One Girl and her Thermie

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Noodle, Pasta & Rice

Pesto Rosso

Being adventurous doesn’t have to be going all out and skydive. It could be trying a new recipe in the kitchen. For example this delicious Pesto Rosso.

Pesto Rosso (literally, “Red Pesto”) is a Sicilian variation that starts with sun-dried tomatoes. It has a rich red hue and a deep, sweet, tangy flavor. Like all pestos, Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto recipes also vary by region and cook. The sauce typically calls for almonds instead of the pine nuts used in basil pesto.

Really easy to make and very nice. Different to the usual green basil pesto but great to garnish vegetable tagliatelle, for tapas or pasta. Thanks to fellow Advisor, Sara De Miguel Hernandez for this recipe under her business Flow with Me.

Thai Mango Sticky Rice

Mango sticky rice

Mango sticky rice is a traditional Thai dessert made with glutinous rice, fresh mango, and coconut milk, and eaten with a fork, spoon, or sometimes the hands. Although originating in Thailand, it is consumed throughout the Indochina region of Southeast Asia, including Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

As the weather gets colder in the UK, I want to hibernate and for some reason, my palate leans towards all Asian dishes. This mango sticky rice dessert with coconut milk – a simple, heavenly Thai classic hit the dessert spot every single time.

I have converted this recipe to Thermomix but used this BBC Good food recipe as a guide.

Fluffy rice

Thermomix Rice

There are so many ways to make Thermomix rice but as a rice-o-phile, this is my tried and tested way.

We’re all creatures of habit and even before having a Thermomix, I had a rice cooker. This rice cooker was my friend and so loved that I hand-carried it back from Japan in 2001. I paid a lot of money for it and there was no way I was leaving it behind. So fast forward to 2009, when I first bought my Thermomix, why would I change the way that I’d be making rice for over a decade. There was no need to. Yes, I became an Advisor soon after my initial purchase so I would advocate that the Thermomix has many functions, including cooking rice whilst secretly behind closed doors, continuing to make rice in my beloved rice cooker.

And then my au pair broke it. Accidentally, of course, but I was livid. I was filled with anger and emotion. Sadness and despair. Those who know me, know I’m not a violent person, so dear Martyna’s life was never at risk but I was mad. And moody.

There’s a reason you marry the person you end up marrying and for me, Rob is the one, the only one, who knows how to handle me. My darling husband reminded me that my Thermomix could make perfect fluffy rice and I should try it. Well, dear hubby, you were right. Habits are hard to break, but when you find a new one, it might stick forever.

I bring you the easiest and most loved recipe in my Indian household – Thermomix rice. Perfect Thermomix rice. The fluffiest white rice which is a staple side dish for many Asian meals. Here’s how to get it right every time

Sambhar Masala

Sambhar, also spelled sambar or sambaar, and pronounced saambaar, is a lentil-based vegetable stew or chowder, originating from the Indian subcontinent, cooked with a tamarind broth. It is popular in South Indian and Sri Lankan cuisines. Sambhar in South India is the equivalent of dahl, in North India, miso soup in Japan or potatoes in the UK. The best way I can describe it is the best side dish that goes with all of the regions food.

The aromatic flavours of this traditional South Indian dish are truly irresistible. The speciality of this sambhar is that it is made with minimal oil and loads of vegetables which enhance its nutritive value. When served hot with nutritious Idlis or paper thin dosas, it makes a meal that is very hard to resist. Alternatively, relish this sambhar with steamed rice to make a wholesome meal.

As a North Indian, I would only really eat sambhar in restaurants until my housekeeper, Anitha came to work for us. She’s originally from the south and now this is a staple in our household. Anitha, using her many years of experience as a cook, kindly converted her home recipe for the Thermomix. And no, not for the Thermomix community or me in particular. She makes this dish so often that using the Thermomix, it reduces her time in the kitchen.

Please see my later post for Sambhar, but first I thought I’d share the recipe for the Sambhar Masala. Don’t be deterred by the preparation time, that’s mostly getting your spices out of the cupboard rather than cooking time.

Credit: A version of this recipe can also be found Indian cookbook produced by India when the they sold TM31. The Indian Chef, Shamim Ahmed worked at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi for 24 years as the Head of Mission Cook was instrumental in producing this book.  I was convinced when my Mum’s cook made this dish. I thought she had taught him how to convert her recipe to the Thermomix and she said, “No, it’s in the basic book that was given to us when we bought the Thermomix”. When Vesta Appliances lost the distribution license in India for selling Thermomixes when the TM5 launched, I bought their stock and now sell them in my shop. The rest is history.

N.B. If you are a VIP One Girl Customer, you can also purchase a discounted version on my VIP Shop.

Whole Chicken

Poached Chicken

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!

 

Herb Salad

Brown Rice, Herb and Fennel Salad

Now that I’ve tried it, I highly recommend this brown rice, herb and fennel salad.

Are you one of those people (like me) who read this title and quietly said to themselves, “Brown rice, no. Fennel, no”. Well, that was me and my words of wisdom are ‘don’t knock it, until you’ve tried it’. This delicious brown rice, herb and fennel salad recipe comes from Tenina Holder’s, Tenina’s America cookbook and when Tenina came to London recently, this little recipe was on the class menu and by far once of the real winners of the day. So good, that in just I’ve already made it six times in the past 3 weeks. It gets the kids thumbs up and fussy husband ate it too.

Brown rice adds so many great qualities to the salad. It has a nuttiness and slightly chewy texture that makes it just delicious. You can serve it alone, as I have done many times since the class or pair it with jerk chicken or a piece of salmon to add some protein.

Adam Simmond’s Rice Pudding

Whilst the Thermomix was made for the domestic market, it is loved, loved by chefs in the commercial industry. Adam Simmonds is one such chef and he kindly shared this recipe for rice pudding to demonstrators (now called Advisors) in early 2014. It was too good not to share.

This easy, simple and gorgeous rice pudding made in his restaurant as a base for something much for elaborate and deserving of his Michelin stars. In our household, I serve it with some fresh fruit and berries and it goes down equally well.

Basil pesto

Pesto

This easy, beautiful pesto recipe is absolutely bursting with fresh herby flavour. … You can whizz up your own delicious pesto in under 5 minutes – it’s great for a fast-fix meal.  Homemade pesto is tastier than any shop bought version and this recipe shows how easy it is to make.

I use it on it’s own with pasta (always a winner in my home), spread it on a warm, crusty roll or smother it on salmon and steam with rice in the Thermomix; whatever you do with it, it’s a winner and a staple in my kitchen fridge.

And if you want ideas on how to eat pesto, check out this article I found online.