Chicken Stroganoff

This is not the traditional stroganoff recipe I will admit. I am hopeless as following recipes because I cannot help but to add a few other ingredients according to my taste. This is an example of my "tweaked" recipes that turned out good and I am proud of.

It should work in principle with beef, though I have not yet tried it. I do not stand by these exact quantities as they are educated approximation of what I added to my pan. My advice is to try them but feel free to adjust them as per your taste. Cooking is more of an art than a science.

PS For those who do not eat pork , the bacon is optional. You can still have a try at the sauce without it.

Ingredients

400 g Chicken breast , sliced into strips
1 tbs Butter
2 tbs Olive Oil
1/2 a brown Onion, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, pressed or thinly sliced
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup of sliced leek
2 rashers of bacon
3 tbs Worcester sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock * originally the recipe asked for white wine
1 tsp wholegrain Mustard
1/2 cup of Cream
Salt and pepper

Method

Melt the butter and heat the oil.
Gently fry the onions, garlic, mushrooms,leek and bacon .
Add the chicken and the Worcester sauce, stirring it in evenly
Cover and allow the chicken to cook until lightly bronzed.
Add the stock and allow the chicken to cook through.
Add the mustard and the cream.
Season with salt and pepper and allow the sauce to thicken.

Serving suggestion: Garlic Butter Rice


Garlic Butter Rice

3 Cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
20 g Butter
1 & 1/4 cup of Rice ( Basmati)
1 & 1/2 cup of water/stock of your choice

Melt the butter.
Fry the garlic.
Add the rice and the stock.

Seafood Chowder

My first sight of seafood chowder did not entice me in anyway to actually taste it. It was a bowl of sloppy white liquid which did not in any way seem appetising. And that impression has been enough to ensure I never bothered ordering it.

My husband had been promising to change my opinion on Seafood chowder for the past 4 years. And in his own time, he has finally gotten around to it. Our first attempt at it was such a smashing success that he has indeed converted me.

Worth noting that I substituted potatoes with sweet potatoes ( the orange ones) because I just have a thing against white food ( white bread excluded).As a kid I refused to drink plain milk, it always had to be flavoured and subsequently coloured!

I also have an aversion to thin watery soups, so the extra texture provided by the seafood mix and the corn did wonders to get me on board the chowder train.

Ingredients

1 tbs of butter
2 tbs of olive oil
Equivalent of 2 tsp of thyme leaves
1 medium brown onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced or pressed
1 leek, thinly sliced
2 rashers of bacon, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 potato ( I personally used a sweet potato) , chopped
1 Litre of stock (chicken or fish)
1/2 cup of corn
500g Marinara mix
200ml of cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish *Optional 
Chives, Parsley and/or Dill

Methods

In a large pan, melt the butter and add the oil.
Lightly fry the onion and garlic.
Add the bacon and the rest of the vegetables (minus the corn)and lightly fry
Add the stock and cover.
Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes
Remove from heat and allow to cool
Blend into a smooth mixture using a stick blender (or cool further if using a food processor)
Add the corn and Marinara mix and allow to cook for another 10 minutes.
Add the cream and lightly simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot garnished with herbs

Accompany with Garlic bread or mustard toast.

Mustard toast is my new garlic bread. I found the recipe online and since my first taste of it I have been hooked. It is also considerably easy to prepare also leaving your fingers free of the garlic smell.

Cut a french baguette into sideways slices
Combine 1 tbs of wholegrain mustard with 1 tsp of Olive oil to form a spread
Apply to bread and toast under the grill for 3-5 minutes depending on how bronzed or crunchy you prefer your toast.

Bacon, Mushroom and Spinach Risoni

I have to admit that I had ever heard of risoni before moving to Australia. It was on my first day in Australia that I tried this  rice shaped pasta in a tomato sauce with meat balls.I was thoroughly mesmerised by its shape as a pasta.

Upon a little research I discovered that it is commonly used in soups and salads. I experimented with it and came up with this delicious and fairly light recipe which can also be tweaked into a vegetarian one. It can also be paired with meat or simply served plain as a light lunch.

Ingredients

1 cup Risoni
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or pressed
1 brown onion, diced
100g roughly chopped or sliced mushrooms
100g fresh spinach leaves
3-4 rashers of Bacon
15g  Butter ( a healthier alternative is olive oil)


To serve

Salt and Pepper
Parmesan cheese ( alternatively any other cheese of your choice)
Fresh Basil leaves

Method

In a pan, melt the butter on a medium heat.

Lightly fry the  garlic, bacon, mushrooms and onions until lightly bronzed.

Add the spinach and lightly sautée the mixture.

Add the risoni and the stock, mixing evenly through.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and allow to cook for 6-10 mins.

Serve warm, sprinkle with Parmesan with a few basil leaves.

Mushroom and Spinach Risoni served with Herb Roasted Lamb

*Alternatively you can precook the risoni al dente by boiling for 5-7 minutes and drain before adding to the sauce and substitute the stock with half a cup of cream.

Spicy Rice

If you grew up with rice as a staple food like me you most probably do not look forward to having plain white rice for every single meal. Apart from the occasional Saffron rice or a fried rice on Sundays, every gravy, sauce, bouillon etc is  served with white rice in Seychelles.

Whilst living in India, it was a Ugandan friend who introduced me to a "Tomato Rice" which consisted of lightly fried onions and tomatoes cooked with the rice. Not to mention my addiction to biriyani and pulao, which was adequately suited to the Indian subcontinent!

This is the recipe which can be varied to match your personal taste but in essence is using spices, nuts and raisins to spruce up a culinary staple.

Bear in mind that my quantities are for 2-4 persons depending on serving sizes. I mostly cook for my husband and I and it usually lasts for 2 different meals.

Ingredients 

1/4 cup of nuts (Almonds, Cashews etc...)
1/4 cup of raisins
2 tbs Oil
2-4  Cloves
2 Cardamom pods
1/4 tsp Cumin powder
1 tbs Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder ( or a cinnamon quill can also be used)
1/2 tsp Chili powder ( or a fresh chili or 2 chopped) *Optional
1 cup of rice (preferably Basmati or Jasmine)
1 1/2 cup of water
Salt and Pepper to taste

*Alternative if you have a curry powder mix (masala ) that you like you can just use 2-3 tbs of it.

Method

Lightly fry the Spices in the hot oil to make a paste.

Add the rice and water.

Add the nuts and raisins.

Cook on a medium heat, covered for 3-5 minutes ( I usually tip the pan to the side to check if the water is all used up to know if ready).

Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes covered.

Spicy Almond Rice with raisins

* Some people prefer using a rice cooker, in which case you can make the paste on the fire before adding to the rice in the rice cooker.

Spicy Lemon Rice using a mild curry powder mix and Lemon Juice

Sesame pork

I found this recipe on the Atkins Diet online recipe and I have tried it a few times and each time it has been devoured because it is truly irresistible. It is basically a sesame flavoured pork stir fry.It is very easy to prepare and equally fast to cook.

My ingredients are what I usually prepare for 2-3 persons but you can play around with the quantities to match your preference or your number of servings.

Ingredients

250g pork , cut into thin strips ( julienne)
3 sprigs of Spring onions (alternatively scallion or chives can be used or added) also cut into thin sideways strips
3 tbs Sesame seeds
2 tbs Sesame oil
3 tbs Soy Sauce
1 tbs Honey (or Sugar)
1 tbs Oyster sauce
2-3 Chilies , also cut into sideways stripes
 Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl, mix well and leave to marinate for at least an hour. This can also be left overnight in the fridge.

Heat 2 table spoon of Sesame oil in a large pan on  medium heat with a table spoon of sesame seeds.
Lightly fry the seeds (you might want to increase the heat if you want the sesame seeds to fry to a deeper golden colour but I found that the seeds keep jumping around all over my kitchen if the heat is too high)

Add the meat with the marinade and stir fry until cooked to your preference.

Serving suggestions

Rice, Steamed Vegetables or Noodles

Mixed Berries Scones

 The saying goes Necessity is the mother of all inventions but in my case laziness is the mother of this invention. I was craving a sweet baked anything but had no eggs in the fridge. Reluctant to actually go to the shop I decided to look up egg less recipes I could conjure up without much a do.

Hence is how I came upon an egg less banana scone recipe, followed by a Mixed berry scone recipe.

I played around and tried mixing both, but somehow I botched that up when I too cocky winging it and forgot about the milk! So lets just say scraping the mixing off the baking tray after 2 minutes of baking to add the milk is NOT a good idea. The resultant "pastry" despite being very delicious and smelling like an amazing banana loaf was way too flat for my liking.

So today, being out of bananas and still refusing to walk to a grocery store, I tried the Mixed Berries recipe and that has beautifully turned out like actual scones!

I tweaked it by sprinkling desiccated coconut on top before putting into the oven.

I also cut back on the sugar as I planned to serve mine with Jam and Butter with afternoon tea.
If you want to try the banana combo just add a mashed ripe banana to the mix.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups Wholemeal flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Butter
1 1/3 cup Oats
1/2 cup frozen Mixed Berries
3/4 cup Milk
1 tsp Lemon juice *Optional
1 tbs desiccated coconut  *Optional

Method

In a large bowl combine the flour, the baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar.

Cut the butter into the mixture.

Add the oats, milk and mix until it forms a sticky ball.

Knead for 3-5 minutes.

Cut into  circular pie shape.

Press the frozen berries evenly into the batter.

Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 mins, or until the edges turn a golden brown colour.

Cut into 8 slices then allow to cool.

Pumpkin Fricassée

This is a homely broth-like dish that every Seychellois would have surely grow up eating and it surely brings many memories.
Many families will have their variation of the french derived recipe but the common denominator is the pumpkin base.

The principle is to cook the pumpkin to the point of  "melting" hence forming a thick soup-like gravy.
This can traditionally served plain ie without any meat as an accompaniment  or more commonly with salt cured meat, simply refered to as salted meat ( lavyann sale) ; or a Creole sausage of a similar texture also made of  salt cured pork (Sosis Sale)

In my family growing up , fricassée was cooked on a weekly basis when pumpkin was available and we have varied the recipe to be versatile enough to be prepared with chicken, fresh pork ( also traditional versions made with pig trotters) and fish.

The version made with fish requires the fish to be deep fried prior and then added to the fricassée and cooked to induce the fish taste in the broth and soften the fish crispiness. I personally prefer having deep fried Blunger Trevally (Karang Balo) but a range of healthier fish can be also be used.

The versions using the Salt cured mea/sausaget require the meat to be pre boiled to remove the excess saltiness. The meat is then washed and cut into cubes or strips as per your taste before processing to make the fricassee.

Pumpkin fricassée with chicken

I will today give you my recipe to make the chicken version, but the same can also be used for fresh pork meat. I promise to update and include pictures of the variation as soon as I attempt them again.

Ingredients

500-600 g chicken piece
 ( I prefer the fattier cuts eg thigh , drumstick, wings etc as these taste better and also act to contribute a chicken stock taste while cooking but healthier option includes using the breast)

500-600 g pumpkin,  peeled, scoop out the seeds and chop into cubes ( I currently prefer using the Kent pumpkin, which is not very sweet and has a nice light orange colour, this is coincidentally the most available variety if you are in Seychelles. If you are abroad you can experiment and see which version you prefer)

2-3 cloves of garlic , crushed

2 inches of ginger, crushed

30 ml Olive Oil

2 sprig of Spring onions ( alternatively you can use a normal white onion with a few sprigs of chives)

3 tbs of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp coriander powder * optional or just add some chopped fresh coriander

1/2 tsp Cummin powder

2 cups of water

Salt and Pepper

Method

Lightly heat up the oil on a medium fire

Lightly fry the Garlic and Ginger ( and onion if using plain onion)

Add the chicken and fry to a light caramelisation while rendering off some of its fat ( if using chicken breast attempt to simply caramelise the meat to a bronze colour)

Add the Worcestershire sauce and lightly cook the chicken for a minute stirring and coating the meat generously.

Add the pumpkin and mix thoroughly followed by the spring onion (or chives)

Add 2 cups of water and allow to slowly braise on a medium heat.

I usually allow it to cook for 15-20 minutes  before stirring. If the pumpkin is cooked it will melt on its own as you stir , if it still retains it's shape simply add more water and allow it to cook further.

Once the broth is thick you can season with salt and pepper.


*Another tip if you used chicken breast is to substitute some of the water with chicken stock for a fuller taste.

Almond Meal ,Chocolate Chip Cookies

From my many food Instagrams' photos, you all know by now that I love me some cookies, especially on Sunday evenings.

Obviously being baked from flour, eggs, butter and sugar they are not the healthiest goodies to be addicted to. My healthy twist thus far has been to simply replace a generous portion of the flour with oats. I still attempted that technique since I my cookie addiction is specific to oatmeal cookies.

Through my continuous researching for healthy options to maintain my  sweet tooth I fell on this recipe. Replacing flour with its gluten free and lower calorie alternative Almond Meal, it still uses brown sugar but healthier alternatives include using artificial sweeteners or even palm sugar.

Other healthy twist include replacing the eggs with either bananas ( a very ripe one) or flax gel.

I have had no experience using flax gel as an egg replacement but I can vouch that banana's work very well.

Not only do the aid the binding of the batter but also add a sweetening factor. This however compromises on the crunchiness of the cookies but if you don't mind the chewiness then it is all good.

I will keep you updated if  I try any of the healthier alterations.

I have replaced the coconut oil with butter ( simply because I did not have coconut oil despite being referred to as a healthier option than butter) and can vouch that it works just fine.

My apologies, the photos are not the best, next time I bake them I will try getting better ones.

Ingredients

1 &1/4 cup Almond Meal

1/4 cup Oatmeal *Optional

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp Salt 

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

3 tbs coconut oil ( I did not have that so simply replaced it with butter)

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

Method

In a large mixing bowl add the Almond Meal, Oatmeal, Chocolate chips, desiccated coconut, baking powder, salt and sugar.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg until evenly mixed and it has doubled in quantity. Add the coconut oil and vanilla and whisk until blended.

Pour the mixture into the dry mix and mix until just combined. I opted to do this part by hand because it was refusing to bond.

This cookie dough should be chilled for at least half an hour in the fridge. It can even be left overnight

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Shape the dough into balls. I used a teaspoon as my measure in an attempt to keep them equally sized.

Press down lightly to flatten.

Baked for 7-12 minutes or until the edges brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before the serving .

Steamed Pork Wontons

 Stamed Pork Wontons with a Garlic and Soy sauce Glaze

I quiet vividly remember the first time I tasted a steamed wonton, which ironically was in India.
Some might argue that the masala intoxication I was enduring might have made the steamed wontons taste much better than they actually were, but the simple chinese starter dish from the Indianised 'China Valley" restaurant has since been the best thing I have eaten from there.

Obviously despite looking up the recipe, I was unable to locate any pre-made wonton wrappers in rural Manipal, nor was it anywhere to be found in Seychelles or the local grocery stores in regional NSW, Australia. Finally I decided to just try my hand at making it myself... And it has been a smashing success and has me wondering why I had not attempted this earlier.

So here is my take on the recipe and hope it brings you as much joy and deliciousness as it has brought me

Wrapper recipe

Ingredients

1 egg
1/3 cup of water
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt

Firstly sift the flour and the salt into a big bowl, leaving a crater in the middle.
Secondly , in a separate bowl , beat the egg adding the water in bit by beat.
Pour the egg/water mix into the crater slowly, simultaneously fold in the flour into the mixture.

Once mixed , transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead to a soft elasticity.

If it feels too tough add in some water ( a teaspoon at a time)and continue kneading to a softer texture.

Separate into 2 balls and leave to rest covered with a damp towel for 10-15 mins.



Separate each ball into 4 smaller balls and roll out on a lightly floured surface

We had initially wanted to make circular shaped wontons and using a cake cutter we were making round shapes, but as it was taking along time getting the dough as thin as it it supposed using a rolling pin, we gave up with the round and made triangular and rectangular shaped wrappers which I experimented with and  made into dimsums and  gyozas shapes.

Pork Stuffing

Ingredients

500g Mince pork
6-8 gloves of garlic
1 bunch of Chives (chopped finely)
2 tablespoons of crushed ginger (or the equivalent of fresh ginger)
2 tablespoon of Soy Sauce (light)
1/2 a teaspoon of salt/pepper
Juice of 1 lime
1 onion chopped finely

For the stuffing you can choose mix it by hand and let it marinade for a few mins or just pop it all in a food processor for a minute and let it mix more evenly.

Next comes the stuffing!
To make the round shaped wontons , you can cut out the round shape in your wrapper.
Drop a teaspoon of the pork in the middle.
Wetting your fingertips, moisten the edges and cover with another round shaped wrapper pressing the edges together to seal.

Serving suggestions: Steaming or deep fried crispy.

 I personally prefer the healthier option and steamed mine

Steaming 

Simply steam in a bamboo steamer for 5-8 mins depending on how tightly they are in the steamer.

Garlic and Soy sauce Glaze

2 cloves of garlic chopped finely
3 teaspoons Soy sauce (light)
1 teaspoon Oyster sauce
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan lightly heat up some oil.
Gently fry the garlic making sure not to burn.
Add the sauces and the water.
Stirring and mix the sauce

Glaze the wontons and decorate with a few chives leaves.

Optional Serve with a Sweet chilli sauce

Tips:

Be sure to keep the rolling surface lightly floured.

The quantities stated above yielded approx 2 dozens of wontons.

Roast Turkey Drumstick 

This is a great Sunday roast idea that I threw together last Sunday. The weather was all dreary and cold which made this little feast a guilt free treat.

Turkey meat has the nasty reputation of being dry but I personally find the dark meat of the drumstick to be very moist and delicious. 

For side dishes I accompanied it with a Sweet Potato roast and an Egg, Tomato and Corn Salad sides. Recipes will accompany below.

Ingredients                                            

Turkey Drumsticks 

Butter

Sage

Rosemary

Salt 

Pepper

Instructions

Defrost the turkey in the fridge overnight.

Prepare the turkey by peeling the skin down as shown.Be careful not to break the skin if using a knife.

Prepare Marinade by melting butter ( approx 100g for the 3) and infuse the Sage leaves and Rose Mary.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

I made a marinade brush with a bunch of Rosemary tied together. 

Brush the drumsticks with the butter and stuff a few leaves between the skin and the meat while pulling the skin back on.

Brush the skin with remaining butter.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius until the skin has a golden/bronze tinge and crispy.

Roast for approximately an hour to an hour and a half. Occasionally basting the drumsticks with the butter and juices collecting in the roasting tray.

Serving Ideas

Roast Sweet Potato

Peel and chop sweet potato into chunks.

Season in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg.

To ensure coating, cover the bowl and shake it all for a minute before transferring it all to a roasting tray.

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for half an hour. 

To check if done, try piercing with a fork. If there is resistance increase cooking time.