Jackfruit Salad

My dear friend, James, this is for you. Thanks to you I have learned about something new today, about chakka fruit or jackfruit, that it is your favourite fruit and that is so popular in India where you eat it 6 months a year. I have to say it is the first time I hear about this fruit and I googled for it to learn more. And even when I read that there are fresh jackfruit in London I still haven’t seen one or I haven’t noticed yet, but I will pay more attention now. ;). But it sounds like a very interesting fruit and as I searched for recipes I think I would like a jackfruit curry to eat once and a jackfruit salad. I must add that the recipes with jackfruit are suitable for vegetarians so I know I would like it as I am not into meat most of the times. I will put here a recipe taken from the internet, from this site: http://www.virtualherbarium.org that has more jackfruit recipes so feel free to check it out and cook. Providing you have the ingredients. There is jackfruit in Romania now so I can cook something. But because cooking requires imagination and creativity, I will slightly adapt the recipes so that I can cook it anywhere, even when I don’t have jackfruit. I would take advantage that this special fruit tastes like mango and banana and smells like banana and pineapple so I think one of these fruits can replace it successfully. If you don’t agree, let me know why. Enjoy now a light, fresh and cooling desert for what was left of the hot days of summer. 🙂

Jackfruit Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 6 cups fresh jackfruit (or mango, pineapples, bananas for when you can’t find this giant fruit)
• juice of one lime (or lemon for that matter)
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• ¾ cup golden raisins
• 450 g (16 ounces) sour cream (go for full cream or full fat yoghurt)
• ¾ to 1 cup toasted walnuts (optional; I love walnuts so these are a must for me ;))

Method:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine jackfruit, lime juice, coconut, raisins and sour cream. If, after combining all ingredients, you feel mixture needs more of one above item, slowly add according to your taste. Add and mix in toasted walnuts just before serving.

NOTE:   Place walnuts on a cookie sheet, single layer, and toast 8 to 10 minutes in a preheated 300-degree oven. Turn walnuts over after 4 or 5 minutes.

Bon appetite!

source: http://www.virtualherbarium.org/tropicalfruit/jackfruit-recipes.html

 

Chicken Curry

I know. You know. Curry is one of the tastier dishes I have ever eaten. I hadn’t heard about Indian food until I went to London. There I discovered the international cuisine. And the tastes behind it. I can’t believe how lucky I am.

I have many favorite recipes and one among them is curry. Any curry. I have cooked and eaten fish, chicken, lamb curry and other Indian recipes that are absolutely delicious. I am only sorry that in Romania I can’t cook them all. For some dishes there are absolutely no spices here and there is no way I can replace them. If I do that it will be no longer an Indian recipe. Too bad. My wish is to make accessible the recipes for those who love cooking in Romania. I know that sometimes is impossible or let’s say it is impossible for the moment. I hope for the best. 🙂

For today I have mixed two curry recipes I have, to try to make an easy one. The taste of India remains. 🙂 So

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

• 350 g skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-5 cm (1 in) pieces (or you can try with 2 chicken breasts)
• 30 g butter (or more for more chicken)
• 2 packets of curry powder (this is how you find it here and I have to say I am not at all satisfied about its quality, or about 2 tbsp of really good curry powder)
• 1 large (about 200 g) onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh lemon grass
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (for a spicier recipe, yummy ;)) )
• 2 tsp chopped fresh coriander
• 2 tsp lime juice (or lemon juice)
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce (optional)
• 1 tsp sugar
• a pinch of pepper
• 2 tsp plain flour
• 300 ml chicken stock
• 1 can coconut milk (you can make it by putting 75-100 g coconut in a bowl, pour over the 300 boiling water and leave to stand for 30 minutes. I have done this and I don’t like it. There is nothing as good as the coconut in the can or if you are reaaaaaaly lucky, the milk from a fresh coconut)

Method:

• Heat butter in a pan, add chicken, cook, stirring, until browned and tender; drain on absorbent paper. You can buy the chicken meat ready cooked but you will never beat the taste and smell of a freshly buttered cooked meat.
• Reheat the pan, add onion, garlic, lemon grass, chili, coriander, juice, seeds, turmeric and sauce, curry powder, pepper, cook , stirring, until the onion is soft. Stir in chicken, sugar and flour, then the stock and milk, stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens.
• Serve with the best Indian rice: basmati rice.

Bon appetite!

Fragrant Coriander Rice

It is Lent.  I usually keep it for 2 weeks and I always end up feeling light and good. Do you know how we Romanian keep Lent? If  you don’t , let me tell you: no meat, eggs, cheese, milk or any other animal products except fish on certain days. But this will not keep me from keeping it. ;))

I have to admit that the recipes that I picked are almost all with some animal product in them. This one is one of the few that is without. So it is perfect for Lent or any other day. I have taken it from the book “Coriander – A Book of Recipes” and is probably Indian or Arabic, let me know the origin, please. Anyway, it is a very perfumed recipe, fresh and light. I have to admit I am not quite taken about it but the persons who have tried it, shesaid it is very good. This is what happens: I make a recipe that I like and end up saying myself how delicious it is and everybody around is saying the same, but when I make a recipe and say I am not into it, I always have a surprise: people are telling me it is so good. Don’t take me too seriously. I am just a fussy eater. ;))

About the recipe, there are some ingredients you might not find in Romania always. But it is ok, you can replace some, you will find them in brackets, and the rice is delicious all the same.

FRAGRANT CORIANDER RICE

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 225 g/ 8 oz/ 1 cup brown basmati rice
• 15 ml/ 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2,5 cm/ 1 in piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 7,5 ml/ 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 7,5/ 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 piece of lemon grass, finely chopped
• grated rind of 2 limes (or lemons)
• 750 ml/ 1 1/4 pints/ 3 cups vegetable stock (or plain water)
• 60 ml/ 4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• lime (lemon) wedges, to serve

Method:

• Put the rice into a large bowl of cold water. Swill the grains around with your hands, then tip out cloudy water (the rice will quickly sink to the bottom). Repeat this action about five times. If there is time , soak the rice for about 5 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, spices, lemon grass and grated lime rind. Cook gently for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the rice, turning it in the mixture to coat the grains. Cook for 1 minute more, then add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to very low and cover the pan. Cook gently for 30 minutes, then check the rice; if it still crunchy, cover the pan again and leave for a further 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Stir in the fresh coriander, fluff up the grains, cover the pan and leave for 10 minutes. Serve at once, with lime wedges.

Cook’s Tip

Other varieties of rice, such as white basmati or long grain can be used for this dish, but you will need to adjust the cooking times accordingly.

Bon appetite!