
If you are using rohu fish it will usually be frozen. Soak it in cold water for 30-45 minutes to defrost and while still a little firm, descale and cut each steak into quarters and wash in cold saltwater a few times. Drain and set aside. If using an alternative such as cod, cut into 2 ½ inch chunks then rinse, drain and set aside 2 Top and tail the daikon and peel using a potato peeler. Cut in half widthways then cut each half down the middle, lengthways. Now slice into 2cm-thick half-moon pieces. Rinse and set aside 3 Place a large, shallow saucepan over a medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot add the crushed garlic and stir for a minute until pale golden 4 Add the onion paste and salt and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the onion softens and becomes translucent, stirring occasionally 5 Pour in 200ml of water then cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice 6 After 10 minutes add the ground spices and stir for a couple of minutes so that the spices cook through. Cover and cook for 5 minutes over a low heat then stir in the daikon. After a minute or so add 200ml of water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat 7 Add the fish pieces to the pan and mix thoroughly so that the fish is coated in the spices. Gently shake the pan and cover and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. It is very important not to stir the pot after this stage 8 Meanwhile, boil some water. After the 5 minutes are over carefully pour 500ml hot water into the pan. When doing this pour into the sides of the pan so that you don’t pour boiling water directly onto the fish 9 Give the pan a gentle shake then cover and simmer over high heat for 15 minutes. Add the chopped coriander and chillies and continue cooking for another 5 minutes then turn off the heat. Serve immediately with rice and the lime wedges

step 1 Make the filling by placing the onion, ginger, garlic, chilli, and some salt into food processor. Purée until smooth. Heat the oil in a frying pan and pour the purée into it. Fry for 5 mins or until cooked through. Add the prawns, tomatoes and chopped coriander. Squeeze in the lime and add salt to taste. Cook for 3 mins, or until the prawns have cooked through. Remove from the heat. step 2 Drain and rinse the black-eyed peas. Pour into a food processor with the garlic and chili. Purée until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and add the onion, flour, salt, chilli powder and baking powder. Mix and roll into 16 balls. step 3 Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Heat 8cm of the palm or vegetable oil in a wok or small heavy pan. When a small piece of bread sizzles, drop 4-5 balls into the oil. Fry until golden and crisp, about 4-5 mins. Drain on kitchen paper and repeat until they are all finished. You can keep them warm in the oven while you finish. Slice the fritters open down the centre and spoon the prawn filling in. Serve with hot sauce.

Conch Stew Cooking Directions Clean conch meat and pound to tenderize. Boil conch for 2 - 3 hours or until tender. Make Sea Pie while conch cooks (instructions below). Once cool, cut conch in bite size pieces and season. Add all ingredients, except flour, to pan and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes. Mix flour with 1 cup water and pour into pan to thicken. Add Sea Pie pieces and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes. Sea Pie Cooking Directions Make dough with flour, pinch of salt and water so that you can roll out as thin as possible, then cut into 2 ½” x 2 ½” squares. Let set for 30 minutes then stretch squares to thin them out and add to conch stew mixture. Serve with white rice, plantain, breadfruit or your choice of vegetables.

Heat the vegetable or olive oil and Achiote seeds in a small skillet over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes. Don't let the seeds turn black. Remove the skillet from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes more. Strain the oil and store for up to 15 days at room temperature in a jar with a tight lid.

Wash crabs and boil in large pot of water for 15 minutes, remove from boiling water and cool. Crack legs and open backs to remove all meat, set aside. Remove seeds from scotch bonnet pepper and dice pepper and onions. Sauté onions and scotch bonnet peppers in oil over medium heat until onions begin to get transparent. Add crab meat, black pepper and salt, stirring occasionally. Cook over medium heat for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with “bread kind”, a local dish that consists of a variety of starchy vegetables including pumpkin, squash, plantain, potato, cassava and breadfruit. Optional: Seasoned crab meat may also be stuffed in cleaned crab backs and baked. Cover stuffed backs with foil paper and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

1. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, and broth, whisking until smooth—this ensures no lumps in the sauce. 2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat (about 350°F) for 30 seconds until shimmering. 3. Pour the coconut milk mixture into the skillet and bring it to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, which should take about 3-4 minutes. 4. Add the fish cubes and kaffir lime leaves to the skillet, submerging them fully in the sauce. 5. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and let it cook for 10 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork—avoid overcooking to keep it tender. 6. Stir in the beaten egg slowly, cooking for 2 more minutes until the sauce thickens slightly, which adds a rich, custard-like texture. 7. While the curry simmers, prepare the banana leaves by briefly passing them over a gas flame for 10 seconds to make them pliable, or use parchment paper as a handy alternative. 8. Spoon the curry into the center of each banana leaf square, folding the edges to form a tight packet to trap steam. 9. Place the packets in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam for 10 minutes until heated through and fragrant. 10. Carefully unwrap the packets and garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges before serving

1 Cooking Fry the leeks in a small dash of olive oil for a few minutes until they start to brown. 2 Add the onions and mince and fry until everything is browned. Ensure you keep stirring to prevent the leeks catching and burning. 3 Add the rice and stir together for a few minutes ensuring the rice is well blended and coated in any juices. 4 Add the lamb stock, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir and leave it to come to the boil. Leave to boil for 2 minutes. 5 Baking Pour the mixture into a large baking tray, place on the bottom self of a preheated oven at 180 degrees. Leave to bake for up to 1 hour. The dish is ready when all the liquid is evaporated and the rice is soft. 6 Serving Once cooked turn off the oven and keeping the door open leave the leek and rice bake to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

1. Let the frog legs soak in the milk in the fridge for an hour (optional). 2. Rinse the legs and pat them dry with kitchen paper. 3. Add the olive oil and half of the garlic butter to a large wok or frying pan. Place it over high heat until the butter starts to foam. Don't let it burn. 4. Add the frog legs to the pan. Pan fry them for about 10 minutes until they are golden brown on both sides. Turn the over regularly. 5. Add the rest of the garlic butter right in the end together with the freshly chopped parsley. Season with a pinch of pepper and salt to taste. 6. Divide the frog legs over plates. Serve with grilled bread and a green salad.

Fry the ginger in plenty of oil until golden and slightly crispy. Set aside for later. Cut the fish into strips. Dredge the fish in a very thin layer of tempura flour. Fry the fish in plenty of oil until golden brown and crispy. You can use the same oil as you were using to fry the ginger. Crush the garlic and chop it into small pieces. Chop the spring onion. Drain the fermented soybeans using a colander. If you are using salted beans (soybeans in a very salty brine), you need to wash the beans in water before you add them to the dish. Add a tablespoon of oil to a deep pan or a large pot, and sauté the garlic until slightly golden. Add the soybeans and stir fry for a few minutes. If the soybeans are very salty, add ¼- ½ tablespoon sugar to balance the flavor. Add water and fry for a minute. Just before serving, stir in the fried ginger, the spring onion, and the crispy fish. Serve with steamed rice.

This recipe requires a stew to steam the dumplings on top of, at abour 180℃ or 350℉, give or take (it doesn't have to be specific, but can't be very high or very love heat). You will add the dumplings in during the last thirty minutes of your stew's cooking time, They need to steam covered, so the stew should be in a lidded pot that is oven-proof. Mix the dumpling dough In a measuring cup, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Leave until foamy, about 5 minutes. To a stand mixer bowl, or a large bowl if mixing by hand, add the flour and salt. Stream in the water-yeast mixture while kneading. Knead for several minutes after the dough comes together, until a smooth ball of dough forms. Leave the dumpling dough to rise Place the ball of dough in an oiled dough, cover, and leave to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Shape the dumplings Divide the risen ball of dough into 10 equal portions for large dumplings, or 12-14 portions for smaller dumplings. Shape each portion of dough into a smooth, round ball. Steam the dumplings In the last thirty minutes of cooking a stew, place the shaped dumplings right atop the stew. Push them down gently into the stew. Cover tightly and return to the oven for 25-30 minutes. The dumplings are done when they're risen and light golden.

These delectable fish balls can also be made with salmon or fish fillets. Substitute one large can of salmon or one pound of any white fish for the cod. Soak for twenty-four hours: 1 salted cod, or bakijow Discard the water. Place cod in saucepan with fresh water to cover. Simmer gently until the fish flakes easily when tested with the tines of a fork. Strain, reserving a bit of the broth. De bone the cod and set it aside for later use. In a saucepan, bring to boil in water to cover: 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced When the potatoes are tender, drain them well. Add the cod and mash the two ingredients thoroughly together. Place in the container of an electric blender: 1 tomato, peeled and chopped 1/2 green pepper, chopped 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 1 clove garlic, slivered 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce, or minced hot pepper Dash of nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste Blend for a few seconds and pour the sauce over the mashed fish mixture. Combine these ingredients well and add 1 egg, beaten Mixture should be stiff enough to mold into balls about one and a half inches in diameter, If it's too dry, add the fish stock a tablespoon at a time. Fry the balls in hot, deep fat until golden brown.

1 Baking the Lamb In a large pan (with a lid) melt the butter and olive oil together then add the diced lamb. Brown the lamb on a medium heat, this will take around 5 minutes. 2 Add the garlic, oregano, 300ml of water and season with salt and pepper. Mix well before covering with the lid. Leave to simmer for 50 minutes mixing a couple of times ensuring the lamb doesn’t start to burn. 3 The juices should have nearly all boiled away so another 150ml of water should be added along with the rice. Mix altogether, bring to the boil, place the lid on and leave for just 10 minutes. It’s advised to check at around 8 minutes – you want the liquid to be evaporated with just moist coating of oily water left over the lamb and rice. 4 Place the lamb and rice into a casserole dish, the mixture should fully cover the base and have at least 2 inches spare for the yogurt. Alternatively you can split into four ceramic bowls. 5 Making a Roux In a small saucepan melt the butter over a medium heat and then add two tablespoons of flour while continuously stirring for two minutes (add a little extra flour if needed). The roux should not be thick but not too runny, the colour will darken slightly. Pour the roux into a bowl and keep to one side. 6 Making the Yogurt Mixture In a mixing bowl add the yogurt, eggs and season with salt and pepper. Mix together then add the roux continuing to mix fast for a minute to ensure the roux and yogurt are thoroughly combined. 7 Pour the yogurt mixture over the baked lamb and rice and sprinkle on a little oregano. 8 Cooking Place on the bottom shelf of the oven on 180 degrees for 35 minutes then move it up to the middle for a further 10 minutes. The Tavë kosi is ready when the yogurt has risen up high and a golden crust formed. 9 Leave to cool for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

1. Remove the skin of the pumpkin. Also remove the inner seeds. 2. Cut the flesh into 2cm cubes. 3. Take the zest off the oranges, with as little pith as possible, and cut into matchstick-sized strips. 4. Extract the juice from the oranges. Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and reserve. 5. Place the pumpkin, orange juice, orange strips, sugar and whole cardamom pod seeds in a large pan, mix well and leave to marinate for about 10 hours or overnight. Stir occasionally. 6. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has thickened and become syrupy. This can take about an hour or a little bit longer. Leave to cool then place in clean, dry jars. Enjoy!

Place all of the above ingredients into your roaster pan at least two days before you want to eat. Stir occasionally throughout the days to distribute marinade evenly. Bake at a 350-degree oven for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours or until meat is not red when sliced. You can also make these on skewers if you wish to go through the process of spearing the meat with other veggies to grill. Freezes well.

1. Place the meat cut into pieces, in a large pan with the onions. Add the turmeric and enough water to cover. Bring to the boil then cook gently until the meat is very tender and can easily be removed from the bones. 2. While the meat is cooking, cut the orange peel into thin match style pieces, removing as much pith as possible. Leave to soak in a bowl of water. 3. When the meat is tender, remove from the pan and when cool enough, remove the meat from the bones and shred the meat into strips with your hands. Return the meat to the pan. 4. Wash the short grain rice and then add to the pan with salt according to taste. The juices should cover the rice by about 2cm, add more water if necessary. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook with the lid off, stirring from time to time until the rice is "al dente" and the liquid is absorbed. 5. Add the natural yoghurt, and stir in well but carefully. Fry the crushed cloves of garlic in the oil and add to the dish along with the dill, black pepper, the chickpeas and extra salt to taste. 6. Mix in well, then cover the top of the pan with a clean thick cloth and the lid. Leave on a low heat for about half an hour to allow the flavours to absorb. Enjoy with some warm nan bread for extra comfort.

Step 1 Allow butter to come to room temperature before beating in a bowl until creamed. Season with salt and a small, delicate pinch of nutmeg. Step 2 Add in the egg, stirring vigorously. Sprinkle the semolina over this, and mix it in well until the surface is smooth. Cover with saran wrap and leave to rest for 15 – 20 minutes. Step 3 Use two spoons, dipped regularly into hot water throughout, to press or shape dumplings from the paste. You can also place these on a lightly oiled board or plate and again leave them to stand for a short while (this allows the dumplings to rise even more). Step 4 Heat a generous quantity of salted water in a large pan. Place the dumplings into the water and bring them back to a boil before turning down the heat and leaving to simmer gently for 10 – 15 minutes (do not boil). Carefully turn the dumplings occasionally. Step 5 Remove the semolina dumplings carefully and put them in the heated soup. Serve promptly, with a garnish of sprinkled parsley or chives. Step 6 The semolina dumplings can also be cooked in the beef broth, but this causes the soup to take on a slightly dull appearance. The cooked dumplings should never be left standing in the soup for too long, as they will “soak up” the soup and become softened.

Bring water with salt to a boil then add grits; reduce heat and cover. occasionally stirring. Cook approximately 15 minutes or until grits have desired consistency. Cool then serve

Peel and chop eggplant and pumpkin into medium-sized pieces. Heat butter and add onions and garlic in a medium sized pot set to medium to high heat. Sauté for 2 minutes until softened but not browned. Add pumpkin and eggplant. Sauté for an additional two to three minutes. Add water just to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are soft. Add the chopped spinach, stir and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture into a colander and let drain. After vegetable mixture has been drained return it to the pot and mash vigorously with a potato masher or a thick whisk. Add salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients and grinding them into a paste. Put the prawns on the skewers and brush with sauce. Grill until done (they should lose their translucent color), about 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve with extra sauce on the side.

First boil the rice for eight minutes. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion. Then chop the herbs. The recipe didn't really say what to do with the chickpeas (also known of course as garbanzo beans), beyond soaking them overnight and rinsing them. I used canned chickpeas, since I've never actually seen them dried. I decided to chop/mash them slightly so they would better incorporate into the filling. Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) roughly chopped Now mince the lamb (I used my mini food processor). Here's where I ran into another problem: what to do with the lamb fat this recipe calls for? Mince it? Melt it? Does lamb fat even melt? I decided to mince mine. Thankfully, my husband doesn't actually read this blog because he'd be horrified if he knew I put fat in the dolma on purpose. Minced lamb and its good friend, minced fat. Ew. The ingredients for the dolma stuffing include onion, cilantro, chickpeas and turmeric. Anyway, now get your hands into all that slimy raw meat and mix in the onion, spices, chickpeas, rice, chopped herbs and fat. Add a little salt and pepper for good measure. In fact, based on my results I would say to err on the side of a little extra salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands until the stuffing looks something like this. Fill the biggest saucepan you own with salted water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Now pull the outer leaves off of the cabbage (save them) and drop the rest of it, whole, into the water. Let it boil for three or four minutes, turning it if the water level isn't quite high enough to completely cover it. The reason you are doing this is because it's difficult to get whole cabbage leaves off of an American cabbage. The cabbages you typically buy in our supermarkets come in very tight round balls, and because the leaves are crispy they will snap and crack when you try to pull them off in an un-blanched state. Blanching them for a few minutes makes it so they will come righ

Grate finely and toss together. 1 lb. sharp yellow cheese (cheddar or oude boerenkaas) 1 lb. keshi di buriko (or any white cheese such as fromage blanc, queso blanco, ricotto, feta etc.) Stir in: 6 eggs, beaten 5 Tbs. Cornstarch Shape the mixture into small balls. These may be kept indefinitely in the freezer. Drop the balls into deep, hot fat and fry until golden. Serve piping hot on toothpicks.

step 1 Put the sugar in a large shallow pan, along with a small splash of water. Heat gently, swirling the pan, until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and bubble the syrup until it turns a dark amber colour. Add the fish sauce, most of the chilli and ginger, then splash in 1 tbsp water to dilute. Boil again until syrupy, then add the fish fillets, skin-side down, and the bok choi, cut-side down. step 2 Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 4-5 mins until the fish is cooked and the bok choi has wilted. Turn off the heat, squeeze over the lemon and scatter with the remaining chilli, ginger and the coriander sprigs. Serve with rice.

Finely grate the zest of 1 medium orange (about 2 teaspoons) and 1 medium lemon (about 1 teaspoon) into a medium saucepan. Add 1 quart whole milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add 1/3 cup dry sherry. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, cut 1 (12-ounce) day-old baguette crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices (about 16). Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and let it soak for 5 minutes. Flip each slice of bread. Let the bread sit until it absorbs most of the liquid but isn't falling apart, about 5 minutes more. Heat 1 cup olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Meanwhile, whisk 4 eggs together in a medium bowl. Working with 1 slice at a time, dip the bread in the egg mixture to coat. Let the excess drip off, then add to the pan. Repeat with as many slices as needed until the pan is filled with a single layer. Fry until golden-brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip the slices and fry until the second side until golden-brown, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet. Repeat dipping and frying the remaining bread. Drizzle with honey to serve.

1 Prepare the Flour Batter Mix together the flour, water and salt ensuring all the lumps are dissolved. The mixture should be thick but still of a pouring consistency, add a little extra water if required. Put to one side. 2 Prepare the Batter Filling Mix together the butter, oil and chosen yogurt / cream ensuring all the lumps are dissolved. The mixture should be runny, leave to rest for 10 minutes before given it another good mix. The consistency should be similar to custard. Put to one side. 3 Baking Preheat the gill to a medium setting (I use mark 4 of 6). Take a large deep baking tray or pie pan and rub some olive oil over the base. Make the first layer of flour batter using a squirty bottle or laydel, don't try to pour the batter as it will be too thick in the pan. You need to make a star effect by leaving triangles between each line of batter layers. Place under the grill until golden brown. This will take between 3 - 5 minutes. 4 Remove from under the grill and using a brush or the back of spoon rub over the whole pan (both battered and un-battered areas) a layer of the batter filling. Then, add a layer of the flour filling, use the same star effect this time placing the lines of batter through the gaps left from the previous layering. Also, leaving the same triangle shapes between each line. Place under the grill until golden brown. This will take between 3 - 5 minutes. 5 Repeat step 4 until all the mixture has been used and ensuring each triangle gap is filled with flour batter on each layer - this will take around 2 hours. After every couple of layers, use one layer just to fill up any spaces (large gaps between the batter stars) that may have started to show. 6 Serving Once the Flija is ready serve straight away with honey or yogurt.