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Prawn Breyani
Prawn Breyani
Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
500g Basmati rice
1 kg large prawns shelled and deveined
To marinate prawns:
1 cup yogurt
Juice of 1 lime/ lemon
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
Salt to taste
To fry: 4 large onions sliced thinly (divided into 3 equal portions)
3 large tomatoes chopped finely
For dry masala/ spice mix:
2 tablespoons whole koljana/coriander seeds
1 tablespoons whole jeera/cumin seeds
1 tablespoon saunf/ aniseed/ fennel seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 pieces of cinnamon
5 cloves
5 green cardamom
10-12 black peppercorns
2 dry red chillies
For wet masala: 2 green chillies
1/2 cup fresh dhanya leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
3-4 tablespoons fresh chopped dhanya/coriander leaves
4-5 tablespoons cooking oil
Preparation:
Wash the rice. Soak it in warm water for 30 minutes.
Cook the rice till almost done. Drain remaining water (if any) and keep aside.
Marinate the prawns with the marinating ingredients.
Heat a flat pan on a medium heat and gently roast all ingredients mentioned under “For dry masala/ spice mix” till they start to become slightly darker and give off a faint aroma.
Now grind all the roasted ingredients to a fine powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder or use a mortal & pestle.
Grind the ingredients mentioned under “For wet masala”, to a smooth paste in a food processor.
Heat the cooking oil in a deep pan till hot and then fry 1 of the 3 portions of sliced onions till crispy and golden. When done, drain and remove from the oil and keep aside on paper towels to garnish breyani later.
In the same oil, add the remaining sliced onions and fry till soft. Now add the tomatoes and fry till soft.
Add all the dry and wet masala ingredients prepared earlier and fry till the oil begins to separate from the whole mix.
Now add the prawns and all the marinade to this spice mix. Stir and allow to cook till the prawns are done. Do not overcook as the prawns will get rubbery in texture. Season with salt if required.
Remove from heat.
Take a large, deep baking dish/ ovenproof dish (it MUST have its own cover) and grease lightly with cooking oil. Layer the rice and prawn as follows: rice – prawn – rice. End with a layer of rice.
Garnish with the crispy fried onions, chopped dhanya leaves. Cover the dish and seal tightly.
Bake in a hot oven for 30 minutes.
Chops Sosatie
Chops Sosatie
Chops Sosatie
1kg lamb chops
500g thinly slices onions
Marinade:
15ml crushed garlic
5 bay leaves
5 whole cloves
2ml dried thyme
5ml dried sage
20ml curry powder
60ml lemon juice or vinegar
45ml sugar
5ml salt (or too taste)
Marinated Chops Sosatie
Combine the marinade ingredients and marinade chops for at least 1 hour or longer if you have time. Transfer into a oven proof dish cover with sliced onions and cook, covered, with aluminium foil in a preheated oven (200C) for 50 – 60 minutes.
Ready For The Oven
Serve with mashed potatoes and steamed mixed vegetables.
Savoury / Dhanya Rice
Dhanya Rice
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked long grain rice or basmati rice
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cardamom pods
2 stick cinnamons
100g butter
1 teaspoon salt
Handful chopped dhanya
Method:
Parboil the rice until half cooked.
Pour into a colander, rinse, leave the rice in the colander whilst preparing the onions.
Heat your saucepan over medium heat, add the butter, melt, add the cardamom and stick cinnamon. Add the onions. Braise the onions until golden brown. Add the half cooked rice, salt and a cup of water. Heat the rice until warmed through. Add the dhanya, stir with a fork to loosen the grains and turn the heat off. Leave the sealed saucepan on the stove, the retained heat will complete the cooking process and any water left will be absorbed leaving you with fluffy and tender.
VARIATION:
Add a cup of mixed vegetables with the rice before steaming.
Add a tin of drained chick peas with the rice before steaming.
PRAWN CURRY
An easy, creamy prawn curry served with roti. Everyone will come back for seconds. Save time by preparing the chili paste the day before.
Delicious and easy prawn curry.
PRAWN CURRY SERVED WITH DHAI / YOGHURT SAUCE
Ingredients:
750g prawns
1 large onion, liquidised
2 medium onions, chopped fine
2 tablespoons chili paste (**see footnote)
3 bay leaves
½ tin coconut milk
4 cardamoms, crushed
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Method:
Wash and dry the prawns in a kitchen towel. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add bay leaves, cardamom and fry for a few minutes.
Add sliced onions and fry till golden brown.
Then add the liquidized onion paste and the chili paste. Fry for several minutes adding little water, as necessary, to prevent the masala from burning.
Add the prawns. Stir thoroughly and then add the coconut milk. Keep simmering in medium heat till the gravy reduces to a half. Add salt to taste.
Serve hot with rice or roti.
**Chili paste
Ingredients:
1 level teaspoon of chili powder
3 garlic cloves crushed
5 Red chilies chopped
3 Tablespoons of ground ginger
2 Pinches of salt
5 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 Level teaspoon of sugar (can be omitted if preferred)
Method:
Heat oil to medium hot and add chili powder and garlic.
Cook for 2 minutes and then add all other ingredients.
Cook until soft. Decant into a blender and blend into a course paste.
Leave to cool and eat.
Refrigerate and consume within 7 days.
Serve with curry or breyani
DHAI / YOGHURT SAUCE
250m natural yoghurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
2-3 green chillies, chopped
1 tablespoon dhanya, chopped
Pinch salt
Mix all the ingredients together. Pour into a serving dish and serve with curries, breyani, kebabs, etc…
CHICKEN CURRY
Delicious chicken curry, always a winner no matter what the occasion. Serve with flaky roti, chapati (Indian flat bread) or plain boiled white rice. Traditionally served with onion and tomato salad.
Delicious Cape Malay Curry
CHICKEN CURRY
Ingredients
4 tbsp oil
2 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
2 green cardamom pods
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 small-medium onion, chopped
1½ tbsp chopped ginger
6 cloves garlic, chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
½ tsp chilli powder
2 tomatoes, puréed
450g small chicken
½ tsp garam masala
1 handful chopped dhanya
Method:
Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom pods and cumin seeds and fry for about 20 seconds until aromatic.
Add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes until golden brown, stirring often. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook stirring for 40 seconds before adding a pinch of salt and the ground spices, and stir for 15 seconds. Pour in the tomatoes and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the liquid in the pan has dried off and the oil leaves the sides of the dry masala around 10 minutes.
**Add the chicken and brown over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add enough water to almost cover the chicken (about 350ml), bring to the boil and then cook over a low heat until the chicken is cooked through. The slower it cooks the better it tastes. This takes about 15 minutes for small joints and up to 25-30 minutes for larger ones. Check with a fork; once it is tender it is done.
Add the garam masala and chopped dhanya. Serve with rice or roti.
Variation:
**Add potatoes cut in quarters with the chicken
ONION AND TOMATO SALAD
1 large onion, chopped finely
5ml salt
1 large firm tomato, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
10ml sugar
30ml vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped dhanya
Steam the chopped onion in the microwave for 3 minutes. Combine with the rest of the ingredients. Transfer into a serving dish and enjoy with breyani, curry, etc…
EASY SAVOURY CHEESE MUFFINS
Easy cheese muffins (savouries)
Ingredients:
500ml (300g) cake flour
15ml baking powder
5ml dry mustard powder
5ml salt
500ml grated cheddar cheese
250ml milk
80ml oil
2 eggs
Method:
Sift flour, baking powder, mustard and salt in a mixing bowl
Add grated cheese
In a jug combine the milk, oil and eggs. Mix well
Add to dry ingredients and mix gently until combined, taking care not to over mix. Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 200C for 20 minutes
This weeks recipes posted on Facebook
Here follows a round up of the past week’s recipes posted on Facebook.
Monday 13th May – TOMATO FRIKKADEL
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE
Tuesday 14th May – CHICKEN WRAPS
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE
Wednesday 15th May – DHAL AND BATTERED FISH FILLETS
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPES
Thursday 16th May – FLAKY ROTI
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE
Friday 17th May – MAQLUBA
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE
Saturday 18th May – DHALTJIES / PAKORAS
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR THE RECIPE
FOR MORE RECIPES 
CHILLI CON CARNE
Chilli Con Carne Recipe
This great chilli has to be one of the best dishes to serve to friends for a casual get-together. It’s easy to throw together using mostly store cupboard ingredients.
Chilli Con Carne
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 heaped teaspoon hot chilli powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground jeera
500g lean minced beef
1 beef stock cube
400g can chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon dried mix herbs
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon tomato purée
410g can red kidney beans
Method:
- Put your pan on the stove over a medium heat. Add the oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot. Add the onions and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add in the garlic, red pepper, chilli, paprika and cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Brown the mince. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon . The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince. Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.
- Making the sauce. Crumble your stock cube into 300ml/1⁄2 pint of hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture. Open the can of chopped tomatoes and add these as well. Add the mixed herbs and the sugar, and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tablespoons of tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
- Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes. You should check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.
- Bring on the beans. Drain and rinse the beans in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think. Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving, and relax. Leaving your chilli to stand is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle and the meat. Serve with boiled plain rice or my kids love it with cooked spaghetti.
MINCED MEAT PIES
MINCE PIES
Fills about 40 – 50 pies
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
500g lean minced meat, washed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, crushed
5 cloves
30g sago soaked in half a cup of water. (You may use more sago for a thicker texture filling, personally I don’t like using a lot of sago)
Water as needed
Puff pastry
METHOD:
Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, for 2 minutes or until onion softens. Add the mince, cloves, salt and pepper and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps. Cook for 10 minutes. Add water if required.
Meanwhile soak the sago in the water for approximately 15 minutes or until sago is transparent. Add to the mince and cook until combined and the mince have thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 200C. Cut circles from rolled out puff pastry sheets. Line mini muffin pans or use a flat baking tray with the circles. Spoon a teaspoon mince mixture into the centre of the pastry. Top each pie with another pastry circle and seal edges. Brush tops with beaten egg.
Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside in the pans for minutes to cool.
COOK’s TIP:
Remove cloves before filling pastry cases.
You can freeze these pies for up to 1 month. Bake straight from frozen.
OATS & BANANA MUFFINS
Muffins are VERY easy and quick to make, and nothing’s better than warm muffins from the oven on a weekend morning.
OATS AND BANANA MUFFINS
Good for a healthy breakfast
Makes 12 muffins
In one bowl combine:
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup of porridge oats
2 mashed bananas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup caster sugar
In another bowl, mix together:
1/2 cup of wholemeal flour
1 cup of cake flour
1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp of baking powder
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases
OATS & BANANA MUFFINS
Now combine the two mixtures, moving quickly and lightly with your spoon – or a fork actually works well here. You want to use as few stirs as possible and mix until there are no dry patches of flour, but don’t worry if the mixture is pretty lumpy.
Get the mix into the paper cases ASAP filling them three quarters full – as soon as the liquid hits the raising agents they will activate and you want your muffins rising in the oven, not sitting in the kitchen raw.
Bake them for around 20 minutes, then take them out, leave them a couple of minutes and pop them on a wire rack to cool. While they were still warm, I punctured them with a skewer and drizzled them with golden syrup.
PASTA BAKE
PASTA BAKE
Pasta bake is such an easy dinner – try our pasta bake recipe to feed the kids a simple dinner.
KIDS LOVE THIS! Braise lean minced meat with 1 chopped onion, 1 teaspoon garlic, 3 cloves, pepper and salt to taste. The mince should be dry. Top with mashed potatoes and cooked spaghetti as a top layer. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Dot with blobs of butter. Heat through in the oven. Serve with a fresh salad.
EASY PEASY!!
Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights - Salwaa Smith 
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