Recipe Tag: Health meets Food

Coconut Chutney

Gather all ingredients and equipment.

In a dry pan over medium heat, toast dals until fragrant and brown. Once golden, turn off heat and add cumin seeds. Allow to cool and then add to a blender with the coconut, ginger, chilies, salt, and 1.2 cup water, cilantro with 3 – 4 tablespoons of water. Blend until thick and smooth. If your mixture is to thick add awater 1 Tbsp at a time to reach a thick but fluid consistency.

Heat oil in a small pan. Add musard seeds, dal, cumin and red chilies. Once seeds pop and crackle and dal is golden brown, add curry leaves and hing. Once curry leaves become crispy, remove from heat. Pour over chutney and stir to combine. Serve.

Chimichurri Shrimp with Grilled Vegetables and Couscous

Place the water in a medium pan over high heat.

Add the couscous and reduce heat to a simmer.

Cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the water is absorbed.

Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 2 – 3 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork.

Fill a small pan with water and soak wooden grill skewers for 20 minutes, or use metal skewers.

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.

Toss the shrimp with the chimichurri and marinate for 5 minutes.

Using the skewers, pierce the shrimp through the middle. Make sure the shrimp are not touching each other to ensure even cooking.

Grill the shrimp until they turn pink and are fully opaque in the center, but do not turn rubbery (2- 3 minutes on each side).

Remove the shrimp from the grill once fully cooked, and set aside (keeping warm).

Trim the woody ends off of the asparagus.

Place the asparagus in a bowl with the onions and peppers and add the olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Toss well to coat the vegetables.

Grill the vegetables until they soften and develop grill marks, about 5 minutes on each side.

When vegetables are done, remove from the grill and allow to cool slightly.

Serve the couscous topped with the grilled shrimp and vegetables.

Alternative Technique:

If you don’t have a grill there are a lot of alternatives for how to cook the shrimp and veggies. One is to use a flat griddle like you might cook pancakes on. Cook shrimp over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side until they turn pink and are fully opaque in the center. Another good technique is a large sheet pan or cookie sheet in an oven preheated to 375°F.

Cape Malay Curry

Gather all ingredients and equipment.

In a saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp oil over high heat. Add shrimp shells and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, for 2-4 minutes or until spotted brown. Add water and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, strain, and set aside the broth, discarding the shrimp shells.

In a large saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium heat. Saute onion for ~ 5 minutes or until tender and starting to brown. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, curry powder blend, coriander. Saute for 1 minute until fragrant.

Add tomatoes, potatoes, and reserved shrimp stock. Cover and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in coconut milk. Add shrimp, fish, salt, and pepper. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until fish is cooked through. Serve.

Cilantro Lime Brown Rice – Virtual

Gather all ingredients and equipment.

Place rice in a mesh colander and rinse under cold water.

Put the rice and water medium sauce pot, on medium-high heat, and stir.

Bring the liquid to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the rice.

Simmer the rice for 30 minutes and taste the rice to see if it is still crunchy. If so, check for water on the bottom of the pot; add ¼ cup of water if all the water has been absorbed and continue to cook. If it is cooked and the water is absorbed, turn off the heat.

While the rice is cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients.

Finely chop the cilantro leaves. Juice the lime. Set to the side.

When the rice is a good consistency, turn off the heat and keep it covered for 10 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork.

Add the cilanto, lime juice, and salt and enjoy!

Bo-Kaap Cape Malay Curry Powder

Gather all ingredients and equipment.

Place the cloves, coriander, fennel, mustard, fenugreek, cumin seeds, and peppercorns in a frying pan and dry roast for a minute or two, until they become pungent and release their fragrance.

Add the remaining ground spices, including the chilis and the curry leaves, to the roasted spices.

Place them in a food processor or coffee grinder and pulse until they are finely ground – or grind them with a mortar and pestle.

Store in an airtight jar or tin in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.

Atole de Fresa

Gather all ingredients and equipment.

Place the hulled and quartered strawberries in a small pot with the water and piloncillo. Cook over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, or until soft and jammy. Place strawberry mixture into blender and blend until smooth.

Heat the milk and cinnamon stick in a small pot over medium heat, taking care not to burn the milk.

Add the corn flour/masa harina to the milk, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps. Strain the strawberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the pot.

Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking frequently, for about 30 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve.

Berbere Spice Blend

Gather all ingredients and equipment.

In a heavy skillet over high heat, toast the whole spices (seeds) and chilis, shaking the pan regularly to prevent scorching, until very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.

Grind the cooled spices in a spice or coffee grinder. Add all remaining ground spices and salt and grind everything together.

Store in an airtight container in a dark place.

Ras el Hanout

Place cinnamon, coriander seed, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom pods, allspice, cloves, anise seed and star anise in a dry skillet over medium heat to toast. Stirring frequently to avoid burning toast until spices are fragrant and color darkens slightly. Cool and remove seeds from cardamom pods. Discard pods.

Add toasted spices and remaining spices to spice grinder and pulse until ground into a fine powder.

Store in an airtight container in a dark place.

Ginger Miso Fish en Papillote

Gather all ingredients and equipment.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

In a small bowl, mix together the miso, the whites of the green onions, 1 tsp of sesame oil, ginger, honey, and 1 tsp soy sauce. Set aside.

Coat the fish filets on both sides with miso mixture and set aside.

Place the bok choy, edamame, and mushrooms in a medium bowl. Add 1 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, and half of the ginger and toss gently to coat.

Fold 2 pieces of parchment paper or foil until they are almost a 15 inch x 12 inch square.

Starting at one end of the folded edge, cut a half of a heart shape in such a way that when the parchment is opened it is in the shape of a heart with the folding crease down the center.

To assemble the pouches, divide the bok choy, edamame and mushrooms mixture between the two hearts, placing the mixture on one half of each heart.

Top the vegetables with one 4-ounce filet of fish.

Top each filet with lime juice.

To close the pouches, fold the top of the heart over the fish and vegetables.

Then starting at the top curve of the heart, make a fold, overlapping your folds to create a sealed crimped outer edge. Continue working around the base of the heart until you get to the bottom point. Twist tightly and fold into a crimp to completely seal your packet.

Arrange the packaged fish on a baking tray and place in the oven.

Cook until the fish is fully cooked through (white and flaky) and has an internal temperature of 140F, about 12-15 minutes.

Place each pouch on a plate and let stand about 30 seconds to cool before opening to avoid burns.

There will be some hot steam that escapes when the parchment is cut (be careful!). Squeeze the limes over the fish and serve.

Oven Poached Fish with Lemon Caper Sauce

Gather all ingredients and equipment.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a 9”x13” pan arrange the slices of onion in a single layer completely covering the bottom of the pan.

Arrange the fish filets on top of the onions making sure that there is space between the pieces of fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add the wine. The fish should be partially submerged in the liquid if not add more wine or vegetable stock or water.

Cover the pan with foil and bake for 8 – 10 minutes or about 5 minutes for each ½ inch of thickness, until the fish is opaque and pulls apart easily with a fork.

While the fish is cooking, whisk together the garlic, capers, lemon juice and olive oil.

When the fish is done remove it from the oven and carefully transfer the fish to plates. Cover and keep warm.

Discard the onion slices and carefully pour the liquid from the baking dish into the sauté pan and turn the heat on high. Reduce, stirring often, to about 1/4 cup and whisk in the garlic and caper mixture and the parsley.

Pour over the sauce over fish and serve.