QUINOA STUFFED BELL PEPPERS/CAPSICUMS

I love bell peppers, they are so versatile and can be used in any dish / cuisine.  The coloured ones would have to be my favourite for their sweetness, versatility and ease of cooking.   The green ones are a bit hardier and require a wee bit more time for cooking and not as sweet.

After all the food binging during over Christmas and New Year, I was looking for something simple and healthy😊 Hence my option of quinoa.  Quinoa (pronounced as keen-wah) is hailed as one of the super foods.   Its high protein content, pleasant nutty flavour and light texture has made it a popular food.   It is a very good substitute for pasta or rice.  It is very important to wash the quinoa very well before cooking to take away the bitter saponin taste.

It is amazing the myriad of stuffing one could use – mince with israeli couscous, mince and rice, even a leftover of potato bhaji.   The peppers serve as a blank canvas and the rest is up to your imagination and creativity.   Leftovers work wonderfully and it is a very good way to sneak in vegetables😊 I don’t think anyone would be able to resist these beauties.

Ingredients:

8 medium capsicums – I have used red and yellow

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Stuffing:

2 cups of quinoa, washed very well and drained

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 red onion diced

2 flakes garlic finely chopped.

A big pinch of chilli flakes

Salt to taste

½ cup of mixed frozen vegetables

½ cup of chopped ham (optional)

4 cups of stock (veg/chicken as per your preference)

A squeeze of lemon juice.

3 tbsp of chopped parsley

¼ cup of feta cheese crumbled (optional)

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 180 deg C.
• Wipe the capsicums with a damp cloth and wipe dry; cut into half lengthwise, retaining the stem. Remove all the seeds and membrane.
• Brush the inside and outside of the capsicums with olive oil.
• Sprinkle a little salt and pepper into each cavity and bake for about 20-30 mins until tender. Keep checking as you don’t want them to go limp or burn.  They should hold their shape.
• Wash quinoa well (to take off any soapy taste from the saponin). Soak in warm water for 5 minutes and drain in a fine sieve.
• In 2 tbsp olive oil, sauté the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes, then add the chilli flakes and sauté for a further 30 seconds.
• Next add the frozen vegetables and sauté for a couple of minutes, followed by the ham, quinoa, 4 cups of hot stock or water and salt. (I like to sauté the quinoa before adding the stock, so it gives a nice toasted flavour).
• Cover the pot with a lid.  Bring to a boil and then simmer.  Cook till all the water is absorbed and quinoa is cooked (as you would cook a pulao).
• Once cool, add the lemon juice and feta cheese (if using), chopped parsley and toss gently.
• Fill the stuffing into the baked peppers and serve with a salad of choice.

COCONUT CURRY WITH SALMON FINS / HEADS

Here’s to wishing all a very happy and blessed year 2020 filled with good health, joy, peace, prosperity and all things nice.   I am back after a break of over a year from blogging and am looking forwarding to posting my recipes once again.  This recipe has been on my mind for a while now.   It’s been years since a friend who I met at a retreat mentioned how good salmon heads taste in a curry, but I somehow never got down to making it as my family do not eat fish from the curry (only fried) and I wasn’t sure if the curry would taste a bit oily.  However, most of my friends who make it assured me that it doesn’t.

I was craving some fish after all the food binging over the Christmas and holiday season.  When I spotted these beautifully fresh salmon fins (see picture), I had to make a curry with it.  You can also use the salmon heads.  Given that I am the only one in the family who eats the fish from the curry I decided against the heads.   We had a lovely meal of rice, fish curry, tamdi bhaji, karela pickle and papad; it was so satisfying – absolute comfort food.

I am not sure if this cut of salmon is available where you live but here in New Zealand, we see it in plenty in our Asian and other fish shops.   The fins have a thumb sized part of fatty belly attached to it which serves as one bite full.    Feel free to use Salmon Heads instead.

Ingredients:

500 gms of salmon fins or 2-3 salmon heads

1-2 tbsp of oil

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 green chilli slit (optional)

A few slivers of ginger (optional)

For Grinding:

4 tbsp of desiccated coconut

5 Kashmiri chillies

1 level tbsp coriander seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp turmeric powder

8-10 peppercorns

A small ball of tamarind

½ onion

2-3 flakes of garlic

For Baghar (tempering):

½ onion, sliced

1/2 tomato chopped fine

Method:

1. Wash the salmon fins/head. Apply ½ tsp of salt and a pinch of turmeric powder and set aside for 20 minutes in a colander.
2. In the meantime, grind all the ingredients listed under “For Grinding” into a fine paste (do not make it runny). Empty the paste into a bowl. Add water to the blender/grinder and reserve this water for cooking the curry.
3. Heat oil in a cooking pot, add 1/2 onion and sauté for a minute, then add the tomato and the ground paste and sauté for a couple of minutes. Next add the reserved water, salt to taste and let the curry cook for about 5-8 minutes.
4. Now add the fish and give a gentle stir. Add water as per the consistency required. Check for seasoning.  If using the green chilli and ginger, you can add at this stage.
5. Let the curry simmer for a couple of minutes till the fish is cooked. Do not overcook the fish.
6. Enjoy with a bowl of steamed basmati rice or boiled rice accompanied by a side of vegetable, fried fish, pickle or papad.