Sri Lankan Roti

This is one of my favourite foods. I eat it on its own but it goes well with meat curries or chick pea curry.

Ingredients (Serves 3)
5 cups plain flour
1 cup shredded coconut
1 onion finely diced
10 curry leaves finely cut
1 large green chilli finely cut
1/4 teaspoon salt
~1 cup water
Oil for frying

Method
1. Mix flour, coconut and salt together.
2. Mix in chilli, curry leaves and onion.
3. Slowly add  water until you are able to form a ball.
4. Knead the ball until you get tired. (A good 10 minutes.)
5. Cover with a damp towel and leave for at least 30 minutes.
6. Separate dough into 6 balls.
7. Flatten balls with your hands or rolling pin into circles about 5mm thick.
8. Preheat frying pan on medium heat and lightly oil it.
9. Fry for about 1 minute one side and 30 seconds the other until they brown.

Notes

• It's important to have chilli, onions, curry leaves cut quite finely so you don't end up biting into big chunks.
• You can freeze extras and microwave them to eat later. 

Microwave Caramel Pudding

This is a yummy, quick dessert.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method
1. Place 1 tablespoon sugar, with a splash of water in 2 cups/ramekins.
2. Microwave each cup until sugar syrup turns amber colour. (See note)
3. Beat egg, milk, sugar and vanilla.
4. Pour pudding mix into each cup
5. Microwave on medium heat until set. (Takes about 60-90 seconds)
6. Cool for 20 minutes.
7. Serve warm or put in the fridge, for a chilled dessert later.

Notes

• The first time, requires a bit of patience to work out the right timings for your own microwave.
• Making the caramel can be tricky. Microwave in bursts of 30 seconds. Once sugar starts changing colour microwave in bursts of 5-10 seconds. 
• You can also put all the sugar in one cup and make the caramel in that cup and then divide it. This is often easier as the sugar won't burn as quickly.
• To tell if the pudding is set, run a knife or a spoon down the edge of the pudding, if it is still runny microwave it again. Its normal to have some condensed water around the edges but if it looks milky then the pudding has not set completely.

Microwave Coffee Pudding

This is a super simple microwave recipe, for coffee lovers.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Shot of coffee
1 cup of milk
1 egg
3 teaspoons sugar or more to taste

Method
1. Microwave milk for 1 minute and mix in sugar
2. Beat egg and then mix in milk
3. Mix in coffee
4. Pour into ramekins, or small glasses and microwave for about 2 minutes on medium setting.
5. Stop microwaving once pudding is set and starts bubbling on top.
6. Let it cool for at least 20 minutes.
7. Serve warm or put in the fridge to have it chilled later.

Notes

• The microwave time is variable just watch carefully to make sure it is set. Skewer should come out clean when it is set. You may have a bit of condensed liquid around the edges, which makes the pudding look as though it has not set. If the liquid is watery it is set if it is milky then you need to microwave it for a bit longer. 

Mushroom soy baked barramundi

Simple, healthy and yummy!

Ingredients
I barramundi fillet
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup mushroom diced finely
1 5cm piece of Ginger sliced finely
1 red chili sliced
1/2 a carrot sliced
Canola or other cooking oil
Sheet of Baking paper/Foil large enough to tightly wrap fish

Method

1. Preheat oven at 220°C
2. Mix soy sauce, mushroom, ginger, sugar together
3. Place piece of foil or baking paper, large enough to tightly wrap the fillet on baking tray
4. Lightly coat with oil
5. Spread 1/2 soy sauce mushroom mix on foil.
6. Place fish on foil, cover with remaining soy sauce mix.
7. Top fish with sliced chili and carrot
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until cooked, (Fish should flake off when poked with a skewer, fork etc

Pumpkin + Carrot Soup

Great with sour dough!

This is a relatively easy, healthy and tasty recipe. It's great for winter.

Ingredients
Diced quarter pumpkin
1-2 carrots grated
1 celery stalk finely chopped
500mL vegetable or chicken stock
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Pepper
Nutmeg
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves (optional to garnish)
Yogurt
Oil

Recipe

1. Microwave pumpkin for 3-4 minutes.
2. Heat large sauce pan on medium heat
3. Add celery, ground cumin and coriander
4. Fry 1-2 minutes until celery softens
5. Add pumpkin, with spices
6. Mix in carrot
7. Add stock
8. Boil until pumpkin is soft
9. Add salt to taste
10. Blend with (stick) blender
11. Serve in bowl and mix in teaspoon yogurt,
12. Add pepper and nutmeg to taste
13. Garnish with a few coriander leaves

Notes

• Hand held stick blenders are very handy. 
• Nutmeg can be quite spicy. 

Carrot and Pumpkin soup with a healthy sprinkling of nutmeg

Systematic Review of Marshmallows

Making marshmallows is relatively simple. But there are millions of varying recipes for it. Does it matter which recipe you use?
Personally, I don't think it does - you'll still end up with yummy marshmallows. Some recipes will give you gooey marshmallows whereas others will be light and fluffy but both will be delicious.

Fluffy Marshmallows - YUM!

So what are the bare minimum ingredients to make marshmallows?

Sugar - I've used both raw sugar and caster and it doesn't make a difference. You want to get your sugar to about 245F. It's fairly easy if you have a candy thermometer. If not you can have fun experimenting with your sugar syrup and cold water. Ideally you should reach the firm ball stage. This website has a good explanation of sugar stages.

Gelatine -  Marshmallows are really just toffee with more water and air. Gelatine is what keeps the water in your Marshmallows. Your Gelatine will generally have instructions on how much to use. I use one sachet which is enough to set 500mL of water.  However, my recipe only requires about 250mL of water.

Water - You have to add water to you sugar to make sugar syrup. Also, you require water for your gelatine.  The amount of water you add to your gelatine will largely determine whether you get gooey, sticky marshmallows or dryer, light and fluffy ones. It's largely personal preference. This is where you can vary things to get the perfect marshmallows.

Optionals are

Vanilla essence - Flavouring. I've never tried to make marshmallows without this but you can. You could always use some other flavouring

Eggs Whites - Often recipes will call for egg whites. Theoretically, egg whites should make your Marshmallows that extra bit fluffier but I haven't noticed this.

Corn syrup - This is a type of Inverted Sugar. Basically, it's sucrose broken down into the smaller sugars fructose and glucose, which are less likely to crystallise when the sugar syrup cools down. However, I've never used corn syrup and have never had issues with the syrup crystallising.

Icing sugar/Corn flour - A mixture of icing sugar and corn flour is often used to coat marshmallows

Grated coconut - Toasted coconut is another alternative for coating your marshmallows.

Colouring - For more fun!

So my recipe?

Ingredients
1.5 cups sugar
1 cup water
20g gelatine
1 teaspoon vanilla
Food colouring
1/2 cup Icing sugar
1/2 cup Corn flour

Method

1. Add gelatine to 1/2 cup water, mix and set aside.
2. Line a tray with baking paper, and dust baking paper with icing sugar
3. Add sugar and 1/2 cup water to saucepan and bring to boil on med-high heat.
4. Check temperature with candy thermometer and reduce heat to low-medium as temperature goes above 235F
5. Remove sugar syrup from heat when 245F is reached and place saucepan on cool surface (e.g. sink) to stop heating
6. Let sugar syrup cool for a minute and then mix in the gelatine
7. Pour sugar gelatine syrup into a mixing bowl and beat with mixer for about 10 min until the mixture has cooled down and is no longer rising
8. Add flavouring and colouring and pour into tray
9. Allow at least 4 hours to set.
10. Cut up marshmallows and coat with mixture of icing sugar and corn flour

So recipes I've reviewed include. 

• http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2011/07/marshmallow-recipe-candymaking/
• http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/06/springy-fluffy-marshmallows/
• http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/204/marshmallows
• http://www.joyofbaking.com/candy/HomemadeMarshmallows.html
• http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-marshmallows-recipe/index.html

Chickpeas and red capsicum curry

A spicy curry which goes well with Roti bread.

Ingredients

100g Dried Chickpeas (Or 1 can of chick peas )
1/4 large red capsicum sliced into small strips
1/2 onion
1 green chilli
1 large Cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
1 tablespoon Garlic finely diced
Ginger
10 Curry leaves
30mL of evaporated milk
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon roasted curry powder
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Oil


Method

1. Soak chickpeas overnight. (This can be skipped but chickpeas will take longer to cook)
2. Boil chickpeas until they are soft to taste and set aside.
3. Take 10 chick peas and mash it with a spoon and set aside.
4. In a cup mix evaporated milk with 1 teaspoon of curry powder and salt.
5. In a saucepan fry cinnamon, cumin, mustard, garlic, ginger and  curry leaves on medium heat.
6. Once garlic starts brown add onions, chilli and mashed chickpeas.
7. Once onions soften, mix in chickpeas and capsicum.
8. Add curry powder milk mixture.
9. Bring to boil.
10. Reduce heat and let it cook for 5 minutes.
11. Turn to high heat and add roasted curry powder and some curry leaves.
12. Mix and take of heat. 

Chocolate Orange Jaffa Mud Cake

This is a variation of mud cake. The original recipe is no longer online.

Too much flash

Ingredients
Chocolate batter
125g Dark Chocolate
125g Butter
200mL water
1 egg
200g Caster Sugar
200g Self-raising Flour

Orange Batter

125g White Chocolate

125g Butter

Juice from one orange diluted to 200ml

Orange Rind

1 egg

200g Caster Sugar

200g Self-raising Flour

Red and Yellow food colouring (Or orange)

Orange frosting

100g butter

100g white chocolate

300g icing sugar

4 tablespoons thickened cream

Chocolate glaze

200g dark chocolate

150ml thickened cream

Recipe

Cake

1.    Preheat oven to 170C (150C fan forced)

2.    Heat dark chocolate, butter and water on low heat until everything has melted and allow to cool

3.    Beat egg, caster sugar and self-raising flour together.

4.    Beat in melted chocolate and set aside batter.

5.    Heat milk chocolate, butter and orange juice on low heat until everything has melted and allow to cool

6.    Beat egg, caster sugar and self-raising flour together.

7.    Beat in melted white chocolate/orange juice mix and add the orange rind.

8.    Grease 18cm circular cake pan and line with baking paper

9.    Fill pan with alternating spoons of orange and chocolate mix.

10.  Bake until skewer comes out clean (usually 40min)

Orange frosting

1.    Melt white chocolate

2.    Beat melted chocolate, butter, icing sugar and cream until soft and mix in food colouring

Chocolate glaze

1.    Heat chocolate and cream over low heat until all melted.

2.    Keep it warm

Putting everything together

1.    Allow cake to cook. (Preferably wait a day)

2.    Slice cake in half into two layers

3.    Spread orange frosting between two layers

4.    Pour chocolate glaze over cake.

5.    Decorate with remaining orange frosting

Black Pepper Prawns

This is loosely based on recipe by Peter Kuruvita. Its reasonably spicy.

However, I can't remember what I did. 

Vegetarian Savoury Pancakes

This is something I've always been wanting to try. Its fairly simple and I've loosely based it on a vegan recipe, which I have fortunately/unfortunately deveganified.

Vegetarian Pancakes served with veggies and yoghurt

Ingredients (Serves 2)
Pancake Batter
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons Greek style yoghurt
2/3 cups self raising flour
1 teaspoon turmeric
salt to taste (1/4 teaspoon)

Vegetable mix (use whatever you have/fancy)
1 carrot grated
1 tomato diced
1/2 onion diced
1/4 capsicum sliced
1 large Portabella mushroom diced
1 chilli sliced
Oil for frying


Recipe

1. Whisk eggs, milk and yoghurt together. 
2. Whisk in sifted flour, turmeric and salt.
3. Fry onions and mushrooms together.
4. Mix together all the vegetable.
5. Heat frying pan on medium heat and oil it.
6. Spread vegetables on the pan to the desired shape of the pancakes
7. Pour batter to cover vegetables completely
8. Let it cook until the top is almost cooked and it is firm enough to flip.
9. Flip the pancake and cook for 1 minute
10. Repeat
11. Repeat

Marshmallows

Marshmallows for Australia day

Making marshmallows was easier than I had expected. I used a slight variation of this recipe. It's a fairly easy recipe but these are my tips.

Ingredients
1.5 Cups Caster Sugar
20g Gelatine (2 table spoons)
Vanilla Essence
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup icing sugar
Food colouring

Recipe
1. Mix gelatine in 2/3 cup cold water and let it sit for at least 10 minutes
2. Add sugar and 2/3 cups water to sauce pan and heat on medium heat.
3. Keep stirring sugar until the syrup forms a firm ball. Alternatively heat it until it reach 250°F on a candy thermometer. (See this for more info)
4. Take sugar syrup off heat and combine with gelatine mixture.
5. Beat sugar/gelatine mixture using a beater for about 10 minutes until it is quite thick.
6. Beat in vanilla essence
7. Separate marshmallow mixture into two bowls and add desired colouring
8. Line a large tray with baking paper and dust paper generously with icing sugar.
9. Pour marshmallow mix onto tray
10. Let it set overnight
11. Colour coconut with desired colour
12. Toast coconut on a frying pan for a few minutes until it starts to brown.
13. Combine coconut with icing sugar
14. Slice up marshmallow into pieces and coat with the coconut mixture.

My first attempt (or perhaps it was my 2nd)