Indian Chicken Curry - Recipe

Curries are a great way to spice up the supper time, whether it is a chicken tikka masala or a red thai curry. Now, I love both Thai curries as well as Indian curries. For today's meal, I decided to make a Indian curry. My main inspiration for this dish is the youtube clip below. The man who is cooking this dish in the youtube clip is an Indian chef and he is really funny to watch. I've watched a number of his youtube clips of how he cooks the Indian dishes, especially curries and they are all so easy to follow. His clips are very uninformative but easy to learn from as he is so relaxed in his cooking and seem to make the dishes so easy and effortlessly. Will def try out more of his recipes.

Other recipes of various type of curries that I've tried come from the recipe collection on bbc's recipe website.

The ingredients fro this curry:

2 can of chopped tomatoes, 200 grams each

1 green paprika, chopped

1 cup of assorted frosen veggies ( peas, sweetcorn, carrots, red paprika) 

3 chicken breast, diced (in the youtube clip below he uses big pieces of chicken but I like to used diced thighs or chicken breast instead)

1/2 cup of yogurt

1 cuo of water

2 tablespoon of vegetable oil

rise

Spices: 

1/2 teaspoon of: hot paprika, cumin, coriander, ginger & garlic powder, black pepper, salt, garam masala, turmeric, bay leaf, fenugreek, black mustard seed and mild curry powder. (In the clip, he uses whole seeds to roast and then grind, but I simply use the ground version of the above mentioned spices).

Process:

1- Start by putting the diced chicken breast in a pot and cover it over medium heat so that the chicken breast gets steamed in its own juices. Then remove the lid so that the liquid from the chicken evaporate. Add the oil and brown the chicken breast.

2- Add all the veggies and fry for few minutes on medium heat until the mix get a little color. Then add all the spices and let it fry for few minutes. Add the tomatoes and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. If it is to dry after 15 minutes add the water as well and let it all cook trough. I added yogurt the last 5-10 minutes, to give the curry a mild and round taste and let it simmer so that all the spices have mixed well and chicken is cooked through.

I served the curry with basmati rise. It tasted heavenly. 

The clip below is my inspiration for the chicken curry I made this time.

Enjoy!

Feta Cheese Pasty

When I am really hungry but to lazy to cook something, I love to come up with easy recipes that are delicious and can be done in less then half hour. So the other day when I felt hungry, I checked what i had at home to make something quick and easy for an evening snack. I found the perfect ingredients for a tasty hot feta cheese pasty: herbs, feta cheese and puff pastry dough.

It is really easy to make the pasty. Basically, I just cut of a piece of the puff pastry dough and rolled it out with some flour to make it non-sticky. I cut up some feta cheese in a bowl and mixed it with a tea spoon of the herbes de provence and mixed well. 

I took some of the filling and put it on one side of the rolled out dough and folded the other side over. I folded the edges twice and pinched it so that the filling will not leak through once melted in the oven. I made small holes with a fork in the pasty so that hot are would come out. I put the pasty in the oven for 10-20 minutes on 200 C degrees and out came the most delicious and cheesy pasties :)

Best way to enjoy one of 

 these feta cheese pasty is with a cup of nice tea. Hope you will give this easy pasty a try. Trust me, you will go back to make it over and over again :)

Enjoy!

Strawberry Cake with Vanilla Cream

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My Strawberry Cake with vanilla cream is my all time favorite cake. I have never had a tastier cake than this. It is quite heavy and sweet, but the flavors are delicious and I never get tired of making and eating it. The way I make the strawberry cake is very similar to another very famous Swedish cake called the Princess cake (Princesstårta). It is a typical Swedish cake served with coffee for afternoon tea. The combination is so good and it really is a cake for royals, hence the name :)

The Swedish Princess cake is very similar to mine in the sense that it looks the same inside of it, with the vanilla cream and strawberry jam. The difference is that mine has whipped cream and fruit covering the whole cake, while a proper Princess Cake is covered with a tasty marzipan icing. 

There are two different ways in doing my Strawberry Cake. Either you make the sponge cake base yourself or you buy ready made cake layers. In Sweden there are sponge cake bases already cut in 3 layers which I often used when I didn't have time to bake my own cake. Here in UK, I have been looking for something similar and these 2 cakes below are the closest I have come in finding already made cake bases. If you have better alternatives please share it with me. 

So I bought 2 of these cakes and one of them I simply cut in the middle to create 3 layers.

Although my cake is called the Strawberry cake, I actually use more fruits than just strawberries, such as banana, kiwi and raspberries or blueberries. I begin with a layer of vanilla cream (not custard). There are different recipes of vanilla cream you can find online. I usually use snabb-marsan from the brand Ekströms, which is a quick  mix of vanilla cream powder and milk, but I often use a little dubble cream to make it thick and smooth.

The first layer of the cake is prepared with the vanilla cream. The good thing with these cakes are that they have a depth in the middle with higher sides so that you can fill it with the vanilla cream without spilling over the sides. I usually add bananas to this layer.

The second layer was the top part cut from the second cake base. I used the top part so I could fill it with strawberry jam and fresh strawberries. That way it will not spill or run done on the sides.

The 3d layer is the actual bottom of the cake base that I cut into 2 pieces, which I put upside down as it is flat and smooth. It will therefore make it easier to spread the whipped cream. The corrugated pattern of the sides around the cake makes  it easier as well to apply the whipped cream all around it.

Lastly, I decorate the cake with the rest of the fruits. This cake is super easy to make and does not take to much time once you have a ready made cake base. Everyone who tasted it, said it was really delicious. I would definitely recommend you to give it a try :) and if so, please share your ideas and the result with me.

National Cupcake Week - Vanilla Cupcakes with Haribo Candy Fluff Frosting

This week being the national cupcake week, I was inspired, to bake some cupcakes today, by my friend who decided to make cupcakes every day of this week. Very ambitious!! I decided to make cupcakes today, especially as it is the cake and bake show tomorrow. I am setting the mood already today by baking :)

Cupcakes come usually with some sort of frosting. The usual one is the butter cream frosting or the cream cheese frosting. I am not a big fan of both of these. However, I have discovered something called fluff. You can basically make anything into a fluff. So I decided to make haribo candy fluff. 

There are different recipes of how to make this fluff. The one I used is as following:


Ingredients: 3 dl double cream, 80 g of haribo mix candies.

Process: Heat up the double cream in a saucepan but do not let it boil. Put in the candies and stir until the candies have melted. Put the mix in the fridge and let it set for about 4-6 hours. After the mix is set, whip the mix with a little but more double cream until it becomes fluffy.

The recipe for the actual cupcake, I used Mary Berry's perfect Victoria sandwich recipe which I have tasted before and it is really good. The cupcakes were delicious and I simply decorated them with some princess sprinkles.

Swedish Cinnamon Rolls (Kanellbullar)

 I am finally done with the baking for today. I baked some cupcakes and Swedish cinnamon buns (kanelbullar) which are the best cinnamon buns in the world according to me. 

The idea is to take some of these delicious buns to the cake and bake show tomorrow and invite Eric Lanlard to try one :) We will see how that goes.

A recipe will come later for these delicious buns. They take such a time to bake, but I love how they make the whole house so fragrant of delicious cinnamon and they are at the best when you enjoy them with a nice cup of hot tea, yum. I love the sugerpearls on top. I have asked friends from Sweden to bring them for me when they come and visit me as I haven't seen them here in UK. Anyone who knows where I can find them in London area?

Homemade Beef Burgers - Recipe

I love beef burgers, especially making my own burgers. Ever since I show one of these documentaries on what the food companies put into their beef burgers I stopped buying them and decided to make my own. Although it can be a little more expensive, it is totally worth buying the meat and make your own beef burgers, at least you know exactly what they are made of!

There are many different varieties of beef burgers and what to put into them, and this is just one of my many recipes of how I make them. You can put as much and as little into the mix. This time, I used very little ingredients :) Usually I love to stuff the meat with veggies. This is recipe for today:

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

300-500 grams of minced beef ( I always go to the butcher and choose a nice beef steak and let them mince it for me once)

1 onion, half chopped, half sliced

dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

ground garlic, 1/5 tea spoon

roasted paprika powder, 1/5 tea spoon

olive oil, 3 table spoons

worcester sauce, few dropps

asian spice mix, 1/5 tea spoon

Usually, you should use an egg and some flour to make the meat bind well, but I skipped it this time. You also need: tomatoes, lettuce, onion (I used roasted onions), cheese, beef burger dressing and ketchup for putting it together.

Process:

1 - Heat up the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

2- Mix all the ingredients for the burgers and shape them rounded. Put them on an oiled oven tray and put them in the oven until golden brown. If the tray gets watery from the burgers, I just take out the tray, pour out the water and put it back in the oven until done.

3- Let the meat rest for few minutes and then put it together with the tomato, onion and lettuce, dressing, ketchup, cheese and serve it with coleslaw and french fries.

Enjoy!

Roasted vegetables and chicken - Recipe

One of my all time favorite dishes is the roasted vegetables with chicken. It is very easy to make and a perfect healthy meal which can be served as it is or with fish, chicken or meat, or as I love to serve; with couscous and a nice fresh yogurt dip with herbs, yum!

Sometimes, I get tired of rise, pasta, bread and "heavy" foods. So, I like to make roasted veggies as it fills me, but doesn't give me that stuffed and bloated feeling afterwards. This time, I made extra so I could take some for our lunch the day after. 

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
9 potatoes, diced
1/2 big leak, sliced
1 fennel, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
3 chicken breast, diced
olive oil

Spices: roasted paprika, mix of peppers, salt, cumin, herbes de provence, dried parsley, mild curry.

Process:
1- Put the oven on 200°C/400°F/gas 6.

2- Slice up all the veggies and put them in an oven tray, pour olive oil and spices over it and mix everything so everything gets coated in the olive oil and the spices. Put tray in the oven and let the veggies roast for about 1 hour or til they've got a nice golden color and are cooked well.

Usually, I love having courgette, aubergine, garlic, butternut squash etc in the veggie mix, but I just had these at home and used them. Jamie Oliver has a great recipe on roasted veggies which I simply love.

3- Cut the chicken breasts in 2 pieces, and coat them with the olive oil and the spices as well.

I prepared everything in 2 oven trays. One for only the veggies and one for the chicken mixed with the veggies. I put them both in the oven for about 50-60 minutes until the veggies and the chicken were cooked well.

Very useful if you invite vegetarian friends for diner or you're on a healthy diet.

Enjoy !

Top tray with just veggies and bottom tray with veggies and the chicken.

Fruity Smoothie - Recipe

Sometimes I feel like having something sweet, fresh, and creamy, but I'm not talking about candies or sweets. I'm talking about smoothies :) 

One of the best drinks (?) ever that you can make in so many different ways and yet always be so tasty. I was craving this smoothie while watching the food channel, and one of the chefs made it to take on a picnic. Now that the weather is getting worse here in the UK, there won't be any picnics, but it did not stop me from having a delicious, summery smoothie :)

It's so simple to make that every time I make it, I'm surprised I don't do it more often. Now I don't have exact measurements for all the ingredients that went into this smoothie, but I'll will try give an approximate recipe for this particular smoothie.

Ingredients:

1 kiwi
13-15 strawberries
2 bannas
half cup Greek yogurt
1/3 glass of summer fruit juice
honey to sweeten it
some milk to get the right consistency


Process:

1- Put all the ingredients in a liquidizer and wazz it up as Jamie Oliver would say :)

2- Taste it, and put in more of the ingredients, that you feel are required to get the right taste.

Enjoy !

The Cake & Bake Show 2012

Finally, it is only one week left to The Cake & Bake Show 2012, an event dedicated to the world of cakes, breads and the art of baking. It will take place between 22-23 September at Earls Court Brompton Hall. When a friend of mine mentioned she had 2 tickets for this show, I instantly wanted one and couldn't wait for it. Baking is another passion of mine, and I love to bake, especially if it involves chocolate :)

This will be my first event related to food and baking. I'm truly looking forward to meeting and listening to some famous speakers such as Marry Berry and Paul Hollywood, who are the judges on the famous baking show Great British Bake Off And of course, Eric Lanlard! I love watching Lanlard's show "Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard". His cupcakes and cakes look absolutely divine and delicious.

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So, next Saturday, I will be at the Cake & Bake Show. I hope there will be plenty of sweet cakes and bread to nibble on :)

I will try to buy some new baking tools and hope to learn new techniques for baking bread and cakes and, of course, have a great time !

Crispy Crostini with Tomato & Mozzarella - Recipe

Yesterday evening, I felt a bit peckish and craved something simple with bread. So, I thought, what could be better than crostinis? They're super easy to make and tastes great. The best part is, they're quite filling too. Crostini works well as starters, a simple lunch, or a late-night snack. The varieties of crostinis are endless, making it a versatile option for any time of day or occasion!

Serves 2


Ingredients:
5 slices of garlic bread
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 mozzarella ball, sliced
a pinch of dried basil
fresh basil for garnish


Process:

1- I purchased pre-sliced garlic bread with a spread of butter and herbs from the refrigerated section of our local supermarket.

2- Next, I topped the slices with mozzarella and tomatoes. I sprinkled a pinch of dried basil over the toppings and then placed them in the oven at 200°C until the cheese melted and the bread turned crispy brown. Finally, I garnished it with fresh basil.

Enjoy :)

Beef Tacos with Salsa - Recipe

One of my favorite stores here in the UK is TIGER, a Scandinavian store with a wide range of fun and stylish products. what I particularly love about this store is the variety of spices they offer. Today, I went to buy three different spices: dried basil, dried dill, and, of course, the taco spice mix (1£/ each). This mix sparked the idea of making the super simple dish, tacos, as we call them in Sweden. It is a Tex Mex inspired dish that's easy to make and doesn't require much effort or time.  

Serves 3-4

Ingredients: 
500g minced meat (I used beef)

4 large tomatoes, chopped

2 onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup of sweet corn
dried basil, 1 teaspoon
lemon juice from 1 lemon
salt to taste
parsley
1 avocado, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons tomato puree
tortillas and tortilla chips
soured cream
2 tablespoons of taco spice mix
1/2 cup of water

Process:

1- I began doing the salsa which is very simple. Chop the tomatoes, 1 onion, parsley, 1 bell pepper, and avocado. Mix them together and add salt, lemon juice, and dried basil. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

2- For the taco sauce, fry the minced meat in olive oil over medium heat until brown and crumbly. Break up any large pieces with a spoon. Add chopped veggies like bell pepper, parsley, and sweet corn, and fry for a few minutes. Then, add the taco spice, salt, tomato puree, and water. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3- Once the taco sauce is done, I served it with the salsa, tortillas, chips, and sour cream. It's a filling and tasty meal!

In Sweden, it's common to chop up veggies like tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, and sweet corn and serve them in separate bowls along with guacamole, sour cream, meat sauce, salsa sauce, and grated cheese. I've spent many fun nights with friends enjoying this simple yet delicious dish.

Another great recipet I plan to try soon is the beef tacos recipe by allrecipes.co.uk. But if you prefer chicken instead, I recommend Jamie Oliver's Chicken Fajitas with homemade guacamole and salsa. It is truly a delicious dish, perfect for a Friday night in front of a great movie :) 

Enjoy :)

Pasta with creamy coconut chicken curry sauce - Recipe

Today, I whipped up a deliciously creamy pasta with a coconut chicken curry sauce. Back when I lived in Sweden, my girlfriends and I would often make this dish and absolutely loved it. It's the perfect comfort food when you're craving something creamy but not too heavy. I find myself making this dish frequently when I'm alone and in need of a quick yet satisfying meal. 

I've come across comments online suggesting that the combination of pasta and curry sauce might sound unusual, even a cultural clash. However, I find the flavors beautifully complement each other. The addition of coconut milk lends a creamy texture and rounds out the curry taste, toning down the intensity of the spices.

Yesterday, when family came to visit, we enjoyed a lovely picnic in the park. Needing something quick to prepare, I opted for my fast food pizzas. Using store-bought pizza bases, I topped them with squash, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, chicken, and onions. They turned out absolutely delicious!

With some diced chicken leftover from yesterday, I decided to create this creamy pasta with curry sauce for today's meal. The recipe is simple to prepare and doesn't require much time to cook. It's a delightful dish that's sure to please the taste buds!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500g pasta of choice (I used twist pasta)

3 chicken breasts, diced 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 squash,diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 small scallions (any onion can be used instead), chopped

1/4 cup of sweet corn

1 can of coconut milk, 400ml

1 tablespoon curry powder

2 tea spoons thai red curry paste (Sainsbury's)

Process:
1- Start by cooking the pasta according to the instructions on the package.

2- Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pan and add the diced chicken and let it cook until golden brown. then, add the squash, bell pepper, sweet corn, scallions and curry powder. Fry everything together over medium heat until evenly cooked.

3- Add the coconut milk and thai red curry paste. Let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until the curry sauce has reduced slightly to a creamy and thick consistency. 

4- Serve the curry sauce with the pasta.

Enjoy!