Seeded Crackers

These are the best home made crackers, easy, healthy and so moorish. I cannot take credit for the recipe though, this was given to me by a colleague, not sure which uber healthy cookbook its from, note to self, I must find out! But in the meantime, here it is, serve with cheese, dips, or nibble on them any time of day  to your hearts content.

 

1/2 Cup Sunflower seeds

1/4 Cup Linseeds

1/4 Cup Sesame seeds

2 Tbls Chia seeds

1 tsp Sea salt (plus more to sprinkle)

1 cup Spelt flour ( I used wholemeal, but you can use white too)

1/2 Cup water

1/3 Cup Olive oil (you can use extra virgin olive oil if you wish)

Pre heat the oven to 180 C. Put all the seeds, salt and flour to a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the water and oil and mix to form a dough. Divide the dough in half and roll each one between two sheets of baking paper. Approx 3-4m thick.

Transfer to baking trays and remove the top sheet and sprinkle with sea salt, bake for 15-20 min or until slightly golden. Cool on wire racks and then break into chunks, they keep well in an air tight container for 1-2 weeks.

 

Enjoy!

Ashia

 

Cooking up a storm with "Cook the Books"

Culinary Workshops

I have had the pleasure of starting up some modern Indian culinary workshops in collaboration with Cook the Books in Grey Lynn.  I love the concept of having a store completely filled with cook books! Whats not to love? An array of beautiful, insightful culinary treasures to drool over!

Then a gem in the back of the shop, a completely kitted out demonstration kitchen to have workshops and cooking sessions with people who share your passion.

I have been busy, sharing my recipes and stories with lovely people who have been coming to my workshops and feasting and learning about my style of cooking.

It has been a great few weeks, i have had three workshops and they have all been well received, with people going away with a spice pack for one of the recipes, promising to recreate the dish and share with family and friends.  Its been fun and and i am hoping to do more before the end of the year, so look out on my Facebook  and Instagram pages for details of upcoming events.

Here are a couple of photos from the three workshops.

Enjoy!

Eid Celebrations

Burfi1.JPG

Fasting is one of those very personal rituals, which you only understand if you have gone through it yourself. People often ask me, don't you get hungry or thirsty?? And really, you cant even drink water??

As a Muslim you grow up with this yearly ritual, Ramadan, and it cleanses, your body, mind and soul.  Like anything in life, the more you do it, the better you get at it. Although you abstain form eating and drinking during the daylight hours, at the end of the day, the kitchen is buzzing with preparations to end the fast of the day.

And for me , living so far from family, I hanker for those memories which I grew up with, and food was a big part of this.  So I will share with you some of the food I cooked in Ramadan, finishing with the lovely sweet Burfi which I made for Eid, which is a lovely Indian fudge, which is my mum's recipe.

I am also hoping to start some culinary demonstrations very soon so watch this space!

Enjoy! Till next time.

Ashia

Spice up those winter evenings

Burtho (Aubergine Curry) and Roti



To me the cold, dark evenings in winter  mean comfort food. And I love pies and soups, but my comfort food is home cooked Indian food. It is my soul food, its what I was bought up with.  I have travelled all over the world, having lived in Africa and then England and travelling all over Europe and America and then settling here in beautiful New Zealand. I always find that when I am away from home,  I love experiencing all the exotic and different flavours, but really miss my home made curries and it is probably one of the first things I make when I get back from being away.

Bhurtho is one of those gorgeous dishes and is one of my favourites. Funnily enough I refused to eat this as a child, and I remember having countless arguments with my mum about why I wasn't going to eat my dinner when she served this up on my plate!

Bhurtho
1 large Aubergine                                                 
I onion (sliced)
2-3 Tbl Oil                                                                       
1 -2 cloves crushed Garlic
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
1/4 Tsp Cumin
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Paprika (optional)
1/4 Tsp Chilli powder
2-3 chopped tomatoes or you cab use chopped tomoatoes in a can (3/4 can)

1. With a fork prick several holes all over the aubergine and place under a pre heated grill for 20-30 min, turning a couple of times. You will know it is cooked when it goes all soft and looses the firmness.  It needs to be "mushy" when you slit it open.

2. While the aubergine is cooking, in a medium saucepan heat the oil and add the sliced onions.  cook until pale and soft

3. Add the chopped  tomato and all the spices and cook over a low heat for about 10-15 min.

4. Meanwhile when the aubergine is cooked, (it will be very soft - this is desirable) slit it open, hold on to it by its stalk and roughly mash it with a fork .  Remove the skin and stalk after mashing.

5. Add the mashed aubergine to the tomato mixture and cook on a low heat for a further 5-7 min.

Serve with hot Rotis.    (recipe for roti to follow - you can buy some pretty good roti/chappati from the supermarkets, although I love making my own, its an art that takes years of practise but I will put a step by step guide for any easy to follow recipe.

Enjoy!

Till next time

Ashia

 

Easy Homemade Naan

Naan is a delicious, puffy Indian bread, made with milk and yoghurt, it is perfect for mopping up spicy curries.  I love making these, and although they are easy, its best to make them just before serving as they are gorgeous hot off the grill!

3 Cups Plain flour

1 1/2 Teaspoons sugar

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1 Teaspoon baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

4 Tablespoons milk5 Tablespoons yoghurt

1 Tablespoon of melted butter ( also more for brushing)

poppy seeds (optional)

Sift flour and add all the dry ingredients, mix to combine. make a well in the center and add the milk, yoghurt and melted butter with 90-100mls warm water.

Knead the dough until smooth.  Roll out into an oblong naan shape. On a hot non stick frying pan, cook the naan on one side and then place on a baking tray, brush the raw side with butter and ( seeds if using), grill until browned and blistered. Do this until all your naan are cooked, brush with more butter and add chopped coriander and serve hot.

Makes approx.  6-8

Enjoy!

Ashia

Summery Lemon Cake

I joined a club recently, this is no ordinary club, here you bake your cake and eat it (and other cakes too!)  Its called the Clandestine Cake Club, it was started in the UK by Lynne Hill and now has clubs all over the world.  We meet once a month, the location is revealed a couple of days before and you bake to a theme, I have met some lovely people, and its great to be part of something you enjoy.

February's theme was a summery cake, so I thought, lemons and blueberries, a perfect combination.  This is such an easy cake to make, its been featured in one of Annabelle Langbien's web pages. Using a pot of 150 g of dreamy lemon yoghurt, you make this cake in a few simple steps.

  • 150g pot of dreamy lemon yoghurt
  • Pot of a neutral oil (eg sunflower or grapeseed)
  • 2 pots castor sugar
  • 2 tsps. baking powder
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 pots of plain flour

Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and pour into a lined 20cm baking tin.  Fan bake at 170 for 40-50 min.

For the glaze -  1/2 pot icing sugarand 2 tablespoons warm lemon juice, mix together and pour on the cake once the cake is cool. Decorate with lemon rind and blueberries!

Enjoy!

Ashia

 

 

 

Zara's 11th Birthday

Zara's 11th Birthday

My baby turned 11 in February,  and as I refelct on the past year, sometimes I cant help thinking, how time flies and we have to cherish every moment.

It is a tradition in our family that I always bake a cake for both my children's birthdays. So they tell me what flavour and style of cake and I endevour to deliver!  (within reason of course!)

So this year Zara had seen a gorgeous cake she wanted, a moist chocolate cake (4 layers) with pale pink buttercream icing, and a topping of hundred's and thousands, with a surprise inside!

I baked 2 whole cakes and 2 with a hole in them, and once cool and ready to be iced, I started with a whole cake, then adding the cake with a 'hole', sandwiching with butter icing, then the 3rd cake with the 'hole', then adding 6-7 pkts of smarties, and then the final whole cake on top.  Then butter icing to all 4 layers, with a generous sprinkling of hundred's and thousands. A cake fit for a princess!

Enjoy!

Ashia


Summer holiday fun

My twin sister, hubby and three kids arrived the first week of December, their first trip to NZ. We have a fabulous road trip planned. But with 9 of us ( including 3 teenage boys) we have to be ultra organised with feeding the troops!
So Anj and I have been baking and cooking, but making sure that meals are wholesome and filling as well as being simple allowing us to pack as much into our days as possible. 
The BBQ has been an awesome friend, lots of salads, and relishes and easy recipes for the trip. 
We filled the tins with shortbread, her gorgeous coconut & chocolate biscuits, chocolate cake, blueberry & lemon loaf and gingerbread loaf. 

Here is a quick and easy recipe for our homemade beef burgers

I used a double recipe, but this is for 1 kg of beef mince

1 kg beef mince
2 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbls Tomato sauce
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
A handful of breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper
Mix through making sure everything is distributed.
Make approx 12 -14 balls
Then shape them into patties, cook on the BBQ and serve with your choice of bread rolls and condiments.

Enjoy!

Ashia

TV1 segment

It has been a busy few weeks with the October school holidays and now into the 4th (& last) term of the year! Counting down to summer.

This summer for me is going to be a special one, my gorgeous twin sisterAnjum and her family are visiting us for the first time. In my 19 years to and fro this is her first visit, so needless to say we are all very excited and have planned a great holiday over 4 weeks, showcasing this gorgeous country of ours.  Next year I have plans to do more You tube clips on cooking and have more articles in the pipeline for NZ House & Garden, with the next one coming out in Feb 2016!

I have uploaded my whole food story segment that was shown on TV1 a couple of weeks ago.  Enjoy it, if you didn't get a chance to see the episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFAqTf4RMI0

Gifts from my kitchen

Well, another year has hurtled past, bringing with it a lot of memories. It's been a great year for me, my son Adam started high school, my parents came to visit from the UK, I hadn't  seen them for a couple of years. It was great spending time with them, and eating my mum's home cooked meals. Special times.

 

 

I also got published again in NZ House & Garden, another foodie achievement for me. I loved working on the food story, which had 5 of my favourite recipes, a beautifully styled and photographed five page spread.  And earlier in November we did another photo shoot for NZ House & Garden for a summer food story that will be published in March' s issue 2016 ( available to buy in Feb). Look out for more work later in the year.

 

The kids are off now from school for the summer. My twin sister arrived from the UK with her family for their first visit to NZ. 

We have a fantastic road trip planned, showcasing this amazing country we live in, sharing memories and special times.

 I am hoping to get a new website and updated blog, so look out for that in the new year. 

 

I wish you all a safe and happy festive season, lots of best wishes for a happy a prosperous  2016.

 

Till next year!

 

Ashia

Vegetable Pulau Rice

I love making this colourful rice dish, its so versatile, it goes with any curry, and I also often make it and eat it on its own.  You can use any chopped vegetables, I mainly use frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots and sweetcorn) and then slice up a couple of potatoes.  Or you can use, green beans, cauliflower and broccoli as well if you wish.

Sunny Florida

 A fantastic opportunity for Adam and his team to travel to Orlando, Florida, over the school break, to take part in the Youth of America Basketball National Champs. 

Food for filming

A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I would like to be part of a TV1 lifestyle/doc about the neighborhoods we live in, and the cultural differences that make up these diverse communities.
The production company wanted me to be part of the food story in that episode.  So I gladly agreed.  The story was about where I am from and how living in New Zealand and the other countries I have lived in, affected my style of cooking.

They were filming all day, starting with an interview and then filmed me making a curry dish, which included me making roti, picking up the children from school and then coming home to have dinner with the family.

!t was a great experience and I will keep you updated as to when it will air in NZ (for my lovely overseas readers) you will be able to watch it on line

Slow Cooked Beef Curry

This is a lovely curry to have on a cold winters day, you can cook it on the stove top, but I find that putting it in a slow cooker, makes the meat really tender and is perfect to come home to at the end of the day.  Traditionally at home we use tomatoes and red chilli powder and a range of spices as the base of our cooking, this is no different. 
This is similar to a "beef madras", with a couple of slightly different ingredients that gives it a slightly milder taste.
Also I have used ready crushed paste of garlic and ginger, for ease of recipe and powdered spices, as the whole idea of my blog is quick. simple and authentic meals.

All In The Family

I thoroughly enjoyed working on my food feature for April's issue of NZ House & Garden.
Fantastic food styling by Bernadette Hogg and brilliant photography by Manja Wachsmuth. Great working with you both again!

Well here is the pdf of the article for all my friends and family in the UK and Austrailia, and all you lovely foodies, that visit my blog. Please feel free to share and cook and leave comments, I appreciate all your support.

Macchi Fry ( Fish Curry)

Nothing like a fresh fish curry, especially if it's caught by my lovely husband! Graham went out paddling on his sea kayak and caught a lovely big kahawai. So that was going to be dinner, with mum and dad visiting from the UK I thought a fish curry would be ideal. Kahawai is lovely and fleshy and tastes divine in a curry. 
With a little help from my lovely mum, we made my mum's gorgeous curry. We used 2 large fillets which were approximately 1kg. You can halve the recipe for 500g. 

Sugar Puff pastries

My parents are visiting from the UK, and I am loving cooking and trying new recipes with my mum. Some of these bring back memories from my childhood growing up in Malawi. 

These scrumptious little pastries are a great accompaniment to ice cream or just served as an afternoon snack.
 

Tuna Fish cakes with dipping sauces

These gorgeous little fish cakes are so simple and perfect for Summer!  Again, as with all my recipes, using simple ingredients, quick and easy from your pantry and fridge.

Summer Berry Tarts

A couple of days before the end of 2014, it's been another busy year, with cooking and writing and having an article published with Taste magazine. And getting ready to write another one for NZ House & Garden, which will be published early next year.

Having realised three years ago that this ( foodie projects) is what i am passionate about doing, it would be amazing to spend all my spare time doing this. Unfortunately, "life" gets in the way, and my foodie plans, made with good intentions go out the window!