Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

For meatballs:

Minced turkey……..…300g
Egg……………...…..……1
Breadcrumbs …………½ cup
Onion…………………....½ (large, finely chopped)
Garlic…………….…..….1 clove (large, finely chopped)
Green chilli……..…....1 (finely chopped)
Coriander powder..…½ tea spoon
Rosemary……………...½ tea spoon
Ground pepper…..…..¼ tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

For the sauce:

Tomato……………......2 (chopped)
Onion………………...…½ (large, chopped)
Garlic………….…….....1 clove (large, chopped)
Water………………..….¼ cup
Chilli powder……...…½ tea spoon
Coriander powder….½ tea spoon
Rosemary……………..½ tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oil to cook

For the spaghetti:

Spaghetti                    fist full
Water to boil the spaghetti
Salt to taste

Method

For meatballs:

• Beat the egg in a bowl and then add all the other ingredients to it.
• Mix well with hand and make meatballs with the mixture about the size of golf balls.  
• Heat the oil to fry the meatballs.
• Once the oil has heated, fry the meatballs until they turn light golden-brown in colour. Drain and collect them on a plate.  Do not overcook them because we will be cooking them again in the sauce.

For the sauce:

• Add tomato, onions, garlic and water in a mixer and make a smooth paste out of it.
• Heat cooking oil in a pan and add the tomato-onion paste just prepared.
• Now add the chilli and coriander powder, rosemary and salt to the pan. Mix well.
• Once the sauce starts to bubble add the fried meatballs. Mix to coat the meatball with the sauce.
• Cook until the sauce starts to thicken.  Make sure the sauce is not watery.

For the Spaghetti:

• Boil water and add salt to it.
• Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook for the required amount of time.
• Once cooked, drain the spaghetti using the pasta drainer.

Arrange spaghetti on a plate and top it up with the meatballs and sauce. Serve hot.

Serves: 2

How to cook pasta?

A simple method with efficient tips:

• Use a deep pan and fill it with water. Add salt to the water and boil.
• Now add the pasta to the boiling water.
• Stir the cooking pasta at equal intervals to avoid it sticking to one another and to the bottom of the pan, especially when the pasta is almost cooked.
• Best way to check if the pasta is cooked is to remove one pasta strand and cut it to see the middle. If it is not cooked the middle will still appear yellow in colour.  If still unsure just eat a piece to check.
• Once the pasta is cooked drain the water and run it under cold running water. This will make sure that the pasta doesn’t stick to each other. This is best suited if you intend to keep the pasta standing for some time while preparing other ingredients for the dish. Note that rinsing the pasta in cold water will also wash away all the starch sticking to the cooked pasta. This will also prevent the sauce from sticking to the pasta.
• Alternatively splash a little olive oil on the drained pasta and mix well by hand to coat all the strains with a light layer of oil. This method is better suited when the pasta is to be served hot immediately.

Seafood Paella

Ingredients

Rice……………...……....1 cup
Fish stock…..…...…….2 ¼ cups
Saffron……………....….A pinch
Onion……………....…...½ (large, chopped)
Tomato…………….......1 (chopped)
Garlic………………...….1 clove (large, chopped)
Green chilli……….......1 (slit vertically)
Chilli powder……....…½ tea spoon
Lime juice…….....….…1 tea spoon
Vinegar…………….......1 table spoon
Butter………………....…1 table spoon
Assorted seafood.......250g (containing mussels, squid, prawns)
Oil to cook
Salt to taste

Method

• Heat the fish stock and add the saffron. Do not boil.
• Melt butter in a pan and add the seafood and salt. Half cook them and remove them in a bowl.
• Use the same pan for the rest of the dish to avoid wasting the seafood flavours. Add oil in the pan and sauté the onion and garlic in it for 2 min.
• Add the tomato, green chilli and chilli powder and sauté them for 2 min.
• Now add the rice and mix to coat the rice with the flavours and then add the half cook seafood.
• Pour the fish stock and add the line juice, vinegar and salt to taste. Mix well.
• Let the rice cook until tender and read to eat.
• Garnish with parsley. Serve hot

Serves: 2

Note:

Avoid stirring the rice a lot while cooking as that will break the rice grains.

Ratatouille (Traditional)

Ingredients

Eggplant……..……………........1 (large, cut into 1”chunks)
Courgette………………....…....1 (cut into 1”chunks)
Red or yellow bell pepper…1 (large, cut into 1”chunks)
Onion…………………….…....…1 (large, cut into 1”chunks)
Tomato…………………...….....1(large, chopped)
Garlic………………………..…...2 cloves (chopped)
Basil………………………….......1/2 tea spoon
Salt to taste
Oil to cook

Method

• Heat oil to a pan and add the cut eggplant pieces. Sprinkle with salt and cook with the lid on. Stir now and again to make sure the eggplant pieces cook evenly.
• When the eggplants are 75% cooked add the courgette pieces. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir to cook evenly.
• Now add the bell pepper, onion, tomato, garlic, basil and salt to taste and cook for 5 more minutes. Stir well to mix the flavours evenly.
• Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve hot.

Serves: 2

Note:

Make sure that the vegetable are not overcooked and do not lose their shape.

Garlic Soup

Ingredients

Chicken stock…………….4 cup
Garlic………………………..8 cloves (large finely chopped)
Dried thyme………………¼ tea spoon
Baguette slices           …..4 slices
Olive oil…………………….2 table spoon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

• Heat olive oil in a pan. Now add the garlic to the pan and sauté until soft.
• Add the chicken stock and thyme to the cooked garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste.  
• Mix and let the soup come to a boil.
• As the soup is cooking, butter the baguettes and toast them on a separate pan.
• Place 2 baguette slices in each soup bowl and pour the garlic soup on the toast.
• Garnish with fresh thyme twigs and serve.

Serves: 2

Chilli Turkey Dry

Ingredients

Mince turkey………………..300g

Tomato puree……...…......1 cup
Garlic…………………………..2 cloves (chopped)
Kidney beans….…………….¾ cup
Onion……………………….....1 (finely chopped)
Cumin powder………………½ tea spoon
Oregano……………………….½ tea spoon
Chilli powder………………..1½ tea spoon (heaped)
Salt to taste
Oil to cook

Method

For the kidney beans:

• Wash the kidney beans and Soak them in a bowl, in2 cups of water for 8 hours.
• Boil/cook them in the same water in which they were soaked until soft.
• Mash them within its juices in a bowl.

For the turkey:

• Heat cooking oil in pan and add onions.  Cook until transparent.
• Add garlic and cook for 1 min.
• Now add tomato puree, cumin powder, chilli powder, oregano and mashed kidney beans and cook for 3 min.
• Now add the turkey and salt to taste. Mix well.
• Cook until the turkey is cook and the mixture becomes dry.
• Sprinkle with freshly milled pepper (if required) and serve with pitta bread or naan.

Serves: 2

Note:

Increase or decrease the chilli component depending on how hot the chilli powder used is and your personal enjoyable level of chilli.

Mince Turkey with Spaghetti

Ingredients

For the turkey:

Minced Turkey................300g
Onions ............................1 (finely chopped)
Tomato...........................2 (finely chopped)
Red Bell Pepper...............1 (chopped)
Dried Thyme...................1 tea spoon
Garlic..............................2 cloves (finely chopped)
Tomato sauce..................2 table spoon
Water..............................¼ cup
Oil to cook
Salt to taste

For the spaghetti:

Spaghetti.......................ffist full
Water to boil the spaghetti
Salt to taste

Method

For the turkey:

• Add oil to a pan and heat it at high temperature. Add onions and reduce the temperature to medium. Cook on till transparent.
• Add tomato and garlic, cook for 2 min.
• Add bell peppers to the pan and cook for 2 min.
• Now add the tomato sauce, water, thyme, minced turkey and salt to the pan. Mix well and cover pan with lid to cook.
• Stir the mixture at regular intervals until the turkey is cooked.

For the Spaghetti:

• Boil water and add salt to it.
• Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook for the required amount of time.
• Once cooked, drain the spaghetti using the pasta drainer.

Arrange spaghetti on a plate and top it with the turkey. Garnish with parsley if required.

Serves: 2

Deviled Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken breast…………………250g (cut into 1”chunks)

Tomato sauce (ketchup)…..4 table spoon
Worcestershire sauce……....2 table spoon
Mustard paste……………....…1 table spoon
Honey………………………..……1 table spoon
Chilli powder………………...…1 tea spoon
Salt to taste

Method

• Mix tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, mustard, honey, chilli powder and salt in a bowl.
• Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and coat them with the batter.
• Preheat the microwave grill for 5 mins.
• Place the pieces of chicken on the microwave grill. Cover the grill with aluminium foil if you are worried that the coating will drip inside the microwave.
• Now place the grill in the microwave and grill for 10 mins.
• Remove the grill and flip each chicken piece upside down to cook the other side of each piece.
• Place the grill in the microwave again and grill for 10 mins.
• Check if the chicken is cooked by poking a piece with a fork.
• Serve in a plate.

Note:
You can make Deviled Chicken Wings using the same recipe and replacing the chicken breast pieces with chicken wings.

Ginger Noodles

Ingredients

Egg noodles..................400g pack

Spring Onions .............4 (chopped)

Button Mushrooms......150g (chopped)

Peanut butter...............1 table spoon
Soy sauce.....................3 table spoon
Honey .........................1 table spoon
Fresh Ginger................2 table spoons (paste/minced)
Garlic ..........................3 cloves minced
Chilli ...........................2 (finely chopped)
Chicken stock ..............½ cup
Oil to cook
Salt to taste

Method

• Add oil to the sauce pan and let it heat. Add the mushrooms to the heated oil and sauté them until cooked.
• Add spring onions to the pan and cook for ½ a min.
• Pour the chicken stock in the pan and add all the other ingredients (i.e. peanut butter, ginger, garlic, chilli, soy sauce, honey) except noodles. Stir well to mix the ingredients.
• Once the peanut butter has melted add the noodles. Add salt to taste. Use kitchen tongs to make sure the noodles are mixed well and coated with all the flavour.

Serve on a plate or in a bowel. Garnish with chopped peanuts and chopped spring onions, if required.

Serves: 2