100 grams or four handfuls baby kale, washed and dried
50 grams of pickled ginger (from Asian stores)
1 large grapefruit, peeled and segmented
1 plus ½ tablespoon infused olive oil (I used Al Brown’s lemon & oregano)
Salt to taste
METHOD
Drain the pickled ginger and dry on kitchen paper. Place
baby kale in a salad bowl. Sprinkle a tablespoon of olive oil and add salt. Use
your fingers to mix as this way you will also massage the kale so it is tender.
Arrange the grapefruit segments and pickled ginger on top. Just before serving
drizzle the remaining half tablespoon of olive oil. Serves 4.
If you have been reading my blog, you’d realize I love
broccoli. It appears I have quite a few recipes using broccoli. The garlic
butter is not real butter…
Oven roasted broccoli with garlic butter
FOR THE GARLIC BUTTER
INGREDIENTS
1 head of garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Cut the top off (about ½
centimetre or so) for the garlic head. Place on a large foil piece. Pour the
olive oil on the head and sprinkle the salt. Wrap up the garlic tightly with
the foil and place on a baking tray in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
Once cooked remove from oven and allow to rest for five
minutes before cutting open the foil. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out
the pulp (yes like a toothpaste) into a bowl. Drizzle the good quality extra
virgin olive oil, a little at a time continuously mixing the pulp so the oil is
incorporated. Add a pinch of salt and when the consistency resembles butter, serve
on baked potato or with other vegetables.
FOR OVEN ROASTED BROCCOLI
INGREDIENTS
2 heads broccoli
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt to taste
½ to 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Wash and dry the
broccoli. Cut into florets and put on a large oven tray. Drizzle the oil on top
of the florets and sprinkle the sea salt. Using your fingers, mix it all in
well so all the florets are well coated with the salt and oil. Place in the
oven for about 25 minutes. Shuffle them or turn them over and sprinkle the
chilli flakes and return the tray to oven for a further 10-15 minutes of
cooking. The edges of the broccoli florets should be caramelized and brown.
Place the florets into the bowl and add the garlic butter.
Toss gently until all mixed in and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Biryani is a mixed rice dish with its primary origins among
the Muslims in India. It is debatable as to whether the Mughals or Arab traders
brought the dish to India. Chicken biryani is almost synonymous with Hyderabad
and it is no coincidence that the Nizams (Muslim rulers – first as an annex of
the Mughals) ruled this part of the Deccan for over two hundred years.
INGREDIENTS
1 (1.5 kilograms) free range chicken jointed in to 8 – 10
pieces
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius fan forced. Line two
large baking trays with baking paper.
Boil the potatoes in their skins. Allow to cool and peel the
skin. Cut cooked potatoes in a one centimetre dice.
Heat oil in a large fry pan over a medium heat. Sauté the
onion for a couple of minutes and add the chopped cashew pieces. Continue
frying till the cashew pieces are golden brown. Add the curry powder, turmeric
and chilli powder. Fry briefly and then add the potato pieces. Add salt and
sprinkle a couple of table spoons of water. Cover and cook for about four to
five minutes. Set aside to cool.
Cut each piece of pastry into squares. Place a tablespoon of
the potato mixture in the middle of each square (using your fingers to evenly
spread). Make sure you leave a 1 centimetre border around the edge. Fold to
form a triangle. Press the edges with a fork to seal.
Place the “puffs” on prepared tray. Brush with egg and bake
for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden.
Serve hot with coriander and tamarind chutney. Makes 16
puffs.
CORIANDER AND TAMARIND CHUTNEY
INGREDIENTS
1 plus ½ cup of chopped coriander stems, roots and leaves
3-4 hot green chillies chopped (I used cayenne)
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
Salt to taste
METHOD
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend to a fine paste.
Allow to rest at least an hour before serving.
Did you know that buckwheat is not a grain but is actually the
fruit of a plant related to the rhubarb and sorrel? It is widely popular in
many cuisines for its nutritional benefits. Another interesting fact is that rhubarb
is a native of Russia and is really a vegetables but is often treated as a fruit.
I love the rose pink colour of cooked rhubarb and the natural sharpness works
well with the pancakes.
Just a note the leaves of rhubarb have a very high oxalic
acid content and are poisonous. Please discard them and cook only the stalks.
For a few days, one can feel like a multi-millionaire in
Bali. 100 New Zealand dollars gets you almost a million Indonesian rupiah! Of
course I was very excited to visit Bali not to feel like a multi-millionaire
but because the history of how Bali came to be is very interesting. In a
country that is dominated by Muslims, Bali remains to be a Hindu majority
province. Most of the inhabitants are descendants of migrants from other parts
of Asia and there has been a long documented history of Hindu rulers for over
700 years. The Dutch colonised in 16th century and then came a long
difficult colonial period.
Being just 8 degrees south of the equator, Bali has a fairly
even climate all year round. Tourism is now the largest single industry and cruise
ships are starting to see the appeal and they have been docking close enough
since 2011.
