Pork Ribs Curry

Nowadays I cooked curry using the LC pot. Cooked in it and serve from stove to table. Save washing😜! I  cook Indian curries mostly using You Tuber - Curries With Bumbi recipes. Her recipes are very delicious and even the hubby gives the thumbs up. This is her Mutton Curry recipe but I replaced the mutton with Pork Ribs. It is so good that hubby asked to save up the recipe in case I forgets the ingredients 🤪😜🤣

I realised that my curry cooking skill has improved tremendously. Thank you to You Tuber like her, kind and generous in sharing authentic Indian curries. Healthy curries too! Check out her YouTube channel if you love Indian curries. It goes well with my homemade Chapati. Since I eat Chapati most of the dinners, this curry is great with it and for rice too. Using Kashmiri Chilli powder gives the curry a more vibrant red colour.  I like the fact that her recipe uses fresh tomato besides those spices used in the curry. Simple method yet delicious. The recipe is a keeper no doubt. Check out her channel if you are keen to cook Indian curries.

 

delicious looking curry

I like the taste and the colour of the curry

I half cooked the potatoes before cooking in the curry paste

Recipe ...click link below

Curries with Bumbi

Masoor Dal / Red Lentil Curry

Since I had my chemo done and completed, I have been adding a lot of lentils and bean veggies into my diet. And to have more gluten free food added to my diet. Having said that , my staple food has changed too from rice to Roti or aka Chapati made from Wholewheat flour. So my curry cooking adventure has began. I have a favourite channel on YouTube - Curries with Bumbi and it's my reference for healthy curries and side dishes to go with my Roti. 

Today I tried her Masoor Dal aka Red Lentil Curry. It was so good that it's a keeper. Even my picky husband say it tasty and smells very good. Lightly spiced yet flavourful. Adding last the Ghee oil and crispy shallots helps deepen the flavour brings the dish to another level. This recipe is low in calories, high in fiber and protein and it is gluten free too...very suitable for cancer survivors. I cooked this for our Chapati meals. As long as it is good for health , it will be a keeper for sure. Easy to prepare too. 

 

I used this brand of Ghee from NZ

after the chilli paste and tomatoes has soften into a paste, and oil has separated,  add in the pressured cook red lentils, mashed the lentils but leave some unmashed for texture in the curry

 pressured cooked the red lentils first for easy cooking

add in the chopped tomatoes into the 

sauteed chilli paste and spice and cooked till soften and oil and separated

saute the chilli paste, spice and red onions till fragrant and oil has separated

Masoor Dal / Red Lentil Curry Recipe 

2.5 cups of red lentils, washed and pressured cook for 10 mins -  6 cups of water to 2.5 cups of lentils

2 large tomatoes- diced

1 large red onions - diced

Paste (A)

4 tbsp of chilli powder

1tbsp of turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp of Cummin powder

1/2 tsp Halba * optional

Paste (B) blend all ingredients into paste

3 shallots 

4 garlics

2 slices of ginger

4 tbsp cooking oil

Salt to taste

Garnishing ingredients

Crispy garlic

Ghee oil

2 dried chillies

Chopped coriander - optional

For cooking method click link to Curries with Bumbi

Oven Grilled Fish With Tom Yum Paste

This is grilled fish in Banana leaves is slightly different from those grilled fish we eat outside. The paste is different. I marinate the fish with store bought Tom Yum paste, added red onions rings, Kaffir Lime Leaves ( daun limau perut ) and Vietnamese Coriander ( daun kesum ) and tomato slices. Grilled in oven for 25 mins. 

This one dish dish is truly appetising. A very well balanced diet. Healthy because it is oven grilled. Not much oil used.  Simple and not much work involved in the preparation. The banana leaves served as base, give out a wonderful fragrance to the dish.

grilled for 25 mins 

Oven temp is 200c

Ingredients used in this recipe:

Fish of your choice

2 tbsp Tom yum paste

2 Red onions - cut into rings

1 Tomato - cut into thin wedges

1sprig of Vietnamese Coriander ( daun kesum)

2  Kaffir Lime Leaves

Banana leaves as base

Marinade the fish with Tom yum paste. Place fish on banana leaves. Lay the banana leaves and fish on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil for easy cleaning.  Lay all the cut veggies and aromatic leaves on top of fish. Grill in preheated oven 200c for 25 mins until fish and veggies are cooked thru.

Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

Crispy & Flaky Scallion Pancake- - Taiwanese

Since the day my Oncologist told me to avoid raw sugar in my diet and to go low in Carbo intake, I was sad as I love carbo food. I have to plan out my menu for the week, and to make sure I have pasta once a week , no rice, more salad added to my diet. In fact my new eating habits has began since I had Chemo done 7 mths ago. And instead of rice , I make Chinese Pancakes or Chapati or pasta using healthy Wholewheat flour.

Today I will be sharing a good healthy recipe for a crispy and flaky Scallion Pancake using a combination of Wholewheat flour and AP flour.  I tweaked the flour mixture ratio, instead of using all AP flour , I added Wholewheat flour to lessen the gluten in the pancake. It turned out great. Ratio being.......1cup AP flour to 1/2 cup Wholewheat flour. The scallion pancake turned out crispy and flaky too and with a nutty flavour too. For now I won't be eating rice but instead of eating rice I replace the portion of rice with  Chapati, Wholewheat pancakes and Wholewheat Pasta. And on certain days just a bowl of ABC Soup with ribs, potato and carrot and red onions. And certain days just a big plate of stir fried french beans or longbeans with prawns or minced meat. Trying to be on a Keto diet but it's hard to do so coz I still love Flour products but cutting them down by half.

use the two palms to lightly squash the pancake to get a fluffy texture while still hot 

flaky and fluffy pancake ...loves it

press down the dough before rolling flat

after rolling the dough into a log, form two spirals at both ends, one big and one smaller spiral, stack the bigger spiral over the smaller spiral.

roll the dough into a flat rect shape and brush the oil paste on the surface before rolling from the long side into a long log

divide dough into equal portions and shape into round balls, leave to rest 30 mins to 2 hrs...

oil paste is made of lard, vegetable oil, flour and scallions

Click Recipe Link for a more detailed method of making this delicious Crispy  and Flaky Scallions.

Masala Vada

I had a sudden craving for Masala Vada, so the night before I soaked 300gms of Dhall lentils. Soaking them overnight helps to soften for easy blending. This is a must not skip step. I blended them into finer texture as our dentist Dr.friend have advised us not to crunch on anything hard esp hard nuts and too crunchy stuff. This Masala Vada turned out great. Finer texture doesn't look authentic but they taste authentic!

Hubby and I love this Indian snack food. It is easy to whip up and delicious to munch on while watching a movie. And we like to prepare from home as we know the oil we are using. Having said that, this snack food is healthy and it is good for cancer survivors. No sugar, no flour required in this recipe.  A healthy snack that we love. 

 

crispy exterior and soft on the inside

look how crispy the exterior is

medium heat while deep frying so that they don't burned the outside before the inside is cooked

add the starch water to the mixture

important not to skip this step

the starch water will be collect at the base of the drained off water from the blended dhall

Masala Vada Recipe

300 gm's Dhall lentils - soaked overnight

(A)

2 Red onions - diced

2 sprigs of curry leaves - sliced

3 Green chillies - sliced

4 dried chilli - sliced

1tsp coriander powder

1tsp cummin seeds

Salt to taste

Starch water from the Dhall - after blending the Dhall. Drain off excess water..leave for half hour. The starch from the base.

Method:

1.Blend the soaked overnight Dhall till finer or coarse ( to own taste) texture with the some water. 

2.Drain the blended dhall on muslin cloth over a basin. Don't throw the water. 

3.Leave the water in the basin for half hour. The starch will be at the base. Slowly remove the starch and add into the Dhall and (A) mixture. 

Once the mixture is well combined, leave in the fridge to chill for half an hour or more. This is to firm up the mixture and for a crispier exterior.

4. Shape them to whatever size you desire and deep fry in hot oil. Reduce heat to medium hot so as not the burn the exterior before the inside is cooked.

Before taking out the masala Vada, increase heat so as not to allow the Vada to absorb oil.

5. Drain the cooked Vada on paper towel to absorb excess oil before serving.

Tips:

1.Make sure to add the starch water from the lentil to the mixture so that the mixture is easier to shape them. Refer to pic No.6

2. Chill in fridge for at least half hour before deep frying for a crispy exterior.

Enjoy!

Coffee Connoisseurs - 7 Perfect Gifts

 

Image Source: Pexels

Christmas is creeping ever closer and if you are already thinking about your Christmas gifts and you have yet to cross everyone off the list, here are some perfect gifts for the coffee lover.

 

1.   Top Quality Coffee Blender- Brands like Princess or Breville are ideal for the coffee lover and you can find a leading Thai coffee supplier online who has all the right products for a coffee connoisseur.

 

2.   Coffee Beans- Check out the Thai เมล็ด กาแฟ อมก๋อย available from a leading Thai supplier of fine coffee beans. Google will help you locate an online supplier, where you can order your favourite beans at affordable prices.

 

3.   Ice-Making Machine- What is the perfect gift for a person who loves iced coffee? An ice-making machine, of course! They come in a range of sizes, from small to commercial size, and the online supplier has you covered for ice-making machines. This is the convenient way to live, especially in the hot Thai climate.

 

4.   Hilkoff Coffee Machine-One of the best brands of coffee machines on the market, Hilkoffoffers a mini-grinder that is awesome as a gift. Compact and easy to use, a mini-grinder is the perfect gift for that special person who enjoys their morning beverage. Visit the Hillkoff.shop for the best selection of coffee and related products.

 

5.   A Set Of Coffee Mugs- There are some cool products out there; perfect for the work colleague you like, or the neighbour who always looks out for your property when you’re away. Start searching online for ‘cool coffee mugs with a difference’ and browse the many great products. If the recipient loves to drink iced coffee, buy them a thermal coffee cup that keeps their coffee ice cold.

 

6.   Coffee Filters- Paper coffee filters are always required and a bulk order will make for the perfect Christmas gift. Most people appreciate practical gifts more than something novel that they will never use; buy good quality eco-friendly coffee filters and you can’t go wrong! Inexpensive and essential for all serious coffee drinkers, paper filters come in green versions for those who care about the environment.

 

7.   Coffee Grinder- The top names offer clean and easy coffee grinds, which you can find at the online coffee retailer; they have gifts for every budget and if you know the recipient well, you will know what they prefer in terms of coffee. Make a list now of all the people you know who love to drink coffee and you can do a single online shop for most of your Christmas gifts.

 

We still have a few months before Christmas arrives once again and to make sure that you aren’t caught out, start looking online for Thai coffee suppliers who have some amazing products at very affordable prices. This Christmas is going to be hot and the last thing you want is to play catch-up on gifts. Search the web now for the best coffee-related products for your friends and get ahead of the game!

Image Source: Unsplash

 

If you would like to try a great selection of top coffees from around the world, Google can take you to a leading Thai supplier of coffee from every part of the world. Order a mixed selection and see what brand hits your hot spot, and then you can place a bulk order for lower prices.

Curry Puffs Kampung Style Pastry

This the best Curry Puff Pastry I had tested out so far. The crust remains crispy many hours after deep frying and the dough is very pliable during wrapping. A keeper for sure. I have made this Curry Puff for the hubby many times and I know I need to post this up to share with my readers and followers of my blog this good and tested curry puff pastry. The fillings is made of potatoes , red onions and diced chicken breast. Alagappas's Meat Curry powder is perfect for this fillings. Curry leaves, chicken powder, salt to taste makes up the taste of the fillings. After cooking, the fillings is best kept overnight in fridge for easy wrapping and for the flavours to infuse into the potatoes. No regrets trying out the recipe. Recipe is from Che Nom To YouTuber channel.

the curry puffs can be baked, air fried or deep frying..results is the same. Crispy pastry 

love the crispness

and not oily at all even after deep frying

can be frozen for 2 months...straight from the freezer to the hot oil

 

the pastry dough is very pliable, easy wrapping

because the pastry dough is pliable you can fill it with lots of fillings

best to keep fillings in fridge overnight

before using

Curry Puffs Kampung Style

Ingredients

Pastry

(A)

500 gm AP flour

2tbsp Rice Flour

(B)

1/2 cup oil + 2tbsp of butter/ margarine - melted and heat up with the veg oil

(C)

1/2+/- cup ice water - add in slowly

Method:

Combine (A) in mixing bowl. Add in hot oil (B) into mixed flour . Using a spatula, mix in the oil into flour till crumbly. 

Slowly add in cold water (C) and gently knead till a smooth dough is formed.

Rest dough for an hour. 

Divide dough into 25-30 gms each. 

Roll into a disc, thickness not too thin or the fillings will burst out during wrapping nor too thick. 

Put a heaped spoonful of fillings in the center of the dough skin. Fold over and crimp the edges.

You can deep fry the curry puffs or air fry them.

For more details...

click recipe link here

Fish Head Curry Mamak Style

This Mamak Style Fish Head Curry is our favourite curry...a bit tangy and spicy. And I will normally add in lots of okras, tomatoes and longbeans. Sometimes I do add shrimps and squid for the hubby. And today I added in Giant Octopus Tentacles...it brings the curry to the next level. This time I made it a bit spicy and tangy.  I used my favourite LC pot . Can cook and serve in it at the same time. Pretty pink..my favourite colour. This LC was given as a gift from my son and his wifey. This curry is very tasty and very much like those served in Mamak Restaurant . I am just kidding okay but it is really good.

I added octopus tentacles to the curry

after the curry paste and oil has separated, and in the fish head

Just the aroma can truly make me hungry

Recipe 

(A)

Fish head

Other seafood of your choice *

(B) blend into paste

6 shallots

5 cloves of garlic

3 slices of ginger

(C) mix with water to make a thick paste

2 tbsp Korean chilli powder or Kashmiri Chilli Powder

5 tbsp Fish Curry Powder ( I used Alagappas's)

1/2 tbsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tbsp Cummin Powder

(D)

1sprig of curry leaves

2 red onions- slice thickly

1tbsp Bijiran Halba 

(E) amount up to indivdual

Okras

Tomatoes

Longbeans * optional

700 ml water or more depends how much curry gravy needed

Tamarind water - amount to your taste

3 tbsp of Coconut Milk - Ayam Brand

1/3 cup of cooking olive oil or veg oil

Salt and chicken powder * ( optional) to taste

Method

Add cooking oil into pot and add (B) , cook under med low heat till fragrant, add in (C) and saute till fragrant and oil separated. Add in (D) and continues stir fry for a few secs. Add in (A) and cook for a few minutes, gently stir the bottom so that it doesn't get burnt. Add in 700 ml water and tamarind water and let it simmer till almost boiling, add in (E)  Continue to simmer the curry till all the veggies are soft. If adding seafood add in now. Add in coconut milk and chicken powder if using last. Salt to taste. Curry is ready to be served.

Enjoy!

Masala Eggplant Curry

Masala Eggplant Curry is one curry that I would recommend my readers to cook it. It is my first time cooking this eggplant curry as a side dish for my Chapati meal beside the dhal curry. I fell in love with it after the first bite. So flavourful. Trust me not to miss this recipe. Even my hubby who is a quite a picky one when it comes to food said that it is the best eggplant dish he had tried so far. Recipe link is at the bottom of this post. 

 

It's the best side dish I have made from

egg plant

the curry gravy is full of flavour 

can keep in fridge for a week

Cook the tomato with the paste till soften

into soft paste 

the egg plants have to be fried in oil first

make slits on the egg plants and seasoned with turmeric powder and salt

Spices for the curry..

Recipe link