a commonsense approach to eating well, living well and travelling
I simply call these oat pancakes only because I couldn’t find a better name – they are really a cross between okonomiyaki, traditional South Indian dosa and vegetable pancakes you get on street corners in Korea.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of toasted oats powdered
1 cup split mung bean flour
100g onion finely chopped
300g cabbage finely chopped
2 green chillies or to taste, finely chopped
This is a decadent festive brunch dish to share with friends and family. AS this is twice cooked, you can do all the prep the night before and all you need to do is to finish in the morning leaving you time to relax. You can use a whole (900g) to feed 10-12 or use 600g to feed 6-8.
You will need two 16cms deep round cake tins and a deep baking tray that both these cake tins will fit in. This is to create a water bath for the cake tins.
INGREDIENTS
600g Panettone
8 eggs
250ml milk
300ml cream, divided
1 tablespoon sugar
Continue reading “PANETTONE FRENCH TOAST WITH GRILLED PEACHES”
In the 90’s we lived in Hungary for three years. There was definitely a culture shock for me and things were just moving towards Western standards. One image of Budapest that is strongly imprinted in my brain is braided garlic and paprika peppers being sold everywhere. The smell of freshly baked bread at all metro entrances is so inviting. I was younger in my culinary journey and didn’t really appreciate the paprika nuances. How I would love to experience that again – sometimes you don’t get a second chance and you have to make the most of every experience for what it is at any point in time.
Paprika chicken is a classic and my version is slightly modified. Hungarians use lard in their cooking extensively. I substituted lard with butter. I used to make this when my children were younger as it was flavourful and mild. In this version, I used hot as well as sweet smoked paprika.
INGREDIENTS
400g boneless (skinless) chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
100g onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium sized green pepper, cored and sliced thinly
100g tomato, deseeded and diced
50g butter
As far as condiments and flavourings go, I love miso. I use it rather unconventionally in salad dressings and also in sauces/ marinades. The savouriness of miso lends well to eggplant. You could use the same technique with zucchini (cut it lengthways).
INGREDIENTS
2 eggplants, cut into 2cm thick slices
2 -3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (like sunflower)
100g mozzarella, grated
I’ve seen this dish on the menu at several Indian restaurants. Ever since the potato was introduced by the Portuguese in early seventeenth century, Indians love for this vegetable has also grown. It is often added to most North Indian style vegetable dishes. What I find interesting is that the South was kind of far removed from foreign influences so much so that it took a long time for the so called “Western” vegetables to be incorporated into mainstream South Indian cooking. Sorry for my digression.
More to the point of aloo baingan – this is a lovely vegetarian dish that is not too chilli hot, yet very flavourful.
I roasted the eggplants for a bit so they retain their shape and don’t fall apart.
INGREDIENTS
300g eggplant
250g potatoes
250g tomatoes
250g red onion, finely diced
4 plump cloves of garlic
2 green chillies, finely chopped
The history and origin of Phirni (sometimes spelt Firni) is not confirmed but often believed that the Mughals enjoyed rich milk based puddings. This milk pudding tradition is common in Persia so it is likely that the dish has origins there.
The main difference between phirni and kheer is that rice is ground in the former whereas kheer is rice pudding and you cook it whole.
INGREDIENTS
50g Basmati rice
2 tablespoons water
1 litre milk
I guess this could easily pass for a Mediterranean version of a taco! You can serve with store bought flat breads or pita breads for convenience but my flat bread recipe is not cumbersome just takes a bit of planning. Don’t be daunted by the different elements – I guarantee this is very easy to make and you can serve this as a starter or on its own for a light lunch.
INGREDIENTS
2 x 250g blocks Halloumi cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons liquid honey
Sumac powder to garnish
For the avocado salsa
2 avocados, peeled, stoned and diced
There are 45 different varieties of pumpkins and while the Jack O Lantern pumpkins are the most recognizable, pumpkins come in different colours, shapes and sizes. Look for the mini ones if you want to stuff and cook them whole.
I have used caramelized onion in this recipe and I recommend doing a batch and keeping in fridge as these are incredibly versatile. You could add to a quiche or pie or sandwiches. To do caramelized onion, slice 2 onions thinly, fry in a couple of tablespoons of oil on low heat for 20 – 25 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
2 small pumpkin or winter squash
1 x 400g tin of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
½ red pepper, finely diced
2 tablespoons of caramelized onion
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup
When I tried quinoa nearly a decade ago, to be perfectly honest I didn’t like it. I felt it was chalky and the appearance wasn’t appetizing. I am now converted – I believe that locally grown organic red quinoa is tasty and yummy. You will love this salad as it is another great one pot dish that has all the nutrients you need.
INGREDIENTS
800g butternut, skin on cut into a small 2cm by 1cm pieces
400g tin of chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 cup organic red quinoa
1 red pepper, cored and finely diced
50g red onion, finely diced
Arals of 1 pomegranate
2 tablespoons sunflower oil, plus 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon sumac
This is a Mughal influenced dish kind of like a kichadi and there are several variations. This is my take and is more of a rice salad than a kichadi. It is really easy to put together and the perfect one pot dish. The meaning of qabooli means acceptable or palatable and this dish certainly lives up to that expectation. Another easy and tasty one pot dish!
INGREDIENTS
250g Basmati rice
400g tinned brown lentils, drained and rinsed well
400g tinned Beluga lentils, drained and rinsed well
50g shallots, finely diced
1 medium sized red onion, finely diced