A Simple Vinaigrette

# enough for 2 -3 servings

# could use as a dressing for just leafy salad or mixed salad

 Ingredients

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

¾ tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar   
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper
 ( just crush some black peppercorn with the blade of a knife or just use black pepper powder )
4 tablespoons of olive oil
  

 

Method

 

1. Mix the vinegar , mustard, sugar , salt and pepper . A food processor/ blender will be useful to blend the ingredients well.

Instead of the blender, you could use a long jam bottle. Pour the ingredients into the bottle , tighten the cap and shake it well. 

2. Then add the olive oil, half at a time. Continue shaking and you will get a nice smooth emulsion.

3. Your vinaigrette is ready. You can leave it in the blender /bottle and mix /shake it again before you drizzle it over the salad.

## You could add 1-2 tablespoon of thick fruit puree to the mixture in step 1. A good choice would be Mango or soursop cause  they have a natural sweet and sour taste  so they complement  the vinegar and mustard . 

 Nasi Lemak ( Coconut Cream Rice )

Ø   (Rice) You could use

          a) basmati rice if you want the dish to look elegant

          b) ponni rice if you want it to be healthy

          c) any type of rice if you are alright with it

 

Ø  (Coconut milk/cream) You could use

a)      freshly squeezed coconut milk/cream as it has a lovely taste.

b)      the pressed coconut milk/cream sold in the market.

c)       packet coconut milk/cream sold in supermarkets.

 

bay leaves

Ø  ( fragrance ) You could use

a)      Bay leaves ( briyani leaves ) which you could buy in Indian stores

                         b)      Screwpine leaves ( pandan leaves ) which are
                                 sold in markets and hypermarkets


                      c)       Some people add 1-2 star anise or even 2-3 cloves for additional fragrance. This is 

                               actually optional because both these spices have a pleasant strong taste and smell. *It all depends on how you want your rice to smell.

star anise

                                           The bay leaves,cloves or star anise will
                                           give the rice more of an Indian smell
                                           and taste.
 

cloves



Ingredients

( serving for 4 people )                                                 

2 cups of rice







coconut milk/cream rice

2 cups of coconut milk/cream                      

1 cup of water

¼ teaspoon of salt

4 slices of ginger ( slightly thick slices )

3 bay leaves or 2 screwpine leaves

  

* 2-3 Cloves or 1-2 star anise ( optional )

 

         Method
             1.       Wash the rice . ( Basmati rice grains break easily so don’t press on it too much )

2.       Add in the coconut milk/cream, water , salt ginger slices , leaves and (optional )spices .

3.       Give the rice a stir and leave it to cook in the rice cooker.

4.       When the rice is cooked , cool it a little before you stir. This will prevent the grains from breaking.

             5.       Serve the rice with any dish you like , like chicken parathal, sambal anchovies and so on.

E If you want to maintain the beauty of the rice grains you could

     - soak it for 10 minutes after washing then sieve it .

    -Next, add a teaspoon of oil in a pot and  fry the ginger then add the rice and stir fry for 2-3
      minutes before transferring the rice to the rice cooker .Add the other ingredients and follow 

      steps 3,4,and 5 .

 

Keerai kadayal / Mashed Vegetable Gravy

Info 1: This dish is a good detox and is really healthy.It goes well with crispy fried fish or anchovies.You can make a large batch and divide it into smaller portions.It lasts for at least three days when refrigerated.It can be eaten with rice , chapati or you can use it as your soup base. 

Ingredients you need :
(serving size : 4 portion)
15 shallots ( small onions)                
1 bulb of garlic
1 1/2  in fresh tumeric
5 green chilies ( de seed )
  * add 3-4 bird eye chilies if you like it hot
5 sprigs curry leaves
4 aubergines (small to medium size)
1 large carrot
1-2 large tomatoes
1 bundle of spinach 
1 bundle of Indian spinach (pasalai keerai)
1/2 teaspoon of mustard leaves
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
a little oil
some salt

Info 2 : There is a variety of spinach. Some are red and some are green. Each one is really healthy. You could also add other vegetables like 2-3 okras or pullicha keerai to this dish. If you use pullicha keerai than you don"t have to use tomatoes cause both have sourish taste.

Method :
1. Clean the leafy vegetables and leave them in a basin of water for at least 10 minutes.Remove the water and wash the vegetables again.Leave them aside.

two types of spinach , cleaned and washed.

tumeric

2. Clean and wash all the other ingredients.

aubergine,carrot,shallots,garlic,chilies,carrot,aubergine and curry leaves

3. Add one or two tablespoons of oil or ghee to a large pot. Throw in the mustard seeds and cumin. Fry for short while.( You know its done when the mustard seeds start cracking ) . Use low flame .Do not use high flame cause your spices will be burnt easily.

mustard seeds and cumin

4.Add the ingredients in number 2( tumeric,shallots,garlic,chilies,carrot,aubergine and curry leaves) and the tomatoes.Stir fry for a few minutes, about 1-2 minutes.Then add 1 1/2 cup of water and leave it to boil. Cover the pot to allow the ingredients to cook well. Usually 5 minutes should be fine.

5. Add the leafy vegetables. Stir continuously till all the ingredients are well mixed. Add some salt then cover the pot and let it cook for about 1 minute. Switch off the stove and leave the pot opened to cool down the vegetables.

leave the pot opened to cool the vegetables

add the leafy vegetables and stir well

6. Blend the whole mixture for a minute or two. Divide and store the blended keerai gravy in the refrigerator.Heat up the portion you want either in the microwave or on the stove. Do not let it boil  cause you will be destroying the vitamins. Just heat it up on a low flame and serve.

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Family and Food

Food is a fantastic bonding factor. I am basically and ad-hoc cook but as I cooked over the years ,I realised the experience of preparing , serving and eating are equally important as the food itself. My family shares my creativity , my messed up recipes and my labour of love as I dish out a variety of dishes from my kitchen over the years. Though sometimes, I have received grunts , polite coughs and secret smiles but nothing beats the joy I have ,watching my family sitting around the dinning table and either, gingerly taking a bite or chomping away happily. As I grew older , I feel so proud to see my children experimenting in the kitchen. I realised one of the bonds I have formed with my children is actually regarding food. We all love to try out new stuff and we are all for creative and healthy food.Hence this blog, a venue for all of us to bond and share our creativity and  maybe ,unusual, recipes.