Coconut | Aapplemint

Masala Porridge

Dec 172012

I was never a big fan of sweet porridge. Or atleast of the way we’ve been having it at home forever, i.e with milk, sugar and a pod of cardamom. I don’t remember the last time I had porridge, though I still make it twice a week for my son, I can’t seem to get myself to eat it, no matter how healthy. Then the other day I saw an advert on the tele by Quaker (the most famous oats brand) do a take on Oats, Indian style. Savoury oats suddenly didn’t seem like such bad thing, and was kicking myself as to why I never thought of it before. I had to immediately give it a go. Now figuring out what to put in wasn’t rocket science. So I threw in a couple of things and … damn it was so delicious. It had a creamy texture with a burst of flavours and now I suddenly have a hundred ways I can use oats. Substitute it for couscous, for rice, in pullaos/risottos … the options are endless. Now this one here is super easy to make, and extremely healthy, packed with vegetables its not only a great for breakfast, but also makes a great meal for lunch or an evening snack.Savoury Oats, I’ve finally found my healthy fix. Even my 3 yr old loved it. I’ve used cow’s ghee, it really makes a great difference to the flavour and turns out ghee is healthy after all and should be included in your diet in decent portions.

Ingredients

Serves 2

8-10 tablespoons of Instant Oats
2 tsp cows ghee (or olive oil : whatever you prefer )
hand full of fresh peas
1 carrot finely chopped
1 small red onion chopped
2-3 curry leaves finely sliced
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 cumin powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (optional)
1 tablespoon knorr chicken powder ( for vegetarian : use a veg maggie cube )
corriander as per taste
parsley as per taste
salt ( you may not need to add it if you are using the chicken powder or maggie cube)

Take a pot, add the ghee and fry the onion till soft and lightly golden. In another pot boil the carrots and peas till tender enough. Reserve the stock as you’ll need it. Add the vegetables to the onion and fry again, adding the spices : turmeric, cumin, chilli, curry leaves, coconut, chicken powder/maggie and give it a good mix. Add the oats and then the stock. Stirring it continuously. Cook for about 3 minutes or till the oats are cooked and you achieve the right consistency. Sprinkle the corriander and parsley. Serve immediately.

Coconut Caramel Candy

All, Featured, Miscellaneous 7 Responses »

Aug 182012

Having had my share of baking lately, I wanted to try something I hadn’t made before. It still had to be sweet and not too tough. Recently my cousin had sent me this lovely bottle of cooking coconut oil which I wanted to use, and today I got my chance. I always thought coconut oil was good for hair but little did I know its other benefits. Coconut Oil is ideal for Cooking. Studies show that it is better for you than many of the other options on the market. Plus, it can help you with the good cholesterol that your body needs. We tend to always think of cholesterol as something bad but that doesn’t have to be the case.Many people like to cook with olive oil, but it is expensive. It is no secret that the economy is tough so people have to make cut backs where they can. Every dollar at the grocery store should be carefully calculated. The use of coconut oil for cooking can help you to get value in terms of your health and for taste. At the same time, it can help you to cut back what you are spending on items when you go shopping at the grocery store.There are several brands out there that you can select from, and that will influence the quality of what you get. It is a good idea to carefully evaluate the options on the market so that you can get something that works very well. Don’t be fooled by clever marketing ploys or the packaging. Read reviews online to find out what you should consider buying and what you should stay away from when it comes to coconut oil for cooking. One of the best coconut oils you can buy on the market is from Coconut-Oil-UK.Com. Some of the products offered are organic, and that can be something you are interested in to promote even better health benefits. Make sure you always read the labels carefully. There is both refined and unrefined options too, and there isn’t any evidence to suggest one may be better than the next. If your family enjoys sweets but you don’t want them to have all the bad that comes from them, change the recipe with coconut oil. You can use it to replace butter and Crisco to make pies, crusts, cookies, and more. If you want to encourage your family to eat more veggies, sauté them in a skillet on the stove with coconut oil. The taste is very pleasing and one that may even get your picky eaters to ask for seconds! The food you cook will taste different and it will smell different when you cook it with coconut oil. Most people find the smell and taste it creates to be very appealing. They seem to enjoy their food more and they feel great knowing that they have taking a small but significant step in eating healthier overall.

A little search on coconut oil and I found me a nice recipe that reminded me of my days in Ghana. These beautiful Amber coloured chewy candies are a household treat and unimaginably delicious. the flavour of the coconut is so mild and the caramel just perfect.

And on this sweet note and the Holy Occasion of Eid-ul-Adha may the blessings of Allah lighten up your way & lead you to happiness, success and peace A very Happy Eid Mubarak to all of you.

Ingredients

adapted from Saveur

2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted, plus more for cutting caramels
1-16 oz. can coconut milk
¾ cup corn syrup
1 tsp. coarse sea salt
1¾ cup sugar
¾ cup water

Instructions

Line the bottom and sides of an 8″x8″ square baking dish with parchment and brush with coconut oil; set aside. Combine the coconut milk, corn syrup and sea salt in a 4-quart saucepan. Heat over medium low, stirring constantly for 2½-3 minutes until mixture is just warm and any coconut milk clumps are dissolved.Remove from heat and set aside. In an 8-quart saucepan, combine the sugar and the water and stir until sugar is wet. Place over medium high heat and let cook, without stirring, till the sugar turns a light amber colour. I made these by judgement as I did not have a candy thermometer. This should roughly take 10 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and pour melted sugar into the coconut milk mixture, a little at a time. Be careful, as the mixture will bubble and splash. Return saucepan to medium low heat, stirring continuously until all the caramel is dissolved. Raise the heat to medium high. If the mixture begins to boil over, reduce heat and continue to cook, stir continuously, and cook until caramel becomes quite thick. This could take a good 15 minutes. But just make sure the caramel is really thick. Immediately remove from heat and pour into the prepared pan. Let cool completely and cut into 1″ squares. Mine were a bit sticky so I put them in the fridge to set a little.Make it easier to cut them.Brush your knife with melted coconut oil between cutting to avoid sticking. Wrap individually in wax paper squares. Store at room temperature.

Carrot n Coconut Cupcakes

All, Baking, Featured 3 Responses »

Dec 132011

December for most of us is always the craziest part of the year. With Christmas around the corner, New Years Eve, the Big Indian wedding season, insane number of parties and events to go to and not to mention the lovely weather, which makes you want to eat much more than just the usual. There’s no way you can stick to eating healthy and maintain your Diet plans. Specially if you’re the kind, who leans a little more towards the sweeter side. Cupcakes are always the easiest to go for, as you don’t have to polish off the whole thing yourself. Keep a couple to satisfy that craving and pass on the rest ! I chose to make these cupcakes over the whole cake, smaller potions are always better and prettier too. And its always good to share the love and sweetness. And thats just what I did with these. They make the perfect thing to carry to a Christmas party too.

Preheat oven at 180C

Line the cupcake molds with the baking parchment squares. Set aside.

Self Raising Flour - 300 gms

Cinnamon Powder - 3 teaspoons

Bicarbonate of Soda – 2 teaspoons

Sift all these together and keep in a bowl.

Eggs – 4 large

Oil – 300 ml

Powder or superfine Raw Cane Sugar - 350 grams

Mix all these together in a bowl and beat with electric beater. Beat for 3- 4 minutes till light and fluffy. Mix the flour slowly in the egg and again beat with electric beater for 2-3 minutes.

Carrots ( Grated )- 400 grams

Fresh Coconut ( Grated) – 100 grams

Walnuts ( Chopped) – 100 grams

Orange Zest – 1 orange

Put all these in the cake batter and mix well. Pour in tin and bake for 15 -20 mins or till done.

When baked, remove from oven and make holes on backside of cake. ( optional)

Juice of orange – 1

Powder Sugar – 100 grams

Mix together and pour over cake and leave in tin till all is absorbed. Remove after few hours and dust with icing sugar.

Cream Cheese – 200 gms

Sugar powder enough to sweeten – 3 tbsps

Frost cupcakes with it.

Cranberry & Coconut Loaf with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

All, Baking, Featured 27 Responses »

Mar 182010

What could be a better way to spend your Sunday, than lazing around in the sun, chilling in the pool and enjoying a good barbecue. Last Sunday a very sweet and generous friend was kind enough to have us over, to spend the day. Specially since it was my little boy’s first swim and as a new mom nothing’s more comforting knowing that its a private pool, very clean and the chlorine is on a lower level … just right for my baby! Well we had just the perfect Sunday, good company and good food = Happy Times For my part, I took a Cranberry and Coconut loaf covered in Vanilla buttercream frosting. And what can I say … it was like “Icing on the cake ” !!

Ingredients

Cake

250 gms unsalted softened butter
250 gms superfine sugar
250 gms self raising flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/4 cup skimmed milk
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 tbsp lightly toasted dessicated coconut for garnishing
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and beat with electric beater. Beat till light and creamy. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after every addition. Add the flour and beat well to combine. Fold through the milk, adding more if the batter is a bit dry. Add the coconut and cranberries and give it a good stir. Spoon into a greased and lined 35X11cm loaf tin. Bale for an hour or till skewer comes out clean. When done remove from tin and let it cool on the wire rack.

Butter Cream Frosting

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
3 cups icing sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream

In an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed. Spoon into a piping bag with start nozzle. Pipe out on top of the cake and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Boozy Balls for Christmas

All, Dessert 14 Responses »

Dec 192009

With just a week to go for Christmas, these Rum Balls are just the thing to make for people like me who have risen up late for the occasion. They look decadent, are very rich, full of flavour, great to serve your guests at dinner and they also make beautiful presents. I cannot begin to tell you wonderful these are, trust me when i tell you, as i couldn’t resist having a couple whilst making them. With strong flavours of coconut and rum, enveloped in lovely chocolate fudge and cookie layers, these are not only lovely to eat but also fun to make. I started the day before and made them in 3 stages. Kinda took up the whole day as its insanely warm here and it takes longer to chill and set. Its the worst weather to handle chocolate, cream, icing … basically anything that requires cooling and setting. I think I’ve whined about this constantly in my earlier posts. For those of you living in cooler countries these should be a no hassle recipe. Make them, chill them, serve them as it is with some dessert wine, or wrap them in chocolate wrapping paper and then in individual pretty cases, hang them on your Christmas tree or set them on your dinner table. They look gorgeous in every way. Just make sure you store them in an airtight container.

Ingredients

200 gms the bestest dark chocolate you can lay your hands on.
120 gms creme fraiche ( if you cannot get it, use double cream. Works equally well )
20 glaze cherries marinated overnight in rum
150 gms cinnamon n coconut cookies crushed ( use any coconut cookies/macaroons you like)
60 gms sifted icing sugar
45 gms sifted cocoa powder
90 gms unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tbsp dark rum
60 gms desiccated coconut

Chocolate coating

200gms the same chocolate
100 gms unsalted butter
Silver Vark to decorate

Melt together the chocolate and creme fraiche in a saucepan over low hear till melted and smooth. Pour in a wide bowl/box and chill till it all firms up. Get in there with your hands and scoop out about 20 balls. Its a very sticky and goey process as the fudge melts in your hands so you got to be quick. If you don’t get perfect rounds at this point its ok. You can re shape them once again after they have cooled. I like to make these first so i have equal size balls. Now place a cherry in between and and mould it around. Place on a baking paper and chill till firm. For the coconut layer mix together the coconut cookies, coconut, icing sugar, rum, butter and cocoa powder. Mould a thin layer of this mixture around the chocolate balls, and chill them again till they have set. For the final stage, melt together the butter and chocolate in the microwave and stir well to combine. Now using a skewer dunk the balls one by one in the chocolate and line them on a baking paper and return to the fridge till finally set and looking glossy. Decorate with silver Vark.

The Not So Famous Papaya

All, Baking 80 Responses »

Mar 282008

This post for me, is a work of art … ask me why …. ? I usually use imported fruits for my desserts, that are flown in to Ghana from Europe, … strawberries, blueberries, plums, peaches, pears … and even pay a bomb for them, buying them from these high end supermarkets, and not always sure if I’ll get some. So this time around i refused to wait and go for something from my local African market. I mean, anyone can do a lovely dessert from strawberries … but this time i wanted to go for something of the land. There wasn’t a great variety to choose from, but there was one particular fruit which caught my attention … the “Papaya”or better known here as ” Paw paw “. Not a fancy fruit, a rather common fruit actually, the kind that never really finds its way in beautiful desserts, besides ofcourse a fruit salad. So i took up the challenge of glorifying this fruit and bringing to it, its much deserved share of limelight. I thought of a couple of combinations, but settled for a moist fresh coconut tropical cake, with a papaya cheesecake frosting and topped with caramelized papayas. I promise you there is no cake like this out there !Its my own creation and I’m feeling very satisfied with the results, quite proud of it actually ! Have made 2 variations to share with you .

For The Fresh Coconut Cake

215 gms flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
115 gms softened butter
225 gms caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp rum
100 gms yogurt
200 gms fresh coconut

Sift all the dry ingredients and together and keep aside.
Cream the butter and sugar and the eggs one by one , mixing continuously. Add in the wet ingredients, rum, vanilla and yogurt. Mix in the flour, beating it with an electric beater. For the fresh coconut , make sure you remove the brown skin and chop the flesh into small pieces and grind them in a dry grinder. You want to leave it slightly coarse, so it adds a bit of a texture to the cake. Mix it well into the cake bater and pour it into desired tins – cupcake cases. Bake at 180 C for 20 -35 mins depending on your tins … or until it gets a golden brown colour and knife comes out clean.

For The Papaya Cheesecake Frosting

250 gms whipping cream
150 gms cream cheese
1 tablespoon gelatin
4 tablespoon grated soft sweet papaya
few drops of lime juice
1 tablespoon of icing sugar

Soften the cream cheese and add sugar. In another bowl whip up the cream till soft peak stage. Soften the gelatin with 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water and add it to the cream cheese , and mix in the cream. At last add the papaya and lime, mix well, and leave in the fridge to set a bit. Then put in a piping bag and decorate your cake. U could stop at just this point and serve the cake. It already looks gorgeous, but if you want to take to a step further, slice the papaya and caramelize it with some granulated sugar and a blow torch. Further garnish it with fresh coconut shavings.

The verdict … The cake is very moist and has a subtle coconut flavour, as compared to dry dessicated coconut. The fresh coconut really gives a great texture to the cake and adds crunch too. The small cupcakes look cute, and have more of coconut with just the papaya cream cheese frosting below the coconut shavings.

Whereas this cake is the one that gives the papaya its superstar status. Each bite is a pure pleasure, a beautiful coconut n rum sponge with papaya cream cheese, topped with sweet caramelized papayas. A perfect tropical cake to welcome the summer.

Going Nuts !

All, Baking 49 Responses »

Oct 242007

This has been one hell of a week. First the Sunday Fiasco … ( i must take take this chance to thank you all once again for your comforting and kind words … u cant imagine how nice it made me feel ), then continued by Cops all over the house, through out the week. I caught my house maid stealing, a 18 yr old girl who joined me only 2 months back, stole from me over that time 2 mobile phones, about 700 US$ , my exp undergarments ( can u imagine !!!!), my hubbys T-shirts, my Jewelery … and i don’t even started on the regular pinching of things from my kitchen. I had noticed things going missing earlier and had warned both my house girls. Hoping they would not repeat it i did not call the cops. And in spite of that the little one stole again. This time she took 100 $ , but i knew right away as things in my wallet were re arranged and that to badly. Definitely cant be me , so right away i called her n asked her if it was her . She denied it. So we had to call the cops. I’m going to spare your all the details but i had cops in and out of my house for the rest of the week. They did recover a few of the things but the money was all spent. My jewellery was broken down to pieces and destroyed so she could sell it , the mobile phones were kept by the cops for their services to us and my clothes … don’t even want to know anything about them. So basically i lost everything. But since she was a young girl we dropped all charges against her as i did not want her to go to jail. Just warned her and hope that she learnt a lesson from it and will not do it again. Such is life !!!
However there was one great piece of news that more than made up for everything. Yesterday my hubby finally said the magic works I’ve been waiting to hear for so long … “honey we’re going back home – confirm our tickets” !!! YaY !!! Finally after 5 months of Africa i get back to my beloved Hong Kong. Instantly my mind was running in a million different directions. Have to do so many things before we leave. My store room and freezer are loaded with food stuff and I will have to with immediate effect stop buying anything more and start using up all my stocks. Hehe so i think over the next couple of posts i’ll just be sharing recipes that use up ingredients lying around. In a way thats a good thing … challenges you to make the best of what you have. And trust me i do have a lot of stuff. My friends and neighbours are going to like this as i’ll be sending everyone a lot of things to eat now

To start with i made flapjacks as i had all the things needed. I got a little fancy and used some dried apricots and toasted dessicated coconut. Never used them before in these, but i must tell u they taste fantastic. I made one batch chewy and the other crispy. Perfect for your tea n coffee breaks. They turned out so good that I’m gonna have to pass this recipe on to my grandchildren

Ingredients

500 gms box of Quaker instant oats
260 gms unsalted butter
175 gms organic honey
200 gms golden superfine sugar
150 gms toasted dessicated coconut
75 gms walnuts – chopped
20 dried apricots – cubed
handful seasme seeds
3 tbsp apricot honey + 1 tbsp water

Preheat your oven to 180 C . Grease 2 shallow baking trays and keep ready. Mix all the dry ingredients together – oats + coconut + walnuts + apricots . In a bowl mix together the sugar, honey and butter and microwave it 30 seconds at a time & stirring it, for 2 mins or till everything has melted and combined. Now pour this over the dry mixture and mix it really well. Use your hands, i love using my hands – connects you to your food, and go on and taste it. At this point if u need more honey or anything else you can add it , as if you don’t like it now, chances are you wont like it later. But I’m sure u will love it. The mixture is sticky and moist – thats how u want it to be. Equally share them between both the trays and pat them down with the back of a metal serving spoon. Now on one tray sprinkle the seasme seeds and pat it again to make sure they stick in there and don’t fall off later. U are ready to bake them. Allow it to bake for 30 mins till the side are golden and a little soft in the center. Remove the plain flapjacks if you want them to be a bit chewy. Keep the seasme ones for a bit longer as those taste better crisp. They will harden as they cool down so don’t over bake them. Now melt the jam and water together and brush it on the flapjacks and with a pointed serrated knife lightly cut the squares and fingers. This will make it easier to remove them later. Once cooled down transfer to a air tight container.

Reminiscing Hong Kong

All, Dessert, Non-Vegetarian, Places & Travel 15 Responses »

Aug 132007

Mango and Coconut Sago Dessert

U cannot be a true Honkie if u haven’t got a passion for Sago.These little treats are a very important part of the Cantonese cuisine and can find them in almost every street corner, every dessert house. Sago is adored in India too, but i was never really fond of the way they make it there. With an awfully sweet rose syrup at the bottom of the glass, then a layer of sago topped with sweet milk and a scoop of vanilla ice cream this drink is called “FALOODA” , and the syrup changes according to your preference from green to orange to yellow, name the colour you got it … eek … another turn off ! As kids we called sago “frogs eyes” and so another reason to stay away from it. But when i tried the Honk Kong version i instantly fell in love with it. Like all their desserts this one is very low in sugar, as the cantonese have a very mild palate and cannot take strong flavours unlike their Chinese counterparts. I had some friends over for dinner last night and the menu of course was cantonese. And this is my take on the Honkie Sago, to seal the perfect evening. Personally i love the one with lychee but this time i opted for mango and coconut milk.

Ingredients

3/4 th cup green coloured sago
1 cup water
100 gms sugar
2 pods cardamom (optional)
60 ml coconut cream
1 tsp gelatin
1 tsp pure vanilla bean extract
pinch of salt
1 large mango diced
1 large mango pureed
toasted coconut flakes

Start with bringing boiling together the sugar, cardamom & 100 gms of water.When the sugar dissolves turn off the heat and add to it the coconut cream and stir well. In another bowl dissolve the gelatin in a tbsp of hot water and add it to the coconut cream mixture and set aside.
For the sago , take a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Add the sago to it and boil it for 15 mins or until soft and transparent. Strain and rinse in cold water and add it to the coconut cream mixture. Add the chopped mango cubes as well and mix it. Take 6 glasses and equally divide the sago mixture between them. Cover with cling film and let it set in the fridge for a few hrs or till set. Meanwhile toast some coconut flakes on a small frying pan and keep it ready for the garnish.
Once the sago is set pour some mango puree on top and place some of the toasted coconut flakes in the center. This is best served chilled.

Lovely Lamingtons

All, Baking 6 Responses »

Feb 152007

Not very sophisticated but still one of my favourites ! Chocolate Lamingtons ! Can’t thank the Aussies enough for this contribution towards cakeoholics.I can almost remember the first time i sunk my teeth into these little babies at Citysuper(Hong Kong), though my friend Sheetal [k girl u're a star now...u're on my blog:-)))) ] would beg to differ. She adores the ones at Starbucks but unfortunately she has never tried one of these.I know for which she is going to kill me, as i’ve never made them for her.But i promise i will. But u could try it too…Here’s how…
First u need white cake…any would do Angel , Butter,Pound….personally i prefer a very light, airy n soft vanilla cake.Can even cheat and buy a Betty Croker or any ready made cake mixes. Or simply follow this recipe for-

White Vanilla Cake.

280 gms selfraising flour
a pinch of baking soda
275 ml oil
150 gms sugar
3 whole eggs and 2 egg whites(beaten till soft peaks form)
120ml milk
1tsp pure vanilla extract

Now just pop all of this in a big mixing bowl (except the egg whites) and whisk for 3-5 mins. Gently fold in the egg whites and pour into a baking tray which is atleast 2 inches deep.The deeper the cake tin the better.The comercial lamingtons are of a nice big size.So whatever u can manage.Bake on Gas mark 4 for 35 mins.Or till the inserted knife comes out clean.Remove and cool….very necessary to patient at this time.Then turn out on a board and take a ruler and cut evenly 2″ squares.Place them in a tray and whack it in the freezer.This allows the cakes to be firm and not break off while icing them.

Chocolate Icing

1 box of icing sugar (500gms)
40gms of the best cocoa powder u can get your hands on
4 tablespons butter
120 ml milk
300gms desicated coconut

Place all this on in a bowl over simmering water and mix till a smooth texture is achieved.
spread the coconut out on a flat tray and get ready to roll!Pls be very neat..dont want any coconut in the chocolate so use two palette knives for the chocolate.Put a piece in the chocolate icing coating it well, shake off the excess and roll in the coconut.Pick them up gently and place them on the wire wrack.Let them dry out a bit before u pack them in an air tight container.These are mini lamingtons andI promise u these are a big hit.