20110330 Stuffed Pepper

I saw these beautiful Italian red peppers at the supermarket last Saturday and thought I would stuff them with minced fish then fry/grill them. But I was simply too lazy on Wednesday and didn't even want to take out the mincer. So I stuffed them with ready-minced meat and threw some leftover coriander leaves in. The roasted peppers were so sweet and lovely looking, so you simply couldn't mess this dish up.

INGREDIENTS
500g minced meat
2 eggs
4 rounded tablespoons of spiced breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, crushed
handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 Italian red peppers, halved and deseeded

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 200 degree C. In a mixing bowl, mix the first 5 ingreidents together. Season with salt and pepper. Staff the meat mixture into the halved peppers.

2. Lay the stuffed peppers on a baking dish, and cover with folk and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Uncover and then cook for a further 20 minutes.

20110329 Oven-baked Thai Chicken Rice

(SOURCE: GoodFood Magazine - Oven-baked Thai chicken rice)

I didn't feel weel this week so only made some very simple dishes that did not require too much preparation. I made this a day ahead so I only had to heat up the dish after a long day of work. This dish was so fragrant thanks to the coconut milk and roughly chopped coriander leaves (not shown in the picture), and it was simply delicious!

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
400g chicken tender
4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
250g basmati rice
1.5 red peppers, cut into wedges
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
400g coconut milk
handful coriander leaves

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 180 degree C. Heat the oil in a shallow ovenproof casserole dish, then soften the onion for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and curry paste, then cook for 3 minutes, stirring to coat.
2. Tip in the rice and peppers, then stir in the lime zest and juice, coconut milk and 250ml boiling water. Bring to the boil, then pop the lid on and bake for 20 minutes until the rice is fluffy. Scatter with coriander before serving.

20110328 Chilli Chicken One-pot

(SOURCE: GoodFood Magazine - Chilli chicken one-pot)

As I left work a bit late and was starving when I got home, I completely forgot the last step - i.e. to serve with chopped coriander leaves, lime juice, and sliced avocado. But it still tasted very good. This dish should definitely be made at least a day ahead, so the sauce can become more intense overnight.

INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, halved and sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
130g chorizo, thickly sliced
1.5 red peppers, cut into large chunks
400g can chopped tomato
1 chicken stock cube
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp dried oregano
8 chicken drumsticks
200g can kidney beans, drained
fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 avocado, skinned and sliced
good squeeze lime juice

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 160 degree C. In a Dutch oven, fry the onions in the oil until they become soft and start to color. Add the chorizo and fry for a few minutes more. Stir in the peppers, then pour in the tomatoes, floowed by two-third can of water, the stock cube, chilli and oregano.
2. Arrange the chicken drumsticks on top of the sauce, pushing them under the liquid. Bring to a simmer, cover, then cook in the oven for 40 minutes. Add the beans, stir, then cook for 20 minutes more. Remove from heat and let it sit overnight.
3. To heat, bring it to a boil and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 to 30 minutes.

20110327 Banana Bars

(SOURCE: BeautyandBedlam.com - Banana Bars)

I'm not quite sure if I got them right because they rose quite a lot. The original recipe recommended using a greased jelly roll pan, so I thought the banana bars would be pretty flat. But anyways, the banana cake/bars tasted good...and with the finger-licking cream cheese frosting, who cares if the banana bars are of the right height?

INGREDIENTS
115g softened butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
For the cream cheese frosting -
80g softened butter
190g cream cheese
2.5 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

METHOD
1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a big bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, bananas and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into two 18cm springform (square) cake tins.
2. Bake at 175 degree C for 30 to 340minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
3. For frosting, cream butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat well, and set aside.
4. After the banana bars are slightly cooled, spread the frosting all over them. Cut into 1-1/2 inch small squares.

20110324 Lentil and Spinach Curry

(SOURCE: Tasty Kitchen Blog - Lentil and Spinach Curry)

This dish sure looks appetizing because of the beautiful colors. But it didn't taste as good and rich as the dahl. Next time I will half the lentils and cook them in 3 cups of vegetable stock instead, so they become a thick paste. This is the end of my craze for lentils...for March anyways.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups red lentil
2 cups water
2 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ginger root, grated
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
300g fresh spinach
1 can 400g chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper

METHOD
1. In a saucepan, bring the water and stock to a boil and add lentils. Simmer covered for about 25 minutes until lentils are soft and liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large non stick skillet. Saute onions and garlics until soft. Add spices and sugar and cook for another minute. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add crushed tomatoes and cooked lentils, and heat through, and season wiht salt and pepper.

20110324 Dhal, v2

(SOURCE: VegWeb.com - Delicious Pakistani Dhal)

I am not sure if it is politically correct to label this recipe "Indian" when the original recipe clearly said that this was a "Pakistani Dhal". But as many websites told me that Pakistani cuisine is a relatively small subset of Indian cuisine, I guess it is alright. I doubled the amount of chopped tomatoes by accident, and it made the dish a bit sweeter and it tasted good. I made this for a potluck party today, and my colleagues seemed to love it!

INGREDIENTS
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup dry red lentils
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1.5 tbsp freshly grated ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp red chili pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
400g can chopped tomatoes

METHOD
1. In a saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Add the lentils and boil for about a minute. Lower the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until it becomes a thick paste. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add onion, ginger, and garlic, and fry until soft. Add the spices and saute for about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and saute for another 5 minutes. Then add the cooked lentils, stir, and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.

20110323 Lentil Soup with Paprika and Pancetta

(SOURCE: Tasty Kitchen Blog - Lentil Soup with Smoked Paprika and Pancetta)

I used to get dahl soup for lunch from a catering lady called Kat. But since Kat disappeared off the face of the earth and never answered our email order, I haven't had dahl soup for a long time. As I bought 2kg of red lentils from that little Asian supermarket last time, I thought I would make dahl soup myself. I added a little too much water by accident, but the soup was still very tasty - the pancetta gave it a very intense flavor.

INGREDIENTS
90g pancetta slices, cut into small pieces
1 large onion, diced
4 small carrots, sliced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
dash of chili pepper
1/2 cup white wine
2L chicken broth
450g lentils
salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD
1. Cook pancetta in a large soup pan over medium high heat until fat renders and it starts to brown. Add onions, carrots, and celery, saute until softened. Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and saute until fragrant. Add wine, continue to cook another minute or so. Add broth and lentils and bring to a  boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until lentils are just tender, about 30 minutes. Add water if the soups becomes too thick. Puree the soup into a consistency you desire. Season with salt and pepper.

20110322 Salsa Chicken Pepper

(SOURCE: GoodFood Magazine - Salsa Chicken Pepper)

I used shredded chicken instead of chopped one, in order to fit more chicken into each bell pepper. It is amazing how sweet roasted peppers taste. Too bad I forgot to serve them with some freshly squeezed lime juice.

INGREDIENTS
140g brown rice, cooked as per instructions
4 large bell peppers
oil, for brushing
300g hot salsa
200g cooked chicken, shredded
200g kidney beans, drained
60g grated cheese
20g coriander, chopped

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 200 degree C. Slice the top off the peppers and cut out the seeds. Lightly oil then bake whole peppers in a roasting tin for 10 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, mix rice with the salsa, chicken, beans, cheese, and coriander. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Take the peppers out of the oven, then fill with the rice mixture. Put on the lids, then bake for 10 minutes.

20110320 Murg Shahjehani (Imperial Chicken)

(SOURCE: Indian: Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant - Murg Shahjehani)

This is from Delhi. I found this interesting site about the cuisines of Delhi - they said if you feed Delhi people well, they will give you anything you want! This is a lightly colored curry with a very fragrant taste, thanks to the onion/garlic/ginger paste. My husband really liked the gravy and even asked for more rice with gravy!

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 large onions, sliced
2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
8 cloves
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp ground cardamom
1 tsp poppy seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chilli powder
250ml plain yoghurt
1kg chicken drumsticks
salt

METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, add the onions and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then place in a food processor to make a paste (add a little water if necessary). Set aside.
2. Lightly stir fry the cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, coriander, and chilli powder in a dry frying pan for about a minute. Transfer to a blender, add salt and the yoghurt and process to make a paste. Transfer to a large bowl and add the chicken pieces. Mix well and marinate in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.
3. In a Dutch oven, add the onion/garlic/ginger paste and the drumsticks, and cook over low heat for about 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

201103220 Raspberry Cheesecake

(SOURCE: Olive Magazine - Baked raspberry cheesecake)

I spent the last hours worrying as I forgot to bake the crust - lesson learned, never bake anything when you are still half asleep at 7 on a Sunday morning! This is the first time I bake cheesecake and it did not get off to a good start. I felt my heart sink when a big crack started to develop when the cheesecake was cooling down. But it tasted pretty good so that was a relief. Next time if I wanted to make cheesecake for company, I will need to find a way to make a crack-free cheesecake. Or I just need to make more sauce or a topping for the cheesecake to hide the crack.

INGREDIENTS
8 digestive biscuits, bashed into crumbs
50g butter, melted
300g raspberries

icing sugar

600g cream cheese
2 tbsp plain flour
2 eggs + 1 yolk
175g caster sugar
few drops of vanilla extract
140ml sour cream

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 160 degree C. Mix the melted butter and crumbs. Press into a 22cm springform tin. Bake for 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, beat the last 6 ingredients until light and fluffy. Stir in half the raspberries (dusted in some flour) and pour into the tin. Bake for about 40 minutes and then check, it should be set but slightly wobbly in the center. Leave in the tin to cool.
3. Keep a few raspberries for topping. Put the rest in a pan with 1 tbsp of icing sugar. Heat until juicy and then squash with a fork. Push through a sieve. Serve the cheesecake with raspberry sauce and raspberries.