Thai watermelon and prawn starter

Being back at home in Durban is great. The weather is warm, family is close and the fridge is full!

For lunch yesterday, we made a delicious light summer salad that everyone raved about. We first tasted it at a restaurant called Umami at the Dunkirk Estate about 2 years ago before it closed down. We fell in love with this salad and decided to make our own version.

Ingredients:

3 big prawns per serving

1 watermelon

1 cucumber

1 medium red onion

4 cloves garlic

2 red chilli, de-seed and chopped

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

Coriander root, washed

2 stalks lemongrass, grate the white part only

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup fish sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

Method:

1. Cook the prawns in a frying pan with a little oil, with the shell still on. Allow to cool, then peel off the shell.

2. Slice the watermelon into medium-sized squares per serving.

3. Grate the cucumber using a zester into fine long threads.

4. In a blender mix red onion, garlic, chilli, green pepper, red pepper, coriander root, lemongrass, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. If necessary add a little water.

5. Stack the prawns on top of the watermelon pieces. Top with cucumber threads and drizzle the sauce generously.

Enjoy as a tasty starter salad to get the taste buds rolling!

Happy food. Happy photos. Happy life.

A tasty tuna snack

For those of you that aren't that mad about eating tinned tuna or who are looking for ways to incorporate natural Omega-3 fatty acids into your diet, a friend recommended to me an easy and delicious recipe for tuna!

With the curry powder in it, you aren't over powered by the taste of tuna, instead you get left with a refreshing curried taste on your palate.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

1 tin of tuna, drained

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp crushed chilli powder ( whole dried chilli's chopped )

1/2 tsp mix dhania and jeera powder

1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced

Method:

1. Lightly brown onion in a pan with a little oil.

2. Add tuna, chilli powder, crushed chilli powder, dhania and jeera powder.

3. Let the flavour fuse till you start to smell the beautiful aroma. If it starts to burn, add a little water.

4. Then add your tomato and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Serve on crusty french loaf slices, or a healthier option is on whole wheat Pro-vitas. And I like to add finely sliced red onion on top.

Happy food. Happy photos. Happy life.

And the day finally came...

Yesterday was my 21^st birthday. It was by far the best birthday, despite having no family around. My friends and digs mates became my family, and boy did they make my day an unforgettable one!

I was woken up to an incredible breakfast upstairs in my digs. Before I even got upstairs I could smell the croissants warming up in the oven and the sweet smell of fresh fruit being chopped. Then came the smell of earl grey tea being poured into teacups… my senses were awake and I was no longer sleepy.

From my dearest friend, Britt, I received an amazing Le Creuset dish to cook casseroles, lasagne, melazane, malva pudding etc. It’s my first Le Creuset item and the start of my collection. The heaviness and supreme quality of it assures me of its lifetime guarantee! How exciting?

And a subscription to TASTE magazine… pretty sweet.

There were hot savoury croissants with Gouda cheese and ham (simply delicious) and for the sweet tooth there were plain croissants with a homemade butter and honey spread (simply by mixing butter and honey together).

And there was a summer fruit salad with blueberries, raspberries and pawpaw…

… Champagne and orange juice…

… Hot cross buns with melted butter…

… The best homemade carrot cake from Britt…

What a truly great day it was. I ate like a queen for all three meals of my day! I could of died of happiness. Thank you everyone for making it so special.

Here’s us at Hudsons Burger joint last night – on the corner of Somerset and Portswood road, Greenpoint, Cape Town. I love their slider burgers, which are 3 mini burgers of different ingredients. Its reasonable and a very vibey spot to celebrate one’s birthday.

Cheers to being 21!

Happy food. Happy photos. Happy life.

The root of it all

I believe inspiration keeps a person living, breathing and excited about what they're doing.

With the many foodies around the world - from chefs to restaurateurs to food critics and bloggers, it's impossible not to find your source of inspiration and creativeness from around you.

I feed my hunger for the world of food by reading magazines such as Woolworth's TASTE magazine, which inspires me beyond words. As I page through in awe of the food styling, design layout and photography, I hear a voice screaming in my head... THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO DO ONE DAY!

I also find my inspiration by going to farmers markets, food-related events, looking at food brands in shops, the food channel and of course going out to restaurants (one of my favourite things to do).

And so I thought I'd share with you another source of inspiration I discovered. It's a food blog written by a women called Molly Wizenberg, and its called Orangette. How beautiful?

Have a look:

http://www.orangette.blogspot.com/

Happy food. Happy photos. Happy life.

Crushing poppy seeds

Last night I had the urge to whip up something quick and delicious. A family favourite is the poppy seed cake. It's really simple to make and has a light, fluffy texture. The squeeze of lemon makes it fresh and not too rich. I love any lemon dessert. It's a great palate cleanser!

My diggs mates were thoroughly impressed with my sweet creation and we all tucked in. Hmmm...

So here's my recipe:

Ingredients:

3 extra large eggs

1.5 cups caster sugar

0.5 cup of oil

1 cup thick plain yoghurt

0.5 cup of poppy seeds

1 cup coconut

1 cup self raising flour

pinch of salt

Method:

1. Beat eggs well and slowly add caster sugar. Beat until thick and fluffy.

2. Add oil and yoghurt then mix well.

3. Fold in poppy seeds, coconut, sifted flour and salt.

4. Pour the mixture into a baking tin (or muffin tin if you prefer muffins)

5. Bake in oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees.

6. Once removed from oven, allow to cool for 5 mins.

7. Serve with a good dollop of plain yoghurt and make a dressing of fresh lemon juice and icing sugar to drizzle on top.

8. For presentation, I always like to grate some lemon zest on top!

Let me know what you think of this recipe?

Happy food. Happy photos. Happy life.

Saturday morning nibbling

This was a warm, summery weekend in Cape Town filled with outdoor activities, beach and chill out time. I spent my saturday morning at the Stellenbosch market with my sister. We only had 20 minutes so we made sure we made our rounds quickly.

This is my treat of the week - sweet indulgences into the simple things in life, getting that little bit of 'you' time into what you truly desire. As I nibble away from stall to stall, I can still never make up my mind. Every flavour calls out to me to try!

But it was the chicken shawarma that sold me. A shawarma has thinly sliced cuts of chicken (or lamb or turkey) rolled into a large pita filled with loads of hummus, tahini, pickles and vegetables. Its relatively healthy, and delicious. You've got to eat a whole one to yourself!

The range of fresh and organic produce is outstanding. There are so many innovative and trendy food brands making it a sought-after food destination. It's definitely a place to be seen and meet new people. With each visit, the quaintness and charming atmosphere never fails to inspire me.

A great and well spent saturday morning.

Have a lovely sunday everyone!

Happy food. Happy photos. Happy life.

Sipping at the night market

Last night I went to a night market at the biscuit mill to announce the winners of the 2011 SAB Eat In produce awards. Eat In is the new sister magazine to the Eat Out magazine, launched for the first time last night.

There was lots of eating, drinking, nibbling, socializing and dancing to some old school classics. I was in my element. I lost all sense of time and lost myself in the happy moment.

I thought to myself if this is the first night market at the biscuit mill and there are so many people already... this has to be a weekly account! It helps to even out the masses who go the usual saturday morning market.

Do you ever get a kind of anxiety when you go to a farmers market? I do. A good anxiety though. I feel I have to taste and picture everything, make my rounds and see all the stalls! I'm in a frenzy afterwards - my head buzzing with ideas. I love it.

Happy food. Happy photos. Happy life.

Wildlife photographer 2010

Last week I went to the wildlife photographer 2010 exhibition held at the Iziko museum here in Gardens, Cape Town. I've been going for the past 3 years and have been blown away by the incredible talent.

Unfortunately, the exhibition closed this week but at least you've got an idea of what's out there so you can make sure you make the next years exhibition.

They run from about mid-December till mid-March. Entrance is R15 per adult and R5 for students!

Make sure you go to this next time. The pictures are mind-blowing!

Happy food. Happy photos. Happy life.

Risotto is the motto.

Today I found an interesting article from Taste Magazine's website about making the perfect risotto. I quote below some interesting points and thought I'd share my recipe too!

"The secret’s in the stock: the better the stock, the better the risotto. Use a good quality stock, home-made or store bought - preferably liquid stock. Chicken stock is the one that works best".

"If using wine or tomatoes in your dish, finish off with a dollop of cold butter to balance the acidity. Otherwise use good quality olive oil to round it off. Also only use wine you'd drink yourself and the purest Parmesan cheese that you grate yourself (no fillers!)".

I love NoMu’s concentrated liquid stock!

200ml will make up to 6 liters of stock! Plus this baby is free of all artificial flavour enhancers, colouring agents and preservatives. It costs roughly R70.00, which is a lot more than the typical Knorrox, but its worth the less additives and MSG!

Risotto is one of my favourite dishes. Its so easy to make, despite the common misperception that its arduous. Here's a recipe from my cooking courses at Silwood:

Creamy mushroom risotto with truffle oil

Ingredients:



125g chopped mushrooms


25ml olive oil


30ml chopped thyme leaves


30ml chopped parsley


2 cloves crushed garlic

Salt and freshly ground pepper


A squeeze of lemon juice


500ml stock (veg or chicken)


45ml chopped onion


40ml chopped celery


Chopped chilli to taste


200g arborio rice


65ml wine


30ml butter


Truffle oil


40g parmesan



Method:



1. Saute mushrooms in 15ml olive oil, when almost cooked add thyme and 1 clove garlic and continue cooking. Season with salt and pepper, thyme, parsley and lemon juice. Place in a bowl and keep aside.



2. Heat the stock, place in a jug. Sweat onions, celery and chilli in 10ml olive oil. When almost soft, add garlic and continue cooking till soft but not coloured. Add rice, turn up heat, and stir until rice is translucent.



3. Add wine, allow to evaporate. Add stock slowly, ladle by ladle, until all stock has been absorbed.



4. Add mushrooms when half the stock has been used up. Stir continuously. It should take 20mins for the perfect risotto.



5. Once all stock has been absorbed, remove from heat. Add truffle oil to taste, butter and parmesan. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately. Mmm delicious...

Happy food. Happy photos. Happy life.

Because life is beautiful.

Why food, life and photography?

Well, for me these are the things that excite me the most. They arouse this energy and freedom from within me. I feel alive. To be young and know what you are passionate about is such a gift. I believe it's so important to discover what motivates you.

Food is my life. I can talk for hours about food, which places to eat at, which food markets to go to, the best olive oil brand etc. Don't these image just make you happy and all squirmy inside?

Food styling and packaging of food is another passion of mine. Its the simplicity and organic beauty of it that captures me. The colours are rich. It looks perfect.

I have always been fascinated with beautiful and well captured pictures. I have an appreciation for fine photography. Ever since I did a photography course at Fast Forward Photography in Cape Town last year, I was opened up to a whole new world of photography - the places it takes you to and the people you meet.

And Life. Im forever asking questions about life - the ways to find happiness, the challenges we are faced with... Its a complicated world we live in, but its what we make of it in the end that determines our greatness.

I found a lovely expression in the note below.

So thats me in a nutshell... a macadamia nutshell for that matter. Just because they are my favourite.

Until we meet again.

Happy Food. Happy photos. Happy life.