This weekend was a
challenge. I had so many things going on and not enough time to do it in. I had
my 20th high school reunion and a family cookout this weekend, so I
had a limited amount of time to cook for my blog. I had to cut a couple recipes
from my Seychelles menu, but I managed to fit it all in. I’m exhausted, but I
did everything I wanted to do.
Yeah, the two that I ate were good. Could've used some more, though. |
The first thing I
made was Gato Koko, or coconut cake.
But this isn’t like what you think. It’s more like coconut cookies. First I
mixed about 3 ½ Tbsp of butter with 2 eggs until it was frothy. Then I added in
1 ½ c of flour, ¾ c of shredded coconut, ½ tsp of baking powder, and ½ c of
sugar. Then I mixed it again until it all came together and was smooth. On a
greased baking sheet, I dipped out spoonfuls of the dough and rolled them into
balls. Before I put it in the oven, I sprinkled a little coconut on top. The
recipe was a little vague on how hot my oven was supposed to be, so I set it
for 375ºF, and I left it in for about 24 minutes. But in all honesty, I
could’ve probably pulled them out closer to 20-22 minutes. I thought they were
a little dry at first, but the second bite was better for some reason. It
actually kind of grows on you. They must’ve been good. The family ate them all
up. Out of the 23 I made, I got two.
Amaaaaaaaaaazing! |
The main course
today is Seychelles-style Coconut
Chicken Curry. I grabbed my heavy pot and heated some oil in it and added
in some onions. Once they sautéed for a few minutes, I added in some garlic,
dried ginger, black pepper, ground cloves, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground
cinnamon, some curry powder (I was out, so I just added some cumin and
turmeric), a pinch of saffron, and a few bay leaves. I stirred and let it
simmer for a couple of minutes before throwing in my diced chicken and diced
potato. Once I stirred everything to coat the potatoes and chicken with all of
the spices, I covered it and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Then I added in
a can of coconut milk, stirred, lowered the heat, and let it simmer covered for
about 20 minutes. After that, I took the lid off, stirred and let it cook down
for another 15 minutes or so. I really enjoyed this. It wasn’t spicy, but it
was spiceful. I’ve always been a fan of North African, Arab, and Indian cooking
styles of combining sweet spices with savory ones. I think it creates a very
complex flavor. I don’t think we do that well (or often) in American cuisine.
I loved everything about this. |
To go with the
curry, I made Creole Rice. I heated some butter (in lieu of ghee)
in a pot and sautéed some diced onion, diced red pepper, minced garlic, and a
little bit of ground cloves. Then I added in my rice along with some cinnamon,
salt, turmeric, and black pepper. Once I let it sauté for a minute while
stirring constantly, I added in my water. After it came to a boil, I turned the
heat down and let it simmer until the water was evaporated. I garnished it with
a little bit of parsley. I thought this was quite tasty and probably could’ve
just eaten it by itself as a side dish, but I put my curry on top of it. And it
was amazing.
I thought everything on this plate was really, really good. And the family did, too! |
This has been a
whirlwind of a weekend. I haven’t been this busy for such a long time. But
instead of shirking this off somehow, I decided to go ahead and cook. I had to
skip on the octopus curry and the banana ladob, but at least I did make a meal
and some cookies (that were gone by the time I got home from my reunion). It
was also a weekend of meeting some interesting characters, I mean, people. No
matter how normal or how weird people are, I always think the same thing: I
might put them in a book one day.
No comments:
Post a Comment