The Pão de Quiejo

Happy 2017! Last year I had planned to make these for breakfast on New Year's Day, but my local supermarket's response to "Where is the cassava flour" is "what's that?" A year later, I managed to find tapioca starch in the Thai aisle, and here we are.

Pão de quiejo is a small Brazilian snack roll with cheese in it. This is my husband's uncle's recipe, and is meticulous and specific, and yet I barely did justice to it. Nevertheless:

Heat a cup of milk with a cup of water and 2/3 cup of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Take off the heat as soon as it starts boiling. On the side, mix two spoons of salt with two cups of cassava flour/tapioca starch. Add this to the hot liquid gradually while stirring all the time with a spatula. Once it starts to cool a little, use your hands to knead.

Once the mixture has cooled down, add two cups of grated Parmesan cheese and knead well. Now begin to add eggs. It may take up to 4-6 eggs for the dough to finally stop sticking. I added six eggs and my dough became a custard - smart - so I had to add a cup or two of dry cassava flour till the dough started looking like dough.

Preheat oven to 190C. Line a cookie tray with baking paper. Roll 1" diameter balls out of the dough and place them far apart (like cookies). Bake for 20-30 minutes (my first batch was done in 20 so do keep a watch). Enjoy them hot! Freeze the rest of the balls for spontaneous pão de quiejo whenever you like!

The Pickled Paneer

Hope you had a lovely Christmas at home! A few more days till the madness of New Year's Eve. Need a meat and sugar detox breather while staying festive? Enter paneer.

Achari paneer tikka

Best done on a BBQ grill, although pan-seared or oven-baked works too. Marinate three cups of cubed paneer with two tablespoons of yogurt, a spoon each of ginger and garlic paste, salt, turmeric, a spoon of cumin powder, crushed dried red chillies, some paanch phodon (seed combination of saunf, kalongi, jeera, methi and mustard), a small spoon of amchur powder, a pinch of garam masala, and a tiny drizzle of mustard oil. Marinate for a good two hours at least.

Skewer up with onions and capsicum, and grill to perfection :) Remember to take off the heat before they blacken and turn into rubber. Serve with naan and mint chutney!

The Lamb Burger

Start the last week before Christmas with a giant lamb burger topped with homemade green capsicum pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and crispy onions on a whole wheat bun!

For the pesto, roast one diced green capsicum in the oven till it starts to char. Peel and add to the blender with a half cup of cashews, three tablespoons of parmesan, a spoon of smoked paprika, 3-4 garlic pods, salt, oregano and a drizzle of olive oil. Blend till ooth and set aside.

For the lamb, mix a half kg of lamb mince with a half cup of breadcrumbs, a tablespoon of yogurt, a big handful of parsley, garlic, salt, a spoon of cumin powder, a spoon of paprika, and some oregano. Mix with your hands and make patties. Heat up a grill pan and cook the patties 12 minutes on one side and 8 mintures on the other.

For the onions, slice an onion very thinly and dip into a bowl of egg wash and a little dry flour before deep-frying till golden.

Plate up with sun-dried tomatoes and a toasted whole wheat bun!

The Snickerdoodle

Such a simple cinnamon cookie, and cookie shops just won't quit making them thin and crispy! Here's an easy recipe for soft chewy snickerdoodles, just in time for Santa's visit.

Mix the following in a large bowl: 3 cups flour, one egg, a teaspoon and a half of vinegar, three spoons of ground cinnamon, two spoons of vanilla essence, a cup of melted butter, a little more than a cup of sugar, a spoon of baking soda and a tiny pinch of salt. I mixed all of it with my hand. Preheat oven to 190C. Roll cookie dough into 22-24 balls. Pour out some cinnamon sugar in a small bowl. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar. Bake on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, they'll be soft. Use the back of a glass to flatten them a little, and then let them cool.

Leave some out for Santa!

The Braised Duck

Getting a call at work from my husband who suddenly wants duck for dinner is totally normal in my house. I'm game, so I pick up three large whole duck breasts at the local Asian meat shop and go home to make this:

Braised duck with roasted potatoes

Fry duck breasts skin down for 15 minutes on low heat and 5 min on the other side. Keep all the duck fat. Use a spoon of duck fat, add a spoonful of ginger-garlic paste, a third of a cup of red wine, some thyme, a spoon of soya sauce, a spoon of rice vinegar and one of sugar, a drizzle of Caribbean jerk sauce, a cup of water and a little paprika. Cook for a couple of minutes. Pour over the duck, cover with foil and roast at 180C for 45 min.

Meanwhile parboil two diced potatoes and then fry in the leftover duck fat. Season with sea salt, pepper, oregano and paprika. Set aside.

After the 45 min of roasting, take out all the liquid from the duck container into a sauce pan. Return duck to oven and roast at 200C for another 10 minutes. Heat the liquid and add another drizzle of jerk sauce, a half cup of water and some flour to thicken into gravy. Get the duck out and serve it with a drizzle of gravy, roasted potatoes and baby rocket! Fancyyyyy.

The Sambousek

Street food for the win! I grew up eating these (and falafels, or za'atar bread, or shawarmas) during or after an evening of shopping. Had to make them eventually! Excuse my poor folding skills.

Mix two cups of self-raising flour (or regular flour with a little baking powder or yeast) with two tablespoons of oil, half a cup of milk and water as required to knead it onto a smooth dough. While it sits quietly in a corner, sauté about 300-400 grams of your choice of minced meat (we used lamb; the traditional choice is beef) with a large finely chopped onion, a handful of pine nuts, and salt and pepper to taste. Take off the heat and add two spoons of chopped parsley. Roll out little balls of dough, place a spoonful of minced meat in the middle, and sold one side over to the other, and pinch down. Deep fry in vegetable oil and serve hot! Will make 6-8 pieces :)

The Hot Bricks

Fast and easy crowd-pleasing appetizer for when you have 15 minutes and access to shrimp!

Bake a thin layer of breadcrumbs in a baking pan for 4-5 minutes in the oven at 180-200C till brown. While that happens, chop two cloves of garlic, half an onion, a tomato and a cup of shrimp, and cook in a little butter. Beat five eggs with 2/3 cup of milk, salt, a dash of hot sauce, pepper, oregano and some paprika, and add to the pan with the shrimp. Vigorously stir, and turn the heat off as soon as the egg starts to set. Add a half-cup of shredded cheese to the egg; stir and pour over the baked breadcrumbs. spread cheese on top to cover, and top with a little rosemary and smoked paprika. Bake for 10 minutes; cool, cut and serve! Easy.