Fish in Spicy Mustard Sauce

Mustard Sauce:

Ingredients:

•          1 Tbsp mustard seeds
•          ½ cup boiling water
•          2 cloves of garlic
•          Handful of fresh basil leaves
•          2 red chillies

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and grind until you get a nice smooth paste.

The Fish:

Ingredients:

•          500g of Angel / Yellow-Tail or a line fish of your choice. It must be washed, dried and cut into small pieces. Then coat it with salt, turmeric powder and 1 Tbsp of breadcrumbs.
•          1 Tbsp olive oil
•          1 tsp of panchphoron
•          1 tsp of lemon zest
•          1 big, chopped tomato
•          1 Tbsp lemon juice
•          2 – 3 green chillies
•          Fresh coriander to garnish.

Method:

•          Pour the oil and panchphoron into a non-stick fry-pan.
•          When the oil is sufficiently hot, fry the fish in it for approximately 5 minutes on both sides.
•          Add the chopped tomato and mustard sauce.
•          Stir well before adding ½ cup of water.
•          Allow to boil for 3-4 minutes before adding the chillies, lemon zest and lemon juice.
•          Switch off your stove and simmer.
•          Garnish with coriander before serving with plain rice.

Homemade Humus

Ingredients:

•         1 cup boiled chickpeas
•          1 cup plain curd
•          2 clove garlic
•          Handful of fresh mixed herbs
•          1 tsp mustard seed.
•          1 red chili (paparika)
•          Salt to taste
•          ½ tsp cinnamon powder
•          ½ tsp nutmeg
•          1 tsp lemon juice
•          1 Tbsp olive oil

 Method:

Simply mix all the ingredients in a food processor. You can keep it for a week in the fridge if you store it in an airtight container.

Aloo Begoon Supreme

Note: Aloo = potato
Begoon = eggplant = brinjal

I learnt this dish many years ago from a good friend when I was living in Kenya. Remember that when you are cooking, it is your own dish. You have the license to add or subtract whatever you think is necessary – I have done this a lot of times.

Ingredients:

• · 4 large eggplants (when buying, choose the ones which are light and firm). Wash and cut each one into 8 pieces. Coat and salt with turmeric powder, and keep aside.
• · 4 large potatoes, washed and steamed in a microwave for approximately seven minutes. When they cool, peel and cut them into small cubes.
• · 5 – 6 medium-sized tomatoes, washed and chopped.
• · 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
• · 2 – 3 dried red chillies
• · ½ cup oil
• · ½ tsp turmeric powder
• · 1 lemon zest
• · Juice of half a lemon
• · 4 – 5 green chillies for garnishing
• · Green dhania leaves for garnishing
• · 1 tsp sugar
• · Salt to taste

Method:

• · Set your stove to medium temperature. Put oil in your frying pan along with mustard seeds and red chillies.
• · When the oil is hot, fry the eggplants. Lower the temperature on your stove and then cover the frying pan. This reduces oil-consumption.
• · When the eggplant has fried properly, add the potatoes and tomatoes.
• · Stir the pan well before adding the salt and sugar.
• · Cooking the tomatoes will release juice, cook the vegetables in this juice for 5 – 6 minutes.
• · When the pan is dry, add the lemon zest and lemon juice before stirring well.
• · Your curry is ready. Serve with roti or puri. Garnish with dhania and green chillies.
• · Good luck and God bless

Easy Goat Curry

My mother always said: “When using dry-powder masala, always make a paste with water before using. Also, only add salt at the last moment.” Unfortunately, I always forget about this and sometimes make food without salt.

I used a pressure-cooker for this dish.

Ingredients:

• · 500g goat meat
• · 2 – 3 small onions, chopped
• · 3 green chillies
• · 3 – 4 cardamoms
• · 4 – 5 cloves
• · 3 – 4 bay leaves
• · 1 tsp jeera
• · 1 tsp turmeric powder
• · 1 Tbsp mustard paste
• · 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• · 1 Tbsp brown onion soup powder
• · 2 tsp olive oil
• · 1 big tomato, chopped
• · 1 big potato, washed and cut into 8 pieces
• · ½ cup yoghurt
• · 1 tsp sugar
• · 1 Tbsp mixed herb
• · Salt to taste

Method:

• · Wash, dry and cut the meat into small pieces
• · Mix the brown onion soup powder and yoghurt to form a paste.
• · Smear this paste onto the meat, and marinade for 30 minutes.
• · In your pressure-cooker, at medium temperature, pour the oil and add the green chilies, bay leaves, cardamoms, cloves and jeera. Fry for 2 – 3 minutes.
• · Add the chopped onions and fry them until they are light brown.
• · Add the goat meat, potatoes and tomatoes. Stir for 2 – 3 minutes.
• · Add the ginger-garlic paste and mustard paste so that it coats the meat. Stir well and be careful of burning.
• · Add all the remaining ingredients and continue to stir.
• · When you smell a nice aroma, add about a cup of water.
• · Finally close the pressure-cooker lid and wait for one whistle.
• · When the whistle blows, switch off your stove and wait until the cooker has cooled down before opening the lid
• · Serve with basmati rice or roti.
• · Good luck and God bless

Easy Sweetcorn Muffins

Ingredients:

• · 50g margarine
• · 2 eggs
• · 1 tin (410g) cream-style sweetcorn
• · ½ cup milk
• · ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
• · 4 Tbsp brown sugar
• · Pinch of salt
• · ½ cup brown bread flour
• · 1 cup cake flour
• · 15ml baking powder
• · 1 tsp orange zest

Method:

• · Preheat your oven – 200°C if it is a fan-oven and 210°C if it is not.
• · Melt the margarine in your microwave in a bowl.
• · Gradually add the eggs, sweetcorn and milk in this order to the melted margarine.
• · Sift the brown bread flour, cake flour, baking powder and salt in another bowl, before adding the brown sugar.
• · Mix these dry ingredients with the wet ingredients (melted margarine).
• · Add the cheddar cheese and orange zest.
• · Mix all these ingredients, but be careful not to overmix.
• · Spoon into a well-greased muffin pan and bake for 10 – 15 minutes.
• · Good luck and god bless