Simple Mayo Dip, Carrot Salaad

Usually I just make a simple Mayo Dip, but last night and slightly changed the recipe to integrate a vegetable, add some colour and elevate the taste. You can follow my recipe as follows:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp of Mayonnaise. I use American Garden.
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of chilli powder
1 tsp pepper
A little bit of Sugar
A little bit of chilli sauce. I use Nandos Medium Spice, Chili Sauce.

Just mix the above, and there you have your DIP.

But, yesterdays Twist included two more ingredients:

Half a lemon juice
Shredded Carrot.

Turned out yummier with the additions! You can add more Veges or less, depending on what veges you prefer.

Enjoy!

PS: I don't have a picture right now but I'll post it up the next time I whip this up.. We were super hungry last night to bother with pictures. Haha.

Piccante Steak & Chips

Yet again, a mouthwatering dish to tantalize your taste buds. This is the first time I've made this recipe and I was afraid it would take longer then expected. After a long hectic Monday I didn't want to spend hours in the kitchen. This recipe uses Raw Meat however, since the meat is sliced into tiny pieces, it cooked faster (within an hour) to my delight. Right on time for my Husbands appetite.

Have a look on how it's done.

Ingredients for the Marinade:
500 gms of Raw Meat (sliced and washed)
1 tbsp of vinegar (alternatively, you can put lemon juice)
1 tsp of Ginger & Garlic Paste
1/2 tsp of salt
4 - 5 tbsp of yogurt (if you don't have this, its okay. But if you do then this will soften the meat. Trust me it'll feel like heaven!)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp Chili Powder
Around 1 tbsp of oil

Mix the above Marinade, and let is stay for around an hour or two, depending on how much time you have.

Heat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with foil, then pour this mixture and spread.

Let it cook. Midway you can turn the meat (when you see that the stock is now starting to reduce). Close the foil so that it doesn't burn the Marinade.

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While the above is cooking, peel, slice and wash some potatoes. Since I was cooking for two, I used 1 KG of potatoes. Deep fry them. You should know this is ready once they are crispy enough.

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Now, the final step is to mix the fries and the meat in a Piccante (an italian word known as "Spicy")

Ingredients:

Oil
2 tbsp Tomato Puree
Salt to Taste
1/2 Lemon
Paprika or Tandoori Powder
1 tsp of Turmeric Powder
1 tsp of Gharam Masala
1 tsp of chili powder (you can add more for more spice)

Optional: Some green chillies sliced to elevate the spiciness.

Steps:

Heat the oil in a pan, and add the rest of the ingredients. Let it cook for a few minutes on low heat stirring well so it does not burn. Then add in the Fried potatoes/fries & the cooked meat. Mix well by tossing it nicely until all is coated well.

If you try it, let me know how it goes :) Goodluck!

Credits:
> To my sister! She also pushes me to make a salaad with the food I make. So with the above, I made a simple Mayo DIP with Carrots. Get the exact recipe on my next post!
> To my husband, for helping with each and every step of this recipe, adjusting and tasting it as we went! You are the best :)

Yummylicious Burger Night!

After a long day at work, you want to come home to yummy food that can be made in the smallest of time-frame, and hassle-free. If you are looking for that, then follow the below recipe :)

Ingredients for the Kebab:
1/2 kg meat (Chundho)
1 tsp Garlic & Ginger Paste
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Gharam Masala
A pinch of Red Chilly Powder
2-3 Soaked slices of bread

Ingredients for the Gravy *optional*:
1 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Tomato Puree
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Dhana Jeero
A pinch of Red Chilly Powder
2 - 3 Green Chillies cut in Cubes
Lemon Zest *Optional*

Method:

Start off with taking a bowl, and soaking 2 slices of bread. Let this soak, meanwhile begin the mixture of your Kebab by adding all the ingredients mentioned under "Ingredients for the Kebab". Mix well - then add the soaked bread into this mixture. Ensure to squeeze well so that all the water is released before adding this into the Chundho mixture.

Now, here comes the tricky part. The number of slices of bread will depend on the mixture - you do not want it to be too soft, nor too hard. So feel as you go for the perfect Kebabs

Shape the above into Burger Kebabs and deep fry it.

Once they are ready, put them into your Buns with the toppings of your choice (Cabbage, Carrot, Tomato, Onions, Tomato Sauce etc...) and they are ready to eat.

*optional for the spice lovers ~ like my self ;) : if you want to go for something spicy, then take a pan and put the ingredients under "Ingredients for the Gravy" let it mix well under the heat, then put your fried ready kebabs into this mixture. Mix well. Once they are ready, put them into your Buns with the toppings of your choice (Cabbage, Carrot, Tomato, Onions, Tomato Sauce etc...) and they are ready to eat.*
 

Sekela Chicken

So this is the dish I tried last night.. My husband and brother absolutely loved it! Worth a try, see the steps below:

First Marination:

Take a big bowl (that can hold your chicken pieces) and put the following ingredients inside: 2 tsp Salt, 1 tsp Sugar, half cup White Vinegar, Juice of 1 Lemon and any fresh herbs of your choice.. Mix all of these together with "cold" water and put in your chicken pieces (Remember to slit your chicken pieces). The chicken pieces need to be completely submerged in this mixture. Refrigerate it for approximately 4 hours. This step will give your chicken perfect moistness.

Second Marination:

After the above is completed, throw out the marination, wash the chicken and start the second marination as follows: 1tbsp Tomato Purée, 2 tsp Ginger & Garlic Paste,1tsp Salt,1tsp Lemon Juice, 1tsp Vinegar, 1tbsp Paprika Powder, 1tsp Harder, 1 tbsp oil..

Marinade ur chicken in this for another 4 hours atleast in the fridge, preferably over night.

Method:

Foil ur baking tray, then oven bake at 180degrees or 200 degrees for 15min then turn chicken other side and let it bake for another 15min. Make sure the chicken is cooked and note that the sauces can get burnt so be careful with ur heat, If you feel chicken is not ready and masala is burning then probably your heat is too high so reduce ur heat and close the foil.

Good Luck!! ;)

Pizza Base

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp Salt

1 1/2 tsp Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Yeast

1 tsp baking powder

5 tbsp Oil

Water for kneading

Method:

Begin by mixing all the dry ingredients and oil, then slowly add the water little at a time. Once the mixture is soft (do remember, the softer the better..) cover the dough, and let it rise in a warm place.

After 45mins or so, punch it down, give it a quick knead and then roll it out on your greased pizza pan/tray. Again cover the tray with a light cloth/towel and let the base rest/rise slightly for about 15-20 mins. This is the second rise for the dough.

When you check on it after 15-20 mins, it will have slightly puffed up. Take a sharp knife and make tiny slits all over the base. This helps the pizza rise evenly during baking process once the toppings are on it. Missing this step can leave your pizza bubbly and unshaped which is not a pretty sight! :)

Ta-Da ! Your base is ready..

I am trying out a new chicken recipe tonight, wish me luck! Stay tuned for the results :)

Asian-Style Pizza Sauce

Baking takes a lot of patience and if you want me to be honest ~ it isn't in my book. I can’t wait for hours to devour the baked goods (because I would rather eat them up then wait for them), and that’s why I hardly attempt to bake. But recently, I’ve started to bake quite much and one of my favorite dish is a recipe invented by my dear sister. A simple, but delicious pizza. My motivation for cooking could also be my new kitchen ;), with its amazing oven! (I'll try not to brag too much).. So less talking, more working - find the recipe below and if you try it - leave me a comment :)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp Cumin Seeds (Jeero)
1 tsp Garlic Paste (Lasan)
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 tsp powered Red Chillies
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Turmeric Powder (Harder)
1 Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Sugar
2 Green Chillies (cut into pieces)
1/2 Capsicum (cut into cubes) 
1/2 Shredded Carrot
1 tsp Tandoori Masala *preferably Shaan*
Shredded Chicken (preferably boiled)

Method:

Take a pan and heat up the oil. Once the oil is heated up add Cumin Seeds and Garlic Paste. Let them pop for about a minute then add up all the masalas (Tomato Paste, powdered Red Chillies, Salt, Turmeric Powder, Sugar, and Tandoori Masala) let this cook for a while, till the color darkens a bit.

Add to the above mixture Green Chillies, Capsicum and Carrot. Let it dry a little and put shredded chicken. Once the chicken is mixed well add Lemon Juice, mix one more time and get it off the heat. The reason for putting lemon juice at the complete end is to have its taste dominate.

And there you go, your pizza sauce is ready within a few minutes.

Wait up >> for the BEST pizza BASE ever!