a commonsense approach to eating well, living well and travelling
This is a classic vegetable soup. It does have 5 plus vegetables but it doesn’t have a distinct taste of any particular vegetable. However it is very soothing and sometimes this is all you need on a cold winter’s day. I make my soup with some butter and once blitzed, it just looks so luscious and appetizing.
2 x large carrots washed, peeled and diced
4 x large celery stalks, peeled and sliced 1 centimetre wide
1 x large leek, washed and sliced into half moons
Gone are the days when I used to make my own paneer. What I miss the most about not making my own paneer is using the whey to make drinks and use it as stock. Paneer is readily available and I like to buy the one in blocks so I can cut to my liking. This dish is rich and creamy, and I make no apologies for it!!
300 grams paneer cut into strips of 7 centimetres long by 1 centimetre wide
300 grams onions finely chopped
3-4 centimetres of ginger
3-4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek available in Indian stores)
250 grams dried black eyed beans, washed and soaked overnight
2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
75 grams fresh grated coconut or defrosted if frozen
Menemen is a Turkish dish often made with eggs, tomatoes, green peppers, cured meats and spices. If you think you don’t like tofu, think again if prepared this way. It is very easy, rustic and quick. It is great to eat anytime of the day and serve it with Turkish Pide or steamed rice.
600 grams of tofu, drained
Laksa is a spicy noodle soup, generally with wheat noodles, that is very popular all through South East Asia. I have done my version with buckwheat noodles and yes there are quite a few steps but the end result is flavour packed and well worth making it from scratch. You wouldn’t want to use the readymade sachet mixes anymore.
Ingredients
400 grams salmon fillet, bones removed, skin removed but saved
12-16 large tiger prawns peeled with tails on
1.2 litres of fish stock (recipe below)
0.8 litres of coconut milk
I normally do the tofu version first for the vegetarians in the household and then follow with the chicken stir fry. When I say tofu, many people say oh tofu, it’s so tasteless. Yes agreed it is bland and does not have a taste as such but that is the point, as it takes on the umami flavours of the other ingredients so well. I have learnt to incorporate tofu into several vegetarian versions of dishes I cook on an everyday basis, you can say I like it.
400 grams firm tofu, drained
2 medium sized carrots cut into batons
400 grams mushrooms (prepared) and quartered
1 large red pepper cut into 4-5 centimetre strips
1 bunch Shanghai green bok choy, washed well, stalks and leaves separated
Ingredients
400 grams chicken breasts
2 medium sized carrots cut into batons
400 grams mushrooms (prepared) and quartered
1 large red pepper cut into 4-5 centimetre strips
1 bunch Shanghai green bok choy, washed well, stalks and leaves separated
INGREDIENTS
250 grams good quality cannelloni tubes
1 large leek, washed thoroughly and cut lengthwise first and then into half moons
500 grams mushrooms chopped into ½ centimetre pieces
250 grams frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
Traditionally the term rendang does not refer to a type of dish. It actually refers to a method of slow cooking; stir-frying or mixing the ingredients continuously on a very slow fire for number of hours until they are devoid of any liquid. It was the judicious use of spices plus the cooking method that made the dish popular during celebrations and festivities. While rendang originated in West Sumatra, Indonesia it has spread throughout South East Asia. You can use meat, duck, chicken and even jackfruit to cook this way. This recipe is for chicken and thankfully my recipe does not cook for hours on end!!
5-6 shallots peeled and chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic chopped
5 centimetre piece of fresh ginger
5 centimetre piece of galangal
7-8 dried red chillies cut into 3-4 centimetre piece, seeds partially removed and soaked in hot water for half an hour
2 stalks of lemon grass (better to get fresh, if frozen thawed) outer sheaths peeled off and just the white inner core
100 grams grated coconut (fresh or thawed if frozen)
165 ml coconut milk
100 ml water
3 Kaffir lime leaves – remove the rib for one of the leaves and finely chop. Set aside for garnish
1 spoon of jaggery or brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
500 grams skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into about 4 centimetre pieces
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Salt to taste
METHOD
Using a food processor, grind together to a fine paste the shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, red chillies and the lemon grass. Add a couple of tablespoons of water as needed.
In a large wok, roast the grated coconut until golden brown and set aside. This will take ten minutes. If you do it on high, you will burn the coconut so best over moderate heat frying regularly.
Heat the oil in wok and brown the chicken lightly in batches. You only need to oil the first batch as the fat from this is sufficient for the remaining pieces. Set aside.
Put the spice paste in a wok along with coconut milk, turmeric, the two Keffir lime leaves, jaggery or brown sugar and the water. Bring it to a boil and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring intermittently until the liquids have reduced to half the original amount. Now add the chicken and continue cooking uncovered for a further 10 minutes. Add the toasted coconut, stir and allow to cook for a further 3 minutes. Sprinkle the finely chopped Keffir lime leaf and serve with rice or Malaysian roti. Serves 4.
Cooking tips: The flavours develop the next day, so may pay to have it the next day. You can also double the spice paste and freeze one lot to make a different type of rendang later on.
I love mushrooms and I am always experimenting ways in which to use them. This is a vegetarian version of noodle dishes made at the open food stalls in Hong Kong.
10 grams dried sliced shitake mushrooms
250 grams white mushrooms
100 grams of garlic shoots or Chinese chives
375 grams of rice sticks (medium sized rice noodles)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves sliced
4 teaspoons light soy sauce
½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
200 grams bean sprouts
Salt to taste
Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water from the kettle for at least 30 minutes. Slice the white mushrooms as thin as you can. Cut the garlic shoots into 5 centimetre pieces and if they are too thick split them lengthways. Cover the rice sticks in warm water from the tap, leave for a few minutes, and then use your fingers to separate them. Shake dry in a colander.
Heat half the oil in a large wok over a high flame Add the shitake mushrooms and garlic. Fry until the smell of garlic is evident. Then add the other mushrooms and garlic shoots and fry over a medium heat for a further 2 minutes. Add a dash of the dark soy sauce so mushrooms get a rich colour. Remove and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil on high heat and add the rice sticks. Fry until the rice sticks are hot. Add the light and remaining dark soy sauce. Sprinkle the white pepper and salt, then fry to combine. Return the mushrooms and garlic shoots along with the bean sprouts to the wok, stir fry until everything is piping hot. Serve immediately. Serves 4 as a main at lunch.