Tag: ginger

Dessert · Do-ahead · Egg based · Holiday Food

Spicy, sticky baked Native Indian Pudding

Belinda

Sticky, gooey, spicy and easy pudding. It’s a must!

Makes 12 servings   (you can halve the recipe if you like, but you won’t want to )

2 quarts milk
1 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated)
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/3 tsp ginger
2 cups molasses
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole eggs
1 tsp cinnamon

Bring 2 quarts of milk to a boil in a heavy pan.
Add the cornmeal to the milk and blend with a wire whisk until it thickens.
Add the molasses, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and bring to the boil, whisking.
In a separate container, blend the 2 1/2 cups of milk and eggs together and add the hot mixture to it and stir.
Place in a buttered and sugared casserole.
Bake in a 350 F oven for approximately 1 hour.
Test the pudding with a knife for doneness.
Let stand and then serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Accompaniments · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Vegan

Ginger, curry, candied almonds

Belinda

Delicious and festive!

Yields 4 cups

1lb raw unpeeled almonds
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2” piece ginger, peeled and grated
1/4 cayenne
Kosher salt to taste

Heat oven to 350 F
Spread the almonds on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes; set aside.
Heat the butter, brown sugar, curry powder, ginger and cayenne pepper in a 2 qt saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
Pour the glaze over the nuts, stirring to coat evenly, return to the oven and cook until slightly dry, about 15 minutes more.
Sprinkle with salt and let cool before serving

Nuts · Poultry

Roasted chicken pieces with saffron, hazelnuts and honey

Belinda

This is easy to make, and is loosely based on the flavors of Marrakech. It looks stunning on a platter served at the table and has a very delicate and exotic flavor.
Serve with plain rice or couscous.

Serves 4

4lbs chicken legs or chicken pieces
2 large onions, roughly chopped
5 tbsp olive oil
1 good tsp ground ginger
1 good tsp ground cinnamon
a generous pinch of saffron threads
Juice of 1 large lemon
4 -5 tbsp cold chicken broth
2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
4 ounces unskinned hazelnuts
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp rosewater
3 scallions, roughly chopped

In a large bowl, mix the chicken pieces with the onions, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, lemon juice, chicken broth, salt and pepper.
Leave to marinate for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge, preferably.

Preheat the oven to 375F
Spread the hazelnuts out on an oven tray and roast for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Chop roughly and set aside.

Transfer the chicken and marinade to a roasting tray large enough to accommodate everything comfortably. Arrange the chicken pieces skin side up and put the tray in the oven for about 35 minutes.

While the chicken is roasting, mix the honey, rosewater and nuts together to make a rough paste.
Remove the chicken from the oven, spoon a generous amount of nut paste on to each piece and spread it to cover.
Return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the nuts are golden brown.

Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and garnish with the chopped scallions.

 

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Soup · Whole30 compliant

Thai Pumpkin soup

Belinda

3 1/2 lb winter squash, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 lemongrass, bashed a bit
3 – 4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
14 or 15 oz can coconut milk
4 cups chicken stock
fresh lime juice and sugar for seasoning
1 red chile, sliced, to serve

Heat the oven to 400 F

Toss the winter squash  in a roasting tin with half the oil and seasoning, then roast for 30 minutes until golden and tender.

Meanwhile, put the remaining oil in a pan with the onion, ginger and lemongrass.
Gently cook for 8 to 10 minutes until softened.
Stir in the curry paste for 1 minute, followed by the roasted squash, all but 3 tbsp of coconut milk and the stock.
Bring to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes, then fish out the lemongrass.
Cool for a few minutes, then whizz until smooth in the blender.
Return to the pan to heat through, seasoning with salt, pepper, lime juice and sugar, if it needs it.

Serve drizzled with the remaining coconut milk and scattered with chile, if you like

Breakfast · Egg based

Pakistani scrambled eggs

Belinda

So lovely to kick your breakfast/brunch up a notch or three!

Serves 4 to 6

8 eggs
2 tbsp ghee (if you don’t have ghee, use butter, but it’s not as good)
4 tbsp whole milk
8 scallions, finely chopped
3/4 tsp salt
2 fresh green or red chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 ripe tomato, diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin (I use roasted)
sprigs of cilantro leaves for garnish
wedges of tomato for garnish

Beat the eggs until well mixed, add the milk, salt and pepper.
Heat the ghee  in a large, heavy frying pan and cook the scallions, chiles and ginger until soft.
Add the turmeric, cilantro leaves and tomato and fry for a minute or two longer then stir in the egg mixture and ground cumin.
Cook over low heat, stirring and lifting the eggs as they begin to set on the base of the pan.
Mix and cook until the eggs are of a creamy consistency – they should not be cooked until dry.
Turn on to a serving platter and garnish with tomato wedges and cilantro sprigs

Asian flavors · Fish

Five spice fish

Belinda

This is so full of flavor, spicy, sweet and sour all at once and really quite simple.  Also pretty low in calories and ready in minutes.

Serves 4

4 white fish fillets, such as cod, sea bass, halibut, flounder, sole (about 6 oz each)
1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
4 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sesame oil or sunflower oil
3 scallions, shredded
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
5 oz button mushrooms, sliced
4 oz baby corn, sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp dry sherry or apple juice
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

Mix the cornstarch and 5-spice powder together and toss the fish in the mixture to coat.

Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok and stir fry the scallions, ginger, mushrooms and corn for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the fish and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once.

Mix together the soy sauce, sherry and sugar then pour over the fish.
Simmer for about  4 minutes, (you can cover the pan for some of the time, if you need to) adjust the seasoning, then serve with noodles, stir fried vegetables or plain steamy white rice

 

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead · Vegetable-related

Roasted butternut squash and ginger hummus

Belinda

This is a really gorgeous hummus from Gordon Ramsey. Ras del hannout is well worth making and adds such an exotic flavor to the roasted butternut squash. With the fresh ginger and garlic added, it’s truly a winner.

 

2014-09-08 17.18.34

Serves 8 to 10

1 butternut squash, (about 1 3/4lbs to 2lbs), peeled, seeded and cubed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp tahini
1 15 oz can of chick peas (Garbanzo beans)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Warmed or griddled pitta bread or flat bread to serve

For the ras del hannout
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp paprika

First make the Ras del hannout spice blend.
Break the cinnamon stick into pieces. Place in a dry pan with the cloves and all the seeds and toast over medium heat for about 1 minutes, until aromatic and the seeds are popping. (shake the spices in the pan as you heat them to prevent burning)
Once heated, remove from the heat and add the paprika.
Place in a spice grinder, blender or pestle and mortar and grind until the mixture is a powder – sift it if necessary.
The spice blend will keep for up to three months if stored in an airtight container.

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Make the hummus. 
In a large bowl, mix the cubed squash, garlic cloves and ginger with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp of the spice mix.
Season with salt and pepper and scatter in a single layer in a roasting tray.
Place in a preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes until tender all the way through.

Once the squash is soft, add the contents of the tray to a blender or processor, discarding the garlic skins first.
Add the tahini, chickpeas and a squeeze of lemon juice along with 2 tbsp olive oil.
Blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary – you might need more lemon juice.

Transfer the hummus to a bowl and sprinkle with a little spice mix (I also used some fresh cilantro in the picture).
Drizzle with olive oil and serve with warmed or griddled pitta bread

 

Asian flavors · Gluten Free · Vegan · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related · Whole30 compliant

Roasted cauliflower with turmeric, ginger, fenugreek and mustard seeds

Belinda

You can’t have too many recipes for this extremely low calorie vegetable.

Serves 4

1 large cauliflower cut into florets of about 1 1/2 inches each
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp powdered turmeric
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 jalapeno, finely sliced
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds (they look brown to me!)
1/3 tsp fenugreek seeds
3 tbsp water or stock
salt and pepper to taste
3 scallions, sliced thin on the diagonal, for decoration

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Blanch the cauliflower florets for 2 to 3 minutes and immediately remove, drain and put into a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, turmeric, mustard seeds, fenugreek, salt and pepper, grated fresh ginger,  jalapeno and a dash of stock/water. Mix well.
Pour this mixture over the blanched cauliflower while still steaming and toss to coat everything.

Transfer this to a roasting pan and make sure to have all the cauliflower in a single layer and not crowded.

Cook uncovered until fork tender – about 25 minutes and starting to get golden brown and toasty.

Transfer to a platter and scatter with the scallions.

Gluten Free · Vegan · Whole30 compliant

Sweet potatoes with start anise, ginger and lime

Belinda

This is from a fellow blogger and is divine with the star anise permeating the sweet potato and the lime juice and zest cutting through the sweetness of the potatoes.

Serves 2, but is easily doubled, trebled or ……

1lb sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1 star anise
1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1 lime, juice and grated zest
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 F

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss.
Arrange the potatoes and all the juices in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast for 10 minutes, then shake or flip the potatoes over.
Continue roasting for 10 minutes or however long it takes to become tender and slightly browned.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

There’s a nice depth of flavor that comes from roasting all of the ingredients together, but those who really love ginger and lime might enjoy this variation.
Instead of adding the ginger, lime zest and juice to the olive oil mixture, toss them with the potatoes AFTER roasting for a hotter and zestier flavor

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Poultry

Malaysian Chicken

Belinda

I am a sucker for Malaysian and Indonesian food so this is right up my street. The creaminess of the coconut milk, the complex citrus flavors of the lemon grass and Kaffir lime leaf and the moist, falling off the bone chicken.
What more could you want and it’s easy too.

Serves 4

Vegetable or groundnut oil
1 chopped onion
8 organic chicken thighs
3 medium-hot red chilies
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 lemongrass stalk
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
5 Kaffir lime leaves, sliced very finely
14 fl oz coconut milk ( or 1 can )
fish sauce
3 1/2 fl oz chicken stock
2 tsp soft brown sugar or palm sugar
wedges of lime

Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the 8 chicken thighs, skin-side down until the skin is crisp and golden.
Remove the chicken and set aside.

Whizz the chopped onion, garlic cloves, chilies, lemon grass stalk, outer leaves removed and inner core sliced, 1 tbsp grated ginger and a good glug of oil in the food processor.
Fry this paste in the same pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes, add the turmeric, cinnamon stick, 2 star anise and the finely sliced Kaffir lime leaves, then fry for 3 minutes.

Stir in the tin of coconut milk and chicken stock, sit the chicken thighs in the pan, skin-side up and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce is reduced.

If for some reason the dish has too much liquid and it’s too thin, take out the chicken and turn the heat up to reduce the sauce, stirring, then put back the chicken thighs when the sauce has reduced and is thicker. This also increases the intensity of the sauce.

Add the 2 tsp of sugar and a dash of fish sauce.
Serve with the lime wedges to squeeze over before eating.

Serve with white rice.