Recipes from around the world

After a heavy dose of rich food during the Eid holidays, the body craves something simpler. Here are some recipes that you could try after the holiday season.

MANGO STICKY RICE

Ingredients
½ cup glutenous rice
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup coconut cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
For the topping —
Fried lentils (can be altered with toasted sesame seeds)
Mango slices, as per need

Method
First, cook the glutenous rice properly following the regular method (steaming or in water). Then mix in the salt, sugar, and coconut milk. Cook for another two minutes. Slice up your mangoes and keep them in the refrigerator to be able to serve cold. Once the rice cools down, on a plate, serve the rice, top with coconut cream, and mango slices. Then top with choice of crisps for texture. Add extra coconut cream on the side for extra goodness.

SUSHI BAKE

Ingredients
3 sheets fried nori (regular ones used for sushi)
3 cups cooked glutenous rice
15-17 pieces large prawns, de-veined and cleaned
2 tbsp cream cheese
1½ tbsp mayo
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tsp soy sauce
A pinch of black pepper
2 tsp vinegar

Method
First, marinate the prawns with soy sauce and pepper, for 10 minutes. Prepare rice by mixing vinegar to the cooked rice. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, mayo, and sriracha properly. Pour that cheese mix into the prawns and mix well.

Cut the whole large nori sheets into four. Brush hands with oil, then in the nori sheets, place in 1 tablespoon of the cooked rice in the middle of the sheet. Then using your hands, place the rice properly spreading it through the corners, but leave gaps in the corners.
Take your muffin mould, brush oil in it. Then, press the nori with rice in them into the mould — they will look like flowers. After that, place in one tbsp of the prawn cheese mix into the rice cups. Bake in pre-heated oven for 18-20 mins at 175° C. Serve topping with spicy mayo/kewpie mayo, and soy sauce dip mixed with wasabi.

STREET STYLE THAI BASIL CHICKEN

Ingredients
½ chicken breast (around 200g)
5 cloves of garlic, if you like it garlicy
Red chilli, as per preference
3 tsp soy sauce, light
1½ tsp oyster sauce
1½ tsp sugar (better if adjusted as per taste)
1 tsp soy sauce (dark)
Oil
Thai basil, as per taste (Fresh mint leaves can also be used, but it will not be basil chicken by name. However, it will not differ much in terms of flavour or taste. Just make sure the mint is fresh)

Method
Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces. Roughly crush together garlic and red chillies.

In a hot pan, add oil. Now, add the crushed garlic and chilli. This is my favourite part of the cooking, for the aroma it sets around. Stir fry that for just about a few seconds until flavours come out, and add in your chicken.

Fry the chicken for about a minute or so, and then pour in your light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and finally, the dark soy sauce. The reason for using both soy sauces is because of the depth of flavours they add individually and also to hit intricacy right!
Stir it all, and cook for about a few minutes. Right during the end, add in your basil, and give it just one stir and get off heat, because we do not want to overcook the leaves.

I highly recommend the dish with steamed rice, and oozing yolky fried egg; the yolk gives a silky texture to rice.

CRISPY FISH TACO WITH PICKLED CARROTS

Ingredients
1 fillet dory fish
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
A pinch oregano
Tempura (A classic regular tempura batter made with ice-cold water for crispiness)
Flour, for regular tortilla
2 tbsp mayo
5-7 mint leaves, crushed
½ tsp lemon juice
½ carrot
½ cup vinegar

Method
First, slice the carrots using a peeler for a finer finish. Leave them to be pickled by taking in small glass bowl, and drenching in vinegar, a pinch of ground black pepper. Rest for at least 25 minutes.

Prep the fish by cleaning and cutting. Marinate using soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper, lemon juice, and leave for 15 minutes. Make the tempura batter with ice cold water. Now, on the side make the tortilla with flour, water, and salt (regular taco tortilla). Once done toasting the tortillas, make the lime-mint aioli by mixing in mayo, lemon juice, and the mint with little bit of ground pepper.

Finally, fry the fish dipping in tempura batter in deep fry. Then assemble the tacos by placing first the fish, then the pickled carrots, and finally the aioli on top.

Enjoy hot and crispy. 

DATE FRAPPE

Ingredients
1 cup liquid milk
1 cup vanilla Ice cream
4-6 dates, depending on sweetness preferred
2 tsp coffee

Method
First cup the dates into smaller pieces and get rid of the seeds. Blend all the ingredients together, and serve cold.

Photo: Fatduck21