birthday :)

 

it was the 27th of february and it’s the day i look forward to most. my birthday :) those of you who know me will know that i love birthdays. and not just mine for that matter! i am the person that goes large for anyone’s birthday and it’s because i honestly believe people need to know how special they are ESPECIALLY on their day of birth. after all, your birthday is the day you came out into the world.

i was in johannesburg with my family and having an amazing time for the week. one of my best birthday memories yet! mekarl came up on friday night and we made our way to one of my best friends shevonne’s house. after mekarl’s flight got delayed we only arrived at 10pm, but boy did we make for it with lots of laughs, braai meat and tons of wine (i paid for that the next day!) saturday was gold reef city day. i am obsessed with thrill rides and gold reef is one awesome theme park. i did, however, chicken out on the 2 biggest rollercoasters: the golden loop and the anaconda. redemption is necessary and soon because my brother is not letting me hear the end of it! that evening we went to such an awesome place, recommended by my uncle, sunthoshan. it’s called cantare and it’s at monte casino. really such a novel idea because it’s a supper theatre with a twist – a dinner place with live entertainment and a dance floor. the live entertainment included live music, show tunes, dancing puppets, belly dancing and a very special happy birthday song to me :) yes, i was called up onto the stage and was sung happy birthday! the food was phenomenal to say the least. i had the veal saltimbocca – tender veal fillets coated in sauce with pancetta on a bed of linguine served with seasonal vegetables.

 

 mekarl and i at gold reef city

 

mahesh on the anaconda

the beautiful custom made box my earrings came in

 

we got back home just before midnight when everyone waited up for my birthday and saw it in. it really was a birthday filled with love and started my day off on such a positive note. my amazing boyfriend got me the most gorgeous diamond earrings and my parents THIS NEW LAPTOP! things i really appreciated and really didn’t expect at all. we awoke relatively early, had ourselves a yummy breakfast of eggs, mince curry, baked beans and bacon sausages, and the proceeded to the lion park!

after much indecisiveness on my part because of wanting to please everyone, a 20km drive to the cradle of humankind and back, the lion park was decided on and it was my best decision. i love lions and i love nature drives. we got to see so many lions as well as play with lion cubs. one took the playing too far with mahesh and jumped on him and bit the side of this lower back! rather entertaining to say the least!!!

 

we had a little birthday party when we got back home joined by my uncle and aunt, sunthosh and melissa and boy do they know me! some of the most useful gifts i ever got were given namely – turkish figs and sundried tomato balsamic reduction; cape lemon and olive oil splash, truffle infused olive oil, saffron and a jamie oliver cheeky mug :) i could not have been more excited and am now looking for recipes in which to use these very special ingredients! (keep a look out for these delicious ingredients in recipes to come!)

 

all in all, a fabulous week with my family and a really special birthday! lessons learnt? i have realised after this past year that you need to focus on the people who love you, the people who despite your own contention, keep coming back into your life with love and to stay positive always. i am so grateful for my amazing parents, my brother who is also my closest friend, my perfect match in mekarl and all of my beautiful no nonsense friends.

to my twenty third year – cheers :)

xo

prawn and litchi cocktail

it was right after new years that aaron (this is mekarl's brother-in-law) told us that his mum was having a dinner for everyone and needless to say, it was an amazing occasion for food! this amazing dish is a twist on the traditional prawn cocktail. considering the fruit we durbanites get in summer, it was amazing idea aaron's mum had to make this sumptuous starter.

with help and artistic direction from the wonderfully pregnant janita, everything came out just perfectly and was the most fitting cold starter for a clammy durban night!

getting ready for serving

the chefs! janita (left) and aunty dora (right)

finished off with sliced avocado, coriander and a sprinkle of paprika

this post would not be complete without mention of the DELICIOUS sheep head curry! i know to some of you this may seem revolting, but you have not lived until you have tasted aunty dora's sheep head! the only time i ate sheep head was when i mistook it for mutton curry. this time, however, it was voluntary and damn, i'd like to make that choice again! haha :)

xo

♥

wok fried sesame steak

i have made this recipe on countless occasions and it is a sure way to cure those after work blues when you come home from a long day and are not in the mood to get in the kitchen :)

it takes a quick 15 minutes to make and you'll be smiling contentedly in no time!

INGREDIENTS:

• 150g steak (marinade in salt, white pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil, peri peri & garlic)
• any vegetables that you like - i used carrots, green and yellow peppers.
• garlic and ginger
• sesame seeds

METHOD:
after marinating the beef for as long as possible, stir fry to seal the meat in a hot wok with some sunflower or vegetable oil. it is a good idea to use an oil with no real taste as it wont marr the flavour of the stir fry. olive oil tends to be a very powerful smelling oil that doesn't marry all that well with asian flavours. remove the steak and then add a tablespoon of ginger and garlic (crushed) and then go in with your vegetables. remember to cut all your veggies around the same size for even cooking time. add in your beef and stir fry again for a few seconds. add in more soy sauce and sesame oil. be careful with the sesame oil as it has a very strong flavour! finish with fresh coriander and sesame seeds:)

and don't forget to enjoy!

it's been a while

hey everyone :)

well i have finally got some access to a laptop and it's been a good 3 months since i blogged. i am happy to say, however, that i am back! with a long list of recipes and exciting stories that io wish i had the time to blog about before!

i really missed it but the last few months were really eye opening not just on a culinary level but also on an emotional level. my parents and brother have moved to johannesburg (and this is where i'm blogging from now:)) and i am still in durban. it's a new start for my life and my blog!

happy days friends and stay tuned!

peace and love :)
may
x

sumptuous summer snacks: baby squid, chorizo & feta salad ♥

without even realising, "sumptuous summer snacks" is becoming a regular post :) it's mostly because summer is around the corner, and with the humidity increasing everyday so is the need for light, fresh food.

sunday afternoon was a day of severe proprortions and all we needed a little snack as the air was cooling, so this was it:

just fry off the chorizo until cripsy, throw in your scored and bite sized pieces of baby squid for a minute or so on quite a high heat. remember the "tender-tough-tender" rule when cooking calamari/squid. a minute will allow it to stay tender and fresh, there's literally miniscule seconds between that and it becoming tough. cooking it for much longer will enable it to go past the tough stage into the tender stage again.

remove, toss through some crumbled feta, a few basil leaves and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and this is a great summer starter or a larger portion would make an amazing summer lunch or dinner with some crusty bread and a glass of white wine :)

peace & love friends

xo

masterchef australia

so the final week of masterchef australia is here! i'm more anxious than i have ever been in my life about this sort of competition and i think part of it is because over these weeks we've really began to get to know these contestants and for a food lover like me, it was like a journey of my own. the other part of it is that in a few weeks the winner of masterchef australia will be here at our good food and wine show!

 

i have to admit that before this show, i was pretty against australians in general. and it pretty much stems from growing up with cricket in my blood and they were kind of our arch enemies in the 90s! but this show has really made me look at australians differently, and even wanting to seriously visit there. it was an eye opener and really quite enlightening.

 

so the finalists are:

 

 

justine (i am sooo glad she's back!)

julie (love her to death!)

poh :)

julia

chris

lucas

 

i have to admit, i'm kind of over chris and i actually don't know why. maybe it was this slight arrogance i got from him at times. i don't believe he's like that but something about him has put me off over this last week. i have to say i am in love with poh. i think she's a genius and so dedicated and forward thinking! and julie (i think i just found something out when i googled her and i'm rather upset right now but i shall block it out) well julie has grown sooo much over these weeks and has really shown the inner strength she has and i am just rooting for her because of her humility, her honesty and just the love she exudes. she has amazing character! i'll just be ecstatic if one of the girls win :)

 

let's see how this pans out (no pun intended lol)

 

xo

sumptuous summer snacks: chicken skewers ♥

the heat has finally returned to durban town and how we missed it! sunny skies and humidity all round, it's reminded me why i love this city so dearly (we know we're gonna be quite over it in the next few weeks, mind you, and i will probably regret these positve words, ha!) but it's just after 3pm and it is this time of day that i really love about summer nearing -  the sun peering down at us relishing the few hours left, the air cooling slightly, and the sky as blue and clear the Mediterranean sea. it makes me think of the months to come and of course, the food and wine we're going to enjoy!

yesterday was a day just like today and i made heavenly chicken skewers: here's my recipe -

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large chicken breasts, cubed.
• bacon sausages (optional) - sliced on the angle.
• onions, cut roughly in quarters.

you're gonna wanna dry marinate your chicken breasts because they're gonna go onto a griddle pan and you don't want them to stick. so a good dry rub is:

• salt
• lemon pepper
• black pepper
• peri peri spice / paprika
• ground cumin
• dried mixed herbs
• brown sugar

adding brown sugar to the dry rub is not just going to add another level of flavour to the chicken but is going to help caramelise the chicken when it hits the griddle pan. it is absolutely fantastic!

just skewer your chicken, onion and bacon sausage alternatively and you're ready to go. i made some skewers with just chicken and onion because my mom is not a fan of bacon sausages.

(tip: remember to soak your skewers [if they're wooden or bamboo skewers] because this will stop them from burning when they hit griddle pan. also a good tip to know for putting skewers on the braai!)

serve it in a roll with a bit of tomato relish or on it's own with a dipping sauce, either way it's just a beautiful summer dish on the go, outside in the sunshine, or by the poolside on the humid durban day :)