Papaya Smoothie

This Papaya Smoothie is a saviour,  now that summer is here.   Cool and refreshing, this is one drink you will welcome at anytime of the day.   Enjoy.

1/2 ripe Papaya
1 cup ice cubes (crushed well)
2 cups of chilled milk
1-1/2 cup ice-cream, preferably vanilla (chilled)
Few mint leaves for garnish

Cut the Papaya into half and remove and discard the seeds.  Cut into slices and peel off the skin (Slicing makes it easier to remove the skin easily). Cut into chunks.  Combine all the ingredients (except the mint) in a blender and blend till frothy.  Sugar or sweetner is not needed as the icecream and papaya are sweet enough.  Serve in tall glasses, garnished with mint leaves.

Chicken Lok Lak

Hi folks.  This is a delicious Cambodian recipe that I picked up when we were in Siem Reap. You can use Beef or Shrimp too.  It was a favourite with Devon, who liked to order it everytime.  If it was not on the Menu, it was a disappointed Devon that quietly ate whatever was served.   It is more like Chicken Stir Fry but ‘Lok Lak’ or Luc Lac’ is what it was called there.  It is usually served on a bed of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber and with steamed rice, potato wedges and a small bowl of Pepper Sauce on the side.   A piece of chicken is wrapped in a piece of the lettuce leaf, dipped in the Pepper Sauce and then eaten.  I barged into the hotel kitchen and watched how the chef made it.  It was done in a huge very hot iron wok and took less than two minutes to be ready.   When I made it,  I increased the cooking time and tweaked it a wee-bit to suit our taste.

Easy, quick and delicious….. now that’s what you looking for, right ?

- Chicken -500 grams (boneless and sliced into bite sized bits)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt to taste (go easy on the salt –as soya sauce already has salt)
- 1-1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1 teaspoon  chilli sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon red chillies –coarsely crushed
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 tablespoons soya sauce
- 1 tablespoon  Oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 onion, chopped
- Lemon – 1 big
- Spring Onion and lemon grass –for garnish
- 2-3 tablespoons oil for frying the meat

For the pepper sauce:
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1 large lemon

(For Pepper sauce – mix all together and serve in small-mini sized bowls)

Preparation

- Mix sugar, salt, pepper, oil, soy sauce, chillie sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, lemon juice, crushed chillies and garlic in a mixing bowl, add chicken and marinate for 1-1/2 hour.
-  Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil to a wok or non-stick heavy-bottomed pan,  sautee onion until brown and add marinated chicken and stir fry on high heat 5 to 10 minutes, until done. It is meant to be dry, however if you need it a little moist, just sprinkle little water and stir-fry for some more time.

-Garnish with chopped spring onion and lemon grass.

Serve on a bed of cucumber , tomatoes and lettuce (I did not have it so managed without it); accompanied with  rice and potato chips/wedges.

For rice :

2 cups rice – boiled and drained.
1 teaspoon of soya sauce
Lemon juice – 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon of crushed pepper
A bunch of spring onions- chopped along with green stalks
Salt to taste
Butter – 2 tablespoons

In a wok add butter and sauté the spring onions,  add crushed pepper, soya sauce and cooked rice.  Add in the lemon juice and stir.  Add salt if required.  Garnish with a few spring onions and serve hot.

Serves 3-4.

Idli, Sambhar and Chutney….

I’m sure you’ve heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The truth is, it is; and there is a very good reason for it. Researchers have proved that people who eat breakfast have a better chance of losing weight, and keeping it off. When you skip meals, you’re so hungry by lunchtime that you eat the entire cow!…ha ha.

Are you tired of eating the same boring bowl of sugar-coated cereal for breakfast every morning, or maybe you’ve slipped into the bad habit of completely skipping breakfast? ‘Bring On the Chef In You’, will soon be bringing you healthy breakfast ideas; that can be made quickly and are nutritious. Think outside the (cereal) box when it comes to breakfast food. Don’t let yourself get into the rut of thinking you don’t even need to bother with breakfast. Here are some reasons why breakfast is important:

• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day
• People that eat breakfast generally aren’t as likely to be overweight as those that don’t
• Breakfast provides the energy your body needs to start your day
• When you eat breakfast, you replenish your body’s stores after sleeping all night
• Students who eat a healthy breakfast have higher overall grades
• Employees who eat breakfast perform better on the job

So read on…… Breakfast idea number 1; and do check out our Blog for more……..

Idli :

Basmati rice – 2 cups
Urid Dal -1/2 cup
Boiled rice – ½ cup
½ teaspoon yeast
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
Salt to taste

Clean and wash the rice and dal and soak for 4-5 hours. Put in a blender and grind and keep aside. Mix yeast in 1 tablespoon of luke-warm water to dissolve and wait till it bubbles. Then add to the batter along with salt and sugar and mix well. Allow to ferment for 3-4 hours. To check if the batter has fully risen, remove the outer skin of an onion and make small four slits on the onion surface. Put it in the batter, it will float on the surface. When the batter rises the onion will sink in the flour. Put water in a steamer, put the batter in idli moulds which can be lined with a thin film of oil with a tissue. Steam for 20-25 minutes. When done, cool and remove from moulds. This makes about 35-40 small sized idlis; and they vanish quickly from the table; so don’t think they are toooo many. {For lunch we had the remaining Idlis with a spicy Irish Lamb Stew}. Serve hot with green chutney and sambhar, recipe of which is given below.

Green Chutney :

1-1/2 cup fresh coconut – grated
A small bunch of coriander leaves
Few mint leaves
4-5 green chillies (more if you need it spicier)
Marble sized tamarind
2 cloves of garlic
1” piece of ginger
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small onion
Salt to taste
A pinch of sugar

Grind all together in a blender. Don’t make it too fine but let it be a bit coarse. (Optional – can give a bagar of ½ onion, mustard seeds, curry leaves and 1 whole red chillie)

Vegetable Sambhar :

1 cup Dal (tur)
Mixed vegetables of your choice 1-1/2 cup (used potato, banana, carrot, yam, brinjal, beans, drumsticks)
1 Onion
2 green chillies
Sambhar/Rasam powder (used Rasam) – 2/12 teaspoons {Available in all asian grocery stores)
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Tomatoes – 1 large
Tamarind – lime sized
Ginger – 1” – crushed
Garlic – 4-5 cloves – peeled and crushed
Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
2 whole red chillies – torn into bits
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish.

Wash dal and keep aside. Cut vegetables into chunks – wash and keep aside.

In a pressure cooker, add a little oil and put mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add sliced onion, curry leaves, crushed ginger, crushed garlic, red chillie, green chillie, tomato and sauté for sometime. Then add sambhar powder, dal and sauté for a minute or two. Add water, tamarind, salt to taste, the cut veggies and pressure cook till the first whistle.

Put the heat off and let the sambhar simmer in the pressure cooker for 10-15 minutes. Open the cooker only after it is cooled. Garnish with finely cut coriander leaves and serve warm with Idli and Chutney.

Pizza

For those who thought that baking a Pizza at home was hard-work,  here is an easy recipe which can be made in a jiffy and without much sweat.  You can experiment with a variety of flavours and toppings and stick to the topping which you fancy.

Come along……want to learn to make a ‘Pizza’;  your very own home-made one ?     ………then follow me J.    This is one of the many recipes for ‘Pizza’ that I have in my repertoire..I will surely share the others with you too;  each one special for sure.

There are four basic ingredients to any pizza; crust, sauce, cheese and toppings.  You can have the crust thin or thick (I prefer the thick one), use the toppings of your choice and make the pizza sauce at home or get the ready-made bottled one;  which will make your work all the more easier.

Ingredients :

For the Dough (for 1 large Pizza – serves 4-6) :
Plain Flour/Maida 1-1/2 cups
Yeast – 1 tablespoon
Milk (warm) ¼ cup
Water (warm) ¼ cup
Sugar -1/2 tablespoon
Salt – 3/4 teaspoon
Olive oil ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons for brushing

In a bowl add ¼ cup olive oil, sugar, salt and water.  Stir well to dissolve the sugar and salt.  In a cup add warm milk and put the yeast..stir and keep till it bubbles.  Then add to the olive oil and sugar mixture.   Add the flour and mix to get a smooth dough.   Dab with a thin film of oil and keep in a bowl and cover the bowl with a wet cloth or with plastic wrap.   Keep it for an hour or two till the dough doubles in size.   Knead again and roll it to fit your Pizza Pan.  Don’t make it too thin.   Roll back the edges to get a small lip sized-wall at the edges.

Brush the Pizza pan with olive oil and keep the crust on it and leave it for 15-20 minutes for it to rise a bit.  {If you don’t have a Pizza Pan,  you can use one of your Aluminium vessel lid -  wrap it with aluminium foil on the base and then use as a Pizza Pan).

I used a bottled Pizza Sauce (American Garden Brand);  but you can make the Sauce at home by following the recipe below.

Pizza Sauce :

{Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan.  Add 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic and ½ onion finely chopped. Saute for 2-3 minutes.  Then add half capsicum –chopped into tiny bits.  Then add 2 cups of tomatoes or 10 oz can of tomato puree, salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano leaves.  Add ¼ tablespoon of chilly flakes and ¼ teaspoon of sugar.  Lower the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes till a thick sauce is formed…cool and use as your Pizza Sauce}.

Topping :

Capsicum – 1
Onion – 1 or 2
Tomato – 1 or 2
Baby corn
Sausages – 3-4
Mozzarella Cheese (grated) ½ cup
Parmesan Cheese (1 tin)
Oregano
Mushrooms
Olives – few
Paprika or red chillie powder
Olive oil – 2 tablespoons

When the crust has risen a little, sprinkle a little oregano powder on the base and spread a thick layer of pizza sauce.  Arrange the topping over the sauce –capsicum rings, onion rings, mushrooms, olives, sausages, tomatoes  and baby corn.  Sprinkle with Paprika/Chillie powder, olive oil, and oregano leaves.  Cover with a mixture of Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Preheat oven to 200 deg. C and bake for 20-25 minutes till the base turns golden and cheese starts melting.

Cut into wedges with Pizza Cutter and serve hot.

Chicken Achari

Hi folks.   Just back from a short vacation and still in a holiday mood.  Am currently drafting a travelogue on Cambodia and the amazing Angkor Wat.  I will notify you when the travelogue is ready – if you have the time please do hop over and go through it.  I have also taken the effort to learn some Khmer Cuisine  like Amok Fish, Lok Luk Chicken etc…..so do check in often.

Please excuse our absence on the blog and do hope we were missed.

Here is a Chicken recipe, if you like pickles,  this one is for you.

Chicken  (cut into small pieces) 1000-1200 grams
Lemon juice 3 tbsp
Ginger garlic 1 tbsp
Coriander powder 1 tbsp
Turmeric ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Onion- 2 large
Oil ½ cup
Green chilies 4 chopped
Yogurt 1 cup
Cream – ½ cup/3-4 tablespoons  (Optional)

Ingredients for achari masala – (blend coarse & keep aside)

• Onion/kalonjee seeds 1 tsp
• Fenugreek/methi seeds ¼ tsp
• Cumin seeds 2 tsp
• Fennel seeds/badeshep 1 ½ tsp
• Red chilies 6
• Mustard seeds ½ tsp

{If you dont want to make home-made Achari Masala,  ready-made packets of Achari Masala can be used.  You can use two tablespoons of Shaan Achari Masala, readily available at asian grocery stores)

Method :

Marinate chicken with salt and lemon juice for 1 hour.

Put oil in a pan and add sliced onion and fry till it gets golden brown.  Add ginger garlic paste and fry well.  Then add the marinated chicken and stir till the chicken is brown all over.  Add coriander powder, turmeric, salt to taste (if needed) and yogurt.  Cover and simmer with little water. Add the coarsely ground achari masala and simmer till the chicken is done.  Then add green chilies and simmer for a few minutes.  Just before removing off heat add the cream and stir thoroughly.

Serve with a Pulav or Tandoori Roti.