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.

To Attend My Healthy Cooking Class CLICK HERE

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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Going Bananas

Bananas Fried In Ghee

Walking through the weekly pasar malam or night market with my daughter I happened to spy some extra large bananas in one of the stalls.  It turned out to be Nendra Bale- a special kind of banana that my Mum used to give us for a snack when we came home hungry from school and college.  It's delicious and that's what I made for my cooking class with Vincenzo  and Jessica from Spain this afternoon.

The Recipe:

2 large very ripe bananas, about 200gms each; brown sugar to taste; Ghee for frying.

Cut  bananas into half, peel and quarter horizontally (Four pieces per banana).  Heat a non stick pan and add 1 tbsp ghee.   Place in pan, lower heat and fry for a few minutes on both sides until golden brown.  Sprinkle with sugar and more ghee ( if desired) and serve hot.

Optional- Sprinkle with cinnamon powder or cardamom 

Instead of frying, they can be steamed and eaten with ghee and brown sugar.

Honey is another option.

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Pineapple Coconut Pudding

Creamy Pudding

I came across this  Creamy Concoction during my holiday in Cambodia.  While reading about the culture, history and food of Cambodia I was pleasantly surprised to note that a lot of coconut is used in cooking.  I even ate various curries and desserts like mine and hence decided to try this dessert which I read about in an article on local food.  Adapted to my taste, this is a very satisfying dessert for a Sunday afternoon.

The Recipe:

1 cup thick coconut milk; 1/2 cup brown sugar or to taste; 2 dsp corn flour; 2 tsp vanilla essence; 4 large eggs; 250 gms pineapple chunks- reserve some for decorating the top.

Blend all ingredients to a thick, smooth liquid.  Pour into glass dish and bake in a preheated oven at 200 C for 1 hour or until skewer inserted into pudding comes out clean.  Decorate with remaining pineapple, raisins or toasted coconut and serve hot or cold.  

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