Psst, do you want to learn a not-so-secret secret to eating well? It’s to have excellent condiments on hand. They jazz up simple dishes and inject flavour every which way. One of my absolutely favourite condiments is vadouvan. I just can’t get enough of it! It stars in a recipe in my Entertaining cookbook, and in a video on this site…details below.
So what’s vadouvan? It’s the French version of an Indian curry powder, very warming and toasty, with a gorgeous rusty orange colour and a gentle chilli kick. You can make it in 7 minutes in your Thermomix. And by the way, it’s pronounced vuh-doo-vun.
Traditional vadouvan includes onion but I tend to leave that out and add onion to the dish that I’m cooking. Here are some of my favourite ways to get some vadouvan va-va-voom in my life.
The Chicken Tart video and recipe is available for FREE to everyone. The others are available to my lovely members (login here, friends) and include recipes from chefs Shane Delia and Jo ‘Quirky Cooking’ Whitton. Want to know what my members think about the site? Check out their testimonials!
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Happy cooking!
Chicken Tart
Flavoured pastry, shredded chicken and buttered leeks take this easy chicken tart to the next level. Use vadouvan where the filling calls for curry powder.
Click here to see the video, free for all to enjoy.
Vadouvan Mussels
Watch this video to get the recipe for this key condiment. After I make the vadouvan I use it in a light coconut curry that’s the base for a tasty steamed mussels dish. Serve it as an entree or build the dish up with noodles, veg and extra seafood to turn it into a sustaining meal.
BBQ Prawn Kofte Salad
A fresh and funky salad from chef Shane Delia that is crowned with grilled prawn kofte. Shane uses basturma (air-dried beef) and purslane but you can just as easily use prosciutto and baby spinach. Use the vadouvan in place of the Aleppo pepper.
Cauliflower Rice
Perfect as a vegetarian main course and just as good as a side dish, my favourite version of Cauliflower Rice is colourful, bountiful and full of flavour. Add a tablespoon of vadouvan at step 5 and let it cook through with the vegetables.
Pear Coleslaw with Pear Vinaigrette
A frisky and delicious 2-second coleslaw with a pear dressing. I love the two textures of pear in this salad.
Use vadouvan instead of the caraway seeds.
Chicken Pot Pies
They’re grain-free, dairy-free and gluten-free, are creamy and crispy in all the right places and downright tasty and wholesome.
Add a tablespoon of vadouvan at step 5 (it can replace the thyme, or just use both).
Entertaining with Dani Valent
My new book is full of delicious recipes packaged into 13 themed menus that will allow you to gracefully create stunning dinner parties, celebrations and occasions.
You’ll be the host with the most if you’re the cook with the book.
Vadouvan Spiced Mini Rolls
Vadouvan features in the Barbecue chapter of my book and recipe chip Entertaining with Dani Valent. My Vadouvan Spiced Mini Rolls are stuffed with caramelised onions for a succulent surprise.
Visit my Entertaining Hub to find out more about the book.
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