Food, Culinary And Recipe Blog

• 1 small cucumber, finely sliced ,
• 3/4th cup bean sprouts, blanched and drained,
• 2 cups shredded Chinese cabbage, blanched and drained,
• 4 cups coconut milk,
• 1 cup fish stock ,
• 2 fresh hot red chillies, slit open and deseeded ,
• 2cm fresh ginger, chopped,
• 4 spring onions, chopped,
• 2 cloves, garlic, sliced, Salt, to taste, Lime juice, to taste,
• 500gm fresh rice noodles,
• 500gm medium-sized prawns, shelled and deveined

Preparation Method

Arrange the cucumber, bean sprouts and cabbage in individual dishes and set on a tray as accompaniments. Bring the coconut milk to boil in a medium-sized pan and add fish stock, chillies, ginger, spring onions and garlic. Let it boil, and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt and lime juice. Rinse the noodles in warm water and divide between heated serving bowls. Add the prawn to the pan and simmer for about 3 minutes, then divide between the bowls, and strain the hot curry gravy over it. Serve the tray of prepared accompaniments with the curry.

Here is the recipe of one very popular Indian dish which is usually prepared during festivals.

• 200 gm basmati rice
• 200 ml water
• 100 gm moong dal
•  2 bunches spinach
• 4-5 chopped garlic
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped tomato
• 3 green chillies
• 1/ tsp cumin seeds
• Sugar, a pinch
• Turmeric powder, a pinch
• Ghee

Method to prepare:

Wash the rice and soak it for 20 minutes. Blanche the spinach and make a puree with green chillies. Boil the moong dal. Heat ghee in a kadhai. Add cumin seeds. Fry garlic untill brown. Saute onions till transparent. Add tomatoes and stir for a minute. Add the spinach puree and stir for another minute. Add salt, sugar, turmeric and water. Allow it to boil. Add the rice and dal and covered till cooked.

After it is cooked, you are ready to serve and show your culinary prowess.

For the first time, Greek researchers have found that eating a diet rich in choline and betaine, two related compounds is linked to indicators of inflammation. The researchers looked at 3042 men and women between the ages of 18 to 89, culled from a large study dubbed ATTICA. They found that those with the highest intakes of choline and betaine and the lowest levels of inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, homcysteine, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor.

Rich sources of choline include eggs, wheat germ, pork, beef, cod, chicken, shrimp, salmon, broccoli, cauliflower Brussels sprouts. Betaine is highest in wheat bran, wheat germ, spinach, shrimp and beets.

 Choline helps make neurotransmitters and fats in cell membranes, while betaine helps reduce homocysteine levels.  These findings suggest that both may be key to reducing inflammation, now considered a stepping stone to heart disease and other chronic conditions.

As I hail from India, the recipes that I give out on this blog are mostly Indian recipe. Alon with Chinese and Thai, Indian culinary has become legendary over last few years and is a status symbol to dine in an Indian restaurant specially in the UK. Here is one more such recipe –

Ingredients:

• 100 gm carrot
• 80gm zucchini
• 100gm baby corn
• 80gm red peppers
• 80gm yellow peppers
• 100gm broccoli
• 50gm gherkins
• 40gm asparagus
• 8 prunes
• 100gm cottage cheese

For the marinade

• 30ml olive oil
• 15ml lemon juice
• 1tbs garlic paste
• 1tbs cayenne pepper
• 1tbs balsamic reduction
• 1tbs roasted clove powder
• 1tbs chipotle paste
• 30 ml sundried of tomato paste

For the salad

• 200gm iceberg lettuce
• 20gm juliennes of beet root and yellow peppers
• 20gm juliennes of beet root
• 10ml vinaigrette dressing

For the rice

• 20gm butter
• 4 small cups cooked rice
• Diluted saffron, for color and flavoring
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1tbs chopped jalapeno

Method

wash, peel and cut all the vegetables in fancy shapes. Marinade with all the ingredients mentioned. Keep for 30 minutes. Spread vegetables on a baking tray and grill till done. Mix the rice well with butter, saffron and jalapano. Mix the ingredients for the salad with the dressing.

Now everything is ready and boast yourself by serving it.