The Mushroom Soup

 It has been pouring in Sydney like no other. In anticipation of a La Niña summer, here's a hearty 20 minute cream of mushroom soup recipe.

Sauté a small, roughly chopped onion in half a cup of melted butter, along with 4-5 large cloves of garlic and a little rosemary. Once the onion softens, add about 10 large roughly chopped brown button mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the mushrooms shrink, then remove the rosemary and blend the whole mix smooth. Continue to cook while adding 2-3 glasses of water (until flowy) and half a cup of cream. I also added half a cup of freshly grated parmesan. Adjust salt accordingly, simmer for 5-10 minutes and take off the heat when happy with the consistency. Serve piping hot with garlic bread or a salad.

The Achar

When I was little, my parents asked me if I wanted to taste "Zindagi ka mazaa" (fun of life) and then put achar on my tongue! My favorite achar is the stuffed red chilli achar. Please learn from my mistakes and wear gloves for this.

Ideally get 20-30 big red chillies. I used 160 small ones from my garden. Take the crown off, slit and remove the insides of the chillies. Meanwhile, coarsely grind together 3 tbsps each of mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, and double that of fennel seeds. Add a big spoon of turmeric, salt to taste, 5 spoons of amchur (dry mango powder) and a little hing. Add enough mustard oil to this mix to just get the mix sticky, then stuff the chillies with it. Put in a glass jar, cover with mustard oil and let it sit for a week in the sun!

Delicious.

The Crunchy Bhindi

Kurkuri bhindi is the easiest 10-minute vegan side-dish for any type of meal, and is delightfully tangy! Toss a bowl of okra (quartered along length) in half a spoon of the following: turmeric, red chilli powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, amchur and chat masala, plus salt to taste and a quarter cup of chickpea flour. Shallow fry and serve hot and crispy!

The Vegan Chilli

Indo-chinese food is for everybody! If chilli chicken or chilli paneer isn't your style, here's an easy 20-minute vegan-friendly chilli soy for you.

Soy chunks are available in any Indian store. Soak about 2 cups in hot water for about 10 minutes. While the soy meat soaks, chop half an onion, one hot green chilli and 4-5 large cloves of garlic. In a bowl, in 3/4 cup of water, dissolve corn flour until the water viscosity starts to just thicken. Add the green chilli and half of the garlic, plus a spoon of soy sauce and a little salt, and mix. 

Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan. Drain the soaked soy chunks and gently squeeze to get the water out. Then dump the soy in the bowl of cornflour mix. Flash-fry the soy in the oil just long enough for the coating to look dark brown and remove from oil. 

In a wok, heat a spoon of oil and add to it the onions and the rest of the garlic. Add 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce and a spoon of garlic-chilli sauce or paste, plus a pinch of garam masala and some salt and pepper. Add a dash of water and then the fried soy chunks, and cook on high heat for the 2 min it takes for the water to evaporate. Serve piping hot with a little cilantro and your favorite carb!

 

The New York Cheesecake

Friday cheat night done right - make yourself a massive solo New York style baked cheesecake!

Use a food processor to crush 250g of any sweet biscuit (I used Scotch Fingers). Once fine, add 125g softened butter and mix again. Press this crumb mix onto the base of your baking dish. Refrigerate for 30 min.

While that happens, preheat oven to 140C fan-forced. In the same processor, add 500g cream cheese, 3 eggs, a dash of vanilla, less than a cup of sour cream and 160g caster sugar and mix. Pour the mix onto the biscuit base in the baking dish and bake for 45 min when the top is set. Let it cool before refrigerating for a few hours.

Top with raspberries and dig in!

The Seared Scallops

Fine dining doesn't take more than 15 minutes to set up! Make your Monday lunch fancy as well as quick while you work from home like a pro.

Pat the scallops (12-13 pieces) dry before seasoning with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat 2-3 tbsps of butter in a pan and wait for it to sizzle. Place the scallops in the hot butter and sear on each side for 2 min before removing. Add 4 pods of chopped garlic to the butter and stir for a minute before adding half a cup of white wine. Once the liquid has reduced a little, add the scallops and bathe them in the liquid. Take off the heat after a few minutes. Serve with whatever! I had it with a side of parmesan rice, mashed green chilli potatoes and raw organic baby carrots, plus the pinot grigio that went into the dish!

The Karaage

 Karaage chicken is my go-to thing to order at a Japanese restaurant, and it's about time I made it at home. It's unbelievably easy!

Marinate chopped pieces of chicken thighs (1kg) with a tablespoon of ginger, a tablespoon of garlic, a tablespoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of sake and a quarter cup of dark premium soy sauce. After 10-15 minutes, add enough potato starch to coat all of the chicken. Deep-fry and serve hot. Itadakimasu!