Seychelles tea

With the early dark evenings , cold wet weather comfort food springs to mind. For me, I love a cup of tea. Teas from the Seychelles a rare treat and always used when I'm planning a comfort food day, Delight in a cup of fragrant SeyTé (Seychelles Tea) produced in five blissful flavours: vanilla, cinnamon, orange, mint and lemon . I absolutely love the vanilla tea.

We always drank our tea with evaporated milk, or condensed milk. Whilst livestock is now quite plentiful my mum said when she was growing up cows were very rare therefore milk was a scarce commodity hence the use of tinned milk. The addition of tinned milk might sound strange but it really adds a creamy,sweet edge almost like an irish coffee,without the alcohol just perfect with a dressing gown, fluffy slippers a couple of digestives.

Cashews

pralines
Originally uploaded by vrot01
Cashew nuts have a deliciously sweet and buttery, nutty flavour with a slightly softer texture than many other nuts. The nuts are sold in 3 fashions,raw, boiled and roasted, although you will need to be close to the source to find raw cashews. We have them in the Seychelles they are extremely popular with drinks, much as the peanut is to the uk.They lend themselves to many culinary uses, from a simple table nut, to cooking in both sweet and savoury dishes.

Cashews grow in an extraordinary manner. Instead of the seed, growing inside the fruit, as is mostly the case, cashews grow as a small extension to the base of the cashew fruit, which is also called cashew apple, due to its similar appearance to the popular orchard fruit. This gives it a most striking appearance.

Cashew Nut Pralines
Pralines is an extremely quick and relatively easy recipe, it's basically just caramel with nuts in it. However, it requires patience as it is very easy to burn the ingredients or create a lumpy end result. But with a little practice, this can turn into a 10-minute wonder of your kitchen.

Ingredients

(about 30 pieces)
225g white sugar
175g brown sugar
150ml condensed milk
1/2 tsp salt
60g butter
1 tsp vanilla extract (a little less or more to suit your taste)
150g roughly chopped nuts. I love pecans, walnuts , cashews, almonds

Method
If you can't find the fresh nuts, use packet nuts, but watch out for added salt.( If you use these, do not add the additional salt listed in the ingredients)

.Roughly break them up in a pestle and mortar for a chunky texture. Or if you prefer a smoother finish, blitz them in a machine to your desired consistency.

Combine the white and brown sugars and the condensed milk in a heavy-bottomed pan and bring gently to the boil.If you have a "candy thermometer", test the mixture and look for a temperature of 120ºC. At this temperature, the mixture is at "soft ball" stage. A small amount of mixture dropped into cold water forms a soft, flexible ball, but flattens on its own without squeezing after a few seconds in your hand.

When at this stage, remove from the heat and throw in the butter, nuts and vanilla. Stir thoroughly to combine.Now spoon the mixture onto greaseproof paper and leave your delicious pralines to cool before enjoying.

We ate these all the time, my parents loved to have friend s over at the weekends and we'd all eat, drink copius amounts of alcohol, and these nibbles featured quick alot.

Bouillon

This is a bouillon, in France a bouillon means stock. Court bouillon meaning short boil is vegetable stock usually prepared for fish or poultry. In Seychelles ,we have a bouillon as part of our meal. It is a light refreshing broth. This particular one is made with Chinese leaves, some are made with fish, a vast amount of leaves can be used .I like to use chum soy, bok choy, cos lettuce makes a really great bouillon .Bouillon provides a clear base stock which somehow concentrates the flavour of either the fish or the vegetables.The real essence of the leaves comes through. It is eaten with rice,I particularly like it with fried fish, the broth provides the sauce element that is needed with the dry fish and rice.Bouillon to me represents winter, comfort food i love nothing better than a hot bowl of this with nothing else. when my children feel unwell a bowl of this always hits the spot, light ,delicate broth .Try it.

Bouillon recipe.

Ingredients;

1 whole chinese leaves (not one leaf but the whole head),
1 medium onion, peeled cut in half and thinly sliced halfmoons,
2 garlic cloves , peeled and chopped,
2inch of ginger, peeled and grated,
1 tsp of thyme ,
1 handful of flat leaved parsley,
1tsp cumin seeds,
1tsp veg/sunflower/rapeseed in fact any flavourless oil,
2tbsp chicken stock,(not essential but i do love adding it as it adds a depth to the broth),
1/2 pt of hot water from a kettle ,
salt
pepper


Method;

1.Cut the chinese leaves in slices (as pictured)
2. Heat oil in a deep pan, add the cumin seeds, they should pop and release their unmistakable aroma
3. Add the onions, garlic, ginger,parsley,thyme and fry soften these ingredients.3 or 4 minutes. it should smell pretty good.
4. Add the leaves and coat in the aromatic flavoured oil, before adding the water and stock if using.season with salt and pepper.
5, Cover and let it simmer for 10 min until the leaves are soft.

Bouillons are very refreshing , For me they are a comfort food, they are wonderfully quick to prepare,I often have leftover bouillon for brunch and I add the rice to the broth which creates the most satisfying "soup".For families who dont have lots of money this is a very satifsying meal and cheap meal

Mango crumble

Originally uploaded by DDanzig

mango crumble

Mangoes are everywhere in the seychelles,I cant think of many peole who dislike this golden sphere of sweet flesh. My first school dinner memory is of apple crumble.That delicious sweet and crumbly topping that covers bramley apples a sweet and sour sensation, such a great english pudding. This dish derives from having as we always do, too many mangoes .I feel it works very well.
Ingredients

For the filling
1 large sweet ripe Mango, peeled and sliced
25g brown sugar
1 pinch Nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves, or two whole cloves

For the crumble
150g plain flour
35g butter
50g brown sugar

To serve
vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.
2. For the filling: place the mango slices in a saucepan with the sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves and cook gently for 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat.
3. For the crumble: put the flour into a large mixing bowl and rub the butter in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
4. Spoon the mango mixture into a small buttered ovenproof dish and sprinkle over the crumble topping. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the topping is golden brown.
Serve with vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche.
Variations If you have no fresh mango, use a tin of mangoes. Drain before use.

Vanilla sugar

Since starting this blog everything I now eat is being examined ,eg; I fancied a cup of tea, boiled kettle , go to cupboard to get out sugar, take lid off and the scent of the sugar evokes another memory.



Ever since I was a child (believe me it was a long time ago) there has always been a few broken pieces of vanilla http://www.vanillaplantations.com/ tucked into our tin of sugar. The scent of vanilla has always been a favourite of mine. My mum is a superb cake maker and she uses this vanilla scented sugar. This sugar also perfumed our coffee and tea.

I recently visited the new John lewis food store in londons oxford street,I spotted a jar of this for a fiver, can you believe it. Make your own for much cheaper.If you are using fresh vanilla pods and scraping out the seeds dont throw them away use for this recipe.



Vanilla scented sugar

1kg/2lb sugar

2 vanilla pods



Take a tin with a lid add both ingredients ,when it starts to be empty keep topping up.

What people eat around the world

This is a very interesting article about how much people eat and spend around the world each week http://www.everybodygoto.com/2007/10/12/what-people-eat-around-the-world/.
Definately food for thought.

final pic

Chatini thon served with boiled green bananes ,delicious with piment confit see earlier posts.

nearly reday

Cook the mixture until the onions are soft and the dish is soft and looks cooked.

pic3

Add turmeric , bilimbi if using, juice of lemon mix with hands until an even yellow hue appears.

Take a frying pan, add the 2bsp of oil, heat it add cumin seeds when they start to pop add the tuna mixture and cook on the small flame or lower setting .

pic 2

Add the thyme, chillies, parsley, grated ginger.

pic1 method

Method
























Take the drained tuna and sliced onions place in a bowl

Chatini thon (Tuna)

Chatini is a word that is very difficult to explain ,most dishes that are called chatini are pureed or grated and are served alongside other dishes. Most vegetables are made into a chatini pumpkin, tomatoes, aubergines, carrots ,green mangoes, coconut, green payaya, fruit de cythere verts http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://caribfruits.cirad.fr/fiches_fruits/pomme_cythere&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=3&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2Bfruits%2Bde%2Bcythere%2Bverts%2B%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG.This is a deliciously tart fruit,I have substituted bramley apples with great sucess. The list is by no means exhaustive, generally the vegetable or fruit is cooked .The chatini that are made with unripe fruits add a sour element to the dish like a pickle or chutney.





The ingredients of a chatini are the same thinly sliced onions, chillies,( not all contain chilli) ,oil, lemon, spring onions at the end.





The following recipe is a chatini that is made from tuna a very popular fish in the seychelles.We often make chatini with shark as there are quite a few around the clear crystal waters surrounding the island.The following recipe works very well with tinned tuna. Everyone who lives in the uk from seychelles will always have a few tins in the store cupbourd to prepare this very easy and quick dish.Often if you read the country of origin you will see seychelles, mauritius, thailand, india, these are the ones that we look for .





A creole meal will have a few items so that each mouthful is different each dish offsets the other and most have a function, so to speak. Take for instance ,grilled fishserved with the bland backdrop of basmati rice and a cooling cucumber salad which refreshes the mouth but also cools the heat of the chilli from the fish. Its all about balance .Its very similar to the thai principal of hot, sour, sweet ,salt. Many seychelle dishes contain this balance of flavours.





Chatini thon





4 tins of tuna ( in brine squeeze out as much of this as you can)





2 small red onions ,thinly sliced





the leaves from 6 sprigs thyme,





4 or 5 small green chillies, chopped





2 spring onions, chopped,





20g peeled and grated ginger



1tsp cumin seeds



a very large handful of flat leaved parsley





salt





pepper





4 tbsp turmeric powder





juice of 1 large lemon





4 bililmbi (recipe works without it add a little more lemon)

Uktv food peoples cookbook

I have added my recipe for poisson grille to the uktv peoples cookbook http://uktv.co.uk/food/peoplescookbook/recipe/aid/594603 .Check it out!

The foodie list

Good gracious , I have had my blog mentioned on the very fantastic http://thefoodielist.co.uk/wp/?p=269.I have only just seen it and I'm so thrilled and honoured to have my blog mentioned. It seems everyone is expecting good things from the blog I hope I can deliver. Whooppe to being mentioned on the foodie list.

seychelles breakfast

seychelles breakfast
Originally uploaded by bob the lomond

This is a typical selection of breakfast in the Seychelles.The very small bananas are so sweet and extremely moreish, I love them , whilst staying with my mums family there were so many of these outside the kitchen growing in abundance.Without even realising it from very a early age my food was very seasonal. We only ate what was in season, fresh from the land and sea. For me this simplistic attutide to food is the best it means to me everything I eat is at its best .

Take for example an avocado .This when in seasons is so soft and the flesh is flavoursome.It has natural sugar. Take that same said avocado that has been picked offf the tree before its best and you have the makings of the worst taste experience of your life. The fruit is unyelding and has a grainy texture,very unpleasant. Eating in season is extremely important to me. I enjoy the surprises that each season represents, keeping in seasons means keeping the family connection , I eat as my ancestors ate, I have passed that on to my children who in turn will pass it on .

Moist chocolate and marmalade cake

2007_10030011
Originally uploaded by heldasland

Sometimes all you need is chocolate, even in a spicy household
.I made a chocolate an orange cake from nigella lawsons fab book.how to be a domestic goddess.

125g butter
100g dark chocolate broken into pieces
300g thin cut marmalade
150g caster sugarpinch salt
150g self raising flour
20cm springform tin ,buttered and floured
Oven180/gas 4

Melt butter and then stir in the chocolate.
Mix until smooth and melted.Now, add the marmalade,sugar,salt and eggs.Stir with wooden spoon until well mixed,beat in the flour bit by bit.Pour into tin andnbake for approx 50mins.Leave to cool .The icing is a matter of choice. As in the photo you could pour some melted chocolate and mix with some butter spread over the cake and sprinkle chocolate hundred and thousands

Cinnamon sticks

Cinnamon sticks yellow background
Originally uploaded by Doriy.com

Picture taken from a flickr user.

General Description

Cinnamon is the dried bark of various laurel trees in the cinnamomun family. It grows in the seychelles. One of the more common trees from which Cinnamon is derived is the cassia. Ground cinnamon is perhaps the most common baking spice. Cinnamon sticks are made from long pieces of bark that are rolled, pressed, and dried. Lots of curry recipes use cinnamon sticks .Curry octopus (I promise it is delicious) contain the leaves from cinnamon and it lends a beautifully light whisper of cinnamon. recipe to follow

Karri koko (prawn currycooked in coconut milk

I adore seafood, well I would coming from an island in the middle of the Indian ocean. On todays menu is a delightful prawn curry with coconut milk . Carri coco means a curry that is made with coconut.

Serves 4.
Coconut prawn curry


2 tbsp oil veg/sunflower oil


150g (5oz) onions, sliced

3 green chillies, sliced

100ml (3 1/2fl oz)coconut milk

350g (12oz) large peeled raw prawns

15g (1/2 oz) tamarind pulp (I buy mine from oriental supermarket its in a jar and can be stored in the fridge very handy to have)

1tsp salt

1tsp pepper

1tsp grated ginger

1tsp chopped garlic

1tbsp massale



For massalé:


2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cardamom pods
1 tsp cloves
small piece of cinnamon
1 tsp ground chilli
1 tsp grated nutmeg
Method :
Dry roast the coriander seeds,cumin seeds,black peppercorns, cardamon pod and the clove,be careful and dont let them burn the flavour of the massale will be greatly affected. Dry roast them until they are aromatic a few secs is all that is needed. Grind all dry ingredients in a coffee grinder or if you like have a go in the pestle and mortar(I've never been clear as to which is which,is the pestle the bowl?)Set them aside to cool a little and then grind ,add the chilli and the freshly grated nutmeg.Store in an air tight container, use this massale for the curry.

Method;

Fry the onions ,garlic,ginger together until soft and very aromatic, add the green chillies and the massale. Mix and add the coconut milk. Lower the heat and simmer add the tamarind pulp . Continue cooking until all the ingredients are cooked and the sauce is thickened.

Add the large peeled prawns , I had some shell on prawns that I've used for todays dish .I love to suck the shells ,but more importantly they add a fishiness to the sauce which it so delightful.It makes a lovely prawn stock.

The dish is done when the prawns are no longer grey but pink and the sauce is thick.Serv with steamed basmati rice.

As a family we all sit around the table discussing the days events,whilst sucking and peeling prawns.Using all of our senses