Ingredients
1\2 cup plain flour
1\2 cup wholemeal plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1\4 cup grated carrot (about 1\2 small)
1\4 cup grated zucchini (about 1\2 small)
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
60 gm polyunsaturated margarine, melted
2 eggs whites, lightly beaten
1\3 cup low-fat milk
Method
1. Preheat oven to moderately hot (210 degrees celsius, 190 degrees Celsius gas). Brush the bottoms only of six cups in a 12 cup muffin tin with margarine or oil. Sift flours and baking powder in a bowl. Add brown sugar, carrot, zucchini and poppy seeds. Mix well.
2. Combine margarine, egg white and low fat milk. Mix well. Add milk mixture all at once to dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, stir until ingredients are just combined; do not over beat.
3. Pour the mixture into the muffin tin, filling until cups are two thirds full. Bake for twenty minutes or until the muffins are puffed and golden. Cool muffins in a tin for five minutes, then remove and cool on wire racks.
Note:
Store these muffins in an air tight container or freeze immediately after cooling. To freeze, completely cool muffins then wrap securely in plastic wrap, or put in plastic bag. Freeze immediately and use within four weeks.
Ingredients
6 oz flour
2 oz castor sugar
Biscuit
4 oz butter
1 egg yolk
Filling
2 oz butter
1 oz flour
6 oz castor sugar
2 oz coconut
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
Method
1. Beat butter, egg yolk and sugar together, making it fluffy. Add flour and baking powder. Knead well and put in the refrigerator to chill. Cut into small pieces like biscuits, press in the centre and bake for 20 minutes.
2. Beat all the filling ingredients together. Place a small amount on the biscuits and bake again for 20 minutes.
3. Enjoy the delicious coconut tarts!
Ingredients
1 ½ cups fettuccini
1 tomato
2 cloves of garlic
1 bell pepper
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon mayo
1 teaspoon mustard paste
3 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon barbeque sauce
½ teaspoon each of crushed red peppers and black pepper
Method
1. Boil water in a saucepan and add the fettuccini. While that’s boiling, thinly slice the tomato and bell pepper, and chop the garlic. Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic and bell peppers. Add the soy sauce and sauté on high heat for two minutes (make sure the exhaust is on or everyone in your house will be coughing like crazy) and remove the pan from the heat.
2. Add the mayo, mustard paste and barbeque sauce and mix till the sauce is smooth. Now put the pan back on a medium flame and add the tomatoes and cream. By now the pasta will be done so drain it and quickly add it to the pan (don’t drain the pasta completely; it helps keep the sauce from drying out).
3. Now all you have to do is sprinkle over the crushed pepper and black pepper, toss everything around, and put in a plate and eat it right away.
I usually don’t fuss about decorating my food like carving our carrot leaves or tomato roses, but I do make an effort to make my food look good, so garnish it with a sprig of coriander and dish it out in a nice plate and it’ll taste so much better, because what looks good tastes good too!
Ingredients
Tomatoes – 1 1/2lb - halved
Cherry tomatoes – a handful (optional)
Onions – 1 cup, sliced thick
Fresh fennel bulb – 1
Half of a red bell pepper, chopped rough
Bay leaves – 2
Garlic, halved horizontally so that all the bulbs are held together but cut through
Salt – As per taste (I use a mixture of powdered rock salt and kala namak)
Olive oil – 2-3 tsps.
Extra virgin olive oil – A few drops to garnish
Black pepper, powdered – to taste (optional)
Harissa (the surprise Middle Eastern element) – 1 tsp.
Vegetable stock – ½ cup or more as needed
Method
1. Trim the fennel fronds and keep a few leaves for garnish. Cut lengthwise from the tip to the base of the bulb. Halve again and chop roughly. If the core is hard, remove it. Do not throw any of the trimmed fronds or the core. These can be used to make vegetable soup stock.
2. Pre-heat oven.
3. Quarter onions. Mix the onions and fennel pieces together in a baking tray. Place one half of the garlic in the center. Drizzle salt and one tsp. of olive oil. Toss and set aside.
4. Halve both varieties of tomatoes and arrange in another baking tray. Add bell peppers and keep the other half of the garlic in the center. Add bay leaves. Drizzle another 1tsp. of olive oil, sea salt and toss.
5. Place both baking trays in a pre-heated oven and bake for at least 20 minutes. Check whether the onions and fennel have browned. If not, bake for another ten minutes. Re-check and remove the onion and fennel tray once browned. The tomatoes will take more time, about 10 minutes.
6. Once roasted, let the trays cool. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend to a uniform paste.
7. Sieve through a soup strainer. If needed add vegetable stock to bring the soup to right consistency. Warm the soup. Add the harissa paste, if using. If not, add chilli powder and a dash of lemon juice (very little) to adjust the sourness according to taste. If the tomatoes are sour enough do not add lemon.
8. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil, or dotted with vegan yogurt, and serve with bread or by itself.
Serves 2 generous bowlfuls
Ingredients
Raw, hard mango, chopped into small even bits – 2 cups
Salt to taste
Chilli powder – 2 tbsps. (more if you like it very hot)
Mustard powder – ½ tsp.
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp.
Asafoetida powder – 1 generous pinch
Sesame Oil – 2 tbsps.
Method
1. Add salt and chilli powder to the mango pieces and mix well so it is evenly distributed.
2. Heat oil till hot. Season with mustard seeds. Put off fire. Add mustard powder and asafetida powder. Mix and pour over the mangoes. Mix well till the spices are uniformly distributed.
3. Serve immediately with rice and gravy, preferably a mild dish such as kadhi or dal. It is generally prepared in small quantities as it does not last very long. If using for more than two days, refrigerate.
Useful Tip:
This pickle is quite flexible as you can adjust the amount of chilli powder and salt as per taste. Addition of mustard powder is optional. I like the addition.
Ingredients
Maida - 1 cup
Yeast - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Butter - 1/4 cup
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar ( powdered ) - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/4 cup
Oil - as needed
Method
1. Boil milk in a pan. When lukewarm, add yeast, sugar, mix well and set aside
2. Add maida, baking powder, butter to the milk and knead to a thick dough.
3. Cover the dough with a thin cloth for 20 minutes.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan.
5. Take small portions of the dough, roll into small circles and fry.
6. When the donut is still warm, roll in powdered sugar and serve.
Ingredients
850 grm cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups baby spinach leaves
Yogurt with Orange Essence
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped (optional)
Method
1. In a medium bowl combine the chickpeas, parsley and onion.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
3. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss to combine. Serve the chickpeas salad over a bed of spinach leaves.
4. Top with the yogurt sauce and a sprinkle of mint, if using.
Ingredients
2 cups Rice (long, grained)
1/2 cup Sugar
4 tsp Ghee
12-15 Cashew nuts.
18-20 Almonds.
Pinch Saffron.
1/4 tsp Nutmeg Powder.
1/2 tsp Green Cardamom Powder
Method
1. Wash rice twice and soak in just enough water to cover it for half an hour. Drain excess water.
2. Place almonds and cashew nuts in a flat microwave dish and cook, uncovered on Microwave medium (70%) for five minutes. Let them cool and thinly slice the almonds. Halve the cashew nuts.
3. In a deep casserole, mix ghee and rice and cook, uncovered, on Microwave high (100%) for two minutes.
4. Stir. Cook, uncovered on Microwave high (100%) for two minutes more.
5. Mix nutmeg powder, green cardamom powder, saffron, raisins and sugar into the rice.
6. Add three and a half cups of water and milk and stir once.
7. Cover and cook on Microwave high (100%) for fifteen minutes.
8. Allow standing time for five minutes.
9. Garnish with almonds and cashew nuts. Serve hot.
Ingredients
Chicken - 1/2 kg
Basmati rice – 1/2 kg
Freshly grated nutmeg -1/4 tsp
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon stick -1
Green cardamoms - 3
Ground mace – 1/2 tsp
Whole star anise -2
Garam masala powder -2 tsp
Thick curd - 2 cups
Tomato past - 4 tbsp
Onions -1 big sliced
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Chilli powder -2 tbsp
Saffron - pinch dissolved in 2tbsp warm milk
Salt to taste
Oil - 8 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Method
1.In a bowl mix curd, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, powder, tomato paste, chilli powder, nutmeg, ground mace salt mix well .
2.Add the chicken & &rub the mixture into the meat. Let the chicken marinate for 3-4hrs.
3.Drain the rice & keep aside. Boil 6cups of water in a pan.
4.Meanwhile, heat ghee/oil in a skillet. Add staranise, cardamoms, cloves & cinnamon & let it splutter, then add rice fry for 4-5mts.transfer the rice to the boiling water, add salt & cook uncovered till the rice is3/4th cooked.
5.Drain the rice in a colander & set aside.
6.Heat oil in a pan; add onions & fry till golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
7.Now heat oil in a pan & add the marinated chicken fry it for about 5mts or until the oil separates.
8.Add the rice over the chicken mixture sprinkle ghee & saffron dissolved in milk cover tightly with aluminum foil & place the pan over a pan
9.Cook on high heat for 5mts then cook for about 20mts on medium heat.
10.Remove & let stand covered for 5mts before serving.
Ingredients
Chicken ( boneless ) - 500 gm (Thighs)
Onion - 1
Rice ( cooked ) - 1/2 cup
Spinach - a small bunch
Coriander leaves - a few
Oregano ( dried ) - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1/4 cup
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 1/4 cup
Method
1. Cut spinach, onion finely.
2. Heat oil in a large pan.
3. Add onion and fry for a few minutes.
4. Add chicken, rice, oregano, 4 cups of water, cover with a lid and cook.
5. When contents start boiling, switch off the stove.
6. When contents are warm, remove chicken and cut into small pieces.
7. Blend the contents and cook on a low flame.
8. Add spinach and cook.
9. When spinach is cooked, add coriander leaves, pepper powder, salt and switch off the stove.
10. Add lime juice and mix well.
