my favourite chicken marinade + chicken stir fry recipe :)

as promised, i am putting up my recipe for the yummiest marinade for chicken. whether it is chicken breasts or chicken pieces or even a whole chicken, this marinade works every time!

• salt
• lemon pepper
• ground black pepper
• lemon juice (optional)
• robertson's peri peri spice (optional)
• pick 'n pay's coriander, lime and chilli spice
• olive oil
• finely chopped fresh coriander (optional)
• ginger and garlic

literally mix it all together and let it sit for however long you want. and don't be afraid to chop and change, add or subtract according to your taste buds. this is quite an oriental marinade but it works because chicken is such a bland meat. please do try it :)

now for the chicken stir fry recipe.

well it is really simple because all i did was marinate my chicken breasts in the above marinade and left it in the fridge for 30 minutes. i was lazy so i used woolworth's "ready to wok crunchy vegetables" which included chinese cabbage, brocolli, julliened carrots, spinach leaves and red cabbage. literally stir fried the chicken for two minutes, removed it from the wok and added the vegetables into the wok with a bit of ginger and garlic and salt and pepper, stir fried it for 6 minutes, added the chicken back into the wok, gave it a toss and it was all done.

yummo!

my first mutton curry

on sunday i accomplished something really big in my life... i made my first mutton curry. now this may be laughable, but this curry was the only thing i was ever afraid of cooking. you see, mutton curry is my favourite curry. ever since i was a child, the smell of that curry cooking stopped me in my tracks and intoxicated me. the reason i was so afraid? high expectations.

i have standards you see. when it comes to a mutton curry, there are certain things that are necessary: the right amount of ginger and garlic; the right amount of chilli powder; the right consistency; the correct smell; and the softness of the potatoes. yes, i am picky and fussy and incredibly judgmental when it comes to the cooking of a mutton curry. in my time, i have experienced the bad, the good and the incredible... and to have this task on my hands was a sure way to put pressure on myself.

how was i ever going to face a fellow mutton curry cooker or eater if i, myself, could not master this dish? i would forever lose my pride, and it did not matter if anyone else knew - all that mattered was what i thought.

so the pressure was on when my parents and brother decided that we were going to have homemade mutton bunnies for supper on sunday and i opted to try my hand at it. so we cut the meat and after about 40 minutes it was all over... and i succeeded :) but i think next time it will be even better because i couldn't use the amount of masala that i wanted to as my dad has a hernia and it would have been distastrous if i over killed it. all in all, i was happy and so was the family and fellow mutton curry lover, my boyfriend, mekarl. him liking it was another stress on my hands, as our love progressed over these four years over mutton curry - it was the first thing we discovered we had in common resulting in us being called affectionately by those close to us as "the mutton curry king and queen" haha

well, here is my proudly durban mutton bunny chow, complete with carrot salad :)

ps: bunny chow isn't supposed to look pretty unless woolworths make it (lol) and there is no way i could've made it so even if i tried lol

wake up call

the week started off with stress and panic as my aunt got violently ill mid-morning on sunday. she had an adverse reaction to the medication she was taking and things just escalated with cardiac issues and pneumonia... she's still in the hospital and in average shape, but hopefully on the mend. it was scary and emotional and we were all just hoping for the best.

my entire family is diabetic you see. and i am not exaggerating. both my parents, both sets of grandparents, most of my aunts and uncles, extended family... it is actually ridiculous. and my brother and i as well as my cousins are all predisposed to it. most of my family that have passed away has been because of not taking care of their lifestyle and in turn, their diabetes got out of control and impacted everything else - eyesight, heart conditions, difficulty healing...just complications in general.

my brother and i try to stay as healthy as possible because of this - trying to eat the right things, exercising etc. we have lost too many people or seen too many people sick because of not caring for themselves and we made a decision that we wouldn't end up like that. and my parents have finally jumped on the bandwagon.

well, i was always seen as the nag to all the diabetics - taking away the chocolates and sweets like a parent to a mischievous child. i mean we all like to indulge but when the people closest to you are destroying their bodies because of bad food choices constantly, someone needs to be the bad guy. and that is ok with me because in the long run they'll thank me for keeping them alive. my parents are not that bad, and maybe i am paranoid after seeing what my grandfather went through, but i am sorry i would rather be safe than sorry.

anyway, glad to say that my aunt has gotten a wake up call as well as everyone around us. the family has realised through this painful situation that we all need to take care of ourselves and diabetes is no joke. as indians, we take it for granted that we're predisposed to this disease and don't take it seriously. people think food has to be fatty and carby for it to taste good. indian people need to change their mindset and remember that food can be healthy and tasty. we don't need to eat white rice or roti every day. we need to eat vegetables with every meal. and everything is ok in moderation.

if i think about hinduism, a lot of our teachings and values is based on balance, and i know that that is my way forward. if everything you do is in balance then we can all be healthy and happy, even with diabetes. 

nothing beats that morning cuppa

no matter where i am, what mood i am in or emotion i may be feeling, when i wake up to my morning cuppa tea, everything seems alright again. there is something about the red, steaming goodness that is rooibos tea that wakes you and fills you with happiness :) well for me at least.

rooibos is proudly south african and is directly translated from Afrikaans as "red bush". the smell is intoxicating and addictive even though we all know it is caffeine free :) this morning i missed my early wake up cuppa cos i slept in. after gym last night and a long day of studying and winter school class i was buggered and just crashed as soon as i got home at 21:00. 16:00 will come though and my afternoon cuppa will be just as refreshing, if not more. especially since i cooked comfort food today instead of healthy. it is chilly and dull with just a glimpse of sunshine peaking through the clouds today, covering the occasional tree with brightness. its windy and all i wanted was comfort food. and if you have been following this blog you would know what i made.... pasta!

the recipe today was kind of different as i fused eastern and western elements. i marinated the thinly sliced chicken breast in my favourite marinade (i will dedicate a full post to that marinade and all its tasty goodness) and sauted them quickly so it retained all its juiciness. finished off with fresh dhania (coriander). maybe i will put up this recipe, it is a lot to type and a little time consuming but all so worth the comforting deliciousness that it will bring you.

for now, lets all just revel in the perfection that is rooibos tea :)

chocolate makes the world go round

anyone who knows me knows that i am not a chocolate lover. but every now and then, i can appreciate the beauty of a bit of dark chocolate. that melt in your mouth taste of that bittersweetness is incomparable and can pick up a low day like no other!

the other night my awesome dad came home after work with the most amazing boxes of chocolate. we couldn't resist. the box i am blogging about had the most magnificent cover and was a collection of deconstructed south african desserts shaped into truffles and covered with either dark chocolate or white chocolate. all i can say is wow. there was malva pudding, milk tart, soetkoekies, i cant even remember the others. it was amazing! i was so taken by this box, how beautiful and south african it looked, as well as the unique deconstruction of our proudly south african desserts!

hake fish cakes with crunchy vegetables :)

i knew that i was going to have this for lunch, but the minute i took out everything to make it, i was convinced that this needed to go on the blog. it is sooo delish! here you go:)

i used woolies hake fish cakes and wow they are so creamy and wonderful, you have to get it if you live in south africa. otherwise, any other fish cakes that you love will do. if my grandmother was around then i would have had home made ones!

literally pan fried the fish cakes for 4 minutes on each side, turning them until they were golden brown.

now for the crunchy vegetables:

• as much green beans and brussel sprouts as you like.
• blanch in boiling water for 4 minutes then remove and place in cold water.
• saute them gently in a little olive oil and a small knob of butter and season with salt and pepper

so easy and simple! try it:)

comforting toasted cheese *sigh*

so this is such a procrastination post it is actually ridiculous but I just had my favourite toasted cheese and I think it is necessary to dedicate an entire blog post to the satisfaction and comfort that is this humble meal.

may's favourite toasted cheese recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
• 2 slices of white bread
• grated cheddar or gouda cheese
• thinly sliced onion (as much as you like)
• finely chopped green chilli

METHOD:
• butter your bread and layer on your cheese with the onion and chilli
• butter the outside of the bread
• heat up a pan (i use a thava at home)
• put your sandwich into the hot pan and toast until the cheese has melted and the outside is golden brown

yummiest and quickest comfort award goes to the humble toasted cheese!

enjoy everyone!

ps: this was my first blog post from my phone! yay!

blue monday with a side of vegetables

the world cup is over. devastation has hit the country with a force. even the weather understands. it is a cold, dark day in usually sunny durban. how will we recover from the lack of soccer?

lol that was me being dramatic :)

anyways, i am pretty devastated purely based on the fact that i love sport. always have, and always will. like i just told a friend, i was born with my dad's favourite premier league football team's scarves, flags and momentos decked around my crib! liverpool is the team i have supported since. i was also the athletics captain in primary school and my dad being a cricket player and my mum being an athlete always made sure my brother and i watched sporting events no matter how big or small it was.

Torres who plays for Liverpool and Spain (who are now the World Champions

after winning at the final yesterday against the Netherlands)

 

my point is that sport is in my blood and i'm sad this world cup is over not just because i loved watching it, but also cos the whole country (and the whole world) got excited about watching sport. we all came together over soccer and people who were never really interested in it now know what it is all about and how awesome it can be!

Image via Wikipedia

Fabregas who plays for Arsenal

tackling a Manchester United player (hehe)

well anyway, that's enough of my emoness. today is monday and it is a vegetarian day for us. we fast on mondays and today it is curries on the menu. well everyone loves mixed vegetable curry at my home but i certainly do not. i just don't like everything mixed together like that. so my mum is making me spinach (which she cooks with whole garlic and dried red chilli) as well as mushroom and some dhall. yum:) it is days like this i appreciate being indian. our food is so vibrant and full of flavour and everyone knows the best food is the food you grew up with. india never played in the world cup back in the day because they wanted to play barefoot (hahaha) BUT maybe india will play in the next world cup if they can get over playing with shoes on?

:)

(s)pain and memories

 guess my tapas menu gave them luck! ok ok, i am sure it was more paul the octopus than me :)

anyway, the final is tomorrow *tear* but it just means more food! i can't believe a month has passed and all this excitement that has been building for the last couple years is almost over! i really have no idea how south africa is going to cope.... i guess we have to win the olympic bid for 2020 :)

anyway, back to the food. i stayed at my gran's yesterday after years with my brother and we felt like kids again. the only person missing was my grandfather. he passed away almost 3 years ago and we haven't really spent much time in that house since then. my brother and i decided it was getting too weird and sad so we had to break the rut we were in - avoiding the house and spending time there. after all i think it could help my gran be comfortable there again. so we stayed over there last night - watched rambo on tv and had a slumber party - chips, cream cheese dip, jam donuts and chocolate donuts, tea, cool drinks and lots of laughs with my gran. she cooked for us and we ate chicken curry at the dining room table like we did after school. it was really nostalgic... but we couldn't help but feel kinda sad. could not be denied that we still felt his presence.

lots of people say that acceptance of the death of a loved one gets easier as time passes.. i have to say that it isn't really like that for me. sure i've accepted it, but i just miss him more now.

sitting at the dining room table yesterday studying, i couldn't help but think of my grandfather's favourite spot on the table. my grandparents had a really methodical way of eating lunch and dinner. my grandma would wait for him to come home from school or wherever he went, and wait for us. as we walked in the door the table would be laid with plates, glasses, food dished out and things to drink. we'd all sit down and eat together sharing our days ups and downs, laughing, smiling, talking, sharing a meal.

i guess we'll always have the memories...

viva espana - tapas for dinner?

it would be blasphemy if i didn't write a post about the world cup wouldn't it? indeedy. well (feel it) it is here! i actually have lost track of so much since it started... it is infectious, no denying that! but with the world cup unfortunately, has come a LOT of take-out since no one wants to walk away from the tv these days! we literally are eating pizza, pasta, burgers, fried chicken sooo much... not to mention all the hot dogs, chips and schwarmas at the fan fests!

but it is almost over and us south africans have no idea how we are going to cope once it is over! come sunday, a severe depression may come over us!

the thing i forgot about my blog was that it is not just a place for me to put up my favourite recipes but to talk about food and food memories and experience. I realised that this is a place for me to WRITE. i love to write. and i especially like to talk about food, which often gets on the nerves of those around me. but this is all besides the point - back to the world cup!

well today, spain is playing the semi finals against germany (booooo!) spain must win. torres must score a goal. we can't be sure given spain's run so far, and given germany's run so far, it is fair to say that spain may get completely slaughtered! BUT in honour of spain, i am going to list my top 5 favourite tapas dishes:

• fried mixed peppers with chorizo and garlic (sooo yum!)
• stuffed swiss chard (its swiss chard that has been stuffed with cheese and fried... woooow)
• of course olives and pates with garlic toasts
• melon with serano ham
• spanish omelette - nothing beats this. it is so filling because of the potato in it, and just drizzled with olive oil and a side salad!

the thing i love about tapas is that you think it is not going to fill you up, but once you have a whole table of these dishes, snacking and talking and enjoying a glass of wine, you don't actually realise how much you eat!

ok it is time to go....

VIVA ESPANA!!!!

oooh i forgot one (guess it is gonna have to be top 6 favourite taas dishes!) - gambas! that's shrimp/prawns thats soaked in all this garlicy olive oil - too delish!