ankita, Author at One Girl and her Thermie

Coconut barfi

5 Comments / Baking (Sweet), Dairy, Dessert

No Diwali celebration is complete without platefuls of barfi, besan laddoo and halwa – and homemade sweets are the best. One of the most commonly made barfi recipe during festivals like Holi, Diwali, Navratri is this coconut barfi. Barfi, borfi or burfi is a dense milk based sweet confectionery from the Indian subcontinent, a type of mithai served all at times.

This Thermomix version is so easy to do and takes all the hard work away with the continued stirring and heating functions.

Jamie Oliver’s Lamb Koftas

Matcha Golden Turmeric Latte

Leave a Comment / Breakfast & Brunch, Dairy, Drinks

This recipe for matcha golden turmeric latter provides a double boost of healthiness, using both matcha green tea and turmeric.

Turmeric, a golden spice traditionally only seen in Indian curries. Turmeric is being revamped in the form of golden turmeric lattes and as a delicious aromatic tea that is sweeping the globe too.Turmeric is a great addition to your diet as it contains lots of antioxidants and is also great for fighting inflammation. Studies have also found that turmeric’s active ingredient, curcumin helps to prevent Alzheimer’s by reducing inflammation in the brain.

I particularly like this matcha golden turmeric version as it combination with matcha. Matcha is packed with antioxidants including the powerful EGCg, boosts metabolism and burns calories, detoxifies effectively and naturally and is rich in fiber, chlorophyll and vitamins. It provides vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium and lowers cholesterol and blood sugar.

I love the taste of matcha having lived in Japan and can drink it one it’s own. But I’m very aware the taste is not for everyone so combining it with a golden turmeric latte and making it into a matcha golden turmeric latte, is truly the best of both worlds.

Try switching out one of your daily coffee’s for this latte as an added extra boost to your health. This recipe contains black pepper which helps the body to absorb the antioxidants in the turmeric. It is also the perfect drink to soothe a cold and to give you a boost of energy!

Poached Chicken

Leave a Comment / Meat, Noodle, Pasta & Rice

This poached chicken recipe came up on the Australian Recipe Community a couple of years ago and I’ve made it many, many times. It’s an excellent way to make a whole chicken and the taste is absolutely wonderful; moist and delicious.

You first make the spring onion mix and then the master stock. If you have multiple bowls, then you can make the spring onion mix in one and then the master stock in the other. And in a third, rice and vegetables while the chicken cools down. Of course, if only one bowl, wash and clean in between.

Original recipe link: Matt Moran’s Poached Chicken in a Master Stock

I had no idea who Matt Moran was for the many years I was making this recipe, but a quick Google search for this blog post has shown that he’s an Australian Chef. With a career spanning over 30 years in the Australian food industry, Matt Moran has a plethora of awards to his name, TV shows, best-selling cookbooks and ownership of some of Australia’s most celebrated dining establishments; it’s safe to say that Matt Moran is an Australian food icon.

So try this recipe, it’s great and comes from two great chefs!

Spinach Mousse with Parmesan Cream

2 Comments / Baking (Savoury), Dairy, Eggs, Starters, Vegan & Vegetarian

This Spinach Mousse with parmesan cream is light, rich and super tasty. This recipe works really well as a starter with some sautéd mushrooms or as a main course with a substantial salad and vegetables on the side. It’s a stunning dish.

This recipe was taught to me by Elias Pontikos, a former Advisor on my team. Elias was a greta foodie and did many commercial demonstrations in his time. Trained as a Chemical Engineer, he loved the Thermomix because of it’s high technical ability and he always converted the best recipes. I believe this one was originally by Simon Hopkinson.

Spinach Mousse with Parmesan Cream

Ingredients

8 dariole moulds buttered and lined with a disc of greaseproof paper.
120 grams cooked spinach
2 large eggs
500 grams double cream
70 grams parmesan
salt and pepper
nutmeg
15 grams butter

Method

Put the parmesan in the TM bowl and grate for 10 to 15 seconds/speed 10. Prepare the dariole moulds by buttering them well and dusting them with some of the grated parmesa,n and placing the disc of greaseproof paper at the bottom of the dariole mould.
Put the spinach, eggs, 250 grams of cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper into the TM bowl and blend for 1 min/speed. Pour into the prepared moulds, dividing the mixture equally.
Add 1/2 litre of water to the bowl and place the moulds in the Varoma basket. Cook for 20-25 minutes/speed 2/Varoma temperature or until firm to the touch.
To make the parmesan cream, add 250 grams of cream to the TM bowl with the parmesan and season to taste.
Cook for 10 minutes/speed 2/ 100ºC or until the cream thickens to a suitable coating consistency. Tip out the cooked spinach mousse from the moulds and cover with sauce.

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Sardine spread

Leave a Comment / Fish, Snacks, Starters

Learn how to make this super quick sardine spread. Great for sandwiches, on toast or to dip vegetables. Don’t knock this one until you’ve tried it. This sardine spread is one of those recipes that you can keep in your fridge, as the flavour develops with time and it’s great to make a day or two ahead.

This recipe was first introduced to me by my Advisor, Leonie Harvey, who adapted from Thermomix Super Summer Recipe card 1983. Leonie is a keen cook and has had a Thermomix for over 40 years, so her repertoire of recipes is vast and numerous. She is also a keen bread maker, so watch out for hints & tips from her for this too.

Dal Makhani

2 Comments / Vegan & Vegetarian

Dal makhani or dal makhani is a popular dish from the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. The primary ingredients are whole black lentil, butter and cream. In Hindi, dal means lentils and makhan is butter, so butter lentils is the best translation I can give for this fabulous dish.

This dal makhani recipe from Alfred Prasad infuses ginger, garlic, ground spices, and tomatoes with an indulgent cream sauce to delicious effect. This is a wonderful Punjabi black dal to cosy up to on a rainy day, paired with naan bread or a fragrant bowl of rice. Kasoori Methi is available to buy online or in Indian supermarkets.

This wonderful recipe has been converted to the Thermomix but the original can be found, here on the Great British Chefs website.

Almond and tomato salmorejo

Leave a Comment / Soups, Starters, Vegan & Vegetarian

Salmorejo, gazpacho’s richer, deeper cousin, is a cool, creamy soup. I found this almond and tomatoe salmorejo recipe in the Guardian’s ‘20 best easy summer recipes – Part 1‘ and having read the recipe was so easy to convert to the Thermomix.

Salmorejo is a purée consisting of tomato and bread, originating from Cordoba in Andalucia, south Spain. It is made from tomatoes, bread, oil, garlic. Normally, the tomatoes are skinned and then puréed with the other ingredients. Of course, using a Thermomix we don’t have to waste time skinning the tomatoes as when we puree the dish at the end, the Thermomix will beautifully blend skin, pulp and seeds into one smooth soup.

Written by Monika Linton, this salmorejo de tomate con almendras ‘zoco’ – almond and tomato salmorejo is absolutely delicious. She advises to choose the ripest, tastiest tomatoes you can find. Traditionally, the soup is served with grapes or little cubes of piel de sapo melon.

Monika Linton, founded Brindisa in 1988, retailing products from some of Spain’s best food producers. She opened the first Tapas Brindisa restaurant in 2004 and there are now four Brindisa restaurants across London.

Photo credit: Almond and tomato salmorejo. Photograph: Martin Poole for the Observer

Watermelon Juice

1 Comment / Breakfast & Brunch, Drinks

Watermelon juice couldn’t be easier to make. You don’t need a fancy schmancy juicer, just a blender. Nice and refreshing with plenty of crushed ice, it’s easier to make than you may think with Thermomix. I thought my watermelon juice was perfectly sweet without any added sugar, but I added a squeeze of honey for that extra zing.

Watermelons are mostly water — about 92 percent — but this refreshing fruit is soaked with nutrients. Each juicy bite has significant levels of vitamins A, B6 and C, lots of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids. There’s even a modest amount of potassium. Antioxidants help prevent damage, and cancer. Your body uses vitamin B6 to help break down proteins, so the more protein is consumed, the more vitamin B6 is needed. Potassium, although a relatively small amount is in watermelon, helps balance fluids in your cells. Low potassium levels sometimes cause muscle cramps.