Easy Tarka Dal

Serve this great-tasting, healthy Easy Tarka Dal with steaming rice or naan bread for a delicious flavourful meal. This recipe is great for vegetarians/vegans or anyone looking for a meat-free option. It's the perfect accompaniment for spicer curries! This recipe is adaptable and can be made with almost any lentils.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup red lentils (masoor dal)
• 3 cups water
• 1 green chillies, optional
• ½ tsp turmeric powder

For Tarka:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 dried chilli
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves

Method:

Wash the lentils in the water until clear. Drain and set aside.

Add lentils, water, turmeric powder, green chilies to the saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat and cook until tender. Skim the foam on the top. Cooking lentils can take between 15-20 minutes.

Once the lentils are cooked, simply whisk it through for a smooth consistency. Add another ¼- ½ cup water if the dal is too thick. Season with salt.

Tadka for Dal: Heat 1 tbsp oil in another pan and add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, dried chillies and allow the seeds to pop.

Add onion, ginger, garlic and fry for 3-5 minutes until translucent.

Add the tomatoes, spice powders, salt and stir. Cook again for another 1 minute.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or roti for a comforting Indian meal.

Ginger Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk Stew with Kale & Lentils

This creamy comforting, hearty and nutritious ginger sweet potatoes is loaded with texture and good-for -you ingredients like sweet potatoes, ginger, lentils and kale. This stew is dairy-free and vegan, and because of all the plant-base protein, you will be amazed just how filling it is!!

It is hard to beat a good stew. A classic comfort food, warm, hearty stews fill our bellies and make us feel good. The best part about stew is that it is easy to make them nutritional powerhouses. This ginger sweet potatoes stew with coconut milk, lentils and kale is simple, healthy, and oh-so comforting.

What's not to love about this sweet potatoes stew recipe? It is bright orange colour with gorgeous bursts of green kale make it as easy on the eyes as its creamy texture with a hint of spice does on the taste buds.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil or any cooking 
• 1 large onions, diced
• ½- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes, or to taste
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced into 2-inch cubes
• ¾ cup brown lentils
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tin full fat coconut milk
• bunch of chopped kale, add more if desire

Garnish (optional) :

• chilli flakes
• lime wedges
• chopped coriander
• nigella seeds

Method:

Heat a large pot over a medium heat and melt coconut oil. 

Sauté the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the spices and stir until fragrant, about 1 minutes.

Add ginger and garlic and stir for another minute.

Stir in salt and pepper.

Add in the sweet potatoes and lentils and stir until everything is coated.

Season again with salt and pepper.

Add the vegetable stock and stir thoroughly, so everything is mixed well, no dry clumps.

Put the lid on the pot and bring the soup to a boil.

Lower the heat to simmer with the lid slightly off the pot to allow for steam to escape.

Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes and lentils are both soft and tender.

Stir in the coconut milk and kale. Put the lid back on and simmer until the kale is wilted, about 4-5 minutes.

Check for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or chillies as desired.

Coffee Chiffon Cake

Because I am such a glutton when it comes to chiffon cake, I do not allow myself to bake too many in a month. Well, it is for the best really, otherwise I may not be able to fit through my kitchen doors.😛😛

I love the aroma of coffee brewing and I am an avid coffee lover, so why not married the love of coffee and cake together!

This chiffon cake is so so soft and fluffy and has enough coffee aroma but is not overpowering. I also added some Camp Coffee in this chiffon cake. It's so perfect for that morning breakfast or with that afternoon tea/coffee break!

Ingredients:

• 1½ tbsp (10g) instant coffee powder, 2 tbsp if you want a more stronger coffee flavour
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 5 egg yolks
• ¼ cup (50g) castor sugar
• ¼ cup (60ml) vegetable or sunflower oil
• ¼ cup (60ml) milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1½ tsp camp coffee*
• 1 cup (100g) cake flour or plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 5 egg whites
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• ½ cup (100g) sugar

Method:

You will need a 23cm chiffon cake pan.  Do not grease the mould.  Preheat oven to 170ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven.

Before starting making the cake, add 1 tbsp hot water with the coffee. Mix well and set aside. 

Separate the eggs to yolks and whites. Put the egg yolks in a large bowl with the coffee mixture. Mix until all incorporated well. 

Add in the ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup oil, vanilla extract, camp coffee until all the ingredients are mix well.

Add in the ¼ cup milk.

Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until smooth and free from lumps. Set aside while you whisk the egg whites.

In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium low speed until opaque, foamy and bubbly. Increase the speed to high and add in the ½ cup sugar slowly in small increments. It takes about 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks form. To check on stiff peaks, pull up your whisk and see if the egg whites go straight up and just the tip is soft enough that it folds over.

Using a whisk, fold in 1/3 of the egg whites in the batter until the mixture is homogeneous. Fold in the rest of the egg whites in 2-3 increments and mix gently until the mixture is homogeneous.

Pour the batter into the ungreased 23cm chiffon cake pan in the same location to prevent from forming more bubbles.

To prevent or remove air pockets before baking, run a skewer or spatula through the batter and then drop the pan gently on the kitchen worktop a few times.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed. 

As soon as you take out the cake pan from the oven, drip it gently on the kitchen worktop to stop shrinking. The cake must be cooled upside down in its pan so that it stretches downward instead of collapsing. Let it cool completely.

To remove the cake, run a thin sharp knife around both the outer and inner edge of the cake. Remove the cake from the pan and run the knife on the bottom. Move onto a serving plate.

Dust with icing sugar on top, if you like, and enjoy!

Orange And Almond Loaf Cake

I was looking to make a simple yet fabulous and delicious cake. Also I wasn't looking to buy more ingredients! Just looking to make a cake from what I can find in my larder.  After a few minutes of searching online, I stumble across this recipe from Dr Oetker website. This fabulous fruity loaf is super easy to make and so delicious. This is an amazing dessert or even a breakfast with a nice cup of coffee!

Ingredients:

• 175g plain flour
• 2g baking powder
• 100g ground almond
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 200ml vegetable oil
• 100ml milk
• 5ml Valencian Orange Extract

For the topping:

• 300g Dr Oetker Vanilla Buttercream style icing*
• zest of 1 orange
• 100g chopped almond

Method:

Preheat the oven at 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. Line a one pound loaf with baking paper and set a side.

Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly.

Add the wet ingredients directly into the bowl and whisk together.

Pour the mixture into the loaf pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until the top is golden and when you insert a skewer in the centre, it comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before decorating.

To decorate, thoroughly mix the buttercream with the zest. Gently spread over the icing and then sprinkle with chopped almonds and flower, if desire. 

Enjoy!!

*Notes: If you wish you can make your own buttercream icing.