Maida Halwa ( Indian dessert made out of All purpose flour)

Ingredients:

Maida ( All purpose flour) - 1 cup
Ghee( clarified butter) - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
A pinch of Elaichi powder( Cardamom)
Cashewnuts and raisins for garnish

Method:

Add Ghee in a heated pan.Add Maida and fry in the ghee till the raw smell is gone. Add water little at a time to be incorporated in the maida while stirring continuously. Keep adding water till the maida looks crumbly.Add sugar and keep stirring . When all the sugar is dissolved ,take the halwa of the heat . Add a pinch of Elaichi( cardamom) powder, raisins and chopped Cashews.
Mix well and serve hot.

Slow cooked Chickpea curry

Ingredients:

• 500gm of dried chickpea

• 2 tbsps cooking oil

•2 bay leaves
•3 large onions sliced
•2 large tomatoes chopped / one can of chopped tomatoes
•2 tbsps garlic paste
•1 tbsps ginger paste
•2 tsps coriander powder
•1 tsp cumin powder
•1/2 tsp red chilli powder
•1/4 tsp turmeric powder
•2 tsps garam masala

Method:

 Soak the chickpeas for an hour .

•Grind 2 onions, the tomatoes, ginger, garlic together into a smooth paste.

•Heat the oil in a deep, thick-bottomed pan on a medium flame.
•Add the bay leaves and a pinch of sugar.Let the sugar start to caramalize .
•Add the remaining sliced onion and fry till light golden. Add the onion-tomato paste and fry till the oil begins to separate from the paste.
•Add the dry spices - cumin, coriander, red chilli, tumeric and garam masala powders. Fry for 5 minutes.
•Drain the water from the chickpeas and rinse them well under running water. Add the chickpeas to the masala. Mix well.
•Add salt to taste and water to make gravy (about 1 1/2 cups).
•Add in the slowcooker and cook covered for at High for 4-5 hours.
•Use a flat spoon to mash some of the chickpeas coarsely. Mix well.
•Garnish with juliennes of ginger and finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Thai style Grilled whole fish

Ingredients:
 
1 x 600 g whole Snapper/Tarakihi/Flounder/Trevally, cleaned
1 lime, thinly sliced
3 tbs vegetable oil
2 garlic clove, finely chopped
2cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 lemongrass stem, white part only, finely chopped
3 bunch of  spring onions, thinly sliced
4 red Asian shallots, finely chopped
3 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 lime, juiced
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaaves
Salt

Method:

1. Score the fish on both the sides. Marinate the fish with 2 tablespoons of the Fish sauce,Salt and 1 tbsp of lime juice for 10 minutes. Slice the spring onions on the diagonal and put them in a bowl of water to soak.

2. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, spring onions and shallots and fry until fragrant. Reduce the heat to low and add the fish sauce, sugar, chilli and turmeric and stir for 1 minute, then add the lime juice and coriander leaves. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool the marinade.

3. Drain the fish well.Rub the fish with the marinade. Take an aluminium foil.  Place the lime slices down each side of the fish, then place the fish towards the bottom of the foil.Apply all the marinade on the fish. Place few lime slices and chopped coriander on top of the fish.Fold the bottom end up, covering the fish, and then fold the left and right sides towards the middle. Now roll the fish in the foil sealing both the ends .

4. Heat a barbecue grill or oven grill, to high and char grill the fish on each side for 15 minutes, then transfer the fish to a platter. Open out the foil like a parcel. Garnish with the spring onions

and chopped fresh coriander.