Aloe Vera Salad

Aloe Vera Salad

This is a versatile, tasty and nutritious salad that could pass as a snack as well.  I like to make large quantities of it and pack it in individual portions and keep it in the fridge. It goes with everything and has a lovely tangy crunch.

The Recipe:

1/4 cup moong dal or green gram dhal washed and soaked overnight in 2 cups water; 1 large carrot grated; 1 small green mango, grated;1 small cucumber, diced- seeds removed; 1/4 cup fresh, grated coconut; 1 green chilli, minced; 1/2 cup coriander leaves; 1 tsp brown sugar; salt to taste; 3 caps ( about 15 ml)  Herbalife Aloe Vera concentrate.

For Seasoning: 1 tsp olive oil; 1/4 tsp mustard seeds; 1/2 tsp black gram dhal; a pinch of asafoetida.

Next day, drain the moong dhal and mix with all the other ingredients in a large bowl. 

Heat the oil in a non stick pan and add the mustard seeds. When they start spluttering add the black gram dhal and stir fry for a minute on low flame. Add the asafoetida and mix with the salad ingredients. Serve immediately as an accompaniment or as a snack. Incidentally, eaten regularly, this salad is good for a healthy, glowing complexion.

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Fried Pepper Fish

Fried Pepper Fish

This is a recipe that is a family favourite. I had a class today and my guests loved it. You just have to make it to satisfy your tastebuds and once you do, you are hooked for life.

The Recipe:

500gms boneless fish cubes or fillets, wash, clean and drain.

Masala:  1 tsp pepper powder, 1 tsp chillie powder; 1 tsp coriander powder; 1/2 tsp jeera ( cumin) powder; 2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice; 3 cloves garlic; 1/2 inch piece ginger; salt to taste; 2 tbsp rice flour or cornflour.  Blend to a smooth paste and rub all over fish. Marinade for 30 minutes.

1/2 litre oil for deep frying.

Coriander leaves and curry leaves for garnishing. Stir fry the curry leaves on medium heat  in 1/2 tsp olive oil till crisp and keep aside till required.

Heat oil to smoking point, lower the flame to medium heat and deep fry the fish in batches until brown and crisp on both sides. This hardly takes a few minutes, so watch the pan carefully to avoid burnt offerings. Drain thoroughly on kitchen paper and serve hot as a side dish or as an appetizer.

As I said, you have to make this dish.

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Spicy Grilled Fish

Spicy Grilled Fish

Ramadan is a great time for trying out recipes. A friend gave me some curry paste which was lying around in my kitchen for a while. And I wanted to use it before it expired. This is a blend of Indian and Malay curry paste with tweaks of my own here and there.

The Recipe:

1 large pomfret, cleaned, washed and drained.

Curry Paste:

2 inch piece ginger or galangal;, peeled and cut into pieces;3 stalks lemongrass, 
cut and use the bottom white part only; 3 candlenuts, crushed; 1/2 tsp turmeric;3 big cloves  garlic, peeled;  2- 3 dried chilies to taste; 20 shallots, peeled and cut into half;1 sq inch belachan (fermented shrimp paste); 1 tbsp coriander powder; 1/2 tsp jeera ( cumin) powder; 1 tsp salt; 2-3 tbsp olive oil.       

Fry the above ingredients in the olive oil till aromatic and then cool and blend the above ingredients to a smooth paste. Rub all over and inside the fish and marinade for 30 minutes. Grill on high heat 250 C in a pre heated oven  for 10 minutes each side. Serve with vegetables of your choice.

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Date and Banana Custard

Sugarless Date & Banana Custard

While going through recipes on Pinterest I came across this recipe which sounded good. So I hastily scribbled it down on a piece of paper. Those were the days when I was a novice on the computer and words like 'cut' and 'paste' were Greek and Latin to me.  I tweaked it to suit our tastes and got a dessert that's good enough for any occasion.

The Recipe:

3 eggs; 2 large very ripe bananas; 4 dates, pitted; 1 cup low fat milk.

Blend all ingredients to a thick cake like batter.  Pour into oven proof dish and bake at 200 C in pre heated oven for forty minutes or until skewer inserted in middle comes out clean.  

A simple, deliciously quick dessert to satisfy the sweet tooths.

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Chicken Rempah Pie

  Spicy Rempah Chicken Pie

I received some jars of Rempah paste that had to be used up within a week, so have been experimenting with various recipes  and enjoying the results. 

The Malay word rempah means spice paste and it is a blend of various herbs and spices used as an aromatic base for a range of dishes in Malaysia and Singapore.

This Malaysian spice paste recipe can be used as a base for chicken or seafood curries or just about anything.  Experiment like me and turn out an array of mouthwatering dishes.

This past week, we have had dosa with Mince Rendang, Grilled Chicken marinated with Rendang paste and also Rempah Pie- 

Chicken Pie with a  Rempah filling which was finished in one sitting. You just have to make it yourself.
 The Recipe:    
225g plain flour;100g butter ,diced; 1/2 tsp salt

 Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.


Stir in the salt, then add 2-3 tbsp water and mix to a firm dough. Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least one hour or overnight while
preparing the filling.

Rempah Mixture:
2 inch galangal, peeled and cut into pieces;3 stalks lemongrass, 
Cut and use the bottom white part only; 5 candlenuts, smashed with large  knife;2 inch fresh turmeric, peeled and cut into pieces;3 big cloves  garlic, peeled;  2- 3 dried chilies to taste; 20 shallots, peeled and cut into half;1 sq inch belachan (fermented shrimp paste); 2-3 tbsp olive oil.                         
Grind all the ingredients in a blender.
Fry the spice paste in olive oil over low heat until fragrant.  If you’re not using it right away, you can store it in the refrigerator or freezer.          

The Filling:

500gms boneless chicken, cubed; 2 medium potatoes, boiled and cubed; 2 tbsp. Cornflour; 1 cup chicken stock;1 tbsp plain flour;  Rempah; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp olive oil; a handful of peas.

1 medium egg beaten- this is the egg was for the pie.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Wash, dry and dice the chicken fillet into bite-sized cubes.  Mix with the corn flour, rempah, salt and marinade for 1 hour.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non stick pan and add the chicken mixture. Lower heat and brown chicken all over. Add the cubed
potatoes, the plan flour, chicken stock and peas and cook till thick an bubbly. Remove from heat and keep warm.

To Assemble:

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and divide into two equal parts. Return one half to the refrigerator till required.   Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in oiled pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Gently put the warm filling into the pie crust. Roll out the second piece of dough and place over filling. Pinch the edges together and make
decorative patterns on  the edges if desired. Make holes in top with a fork for steam to escape.
Brush the top generously with the beaten egg. Bake in preheated oven at 200 C for 45 minutes or until metal skewer inserted in
center comes out clean. Rest pie for 10 minutes, cut into wedges and serve with salad of your choice.

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Mango Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

The Mango Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

I came across this luscious low calorie dessert a year ago and was looking for one of the ingredients as I did not know what it was. I googled it and saw that it was all the rage and very healthy to boot. Hence I make it every day with my Herbalife Vanilla F1and have half a cup after my session at the gym. Chia seeds are also a source of omega 3 fatty acids and a great way for vegetarians to get some good fat in their daily diet.  Besides it's low calorie and sugarless. What more could you want?

The Recipe:

1 cup low fat milk or sugarless soy milk or coconut milk; 3 scoops Herbalife F1 Vanilla Nutritional Mix; 1 tbsp chia seeds; 1 medium mango cubed.

Warm the milk and add the chia seeds. Whisk gently to mix well. Keep aside for 30 minutes mixing once in a way to avoid clumping.  Add the F1Vanilla powder and gently mix. Place half the mango cubes in a glass jar and pour the Vanilla Mixture over. Top with remaining mixture. Chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.  Serves 3.  Enjoy your low calorie, sugarless, guilt free dessert.

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Ma's Mince Vindaloo

                                                                  Mince Vindaloo

This was a great favourite of ours while growing up and my Mum used to make it pretty often. We ate a lot of mince and had it in so many forms- cutlets, Pulav, in uppuma, with chappathis, in sandwiches, with idlis and dosais too. It brings back fond memories of carefree days when all that mattered was a full stomach.

The Recipe:

250gms mince, wash and drain; 100gms peas, washed; 2 medium onions chopped; 1 tsp jeera seeds ( cumin); 1/2 tsp chilli powder; 3 pinch mustard seeds; 8 pepper corns; 1/2 inch piece ginger; 4 large cloves garlic; 2 tomatoes chopped; 1 tbsp vinegar;  a few coriander leaves; 1 tbsp olive oil; salt to taste.

Blend all ingredients except the onions and coriander leaves.  This is the masala. Keep aside till required.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan and stir fry the coriander leaves and onions on a medium flame until golden brown.   Add the masala and cook till thick. Stir in the mince and peas and salt to tasteand cover and cook on simmer for 10 minutes. If more gravy is required, add a little water.  Serve hot with Kichdi or bread or chappathis.

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