Next up...

It's time to sit down and plan the next adventure, but where am i to go you ask?

Well adding Iceland to the mix

1. Morocco

2. Egypt

3. Canada

4. Iceland

5. Cuba

6. Thailand

i rolled the dice and ... drum roll please.....
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CUBA here i come!!!! Can't wait :-)

India - You rock!

If you ever have the time, then get yourself to India. My latest adventure was wonderful experience. A mix of hot and spicy with cool, creamy and refreshing what more could you want J

Enjoy the ratings and video J

Preparation time: (how long does it really take?)
Roti/Chipati – 25 minutes – Making the dough is very simple –mix flour and water, but the time is taken in the cooking – you have to heat up the pan and then cook each Chipati individually, turning them etc…
Rogan Josh – 15 minutes - if you cheat like we did J – we used a pre made Rogan Josh sauce so preparation was simply cubing and browning the lamb and cutting up the capsicum, then adding a few spices and herbs.  
Butter Chicken – 10 minutes - if you cheat like we did J – we used a pre made Butter Chicken sauce so once again preparation was simply cubing and browning the chicken breast before adding the sauce.  

Mango Kulfi – 10 minutes – the time consuming parts are beating the cream and pureeing the mango. Once that is done simply mix it all together and place it in the freezer.

Balushahi – Hard to say - We had some fun with this one (see the video). Our Balushahi didn’t exactly turn out as we planned. We followed the recipe we had and all was looking good, but after we placed them into the oil they disintegrated L  So rather than give up we make took out dough and made biscuits – Not very traditional, but we weren’t going to waste food.

Ease to cook: (what does it involve?)

Roti/Chipati – A really easy thing to make. Just mix flour and water then cook on a hot plate.

Rogan Josh – As you know we cheated a little J – Using a pre made Rogan Josh sauce  all we had to do was cube and browning the lamb then add the sauce along with the capsicum, chilli and garlic.  

Butter Chicken – Like the Rogan Josh we cheated again and used a pre made Butter Chicken sauce. Made life easier as all we had to do was brown the cubed chicken breast before adding the sauce and a little coconut milk.  

Mango Kulfi – This is soooooo easy. Beat cream, puree mangos, mix together with condensed milk and freeze.

Balushahi – this is not hard to do (just make sure the recipe you use is a good one) Doesn’t take very long to make the dough and roll the Balushahi then deep fry. Unfortunately our recipe wasn’t the best so it wasn’t as easy to cook for us.

Overall: (i'll use a scale of empty bowls - 5 empty bowls is the best - 1 empty bowl not the best J)
Roti/Chipati – 3 empty bowls – On its own it’s a bit like eating cardboard, but when you mix it with the main dishes it blends well.

Rogan Josh – 5 empty bowls – A pleasure to eat – the lamb, mixed with the spices is a treat. Well worth a try.

Butter Chicken – 4 empty bowls – A very creamy dish it was enjoyed by everyone. Bit to creamy for me, but still a pleasure to eat.

Mango Kulfi – 1 000 000 empty bowls – this dish was pure heaven to eat. The ice-cream was creamy and the mango just gave it that something that made it out of this world. Definitely a real winner.

Balushahi – N/A empty bowls – unfortunately I can’t comment on this as the Balushahi we made didn’t turn out as planned. The biscuits turned out well and are nice with a cup of milk or coffee.

As always I have documented the adventure with pictures and building on introduction of using the video feature I have taken it a step further to add to you viewing pleasure. Hope you enjoy the touch of Bollywood ;-)

As for the next destination all I will say at the moment is stay tuned J

Until then as they say in India -  जान है तो जहान है (Jaan hai to Jahan Ha) - (If) there's life, then there's the world.

Let's eat!

मेरे साथी यात्रियों हैलो (Hello my fellow travellers)

My Indian menu has been decided.

To kick the night off i'll be attempting:

Roti/Chipati - flat bread



Rogan Josh



Butter Chicken



and for dessert:

Mango Kulfi - Mango ice-cream



Balushahi - Indian doughnuts



Sounds good on paper and looks fantastic in the pictures. Can't wait! :-)

In the meantime why not brush up on a few simple phrases to help get you around India.

Here's a list of common words, phrases and sentences in major Indian languages - Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada - translated into English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Arabic and Cantonese. Knowing these can prove very useful for people visiting India.

English Hindi Bengali Marathi Yes Ha Ha Hoye/ Ho No Nahi Na Nako Thank You Dhanyavaad Dhanyabad Dhanyavaad Thank you very much Aapakaa bahut bahut dhanyavaad Tomake onek dhanyabad Tumcha Khup Dhanyavaad You're welcome Aapakaa svaagat hai Swagatam Suswagatam Please Kripyaa Anugrah kore Krupya Excuse me Shamma kare Maaf korben Maaf Kara Hello Namaste Nomoskar Namaskar Goodbye Alavidha (namaste) Accha - Aashi Accha Yetho So long Phir milengay Abar dekha hobe Evada ved Good morning Shubha prabhaat Suprovat Suprabhat Good afternoon Namaste Subha aparannah Namaskar Good evening Namaste Subha sandhya Namaskar Good night Shubha raatri Subha ratri Shubh Ratri I do not understand Mai nahii samajta hu Ami bujhte parchi na Mala samjat nahi How do you say this in [English]? Aap ise angrezi mei kaise bolengay? Apni eta engraji te ki bolben? Heey engraji madhye Kase mhanaiche? Do you speak ... Kyaa aap...bolate hain? Apni ki bolte paren? Tumhi ...boltat? English Angrejii Engraji Engraji French Phransisi Pharasi Phransisi German German Germani German Spanish Spanish Spanish Spanish Chinese Cheeni Chinese Cheeni I Mai Aami Me We Hum Amra Aamhi You (singular) Tum Tumi Tu You (formal) Aap Apni Tumhi You (plural) Aap sab Tomra/Apnara Tumhi They Vo sab Onara Thyani / Tey What is your name? Aapka naam kya hai? Aapnar naam ki? Tumche nav kai aahe? Nice to meet you. Aapse milkar khushii huyii Aapnar sathe dekha kore bhalo laglo Tumhala bhetun anand Jhala How are you? Aap kaise hai? Apni kemon achen? Tumhi kashe ahat? Good Achchhey Bhalo Chaangle Bad Buray Baaje/Kharap Wayit So so Thik thak Motamuti Thik Thak Wife Patni Sthree/Bou Baiko Husband Pati Swami/Bor Navra Daughter Beti Kannya/Meye Mulgi Son Beta Putra/Chele Mulga Mother Mataji Maa Aei Father Pitaji Baba Vadil Friend Dost, mitra Bondhu Mitr

It's time to set flight again

Well with Christmas over for another year - i hope everyone had a great day - it's time to set flight and visit another country.

A friend of mine – Tegan – suggested I visit Thailand so not to be one to disappoint I added it to my list.

1. Morocco

2. Egypt

3. Canada

4. India

5. Cuba

6. Thailand

So with the list complete i rolled the dice and my tastebuds and I are off to………………………

INDIA!!!!!!

With a population of 1,189,172,906 I am very excited to see what dishes I can find. I'm thinking there might be just a few to choose from. As always I always welcome suggestions. So if you have a dish that you think is spot on please post J

France - c'est magnifique!

Another meal down and another fabulous experience.

Experiencing French food is truly a pleasure – not that I even scratched the surface LOL. The smells in the kitchen when you cook are mouth-watering and the combination of the flavours is exquisite. I am very keen to explore more French dishes.

Once again I took my family along on the adventure and going by the number of empty plates I think my cooking was enjoyed.

So without further adieu  let’s get rating J

Preparation time: (how long does it really take?)

Coq au Vin - 25 minutes to prepare – then about an 70 to 90 minutes to cook – The recipe I used saw me cook the mushrooms separately so you will need to factor that in. The mushrooms take only a few minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook – you add them in after the chicken has cooked for around 1 hour.

Tartiflette - 20 minutes to prepare – then about an 25 minutes to cook – depending on how you wish to cook you potatoes before combining the ingredients your preparation time might vary. I used the microwave to help soften the potatoes so for me it was quick.

Mousse au chocolat - 25 minutes to prepare – then a couple of hours to chill in the fridge – Again using the microwave to melt the chocolate will speed up your prep time.

Ease to cook: (what does it involve?)
Coq au Vin – You do need to spend a little time to soften the onions and brown the chicken, but once you have done that it is simply a case of adding the remaining ingredients, setting it to simmer and sitting back to enjoy the smells that will fill the kitchen. This is also a great recipe for a slow cooker so if you have 8 hours up your sleeve before serving than cooking this will be a breeze.

Tartiflette – Apart from softening the potatoes and warming the onions and bacon the only hassle with this dish comes in combining the ingredients. Set aside 5-10 minutes to layer everything together.

Mousse au chocolat – A few things to do here – melt chocolate, separate eggs, beat egg whites, mix chocolate and egg yolks, fold ingredients together - but well worth it and not too time consuming

Overall: (i'll use a scale of empty bowls - 5 empty bowls is the best - 1 empty bowl not the best J)

Coq au Vin – 5 empty bowls – this dish was a joy to eat. The meat falls of the bone and when combined with the spices and flavours produced from the onion, mushrooms and wine your taste buds will think they have died and gone to heaven.

Tartiflette – 5 empty bowls – I have had a few variations on potato bake in my life, but this was simple, filling and didn’t leave you feeling like you had swallowed a bottle of cream.  Potato can be bland, but the white wine combined with the onion ensures isn’t. The cheese layered across the top is also a winner for me and something I will use again. It provided a wonderful flavour and does a great job of holding the potato together when serving.  I definitely recommend you give this one a go – you won’t regret it.

Mousse au chocolat – 3.5 empty bowls –  you usually can’t go wrong with chocolate, but when you start mixing in raw egg things get interesting. The taste was spot on, but my trouble lay in the setting of the mouse. Unfortunately after 2 hours in the fridge my mousse had not set as hard as I would have liked – not sure if I had not left enough time or if I had missed something, but having said that I will continue to investigate more recipes and practice to find a recipe that will do that trick.

So with that said I wish you all a merry Christmas – may it be safe and happy – I hope Santa finds you all easily enough  – I am trying something a little different from the norm... I decided rather than posting individual pictures for you all I have collated them into a video. Hope you enjoy :-) (If you prefer photos let me know and I can add them)

And for those who are on the edge of their seats waiting to find out where I’m going next my next destination will be decided on Boxing day (26 Dec) J

I'm back and ready for a French festival of food!

It has been a long time between meals - unfortunately things, as they do, happened and the French trip was placed on the back burner. But having said that all is good again in the world and so it is time to pack the bags, dust off the cutlery and get back into the adventure :-)

With the help of friends i have managed to whittle down the huge selection of culinary delights down to the following:

Coq au Vin - chicken marinated and cooked in wine.

Tartiflette - A hearty dish of potatoes, bacon, white wine and reblochon cheese.

and for dessert

Mousse au chocolat - aka chocolate mousse.

So with the menu taken care of it is just a matter of sourcing the ingredients ready for Friday night.

Sounds delicious and i look forward to sharing the outcome with you all.

Until then 'feast' on the dishes that i had to choose from:

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Easy Appetizer Recipes There are many, many easy French recipes for appetizers. Here you will find some classics like tapenade, eggplant caviar, and that wonderful hot appetizer popular around the world: baked brie en croute.

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Sauce Recipes Get started cooking with these classic sauces, such as beurre blanc, bearnaise, hollandaise, soubise, rémoulade, and aioli might stand on their own or be part of a recipe. Dessert sauces are included too.

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French Entrees In France, the starter course is called an entrée. It is an essential step in most dinners, even the most casual. Learn how to make, present, and serve entrees in balance with the rest of your meal.

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Easy Salad Recipes Many of these easy French recipes can serve either as a starter or be made in a larger quantity and eaten as a main course. Serve these with a baguette like they do here in France.

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Easy Soup Recipes Here you will onion soup of course, but also crème du Barry, carrot, potage Saint Germain, potato leek and others. Some of these might be served as a starter course, but there are also soups that can be served as the main dish.

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Easy Vegetable Recipes The key to these easy vegetable dishes (and all French food for that matter) is to start with the absolute tastiest vegetables you can get your hands on. Cook what is in season and feature them in one of these easy dishes.

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French Seafood Recipes These seafood and fish dishes feature mussels, salmon, scallops and more. You will find them used to make gratins, papillotes, and chowders, as well as in simpler preparations: poached, baked and fried.

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French Chicken Recipes Like many places in the world, chicken is a very popular meat in France. Learn how to make such classics as chicken cordon bleu, chicken marengo, and chicken Dijon.

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Easy Beef Recipes Find easy recipes for French food classics like boeuf Bourguignon, boeuf aux carottes, daube, and hachis Parmentier. These all make great main dishes.

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Easy Pork Recipes Pork is a very popular meat in France. It gets made into an incredible array of sausages, and pork chops, loins, and tenderloins are used all the time. Find some easy ways to fix these meats.

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Quiche Recipes Presenting the incredibly versatile quiche. You will find the classic quiche Lorraine, but also spinach, broccoli, cheese, crab, salmon and zucchini. Quiche makes the perfect food a starter course, main meal, or for taking on picnics and to potlucks.

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Fruit Dessert Recipes Fruit gets top billing in many desserts in France. By starting with peak seasonal produce, and making these simple tarts, mousses, and cakes, you will be sure to please yourself and others.

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French Cake Recipes These include classic cakes, such as a baba au rhum, moelleux au chocolat, and a galette de rois. I am not a big fan of washing a half dozen mixing bowls and spending hours in the kitchen, so these are quick and easy cakes.

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French Dessert Recipes Here you will find those desserts that are not a cake, cookie or pastry. Petits pots de creme, creme caramel, and lots more. Think chocolate and cream.

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Crepe Recipes Learn some tips that will make crepes an easy and fun project. In France, crepes are made into all sorts of yummy treats - both sweet and savory.

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French Pastry Recipes Learn the basic preparations that go into making a variety of pastries, including choux, pâte brisée, pastry cream and other essential ingredients. Some of these may be a little harder, but I have tried to give detailed instructions.

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French Cookie Recipes These might seem a bit elaborate, but I have stuck to the simple ones. Try chouquettes, madeleines, meringues and more.

Je vais à la france :-)

Well as promised it was time to late fate decide the next destination.

Adding Canada to the list (Bec you'll be pleased) :-)

1.Morocco

2. Egypt

3. Canada

4. India

5. Cuba

6. France

the dice was rolled and the winner was.......

FRANCE!!!!

As always love to hear your recipe ideas so start sending them through :-)

Until next time

Au revoir mon ami :-)