Friday, April 29, 2011

Delicious Tangy Plum Jam

This is the best jam I've made so far! It is so good. The plums produce a striking beautiful colour and the taste is delicious, the rich tangy flavour of the plums is just wonderful with  the right hint of sweetness from the sugar and I only used half the sugar calls for.

Beautiful tangy plums!


Place whole plums in deep pot, cover with water and leave to boil. Remove the pips or stones as they rise, or simply 'look for it' and discard. Add in sugar and simmer till it reaches setting point. This is fairly easy to make, but be prepared as the whole cooking process takes about one and a half hours. Additional pectin is not needed as plums are rich in natural pectin. 

If you have a candy thermometer, feel free to use it. I did not use the thermometer, I just rely on how thick or runny that I like my jam to be. One thing to remember is, once cool, the jam will set a little bit more.


Four jars of delicious plum jam!


Kept one for myself, the rest given to members of my family.


A spoonful of yumminess! 


Really good on a slice of bread spread with some butter. The jam is really good with freshly toasted bread and a cup of tea!


Plum Jam (original was Damson Jam)
(adapted from "50 Step-By-Step Homemade Preserves" by Maggie Mayhew)
1kg / 2-1/4lb damsons or wild plums
1.4 litres / 2-1/4 pints / 6 cups water  (I use 5 cups water)
1 kg / 2-1/4lb / 5 cups preserving or granulated sugar, warmed (I use 2-1/2 cups sugar)
  1. Put the plums in a preserving pan and pour in the water. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the damsons are soft, then stir in the sugar.
  2. Bring the mixture to the boil, skimming off stones as they rise. Boil to setting point (105C/220F). Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then pot in sterilized jars. Seal, then label and store when cool.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Chicken Curry

It has been raining rather heavily towards the late evening almost daily for the past three weeks or so. A bowl of hot curry eaten with plain white rice is just what I need! This is a very tasty curry dish and if you  love chicken curry, then I think that you would love this. 





Garlic and ginger (pounded), chopped tomatoes, mixed spices and chopped onion


Fresh curry leaves and sawtooth coriander from my garden, cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves




Chicken Curry
(by kitchen flavours)
about 1 kg chicken (half from a large chicken)
1 cinnamon stick about 3"
2 star anise
4 cloves
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 pieces sawtooth coriander, coarsely sliced
1 tbsp garlic, pounded
1 tbsp ginger, pounded
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 potatoes, cut to 1" cubes
2 cups water
1 tsp salt, or to taste
4-5 tbsp oil


The spices :
4 heaped tablespoon curry powder
1/2 tbsp tandoori mix powder
1 tbsp chili powder (use less for milder heat)
1 tbsp garam masala powder
1 tsp ground cumin


  1. Cut chicken to pieces for curry, remove skin and fats.
  2. Heat oil. Fry cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, curry leaves and sawtooth coriander leaves over low heat till fragrant, about 1 minute. 
  3. Add pounded garlic and ginger, fry for about 30 seconds, then add in the onions and tomato. Stir for about 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add in the spices, stir for about 15 seconds. Pour in half a cup of water, stir till evenly mixed.
  5. Stir in chicken pieces and salt, stir till chicken is evenly coated with spices. Pour in the remaining water, stir, cover and let boil for 5 minutes. Test for salt.
  6. Add in potatoes, and if curry appears dry, add about 1/4 cup of water or to desired consistency. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, till chicken is cooked and the potatoes are tender. Curry should be fairly thick with some gravy.
  7. Garnish with thinly sliced sawtooth coriander. Serve with hot white rice. Enjoy!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Orange Pound Cake

I saw this cake over at Louanne's Kitchen, where Louanne and five other foodie pals got together to form a group who are baking from Barefoot Contessa's recipes. Ina's Garden was created by these six lovely ladies, and this Orange Pound Cake was the first recipe which is the kick-start for this new blog hop.  For more info on this new group, please drop by Louannes' Kitchen for the full details.

I have never tried baking or cooking from any of Ina Garten's recipes before, this is a first one for me.  In fact, I have watched her shows and seen some of her cookbooks, but have never attempted to try any before. So this cake is a perfect one to start with.



This is a lovely orange pound cake. It is so soft, moist and full of orange flavour. It is good on the first day, even better on the next day! The recipe makes 2 loafs of cake. I only make half the recipe. The original recipe can be found at here , from food.com.


I'm linking this with Ina's Garden over at Louanne's Kitchen, check out what's next on Ina's Garden over at Louanne's.


Ina\


If you would like to try out this cake and join in the fun, here's the recipe , my measurements for 1/2 the recipe are printed in purple :

Barefoot Contessa's Orange Pound Cake
(source from food.com)
1/2 lb unsalted butter, at room temperature (125gm, salted butter)
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided (150gm caster sugar for the cake, additional 2 tbsp for the syrup)
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature (2 eggs)
1/3 cup grated orange zest (6 oranges) (I use 2 oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour (1-1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (1/4 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (omitted, as I use salted butter)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, divided (1/3 cup for the cake, additional 1/4 cup for the syrup)
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature (I use 1/2 cup homemade yoghurt and 1/4 cup milk, stir to mix)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon)

Directions :

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans.
  3. Cream butter and 2 cups of sugar in a bowl
  4. Mix in eggs, one at a time, add zest.
  5. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
  6. In another bowl, mix 1/4 cup orange juice, buttermilk and vanilla.
  7. Add flour and buttermilk mixture alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with flour.
  8. Divide between 2 pans and smooth the tops.
  9. Bake for 45 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
  10. Cool for 10 minutes.
  11. Make the syrup while cake is baking.
  12. Syrup consists of remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup orange juice.
  13. Cook these together over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.
  14. Spoon over cakes and then allow them to cool completely.
  15. You may glaze these cakes (after cooling) with a simple glaze but I don't usually.

Kitchen Flavours notes :
~ I use baking pan size 8inx5in for half the recipe.
~ I substitute the buttermilk with homemade yoghurt and milk, for 3/4 cup buttermilk substitute with  1/2 cup yoghurt mix with 1/4 cup milk.
~ I reduced the sugar and it is just right, with the right amount of sweetness.
~ I rub the sugar with the zest until the sugar is aromatic and is a lovely orange.
~ Before pouring the syrup over the cake, I poked the cake all over. Do not skip this syrup, as it really makes the cake moist and full of orange flavour.




Sunday, April 24, 2011

5 Recipes to Celebrate Easter

Lena from Frozen Wings has invited Kitchen Flavours to join in an Easter Party by suggesting 5-10 recipes, upload the photos with respective links. We are supposed to tag 10 other bloggers to do the same, but since this is a rush, I'm just gonna join in the party and bring these along to the virtual party!


Steamed Lotus Roots with Minced Meat

Balti Chicken

Friday, April 22, 2011

Sage and Sausage Loaf

Slicing into this bread will reveal the hidden treasure inside! Two rolls of delicious sausages takes center stage in this savory loaf of bread. The addition of sage gives a light herby aroma. It has a lovely crust and to enjoy it to the fullest, eat it while still slightly warm. This bread is good on the first day, it is not as soft and fluffy as the Fresh Tomato and Basil Loaf on my earlier post, but it is soft enough.  I find that this bread is not a good keeper, on the second day, it has gone a little stale. Since it has the sausages as its filling, it is advisable to finish the bread by the second day.





The lovely crust.



I could not find any Mediterranean sausages, so I use black pepper sausages, really good too!



So if you intend to have this bread for dinner or late supper, make this in the afternoon, and you will enjoy it at its best, on the day it is baked.


I'm sharing this with 


Sage and Sausage Loaf
(adapted from "Bread Machine" by Jennie Shapter)
Makes 1 loaf
1 tbsp (15ml) sunflower oil
200gm (7oz) spicy Mediterranean sausages
3 eggs
2 tbsp (30ml) water
350gm (12-1/2oz) generous 3 cups unbleached white bread flour
2 tbsp (30ml) skimmed milk powder (non fat dry milk)
2 tsp (10ml) granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp (7.5ml) salt
1/4 cup (50gm/2oz) butter, melted
1 tsp (5ml) easy bake (rapid-rise) dried yeast
1 tsp (5ml) dried sage
1 egg yolk, to glaze
1 tbsp (15ml) water, to glaze

  1. Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan. Add the sausages. Fry them over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes or until cooked, turning frequently. Cool.
  2. Add the eggs and water to the bread pan. Reverse the order in which you add the wet and dry ingredients if necessary.
  3. Sprinkle over the flour, covering the liquid. Add the milk powder. Place the sugar, salt and butter in separate corners of the pan. Make a small indent in the centre of the flour, add the yeast.
  4. Set the bread machine to the dough setting; use basic raisin dough setting (if available). Press Start. Add the sage when the machine beeps or during the last 5 minutes of kneading. Lightly oil a 23x13cm/9x5in loaf tin (pan).
  5. When the dough cycle has finished, place the dough on a floured surface. Knock back (punch down) gently. Roll into a rectangle 2.5cm/1in x 23cm/9in.
  6. Place the sausages down the centre and roll the dough tightly around them. Place in the tin. Cover with lightly oiled clear film (plastic wrap) and leave to rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. To glaze, mix the yolk and water, brush over the bread and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool.




Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Fluffy Pancakes and Awards

Soft, fluffy and good! Extremely easy to make. Made this for breakfast and the kids enjoyed these with some warm blueberry sauce. I will be making this again,  yummy with some strawberry sauce  or honey and would be fantastic with chocolate sauce! I got this delicious recipe from Allrecipes.com , a great site to look for home recipes.






Fluffy Pancakes
(source from Allrecipes.com)
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoon white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (use half if using salted butter)
1 egg
2 tablespoon butter, melted
cooking spray

Method :

  1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
  2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and pour into "soured milk". Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until the lumps are gone.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cooked until browned on the other side.


************************

A W A R D S

These lovely awards are from two wonderful foodie friends, Jay of Tasty Appetite and Love2Cook.

Thank you ladies, for forwarding these awards to me, I'm honoured! Some of you may already know these two wonderful blogs, if you do not, then do stop by their wonderful sites. They have wonderful delicious yummies both in their cooking pot and in their baking pans! Once you pop over to their site, you will surely be back again visiting! Thank you again, Jay and Love2Cook.










A








Seven things about myself :
  1. I'm addicted to cookbooks! But then, who doesn't??
  2. I love watching "The Power Puff Girls" and "Tom and Jerry".. are you laughing?? 
  3. I try not to watch sad story on TV, they make me cry..
  4. I love coffee AND tea!
  5. Stayed near the beach until I was fifteen, but never knew how to swim!!!!
  6. The first book that make me cry when I was eight, "The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen.
  7. I read my first "Mills & Boons" when I was eleven, WOW! and never look back! 

I would like to pass on those lovely awards to the following fantastic blogs :



Sunday, April 17, 2011

Pineapple-Rosemary Sorbet

I bought this baking and dessert book, The Sweet Life, Desserts from Chanterelle, by Kate Zuckermann quite some time ago, and this is the first recipe that I've tried. This is a beautiful book, one that I would read over and over, never get bored, with lots of recipes that I've bookmarked to try but somehow or other, always got pushed over by recipes from other sources! Would you believe it that I actually felt quite guilty for not trying a single recipe from this book? Dozens of times that this book has been taken from the bookshelf into my hands and pages flipped over, read and read again, bookmarked, read again the next night, back to the bookshelf and will be repeated again a few days later! About time to put that guilt to rest! Pineapple-Rosemary Sorbet seems like the perfect choice to do just that!




Kate Zuckermann is the pastry chef of award-winning New York City restaurant, Chanterelle. This book covers ten chapters ; Tarts, Cakes, Cookies, Custards/Puddings/Cremes/Mousses, Souffles, Ice Cream/Sorbets/Frozen Desserts, Roasted Fruits/Fruit Soups, Chocolate and Candies, Edible Garnishes and Snacks, Sauces and Cream Accompaniments. The one thing that I like about this book, are the hints and techniques that can be found throughout the book. Though I may not be able to bake some of the recipes because of the unavailability of certain ingredients, except maybe if I can find a close substitute, I'm looking forward to a few that I've already bookmarked. 


A ripe pineapple from the market and some rosemary sprigs from my garden. Remove the "eyes" from the pineapple, place it in a pot with some water and sugar. Let it boil and simmer for  about 5 minutes, add in the rosemary, making sure they are submerged in the syrup. Cover and leave to steep for 10 minutes.



Blend the pineapple together with the syrup, strain over a wire mesh, press to drain out all juices, discard the pineapple pulp which is really very little. Stir in salt, leave it to cool, add in squeezed lime juice, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight. I got about 3-1/2 cups of base sorbet. When chilled, churn in the ice cream maker till mushy and  the consistency of soft whipped cream. Transfer to a container and freeze in the freezer for at least 4 hours. Enjoy!





This is a refreshing, lovely sorbet. The flavours of the pineapple is really fresh, do not skip the  lime, as I think that it complements well with the freshness of the pineapple.  The only thing is I will add on more sprigs of rosemary when I make this the next time, as I can hardly smell the fragrance of the rosemary. And one more thing, I added in a big pinch of salt, influenced by David Lebovitz! I think that this is another ingredient that should not be skipped. All in, this is a wonderful, refreshing, flavourful and light sorbet that I'm sure everyone will enjoy. 


I'm sharing this with :
Sweets For A Saturday over at Sweet As Sugar Cookies


For this Pineapple-Rosemary Sorbet, I made half the recipe, about 1.8 pounds of pineapple and 1/2 cup sugar, as my ice cream maker can only accommodate 1 quart amount.  The recipe below is the original from the book.

Pineapple-Rosemary Sorbet
(adapted from "The Sweet Life" by Kate Zuckermann)
Yield : 2 quarts churned sorbet
1 medium to large ripe pineapple (approx 3 pounds plus 8 to 12 ounces)
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 stalks fresh rosemary
Juice of 1 lime
Superfine sugar (optional)
a big pinch of salt (my addition)


Cook the pineapple.
With a sharp knife, remove the top and bottom of the pineapple. Stand the fruit up and carve the skin off in long, slow strokes. Slice the carved pineapple down the center and lay each half, flat side down, on a cutting board. Cut the halves into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick semicircles. In a stainless-steel-lined saucepan, combine the sliced pineapple, sugar, and 2 cups cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the rosemary and remove the pan from the heat. Make sure the rosemary is submerged in the liquid, cover the pan, and set it aside for 10 minutes.

Puree and strain the pineapple.
Remove and discard the rosemary. Scoop half of the pineapple and some of the cooking syrup into a food processor or blender and puree on the highest speed for 2 minutes. Transfer the puree to a bowl and repeat the process with the remaining pineapple. Pass the pureed pineapple through a fine-mesh strainer and into a stainless-steel bowl, pushing the fruit through the strainer with the back of a ladle or a rubber spatula.
Discard the pulp. Place the bowl in an ice bath to chill. Once the mixture is chilled, add the lime juice. The sorbet base will be sweet. Some of the sweetness will be tamed by the freezing process, but if you find the sorbet base cloyingly sweet, add more lime juice. If the sorbet base does not seem that sweet, try adding a few teaspoons of superfine sugar. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 2 days.


Churn the sorbet.
Churn the sorbet in an ice cream machine according to the machine manufacturer's directions. The sorbet is finished once it has increased in volume and it holds whisk lines from the stirring mechanism and mounds like softly whipped cream. Transfer to the freezer for 4 hours to attain a scoopable consistency.


Storage
This sorbet is best if you serve it 4 to 6 hours after churning, but will keep in the freezer for up to 1 week.


*******************


Updated : 19/04/2011
To make a sorbet without the use of ice cream maker :
Source from : The Ice Cream Book by Joanna Farrow and Sara Lewis


After chilling the mixture overnight, continues as follows :
By hand : Pour the mixture into a plastic tub or similar freezeproof container. It should not be more than 4cm/1-1/2in deep. Cover and freeze in the coldest part of the freezer for 4 hours or until it has partially frozen and ice crystals have begun to form. Beat until smooth with a fork, or hand-held electric whisk. Alternatively, process in a food processor until smooth.  
Tip : If making by hand, ensure that the freezer temperature is as low as possible to speed up the freezing process, and beat at regular intervals.



Thursday, April 14, 2011

Salted Duck Eggs

Salted duck eggs, are a favourite among the Chinese, though now it is commonly eaten by others too.  These salted eggs are sometimes sold, covered with a thick layer of charcoal salted paste. For homemade salted eggs, we soak the eggs in prepared brine solution. Salt  is boiled with some water, left overnight till completely cool, then the whole eggs are put into a glass jar, covered with the salted brine, the jar is then covered lightly with a slight opening gap, and leave to preserve, undisturbed in a cool, dark place for 21 days.


These are hard-boiled salted eggs. Really good as a side condiment with congee.

At the end of 21 days, I would usually test an egg to check whether they are ready to be eaten. An egg is taken from the jar, rinse it clean and boil it in plain cool water for about 10  minutes, same as the regular hard boiled eggs. Remove it from the boiling water and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, cut the egg in half lengthwise, the yolk should be orange red, a little oily and firm. The white part would be more saltier than the yolk. If the whole yolk is pale in colour, then the eggs are not ready, and need to be preserved a little bit longer, maybe another few days or so.  The oiler the yolk, the tastier it will be, then you will know that you have been really successful at making homemade salted eggs.


Make sure the eggs are completely submerged in the brine solution. I placed a small teacup to keep the eggs in place as they tend to float to the surface. 


Keep it covered, leaving a small gap to allow air to circulate. Place the jar in a dark and cool place, undisturbed, and leave for 21 days.




Salted duck eggs can be boiled or steamed, still in their shell, and once cooked, peel off the shell and can be eaten with congee and also be used to prepare other Chinese dishes. Salted eggs are usually prized for their yolks, the deeper the colour and more oily it gets, the tastier it will be. During the Mooncake Festival, the price of salted eggs would usually increase, as the yolks are used to represent the moon in the mooncakes. 



The white part of the raw salted eggs would be runny and clear, whereas the yolk would be a bright orange-red and firm. The raw yolks can be mashed and use to flavour soups along with the whites.

I have made Salted Duck Eggs many times and have given most of the eggs away to my sisters and friends. Salted duck eggs are high in cholestorel and sodium, therefore this is not consumed frequently. We only have this once in a while, and at moderation. Usually an egg is shared by two persons, each gets a half!

Even though chicken eggs can be used, duck eggs are preferred for its richer and creamier taste. There are many ways of using salted duck eggs, either in savoury cooking or sweet desserts. I will be posting some recipes using salted eggs when I do use them. 

Have you eaten salted duck eggs before?

I'm sharing this with Full Plate Thursday over at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Salted Duck Eggs
12 medium sized duck eggs, wash and scrub shell gently to remove dirt, wipe dry
400gm salt
8 cups water

  1. Place salt and water in deep stockpot and let boil till most of the salt dissolves. Tip, if the brine is salty enough, the salt won't dissolve completely, you can still find the salt grains in the pot.  Let cool completely, preferably overnight.
  2. Wash eggs clean, gently scrub the shell to remove dirt. Wipe dry and place in a glass jar. I would prefer to use medium sized eggs rather than large, as it takes a shorter period of time to preserve them. If you're using bigger sized eggs, increase the preservation by another 3 to 4 days.
  3. Place a sieve over the jar of eggs, and slowly pour the salted brine solution into the jar until the eggs are fully submerged in the solution. Because of the density of the salt, the eggs will float. Place a mug or a small bowl over the top of the eggs to submerge the eggs in the solution. Cover the jar loosely, leaving a gap for the air to circulate.
  4. Leave in a cool, dark place, undisturbed for about 21 days.
  5. At the end of 21 days, there are two ways to check whether the eggs are ready. First method is to break open the uncooked salted egg, the whites should be clear and runny and the yolk should be firm that you can lift it up with a spoon and the colour is orange red. Now I prefer the second method, boil it in an open small pot for about 10 minutes, let cool to room temperature, unpeel or just cut it across lengthwise, the yolks should be orange-red and a little oily. If the yolk is really pale,  leave the rest of the eggs to preserve for another 3 days or so, and do the test-check again.
  6. Do not allow the eggs to soak in the brine solution for long periods as they will get saltier the longer they sits in the salted solution. Once the test check is done, and the eggs are ready, simply drain them dry in a colander and place them in a covered container, and store them in the fridge. 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Cajun Spiced Braid

Over the weekend, my sister came for a visit and she brought over two tubs of frozen chicken stew for my kids, cooked by her. Yesterday, being a school day, I am undecided about what to prepare for the kids' after school meal. Her chicken stew came to mind along with a crusty fresh loaf of bread. I just need to make the bread and reheat the chicken stew, perfect, that would give me some extra time to 'spring-clean' my son's room, stuffs like clothes and toys that he has outgrown, will have to go to the recycle centre. I have been putting this off for so long now.


Her chicken stew is so delicious! I would have to ask her to cook this again, invite us over, and I'll bring the bread!



Found this lovely recipe from my current favourite bread making book, "Bread Machine".  Everything goes into the bread maker, let it do what it is best at, kneading, then take the dough out, punch it down, round it, and divide into three equal sizes.



Roll the three pieces of dough into long ropes, braid them together and place onto lightly greased baking pan, cover with lightly oiled clear film and leave to rise. Uh-oh, look at the braid, it rose so much that the braids has mis-shapen! It is definitely not a pretty braid!  Ha! Ha! Brush the top with some egg glaze and bake.



It is so good! It is crusty on the outside and soft inside. This is so good with the delicious chicken stew!


This bread is a little spicy from the paprika powder, cayenne powder and black pepper, but then my kids are not complaining. They love it! Between the two of them, they finished half the braid!


This is another winning bread recipe from Jennie Shapter!


Cajun Spiced Bread
(adapted from "Bread Machine" by Jennie Shapter)
Makes 1 loaf
1-1/4 cups (300ml/10-1/2 fl oz) water
2 tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil
1 tbsp (15ml) tomato puree (paste)
4-1/2 cups (500gm/1lb 2oz) unbleached white bread flour
1-1/2 tsp (7.5ml) paprika
1 tsp (5ml) cayenne pepper
1 tsp (5ml) dried oregano
1/2 tsp (2.5ml) freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
1-1/2 tsp (7.5ml) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5ml) sugar
1-1/2 tsp (7.5ml) easy bake (rapid-rise) dried yeast


For The Glaze :
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp (15ml) water

  1. Pour the water and vegetable oil into the bread machine pan, then add the tomato puree. If the instructions for your machine specify that the yeast is to be placed in the pan first, reverse the order in which you add the liquid and dry ingredients.
  2. Sprinkle over the flour, ensuring that it covers the liquid. Add the paprika, cayenne, oregano, black pepper and crushed garlic. Place the salt and sugar in separate corners of the bread pan. Make a small indent in the centre of the flour (but not down as far as the liquid) and add the yeast.
  3. Set the bread machine to the dough setting; use basic dough setting (if available). Press Start. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
  4. Once the dough cycle has finished, place the dough on a floured surface. Knock it back (punch it down) and divide into three.
  5. Roll the pieces into equal ropes. Put next to each other. From the centre, braid from left to right, working towards you. Press the ends together and tuck under.
  6. Turn the dough around and braid the remaining ropes. Place on the prepared baking sheet, cover with oiled clear film (plastic wrap) and leave in a warm place to rise for 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
  7. Mix the egg yolk and water for the glaze together. Remove the clear film and brush the glaze over the braid. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden.



Saturday, April 9, 2011

Apricot Chutney

I'm always looking out for recipes with apricots, in my case, dried apricots, as the fresh ones are not easily available and even if they are, are really very expensive. I can never get enough of this delicious tangy dried fruit!



This is another lovely recipe from Mridula Baljekar,  Apricot Chutney.





It is really easy and delicious with a mixture of sweet and sour. Great with rice and as a side condiment with Indian curry and freshly made bread.







Make some and have a jar of this delicious chutney, serve alongside your favourite meats, I'm sure that you will enjoy this. I did! 

I'm sharing this with these lovely sites :



Apricot Chutney
(source from : Curry by Mridula Baljekar)
450gm dried apricots, finely diced (I use 300gm)
1 tsp garam masala
275gm light brown sugar (I use about 200gm)
450ml malt vinegar (I use 250ml)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp salt  (I use about 1-1/4 tsp, to taste)
75gm (1/2 cup) sultana
450ml water (I use 250ml)
  1. Put all ingredients together into a saucepan and stir well to mix. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. When the chutney becomes syrupy, remove from the heat. Leave to cool, then ladle into a hot sterilized jar and cover. Chill after opening.