Hesel Ghor

Tabbouleh With Barley

2014-07-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

This has got to be one of the easiest salads recipes I have done in a long time- Courtesy: Automatic Restaurant, Ghubrah. Originally from the mountainous regions of Syria, today it is ubiquitous around the Levant, the Tabbouleh, is a lovely fresh, hydrating salad that can be a stand alone lunch or a delicious accompaniment to barbecues.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

Parsley- 2 cups
Fresh Mint- 1/2 cup
Vine tomato- 1 medium
White Onion- 1 small, chopped fine
Garlic- 1 clove; shredded
Lemon- 1 large; juiced
Barley- 2 tbsp; boiled
Olive oil- 1 tbsp; for dressing
Salt- To taste

Preparation (10 mins):

Remove the pulp from the tomato and cut into small pieces. Chop parsley, mint, onion, garlic. Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Toss and refrigerate.

Serve chilled.

Tips:

The original recipe called for bulghur wheat. Since I don't use it much, decided to replace with barley. Not a bad substitution.

Grilled Halloumi and Bell Pepper Salad

2014-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Adapted from this recipe at Tesco, this is a sweet and salty one. The salad adaptation is layered with the herby parsley at the bottom, succulent roasted bell peppers, salt and savoury halloumi, cruncy pine nuts and nibbles of sweetness from the raisins.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

Fresh Halloumi- 50 gm
Bell peppers- 2 medium
Parsley- 1/2 cup; chopped
Cayenne- 1 tsp
Balsamic vinegar- 2 tsp
Olive oil- 2 tsp
Pine nuts- 1 tbsp
Raisins- 2 tsp
Lime- 1 quarter; juiced

Preparation:

Halve bell peppers and place in oven with skin side up. Grill on high for about fifteen minutes.

Once the skin turns to blister and char, remove from oven and skin. Chop peppers into small pieces. Refrigerate to cool it down. Dress with balsamic vinegar an olive oil mixture.

In a clean pan roast pine nuts till golden brown. Brush chopped halloumi into pieces and fry on high. Once cheese starts to melt and char set aside. Once cooled sufficiently rub in lime juice.

Chop parsley, and layer at bottom of bowl. Layer with grilled bell peppers and halloumi slices. Top off with roasted pine seeds and raisins.

Serve cold. Bon appetite.

Dry Chilli Beef Curry- South Indian Style

2014-07-19T03:52:00.003-07:00

Do not try this at home- Unless you are really fond of hot and spicy stuff. This one is an adaptation of a dish I normally eat at my local coffee shop the evenings when I am too tired to cook or just want to save money and eat out on less than OMR 1. Decoding recipe from memory, this one was not exactly the way they made it, but good enough (It's fun when you eat something outside and can come home and recreate a very similar flavour- Feel half like Sherlock Holmes and half like a Michellin chef).

Ingredients (Serves 4):

Beef cubes- 500 gm, chopped small
Curry leaves- 3 tbsp
Red onion- 2 large; chopped fine
Ginger/Garlic paste- 3 tbsp
Pepper- 4 tbsp crushed
Green Chilli- 3 large; chopped finely
Cayenne- 1 tbsp
Green coriander- 2 tbsp
Coconut flakes- 4 tbsp
Garam Masala- 2 tbsp
Olive oil

Preparation (Marination: Overnight + Cooking Time:30 mins):

Clean beef and marinate overnight with half tbsp of garam masala.

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil to high in a pan and add beef pieces. Add half the crushed pepper, a little salt and cook on high till fat leaves the sides and the meat is juicy and browned nicely.

Remove beef from flame and fry onions on high with 1 tbsp oil. Once onions start turing white, add ginger garlic paste and curry leaves. Keep stirring on high till curry leaves start releasing their aroma.

Bring down the temperature, add remaining pepper, meat, 1 tsp turmeric powder, cayenne, remaining garam masala, coconut flakes. Cover and cook for 15 mins.

Stir in chopped green coriander and turn off the heat. Cover and let stew in own juices for 10 mins.

Serve hot with rice, Kerala Parotta's or Appam's. Mmmmm

Tips:

Now, we are lucky to have supplies of Indian spices and herbs in the Middle East. Therefore, curry leaves are a no-brainer. However, if you can't find curry leaves you could still go ahead.While the fragrant aroma of curry leaves do give it a distinct South India taste, the curry's still good to go without them
Garam Masala- the ubiquitous Indian spice. If you can't get your hands on it from your local store, here's an easy recipe from All Recipe's.
The final ingredient, coconut flakes. Best is if you could use freshly grated coconut. If you can't use either fresh coconut or coconut powder like I did, you could substitute by adding a couple of tbsp's of coconut milk slightly later during cooking.

Eggplant Halloumi Salad

2014-07-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Keeping with the tradition of light meals during Ramadan, here's this week's salad innovated from elements of traditional cuisine in the Levant- grilled eggplant, halloumi cheese, parsley, walnuts and olives.

Halloumi is a semi-hard white cheese from goat and sheep milk typical to the cuisine of the Levant.

The smoky sweetness of grilled eggplant, contrasts with the chewiness of the salty halloumi . The chopped parsley and crushed walnut are added accents to a fresh light lunch.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

Eggplant- 200 gm; sliced; grilled with a dash of olive oil
Halloumi- 100 gm; chopped
Fresh Parsley- 1/2 cup; chopped
Walnuts- 1large; crushed coarsely
Black olives- 1 tbsp; pitted and sliced (optional).

Preparation (In the blink of an eye):

Toss all ingredients together, add a dash of salt if you want (didn't feel the need to add extra salt as the halloumi itself is salty). Refrigerate.

Serve chilled.

Cocktail Series: Bloody Mary (Bloody Russell Peters)

2014-07-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

Another eternal favourite, the Bloody Mary. Some call it a sun-downer, I call it a healthy breakfast. ;)

Tangy and spicy, I do this one with a slight twist (Inspired by and dedicted to Russell Peter's observations on how spicy Indians are). Maybe I should call it "Bloody Russel Peter."

NSFW: Better wait till the drink's done. ;)

Ingredients (Serves 1):

Vodka- 60 ml
Tomato Juice= 120 ml
Worcestershire Sauce- 1/2 tsp
Tabasco Sauce- 1/2 tsp
Pepper- 1/2 tsp crushed
Cayenne- 1/4 tsp
Green chilli- 1/2; shredded
Green coriander- 1 sprig; shredded
Lime- 1/4 juiced
Salt- A pinch
Ice- 1/4 glass

Garnish:

Celery Stalk- 3 inch
Lime wedge- 1

Preparation (5 mins)

Trim celery stalk of edges. Combine the trimmings, shredded chilli, green coriander, salt, ground pepper, Tabasco, Worcestershire Sauce, lime juice, cayenne and tomato juice in a blender. Add the ice and whisk for 30 secs.

Pour vodka in a glass and add the blended tomato juice. Top off with ice. Garnish with celery stalk and lime wedge.

Enjoy your filling, fiery but ice cold breakfast/ sun-downer/ cocktail.

Kale and Carrot Salad

2014-07-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Been hearing so much about the benefits of Kale, that I took the plunge and splurged and ended up buying. So over the next three days, my target is to do at least two salads and a meat and kale dish. Luckily, going by instinct ended up buying boerewors, which actually is a good accompaniment to kale in a traditional Dutch Stamppot. The more I cook, the more I am sure of this, that cooking is not about fancy recipes or following the book page by page. It's instinctive. Whatever floats your boat works. :)

Anyway, before I start with the salad, a few words about Kale. Leafy veggie from cabbage family. High in minerals, protein, anti-oxidants, vitamins its got a pungent bitter taste. It's a good source of fiber, helps with cholesterol and can be used to detoxify your body. That's why I am combining it with carrot, crushed almonds and a dash of sesame oil-soy sauce mix. Bon appetite.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

Kale- 2 sprigs, chopped
Carrot- 1/2 medium, juliened
Green chili (optional)- 1/2 chopped finely
Peanuts- 2 tbsp
Almonds- 1 tbsp

Dressing:

Sesame Oil- 2 tsp
Soy Sauce- 1 tsp

Preparation (10 mins):

Coarsely crush almonds and peanuts in a mixer. Toss all salad veggies together. Mix. Dress with

sesame oil- soy sauce mix. Serve chilled.

Tips:

If you want to mellow down the taste, instead of sesame oil you could use olive oil. Just rub a little bit of the olive oil on the kale and leave aside for half an hour before chopping.
If you find the salad t0o dry, you could substitute peanut and chilli's with with peanut butter and hot sauce paste.

Kanda Poha

2014-07-04T04:42:00.002-07:00

An amazingly light and aromatic vegetarian breakfast/ tiffin dish from Maharashtra in Western India. Cooking this for the first time, from memory.

OK, we Indians eat a lot of rice. We even have rice for breakfast, in this case flattened rice or rice flakes. Think of it more like a convenience food- you could use it as a breakfast cereal in place of bran/ corn flakes/ etc. In fact historically, flattened rice was the dry food of choice for travelers. Light to carry, easily digestible it can be reconstituted by adding water or milk.

Anyway, during engineering college, this was a major breakfast draw and so here goes.

Ingredients (Breakfast for 2):

Flattened rice (Poha)- 1 cup
Onion (Kanda in Marathi)- 1 small
Roasted Peanuts: 2 tbsp
Curry leaves- 2 sprigs
Fresh Coriander- 4 sprigs
Green chili- 2 chopped
Cumin- 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Lime- Half a lime
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Cayenne- 1/2 tsp
Mustard Oil- 2 tbsp
Salt- To taste

Preparation (Pre-process 20 mins+ 10 mins to cook=30 mins):

Wash the flattened rice, strain. Add a little salt and soak for 20 mins. Drain of excess water.

Soak flattened rice for 20 mins with water and salt

Trick to a great Poha is to strain all excess water but make sure that the rice is moist.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves. Once the mustard starts to pop, add the diced onion. Stir till translucent. Add in the roasted peanuts (I forgot this time round).

Stir on medium for a couple of minutes and add in the pre-soaked 'poha'. Add turmeric, cayenne and salt. Cooking on medium for five minutes. Work in the chopped green chilli, cover, and cook on low for five mins.

Fluff the rice, turn off heat, garnish with chopped coriander and drizzle the lime juice on top. Cover and serve hot.

Tips:

For breakfast I recommend pairing this with a cuppa of hot 'kadak' milky Indian tea.

Sumeet's Salad

2014-06-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

This one was an off the cuff salad turned out with leftovers in the fridge. Naming it after my friend Sumeet as we randomly created this recipe while discussing philosophy, meaning of life, process analytics and rummaging through the fridge for a side dish to our grilled calamari.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

Salad leaves- 200gm; Mix of lettuce, baby spinach, rocket salad
Bell Pepper- 1 large; diced
Carrot- 1 medium, julienned
Parmigiano-Reggiano- 1 inch; grated
Walnuts- 1 tbsp
Thyme- 1 sprinkle
Rosemary- 1 sprinkle
Sage- 1 sprinkle
Balsamic Vinegar- 1 tsp

Preparation (5 mins):

Combine chopped bell pepper, carrot, shredded salad leaves and

herbs. Toss with grated parmesan, crushed walnuts and balsamic vinegar.

Serve chilled.

Seafood Risotto

2014-06-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Back after a hiatus. Know what, it's no fun cooking for oneself. Well, this weekend was a nice break with an old friend. And here I am back with results of our experimentation in the kitchen.

This first recipe, I picked up during a trip to Adria, Italy. Had gone to the Adria International Raceway in Adria.

Couldn't resist posting this one. Still feel the adrenalin rushing through my veins. :P

The racing was super, but what took the cake was lunch at the restaurant. Impressed by the risotto, I cajoled the chef into giving me her recipe. Here's a recreation back home in Muscat.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

Rice- 1/2 cup, best to use Risotto rice, or else Paella rice. Failing which you can always fall back on Basmati.
Cooking shrimp- 200 gm
Vegetable Stock- 2 cups
Onion- 1/3; sliced thinly
Olive oil- 2 tbsp
Butter- 1/2 tbsp
Parsley- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste.

Preparations (45 mins):

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan on low setting. Add onions and saute till they become translucent. Add in the rice and keep stirring.

Onions need to become soft and translucent.

Saute rice for five minutes with onions on low

Once rice starts becoming transparent, add a little portion of the stock. Keep stirring. The key is not to let it boil but cook the rice slowly in the stock.

Add stock only a little at a time

Dry out stock before adding next portion

As the stock dries out add a little more, and repeat till almost all stock is used.

Add clean prawns only when rice is almost cooked

To finish off add chopped parsley and butter.

Add in the shrimps, remaining stock and cook for 10 minutes. Before finishing, sprinkle parsley (best is if you have fresh parsley or dried variety will make do) and stir in the butter. Serve hot as a second course.

Tips:

The key to a perfect risotto is not boiling the rice but adding stock little by little. Know it feels a little undercooked by Indian standards, but remember here we are using rice almost like a vegetable rather than the traditional way.

Calamari Masala

2014-06-24T03:35:00.002-07:00

A quick fix side dish made from leftover calamari cooked in a fiery Bengali fried style.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

Calamari- 200gm
Plum tomato- 2 medium
Garlic- 3 large cloves, chopped
Cayenne powder- 1 tbsp
Turmeric- 1 tsp
Mustard Oil- 2 tbsp
Salt- To taste

Preparation (30 mins):

Chop calamari to bite sized pieces.I prefer using the tentacles because they are easier to cook and don't get rubbery. In a bowl marinate the calamari with turmeric, cayenne and salt for fifteen minutes. Heat oil on high in frying pan. Add chopped garlic and stir.

Lower flame and toss in calamari. Cook on low till calamari starts becoming tender. Not if you cook on high or overcook or you end up with what I call vulcanized calamari.

Add in quartered plum tomato's, stir and cover. Cook on medium for 10 mins.

Serve hot as a fiery side dish.

Tips:

You could easily replace calamari with octopus or squid.
Frying calamari is the most sensitive part of the process. If you under cook you end up with raw fishy bits, and if you overcook slightly you have rubber calamari. That's why I prefer to cook on a low flame with constant tasting.

Cocktail Series: Mojito

2014-04-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

Summers coming time for long jars of summer coolers and long lazy afternoons.

Ingredients (Enjoy it yourself, or, call over a gang- here's the per head serving):

Ginger ale- 1 can
White rum/ Vodka- 60 ml
Mint- 2 sprigs
Lime juice
Salt- 1 pinch
Crushed ice

Preparation:

Crush mint, add salt and lime juice. Pour in rum and mix, top off with crushed ice and ginger ale.

Cocktail Series: Passion Chi-chi

2014-04-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, you dirty minds, it's not what you think . But just as good. ;)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

Vodka: 1 glass
Coconut milk: 1 glass
Passion fruit juice: 2 glass
Sugar: 3 tbsp

Preparation:

Blend all ingredients in a mixer, pour over crushed ice. Enjoy.

Liquid gold on a balmy spring afternoon. All it was missing was a small umbrella and an orchid bloom

Tuna Maacher Jhaal (Spicy Tuna Curry).

2014-04-23T23:40:00.000-07:00

This one's a derivative of a spicy but light fish curry from childhood. Though Bengali's love their spice and their fish, the nominal daily fish curry tends to be light on the stomach. our love for green chilli's, is more to do with the weather- something about eating green chilli's for lunch makes you sweat out the heat. And that we are a 'piccante' people. ;)

Ingredients (Serves 2):

Tuna Chunks- 200 gm
Green chilli- 5 large, cut into large sections
Onion- 1/2 large, chopped
Ginger-Garlic Paste- 2 tsp
Star Anise- 1
Cloves- 8
Cinnamon- 1/4 inch stick, broken
Pepper- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric- 1 tsp
Mustard Oil- 3 tbsp
Salt- To taste

Preparation (20 mins):

Heat mustard oil in a pan and fry the fish over high flame. The trick to a good Bengali fish curry is frying the fish till it turns red. Normally, if I am making a bengali type fish curry at home, I cut and mix the fish with a little salt and turmeric before hand for at least an hour. In fact often, fresh fish brought from the market is coated thisaway before being kept in the freezer for the next day's cooking. Maybe the turmeric marinates it, or maybe just an extra precaution of keeping it clean.

Once the fish is reddish, brown, separate into a bowl, and fry the onions, spices and the ginger garlic paste in the same pan on high heat. As the onions start becoming translucent, add back the fish and cook for a minute or two on high. Add in turmeric, green chilli's, stir.

Add half a cup of water, cover and simmer for 10 mins.

Though the chilli, makes the dish spicy, but overall once you get used to the heat you will find it very light on the stomach. Perfect for a rice and fish meal on a hot summer day.If you want to tone down the heat, serve with a wedge of lemon and a sweet mango pickle on the side.

Cocktail Series- The Black Russian

2014-04-19T01:25:00.000-07:00

As cocktails go this one is pretty potent. Except for the ice, there is nothing cooling about this 'fire in your belly, stars in your head' drink. But it does make a great sun-downer to get the mood going.

Ingredients:

Coffee Liqueur- 1 measure (used my homemade Kahlua)
Vodka-2 measures (You could tone this down, but does take the punch put)
Crushed Ice.

Preparation:

Fill a high ball halfway with ice, and layer in the Kahlua and vodka.

And the party starts.

Calamari a la Plancha

2014-04-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

Typical Plancha- Very similar to the one I use at home.

Ever since my girlfriend presented me a plancha as a Christmas present, been experimenting a bit with cooking everything a la plancha. Actually one of the healthiest ways to cook, fast too, that I have come across recently. If you don't have a 'Plancha', try doing it in a heavy non-stick flat pan. Results are fabulous.

While doing my weekend shopping I came across these fresh, heavenly cuttlefish at the local supermarket. So here I am at home with a lovely cleaned cuttlefish about 1 kg. Since tonight I am cooking for myself I guess about a 300 gm portion should be sufficient. Remaining is going to get frozen for the rest of the week. Maybe, if I can I will make a sea food soup from Egypt that my friend Gamal makes to perfection.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

Fresh Calamari- 300 gm, cut into strips
Garlic- 2 cloves, shredded
Olive oil- 1 tbsp
Salt- To taste
Lime- 1/2 juiced

Preparation ( Marination- 15 mins + Cooking time-10 mins):

Clean calamari strips and lightly dress with salt and a quarter of the lime juice. Set aside for 15 mins.

Heat 'plancha' till any water put on it starts to sizzle. Spread oil on the plate. Add the shredded garlic.

Once garlic starts becoming translucent, add calamari strips.

Keep turning over till strips start becoming golden brown. So that the calamari remains tender and cooks evenly, keep basting with lime juice and the oil as you turn over. Don't overcook else you end up with a rubbery unappetizing mess. Lightly sprinkle a little salt and drizzle with remaining lime juice. You will know that the calamari is done when it starts turning golden brown and the garlic has turned a deep-fried brown.

Serve hot with a fresh salad as accompaniment.

Tips:

Serve with a chilled white to bring out the flavour.
If you want, you could add a sprinkling of dried parsley to tone down the strong flavour near the end of the grilling.

Summer Coolers- Tamarind Mint Cooler

2014-04-18T05:42:00.002-07:00

As the daylight hours and the mercury keeps creeping up, it's time for summer coolers. Had gone to the supermarket for raw mango's to make aam panna, failing to find good mango's was wondering what to do. Do I just make a mint sorbet or a sour tamarind juice, and ended up with this new mix.

Back home in India, you eat a lot of fruit and drink a lot of sour juices in summer to keep from dehydration, resist sun stroke. In that philosophy, here's a new twist to the traditional pudhina juice from India. Tamarind, mint, ginger and cumin all come together to fight the heat and as a bonus soothes any upset stomachs, aiding digestion.

Ingredients:

Mint leaves- 1 handful
Tamarind juice- 3 tbsp
Roasted cumin seeds- 1 pinch
Ginger- 1 pinch, shredded
Salt- Small pinch

Preparation:

Wash and separate mint from stalks. Blend with tamarind juice, ginger, cumin seeds and 3/4 of a glass of water. Chill and serve with ice.

The minty flavour is brought out by the contrast of the tart tamarind and earthy cumin.

Tips:

If you want it sweeter, add a drop or two of honey.
Oh, and one more thing. If you are looking for a detox juice after a particularly heavy meal, this goes great. The tamarind, mint and cumin is sure to ease your tummy like nobody's business.

Cocktail Series: Mint Julep

2014-04-14T07:42:00.001-07:00

From the gentile American South comes the quaint Mint Julep.Celebrating summer, celebrating the Bengali New Year and Sri Lankan New Year, celebrating the rare day of getting home from work before sundown, Ladies and Gentlemen, here's the mint julep.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

Fresh mint leaves- A handful
Demerra Sugar- 2 tbsp
Bourbon- 90 ml (if you are confused you can d with your regular Jack Daniel's No.7)
Ice- Crushed, 300 ml

Preparation:

Muddle the sugar and mint in a Tom Collins ( tall straight glass). Pour in bourbon. Shake well, not stir. Pour over ice and serve.

Cheers, sport.

Cocktail Series: Pinacolada

2014-04-13T00:44:00.000-07:00

Long story short, a food blog's incomplete without cocktails. So here's one of the perennial favorites- the Pina Colada to start off the journey to an approaching weekend. As with everything else on this blog, it's an adaptation of making do with what you have on hand. So while the purists may scoff, this one tastes just as good.

P.S. Also, following my resolution of putting across at least one recipe every week, I need to boost post count quickly to catch up with old backlogs.

Ingredients (Per serving):

Orange Pineapple Juice: 1/2 glass.
Coconut milk: 1/3 glass
Vodka: 60 ml

Preparation:

Pour in orange and pineapple juice (unlike me if you have separate cartons, then 1/4 glass each). Layer with vodka on top. Top off with coconut milk. Add crushed ice. Stir. Enjoy.

Cocktail Series-Homemade Kahlua

2014-04-12T08:34:00.002-07:00

Starting off the summer cocktail series with a homemade liqueur- The Kahlua. In mood to do everything from scratch- Learn, save money, customize. But most importantly, getting liqueurs in Muscat is slightly difficult. If you want to mix your own drinks in small batches, best learn from scratch.

Kahlua is quite a versatile mixer- Baby Eskimo, Black Russian, Chocolate Covered Cherries, Creamy Punani,Dirty Apple Juice or just to add a twist to your hot chocolate or coffee on a cold evening. Turns out its really easy to make.

Ingredients:

Coffee- 1/ 2 cup (I grind mine from Robusta beans directly, else you could take 2 tbsp of Nescafe Instant)
Sugar (preferably Demerra)- 1 cup
Vodka- 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp

Preparation:

Blend sugar, vodka, coffee to slush. Cool. In a clean container pour the vanilla essence, and slowly pour in the mix. Shake and store in a cool dry place.

Chilli Chicken

2014-04-12T04:05:00.001-07:00

The Chinatown in Calcutta, locally known as Tangra, was a permanent fixture of growing up in Calcutta. First as the Chinese Treat with parents, and later on in college years as a place where you could stretch a little money a long was- great food and cheap beer.

Legend had it that the first Chinese traders arrived in the City of Joy in the late 1700's, primarily from Canton. With time the settlers assimilated into the potpourri that is Calcutta. Their food became spicier, with Indian accents and a new cuisine was born- Tangra type Chinese. I am sure any Chinese tourist were he to arrive at this place would gradually shake his head and say- "Too spicy, this is not Chinese, but its damned good."

Anyway, one of the dishes that emerged out of this marriage of Chinese ingredients and Indian spices is the Chilli Chicken, which over time has spread across. So much so, that along with the 'kati-roll', Chilli Chicken and Chicken Chowmien, has become a staple at each street corner in Calcutta.

Cooking in memory of one of those delectable meals, here's my chilli chicken version. One of the simplest and fastest dishes. Yummmm.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

Chicken- 300 gm, cut into small pieces
Bell Pepper- 1 large, chopped
Onion- 1 large, chopped
Garlic- 3 cloves, shredded
Green chilli- 8 large, cut into long sections
Mushrooms- 2 large, sliced
Sweet Soy Sauce- 3 tbsp
Pepper- 1 tsp, whole
Salt- To Taste
Sunflower oil- 3 tbsp

Preparation (20 mins):

If possible, marinate chicken (Best is boneless) with a little soy sauce and salt overnight. In a large wok heat oil and fry chicken over medium temperature till chicken starts turning brown. Add onions, garlic and green chilli. Add soy sauce. Stir and cook over high for 5 mins

Throw in bell peppers and mushrooms, cover and let simmer for 5 mins. Reduce any excess water. The final dish should be dry and sticky

Serve hot with rice or stir fried egg noodles.

Chickpea- Kidney Bean Salad

2014-04-08T04:48:00.001-07:00

Another quickie. Light but high protein lunch made with what's left (chickpeas), offer of the day (local plum tomato) and something new (Kidney beans),

Ingredients (Serves 1):

Chickpeas- 125 gm, soaked overnight
Kidney beans- 100 gm, boiled
Plum tomato- 3, cut into small pieces
Parsley- 1 small handful, chopped
Lemon- 1 large wedge
Olive oil- To dress
Salt- To taste

Preparations:

Combine all ingredients except lemon, toss and refrigerate overnight. At lunch, just squeeze over fresh lemon juice.

Spaghetti with Quick Alfredo Sauce

2014-04-05T11:51:00.002-07:00

As recipes go, this one is one of the fastest and nicest one. Call me a fan of the old classics, but this one is one of the niftiest ones to make after a long day at work.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

Parmesan- Grated, 3 tsp
Cream- 1/4 cup
Butter- 1tbsp
Garlic- 1 clove, crushed
Parsley- 2 tbsp (Fresh chopped is best, but lacking so, I made do with dried)
Salt- To taste

Preparation (5 mins):

Melt butter in pan. On low heat add cream. Stir in crushed garlic, cheese, parsley. Stir continously and in five mins you sauce is done.

Serve with your favourite pasta.

Tips:

If you do not want your pasta to stick together when boiling add 1/2 tsp olive oil per serving to the water. Also, when draining, sprinkle with a little cold water, makes the pasta less gluey.

Chicken Salad with Baby Potatoes, Pearl Barley and Parsley

2014-04-01T22:54:00.001-07:00

Seventh recipe since Thursday, third in salad series. Again cooking on instinct, with whatever's left in the fridge. Been on a roll since last week.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

Chicken breast- 1 medium, boiled
Baby potatoes- 100 gm, boiled
Pearl Barley- 1/2 cup, boiled
Parsley- 100 gm, chopped
Lemon juice- 2 tbsp
Olive oil- To dress
Pepper-1 tsp, coarsely ground
Salt- To taste

Preparation:

Dice chicken breast and potatoes into small slivers. Add the parsley and barley for volume. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Toss. Refrigerate for lunch.

Tip:

Save the chicken stock by deep freezing for use in a soup, stew or as a sauce base.

Bean sprout, parsley and egg salad

2014-03-31T23:20:00.000-07:00

The seventh recipe of the week and the third salad in three days. I am on a cooking spree to make up my shortfall for one post per week for this year. :P

So here's another of those quick lunches for next day at office. Invented on the phillosophy of putting together something as fast as possible from leftover veggies (bean sprouts from today's lunch) plus one of whatever greens (chopped parsley) is on discount at supermarket today and one extra ingredient (here it was boiled eggs)

Ingredients (Serves 1):

Bean sprouts- 1.5 cups, chopped
Parsley- 1.5 cups chopped
Eggs- 2, boiled, sliced
Olive oil- For dressing
Lime juice- 2 tsp

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together, drizzle with olive oil and lime juice. Toss. Refrigerate for the next day.

Tips:

The salad's great, fresh and tangy with a hint of wilderness from the parsley. But wish I had thrown in a couple of cherry tomato's

Tofu, Bean Sprout and Snow Peas Salad

2014-03-30T22:43:00.001-07:00

Another one of those quick healthy lunches for the weekday. Or for that matter for a quick dinner.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

Tofu-100 gm, diced
Bean Sprouts- 100 gm
Snow peas- 100 gm
Lime- 1 small wedge
Olive oil- For dressing
Salt- To taste

Preparation:

Cut tofu, snow peas into smaller pieces. Shred bean sprouts. Drizzle with a little olive oil and lemon juice. Toss, refrigerate for the next day in air tight container.

Your fresh healthy salad is ready to boost your afternoon with vitamins, protein and fiber.