The Colour Purple

Jewelled Vegetable Stir Fry

One thing I love in Malaysia is going to the supermarket.  It may seem a mundane thing to do.  The vast array of brightly coloured vegetables is a veritable rainbow of choice and once cooked very enticing and appetising. Purple cabbage adds character to any dish and especially when the colour is retained after cooking.  So try this and watch your kids eyes light up in surprise.

The Recipe:

1/2 a head of purple cabbage, cut into chunks; 1/2 a head of green cabbage, cut into chunks; 2 carrots, cut into slices and halved; 10 French beans cut into three pieces each; 3 flakes garlic minced; 1 inch piece ginger diced; salt & white pepper to taste; 2 tbsp olive oil.

Wash & clean vegetables before stir frying.  Heat olive oil in a non stick pan and  stir fry the ginger garlic until golden brown.  Add the carrots and stir fry for 3 minutes. Next add the French beans and stir fry for 2 minutes only.  Lastly add the purple & green cabbage and stir fry on high heat for 1 minute only.  Add pepper and salt.  Serve hot as an accompaniment to any meal.

NB:  Stir fry all vegetables on high heat, especially the purple cabbage (1 minute only) in order to retain the glorious colour.  Cook it longer and it will become a washed out version of itself.

Happy Eating!

Apple & Carrot Sugarless Cinnamon Cake

One Of A Kind Cake

77th birthdays are a One Of A Kind occasion and deserves the very best.  

Out came all the books and recipes.  Compared everything and came up with A One Of A Kind Cake meant for very special people- read  Gladys Elisha Alias Mummy/Ma/Nana .  It had to please everyone and the result was a moist, sweet and very different Apple & Carrot Cake.  Make it yourself and rate it for fun!

The Recipe:                                                                                  

1 cup wheat flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp cinnamon powder; 125 gms cold butter; 75 gms almonds, powdered; 1 cup grated red apples; 1/2 cup grated carrots; 1/3 cup chopped raisins; grated zest of 1/2 an orange; 4 tbsp fresh orange juice; 2 large eggs.

For Topping:  50gms Almonds, powdered; 2 tbsp honey

Grease and line a 9 inch round pan.  Preheat oven to 180 C.  Sieve wheat flour and baking powder and soda together and place in a large mixing bowl.  Cut in the butter till mixture resembles bread crumbs.  Add the rest of the ingredients one by one and mix until well combined.  Pour into cake pan and bake for forty minutes till done or until skewer inserted in middle comes out clean.  Cool.  Transfer to cake plate.  Spread the honey evenly on top.  Sprinkle almond powder all over evenly.  Decorate with ribbons and other knick knacks.  Insert Happy Birthday Wishes on Cake.  Serve at the right moment and enjoy yourself.   

25th Birthday Lunch

25^th Birthday Celebration

Serita's Birthday  Cake

It seems like just yesterday that this cute bundle of joy arrived in our house.  Everything we got was pink as we had decided we wanted a baby girl…the clothes, the cradle, the blanket, the bottle, and so on.  My mother bought me a blue flask saying “what if…”  and I shushed her up.  That baby girl is now 25 years old and a blessing to everyone around her.  Happy Birthday Serita.  Have a great day. Follow your rainbow and may all your dreams come true.

The Recipes:

The Cake:

1 cup butter; 2 cups caster sugar; 3 cups flour; 4 eggs; 2 tsp vanilla essence; 1 tsp baking powder; a little milk if required.

1 cup whipped cream with sugar or 1 cup cream beaten till stiff with sugar to taste.  Keep in the refrigerator.

Sliced peaches, cherries and mint leaves for decoration.

Sieve the flour and baking powder together three times and keep aside.  Beat the sugar and butter together till pale and fluffy.  Stir in the eggs one by one along with the vanilla essence.  Gently fold in the flour a little at a time.  Divide mixture into two and pour into two greased and lined 8 inch round sandwich pans.  Bake in preheated oven at 150 C for  30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.  Cool overnight.

Next day unmould the cake and spread the whipped cream all over.  Arrange slices of peaches and cherries all over the cake starting from the outside.  Place the mint leaves.  Place the cake back in the freezer until it’s time to cut it.  Serve large slices to all well wishers.

Birthday Salad &  Greek Salad-  Recipe by Asha Elisha

Birthday Salad :

1 bundle asparagus; 100 gm button mushrooms, sliced and stir fried till dry; 25 blueberries; 50 gm white figs, washed & sliced; 1 green pear, washed and cubed.

For Dressing:  Beat together salt & pepper to taste; 1 tbsp mayonnaise & ½ tsp mustard.  Keep aside.
Lettuce leaves for garnish.

Wash and clean asparagus discarding the tough stems.  Immerse in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes till tender.  Plunge into cold water to retain crispness and drain well. 

Place the asparagus, blueberries, figs, pear and mushrooms in a bowl.  Gently mix together.  Pour the dressing over and transfer to glass bowl.  Chill in the refrigerator till required.  Decorate with a crab made out of an apple.

Greek Salad:

50 gm cherry tomatoes washed and sliced; 50 gm plum tomatoes, washed and cubed; 1 medium cucumber washed, remove seeds and cubed;  25 black olives, cut in half; 5 red radishes, washed and sliced very fine.  Shredded mixed salad leaves.

For The Dressing:  Mix 1 tbsp each of olive oil and red wine; 1 tsp white vinegar; salt & pepper to taste; 1 tsp dried oregano together.  Keep aside.

For The Garnish:  50 gms  crumbled Feta cheese. Decorate with a crab made out of an apple.

Mix the vegetables and salad leaves together with the dressing.  Transfer to serving dish.  Sprinkle the feta cheese on top.  Chill in refrigerator until time to serve.

Grilled  Greek Fish Recipe By Anu Elisha

1 medium pomfret, cleaned washed and drained.  Keep the fish whole with head and tail intact.  Score both sides with a knife and marinade overnight in a mixture of  2 tbsp vodka;  2 tbsp crushed garlic; salt and pepper to taste and juice of 1 large lemon.  Insert slices of lemon under the gills. 

Next day grill in preheated oven at 250 C for 15 minutes each side.  Transfer to serving plate and garnish with lemon slices and parsley.  Squeeze lemon juice over fish before serving.


Grilled Prawns - Recipe By Anu Elisha

Grilled Prawns:

25 tiger prawns, washed, deveined shelled with tails retained for decoration;  3 tbsp teriyaki dressing; 2 tbsp vodka; salt & pepper to taste.

8 wooden skewers; a few cherry tomatoes halved.

Sliced cumbers, haled tomatoes and lettuce leaves for garnish.

Marinade prawns overnight for best results.  Next day skewer threee prawns  and half a tomato on each stick and grill at 250 C for 5 minutes each side.  Serve garnished with sliced cucumber and tiny tomatoes on a bed of lettuce.

Coffee Cream Custard - Recipe By Anu Elisha

Coffee Cream Custard:

½ l milk; 4 eggs; sugar to taste; 1 tbsp Nescafe mixed with 2 tbsp hot milk till dissolved.

¼ l cream beaten with sugar to taste till thick.  Keep in refrigerator till desired.

50 gms toasted whole cashewnuts.

Beat eggs and milk till blended.  Dissolve sugar in milk and add to the  eggs.   Add the coffee and make sure it is well mixed.   Transfer to pan and bake in preheated oven at 200 C for 30 minutes.  Cool and pour whipped cream over the surface.  Refrigerate till set.  Use a fork to draw lines on the cream.  Garnish with the toasted cashewnuts. Serve as a dessert at the end of the meal.  This is a very rich delicious.and creamy creation.

Herbalife Mould Konyakku Jelly

Couldn't resist making this jelly which came out of a packet as we had some moulds with the Herbalife logo which we got some time ago.  Buy a packet of konyakku jelly powder and follow the instructions on the packet.  The finished product is very pleasing to look at.  It is a Japanese favourite and popular with all age groups.  Serve as a dessert or starter or in between.

Happy Birthday Serita.!  Wishing You All The Very Best In Life.

Shakeaholic

Sweet Vanilla Addiction 


 I fell hopelessly in love with the Herbalife Vanilla Shake ever since I tasted it six and  a half years ago.  Sometimes the urge to for something sweet is so great that I just team it up with fruits,  tit bits and other odds and ends.  Try this delicious dessert shake and add it to your list of favourites.  It may even become your own Sweet Vanilla Addiction and have you hooked for life.

The Recipe

250 ml cold low fat milk; 30 gms Herbalife  F1 French Vanilla soy powder; 15 gms F3 Whey Protein Powder; 1 slice chilled honeydew melon, diced; 2 dsp cooked sago pearls; tall wine glass and an orchid for decoration.

Blend the milk, F1 & F3 for 1 minute.  Place the sago in the bottom of the wine glass.  Pour the blended milk over the sago.  Garnish with the honeydew melon.  Decorate with the orchid and serve with a long spoon.  Very, very satisfying and low calorie to boot.

Another Classique

Fish Pie

Whenever dignitaries and very important guests visited or for official parties, my Mother made it a point to have Fish Pie on the menu.  We children loved it and especially my brother Kenny who chose it as the dish of the day for his birthday which preceded my sister’s by two days.   Just anticipating the pie made us drool in ecstacy and to this day it is a firm favourite.

The Recipe:

   A.      ½ kg seer fish (any sliced fish will do);  1 medium onion, chopped; 1 medium tomato, chopped; 1 flake garlic, minced; ½ inch ginger, minced; 2 green chillies, minced; few coriander leaves, chopped; 2 spring onions, minced; ½ tsp turmeric powder; 1 ½ cups water and salt to taste; 2 tbsp olive oil.

     B.      1 cup cooked pasta (My Mother always used spaghetti)

     C.    1 cup  grated carrot (any vegetable)

     D.   For White Sauce:  1 whole egg; 1 cup fish stock; 1 cup milk; salt & white pepper to taste; 1   taste; 1 dsp flour; 1 small onion minced.

      E  For Topping:  50 gm of grated cheese

Place  ingredients from A except olive oil  in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil.  Lower flame and cook five minutes till fish is cooked.  Remove fish, debone and place in the bottom of a greased oven proof dish.  Reserve liquid for making the white sauce (fish stock).  Place the pasta on top of the fish in an even layer.  Top with the grated carrot.  Keep aside while you make the white sauce.

For White Sauce:   Heat oil in non stick pan.  Fry the minced onions until glazed and transparent.  Add flour and stir fry for a minute till crisp.  Lower flame and slowly pour in the fish stock, stirring all the while to avoid lumps.  Next add the milk and keep stirring until thick and creamy.  Add the whole egg and gently mix.  Season with salt & white pepper.  Pour over the carrot,  pasta and the fish taking care to see that the sauce goes right to the bottom.    Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and bake in a preheated oven at 250 C till cheese melts and becomes golden brown.  Serve hot, with freshly baked, crusty baker’s bread and a garden salad.

An Offering Of Love

Mothers Day Cake

I was touched to receive a Triple Chocolate Dessert Cake from Ranita this morning.  She took over the kitchen Saturday afternoon and the preparations went on long after midnight.  I was sent off to buy the necessary ingredients and given precise instructions as to what she needed.  The result- one rich, luscious, gooey, dark chocolate cake.  A labour of love indeed.  Happy Mothers Day and thank you Ranita.  Am very proud of your culinary skills.

The Recipe

125 gms salted butter, cut into pieces; 350gms dark cooking chocolate, chopped; 175 gms soft brown sugar; 3 large eggs;  125 gms maida; 30 gms dark cocoa powder; 2 x 200 gm  Cadbury Milk Chocolate, chopped;  200gms almonds, chopped; 1 tsp vanilla essence.

1 x 200 gm Cadbury Milk Chocolate for topping after baking.

500gms tinned sliced peaches, pineapple cubes and fruit cocktail for the topping.  Drain fruits and reserve ½ cup syrup for use.

Place the butter and chopped cooking chocolate in a double boiler and heat on moderate flame until both have melted.  Keep aside till needed.  Beat the eggs and vanilla essence until thick and fluffy.  Fold in the melted chocolate.  Sift the flour and cocoa and stir into the  chocolate mixture.  Add the chopped Cadbury chocolate and almonds.  Pour into a greased 9 inch rectangular cake tin lined with balking paper, with the paper hanging out on both sides. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 40 minutes or until skewer inserted in centre comes out clean.  Thoroughly cool and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  Unmould .  With a fork make small holes all over the cake and pour  ½ cup syrup reserved from tinned fruits over.  Wait 1 hour until surface is fairly dry.  Melt the remaining Cadbbury Chocolate and spread  evenly over cake.  Refrigerate until set.  Arrange the fruits artistically on top and refrigerate overnight.  Serve on Mothers Day with love.  

Girl Power

Birthday Pie

Today is Anu’s birthday and I still remember coming back from St. Martha’s hospital elated that I had a baby sister.  In fact as Mummy was going to the hospital, Asha & I were shouting "Have a girl, have a girl, " much to Kenny’s annoyance who wanted a boy.  The girls won hands down and three to one was always the winner.  Decided to make a Breadfruit Pie today since Anu likes to cook unusual food and  also had some breadfruit and was wondering how to use it up.  This is a quick and toothsome savoury dish.  Happy Birthday Anu.  We will think of you when we consume this utterly scrumptious Breadfruit Chicken Pie.

The Recipe

300gms chicken (breast)mince, washed and drained; 200gms breadfruit, boiled and mashed well; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 green chillies, minced; 2 tbsp methi leaves, washed and chopped; 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste; 1 bunch coriander leaves, chopped; 2 spring onions, minced fine;1 large egg;  ¼ cup grated cheese; ¼ cup fine breadcrumbs; 2 tbsp oil; salt to taste.

Cook chicken mince in a non stick pan without adding water until cooked and all liquid has evaporated..  Heat oil in another pan and stir fry onions, methi leaves, coriander leaves, chillies, spring onions and ginger garlic paste until onions are glazed and the mixture well cooked.  Add the mince.   Remove from fire and stir in the mashed breadfruit, egg salt to taste and mix together.  Transfer to oiled pyrex  dish and level the top with a wet spoon.  Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly on top and then repeat with the grated cheese.  Bake in a preheated oven at  200C for 40 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.  Serve hot with crusty bread or parathas.  Both taste good.