Lunch Box Surprise: Thai Mango Salad

Thailand is very special for its exotic salads. From papaya to pomelo, there is a burst of flavour with every bite. Thai salads are very distinct due to the ingredients used and each ingredient is used to create a balance between flavours. So many vegetarians like to try these salads when they go out, but a lot of the time, Thai food itself contains fish sauce and shrimp paste. This salad is not only completely vegetarian, but vegan as well.

If you wish, you may substitute the chilli garlic sauce with fresh chilli & garlic, and then add palm sugar. This is the way of making the dressing using fresh ingredients instead of bottled sauces. You may also wish to use no garlic and therefore, substitute by increasing the amount of vegetarian oyster sauce and/or soy sauce used. There are many different ways of getting creative with a Thai salad. This one is a basic mango salad that I created, using ripe mango instead of unripe. I love a sweet mango in my salad... :-P

Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ads70nzJIbw&t=263s

THAI MANGO SALAD

Ingredients:
SALAD
1 cup carrots, peeled and grated
1/4-1/2 cup bean sprouts
1 small cucumber, grated (squeeze out excess moisture if you like)
1 small (1/4 cup) tomatoes,chopped
1/2 unripe mango (you can use ripe mango if you like-sweetness)
3 slices red cabbage or Napa cabbage

DRESSING
1-2 tbsp chilli garlic sauce
Less than 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce (or soy sauce)
1 tbsp sweet Thai chilli sauce
Juice of 1/2 calamansi lime (or 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
1 tbsp or so sesame oil

GARNISH
1/4 cup peanuts, roasted and ground coarsely
1-2 tbsp sesame seeds, roasted
1 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp spring onions, finely chopped

METHOD
1. In a bowl, mix chilli garlic sauce and oyster sauce. Add lemon juice, palm sugar and water. Blend together well till everything comes together. Add sesame oil if you wish.

2. Add all the salad ingredients, except cabbage. Toss well.

3. Arrange cabbage slices on a plate and scoop salad into the cabbage. Top generously with peanuts and sesame seeds, and garnish with coriander leaves and spring onions. Serve chilled.

Lunch Box Surprise-Buttery Yellow Lentils with Rice (Dal Chawal)

Dal chawal is a household staple in the Indian subcontinent, and especially when talking about vegetarians. For those who may not know, dal is 'lentil' and chawal is 'rice'. The type of lentil used varies from region to region, and it depends on what is available. For example, if you go across to Punjab & Kashmir, you will get the blacker lentils such as kidney bean (rajma) and split black or green urad dal. In the Western parts, it will most likely be moong or chana.

But, when referring to dal chawal in itself, it will be any kind that is yellow in colour, but most probably pigeon peas (toovar dal or arhar ki dal) or moong dal. This time, we will use moong dal. This recipe is a traditional Sindhi recipe, which kids love, but even older people swear by. Dal chawal is listed as a favourite food amongst many including famous actor, Amitabh Bachchan.

So, here's the recipe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TPOWybH9KE

Ingredients:
For Pressure Cooking
Less than 1/2 cup split mung beans (yellow moong dal: Hindi), soaked overnight
2 tbsp split Bengal gram (chana dal/chane ki dal: Hindi), soaked overnight
2-3 cups water for boiling
2 green chillies, slit and deseeded
1/2" ginger, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi: Hindi)
1-2 small tomatoes, blanched and pureed
Salt to taste
1 tsp clarified butter (desi ghee: Hindi)

For Tempering & Garnish
About less than 2 tbsp clarified butter (desi ghee: Hindi)
Pinch of asafoetida (hing: Hindi)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera: Hindi)
5 curry leaves
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (lal mirch powder: Hindi)
1/4 tsp mango powder (amchur: Hindi)
1-2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

For Serving
Cooked basmati rice infused with clarified butter and cumin (or just plain will do)
French fries topped with chaat masala or sandwich masala (available at local Indian supermarkets)


METHOD
1. In a pressure cooker, add all ingredients and enough water to boil till soft and slightly mushy or creamy. Wait for ? whistles or ? mins

2. Add red chilli powder, and cook for another 5 more mins.

3. For tempering, heat ghee and add asafoetida and cumin. Wait till cumin seeds crackle.

4. Add curry leaves, and garlic. Cook till garlic gets fragrant and pour over lentils. Sprinkle mango powder and coriander leaves, and serve with basmati rice and French fries.

Lunch Box Surprise-Scrambled Cottage Cheese with Tomatoes, Chilli & Onion (Paneer Bhurji)

Originally, this dish started out as an “egg bhurji”, or an Indian version of scrambled eggs, which is very popular in Northern & Western India. Because it is very high in protein, and very spicy and delicious, a lot of people request to learn this recipe. You can also play around with spices, adding things like fenugreek to it. Paneer bhurji can be served with either chapati or naan, depending on your taste. Some people even have it with a slice of toast in the morning.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqYsf0Wdf7w

Ingredients:

1 recipe of cottage cheese or paneer (as explained in my “Palak Paneer” recipe- footnotes)

2-3 tbsp clarified butter (desi ghee)

¼ tsp ground asafoetida (hing)

½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½” ginger, finely chopped

2-3 tomatoes (small), finely chopped

Salt to taste

¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

½ tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp chaat masala

2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

 

METHOD

1.       Prepare paneer according to directions given in the recipe.

2.       Heat ghee, add asafoetida and cumin seeds. Wait till cumin seeds crackle.

3.       Add onion, and sauté till golden brown.

4.       Add garlic and ginger, and cook till fragrant.

5.       Add tomatoes and cook till oil separates.

6.       Add green chilli, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, ground cumin, ground coriander and chaat masala. Cook well.

7. Crumble the paneer into the mixture.

8.       Add a little hot water and cover up and cook for a few mins.

9.        Garnish with coriander and serve hot with your favourite roti, naan or toasted bread.

 

FOOTNOTES

1. Palak paneer recipe can be found:

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpnXxnUNvRA

- Blog:https://vegefoodluva.blogspot.sg/2017/07/lunch-box-surprise-spinach-cottage.html

Prepare the cottage cheese according to that.

 

2. You may try adding a little dried fenugreek leaves; maybe about 1/2 tsp. Roast it a little first, and then crush it.

3. You may replace the paneer with "tofu", which is known as "soy paneer" in India.

4. You may replace the ghee with your choice of fats (cooking oil, margarine or butter), whichever you prefer.

5. You may omit the onion and garlic.

Lunch Box Surprise- Spicy Vegetables Cooked In Onions & Tomatoes with Soft Roll (Pav Bhaji)

So, if you ask me about street food, I believe every street dish should be something totally unique, and yet appeal to the masses. You can use your own unique ingredients, but you should also do something that everyone will appreciate. The Pav Bhaji, is a great example of that. The vendors prepare a delicious blend of vegetables with their aromatic spices and serve that with delicious hamburger buns. Whilst the vegetables are distinctly flavoured with the likes of onion, tomato and other special spices, the bun is just something comforting; soft and buttery. When you hit the streets of Mumbai, India, you have to try this dish at least once. If you feel scared about eating on the roadside (due to unhygienic practices that might be there), try it in a higher class restaurant or a hotel.

Or, better still, try this recipe at home in the comfort of your own kitchen (and much healthier also)... The video is right here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwzMjBCIl9M&t=2s


Ingredients:
For Vegetables
1/2 small capsicum (preferably green), finely chopped
1/4 cauliflower, grated
2-3 small potatoes, scrubbed (DO NOT PEEL)- you can just cut it into half to help it boil faster
1/2 small carrot, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp frozen green peas
1/4 cup French beans, finely chopped
About 2-3 cups (or so) water to boil
1 tsp butter

For Gravy
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp ground asafoetida (hing: Hindi)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera: Hindi)
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/2" ginger
2-3 small tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 green chilli
1/2 red chilli
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp (or less) red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi: Hindi)
3/4-1 tsp pav bhaji masala
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp (or less) lemon juice

To Serve
1 tbsp coriander leaves, for garnish
4 hamburger buns
1 1/2 tbsp butter
Pinch of ground turmeric, pav bhaji masala and red chilli powder
Few slices of onion mixed with lemon juice, coriander leaves and black salt

METHOD
For Vegetables
1. Heat water for boiling in a saucepan. Place all vegetables, except capsicum, to cook till soft- a little more than fork tender. DO NOT DISCARD WATER.

2. Take out potatoes from the rest of the vegetables and peel off skin. Keep all vegetables aside.

3. Heat butter in a small pan, add capsicum and saute till little soft. Keep aside.

For Gravy
1. Heat 1 tbsp butter, add asafoetida and cumin. Wait till cumin seeds crackle a little.
2. Add onions, and cook till translucent. Take off heat.
3. Make a paste of ginger, garlic and red chilli.
4. Heat remaining amt of butter, add ginger etc. paste and cook till fragrant.
5. Add tomatoes and cook till oil separates.
6. Add green chilli and cook for about 2-3 mins.
7. Add potatoes and other vegetables except capsicum. Mash them till well combined and slightly soft.
8. Add salt, about a pinch of turmeric, less than 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 3/4 tsp pav bhaji masala and less than 1/2 tsp garam masala. Add lemon juice. You can add about 1/4 cup or so water at this point and then cover up and let it cook for about 10 mins.
9. Add the remaining amount of spices into your gravy, and season as per your preference.
10. Dot with a little butter if you like and cover up and cook again.

For Serving
1. Cut the buns lengthwise
2. Heat a skillet with butter and let it melt a bit.
3. Add turmeric, pav bhaji masala etc to the butter
4. Toast your buns in that butter till golden brown.
5. Serve pav bhaji garnished with coriander, with buns and onions (as mentioned above)

TIPS- #'s 2 to 4 are by Courtesy of Jit

1. You can add your cumin seed after onion as well.
2. Adding 80% spices during cooking and 20% after helps it to be more aromatic and flavourful .
3. You can do the same with the peas, so that the peas added after last stages remain fresh and sweet.
4. Be careful you don't add too much carrot, capsicum, onion or peas, as it will be sweet.
5. Do not add too much salt if you have added salt whilst boiling potatoes.
6. If you want you can even add a little bit of eggplant and/or bottle gourd, but be careful it's not too much either as pav bhaji will be bitter otherwise.

Lunch Box Surprise: Sludgy Fudgy Brownies (Eggless)- The Most Basic & Best Brownie Recipe Of Mine

One of my signature recipes & my favourite ones too, would be the chocolate fudge brownie. I have been trying to develop a good recipe for this one and have had to consult so many websites on the Internet. One thing, I found is that it is very important to replace the egg in this recipe, because the egg and the sugar react to create a meringue of its own, and it becomes a crispy layer on top. In an eggless brownie, it is difficult to achieve that, and speaking from experience, we can actually achieve something not exactly the same, but similar. While it may not be so important to use melted chocolate in the original brownie (with egg), it is actually vital to do so in this one.

Also, an eggless brownie is a bit more crumbly and soft. I will post more about good eggless brownies in the tips below. Meanwhile, please see the Youtube video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=908s40ReOhc

Ingredients:
Dry Ingredients:
100g (about less than 1/2 cup) all purpose flour
80g-90g (about 6-8 large tbsp) cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
100g icing sugar


Wet Ingredients
50g (about 1/2 cup) butter, melted
50g brown sugar
80g (about 1/3 cup) chocolate chips
100g (about 1/2 cup) yoghurt*
3/4 tsp vanilla essence
2-3 tbsp cold milk (to thin batter)


Extras:
60g (about 1/4 cup) chocolate chips
45g (about 3 tbsp) walnuts, chopped



METHOD
1. Preheat your oven to either of these temperatures:
Normal Oven (Celsius): 180 deg
Normal Oven (Fahrenheit): 350 deg
Gas Mark: 4
Fan oven (Celsius): 160 deg
Fan oven (Fahrenheit): 329 deg

Grease a square cake pan

2. In a mixing bowl, sift all your dry ingredients and blend together.

3. In a saucepan, add boiling water and place  a glass bowl or another small dish. Add your chocolate chips to the dish and melt it till sticky and smooth. Keep aside.

4. In another mixing bowl, beat together your butter, yoghurt, melted chocolate and brown sugar, till creamy and well combined.

5. Add your dry ingredients at once to the wet ingredients. Keep blending well. If too thick, then add your milk.

6.  Add vanilla essence and fold in your 60g chocolate chips and walnuts.

7. Pour batter into your prepared cake pan and bake for about 10-20 mins (KEEP AN EYE ON IT- remember, every oven differs).

8. Cool and cut into square pieces.

9. Ways to serve:
- Warm or sizzling with vanilla ice-cream & chocolate sauce (little melted chocolate/Nutella with milk)
- Frosted with M&M's
- Cold & plain with fresh milk, or hot coffee, tea or hot chocolate
- Naughty Brownies... See recipe below :P


Tips:
1) Eggless brownies are generally more crumbly or moist compared to normal brownies. Remember not to overbake it. If you prefer a crispy layer on top only, then you need to have it cold.

2) When sizzling, take care not to overheat it.

3) Melted butter is best, as it becomes easier to incorporate with the wet ingredients.

4) Sift the dry ingredients only once, as it is not airiness we are looking for. Add them all at once, as it's not a cake, so we don't desire a soft consistency as much.

5) You can omit the nuts if you feel like. For gluten free & vegan brownies, head to this link:

6) Naughty Brownie Recipe:
- This is known by another name, but I can't use that since this blog is for families.

Brownie batter as per the above recipe
12-15 pcs Oreo cookies (or chocolate & cream filled cookies of your choice)
1 package Betty Crocker cookie mix (prepare this by adding 110g butter & replacement for 1 egg- 1 tbsp ground flax seed & 1 tbsp water)

All you have to do is press the cookie dough to the bottom of your cake pan, top with Oreo cookies and pour brownie batter on top. Bake this for about 15-20 mins & there you have it... Naughty Brownies :P

Lunch Box Surprise: Cheesy Burst Pizza

Pizza is a worldwide popular choice when it concerns food choices. Pizza has people's mouths watering at the very mention of it, and it's become something which adapts wherever you go, e.g. Japanese pizza with teriyaki sauce, Indian tandoori pizza, Mexican pizza on a corn tortilla etc.

This one is a special kind of pizza with another sauce inside, bursting with cheesy goodness. Today, you will learn how to make a cheesy burst pizza. Now, while the preparation may be tedious, it's so totally worth it because the taste is one of a kind. Watch the video in the link below & try it yourself today!

Part 1- The Dough- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR9cvZnexfc
Part 2- The Sauce & The Toppings- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry-ujX3mdCA

And here's the recipe...

Dough:

Yeast: 2 ¼ tsp

Bread flour: 2 ½ cups

Sugar: ½ tsp

Salt: to taste

Olive oil: 1-2 tbsp

Warm water: ¾ cup (about 150-180 ml)

Cornmeal + extra olive oil for dressing

 

Cheese Sauce:

Whole milk: 2-4 tbsp

Milk powder: 1-2 tsp

Cheese singles: Devondale 2, President 2

Butter: 1 ½ tsp

Hot sauce/cayenne pepper- ½ tsp

Salt and pepper to taste

Italian herbs

 

Topping:

Tortilla wrap: 1

Pizza sauce (ready-made): 2-3 tbsp

Mozzarella cheese: ½ cup

Cheddar cheese- 3 tbsp

Fresh basil: 6 leaves

 

 

METHOD

1. First of all, preheat your oven to about 200 deg C. (pls Google the right temp for your oven).

 

Dough:

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in your lukewarm water and let this stand for about 5 mins.

2. Mix flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and add your lukewarm water to it gradually.

3. Bring your dough together first, by folding in the flour to the wet ingredients. If it's too dry, then you need to add more regular water, but gradually and keep mixing until you get a soft and well-combined dough as shown in the video.

4. Knead your dough until smooth. This should take about 5-10 minutes.

5. Rub a little olive oil on your dough and place it to proof in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until well risen.

 

How to Proceed:   

1. Knock back dough after it has risen and get all air out.

2. Stretch and roll to desired shape. Keep aside.

3. Grease the back of a baking sheet with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle cornmeal. Place this into the hot oven and let the tray get a bit hot. This should take about 5-10 mins.

 

 

Cheese Sauce: NOTE- PREPARE LAST AS IF PREPARED AHEAD, THEN IT WILL COAGULATE AND GET HARD.

1. Warm your milk in a saucepan or microwave and mix in your milk powder. Mix till a little thick.

2. Tear up your cheese slices and add them to the milk. Increase the heat a little and mix well until soft and well combined.

3. Add a little butter, hot sauce, salt, pepper and Italian herbs.

 

 

How to Assemble Pizza: 

1. Take your pizza base and spread your cheese sauce on it.

2. Top this with a flour tortilla and spread pizza sauce on the tortilla.

3. Top the tortilla and sauce with mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese and basil (or your fav toppings :P)

4. Bake pizza for about 5-10 mins or until cheese is melty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch Box Surprise: Vegetarian Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice & Other Goodies)- Part 1 & Part 2

Nasi lemak is a dish originating from Malaysia, and is also popular in Singapore, Brunei & Southern Thailand. It's a plate of pure deliciousness- fragrant coconut rice, spicy sambal (chilli sauce) and other components which differ from place to place. Your typical carnivores enjoy with ikan bilis (anchovies) and other types of seafood or chicken, especially cooked in rendang style (similar to curry). Nasi means 'rice' & lemak means 'oils' or 'fats'... total sin! ;-)

Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy09KBoJsEY- PART 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUO0CrhzO8I- PART 2

In this one, I have included only 4 components:

Part 1
Coconut rice
Sambal (Chilli sauce)

Part 2
Fried mock "fish"
Stir-fried water spinach (kangkong tumis)


So, here is the recipe!

Ingredients:
COCONUT RICE
1 1/2 cups Thai white rice, washed and soaked for 10 mins
1/4-1/2 cup coconut milk (as per video, 3/4 is a bit excessive)
Salt to taste
2-3 screwpine (pandan leaves)
1/4 cup water to dilute (or little more in case too hard)

SAMBAL (CHILLI SAUCE)
2-3 dried red chillies, soaked in a little hot water
1 fresh red chilli
1/4 inch galangal
3 shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp tamarind soaked in 1-2 tbsp hot water
1/2 tsp palm sugar (gula melaka)
1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce of your choice, otherwise, 1 tbsp soy sauce & pinch of mushroom seasoning
1-2 tbsp oil to fry sambal
Salt to taste (if you need)

FRIED MOCK "FISH"
About 3-4 fillets mock fish
3/4 cup all purpose flour
6-8 tbsp cornstarch
Salt to taste
Dash of black pepper
Enough water to make batter
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup or so breadcrumbs (Panko is a good choice)
Oil for frying

KANGKONG TUMIS
1-2 tbsp oil
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
3-4 shallots, sliced thinly
1 red chilli, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 large bunch water spinach (kangkong)

EXTRAS
Cucumber slices
Vegetarian Indonesian crackers or kerupuk
Your favourite recipe of fried peanuts or orek (sweet peanuts & potato chips, in place of ikan bilis, otherwise you can grab some vegetarian ikan bilis/anchovies)


METHOD
Coconut Rice
1. To a rice cooker or a saucepan, add rice, coconut milk, pandan leaves and salt. Cook till rice is well done.

Sambal
1. To a blender or food processor, add your chillies, garlic, shallot and galangal. Add tamarind water and oyster sauce.
2. Blend to a smooth consistency.
3. Season as per your taste with salt. Heat oil in a pan, and fry your paste till fragrant.

Fried Fish
1. Mix flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add water  gradually and beat well to a lump free consistency.
2. Add baking soda and mix well again.
3. Coat your fish with batter and coat again with breadcrumbs. For best results, you might wish to freeze the fish so that the mix sets on top.
4. Deep fry fish in hot oil till it gets crispy and golden brown.

Kangkong Tumis
1. Heat oil in a pan; add garlic and shallots. Fry till fragrant.
2. Add red chilli and water spinach. Cook till spinach reduces.
3. Add oyster sauce and season with salt, if you like.

Final Stages
1. De-mould your rice from a bowl onto your plate.
2. Place your sambal, fish and kangkong in the arrangement of your choice.
3. Serve with cucumbers, orek and kerupuk.


TIPS
1. Be sure to keep an eye on the rice. Do not cook till too soft.
2. 1 plate is big enough for 2-3 people to share. This recipe is for 4 plates.
3. Shallots refers to the small red onions (same size as garlic), not the big shallots, which I refer to as "red onions"
4. You can Google the brand of 'mock fish' you might prefer to use, because brands differ by locality.