Family Trade Mark

Bread Mince

I drool whenever I think of this recipe.  The delicious smells wafting through the house and the scraping of the kitchen spoons against the pan filled me with anticipation of a wonderful meal cooked by my Mum or dad.  My Mum would always use this as a filling for mince patties for our birthday parties and other special ocassions and they had to be rationed out to the guests who greedily fell on them without exception.  To this day, there's no one who can cook like my Mum and whenever I make this recipe I think of long, long ago and the glorious birthday parties we had.

The Recipe:

1/2 kg mince; 2 onions, chopped; 2 spring onions, chopped; 3 flakes, garlic, minced; 1 inch ginger, minced; 2 green chillies, minced;  few coriander leaves, chopped; salt to taste; 2 tbsp oil for frying; a handful of green peas; 2 slices stale bread, crumbled; fried egg tofu - optional.

Wash and drain mince.  Heat oil and add chopped onion, spring onion, ginger, garlic, corriander leaves and minced chillies.  Stir fry on medium heat until onions are golden browm.  Add the mince and fry till brown.  Add peas and 1/4 cup water and cover and cook 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste and the crumbled bread.  The bread will soak up all the liquid.   Garnish with sliced tofu and serve hot with dhal and rice or chappathis.  This is a hot favourite and I love this recipe even today.  Enjoy.

Chicken With Soy Sauce

 Saucy Chicken

This is a recipe given to me by a friend.  I had this at one of her impromptu parties and the taste lingered on my tongue for days.  Quick and simple, this is one recipe that will keep you asking for more.

The Recipe:

1 chicken breast, without skin, deboned; 1/4  green capsicum ; 1/4 red capsicum; 1/4 yellow capsicum; salt  and pepper to taste; 2 flakes garlic, crushed; 1 tbsp dark soy sauce.

Rub the garlic over the chicken and marinade in soy sauce for 5 minutes.  Cut capsicum into strips, season with salt and pepper and keep aside.  Adjust oven to grill setting (highest setting) and grill chicken in pre heated oven for 5 minutes each side.  Remove and slice into bite sized pieces.  Grill capsicum for five mintes only.  Mix together with chicken and serve immediately.  

Grilled Jeera Chicken

Grilled  Chicken On A Bed Of Rice

Grilled Chicken is an easy recipe for a lazy weekend or party.  All you have to do is prepare the chicken and marinade it overnight and let the magic work itself into the pieces.  This is  delicious and one that will charm its way into your guests hearts forever.

The Recipe:

1 medium sized chicken, skinned and cut into medium pieces;  1 inch ginger, crushed; salt to taste; 3 tbsp vinegar; 1 tbsp jeera powder; 2 tbsp oil.

Mix all the ingredients together and keep overnight in the refrigerator.  Next day, set oven for grill setting and grill at highest option for 5 minutes each side.  Serve hot as a starter or on a bed of ginger rice or garlic buttered rice with a curds salad.  

Ten Minute Cheesy Vegetable Bake

Cauliflower Potato  Duo

This is a recipe  that can be made very quickly.  In fact it takes more time to prepare the vegetables than the cooking time.  Throw in whatever you have in your vegetable basket and sprinkle some cheese on top and bake for 15 minutes until cheese melts in a very hot oven.

The Recipe :

1 large cauliflower broken into florets; 2 spring onions, chopped; 12 ready to cook potato quarters; 50 gm grated cheese; salt and pepper to taste; 1 inch ginger, crushed; 3 flakes garlic, crushed.

Cut and soak cauliflower  in salt water for 10 minutes.  Drain.  Boil in very little water for 5 minutes until dry.  Grill potatoes in oven at highest heat for 7 minutes.   Mix the cauliflower and potato with the crushed ginger and garlic and the seasoning.  Place in a heat proof dish.  Sprinkle the grated cheese all over.  Scatter the spring onions on top.  Bake at 175 C for 15 minutes till cheese has melted.  Serve hot with warm, crusty garlic bread.

Broccoli Stir Fry

Broccoli And Almonds Stir Fry

 Broccoli is one of my favourite vegetables.  I used to read about it in books and cookery magazines and wonder how it tasted.  When I came to Malaysia, I was thrilled to see it everywhere we went -  in the supermarket, at the pasar malam or night market, in the wet market and all the dinners or restaurants we went to.  I love it and Ranita hates it, so we have come to a compromise- she eats the almonds and I eat the broccoli!

The Recipe:

1 head of broccoli, cut into flowerettes; 2 tbsp flaked almonds, lightly roasted in the oven at 50 Centigrade for 3 minutes; 3 flakes garlic, minced; 1 small onion, chopped fine; salt & pepper to taste; oil for cooking.

Soak broccoli in salted water (enough to cover the broccoli and 1 tsp salt) for 10 minutes; Drain.  Heat a wok and add 1 tbsp oil.  Stir fry the minced garlic and chopped onion till transparent.  Add the broccoli and stir fry on high heat for 5 minutes.  It should be crunchy and not soggy.  Add pepper and salt to taste and throw in the almonds.  Serve immediately as a side dish.  Tastes good and supremely easy to make.

Chawanmushi

  Steamed Egg Custard Recipe By Anu Elisha

We all love to experiment in the kitchen and try out new recipes.  I am not a fan of Japanese food, but this recipe was the exception.  It's very simple and quick to make and great for those on a diet and for those who love eating simple, healthy food.

The Recipe:

3 eggs;  2 cups chicken stock;1/2 tsp salt; 2 tsp thin soy sauce;  2-4 prawns, sliced into 2 pieces each if big; 1/2 chicken breast, diced; few button mushrooms, sliced;  1 ½ tsp sake.

     Marinade chicken and shrimps. In a small bowl, mix chicken pieces with 1/2 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp Sake. In another bowl, mix prawn and 1/2 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp Sake. Let them sit for a couple of minutes.

  Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix eggs, stock, salt, 1 tsp soy sauce. Strain the egg mixture through a sieve. Let as much egg as you can go through the sieve.

  Place 1/4 amount of chicken, shrimp, and sliced mushrooms in each of 4 small cups or idli bowls, then pour egg mixture over them to fill 3/4 of a cup. Cover with aluminum foil and put the covered cups into a steamer.  I used the idli steamer.

    Steam at medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Check with a wooden skewer to see if it's done. If clear broth comes out when poked, take the cups out from the steamer.

     Garnish with carrot and spring onion leaves and steam for 1-2 minutes.

Into Spain

Spanish Omelette

Spanish Omelette or Spanish Tortilla  is a typical Spanish dish consisting of a thick omelette made with eggs, potatoes and fried in olive oil.  Over the years it has evolved into a thick omelette made with any or every leftover in the kitchen and you can be as innovative and creative as you like.  Eggs have always been one of our back up dishes and eating an omelette can be one of the most satisfying, soulful experiences.

The Recipe:

4 large eggs; a bunch of spring onions, chopped; 1 chicken breast, boiled and diced; 1 cube Amul cheese, grated; vegetables of your choice; 2 green chillies, minced; 1 large onion, minced and fried till glazed in a little oil; salt to taste; oil for frying.

Seperate the eggs and beat whites till stiff.  Add salt and yolks and mix well.  Heat pan and pour 1 dsp oil into it.  Pour in the beaten egg and layer the ingredients one at a time on the beaten eggs- onions, vegetable, chicken, cheese and spring onions.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove cover and fold omelette in half.  Make sure both sides are nicely browned.  Garnish with spring onions. Serve immediately with hot buttered toast.