EVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: MANGO MANIA RECIPE: FAJETO | GUJARATI MANGO KADHI Fajeto | Gujarati Mango Kadhi or mango curry is a delicious, sweet, tangy and spicy mango and yogurt curry. In fact, Fajeto is often made along with aamras. Also, aamras or thick mango puree or pulp is often enjoyed as a part of a thali. Usually, Shaaks or sabjis, poori or rotli, a farsan/farsans, plain rice, a dry lentil preparation and kadhi are prepared to go with aamras. Instead of plain kadhi, fajeto is prepared. In regards to fajeto, I feel the recipe probably came about as a way of not wasting any bit of the tasty and sweet mango when in season. In fact, I remember after cutting the mangoes into…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: SPICE MIX RECIPE: DOODH MASALA | MASALA MILK POWDER Doodh Masala | Masala Milk Powder is an Indian Spice Mixture made using nuts,seeds and warming spices. This spice mixture, Doodh Masala or Milk Spice Mixture is usually added to hot or warm milk. It is a comforting and nutritious drink to have during the cold season. It also is a beneficial drink for pregnant and lactating mums. Enjoy Masala Doodh or Masala Milk as a healthy dessert, or to fill up your tummy during fasting. Have it in place of coffee or tea in the mornings. Add sugar or enjoy it without it. Sometimes ready made doodh masala are loaded with cheaper nut powders like peanuts or sugar. I don’t…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: FLATBREADS RECIPE: FOUGASSE Fougasse is a stunning French Flatbread with a crisp crust and a slightly chewy crumb. Easy to make it is pronounced as ‘foogaas’. This flatbread actually quite famous in the Provence region of France. However, it is believed that the it originates from the Rome. Panis focacius the Roman flatbread was cooked in the ashes of a wood burning hearth called focus. What is Fougasse? Fougasse is patted with the hands into a leaf shape and then cuts are made to resemble the veins of a leaf. The open areas actually help the flatbread to bake well to achieve that crispy crust. Intially, I thought that shaping the bread and the recipe must be difficult.. like most…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: HOMEMADE RESTAURANT STYLE FOOD RECIPE: KENYAN STYLE MASALA CHIPS Kenyan Style Masala Chips also known as chips masala, is a popular dish on most restaurant menus in Kenya. Easy to make, spicy and tasty. It is a must to try out these chips when in Kenya. Here, chips is what the North Americans call French Fries. Being a former British Colony, chips is the word used for french fries and the North American Chips is what we call crisps. How did this popular dish come about? No idea but all I know that the love for Masala Chips started from Exotica Restaurant in Nairobi. At that time the restaurant was very small, so majority of the people ordered food from…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: STICK TO SEEDS RECIPE: BEETROOT BUCKWHEAT RISOTTO Beetroot Buckwheat Risotto made in a healthy style, with buckwheat groat and roasted beetroot. Total comfort food which is creamy, full of flavours and easy to make. Have also added beetroot stem and leaves for added nutritional value. Beetroot enriches the risotto with iron and folate and buckwheat is a great source of protein and fibre. First Time I Had Risotto The first time I tasted a lovely creamy and cheesy risotto was at Hilton Dubai The Walk. My son was the manager at one of their dining area, the Pure Sky Lounge. We had dinner once and the vegetarian option was Mushroom Risotto. My son assured me that I would love it.…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: HEALTHY IDEAS RECIPE: CURRIED CHICKPEA STUFFED SWEET POTATOES Curried Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes is a healthy, delicious, filling and easy to make healthy, gluten free meal. Enjoy it for lunch or dinner and it is a perfect hot meal for the cold season. Basically, I prepare a thick chickpea curry and stuff baked sweet potato with it and serve with some plain thick yogurt. Actually, I love sweet potatoes whether they are the whitish oriental variety or the orange flesh ones. The Oriental variety is commonly available in Kenya and India. However, sometimes they are quite small and not really ideal to stuff them. Usually, those ones I bake or boil and enjoy with some salt, chilli powder and generous…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: DIWALI DHAMAKA RECIPE: KALAKAND, WITH COTTAGE CHEESE Kalakand, with cottage cheese turns out as good as the one with paneer. Moist, soft, delectable barfi, perfect for Diwali. And the sweet treat comes together within 20-25 minutes. It is allowed to set for 2-3 hours and it is ready to be enjoyed with friends and family. CAN I MAKE IT AHEAD? Yes you can. Make sure you store it in an airtight container and leave it in the fridge. I promise you it stays moist for over a week. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COTTAGE CHEESE AND PANEER? While in India we often call paneer as cottage cheese in English, it is not nearly the same. While paneer consistency can depend…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: KABAB TIME RECIPE: BAKED LENTIL KEBABS Baked Lentil Kebabs with flavours from the Middle East and the Indian Sub Continent are soft, delectable and easy to make. In brief, these kebabs make a wonderful starter and are easy to make. Also nutritious and best part is that they are gluten free and vegan. Serve them with any chutney or dip of your choice. What Are Kebabs? In fact, Kebabs are known by several different names all sounding the same – kebaps, kababs, kebob, kabobs. Indeed, Kebabs originate from the Middle East where chunks of marinated meat and vegetables are strung on skewers and cooked over charcoal grills. As a matter of fact, the word kebab in Arabic means grilled or…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: MONSOON TREATS RECIPE: WARM MEXICAN CORN SALAD/ ESQUITES Warm Mexican Corn Salad, also known as Esquites is a tangy and spicy salad that I love to have not as a side dish but as a light delicious meal. What I like about this salad that it is versatile in several ways. Which Corn Is Best For This Salad? Though fresh sweet corn is the best, frozen or tinned corn can be used. How to Cook the Corn Grill, roast or simply sauté in a pan. If you’re going to grill the corn on the BBQ grill then soak them with the covering for 1-2 hours. Grill or roast for about 5-10 minutes. The soaked covering prevents the corn from burning.…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: FEAR NOT THE BITTER RECIPE: AFFOGATO Affogato looks like a fancy dessert but is so easy to make and delicious. You’ll probably be left craving for some more especially if you’re a coffee lover like me. Affogato is a classy dessert that can easily be served in individual portions during a party. You just need some vanilla ice cream and strong brewed coffee or espresso. Affogato – Italian Dessert More traditionally known as affogato al caffe, it is a coffee based Italian dessert. Italians prefer to enjoy it as a dessert while many places outside Italy label is as a beverage. Hot espresso or strong brewed coffee is poured over scoops of ice cream. This results in the ice…
