Semolina Pudding with Roasted Cashew Nuts

Every now and then I like to take a traditional dish and update it. This pudding reminds me of my childhood when our Nona makes them for us for tea in the weekends with nuts, raisins, saffron and cardamon. I loved her version and now have created a variation of this express dessert dish without losing its traditional appeal that I loved so much in the first place. Hope you'll like it too.

Semolina Pudding

Ingredients

• 2 cups semolina
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 125grams butter
• 1 tablespoon clarified butter
• 6 to 8 pods of cardamon (crushed) 
• few strands of saffron (or 1/2 teaspoon safron powder)
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 2 tablespoon raisins

Directions

• In a bowl mix milk, coconut cream, water, sugar and safron. Let everything dissolve and set aside.
• Place a big pot(or pan) on the stove (on medium to low fire) and melt the clarified butter.
• Add about 2 tablespoon of the cashew and raisins to the clarified butter and let it brown. 
• Once cashew starts to brown add the cardamon and the butter.
• Once butter melted, add the semolina and stir.   
• Keep stiring until you can smell the fragrance of the semolina sligthly browning in the butter(at this point the semolina is well coated in butter and has abosrbed the butter).
• Next, add the liquid mix prepared in step one and keep stiring to avoid lumps.
• Keep stiring until the mix comes off of the pan (sort of rolls off from the the pan and does not stick to the sides of the pan).
• At this point take the pudding of heat and spread it in a tray. Use a metal spoon to smooth the top evenly.
• Cool it and garnish with cashew nut roasted in salt.

Takes about 25 minutes for me to prepare and takes me back each time to a beautiful place that I come from. In addition, I can always prepare this dessert one day in advance for brunch or dinner parties. Try it.

Happy Cooking!

Red Cabbage, Black Eye Pea and Prawn Salad

Looking for something which goes easy on your waistline and yet taste delicious? Try this salad, one of my all time favourite. This is an excellent salad as a meal by itself or with your sunday afternoon lunch. The tanginess of the sauce is excellently balanced by the sweetness of the pea and prawns, while the slight bitterness of the cabbage just makes you go for another mouthful.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked Black Eye Pea (I usually boil them in advance and keep them ready in the freezer in seperate packages)
• 6 medium size prawns 
• 1/4 cup of dried apples and cranberries (soak in 1/2 lemon juice and a teaspoon of balsamic)
• 1/4 of a pickled lemon (or lime) chopped fine and mixed to the dried fruit mentioned above
• 2 cloves garlic chopped fine
• 1/2 red onion diced fine
• 10 to 12 leaves of red cabbage cut into rough squares
• A handful of sage
• 2 table spoon of olive oil (or coconut oil)
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1/2 lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Directions

• Heat olive oil in pan and add the prawns with a bit of salt and pepper to cook.
• Add the garlic and onion and sweat it slightly.
• Then add the black eye pea and stir for two minutes on heat.
• Take the beans and prawn off the heat and place it in the salad mixing bowl.
• Add the fruit mixture and combine lightly.
• Add the red cabbage, drizzle some olive oil, squeeze half a lemon , sprinkle salt to taste 
• Mix till everything is incorporated and serve right away

Fifteen minutes and done. Who said cooking is cumbersome?

Happy Cooking!

Lemon Rice with Curried Squid

Nothing can go wrong when you mix butter and lemon. Rice coated lightly in a lemony sauce with fresh herbs can satisfy any picky palate. In addition, you can pair it with fish, vegetable curries in cashew sauce and grills. Highly nutritional and easy to prepare, I have intentionally chose to share a 'under 30 minutes' pairing with squid in dry curry for the busy bees.

For the Lemon Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups cold  rice (stored in fridge overnight)
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1/8 teaspoon white gram seed
• 1 coriander root sliced thin
• 1 bunch of coriander leaves chopped
• 2 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of butter (or clarified butter)
• 3 shallots, fried till golden
• Pinch of turmeric 
• pinch of salt (coarse crystals are best)

Directions

• Take the cold rice and place it in a bowl (make sure they are separated and not lumpy).
• Heat the pan and add the butter to melt.
• Then add the mustard, white gram and coriander root along with tumeric. 
• Once mixture starts to sizzle take it off the heat and add the lemon juice.
• Pour the sauce into the rice and stir till rice is covered. 
• Add some salt (very lightly) and mix.
• Place the rice in the rice cooker to cook (and warm).
• When the cooker switches to 'warm', take it off the heat and  mix the fresh coriander leave and fried onion.

For the Squid in Dry Curry

Ingredients

• 2 Medium Size Squid (Cleaned and Cut)
• 2 Shallots
• 3 Clove garlic
• 1 Thick slice of ginger
• 5 Dried chilies (soak in water)
• 1 Teaspoon coriander seed
• 1/4 Teaspoon fennel
• Blend shallot, garlic, ginger, chilies, coriander seed, fennel seed into a paste
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

Directions

• Heat oil in pan and pour the paste.
• Cook till fragrant.
• Add the squids and a bit of salt ( be careful not to add to much as this is a dry curry).
• Cook till oil separates and sauce thickens.

Serve it hot with the lemon rice.

Happy Cooking!

Pumpkin in Coconut Milk

This is a colorful dish which makes anyone happy plus it contains many nutritionlal values (Vitamin C, beta carotene and minerals) to boost immunity. It's perfect on a day when you need to pick yourself up.

I have incorporated beneficial spices such as mustard seed, fenugreek seed and fennel seed along with my favorite herb, coriander leaves and roots to makes this dish a favorite to any nutritionist while keeping the dish delicious and satisfying.

Ingredients

• 1/4 of pumpkin chopped into rough squares (1 inch squares)
• 3 shallots diced fine (or 1/2 red onion)
• 2 garlics chopped fine
• 1 cm ginger (julienne)
• 1 to 2 coriander roots sliced  thin
• 1 bunch corriander chopped
• 2 fresh red chilies sliced thin (adjust according to taste)
• 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 1/4 teaspoon mustand seed mix with 5 fenugreek seed and 10 fennel seed 
• 1/2 cup coconut cream 
• 1/2 cup water
• pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon oil

Directions

• Heat oil in pan.
• Add mustard seed, fenugreek seed and fennel seed mix.
• Add onion, garlic, ginger, corriander roots, chillies and cook till fragrant.
• Add the pumkin, tumeric and stir.
• Add a bit of salt and pour the water.
• Close with a lid and allow the pumpkin to cook and soften.
• Add a bit more water if dish is too dry.
• Once the pumkin is fully cooked and broken, add the coconut milk.
• Stir till everything is nicely incorporated.
• Take off the heat and add the corriander leaves to finish.

Best served with hot white rice or lemon rice and expect a smile back for the cook.

Happy cooking !

Red Rice and Green Apple Salad

This is a favourite to many of my friends and a speciality of my kitchen. I make many versions of them but this is my personal favorite.

Ingredients

Add caption

• 1 cup of cooked red rice ( click the link for cooking tips. Make sure rice is cool or cold before using) 
• Chicket fillet sliced thin
• Chicken skin sliced into thin ribbons and mix it with salt, corriander, cumin and black pepper spice
• 1 - 2 teaspoon of chili paste (click link for preparation tips)
• 2 eggs beaten with a bit of salt and pepper
• 1 cup carrots diced
• 1 cup green apple diced (put some salt to prevent from turning black)
• 1 bunch of corriander leave
• 1 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 tablespoon butter
• Pinch of salt

Directions

• Lightly coat pan with a bit of oil. 
• Pour the beaten egg and cook into an omelette, cut into ribbons and keep it aside.
• Pour the remaining oil in pan and fry the chicken skin till crispy, once done drain well in a kitchen towel, set aside.
• Continue to use the same pan and oil.
• Put the pan back on heat and add the chicken fillet with the chili paste.
• Cook chicken till water/liquid has evaporated. 
• Add the rice and immediately the butter, stir till rice is covered well.
• Add the eggs, carrots and corriander leaves.
• Add salt to taste ( I use coarse salt ).
• Mix quickly till everything is incorporated and take rice off the heat.
• Add the apples and mix evenly.
• Sprinkle with the fried skin (you can use bacon bits or fried bitter gourd if you want a healthier version)

The flavours are multi-layered in this dish and is very satisfying indeed. Don't keep the rice too long on the heat though, mix quickly and take it off the heat before adding the crunchy apple and crispy skin bits.

Happy Cooking!

Silken Tofu in Spicy Shrimp Paste Sauce

If you love chili and spicy food, then this is a must try. It's light but satisfying, versatile and makes you go for seconds. Plus can be prepared within 15 minutes (even lesser if you have the paste ready). Feel free to adjust the chili according to your taste.

Ingredients

• 1 pack of silken tofu (roughly cut in big cubes will break and melt in the pan when cooked)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 shallot
• 1 lemon grass ( chopped)
• 5 to 6 green chilies 
• 2 red chilies
• 1 teaspoon shrim paste
• 2 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 teaspoon palm sugar
• 5 shrimps (cleaned and peeled)
• 3 table spoon canola or peanut oil
• Pinch of salt
• Dash of soy sauce in 4 tablespoon water
• Green onion for garnish (chopped)

Directions

• Use a mortar to pound garlic, shallot, lemon grass, chilies and the shrim paste
• Add lime juice, pinch of salt and form a paste and set aside
• Heat oil in pan, fry the paste till fragrant
• Add the shrimps and cook
• Add the silken tofu and just stir lightly to cover the paste on the tofu
• Let it cook until all the water from the tofu has almost evaporated
• Add sugar and let it slightly caramelize 
• Add light soy sauce
• Add a bit more salt if needed
• Take it off the heat and sprinkle spring onion

Alternatively use squids or minced chicken in the place of shrimps or cook as it is. This recipe hardly goes wrong.

Happy Cooking!