SWEET AND SOUR CROAKER...


I would like to apologise for posting this late, i had a couple of fish recipe requests for Ash Wednesday and actually put this together last Wednesday but my internet started acting up, i had to go away on a work trip, stuff kept coming up and here i am posting it almost a week late. Apologies.

As much as i love fish, its one thing i don't find myself eating much and i do love fish - steamed, fried, in stews, soups and peppersoup and recently in sweet and sour sauce.

Croaker fillets
Flour
Eggs
Breadcrumbs
Green and red bell pepper
Onions
Tomatoes
Spring onions
Soy sauce
Garlic
Sunflower oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Vinegar
1/4 cup Tomato ketchup
1/2 cup Pineapple juice
Pineapple chunks (optional, i didn't use them here)

Cut your croaker into pieces and pat dry. Season with salt, pepper and garlic and coat completely with flour.

Set your oil to heat (you can deep fry or pan fry your fish) and dip the fish pieces first into your beaten egg and then into breadcrumbs and transfer to the oil to fry till golden brown. Try not to move the fish around much while its frying so you don't break it up.

While the fish is frying mix your sweet and sour ingredients - vinegar, ketchup, pineapple juice, sugar. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and set aside.

Gently turn your fish over (if you are pan frying it like i did) and when it is evenly golden brown about 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, half a cup of water and your roughly chopped bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, spring onions and onions. Leave the heat up and do not cover the pot/pan/wok. Use a wooden spoon to gently move the contents of the pot around gently to have everything mixed properly.

If you deep fried your fish, start with stir frying your vegetables in about 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil for 2 minutes, add your chopped vegetable and soy sauce and then return the fish to the pot.

After 5 minutes add your sweet and sour mix and turn down the heat. The flour mixed into it will act as a thickener really quick. This only needs to cook for another 5 minutes and you may cover your pan now.

Take it off and serve on a bed of basmati rice.

PS. I must say that this was so good that it made a friend of mine (name withheld) forget her enraging situation and then knocked her out for 4 hours...
:p

Cheers to good food!

:)

OVEN GRILLED LAMB AND CREAMY MUSHROOM & GREEN PEPPERS...


Whenever i want to pig out, i skip a meal to avoid the guilt, not that anything could have made me feel guilty after tucking this away. So yesterday, i had a miserable breakfast, skipped lunch and got off work early to have me a nice steak dinner...amongst other things...

I marinated my lamb with dried crushed garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, mint and paprika. Let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Chop mushrooms (if you haven't noticed yet, i LOVE mushrooms) and set aside. De-seed and chop up some green pepper and either in a non-stick pan or in the oven, roast it until it begins to change colour and soften. This releases an amazing smoky flavour. Chop it into smaller bits if you please. Crush some garlic and chop some onions.

Grease an oven pan and transfer your lamb on to it and pop into your pre-heated oven.
In the 10 minutes that it'll take your lamb to cook to medium rare, add a teaspoon of sunflower oil to a pan and sautee your onions and garlic. As soon as your onions have been sweated down add your mushroom and green pepper. Spice with salt and crushed black pepper. Pour in some single cream, grate in some parmesan cheese, stir and turn down the heat. Let it simmer for 2 minutes and turn the heat off.

Check on your lamb, turn it over and let it cook for a bit longer if you want it well done.

Plate and serve with fries.

Cheers to food, glorious food!

EASY CHICKEN AND VEG WRAP...


Remember the Starter Oven Grilled Chicken? Here is how it ends...
After munching the chicken to my fill i popped the rest into the fridge and after a long day at work, dizzy with hunger and in no mood to turn on the cooker i sought it out.
Popped it in the microwave for 2 minutes, sliced it up.
Sliced up some mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes and onions, tore up some lettuce and got out my pita bread (this recipe is also a remix of the Pork, Pita and Veg, basically same ingredients).

Rip the pita bread in 2 circles along the "seam" and arrange them on a plate, one overlapping the other. I make a spread with garlic sauce, a bit of mustard, a bit of ketchup and chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Make a bed of lettuce over your bread and spread this paste over it. Pile on the rest of your chopped/sliced ingredients. Wrap and you're good to go. If you have an electric press grill, you can pop it in for a minute or two.

Easy 7 minute dinner.

ABACHA, NOT THE FORMER PRESIDENT...


Abacha aka African Salad is something i can eat every day of the week! I'm from Ohafia in Abia State and we make our salad with mainly okazi but growing and moving and mixing with other igbo friends introduced me to abacha and to ugba so now i mix all 3 and make the most beautiful African Salad and it takes less than 10 minutes to throw together.

Ps. I'm going to need my friends to help out with the English names for some of these ingredients.

Abacha
Sliced okazi
Ugba
Dried Fish
Softened stockfish
Garden egg (optional)
Palm oil
Pepper
Salt
Efura/Ehure (sp)
Akanwu (pottash)
Crayfish
Ponmo (optional)
Anara leaves

Soften your abacha in a bowl of water, drain and set aside. Clean your ponmo properly and cook till soft and cut into little pieces. Soak your akanwu ( the little porous rock looking thing on the plate with the ugba) in a little water (i'll say a quarter cup, depending on how much salad you are making).

On an open flame, roast your efura (its the lone little kidney bean shaped seed on the plate with the ugba), i did mine on my gas burner. When the outside is blackened (but not burnt) and you can smell it, take it off the heat. Allow it cool and peel off the outer shell, toss it in your mortar (yes, to make an authentic african salad you'll need a mortar and pestle), add your crayfish and (fresh pepper if that's your choice) and pound together.

Pour in your palm oil, throw in your fish, stockfish, ponmo, salt and mix it all together. Take the akanwu out of the cup and put it away for future use, pour the greyish liquid into the mortar and watch it turn the oil to a yellow-orange colour with a thicker consistency. Take it easy though cos too much of this is the most potent laxative known to man!

Mix it all together and add the abacha, ugba, okazi and chopped garden egg. Taste for seasoning.

Garnish with chopped onions and anara leaves.

Ps. Add your onion just when your about to eat because if it stays in the abacha for long somehow it turns it watery.

Wash it down with a glass of palm wine.

Cheers!
:)

START UP ROAST CHICKEN...

Once upon a time i used to love all things fried, then i woke and was...lets just say i was too big for my 5ft2" height. So i got a George Foreman grill for fillets and started cooking a number of my other meats in the oven and they taste even better.

I call this my Start Up Roast Chicken cos it can accompany different meals and the left over can be recycled to make different meals from wraps to salads to sandwiches.

The key to a nice moist roast chicken is brining it before roasting. The brining process infuses it with moisture to handle the roasting process so that you don't end up with dry chicken. Add 1/4 cup of salt, black pepper, thyme, powdered garlic and chopped onions into a pot, pour in 1.5L of water and bring it to a boil then turn down the heat and allow it to simmer for 5 - 10 minutes for all the flavours to infuse. Take off the heat and allow to cool completely and strain. Put your chicken in a pot or bowl with a lid and pour the brine over it. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Take your chicken out of the brine and pat completely dry with a clean kitchen clot or a number of paper towels, outside as well as inside the cavity. Make a light paste with 2 tablespoons of butter, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, finely chopped fresh rosemary and garlic powder. Carefully using a knife or pair of kitchen scissors, separate the skin of the chicken from the flesh and carefully pry the skin away from the flesh. Get the seasoning under the skin as much as you can, into the drumsticks, in the cavity and on the skin until it is completely coated.

Cover the bowl with cling film and allow it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Set your oven to 400F or High Gas Mark, while you grease your roasting tray and prep your chicken for stuffing.

Chop up some celery, onions, carrots, garlic cloves, green pepper and a sprig of fresh rosemary. Lightly season them bearing in mind that you have already seasoned the inside of your chicken, Squeeze in juice from half a lemon. Stuff your chicken and seal the cavity with half a lemon. Cross the legs of the chicken and tie together using some cooking wire or twine. Cover the chicken in the roasting pan completely with aluminium foil and pop it into the oven for 40 minutes.

Bring our your bird, take the foil off and carefully tilt the pan and drain the juices from the pan, (for an extra crispy skin, coat the skin of the chicken with some more butter or olive/vegetable oil) and transfer it back into the oven to another 20 minutes to finish cooking and brown properly.

Allow your chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes after coming out of the oven before cutting into it to avoid it "bleeding out" - losing all its juices and turning dry.

CREAMY CARBONARA...


There's nothing like decadent comfort food to make a day in a little sinful or to take your mind off issues. I like comfort food of the cheesy nature and Pasta Carbonara with double cream, ham, cheese, white wine...yes please!

Again, it really is a simple recipe (high calorie but worth every last one) and when you're tucking this away (and probably for the next hour or two afterwards) you are guaranteed to shelve your worries.

200grms Spaghetti/macaroni
Bacon
Boneless chicken breast
Spring onions
One medium onion
Mushrooms
Garlic
Green beans
Double/single cream cream (depending on how creamy you want it)
Half a cup White wine
2 table spoons of Worcestershire sauce
100grms Parmesan cheese
100grms Butter
2 Tablespoons Sunflower oil
Salt & Pepper
Parsley

Cook your pasta until it is half done (al dente), drain and set aside.
Crush or chop the garlic. Also chop your bacon, onions, spring onions, mushrooms, chicken breast and set aside.

Add your butter to the pot/pan and allow melt but don't allow to burn.
As all the butter melts down add some oil, this allows the butter cook the other ingredients without burning or browning the butter.
Add you garlic and chopped onions. As soon as you start to smell the garlic and the onions begin to soften, add all the other chopped ingredients, season and allow to cook.
After 5 minutes pour in your cream, white wine and worcestershire sauce sauce and green beans.
Reduce heat and allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes till it reduces down to a nice creamy texture.
Grate in your cheese and add your cooked pasta into the pot.
Mix properly with a pair of tongs, 2 forks or gently with a cooking soon.
Cover pot for 2 minutes.
Serve and garnish with a few more shavings of grated cheese, chopped parsely and some black pepper.
Enjoy with a glass of white wine.

Cheers to good food!
:)

FAR EAST LAMB CURRY...


Have i mentioned how much i love spicy food? OK, i'm going to say it again... I love spicy food! And even though i don't make curries a lot, i absolutely love them; the rich creamy texture and bursts of flavour are a spice loving foodie's dream! I've actually only been to an Indian restaurant once and i didn't have a curry, i had a platter of assorted meats and face full of pillow soft naan bread. This recipe i learnt at home from mummy dearest.

For my spicy Lamb Curry you'll need some lamb (of course) cubed.
Green and red bell peppers
Red curry paste
Garlic and Ginger
One medium sized onion
Spring onions
Coconut milk
Bay leaves
Sunflower oil
Cilantro
Salt & pepper

Add 2 tablespoons of sunflower to a pan/pot and let it get hot (without smoking up the kitchen)
Add your chopped onion and grated garlic & ginger.
As soon as the onions begins to soften, throw in your lamb and add salt and pepper (for me it was loads of Cameroun/Ghana or whatever its called pepper).
Let this cook for about 5 minutes till its brown on all sides.

Add your curry paste, stir and distribute evenly and pour in your coconut milk.
Turn the heat down and cover for about 5 minutes or until it begins to simmer.
Throw in your bay leaves, chopped bell peppers, chopped spring onions and cover again. Check if it needs extra seasoning.
Let it remain on the low heat for another 10 minutes, by this time it should have reduced to a nice creamy consistency (note that we didn't add any water to it).

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with basmati rice or pita/naan bread.

Cheers to good food!

PITA, PORK AND VEGGIES...


Every now and again you'll find me eating (and actually enjoying) a salad. I make it simple and incorporate something to make it fun for me, this time i chose pita bread, you know the dry, flat bread aka Lebanese bread and some pork. Low calories, healthy, light, perfect for dinner and can be put together in 10 minutes.

1 pita bread
1 medium sized onion
1 tomato
1/2 green pepper
1/2 cucumber
Garlic sauce
Salt and black pepper

I spice my pork with just a bit of salt and cracked black pepper and toss it onto a hot pan. Pork is very fatty meat so i pan "fry" it with no oil, it will cook itself in its own oil. (Pork can be substituted with steak or chicken).

Chop up your pork, onions, green pepper, cucumber and tomatoes. Mix it all together, add a pinch of salt and some black pepper.

Cut your pita bread in halves and spread your garlic paste on the inside, line it with your lettuce and stuff with your other ingredients.

Voila!

ASIA AND I... PAD THAI NOODLES

Growing up, apart from the fast food treats and my mums home cooking my parents favorite cuisine seemed to be Asian. Almost all of their anniversaries were spent with the entire family at a Chinese restaurant somewhere, it was good food and food we didn't have often (as my mother insisted on making everything) so we looked forward March 26th  and maybe a Christmas day when my mum would not be in the mood to cook (that only happened once).

My love for Asian food never waned and why should it? The meals are easy to cook, do not have a lot of ingredients and taste awesome!

Last night i made a stir fry using Pad Thai Noodles and it took all of 20 minutes (preparation time included). Now i must warn that this is no hard set recipe and please for the love of God, do taste as you go along cos i measure by sight and feel so my quantities may be a bit iffy and i do like my food spicy. Anyways here goes...

I soaked about 100grms (a quarter of the pack) in a bowl of lukewarm water for 10 minutes.

Chopped 4 cloves of garlic

Chopped half a medium sized onion

Chopped spring onions

Chopped parsley

Grated a little fresh ginger (about the size of my little finger)

Shelled a few fresh shrimps

Chopped a handful of mushrooms and about 50grms of pork 

Got 1 fresh egg, curry, oriental 5 spice, salt, pepper and light soy sauce on the ready.

My preferred oil of choice is either sunflower oil or olive oil because i already eat too many unhealthy things so i might as well use 0 cholesterol oil. Lol.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan/wok and when its hot (not burning or smoking) add your garlic, ginger and onions and stir until the onions soften.

Throw in your pork, shrimps and mushrooms and let it cook for about 2 minutes.

Crack in your egg and stir vigorously until its all broken up in the pan and turn down the heat on your pan.

Spice it all up with some salt, pepper , half a teaspoon of curry and half a teaspoon of Oriental 5 Spice.

Stir and add about 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce.

Let it simmer for a minute and add your drained noodles. Try to time your cooking properly so you don't drain your noodles and let it stand and begin to dry out.

If you have a pair of tongs, use it to mix it all up properly, if not you can use 2 wooden spoons or 2 forks. Please do not stir like gbegiri or you'll break up the starch in the noodles and if you still have some liquid in the pan, you might end up with a soup.

Cover your pan (this is the only time i covered my pan) for a minute, add your chopped spring onions, mix, plate and garnish with chopped parsley.

I love parsley, its my favorite herb, it can bring almost any meal to life with its unique vibrant taste. It is high in vitamins and folic acid, it neutralizes carcinogens AND freshens your breath!

Fin!

P.S. Thank you Remi for the food photography tips, my food looks more delicious for it! Muah.

THE BEGINNING...


This isn't my first attempt at blogging. I thought i would start this blog on the 1st of January (as all i did was stay home, cook and eat after swearing not to even put water to boil on said day), but somehow i didn't. I come from a family of caterers, my mother trained in Germany and my aunts more locally. At home we have a floor to ceiling book shelf of whatever recipe, cuisine or baked goods might titillate your palette but i have gone the other way; i read the recipe and go on and do it my way. Guess that's why i can't bake cos you must adhere to procedure or mess it up. I've always been one to scribble; i still to this day find doodles on scraps of paper here and there and wonder what state of mind (if at all within my senses) i must have been. But like all things if there is no real passion, after a while you just stop. 


I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT FOOD! You need to see me, hold a conversation with me, read my tweets and most of all visit me to know just how much. Even though my kitchen is no bigger than a match box, I've been told that "miracles come out of it" and i do believe it cos my friends don't bullshit! I do have some challenges with making deserts (and baking like i said earlier) but savoury food is my thing. Anything high in flavour with and extra kick of (cameroun/ghana/who really knows what its called) pepper is the one my heart loves and i have an extensive spice rack!


Last year i decided to follow in the footsteps of the women in my family and incorporate my very own food business. I have been taking orders from friends for almost 2 years; catering home meals and home birthdays parties, intimate valentine dinner of my friend Udy but i wanted more. I registered Crave's Corner and on Thursday 2nd February 2012 i had my Certificate in my hand. So join me as i take you through my kitchen experiments, successes and flops as well as other outdoor culinary experiences; from bukkas to fine restaurants.


A dear friend who loves food just as much as i do and who encouraged me to start this will be posting here as well. Cheers to great food!