Chillies and Lime

Sick Day Porridge

2012-02-13T01:36:00.000-08:00

My son loves this and its my life saver porridge as he would woyld it down even he is having a sick day with no appetite. It has three of his favorite things, rice, canned tuna and sweet corn.
My mum makes a plain rice porridge which is a traditional Maldivian recipe but I added the tuna and sweetcorn for more flavour and nutrients. Give it a try next time your child gets a sick day. The pandan leaf is essential as it gives a delicate sweet perfume and taste. I tried it using chicken stock but he didnt seem to like it as much as this one.

Recipe: Sick day porridge, my own concotion
For 1 child

1/4 cup rice
500ml water
handful sweetcorn , fresh , frozen or canned ( or anyother vegetable your child likes)
hand ful canned tuna , flaked or some shredded cooked chicken
1 pandan leaf, cut into big pieces
pinch of salt
1/4 piece lime ( or cheek slice of lime)

1. Wash rice in several changes of water till water runs clear. Soak in water for 1-2 hours. Drain and give a few good squeezes with your finger tips to break the rice up. If you have time you can sun dry the grains and store the rice grains in an air tight bottle till required.

2. Heat a small saucepan with salt and pandan leaf till it comes to a boil. Bring heat down to a simmer and add the rice. Give a stir, and simmer till the rice is cooked. Half way through stir in sweetcorn.

3. Switch off once the rice and sweetcorn are cooked through. Dont let the water evaporate, there should be some water left in , a slightly thinner consistency than regular porridge.

4. Finally flake in your tuna or chicken and squeeze in the lime just before serving. Serve warm.

Stuffed Snakegourd

2012-02-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

Snake gourds are locally grown vegetables here in Maldives. I came up with this recipe after seeing a stuffed zucchini recipe on an show called Food Safari.
Even though the original recipe used zucchini I decided to try and make this using snake gourd. The result was pretty good and the best part my son loved it , he is getting a bit picky these days. Feel free to use either snakegourd or zucchini for this recipe

Recipe : Stuffed Snake gourd : adapted from the recipe Kousa Mahsini ( stuffed Zucchini)

Serves 3 people

2 snake gourds (chichanda) or use small zucchinis
2 tsp tomato paste ( concentrated tomato paste, not puree)
2 cloves garlic and the remaining half of the onion from the stuffing
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water

Stuffing: 1/2 small onion or 1 shallot, finely chopped
             100g ground beef or mutton or lamb
             big handful of finely chopped parsley ( or coriander leaves )
             3 tablespoons of rice
            1 small tomato, deseeded and chopped finely

Spice mix : 2 tsp ground cumin (dhiri)
                  1/2 tsp chilli or 1 tsp if you like it hot (thelhi mirus)
                 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (asey mirus)
                 1/2 tsp ground cinamon ( fonithoshi)
                 1/4 tsp ground cloves (karanfoo)
                 1/2 tsp ground cardamon ( kaafoorotholhi)

1. Wash the rice in several changes of water till water runs clear, leave to soak for 1 hour.

2. Mix the spice blend ingrediants in a small bowl, set aside

3. Cut the snakegourd ( no need to peel) into about 3-4 inch pieces, scoop out the seeds and fluff inside. Sprinkle a little salt and mix and set a side for 10 minutes then rinse well. Set a side till you get the filling ready.

4. Drain the water from the rice, mash them a little with your finger tips to break them up. Place the rice in a small bowl along with meat, fresh herbs, onion, tomato and half the spice blend mix. Season with salt and mix well. Spoon it into the snake gourd.

5. Heat a saucepan big enough to fit everything in , Pour stock and mix in the tomato paste, add onion and garlic and remaining spice blend and bring to a boil, then bring the heat down carefully put the snake gourds in , cover and simmer till the filling is cooked through and the sauce is reduced and thick. Taste , adjust seasoning. Serve with rice and a salad

Wordless Wednesdays : Bilinbi Tree

2012-01-31T20:36:00.000-08:00

Bilinbi

Bilinbi flower

Chicken Rice

2012-01-26T01:05:00.000-08:00

Chicken rice is one of my favorite malaysian food. Its also one of my son's favorite as well, mainly because there is always chicken rice in every food court we visit and he can always enjoy a meal out. I think this is originally known as Hainese chicken rice, a recipe which made it self home in Malaysia.
The chicken is first cooked in water and then the stock or liquid that the chicken was cooked in is used to cook the rice, and the remaining liquid is used a side dish to mix with your rice or sip along as you eat it with the cooked chicken , and a garliky chilli sauce and cucumber slices. I tried different recipes of Chicken Rice and finally found a satisfying recipe given to me by a good freind of mine ,who in turn had got it from a Malaysian freind of her's. I have changed certain things like the chilli sauce as I couldnt find mild red chillis here ,so to get the bright red colour of the chilli sauce , I used a red bell pepper instead.

Recipe : Chicken Rice ( serves 3-4 persons)

3 chicken whole leg pieces
8 cloves of garlic, grated. and 3 extra cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 inch piece ginger, grated
Water
1 1/2 cups long grain rice or basmathi rice
6 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
Sesame oil
2-3 star anise
4 -5 cardamon pods
1 pandan leaf ( cut into big pieces)
2 tbsp oil
2 hot chillies ( green or red)
1/2 red bell pepper ( deseeded and white pit removed)
2 slices of ginger
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp sugar
salt
Finely sliced spring onion,(optional)
A few slices of cucumber( to serve)
Some steamed vegetables such as brocolli, brocollini, or chinese greens such as kailaan, or bok choy(to serve)

Step 1: Prepare the chicken :
Clean chicken, pieces , leave the skin on but trim the extra fat. Season with salt and rub the grated 8 cloves of garlic and ginger.
Place chicken pieces inside a large pot or a stock pot, Pour water about 6-7 cups of water season with a tiny bit of salt. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer till the chicken is tender. ( tender not tough!!).
Once cooked , remove the chicken, stir in soy sauce and oyster sauce into the stock that is left in the pot.
Taste and adjust salt for your liking.

Drizzle a little sesame oil on the chicken pieces and leave to air dry in fly free zone :)

Step 2 : Rice
Wash rice several times till the water runs clear. Heat a sauce pan preferably a nonstick one with oil ( not olive oil!) fry star anise, cardamon pods, cloves and pandan leaves till they release their aroma.
Add rice and stir fry 1 minute then add enough stock , bring to a boil , then simmer till the stock is absorbed and rice is nice and fluffy.. Fluff it up .

Step 3: Chilli sauce
Place the red bell pepper, chillies, lime juice, remaining ginger slices and garlic cloves in a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Taste andd sugar and salt and then pulse once then taste adjust sugar and salt level to your liking.

Step 4: Final touch :
Heat a frying pan with with tiny bit oil , then place the chicken pieces skin side down and let it brown lightly, this is quite unecessary , you can just serve the chicken straight away but I like slightly crispy skin.
Once brown , you can try chopping it up like they serve at the chicken rice shops or just serve as it is.

To Serve,
Place a nice bowl ful of rice , sprinkle some sping onions on top if using. Arrange the chicken on one side, the steamed vegetables at another along with a coup of slices of cucumber. Serve with remaining stock and chilli sauce. Yummm!!!

One of my favorite chicken rice haunts is a restaurent chain known as the " The Chicken Rice Shop". They serve very delicious chicken rice , and the places are clean and have good kiddie set meal with smaller size portion.

Foni Baipen (Sweet Rice Porride)

2012-01-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

My hubby came home with a bowl of this delicious sweet rice dish made by my mum in law. As promised in earlier post, here is what to make with Kashikeyo or the screwpine fruit.
I made it with strict instructions from my mum in law , its quite a large amount so you can reduce it to half . This will serve about 8 - 10 people.

Recipe : Foni Baipen ( sweet rice porridge)

Sliced Flesh of 3 kashikeyo or screwpines
1 1/2 cups of long grain rice
1 pandan leaf,cut into big pieces
1 stick cinamon
about 7-8 cups water
2 cups of packed or tinned coconut milk
2 - 2 1/2 cups of sugar ( depends on how sweet you want it to be)

1. Wash rice well till water runs clear. Then soak in water for about 2-3 hours or over night. Drain water and give it a good mash with your hand, the rice will break up into little pieces ( no need to grind)

2. Heat a large pot of water with the cinamon stick and pandan leaf. Once the water starts to simmer, bring the heat down to a simmer, then add your rice and kashikeyo. Give a stir and let it cook .

3. Skim the top if any scum forms , once the rice is cooked , add sugar and stir gently, to dissolve. Then add once the sugar dissolves, taste add more sugar if needed.

4. Finally stir in coconut milk. Give one gentle stir after adding coconut milk, cook for about 1 minute just to let the flavours mixed in , then switch off. If it looks too thick add a little more water of coconut milk, but down stir too much as it will thicken it up. You want a porridge like consistency not a thick pudding type consistency.

5. Chill before serving. Will keep in the fridge for about 2-3 days. Enjoy.

Ps, I know its not easy to find this abroad but wanted to show you a few local tastes.

The Fruit of the Screwpine Tree ( Kashikeyo)

2012-01-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

I visited the local market here in Male' which is the capital island of
Maldives a few days back and hope to head there soon for my regular vegetable shopping. I came across these fruits known as kashikeyo, better known as the fruit from the screwpine tree.
Screwpine is also from where you get the beautiful perfumey leaf , pandan but these are from the female tree of the screwpine tree and are much taller trees. The fruit is found in segments all stuck to to sturdy stem. The whole thing will remind you of a huge pineapple.

I have always seen the pink ones around here but for the first time saw a yellow variety which the vendor said was a variety he had brought from abroad and grown here

But for me I like the local one better. It has a very strong fruity perfume and sweet taste. It has a slightly grainy rough texture and you have to peel the hard skin out side. You have to slice it thinly, my mum in law came to my aide in this, cos you cant slice these on a chopping board.

You have to hold it in one hand , knife in the other and slice it up as thinly as you can, till you cant cut any more. You cant slice the whole thing up , you are left with quite a big chunk of it.

Dont worry cos I am going to show you a little surprise stored inside. You have to leave this somewhere dry outside or inside the house and it will dry up. Using a huge knife( like those huge chinese chopping knives) or good strong knife and a rolling pin bang dont hard down the middle of the dried up pine.

You will notice a small white nut nestled inside, using a paring knife or small sharp knife, extract it out.

Its delicious!!, Nice with a sweet nutty flavor. The flesh is used usually for sweet dishes and drinks.

Will be posting a recipe soon ............... If you want to know more about this unusual fruit you can check out the link here

Tuna And Pesto Pizza

2012-01-05T09:32:00.000-08:00

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL and I have finally got the internet up and running, settled everything else, gotten over the shock of being surrounded by loads of people , the noise and everything else for that matter.
So Now I have relocated back home to Maldives, the recipes will change to more local produce and also to stuff available around here, without breaking the bank. The prices are sky high. And yes they do have pesto , huge bottles infact, in most supermarkets.

My eldest sister has handed my her huge bottle of pesto
saying she had no idea on what to do with it. I was planning to make pizza for dinner and decided to pair it up with tuna. Both me and my hubby agree that tuna and pesto go very well together.

Recipe : Tuna and Pesto Pizza

For 1 regular size thin crust pizza

Pizza dough :
2cups flour
salt( about 1/4 tsp)
olive oil ( about 3 tbsp)
3/4 ( approximately) cups, lukewarm water
1 tsp dried yeast
1/2 tsp sugar

Topping:
3-4 tbsp pesto ( bottled or freshly made)
1 can tuna, any liquid drained and the fish flaked
1 small onion, chopped finely
1/2 tsp ground fennel( dhavigandhu) seeds
4 mild chilli peppers or capsicums
1/2 a large red bell pepper, deseeded
salt and pepper
a generous amount of chedder cheese, grated

1. In a mug , add luke warm water and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and leave covered for 10 minutes till it frothes.

2. While thats happenning, sift flour into a large bowl, along with salt and make a well in the centre. Add olive oil and then slowly add the frothy yeast mixture a little at a time till the dough sticks and comes to gether. Knead the dough till its soft and smooth. Rub some olive oil around a clean bowl place the dough inside, cover with a cling film and a clean kitchen cloth and leave to rise for 1- 2 hours in a warm area in the kitchen( now dont go chucking it into the oven )

3. While the dough rises, prepare your topping, place your chilli peppers and the bell pepper ( skin side down) in a hot oven till the skin blisters and blackens. Place them in a bowl , cover with a cling film or plate and leave to cool, then remove the skin with your fingers, deseed and roughly chop them into large pieces.

4. Prepare the tuna by heating a small frying pan with a little oil, saute' the onions till soft, add the flaked up tuna , fennel , a big pinch of pepper, and salt to taste. Cook till the mixture is quite dry. Let it cool.

5. Now to make a crispy thin crust pizza you need a very hot oven about gas mark 6 , preheated of course. And you have to get the pizza pan or what ever pan you are using hot too.

6. Take the pizza dough out, punch it down and then roll it out on a piece of large foil which is lightly oiled with just a tiny bit of olive oil. Take the hot baking pan or tray out and slide the dough in or just pop the foil in and adjust the dough to fit the pan, dont worry the foil will come off easily once its baked.

7. Spread a thin layer of pesto all over the pizza, top with the tuna, and scatter the chilli peppers and bell pepper. Finally top with a generous amount of chedder. Finish off by sprinkling a pinch of black pepper on top. Bake till the cheese is golden.

Enjoy!!!

Egg and Marmite Sandwiches

2011-12-08T02:57:00.001-08:00

I know this is a simple recipe, perhaps even a bit wierd for some. Marmite is a big favorite at my house, my son had marmite on toasted bread cut into sticks as one of his first finger foods. This week have been busy packing and piling things up cos we are heading home.
Yup, I am heading home, back to Maldives. Going miss this sleepy little state of malaysia, which had been our home for the past 5 years. Its nice and quiet, no fussy people or busy bodies who want to tell you want to do or nosing around. The people here are freindly and generous. Its where my first born had all his first things, and my second was born, so for me I am pretty nostalgic, you know seeing places where he took his walks, learnt to walk, and run, first school, first place he went out to eat. Better stop before I get too emotoinal and get back to the topic

My fridge is almost empty and after saturday I wont even have one. So am in a rush to finish using up everything. Since I had eggs to finish, I made myself and egg and marmite sandwich for breakfast.

Recipe : Marmite and Egg Sandwich

Sandwich bread or any of your favorite type of bread
Hard boiled eggs, but into thick slices
1/4 small onion, or shallot or the white part of a spring onion, finely choppped
1 green chilli ( optional), thinly sliced
marmite
butter/margerine or a vegetable spread

1. Spread butter or vegetable spread generously, spread a thin layer of marmite on one slice of bread

2. In a small bowl, mix onion and chilli if using and sprinkle this evenly over the marmite spread slice of bread.

3. Arrange the egg slices on top, add a sprinkle of pepper, if you like, on top. Top with the remaining slice of bread and ENJOY!!

Toasties

2011-11-26T16:34:00.001-08:00

This is something my mum makes quite often. Its a great way to feed a crowd of hungry kids or group. All you need is sandwich toaster like this

:

Its a lot like those waffle and panini makers , the filling is nicely kept inside and doesnt fall off once its done. Its a big hit with my boys, who both love tuna ( have a feeling I will need to make extra once the little one also starts to join the brother and dad).

Recipe: Tuna Toasties

10 slices of sandwich bread
2 cans of tuna, water or oil drained off and flaked.
1 medium onion, finely sliced
4-5 curry leaves
2 tsps curry powder or use just a little ground cumin
2 green chillies, finely sliced ( optional)
oil
salt
pepper ( a nice big pinch)

1. Heat oil in a frying pan or wok, add onions and curry leaves and saute' till soft. Add the flaked up tuna, chillies, curry powder and cook till everything is mixed well spices are cooked. Season with salt and pepper, you can remove the curry leaves.

2. Heat your sandwich toaster. My mum likes to butter one side of the bread, this side is up while the filling is on the side thats not buttered. The butter does give it a nice flavour and extra crispy .

3. Spread filling on one slice of bread, cover with another slice and pop in toaster and toast for your liking. My mum likes it just with a hint of golden, my hubby slightly more golden but not crispy, me and my eldest son love it dark golden and crispy.

Enjoy!!!

Stir fried Chicken With Potatoes and Shimeji Mushrooms

2011-11-26T02:49:00.001-08:00

I saw this recipe on a Japanese cooking programme. No I dont speak Japanese but read the subtitles. Most recipes are quite simple and they are not always sushi or as bland as I though. This recipe caught my attention cos it was so simple and used mushrooms called shimeji mushrooms. I remembered seeing them at the supermarket so wanted to try it.
Shimeji mushrooms are quite small, and not so strong tasting but delicious. You have to remove the roots before you cook them.

The one I bought was called a Buna Shimeji mushroom and came in punnets. You can learn here about these shimeji mushrooms.

Recipe : Stir fried chicken with potatoes and shimeji mushrooms - recipe adapted from japanese tv programme Dosanko Cooking

1 Punnet of shimeji mushrooms
1 big potato or 2 medium ones, peeled and cut into small strips, as you would for making fries but smaller and thinner
3-4 pieces of boneless chicken thigh fillets cut into strips
2 fat cloves of garlic, finely chopped
a good dash of ketchup or tomato sauce, about a tablespoon or 2
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 mild red chilli thinly sliced
a handful of fresh parsley finely chopped
salt
oil

1. Cut the roots off the mushrooms. Cook your potatoes in lightly salted till tender but dont over cook them , dont want mushy potatoes.

2. Heat wok or large frying pan till hot , add oil and swirl it around. Add the chicken and stir fry till chicken is nice and golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside.

3. Add potatoes and stir fry till the potatoes turn to a golden colour, remove and set aside.

4. Finally add the garlic and working cooking stirfry for 1 minute , then add mushrooms and chillies , return the potatoes and chicken and stir fry to infuse flavour of garlic and chilli.

5. Ketchup or tomato sauce and soy sauce, about 2 tablespoons of water and stir fry till you get nice sauce. Taste add salt or soy sauce if necessary, adjust to your liking.

6. Finally stir in parsely, switch off and serve with plain cooked rice.

Lunboahuthufani ( warm lime drink)

2011-11-23T03:20:00.000-08:00

This is a maldivian housewives remedy for colds. Or rather my mother's remedy for colds. I remember as a child I dread this drink as soon as I start the sniffles. But I would still have to drink it. Even now if she finds out one of us are having the sniffles she would advice us to drink some of this lime drink , strepsils , inhale on herbal balms, etc....yes yes, both me and my sisters are all above 30 but she still fusses over us :).

Last week I had the a sore throat, having a 3 three month baby and a toddler , to let the sore throat flare up to full blown flu didnt seem like a good idea. So I made myself a cup of lunboa huthu fani ( lime juice or drink). You can substitute the sugar with honey. The pinch of salt takes some of the sour ness away.

For 1 cup :

Juice of 1/2 a lime
Sugar or honey
a tiny pinch of salt
hot water

Mix all in a cup or mug, taste, add more sugar or honey . Sip away :) , this is not something you take like medicine in one gulp, more like slow sips( or you'll burn your tongue.

Does it work? Well .................

Green Gram Dosa

2011-11-15T02:52:00.001-08:00

I am one of those people who would rather buy an instant packet of dosa or idli and just mix with water and prepare it. Or eat when someone else makes it usually at an mamak stall here in malaysia. I had some left over green grams which my sister had bought to make these dosas while she was here a few months back. So I smsed her for the recipe and it didnt sound so difficult to make.

Recipe : adapted from my eldest sister's Green Gram Dosa recipe

1 cup green grams
1/3 cup rice
pinch of salt
1 small onion, quatered
1/2 inch piece ginger , sliced
a small bunch coriander leaves or use a few curry leaves to vary the taste
1-2 red chillies, deseeded
water
oil

1. Wash green grams and rice till the water runs clear. Leave to soak in water for atleast 4 hours or over night. Drain water, give a rinse and grind in batches till nice and smooth. Use little water , about 2 tablespoons per batch to help it grind.

2. After you grind the green grams and rice, pour it into a bowl add a pinch of salt and cover with a cling film and leave it to ferment a little for an hour or 2 .

3. While you wait, grind onions, ginger, chilli and coriander leaves( or curry leaves ) to a paste. Mix this into the previously ground green gram and rice mixture. The batter should not be too thick ( you wont be able to spread it out thinly) or too thin.

4. To make a nice thin dosa without burning or making a big mess, you need to be prepared before making them. Get a large , non stick frying pan, some oil in a small bowl with a piece of kitchen towel or a pastry brush in it, a damp kitchen towel ( clean one).

5. Heat the frying pan over a medium flame , once its hot, brush with oil using kitchen paper or brush, lift pan away from fire and pour the batter using a ladle. Use the back of the ladle , and spread it out in a circular motion. Try to spread it out as much as you can, , place back on stove and let it cook through, flip to other side and then remove. Wipe the pan with the damp towel to cool the pan and then brush with oil and repeat making dosa. Check out the link here to learn more on how to make dosas.

Serve with a dry curry and enjoy.

Sending this to Priya's Cooking with Seeds event :mung beans , event.

Sardine Curry

2011-11-12T06:13:00.001-08:00

I discovered a can of sardines hiding inside my small pantry cupboard. Some people might not like it as sardines has quite a strong taste. I dont normally eat sardines everyday its more of an occasional thing. But then again, they are good for you too.
Anyway back to my can of sardines , I decided to make a curry out of it. Its one of those recipes which is economical and using ingrediants that are usually already at home. Unless you are one of those people who dashes off to buy groceries and spices only when its time to cook.

Recipe: Sardine curry: my own invention

for 3-4 people
1 can (425g) of sardines in tomato sauce
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, grated or pureed
2 tsp of curry powder( use any kind, just dont go for the thai pastes, I used a fish curry powder)
pinch ground pepper
1 red or green chilli slit in half
5 curry leaves
A big handful(thats about 1/3 cup) of green peas , frozen or canned or fresh
water or you can use stock ( or a stock cube mixed with water)
salt to taste

For the extra kick (optional, but makes it tastes even better ) : 1 clove of garlic, small handfull of coriander leaves, zest of 1/2 a lemon)

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan , saute' your onions with the curry leaves till the onions are soft, and translucent.

2. Bring the heat down low, add garlic, chilli and curry powder, add a little water to prevent the spices from burning and giving you a coughing fit .

3. Stir in the can of sardines. Carefully break the whole ones in half, stir gently. Pour water or stock into the empty can of sardines till its half of the can, swirl and pour contents into the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently till the flavours come out and sauce slightly thickens slightly. taste and add salt.

4. Now to jazz it up, while the curry is cooking, finely chop coriander leaves and garlic together , mix in the lemon zest and then sprinkle this on top of the curry just before switching it off and gently mix it in. Cook 1 minute and switch off , let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with some bread or flat bread.

Szechuan Crusted Fried Chicken

2011-11-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

This a long over due post, sorry for the delay. Remember the szechuan peppercorns I had , well I saw this recipe by Kylie Kwong where she uses it to make a crispy duck. Using that as an idea I tried it with chicken with some additional ingrediants.
It gave it a nice lemony taste. Steaming the chicken before frying ensured that the chicken was cooked through.

Recipe : Szechuan crusted fried chicken : Inspired by Kylie Kwong's Crispy duck

6 pieces of chicken( I used thighs and drumstick pieces)
1 tbsp szechuan peppercorns
2 cloves of garlic(finely grated)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
pinch pepper
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp salt
Flour , about 1/4 cup
Oil for deep frying

I like to leave the skin on in the chicken because it makes it extra crispy and delicious. Pat dry and place in a bowl.

Prepare szechuan salt by heating the peppercorns with a teaspoon of salt on a dry frying pan and gently dry fry them till they release their aroma. Remove and pound or grind to a fine powder.

Reserve about a big pinch of that szechuan peppercorn salt and add the rest into the bowl with the chicken along with garlic, chilli powder, a tiny pinch regular black pepper, and light soysauce. Mix well and leave to marinate for about 1-2 hours.

Prepare your steamer by filling with water and bringing to boil. Lay your chicken on the tray and steam for about 30 minutes till the chicken is tender. Remove and let it air dry for another 30 minutes.

Season your flour with the reserved szechuan peppercorn salt and toss your chicken pieces in it, shaking off any excess flour. Deep fry till nice and golden and crispy.

Sticky Date pudding

2011-11-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

First of all Wishing all my muslim readers a very Happy Eid, hope all are having a happy and peaceful eid day.

Have you ever had anything where you take one bite and you just feel like closing your eyes and savour each bite. Well thats what happened to me when I ate this . I found n this recipe on an Austrailian Women's Weekly magazine. Its very simple to make once you get everythig ready, and has its own sauce at the bottom once its baked.

Sticky Date Pudding : Recipe adapted from Australian Women's Weekly

1/2 cup died dates , choppped and soaked in hot water for 20 minutes or so
3/4 cups flour + 1 tsp baking powder (or use self raising flour )
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup brown sugar
15g ,thats about 2-3 tbsp, butter

1. While the dates soak in hot water, preheat your oven to 180 degree celsius. grease a small oven dish with a little butter.

2. Sift flour and sugar intoa bowl, mix till its combined well.

3. Drain the water from the dates, and add the dates into the flour mixture and the milk. Mix well and spread the mixture at the bottom of the prepared dish. Place the dish on a baking sheet.

4. In a heat proof jug or large mug , mix brown sugar and butter and pour boiling water in and mix . Pour it carefully over the batter in oven dish. Then carefully place the dish on a baking tray or sheet and place it carefully inthe oven.

5. Bake for 45 minutes till nice and golden on top and firm to touch. Serve warm. ( according to the magazine you can serve it with cream or ice cream.

Ps Next time if i make it I would add some chopped nuts like walnuts or kanamadu.

Lasagne

2011-10-31T06:28:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I both love lasagne, but for ages my lasagne had always come out either too mushy, or the pasta sheets too rubbery or undercooked ( I used dried lasagne sheets). Finally I tried   it using fresh pasta , using my new pasta maker and after a few tries it turned out almost perfect.
I know making fresh pasta can be a bit of a time consumer but I found that you can make in bulk , roll it by hand or by pasta maker, cut into lasagne sheets , dry them and then freeze.   If you still think its a waste of time use dried pasta sheets, make sure you cover the top sheet well with sauce , cover tightly with aluminium foil and then bake for about 45 minutes, then remove the foil , cook the top for about a further 10 minutes or so its nice and golden and bubbling on top

Recipe : Lasagne

Fresh pasta , recipe adapted from Chef Micheal Smith's homemade pasta recipe
                     :
                    3 large eggs, lightly beaten
                    2 cups flour ( I used regular flour)
                    A little splash of olive oil

1. Unlike the italian or chefy way of doing this , I sifted the flour into a large tray, pile it up and then make a well in the centre. Pour the eggs into the centre along with the olive oil and carefully, trying to be as less messy as I can , started to knead. Knead till you get a nice dough ball, if too sticky add a little flour, leave to rest wrapped in cling film for about an hour.

Dust your work surface and roll it out till nice and thin. easier if you cut it into quarters and rolling each one. Check out here, how to roll out without a pasta maker,( excuse the funky music :D )  Same goes for using a pasta maker , check it out here on how its done by jamie oliver.   Once you have rolled it out , dust with a little flour and then leave to dry on a towel or hang it to dry as shown here

Meat sauce : 300g ground beef
                    1 medium onion
                    2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated
                     400g can chopped tomatoes
                     2 tsp tomato paste
                     a generous helping of ground black pepper
                     1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
                    salt
                    finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
                   olive oil
1. Heat a deep frying pan or a wok, add olive oil. Once its hot add the onions and saute' till translucent. Stir in ground beef ( if you are using those frozen ground beef, pan fry then pop into a food processor and pulse a couple of times to break it up as they tend to clump up when cooking).

2. Once the meat is brown , add the garlic . Break the tomatoes if you have a can of whole tomatoes, then stir it in , along with pepper, herbs , (i like to add a little dried chilli flakes or a dash of tabasco), tomato paste. Pour water half way up the tomato can and slosh it around and then pour the contents intthe pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer till the sauce is nice and very thick.Taste and season with salt, adjust seasonings. Finally stir in fresh parsely if using. Simmer for 1 minute, then switch off , cool till you get the white sauce ready.

Bechamel Sauce/ White sauce : 2 tbsp butter
                                                2 tbsp flour
                                                about 2 cups milk
                                                a big handful grated chedder cheese and parmesan cheese
                                                 pepper

Heat butter over a low heat, once it melts, stir in flour once its well mixed, pour milk while stirring all the time so the flour and butter mixture gets well mixed with milk. Bring to a simmer and stir continously till its nice and thick. Stir in cheeses ( you can use both or just what you can get your hands on), pepper. Taste and add salt if necessary. Make sure the sauce is nice and thick and doesnt taste floury.

To assmeble the Lasagne :
Fresh pasta
Meat sauce
White sauce
Parmesan cheese grated

1.Choose a oven dish or a baking tray , this would go well for a family of 2 or 3. freeze any left over pasta. Preheat oven to about 200 degree celcius.

2. Spoon meat sauce at the bottom, then add a layer of pasta sheet, Make sure the sheets are quite dry or they became too soggy.

3. Add a layer of white sauce and parmesan cheese. Then a layer of pasta, meat sauce, another pasta , white sauce , and continue like this till you get to the top layer , finishing with white sauce and a generous helping of cheese ( if you dont have parmesan or is expensive try with chedder cheese)

4. Pop in oven , bake for about 45 minutes till nice  and bubbly and golden on top. Serve alone or with a nice green salad.

Quinoa Bondibai ( Quinoa pudding)

2011-10-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

Priya got me very curious about Quinoa as she always comes up with new ideas to cook this super grain. Since its a whole new thing for me, I checked out how to cook Quinoa and found out its quite easy to cook, no presoaking required, almost like cooking rice.

The taste was a bit nutty, so I wondered if it would taste cooked sweet. So I tried this recipe using the traditional Maldivian way to making pudding or bondibai. Bondibai is usually made using grains such as rice, wheat, sometimes sago, and even breadfruit. Its usually very sweet . My hubby for once didnt like this dish, says it tastes better when cooked savory. But I decided to post it for I did quite like it even though it did taste a bit strange. Maybe its the constant craving for food , a side effect of breastfeeding probably.

Quinoa Bondibai

1 cup Quinoa
3 cups water
about 1 cup sugar
1 pandan leaf cut into big chunks
about 1/2 cup packed coconut milk or use thick coconut milk if using fresh
a few drops of rose essence or about 1 tbsp rose water

1. Place quinoa to cook with 3 cups of water and the pandan leaves over a medium heat. Once its cooked and you have just 1 cup of water left.

2. Stir in sugar, and keep stirringto get the sugar to dissolve. Add coconut milk . Stir over a gentle heat for about 1-2 minutes till the mixture is thick but not dry. Taste, adjust sweetness to your liking. Stir in rose water or rose essence. Switch off, leave it to cook on a cooler hob not the one you were cooking on.

Serve warm or chilled.
Check out priya's quinoa event round up, got some really delicious recipes, too bad I missed if, oh well maybe next time :)

Slow Baked Chicken with Potatoes, Lemons and Thyme

2011-10-12T06:14:00.000-07:00

My mother left to go back home, so am alone at home with my boys and hubby. I made this dish a couple of times and its a great one to make where you dont need to hover around the kitchen too much , just chuck everything in the oven and prepare a green salad to go with it later or you can just blanch some green beans or rice.
4 whole chicken leg pieces , seperated into thigh and drumstick pieces , i left the skin on
about 5-6 slices of lemon
10 cloves of garlic, left whole with skin on
a few sprigs of thyme or use dried herbs ( about a big pinch)
2 tsps Cajun spice mix( or use paprika if you dont have it or play around with the spices that you have)
6-8 small or equal size potatoes , peeled ( or cut 2 large potatoes into big chunks)
black pepper and salt
olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup ( 250 ml ) stock ( or 1 chicken stock cube mixed with chicken stock)
Preheat oven to about 180 degree celsius

1. Pat chicken pieces dry using paper towels season with salt.

2. Heat a large frying pan till very hot, add oil and then carefully sear the chicken pieces skin side down till the skin is light brown but not cooked through. Remove and place the chicken pieces in a large roasting pan or oven dish. Arrange the chicken pieces in it. Sprinkle the cajun spice on top so it adds a coat on the chicken pieces.

3. Arrange the potatoes between the chicken pieces, add the garlic cloves and lemon slices and thyme in empty spaces so it looks all nice and cozy :). sprinkle in a salt and pepper and more spice if you like.

4. Carefully pour in chicken stock , cover with foil and place in oven for about 45 minutes to one hour. Remove foil, cook for a furthr 20 minutes or so to brown the potatoes and reduce the sauce.

5. Serve with a simple green salad or some blanched green beans or brocolli

Roshi Pie

2011-09-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

Roshi is the Maldivian version of chapati or tortilla's. I saw this recipe in Nigella Lawson's Kitchen series and its a great way to use up left over flatbread. She called it a Mexican lasagne and was a complete vegetarian meal. I tweaked the recipe and made something slightly different.

Recipe Roshi Pie : recipe adapted from Mexican Lasagne by Nigella Lawson

You will need :
3-4 left over cooked flat breads, such as roshi, chapati or tortilla
1 can of kidney beans or use baked beans if you like
2-3 tablespoons dried tuna flakes ( optional, this is purely to please the palate of my hubby ), see note below
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
2 green chillies, finely sliced
1 (400g) can of chopped tomatoes ( or use 4-5 tomatoes , peeled and chopped )
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinamon
1/2 tsp ground oregano
a big handful of finely chopped coriander leaves
salt and pepper
1 cup frozen , canned or fresh corn kernals ( sweet corn)
1 cup grated chedder cheese, grated
oil ( olive oil or vegetable oil)

1. In a bowl, mix grated cheese and corn, set side.

2. Heat oil in a large deep frying pan or cooking pot, saute' your onions till they go soft and translucent. Add garlic, and dried tuna , if using and stir for 1 minute.

3. Add in tomatoes, spices, oregano , chillies and beans and 1/2 a can of water using the empty tomato can. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered for 5 - 10 minutes till the sauce is very thick , stir occasionally. Taste and add salt. Stir in coriander leaves, cook one minute and then switch off and let it cool.

3. Preheat your oven to about 200 degree celsius, use a round oven dish or baking tray if possible, one that will fit a single flatbread .Rub a little oil inside the pan.

4. Ladle the bean sauce at the bottom of the dish or tray , spread it so its a nice generous layer at the bottom. Place a flat bread you are using on top. Sprinkle the corn and cheese mixture on top of the flat bread. Then repeat with another sauce layer, the second flat bread and go on till you get to the final flat bread layer. Spread the last bit of sauce and a good generous amount of cheese and corn or just cheese .

Bake for about 30- 45 minutes till the top is golden and bubbly. Serve with a nice green salad. Enjoy!

Note : you can vary the recipe using meat or use some left over Chilli corn carne instead.

Szechuan Peppercorns

2011-09-17T23:43:00.000-07:00

A few months back there was a food festival here in Kelantan hosted by Cheng Ho International and the Kelantan government. I went there with high expections but to my disappointment it wasnt as good as I expected. But something caught my eye and that was these little peppercorns, a small little packet of dark reddish brown peppercorns.

I have heard and seen many photographs of these peppercorns known as Sichuan or Szechuan peppercorns so bought a little packet to try.

Its got a lovely lemony smell, not the usual peppery smell of black peppercorns. When you take a little peppercorn and chew it you dont get the usual pepper taste , but after about 10 seconds you get this rather strange tingly sensation at the tip of your tongue.

I have seen many times on Kylie Kwong recipes, that she dry roasts the peppercorns with salt and grinds them and uses it to season food.

Am going to try it soon, will keep your posted. :) so for now, you can check out more about Szechuan peppercorns here

Marie Biscuit Trifle

2011-09-12T02:05:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine made this once and its delicious. She brought this trifle for me to try, one that she made , and we loved it so much, that I asked her for the recipe.
I changed the consistency a bit by whipping the cream till thick and just begining to form soft peaks , before mixing with condensed milk.
. Fruit cocktail cans and condensed milk ( geri kiru) are both staples in a Maldivian store cupboard. Sometimes we used to serve desert with both mixed together and chilled.

Recipe : my version of Shiba's Marie Biscuit Trifle

Small packet whipping cream ( about 200ml packet)
1/2 cup sweet condensed milk ( geri kiru)
1 cup fruit from a can of fruit cocktail
8-10 Marie Biscuits
a little milk ( about a few tablespoons)
For garnish : 1 kiwi fruit, sliced and 4-5 strawberries , halved

Method:

1. Whip the cream till you get soft peaks ( not stiff, ). Stir in condensed milk , fold carefully till completely mixed, dont worry if it the cream collapses a little.

2. Take a nice, large bowl big enough to fit everything in. Pour milk into a bowl, dip each biscuit into the milk and arrange it at the bottom of the bowl. You dont need to soak it just dip and take it out.

3. Once you have arranged a few biscuits at the bottom so its completely covered, add a few ladles of cream mixture. Then add a few spoons of fruit cocktail.

4. Repeat with another layer of milk dipped biscuits , another layer of cream and fruit, finish with a layer of biscuits and final layer of cream mixture. Arrange the kiwi fruit slices and strawberries on top, chill for atleast and hour before serving.

You can even use separate desert bowls for individual servings , which would look extra special if you are serving it for a dinner party.

Enjoy!!

Claypot Chicken Rice

2011-09-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

Yes I am back, my second son , a healthy little bundle, was delivered via emergency c- section. My mum and eldest sister were here to take care of me but they had a hard time keeping me still as I am not someone who likes to lie down and play sick. So was up and running almost by the 10th day.

The first time I ate claypot chicken rice was back in 1995.   Its rice cooked in a claypot , a small pot of steaming rice with tender pieces of chicken , greens , sometimes mushrooms and an egg, served along side a simple chilli sauce of chillies and soy sauce.
My friends and I used to head to this claypot shop back then, which makes only different kinds of claypot rice. I especially like the crunchy slightly burnt up rice thats stuck to the bottom of the pot.

I found this recipe in a local Flavours magazine, in its March April issue. Even though I couldnt find a claypot, I used a    ceramic   dish , similar in size and shape to a claypot. You can still make it in a good heavy bottomed pot , but make sure you have a good lid. You can also check out how to make claypot chicken rice without a claypot at rasa malaysia, by clicking here

Claypot Chicken Rice : Adapted from Flavours Magazine March-April 2009 issue

For 3 people
200g chicken, cut into small chunks with or without bone
Marinade for chicken : A few drops of dark soy sauce
                                    1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
                                     1/2 inch piece ginger, grated
                                     1/2 tsp corn flour
                                    1/2 tsp sesame oil
                                     salt and pinch of white pepper ( dont think of substituting with black pepper as it ends up being too strong)

150g basmathi rice or any other long grain rice
about 200ml water

Sauce for drizzling into the rice : 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
                                                 1 tsp dark soy sauce
                                                 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
                                                  1 tbsp warm water
                                                1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 spring onions, white and green parts finely chopped for garnish
chilli sauce : 2 green or red chillies finely sliced mixed with    a good helping of light soy sauce

1. Place the marinating ingrediants in a bowl, add the chicken and mix well, leave to marinate for a few hours.

2. Wash rice well in several changes of water, pour into suitable pot or claypot add water and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil , reduce heat till the water starts to be absorbed from the top.

3. Once the water is almost absorbed from the top , add the chicken along with the marinade and about 2 tablespoons of the drizzling sauce, cover with a lid and let it cook for a further 10- 15 minutes over a very low heat.

4. Remove lid, check if the chicken is done, fluff the rice . Sprinkle with spring onions and serve piping hot with the chilli sauce and some steamed chinese greens such as bok choy, choy sum, gai lan etc.

Steak and potatoes dinner

2011-07-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

YES!! I finally did it!!! I made a fairly decent steak for my hubby and me . My steaks always end up in disasters as I always cook they for too long, for the fear of under cooking it and getting sick ( thanks for reading the book Toxin by Robin Cook !). But recently have been drooling over the many steak recipes posted on various blogs and on tv shows so was craving a nice piece of juicy steak.

I happened to come across this beautiful piece of Australian beef , which was cut perfectly ( a blessing in disguise as there are no butchers in this area so you have to try and figure out what kind of cut it is and all. But having seen something similar to this , on an Australian women's weekly , I decided to buy it. I think it was either a fillet eye or fillet steak piece and was not so thick but about 1/2 inch thick.

Got back home, left it in the fridge section instead of meat section , so it didnt get cold, then made a marinade with what I thought would go well with meat.

Meat marinade : for 2 small steaks

1 tsp whole grain mustard
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
pinch thyme
juice if 1/2 a lemon, and a little zest
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp light soy sauce
a little olive oil

I added soy sauce because I have read you shouldnt put salt into the marinade as it draws out the moisture. So I left the steaks to marinade in the fridge for about 2-3 hours, and then took it out about 10- 15 minutes before cooking. Heated a grill pan till smoking hot, and preheat your oven to about 160 degrees celsius. (make sure you have good ventilation and open any near by doors and windows as its going to get really smoking!!) Remove any excess marinade and bits of it from the steak , season with salt . Placed the steaks in and then had the hard part of staying still and not poking it around , I gave it about 5-7 minutes on each side , then placed it in the oven for about 8 - 10 minutes cos I like my steaks well down. Once its finished cooking I covered it with foil and left it to rest for another 10 minutes.

Made gravy using :
1 onions, sliced
2 tsp flour
any left over marinade and pan juices
1/2 cup stock or water or maybe a little bit more if it gets too thick.
Salt

I sauteed the onions in a frying pan with alittle butter,( the grill pan wasnt very good pan to make the gravy) till soft and starting to colour
Stired in flour and stired it till it was nicely mixed in, added any left over pan juices and marinade, and water or stock. Cook , stirring occasionally till nice and thick , taste add salt and pepper.

Serve steaks drizzled with the onion gravy with a side of potatoes and beans or peas.

To those who have been having the same fear of burning up your steaks , check out the following sites,
How to cook the perfect steak and also a few more tips

Custard Apple

2011-06-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting for a while. Have been down with flu, and now have got a terrible cough. Havent touched the computer for ages.

No I havent made custard out of apples , this is tropical fruit , some what similar to a sour soup but smaller and more sweeter. In our language its known as Atha
I have seen two varieties in Maldives so far, one has a more bumpy skin while the other is smoother with a very hard stem. I am more familiar with the bumpy skinned one, which might not look very appealing to look at but once you pry the fruit open near the stem you get this white sweet flesh. Its got loads of black seeds which are not edible.

How we eat it?, well I like to scoop the flesh out with a teaspoon and just pop it in my mouth :) and then spit the seeds out.

Back home we even make juice out it , just scoop the flesh out, add a little sugar and then using your fingers mash it around and then pick the seeds out. They come out easily when you add the sugar. Then pour it into the blender with some water and more sugar if you want, or you can add the sugar later, blend . Serve chilled with come ice cubes if you like.

You can find out more about custard apples here or you can check it out on this web page.

Breadfruit curry ( Banbukeyo Hithi)

2011-06-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

After a lovely holiday in Malacca, am back and its back to normal at home. A few days back a friend of mine sent me a breadfruit. Breadfruit is grown or rather was growing widely back home in Maldives, I say was as I am not sure how many trees are left now adays. Its considered a vegetable and has a nice starchy a bit breadlike taste.
I have spotted quite a number of these trees around Malaysia and my friends here all keep their eyes peeled when driving around for a tree with breadfruit , if they spot a good tree with abundant breadfruit they actually go and ask the owner if they can buy some :), most of the owners in this part of Malaysia are quite generous and sometimes even give it for free.

Anyway back to my breadfruit curry, I know its not easy or you probably have never seen something like this but this is just to introduce you to slightly more authentic curry dishes and also for local readers :) .

First clean and prepare your breadfruit, I had a good size one, choose one with light green colour, not the dark green, which means its still young. When you cut through it, it will give away a sticky sap. Peel the skin with a knife or a vegetable peeler, easier to peel if you quarter it. Remove the core and place the flesh in water till you start cooking.

To remove the sticky sap from your hands and knife rub some vegetable oil and wash well with soap.

Breadfruit curry :

1/4 breadfruit ( freeze the rest if you have a small family like mine)
1 sprig curry leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground cumin ( toast them in a dry pan before grinding to really enhance their flavor but dont burn it)
1 medium onion
80 ml coconut milk ( i used packed coconut milk, if fresh extract thick coconut milk)
2 green chillies ( optional)
1/4- 1/2 tsp tumeric ( depends on the brand as some are more stronger than others)
Water
salt
Juice of 1/2 a lime

1. Cut the breadfruit into bite size cubes. Place in a suitable pot with enough water to cover it all up. Place on stove with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.

2. While the breadfruit is cooking, place the onions in a blender along with cumin and coconut milk and blend till smooth.

3. Once the breadfruit start to soften, add curry leaves and grate the garlic cloves into the pot and add tumeric. Stir , add some more water if necessary.

4. Cook for a further 5 minutes, when the bread fruit is soft add the coconut milk mixture, add the chilli if using and cook for a further 2 minutes on a low heat. You want a thick gravy. Taste adjust salt and squeeze in your lime and switch off. Serve with Roshi or plain cooked rice.

Variation, traditionally according to my mum instead of adding the chillies you serve the curry with a side dish of dried chillies fried in a little oil. This curry tastes even better once you reheat it a couple of times and eat it the next day :) . If you really want to try the recipe but have no access to breadfruit try making it with potatoes , sweet potato or even a butternut squash.

Toffee Apple Tart

2011-06-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

Even though I do like to indulge in slightly over budget food, I am always on the look out for good recipes that require few ingrediants which are cheap and easily available. According to the news from back home the prices have sky rocketed so I try to come up with recipes that are delicious and made using things that are easily available at a reasonable price.

I came across this recipe by my favorite chef, Jamie Oliver in his book Jamie's dinners which by the way is one of his best books because most of the recipes are very easy to make and not over the top with a long list of ingrediants.

Be warned this is a very sweet treat, so serve in small slices not huge slices :) and use icing sugar as I have tried making this with regular sugar but it just didnt work out well.

Tofee Apple Tart recipe : jamie 's Dinner

325g ( a small can) sweet condensed milk
2 green apples, peeled , cored and sliced
2 tbsps icing sugar

Pastry:
75g butter
50g icing sugar
tiny pinch salt
125g flour
1 small egg
1-2 tbsp milk or water

1. First , fill a heavy bottomed stainless steel pot with water. Place your unopened can of condensed milk inside, making sure its stand upright and not floating around. Place the lid and put a heavy object such as the motor of the motor and pestle. Bring to a boil. Let it boil for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Make sure you check the water level and that it doesnt dry up, keep refilling it every now and then.

2. While that is happening, prepare the pastry. Cream butter and icing sugar then rub in the flour into it along with a tiny pinch of salt.

3. Add the egg and mix well , if it comes to gether then no need to add milk , but if it looks too dry add a tbsp at a time till you are able to mix well. Ball it up and wrap it in cling film and chill for and hour in the fridge.

4. Check your can of condensed milk and take it out after the required time frame, then let it cool, you can even make this a day ahead. Make sure its completely cool before opening. The inside will be all toffee like and taste absolutely divine!!!.

5. Toss the apple slices with icing sugar.

6. Take your pastry out and roll it between two sheets of cling film or baking paper, as its easier this way. Line in a lightly buttered small spring form baking tray or regular round baking try. Trim the edges and let it chill another 30 minutes.

7. Take the baking trays out and then place a baking paper or piece of foil on top and fill it with beans or rice, incooked rice ofcourse!! ( bake blind) as shown below.

Place in a preheated oven at around 200 degree celcius , about 20 minutes. Take it out remove the beans and paper and then pop it back in for another 5 - 10 minutes to cook the inside.

8. Take the cooked pastry out, spread with the" toffee-ed " condensed milk, layer the apples on top and pop back in the oven for another 45 minutes or so. I tried two ways on was spreading the topping and then arranging the apples, but I think it looks better when you fill it with apples first then spread the toffee on top.

Enjoy!!!, Going off to Malacca for a week , before the baby arrives in August, so see you guys after a week , will try and catch up with all my blogger buddies when I get back!!!

Grilled Spicy Chicken And Coriander Pizza

2011-05-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

Pizza is one of my favorite things to make and its one of the best recipes to try when cooking with kids. This pizza is great one for adults as its quite spicy.

You will need :
Basic pizza dough

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast pieces
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 cloves garlic, pound to a paste or finely grated
1 tsp garam masala
salt

1 chilli pepper or a red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
A generous amount of chedder and mozzarella cheese

For the sauce :
1 big bunch of cilantro or coriander leaves
1 clove garlic
about 1-2 tbsps olive oil
1 red chilli finely chopped ( optional)

1. Prepare pizza dough and leave it to rise .

2. While that is happening, place the sauce ingrediants except olive oil, in a food processor or motor and pestle , and pulse a few times to chop them up, add olive oil from a side until you get a nice thick mixture but not oily. Add a tiny pinch salt.

3. Pat your chicken pieces dry with kitchen paper, season with salt and the rest of the ingrediants and rub it well into the meat. You can even leave it to marinate for an hour to intensify the flavor.

4. Heat a large frying pan with a little oil or even a grill pan ( without any oil), and pan fry the chicken pieces , breast side down first till the meat is done. About 5- 10 minutes. Switch off and leave it on a chopping block covered with tin foil for about 10 minutes. Cut into thin slices.

5. Now before you assemble your pizza make sure you get your oven really hot and the pizza pan hot. Once its hot enough, take the pan out and very carefully roll the pizza dough out and fit it into the pan. Drizzle a little olive oil on the pan first, and use a tissue paper to rub it around.

6. Spread the coriander paste all over the base and then arrange the chicken slices, the bell pepper or chilli pepper strips in between the chicken slices.

7. Sprinkle generously with chedder and mozzarella. I like to sprinkle a little black pepper ontop of the cheese before popping it back into the oven. Bake till the cheese is golden and bubbling. and the crust is turning a dark golden brown.

What kind of a pizza crust lover are you. I like thin crust , cant stand the fat fluffy crust which makes me feel like I am eating a thick slice of bread. Any left over pizza dough can be kept in the freezer or fridge.

Maldivian style Fried Noodles

2011-05-18T00:13:00.000-07:00

A lot of Maldivians love noodles. Its usually instant noodles thats used to make either soups or fried. I have come to love the fresh or dried egg noodles or the rice noodles but for this particular recipe you do need the instant noodles rather than the other varieties.

For 2 or 1 very hungry person

1 pkt instant chicken flavored noodles ( i prefer either maggi or Marmee brand)
1/2 a medium carrot, julienned
4-5 french beans, finely sliced at an angle
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 mild chilli peppers , seeds removed and sliced
1 small onion or shallot. finely sliced
1 small leek, finely sliced
6 curry leaves
1/2 a can of tuna, flaked or a nice spicy sausage cut into thin slices
2 green chillies, cut in half lenght wise
good quality tomato sauce or ketchup ( about 2 tbsps)
light soy sauce
2 kaffir lime leaves( optional, this is just my own personal addition it gives it a very nice aromatic smell and taste)
oil

1. Heat a pot of water to boil with a little salt. Bash your packet of noodles to break the noodles up , remove the seasoning powder and set aside, add the noodles into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, drain and remove give a rinse under cold water and set side.

2. Heat a wok once its hot add oil enough to cover a thin layer at the bottom, add your onions and leeks and stir fry till the leeks and onions soften.

3. Add curry leaves, garlic, beans, carrots and chilli peppers and stir fry till they go soft. Add the flavoring packet contents into the vegetables and mix well. Stir in flaked tuna/ or sausage, chillies and kaffir lime leaves and stir fry till everything is well mixed.

4. Stir in tomato ketchup ( u can use either 1-2 tbspoons) , a few splashes of soy sauce and mix well. Taste, season with salt if necessary, the flavoring packet and soy sauce already contains salt so taste before adding salt.

5. Heat the noodles well and stir well to incorporate all the flavors together then serve. ps you can add a little lime juice to bring out the flavors towards the end of the cooking.

You can make this completely vegetarian. if you are using fresh noodles add them after stir frying the leeks or fry them ahead and add them later on.

Basbousa ( Egyption Semolina Cake)

2011-05-10T02:40:00.000-07:00

One of my closest friends studied in Egypt and she once brought this to one of our get to gethers during the month of ramadhan, the muslim fasting month. She sent me a recipe from the internet but somehow I forgot to save it and so had to search again for the recipe.
There were so many versions so I am not sure which one is the most authentic, but I am pretty sure this might come close to it.

I followed this recipe I found on the internet but have changed a few measurements such as reducing the amount of sugar and butter, and didnt use the cream. I forgot to add vanilla but even without it it still tasted great.

Recipe : Basbousa adapted from recipe land's basbousa with yogurt

Sugar Syrup
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 stick cinamon

Cake batter :
about 175g butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain full fat yogurt
1 1/4 cup semolina
1 tsp baking powder
Vanilla ( optional)
handful almonds, blanched in boiling water and skin removed

1. Preheat your oven to about 220 degree celsius

2. In a large mixing bowl , add your semolina, sugar, baking powder, stir in yogurt and butter. Mix well. Add vanilla if using. Pour the mixture in to a very lightly greased square baking tray and bake for about 45 minutes.

3. Half way through, take the tray out, run the knife through to make diamond shapes and place an almond on each diamond. Pop it back into the oven to finish baking, that is till nice and golden on top and a tooth pick comes out clean when inserted.

4. While the cake is being baked , make your sugar syrup, place sugar and water along with lemon juice and cinamon and bring to a boil till the sugar dissolves and becomes slightly thick. remove the cinamon stick.

5. Take the cake out once its golden and while its still hot pour the syrup all over the cake , leave to cool .

Serve by cutting out the diamond shapes you already made , enjoy!

Fish Pie

2011-05-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine makes this lovely fish pie everytime she hosts a get together. Sometimes she goes a little overboard with the scotch bonnet but everyone braves it up and polishes it up because it tastes pretty good even with the fiery heat.
Dont be alarmed with the scotch bonnet you can either use 1/4 scotch bonnet, deseeded or just use green or red chillies. The scotch bonnet gives a very nice aromatic taste.

Fish pie recipe

for Short crust pastry : recipe from BBC- food
175g plain flour
salt
75g butter
cold water ( few tablespoons)

1. Make sure everything is chilled. Grate the butter into a mixing bowl , containing flour and salt. Mix to get breadcrumbs but dont work it too much. Add cold water a tablespoon at a time , mix till everything comes together but no need to knead to a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film and chill in fridge for about 15 minutes

Filling
1 can of tuna, drained, flaked
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 medium tomato or 2 if small, chopped
1/2 or 1/4 scotch bonnet or green chillies, finely sliced
3-4 curry leaves
1/2 tsp minced or grated ginger
Juice of 1/2 a lime or 1/4 lemon
salt
pinch of pepper
oil

1. Heat oil in a frying pan , saute till it becomes translucent and starts to turn colour. Add ginger, curry leaves and tomatoes. Stir till the tomatoes go soft. Add the scotch bonnet or chillies and stir for 1 minute.

2. Stir in the flaked up tuna and stir fry till everything is mixed well season with salt and pepper. Squeeze in your lime or lemon juice, stir and switch off . Let it cool

To make your pie :

Preheat your oven to about 220- 250 degree celsius. grease and line a flat baking tray with a baking paper

Flour your work bench and rolling pin with flour. Divide your pastry into two and roll out the first one. You can make it a perfect circle by cutting it out with the help of a large round plate. Place it on the baking tray.

Spread your fish filling on top of the pastry making sure you leave and inch off the edges.

Roll out the second pastry and carefully lay it out on top of the fish filling. Using a fork press around the circle to seal the edges.

Beat an egg with a little water ( a tablespoon would do ) and brush the pie with it to give it a nice shiny effect.

Pop in the oven and bake till golden brown. Serve cut into wedges.

Kangkun Mallun

2011-04-23T03:36:00.000-07:00

When we were young, most of us who liked to go abroad for holidays we would usually head to neighbouring Sri Lanka or India. For my family its usually Sri Lanka as both my parents had done their schooling in Sri lanka and loved the food there.
My first trip was in 1986, my parents, my two elder sisters and myself and an uncle of ours. Instead of staying in a hotel we stayed in a Sri lankan lady's house, who rented rooms and served meals. It was a big house with a huge garden and one of our favorite things was climbing this huge temple flower tree , me always at the bottom with the rest climbing further up. There were two dishes that this lady served that had been stamped in my mind, one was this vegetarian sambal known as a mallun, and pineapple curry.

I found the recipe for mallun in a sri lankan recipe book which featured various ways to make mallun. I decided to make my own by using kangkun or water spinach. You can use either spinach or a white cabbage.Its a lovely accompaniment with rice and curries.

The dried tuna used in the recipe is a Maldivian product which is loved by Sri lankans and used widely in their cooking, although its known as Maldive fish for them.

dried tuna chips

Kang kung mallun,

You will need :

2 nice big bunches of kang kung or fresh spinach.
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
2 red or green chillies, sliced
1 medium size onion, finely sliced
6 curry leaves
1-2 tbsps of pound up dried tuna chips ( optional )
about 1/2 tsp tumeric
Juice of 1 lime or 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
salt

1. Wash the kangkung leaves, finely shred the leaves, use the tender stems too. Place in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the rest of the ingrediants except the mustard seeds. Season with salt and mix well after squeezing in the lime or lemon juice.

3. Heat a non stick wok with a tiny bit oil, just a few drops, and add the mustard seeds. Once they start to pop add the kangkung mixture and stir well till the leaves become a dark green and the coconut gives a roasted smell. Switch off and serve.

A simple chicken dinner

2011-04-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

By the end of last week,my fridge was almost empty, thanks to my car having engine trouble and my baby also giving me trouble. Had a bout of nausea and low blood pressure which has left me with little appetite. Could use some advice on what can boost my appetite. The weather has changed drastically to boiling hot, when you are carrying extra load it feels even hotter than normal.

I had just two boneless pieces of chicken breast , some lemons. potatoes and rather sorry looking beans. So I decided to grill my chicken pieces , roast the potatoes into wedges and just blanch the beans.

For 2:
2 boneless chicken breast pieces
1 fat clove of garlic
grated zest of 1/2 lemon and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp chilli flakes, add more if you want it spicy
salt and pepper
good splash of olive oil or vegetable oil if you dont have any.

1. Place garlic, salt in a motor and pestle and give a bash to mash it up. Add chilli flakes, zest , lemon juice and oil and mix well. Taste adjust salt. Set a side.

2. Cover your chicken breast pieces with a cling film or place inside a plastic bag and give a good bash with a heavy pan or meat tenderiser to flatten it up. Place in a shallow tray or bowl and pour the marinade in and leave for a few hours or so. Or if you are in a hurry a few minutes.

3. While that is happening ,you can cut your roasting potatoes into wedges, rinse and pat dry , season with salt and pepper and toss in a little olive oil and place in a hot oven flip them after sometime to cook evenly. ( for some odd reason my potatoes never turn out quite as I want them to be but this time hubby loved them so cant complain :)

4. Heat a griddle pan or a large non stick frying pan till very hot , place your chicken pieces , as they say presentation side down, leave it to cook then flip onto the over side and cook the other side. Press down a little to check if done. If no juices are coming out , remove , cover with a foil and leave till you blanch your beans.

5. Unfortunately since I used a griddle pan I couldnt get much sauce out, so just poured what ever juice I could get from the pan and from the plate that I left the chicken pieces to rest.

Serve , chicken with potato wedges and beans. Its not fancy but when you have few items in the kitchen or on a budget but still want a nice healthy meal, this would be pretty good.

Besan Pancakes

2011-04-08T17:53:00.000-07:00

I bought a big packet of besan , or chick pea flour to make pakoras and ever since then it has been left around my kitchen for an inspiration to make it into something new.
So did some searching around and discovered this recipe by Madhur Jaffery. Its quite easy to make and goes well with either vegetarian or non vegetarian dry curries. its more like a crepe than a fluffy pancake.

Recipe : Adapted from Besan Pancakes :Madhur jaffery

Makes about 6 medium pancakes :

150g besan or chick pea flour
250 ml water
1 small finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, pound to a paste
small handful coriander leaves ( finely chopped)
1/2 tsp paprika
a pinch of freshly ground cumin ( optional)
a tiny pinch pepper
Salt
Optional, if making for adults only add a finely chopped green chilli and replace paprika with chili powder
oil

1. Place besan, salt and spices, and stir in water till you get a lump free batter, a little thinner than a pancake batter.

2. Add the remaining ingrediants and stir well. Let it sit for a while in the fridge for about 30 minutes to one hour.

3. Heat a small non stick frying pan . Take a small piece of kitchen cloth or a crumbled up kitchen paper, dip it into a bowl of oil and spread a thin layer of oil on the pan.

4. Pour a ladle of batter and swirl it around quickly to spread it around. Let it cook for a minute till the top is almost cooked and you are able to lift it out easily. Flip it over and cook the other side and remove. Repeat with the rest.

Now what shall I do with the remaining besan ?

Purple Potatoes

2011-04-03T02:26:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had purple potatoes?. I came across these in Tesco supermarket, and decided to give them ago.

As their name they are purple and when you roast them the colour just seem to deepen more. I roasted them with new potatoes so I can figure out and compare the taste between them.

I made a one pot roast by mixing up both purple and new potatoes ( parboiled )along with a few chicken drumsticks. For flavor I added fresh rosemary, a few cloves of garlic, lemon zest, and olive oil along with salt and pepper. Just roasted them and served with a green salad.

Taste wise, well, I think I like the taste of regular white potatoes than the purple ones . These were a bit more stronger in taste and you do get a rather strange after taste.well thats my opinion :)

You can check Here to learn more about these purple potatoes

Fihunu Raimas ( Spicy Grilled Red Snapper)

2011-03-30T03:32:00.000-07:00

At my home, my brother in law loves red snappers!!, He would sometimes go night fishing with his mates and come home with some fish and there would usually be a snapper, although whether he caught it or bought it on the way home from the fish market ............ is another story :D.
We didnt have a proper barbeque grill, it was an old empty petrol drum which had been sawed in half , lenght ways. a wire chicken wire was kept on top to keep all the food to be grilled. We used dried coconut palm leaves, dried coconut husks and dried coconut shells. I made this for a friend of my hubby's who came over for lunch with his family. Since we didnt have a grill I baked it in the oven.

We bought this beautiful Red Snapper at a farmer's market near by , a bit pricey but great for an occasion like this. Unfortunately I had to cut it in half as it wont fit into my tiny oven :)

For Spicy Grilled Red Snapper

About 1 kg Red Snapper
1 lime
Salt
4 tbsp Lonumirus ( Maldivian chilli paste)

1. Clean your fish, remove gills and gut it. Score the skin about 1 cm space between each scored flesh. Wash and pat dry with a kitchen towel.

2. Prepare your Lonumirus ( check recipe here , you will need double the quantity I think to make 4 tbsp).

3. Season your fish well, squeeze the lime and rub it in. Spread the lonumirus all over the fish, make sure you spread into the scored areas and into the gill areas.

4. You can grill it on your barbeque grill over hot coals. Or you can pop it into the oven at about 250 degree celsius oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Aunty's Biryani

2011-03-25T03:54:00.000-07:00

My friend, who lives nearby discovered my blog, she is quite lucky, perhaps unlucky sometimes because I sometimes pop in with a container of food for her to try. My friend had tasted this amazing biryani made by this Indian lady, who lives a few doors down and requested that she tell me the recipe, as she just kept muddling up her ingrediants.
So I got this recipe from my Indian neighbour, who taught me this recipe, while making me walk around the whole housing block. Not that I am complaining, was a good exercise plus she was very enthusiatic telling me about how to make it. I have changed a little of the recipe like adding a little water while cooking the chicken and the addition of fried onions and potatoes , mainly because I love potatoes in my biryani.

Serves about 5 people

1/2 kg chicken pieces, such as thigh, drumsticks, wing etc.
3-4 large onions, finely sliced
2 tsps minced garlic
about 1 " piece ginger ,minced
5-6 green chillies, slit in half lenght ways
5 medium size tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp freshly ground cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
1 cup plain yogurt
2 large potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks
salt
Oil or ghee

1 1/2 cups good quality basmathi rice ( washed and then soaked in water for 1 hour)
2-4 cardamon ( ends sniped off)
1 stick cinamon
2-3 cloves

A pinch of saffron ( a good quality safftron smells wonderful even when they are packed in the packet)
A big handful of mint leaves
Ghee
about 1/3 cup milk

1. Place chicken pieces, garlic , ginger , chilli powder , ground cumin and a pinch of salt along with the yogurt in a bowl or zip lock bag and mix well. Leave to marinate over night or a few hours.

2. Parboil your potatoes , drain and set aside. Heat a generous amount of ghee in a suitable pot big enough to make the gravy, about 3 tablespoons. You can use vegetable oil instead if you want. Fry your potato slices till golden, remove and leave to drain in a paper towel.

3.. Add half the onions and stir fry till golden brown , and starts to crisp, remove and drain on paper towel and set aside.

4. Add the rest of the onions and saute' till they start to turn golden, then add the chicken along with the marinade. Add about 1/2 cup water into the bowl or bag you had been marinading the chicken and clean it out into the pot. Stir for 1 minute, add the chopped tomatoes, chillies, tumeric , cook covered till chicken is cooked through.

5. Remove lid and stir in the fried potatoes.Taste and season with salt. Let it cook till the gravy is very thick.

6. While the gravy was cooking , prepare your rice, drain the rice and cook in water with cinamon stick, cardamon and cloves. Make sure you dont leave the rice , check the rice, and once its cooked, check with a spoon, it shouldnt be mushy. Remove and drain all the excess water and give a rinse with cold water to stop the rice from cooking further. Drain the rice well. Place in bowl and season with a little salt and mix well.

7. Warm your milk in a small saucepan , dont boil, add saffron and leave to infuse for about 10 minutes.

8. To assemble your biryani, Take a thick based cooking pot big enough to fit everything in. Brush with oil. Add a layer of chicken along with some gravy. Top with a rice layer, then sprinkle safffon infused milk, mint leaves, and the fried onions, dot with a ghee. Repeat till all the gravy and finishing off with the rice layer with all the garnishings. Add a double layer of aluminium foil over the pot, place the lid and place on a very low heat on the stove top or in a low heat oven, at about 150 degree celsius. Cook for about 30 minutes,dont let it burn at the bottom. Remove lid , give a good mix and serve with a nice raita and salad.

Enjoy and hope you all have a lovely week end!

Stir Fried Lotus Root

2011-03-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

Dont you find listening, or even worse watching the news so depressing, the horrifying earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the fighting in middle east and africa. It makes me feel blessed to be living somewhere quite and peaceful here in a sleepy little town in Kelantan , Malaysia. We have to be grateful with the things we have and cherish what we have.

Now back to something to cheer us up, food!!.
Have you ever had lotus root. Its so delicious!!. I was quite surprised. I was expecting a strong woody taste. Its a very clean sweet crunchy texture. I have seen Kylie Kwong make a very simple stir fry using just lotus root and chillies , so decided to make a stir fry but using my usual stir fry ingrediants
I made this stir fry using lotus root and had to keep my self out of the kitchen because I kept sneaking in and picking bits from the wok to munch on.

Stir Fried Lotus root adapted from Kylie Kwong's Caramalised Lotus Root recipe

For 2-3 servings

1 nice piece of lotus root, the one I bought was about 12 inches .
A big handful of mangetout peas ( stringed and cut in half)
1 mild red chilli ( finely sliced)
2 spring onions, cut into small pieces
6 dried chinese mushrooms ( soaked in hot water , 10 mins, remove the woody end and then slice )
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 inch piece ginger finely chopped or even juliened if you done mind munching a little ginger.
A few drops of dark soy sauce
A good splash of light soy sauce
Sesame oil, about 1/2 tsp , i just added straight from the bottle, a couple of shakes from it.
Oil
Salt to taste

Preparing lotus root : Peel with a vegetable peeler, remove any black parts if any, cut into thin slices, and set aside in water with a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice.

1. Heat a wok or frying pan till fairly hot, over a high heat. Make sure you have prepared everything and is ready near by before you start . Add about 2 tbsp oil and add garlic and ginger and stir fry till they release their aroma. Dont let the garlic burn.

2. Add your mushrooms, and stir fry for 1 minute. Throw in your lotus root slices and stir fry about 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauces, and a little water, about 2 tablespoons and stir fry till well mixed.

3. Finally, add the mangetout peas , spring onions and chillies, stir fry for about 1 minute , taste add salt if necessary. Switch off and serve as soon as you can with some rice.

Hope you have a nice week end, and are safe and happy where ever you may be :) !

Blanching Brocolli

2011-03-13T00:32:00.000-08:00

My son loves Brocolli, what more could a mother want :), A lot of people or some people tend to over cook their vegetables, either to soften them or to kill any scary germs lurking around. Its not just brocolli its also other vegetables , such as carrots , beans , etc.
What I think is its because we tend to over cook them. I know i have over cooked my brocolli when my son refuses or pulls a face and says mumma you made soggy brocolli today. I am not showing off my cooking skills or anything, nor am I some super cook or something but just showing you what I learnt along the way. Something I have noticed is a lot of people seem intimidated when they find out I have a food blog , to tell the thruth when I cook for friends I am more worried whether they will like the food or not.

I always buy my brocolli from the farmer's markets, they are quite fresh, always look for the dark green top and good stem , no mushy ends. Dont buy those with yellowing flower head and browning heads.

Cut the florets into bite slize florets. Heat a large saucepan with slightly salted water, bring to boil.

Once it starts to boil, add in the florets , put the lid on and cook for about 2-3 minutes. While thats happening fill a bowl with ice cold water, place near the sink

They should be bright green , slightly crunchy but lost the rawness. Drain immediately and drop them into the icy water. Then drain again.

Serve along side any fish , meat or chicken dish, or you can place them , once they are drained well, in a zip lock freezer bag layer it up by lying the bag flat so the florets are in a nice even layer.. Pop in freezer and use when ever required

To use from freezer, defrost inside the fridge, an hour before using and dip in hot water for a minute , drain and serve or if using for cooking just pop in frozen florets into the dish and cook through.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2011-03-07T02:43:00.000-08:00

My hubby and I havent gone out for dinner alone ever since our son was born , mainly because we moved to Malaysia for his studies and also my son loves eating out. So every now and then I try to create a " restaurant' style food and this is one that is always a winner.
Plus it looks very sophisticated. It needs a little fiddling but the result is delicious. This recipe was inspired after watching a lot of my favorite chefs or cooking shows where they stuffed chicken or turkey breasts with various kinds of things, so I cant quite say this was adapted from a this and this recipe. So take it as a blend of all recipes from the likes of Chef Micheal Smith, Jo Pratt, Laura Calder etc...

Serves 2

1 Boneless, skin less chicken breast ( choose a large piece, sometimes you will find smaller portion sizes)
2 heaped tsps pesto ( home made or shop bought)
2 tsps tomato paste ( use the concentrated type or can even use strips of sun dried tomatoes)
4 slices beef or lamb salami ( optional)
Olive oil

1. Butterfly and seperate the two halves as you would do for making chicken snitzels ( check link to see how). Place between two sheets of cling film and pound with a meat mallet or a good size heavy saucepan till thin and flat, try and get it nice and flat as its easier to roll up without spilling any of the lovely filling inside. Season well with salt and pepper.

2. Spread the inside of each half with a layer of tomato paste and a layer of pesto, be generous with the pesto.

3. Then lay 2 slices of salami , if using , on each chicken piece.

this is why you need to get it nice and flat, mine ended up a little thicker so it was a bit messy while rolling it up.

Now, place on a foil or cling film and roll it carefully but tightly using the cling film or foil as a guide. Keep it tight and secure with tooth picks. Heat a large frying pan with olive oil, then sear the rolled up chicken pieces on all sides.

4. Remove from pan onto a baking tray, add some of the pan juices in to the tray as well, and cook for 20- 30 minutes in a preheated oven at about 190 degree celsius till done, make sure its nice and tender, not tough.

5. Cut into slices diagonally so it looks nice and chic , plate nicely, drizzle some of the juices in the pan over and around it. Serve with some potatoes such as pesto potatoes and some simply cooked greens such as broccoli or green beans. Enjoy!!

Tomyam Fried Rice

2011-03-03T23:35:00.000-08:00

We all love a good tomyam soup dont we? Well I tasted this dish in one of our favorite haunts here in Kelantan. A favorite haunt being as unlike the eating outlets in Kuala Lumpur , penang and other states that I have visited so far, the standard of food is a bit low here. Maybe we dont know where to look or somehow the places we already started to enjoy started to loose their touch and the service turned dreadful.
Example, they opened this really great arabic restaurent , the food was great, gorgeous lamb and all but a few months back we headed there again and they didnt even have salad!!!. Seriously!, half the things on the menu wasnt available , we actually had to get up and leave because they couldnt provide a solid meal. This is one reason I like the street food but the sight of stray cats sitting on tables and even on the vendors cooking area scared the mother half of me, which means its not a good idea to let my son eat there. So I always look forward to eating well when travelling to other area's of malaysia.

Now back to my tomyam rice, well have to say a few nice words about this outlet right. Its a food chain here called the Noodle station, they serve various forms of noodles, rice, and even continental dishes and great non alchoholic drinks. The place actually got better instead of getting worse, even the kids menu is quite varied instead of the usual nuggets and chips.

I decided to give this particular rice a try and came up with this recipe.

For 2 people

1 1/2 cups cold cooked rice
2-3 tsp tomyam paste (shop bought)
Kaffir lime leaves ( about 3)
1 stick lemon grass, use the bottom half, bruise it a little to release the flavor
2 cloves of garlic or 1 fat clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 spring onions, cut into about 1/2 inch pieces
2 fried eggs to serve
1 sausage, sliced( optional)
oil

1. Heat a wok, add oil enough to cover a thin layer at the bottom, Stir fry your garlic, lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves, till they release their aroma.

2. Add in your tomyam paste and a little water, just a sprinkle , so it wont burn the paste, stir fry 1 minute.

3. Now add your rice, make sure you have fluffed it up before adding it into the rice, along with the spring onions, and sausage if using, toss well to combine. Taste season with salt if necessary. Serve with a fried egg on top.

Maafuh Gulha

2011-02-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

Now this is a desert that is quite Maldivian. Its more like a nibble after a meal, nothing heavy , just to sweeten your taste buds. its a old recipe but unfortunately big debate in my house between my mum and my sister , kamana, and me what maafuh really is.
You see, one local food writer says that its black millet that has been roasted and then ground, another says its ragi flour or finger millet flour. According to the packet that was sent to me it says that its Sorghum,, so if any one around here, especially any Maldivian who reads this help me out here please. It looks some thing like this.

Now back to the recipe, its quite simple, you need :

1 Cup Maafuh ( could be roasted black millet, or ragi flour or even sorgumm flour),
1 cup freshly grated coconut
3/4 cup sugar, use fine sugar or grind it
1 medium banana or about 4 finger lenght ones ( optional)

1. In a bowl, mix your coconut and sugar till well combined ( best to use your fingers) , if using bananas, mash it in and mix well.

2. Add in the maafuh and mix well it all comes together. Now take a small portion about half a ping pong ball, you know the size that you can pop into the mouth, and roll between your fingers to a nice smooth ball. Repeat with the rest.

Enjoy!! Its best if eaten that day itself as the coconut might get a bad taste, or you can store in the refrigerator in air tight container for a day or two , that is if there is any left :)

Okra Salad

2011-02-25T05:22:00.000-08:00

My hubby is not very fond of okra. Unfortunately he has me to thank for that. Why? Well , when we were both studying in Karachi, Pakistan, he came over once to have dinner at my apartment. Since it was the early days of dating and yours truly was in the mood to show off my culinary skills and made this dried curry using canned tuna and okra ( hey its university days we were living on a budget).....
Sat down to eat and after some time , my sister who lived with me commented the okra was abit stringy and hard. Poor guy had finally picked only the tuna and set aside the okra pieces. So now mention okra to him, he would pull a face, but i have caught him eating okra at university canteen so must have something to do with my cooking

A few months ago I was flipping through the channels while waiting for the clock to strike 12 so I can go and fetch my son from preschool, Mark Bittman's how to cook everything caught my eye. It was this salad that caught my attention. He was watching this chef called Suvir Saran make him an okra salad and it looked so simple and delicious that I decided to give it try. The local farmer's markets have loads of tender okras, never buy large ones as they are quite hard , they are sometimes known as ladies fingers or bindi or bandaka. So here is my version of that salad.

Okra Salad ; recipe adapted from Suvir Saran's Crispy Okra Salad

150- 175 g okra/ ladies fingers/ bindi
1 medium tomato, deseeded, cut into strips
1 red or green chilli sliced
Juice of 1 lime
1 small shallot or half small onion, finely sliced into halfmoons
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp tumeric
oil for deep frying

1. Cut the stems of the okra, cut in half length wise, then cut each half into three or four strips , length wise. Mix with tumeric and pinch of salt. Deep fry in batches in hot oil till crispy and dark green. Drain on kitchen paper or towel

2. Place the onion slices in a bowl , squeeze in the lime with pinch of salt and scrunch with your fingers to soften and release their flavor. Add your chilli and tomato and mix and leave for the flavors to develop.

3. Place your okra in the bowl you are going to serve , using your finger add your onion, tomato mixture , dont add the liquid at the bottom as it makes the okra too soggy. Mix everything gently, taste adjust seasoning, drizzle a little of the lime juice in the bottom of the previous bowl if necessary.

Serve as soon as possible.

If you are wondering how he ate it, well, I loaded his plate before he had the chance to say no , didnt gag or pull a face, which means it went down well.

Curry Roasted Chicken

2011-02-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

After what would have been a grumpy Friday, Saturday afternoon turned quite enjoyable with a girl time with a friend of mine who turned out to be a quite a good sounding board :) , so now am ready to face a new week with a little more enthusiasm.

As promised here is the recipe for my latest roast chicken.
I saw this recipe in a Her word cook book and decided to make it using the addu havaadhu I made earlier. Now some people are so obsessed about trying to get hold of completely authentic Maldivian recipes and eating t them, but I have discovered that sometimes you can create something new but still having a little taste of home in it.

I made a gravy to go along with it, you can make it to go with it or just serve without it.

Curry Roast chicken : recipe adapted from Spicy Curry and Garlic Roast Chicken Her World Cook Book, volume 77

1 whole chicken
50 g butter, softened
3 tbsps addu havaadhu ( home made or shop bought) or use any of your favorite curry pastes or powder
10 cloves garlic, pound to a paste
salt
2 pandan leaves ( optional)

Gravy : 1/4 cup packed or canned coconut milk
a little water

1. Clean your chicken, leave the skin on and rinse under running water and pat dry with a kitchen towel or paper towel.

2. Mix the addu havaadu or any other curry powder/paste, with the butter till well mixed.Set a side.

3. Preheat your oven at about 220 degree celsius.

4. Lift the skin on the breast piece and slide your finger in to make room and spoon in some garlic puree with some salt mixed in it. ( check my spicy roast chicken on how to do it )Slide some more garlic puree under the skin on the thigh. The rest spread all over the chicken along with a generous amount of salt.

5. Spread the curry butter all over the chicken , be generous. slip some into the cavity and around the neck and thigh. Make sure the whole chicken is covered. Leave for the flavors to develop for about 20 minutes . Stuff the pandan leaf into the cavity if using it.

6. Place on a roasting tray and into the oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200 degree celcius and roast a further 1 hour till cooked through and the skin is a dark golden.

7. Take it out from the oven, place on a wire rack over the roasting try and cover loosely with foil and leave for about 10-20 minutes. Remove chicken onto chopping board to carve , and pour all the juices and everything inside in the roasting tray into a small saucepan.

8.Add a splash of water, and coconut milk and bring to a boil over a medium heat. Let it thicken and reduce. Taste , adjust sauce.

Serve chicken, along with the gravy, with plain cooked rice, and some simply cooked greens or a green salad . Enjoy!!!

Addu Havaadhu ( Curry powder 2)

2011-02-17T23:29:00.000-08:00

Addu Atoll are a group of islands situated in the southern part of Maldives. Unfortunately I have never been to that end of Maldives, maybe someday I will go and explore the rest of the country.
This curry powder is a speciality from there. I once tasted it from a store bought packet which my mum sent , and asked my sister who had a friend from that area for the recipe.
Unfortunately for me, she sent me a recipe of a quantity that would take up almost 2-3 years to finish. So I had to cut it down, and hopefully this tastes as good as the original.

spices used, from top clockwise, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, pepper powder, tumeric powder, red chilli flakes, fennel seeds, in the centre : cardamon pods, fenugreek seeds

1/3 cup freshly grated coconut
5tsps coriander seeds
5tsps cumin seeds
2 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1 small pinch fenugreek seeds
8-10 cardamon , use the seeds inside
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
about 1 inch piece cinnamon
4-5 slices fresh ginger
1 sprig ( about 12 leaves) curry leaves
1 medium onion roughly chopped
8 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
5 dried chillies or use 1-2 tsp dried chilli flakes ( depends on how hot you would like it)

1. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, no oil, once its warm, add all the ingrediants and keep stirring and tossing around so everything gets toasted and the onions and garlic wilts.

2. Place in a motor and pestle or a food processor or blender with just a touch of water and grind to a smooth paste. Add a pinch of salt and store in a clean dry air tight bottle in the fridge.

You can use this in fish and chicken curries.

Woke up as grumpy as a bear today, you know a kind of day where you feel you cant do anything right and a complete failure. ................... Making a roast chicken to cheer me up, hopefully, using the spice paste above, will post if soon.

Brownies

2011-02-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

I am not one who likes baking, usually my cakes end up too dry , unless I follow the exact instructions for the recipe. But on thing that I do enjoy making is brownies , because they dont really have to be nice and smooth on top and is usually quite chewing and moist inside.
Until I discovered this recipe I used just cocoa powder but the brownies turn really rich and delicious when you make them with cooking chocolate. Sometimes I like to add white chocolate bits into the chocolate batter.

Sorry, I am not sure from where exactly i got the recipe, have adapted it a little :

170g good quality cooking chocolate( I used hershey's) broken into pieces
75g butter
2 eggs
125g caster or regular sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
75g flour
1 tsp baking powder ( see note below)
1/2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
a big handful or two of roughly chopped nuts, either walnuts or cashew nuts

1. Preheat oven to 190 degree celcius, grease and line a small square baking tray.

2. Place chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of boiling water and melt over a low heat.

3. In a separate bowl , beat eggs, sugar and vanilla till mixed well and smooth.

4. Add flour, baking powder, cocoa, nuts and the melted chocolate butter mixture and stir well together.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 45 minutes. Cool in tin and cut into squares.
Enjoy!!

NOTE : Instead of using flour and baking powder use self raising flour .

A Simple Breadfruit Lunch

2011-02-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

As you know I have moved recently to a housing block, and two doors down my house is another Maldivian family , a friend's place. Her parents are living with her which means I get sample lots of traditional recipes. A few weeks back my friends's dad who has been eyeing all the near by breadfruit trees arrived home with three breadfruits.

Breadfruits , known as Banbukeyo in our language, are quite common in maldives , well dont know how many are left due to " development" . Its fried like chips , cooked in curries, eaten boiled or steamed , and even turned into a sweet pudding.

Anyway, my friend's mum turned these breadfruit into a sweet dish , known as bondibai, where the breadfruit is cut into tiny cubes and cooked in sugar and I think coconut milk and pandan leaves for flavor. She then made banbukeyolee bai which is breadfruit cooked in rice with coconut milk and salt and eaten as you would eat a rice dish. Then she turned some of it into a spicy porridge known as kulhi( spicy) baipen( rice porridge).

Unfortunately I was so excited to receive most of the dishes I forgot to take the photos. Anyway have got the last of the remaining breadfruit to show you. This is the simplest of all breadfruit dishes. That is steamed or boiled breadfruit.

Its eaten with freshly grated coconut, a small blob of lonumirus to spice it up, and garudhiya to flavor it. She sent me a small piece of fihunumas( baked fish) to go with it as there was no fish left in the garudhiya just the stock. Some people like to add a spoon full of rice , but for me I prefer just the breadfruit.
Delicious!!! and quite filling too as breadfruit is quite starchy, like potatoes.

But I have to warn you , there is small side effect of breadfruit, and that's gas. It can cause a bit of gas in your tummy . So better to take in moderation or take a anti acid.

Penne with Ratatouille Pasta Sauce

2011-02-05T22:39:00.000-08:00

I love the animated cartoon Ratatouille, my son doesnt like the grumpy chef in it so he hides everytime its on. When I was back in Maldives, in capital Male' I used to shop in this small supermarket and they used to have lots of zucchini or courgettes. Both colours green and yellow, but unfortunately not many people knew about them and would come pick them up, give a sniff even and then leave it. I felt a little sad at times for the people who bring them in and not having much customers buying them.
Ratatouille a french dish, you probably know that already , I think more like a stew of sorts with tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and zucchini. I turned it into a pasta sauce and added some sausages to satisfy my protein loving husband.
Serves about 3-4 people
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 fat cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small aubergine/eggplant/brinjal ( about 150g)
1 red bell pepper
A handful of cherry tomatoes, or 1 medium very ripe tomato
1 can peeled chopped tomatoes or whole tomatoes ( crushed)
2 garlic or spicy sausages, chopped ( optional)
1 green or red chilli, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
about 1/3 cup water or stock of your choice( either vegetable or chicken)
salt and pepper
penne or other short pasta if you cant find any penne ( enough for 3 people)

1. Prepare the vegetables :
* Brinjal/eggplant : cut into small cubes about 1/2 inches. Place in colander with a pinch of salt and let it sit for 5 minutes and then rinse it off and drain well or pat dry.
*Zucchini / courgette : Choose a small firm one if possible , cut into quaters lenghtwise and at an angle remove the fluffy core if its a large one. Then cut each into the same size as the eggplants.
* Bell peppers: remove the seeds and white pith and cut into same size as the other vegetables
* cherry tomatoes : half them , if whole tomato cut into small cubes.

2. Heat a large deep frying pan or a suitable pot and add olive oil. Add your onions and saute' till soft and just begining to colour. Add your garlic and the sausages if using and cook 1 minute.

3. Add all the vegetables stir fry for 2 minutes and then add herbs, chilli if using, the canned tomatoes, about 1/3 cup stock or water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Then uncover and cook to reduce and thicken the sauce. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Make sure the sauce is thick so it will stick to the pasta. Stir in some fresh parsley, finely chopped at the very end , if you have any that is.

4. While the sauce is cooking, heat a large pan with water with a generous amount of salt, bring to boil. When it starts to boil , add your pasta and give a stir so they wont end up sticking together and cook until al dente'. Drain and toss into your pasta sauce.

Serve and hope you enjoy it.

DID YOU KNOW : you are always to toss the pasta into the sauce , not the sauce into the pasta according to Chef Gino D'Acampo

Stir Fried Chinese Arrowhead or Arrow root

2011-02-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

I have been living in Malaysia for almost 4 years now. Every year a month before chinese new year, somewhere in January , these little bulbs start to appear. Have noticed everyone flocking around it and buying bags and bags of these things.

From afar it looks like a garlic bulb, but once you come closer it looks like a small bulb, has no smell and white and quite hard. So since this could be our last year in malaysia, hubby is finishing is final year :( , I decided to buy some of these arrow heads or arrow root this year.

When choosing them , go for the firm ones with no blemishes and soft patches. I decided to try this stir fry recipe I saw on a blog while googling around for a recipe rather than the more common chips. Peeling them was a bit fiddly so I just used a vegetable peeler. Even though the recipe suggested I give a good bang with a cleaver to half it I just cut it in two rather than have arrowheads flying all over my kitchen.
I used boneless chicken breast instead of pork , added a chilli for a bit of heat. The taste of arrow head, well kinda reminded me of chestnuts. A bit like a potato but not so starchy , quite a pleasant taste no over powering flavor .

Serves 2
Recipe adapted from www.haveyoueaten.net

8 arrowroot / arrow head, peeled cut in half
1 boneless chicken breast cut into strips
2-3 spring onions ( cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1-2 tsp light soysauce
1 tsp cornflour
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 red chillies
a pinch of pepper ( preferably white pepper as i found black pepper too overpowering for this dish)
salt if necessary

1. Marinate chicken strips in oyster sauce, soy , pepper and cornflour for about an hour in the fridge.

2. Heat a wok and once hot add some oil fry the garlic till soft but not black!!!, work quickly and add the chicken strips. Stir fry

3. Stir in the arrowhead bulbs and add about 1/3 cup water or stock and any remaining marinade and let it cook covered. The bulbs should be cooked through but not so soft. So taste one to check if done. Taste sauce and add salt if necessary. Remove lid , reduce the sauce to a thick sauce .Stir in chillies and spring onions. Serve as soon as possible as stir fries are best served while still warm.

I served this with plain cooked rice . enjoy!

Hope you all have a nice week end, and a happy chinese new year to those who are celebrating this new year!!
Ps also got some little news, or rather big news, we are expecting our 2nd child , Inshallah by August, just thought i will let you in to a little news of my life :) If you are wondering what insha allah is, its muslim way of saying god's willing when planning or saying something thats going to happen or something you plan to do in the future. Its like the way some people say touch wood when something good happens.

How to peel peppers

2011-02-01T06:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a recipe calls for peeled peppers. I have discovered that this method is quite a fun thing to do, rather than chucking it into the oven. So here is how I peel them :

Place your pepper right on the stove, turn it around with the help of a pair of tongs,

Once the skin is all blackened, place it in a bowl ( i used to put in running water but it ended up washing up all the flavors ) Cover the bowl with cling film,

Let it cool in the bowl , then rub the skin off with your fingers and a small knife. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds and cut into strips of what ever way that its required

Balti Chicken

2011-01-29T05:24:00.000-08:00

My sister has this recipe book called Balti cooking. The recipes in that book are quite easy and this is one of the recipes in it. Most of the recipes had easily available ingrediants , no fancy techniques and usually one pot recipes. I made this once for a friend of mine and she got all excited and asked for the recipe. What I discovered was the taste differs according to the type of garam masala you use. Different brands have different taste, depending on the type of spice used.
For 3 servings
500g chicken pieces , if possible cut into small pieces with the bone in or use whole jointed pieces
1 medium onion , finely sliced
2 cloves garlic , crushed or grated
1 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
2 medium tomatoes or 1 large one , finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 green chillies, slit in two
a handful of fresh coriander /cilantro, chopped
optional , a few curry leaves

1. Heat oil in a large pot or wok, add your cumin seeds and fry till they start to crackle and pop. Add onions and stir fry till they start to change colour. Stir in garlic and curry leaves , if using.

2. Add chicken pieces, and stir fry to brown the out side. Switch off and stir in the spices, about 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup water depending on the size of chicken pieces you are using. Add in your tomatoes, stir and turn on the stove and bring to a boil. Then simmer covered till the chicken is cooked through. Stir occasionally.

3. Remove lid and cook a little further to reduce the gravy and make it thick. taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in coriander leaves and cook 1 minutes and switch off. Serve with any kind of flat bread of your choice.

Note : If you are wondering what garam masala is , its a indian spice blend. It can be available in spice sections in supermarkets or you can even make your own. Different cooks and chefs have different blends of garam masala, so you can try one of these two if you prefer to make your own.
Garam masala : recipe from collaborative curry
Garam masala 2 : tarla dalal recipe

Have a nice week end!!!

Egg Fried Rice

2011-01-25T05:11:00.000-08:00

I love fried rice and its an easy way to use up left over rice. When growing up I would graze my food and my mum would scold me if I leave any left overs on the plate. Finally she made me sit during a news hours and showed me the then most talked about news, the sufferings in Somalian war. The kids with swollen bellies and flies and tired hungry faces made me cringe. I have to say as a parent we spoil our kids rotten with expensive gifts
and go to lenghts to find certain expensive foods just because the kid likes it, rather than letting it be an occasional treat. I think we should try and get kids to be thankful with what they have and think about kids who dont get to have such luxuries. I will leave you with that to think about.....................

This is the simplest of all fried rice recipes I think, feel free to use any kind of vegetable you have and different types of meat, I used a sausage cut into thin slices, left over roast chicken is also a good option. Just make sure your rice is cold and forked through so the grains are seperate and not in big clumps.

For 2 servings

1 cup cold cooked rice
2 spring onions, finely sliced, keep the whites and greens seperate ( use a regular shallot if you dont have spring onion)
1 fat clove garlic, finely chopped
A small handful of ground cooked meat of your choice or 1 sausage finely sliced
A handful of vegetables ( fresh or frozen, eg beans, carrots, peas, corn kernels)
Light soy sauce
1 egg beaten
Oil

1. Get everything ready before you start cooking. Make sure all the vegetables are chopped up , and ready at hand near the stove before you start.

2. Heat your wok or a large deep frying pan , once its hot add oil. Then add your beaten egg and let it set from the sides , then start scrambling it around so you get nice little pieces of egg.

3. Working quickly , stir in your meat and stir fry till the meat is cooked through. Add the whites of the spring onion and garlic. Continue tossing and stirring. A spatulla is the best tool for this type of cooking.

4. Finally stir in rice and vegetables. Sprinkle a little water and toss to mix everything . Add a few splashes of soy sauce, about a tablespoon , and finally the green part of the spring onion. Taste, adjust salt if necessary.

5. Serve as soon as possible as there is nothing nicer than freshly made fried rice.

Sending this to Akila's event for this month " Dish Name Starts With E "

And before I leave off, seriously people think before you throw away food, I am not saying i am the most frugal of all but I try to use leftovers as much as I can. Do you realise how much food we actually waste each day?!?!

Ala kulhiboakibaa ( savory fish cake with baby yams)

2011-01-07T23:03:00.000-08:00

Its been raining non stop for 2 days, half the state of Kelantan is flooded.We went on a drive today and saw some people who were living in low lying area,s going about in canoes and mini boats. One family was even taking a fun swim in it!!! . So this recipe is the perfect recipe for a rainy day. Hows the weather in your part of the world.

You must have seen my usual version of the traditional kulhiboakibaa ( or savory fish cake) in an earlier post.
My mum and sisters raved about this new version of kulhiboakibaa using baby yams .

This version tasted quite nice and gave a better texture to the cake. Its usually made with smoked tuna fish but you can use a regular can of tuna instead.

You will need :

1 medium size red onion , finely sliced into half moons
3-4 red chillies finely sliced( see note below)
5 curry leaves finely chopped
1/2 inch piece ginger grated
100g smoked tuna fish, finely sliced and soaked in hot water to soften it up or a small can of tuna fish, drained and flaked.
juice of 1 1/2 limes
300g baby yams, peeled and grated
1/2 cup rice, soaked in water over night or 2-3 hours and drained.
1/3 cup freshly grated coconut
salt
1/2 tsp tumeric
Oil for greasing

1. Place your rice in a food processor of grinder and grind to slightly coarse mixture. Add the grated yam and coconut and pulse a few times to mix well and chop everything up evenly.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add your onions, lime juice and about a tsp of salt and using your finger tips scrunch it up until the onions go limp and release their juices.

3. Add in the chillies , curry leaves and ginger into the onion mixture and mix well( better to wear gloves to protect your fingers).

4. Mix in fish , tumeric and the yam mixture. Mix well, taste add more salt and lime juice if necessary. No need to add water as the mixture is quite wet.

5. Grease a square pan with a generous coat of oil ( not olive oil!!) . Carefully spread the mix and even it out . Wet your hands with a little water and pat on the top so it doesnt dry out .

6. Place inside a preheated fairly hot oven, about 250 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours till the top is reddish brown and a skewer comes out clean. ( cook at the bottom of the oven for and hour then transfer to the middle shelf to cook the top.)

7. Let it cool completely in the tray , then run a knife around the edges , place a chopping board on top and turn it over on to the board. Cut into squares and serve with a hot cup of tea.

Note : the number of chillies depends on how hot you can take, I used finger length red chillies , my mum usually uses scotch bonnet. You can use the said amount of chillies or less or remove the seeds if you like, but stick to fresh chillies not the dried or powdered ones.

Cooking with a can of tomatillos

2011-01-04T02:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New year!!!, Hope everyone had a great holiday season and is back with the school here in malaysia, my little boy didnt seem very excited to be back in school, maybe its the first day blues :).

As you know I just came back from KL and while in KL as usual I made sure I visit a good supermarket to check out the food aisles :) . I discovered a can of tomatillos.
I have always heard of tomatillos but never had them . The only mexican food I have tasted or rather made are quesidella and guacamole. Am looking forward to learn more about it from this new cooking show starting here by chef Rick Bayless, Mexico one plate at a time.

Ok , back to my tomatillos, tomatillos is a green tomato but has an outer covering like a cape gooseberry ( or muraaki in Dhivehi). You can find more info from here and check out the photos too.

So I came home with my can of tomatillos and while searching for a recipe I found this recipe called a green Rice in Around the world in 350 recipes cook book. Its quite an easy recipe , but I ended up with too much liquid which made the rice a little mushy.

Green Rice ( Adapted from Crab with Green Rice Recipe -Around the world in 350 recipes)
For 3 -4 people you will need

1 cup long grain or basmati rice
1 large can tomatillos ( about a 500g can)
1 onion
2 fat cloves garlic
a big bunch of coriander leaves
1 1/2 cups water or stock
Salt
oil, I used corn oil

1. Wash your rice in running water and soak in water for about 30 minutes , drain and set a side.

2. Place your tomatillos ,a little of the liquid in the can , onions, garlic and coriander leaves in a blender or processor and blend it all up.

3.Heat a large frying pan with a generous amount of oil , add the rice and stir fry till the rice is coated with the oil , stir in the pureed mix and stock. Season with salt and cook over a medium heat , give it a stir a few times as mine kept sticking to the bottom. Once the liquid evaporates and is cooked through switch off and set a side for a few minutes and then serve. Serve with some lettuce leaves ( as according to the recipe in the book) The lettuce really complimented the rice.

So how was your holidays, I had a blast in KL along with my eldest sister and niece. I tried to get my brother in law to try and update my lap top and he finally threw his hands in the air and claimed I needed a new on and so have finally bought myself a cute little laptop ( with a little help from hubby and sister ).

What do you crave the most.................

2010-12-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

.
......... when you get ravenously hungry. Everyone has their own version of ultimate comfort food which they crave when they get extremely hungry.
On days my hubby has night shift, I love cooking a small pot of rice , just plain cooked with a little salt, and mixing it up with a local fish paste known as rihaakuru, a thick black quite salty paste with a good squeeze of lime juice. Sometimes I would crush in a fresh green or red chilli and then eat the whole thing using my fingers , accompanied with fresh wedges of onions!!!.

I know you probably cringe at the sight of onions, let alone eating it, but some how it kind of completes the dish and you probably guessed why I eat it when hubby is not around :D.
Ps. if you are wondering how i get the smell off, simple just chew really strong mint flavoured gum !!!

So what do you like to eat when you get hungry or whats your guilty pleasure when it comes to food :)

Stir Fried Noodles

2010-12-10T17:26:00.000-08:00

Like most maldivians, I used to cook noodles using Mamee or Maggi 2 minute noodles. Not that there was something wrong with them but some how it gets a little mashed up while cooking . So I recently  went and bought my self some dried egg noodles ,
not the instant type. And the taste was quite different. So here is a simple recipe I tried today using what I had in my pantry and fridge :)

for 2 servings

1/2 a large carrot, peeled and juliened
A big handful of snow peas , finely sliced at an angle
2-3 thin slices of Roberts Luncheon meat, beef flavor ( optional)
1 small onion, finely sliced
1 tsp of finely chopped ginger
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Dried egg noodles ( used about half a 200g pkt)
1-2 red or green chillies, finely sliced

Sauce : 1 tbsp soy sauce( light)
             1 tbsp oyster sauce
              1/2 tbsp tomato ketchup
              a few dashes of sesame oil

Salt
oil for frying

1. Bring water to boil in your wok and cook your noodles till cooked through. Drain and set a side , I like to snip a little to shorten the strands a little , using a pair of kitchen scissors. Mix the sauce ingrediants and set aside.

2. Heat your wok again and when hot, cook your luncheon meat slices till cooked and remove. Finely slice them and set a side.

3. Heat your wok till very hot and add oil and your garlic and ginger and stir fry till your get the smell but not burnt!!. Add the onions and stir fry to soften the onions but make sure you dont burn the garlic.

4. Stir in carrots and snow peas , add a few tablespoons of water. Add the luncheon mean and chillies and stir fry for 1 minutes.

5. Stir in the sauce and add a little more water if it looks too dry . Stir in the noodles a little at a time , mixing in as you go. Once its all mixed well , taste and season with salt if needed.

My mum ,who is here for the holidays, claims it was quite tasty so give it a try . Feel free to change the meat to chicken or sausages or go meat less and more veges or tofu.

Panfried pesto potatoes

2010-12-06T05:20:00.000-08:00

First of all thank you for all the support from everyone :). And also Want to wish all my muslim readers a very Happy New Year.
I love pesto, this is a recipe I saw once on tv by a british chef, Jo Pratt and its a great way to jazz up potatoes. Its great as a side with roast chicken or sausages or even on its own :).

500g potatoes
2 tbsp pesto
Olive oil
A red chilli or a dried chilli finely chopped ( optional)

1. Peel and cut your potatoes into large pieces. Boil in lightly salted till cooked through but not like mushy, just cooked through. Drain and set a side.

2. Heat a large frying pan , add olive oil, about 2-3 tbsp . Tip your potatoes into your pan and the pesto. Toss around , leave it alone a few times so the potatoes brown a little, then toss again.Stir in the chilli i using and toss it around. Taste , add salt if necessary.

Serve, goes well with chicken and meat dishes.

Aunty Naila's Fish curry

2010-12-02T06:49:00.000-08:00

I almost thought of shutting down the blog, got so mad about my email getting hacked !!! So please dont take any notice of any peanutts any more or someone using my real name which was used in the mail!!! Hopefully my blog will stay safe, does anyone know how to get it copyrighted or something ?

So here is the first recipe by Nammi, :) Enjoy !!

No she is not my aunt , nor am I related to her, but she is someone I know , a larger than life character, a great teacher, social worker and a great cook , well known for her cook books , locally :). I had the pleasure of knowing her personally and one of my memories is that she would come to visit my mum armed with her handbag, plops her self on the joli , a garden chair ( sort of) made of rope , hands us a handful of sweets and shoos us off saying she wants to chat with my mum :). I found this recipe in an old cook book of hers and decided to try her fish curry. Its tasty and delicious, so I knew I had to post this recipe.

Adapted recipe from Zeenaru( a Maldivian cook book , sorry its a local bk not in english)

250g -300g fresh tuna fillet or other firm fish, ( cut into small cubes)
1 medium onion , finely sliced
3 cloves garlic
1/2 " piece ginger
6 curry leaves
1 pandan leaf, cut into large pieces
1 level tsp pureed tamarind or a small knob of tamarind
2tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 - 1 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 scotch bonnet or 2 green chillies cut in half lenght wise ( optional)
1/3cup packed coconut milk
about 400 ml water
oil

1. Heat a dry frying pan over a low heat and once its hot add your coriander seeds and cumin seeds , toast for about 1-2 minutes , dont let the cumin seeds burn!!!. Pour into a motor and pestle.

2. In to the motor and pestle add the garlic, ginger , chilli powder, tumeric along with the roasted spices and pound to a smooth paste using 1-2 tbsps water. you can use an electric grinder for this .

3. In a pot , heat some oil about 2-3 tbsp, add the onions and saute' till translucent . Stir in curry leaves and pandan leaf.

4. Add the spice paste and stir fry in the onion mixture for about 1-2 minutes to release the flavours. Add a little water to prevent it from burning.

5. Carefully add the tuna cubes along with the chillies if using. Pour the required amount of water( you and the tamarind. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered for about 8-10 minutes till the fish is cooked through.

6.Stir in coconut milk , cook 1 minute , taste , add salt for requirement and switch off heat. If you find it too spicy add a little sugar.

Serve with roshi or chappati or any other flat bread or plain cooked rice with a nice salad on the side. Enjoy!

ATTENTION!!! URGENT MESSAGE TO MY REGULAR BLOGGERS!!

2010-12-01T02:28:00.000-08:00

Hi!! Some idiot hacked my email address so please please dont email the previous address, Thank you!!! and please dont answer or take any offence sent by an address by any form of peanutts that address is NO LONGER MINE!!!

Even changing my profile name so no longer going to be using the old peanutts for safety sake , to Nammi

Thanks

Nammi formally known as peanutts

Ps I noticed that the blogs I am following or have joined all have my google freind connect as peanutts, it there any way I can get it changed?

Banana and Semolina Pudding

2010-11-28T22:28:00.000-08:00

I am not very good with deserts. Making them not eating them :) Cakes, pudding etc, need careful measuring and a lot of fussing around compared to other savory dishes. I only get sweet tooth attacks at certain times and when it comes to entertaining friends I always go for the tried and tested recipes. We had some bananas starting to go alittle black so I wanted to make a sweet dish.
Didnt want to make banana fritters. I remembered seeing a banana and semolina recipe in a Flavors magazine ( local food magazine here in malaysia) and wanted to try it out. Didnt have semolina so under strict instructions and directions ( to the aisle that had semolina ), sent hubby to the supermarket so he wont get lost and come back empty handed.

So I made this desert but changed a few things. The original recipe was called banana, coconut and suji( semolina) pudding . But the coconut was just a few shavings on top so I decided to change the topping a little.

Recipe Adapted from Flavors Magazine

For 3 servings

30g, semolina( white semolina)
250ml milk
30g sugar
a pinch of salt
200g ripe bananas( mashed)
25g cold butter, cut into cubes
1 tsp vanilla essence or use a fresh vanilla bean if you have
2 egg yolks + 1 tbsp milk and beaten

Topping: 1 banana cut into slices, a desert spoon of brown sugar, a little freshly ground cinamon and nutmeg.

1. In a sauce pan, mix semolina and milk till smooth. Stir in sugar and and salt and leave for about 15 minutes

2. Stir in the bananas and then place the pan over a medium low heat and stir continuosly till it starts to thicken. Add the butter , a cube at a time, till completely mixed into the semolina mixture.

3. Add the vanilla essence or the seeds of the vanilla bean. While continously mixing , drizzle in the beaten egg yolk mixture, Take it off the heat and mix well, you dont to scramble the eggs.

4.Pour into ramekins or a serving plate and set aside to set.

5. Mix the sliced bananas with a little ground cinamon and nutmeg and a desert spoon of brown sugar. Arrange on top of the pudding and place under a hot grill and in the oven and cook till the bananas caramalise about 10- 15 minutes .

Serve hot or cold.

My hubby loved it, for me it was ok :). ..... You can either mash the bananas , like I have done or just chop the bananas when adding to the semolina.

Parmesan cornbread

2010-11-25T05:19:00.000-08:00

I love checking out supermarkets and local markets when I visit other states of malaysia and even other countries. If its not me and some one else from my family is going abroad I always request for something food related whether its a cook book or for ingrediants that are not easily available here.
During my last visit to penang, another more developed area of malaysia , I bought a packet of cornmeal. Ever since I bought it, I have been waiting to try and make a corn bread, something which I have never made before, but have heard so much of . First I used the cornmeal to make Reni's chili pie which was delicious, by the way.

I found this recipe on a diebetic living magazine, I bought it before my dad's last visit as heis always trying to control his diabetes. His sugar is quite controlled but sometimes it tends to go up and down. Anyway, I decided to try the recipe on that magazine. It was delicious and nice and soft.

The recipe is as taken from "our best diabetic recipes magazine", I did the same as the original recipe but omitted a few things which I didnt have such as bulgur and fresh basil ( was out of basil when I made it), you can get the original recipe here or just check out recipe below.

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup finely sliced spring onions
2 tbsp olive oil or regular cooking oil

Also in the recipe but not included in mine : 1/4 cup bulgur ( soaked in boiling water) and 2 tablespoons chopped basil)

1. Grease a loaf tin with oil and dust with flour. Preheat oven to about 200 degree celsius.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingrediants, ie .. flour, parmesan, cornmeal, 1/2 tsp salt, sugar, baking powder, mix and make a well in the centre.

3. In a smaller bowl, mix all the wet ingrediants , eggs, milk , oil and spring onions. Beat well and pour into the centre of the bowl with dry ingrediants.

4. Mix with a wooden or metal spoon till mixed well but still lumpy ( add the bulgur while adding the egg mixture , if using).

5. Pour into loaf tin and bake for about 45 minutes till nice and golden and a tooth pick comes clean. Cool in the tin out side on a wire rack .

Still got some more corn meal left , got any ideas how to use it?

tomato salad

2010-11-21T05:04:00.000-08:00

First of all, Eid Mubarak to all muslims. This is the second eid we celebrate. Had a nice week, no tantrums from little one and hubby having finished exams means work around the house is a little bit easier with him taking his share of work around the house.The internet stopped me from catching up with the blogging world, and after 4-5 days of no internet connection finally got it back today!!! yey ! so will hopefully get back with you guys soon. :)
Dont you just love tomatoes! I love tomatoes especially cherry and grape tomatoes. I made this lovely salad for our eid lunch with friends and it went down quite well.

1 punnet cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 medium ripe tomato, roughly chopped.
1 shallot or a small red onion, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime or half a lemon
a green chilli, finely sliced( optional)
a good handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil or plain olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Place chopped onion in a bowl with lime or lemon juice and pinch or salt. Give a good scrunch and set it aside to release its juices and go nice and limp. about 10 minutes.

2. While thats place tomatoes, chili if using and coriander leaves into a salad bowl . Pour the onion and lime mixture on top and carefully mix with your finger tips . Taste , adjust seasoning, and a drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and chill for about 10 minutes before serving .

Devilled Chicken

2010-11-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

Everytime I go to my friend's house who lives here, her mum always has this made for get together's at her house :). She would have one or two spicy curries and then points at this and would go , this is devilled chicken.
When you hear the name devilled chicken you would probably think its very spicy and over the top dish but its actually very easy to make and has a slightly milder taste, and it depends on how much chillies you would add. So I called her up for the recipe and she goes or its very easy you just add a little of this and little of that , the usual maldivian way of explaining recipes because our mums have been so used to just adding things without measurements its hard for them to explain how much to add exactly.

So here is what I came up with, unlike my friend's mum's recipe who used a whole chicken with the bones and all and had boiled it first . I used boneless chicken and with less gravy and it can all be done in one pot within less than 30 minutes, that is minus the marinating time.

for2-3 people

2 chicken breast pieces ( or 3 chicken thigh , boneless), cut into bite size cubes
1 large onion , cut into chunks and seperated
1/2 inch piece ginger ( pound to a paste or finely grated)
2 fat cloves garlic, pound or finely grated
2-3 green chillies , slit in half
1 large tomato, cut into large chunks
1/2 a green and 1/2 red pepper ( deseeded and cut into large chunks)
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp light soy sauce ( do not use dark soy for this)
about 1/2 cup water
oil

cut the vegetables and chicken in same size for even cooking

1. Marinate chicken cubes with ginger and garlic and a little salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes or about 2 hours

2. Heat wok or large pan , stir fry your chicken till the out side is slightly turning golden but not cooked through. Remove and set aside

3 Heat more oil if needed and stir fry your onion till solf and translucent, then stir in your peppers and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Then stir in tomatoes and chillies. return the chicken into the pan

4. Mix the water, and tomato and soy sauce and stir into the pan and stir . Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer about 5 minutes. Remove lid stir and add more water if the gravy is too little , you want a nice thick gravy. Taste and add salt if necessary. If the sauce is too thin and runny, stir in a little corn starch ( a little corn flour mixed with a little water).

5. Serve with plain cooked rice and a green salad.

My little one is doing better now, thanks for all the ideas and support :). Still slow but I have started to stick to little meals but good healthy snacks in between. Looking forward for a girls day out tomorrow at the salon with a friend , hubby has finished his exams and so it my well deserved treat ;) yay! Although I do feel guilty leaving the boys alone so have to fix a delicious lunch for the boys :)
Have a nice week end!!!

Sausages with bell peppers , tomatoes and eggs

2010-11-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wish I was like most mums, the carefree mums, the ones who take the easy way when it comes to feeding kids. My usually food freindly 3 year old, has turned into a fussy eater. Its not just being fussy,
he just sits there with food in his mouth refusing to chew until the whole thing dissolves into a gooey mess and starts dribbling from the sides!!!. I have tried every trick in the book, and no its not that he hates veges, he loves most veges, just the chewing part and whole interest in food has slowed down. Even though he is a boy he isnt your typical boy who runs around all rough and all, he prefers to play with his cars and roll around. No running involoved.

What else?, I serve crunchy things with his meals like popadams, chips, cucumber, cherry tomatoes. Even that doesnt seem to work for long. I am giving a multivitamin called appeton which has lysine to supposedly increase the appetite( not working at all!) His weight isnt increasing and I am dredding the comments thats going to come on me when we finally go home (Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!) . I cant give much cheese as he reacts to it sometimes, he doesnt like peanut butter. Hence now I have the only option of going the easy way, the carfree one, where you sit him down in front of the tv and he will automatically open his mouth, while absorbed in it or feed him while he is playing. I am not keen with the whole idea, I am trying to get him to try and eat on his own and also to be more interested in food, plus the kid has to know what he is eating and enjoy his food , so the whole thing of feeding infront of tv or while playing doesnt sound very ................ cant really come up with a name right now :). So, any mums out there with fussy or slow eaters, could use a helping hand here. Plus one on how to stay calm without blowing a fuse :).

Anyway, having quite a tensed week along with slow eating he is suffering flu ( and no it didnt happen after the flu the whole slow eating thing started way over a month or two ago), hubby having a big exam coming up so I am cooking one pot meals. I know it looks a little messy but it tastes quite nice.
This recipe is something I seem to come up with usually end of the month. Its something I saw on a magazine once. Its great for breakfast, brunch, and in my case dinner :) I use either Ayamas garlic sausages or black pepper sausages ( you can use fresh ones which would probably taste better than these ) As for the bell peppers , you can use just one colour or use the way I have used.

For 2 :
1/2 a red bell pepper
1/2 a green bell pepper
1 large tomato or 2 medium ones
a small onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
1 green or red chilli sliced( optional)
4-5 sausages
a sprig of fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped or use about 1/2 a tsp of dried herbs or thyme
about 1/3 cup water or stock
olive oil
2 large eggs
salt and pepper

1. Remove the seeds and white cores and seeds of the peppers and cut into large chunks. Cut the tomatoes into thin wedges

2. Heat a large frying pan , once its hot add a little oil and fry the sausages till it browns. Remove and let it cool. cut into thick slices , you know thick diagonal slices.

3. In the same frying pan add a little more oil ( about a tbsp) and saute your onions and garlic till soft and just starting to colour.

4. Add tomatoes, bell peppers, thyme and chillies, if using. Stir fry for a minute or two , return the sausages to the pan and add water or stock. Stir , and cover and let it cook for about 5 minutes over a medium low heat. Remove lid , give a stir and it should be all nice and soft and the tomatoes will be turning into a nice rich pulp and the water almost absorbed by the vegetables. Taste, season with salt and pepper.

5. Make a well on either side of the mixture , make sure there is enough sausages and sauce on surrounding each well. Break the egg , carefully into the hole and another to the next hole. Give the pan a shake to let the egg white flow around the sauce. Let the egg set over a medium heat. If you like your eggs well down cover and cook for a minute or two, . Before serving , sprinkle some fresh chives or greens of a spring onion , this is just optional. Serve with some crusty bread or salad.

Easy Beany Quesidella

2010-10-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

Having a gloomy day here. A cloudy day with the occasional drizzling , which means the usual end of the year rain season is about to start or has begun. I usually prefer rain to hot sunny days, but today I am feeling quite gloomy.

Its the end of the month , which means trying to stick to a budget and try to make healthy meals using store cupboard ingrediants. I have a well stocked store cupboard. I have to have my canned tomatoes, the spices, lentils and cans of beans and of course cans of tuna. I usually buy in bulk when I go to supermarket, which is about once in two weeks , and usually to tesco .Once a freind commented whether I was doing shopping for a month!!!. So now I go grocery shopping alone, not that I usually take friends along, just cant start people scrutinizing and analysing how much I am spending on food. I dont spend much on clothes but when it comes to food and kitchen supplies, thats a another story :)

Ok enough talking , lets get cooking :). I made these quesidellas last week. Had a few leftover roshi , a couple of tomatoes in the fridge and a sorry looking bunch of coriander leaves and a small can of kidney beans. Made the kidney beans using a recipe for mexican red fried bean.,
For a snack or a light dinner for 2 :

220g can of kidney beans ( if you are buying from malaysia make sure you check lable as sometimes you might end up buying a sweetened kidney bean can with coconut milk!!)
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium tomato chopped
a nice bunch of coriander leaves, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
a big pinch of pepper
a green chilli, sliced ( optional)
salt
4 cooked roshi, chapatti or tortilla
A big handful of cheese
oil

1. Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan, and saute' your onion till soft and translucent. Add your tomatoes, the chilli and cumin and stir fry for few minutes to soften the tomatoes. Add a little water, about 1/4 cup and stir in kidney beans . ( before cooking, drain the liquid from the can and wash the beans before cooking this reduced the sugar used while canning the kidney beans).

2. Cook the mixture for about 1-2 minutes, stir occasionaly. Using a fork or a potato masher, roughly and stir in the coriander leaves , stir and season with salt and pepper. Dont add too much salt as you will be using cheese while making the quesidella. let it cool a little.

3. To assemble the quesidella, place a roshi or flat bread of your choice on a work surface, top with grated cheese, then spread the bean mixture evenly on top. Top with more cheese, then the second piece of roshi. Repeat with the remaining two flat bread.

4. Heat a large frying pan, then add a little oil just to coat the bottom, then carefully place the quesidella press down gently . Cook on one side then using a spatulla or a fish slice, carefully invert it to cook the other side of the quesidella.

5. Remove once cooked, cool and cut into wedges.Enjoy!!!

Have a nice week end!

Black Pepper Fish Curry

2010-10-23T23:54:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple curry. My mum used to make this quite often when I was home and I love the taste of black pepper. I used fresh tuna , you can try with other fish such as sword fish or even those firm white fish fillets.

For 2

250g fish, cut into about 1/2 -1 inch cubes.
1 small onion, sliced
5-6 curry leaves
2-3 fingerlength green chillies , slit into two( optional)
2 fat cloves of garlic, grated or pound to paste
1" piece ginger, grated or pound to a paste
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 a lime or 1/4 lemon.
about 1/2 cup water
Salt
oil

1. Place fish cubes in a bowl or zip lock bag, and add lime juice, garlic, ginger, pepper and a tiny pinch of salt. Leave in the fridge for about 30 minutes to marinate.

2. Heat oil in a suitable pot or wok, saute your onions and curry leaves till the onions are just turning colour to golden. Add your fish with the marinade and the chillies if using.

3. Pour in about 1/2 cup water, cover and simmer for about 2 minutes till fish is cooked through.

4. Remove lid and stir carefully to reduce the sauce till almost all the water evaporates ( you can leave a little gravy if you want). Taste , season with salt. Switch off .

Serve with a flat bread of your choice or even bread.

Enjoy!!!

Ps. Whats the difference between corn starch and cornflour, I have this recipe that asks for cornstarch and corn flour.

Siti Khadheeja Market

2010-10-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

When I found out we were heading to a state called Kelantan, I decided to check out the hot spots to shop for food ,ofcourse. What I do know is that its best to buy local mainly they would be fresh and also cheaper and also if you are thinking environmentally , its also a good thing.
If you google places to see or shop in kelantan , this market will come top of the list. Its just a local market, but whats fascinating is that its mostly women and the whole excitement of discovering new things , wierd ones and also familiar ones that you find from back home.

The place is situated right in the heart of kota bahru, the capitalof this state. Its a rather old run down building and once you get near it , the stench of rotting garbage , and fish and god knows what else could put you off. Plus the presence of stray cats who love to brush against you. But once you get used to it, or just avoid looking down and take deep breaths , its not that bad. The vendours are smiley, friendly people, like most kelantanese people. Some even put in an extra handfuls of chillies or a couple of limes if you buy lots of produce :) or come back to them.
Most of the vendours on the ground floor sell vegetables and fruits, there are poultry sellers, the butchers, and the fish mongers.

Then there are the coconut milk extractors. They use huge machines to extract fresh coconut milk and even sell freshly grated coconut.

The top floor or the first floor, is mostly spices, various condiments and pickles and various kinds of meat floss, pots and pans.

Even though I like the hustle and bustle of the place, the place is quite unkept when it comes to cleanliness , other than that its a good place to go and snoop around and discover new things.

If you want to know more about this place check out this site, the author has lovely photoes and great article describing the place.

Chicken Snitzels

2010-10-13T00:30:00.000-07:00

This is the perfect thing to make when you are in a bad mood and want to do a little bashing up :). And its quite a good low budget meal. I saw this on an australian food show called food safari on TLC.
But its not a australian dish its a hungarian one. I jazzed up the breadcrumbs to give it a nice flavor. What is also great about is about it can be a nice light meal for 4 with a side dish of good potato salad and greens such as beans , brocolli or peas.

2 boneless, skin less chicken breast
Dried bread crumbs
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or garlic flakes
dried chilli flakes or 1/2 tsp chilli powder( depends on how hot you like it)
a big pinch of dried herbs
a big pinch of pepper
about a tsp of grated lemon rind or finely chopped rind
1-2 eggs( depending on the size), beaten
Plain flour
salt
oil for deep frying

1. Cut the chicken along the thickest part of the chicken breast lenght wise. So you get nice equal halves.

2. Place a piece of cling film on your work surface or chopping board, place your chicken piece, then cover with another cling film( if you dont have cling film place in plastic bag) then using the heaviest pan you have or a meat mallet or a rolling pin, give it a few good bashing( let it all out on the poor chicken!). Once you are finished you will have a nice thin piece of flatten chicken piece.Repeat with the rest.

3.Season your flattened chicken pieces or snitzels with salt and pepper. Then put flour on a flat plate, then eggs in another bowl and finally bread crumbs in a seperate bowl.

4.Season your breadcrumbs with lemon zest,garlic, salt , pepper, chilli flakes or powder and herbs. Mix well.

5.Dust your chicken snitzels with flour, dust off excess, then dip in eggs, then finally into seasoned breadcrumbs.

6. Bring a deep frying pan or suitable pan with oil for deep frying. Once its hot, carefully slide the chickn snitzels in, do one at a time or two at a time. Dont over crowd.

7. Once the bread crumbs are nice and golden brown ,remove onto kitchen towel or paper.

Serve with a good potato salad and greens.

Note : for kids cut the snitzel into strips so its easy to eat with their fingers. Serve with roasted potatoes or chips and a green vegetable

Yes I am still around :) taking things nice and slow , gettin ready for my son's first concert :) , a little nervous too. I remember my first concert and it wasnt exactly all happy day, we were to change and I hate changing infront of people even when I was 4 so created such a fuss about it. Was dressed as a teapot for the song "Am a little tea pot":).

I think nowadays in maldives, concerts have been so commercialised with so much money wasted by the parents and putting on a big show at night , not just one night but 3 whole nights ( imagine the poor kid's crankiness during the morning).I mean concerts are supposed to be for family, and a fun day for the kids. Not something you sell tickets and keep the kids up all night.

Anyway, hope you are all having a great week :).

Pesto and a little announcement

2010-10-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

I love freshly made pesto, whether its made with mint or using basil, pasta alway tastes best when served with pesto. Its great refrigerator standby, good with fish and chicken and even on toast.
I usually use thai basil ,which is almost the same to continental basil with a very strong aroma. Why thai basil, simple its easily available at local markets, normal continental basil is also available at the supermarket. In maldives we have a variety of basil known as gandakoalhi.

So for a small quantity of pesto :

About 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil ( or you can use a mixture of basil and parsley)
1 fat clove of garlic
1 red or green chilli( my personal touch , optional)
a small handful of blanched, skinned almonds, roughly chopped( if you want in number thats about 8 almonds)
A good amount of extra virgin olive oil or normal olive oil
A big handful of grated parmesan cheese

1. Place , herbs ,garlic , chilli ( if using ) and nuts into a food processor or blender or use a hand blender or even the motor and pestle.

2. Pulse a few times to chop everything up, then add oil in a drizzle by the side, and pulse again, most chefs say to pulse while adding olive oil but my processor doesnt have that funnel ( its a mini one) so I do this way. Pulse till everything is chopped up fine and smooth.

3. I add parmesan the last or just before adding oil .

4. Use as required, stir into freshly cooked pasta , on grilled fish or chicken etc. Store in a clean dry bottle , add a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto while storing to keep nice and fresh. Store in the fridge. If you cant find basil any where, try my mint pesto.

Thinking of taking a little or a big break from the blogging world, thank you for all your support , and sweet comments. I started blogging nearly 2 years ago , first on jamie oliver's blog, and then a year later switched to blogger, unlike some blogger's I dont go begging for followers I join the ones I like. These days I keep wondering about doing something meaning ful with my life , blogging had been fun but sometimes the thought of food is constantly in my mind I feel I neglect my son and hubby sometimes. I did think of joining food buzz thinking it might , you know earn me a few bucks but according to my sister it wasnt something like that. So maybe i might return after a week's break , ............... so thank you , i'll see you around , god bless :)

Sri Lankan Pebble Rice

2010-10-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

I cook rice every day for lunch. Sometimes I like to throw in some vegetables , some times make masbai , sometimes as a salad. I saw this recipe in a Sri lankan cook book , The fine art of sri lankan cuisine, and this recipe caught my attention.
What interested me was that it had beetroot in it, and since I have limited ideas about using beetroot, I decided to give it a try. Its a lovely rice dish and a great way to get kids to eat vegetables like beetroot.
My son was quite fascinated by the pinkish tinge on the rice and wanted to know why the beetroot gives it colour.
Anyway back to my pebble rice. Its called pebble rice because the vegetables are cut into pebble shape, I think, I am not sure how big or small a pebble is so I just cut into small cubes.

For 2-3 people

1 small potato
1/2 a large carrot or 1 small baby carrot
1/2 a big beetroot or 1 baby beetroot
2-3 spring onions ( finely sliced, keep the white and green parts seperate)
1 /2 red bell pepper or 1 if small pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated
5 curry leaves
1/2 cup rice( preferably basmathi), washed and soaked in water for about 10 minutes
oil or butter or ghee
Water or stock

1. First prepare rice, by heating a wok or a non stick pan or even your rice cooker, add oil and then saute' the white part of your spring onions till soft, about a minute. Add garlic , curry leaves and stir fry for a minute. Drain the rice , and add to the pan and stir fry so its coated with oil and onion mixture. Add salt ( about a big pinch) and then water or stock. For this amount of rice you will need a about 1 cup and a little more water, say a 1/4 more. Cook uncovered over a medium heat.
Ps you can even add rice and place it on the rice cooker and cook.

2. For the vegetables, peel all the root vegetables, keep the beetroot seperate and do it last as it will stain everything else. Remove the memembrane of the peppers and the seeds. Cut everything into about 1/2 - 1 cm cubes.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan or a wok, add your potatoes first and fry them till they are nice and golden on the outside and cooked through. Dont make the oil too hot as it will burn and make sure you give a toss to rotate it and cook evenly. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

4. Next toss the carrots just to cook a little but not brown . Remove on to kitchen paper. finally the beetroot , cook as you did for the carrots, just a couple of tosses in the oil.

5. Put all the cooked vegetables in to a salad bowl or mixing bowl , along with the greens of the spring onions and the bell peppers. Then stir in the cooked rice. Mix well. Serve.

Garlic Rolls

2010-10-04T00:45:00.000-07:00

I love garlic bread and nothing beats the taste of home made garlic bread and the smell of it all over the kitchen. Yes I love the taste of garlic and love using it when cooking. Cant understand why some people just rub it around the bowl and throws it away. Anyway I saw this recipe in Umm Mymoonah's blog, taste of pearl city , and just fell for it :) .

I decided to makeit using half the said measurements of her recipe , but it turned out enough for the three of us. My son, loved rolling the dough up into cylinders and after I cut them, he arranged it for me in the tray, I used a small round cake tin. Its great with stews , soups and even curries or even to snack on if you get hungry.

So check out here for the recipe at Umm Mymoonah's place, she has explained the whole process with lovely step by step photoes.

Spicy Grilled Prawns

2010-10-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

I learnt how to clean and handle prawns from my malaysian landlady back in 1996. I was living with her as a tenant while attending collage in KLor kolej in malay. Even though she rarely cooked being a working woman her self , the days she actually thought of cooking would mean she was going to cook atleast one dish using prawns. Sometimes she would take me and my room mate with her to market.
Then she would give us chores usually peeling and deveining the prawns. At 16 it wasnt exactly the most enjoyable thing todo, and we would scowl our way through it. But then she did teach a lot of things around the house hold and kind of kept us grounded with rules and chores. I got to taste my first rasam at this house and she makes a really tasty rasam.

Anyway I bought some lovely fat prawns from the market today and decided to grill them.

No, I dont have a barbeque grill and own a tiny oven , so I improvised, placed a wire rack on my stove and placed the skewers on top. It wasnt that messy except had to move them a little so all the prawns got cooked through. ( the tail did get a little charred because I had it too close to the fire)

I used the some of the common ingrediants used for lonumirus , but added soy sauce. Then squeezed the lime later right after grilling.

So here is a very simple way, it just an idea that popped into my head , anyway give it try , add more stuff and vegetables to it if you like.

for 2
12 large prawns
3 fat cloves of garlic, pound to paste or 1 tsp of garlic paste
1 tsp chilli powder or u can use paprika
1/2 freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp freshly ground cumin
a tiny pinch of salt
about 1-2 tbsps light soysauce
1/2 a lime
2-3 bamboo skewers

1. Soak your bamboo skewers in water for about and 30 minutes or more.

2. Clean and devein the prawns , leave the tail intact if you like.

3. Mix chilli powder, pepper , cumin and garlic in a small bowl. Add a tiny pinch of salt and soy sauce.

4. Mix the prawns into the chilli mixture and leave to marinate for about 20 minutes.

5. Skewer on to the bamboo skewers and grill It takes just 5 minutes to cook , make sure you grill both sides, brush with the marinade if any left in it. Once they are cooked through and the skin becomes pink, remove them and squeeze the lime over them while they are hot.Serve !

Note: prawns tend to get rubbery if over cooked so cook until just tender.

Spagetti With A Simple Mushroom Sauce

2010-09-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

My mum had me scared about cooking with fresh mushrooms. She says there could be a poisonous one in fresh mushrooms, maybe she was scared off while studying abroad. So I have stayed clear away from fresh mushrooms unless someone cooks it for me and feeds me. After seeing so many lovely mushroom recipes in so many blogs I decided to go ahead and buy some. Tesco has such lovely mushrooms, so I purchased some baby swiss brown mushrooms.
Since this was my first time cooking with fresh mushrooms , I wanted to make something simple, so I can actually taste the mushroom. So made this really simple pasta dish using what I had at home.

For 2 :
6 swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
1 small onion or shallot finely chopped
water or stock( about 1/3 cup )
a knob of butter
Juice of about 1/2 a lemon and a tsp of grated zest
a big handful of finely chopped parsley
Spagetti
A big handful of grated parmesan

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, generously salted , add your spagetti about 150 g , and cook till al dente'. Drain.

2. While you spagetti is cooking ,heat butter and add your mushrooms and stir fry . Stir in garlic , onion , chilli and zest and give a good stir,
Add water , use very little water , the half cup is approximate :), let it reduce. Taste , add salt squeeze your lemon juice ( do not squeeze the life out of your lemon , just a couple of good squeezes )and stir in your parsley. Switch off.

3. Toss your pasta into the mushroom sauce. Finally add the parmesan and stir well. Serve

I have to say it tasted pretty good :), I didnt have any cream but the parmesan gave it a nice creamy texture.

Gnam Gnam

2010-09-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

The Maldivian language , like english and arabic consists of an alphabet, consisting of 24 letters. Known as Dhivehi, and the letters are known as akuru . Like arabic we write from right to left and like arabic there are certain marks made to help pronouce the letters. No , I am not going to give you a lesson on the maldivian language but to a certain letter, known as gnaviani. This particular letter has only one work and that is something called gnam gnam. Ask any maldivian how a gnam gnam looks like , most havent seen them, well I didnt and neither did any of my sisters , until I came here to malaysia .
The farmers markets are lovely places to visit to look around for food and I came across this , the well but mysterious gnam gnam. Some one had to tell me that this was gnam gnam.

During a recent visit to such market I purchased a couple just to see what it tastes like. I have to say I was a little disappointed. Even though it wasnt some thing very pretty to look , it discolours very fast when you peel it.

Inside is a huge flat seed.

The taste is a little sour , not so sharp like limes and not as sour as the unripe green mangoes with a slight bitterness. My husband says he had seen the locals here eating it with a little salt and chilli powder, and with budu, an anchovy paste specialty of east malaysia. The locals here call it katak puru( which means knotted frogs because it kinda resembles the skin of a toad or something :P).
I did a little googling but couldnt quite get a site which had an english version but I did find this photo of how its found on the tree, from this malay website.

Has anyone seen this before and if you have , what do you call it?

Confetti cookies

2010-09-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

Today at my son's kindy they hosted a Eid party for the kids. The parents were asked to send some goodies with the kids , so I decided to make cookies as it seemed to be the tradition here. So along with some cutlets I baked some cookies.
Yes yes , me and baking dont get along well but found this easy recipe on Taste. com and made them. Got my son to chip in to help with the cutting and rolling even though that meant it was going to get messy.

So here is the recipe, you can check out here for the original version , I made half of the original recipe , didnt do much change for the fear I might end up messing it up.

75g margerine softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 small egg,
1 1/3 cup flour, sifted
about 1/2 of a 70 g pkt 100s and thousands

1. Preheat oven to 180 -200 degrees celcius, line a tray with a baking paper

2. Beat butter , sugar and vanilla together, till nice and creamy.

3. Add eggs and mixwell. Sift in flour and 100s and 1000s, stir well to mix everything in and you have a very soft dough.

4. Pile everything into a piece of cling film and wrap well and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

5. Dust your work surface with flour and your rolling pin. Then roll your cookie dough very carefully

and then using cookie cutters cut into any shape you like.

Place on tray and bake about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in an air tight bottle.

Have fun!

Chick peas curry

2010-09-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

I used to work in a place which is dominated mostly by women. Out of the 45- 55 people at work , only about 10 were men, so most of the time there was gossiping, bickering about juggling life and work , in laws , school life and of course , come the month of Ramadhan , food!! Every now and then someone comes up with an idea of having a feast for lunch , all maldivian spreads , or if someone is leaving or going for further studies or leaving for good we always threw a farewell or welcome party and chip in to make food.
I once made this curry for one of the get togethers , as we had indian exptatriate collegues and ever since then was requested to make it everytime such a dinner came up that I eventually had to beg to make something different.

Now adays I always keep dried chickpeas or some form of pulses in my kitchen as they are healthy , chickpeas are packed with phosphorus, calcium, magnesium , iron and zinc.

I have made this so often that now I dont refer to any recipes , the first time I did it I followed a recipe by indian cookbook author, Tarla dalal. Since its a vegetarian dish I had to make it a little maldivian by adding dried tuna flakes to please the palate of my husband who doesnt like all vegetarian meals.

300g chick peas( dried or canned)
1 onion,
2 cloves garlic
Small piece ginger (about 1/2 inch)
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp tomato paste
A big hand ful of finely chopped coriander ( leaves and stems)
Juice of half a lime
A big hand ful of dried tina flakes( optional)
1 cup water or vegetable stock
Salt

1. If using dried chick peas, soak them over night and cook them in boiling lightly salted water for an hour and half till nice and tender, drain and set aside. If using canned, drain in to a colander and wash under running water to remove the sweet liquid its in.

2. Finely chop the onions , garlic and ginger. Or just chuck them to the food processor or blender with a tablespoon of water and process to nice paste. Toast the whole spices, cumin and coriander seeds, in a dry frying pan ( no oil) till aroma is realeased and then grind to a powder.

3. Heat oil in a wok or suitable pan, add your onion mixture and cook till slightly coloured. Stir in all the ground spices. Stir to cook through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tuna at this point if using.

4.Add tomato puree and the stir well to mix everything . Add the chick peas and then a quick stir and finally add water. Let it cook for a few minutes, covered. Add more water if you want more gravy.

5. Finally stir in coriander leaves and mix well. Cook another 1 minute , uncovered. Then squeeze in your lime juice and taste. Adjust seasonings, ( salt) and then switch off. Garnish with some extra coriander if you want , to make it pretty. Serve with roshi, bread, rice or any form of flat bread.

Tuna Kedgree

2010-09-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

I cook rice everyday for lunch. But I dont use a rice cooker,although I am considering of purchasing one in the future. My son loves plain cooked rice with either garudhiya , muguriha or kirugardhiya and sometimes he can be quite adventurous and eat egg curry. Sometimes I like to serve just rice, like a one pot , like the maldivian masbai or biryani or even fried rice. Last week end I decided to make what some people would call a kedgree. I saw Nigella lawson make this rice on one of her shows using poached salmon.

I had some kaffir lime leaves stashed up somewhere in my freezer , so I used some of it, I love the lemony taste of it when its added and also the addition of lemon zest. So here is my version of Nigella's asian spiced Kedgree.

for 2-3 people you will need:

1 cup basmathi rice , washed and soaked in water for about 10 minutes
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon full ( not level tsp )curry powder ( I used maldivian roasted curry powder, you can even use as the original recipe by adding just cumin and coriander powder)
1 -2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 tsp tumeric ( approximate ,as some tumeric powders tend to be stronger than others)
a big pinch of grated lemon or lime zest
A handful of green beans, blanched in boiling hot water
Half a can of chunky tuna or use a small can of tuna( those single serving cans )
2 hardboiled eggs, shelled and cut into quarters
2 cups ( or maybe another 1/4 cup more) chicken or vegetable stock or just plain water
A big handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
A tablespoon of butter and a little oil
salt
1/4 lemon or 1/2 a lime

1. Heat a non stick pan or a wok , then add about alittle oil and the knob of butter , add the onion and saute' till the onion becomes soft, and translucent.

2. Add the curry powder and tumeric and saute' for another 1 minutes to release their aroma and then add the rice and stir to coat your rice with the spice mixture.

3. Stir in tuna , lime leaves, and stock / water. cook over a medium heat till the water is absorbed and the rice cooked through, add a little more water if its still undercooked. Reduce heat once water on top is absorbed, cook 1-2 minutes then switch off , keep half covered for about 5- 10 minutes, then stir in coriander leaves beans and hardboiled eggs. Squeeze your lime or lemon juice before serving.

Enjoy!!.

Storing herbs

2010-09-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

After a week's break am baaaaaaaaaaack! , Sorry was a bit busy last week, with my son's school break and also having a family in for a holiday , so had a lovely time, visiting the park and shopping and eating and even hitting the beach. What I enjoyed the most was having a company who enjoyed food, I hate people who screw up their faces and get a too fussy over food.

I buy herbs such as coriander leaves, parsley, and mint quite often.
Leaves such as pandan and curry leaves can be stored by air drying them for a day to make sure all moisture is gone and then stored in a clean dry bottle lined with tissue at the bottom and then stored in the fridge. This will keep for almost 2 weeks.

For years I have been trying to find out a way to store herbs such as parsley and coriander leaves. First I tried my sister's method by storing them in a damp kitchen cloth but that didnt work. I tried freezing them but they changed colour , although it does work well with kaffir lime leaves.

I came across this tip on DK's Ultimate book of cooking hints and tips, and it actually works!!!. So here is how to do it.

Fill a small glass or bottle half way up with water. Cut your herb stems at an angle , leave coriander leaves along with their roots. Place them in the container with water, making sure the stems or roots touch the water.

Cover with a small plastic bag, such as a zip lock bag or any other small bag. and then place in the fridge .Change the water every two days .

It stayed well and fresh for almost 2 weeks .

How have u all been , sorry as usual am way behind all my favorite bloggers.

By the way did anyone see the meat dress worn by Lady Gaga? I am not a crazed fan of hers I would rather listen to her songs than watch them. wont go to the length of buying a record of downloading any .Nor am I someone who stalks celebrities although I like to check out now and then about new movies coming out and award cremonies. Even though I didnt watch the show my brother in law brought the dress to my attention. Seriously what was she thinking!!! I mean imagine sitting next to a person who is wearing a dress made of raw meat, eyew!

Roasted Stuffed Peppers or Capsicums

2010-09-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

My mum used to make these stuffed capsicums back home. A simple filling of tuna and potatoes. Its usually served as a side with rice but i like these even as a snack. Even thought I make pasta or roshi or other main course dinners I make something to snack on during the night, during the fasting month.

I rarely find the kind of light green capsicums here, until recently. It has started popping every where from supermarkets to farmers markets. They are very mild, with just a hint of heat.

You will need:
9 capsicums or baby bell peppers
1 small onion or a shallot.
100 g potato ( peeled, boiled and mashed)
1 can tuna
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Salt and pepper
oil

1. Cut around the stem of the pepper/ capsicum and remove the stem. Using the end of a teaspoon, scoop out the seeds and the white membrane. Try not to break the skin.

2. To make the filling, mix onions and lime juice and salt and scrunch up till soft. Add tuna . Heat a little oil a frying pan and cook the fish mixture till it you get a nice aroma , taste season with a generous pinch of pepper and add more salt if needed. Mix in the mashed potato. Leave to cool.

3. Using your fingers fill the peppers with the filling , dont fill up till they burst , leave a tiny space at the top as the filling sometimes tend to come out while roasting.

4. Preheat oven to somewhere between 200- 250 degree celcius, moderately hot oven. Place the capsicums or peppers in a lightly greased try and bake till soft and slightly brown as shown above. Make sure to turn them once.

Serve as a side dish with rice or as a snack with some tomato ketchup or chilli sauce.

Eid Preparations

2010-09-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest celebrations is coming up and thats Eid ul Fitr. This is a day where we celebrate the end of fasting month ( but not the begining of a new year!). I havent celebrated Eid in maldives for almost 4 years I think.
Yes I do miss the family , especially my mum's big hugs on eid day. At my home its quite festive , as children we were encouraged to make greeting cards to everyone and wish everyone. So that kind of stuck with me after c oming here. The old maldivian tradition of sending sweet dishes to relatives and freinds is also dying.
I dont really believe that eid means you have to have just your countryman or just sit at home sulking and wishing you were home. Make dinner and invite some freinds( whether muslim or not over to celebrate the day, go to the mosque, you are bound to be invited to a sweet family's place to celebrate. So here are a few ideas for those stuck away from home to throw a really homey and festive dinner or lunch for freinds.

Prepare plain cooked rice and serve with :

For Desert :

Hope everyone had a blessed month of Ramadan and Eid greetings for all muslims and to everyone else, have nice and happy day!

Make Your own Dried Bread Crumbs

2010-09-04T02:58:00.000-07:00

I know what you are thinking , "everyone knows that!!!" . You see, back home in Maldives, we have dried bread crumbs sold in shops known as faaroshi kundi. This particular bread crumbs are made of sweet bread rolls , which are then toasted and sold as faaroshi. These look like rusks , dried up , the kind that can make choke but a lot of people love to eat them dunked in milky tea, or even turn it into a savory snack called kulhi faaroshi. Now these dried up bread rolls are again proceesed and turned to fine crumbs and sold as faaroshi kundhi and used to coat fish for frying, cutlets and rolls

Now whats that got to do with not knowing how to make bread crumbs? You see , I once had someone asking me where she can get faaroshi kundhi aka bread crumbs ,to make cutlets. I am sure I must have looked at her as if she had grown two heads but then again with the same story as above, you probably understand why( hopefully). It didnt occur to her to toast a slice of bread grind them until I decided to suggest that she try it. ( does that make me bossy? )
.
So to make bread crumbs you need :

A few slices of old bread or bread rolls. Or use a whole loaf of old bread if you want.

Toast them in an oven or toaster till golden brown, and dried up ( now dont go turning them black). You can even put it on a hot frying pan and toast it if you dont have a toaster or an oven.

Put it in the grinder or food processor or in a motor and pestle and process to crumbs. Store in a clean dry air tight container.

Biskeemiya ( Cabbage and egg filled pastries)

2010-09-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

Maldivians love their tuna fish , all our snacks and curries are filled with tuna in various forms so I am always surprised with this particular pastry. Why? Because it has no fish at all. I think this recipe probably made its way into our snack table when someone must have decided to create a pastry which can be eaten by vegetarian expatriate teachers and nurses who came to work in Maldives.
Its a very simple recipe, and a rather unusual combination for me mixing cabbage and boiled eggs. So have a go and let me know what you think. I dont usually make this as I have a fish loving husband, so made a batch especially to post for my vegetarian bloggers:) . I have adapted some of the measurements and method.

Dough
1 1/2 cup plain flour
2-3 tablespoons oil or margerine/butter (melt)
1 egg beaten
Hot water

Filling :
1 cup shredded white cabbage
2 hard boiled eggs ( chopped)
1 small onion , sliced into thin half moons
2-3 green or red chillies , finely sliced
Juice of l lime
Salt

1. To make the dough, sift flour into a bowl, add oil or melted butter. Mix.

2. Add the beaten egg, mix well. Add water little at a time, mixing after each addition till you get a nice smooth dough. When working with hot water, use a metal spoon , add about 2-3 tablespoons, then mix with a spoon, let it cool a little then using your hands knead, add more water , ( a little at a time ) if it looks too crumbly. Knead to a smooth dough and let it rest till you make a filling.

3. For the filling: Place the onions in a bowl, add lime juice, salt and mix with your hands till they go soft. Add chillies, and mix again. Finally stir in your cabbage and eggs , dont scrunch this time , just gently mix with your finger tips.

4. Divide your dough into about 12- 13 pin pong ball size balls. Roll each ball into a small circle about 10 cm in diameter.

5. Place a teaspoon ful of filling in the middle , brush the edges with water and fold the sides in . Then the top and bottom , to make a rough square shape pastry or a cushion as my mum calls them . Repeat with the rest.

6. Heat oil for deep frying till hot. Once the oil is hot , bring to a medium heat, so you dont burn the pastries. Fry in batches till golden brown. Drain excess oil on kitchen paper.

Ramadhan is nearing to and end , the last week is starting , even though I will be posting a few more recipes which I have in draft , I might not be able to check in my regulars as the last week is the best of the whole month and need to concentrate more prayers and all. But will try and keep up with you all as much as I can.

Have a nice day!!!

How To Clean, Debone And Fillet A Tuna

2010-08-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

I was told by a freind of mine , that I should do post on how to clean a tuna fish. You see , if you are a Maldivian , especially a guy , and do not know how to clean a tuna , then shame on you!.

We are surrounded by the indian ocean and the whole cleaning and cutting the tuna is now fast becoming a dying trend. I used to love watching one of my uncles or even my grandfather clean and gut a freshly caught tuna. Its quite a fascinating thing to watch, and they would tell me little stories and even show me whats in side the tuna's stomach, sometimes even discover little fish that it had eaten.

Now adays , if you live on the mainland,Male' you can get tuna , filleted and cleaned up by the men there, but the people who live on the islands still clean and gut their own fish and you will know this when you hand a fish to a guy from an island and one from the city, the latter will probably freak out or spew a few abuses while the former will happily clean it up for you. Which is probably why I married the island boy and kicked the city boy off.

Anyway ,its not just a man's job , even you ladies can give it go. Even though I live in malaysia , I was able to get hold of nice fresh Raagodi or Frigate tuna, sometimes I get latti or little tuna. These are smaller varieties of tuna . In Maldives we eat, either skipjack tuna, frigatte tuna or little tuna. Yellow fin tuna is caught but are usually sold abroad.
If you are living abroad , you can check local markets instead of heading to pricey supermarkets , you will be surprised what you might find , if you cant find a whole tuna , might find a nice big piece of steak tuna and just cut it up to make curry or what ever dish you might like to try. So lets get cleaning that fish shall we...
WARNING: those who are squesmish with blood please be advised to turn around.

You will need a sharp filleting knife for this.

1. First remove the head, to do this lay the fish on a board or sink ( do somewhere you have access to water and dont use the board for cutting vegetables and fruits). Lift the pectoral fin, the one on the side near the gills, and slide you knife in and start cutting around the gills. Go all round the head, then the side fins, lifting it up and cutting around till you have completely cut around the head.

2. Now hold slip your fingers under the gill and pull out the head along with gut and liver and lagodhi attached to it.

3. To remove the belly part, cut from the side as seen above and cut across up to its anus , cut along like a slanted why ( you are removing the belly or bandaidhoo. Inside will be the bis, am not sure what they call it in english, and bladder .).

4. After removing the insides , you can clean up the parts if you want to use them and set it a side. Now hold the fish up right, by the tail end and remove the side fins by cutting down from the top to the bottom. Do the same to both sides

5. Now its time to skin the fish. Lay the fish down, the area where the head had been facing away from you. Slide your knife, blade side towards the head , under the skin ( not into the flesh) and cut a small flap of skin at the tip, like below.

6. You will have a flap of loose skin , hold on to that skin first with the knife edge then later with your fingers and pull the skin gently but firmly towards you till you reach the tail. Cut off the skin.

7. To bone the fish, hold the fish up right again by the tail, and push your knife between the flesh and the bone in the middle from the side. Start from the top and push down till you reach the tip. Cut first one side then the next .

8. Now you have two fillets of fish. Now to remove the bones in the middle and the side, Cut down the middle of the fillet and remove the bones or pin bones by holding it on one hand or keeping on the board. Its quite easy to remove these bones , but cut as close to the flesh or you wont have much fish .

Now you have cleaned and boned fish fillets, you can cut into large chunks to make garudhiya or smaller cubes to make curries. or use whole for anything else you like.

Disastrous lamb chops

2010-08-29T00:42:00.000-07:00

When you are fasting you crave all sorts of things. By the end of last week I wanted to eat meat!! Was sick of eating chicken and fish. I remembered seeing some nice chucks of beef at a nearby supermarket so headed there after dropping my son off .
Much to my disappointment there wasnt a very good piece of beef, what was there was a bit greying looking chunks but lots of nice lamb shoulder pieces. Lamb shoulder cut into steak pieces. I love lamb but I usually cook lamb shanks because everytime I attempt lamb chops they end up tough. After deliberating over it getting curious looks from passing shoppers, of course they were probably wondering why i was standing in front of the meat counter fo almost 10 minutes!!.

So finally I purchased to huge pieces of lamb shoulder. Came home and did a little research on what goes well with lamb shoulder pieces. I marinated it , as it is said lamb shoulder pieces were tough. Marinated in lemon juice, rosemary and garlic. Left it over night.

Come next day , I took it out around 4 in the afternoon , placed it on a hot frying pan and prayed that it will cook. Well it did cook but there was still a little blood on top whenI pressed down with a spatualla. I have read robin cook's toxin so I eat my meat well done. Having little experiance with chops and hoping to make the chops tender I added water. Left the water to dry and out and then took them out.

It was so tough!!! My jaw was aching by the time I finished my meal!!. Hubby tried to eat the civilised way of cutting with knife and fork , when that didnt work he tried to saw it with the knife!!

Finally gave up and using his hands started to tear with his teeth. I joined in and we both joked we are eating like lions eat the flesh of their catch .

So how do you cook a such cuts of lamb!

Roast Chicken (2)

2010-08-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

I love roasting chicken, and all the left overs that come with as well. I was reading this book , a cooking handbook where they give tips and hints on different ways of cooking and in it was that if you slip a few slices of lemon under the skin , the flesh remains moist and juicy. and also tenderises it . As for the spice rub, I decided to give the old lonumirus a little twist. Instead of making the usual maldivian chilli paste, lonumirus, I decided to do a little experiment. Hubby loved it. As for my son he didnt notice the chili as i removed the skin for him so it was quite mild for him.

900g or 1 kg chicken., with skin on
1 onion,
8 cloves garlic
8 curry leaves
about 6-7 thin slices of lemon ( if you dont have lemon, try lime)
2 tsps chilli powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp toasted and freshly ground cumin.
Salt
2 tbsps butter/ margerine or vegetable spread

1. Pat your chicken dry, remove neck and snip the wing tips . Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper. Using a fork, give a few pricks on the chicken. Season well with salt. ( about 1 tsp) in side and outside

2. Place onions , garlic and curry leaves in a motor and pestle or processor and puree it well. Using a teaspoon spoon a few teaspoons between the skin and flesh on the breast piece and thigh pieces and massage it in so its evenly distributed. The rest of it apply all over the chicken , especially in to the cavity.

3. Leave the chicken for an hour to absorb the flavor or you can continue . Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Set a side. Mix the ground spices together in a small bowl with a little salt( about 1/2 tsp .

4. Take the lemon slices and gently lift the skin on the breast piece, and slip in two slices, the next two on each thigh, one on each thigh. And the remaining slice, place inside the cavity. You can tie the legs if you like.

5. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, brush the melted butter all over the chicken. Then with a spoon ,sprinkle the spice mix all over the chicken , even it out with your fingers , make sure all the area is covered.

6. Preheat oven to about 250 degrees celsius . Line a large roasting tray with foil , easier to clean, place your chicken , and place inside the oven.

7. Baste , ie brush with the liquid thats coming out from the chicken , every now and then but leave it alone at the last 20 minutes to get a nice crispy skin. Reduce the temperature to some where between 200- 250 degrees celsius after about 30 minutes of cooking time. Test if done by jabbing a sharp knife into the chicken's thigh and if no juices run out then its done. Dont over roast as the meat will toughen up and become dry.

8. Take the chicken out , rest on a chopping block with a foil on top for about 20 minutes before carving.

Enjoy!!!

Accidently Delicious Cauliflower Pasta

2010-08-24T00:38:00.000-07:00

I know the name is going to raise a few eye brows, its true it was quite accidental. I was planing to make this recipe I saw on bbcgoodfood web site , a cauliflower pasta recipe. But instead of baking the cauliflower I decided to just pan fry the whole sauce. But along wth the way I added chicken stock and chilli powder and from the looks of it , it looked like it was headed for a very hot and spiced up dinner, not one I was ready to break my fast with. So I added some left over cream , and spoon of whole grain mustard, and it tasted pretty good.

For 2-3 persons

100g roberts luncheon meat, cut into strips or use sausages or any form of meat you like

200g cauliflower, cut into bite size florets

1 small onion , chopped

1 fat clove of garlic , chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 tsp chili powder

a big pinch pepper

1/2 cup cream ( aproximately )

1/2 cup chicken stock / veg stock or 1/2 cup water with a small cup of chicken stock / veg stock dissolved init )

2 tsps whole grain mustard ( optional)

A small handful chopped coriander leaves( cilantro)

1. Heat oil, saute' your onions till soft. but not brown. Add luncheon meat or sausages and fry till the meat browns.

2. Stir in your cauliflower and garlic and toss around , till cauliflower start to change colour. Add spices and tomato and stir fry and pour water into pot with stock cube( I used half a cube) or fresh stock.

3. Cook till almost dry and cauliflower is cooked, but still has the crunch, ( dont cover the pan),

4. While the sauce is cooking , bring a pan of water to boil and cook enough pasta, such as linguine, spatti or fettucini, for 3, cook till al dente', drain

5. Stir in your cream and whole grain mustard (if using). taste and season with salt. and stir in your coriande leaves.

6. Toss your pasta into the sauce just before serving

Serve as soon as possible, I dont like cold pasta unless its a salad, if you leave hot pasta in hot sauce for long time before serving you get over cooked soggy pasta.

Rice omlette

2010-08-22T00:34:00.000-07:00

My mum calls me every morning for a little chat. Have tried to convince her to skype , email, or even msn just to cut down the cost but no she prefers to call rather than face the dreaded pc . Recently she was complaining about left over rice , we eat rice for the early morning breakfast before the fasting day begins at dawn. She said she had made fried rice with it but still had to throw away some left over fried rice.

So I told her this recipe of hiding the rice in an omelette, similar to a recipe I saw in an australian women's weekly of a noodle omelette. She got quite excited about it so am sharing this recipe with you :).

Serves 1

1/2 cup cooked , cold rice

1 small onion, shallot or a spring onion( white and green parts )

1 green chilli, finely sliced

1/2 cup cooked vegetables

1 sausage, chopped, or a small handful of salami, chopped, or a handful of flaked canned tuna

2 eggs beaten

a big hand ful of grated chedder cheese

oil

Note : For vegetabes you can use, chopped carrots, beans, peas, sweetcorn kernels, brocolli and chopped potatoes, cook in boiling water until tender, dont over cook brocolli though. You can use prepared frozen vegetables which makes it easier if you are working or studying . You can even use left over fried rice instead of regular plain cooked rice and use less vegetables, and throw in some herbs like chives, parsley or coriander leaves.

1. In a mixing bowl , add onions, veges, chilli, ( omit chilies if making for kids), and rice. Mix with a spoon.

2. Beat your eggs , and pour it into the bowl with the vegetables and rice. Season well with salt and pepper, be careful with salt as you will be adding cheese later so just add a tiny pinch of salt.

3. Heat oil in a small non stick frying pan , pour the mixture in and give a gentle shake to spr

ead it out and even out the rice and vegetables. Let it cook, over a medium heat, covered. once the bottom is set, sprinkle your cheese.

4. Now if you are one of those people who are good at flipping your omele

te to a plate and then sliding it back in to the pan to cook the other side then please do so, I am not one of them :). So If like me , just wrap the handle if you are using regular frying pans that is , with foil and chuck it into a hot oven for about 5 -10 minutes. till top is done. Serve with a nice green salad or tomato salad and a prefered type of sauce, like tabasco etc.

Ps I am a stay at home mum,to all mums who are staying at home, dont you find it irritating when people go "oh so you are just staying at home, isnt that nice" or " so you just play with your kids all day".It makes it sound like I dont do anything at home, just sit at home and twiddle my fingers.

Rolls

2010-08-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

This recipe , like cutlets, has probably made its way into our kitchens from sri lanka. I never made this myself until recently I asked my mum about it. It takes a little time to make it but the end result is quite a tasty treat. Its called rolls because its a pancake , with fish filling inside and then rolled into a cigar shape parcel , dipped in flour batter, then eggs and finally rolled in dried bread crumbs and fried!!! Great for a snack , a kids bday party or even to break your fast duing this ramadhan month

. For the pancake :

1 cup flour, sifted

1 egg, beaten

a big pinch of salt

about 300 ml water

1. Mix everthing well in a bowl to make smooth batter. Leave it to sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

2. Prepare pancakes by heating a small frying pan, rub a little oil using a tissue or clean cloth on the pan. Add a ladle of batter and make a small pancake, about 4 inches, spread it around with the back of the ladle.

3. Leave to cool while you make the filling.

Filling :

1 large onion or two small ones, sliced into thin half moons

1 can of tuna, oil or water drained
1 " piece ginger , grated
2 green chillies, finely sliced
5 curry leaves
1 small potato, peeled ,boiled and mashed
a small handful green peas ( optional)
juice of half a lemon or 1 lime

salt

pepper

oil

4. Place half the onions into a bowl , add salt and lemon or lime juice, and mix with your hands till they go soft. You are probably going to notice this method is very common in all the maldivian snacks.

5. Add chillies, ginger and mix well. Flake your tuna and mix. add salt and a good helping of pepper. Mix in potatoes and peas if using.

6. Heat some oil in a pan, add the remaing onions and the curry leaves and saute' till nice and soft and just starting to change colour. Add your fish mixture and cook , stiring for about 2-3 minutes.

Cool . Remove the curry leaves

To assemble the rolls:

7. Make a paste of flour and water ( about 2 tbsp flour with a few teaspoons water).

8. Place a pancake on a plate or work bench, add a teasoonful of fish mixture at one end of the pancake, shape it to a small saussage kind of shape . Using a finger tip, apply the flour paste on the sides of the pancake, and bring the two sides in and stick together.

9. Taking the smaller side the one near the fish mixture, carefully roll it up towards the other end,apply some more flour paste on the free end and stick it the roled up pancake. Repeat with the rest.

To coat the rolls you need

A thin flour batter ( made with 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup water or a little more)

1 large egg beaten

dried bread crumbs ( make your own by toasting a stale slice of bread in the oven or stove top and grinding it )

10 Dip the rolls in flour batter , then eggs, then roll in bread crumbs. Make sure all sides and crevices are covered.

11. Heat oil in a wok or deep sauce pan or an electric frying till quite hot.

12. Fry the rolls in hot oil till nice and dark golden brown. Serve warm.