Friday night drinks have become a
ritual in our household. Weeknights are busy with work, school and gym but Friday
night is special as we are all relaxed and we get together around the island in
the kitchen. This one was my son’s creation. Looks decadent and tastes amazing.
60ml rye whiskey
½ teaspoon triple sec or Cointreau
15ml simple syrup
30ml lemon juice
Egg white
Red wine (Shiraz/Malbec/Bordeaux
Soda water (optional)
METHOD
Put whiskey, triple sec, simple
syrup, lemon juice and egg white in a shaker. Shake without ice to mix
ingredients. Then shake with ice to chill and dilute. Pour into a desired
glass. “Float” wine into glass by pouring over spoon. Top with soda and serve
immediately. Makes one drink.
Chia seeds are rich in Omega 3
Fatty acids and antioxidants. A serving provides enough protein and because of
their high fibre content keeps you full for longer. They also are a good source
of iron and calcium. This is a quick and easy way to incorporate chia seeds
into your eating. I normally serve for breakfast.
1 ½ cups coconut milk or soy milk
½ cup chia seeds
1 -2 tablespoons maple syrup or
honey or jaggery (if using jaggery, grate and add a couple of tablespoons of
hot water to melt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Toasted almond flakes and berries
or seasonal fruit to serve
I used tamarillo (tree tomato).
Incidentally tamarillos regulate blood sugar levels and are rich in
antioxidants. No resemblance to the tomato, but belongs to the same family. I blanched
the tamarillo for about 45 seconds in hot water and peeled the skin.
METHOD
Chia Seeds Pudding
Mix the coconut milk or soy milk
with chia seeds, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Once mixed
thoroughly, pour into three or four bowls or old fashioned glasses. Place
glasses in refrigerator to set overnight. This keeps in the refrigerator for
three or four days. Put your fruit on top and sprinkle the toasted almonds and
serve cold.
Vepudus are fried (but not deep
fried) or stir fried dishes from the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Crisp, fried foods are a basic part of the meal and add a textural element when
served alongside a plain tadka dhal. In Andhra or Telangana, vepudu is made
using vegetables such as okra or small tender brinjals and I have used the same
technique for zucchini.
4 plump zucchini
3 tablespoons chick pea flour
(besan)
1 tablespoon ground cashew nut
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon chilli powder (mild or
moderate hot)
Salt to taste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
METHOD
Wash, top and tail the zucchini.
Depending on how big your zucchini is, cut in half or thirds. Put the zucchini
piece upright on your cutting board and make a slit of about 3 centimetres down
towards the centre. Do the same on the other side but in the opposite direction
to the top end slit. So if you do one left to right, then make the other one
north to south so if the slits were to meet they would make quarters of the
piece of zucchini. However you do not want them in quarters and do not want the
slits to meet.
In a bowl mix the chick pea
flour, ground cashew nut, cumin seeds, garlic, chilli powder and salt. Add a
couple of teaspoons of oil and mix with your fingers. It should look like bread
crumbs. Use your fingers to stuff the zucchini pieces with the chick pea flour
mix in the slits being careful not to break the piece in half. If there is any
leftover mix, reserve this to sprinkle on top of the fried zucchini in the end.
Stuffed Zucchini
Heat a heavy based fry pan and
add the remaining oil. When hot enough add all the zucchini pieces and set your
pan on high heat. Cover with a lid for 3 to 4 minutes. Using two spoons or
tongs gently turn them over and reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for a
further 3 -4 minutes. Remove lid, reduce heat to low sprinkle a tablespoon of
water and let cook until everything is evenly roasted. About 12-15 minutes.
Serve hot as a side dish to your Indian meal.
This is a highly nutritious,
tasty and popular breakfast item made in Andhra households. It is nice on its
own or you can serve with ginger chutney (allam pachadi). This along with allam
pachadi is comfort food and as such tend to eyeball the ingredients rather than
measure them out precisely. For purposes of sharing this recipe, I have given
measurements. I use a tawa which is a special fry pan that is flat with a lip
of one centimetre tall. You can however use a regular fry pan.
250 grams whole mung beans
1 -3 fresh hot green chillies,
chopped
5 cms piece of fresh ginger
peeled and chopped
Handful of fresh coriander stems
and leaves
2 tablespoons rice flour
8 teaspoons vegetable oil like canola
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 medium onions finely chopped
Put the beans into a bowl and
wash them in several changes of water. Drain, then cover generously in fresh
water and soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and put into a blender. Add
chillies, ginger, coriander stems and leaves, salt and about 200 ml water.
Blend for several minutes until you have a pancake like batter. Empty into
another bowl and mix in the rice flour.
Mix the chopped onions with the
cumin seeds and set aside.
Set a largish non-stick fry pan
over a medium heat. When hot, stir the batter from the bottom and pour a
ladleful into the centre of pan. Lightly use the back of the ladle and a wrist
action to spread the batter outwards in an even spiral form to reach the wall
of the fry pan about 20 centimetres in diameter. Sprinkle the onion and cumin
mix and pat them down gently with the back of a spoon. Add a few drops of oil
in the centre and about the edges of the pancake. Cook on a low medium heat
until the pancake turns crisp and golden. Flip the pancake and allow to cook
the other side for about 30 seconds. Serve right away (I tend to use two fry
pans). Make all the pancakes in the same way, stirring the batter each time you
make.
Pesarettu
ALLAM PACHADI (Ginger chutney)
30 grams tamarind (the variety that comes in a packet in an Indian store) (small lime sized ball)
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 tablespoons channa dhal (split chick peas)
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
½ teaspoon powdered asafoetida
8-12 dried red hot chillies
3 tablespoons vegetable oil like
canola
40 grams jaggery (if you can’t
find jaggery, you can use palm sugar or muscavado sugar)
Salt to taste
100 grams ginger (peeled and evenly chopped)
Wash the tamarind and then soak in 60 ml of hot water from the kettle for an hour. Using your hand (wear gloves), squeeze the tamarind and extract thick pulp. Discard the fibrous bits that don’t get pulped. Put the pulp into a microwave safe container and microwave on high for a minute and set aside.
Heat a kadai (Indian style wok) or a saucepan and add the oil to make the popu (seasoning). Add the fenugreek seeds along with channa dhal and fry them until they are slightly brown (if the oil is too hot they tend to burn and get bitter). Add the chillies (you can cut them in half if they are too long), stir and then add the mustard seeds. When mustard seeds start to splutter, remove from heat and add asafoetida to the hot mixture. Allow to cool.
Once the popu is cool enough, blend to a fine paste in a food processor or mortar and pestle. Add the tamarind pulp, salt, jaggery and ginger. Pulse until everything is ground. Transfer to a jar and serve with pesarettu or adai dosa. Store in refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.
In our household we refer to this
as Jacques Pepin pasta as it is his recipe that I have modified to cater to my
family’s taste buds.
1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs
evenly diced
1 large onion evenly diced
180 grams tinned tuna in spring
water
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
2 tablespoons currants
A few sprigs of Italian parsley
coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
Grated rind from one small lemon
100 grams hazelnuts toasted and
coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper
500 grams of dried pasta cooked
according to directions on the box (I used casarecce)
Put water on to boil for cooking
pasta while you prepare the sauce.
Heat the olive oil in a large fry
pan. When sufficiently heated fry the diced onion and fennel. After frying for
2 -3 minutes, add the chilli flakes, currants, parsley and tuna along with the
water. Fry for a couple more minutes. Add half a cup of water and allow to cook
for five minutes.
Add a ladle of pasta water to the
sauce. Just before serving stir in the lemon rind and hazel nuts. Mix the sauce
into the pasta and serve hot immediately. Serves 4.
This is a firm family favourite. Since
it is so nutrient dense, about 4 to 5 heaped tablespoons with yoghurt is
satisfying. Easy to prepare and yields well making it cost efficient.
Ingredients
6 cups rolled oats
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup natural almonds roughly
chopped in half
1 cup cashew nut pieces
½ cup flax seed powder
¼ cup chia seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup pumpkin kernels
½ cup honey
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
powder
1 cup chopped dates
½ cup sliced figs
1 cup sultanas
Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees
Celsius. In a large bowl, combine the oats, desiccated coconut, all the nuts
and seeds. Mix well. In a small saucepan set over a low heat, add honey, oil
and cinnamon powder and stir until all melted together – make sure you don’t
boil. Pour over the grains and nut mix. Mix well, making sure everything is
evenly coated.
Put in two large baking dishes
and place them both in the oven. You will need to check every five minutes and
turn the muesli over so the mixture is evenly toasted and golden brown.
Remove from oven, and add the
dried fruit while still hot. Mix well and leave to cool before storing in air
tight containers. Serve with yoghurt and seasonal fruit.
This is a very simple and satisfying dish (sometimes called tarka dhal or tadka dhal) you see on the menu in Indian restaurants and households. There are any number of variations – normally this is made with Toor Dhal (obtained from specialist Indian stores and you would cook this in a pressure cooker as stove top method takes too long) but I have done a simple one with all the flavours using red lentils.
Ingredients
1 cup red lentils washed
1 thumb size fresh ginger piece
chopped fine
1 large onion finely chopped
1 fresh red chilli finely chopped
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt to taste
½ fresh lemon
1 tablespoon coriander leaves
finely chopped
Method
Place the lentils in a large
saucepan and add two and a half cups water. Add the onion, ginger, chilli and
turmeric powder. Stir to combine contents of the pot and bring it to a boil.
Once the water is bubbling, reduce heat and let the lentils simmer for 15
minutes stirring a couple of times so the lentils do not stick to the bottom. Once
cooked stir in the salt, lemon juice and coriander leaves and set aside. Heat
the ghee in a small fry pan. When hot add the cumin seeds, fry until they
splutter or the seeds have opened up and the flavour is evident. While hot pour
on top and serve immediately with pulao. Serves 4.
PULAO
Dhal fry and pulao
Ingredients
2 cups Basmati rice rinsed in a
sieve and drained
1 large carrot cut into a small 1
centimetre dice
1 large onion sliced very thinly
1 cup frozen peas
½ thumb size piece of fresh
ginger finely chopped
4 plump garlic cloves finely
chopped
1 x 5 cm cinnamon stick cut in
half
5 cloves
5 cardamom
4 tablespoons ghee
Salt to taste
Method
Take a wide saucepan with a lid
preferably one with a non-stick surface. Heat ghee and add the whole spices. Fry
for a minute until all the spices have opened up and the smell is evident. Then
fry the onions for three minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and continue to fry for
a further minute. Add the rice, carrots and fry for a couple of minutes. Add
salt and three and three quarters cups of cold water from the tap. Increase
heat and let the contents of the pan come up to the boil. Reduce heat to the
lowest setting and cook for 12 minutes. Stir in the frozen peas and continue
cooking for a further 4- 5 minutes. The key to cooking beautiful rice on stove
top is to get the best quality Basmati rice you can afford and also do not stir
more than once in the middle of cooking. Allow the rice to rest for ten minutes
before serving hot with the Dhal or raita.
Radish / Onion Salad
5 small pink table radishes
sliced thinly
2 medium red onions sliced thinly
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar
½ teaspoon Ajwain seeds (Indian
store)
Juice of one lemon
Method
Using your hands, mix the radishes,
onions, salt, sugar and ajwain seeds. Squeeze in the lemon juice and allow to
pickle for at least half an hour. Serve as part of an Indian meal.
ANDHRA STYLE LEMON PICKLE
10 large, juicy lemons (Meyer)
Juice from 4 lemons
10 tablespoons salt
9 tablespoons chilli powder (I
use a combination of very hot and mild Kashmiri chilli powder)
1 heaped dessertspoon full of
fenugreek seeds (roasted until brown and ground to a fine powder)
10 cloves plump garlic (optional)
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
4 tablespoons vegetable oil like
canola
Method
Cut the 10 lemons into eighths or
if smallish into quarters. Take a large jar and place lemons in jar. Add all
the salt and shake the jar so the salt is mixed in. Set the jar aside for 24
hours. Squeeze out all the pieces (retain the juice that has collected) and you
can dry the pieces in the sun or I prefer to dehydrate them in the oven at 50
degrees Celsius for about 16 hours or so. Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds – fry until
the seeds are sputtering. Then add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds. In
another large mixing bowl, using a wooden spoon mix the chilli powder and roasted
fenugreek powder and add the oil mixture. Add the dried lemon pieces and also
the reserved juice (the one from soaking). Mix well and put all the pickle back
into the jar. Allow to rest in a cupboard for a couple of days. Then give it a
good mix and squeeze in juice from the four lemons. Will keep for a few months
in the back of your cupboard. Serve as accompaniment to an Indian meal.
1 large ripe avocado (you know it’s
ripe when the stalk falls off easily)
1 red chilli finely chopped (optional)
1 small garlic (optional)
1 small tomato finely chopped
1 small shallot finely chopped
Few sprigs of coriander leaves
chopped
½ a large lime
½ teaspoon hot sauce
Salt to taste
Method
Cut the avocado in half and scoop
out the flesh into a bowl. Using a fork, mash it so there are a few small
chunks here and there. Add the remaining ingredients and give it a mix. Serve
as a dip or relish for burgers or potato wedges.
Peel and slice the onions as
thinly as you can. Sprinkle and mix the salt and sugar. Place in a jar and pour
in the apple cider vinegar and water. Mix or shake jar and allow to rest
fifteen minutes before serving. Will keep in refrigerator for up to a week. Use
for burgers or in tacos as a topping.
750 grams potatoes washed (Agria
or Red Desiree potatoes)
4 teaspoons vegetable oil like
canola
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon chilli powder or
ground cayenne
½ teaspoon hot chilli flakes
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon mild paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 220 degrees
Celsius.
Dry the washed potatoes
thoroughly. No need to peel. Cut to make about 8 wedges from each potato (depends
on how thick your potatoes are). Place the wedges in a large mixing bowl. Mix all
the spice powders in a separate small bowl and sprinkle on the wedges tossing
them as you go along. Then drizzle the oil and toss to ensure all wedges have a
bit of the spice mixture and the oil. Lay them out on a large shallow baking
tray. Place on top shelf for 40 minutes turning them once or twice during
cooking. Serve hot.
