Pepper 'n Spice

A basic sponge cake has only flour, sugar and eggs. It depends on well whisked eggs as the leavening agent. (To enlighten; leavening agent is one that helps a cake to rise.) Victoria sponge cake has fat and a leavening agent added too, namely, butter and baking powder. It is named after Queen Victoria who used to like this cake with her tea. Victoria sponge cake takes after the pound cake, in that it uses equal measures of flour, butter, sugar and eggs. I follow the old-fashioned method of baking; which is to cream caster sugar and butter, mixing it well with beaten egg, then folding in flour and baking powder.  So let's dive into the recipe .. Granulated sugar - 250g Butter - 250g  or 156ml olive oil Organic brown eggs - 4 Vanilla essence - a few drops All-purpose flour - 250g Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Milk - 1/2 cup I cut down on the sugar to 220g and butter to 200g. So, the modus operandi.. Grind granulated sugar to a powder. Keep butter out of the refrigerator a few hours ah...

 The essential contents are... Spinach - a big bunch Mint leaves - a big bunch Ginger - 1/2" Garlic - 4 cloves Green chili - 1 Lemon - 2 Water - a splash Salt - a smidgeon  The mechanism... Soak spinach and mint leaves in water with a bit of vinegar and salt for an hour. This helps remove pesticides. After that, wash well under running water. Break off and discard stem.  Peel ginger, garlic and mince them. Slice chili into bits.  Throw in spinach, mint, ginger, garlic, chili, salt, lemon juice and water into a blender and blitz for a minute or until all the leaves are crushed. Have a whale of a time, enjoying the chutney alongside crisp dosa.

 This dish was cooked by daughter. The fundamental elements are... Wheat noodles Green capsicum  - 1 Cabbage - 1 cup Onion - 1 Salt - 1/ 2 tsp Dark soy sauce - 1 tsp Vinegar - 1 tsp

  The elements of this uncomplicated dish are... Beans - 500g Drumsticks - 2 Onion - 1 Salt - 1/2 tsp Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp Nutritional yeast - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - a smidgeon Water - 3/4 cup The modus operandi... Wash beans and drumstick well. Trim ends of beans. Chop into thin rounds. Cut open the drumstick and scrape out the insides. Microwave beans and drumstick seeds with some water and a tad bit of salt for 3 minutes. The vegetables will soften. In a deep-bottomed steel pan, throw in chopped onion and a splash of water. Let it cook for 5 minutes.  Fling in the vegetables. Allow them to soften on slow heat. Add in salt, pepper, turmeric powder and yeast flakes. Give it a good stir. Cook until the vegetables dry up. Platter and serve alongside rice or quinoa. Have a whaling time savoring the wholesome food.

 The building blocks of the steak... Chicken breasts - 500g Salt Apple cider vinegar Pepper (whole) Black pepper powder Chili powder Ginger garlic paste Olive oil - 1 Tbsp Wash chicken well under running water. Cut each breast into two halves lengthwise. Slash it on top many times. This is so that when it is heated, the insides will be cooked thoroughly.  Marinate with salt, vinegar, whole pepper, pepper powder, chili powder and ginger garlic paste. Store in fridge overnight.  In a nonstick pan, dribble oil. Place the steak pieces gently. Cook on low heat, turning often; for half an hour or until nicely browned on both sides. Savor as such or as a sandwich with tomato and spinach leaves. Recipe adapted from here  .

 The ingredients...... Brown chickpeas - 1 cup Onion - 1 Ginger - 1/2 inch Garlic - 4 cloves Nutritional yeast - 1 tsp Chili powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Tomato - 1 Water - for boiling chickpeas and cooking onion Spinach- 1 big bunch The recipe... Pressure cook chickpeas in water with little salt for 4 to 5 whistles.  Peel onion, ginger and garlic. Chop onion into thin slices. Mince ginger and garlic. In a deep - bottomed saucepan, fling in onion, ginger, garlic and a splash of water. Allow the onions to soften. Spoon in yeast flakes, salt, coriander powder and garam masala. Stir for a minute for the raw smell of the masalas to disappear. Add in roughly chopped tomato. Give a good stir so that the tomato blends in. Turn off heat. Wash spinach leaves well by soaking it in water with a dash of salt and apple cider vinegar for an hour. Clean well and break off stems. Throw in the masala mishmash,  spinach leaves and some w...

 Green peas belong to the legume family. Here is an unembellished recipe from a paper cutting I had saved long back. The nuts and bolts of the dish are... Basmati rice - 1 and 1/2 cups Water - 2 cups for cooking rice + 1/2 cup for cooking onions and peas Onion - 1 Ginger - 1/2" Garlic - 4 cloves Nutritional yeast - 1 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Green peas, frozen - 1/2 cup     The procedure...   Soak rice in water for half an hour. Wash rice and strain. Pressure cook with 2 cups water and a smidgeon of salt. Defrost green peas. Wash them. Microwave peas with little water and a pinch of salt for 3 minutes.  Peel onion, ginger and garlic. Mince garlic and ginger. Chop onion into thin slices. Heat a deep-bottomed saucepan and throw in onion, ginger, garlic and a splash of water. Cook for a few minutes or until the onions soften. Add in yeast flakes and salt. Stir well. Fling in the cooked green peas. Spoon in rice. The awesome dish is ready to be served.

  Cabbage is a pale, light green vegetable that needs very little cooking time. It is crunchy and can be eaten raw in salad dishes.     The elements of the simple platter... Cabbage - 1/4 kg Onion - 1 Ginger - 1 inch Salt - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - a tad Water - 1/4 cup The preparation method... Peel ginger and onion. Chop ginger into small bits. Cleave onion into 1/4" pieces. Cut cabbage also into 1/4" pieces. Fling in onion and ginger into a deep-bottomed pan along with water. When the onion becomes soft, throw in the cabbage and spoon in the spices. Allow the vegetable to cook in the remaining water and steam. As all the water evaporates, give the mishmash a good stir and spread it to the edges of the pan. Turn off heat. Plate it and serve hot!

           The elements are,, Noodles, dry - 250g Drumstick - 2 Capsicum - 1 Cabbage - 250g Onion - 1 Mint leaves - a small bunch  Salt - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - a tad Soya sauce - 1 tsp Red chili sauce - 1 tsp       The method,,  Cook noodles in boiling water with a pinch of salt.  Scrape drumstick insides and cook in little water and turmeric powder. Deseed capsicum. Chop into small cubes. Shred cabbage.  Slice onion into thin pieces. Soften it by cooking in boiling water.  Add in moringa seeds with a tad of salt and turmeric powder to cook in the boiling water. After a few minutes,  add in capsicum and cabbage. Then add in soya and red chili sauce. Mix well. Cast in cooked noodles and mint leaves. Mix. Enjoy!

  The basic elements are... Chicken - 100g Onion - 1 Moringa - 1 Raw papaya - 50g Salt - 1/4 tsp Pepper - 1/4 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Water - 1/4 tsp Rice - 1 cup The process... Cook chicken separately.  Cook drumstick in some water with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder. Cook until tender.      In a saucepan, add in sliced onions with a splash of water. When it softens, add in chicken and masalas. Give it a good stir. Fling in grated papaya. Add in cooked quinoa and toss the mishmash well. Your dish is ready.

 Chicken hashed and cooked with vegetables is a great side dish to rice and bread.     Ingredients are...  For marination, Chicken breasts - 500g Salt - 3/4 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp Water - for pressure cooking chicken   For masala, Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Shallots - 10 to 12 Onion - 1  Ginger - 1/2 inch Garlic - 2 cloves Green chili - 2 Water - for cooking onion Nutritional yeast - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Chili powder - a pinch Garam masala - 1 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - a smidgeon Tomato - 2 Carrot - 2 Drumstick - 4 Water - for boiling carrots and drumstick     Equipments required...  Cutting board  Mixie Steel pan Rubber spatula      The method... Wash chicken well in different changes of water. Chop into 1 inch bits and rub in salt and turmeric powder. Set aside for half an hour. Meanwhile, peel shallots, onion, garlic and ginger. Cleave shallots and onion into small pieces. Mince ginger, garlic and g...

 Kadai veg with moringa is healthy and scrumptious The ingredients are... Capsicum - 3 Drumstick - 2 Onion - 2 Green chili - 2 Ginger - 1/2 inch Garlic - 2 cloves Garam masala - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Chili powder - 1/2 tsp Tomato - 2 Nutritional yeast - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp The method... Wash vegetables. Deseed capsicum and chop into 1 inch cubes.  Slice onion into thin slices. Mince ginger, garlic and chili.          Scrape the insides of drumstick. Heat a saucepan and throw in the drumstick insides, onion, ginger, garlic, chili and a splash of water.      When the onion softens, add roughly diced tomato. Add in salt, garam masala, coriander powder, yeast flakes.        Stir around for a few minutes. Allow to cool. Grind to a rough paste.    Add capsicum into the same saucepan. Fling in the ground masala. Mix well.

It's moringa aka drumstick week. I read that it is health-giving and nutritious, so all dishes in my home have this magical ingredient. Get creative, add it to your dishes too and relish a salubrious meal. The constituents of the curry...   Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Onion - 2 Green chili - 2 Ginger - 1/4 inch Garlic - 4 cloves Tomato - 1 Salt - 1/2 tsp Nutritional yeast - 1/4 tsp Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Chili powder - 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder - a bit Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Chickpeas - 1 cup Drumstick - 2 Water - 1/4 cup + additional for cooking chickpeas and drumstick The recipe...   Soak chickpeas overnight, with several changes of the sousing water. Pressure cook with fresh water, a tad of salt and a dash of turmeric powder, for 4 to 5 whistles. Drain water and set aside. Cut open drumstick lengthwise into two halves. Using a spoon, scoop out the insides; seeds and all. Boil this insides with little water, a bit of salt and a smidgeon of turmeric powder.  Peel onion,...