29 March 2016

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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27 March 2016

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

25 March 2016

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.

21 March 2016

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!

19 March 2016

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.


13 March 2016

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.

12 March 2016

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.