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)

Chocolate Orange Poppy Seed Cake

This is a variation of a very easy orange cake recipe on the ABC website.
Cooking Time

Preparation 20 min
Baking 30 min
Preheat oven at 180°C

Ingredients
125g butter
3/4 cups caster sugar
1 1/2 cups SR flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup poppy seeds
grated zest from one orange
juice from one orange
2 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Recipe
1. Preheat oven at 180°C and soak poppy seeds in milk
2.Beat butter, sugar and flour together
3. Beat in eggs, orange juice, vanilla and milk
4. Separate mixture into two bowls mix in cocoa into one half and orange zest into the other half.
5. Spoon in chocolate and orange mix into greased 19cm square cake tray and gently mix to create a marble effect
6. Bake for about 30-40 min on 180°C.

Honey Soy Salmon (Pan fried)

Honey Soy Salmon

Cooking Time
Prep 10 min
Marinate 15 min
Cooking 5 min

Ingredients (Serves 2)
1 large salmon fillet cut into smaller pieces (I like it with the skin)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 small red chillis slices
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/2 tomato diced
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Recipe

1. Combine ingredients to make honey-soy sauce and marinate salmon pieces in it for 15 min.
2. Lightly oil frying pan and preheat to medium-high.
3. Pan fry salmon pieces on it making sure to drain as much of the sauce off before placing it on the frying pan. 
4. Turn salmon pieces from side to side till they are slightly browned. (Should only take a few minutes)
5. Once salmon has browned flip it so that the skin is facing the frying pan.
6. Pour in marinade and let it simmer for a minute.
7. Serve with rice.