I just HAD to share this…made me chuckle!
Have a fantastic weekend!💕
Friday funny
26 Friday Sep 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Monthly Archives: September 2014
Prawns & Pineapples In Coconut Milk (no oil, no salt)
25 Thursday Sep 2014
It has been salads and grilled chicken for lunch and dinner these past couple of weeks which is fantastic! I’ve even got back into my running and feeling a lot stronger with much more energy!
Now that the weather is cooler in the evenings, I find myself craving for a warm asian dish with a slight kick of chilli. So last night for dinner, I decided to treat us with this simple no oil and no salt dish. This is my grandma’s recipe, which she usually makes with blue crab…but seeing as I still have this weird fear of cooking crabs, I substituted it with prawns instead.
Ingredients
• Fresh prawns (without shells)
• Half a fresh pineapple (roughly cut)
• 2 shallots, 4 cloves garlic, fresh chillies, black peppercorn (pound these in a pestle & mortar – adjust the chilli according to your own taste)
• Coconut milk
• Fish sauce
• 1 lemongrass
• Turmeric powder (if you can get fresh turmeric, pound around half thumb size of it with the garlic & shallots)
• Cilantro (optional)
Method
1. In a wok/saucepan, place all the pounded ingredients, coconut milk, turmeric powder, lemongrass, fish sauce and leave to simmer on a low heat for 15 to 20 mins until you get a lovely aroma.
2. Add the pineapples into the wok, gently stir them and leave to soften slightly for 3 mins.
3. Add the prawns and simmer till they are cooked thoroughly. (You can add cilantro at this point if you wish.)
Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with boiled white rice…
This dish is a little sweet, a little spicy and the aroma of the pineapples in the coconut milk was so divine, I was immediately transported back to my grandma’s kitchen.
Maybe one day I’ll gather my courage to make it with crabs!
Have a wonderful Thursday!💛
A Colourful Week
19 Friday Sep 2014
Posted in Savoury
Monday: Tuna & Avocado Salad
Tuesday: A Beautifully broken Omelette
Thursday: Tuna, Eggs & Roast Pepper Salad
Friday: Pan Grilled Peri Peri Chicken Fillets with seasoned boiled rice & salad
(No dressing on the salads, just a drizzle of lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.)
“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
~Mahatma Gandhi~
Have a fantastic weekend ahead!💕
Prawns Prawns Prawns
18 Thursday Sep 2014
Posted in Seafood
It was another glorious sunny day yesterday so I decided to hop on the metro and headed to the beach to disconnect from the heat of the city. It was not busy, oh so serene and relaxing now that the summer holidays are over. It was just nice to be able to watch the surfers take on the high waves and be mesmerised.
So, after being at the beach all morning and just taking in all that fresh sea air, I was inspired to make a delightfully simple dinner of Pan Fried Prawns in garlic, parsley, chilli & lime butter!
Ingredients
• Prawns (with or without shell)
• Dried parsley
• Garlic (diced)
• Dried chilli flakes (according to your own taste)
• Juice of 1 lime
• Butter
• a little olive oil
Method
1. Heat a pan/skillet and place the butter and a little olive oil so the butter doesn’t burn.
2. Throw in the garlic, parsley, dried chilli flakes and salt & pepper to taste. Sauté for 1 min.
3. Add the prawns, stir around to make sure it’s cooked and coated with all the ingredients.
4. Squeeze the lime, toss the prawns around and serve.
Simple, fast and finger licking good!
I love getting away from the city from time to time, get back to nature and take long walks along the beach just to disconnect. How about you?
Have a wonderful Thursday!💙
Roasted Chicken Thighs
16 Tuesday Sep 2014
It has been a while since my last post and it’s not because I have not been cooking, I have, but mostly nothing exciting worth blogging about. At one point I even revisted my blog for inspiration and made my I Think I’ll Call it a Biryani again. Have you ever felt like you have no idea whatsoever to cook?
So last night, inspiration finally struck me to make a simple, yet delicious dinner for us…Roasted Chicken Thighs topped with a cream of garlic and oyster mushroom sauce!
Ingredients
• Chicken thighs
• Oyster mushrooms (chopped)
• Garlic (diced)
• Double cream
• Dried parsley
• Garlic granules
• Cracked black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Olive oil
Method
1. In a large bowl, marinade the chicken thighs in lots of cracked black pepper, salt, dried parsley, a sprinkle of garlic granules and olive oil to bind it. Leave this to marinade for a few hours or overnight.
2. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C. Place the chicken thighs on a baking sheet and roast till golden and crispy.
3. When the chicken is almost ready, start preparing the cream sauce.
4. In a skillet, add a little olive oil and throw in the garlic & mushrooms. Sauté till the mushrooms are soft.
5. Add the dried parsley, cracked black pepper and a little salt to taste before adding the cream into the skillet. Lower the heat and let it simmer slightly for 2 mins.
6. Remove the chicken from the oven, place on a dish and top it with the cream sauce.
Garnish with dried parsley and serve with roast potatoes…
I just roasted 1 potato with its skin on, which I cut into quarters, seasoned it with salt, pepper and coated it with a little olive oil and placed it in the oven together with the chicken. Easy.
The meal was a hit with my husband and I’m sure I’ll be making it again when ideas and inspirations run dry! The good thing is, you don’t need many ingredients either! Bonus!😊
Enjoy! 💕
A thought for Thursday
04 Thursday Sep 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Beef Udon
02 Tuesday Sep 2014
Summer is nearly over and I am looking forward to the cooler autumn weather…. when it comes of course as it’s still fairly warm here at the moment with temperatures up to 29 degrees celcius.
But, despite the hot temperatures, a couple of weeks ago, I really fancied a warm soupy noodle dish! So I decided to make this hearty dish filled with textures and flavours! This is my take on Beef Udon…
Ingredients
• Prime fillet steak (sliced thin)
• Dried Shiitake mushrooms (soaked & sliced)
• Shallots (sliced thin)
• Few cloves of garlic, ginger & cracked black pepper (minced)
• Carrots (julienned)
• Chinese cabbage (sliced)
• Cilantro (chopped)
• Chilli (sliced)
• Dark & light soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Udon noodles (cooked in boiling water)
Method
1. In a pot, heat a little sesame oil and sauté the beef for 2 to 3 mins.
2. Add the shallots & minced garlic with ginger. Stir fry this for another 2 mins or until the shallots are golden before throwing in the carrots and the Shiitake mushrooms.
3. Add some water and the light soy sauce and a couple teaspoons of the dark soy sauce to the pot and let this simmer till the beef is tender. (Make sure you taste it as I didn’t use any salt in this recipe.)
4. Set aside the Chinese cabbage, chopped cilantro and chilli on a dish.
5. In a bowl, place the cooked Udon noodles, add the raw Chinese cabbage and ladle the hot soup into the bowl. (You can always pre cook your Chinese cabbage but I personally prefer them crunchy.)
Garnish with cilantro and some sliced chilli if you want a wee kick…serve hot…
Hearty, filling and so simple!
Happy cooking and have a fabulous start to September!💕
My Simple Delights 