Yummy Food

1 red onion, chopped

5 clvoes garlic, chopped

1 sprig curry leaf

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric poweder

500g chat potatoes, sliced into cubes

Pinch salt and pepper

1 stalk spring onion, chopped

1. Fry onions and garlic in a pan till soft. Add curry leaf, cumin and mustard seeds and turmeric powder.
2. Once fragrant, add potatoes and cook until they turn soft. Season.
3. Add spring onions before serving.

4 tbsp finely sliced lemongrass

4 shallots, sliced

5 cloves garlic, crushed

2-3 red chillies, thinly sliced

300g minced pork, preferably slightly faty

150g shelled prawns, roughly chopped

2 tbsp fish sauce

3/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp sugar

4-6 squares of banan leaf, about 30cm across

50g sakura ebi, or any small dried Japanese shrimp finely chopped spring onion, for garnish

1. Pound or grind lemongrass, shallots, garlic and chillies to a fine paste. Combine paste with all remaining ingredients except banana leaf, ebi and spring onion. Mix well, cover tightly and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Briefly steam, blanch or microwave banana leaf squares for about 15 seconds each, until they turn slightly limp. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of pork mixture into the centre of a leaf square, shaping it into a patty about 1cm thick.sprinkle ebi generously over and press it into the pork. Fold the left, then right sides of leaf over patty, then top and bottom. Seal with toothpicks or staples.
3. Cook banana leaf parcels on a hot barbecue, or in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, turning once. Serve immediately, garnished with spring onion.

3 red onions, chopped

100g garlic, sliced

1 sprig curry leaf

1kg tomatoes

500ml water

pinch salt & pepper

1 tsp cumin

garnish :

5g spring onions, chopped

1. Cook onions and 50g garlic in a pan until soft. Then add curry leaf and cook for another 3 minutes. Add tomatoes. When tomatoes turn soft after about 3 minutes, add water.
2. Bring to a boil. Season to taste.
3. Cook until tomatoes are all mashed up.
4. To serve, heat a little oil in a pan. Cook remaining garlic with cumin for 1 minute. Pour over soup. Garnish and serve.

Extract this from The New Paper dated 26.12.2007.

Ingredients

• 2kg Russet potato from the US
• 150g of butter
• 1/2 can of evaporated milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper

Method

Boil the potatoes until they split and immediately tear off the skin.

Pop them into a big mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients. Mash them immediately with a fork or a potato masher.

I would go with a fork because it’s more organic and it’s nice to feel the mash potato between your fingers.

Don’t worry if it’s lumpy. Violet says it’s chic.

And who can argue with the Queen of Cooking?