some coriander leaves!
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It was @AndrzejMiller !
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@EduardoSalazar you can easily make your own from regular butter. Here are the instructions: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/ghee
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Neil McLaren replied to Tun Zaw Latt
Glad you enjoyed it @TunZawLatt . Let us know once you have cooked it!
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Neil McLaren replied to Dieu Anh Vu
Yes that would work just as well @DieuAnhVu . I'm glad you enjoyed it! You're right it's not so difficult and if you make it a few more times you will be able to do it in even less time I'm sure!
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Neil McLaren replied to Fernando Luis Bianchi
Good point @FernandoLuisBianchi ! The spices for the meat are a marinade so the flavour goes through the meat and then it is cooked in the oven. You can eat the chicken on its own without the sauce as chicken tikka and it is delicious. You can also just make the sauce and use plain chicken without the marinade and it is still delicious! But in my opinion the...
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Neil McLaren replied to Patthanan Kaewkaemsee
Good to hear @PatthananKaewkaemsee ! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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Passata is just plain tomato that has been blended or pureed then passed through a sieve to remove any chunks @YuliaGorshkova , so it's like a very thick tomato juice, or a slightly thinner tomato puree.
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:-) It's a matter of personal taste @FernandoLuisBianchi . It has a lot of spices, it's true, but it's not what we would call 'spicy', meaning hot. The flavours all work together really well, honestly!
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Hi @TirsaHinojosaArimosa you can make this as a vegetarian dish easily. You can either replace the chicken with a meat substitute like soya, or use chunky vegetables like cauliflower and carrots, or use something like paneer (Indian cottage cheese https://sukhis.com/what-is-paneer-everything-to-know-about-this-indian-cheese/) or tofu.
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:-) Mine crashed long ago @NataliaNeshina !
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Neil McLaren replied to Simona Danila Ferrai
If you can get ginger it's easy to make your own garlin and ginger paste @SimonaDanilaFerrai - just add equal amounts of garlic and ginger, a little oil and salt and if you have a food processor, blend together then keep in the fridge in a sealed jar.
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Neil McLaren replied to Gabriela Toledo
It really is @GabrielaToledo !
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Neil McLaren replied to I Love English
You can @ILoveEnglish ! Honestly, it's not difficult - even I can do it! :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to Erik Herremans
There are lots and lots of different recipes for it @ErikHerremans , this is just my favourite one :-) In the city where I live we have 7 or 8 different Indian restaurants, and chicken tikka masala tastes and even looks different in every single one of them!
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Neil McLaren replied to Karoline Bento
:-)
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Neil McLaren replied to Diana López
It's my favourite @DianaLópez !
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Neil McLaren replied to Mingchi Lu
:-) @MingchiLu
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Neil McLaren replied to Raquel Pereira
I certainly does @SenayAkar-BenBey ! :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to Aprajita Sharma
Exactly @AprajitaSharma , paprika and chilli are the main ingredients in the tandoori masala, along with some of the same spices used in garam masala. Here are the ingredients: https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/61283589
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Neil McLaren replied to Ina Metzen-Musteata
Hi @InaMetzen-Musteata , yes you can use equal quantities of fresh garlic and ginger, or you can make it into a paste with a little oil and keep it in the fridge to use again.
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Neil McLaren replied to Ka Ling Lau
That's not an easy question to answer @KaLingLau ! There are a few different stories about its origins, but the most well-known one is that it was created in Glasgow - you can read more here: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/articles/a-brief-history-of-chicken-tikka-masala/
There are also claims it was created in other places in the... -
Neil McLaren replied to Nancy Acosta
Traditional clotted cream is actually really easy to make at home - if you're not in a hurry @NancyAcosta ! It takes 12 hours to make, but it's absolutely worth the effort! Here's a super easy guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7QxzsvJZ1w&ab_channel=BarryLewis
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Neil McLaren replied to Irena Djukic
@ChrisCavey I must admit, I'm a big fan of sliced carrots, mushrooms, peeled pineapple and already seeded pomegranates! It's just so much faster!
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Neil McLaren replied to Terje Tiido
@ChrisCavey and they're a lot more expensive per cup! :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to Zaw Phyo
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Neil McLaren replied to Raquel Pereira
The garam masala I used contains coriander, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cumin, fennel, black pepper, chilli, cardamom, star anise, bay leaves and nutmeg.
The tandoori masala contains paprika, chilli, coriander, cumin, garlic, cassia, cloves, fennel, bayleaf and salt. So they share some ingredients but the tandoori masala is based on paprika and chilli. -
Neil McLaren replied to David Rojas
Sounds great and I will definitely try it! Crackling is something I can definitely find here in Slovakia!
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Neil McLaren replied to Dominique Blin
I agee wih you about microwaves @DominiqueBlin . I have one but I only ever use it for quickly reheating cups of coffee that have gone cold!
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Neil McLaren replied to Anna M
Exactly @AnnaM ! To mince means to cut up into very small pieces. With meat and other things this is often done with a device with revolving blades and a handle, but you can also do it by hand or with a food processor.
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Neil McLaren replied to Fumie Yuhi
@JunkoC it is these days. In the past, cottage pies could contain any meat, and shepherd's pies were the same until very recently. Shepherd's pie only appeared in 1854, long after cottage pie, and at that time it did not matter what meat was used. It's really only in modern times that people have decided that a shepherd's pie is with lamb and a cottage pie...
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Neil McLaren replied to Senay Akar-Ben Bey
Usban looks very similar @SenayAkar-BenBey , you're right! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usban but the spices ae very different. I love haggis, so it would be really interesting to compare them side by side!
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Neil McLaren replied to Fumie Yuhi
It's true @FumieYuhi , the origin of the word 'pie' in English generally means that it should include pastry. From etymonline.com you can find that the word was first recorded around the year 1300, but is probably older as the word 'piehus' meaning bakery goes all the way back to the 12th century. The original meaning (and still the most common today) is...
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Yes, once a week, on Sunday is how often I eat this @MarceloFerreira .
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Neil McLaren replied to Quỳnh Anh Lee
I love Pho and Bún bò Huế @QuỳnhAnhLee and even though I also love a good full English or Scottish breakfast, I'd be happy to swap one for some Bún bò!
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Neil McLaren replied to Terje Tiido
I'm glad yours turned out so well @TamaraShusterman and sorry you didn't feel the masalas worked quite right @TerjeTiido . With this type of dish there's always some experimenting and tweaking the quantities to personal taste, and of course everyone is different! So I do hope you try it again - once you get it just the way you like it I'm sure you'll cook it...
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Neil McLaren replied to Usha Deore
That's great to know @UshaDeore and I'll try using khada masala in some recipes too.
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Neil McLaren replied to David Rojas
That sounds fantastic @DavidRojas ! I love pico de gallo, but I've never tried pico de gallo tropical with those fruits - it sounds delicious!
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That's great to hear @IrynaKhmelnytsky and I'm glad your family enjoyed it. I shared recipes here for making your own masalas, so maybe you can try that too: https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/60885538
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I hope you try making it at home @JelenaSaratlicDinic !
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Neil McLaren replied to Cristina Briani
Check out this conversation to find out how to make your own @CristinaBriani : https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/60885538
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Neil McLaren replied to Farah Veiravé
There have been a few conversations about that @FarahVeiravé - check out these two for some tips on making a vegetarian version: https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/60911046
https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/61037566 -
Neil McLaren replied to Khun Htut
Good to hear @ZawPhyo !
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Neil McLaren replied to Terje Tiido
Here's a very detailed history @TerjeTiido , including how it became arugula in American English!
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Neil McLaren replied to Helge Berthelsen
There's nothing better than fresh homemade pesto @HelgeBerthelsen , you're right!
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Neil McLaren replied to Raquel Rodrigues Caldas
It's rucola @RaquelRodriguesCaldas . For various reasons it has lots of names, and different ones have been adopted in different forms of English. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand it's often called rocket. In American English it can be rucola or arugula. You may also see roquette!
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Neil McLaren replied to David Rojas
Great! Please do @DavidRojas - I love Mexican food but I can't really get any where I live so I'd love some recipes to try!
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Neil McLaren replied to Fumie Yuhi
Yes that would be fine @FumieYuhi . It might have a slightly different texture but it would be absolutely fine.
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Neil McLaren replied to Nancy Ishikawa Yassuda
This food has so many different spices in it I think you could actually miss out the chilli altogether and it would still be delicious @NancyIshikawaYassuda - maybe you could try that!
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Neil McLaren replied to Rocío Babjak
Great! Looking forward to seeing it soon @RocíoBabjak !
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You should definitely try making it at home @MaryLarranaga - it's not always easy to find and can be expensive, but you can make it at home from any butter.
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Neil McLaren replied to Nancy Acosta
:-) That's nice! Tell her thank you from me! But really there are a lot of prepared sauces that are excellent - I use them too when I don't have so much time!
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Neil McLaren replied to Julieta Contreras
Hi @JulietaContreras , check out my answer here to make your own: https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/60885538
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Neil McLaren replied to Regina Carpenter
Hi @ReginaCarpenter check out my answer here for some advice on that: https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/60885538
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Neil McLaren replied to Irena Djukic
I will @KarinWallhorn ! I hope to see Genny soon for another Facebook Live!
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Neil McLaren replied to Mary Larranaga
That's great practice @MaryLarranaga !
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Neil McLaren replied to Dominique Blin
But one thing I forgot to mention - this tastes even better the next day after the flavours have soaked in even more. So even if you're cooking for two, just put the rest in the fridge and eat it again for lunch next day! Or, as you will find out on this course, we love pies in the UK, so you can use the leftovers to make delicious chicken tikka masala pies or...
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Neil McLaren replied to Dominique Blin
Hi @DominiqueBlin and @FrederiqueGranath yes this is easily enough for four people. Although in my case, probably only two because I can't help going back for more!!! :-)
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Neil McLaren replied to Frederique Granath
No problem @FrederiqueGranath , we'll all be here for four weeks at least so we hope that whenever anyone tries the recipes in each week they will come back and tell us about them! And of course share pictures on the Padlet https://padlet.com/British_Council/YourFood_1
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I sometimes use prepared sauces like Patak's or Marks and Spencer's to @FrederiqueGranath and they're very good, but they definitely taste quite different from the one in this recipe! See what you think!
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Neil McLaren replied to Eva F.
I think I'll try this one too @EvaF. But I notice their sauce is a bit different from mine, so maybe you could try both and compare, just replacing the chicken in mine with the cauliflower florets and chickpeas!
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Neil McLaren replied to Irena Djukic
Yes cardmamom is not so cheap @IrenaDjukic , but luckily you need very little for this recipe!
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Neil McLaren replied to Anna Guerra
I'm not sure about that @AnnaGuerra - the yoghurt really gives a distinctive flavour to the chicken tikka which cream would not do. I think sour cream would work though, if you use that.
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Neil McLaren replied to Yulia Chmir
Check this answer for more help with the masalas too @YuliaChmir https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/60885538
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I wish I did @LiubovMarina ! Maybe I should think about it...
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Neil McLaren replied to Ritta Wehrer
If you're worried @RittaWehrer , just cut down the amount of chilli you use - that's the only one to worry about!
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Neil McLaren replied to Claudia Juzwiak
Check my answer here @ClaudiaJuzwiak for how to make them at home, if you can find the individual spices (or even most of them!) https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/60885538
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Neil McLaren replied to Joyce Su
If you can find cardamom you can make the others at home yourself if you don't find them in the shops @JoyceSu . Check my answer here: https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/60885538
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Neil McLaren replied to Natalija Savicevic
Cardamom can sometimes be difficult to find, it's true @NatalijaSavicevic but I think it would still be delicous without it! For garam masala and tandoori masala check my answer here: https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/60885538
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Neil McLaren replied to Kanokon Wanthawong
Hi @KanokonWanthawong , you can make you own at home, although of course you need lots of other spices to do it! Check out my answer to Elena here: https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/60885538
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Neil McLaren replied to Nargiz Kosimova
Check out my answer to Elena here @NargizKosimova : https://www.futurelearn.com/comments/60885538
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Neil McLaren replied to Elena Kalinina
Hi Elena, I think you can probably find all the ingredients you need to make your own garam masala - it's really just a mix of other common spices. There are many different recipes online, but this is a very easy one: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/142967/easy-garam-masala/
And here are a couple more with slight variations:... -
Good question @ElenaKalinina . I didn't add any extra salt and honestly didn't feel it needed it - the tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger and other spices add more than enough flavour. There is salt in the tomato puree and also a little in the garlic and ginger paste and I find this is enough, but of course you can add salt to suit your own tastes! I have seen...
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Neil McLaren replied to Olga Monfort Moñino
Definitely @OlgaMonfortMoñino . It's a bit more effort, but most of the spices that go into these masalas can be bought separately.
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Neil McLaren replied to Yulia Chmir
It's a bit more work @YuliaChmir , but if you can get all the individual ingredients you can make your own garam masala https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/142967/easy-garam-masala/
