A Side of Plantains

I amazed at how cheap plantains are here in Grenada.  They make the best dessert but also the best savory side dish since they have the right starch content, consistency, and sweetness (unlike a banana that's too mushy to cook with).  Here's an easy, quick, cheap, and delicious side that would go great with almost any entree (try pairing with bacon and chicken dishes, along with black beans). 


Ingredients:
1tbs oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp cajun seasoning
2 small ripe plantains sliced (~1lb)
1 small onion cubed 1/2''
1/2 large red bell pepper cubed 1''
a big splash of lime juice
1/2 cup frozen okra for okra lovers (optional)

Directions
1. Heat non stick pan under medium high heat.  Add oil.
2. wait until oil is very hot. add onions and stir fry until translucent.
3.  add bell peppers. cook to desired consistency.
2. Add plantains and seasonings. toss to coat then lay in an even layer. cook until both sides of plantains have browned.  Turn off heat and add lime juice. Toss to coat and transfer to a bowl.

Veggie Sprout Burgers- A Vegetarian Treat

I didn't have ground beef this night and I'm glad I didn't.  This sprout burger had so many flavors and textures going on and the best part was, it was so easy to make.  Anything that fried eggs touch turns to gold, including this burger. For me, the golden goose doesn't exist... it's more like a golden chicken hahaha.

15-20min; 20 min
Ingredients:

Hamburger Buns or Kaiser Rolls (IGA)

1 egg for each burger

for bun spread: mix dijon mustard, lemon juice or rice vinegar, mayo, a pinch of sugar, a drizzle of honey, salt, and pepper.  adjust for taste and desired consistency

salt 

pepper

alfalfa sprouts (IGA, produce section)

sharp cheddar cheese slices

1 large ripe tomato sliced 

lettuce

1 avocado sliced

1 zucchini, 3 stalks chives (copped 1in), and/or ~5 mushrooms sliced

splash of hot sauce

splash of Worcestershire sauce  

pickle slices

Directions:

1. heat pan with 1 tbs oil over medium high heat. when very hot add chives (or your pick of veggies). salt and pepper. Stir Fry ~1min.  and add Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and cook for another min. on high heat. place to side.

3. fry eggs to liking in a nonstick pan (I did over-easy with crispy edges). salt and pepper to taste. 

Tip: if you want a crispy egg, wait until pan and oil  is very very hot before you toss the egg in. right immediately after you toss it in, shake the pan back and forth to prevent it from sticking to pan.

4. Assemble.  Before I assembled my burger, I took one bun, spread some sauce on the bun, cheese on top of the sauce, and toasted it with cheese. 

ENJOY!

Tuna Potato Cake Sandwiches

The first question I ask when considering a new recipe is, "Do these ingredients work well with one another?"  The way I go about answering this question is to examine any per-existing relationships that may exist.  For example, I've eaten tuna in a sandwich before...along with a side of potato chips or french fries.  The relationship between tuna and potato was close enough a relationship for me to combine the two with one another.  What resulted: a tuna potato cake.  Two flavors I love along with a nice pleasant crunch. 

These cakes are best eaten within a day, as is the case with any other dish that contains seafood.

You can also serve them alone, as an appetizer with your favorite dip (ranch, sour cream and hot sauce, ketchup) or over white rice. 

~9 small patties; 25 min

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4cup packed shredded potato (~2 medium russet potatoes) (I only have a hand grater so my potatoes were finely grated)
• 1  can tuna in oil (170g) roughly drained
• 3 small eggs
• 1 1/2tbsp flour
• 3/4 tsp salt or a little less if eating them alone without any carbs
• 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
• 1 1/2tsp sugar
• 1tbsp mayonnaise 
• 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• dash cayenne pepper
• ~2-3 tbsp oil for frying

• Soft bread rolls
• mayo
• cheddar cheese
• tomato
• lettuce
• mustard 
• squeeze lemon juice and hot sauce

Directions
1. I used fresh potatoes.  In a bowl place shredded potatoes. Rinse 4 times until water runs clear.  Strain and squeeze as much water as you can out of them.  Try tapping them with a paper towel.
2.  In a mixing bowl, place shredded dried potatoes, tuna, eggs, flour, salt, sugar, mayo, parsley, cajun seasoning, black pepper, and cayenne. Mix well.
3.  Heat non stick pan medium high heat.  Add oil and a slab of butter.
4. Place a heaping tablespoon of mixture into the pan. Shape as desired. I placed 4 patties at a time in my pan.
5. don't flip patty until it browns on one side. ~3-4min.  Flip and cook other side until golden brown. ~4min. they taste great when they're crispy!
6. Toast bread. add 3-4 patties. Add you favorite fix ins.  I would've added lettuce and relish in addition to the ingredients I used, but didn't have any at the time.  It still tasted great! Enjoy!

Rick's Cafe Menu. Grenada, West Indies.

Halloween Fall Festival at St. George's University 2011

I've uploaded the pictures to an online Flickr Album for those who don't have a Facebook account.  Please send this link out to those you know without Facebook.  Click HERE to view the album.  No account necessary.  If you would like to save any of the pictures, please e-mail first (with the numbers of the photos you would like and for identification, tell me the location of the event) @ katherinejoy101@yahoo.com so I can send you the original copies. I disabled saving of the pictures to prevent weirdos tampering with them.  

If you make a Facebook Account, you will have to add me as a friend first in order to view the album.  Click HERE to add me or you can search for me- Katherine Fung.  From here, you will be able to download and save the pictures.

Enjoy!
-Katherine

Fragrant Basil Chicken

The moment I landed in Grenada, I zoomed off to the grocery in hopes to find all of the ingredients I'm accustomed to using for my Asian inspired dishes.  I quickly made my way towards Top Ramen...the notorious instant noodles always found in the "oriental section."  And close by, as expected, were bottles of gold surrounded by white halos of light- Bottles of fish sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. These bottled ingredients are versatile and can be used in all sorts of recipes.  They also last a long time just like salt and also have a long shelf life.  They're worth every single buck, considering how much flavor they contribute to my dishes.

I'm also fortunate to have found basil (in produce section next to potatoes at IGA), an important player in Thai cuisine.

This dish is packed with flavor and is easy to make.  I've made this dish so many times and never get tired of eating it. 

*All Ingredients can be found at IGA (except chicken thighs, which can be purchased at Foodfair)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp ginger grated (or 1tbsp finely minced)
• 1/4 jalapeno diced (seed to ease heat). or pinch red pepper flakes (these are tasty too! you can use left over flakes from pizza night)
• 1 lb chicken thighs cubed 1/2 inch (tip- scissors make cutting thawed chicken easy)
• 1/2 red bell pepper diced
• 1 small carrot sliced
• 1/2 tbs soy sauce
• 1/2 tbs fish sauce
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped basil (cut just before adding into dish)
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Directions 

1. Heat fry pan medium high heat. add oil. add garlic, ginger, and peppers. stir fry for ~2 min. Be careful not to burn- burnt garlic tastes bitter.
2. Add chicken thighs in an even layer leaving gaps in between. this will help moisture escape, allowing for chicken to brown.  lightly salt and pepper.  wait until pink is almost gone then flip and cook other side.
3.  add bell pepper, carrot, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. cook on high heat for ~5 min until peppers wilt a bit and sauce thickens.
4. Turn heat off and add basil and sesame oil. Stir well.
5. Serve over white rice and as always, Enjoy!

*Click HERE for a cooking dictionary.

Nutmeg Egg Custard - Stovetop Magic

Many of us in Grenada don't have access to ovens. Although I'm one of the few that do have access, I still favor making desserts by stove top- it's quick, simple, and uses less gas.  Custards are so delicious and can be made into a wide array of flavors.  You can make them as sweet and as rich as you'd like with no problem at all.  All you need is a fry pan, custard cups, milk, eggs, sugar, and flavoring of your liking.  Since I'm somewhat of a health conscious person, my custard is simple and relies mainly on spices to bring out flavor.  I will post another custard recipe in the future for the ones that like a richer, sweeter custard.

Looking for crust?  Try Crushing a couple of graham crackers, coconut cookies, or ginger bread cookies into crumbs and add in a little butter (and sugar if you please) to get them moist.  Press into the bottom of an extra custard cup and scoop custard right in.   

Ingredients:

• 1 cup full cream or 2% milk ( I used 2.7% fat boxed milk)
• 5 tbs white sugar
• 2 eggs
• a little under 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• a little under 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• dash salt
• nutmeg syrup for custard bottoms (you can make your own caramel using water and sugar. I use syrup for the sake of simplicity and it stores better in the fridge)

Directions
1.  Heat milk in a pot.  Medium low heat. Add sugar. Stir to dissolve.  Do not boil.  Turn off as soon as you see little foamy bubbles on the sides of the pot. ~3 min.
2. In a bowl, whisk egg in a circular motion without lifting whisk to prevent bubbles from forming.  This will help create a smooth texture.  Strain egg through a sieve to get egg blobs and bubbles out or you can take a large spoon and scoop them out (I like this method because I don't lose too much egg as I do when I use a strainer).
3.  Slowly add milk into eggs, gently stirring constantly to release heat (prevents scrambling of egg).
4. add nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. mix well.  
5. lightly butter custard cups. Add ~1tsp nutmeg syrup into each cup. Pour custard mixture evenly amongst custard cups. Cover each with a small piece of foil.  Make sure not to make foil too long or else steam will get trapped and custard will get wet.  Press foil against edges of cup to seal well.
6.  In a fry pan, place a small piece of cloth in the middle (I used a bandana. you can use a hand towel).  Place custard cups in pan.  Pour water in to come up halfway up the custard cups to create a water bath, a technique used to help keep temp. down otherwise cooking the custard with high heat will result in an unevenly cooked custard.  Cover and bring up to heat.  Place heat to lowest setting.  Make sure to not boil. Simmer for ~12 min or until middle part wiggles a little.  To check if custard is finished, stab in the middle. knife should come out clean.

7. Eat warm or Cool and chill in fridge for a couple of hours (I like mine chilled because the flavors infuse better and texture becomes creamy).

*press butter knife all around against side of cup to help custard come out clean or give the cup a little tap on the counter to loosen it up.
*You can buy custard cups at Foodfair (4 for ~23 EC) or the Hardware store next door to IGA.

*Click HERE for a cooking dictionary.