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Spicing it up on Sugar & Spice…Saffron Apple Cake

July 29, 2015Uncategorizedamc cookware, apple cake, dessert, DSTV 176, fruit cake, Holi Cow, recipes from sugar & spice, saffron apple cake by Yudhika, saffron cake, spar, Sugar ' Spice, The home channel, yudhika cake recipes, yudhika sujananiyudhikayumyum View all 2 comments

Yudhika Sujanani’s Portuguese episode on Sugar & Spice – DSTv 176

We are on the 5th episode of Sugar & Spice on DSTv’s Home Channel. I have been completely overwhelmed by the response and the emails and messages have been heart warming. Thanks to all of you for following the show and including some of my recipes in your cooking repertoire.

I do cook a fair bit of Indian dishes everyday, whether at Holi Cow or for my family…we love traditional Indian food but that doesn’t mean it isn’t the only cuisine that I prepare. Italian, Middle Eastern and Moroccan recipes are some of my favourites but also Portuguese cuisine! Portuguese food and I don’t mean the Nando’s type peri peri chicken, is popular and the Lusitoland festival shows just how popular it is.

On this season of Sugar & Spice, I have been stepping out of my curry zone and doing some of my other favourites with you…I challenged myself only allowing two Indian themed episodes. The team decided on Italian, Moroccan, Chocolate, Mediterranean, South East Asian and a whole episode dedicated to the love of chocolate!

This week features a Portuguese influenced Brazilian Pork and Bean stew with orange and cocoa….yes, it does sound a bit like a dessert and not a common combination for the South African palate but believe me, it does work like a charm. The Mozambican Style Prawns cooked in a buttery juice with onions, garlic and stock….and a Saffron Apple Cake with home-made custard!

We have the Portuguese to thank for making spices a part of global cuisine….and we also have them to thank for the Goan Indian Vindaloo….more about the Lamb Vindaloo later!

No matter what the theme is, the Home Channel together with Spar and AMC Cookware have given me an opportunity to share my love of all things spicy with you….it has been an amazing adventure so far and looking forward to the next season!

Yudhika’s Saffron Apple Cake on The Home Channel

Here is the recipe for the Saffron Apple Cake…this is a beautiful fruity cake and the appearance makes it impressive. You can use mixed spice, cloves, and cardamom to flavour the batter but I stuck to the classic cinnamon. For more recipes from Sugar & Spice, log onto http://www.thehomechannel.co.za and click on the food show tab.

Ready to serve…Yudhika’s Saffron Apple Cake drizzled with home-made custard!

Saffron Apple Cake

Ingredients

Few strands of saffron
6 large Granny Smith Apples
15ml lemon juice
5 eggs, separated
225g butter
225g sugar
30ml ground almonds or coconut flour
370g cake flour
185ml full cream milk, room temperature
15ml baking powder
5ml vanilla paste or essence
5ml cinnamon
Pinch of salt

30ml sugar
Icing sugar, to dust cake

Pre-heat oven to 170 degree celsius.
Grease and line a 10 inch loose bottomed cake tin.

Heat the saffron strands in a dry pan for 30 seconds or microwave for 10 seconds.
Leave the saffron to cool and then crush lightly with your fingertips.
Peel and core the apples.
Cut the apples in half and slice thinly.
Lightly toss in the lemon juice to prevent the apples from discolouration.

Beat the egg whites until foamy and gradually add 15ml of from the 225g of weighed sugar until stiff.

Cream the butter until light in colour and gradually add the sugar.
Continue beating until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks with a teaspoon of flour and beat for a few seconds
Add the almond or coconut flour.
Gradually add the flour alternating with milk.
Add the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, crushed saffron and salt.
Beat well until the batter is smooth.
Lastly fold in half the stiffly beaten egg whites to ‘loosen’ the batter.
Fold in the remaining egg whites.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth with a spatula.
Arrange the apples starting out at the centre and angling each piece working in an outward concentric pattern so its starts to look like a flower.
Use the smaller pieces to fill in the gaps – do not press the apple slices deep into the pastry. The should have a raised appearance.
Sprinkle 30ml sugar over the apples and bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 – 35 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and shrinks away from the side of the tin.
Leave to cool slightly and dust with icing sugar.

Serve with home made custard.

French Style Custard

250ml fresh cream
5ml vanilla paste
2 egg yolks
70ml sugar

Heat the cream with vanilla paste, stirring continuously to prevent it from scorching.
Once the cream comes to the boil, place the egg yolks and sugar in a mixing bowl.
Mix the egg yolks and sugar into a paste and pour the hot cream over – this is an important step, do not add the eggs into the hot cream as this will cause the eggs to scramble.
Whisk the mixture and pour back into the pot.
Place the pot back on low heat and whisk continuously until the custard thickens.
Remove from the heat.
Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming.
Serve drizzled over the sliced saffron apple cake.

Sugar, spice and all things nice….Date Chocolate and Pecan Pie

July 2, 2015Uncategorizedamc cookware, chocolate, Curry Me Home, Dates, Holi Cow, Pecan Pie, Post newspaper, quick and easy, ramadan 2015, Ramadan recipes, spar, Sugar ' Spice, The home channel, Tv show, Yudhika recipes, yudhika sujanani, Yudhika's Sugar n Spice tv showyudhikayumyum Leave a comment

Sugar & Spice with Yudhika Sujanani on DSTV’s Home Channel 176

It’s been an eventful week with the first episode of a whole new season of Sugar ‘n Spice airing on The Home Channel. It’s pretty special because up until now, I have been doing short food inserts on Saffron TV, Great Expectations on Etv and appearing on SABC 2’s MELA! When the Home Channel approached me earlier this year, I was gobsmacked at their offer and thrilled to have my first very own show!

Taking it up a few notches from a food insert, it’s taken us 4 months to complete the series and it’s been a roller coaster ride with my family, team and the crew! I have once again been incredibly lucky to work with such amazing people from the Channel….big thanks to Michael Porter and Simphiwe Gamede, the crew…Africa Vezi and Sipho, who tolerated many crazy out take moments, takes and re-takes, and the awesome team at Holi Cow….for the early mornings, long nights, and my long prep sheets! And then, there are those special people who always find a moment in their day to send me a beautiful message of love and encouragement…thanks to my the people out there on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the food love and sharing my posts and links…thanks and thanks again! And my family, who I am most thankful for….what you see on telly isn’t just me, you see the team effort with me being the ‘front lady’ and that also includes the crazy make up artist/stylist…Stavroula Georgakis! Spar has once again sponsored our ingredients and AMC Cookware just keep me cooking in their fabulous pots! I just realized how big this team really is…it’s huge!

Episode one…Pecan pie with dates and chocolate by Yudhika Sujanani

In the first episode, we spiced up old favourites…leftover butternut was recycled into a delicious salad with hazelnut dukkah and prawns, a french chicken casserole got a spicy makeover with saffron, chilli, cumin and coriander…and the classic pecan pie was turned into a chocolately one with dates too!

For more information and recipes from the show, check out The Home Channel’s website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter, http://www.thehomechannel.co.za/shows/food/sugar-and-spice

Yudhika’s Sugar & Spice…check out the show times on DSTV’s Channel 176

I first made this recipe for Eid last year. It’s fruity, crunchy, buttery and purely decadent! Here is the recipe for pecan pie with dates and dark chocolate.

A slice of gooey pecan nut pie with dates and chocolate…by Yudhika Sujanani for Sugar & Spice

Chocolate Date and Pecan Pie

Pastry:

120g butter
200g cake flour
65g sugar
1 egg

Rub the flour and butter together until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add the sugar and mix. Lightly beat the egg and knead gently into a soft dough.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Roll the pastry on a lightly dusted work surface until it is about 5mm thick and is large enough to line the bottom and sides of a 23cm loose bottomed pie tin.
Line the tin with the pastry and press down into the base and about 3,5cm up the sides.
Prick the base of the pastry with a fork and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Place a piece of baking paper over the paper, cover with dried beans and bake blind for 10 minutes.
Remove the beans and the paper and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Leave the pasty case to cool completely.

For the filling:

125g butter
175g brown sugar
75ml golden syrup
3 large eggs
1 cinnamon stick
200g pecan nuts
90g chopped dark chocolate, chopped
75g chopped dates, chopped

Whipped cream, to serve

Place the butter in a 28cm AMC Chef’s Pan, and melt on low heat.
Add the brown sugar and golden syrup.
Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Leave the mixture to cool till slightly warm.
Remove the cinnamon stick.
Lightly whisk the eggs, then add the melted ingredients.
Scatter the pecan nuts, chocolate and dates over the bake pie crust, then pour over the egg mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes at 150 degrees celsius, then reduce to 140 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.
Leave the pie to stand for a minute and then remove from the tin.
Serve slices of the pie warm with whipped cream.

Mela: Summer Sizzler Fish Cakes

January 26, 2015Uncategorizedamc cookware, fourways, Holi Cow, Mela latest recipes SABC 2, mela sabc2, recipes, spar, yudhika fish recipes, Yudhika recipes, yudhika sujananiyudhikayumyum Leave a comment

Yudhika on Mela’s Summer episode on SABC 2

Shooting with the Mela team is always a delight and I would be the first to say that all the bright ideas are not mine! I have our lovely Mela producer who loves light summery meals and this is one of her favourites. I am a curry and rice kind of girl so salads are not always top of mind!

Yudhika Sujanani – waiting for the tree fellers to leave!

We shot the second season of Mela in November last year. When I watch the show, I burst into fits of giggles because shoot days can be quite stressful…Eskom’s load shedding meant that I was having my make up done at 3.30am! And this is when our neighbor chooses to have his trees felled! So, we sometimes just have to wait it out! So, I play around in the Holi Cow garden while taking a break…it’s beautiful! Here is the clip from Mela if you missed the show,

On the menu for the Summer Mela Menu….spicy fish cakes, watermelon salad and a mango fool to use up those slightly over ripe luscious mangoes!

Spicy fish cakes

Ingredients

400g potatoes, boiled and mashed

2,5ml ajwain or carom seeds

2 spring onions, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 egg yolk

400g lightly steamed hake

Salt and black pepper, to season

Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped

Plain flour to coat

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Bread crumbs, to coat

Here’s how:

Place the potatoes in a mixing bowl and season with ajwain.

Add the spring onion, green chilli and the egg yolk.

Flake the fish fillets and add to the mixing bowl.

Season with salt and black pepper.

Lastly add the fresh coriander.

Mix the ingredients until well combined.

Mould the mixture into patties and dust with plain flour.

Leave the cakes on a sheet lined with baking paper.

Refrigerate until firm.

Remove the cakes from the refrigerator and gently coat in the beaten egg.

Coat with bread crumbs and then place on a well greased baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake the cakes for 20 – 25 minutes depending on the size. (I made 6 large cakes on Mela which took about 20 minutes to cook).

Serve with a chutney of your choice or raita.

Watermelon Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

20ml olive oil

15ml lemon juice

Pinch of salt

600g watermelon chunks

1 onion, finely chopped – optional

100g feta cheese

100g flaked almonds

Chopped mint, to garnish

Here’s how

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice and salt.

Place the watermelon chunks on a platter and sprinkle the onion, feta cheese and flaked almonds over the top.

Drizzle the dressing over the watermelon salad and garnish with sprigs of mint.

Mango Fool

500g mango pieces, pureed

25ml sugar

15ml lemon juice

250ml double thick cream

100g double thick Greek yoghurt

100g whipped cream, to garnish

Mint leaves, to garnish

Here’s how:

Place the mango pieces into a blender with the sugar and lemon juice.

Blitz until the mangoes are pureed – if you are using stringy mangoes, pass the puree through a sieve to remove the fibres.

Pour the mango puree into a mixing bowl and fold in the double thick cream.

Spoon the yoghurt into serving bowls and top with the mango puree.

Top with whipped cream and garnish with a mint sprig.

Refrigerate until chilled and serve.

Post Christmas Blues….

December 28, 2014Blog, Food, Uncategorizedamc cookware, cakes, Christmas 2014, Christmas Cake, desserts, Holi Cow Fourways, Mela, Mela SABC 2, My Spar, Post Newspaper recipes, quick and easy, spar, Spar Broadacres, Sugar 'n Spice, yudhika baking recipes, Yudhika Strudel recipe, yudhika sujananiyudhikayumyum Leave a comment

Yudhika prepares a Christmas Strudel…

I worked at the Broadacres Superspar over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day too….it has to be the most frantic days to be in store and it’s all hands on deck for the rush. Turkey in every form imaginable….roulades, stuffed, deboned, unstuffed, turduckens and carved….you name it….and it was in store….not to mention gammon…gammon everywhere!

I have been posting post-Christmas recipes mainly using turkey….today I have a recipe that uses the last remaining slices of Christmas cake. Don’t be too quick to write off this recipe…it is decadent and delicious!

Turfing out Christmas cake makes me sad….and it hurts the pocket too…all those good nuts and spices…not to mention the butter and brandy too!

This post-Christmas dessert will have you shining like a star! I added more nuts, spices and Lindt chocolate to the filling and wrapped this in phyllo! Use a bread knife to slice through the pastry…works like a charm and don’t be intimidated by this! What I love about this recipe is also those delicious aromas that travel through the kitchen while it is in the oven!!!

I made one of these and took a few slices through to Mrs Tarr at Broadacres…and we also had some turkey pie as well with it….I know I can count on her for feedback on new recipes….and well, I can honestly say that after a few festive recipe tastings, I knew I was going to get into trouble for tempting Mrs T….a troubled chef…or a troublesome one?

For more post-Christmas recipes, click here for a delicious turkey pasta…https://yudhikayumyum.com/2014/12/24/christmas-recycled-turkey-pasta/ or here for a hearty turkey pie, https://yudhikayumyum.com/2014/12/21/turkey-express/. For the latest food inserts from Mela on SABC 2, click here, https://yudhikayumyum.com/sabc-2s-mela-videos/ and don’t forget to like the Mela page on Facebook for the latest recipes!

Christmas Strudel

500g phyllo pastry (12 sheets)

125g butter, melted

Ground cinnamon, to sprinkle

300 Christmas cake or pudding

75g hazelnuts

75g pecan nuts

125g dark chocolate, chopped – I used Lindt!

100g dried cranberries

5ml ground cinnamon

75g brown sugar

Icing sugar, to dust

Custard, to serve

Here’s how:

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Crumble the cake into a mixing bowl.

Add the hazelnuts, pecans, dark chocolate and cranberries.

Add 5ml ground cinnamon to the mixture and mix well.

Lay a sheet of phyllo pastry onto a work surface and brush with butter – reserve some butter for the top of the strudel

Place a sheet next to it with an overlap of about 4cm.

Brush the pastry with butter and repeat until all the layers are done.

Brush the top layer with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar over the pastry.

Spread the crumbled cake mixture leaving a 3cm gap around the edges.

Sprinkle the brown sugar over the filling and reserve 30ml for topping the strudel.

Fold the pastry over the filling around the edges.

Roll the pastry with the filling as you would for a Swiss Roll.

Grease a large baking sheet with non stick spray.

Place the phyllo roll onto the baking sheet and brush with butter.

Sprinkle the reserved brown sugar over the roll and bake for 35 – 40 minutes.

The strudel should be golden brown and crispy.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Dust with icing sugar and slice into rounds with a serrated knife.

Serve with homemade custard.

The Great Turkey Express…

December 21, 2014UncategorizedChristmas leftovers, cooking with kids, festive recipes, Holi Cow, Mela SABC 2, puff pastry, spar, Spicy turkey pie, the post newspaper, turkey leftovers, Turkey recipes, Yudhika Christmas recipes, yudhika sujanani, yudhikayumyumyudhikayumyum View all 2 comments

Turkey Pie….by Yudhika Sujanani

I was watching Mela today and I had a little giggle when Kajal and Zakkie mentioned that it’s the festive season and turkeys must be having sleepless nights! A little light-hearted Mela humor on a Sunday arvie is just the ticket! If you missed the episode…click here to watch our Christmas episode, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCkHE67Y8Bw and for the recipe from the show, check out the Mela facebook page!

There is also the trauma of the refrigerator that is heaving with leftovers which can be pretty daunting. With turkey…it’s usually that all the good bits are gone and you’re left with the dried out turkey breasts. This used to be a problem but I have found a few ways of turning troublesome leftovers into an absolute feast! If you are still looking for the perfect turkey recipe, click here….https://yudhikayumyum.com/2014/12/12/turkey-time-recipes-for-the-festive-season/ or here for the turkey flattie recipe…https://yudhikayumyum.com/2014/12/04/almost-turkey-time/ !

Kitchen fun with Rushil Sujanani…

Trawling through my kitchen….there are a few ingredients that you will always find….garlic, onions, carrots, fresh cream and Magic Masala to spice things up…in the freezer, you are bound to find a stash of buttery puff pastry…and in the garden, lots of fresh herbs!

I take a few ingredients and turn them into a deliciously french inspired filling for a pie….simple ingredients can make a delicious pie filling that is hearty and it can feed my hungry kids….they are the ravenous sort who just love good old-fashioned food! The best part of the pie making is that I get my kids to help out….and it can be a little messy but so much fun!

Tanvi Sujanani….the pastry princess!

Tanvi and Rushil….helping decorate the pie!

Thanks to the commercial pie chains and suppliers…we have forgotten how good a home-made one is…it’s just comfort food at it’s best! After the festive over indulgences, serve this pie with a green salad and a little turkey gravy if you have.

Turkey Pie

And the ingredients are…

Ingredients

40ml sunflower oil

125ml chopped onion

2,5ml salt

2 leeks, finely chopped

75ml finely diced carrot

30ml fresh thyme, leaves only

8 rashers bacon, chopped

175g button mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

100ml white wine

400g roasted turkey meat

100ml fresh cream

5ml black pepper

60ml fresh coriander, chopped

20ml Curry Me Home Magic Masala

2 x 400g puff pastry sheets

1 egg, lightly beaten

Here’s how

Heat the sunflower oil in a 28cm Chef’s Pan and add the chopped onion.

Sprinkle in the salt and sauté until the onion is pale golden.

Add the leeks, carrots and fresh thyme.

Yudhika’s turkey cook up in my AMC Chefs Pan….

Saute until the carrots and leeks soften, add the chopped bacon.

Saute until the bacon browns.

Add the mushrooms and stir fry until they turn brown, then add the garlic and saute for a few seconds.

Pour in the wine, add the turkey and simmer until the liquid reduces by half.

Pour in the fresh cream and simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the turkey pieces.

Add the black pepper and leave the filling to cool.

Check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary.

Grease a baking sheet with non stick spray.

Place one sheet of puff pastry on the sheet.

Cut 4cm off the sides of the second sheet.

Place the cool turkey filling onto the first sheet of pastry.

Spicing up the pie with Magic Masala…

Sprinkle the coriander and Magic Masala over the turkey.

Assemble the pie….

Cover with the second sheet and gently enclose the filling by folding the excess pastry over the top layer.

Brush with the beaten egg.

If you have extra pastry, cut shapes out and decorate the top of the pie – I get my kids to help decorate the pie!

Brush again with the beaten egg.

Bake at 190°C for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Get shorty…shortbread!

December 17, 2014Uncategorizedall butter shortbread, amc cookware, baking recipes, Post newspaper, rice flour shortbread, spar, yudhika latest recipes, yudhika sujananiyudhikayumyum Leave a comment

Yudhika bakes shortbread….

How about a slice of home-made shortbread with a good cuppa? I have a love for cake and curries and sometimes neglect some of my old besties…like shortbread.

I add a few tablespoons of ground rice to this recipe and it makes the shortbread deliciously crisp! I use a coffee grinder to process little batches of rice – it can be used in fritter recipes and even to thicken sauces and gravies! If you are short on time, you could use store-bought rice flour….I tend to avoid this option as I just use a little at a time!

The ingredients for the shortbread should be at room temperature and please….no margarine for this one…actually….no margarine ever…ever….EVER! Butter is the only option here!

You could also flavour this recipe with lemon or orange zest or almond essence! I am sticking with the traditional version here…..

Shortbread

Makes one 25cm round

Ingredients

150ml butter

130ml caster sugar

1 egg yolk

250ml cake flour

80ml ground basmati rice

20ml full cream milk

Here’s how

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Place the butter in a mixing bowl.

Use an electric beater to cream the butter.

Gradually add the sugar while beating continuously.

Cream the butter until very pale in colour.

Add the egg yolk and beat well.

Sift the flour into the butter and egg mixture.

Add the rice flour and use knead the dough lightly to form a soft dough.

Add the full cream milk and gently work the dough into a ball.

Roll the dough into a round and press into a 25cm loose bottomed pie tin.

Slice the round into 16 wedges and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until the shortbread is golden in colour.

Leave the shortbread to cool in the pie tin.

Remove from the tin and gently slice the shortbread over the slice marks with a sharp knife.

Serve once the shortbread has cooled down.

Store the shortbread in an airtight container for two to three days.

Christmas on the cards….cherry coconut and cardamom slice

December 11, 2014Uncategorizedamc cookware, cherry coconut cardamom slice, coconut slice, Holi Cow, KitchenAId Competition, Mela, mela recipes, spar, yudhika baking recipes, yudhika sujananiyudhikayumyum View all 2 comments

Yudhika’s Cherry Coconut and Cardamom Slice….

The load shedding has been driving me dippy…..I had a beautiful hazelnut nutella roll in the oven and it bombed…thanks to Eskom…in the meantime, here is another recipe for you that is perfect for Christmas!

Over the festive season, we have berries galore….raspberrries, blueberries, strawberries and my favourite…Cherries!

A slice of heaven….made with love by Yudhika!

This recipe combines some of my favourite flavours and textures….coconut, squidgy baked cherries, a delicious buttery slice and lashings of mascarpone! Together, its like a slice of heaven on a plate! I serve this slightly warm and a word of warning…one slice is never enough!

Sliced…and ready to serve!

This could be an extra special Christmas….you could win the KitchenAid stand mixer….click here…https://yudhikayumyum.com/competition/blog-party-kitchenaid-giveaway/….the winner will be announced after this weeks episode of Mela on SABC2 – tune in at 13h30 and stay tuned on my twitter site ‘Yudhika Sujanani’ for the big announcement. On Mela this week, I will be preparing brown flour roti and chicken tikka wraps! For more on Mela, check out the video links here…https://yudhikayumyum.com/sabc-2s-mela-videos/ And for the links to the recipes I prepare on Mela….check out the Mela Facebook and Twitter pages!

Cherry Coconut and Cardamom Slice

Ingredients

150g soft butter

150g caster sugar

3 eggs

2,5ml vanilla paste

150g cake flour

75g desiccated coconut

10ml baking powder

5ml ground cardamom

45ml full cream milk

100g fresh cherries, pitted and halved

Icing sugar, to dust

250g mascarpone

30ml icing sugar

2ml vanilla paste

Here’s how:

Grease a 25cm fluted pie tart tin and line with baking paper.

Place the butter into a mixing bowl and cream until light in colour.

Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the sugar starts to ‘dissolve’ into the butter.

Add the eggs one at time with 5ml cake flour.

Beat well after each egg, add the vanilla essence.

Fold the cake flour, desiccated coconut, baking powder and ground cardamom into the egg mixture.

Fold in the milk and mix until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie tin and smooth with a spatula.

Scatter over the cherries and gently press them into the batter.

Bake at 170°C for 35 – 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when tested.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before removing from the tin.

Dust with icing sugar.

Whip the mascarpone with the icing sugar and vanilla paste until thick.

Slice the cake and top with a dollop of sweetened mascarpone cream.

More Mela, More recipes…

October 10, 2014Uncategorizedamc cookware, butternut salad, chickpeas, competitions, Curry Me Home, Holi Cow, mela sabc2, navarathri, potato and broccoli, spar, Sugar 'n Spice, vegetarian, vegetarian salads, yudhika sujananiyudhikayumyum One comment

Yudhika Sujanani hosting the Navarathri episode on SABC 2’s Mela….

It’s almost time for another episode of Mela….this Sunday I will be preparing a traditional leg of lamb called Raan and serving it with home-made Naan bread. The Raan is marinated overnight and then slow cooked for a few hours and it sure is worth the wait. The meat is meltingly tender and delicious! Don’t forget to catch the show for more Mela this Sunday on SABC 2 at 10.30am!

I am so delighted that we get to shoot the Mela food inserts at Holi Cow…there has been much to celebrate! Click here to enter the AMC Gourmet Cookware competition: https://yudhikayumyum.com/competition/amc-giveaway/

For those of you who missed the last episode, here is a link to some delicious salad ideas, watch the recipe clip here https://yudhikayumyum.com/sabc-2s-mela-videos/navarathri-salads-on-sabc-2s-mela/ Scroll down for the recipes….

During the fasting month, there are loads of delicious curries so here is something you can prepare if you want to have a ‘curry time-out’! I confess that I am not much of a salad fan….but here are the recipes to salads that I do enjoy!

Potato and Broccoli Salad

500g potatoes, boiled
400g broccoli
50ml sunflower oil
5ml cumin seeds
Rocket leaves to serve

Yoghurt Dressing
170ml yoghurt
30ml lemon juice
30ml rasberry vinegar
15ml olive oil
Pinch of salt
Salt to season
Fresh coriander and mint, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Heat oil in an AMC skillet. Add the cumin seeds and saute until they begin to splutter.
Add the boiled potatoes and cook until golden brown.
Season the potatoes with salt and leave to cool slightly.
Bring a pan of water to the boil.
Add the broccoli stems.
Simmer the broccoli for a minute and then plunge them into iced water – lift them out the water with tongs or pour them in a colander to drain.
Combine the ingredients for the dressing and stir well.

Place the rocket on a platter.
Layer with the potatoes, then place the rocket on top.
Spoon the dressing over the salad and serve.

Roasted Butternut Salad
1 large butternut, roasted
160g feta cheese
2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 red onion, thinly
Fresh coriander, to garnish

Honey Mint Dressing
60ml olive oil
30ml lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
15ml honey
Salt to season
Black pepper, to season

Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, salt and honey. Stir the ingredients through and then add mint.
Leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

Place the butternut onto a platter.
Scatter the red onion and chickpeas over the butternut.
Then sprinkle the spring onion and feta over the butternut.
Pour the dressing over and season with black pepper.
Garnish with fresh mint.

Spring has Sprung…..Marinated Beef Fillet

September 8, 2014Uncategorizedamc cookware, beef fillet, marinade, Mela, quick and easy, SABC 2, snack, spar, spring recipe, Sugar 'n Spice, yudhika sujanani, yudhika sujanani l'etangyudhikayumyum View all 2 comments

I love Gibs….Yudhika Sujanani

Yes, Spring has finally Sprung….the weather in Jozi has been glorious. It felt as though Winter would go on forever, and suddenly the willow tree is coming alive again! It’s the best thing about our garden…the long drooping branches of the willow that showers us with a crisp coolness on long Summer days!

Although I do love curries, soups, stews and casseroles…enough to enjoy them anytime of the year, I sometimes ‘lus’ for lighter meals….grilled meat or fish that can be thrown onto a pan and served with a drizzle or salad. I love spicy foods and curries but also find a seared beef fillet irresistible!

The girls…Cohort 7 GIBS Goldman Sachs Scholarship Programme 2013!

My dear friend and GIBS 10000 women colleague, Mandisa Bardill, messaged me last week for my marinated beef fillet recipe. First a little about Mandisa…how could I best describe her….a singer, a songwriter, a businesswoman, a friend and the ‘Hummingbird’ of our group!

The lovely Mandisa Bardill

Mands raved about the marinated fillet after trying it at one of my home dinner parties…it was one of our mad, crazy feasts, actually! That was a party to remember…us girls in party mode ready to rock on….and believe me, these ladies are a unique and talented bunch!

The Drama Queen….Orly Shapiro….

Birthday girl…Rebecca Sands

Mpho Mnguni….dreamer and dancer!

Lara Tatley…a gentle gem!

Meagan….Another 7 girl!

Sue Anne Stander….oh crumbs….she has done it again!

It was a great evening of fun and feasting….and we had Rebecca’s birthday to celebrate…

Birthday girl….Becky Sands

If you love celebrating as much as we do, check out the KitchenAid competition…post your comment on Facebook, Twitter or on the blog posts with #KitchenAid #mela and you could be the lucky winner! Here is the link, https://yudhikayumyum.com/competition/kitchenaid-giveaway-2014/

Even my kids got into party mode….firstly, by serving our guests and then having some fun!

Rushil and Hetal…having some fun!

Orly Shapiro, Rushil and Yudhika…

One dessert is just not enough…..creme brulee was also on the menu!

Yudhika firing up the trusted plumber’s torch…

Most of the girls on the scholarship programme had never met before, but I am sure that most of us made new friends….not acquaintances but real friends for life! I was very privileged to be a part of my little group and we called ourselves….’The Pussycat Dolls’ or the ‘Elevator Witches’! We always sat together…every class bucking the advice to mix and mingle! Hats off to the course directors who had to get us in line and keep us on track….Korkor Cudjoe, Yogavelli Nambiar, Catherine Burnard and Misha Dhana – the Gibs team really did have their hands full!

Back to the recipe….without further delays….

Marinated Beef Fillet by Yudhika Sujanani

Fillet by Yudhika Sujanani[/caption]

Marinated Beef Fillet

Serves four

Ingredients
1kg beef fillet
Seasoned salt
25ml sunflower oil
Juice of 2 lemons
3 cloves garlic crushed
Chopped green chilli, to taste
50ml olive oil
Handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Here’s how:

Remove the fillet from the refrigerator and allow the meat to stand until it is at room temperature. Place the meat on a chopping board and using a sharp knife trim the fillet and remove the silvery skin. Season the fillet with seasoned salt. Heat an AMC skillet on high until it is smoking hot. Place the seasoned fillet on the skillet and pour the sunflower oil over. Sear the fillet until it caramelises on the outside. When the meat is caramelised, remove from the pan and wrap it in foil. Leave the meat to rest for fifteen minutes. The fillet continues cooking while it is resting. While the meat is resting, combine the lemon juice, crushed garlic, green chilli, olive oil and chopped coriander. Place the meat on a chopping board and slice thinly. If the meat is undercooked, grill again on a hot pan. Arrange the meat on a platter and pour the lemon and olive oil mixture over the fillet.

Yudhika’s Tips
Beef fillet is one of the most tender cuts and also the most expensive.
Ask your local butcher to trim the fillet for you as this saves time.
You can slice the fillet into portions if this makes searing them easier.
Always pour the sunflower oil into the skillet once the meat has been added. The oil can catch alight when it is poured into the pan before the meat.
This can be prepared rare, medium or well done according to your taste but the cooking time should be adjusted accordingly.
Thinly sliced beef fillet is an impressive snack and it can be served at room temperature.

Way Down South…..

July 3, 2014Uncategorizedamc cookware, chicken curry, Curry Me Home, Holi Cow, Holi Cow Fourways, isipingo, isipingo beach, madras, madras curry, magic masala, quick and easy, south indian, spar, spar coconut cream, yudhika sujananiyudhikayumyum One comment

South Indian Madras Style Chicken by Yudhika Sujanani

I just got back from a few days in Durban…its been ages since my last proper visit and I was surprised at just how much I really missed my home city. I ate lots, feasted on the most delicious home cooked meals but most of all friends and family were a sight for my sore eyes. I returned to Jozi without having switched my laptop on once. I hired a car and a Garmin and headed off for my old haunts and started my tour in Isipingo, just south of Durban, where I grew up.

The lovely Mrs Deedat and I at Isipingo beach Intermediate School…

While I was in Durbs, I visited my first primary school teacher, Mrs Deedat and got to take a walk around the school in Isipingo Beach. Mrs Deedat went on to become the head mistress at the school. She would line us up everyday as the bell rang, and give us a goodbye kiss. The students would get quite fiercely competitive about bringing her treats and flowers….I always brought her flowers that I picked from the garden. She retires in just a few months and I am so glad that we could take a walk down memory lane with this beautiful lady.

I was thoroughly spoilt in Durban….from fresh linefish breyani made by Shabnum Moosa’s parents to dinners out and then chicken curry for Saturday brunch. Long lazy chats over numerous cups of coffee, high tea at the Oyster Box and fried rice from Tong Lok! Durban is not the place to be if you are trying to stick to the Tim Noakes diet!!! It was just an all round treat not to mention being in such good company just gladdened my rather overworked Jozi soul!

Crispy fish at Gateway’s Beluga….

For those of you, who like me, have lazy days, you can always pop into the Holi Cow in Fourways to pick up a takeaway for dinner or learn how to make delicious curries by joining one of our fun cooking classes! Call us on 011 4672661 to book your spot! All ingredients and recipes are provided.

Cooking Class Update: Curry 101 Hands on Class – learn how to use spices to make delicious spicy meals in a flash….Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Korma, Coconut Prawn, Mushroom and Chickpea Curry, Rotis and Chocolate Ganache Cake. The duration of the class is two hours and is followed by a delicious lunch.

Date: Saturday, 12th July 2014
Time: 10 for 10.30am
Cost: R375 per person

Cooking Class Update: The Curry Trail – learn how to use your spices to make curries from around Asia….Lamb Vindaloo, Sri Lankan Chicken Curry, Thai Green Prawn, Paneer in Almond Sauce, Rotis and Coconut Creme Brulees. The duration of the class is two hours and is followed by a sit down dinner.

Date: Wednesday, 16th July 2014
Time: 6 for 6.30pm
Cost: R375 per person

Cooking Class Update: Spice Spice Baby…learn how to add spices to your everyday meals to cook up quick and easy fuss free meals. Traditional Lamb Curry, Creamy Chicken Curry, Mushroom Mattar, Balti Prawn Curry, Samosas and Boozy Cream Cake. The duration of the class is two hours long and is followed by a sit down dinner.

Date: Wednesday, 23rd July 2014
Time: 6 for 6.30pm
Cost: R375 per person

And now, for the recipe…I missed carbs terribly over the past few weeks…I am preparing this South Indian Madras Style Chicken for dinner tonight and serving it with rotis and rice…double the carbs…double the fun! It’s spicy chicken cooked with mustard seeds, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks….fired up with red chilli powder and finished with my signature Magic Masala! Hope you love it as much as I do!

South Indian Madras Style Chicken….

Ingredients:

1,2 – 1,4kg Whole Chicken
75ml sunflower oil
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
5ml mustard seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
7,5ml coarse salt
4 cloves garlic, crushed
10ml crushed ginger
40ml red chilli powder
10ml ground coriander
5ml ground cumin
5ml garam masala
2,5ml turmeric
2 tinned tomatoes, chopped
1 x 400g tin Spar coconut cream
15ml Curry Me Home magic masala
2 sprigs fresh curry leaves
Fresh coriander, to garnish

Remove the chicken skin, disjoint and cut into pieces.
Rinse the chicken under cold running water and leave in a colander to drain.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with absorbent paper towel.
Heat the sunflower oil in an AMC pot.
Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods.
Saute until fragrant and then add the mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add the chopped onion and salt.
Saute until the onion is golden brown.
Add the crushed ginger and garlic.
Stir the red chilli powder into the fried onion and stir for a few seconds.
Add the chicken and stir well to coat the pieces in fried onion mixture.
Continue stirring until the chicken pieces are sealed.
Add the ground coriander, cumin, garam masala and turmeric.
Gently stir the chicken to coat in the spices.
Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen the spices that are stuck.
Add the chopped tomatoes and lower the heat.
The moisture from the tomatoes will help de-glaze the pot.
Cover the pot with a lid and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken.
Add the coconut milk, magic masala and curry leaves.
Simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and garnish with fresh coriander.
Serve with basmati rice or rotis.

Yudhika’s tips:
The chicken can be cooked in advance – add the coconut cream just before serving to prevent the sauce from thickening too much.
For a lighter dish, add 200ml coconut milk instead of the coconut cream.