Edible Alchemy

Stuffed Gems

ediblealchemy — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:04:21 +0000

I whipped this together for a quick and light supper yesterday.

It’s nice as a light meal on its own, but can be served as an accompaniment to a meat dish.

To make:

Boil a few gems until soft.

Cube and boil one potato until soft as well. Mash, and season with salt, pepper and thyme. (I used a dash of baking powder and milk to get a creamy consistency).

When the gems are done, discard the seeds, scoop out the flesh and mix it with the mashed potato. To this, add a few tbsp of sweetcorn.

Scoop the mixture back into the gem cups. Top with peppadews, thyme and grated cheese.

Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Enjoy!

Semolina Porridge

ediblealchemy — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:51:00 +0000

Since we were out of Kelloggs’ cereal this morning, I decided to make this childhood favourite – it’s a steaming hot, comforting porridge that’s great for a cold day.

To make:

Boil 500ml of milk in a pot, with cinnamon sticks.

In a separate little bowl, mix 3 – 4 tbsp of semolina with cold milk. Ensure there are no lumps.

Once bubbles begin to form in the milk, add the semolina mixture and stir well.

Add sugar to taste, and a generous amount of cardamom powder.

Boil the porridge until you achieve the consistency you like.

Serve hot.

This recipe is enough for 2-3 people.

Quick ‘n Easy Pasta

ediblealchemy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:05:00 +0000

You can’t go wrong with a basic but yummy pasta dish for supper. I used the following method this time, substituting the usual fresh cream with a white sauce.

To make:

Boil 1 cup of pasta with 1 tsp oil and 1 tsp salt until firm.

In a separate pot, melt some butter and cook 1 – 2 cubed chicken fillet with ginger and garlic, aromat, pepper and paprika.

Add in chopped onions, green peppers and mushrooms and cook till water evaporates.

Once the chicken is done, add in 1 tbsp each of tomato sauce, sweet chilli sauce and chicken tikka sauce to it.

For the white sauce, make a roux with some melted butter and 1 tbsp of flour. Add about 1 cup of milk, stirring well. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Remove from heat when the mixture has thickened.

Mix together the pasta and chicken, and transfer to a greased casserole dish.

Then pour the white sauce over, and top with grated cheese.

Bake covered in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes. Then grill for a few minutes if you’d like the cheese to crispen.

This pasta dish is mild, so I also served it with chicken tikka sauce for some zing.

Carrot Cake

ediblealchemy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:57:00 +0000

This recipe goes by the title “The Best Carrot Cake Ever” and after making it, I’m inclined to agree. It’s certainly one of the most tastiest home-made cakes I’ve eaten.

The recipe is from New Food With Flair book, and was shared with me by my friend back home, Shamimah.

Ingredients:
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 cups oil
2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon powder (I used 2 tsp of this, and added 1 tsp of Robertsons’ Pimento Spice)
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecan nuts
250g tinned pineapple (drained)
1/2 cup sultanas

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Sift the flour, B.P, bicarb, cinnamon and salt together.

In a separate bowl, beat the sugar, oil and eggs well.

Then add the carrots, pecan nuts, pineapples and sultanas to the sugar mixture.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, mixing well.

The batter will be thin.

Bake at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.

Cup cakes will need only 20 – 25 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack when cool, and paint on the icing.

Icing:

125g soft butter

250g cottage cheese

1 tsp vanilla essence

500g icing sugar

Beat the butter, vanilla essence and sugar.

Stir in the cottage cheese.

Mix well but do not overbeat.

The icing should be of a thick consistency.

"Healthy" Grub Food

ediblealchemy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:38:00 +0000

No one can resist a burger and chips, though these are of the healthier variety.

To make:
Bake 2 Rainbow crumbed chicken steaklets in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes at 220 degrees. I also threw in some Mc Cain oven baked chips with the chicken, to bake for the same amount of time.

When the steaklets and done, place them in toasted burger buns, and smear them with whatever sauces you like. I used Steers Sweet Chilli, Chicken Tikka, tomato sauce and mayonnaise.

Then top with some sliced lettuce, peppadews and onions and you’ve got yourself a mean burger.

Serve with salt and chilli-sprinkled chips.

Akhni: the epic Friday lunch

ediblealchemy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:10:00 +0000

Akhni is a traditional Indian dish served on “special” occasions. It’s easy to make but requires substantial effort and time. The end result is definitely worth it though

This is a recipe I tried out last week, adapated from the Food with Flair cook book. It is absolutely delicious and serves 6 – 8 people.

Ingredients:

1 chicken, disjointed
2 onions, sliced
5 tbsp oil
4 tbsp clarified butter
2 heaped tbsp ginger and garlic
1-2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp salt
2 and 1/2 tsp dhania and jeera
3 green chillies
1 tsp tumeric powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 potatoes, quartered and deep fried
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
4 medium tomatoes, liquidised (the original recipe calls for 6)
2 cups washed rice, uncooked (the original recipe calls for 3 cups)
2 tsp salt (for the rice)
4 cups boiling water (for the rice)

Method:
Sautee the onions in the oil and ghee until slightly brown.
Add the ginger and garlic and spices to the chicken, and toss into the pot.
Add a little water for the spices to blend.
Cook the chicken until water evaporates and the chicken is nicely cooked. (You may need to add water during this time to allow the chicken to cook without burning).
Then add the potatoes, mixed vegetables and tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the boiling water, salt and rice to the pot.
Mix well and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander.

Steam the pot in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 30-35 minutes. (Check the pot at 20 minutes – you can add more water at your discretion if you think it is drying up and the rice is not yet soft enough).

Before serving, make a wagaar by slicing 1 onion and frying in 3 tbsp of ghee.
Sprinkle over the rice, and serve with vermicelli, papad and dhai.

Vermicelli:
1/4 box of vermicelli, broken into pieces
30g butter
1 cup of boiling water
cinnamon sticks
elachi
5 tbsp sugar

Melt the butter, add cinnamon sticks.
Add the vermicelli to the pot, and allow to braise until lightly brown/pinkish.
Add the boiling water a litle at time, stirring well and allowing the vermicelli to swell slightly until it is cooked.
Add in the sugar, mix well until the water evaporates.

Serve topped with Nestle cream, almonds, and cardamom powder.

Dhai
175g plain yoghurt
a bit of milk
1/2 tsp whole jeera
a pinch of black pepper
mint leaves
salt to taste

Liquidise a little of the yoghurt with the milk, jeera, pepper and mint.
Then add the rest of the yoghurt, and salt to taste.
Liquidise a little.
Serve chilled.

Butternut stuffed with feta and peppadews

ediblealchemy — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:25:00 +0000

This is a super-easy and lovely recipe that I got from Nafisa. It’s become Muhammad’s and my “House M.D.” snack.

Method:

Halve a butternut, scoop out the seeds, brush with olive oil and bake in a pre-heated oven for 1 hour at 200 degrees, or until soft.
Stuff them with sliced peppadews and feta, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill for a few minutes just until the feta melts.

For an alternative topping, a tomato chutney would be just as tasty.

Mugh Dhall

ediblealchemy — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:55:00 +0000

This is a light and tasty vegetarian dish that can stand alone or be served alongside a meat dish.

Method:

Soak 1 cup of dhall overnight in water.

When ready to cook, braise 1/2 of an onion in butter, with 1/2 tsp jeera and cinnamon sticks until golden brown.
To the other half, add:
1 green chilli
1 tsp salt
1 tst ginger and garlic
1/4 tsp tumeric
2 and 1/2 tsp dhania
1 and 1/2 tsp jeera
Add the spided onions to the pot, allow to blend well. Add a little water if needed.
Then throw in 1 grated tomato.
Allow to cook for a few minutes, before adding 1 cup of mug dhall.
Mix well, and add 1/4 cup of water.
Let the curry cook on medium heat, stirring often.
Add a little water at a time, allowing it to cook without drying up, until the dhall is soft. (This should take about 1 hour).
Garnish with chopped dhania.

Best served with roti.

Serves 4 – 6.

Baked Chops

ediblealchemy — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:36:00 +0000

I learnt this easy recipe from my mum.

Method:

Cut off the fat from 6-8 pieces of chops, wash well, and marinate in:

1 tbsp ginger and garlic

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp tumeric

1/2 – 1 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp dhania and jeera powder

Boil them in water until water evaporates or the chops are soft and tender.
Then grease a Pyrex dish, place the chops in, add blobs of butter.

Top with onion rings, tomato slices and thyme.

Bake covered in a pre-heated oven at 180 for about 15 minutes.

I served it with samp and beans, but any side dish will complement it just as well.

Healthy Summer Dessert

ediblealchemy — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:48:00 +0000

Now here’s something that you can eat to your heart’s content without having to negotiate the calories with your hips. This is hardly a recipe; just something I threw together for a mid-afternoon snack.

All you need is a small tub of chilled, plain low-fat yoghurt.

Sweeten it with 2/3 tsp of brown sugar.

Then slice some watermelon, 1 kiwi fruit, and about 6 strawberries.

Arrange them all on a plate, and garnish the yoghurt with some chopped up fruit.

Sprinkle some cardamom powder over the yoghurt before serving.

Enjoy!

If you want to be indulgent, substitute the yoghurt with whipped fresh cream.