Blog

Category: Chicken

Area: Chinese

Ingredients:

• 8 oz Chicken
• pinch Salt
• pinch Pepper
• 1 tsp Ginger Cordial
• 1 tsp Ginger
• 1 tbs Spring Onions
• 1/2 cup Rice
• 8 cups Water
• 2 oz Coriander

Instructions:

STEP 1 – MARINATING THE CHICKEN
In a bowl, add chicken, salt, white pepper, ginger juice and then mix it together well.
Set the chicken aside.
STEP 2 – RINSE THE WHITE RICE
Rinse the rice in a metal bowl or pot a couple times and then drain the water.
STEP 2 – BOILING THE WHITE RICE
Next add 8 cups of water and then set the stove on high heat until it is boiling. Once rice porridge starts to boil, set the stove on low heat and then stir it once every 8-10 minutes for around 20-25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, this is optional but you can add a little bit more water to make rice porridge to make it less thick or to your preference.
Next add the marinated chicken to the rice porridge and leave the stove on low heat for another 10 minutes.
After an additional 10 minutes add the green onions, sliced ginger, 1 pinch of salt, 1 pinch of white pepper and stir for 10 seconds.
Serve the rice porridge in a bowl
Optional: add Coriander on top of the rice porridge.

Category: Lamb

Area: Russian

Ingredients:

• 50g Lamb
• 120g Prunes
• 1 tbs Lemon Juice
• 2 tbs Butter
• 1 chopped Onion
• 450g Lamb
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 600ml Vegetable Stock
• 2 cups Rice
• Pinch Saffron
• Garnish Parsley

Instructions:

Place the raisins and prunes into a small bowl and pour over enough water to cover. Add lemon juice and let soak for at least 1 hour. Drain. Roughly chop the prunes.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large pan, add the onion, and cook for 5 minutes. Add cubed lamb, ground lamb, and crushed garlic cloves. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until browned.

Pour 2/3 cup (150 milliliters) of stock into the pan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, or until the lamb is tender.

Add the remaining stock and bring to a boil. Add rinsed long-grain white rice and a large pinch of saffron. Stir, then cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Add the drained raisins, drained chopped prunes, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat through for a few minutes, then turn out onto a warmed serving dish and garnish with sprigs of flat-leaf parsley.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Greek

Ingredients:

• 400g Butter Beans
• 3 tbs Olive Oil
• 1 chopped Onion
• 2 chopped Garlic Clove
• 2 tbs Tomato Puree
• 800g Tomatoes
• 1 tbs Sugar
• 1 tbs Dried Oregano
• Pinch Cinnamon
• 2 tbs Chopped Parsley

Instructions:

Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water. Drain, rinse, then place in a pan covered with water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, then simmer for approx 50 mins until slightly tender but not soft. Drain, then set aside.

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, tip in the onion and garlic, then cook over a medium heat for 10 mins until softened but not browned. Add the tomato purée, cook for a further min, add remaining ingredients, then simmer for 2-3 mins. Season generously, then stir in the beans. Tip into a large ovenproof dish, then bake for approximately 1 hr, uncovered and without stirring, until the beans are tender. The beans will absorb all the fabulous flavours and the sauce will thicken. Allow to cool, then scatter with parsley and drizzle with a little more olive oil to serve.

Category: Dessert

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 250g Plain chocolate
• 175g Butter
• 2 tablespoons Milk
• 5 Eggs
• 175g Granulated Sugar
• 125g Flour

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line the base of an 8 in round spring form cake tin with baking parchment
Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of gently simmering water and stir until it melts. (or melt in the microwave for 2-3 mins stirring occasionally)
Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream together with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Fold in the remaining flour with the cooled, melted chocolate and milk. Mix until smooth.
Spread the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 50-55 mins or until firm in the centre and a skewer comes out cleanly. Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely.

Category: Pork

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs Butter
• 4 Bacon
• 1 finely sliced Onion
• 1 chopped Garlic Clove
• 20 Brussels Sprouts
• 400g Potatoes

Instructions:

Melt the fat in a non-stick pan, allow it to get nice and hot, then add the bacon. As it begins to brown, add the onion and garlic. Next, add the sliced sprouts or cabbage and let it colour slightly. All this will take 5-6 mins.
Next, add the potato. Work everything together in the pan and push it down so that the mixture covers the base of the pan – allow the mixture to catch slightly on the base of the pan before turning it over and doing the same again. It’s the bits of potato that catch in the pan that define the term ‘bubble and squeak’, so be brave and let the mixture colour. Cut into wedges and serve.

Category: Side

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 2 finely chopped Onions
• sprigs of fresh Thyme
• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 1.5kg Potatoes
• 425g Vegetable Stock

Instructions:

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Fry the onions and thyme sprigs in the oil until softened and lightly coloured (about 5 mins).
Spread a layer of potatoes over the base of a 1.5-litre oiled gratin dish. Sprinkle over a few onions (see picture, above) and continue layering, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Pour over the stock and bake for 50-60 mins until the potatoes are cooked and the top is golden and crisp.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Filipino

Ingredients:

• 4 Egg Plants
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Salt
• 4 tsp Olive Oil

Instructions:

0. Grill the eggplant until the color of skin turns almost black
1. Let the eggplant cool for a while then peel off the skin. Set aside.
2. Crack the eggs and place in a bowl
3. Add salt and beat
4. Place the eggplant on a flat surface and flatten using a fork.
5. Dip the flattened eggplant in the beaten egg mixture
6. Heat the pan and pour the cooking oil
7. Fry the eggplant (that was dipped in the beaten mixture). Make sure that both sides are cooked. Frying time will take you about 3 to 4 minutes per side on medium heat.

Category: Breakfast

Area: Kenyan

Ingredients:

• 750g Self-raising Flour
• 6 tablespoons Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup Milk

Instructions:

This is one recipe a lot of people have requested and I have tried to make it as simple as possible and I hope it will work for you. Make sure you use the right flour which is basically one with raising agents. Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste and try using different flavours to have variety whenever you have them.
You can use Coconut milk instead of regular milk, you can also add desiccated coconut to the dry flour or other spices like powdered cloves or cinnamon.
For “healthy looking” mandazis do not roll the dough too thin before frying and use the procedure I have indicated above.

1. Mix the flour,cinnamon and sugar in a suitable bowl.
2. In a separate bowl whisk the egg into the milk
3. Make a well at the centre of the flour and add the milk and egg mixture and slowly mix to form a dough.
4. Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes or until it stops sticking to the sides of the bowl and you have a smooth surface.
5. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
6. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 1cm thick piece.
7. Using a sharp small knife, cut the dough into the desired size setting aside ready for deep frying.
8. Heat your oil in a suitable pot and gently dip the mandazi pieces to cook until light brown on the first side then turn to cook on the second side.
9. Serve them warm or cold

Category: Dessert

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 320g Puff Pastry
• 4 tbs Dark Brown Soft Sugar
• 3 Braeburn Apples
• 4 tbs Red Wine Jelly
• 100ml Creme Fraiche
• 1 tbs Icing Sugar
• 3 Cardamom

Instructions:

To make the red wine jelly, put the red wine, jam sugar, star anise, clove, cinnamon stick, allspice, split vanilla pod and seeds in a medium saucepan. Stir together, then heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Turn up the heat and boil for 20 mins until reduced and syrupy. Strain into a small, sterilised jam jar and leave to cool completely. Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Take the pastry out of the fridge and leave at room temperature for 10 mins, then unroll. Heat the grill to high and heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cut out 2 x 13cm circles of pastry, using a plate as a guide, and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle each circle with 1 tbsp sugar and grill for 5 mins to caramelise, watching carefully so that the sugar doesn’t burn. Remove from the grill. Can be done a few hours ahead, and left, covered, out of the fridge.

Peel, quarter and core the apples, cut into 2mm-thin slices and arrange on top of the pastry. Sprinkle over the remaining sugar and pop in the oven for 20-25 mins until the pastry is cooked through and golden, and the apples are softened. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Warm 3 tbsp of the red wine jelly in a small pan over a low heat with 1 tsp water to make it a little more runny, then brush over the top of the tarts.

Tip the crème fraîche into a bowl, sift over the icing sugar and cardamom, and mix together. Carefully lift the warm tarts onto serving plates and serve with the cardamom crème fraîche.

Category: Lamb

Area: Greek

Ingredients:

• 25g Bulgur Wheat
• 500g Lamb Mince
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Coriander
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 clove finely chopped Garlic
• For frying Olive Oil
• 4 Bun
• Grated Cucumber
• 200g Greek Yogurt
• 2 tbs Mint

Instructions:

Tip the bulghar into a pan, cover with water and boil for 10 mins. Drain really well in a sieve, pressing out any excess water.

To make the tzatziki, squeeze and discard the juice from the cucumber, then mix into the yogurt with the chopped mint and a little salt.

Work the bulghar into the lamb with the spices, garlic (if using) and seasoning, then shape into 4 burgers. Brush with a little oil and fry or barbecue for about 5 mins each side until cooked all the way through. Serve in the buns (toasted if you like) with the tzatziki, tomatoes, onion and a few mint leaves.