Leftovers - A Breakfast Feast

Clockwise: sauteed smoked fish, dhal, tomato choka & sauteed pakchoy

Bear with me as I muse again about breakfast. I have really been making an effort to eat this important meal. In addition to having cereal, fruit, yogurt, eggs etc. I have been eating leftovers for breakfast and boy is that a great idea! The leftovers often satisfy my desire for something savoury in the mornings and it is filling. I am good to go all day.

The other day I made everything you see on the plate below for lunch with a friend who is pesco-vegetarian. Next morning, I feasted on the leftovers!

Read more...

Black & White Wednesdays - Woven Beauty

Woven Beauty - My Bamboo Steamer

My Contribution to Black & White Wednesdays.

Read more...

Fragrant & Nutty - Stir Fry Cabbage

I'm sure that like me, you try to eat seasonally too. The thing is that sometimes things can be in such abundance that you run out of ideas how to prepare them. We're always trying to come up with ways to make the familiar a little different, if not, we can find ourselves eating the same dish over and over again.

In Indo-Caribbean cooking, infused oils are used to chunkay (tadka) certain dishes such as dhal and a variety of choka(s). Using the same principle of a chunkay, I made this stir fry cabbage. The toasted coconut on top, well, that was thrown in because I had some remaining from another dish I was making. It all came together nicely. Crisp cabbage, fragrant with oil toasted garlic, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Nutty with toasted coconut.

Stir-fry Cabbage with Infused Oil

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons oil, divided (1 Tbsp and 2 Tbsp respectively)
• 1 pound shredded cabbage
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 chili, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 6 - 8 curry leaves (optional)
• 1/4 cups freshly grated coconut, toasted

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat pan until very hot; add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl it in pan.
2. Add the cabbage and toss for 1 - 2 minutes. Season with salt and set aside (keep warm)
3. Add remaining oil in a small frying pan and heat. Toss in mustard seeds, as soon as they begin to pop, add chili and garlic, cook until the edges of the garlic start to colour slightly then add curry leaves, cook for 30 seconds.
4. Pour oil with aromatics over the cabbage and toss to mix.
5. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and serve as a side dish.

Read more...

Black & White Wednesdays - Salt

My good friend Susan Wolfe has started a new photo event: Black & White Wednesdays - A New Culinary Photo Event. It promises to be fun; why not join in? Here's my entry for this Wednesday.

Salt - revealed

Read more...

Boil & Fry: A Caribbean-cooking technique

Boil & Fry is a two-step method of cooking that is used in certain countries in the Caribbean. It is very popular in my birth country, Guyana, particularly when cooking ground provisions. The boiling is self-explanatory but the "frying" really refers to a saute. Read more about Boil & Fry here.

Of all the ground provisions that can be boiled and fried, cassava and green plantains are my favourites. They work great for a savoury breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Sometimes I like my boil and fry plain - meaning just the cassava or plantain with lots of onions, herbs and tomatoes and sometimes I prefer the deluxe version. The deluxe version for me is when my "fry" includes salt fish. So good!

Fried (sauteed) salt fish or smoked herring are two much-loved side dishes that accompany many ground provision meals and they work great with boil and fry.

Boil & Fry Cassava with Salt Fish

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds cassava
• Water
• Salt to taste
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup diced onions
• Minced hot pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (thyme, marjoram, parsley)
• 1 heaped cup flaked, de-salted salt fish (you can use smoked herring too)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions (white & green parts)

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel cassava, cut into large pieces and put into pot with water that covers the cassava. Cover the pot, place on high heat and bring to a boil. When the pot comes to a boil, add salt to taste.
2. Cook cassava until it cracks and a knife inserts easily. Drain, shaking off excess water.
3. Heat oil in a pan until very hot.
4. Add onions and saute for 1 minute; add hot pepper, tomatoes, garlic, herbs and salt to taste. Saute for 2 minutes.
5. Add salt fish and toss to mix and let cook for 1 minute.
6. Add cassava, reduce heat to medium low and toss with salt fish and aromatics to ensure that the cassava is properly coated.
7. Let cook for 4 - 5 minutes.
8. Sprinkle and stir in green onions, remove pan from heat and serve as is.
9. If the boil and fry was made plain, serve with sauteed salt fish, smoked herring, fried fish or serve as is.

NOTE

You can make this recipe using green plantains, sweet potatoes, yams, eddoes or a combination of ground provisions.

Enjoy!

Read more...