Spiced Okra and Egg Curry

So last night was one of those evenings, when, my husband was working late, and eating out,  the children had to be fed early as Adam had a basketball game at 7pm. I didn't want to eat burgers, which is what I had made for them.

I fancied a vegetarian curry, so this lovely off the cuff recipe came about, it looks and tastes divine.  I make this okra curry that my mum always cooks, but I wanted to add something to it for a different, texture and flavour, okra can be a little bitter.

I bought Rick Stein's India (cookbook) when I was in the UK visiting family in July last year. (12 quid from Tescos!!)  And I have been drooling over his series on TV, he showed a simple egg curry, so I got inspired and decided to create this dish.

150 -200 g Okra cut into chunks (you can get frozen packets from Indian supermarkets)
1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 small red onion, finely diced
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp green chilli and coriander mix ( the recipe for this is earlier in the blog)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 -1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
salt & pepper
3 hard boiled eggs
oil

1. Heat 1 tbl  oil in a saucepan, add the onions and cook until pale golden, add garlic and salt, cook for a further 1-2 min
2. Add the tomato and the rest of the spices and cook on a low heat for 5-7 min
3. Meanwhile, add about 1 tbl oil into a frying pan and fry the okra until, slightly brown, remove and set aside. Peel and cut the eggs length ways in half, set aside.
4. Add the okra to the tomato mixture and cook on a low - med heat for about 5 min, then gently add the boiled eggs, coating with the tomato mixture, heat through for a further 5 min, serve with roti.
Simple, easy, delicious!

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time

 

Ashia

Chicken Cakes with ginger & green & red chilli

I made these gorgeous easy chicken cakes, one day last week, when I was pressed for time ( running around for after school activities with the children) it had been a particularly busy day, and I always like to plan ahead. I usually take some sort of meat out of the freezer, either that morning or the night before and then decide what I will be cooking, or think about it during the day, and get stuck in when we get home. Usually with my daughter at the dining table doing her homework.

I had some chicken mince out, and decided to make these delicious, juicy little patties. I served this with a green salad and a tomato and avocado salad and some skin on chunky home made chips.

500g chicken mince ( or use  chicken breast and pulse in a food processor)
1 tsp garlic & ginger mix (I buy a ready made mix from one of the Indian shops and it keeps well in the fridge for a few weeks)
1tsp green chilli & coriander mix ( I use this a lot in my cooking)
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
You can always add more if you wish
Juice of 1 lemon
50g breadcrumbs
1 tsp fish sauce
2 -3 small potatoes boiled and mashed

1. Pre heat oven to 200 c/ 180 fan

2. In a bowl, add the chicken, ginger & garlic and all the other ingredients, mixing well, you can add a little more bread crumbs to make the texture less wet

3.Mash the boiled potatoes and add to the mixture, combine well and season with salt and pepper. Shape into small patties (approx. 18-20).

4. Place on an oiled baking tray, brush with oil and bake for 10-15 min on each side until golden

Serve as a main meal with chunky homemade chips, aioli or sweet chilli sauce, or make them into bite size pieces  and serve them as appetisers at a dinner party.

Enjoy!

Till next time

Ashia

International Food Festival

My daughter's primary school had an International Food Festival a week or so ago.  They had tried it has a fund raiser last year and it was a real success, so this year I decided to be a part of it. 

I was involved in the Indian family stall. I made two large vegetarian curries, Peas and Paneer and my dad's basmati rice.  There was also a Pea and Potato curry, a chicken curry from Fiji and a Lamb curry. And we were giving roti and samosas, on the plate as an extra.

I made my dad's rice ( recipe is on the blog, one of the first entries) and I used the Paneer recipe on my blog but also  added peas, which gave it a wonderful flavour.

It was a gorgeous evening, there was Thai, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Iranian, Arabic, Danish, Indian and good old Kiwi. There was entertainment in forms of traditional dance, a bagpipe band, the swimming pool was open and a dessert stand and an ice cream kiosk, plus much more.  It was a great way to fund raise and everyone there had a fabulous time.

 

The curries were all gone, and our stand was really busy, it was a great buzz, and I will definitely get involved next year, the school raised a lot of funds and everyone had a great time!

Enjoy!

Till next time.

Ashia

Zara's 9th Birthday

Birthday time again, they come around pretty quickly, you blink and a year has gone by!  I love baking my children's birthday cakes, but as most parents, I struggle to think of ideas for cakes as the children get older.  This year Zara had already decided she wanted a cake like Adam's. ( The one he had for his 12th birthday)
So I though yes great idea, but lets do a girly version. The result was great! A  three layer chocolate cake with  lilac rosette butter icing  with lollies on top.

I started  by baking my no fail chocolate cake x3. ( check the recipe earlier in the blog)  A great cake for birthdays as it is lovely and moist.  We started by icing the layers together and then applying a crumb coat.

 

Icing cakes is always fun with my kids as they always want to lick the bowl !

 

 

The result!

 

I also baked little cup cakes and pastel coloured meringue kisses and some popcorn and fruit, a great party at the beach.

 

 

 

With her big brother Adam

 

 

 

With mum

 

Cutting the cake :-)  Happy days!

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time

 

Ashia

Chilli & Garlic Prawns

These are the BEST spicy prawns this side of the Pacific!  My mum's recipe, which is a firm favourite with everyone.  We grew up eating this in Malawi, made with tiger prawns as big as your hand. Gorgeous!  And so simple too, I served these when we had friends over for dinner over the weekend, along with my roast vegetables & hallomi, a couple of gorgeous home made focaccia breads and a lentil salad, it went down a treat!

I used 1 kg of  raw prawns (already deveined)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
100g butter
Dash of oil
11/2 tsp Chilli powder
11/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
2 Tbl tomato ketchup
cracked pepper
fresh parsley

1. Marinade the prawns with the juice of 1 lemon and salt, for 30-40 min. Drain the water, add the chilli powder and paprika and black pepper, mixing well to coat all all the prawns.
2. In a large wok or saucepan, heat the oil & butter add the chilli flakes and sliced garlic, cook until the garlic is golden (careful not to brown it too much)
3.  Add the prawns and cook for 15-20 min, until the prawns are cooked, Just before serving add the Tomato ketchup and serve with lemon wedges and parsley.
Simple!

Enjoy!

Till next time

Ashia

Blueberry and Lemon Drizzle Loaf

This post is dedicated to my lovely mother-in-law, Wendy Singer. She is turning a grand age of 80 and we are off down south to celebrate her birthday.  Lots of family and friends and plenty of memories to be made.  Before we do that we are spending 6 days at Lake Rotoiti with Graham's brothers and their families, so lots of fun and food.

I was really inspired by Kim Evan's blueberry and poppy seed loaf that I decided to bake Wendy's Lemon cake and incorporate the poppy seeds and blueberries.

The result was a gorgeous moist cake, with an amazingly simple icing.

125g Butter
1 Cup caster sugar
2 Eggs
11/2 Cups self raising flour
1/2 Cup Milk
Pinch of salt
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1Tbl Poppy Seeds (optional)
1 Cup of fresh blueberries (you can use frozen too)

Topping
1/3 Cup Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Castor Sugar

Blueberry Icing
11/2 Cups Icing Sugar
1/4 Cup Blueberries




1. Preheat oven to 180c, grease and line a loaf tin approx. (23cm x13cm) I have a silicone one so didn't need greasing.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add eggs one at a time, making sure you beat well in between.
3. Then add the flour, salt and milk, mixing well, then the lemon rind and poppy seeds (optional) although I think it adds a wonderful crunch to the cake
4.  Spoon a third of the mixture in your prepared tin and then dot some blueberries in the mixture, do this until all the mixture is in the tin. Top with remaining blueberries.
5. Bake for 45-50 min or until the skewer comes out clean

For the Topping
Mix the lemon juice and caster sugar in a pan over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved, Pour over the cake while it is still hot and still in the tin. Cool in the tin and then turn out and ice.

Blueberry Icing
A gorgeous simple icing that takes minutes to make.  Blitz the blueberries and icing sugar in a food processor until it is spreadable consistency then spread over the cooled cake,  and decorate with the rest of the blueberries, the result is fabulous!

Happy Birthday Wendy, we all hope you have a lovely day with your family and friends.  Lots of love xxxx

 

 

Enjoy!

Till next time

 

Ashia

Cassava Chips with a Tamarind Chutney

This is one of my favourite things to eat, a real treat, and one that brings back so many lovely childhood memories from Malawi, where I grew up. Cassava is a root vegetable similar to yams. It is native to Central and South America. And is also a staple food in Africa and Asia. You can use it like potatoes, boil, bake, fry and mash. Although I either fry it or use it as a base for my mum's chicken and cassava casserole.
You can buy it frozen in any Asian/Indian food store. It usually comes in a large 1 kg bag and you boil it from frozen.

Frozen Cassava
Oil for frying
1-2 Eggs beaten
salt and Chilli powder (optional)

1. In a large saucepan add 4-5 chunks of cassava and boil for 30-40 min, until tender. Once the cassava is cooked, it should be fairly firm but easy enough to slide a fork through it.

2. The next step is important, once cooled you need to cut the chunks length ways in half and remove the stalk from the middle, then cut into chunky chips.



3. Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan and add the cassava chips to the beaten egg and coat, then slowly place them in the oil, fry until golden, strain and place them in a dish with a paper towel to soak the excess oil.

4. Sprinkle with salt and chilli powder ( I like the this way) and serve with a tamarind chutney.

Tamarind Chutney

This is a dark sweet and sour chutney, used as a dipping sauce. Used in India like Ketchup is used in the West. You can get small tubs of it in Indian supermarkets and it is concentrated.

150 mls water
3-4 Tsp of tamarind paste
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin and salt, pepper to taste
1/4 tsp chilli

Add all this in a saucepan, simmer for 6-8 min and then cool, it will get thick and syrupy as it cools. It keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.

Enjoy!

Till next time

Ashia