The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins-February Recipe by Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, is a book written for young adults in 2008, and may seem like a strange book (one of a trilogy) to choose for Foodie Book Club, but I never said I’d choose books that would be in our comfort zone.
As someone who has read all the books in the series (all read on a family holiday in the sun. Boy oh boy do I miss those?!) as well as watched the movies, I can say that they are worth a read.
If for no other reason than to broaden your horizons and get in touch with your inner young person.
Let me tell you a little bit about the book and then you can get hold of a copy and start your journey into the world of Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl living in a post-apocalyptic future.
The book combines elements of an intense survival adventure with a story of friendship and love.
It’s a powerful and sometimes disturbing story that I’m sure will stop and make you think as well as starting discussions about the ethics of that new world and the now.
Katniss volunteers to replace her younger sister, Primrose, after she’s chosen to compete in The Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death.
And the story goes from there with a lot of twists, moral dilemmas and fun too.
I give this book a 2 ½ egg rating, for no other reason than the book is written for young adults, but what do I know about reviews, right?
Let me know what you think of the chosen book and if you go on to read the other two in the trilogy?
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Egg Rating 2 1/2
Now it’s time for a little bit about the person who has gifted Foodie Book Club a recipe to go with this book.
The title doesn’t have a specific ingredient, so it’s a great month to go crazy with whatever our chef chooses, and thank goodness she chose sweet potato. I love sweet potato so any recipe that showcases that very thing is fine by me.
Let me tell you a little bit about this months chef Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed
Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed went on MasterChef to have fun, challenge herself and after facing off 63 competitors each determined to be the one in the final cook off, through seven weeks of culinary challenges, one final cook off with the other finalists, what happened?
She won.
Saliha became the thirteenth amateur cook to win MasterChef and brandish the coveted trophy.
Having watched Saliha cook, winning was no surprise to me.
Not only is Saliha an incredible chef, (how lucky is her family?) but she is also a junior doctor working in the NHS – Talk about being driven!
Graduating from Kings College London in 2012 she’s worked at St Mary’s Hospital, Hillingdon Hospital and Watford General Hospital and is now in training to specialise in Gastroenterology.
Oh, there’s more too.
She’s a member of the Royal College of Physicians, having completed her postgraduate exams. Her future plans?
Well, of course she wants to continue working as a doctor with a hope to champion national campaigns to tackle obesity, particularly in children.
Married to another doctor, Usman Ahmed since 2013 and with the cutest little boy born (Aashir) in 2014, Saliha has got her hands full already juggling work and home life.
It doesn’t stop her from contributing to leading national newspapers and magazines, demonstrate cookery at national and international cookery festivals and always available to add her voice to television and radio work.
Aashir joins an already close family, a brother and sister for Saliha and the same for her husband. With food always a big part of the family get togethers, Saliha says she “…was always heavily influenced by the Kashmiri style cooking of my maternal grandmother and mother. I have fond childhood memories of my maternal grandmother picking cooking apples from the garden to make an apple curry for us. I love cooking healthy fresh meals on a daily basis for my family. Essentially, I love to feed people, it runs in my genes!”
This explains why her home cooking style has flavours that are always bold, bright and adventurous with textures. Saliha describes her food as something “..to be shared on all occasions, from picnics to birthdays, festivities and weeknight suppers.”
Khazana, Salihas cook book, takes a twenty-first-century peek at Indo-Persian cuisine. The recipes are simple, easy to follow in your own kitchen and of course delicious.
No surprise that Khazana was the winner of the coveted Observer Food Monthly Cook Book of the Year 2019. Winner of the Summer Harvest Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2020 in the category Celebrity Chef in English, and shortlisted for Travel Cookery Book of the Year' in the 2019 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards.
What about Salihas recipe for Foodie Book Club?
Well I’ve tried it (getting to the recipes first is a perk of the job) and trust me, you are going to love it.
Soy, Maple and Sesame Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Saliha tells us that “Soy sauce is the star ingredient in this dish. For me, it remains the most versatile condiment to line my kitchen cupboard; I would be lost (or at least my food would be lost) without it in many ways. Proteins contained in soybeans and wheat are broken down through enzymatic reactions by the fungus Aspergillus oryzae to form amino acids which in turn impart savoury umami properties.
There are thought to be around 1,200 soy breweries throughout Japan each producing soy sauce to please local palettes and preferences. A good soy sauce is fermented for between one and three years per batch. Japanese authors Mantaro Takahashi and Keiko Kuroshima wrote the famous ‘Soy Sauce Book’, known as Shoyu Hon. Their ‘Shokunin Shoyu’ website sells select soy sauce brands that they have lovingly procured from across the length and breadth of Japan in standardised 100ml bottles. A word of caution, the website is in Japanese making it tricky to navigate without a Japanese friend at hand.
I suppose the mystique and versatility of soy sauce lies not only in that it is umami rich, but also that it possesses sweet, salty, bitter and sour tones in equal measure. There are literally hundreds of aromatic variations, so taking time to choose one you really like is well worth it.”
Soy, Maple and Sesame Glazed Sweet Potatoes
by Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed
by Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed
Ingredients
1.25kg sweet potatoes, skin removed and chopped into rough chunks
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon light soft brown sugar
1 level teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½-1 teaspoon red chilli flakes (optional)
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon of black or white toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Flavoursome Butternut Squash
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Place the sweet potatoes in a roasting tray and add 75mls of water.
Cover with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together the remaining ingredients to form a dressing for the sweet potatoes.
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and discard the foil covering.
Pour the dressing over the cooked sweet potatoes and return the sweet potatoes to the oven uncovered for a further 15-20 minutes.
Give the sweet potatoes a stir every 5-7 minutes to ensure the dressing bastes the potatoes well. You will notice that the sweet potatoes become caramelised and sticky.
Before serving, scatter some sesame seeds over the sweet potatoes; black sesame seeds look particularly dramatic.
