Cheesy Macaroni with Broccoli, Cauliflower and Carrots

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 cup fresh broccoli florets
• 3/4 cup fresh cauliflower florets
• 1 large carrots, halved and thinly sliced
•  1 celery ribs, sliced
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tsp butter
• 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup low fat milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Pinch of salt
• Dash of pepper
•  Dash of paprika to taste (chilli powder)

·         Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°. 
• Cook macaroni according to package directions, adding broccoli, cauliflower florets, carrots and celery during the last 6 minutes. Drain, transfer to a greased baking dish.
• Heat butter in a pan. Saute onion until tender. 
• Sprinkle with flour; stir until blended. Gradually stir in milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the cheese, mustard, salt and pepper.
• Pour over macaroni mixture; stir to coat. Sprinkle with paprika. 
• Bake, uncovered, 15-20 minutes or until heated through. 
• Serve immediately

  

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Foxtail Millet - Banana Halwa

Recipe tweaked from Banana Halwa from my blog http://forthetastebud.blogspot.in/2012/01/banana-halwa-from-aval-vikadan.html

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Foxtail millet semolina (grind the millet in a mixer to broken wheat texture, about 30 seconds)       
• 1 ripe banana (Morris variety)
• 1/2 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
• 1/4 cup ghee (can add less as required)
• 1/2 cup water             
• Cashews, fried in ghee/oil

Preparation

• Fry millet semolina in ghee for 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Pour boiling water into the millet semolina and stir till thickened. 
• Mash banana to a smooth paste and add it with sugar to the pan. 
• Keep stirring it till it forms a non-sticky lump.
• Add the fried cashews and serve

Fish Balls, Fish Cake and Dried Anchovies Soup with Mushroom and Spring Onion

Malaysian Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 500 grams king fish (Or any fish of choice)
• 50 grams dried anchovies, head removed and cleaned
• 100 grams button mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 3 stalks spring onions, cut in rings
• 3 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fish sauce or to taste
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Topping

• Garlic oil (See note below)

To make fish balls

• Remove flesh from king fish slices (seer fish)
• Scrape flesh from skin and discard skin.
• Place all the fish meat on a chopping board and chop for 10 minutes.
• The fish will become slightly sticky as you chop. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue to chop for another 10 minutes. The fish meat will now become a fish paste.
• Wet your hands slightly with water and roll the fish paste into fish balls of desired size.

To make fish cakes

• Wet your hands again and roll the fish paste into flat elongate size. 
• Steam for 10 minutes in boiling water, drain and pan fry in hot sesame oil. Reserve liquid if desired.
• Allow to cool and cut into thin slices.

Preparation

• Bring a pot of water to boil. (I used the reserved liquid)
• Add the cleaned anchovies and allow to boil again. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove the anchovies, add little salt and 1 tsp sesame oil. Mix well and microwave for 2 minutes. Set aside the crispy anchovies.
• Heat a tsp of sesame oil in a pan and add 1 tbsp minced garlic. Saute for 30 seconds till the aroma comes out. 
• Add the onion white and mushroom and saute for a minute. Add the anchovies stock and a chicken stock cube. Add some green onion. Bring to boil.
• Add the fish balls and allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add fish sauce, white pepper and salt to taste. Turn off heat.
• Add fish balls, fish cake slices, mushroom and crispy anchovies. Ladle soup into the bowl, add the rest of the green onion and garlic oil. Serve hot. 

Note:

Garlic oil can be made by stir-frying minced garlic in oil.

Beef Scrambled Eggs with Carrots & Spring Onion

Recipe is my experiment!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten well 
• 125 grams beef mince
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 4 spring onions, cut into rings
• 1 large carrot, grated
• Olive oil
• salt and white pepper powder to taste
  

Preparation

• Heat olive oil in a pan. Fry the garlic mince for about a minute in low heat. 
• Add the onion white and saute for a minute.
• Pour the beaten eggs and allow it to cook on one side. Add salt and pepper and scramble it well. Set aside.
• Heat more olive oil in the same pan and add the beef mince. Add salt and pepper and saute well till cooked well, about 10 minutes.
• Add the scrambled eggs and mix well. Add the carrots and the spring onion and saute for about 3 minutes till the carrots are cooked. 
• Switch off and serve hot.

Note:

You can add mushrooms or any other vegetable of your choice too!

Chicken Scrambled Eggs with Carrots & Spring Onion

Recipe is my experiment!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten well 
• 125 grams chicken mince
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 4 spring onions, cut into rings
• 1 large carrot, grated
• Olive oil
• salt and white pepper powder to taste
  

Preparation

• Heat olive oil in a pan. Fry the garlic mince for about a minute in low heat. 
• Add the onion white and saute for a minute.
• Pour the beaten eggs and allow it to cook on one side. Add salt and pepper and scramble it well. Set aside.
• Heat more olive oil in the same pan and add the chicken mince. Add salt and pepper and saute well till cooked well, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the scrambled eggs and mix well. Add the carrots and the spring onion and saute for about 3 minutes till the carrots are cooked. 
• Switch off and serve hot.

Note:

You can add mushrooms or any other vegetable of your choice too!

Broccoli Soup with Chicken and Mushroom

Recipe is my experiment tweaked from Cream of Broccoli Soup recipes!

Ingredients

• 350 grams Chicken  
• 8 cups broccoli florets
• 50 grams mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
• Salt and white pepper powder to taste

Preparation

• Pressure cook chicken with 3 cups water and salt to taste. Shred the chicken, discard the bones and set the stock aside. 
• Heat butter or olive oil in a pan. Add onion and celery and saute until tender.
• Add 6 cups broccoli florets and saute for about 3 to 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of chicken stock to it and bring to boil. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.
• Drain the soup and puree the broccoli, onion and celery mixture in a mixer to a paste. Mix it with the soup and set aside. 
• Heat a tsp of olive oil in the same pan and saute the rest of the broccoli florets and mushroom for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the stock and bring to a boil.
• Add the pureed broccoli paste and salt and white pepper powder to taste. Stir and switch off. Serve hot.

Bee Thai Bak (Rice Noodle Soup)

Recipe from RASAMALAYSIA

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 300 grams Thai rice stick noodles
• 1 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 100 grams beef mince, cooked
• 6 - 8 fish balls 
• 8 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 tsp fish sauce or to taste
• 3 dashes white pepper powder

Topping

• Garlic oil (See note below)
• 2 stalks spring onions, cut into rings

To make fish balls

• Remove flesh from king fish slices (seer fish)
• Scrape flesh from skin and discard skin.
• Place all the fish meat on a chopping board and chop for 10 minutes.
• The fish will become slightly sticky as you chop. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue to chop for another 10 minutes. The fish meat will now become a fish paste.
• Wet your hands slightly with water and roll the fish paste into fish balls of desired size.
  
  

Preparation

• Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch the rice noodles until they are cooked. Drain and set aside.
• To make the soup, bring chicken stock and water to boil in a pan. Add minced beef, fish balls and shrimp. Boil for about 2 minutes or until all the ingredients are cooked.
• Add fish sauce and white pepper powder. Turn off heat.
• Divide the rice noodles into two bowls and add broth, garlic oil and chopped spring onion.
• Serve immediately.

Note:

Garlic oil can be made by stir-frying minced garlic in oil.

Watermelon and Sesame Seed Salad with Water Chestnuts

This is a non-vegetarian recipe from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/215584/watermelon-and-sesame-seed-salad/. You can make it vegetarian by leaving out the fish sauce.

Ingredients

• 250 grams watermelon, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1/2 can water chestnuts, about 125 grams 
• 25 grams sesame seeds, white
• 5 to 6 spring onions, chopped
• 1/4 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
• 1/8 cup vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1 dash fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• salt to taste
  

Preparation

• Combine watermelon, water chestnuts, spring onions, coriander, sesame seeds and salt in a mixing bowl.
• Whisk vinegar, sugar, fish sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl and pour over the watermelon salad mixture and gently toss to coat evenly.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve chilled.

Chicken Mince Casserole with Mushroom and Corn

Recipe from http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/13519/chicken-mince-casserole.aspx

Ingredients

• 500 grams chicken mince
• 1 onion, diced
• 100 grams mushroom, sliced
• 1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen
• 1 tbsp flour, heaped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and sliced
• chicken stock to cover
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated cheese to top
• Olive oil

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 140 degrees C.
• Heat a little olive oil in a pan and saute the onion.
• Add chicken mince, mushroom and corn with salt and pepper and saute till brown.
• Add flour and mix until it forms a thick paste. Add chicken stock gradually until it covers the top of the meat. Keep stirring until it becomes thick, according to personal taste.
• Once the mixture starts to bubble, transfer to an oven proof dish.
• Place the sliced potatoes on top to cover the mince mixture.
• Cover with grated cheese to taste.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until the potatoes are browned and slightly crispy and the cheese is bubbling and brown.