Triple Grilled Chicken

                           Honey Soy Sesame Chicken

This is an easy and delicious recipe that can be made in minutes. It goes well with noodles or fried rice and is a succulent appetizer too. All you need is a few pieces of chicken, some sauces and a lot of interest and passion to come up with the perfect dish.

The Recipe: 

250 gms boneless chicken, cubed; 3 tbsp honey; 1 tbsp thick soy sauce; 1 tbsp sesame oil; salt to taste; 1 large clove garlic, crushed; 1/4 inch piece ginger, crushed; 1 tbsp sesame seeds and 1/2 tsp pepper corns, powdered.

Wash and drain chicken cubes. Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl except the sesame seeds. Add chicken cubes and mix until the chicken is fully covered with the mixture. Keep aside for a minimum of 15 minutes. Arrange chicken cubes on a baking tray lined with foil and sprinkle the sesame seeds all over.  Heat  oven for 5 minutes and grill chicken for 7 minutes each side at 200C or 400F till done. Garnish with a few chopped coriander leaves and serve immediately with noodles or rice.

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Sugarless Carrot Halva

                                                                      Sugarless Carrot Halva

Some time ago an elderly friend requested some recipes for sugarless Indian desserts and I sent a few from my collection.  I like to try different recipes and so made this version and liked it very much. Nowadays, I leave out the sugar and use low fat milk and honey to make all my desserts.  This version is as delicious as it looks. The sweetness of the carrots and raisins make this a suitable dessert for older people.

The Recipe:

1 cup grated carrots; 1 cup low fat milk; 1/4 cup raisins chopped; 1/4 cup almond flakes; honey to drizzle over.

Boil the carrots and milk till thick and mushy. Stir in the nuts and raisins. Simmer for two minutes. Remove from fire. Serve hot or cold drizzled with honey ( optional).

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Steamed Fish

Hurry Burry Steamed Fish

This is a recipe that I make when I am in a hurry and have very little time to spend in the kitchen.  It's a great way to also use up the odds and ends in my vegetable basket and serve up a satisfying, delectable meal during the week or even when you have unexpected guests;

The Recipe:

500 gms boneless fish, cubed; salt and pepper to taste; 3 spring onions, chopped; 1 inch piece ginger, grated; 2 tbsp thin soy sauce; 2 tbsp olive oil; 5 cloves garlic, minced; 2 dried red chillies, broken into bits; 1/2 tsp brown sugar; 1 medium sized green capsicum cut into strips.

Wash and drain fish.  Season with salt and pepper and  1/2 tsp sugar to taste.    Add half of the ginger, garlic, spring onions, oil  and soy sauce and mix well so that all the fish is seasoned.  Place the fish in a heat resistant dish and steam  in a pressure cooker or any large dish for 20 minutes.  Keep warm.

Heat remaining oil in a non stick pan and stir fry the remaining ginger, garlic, red chillies, salt and capsicum  for a few minutes.   Add the remaining soy sauce and spring onions and stir to combine.  Pour over the fish and serve hot with white rice or kichdi.

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 https://plateculture.com/where-to-eat/optimummm-indian-cooking-workshop

Semolina Bread

A Different Kind Of Bread

 As children, one of our pet hates was Uppuma which my Mum made every Monday without fail  for breakfast.  It is one dish that I seldom make.  I was quite surprised to see this recipe online a while ago from Sanjeev Kapoor's Khazana and was eager to try it out.  So when my husband bought sooji or semolina instead of the sago I wanted,  it was the right time  to make this different kind of  bread, tweaked to suit our taste.  It passed our taste bud test and am looking forward to making it again.  Surprise, surprise!

The Recipe:

1 3/4 cups fine sooji; 1/4 tsp salt; 3/4 cups water; 7.5 gm instant yeat; 1/4 tsp brown sugar; 1 1/2 tbsp warm water; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tsp mustard; 2 green chillies, minced; 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped fine; 2 spring onions, minced; 1 medium tomato, chopped fine; coriander leaves for topping; 2 tbsp nuts for the topping; 1 tbsp olive oil for drizzling on top.

Additional 1 tbsp olive oil for seasoning.

Add the yeast and sugar to the warm water in a glass bowl and keep aside for 10 minutes.  Next, mix the sooji, salt and water together with a wooden spoon and add the yeast to it.  Mix really well and add 2 tbsp olive oil.  Mix together and leave in a warm place for 15 minutes to prove.

In the meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non stick pan.  Lower flame and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, chillies and spring onions.   Stir fry till the onions are glazed.  Throw in the tomatoes and fry till mushy.   Remove from the fire and cool for about five minutes.  Add this seasoning to the sooji and mix well.  The dough must be moist and of a dropping consistency.   Transfer to a 9 inches x 4 inches rectangular loaf tin.  Scatter the nuts of your choice and chopped coriander leaves on top.  Drizzle the olive oil all over and bake in a preheated oven at 175 C for 20 minutes or until skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven, cool , unmould, slice and enjoy plain or with your favourite curry.

NB: the tomato can be omitted.  My Mum never used it while making Uppuma.  

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Dulce de Leche Tartlet

Dulce de Leche Tartlet

I do love ready made tart crusts.  I stock up on them whenever we do our baking shopping and they can be turned into a savoury or sweet in a jiffy in vast quantities that is so satisfying.  Today is no exception.  I came across some left over Dulce de Leche from Nehru's birthday party and had some cream cheese too.  The result- an absolutely delectable dessert to die for!

The Recipe:

50 mini pie crusts- readymade; 1/2 cup dulce de leche; 1/2 cup cream cheese; nuts for topping.

Bring the dulce de leche and cream cheese to room temperature.  Whisk together to a smooth consistency.  Drop teaspoonfuls into the tart crusts and top with nuts.  Refrigerate overnight.  They are so simple that a child could do it.  It's very easy to forget yourself and lick your fingers and the bowl. 

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Creamy Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Home Made Ice Cream

Ice Cream has always been a great favourite in our house and so has cream cheese, although I began using cream cheese only after we came to Malaysia.  A friend of mine whom I met at a sugar craft class years ago was good enough to introduce me to a wholesale baking shop and I run riot whenever I go there.  To cut a long story short, I always stock up on cream cheese whenever I go there and make this amazing Ice Cream with the left overs.  It's a real treat to eat rich, Creamy Cream Cheese Ice Cream on a holiday after a good meal in minute proportions.

The Recipe:

1/2 cup cream cheese; 1/4 cu condensed milk; a few walnuts for garnish.

Whisk condensed milk and cream cheese to a smooth consistency at room temperature.  Transfer to air tight container.  Scatter walnuts on top.  Freeze overnight.  Keep out for 5 minutes before serving.  This is to soften the ice cream and give it a creamy texture.  Serve in tiny plates or bowls and svour its richness after a delicious meal.

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Home Made Dulce de Leche

A Spanish Treat

My computer crashed suddenly and I was unable to post any recipes this month and was twiddling my thumbs waiting impatiently to post some of my latest finds. One of them is Dulce de Leche.  It was used in many recipes I came across and finally I googled what it was and since I did not see it in any of my baking haunts, I searched for a recipe to make it at home.  You can imagine my joy when I found it on thetoughcookie  I straight away bought a few cans of condensed milk and made something that's good enough to eat on its own.

The Recipe:

1 can condensed milk.

Remove the paper from the can and put it on it's side in the pressure cooker.  Cover it with water about 5 cms above the can.  Close, place on gas stove and set on high heat.  When the steam comes out forcefully place the weight on top and wait for the whistle or loud noise.  Once this happens, lower to medium heat and cook for 40 minutes.  Remove the cooker from the stove and bring to room temperature.  Do not open.  Mine took 3 hours to cool completely.  Open the cooker and remove the can.  Wipe dry and open.  Sample liberally, if you please.  Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Ours lasted a week  and the feeling of accomplishment lingers on.  I am really proud to have made this myself.

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