a commonsense approach to eating well, living well and travelling
The humble crumble is the quickest and easiest dessert you can make. It is a classic and no matter what the food trends are, I guarantee it will be popular.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE FILLING
1kg Braeburn, Granny Smith or Ballarat apples, peeled, cored and cut into a 2cm dice
½ cup raw castor sugar
2tbsps lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2tsps corn flour
CRUMBLE TOPPING
Continue reading “APPLE CRUMBLE – everyone’s favourite humble crumble”
INGREDIENTS
750g silverbeet or Swiss chard
250g onions, finely chopped
100g cream cheese, cut into small squares or lightly whisked
150g cheddar cheese, grated
100g mozzarella cheese, grated
Continue reading “SILVERBEET GRATIN – making everyday greens exciting”
I hadn’t heard of pumpkin soup until I came to this country. In the late 80’s, sometimes pumpkins were given free and even now, thirty years later they are still wallet friendly and have loads of goodness in them.
I didn’t have a clue how to cut a pumpkin and had an accident on my first effort. I still have a scar on my left thumb to remind me how not to do it. If you are pumpkin challenged and you are preparing for soup, stick the piece in the microwave for a couple of minutes to soften the skin. This way peeling is safer!
There are several variations of pumpkin soup and this is a simple one using 4 ingredients and some spices.
INGREDIENTS
1 – 1.2kg crown pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed and cut into 3-4cm chunks
200g onions, chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled
75g red lentils, rinsed (one third cup)
Freshly grated nutmeg
A little tangy, a little spicy and a little sweet is how I would describe a prawn sambal. The ready to use sambal pastes you get in the supermarket are a bland version of this Malaysian dish packed with punchy flavours. The recipe is straightforward and because the prawns don’t need a whole lot of time to cook, the dish comes together in 45 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
For the sambal paste
30g tamarind pulp or 2 tablespoons tamarind puree
10 shallots
6-10 red chillies
5-6 (30g) garlic cloves
This is a simple potato salad that really packs a punch with strong mustard flavour. My sister in law Sandhya prepared this when I visited them. It is a lovely side dish and we particularly like it with cured salmon.
INGREDIENTS
800g all-purpose potatoes
100g red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2-4 green chillies, finely chopped
Continue reading “POTATO CHOKTA – ODISHA STYLE POTATO SALAD”
It has been nearly ten years now, but I have a great food memory of eating beetroot cured salmon in a pub in St Albans, England. It was delicious and always thought it to be complicated. Here is a step by step guide to preparing cured salmon and you realise it is so easy. You have to plan in advance as it takes 2 days to cure – you can serve it as a cold main on a hot summer’s day or as an appetizer on rye bread with some pickles. I serve it with radish pickles and potato chokta.
1kg boneless salmon fillet preferably the loin part
150g sea salt
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons juniper berries
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
I suppose this is India’s answer to baba ganoush. There are several versions but one common factor is charring the egg plants on open direct flame. This gives a unique smoky flavour. This is great with flat breads.
INGREDIENTS
600g egg plants
100g onions, finely chopped
75g tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
2tbsps tomato paste
1 generous handful of coriander leaves and stems, finely chopped
I realized I love baking bread. Something about working with the dough, proving it and so much excitement when it doubles in size. For me, it is a childlike wonder reflecting on the discovery of yeast or other leavening agents. I have only just started on my bread baking adventure and I hope to keep doing so I can perfect the art.
I adapted this recipe from Duncan Glendinning and Patrick Ryan’s “Bread Revolution – Rise Up & Bake” cook book. I wanted to give a naan feel so I used nigella seeds, salt and garlic flakes but you can use any combinations you fancy. Special bread flour or 00 or high grade flour has a higher protein (gluten) content which is a staple in bread making. This is one recipe where it pays to weigh out all the ingredients precisely.
I made slightly small ones and I got 12 flat breads.
INGREDIENTS
500g Strong white bread flour (high grade flour)
10g fine sea salt
50g unsalted butter, softened
10g instant yeast
200ml milk
Laddu is the term used for a sweet shaped to a ball. I have fond memories of my mum making Rava Laddus (Semolina balls). My sister-in-law Sandhya, makes these healthyish laddus and I built my recipe on that. Most of the ingredients are your standard pantry variety and it is a guilt free snack.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups rolled oats, toasted
1 cup desiccated coconut, toasted lightly
10g sliced almonds, toasted
40g cashew pieces, toasted
For as long as I remember, after breakfast, my mother or grandmother would forage for greens in our garden or the neighbourhood. We always had to have greens on the menu at lunch time. It is only natural that any edible greens were treated as a bonus and among unusual things my mum cooked, remember radish greens or moringa (drumstick) greens. In the same tradition, I have started using the beet greens – sometimes I cook on their own and smother it with roasted peanuts. This variation is spicy, nourishing (incidentally beet greens are high in iron and other essential vitamins and minerals) and so easy to make.
INGREDIENTS
125g lentils, rinsed
250g beet greens
150g onions, sliced thinly
4-5 garlic, peeled and crushed