Capsicum Cutlets

The name of this dish is quite deceiving, I didn’t know what to call this experiment. My youngest, who loves these, came to my rescue and suggested “Capsicum Cutlets”, as it sounds catchy, although these aren’t cutlets. They are, however, great snacks, especially with tea.

Ingredients:

• · 2 big capsicums (red or yellow are preferable and look better too!), washed and dried with their seeds removed and halved.
• · 1 small tomato, washed and chopped.
• · 1-2 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
• · 1 egg
• · 1 Tbsp basil leaves, fresh and chopped
• · 1 cup of corn
• · 1 Tbsp breadcrumbs
• · ¾ cups of cheddar cheese
• · 1 tsp oil
• · 1 green chillie
• · 1 zest of lemon
• · Salt and pepper to taste

The capsicums before they were baked

The capsicums, hollowed out

Method:

• · Steam the capsicum for about 5 minutes in a microwave steamer at full power (you know your microwave best)
• · Remove the capsicums from the steamer and keep them aside.
• · Oil a baking tray and coat the capsicums with oil as well.
• · In a bowl, mix all the other ingredients, but using only half of the cheddar cheese (3/8 cups)
• · Fill the capsicums with this mixture.
• · Top the filled capsicums with the remaining cheese.
• · Grill the capsicums for 5 – 7 minutes.
• · Good luck and god bless.

An Interlude

Today, I am going to share with you how I started cooking and blogging.

My mother was a brilliant cook, and she too loved to experiment, although she couldn’t bake. In my household, my two boys love good food, and compensate for my skinny daughter who eats like a bird. I learnt to cook from numerous people – my mother, neighbours and friends whom my boys requested recipes from when they enjoyed something, much to my embarrassment.

When my first-born left home to study at university, I was devastated. I could only worry about what he was doing on his own, a feeling shared by any mother who has to let her child walk away. However, I still had my other two children with me and I had to be strong for them. Six years later, my middle child also went off to the same university to pursue her studies, and this left me alone with my youngest child. From that point on, I had a lot more time for myself – and that is when my youngest son started a blog for me. He had started off by insisting that I could write a cookbook, but eventually settled on a blog. I think all children assume that their parents are genii, and that their mothers are supermoms who can do anything. Although we cannot always meet our children’s lofty expectations, the only thing that really matters is that we love them dearly.

Five years later and my youngest was also off to university. I was depressed, but also bored, waking up to a house without children and wondering what to do during the day. Cooking is very therapeutic, but when I am living with my husband, there is little need for food compared to the days when my ravenous sons stayed with me. Furthermore, my husband is not an experimental person. Now I look forward to the holidays so that I can be with my children again.

Please feel free to request any recipes, if I know them, I will post them on this blog.

Methi Chicken

This is another Cinnamon Original which I first prepared on the first day of 2012. This dish reminds me of one of my favourite sayings:

"Live your life as an experiment."

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 1.5 kg chicken washed, dried and cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbsp ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp brown onion soup powder
• 1 Tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp tumeric powder
• 1 tsp paparika or 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tbsp tomato sauce
• Handful of fresh mint

Curry:

• 1.5 tsp methi (fennel) seed
• 1 big onion or 1.5 medium onions finely chopped
• 4 to 6 small potatoes washed and dried
• 2 – 3 green chillies
• ½ a small butternut cubed into small pieces (around 8 – 12 pieces)
• 1.5 Tbsp butter
• Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

· Create a marinade for the chicken by mixing all the ingredients. Marinade for 1 hour

· You will need a heavy-bottomed frying-pan with a lid.

· Put the butter in the pan onto a stove heated at medium temperature.

· Add the methi seeds and green chillies.

· When you smell the aroma of methi, add the chopped onions and fry for 2 – 3 minutes.

· When the onion becomes lightly brown, add the potatoes and butternut.

· Fry for another 5 – 6 minutes.

· Add the chicken and stir.

· After 10 minutes, add ½ a cup of water.

· Leave to simmer and stir occasionally until done.

· Enjoy with rice or roti!

Chicken Chorchori

Chorchori is another traditional Bengali dish, which can either be vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Chorchori is characterised by the fact that it is dry and spicy hot. Non-vegetarian chorchori usually uses fish, shrimp or fish head. However, mine is special as it is chicken.

আপ রুচি খানা - “Aap ruchi khana”

Eat according to your tastes

Ingredients:

• 1 kg chicken, washed and cut into small pieces and dried
• 1 big onion finely chopped
• 2-3 green chillies
• 2 tsp 5phoron (kalo jeera, methi, mouri and radhuni all mixed)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp ginger garlic paste
• ½ tsp tumeric powder
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp poppy and mustard seed paste which can be prepared by mixing these in a food processor: 1 Tbsp mustard seed, 1 Tbsp poppy seed and +- 2 Tbsp (30ml) water

Method:

• Use a heavy-bottom frying pan with a lid
• Put the oil in the pan and allow it to heat up
• When the oil is hot, add 5phoron, black pepper and the green chillies
• Stir for 1 minute
• Add the onion and fry for another 5 minutes at medium heat
• When the onions are lightly brown, add the chicken pieces
• Thoroughly stir for about 5 minutes
• Add ginger-garlic and poppy seed and mustard pastes
• Stir thoroughly so that the masala covers the chicken evenly
• Put the lid on the pan and turn the temperature down
• After 5 minutes, add salt and tumeric powder. Stir and cover.
• After about 10 minutes, add the breadcrumbs.
• Leave the temperature low and keep checking until done and be careful that the chicken doesn’t burn (like I did).
  
• Enjoy!

This was one of my original creations and my critical husband even agreed that it was delicious.