Sunday 15 July 2012

FRIED PINEAPPLES..YUMMY OR YUKKY?

Pineapple (Ananas comosus), a tropical plant with edible multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries, named for resemblance to the pine cone. Pineapple may be consumed fresh, canned, juiced,OR FRIED and are found in a wide array of food stuffs – dessert, fruit salad, jam, yogurt, ice cream, candy, and as a complement to meat dishes. In addition to consumption, in the Philippines the pineapple's leaves are used as the source of a textile fiber called piña, and is employed as a component of wall paper and furnishings, amongst other uses.
Fried Pineapple and ice cream



yummy or yukky? lol
spicy deep fried pineapple



Fried pineapples and ice cream


Fried Pineapple and beaf


Pineapple fried rice with shrimps

deep fried pinapple

Spicy Deep fried pinapple


Pineapple Rice

...Here is the recipe for pan fried pinapples

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
6 oz unsalted butter
1 small pineapple (about 1 1/2 lb), peeled, cut lengthwise into quarters, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (2 fl oz) dark rum or brandy

DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in large frying pan over medium heat. Add pineapple slices and cook for one minute. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and cook, turning pineapple occasionally, until sugar is melted and pineapple is translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add rum or brandy, stir to combine and cook one minute.
 Click Here to read from author site.

WATCH AND LEARN



REFERENCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple

If you are bold enough to try this recipe kindly send us the pictures..Enjoy your meal!

Friday 13 July 2012

EGUSI SOUP AND POUNDED YAM IS SERVED! LEARN HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT EGUSI SOUP

I am yet to see someone resist a delicious meal of egusi soup. Egusi soup is a  Nigerian delicacy usually served with pounded yam, eba or fufu.


Yummy Egusi and Pounded Yam

nice presentation




A meaty Egusi Delight


CALORIE CONTENT OF EGUSI AND POUNDED YAM

Pounded yam is so high in Calories, its Scary. A medium slice of yam contains almost 330 calories, but i guess, everyone has a different perception of the word medium. So I would use the dessert spoon measurement.

The Dessert spoon is one which is larger than a teaspoon but smaller than a table spoon.

One dessert spoon of pounded yam contains 10g of carbohydrate, which equals 40 calories from carbohydrates alone. Remember, this is just the carbohydrate count, protein and fat hasnt been added.

It is hard to actually calculate the calorie content of pounded yam, because this depends on how much you are actually eating, but if you can picture your pounded yam being fitted into a cup (our normal milk tin cup), then a cup of pounded yam contains 400 calories



The basic Egusi Soup enriched with few chunks of stockfish and two pieces of meat contains a total of roughly 700 calories per serving!!! Imagine eating it with about 3 wraps of iyan which is about 600 calories……….

The largest food group it contains is Fat. Egusi is very high in fat content. It has about 60% fat. Talk less of we Yorubas that love adding lots of palm oil to our egusi soup.

It also has about 11 percent carbohydrate of which 0 percent is fibre which is supposed to be good for weight loss. Proteins make up 30 percent while other elements make up the rest.

But that’s not all, Egusi actually has good qualities.

a. The fat in egusi is cholesterol free. Meaning its not damaging to the heart. You may put on pounds when taking lots of egusi, but you wold be sure that its not detrimental to your heart directly.

b.It contains certain nutrients which are good for the skin, good for fertility and reproduction.

So in conclusion, egusi has good properties as a food on its own, but for weight watchers and those on low fat diets, i would suggest you stick more to plain okra soups ad vegetable soups, and limit your egusi intake.
Click here to get to author site


LEARN HOW TO MAKE EGUSI SOUP


Egusi seeds (Grounded, 1-2 cups)
Palm oil ¾ - 1½ cup
Bitter Leaf - freshly squeezed, or dried or spinach / ugwu / any other fresh vegetable as may be available
Cray fish about ¼ cup grounded
Dried pepper or chilli 1 table spoonful or to taste
Maggi cubes or Knorr 1 – 2 cubes
Thyme about ½ teaspoonful
Curry Powder ½ - 1 teaspoonful
Real African Red Onions - spicy. 1 – 3 (Chopped)
Cooking salt
Fresh or smoked fish or stock fish
Goat meat (chopped to size)
Assorted meat – beef, ox tail, cow tongue, chicken, as can be obtained, about ½ kg each
Chopped tomatoes (blended)
Fresh pepper with or substituted for grounded dried pepper.


Cooking Method

If you are using stock fish, be sure to have soaked the stock fish in water overnight to make it soft and cook faster.
Put your goat meat and or assorted meat into a pot. Add cooking salt, 1 bulb of onion, chopped to small sizes, ½ teaspoonful of thyme, curry powder, and a small amount of water (about 2cups), one or two maggi cubes and bring to boil for about 30 minutes until soft and tender to taste.
While that is cooking, put your chopped tomatoes (1-2 tins), fresh and or dried pepper, 1 bulb of real African red onions into a blender and blend to a smooth paste
Your egusi seeds must have come in blended (grounded). If they are not, this is the time to grind them in a blender dried (in the small bit of the blender for dried materials). Take 1-2 cups of grounded egusi and put in a bowl, add 2 parts of water to a part of grounded egusi in the bowl and stir to form a paste. Some people do not do it this way. They leave the grounded egusi dry and stir fry it instead in palm oil. You can do it either way. Here, the first method will be used
The meat should have finished cooking by now. Get a big pot. Place it on the cooker and allow it to be hot, with all residue of water drying out. Do not let it burn though. Pour about ¾ - 1½ cup (150 – 300mls) of red palm oil in the pot. Be careful here, it could smoke and splash around, with risk of you been burnt! Allow the oil to warm for about 1 minute. Pour the blended tomatoes, fresh/dried pepper, onion paste into the oil and stir fry for about another 10 -15 mutes.
Now add the cooked meat to this base of stew and cover the pot and allow to simmer for about 3 minutes. Stir intermittently to prevent burning.

The egusi paste (or fried) can now be added to the stew with meat in it. Add your vegetables here, salt and one or two cubes of maggi if still required to taste and bring to boil for about 10 minutes. Stir intermittently.
Click here to get to the author site



HOW TO MAKE YORUBA STYLE EGUSI WITH NICE CLUMPS
Ingredients


1/4 cup Groundnut oil*
3 table spoons palm oil
1 cup egusi
1 cup chopped spinach
1/2 cup pepper sauce
2 Bouillon cubes (Maggi)
1 Tablespoon Crayfish
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon locust beans
1/4 cup Ede (Dried shrimps) (Optional)
Precooked meat and fish of choice

DIRECTIONS WITH PICTURES

Combine  the egusi with 2 table spoons of water, mix until you have a thick paste

Set a medium sized pot on medium heat, add in the groundnut oil. With a teaspoon, ball up the egusi mixture and drop into the oil. fry for 3 minutes.


Add 11/2 cups of water into the fried egusi, cover and bring to a rolling boil
Break up the egusi clump into smaller bite size pieces
Add in the all other ingredients apart from the palm oil. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 10-12mins.

almost done
yummy


...........and thats how to make Delicious EGUSI SOUP...ENJOY YOUR MEAL...


Click here to see author site

 Here is a very informative and entertaining video on how to make egusi soup: 

DONT FORGET TO SEND US PICTURES IF YOU DECIDE TO TRY THIS RECIPE..Enjoy your meal

REFERENCES


http://bakersfourthquarter.blogspot.com/2011/07/great-gobs-of-egusi-soup.html
http://chocolatechutzpah.wordpress.com/tag/food/
http://www.9jafoodie.com/2012/03/yoruba-style-egusi-soup/
http://www.naijazumba.com/?p=74
http://www.africanfoods.co.uk/egusi-soup.html

Wednesday 11 July 2012

YUMMY LUSCIOUS OMELETTE

Hope your breakfast or brunch was almost as yummy as mine. Most people more often than not have an egg based breakfast. My favorite is the omellette . An omellette is very versatile because it can be made in different ways , with different ingredients and it is not restricted to breakfast alone. It can even be a standalone meal. WOW! JUST THINKING OF AN OMELETTE HAS GOT MY MOUTH WATERING ..
Oh well lets demystify the omelette.

yummy omelette..I can eat this all day lol

CALORIES IN A 3 EGG OMELETTE

A large egg has between 72-78 calories,

a three egg omelet would have 216-234 calories with just the eggs. Add 36 calories if you use one small pat of butter. This would make it 252-270 if you use one small pat of butter and 3 eggs.

Hence:

216-234 calories without butter, fat or oil
252-270 calories with butter.

Read more: wiki.answers.com There are two types of omelette; the simple rolled or folded omelette or the thicker flat omelette known as FRITTATA OR TORTILLA.

THE FOLDED OMELETTE : They can be made plain, with just eggs or with a filling of your choice and can be served for breakfast or accompanied by a side salad or chips or jacket potato, for a substantial lunch or a light evening meal.
A yummy folded vegetable omelette

If you are making omelettes for several people, you should always make one omelette per person, as it is easier and quicker to prepare two small omelettes rather than one larger one in a bigger pan.
Aim to use a pan that is 6 inches in diameter to cook the omelette in. A larger pan will make the omelette spread out too much, stick to the pan and become thin and dry, whereas a pan that is too small will cause the omelette to become too thick, making it difficult to fold.

Some people like to cook their omelette in a little melted butter, however, for others, this may make the omelette too rich in taste, in which case the butter can be substituted for vegetable oil.

Omelette and rice..nice for lunch

A full meal..omelette with meat filling


It is vital to use a non-stick pan, so that the omelette does not stick to the bottom or the sides. The pan should be really clean, as this could also make the egg stick.

When you melt the fat in the pan, make sure that you tilt the pan as the butter is melting or the oil is heating up, so that the fat greases the sides as well.

A clever trick to make sure that the eggs do not stick is to put a layer of salt in the bottom of the frying pan and turn the heat up high. Cook the salt, whilst shaking it around the pan, until the salt turns brown in colour. Remove the salt from the pan by wiping the bottom and sides with kitchen paper. The pan is now ready to use and you should be able to cook your omelette without it sticking to the pan.

Ingredients
3 eggs
Oil (canola or olive), cooking spray or butter
Milk (optional, however it makes the egg fluffy)
Non-stick skillet
Spatula
Fork or egg beater
Mixing bowl
Ingredients to fill your omelette, such as cheese, ham, onion, tomato, bell peppers, sausage, bacon and mushroom are popular.
Ingredients that are placed on top of the omelette once it has been cooked, such as salsa, avocado, sour cream and cilantro

METHODOLOGY


Break the eggs into a bowl, and add the milk, salt and pepper.

Beat the eggs gently with a fork, just until they combine together. Do not over beat them or whisk them to a froth.

Place the frying pan on the stove and warm the pan over a moderate heat before adding the butter.

Add the butter and turn the heat up a fraction. As the butter is melting, tilt the pan so that the bottom and sides are both coated.

Once the butter begins to foam, carefully add the eggs to the centre of the pan, tilting the pan so that the eggs spread out evenly over the bottom.

Cook over a moderate heat. As the eggs begin to set, very carefully lift the edges of the omelette upwards with a spatula, ensuring that the omelette does not stick and also allowing the uncooked eggs to run underneath. Rotate the pan as you do so, making sure that all sides have been moved.

Cook until the eggs have set on the bottom but the top is still a little moist. The underside should be a golden brown in colour. At this stage, lift up the edge of one side of the omelette and fold this half so that is covers the other half and sits neatly on top. Do not break the omelette in half.

Loosen the omelette away from the pan and tip out onto a warmed plate. Serve immediately.


FOLDED OMELETTE FILLINGS

Ham - add a handful of finely chopped ham just before folding the omelette in half.
Cheese - grate 1 oz (30 g) of Cheddar or Gruyere and add to the eggs in the bowl before cooking.
Fine herbs - chop up some fresh parsley, tarragon and chives and add to the eggs before beating with a fork.
Mushrooms - slice mushrooms and sauté in a little butter. Add just before folding.
Tomatoes - add some cooked chopped tomatoes before folding.

Prawns - add a handful of cooked peeled prawns a minute or two before folding the omelette.
FLAT OMELETTE
The flat omelette, otherwise known as a "frittata" in Italy or a "tortilla" in Spain is basically cooked the same way as a folded omelette, however, the flat omelette contains a larger number of eggs, is thicker, will more than likely contain a number of other ingredients for the filling and is cut into wedges rather than folded and may be served hot or cold. 

A simple flat omelette with pepper


LADIES..THIS SHOULD TURN HIS MUMU SWITCH ON lol

This might also be the way to his pocket through his stomach lol..during breakfast..just make sure his cheque book is a smile away..lol


The ingredients used to fill the flat omelette are usually placed in the bottom of the pan and the eggs are then poured over the top. The flat omelette is cooked over a low heat for a longer period of time and finished off with a few minutes of cooking time under the grill.


METHODOLOGY


Break all of the eggs into a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large frying pan (10 inches in diameter) and melt the butter and oil over a moderate heat.

In the meantime lightly beat the eggs with a fork.

As soon as the fat begins to sizzle carefully pour the eggs into the pan, tilting the pan so that the eggs cover the base evenly.

Turn the heat to low. Add any other ingredients at this point unless they are to be added before the eggs.

just look at the thickness

Cook the eggs until they begin to set and then with a spatula gently lift the edges of the omelette 
upwards on each side, tilting the pan and allowing the uncooked eggs to run through to the bottom of the pan.

Preheat the grill.

Once the omelette has set on the underside and is a golden brown in colour but the top is still wet, remove the pan from the stove and transfer it to the grill. 
Cook for a further 4 - 5 minutes until the top has set and is also brown in colour.

Remove from the grill and cut into wedges.
Serve hot or allow to cool and serve cold.

FLAT OMELETTE FILLING

Spanish omelette - True Spanish omelette, or tortilla, contains only four ingredients: egg, olive oil, and thinly-sliced onion and potato. It tastes delicious hot or cold and is one of the most popular tapas dishes, served cut into bite-sized cubes on cocktail sticks. It can include peppers and cherry tomatoes, which add sweetness and moisture to the dishfry 1 small chopped onion together with a handful of chopped red and green pepper until soft. Add slices of cooked boiled potato and then pour the eggs over the top.

Isn't food lovely lol

YUM YUM YUM YUM


Roasted vegetables - roast a selection of chopped vegetables such as tomatoe, peppers and onions drizzled in olive oil for 30 minutes. Spread in the bottom of the frying pan and then pour the eggs over them.
A rich egg meal with muchrooms and plenty veggies


Ham, cheese and onion - pour the eggs into the pan and then add 4 oz (115 g) of sliced cooked ham, half a chopped onion and 2 oz (55 g) of grated Cheddar cheese.

A simple ham omelette

A delicious ham and spinach omelette
WATCH HOW TO MAKE A SPANISH OMELETTE



Enjoy your meal, and if you try any of the recipes please send pictures to us on goldwater29@gmail.com so we can upload and commend your effort and maybe  win a price and get fabulous gifts from our sponsors!
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WELCOME TO THE FOOD MAP !

REFERENCES
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_calories_in_a_3_egg_omelet
http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/2009/10/truffle-omelette/
http://www.helpwithcooking.com/egg-guide/how-to-make-omelette.html
http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-make-the-perfect-omelet/
http://www.zemmy.co.uk/spanish-omelette/