Egg noodle stir fry and garlic and pepper hake

This is a quick delicious meal that I made up this morning when I realized I only had 30 min to get dressed and pack my lunch. Pack my lunch? Upon close inspection of the food available to me, I figured I'd either order take-outs or eat something substandard for lunch- both of which were unacceptable in light of my current detox plan. So I decided to be brave and cook!



My ingredients:



For the noodles

100g Egg Noodles

3 tsb Tomato Pasta Sauce

3 tsb Honey

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Mixed Herb Spice

2 tsb Olive Oil

1 tsp Salt

½ Red Pepper Julienned (this means chop the peppers in strips)

1 Spring Onion

6 Sweet Cherry Tomatoes



For the Hake

Hake Fillet 50-100g

1 tsp Crushed Fresh Garlic

1 tsp Vinegar

½ tsp Ground Black Pepper

½ tsp Salt

1 tsb Olive Oil



Stir Fry Noodles

1. Boil the egg noodles until almost cooked- to do this you must keep tasting. On average you’re looking at 5 minutes at the most. If you cook them fully, they will get over done when you add the other ingredients.

(Runs to go change out of towel into clothes! Oh the process of choosing an outfit)

2. Drain excess water and add Olive Oil and fry lightly for a minute at low heat of 2/5 of maximum heat, adding Paprika, Mixed Herbs and Salt.

(Grabs make-up starts to draw eyebrows! Oops one is surprised and the other is confused. Rubs out drawing and attempts again...yes. Done)

3. Add Peppers, Tomatoes and Onions and fry lightly for a minute.

(Mmmm smacks on lipstick, powder, eyeliner- all in the wrong sequence but still looks presentable)

4. Add Pasta Sauce and Honey and mix well for another minute.

(Earrings, which ones to wear? Thinks- I really must throw some out! So much clutter. Bangles- easy choice. Rings. Done. Hmmm perfume? After cooking maybe. Shucks my face is sweaty already! )

5. Remove from heat and do not cover (on noodles will over cook)

(Breathe. Breathe. I'm late! But I need that fish. Shoes? Or Fish? Shoes? Or Fish--- both)



Hake

1. Gently rub garlic , ground pepper and salt onto the skinless side of the hake fillet.

(Shucks I need to repack my handbag from my clutch after last nights party shenanigans)

2. Pour on the vinegar and leave for a minute or so. Fish marinades fast and cooks fast generally

(Packs noodles in lunch box. Glances in the mirror- hmmm. Not happy. Should I change clothes? Too late. Aghhhhh!)

3. Warm up a non-stick pan with the Olive Oil to 3/5 of maximum heat.

4. Place the hake with the skinless/seasoned part facing up and cover. Cook for 10 minutes.

(Packs fish on top of noodles. Hmm... smells fish on fingers and clothes. perfume!!! Yey. Easy remedy. Or not? Sprays half the bottle! Good to go. Grabs bag. My book in case I get to read during lunch- yeah right? Takes it anyway. No harm in dreaming. Dashes for the door. Locks door. Did I switch stove off? Ahhh whatever. Walks to car. Forgot phone!! Walks up stairs. Unlocks door. Fetches phone from under pillow. Locks up. Leaves. Can't wait till lunch time;-)

SWEET PEANUT BUTTER CHICKEN

Once upon a time, my sister, Susha, cooked Peanut Butter Chicken for me. I was so elated because the meal encompasses most of the flavours and ingredients that I absolutely love. Give me rice and I will love you for life, give me chicken and I will run to Mars and back, and then topped up with delicious seasonal fruit and peanut butter and peppers and curry and and and... So there you have it, the ingredients that make up my delicious Sweet Peanut Butter Chicken! I claim it as my own because after tasting Susha’s version, I decided to personalize it and brand it as my own, however she truly inspired the whole meal. I will post pictures (when my detox is over and I can eat such) but this here is the recipe guideline!

You will need:

1.5 kg Chicken pieces (with the bone, try to avoid skin and the stringy breast meat)

1 Red Pepper (the flavour of Red Peppers combined with peanut butter flavour is amazing!)

1 Red Onion

1 Can Tomatoes or (H) healthier option is 4 whole fresh tomatoes

1 Can Peach Slices diced into small pieces or mango

Peanut Butter (plus or minus 4 tbs depending on how much you like the flavour)

Salt to taste

Pinch of Pepper

3-4 tbs Curry

1 tsp Cumin

1 tbs Paprika

1 tsb Olive oil (Note that Peanut Butter has its own oil so keep excess oil to a minimum

Cooking:

1.       a) Place the chicken in a pot at medium temperature of 3/5 of maximum heat. Add all seasoning at this stage as this allows the flavours to seep in and mature with the chicken.  Allow to steam in its own liquid. If need be, add approx 2 tsb of water to get it going. Cover with a lid.

b) Heat up Olive Oil in a pan and lightly fry onions until they begin to look clear in colour. Add tomatoes and simmer till cooked. Add peanut to the mixture and mix till dissolved. Add water to help dissolve the peanut butter- approx 1 cup.

If you can multitask, perform 1a) and 1b) simultaneously. Don’t force if you feel under pressure- there is no rush in Africa!

2.       Once all the water has evaporated from the chicken, add the onion-tomato-peanut butter mixture. Mix.

3.       Add the diced peaches and the red peppers. Mix.

4.       Taste. This is very important because before you let the chicken stew and absorb all the flavours- you need to know if you are on the right track. The salt may not match your preferences etc, so taste it and add what you feel you like more of. It could even be the peanut butter or spices! The pot is your oyster- own it!

5.       Leave to simmer for 30 minutes at low heat 2/5 of maximum heat. During this period monitor your stew to make sure that the bottom isn’t burning (if your pots are the annoying type) or to make sure there is enough water in the gravy to allow it to simmer.

6.       When the chicken is beginning to peel off the bone ever so slightly and the gravy is thick- the stew done.

Eating: Serve with roast vegetables and Malawi rice for the best taste! And do share.

Wishing on a star...

Le Creuset! Le Creuset! Wherefore art thou Le Crueset! Every time I pass this store my heart tugs at my wallet, and gets a slap in the face! You see I'd die for a set of any thing or preferably everything on sale at this haven.

Today I bought miniature Le Creuset magnets for the fridge, silently sending out a prayer to the Almighty for a real set of my own. I aspire to purchase as many items as I need in this store! Tjo! One day --->soon.

The Look Of A Cook

Have you ever been in a situation where you mention something about yourself and your audience questions the fact? All of a sudden you find yourself defending yourself and trying to prove to them that you are right about what you know about yourself? Aghhhh. Let me explain.

I recently started a new role with an exhibitions company for a fixed period of time. They obviously think they know me because when I mentioned that I was catering for a small event and that I loved cooking, they all stared at me wide-eyed and somewhat confused, and burst into laughter!!! hehe- well I know I clean up good, but what annoyed me is how they made it the joke of the day and said they'd only believe me if I made platters for the office *side eye*. Think again!

It leaves me wondering what a cook actually looks like---->

My First Love Affair

SO I love food. And even more I love cooking and preparing it. However my greatest joy is observing people as they tuck into it; as the flavours greet their palates and explode one by one and I see their delighted faces gobble it all up. And if I am in my zone and I know I have cooked a killer meal, I proudly watch them go for more- this is the pinnacle of my glee! <--- and this… is truly my first love. 

Goodoo FOODoo!