The Shamrock NotionsHassle free cooking anyone?
Posted on November 1, 2017
WARNING: This post could have you running to your nearest store.
Are you one of those people (like me and my husband) who crave fried food on a very regular basis (yesssss *hides face* but still eats – guilty). This smiling duo right below these words that you are reading is us! P.S. I tried to keep the picture size small 😀
Are you one of those people who open the fridge, looking for something yummy to eat and end up taking something out of the freezer and deep frying it (yikes). ( What can I say, such is life!) Have you ever dreamt of enjoying your plate of fries or samosas without the fear of gaining 30 kgs once you are done? (could happen to any of us! )
Then this post is definitely for you. NO it’s not sponsored..it comes straight from the heart, after using the actify for two whole years and still loving it. (Please don’t associate my weight with the review as I do cheat sometimes and go for deep frying :P) but anyhow! I want to give you a few reasons to make the actifry your new best friend.
My husband and I befriended the Tefal Actifry almost two years ago with the idea of making cooking a little easier for both us (which means he wouldn’t mind throwing in the nuggets or meatballs if he’s in the mood :P). Quiet frankly I wasn’t too sure in the beginning and it was being used solely for making nuggets in the morning while getting my daughter ready for school. It takes precisely 13 minutes to have them ready without having to stand there, watching the stove as well as stirring so yess it saves you all that trouble while you get something else done.
I thought I’d give you some good enough reasons to consider making this part of your kitchen (if you haven’t already).
Let’s begin!
1. It’s a sleek machine that takes up a nice corner in your kitchen (while adding to the beauty of it).
2. It requires 1 tsp of oil (you heard me right) to get one big plate of fries ready in no time.
3. It is super easy to clean. All you have to do is take out the pan and wash it. It’s dishwasher safe as well.
4. It saves you the trouble of standing next to it and watching it like a hawk. It has an in built buzzer which goes off when your food is ready to be served.
5. You won’t have to worry about anything getting burnt as the paddle constantly keeps moving.
Some of the things you can make in the actifry
- Croutons
- French fries
- Nuggets
- Chicken Wings
- Samosa
- Corn
- Stir-fried veggies
- Meat Balls (without the paddle preferably)
- Croquettes
- Roasted Brocolli
- Glazed Apples
- Roasted Dry fruit
- Omlette
- Chick Peas
- Baked Beans
- Sausages
- Buffalo Chips
- Fried Chicken (remember it is not deep fried so the taste and feel of it will be a little different)
- Mozzarella cheese sticks
- Soy and pepper fried peas …… to name a few. I’m sure there are many other ways it can be used which i’m unaware of. I would love to try to make a simple pizza in it, without the paddle of course, and see how that turns out. Something tells me it would be great and the crust would be on the crispy side.
In the coming weeks, i’ll try to bring you more that your actifry can do. Follow me on Instagram: sonyalee1 where i’ll post more from the world of actifry in the Insta stories.
So there you go! Your actifry is the answer to all your fried food cravings. I know people who are fitness conscious and swear by it!
Let me know what you think. If you have any questions, let me know and i’ll try to answer right away. If there is something that would be beyond my knowledge then you can take the help of good old google.
Thanks for reading!
Much love! xo
Food Talk- Chicken Cheese Balls
Posted on June 19, 2017
Chicken cheese balls are always a sure winner at high teas and iftar tables. Now that we have reached the last week of Ramadan, it’s time for you to invite people that you haven’t yet given a taste of your delectable homechef skills. One of those scrumptious food items should be the chicken cheese balls. Trust me you can never go wrong with these. They will be a sure hit with kids and elders alike. And the best part is that they are super duper easy to make. So get hold of your notepads and jot down the ingredients
Here is what you’ll need:
Chicken mince 1/2 kg
Dried parsley 1tsp
Garlic powder 1tsp
Onion powder 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
Butter 3 tbsp
Egg 1
Mix all of the above and set aside.
Now let’s take a look at what goes inside, this is what you’ll need for the filling
Mozzarella cheese – grated or cut into cubes
Pinch of black pepper powder
Outer coating:
All purpose flour 1 cup
Egg white 3
Bread crumbs 1 cup
Now that your chicken mince is ready and your cheese is grated (or cut into cubes) its time to make your chicken cheese balls. Take a small amount of chicken mince in your hands, flatten it and put a little amount of mozzarella cheese in the center, now roll it over the cheese and make small balls. Now one by one start dipping the balls into flour, egg, then flour, egg again and finally give it a good coating with crumbs.
Once you are done with this process you either fry them immediately or keep them in the freezer for a bit before frying (recommended). That way chicken balls won’t break while frying.
Of course these have to be deep fried till golden brown and served hot.
Serve them with ketchup or any other dip of choice.
You can make these balls and freeze them for later use. Just take a few out, deep fry till golden brown and you are good to go. These yummy things taste heavenly and are a treat for your tase buds. Remember me when you make these 🙂
Vegetarians can replace chicken with potatoes and make potato cheese balls which are as delicious as this. My kids love potatoes so its a win win for me 🙂
Signing off
Sonya Ali
Ramadan Iftar Recipe – Chilli Bites
Posted on June 2, 2017
It’s that time of the year when our tables are filled with the yummiest of food that is obviously very hard to resist because we don’t eat a thing all day and then dive right in and pounce upon whatever food item we can get our hands on, not to mention the amount of water, rooh afza, lemonade etc we consume. Also did I mention the never ending rants of over-eating and promising ourselves that no matter what I will not touch any food tomorrow (fried food specifically) and then that tomorrow never comes *winks* Yes!
Anyway we all have been there and we still want different things on our iftar tables everyday. Speaking of which i’m going to be sharing a few simple recipes with you all this month. I love food! I’m a big foodie and not just food, I love GOOD food and so does my hubby wubby! So since good food is a thing in my household, feel free to share recipes with me too.
Here we go!
I call them Chilli bites 😉 You can call them anything you like.
Here is what you’ll need:
Green Chillies (of course) big ones – not small
Gram flour
Chicken (boiled/fried and shredded or cut into small cubes)
Cheddar and mozzarella cheese
Water
Oil for deep frying
Method:
Grate mozzarella and cheddar cheese together (you can also pick only one if you want). Set aside. Prepare chicken and set aside. By preparing I mean that you can either boil the chicken or you can fry it using a bit of garlic paste as it would enhance the flavour. The other option is that you raid your fridge and look for some left over chicken, shred it and use it.
Slit open Green chillies and remove the seeds. Fill em up with chicken and loads of cheese. Take gram flour (also known as besan), mix it with water, now make sure that it’s not dripping, since the green chillies have to be coated well with this batter, so the consistency should be according to that, on the thicker side that is.
Place the wok on medium flame and once the oil is hot, you can start deep frying the well coated green chillies. I have made these many times and I absolutely love them. Try this when you make your regular pakoras, once a week is certainly a treat at iftar time.
Bon Appetite! 🙂
Quick & Easy Chocolate Cake in 10 minutes
Posted on May 18, 2017
I love guests. They are a sure reminder that there are people who still make the effort of visiting you and gracing your house with their presence. But let’s face it, it can be challenging at times considering the trolley you have to lay out before they reach your house. When you are short on time you look for ways to make your life easier. You look for quick recipes and I may have just the thing for you today.
I’m going to share a quick cake recipe with you that is going to take 15 minutes of your time max including the preparation and baking.
Ingredients:
Eggs 2
Baking powder 2tsp
Cocoa powder 4 to 5 tablespoons
Sugar 1 cup
Flour 1 cup
Milk 1 cup
Oil 1/2 cup
Method:
In a blender, combine milk, eggs, baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder and oil. Blend well. Now take a microwave safe dish, take flour and slowly fold in the blended mixture till incorporated well. If you like you can add walnuts & almonds to it. Put in microwave for 8 to 9 minutes and Voila! your chocolate cake is ready to serve.
You can make your own serving options but I like to serve it with a scoop of ice cream and strawberries. Drizzle a bit of chocolate syrup on the side to give it that look. I have also cut it into layers and added nutella to it giving it more flavor Or you can just add some nutella or any other cream on top. Just the perfect desert to serve when you don’t have enough time.
My kids love it too so if my child asks for chocolate cake, I know I can have it ready in 15 minutes.
Do give it a go and let me if it turned out right.
Adios.
Exotic Chicken Sandwiches
Posted on March 8, 2017
A sandwich is something which can be diversified into such beautiful looking food that it gets hard to resist the temptation of picking it up from the platter and taking a considerable bite. Sandwiches are healthy, nutritious, can be used on various occasions, can be carried around while walking, can be eaten during driving a car (not that i’m suggesting in anyway that you do just that), are perfect for picnics, traveling, lunch boxes, lavish high tea parties and what not! We all LOVE sandwiches. While there are so many different ways of making an awesome sandwich, so many different kinds of breads and buns to choose from..today we bring you a recipe from one of our food experts Anum Sohail, who knows just how to bring out the right flavours in her gorgeous, well kept kitchen. So without further adieu, let me give you her mouth watering recipe.
Men, if you want to give your women a day off from cooking, you should definitely try this and surprise her this women’s day!
Prep the Chicken, you will need:
Chicken 1 kg boneless
Garlic cloves 5 or 6
Chinese salt 1/2 tsp
Chilli flakes 1/2 tsp
Chilli Sauce 1 tsp
White Vinegar 2 tsp
White pepper 1/4 tsp
Oregano 1 tsp
Now move onto a nice tantalizing sauce, here is what you’ll need:
Egg 1
Garlic Clove 1
Green Chilli 1
Sugar 1/4 tsp
Chinese Salt 1/4 tsp
Black pepper 1/4 tsp
White vinegar 1 and 1/2 tsp
Oil 1 cup
Dressing:
Cheddar cheese
Ice berg
Cucumber thinly sliced
Green olives
Method:
Saute garlic cloves in oil and add chicken. Fry a little and add chinese salt, black pepper, chilli sauce, white vinegar,white pepper,chilli flakes and cook well. Once chicken feels nice and tender, add oregano, stir and leave aside.
Moving onto sauce, in a blender add egg, green chilli, vinegar, chinese salt, black pepper, sugar, garlic clove and blend well. Now very slowly start adding oil into it and let it blend till it thickens. Turn off the blender, set aside.
Take a pan and lightly grease with butter, put the bread slices (you can choose your own type of bread), on the pan till you get a very light golden colour. Now your bread is ready for the rest of the ingredients and filling. Put a generous amount of your prepared sauce, chicken and cheddar cheese on the slices. Add a layer of cucumber, olives and iceberg salad leaves and TA-Da! Your sandwiches are ready! While you are busy making sandwiches, make sure you get your french fries in the fryer to complete the fun of eating sandwiches.
Enjoy!
Recipe: Chocolate Mousse
Posted on January 16, 2017
Who doesn’t love chocolate mousse? I absolutely love it and so does my family. Today I thought of sharing my own tried and tested chocolate mousse recipe with you all. Do try and let me know what you think 🙂
Ingredients:
Cream 2 packs (200ml)
Eggs 4
Butter 75 grams
Cocoa powder 50 grams
Sugar to taste
Method:
Melt butter over a double boiler, add cocoa powder and mix well. Set aside.
Beat cream in a bowl till smooth and fluffy. Set aside
Separate the egg whites and yolk and beat them well. Then add the beaten egg yolks into the melted butter and cocoa powder and gently fold. Take ground sugar and add in it.
Fold the beaten whites into the cream.
Now gently fold the chocolate mixture into the cream, be careful not to use the beater or whisk, this has to be gently folded till all the ingredients blend together.
Leave it in the fridge over night and let it set. Enjoy the recipe and let me know if tasted alright. 
You can put chocolate chips, chocolate flakes or shavings, walnuts, crushed kitkat, a cherry or anything you like on top of your mousse. You can even layer it with sponge cake and cream as well. It’s simple yet delicious!
As they say 😉
Signing off
Sonya Ali
Recipe: Shawarma
Posted on November 30, 2016
Hey everyone! Our food expert has something special for you all today. Something that is loved very much in Middle East and parts of South Asia. Yes! She is bringing you the classic shawarma.
(Please note that all her recipes are tried and tested so you can be sure of the taste)
Let’s get started 🙂
You will need:
Chicken 1 kg boneless
Salt: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1tsp
Red chilli flakes: 1/2 tsp
Black pepper: 1/4 tsp
White vinegar: 2 tsp
Oil: 1/2 tsp
Method:
Mix all ingredients well with chicken (cut into cubes) and set aside for 30 minutes for all the flavors to blend in well. Then take a wok, fry the chicken till its nice and tender.
While your chicken is soaking up the flavors, its best to get your salad ready for filling, here is what you will need:
Cucumber: 1
Orange carrot: 1
Vinegar for dipping.
Cut the cucumber n carrot into thin slices and soak in vinegar for a while.
Now for the mayo sauce:
Egg: 1 large
Garlic clove: 1 piece
Green chilli: 1
White vinegar: 1/2 tsp
Black pepper: 1/4 tsp
Chinese salt: 1/4 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Sugar: 1/4 tsp
Oil : 1 cup
Method:
Put all ingredients into a blender and blend well. When the ingredients form a thick paste, slowly add in the oil making sure that it helps the mixture get thick and fluffy. Turn off the blender, your paste is now ready for the shawarma.
Now there are two ways of serving this classic, much loved shawarma. Take pita bread and spread the paste evenly over it. Now mix the chicken with vinegar-dipped cucumber and carrots and roll it all up nicely. Make sure you have butter paper with you to wrap it up before you can enjoy it.
Another way of eating it is in the form of a shawarma platter. Take chicken, cucumber, carrots and mix them all well. Take a dish and lay out the chicken along with Pita bread cut into halves. Serve the paste with it to bring out the flavors. For those of you who enjoy the flavor of garlic can add a bit more to the paste and please your taste buds.
Hope you guys like it!
Regards
Anum Sohail
Let’s introduce you to our food expert!
Posted on November 22, 2016
Hey my angels! The Autumn season just flew by. We have already stepped into winters and the best way to enjoy this season is to treat yourselves to mouthwatering food. I believe food should always be served steaming hot. Which brings us to an introduction of course.
From this month on wards we bring you Ms.Anum Sohail who is a stay-at-home mom of two beautiful daughters. She is passionate about food and loves cooking. She is known amongst her friends for bringing out flavor be it cooking or baking. She loves experimenting with ingredients, being as innovative and creative as possible.
She is joining our team and will bring you stunning dishes and recipes you would want to try at home. Be sure to watch out this space for more.
Love,
W&S
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