Ginger Syrup

Ginger -aromatic and spicy. Its wonderfully versatile - its used in both sweet and savoury recipes. I always add a slice or 2 of ginger when I cook beef (it helps get rid of the 'beefy' smell when I particularly want it to taste fresh and clean.). I also love ginger beer. The Greeks have a drink they call 'tsitsibira', which is a type of fresh and refreshing ginger beer. To make this drink, it involves using yeast and letting it ferment in bottles, and I shall attempt that one day! But for now, I am going to make a simple ginger syrup that I can use to make my easy fizzy ginger drink, or use it as a syrup on top of ice creams and yogurts.

Ingredients: (makes a bit less than 1 cup of syrup)

Ginger, approximately 100g, cleaned and roughly chopped

2 cups of water

200g of sugar 

*Note: This is just an approximation. I usually use less sugar, or substitute with honey or agave syrup. But the spiciness of the ginger will overpower the sugar, and it will help to keep!

Preparation:

1. In a blender/food processor, roughly 'chop' the ginger with the water.

2. In a saucepan, add the sugar/sweetener and ginger mix, scraping off as much small bits from the food processor as you can.

3. Heat to boil, and then turn the heat down to simmer. Occasionally check the syrup and stir for about 40-45 minutes until it has turned into a wonderful gooey mess. Leave to cool.

4. Once cooled, strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer, pressing with the back of the spoon to squeeze as much sugary liquid into your bowl.

5. Store in any container of your choice (that can be covered) and it will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks. (I usually end up using all of it within 1 week!)

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

Pardon the kinda-blurry picture. I only managed to take 2 photos of these cookies before they were devoured. Here is another better looking photo for you to enjoy. I will update this post in the future with more pictures. 

As with my previous post, it is Christmas and I enjoy making cookies during the holiday seasons. This is inspired by another Keiko Ishida recipe from her Okashi cookbook, but I have decided to use coarsely ground hazelnuts to replace the blanched almonds in her original recipe. Hazelnuts and chocolate go hand in hand really well - like Nutella. The hazelnuts give it a soft, brittle texture that makes it so easy to eat. 

Ingredients: (makes about 30-40 cookies)

40g of coarsely ground hazelnuts

150g pastry flour

20g of cocoa powder

120g of unsalted butter softened

70g of icing sugar

A pinch of salt

1 egg yolk

Granulated sugar for dusting

What you will need:
Cling film
A baking tray, lined with parchment

Spatula

A mixer: handheld or standalone. Or, a husband-shaped-whisk-wielding helper to help. (Elbow grease)

Wire rack

Preparation:

1. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together. Set aside

2. Beat the butter, icing sugar and a pinch of salt until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolk, and mix well.

3. Fold in the flour and cocoa powder mixture using a spatula. Add in the hazelnut and fold them in. too. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 15 - 20 minutes.

4. This is the time to clean your kitchen, preheat the oven to 160 degrees C, and line your baking tray with parchment.

5. Roll out the dough into a log and slice it into uniform sizes. The number of cookies you get depends on the size of your log.

6. Dip the edges of the cookies in the granulated sugar, and arrange on the baking tray.

7. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

8. Remove, then cool on the wire rack before serving.

Green Tea Cookies

Green tea - full of anti-oxidants and my staple drink. I drink it hot or cold, every day, winter or summer. And matcha, which is the powdered version of green tea is probably one of the best flavours out there. Matcha ice-cream is superb!

For Christmas, I have decided to not make the normal Greek Christmas Kourabiedes cookies but make these. I found this recipe in Keiko Ishida's Okashi cookbook, which is full of wonderful recipes.

These disappeared almost immediately. I managed to save a few for my good friend Eleni and she loves them! I will get more matcha in the near future, so I can make more Green Tea inspired bakes.

Keiko adds more green tea leaves as a garnish on top of each cookie, but I didn't want to make it too strong in the tea flavour department, so I omitted that last ingredient. You can add it if you want, but the matcha adds enough of a punch on its own.

Ingredients:  (makes about 40 - 50 small cookies)

240g of pastry flour, chilled
15g of green tea powder Matcha (about 1 tablespoon)
150g of unsalted butter, room temperature
130g of icing sugar
A pinch of salt
2 egg yolks
Granulated sugar, as needed
1 egg white beaten

What you will need:
Cling film
A baking tray, lined with parchment

Spatula

A mixer: handheld or standalone. Or, a husband-shaped-whisk-wielding helper to help. (Elbow grease)
Pastry brush

Wire rack

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, sieve the flour and the green tea powder together, twice. Set aside.

2. Beat the butter, icing sugar and the pinch of salt together until soft and creamy. Add the egg yolks and mix well.

3. Add the flour and green tea mixture into the bowl. Fold with a spatula.

4. Cover the dough with cling film and chill in the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes.
5. This is the time to clean your kitchen, preheat the oven to 150 degrees C, and line your baking tray with parchment.
6. Roll out the dough into a log and slice it into uniform sizes. The number of cookies you get depends on the size of your log.

7. Dip the edges of the cookies in the granulated sugar, and arrange on the baking tray.
8. Brush the egg white on the cookies with a pastry brush. It makes the cookie smooth and shiny. I made half with the egg white glaze, and half without.

9. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
10. Remove, then cool on the wire rack before serving.

Homemade Bread

What can I say about freshly baked warm bread? Its great. 'Nuff said. Having freshly baked bread is great for the weekend. It doesn't take long, and this is a basic recipe that you can add to if you want. Add in olives and cheese and you get a very tasty savoury bread that you eat it on its own or as a sandwich. I have added a can of pitted dark cherries once (drained of its liquid syrup) and it became a partially sweet bread that I made into excellent French Toast.

Ingredients: (makes 1 big loaf)

500g of flour (look for one that says 'bread flour'. If not all-purpose flour works fine, too)
7g sachet of fast-acting yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp of olive oil
Lukewarm water UP to 350ml

Preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients except for the water and olive oil in a mixer, using the dough-mix extension. If you don't have a machine, check out no.4.

2. Start the machine on slow. Add in the olive oil. Then slowly add in half of the water, bit by bit. Increase speed to medium low, and add the water gradually until its all mixed but not too sticky. You may not use all of the water, I sometimes have about 1-2 tablespoons of water leftover.
3. Continue the 'kneading' for about another 7 minutes on low. Remove the dough into a greased/oiled bowl, and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave to rest in a warm airy place for about 30-40 minutes until the size has doubled. Go to no. 5.

4. If you don't have a mixer, this is what you do - mix the dry ingredients thoroughly in a bowl, and make a well in the center of the flour mix. Add the oil in the well, and add 100ml of water on top of the oil. Gently fold in the flour in the water, from the outside edge of the bowl towards the center (towards the well) and do that until all of the liquid is absorbed. Slowly add as much water as you need while you are mixing/folding until the flour stops sticking to you fingers. You might have leftover water, and that's ok. You don't want the dough to be too sticky. Prepare a work surface for you to knead the dough. Follow the instructions on how to knead dough. In a greased/oiled bowl, cover it with a tea towel, Leave to rest in a warm airy place for about 30-40 until risen.

Before

After

5. Mould the risen dough, push the air out of it (I use the punching method, but gently, of course.) This is when you can include additions to your bread - chopped olives or cheese and just knead gently into the dough.

6. Shape the dough into your desired shape - you can make a rather flat rectangle to make a focaccia-like bread, or shape it into a bread tin to make a bread loaf.

7. Here I have garnished the bread with a mix of crushed mix pepper, sea salt, rosemary and dried rose petals (I bought this herb mix from a small deli in Northern Italy.). Garnish as you desire, or leave it plain. 

8. Cover with the tea towel, and leave it to rise again, for another 30 minutes.

9. With 10 minutes to go until the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Bake the bread for 15 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius for an additional 20-25 minutes.

10. Check with a toothpick to ensure that the bread is fully baked. If it comes out clean, its ready!

11. Remove the bread onto a cooling rack, and when its cool enough to touch (so that you don't burn your fingers) you can start eating it! Its great when eaten warm with a bit of butter. Serve it however way you want to. 

Octopus In Tomato Sauce with Pasta

I can't remember the first time I had octopus. I may have tried the rubbery plain kind you find on top of nigiri sushi back in Kuala Lumpur, but the first time I had octopus that didn't try to dislodge my teeth was in a taverna in Thessaloniki, approximately 13 years ago. It was divine. Grilled, seasoned with olive oil and oregano. Heavenly smooth. That is the beginning of my love affair with this cephalopod mollusc. This dish is relatively simple. Its extremely tasty, and it goes a long way if you are planning to have a dinner party that doesn't require too much work, but still wow your guests. Here I have served it with small short macaroni like pasta - it goes well with this sauce, but you can serve it with crusty bread or rice, just omit the pasta adding stage and serve hot.

You can get the octopus from your fishmongers. They would have tenderised it for you, so ask first, just in case. You can get them to clean it for you too. If you can't find it fresh, you can buy it frozen from the supermarket and they are usually cleaned before packing.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 octopus, cleaned.

For the sauce:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 glass of good red wine
2 bay leaves
1 tsp of whole allspice
1 tsp of ground pepper

500g of short macaroni-like pasta (these are called kofto pasta, but anything with tubes do fine)

Preparation:

1. Rinse the cleaned octopus. Cut them into several pieces. I cut the legs/tentacles off and the center part into 2.
2. Pre-cook the octopus. Add it into a pot, cover and just braise it on medium heat. The octopus will cook in its own juices. Depends on the size of the octopus, but I check how soft it is with a toothpick/small fork after 20 minutes. If its a medium-large sized octopus you may need 30 minutes. You will end up with that:-

3. Reserve the octopus juices. Sieve it to rid off any gunky bits. Its very full of flavour, umami yummy, and  it'll be used when we make the tomato sauce. Chop the octopus into 2cm sized pieces.

4. In a clean pot, on medium heat, add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the onion, saute until translucent. Add in the garlic and stir for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add in the chopped octopus and stir for about 3 minutes.

6. Add in the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and allspice. Mix it gently, then add in the octopus juices and red wine.

7. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes until it looks like that:-

8. Add in the pasta, and stir. There should be enough liquid for the pasta, if not, add water to slightly cover the pasta, but not more. We don't want soft and soggy pasta.

9. Serve in a big bowl, with a side of garnished feta cheese. (Remove the allspice and bayleaves before serving!)

You don't need to add salt. The octopus is salty enough. But if you feel that you need more seasonings, do so - but I usually find that the saltiness from the octopus is good enough.

Meatball Soup (Giouvarlaki)

I love this soup! Its quite hearty and refreshing at the same time. Its a great winter warmer dish, but surprisingly it goes down really well during cool summer nights. The egg-lemon sauce makes it fresh-tasting, and the meatballs are juicy and flavourful. The secret to this dish is the egg-lemon sauce (avgolemono). My mother-in-law taught me this secret method, best done with a hand whisk but I am not too inclined to have my arms fall off before I can enjoy this soup, so an electric hand whisk or a tabletop whisk will do fine.

Ingredients: (serves 2-4)

For the meatballs:

500g of minced beef

1 medium sized white onion, chopped fine

2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine

1 cup of chopped parsley

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of pepper

50g of washed uncooked rice (long grain is suitable. But here I use basmati rice)

1 medium egg

For the sauce:

2 medium sized eggs (I used 1 large egg here in the pictures)
Juice from 1 lemon

Olive oil

1 litre of water

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. In a big mixing bowl, add in all of the meatball ingredients (like the picture above). Knead until evenly mixed. Leave the mixture in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes to rest (so it doesn't break up during cooking) and then form the mixture into balls - make them however big you want to. I usually end up with about 20 meatballs so I make mine quite large. Arrange them on a plate and then leave them to rest in the fridge for another 10-15 minutes.

2. In a pot, add in the litre of water, about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to the boil, and when its bubbling gently, reduce the heat to medium and gently add in the meatballs. There should be enough water to cover all of the meatballs, if not, add more warm water to cover.

3. Cook on simmering heat for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Take it off the heat.

4. Now to prepare the Avgolemono/Egg-Lemon Sauce. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. This is imperative! 

5. Whisk the egg whites until you can turn the bowl upside down and it stays firm and airy. This is muy importante! 

6. Whisk the egg yolks in a different bowl and add in the lemon juice. Gently fold in the egg yolk into the egg white froth. Gently. 

7. In a separate bowl, scoop out a ladle or 2 of the meat broth. It has to be warm, not boiling hot. Ladle in 1 scoop of the egg lemon sauce while whisking. Add another while continuously whisking. Add this mix into the main egg-lemon mix and continuously (but gently) mixing. Ladle in another spoonful of meat broth into main bowl and mix.

8. Tip in the egg-lemon sauce into the pot with the meatballs. The pot should still be warm so mix in the sauce gently to finish 'cooking' with the heat from the soup. If you are concerned about the eggs not being cooked sufficiently, heat it while stirring on low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season the soup with salt, to taste.

9. Serve in a bowl, with a healthy garnish of freshly ground black pepper, with nice chunky bread to dip by the side!

Chilli Con Carne

This dish has a special place in my culinary heart. I first tried this spicy tomato-meat concoction on top of a baked potato (jacket potatoes!) when I was 12 years old - in a small cafe, in a town called Loughborough, England. It was so exotic to me, to eventually taste this much sung about food (Let There Be Love by Nat King Cole). Fast forward by 7 years, and it was a staple meal for me at my university's Student Union cafe. I love to eat it with rice, but you can have it on its own with bread (corn or otherwise), or as a Taco Salad topping.

My version here is slightly spiced - its not too hot, but with a hint of spices that give it that fresh 'oh-it-is-spiced' feeling.

Ingredients: (serves 2-4)

Spices:

1 tsp of ground cumin

1 tsp of dried thyme

1 tsp of turmeric powder (it can be omitted if you don't have any)

1 tsp of hot chilli powder

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of oregano

1/2 tsp of ground coriander

1/2 tsp of black pepper (in the picture its whole - I will grind it first)

1 thumb sized ginger, sliced

Olive oil

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine

500g of minced beef

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 can of cooked, drained and rinsed kidney beans

A pinch of sugar

1 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce (or balsamic vinegar)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Have all the spices ready as seen below. (Grind the pepper.)

2. On medium heat, add approx. 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pot, and add in the chopped onions. Saute the onions until translucent, then add the garlic. Be sure not to to brown the garlic.

3. After 2-3 minutes, add in the spice mix. Stir and cook until the onions and garlic have taken some colour, and then add the minced beef.

4. Cook the meat until its no longer pink. You may need to break the meat with the back of your spatula. When the juices are clear, you can now remove the ginger slices.

5. Add the chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, a pinch of sugar and the Worcestershire Sauce.

6.Cover slightly, and on low simmering heat, let it cook for about an hour. Once in a while, check in with the meat mixture and stir to stop it from burning.

7. Once its ready, serve it with rice. 

You can garnish this dish with thinly sliced coriander leaves and a dollop of sour cream. 

Mango & Coriander Spicy Kerabu Salad

This refreshing salad is based on the Thai Som Tum Mamuang (Thai Green Mango Salad) and the very much loved Kerabu Mangga recipe that Makmah makes. I love mangoes, but the quality of mangoes I can find here in Greece at times disappoint me. They ripen into hard, sour fruits and I find that they are perfect for savoury salads like this kerabu or made into puree/sauce (to be eaten with ice cream, yum!)

I also love coriander (cilantro). They go really well with this salad, with the kaffir lime leaves and juice, peanuts, fish sauce and kerisik makes this into a very fragrant and appetizing salad. Different brands of fish sauce have different levels of saltiness, so vary accordingly. Be safe, use 1 tbsp first, taste and add more fish sauce/soy sauce if you think it needs more.

Before

After

Ingredients: (Serves 2 - 4 people)

1 mango, sliced/shredded into matchsticks like above.

2-3 sprigs of spring onions, sliced thinly.

A handful of peanuts, crushed into pieces.

A handful of coriander, sliced thinly.

4-5 slices of kaffir lime leaves, sliced into thin shreds.

1 tbsp of kerisik

Juice from 1 lime.

1 - 2 tbsps of fish sauce

1 tbsp of light low-sodium soy sauce

1 tsp of sambal paste

Preparation:

1. In a big mixing bowl add the mango, spring onions, coriander, lime leaves and kerisik. Save a tablespoon or 2 of the peanuts, and add the rest to the mix.
2. In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, soy sauce, sambal paste and lime juice and whisk till smooth.
3. Add the dressing to the salad, and mix thoroughly. Taste, and season with more fish sauce/soy sauce if required.
4. Before serving, garnish with the leftover peanuts.

Bhel

I was first introduced to Bhel as I read the opening paragraph to The Namesake, about the main character Gogol's mother and her attempts at making a snack that she sorely missed. It somewhat reminded me of a snack I once had when I was growing up in Malaysia - unable to remember the name or the exact location I had it, the only thing that stood out to me was the use of peanuts and Rice Krispies or puffed rice. I shuffled that particular observation and memory to a corner of my mind, until earlier this year, while I was walking in Shoreditch with my sister and we happened upon Dishoom. The place looked very inviting, and the food choice was excellent. But what stood out was Bhel, and its a very satisfying salad/snack.
My particular recipe is an adaptation or should I say inspired by the Bhel I had at Dishoom and the one I read about in The Namesake.
Its a safe Vegetarian option (or Vegan if you make your own puffed rice), and its sweet and savoury and spicy and tangy all at the same time. Its very addictive and satisfying, and I find sometimes that a bowlful of this for brunch is enough to last me for the day until dinner.

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups of Rice Krispies/puffed rice
1 cup of roasted peanuts
1/2 cup of pomegranate fruit (arils)
1 small onion, diced
1 spring onion, sliced thin
A handful of thinly sliced coriander (cilantro), approx. 30-50g, depending on taste.
1-2 tsp of chilli powder
Juice from 1 small lime.
Tamarind juice, from 1 tsp of tamarind paste soaked in 3-4 tbsp of water (remove the pulp)

Spiced mustard oil:
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
4-5 pieces of dried curry leaves

Salt and pepper to taste.

Coriander

Preparation:

1. Prepare the oil by heating up a pan and adding the oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fry until the spices start to pop. Remove from heat, and let steep.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the rice krispies, peanuts, pomegranate arils, coriander, onion and spring onion. Mix thoroughly. Add half of the chilli powder and mix again.
3. In a separate bowl, add the lime juice and tamarind juice. Remove the mustard seeds and curry leaves from the oil, and add oil to the juice. Whisk until its all mixed well.
4. Add the juice to the salad/snack bowl, and mix thoroughly. Taste and season accordingly. The spicy heat should be manageable, and if you want it spicier, add more chilli powder.
5. Serve, and happy snacking!

Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak is a rich and creamy rice cooked in coconut milk. Traditionally it is accompanied with sambal tumis (sauteed sambal), ikan bilis and peanuts, cucumbers and a hard boiled-egg. I can say that Nasi Lemak is our national dish. It is a versatile dish, can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner and for the night-owls of my capital city Kuala Lumpur, you can even find them past midnight in some eateries. Look here for a quasi musical/documentary about Nasi Lemak that was filmed in Pudu Market.

Nasi Lemak can be served on its own, or with other side dishes. I sometimes make Chicken Rendang in addition to Nasi Lemak, or I make Sambal Tumis Sotong (Squid Sambal). I have made several variations of Sambal Tumis, with aubergines, hard-boiled eggs and even tofu!

I don't have any Pandan (Screwpine Leaves) at the moment, but cooking the rice with pandan makes the rice smell (and subsequently, taste!) heavenly. I had a stalk of lemongrass which I crushed and added into the rice pot with the coconut milk.

Nasi Lemak is my go-to dish to cook when I feel I need a simple but satisfying pick-me-up from home. There were times when I was ill and about to flee from Greece (usually during the winter) and a plateful of this makes me less homesick.

Ingredients: (serves 2-4)

For the Rice:

1 cup of fragrant Jasmine rice

1 can of coconut milk

Some water (if the coconut milk doesn't come up to 1 1/2 to 2 cups)

A pinch of salt.

If available: pandan leaf tied into a knot, or a stalk of lemongrass, crushed.

For the Sambal Tumis: Recipe here.

Garnish:

Cucumbers, sliced.
Hard-boiled eggs, sliced into halves or quarters.
Ikan Bilis (Anchovies) and Peanuts mix.

Preparation:

1. Cook the rice. If you're using a rice cooker, add the rice and 1 1/2 cups of liquid (coconut milk and water if not enough), a pinch of salt and the pandan or lemongrass. If you're cooking it in a pot on the stove, add the seasonings, rice and liquid (1 1/2 cups to 1 3/4 cups - no more than 2 cups or it'll get soggy!). Cook on medium heat until you see small crater holes on the surface of the rice. Cover with lid, and turn off the heat. Let it steam for about 10 minutes. Do not open the lid until after 10-15 minutes, or you'll stop the steaming and the rice will get all weird. Fluff with a fork.
2. Cook the sambal while rice is cooking.
3. Once everything is ready, arrange on a plate with the garnish - cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs, the ikan bilis (anchovies) and peanuts. 

You can serve it with sambal tumis sotong, or chicken rendang, or a piece of fried chicken, or beef curry.