My collection of favourite recipes..tried and tested!
I watched Mummy make her chicken rendang many times but never really paid attention! Then I wondered why, when I made the rendang according to her recipe, it never turned out right. I finally decided, one day, when I wanted to make chicken rendang to …
INGREDIENTS Serves 2 2 eggplants (240 gms) If you like zucchini, you can substitute 1 eggplant for 120 gms zucchini 1 1/2 medium-sized green peppers or a mixture of different coloured peppers (200 gms) 1 large tomato (180 gms) 1/4 large onion (85 gms) 2-3 …
Serves 2 to 3
INGREDIENTS
500gms fillet of any white fish (frozen is good)
Marinade:
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp paprika powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
20 gms cilantro, chopped (optional)
20 gms flat parsely, chopped (optional)
3 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Defrost the fish, wash, drain and dry with paper towel. If the fillet are long pieces, cut each piece into two.
In a shallow Pyrex bowl with cover, mix all the marinade ingredients and taste for salt. Add the fish and mix well with the marinade. Cover and leave for 30 minutes to an hour.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Centigrade. Arrange the fish in a heatproof dish and bake for 30 minutes. If desired, grill for the last 10 minutes.
Serve hot with couscous and a simple ratatouille.
I went crazy buying recipe books at the Times Bookstore at Hartamas Shopping Centre one day while I was back in KL and one of the books I bought was “Martha Stewart’s Cooking School”. We needed a book like that here as a reference plus …
This is our own “home-style” chilli beans recipe. We experimented until we got it right..with this recipe, we don’t need to hunt for that perfect “chilli in a packet”! If you’re lazy or just don’t have the ingredients, you can prepare this using the “chilli-in-a-packet” …
INGREDIENTS
For the soup:
1/2 chicken, bone-in
2 small carrots
2 medium-sized potatoes
1 small ripe tomato
1 “sup bonjot” spice sachet
Salt to taste
For the saute:
3 – 4 shallots
2 cloves garlic
15 gms mix of local (Malaysian) celery, stalks and leaves and spring onions
2 tbsp Canola oil
DIRECTIONS
Clean and wash chicken then cut into medium sized pieces. Peel the carrots and cut them into chunks.
Peel the potatoes and quarter them. Quarter the tomato.
In a pot, put the chicken, 500ml water, and the soup spice sachet and salt and bring to the boil over medium heat. Lower the heat once it has started to boil and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, carrots and tomatoes and let simmer until they are soft, about 15 – 20 minutes. Check to make sure they don’t overcook.
While waiting, peel garlic and shallots and slice them thinly lengthwise. Wash the celery and spring onions, remove roots and cut them in 2.5 cm lengths.
Remove the soup from the burner when its cooked. Pour the oil into a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and garlic and fry until they turn brown. Add the celery and spring onions (its going to spatter!) and mix well to cover it in the oil. Turn off the heat and pour all this into the soup pot.
Serve when desired. Great as a dish with plain boiled rice or on its own as a starter.
The first time we ever ate Sri Lankan chicken curry was at Ann and Wayne’s in Dubai…their maid cooked it and it was quite amazing…then I had some at Chee’s house during her lunch a couple of weeks ago and it was sumptuous. We have …
Goulash, originally from Hungary, is a stew or a soup, usually made with beef, red onions, vegetables, spices and ground paprika powder. The name originates from the Hungarian gulyás (pronounced goo-yash), and means cattle stockman or herdsman. Goulash is usually made with beef shank, shin …
This is a traditional Greek dish which can be made in many different ways. Moussaka can be any dish of layered vegetables and ground meat, and dishes with the same or similar names are prepared in several areas of the world including in the Middle East.
Other Greek versions call for artichokes, potatoes, and zucchini, or a combination, and I have see on the internet also vegetarian versions with no meat at all. Moussaka is traditionally served in very large portions and it is a heavy dish.
No one ever said it was easy, but it’s worth the effort!
This is our version of Moussaka and it is a high calorie and high carb dish! When we used to eat low carb we just replaced the potatoes with another portion of eggplant.
Notes:
INGREDIENTS
Serves 3 – 4
400 gms minced beef
3 medium globe eggplants
5 medium potatoes
1 can peeled tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp oregano flakes
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
For the Béchamel:
3 – 4 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour
400 – 500 ml fresh or UHT milk
salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
(1) Prepare the vegetables
Wash eggplants and trim off stems. Cut them into 1/2” slices across and put them in a large bowl or on a tray. Sprinkle liberally with salt and let them sit for 30 minutes. Rinse well, drain, and pat dry. Brush slices lightly on both sides with olive oil and put them under the grill on a baking tray until lightly browned and soft. Remove and set aside to cool.
There are two reasons often given for salting the eggplant: (1) to remove any bitterness, and (2) to absorb some of the natural liquids.
Wash the potatoes and boil them with their skins until medium soft. Soak in cold water then peel off the skins. Slice the potatoes approximately 1/2 cm thick.
Puree the canned tomatoes using a hand blender.
(2) Prepare the meat sauce
Preheat the frying pan or skillet over low heat.
When the pan is hot, add 2 tbsp of oil. Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the meat and continue to sauté until all the water is gone and the meat lightly browned. Add the canned tomato , tomato puree, salt, cumin, cinnamon, oregano and mix well. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 45 minutes to an hour. Check frequently to make it doesn’t stick to the pan or burn.
Note: If there is still liquid in the pan, continue to simmer uncovered, stirring to prevent sticking, until the mixture is as dry as possible. To prevent the final dish from having too much moisture, this step is crucial.
When dry, remove from heat, set aside uncovered until ready to use.
(3) Build the Moussaka
Divide the meat sauce into two equal parts.
In an ovenproof casserole dish arrange a layer of the grilled eggplant slices overlapping them to cover the base of the dish. Pour half the meat sauce over the eggplant slices and spread evenly. Next arrange the potato slices over the meat sauce, overlapping them as well (or more eggplant slices if making the low carb version). Pour the other half of the meat sauce and top with the balance of the potato slices.
So, remember: the layers are eggplant slices, meat sauce, potato slices, meat sauce, potato slices.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
(4) Prepare the Béchamel sauce
Heat the butter over a medium fire and when melted, add the flour. Stir for approximately 5 minutes on a slow fire. DON’T LET IT TURN BROWN OR BURN.
Add a little milk and stir. Keep adding the milk and stirring until a smooth consistency is achieved. You may need 400ml milk or more. Add some salt and remove from heat.
Immediately pour the béchamel sauce carefully and evenly over your moussaka. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the Béchamel and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the moussaka from the oven and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes.
Moussaka is traditionally eaten warm, not hot, and can also be eaten at room temperature. Like many Greek dishes, this is even better the next day.
Serve with a green salad and crusty bread.
This is our “quick” version of a traditional Spanish dish “Judias Pintas”. Its spicy and its filling…but beware the gas 🙂 Our home-made version is another way to make this – provided you have all the ingredients. INGREDIENTS 250 gms Pinto beans or red beans …
