Green Papaya salad

1 small green papaya
2 cups bean sprouts
2 tomatoes, cut into thin strips
3 spring onions, in matchsticks
1/2 cup fresh basil coarsely chopped
fresh coriander
1 red chili, chopped
1/2 cup raw peanuts coarsely chopped
Dressing
2 Tbsp fish sauce - or soy sauce
2 Tbs vegetable oil
3 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs honey

Peel and grate papaya or slice with peeler into long strips. add other vegetables, then toss with dressing.  Taste and adjust if necessary, then sprinkle with nuts and chili

Quinoa and roasted pumpkin salad

1  cup quinoa

2 cups water

rinse quinoa and then cook in rice cooker or in pot 15 mins.  Cool

1kg pumpkin roasted and cooled

1 cup pecans, roasted

1 cup red onions, thinly sliced and lightly sauteed

1/2 cup cranberries

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Dressing

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbs cider vinegar

1 tsp orange zest

mix together and toss with dressing and serve

Soaked Oatmeal muffins

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wholewheat flour
1 cup whey or sour milk
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 large apple, grated

Mix oats, wholewheat flour and whey and leave 1- 24 hours.  Add egg and sugar to oats, quickly stir in dry ingredients and apple.  Scoop into 12 muffin pans.  Bake at 200*C for 15 minutes.

Indonesian roast lamb

2Tbs keekap manis
2 Tbs seeded mustard
5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
2 Tbs chopped ginger
3 tsp ground black pepper
2 Kg lamb shoulder
1 head garlic, cut in half horizontally
100ml water

Mix together keepkap manis, mustard, lime leaves, ginger, pepper and salt together.  Place lamb in roasting tray and smother with oil mixture. Tuck garlic pieces under lamb.  Pour water into tray and place in oven at 200*C, covered.  Roast for one and a half hours, then test for doneness, basting halfway through and checking to see if more water is need.  Rest 10 mins before carving.

recipe adapted from Bali by Janet de Neefe

Paella with an Indonesian twist

Tomato sauce:
1 kg tomatoes, chopped or one tin tomatoes
1 Tbs tomato paste
8 red shallots, chopped
8 garlic cloves
1 leek, white part only, chopped
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp grated palm sugar or raw sugar
3 Tbs vegetable oil.
2 bay leaves

8 raw prawns, remove shell from body, leave head and tail
500g marinara mix
2 Tbs oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 red shallots, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp chopped chiles
3 tsp grated ginger
4 kaffir lime leaves
200ml chicken stock
2 tsp fish sauce
2 carrots, jullienned
15 snow peas
salt and pepper

Simmer tomato sauce ingredients for about 1 hour or until oil rises to the surface.  You need 6 heaped Tbs for the paella.  the remainder is great on pizza.
Heat oil in wok, add onion, shallots, garlic, chili, ginger and lime leaves and stir fry for about 30 seconds.  add the tomato sauce and carrots, along with chicken stock and fish sauce and bring to a simmer.   Add seafood prawns and snow peas just a few minutes before serving.  They take only a few minutes to cook. Serve on hot yellow rice cooked with tumeric, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, stirring in a little, but making sure there is still bright yellow rice visible.

recipe originally from Bali by Janet de Neefe - I have adapted to suit my cooking style and ingredients available.

Paneer

3 litres 2% milk
1 tsp citric acid dissolved in 1/4 cup water or
6 Tbs lemon juice

Pour milk into a large saucepan and bring just to the boil. 79*C  Immediately turn off heat and add citric acid or lemon juice.  Stir until milk separates into curds and whey, about 1 to 2 mins. remove from heat. Leave to stand undisturbed for about 15 minutes.  If whey is still cloudy you can stir in more lemon juice but beware that adding too much lemon juice will change the flavour of the final product. Line a colander with cheesecloth and set over a large bowl.  Pour in the milk mixture.  Leave to drain until cool, about 15 mins. Bring together corners to make a bundle, squeeze, then leave to drain until all the whey has dripped out, about 30 mins for ricotta.  For paneer, keeping curds wrapped place on a board and set another board on top to flatten into a block.  Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. carefully peel off the cloth and cut cheese into 1" squares.

Pesto

6 cups basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 garlic cloves
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper

Process basil, pine nuts and garlic in food processor until almost smooth.  Add oil in a slow and steady stream until combined. Stir in parmesan, season to taste.
Options:
Parsley and basil: Replace half the basil with parsley
Basil almond:  replace pine nuts with toasted slivered almonds
Mint and almond: replace basil with mint and pine nuts with almonds - serve with lamb
Parsley pistachio and chili:  replace basil with parsley and pine nuts with raosed pistachios.  add chili to taste, stir into pasta.

Naan

Naan
2 cups white or wholemeal flour
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup plain yoghurt
1 Tbs oil

dissolve sugar in 1/4 cup warm water (not hot), mix in yeast and leave until it bubbles.  Combine flour and salt in a big bowl and then add the yeasty water and yoghurt.  Knead for 5 or ten minutes - in the bowl or on a  board.  You may have to sprinkle with a little flour to stop it sticking.  Pour a little oil over the dough and turn over so it is all coated with oil, cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave in a  warm place until doubled in size.  Divide dough into 8 equal pieces and pat into round flat discs.  Cook on a hot frying pan with a  tiny amount of oil - just enough to stop them sticking -  a minute or two each side.

Seafood parcels

1 piece Tumeric, cordeline or cardamom leaf about 3X5"
a few slices fresh ginger
few stalks lemongrass, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
400g marinara mix
2 cups assorted prepared veggies,
I used sliced carrots, spring onion,asparagus, winged beans, pumpkin slices
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 -2 Tbs green curry paste or to taste
1 Tbs fish sauce

Place 4 squares of baking paper on counter, add a leaf on each one, then start to pile up all the ingredients evenly distributed between the parcels.  Lastly mixing together the coconut milk curry paste and fish sauce and pouring evenly over the fish and veggie mix.  Fold in sides and then fold over the top a few times to seal. Place packages on a baking tray and bake at 220*C for about fifteen to twenty minutes.  Serve with rice to soak up the lovely juices.

Curry - many ways

1 Tbs oil
3 tsp coriander seed
2 tsp cumin seed
2 tsp cardamon seeds
1 Tbs curry powder
1 tsp chopped chilies, or to taste
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 large knob ginger, grated
1 small knob turmeric, grated  or 1 tsp turmeric powder
1 300g tin chopped tomatoes
2 Tbs chutney
1 Tbs vegetable stock powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 sprigs curry leaf (optional)

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan, smash the seeds in a mortar and pestle, then add to hot oil until they release a strong fragrance, stir in curry powder and stir until mixed and coated with the oil. Add onion, garlic and ginger and turmeric and saute slowly until soft - more oil or a little water can be added to stop the mixture sticking  Add the tomatoes, chutney and stock powder and blend with a stick blender in the pot until smooth.  Add curry leaf if available (remove before serving).   Check for seasoning, and add salt and pepper to taste.  This makes enough base for two large curries, so put half aside for another quick curry meal.

 Pumpkin curry
1 small onion sliced
1 cup sliced butternut pumpkin
1/2 cup frozen peas

Saute the onion in a little oil, then add pumpkin and stir in the basic sauce, and a  little water to thin it down to the desired consistency.   Let simmer for about 15 minutes, so that the veggies are just tender crisp, stir in peas, simmer a few minutes then serve.

Options:
Diced and sauteed chicken, lamb or beef
Diced carrots, potatoes, eggplant, green beans, peas, cauliflower, pumpkin, cooked chickpeas
Sauteed paneer with peas

We like curry on basmati rice (low GI) and with an assortment of toppings to choose from

1/2 cup coconut milk or
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
Chutney, sliced banana, chopped tomato and onion, chopped cucumber.