Fine List

JAMUN SISTAS

2011-10-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

1 1/4 CUPS MILK POWDER

1/3 CUP CAKE FLOUR

2 TBSP BUTTER, LEVELED

1/2 CUP EVAPORATED MILK

1/2 TSP BAKING POWDER
OIL FOR DEEP-FRYING

SYRUP:

2 CUPS SUGAR

2 CUPS WATER

2 TBSP ROSE WATER

5 CARDAMOMS, CRUSHED

LEMON ZEST, COCONUT AND

TOASTED ALMONDS TO GARNISH

A while back at the Eastern Food Bazaar in Cape Town, I was introduced to these amazing little fried Indian desserts called Gulab Jamun. They were brought in fresh each week from Durban and sold at the bazaar. I have been wanting to do a Gulab Jamun recipe for a long time now, but thought I would give it a little bit of a "twist" excuse the pun :). Another amazing Indian dessert to try out is Barfi, these two desserts are most definitely at the top of my list of unforgettables ... Enjoy!

PREPARATION

Prepare the syrup, by bringing the water sugar and crushed cardamoms to a boil in a saucepan for one minute. Once the minute is up, add the rose water and set aside in the fridge to cool.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together the milk powder, cake flour and baking powder. Crumble in the butter and mix well, rubbing the butter with the powders between your fingers. Next add the evaporated milk and mix; a soft sticky dough should form. Remove the dough from the bowl, wrap it in some greaseproof paper and place it in the freezer for a half an hour.

Remove the dough from the freezer, dust a working surface with some cake flour and roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/2 cm. Cut rectangles of 8 cm x 3 cm. Making two vertical slits down the short end of the rectangles reaching to 1/2 cm from the end, plait the three strips into a koeksister and pinch together the loose ends.

Deep-fry the Jamunsisters in a frying pan on a medium heat. They should take 5 to 7 minutes to fry, remember to keep turning the Jamunsisters to ensure even browning on both sides. Fry until the Jamunsisters become dark brown, they will expand to double their size so give them enough space.

Once dark brown, remove the Jamunsisters from the hot oil and place them straight into the cool syrup. Leave the Jamunsisters in the syrup for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Garnish with lemon zest, a sprinkling of coconut, some toasted almond slivers and serve with fresh vanilla ice cream. Makes 12 mini Jamunsisters, I would suggest doubling the recipe if you are serving more than four people.

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PANFRIED QUICHE

2011-10-01T04:56:00.000-07:00

250 ML MILK

3 EGGS

2 ROUNDED DSP CORN FLOUR

2 CARROTS, CUT IN HALF AND QUARTERED

1 LARGE ONION, HALF AND QUARTERED

1 LARGE TOMATO, HALF AND QUARTERED

1 LARGE POTATO, SLICED

2 GRILLED PORK SAUSAGES, SLICED

1 TSP PINK PEPPERCORNS

1 TSP JUINIPER BERRIES

GROUND PAPRIKA, TO SPRINKLE

SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

PREPARATION

Grill the quartered carrots, onion, potato (dusted with paprika) and tomato till golden, you can do this under the grill in the oven or as I did on a George Forman. Meanwhile, place the egg, milk, corn flour, pink peppercorns and juniper berries in a liquidizer and blend to a smooth liquid.

Preheat a heavy based pan on the stove, setting 4. Use preferably a non-stick pan, otherwise grease with a little oil. Place the grilled carrots, onion, potato, tomato and sliced sausages in the pan and slowly pour over the egg mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and cook for about 15 minutes, until the egg on the surface turns slightly dark in colour. Using a plate, turn the quiche over and slide it back into the pan to cook the other side. Do this by placing the plate on top of the quiche, while holding the base of the plate and the handle of the pan, flip the quiche onto the plate. Next, slide the quiche off the plate, back into the pan, do this carefully as it can be messy. Once on the other side, cook the quiche for another 3 to 5 minutes, then place on a clean plate. If you are going to use the same plate that was used to turn the quiche, ensure that it is washed properly as raw egg could contain Salmonella, which could make you ill.

To serve drizzle your favourite dark Balsamic vinegar over the quiche, with some coarsely ground black pepper and sea salt.

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EGG & RÖSTI WRAP

2011-08-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

This past week has just flown by and on top of that I can't believe we are half way through the weekend already. Well, moving on to more tasty things. I must say that one of my favourite foods are wraps, in any shape and size, be it chicken parmesan, spicy mince, rotis, just fold it in a wrap and i'll eat it.

So, I had a real brain wave this past week; I decided to try my hand at Rösti / Latkes and since I like wraps so well I thought I would wrap it up! Here is how I did it:

Heat the wrap in a microwave for 20 seconds or for a minute or two under the grill. Spread on a thick layer of cream cheese or smooth cottage cheese and place the salad leaves on top. Next place as many Rösti as you like on top of the salad leaves, I was a little greedy and went with three. Put the egg on top of the Rösti, season with garlic & chili spice, salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Wrap and enjoy! See Below for a recipe on how to make Rösti.

Ingredients

1	Large Onion, peeled and grated
2-3	Large Potatoes, peeled and grated
1	Small Apple, peeled and grated
1 6 1	Large Egg, beaten Dsp Corn flour Tsp Garlic & Chili spice Salt & Black Pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1 Place the grated onion, apple and potato into a mixing bowl.

Step 2 Add the beaten egg and mix together.

Step 3 Slowly add the corn flour and mix till batter coats the grated onion, apple and potato.

Step 4 Add the garlic & chili spice, salt and black pepper to taste.

Step 5 Fry in a hot, oiled pan. Remember you don't want raw Rösti, so make sure the pan is hot.

Step 6 When removing from the pan, place on kitchen, paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

ROSEMARY & OREGANO CHICKEN

2011-08-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a hectic couple of weeks. Between studies, work and my car falling apart, I have found myself running around like a headless chicken, no pun intended. In addition our DNA extraction practical at university has proved quite a mission, having redone the practical three time with no luck. However, thank goodness for yesterday, I received exciting news that I was accepted for a research position I applied for, for next year. So, as you can see life has become very interesting, with calamity on the one hand and new adventures for 2012 on the other.

Onto other things, here is a "dummy" proof recipe, a chicken rub (come on if you mess this one up you should stay out of the kitchen), in light of the fact that I was not fully satisfied with the results of two recipe, which I came up with over the past two weeks and have subsequently not been able to post. Yep folks, we all have our moments!!!

Ingredients

1	Tsp Oregano
2	Tsp Rosemary
1/2	Tsp Black Pepper
2 1/2 6 1	Tsp Coarse Salt Tsp Garlic & Chili spice Tsp Olive Oil Whole Onion, peeled

Preparation

Step 1 Preheat an oven to 180° C.

Step 2 Mix all the ingredients together and rub in all over the skin of the chicken.

Step 3 Stuff the chicken with the peeled onion.

Step 4 Bake for a half and hour at 180° C and then for a further half hour at 200° C.

Step 5 Finally Grill for 10 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.

THE RESULT... SUCCULENT CHICKEN, BURSTING WITH FLAVOUR

INDIE-AFRICAN MIELIE MEAL PUDDING

2011-07-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

I have a real treat for you guys today, a delicious recipe I tried out, which I have adapted from Maria Parloa's Delicate Indian Pudding. So, last Wednesday I was visiting a couple of friends and they were talking about organizing a couple of hope bags as a group for some of the people in the Masiphumelele settlement. One of the items that goes into the bag is a packet of mielie-meal (maize meal / corn meal), for some reason we got onto talking about how to cook and eat mielie-meal. Of course pap and wors was mentioned; then I heard an "Oh ... wow, I didn't know that you could make a pudding out of maize meal, I must try that. Look there is a recipe at the back of the bag." Funny enough it reminded me of when a couple years back, my mother used to cook up mielie-meal for the dog, with the left over gravy from Sunday roast (lucky bugger). Every now and then, I would steal some of "the dog's" mielie-meal and turn it into a pudding, much like one would make sago. Bringing it to boil in some milk, beating in an egg and sugar, and mixing in raisins, nuts and chopped cherries; it was quite delicious.

All this thinking, brought me to the conclusion that I just had to do a post on baked mielie-meal pudding; which in addition is traditionally a staple South African food. So here is the recipe and boy will you love it, I have been eating it the whole week ... had to start gyming again.

1L MILK

3 TBSP MAPLE SYRUP

½ CUP RAISINS

2 TBSP MIELIE-MEAL, HEAPED

⅓ CUP FINE DESICCATED COCONUT

1 TBSP BUTTER

3 EGGS

1 TSP SALT

¼ TSP GINGER

¼ TSP CINNAMON

¼ CUP MARASCHINO CHERRIES, HALVED

PREPARATION Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat the milk, maple syrup and the raisins (I used a mixture of dried sultanas and raisins) in a double boiler, sprinkle in the mielie-meal and the coconut, and stir continuously. Cook for about 10 minutes; meanwhile beat the egg, salt, ginger and cinnamon till light and fluffy. Once the mielie-meal mixture is finished cooking, stir in the butter and remove from the heat. Next slowly add the mielie-meal mixture to the beaten egg, mixing it in gently and then fold in the Maraschino cherries. Bake at 180°C for 1 hour, or until golden brown.

Serve with pouring custard, fresh cream or my favourite, dusted with icing sugar and topped with crème fraîche. Tip: To prevent the pudding from caving in once the mielie-meal pudding is done, switch off the oven and leave the pudding to stand inside for about 5 minutes, before removing from the oven.

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HONEY & ALMOND YOGHURT MOUSSE

2011-07-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

So I was at my friends house a couple of weeks back and we wanted to make a dessert for after supper. Now, the brief that my friend gave me was to make a dessert that is not so fattening!? At this point I was already thinking why on earth would you want a dessert that isn't fattening, a dessert is supposed to be fattening ... "It's about moderation", which is my motto in life. So now I had to come up with something that tastes good, but isn't fattening ... My 'friend' if you're reading this sorry to burst your bubble fat is fat, it tastes good, fat-free is fat free and tastes "BAD", usually there is no in-between. It is all about moderation.

Well, suffice it to say, I just had to mention the word Yoghurt mousse made with fat free yoghurt, instead of chocolate mousse and she was happy. Yep, I thought why don't we add some fat-free yoghurt, with some healthy AB cultures (Even though we will obliterate them in the heating process) and add cream later on and turn the deceitfully 'healthy' yoghurt mousse into a 'death by yoghurt', 'fat breeding machine'. I think you get the point asking a foodie to make anything fat free is like trying to get a 'camel through the eye of a needle'. Don't get me wrong, 'healthy' I can do, but 'fat free', now that is something else. Anyways, enough of that below is a recipe to the best yogurt mousse you'll taste ... Now doesn't that look fat free :D.

2 EGGS

¼ CUP CASTER SUGAR

2 TSP CORN FLOUR,
DISSOLVED IN 4 TSP WATER

125 ML FRESH CREAM

500 ML YOGHURT
(FULL CREAM OR FAT FREE)

100 G WHITE CHOCOLATE

HALF THE RIND OF A SMALL LEMON

1 – 2 TBSP HONEY

30 G FLAKED ALMONDS

30 G FRENCH NOUGAT, GRATED

PREPARATION: Whisk the eggs and sugar, till light and fluffy. In a small saucepan, gently melt the white chocolate on the stove (low-medium heat). Once completely melted slowly add the yoghurt to the melted chocolate, be very careful not to allow the chocolate to seize. Next add the dissolved corn flour solution, along with a dessert spoon or two of honey, and then grate in the rind of half a small lemon. Bring the mousse to a gentle simmer for about 3 - 5 minutes until it thickens. Remove from the stove and allow to cool.

Beat the fresh cream until it holds its shape well, but has not turned to butter. Gently fold half of the cream into the mousse along with the flaked almonds and grated French nougat. Place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours. Serve chilled, place a dollop of the left over cream onto the mouse and garnish with lemon zest or toasted almond slivers before serving.

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GRILLED CHICKEN AND RED PEPPER SALAD

2011-07-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

So the weather seems to have changed a little, starting yesterday. It was nice and hot, one of those typical Spring, beach days... Did I say Spring (Wow slow down, its still winter). Anyways, I decided to make myself a Grilled Chicken and Red Pepper Salad for lunch.

Well, actually I had some of my Pink peppercorn and Juniper berry sauce left over and have been trying to get my pictures into one of these 'food porn' sites. So I thought I would drizzle the sauce over 'something' and take photographs. I scrounged around in the fridge for a while, found a red pepper, chicken kebabs, tomato and some salad leaves; so I decided I would make a salad. Grilled the chicken 'cubes' and red pepper slices and voilà! To my utter amazement the salad turned out to be really tasty (just kidding I knew it would be good) and I thought I would share it with all of you.

You may have noticed the Foodista widgets at the bottom of a few of my posts, this is because I have recently joined the Foodista community. These widgets will link you to similar recipes on the Foodista website, it's an awesome website check it out when you get a chance.

By the way if anyone has any photography tips or critique on my photographs they are more than welcome, after all I am here to learn as well! I thought this photograph was pretty good, but it didn't make the cut on two of the sites I submitted it to... any suggestions?

Ingredients

1	Small Tomato cut in eighths
1	Large Red Pepper, cored and cut into eighths
1	small bag of mixed salad leaves
2	Chicken breasts, depending on your required protein portion

Preparation

Step 1	Cut chicken breasts into cubes, spice and/or marinate.
Step 2	Grill on a griddle pan or electric grill, until chicken juices run clear.
Step 3	Dust Red Red Pepper slices with paprika and grill till slightly charred.
Step 4	Toss salad leaves, tomato wedges, grilled chicken and red peppers together.
Step 5	Drizzle over your favorite dressing. I used the Pink Peppercorn and Juniper berry sauce made in one of my earlier posts.

Grilled Chicken and Red Pepper Salad

COFFEE – MALVA PUDDING

2011-07-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

"According to Wikipedia, Malva pudding is a sweet pudding of Afrikaner origin. Well I can't say that I have an Afrikaner bone in my body, but I am proudly South African. So here is my take on one of South Africa's traditional puddings. I have left out the Apricot jam and jazzed it up with some coffee. If you are looking for a more Traditional recipe, see the Huletts® Website for "Grandma's Malva Pudding" recipe, enjoy"

3 EGGS
½ CUP CASTER SUGAR

25 G BUTTER, DICED

4 HEAPED DSP (±100 G) CORN FLOUR
4 HEAPED DSP (±100 G) SELF RAISING FLOUR
1 TSP BICARBONATE OF SODA
¼ CUP BREWED COFFEE, GOOD QUALITY
1 TSP VANILLA ESSENCE / EXTRACT

SAUCE:

¾ CUP BROWN OR DEMERARA SUGAR

1 CUP BREWED COFFEE, GOOD QUALITY
60 G BUTTER

PREPARATION: Preheat the oven to 180°C. Beat the eggs and the caster sugar well, till light and fluffy. Add the diced butter and beat, the egg mixture should start to lose some volume now, but not to worry. Slowly sieve in 3 heaped dessert spoons of the corn flour and the self raising flour, add the bicarbonate of soda and beat well. Next, add the brewed coffee and vanilla essence to the mixture and mix, the mixture should be quite runny at this stage (almost like pancake batter). Now spoon in the last of the corn flour (1 heaped dsp) and the self raising flour (1 heaped dsp), beat the mixture well to aerate and thicken the batter; don’t stress if the mixture seems a little runny still, this is normal.

Grease a 23 cm square, by at least 4.5 cm high ceramic or glass baking dish and pour in the batter. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 160°C. Bake for 30 minutes and then turn the heat back up to 180°C and bake for 10 minutes. While the Malva pudding is baking for the last 10 minutes, start making the syrup. Place the brown sugar, coffee and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, gently for 5 minutes then remove from the stove.

Once the Malva pudding is finished baking, remove from the oven and run a sharp knife along the sides of the dish, loosening the cake. Also give the Malva pudding a couple of thin pokes with the knife so that it will easily absorb the syrup. Pour the syrup over the Malva pudding, while it is still hot and leave it to stand for about 30 minutes to absorb the syrup (You may have to run the knife along the edges of the Malva pudding a couple more times while it is covered with the syrup to aid the process). For variation, you could add a couple of tots of your favourite brandy to the syrup, just before you pour it over the Malva pudding.

Malva Pudding

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THE HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE – Buzz Café

2011-07-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest frustrations at the moment is finding reasonably priced, healthy ‘fast food’. We all know how busy life can get, in my case I’m always running from campus, to work and then rushing to my evening commitments. Let’s face it, between all that it is difficult to find the time to make up a healthy meal. So, in my series of posts ‘The Healthier Lifestyle’, I intend to introduce you to places around Cape Town that provide you with a healthier alternative to fast food, anytime.

Buzz Café

OPENING TIMES: Monday to Saturday 07:30 to 22:30; Sunday and Public Holidays 08:00 to 22:30

FOR BOOKINGS: email: kloof@buzzcafe.co.za or phone: 021 426 2797

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: www.buzzcafe.co.za

FACEBOOK: www.buzzcafe.co.za/facebook

ADDRESS: 96 Kloof St, 8001 Cape Town, South Africa · Get Directions

I was first introduced to the Buzz cafés about three years ago by a friend who was raving about their superb wraps and smoothies. At that time you could order a wrap and a smoothie, and get a free portion of potato wedges dusted with paprika (alas they have done away with the wedges and the special, but c’est la vie).

Now this past Friday I was walking around town with a friend of mine and we stopped at Buzz café for an early lunch. I decided to try something new, I usually go for the ‘Flamer’ or the ‘Thai Me Up’ wraps, but this time I had the chicken ‘Supercrunch’ wrap. In all honesty I hadn’t had avocado and peppadew for a while and my mouth watered at the idea of a juicy wrap with the trio of chicken, avocado and peppadew. To drink I ordered one of my favourites, the Cookie Monster smoothie with oreo, chocolate hazelnut spread, banana and frozen yoghurt.

As usual, the atmosphere at Buzz café, Kloof street was relaxed and welcoming, and the setup quite accommodating. You could either settle down in the main restaurant area under retro lighting (see image above), outside on the veranda with a view of Kloof street, or at the central communal table. If you decide to opt for the sitting down and have some work to do on your laptop, they have WiFi facilities to easily connect to the internet. In addition to everything else they also have a range of Wines, Beers and Cocktails on offer if you’re looking for a place to grab evening drinks with a couple of friends. They also offer a take aways facility.

The food and drinks were served speedily. I took a bite of the ’Supercrunch’ wrap; it was definitely crunchy and bursting with flavor. The chicken was well basted and the sauce used in the wrap balanced the overall taste wonderfully. Moving onto the smoothie, a noticeable difference with their smoothies is that they are thick and creamy, but not too sweet and the flavor is full bodied and well balanced. My top three smoothies are Cookie Monster, Milo Monkey, and Purple Haze. They are served in 350 ml (kids), 500 ml (regular) or 600 ml (large).

The ‘Supercrunch’ chicken wrap cost R 45 (I usually buy the Flamer – R 40) and the Cookie Monster (500 ml) was R 25. Comparing apples with apples, that’s a Kauai Princess wrap at R 35.95, plus a smoothie at R 22.90, totaling R 58.85. So, in all honesty you do pay a slight premium on the food, but the taste and quality speak for themselves.

So if you're in town and are looking for good food, fast make a turn at Buzz café you will surely be surprised at what they have to offer. Eat Out user rating on Buzz café 4 out of 5 stars see below:

[If site doesn't load, click here to go to link]

STICKY CINNAMON SWIRLS

2011-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

"I was visiting my mother on Sunday and after lunch I asked her to show me how to make her awesome cinnamon swirls. So here it is guys, the recipe for Shirley's sticky cinnamon swirls ... next on the list, her special koeksister recipe ... mmm, enjoy"

480 G CAKE FLOUR

60 G CASTER SUGAR

PINCH OF SALT

20 G MOIST YEAST (10 G DRY YEAST)

1 EGG, BEATEN

60 G BUTTER, MELTED AND COOLED

1 CUP (250 ML) TEPID MILK

FILLING:

50 G BUTTER

50 G MUSCOVADO SUGAR

2 TSP CINNAMON

50 G CURRANTS

GLAZE:

60 ML MILK

3 TBSP CASTER SUGAR

KNOB OF BUTTER (1 – 2 TBSP)

1 TSP CINNAMON

PREPARATION: Sieve all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar and salt) into a mixing bowl, crumble in the yeast. Blend together the milk, melted butter and egg; make a well in the center of the flour mix and slowly add the liquid till a soft dough begins to form. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes, during this time try not to add any flour to the dough unless it really sticks to the surface. Once the dough becomes smooth, elastic and is no longer sticky, place it in the mixing bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size (about 45 minutes to an hour).

While the dough is rising, start preparing the filling by creaming together the butter, muscovado sugar and cinnamon. Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead it for about a minute, then roll the dough into two 23 x 30 cm rectangular shapes (about 2 – 3 mm thick) with a rolling pin. Use a butter knife to spread the filling evenly over each rectangle, and then scatter the currants over the surface of the filling. Roll the dough up into a sausage from the long edge of the rectangles. Cut the sausages about 2 to 3 cm thick, and then place them face up on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and leave them to rise for a half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake them for 20 – 30 minutes, or until golden. When the buns come out of the oven, brush them with the glaze; made by bringing the milk, sugar, butter and cinnamon to a boil for about 2 – 3 minutes. Leave to cool makes about 20 – 24 Cinnamon swirls, depending on the cut size.

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PEPPERBERRY GAME SAUCE

2011-06-28T04:17:00.000-07:00

"Try out this amazing saucy infusion, made with pink peppercorns and juniper berries. The piney notes are sensational and will spruce up any game. I even tried it on a cracker with liver pâté, it was divine, enjoy..."

¼ CUP RED GRAPE JUICE

1 TSP JUNIPER BERRIES, CRUSHED

2 TSP PINK PEPPERCORNS

1 TSP RASPBERRY/STRAWBERRY JAM

½ CUP SUGAR

1 CUP WATER

PINCH OF SALT

3 TSP LIME JUICE (OR LEMON JUICE)

PREPARATION: In a small saucepan place the crushed Juniper berries (can be crushed easily with a pestle and mortar), pink peppercorns, grape juice, jam, water, sugar and salt, and bring to a boil. Maintain an even heat, stirring while the sauce reduces; boil for about 10 minutes, until the sauce reaches a thin syrup consistency, then remove from the heat. Lastly stir in the lime juice while the mixture is still hot, and then leave to cool.

The Pepperberry sauce is ideally served with game and veal, but is also delicious with chicken, pork, and even drizzled over, or mixed into liver pâté; it can also be used as a basting glaze. As an alternative you may replace the red grape juice with red wine of your choice, generally a good Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel or Shiraz pairs well with game.

Flavour profile: Because this sauce has more of a sophisticated taste, I thought I would give you a breakdown of the flavor profile. The Pepperberry sauce has a sweet-sour base, with distinctive bitter-sweet, piney and resinous notes, imparted by the Juniper berries and pink peppercorns; as well as subtle lime undertones from the lime juice. The sweet, piney notes remain in the mouth as an aftertaste for a while after eating.

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CHENIN MALAY CURRY

2011-06-25T03:11:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Groupon^TM MyCityDeal

Chenin restaurant & wine bar situated in the Cape Quarter piazza, on Waterkant Street, Green Point has made it their 'philosophy' to serve 'fabulous food' and the 'best selection of wine' ^[1]. This was endorsed by the Cape Quarter, in a review on the restaurant, which noted it to have '...one of the best wine lists in Cape Town.' ^[2]

OPENING TIMES: Monday to Sunday from 11am to late

FOR BOOKINGS: email: info@cheninrestaurant.co.za or phone: 021 425 2200

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: www.cheninrestaurant.co.za

I had purchased a Groupon voucher at 'My City Deal' (http://www.mycitydeal.co.za) for two Malay Curries at Chenin restaurant for R70 that I was dying to use, because if you must know anything about me it is that I am a sucker for good curry. I took a friend of mine, and fellow blogger, Lara with me on the expedition.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted with happy faces and our waiter directed us to our seats. The ambiance of the restaurant was great, there were three areas where you could sit and enjoy your meal. Depending on the mood you desired, you could either sit outside on the balcony facing the Cape Quarter; inside, under a romantic light setting; or in the outside piazza under a parasol. We chose to sit outside on the balcony, as it was a pleasant day and the view of Signal hill was vivid from where we sat.

The service at the restaurant was top notch, and all the staff were very friendly. The waiter took our orders, both Lara and myself ordered the Chicken Malay curry for the main meal; and to drink Lara ordered the Mojito, while I went with a Tequila sunrise. The drinks were served in a timeous manner, along with the food which came a short while after.

The Malay curry was most definitely 'fabulous' and quite delicious, it was served on a bed of jasmine rice, with sambals, fruit chutney and poppadoms. The array of fragrant spices used in the curries were perfectly balanced.

During the course of our meal, I noticed the Owner and/or manager tasting new wines that were presumably being tasted for addition to their wine list; it is interesting to notice the seemingly mundane operations of a restaurant.

Below is a review of the Chenin Malay Curry, by Groupon:

“Curry really is one of the best loved meals to eat in winter, well, besides, soup which is awfully cliché and over-rated, unless its curry flavour, of course. What makes curry even better in winter is when it’s a Chenin Malay Curry in your choice of vegetables, chicken, lamb or prawns. Add a delicious helping of jasmine rice, sambals, fruit chutney and a poppadoms and you’ll soon forget that soup in any variation ever existed.

Chenin’s head chef and his team use only the freshest and most locally sourced ingredients to make their delectable curry. All the ingredients are seasonal which means winter curries brimming with rich winter flavours and locally sourced spices.

The restaurant itself is also perfect for enjoying curry as what better way to enjoy delectable flavours than surrounded by a chic, yet relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. You can be sure the relaxed décor and atmosphere will help to ease the awkwardness of a first date. Or if you’ve invited a random stranger off the street to enjoy this Groupon with you; either way your mouths will be full for an hour or two so best you get all the talking done during the walk to your table.” ^[3]

What else can I say than add Chenin Malay Curry to your to-do list for this winter! Enjoy the Curry and don't forget to post your comments below.

References:

[1] http://www.cheninrestaurant.co.za/

[2] http://www.capequarter.co.za/

[3] https://www.mycitydeal.co.za/

JUANITA'S BUTTERNUT SOUP

2011-06-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

“There is nothing better than a hot bowl of creamy butternut soup on a cold winter’s night. Here is a simple recipe that my friend Juanita came up with. It may be simple, but it’s definitely the best butternut soup that I have tasted, enjoy…”

2 MEDIUM SIZED BUTTERNUTS (±1.8kg)

1 ONION

1 CUBE VEGETABLE STOCK

BOILING WATER, TO COVER

MILK, TO CONSISTENCY

COARSE SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK

PEPPER, TO TASTE

PREPARATION: Clean and peel the butternuts and the onion, deseed the butternuts and chop into chunks. Quarter the onions and place in a medium sized saucepan along with the butternut chunks and a cube of vegetable stock. Add just enough boiling water to the pot to cover the vegetables, don’t add too much water. Bring to the boil, and allow cooking till all the water has evaporated.

Once the butternut is cooked and the water has evaporated, blend with a hand blender (stick blender), while adding the milk till a desired consistency is reached.

Finally add the coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve with garlic bread, baked to a crisp golden brown. As an alternative you may replace some, or all of the milk with pouring cream for a creamier soup; or Greek yoghurt for a creamier, but healthy alternative.

Serves 4

Food Safety tip: Always remember when working with fresh fruits and vegetables to wash them properly under running water before eating or working with them, even if you intend to discard the peel. Potentially dangerous bacteria live on the skins of fresh fruits and vegetables, these organisms could be transferred to clean working surfaces if they are not pre-washed. Use of soap is not recommended. Scrub firm produce, such as butternuts and cucumbers with a clean produce brush.

For more Food Safety tips go to:

http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm114299

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JUANITA'S BUTTERNUT SOUP

BAILEYS ROYAL CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

2011-06-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

"I have been tweeting about these delicious brownies for a while now and decided that I would post the recipe up on Fine List, enjoy..."

125 G BUTTER

200 G CADBURYS DAIRY MILK CHOCOLATE

60 G CADBURYS BOURNVILLE COCOA

200 G (1 CUP) CASTER SUGAR

3 EGGS

500 G CHOCOLATE MUFFIN MIX

190 ML (¾ CUP) COOKING OIL

250 ML MILK

50 ML (2 TOTS) BAILEYS® ORIGINAL IRISH CREAM

SYRUP:

100 G CADBURYS DAIRY MILK CHOCOLATE

150 G (¾ CUP) CASTER SUGAR

250 ML (1 CUP) WATER

1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT

25 ML (1 TOT) BAILEYS® ORIGINAL IRISH CREAM

PREPARATION: Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas 4). Spray a 19 x 29 cm baking tray that is at least 4 cm deep with spray and cook so that the brownies don’t stick. Place the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. When it starts to melt, add the chocolate (200 g). Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the liquid is smooth and all the chocolate has melted. Be careful not to overheat the liquid as the chocolate may seize up. Remove the liquid from the heat and stir in the cocoa; then place to the side and allow to cool for a while.

In a clean bowl, beat the eggs and the sugars (1 cup) until thick and creamy, then fold in the cooled chocolate and butter mixture. Slowly add this to the chocolate muffin mix along with the cooking oil, milk and Baileys liqueur (50 ml) until everything is thoroughly mixed.

Pour the mixture into the baking tray and place in the oven for about 30 – 45 minutes, depending on how moist you like your brownies (Note: The easiest way to see if the brownies are done is to poke a knife through the middle of the cake and if it come out clean then they are ready. Also if the cake pulls away from the sides of the tray it is usually done).

While the brownies are baking, you can start making the syrup, as this ideally needs to be poured over the brownies just as they come out of the oven. Place the sugar (150 g) and water in a small saucepan, and bring to a gentle simmer. Break up the chocolate (100 g) and slowly add it to the syrup, whisk well till all the chocolate has melted and the syrup is smooth. Reduce to a thin syrup, check the consistency by cooling a teaspoon of the syrup and then pouring is onto a side plate (Remember: the syrup is going to be poured over the brownies, you want them to soak up the syrup so it can’t be too thick); once ready remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and baileys liqueur.

Once the brownies are removed from the oven pour the syrup over the hot cake and serve warm with fresh cream or ice-cream. For variation you can replace the chocolate muffin mix for a choc mint or a cappuccino muffin mix, alternatively you can substitute the water portion of the syrup for your favourite freshly brewed filter coffee.

Chocolate-Chocolate Brownies

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INTUITIVE THOUGHT

2010-09-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

ur deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

----from A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.