Why Eat Figs

 Figs are native to the Middle East and were one of the first fruits ever to be cultivated.  I’ve grown figs in my garden in Hertfordshire in England for some years, inspite of the lack of sun! This year we’ve had a particularly good harvest.

They tend to be more popular in their dried form because fresh figs are very delicate and tend to deteriorate quickly. When choosing fresh figs, select those which are plump and tender, have a rich, deep colour, are free from bruises and are not mushy. Ripe figs should not be washed until ready to eat and should be kept covered and refrigerated, where they will remain fresh for approximately two days. Unripe figs should be kept at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.

 Health Benefits

 Figs are excellent for healthy bowel function due to the high levels of fibre. Figs are amongst the most highly alkaline foods, making them useful in balancing the pH of the body especially if you generally high in acidity and need to take antacids – then you should eat figs. They are a good source of potassium, important in helping to regulate blood pressure.

10 Tips for Incorporating Figs in your Diet

1. Eat dries figs as a healthy energy snack. For extra flavour and nutrients, stuff them with nuts and a little honey.
2. Add figs to baked goods such as muffins, cakes and muesli bars.
3. Add dried or fresh figs to porridge, oatmeal or breakfast cereals.
4. Stew dried figs in fruit juice with other dried fruits to make a delicious fruit salad. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg before serving
5. Poach figs in red wine or fruit juice and serve with Greek yogurt or crème fraiche.
6. Add quartered fresh figs to a salad of fennel, rocket and parmesan cheese.
7. Stuff fresh figs with goat’s cheese and chopped almonds and serve as an appetizer or dessert.
8. Make fig butter by boiling dried figs in fruit juice until soft. When all the liquid has been absorbed, place the mixture in a food processor and blend until smooth. Use to spread on rice cakes, toast or crackers.
9. Add chopped fresh figs to rice, quinoa or couscous dishes.
10. Make a fig tart by grinding two handfuls of walnuts in a food processor. Add one packet of dried figs, 1/2 packet raisins, 200ml apple juice, 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, 2 tablespoons honey and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Process until the mixture is the texture of a sticky paste. Press into a pastry case and bake at a medium heat for 35 minutes.

 Wittenby Kumud Gandhi – Food devotee, writer & broadcaster, Founder of The Cooking Academy  A cookery school that puts healthy ingredients at the heart of everything they teach.  For further information go to www.thecookingacademy.co.uk or contact Kumud Gandhi at kumud@thecookingacademy.co.uk.

Thai Noodle Salad

I make this dish regularly for my family – it’s a lovely simple salad with some carbs, there’s barely any cooking and I add Tofu or Tiger prawns depending on whose eating it. 

Thai noodle salad  

serves 4

 Ingredients

200g/7oz thin rice noodles

Small bunch fresh corriander (cilantro)

2 tomatoes, seeded and sliced into 8 segments

130g/4½ oz baby corn cobs, sliced into ¼ length ways

4 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced

1 red (bell) pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

2 small fresh green chillies, seeded and finely chopped

2 tsp (12g) granulated sugar

75g peanuts, toasted and chopped

Salt to taste

30ml/2 tbsp soy sauce

 Method: 

1. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Remove from the heat.
2. Snap the noodles into short legths, add to the pan and blanch for 8-10  minutes. Drain, then rinse under cold water and drain and squeeze out any excess water.
3. Set aside a few coriander leaves for the garnish. Chop the remaining leaves and place them in a large serving bowl.
4. Add the noodles to the bowl, with the tomato slices, corn cobs, spring onions, red pepper, lime juice, chillies, sugar and toasted peanuts. Season with the soy sauce, then taste and add a little salt to taste.
5. Toss the salad lightly but thoroughly then garnish with the reserved coriander leaves and serve immediately.
6. Serve as a starter or a main course side dish.

 Cooks tips1: Add tofu or prawns if you wished to serve as a main course dish

 Recipe by Kumud Gandhi – Writer, Broadcaster and founder of The Cooking Academy – Cookery school in London and Hertfordshire. This recipe is covered in our Thai cookery classes

Thai Fish Kebabs    

I love this recipe, its really simple and no guilty pleasures, it’s all good.  It’s a great way of eating simple fish made tasty.  It also looks like fine dining food so it’s a fabulous dish if you’re entertaining and of course for BBQ’s.  But BBQ’s are a sore subject at the moment.  Loads of recipes, just no sunshine   .   Have a go and tell me how you get on and post me your pictures of the dish.

 Ingredients

 250g raw cod fillets cut into chunks (or any white fish or prawns)

3 lime leaves finely chopped

1 tbsp Green curry paste

½ egg

1 tbsp fish sauce

½ tsp sugar

1 tbsp plain flour (or corn flour)

1 large handful coriander leaves

60g French beans or sugar snap peas cut into

thin slices (julienne)

8 skewers

 Cooking Instructions  

 Place the fish, egg, sugar, fish sauce and red Thai curry paste into the processor and blitz for 10-15 seconds, and turn out into a bowl.

 Now add the lime leaves, coriander and flour and mix together. 

 Finally add the French beans or sugar snaps and mix well and divide into 10 balls.   

 Now roll into a sausage shape about 3.5 inches long, dab your finger in a little water to be able to work with the mixture and then push onto a sturdy skewer leaving at least 2/3 inches at the end to be able to pick up and handle. 

 Place on a foiled baking tray and cook at 180º Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes. 

 When cooked and ready to serve, garnish with fresh limes cut into quarters and a little chopped coriander. 

 Recipe by Kumud Gandhi, Food writer and broadcaster – Founder of The Cooking Academy – Home of Asian cookery classes – all things healthy and nutritious.

Pork on Lemongrass Skewers – Recipe of the week

Pork skewers on Lemongrass

The sun promises to shine tomorrow Tuesday 2nd day of August and if you’re looking for a mid week treat that smacks of outdoor eating,  then this recipe is for you!  It really is very simple and healthly as well.  Use extra lean pork mince, the mixture sticks pretty well to the lemongrass so you won’t need any excess fat to bind the mince. 

Serve with a sweet chilli dipping sauce or make the cucumber and chili dipping sauce from our Thai Cookery class

Pork and Lemongrass Skewers

 Serves 4

 Ingredients:

300gms pork mince

3 tsp garlic

2 tsp galangal or ginger

2 tbsp fresh coriander

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

8 lemongrass stalks (4 inch long)

 Cooking Instructions:

1)     Place pork, garlic, galangal, coriander, sugar and sauces in a bowl and mix.

2)     Divide into 8 portions and mould each one into a ball.

3)     Trim about a 1/3 off the top of the lemongrass sticks.

4)     Stick a length of lemongrass into each ball and press the mixture around the lemongrass in an oblong shape.

5)     Grill the sticks for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side

 Cooks Hint 1: Dampening your hands with a bit of oil before moulding the mix will help stop it sticking to you

Serving Tip: serve with sweet and sour sauce

Enjoy

A great Granola recipe

It’s hot and sticky today, not exactly granola weather but the jar has been empty for weeks and that makes me derelict of my duty as a mother, as far as my children are concerned.  The recipe and instruction are simple for something that is rather yummy, as a breakfast or just as a little snack in the day.   I enjoy this granola with some on natural set Onken yoghurt, anytime of day, its very filling so whilst you might be tempted to go back for more – it will keep you full for a very long time.  Also the ingredients are mainly full of super foods so its power packed.  

I thought I would share this recipe with you – as you know I’m not want to keep food secrets to myself, I want you all to be super healthy, it is already on my Kumud Gandhi blog which some of you may not be familar with so I’ve decided to put it onto Cooking Academy site.  

Ingredients

 100g butter

6 tbsp agave syrup or Golden Syrup

350g Oats

50g sunflower seeds

50g pumpkin seeds

100g chopped dried apricots

75g roughly chopped walnuts

75 roughly chopped almonds

75g dried cranberries

100g golden linseed or flaxseeds if you’re in the US

50g sultanas or raisins

 Preparation

Mix all the dry ingredients together.  Melt the butter and agave syrup in a pan over a low heat.  Once the butter has melted and the syrup is mixed together, combine with the dry ingredients and mix well.  Spread out onto a baking tray , and bake for 20 minutes at 160c.  Stir once half way through.  Allow to cool before storing.

Eat – regularly to maintain a great body eco system – but most all enjoy with some onken natural set yoghurt.

Kumud Gandhi – Found of The Cooking Academy

My Frangrant Fish

Well this is without question my recipe of the month, but may become the recipe of the year!! To die for, After a salad I’m usually left still longing for something else… but this one has hit the note. I made this dish with a beautiful bit a Sea bass because the Waitrose fish counter didn’t have any Red Mullet!!!! tut tut! However it worked and I suspect the red mullet might have been a little firmer.

i did take a picture of this dish – butits on the clip board on my camera and i don’t know how to save it to the dark disk of my PC!!  any tips welcome.

If you make this dish for a dinner party I think you’d win the £1000 prize money!! and if you follow my blog, you’ll have a complete menu set!!!

Fragrant Fish Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:
350 g red mullet
2 gem lettuces
1 mango, peeled and sliced
½ red pepper, thinly sliced
8 Baby plum tomatoes sliced into half
½ small cucumber, cut into cubes
3 spring onions, sliced diagonally 1 cm
Fish Marinade:
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp green or red chilli
1 tsp garlic
2 tbsp vegetable oil
¼ tsp salt
Dressing:
2 tbsp creamed coconut
1.5 tbsp boiling water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Juice and zest of a lime
1 red chilli, chopped
1 tsp sugar
Handful coriander, chopped
Mint Leaves

Cooking Instructions :
1)Cut fish into strips.
2)Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl and add fish. Set aside and leave to marinate in a cool place for 20 minutes.
3)Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.
4)Wash and dry lettuce leaves. Arrange in a bowl with mango, pitaya, tomato, cucumber, red pepper and spring onions.
5)Add dressing and toss well.
6)Heat a non stick frying pan and add fish. Cook gently turning once.
7)Add fish to salad and serve immediately.
8)Garnish with mint leaves.

Made with love so Enjoy!

Witten by Kumud Gandhi – Food devotee, writer & broadcaster, Founder of The Cooking Academy A cookery school that puts healthy ingredients at the heart of everything they teach. For further information go to www.thecookingacademy.co.uk or contact Kumud Gandhi at kumud@thecookingacademy.co.uk.

Relaxing Mint Food Scrub  - Healing for tired feet

If your feet are feeling a bit rough and tired at the end of long day or just looking a bit shabby then then  foot scrub treatment has got your name all over it.  Mint is well known for its healing properties both internally and for external application.  The menthol properties will invigorate and leave your feet feeling rejuvenated.  Mint also has anti-bacterial properties and it analgesic values will provide pain relief to tired and sore feet. 

 This mint scrub can also be used to treat muscle cramps and aches so if your legs need a bit of a lift then its all in this scrub. 

 Ingredients

 250 ml natural yoghurt

125g course salt

100g fresh mint leaves pounded dwon in a mortor and pestal

 Instructions

 Mix together all the ingredients and allow to stand for 10 minutes for the mint and the salt to activate together. 

 Apply to the feet and rub gently – scubbing where necessary on the rough areas.  Take your taime over each foot as this blend is very calming on the foot and the nerves senses. 

 Rinse off and pat your feet dry and moisturise as normal

 Now rub your feet together and smile! 

 Witten by Kumud Gandhi – Food devotee, writer & broadcaster, Founder of The Cooking Academy  A cookery school that puts healthy ingredients at the heart of everything they teach.  For further information go to www.thecookingacademy.co.uk or contact Kumud Gandhi at kumud@thecookingacademy.co.uk.

Just created this new mustard dressing whilst tinkering with lemon zest and wholegrain mustard for a Birthday BBQ for hubby’s birthday on Saturday. 

I put it together with a halloumi and pea salad but this dressing works with any salad to be honest becasue the left overovers having been working with every meal since. 

As always let me know how you get on – its going to get in my ‘must include in my book material’ which is an ever increasing thick wedge.

Mustard & Lemon dressing

 Serves 4

 Ingredients:

100 ml olive oil

2 tbsp cider vinegar

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp Wholegrain mustard

1 tbsp of Agave syrup or Jaggery or brown sugar

 Instructions:

1. Place all the ingredients for the dressing into a sterilized glass jar.
2. shake well and set aside to rest for 15 minutes
3. Give it another good shake and serve.
4. Enjoy

Kumud Gandhi – Food Devotee and founder of The Cooking Academy – A cookery school that puts healthy ingredients at the heart of everything it teaches.

 For further information on diets and nutrition contact Kumud on kumud@thecookingacademy.co.uk   For more information about her Cookery Classes or food consultancy, please contact www.thecookingacademy.co.uk or call on 01923 778880

Its National Vegetarian Week and Spinach is in season so I can’t think think of a better way of cooking spinach to optimise it’s wonderful nutritional content than in this recipe.  Its soulmate here is beetroot and tomatoes (vitamin C) to ensure the iron from the spinach is absorbed into the body.  Its peppered with a delicate blend of spices, a light chilli and coriander seed mix.    This is one of the recipes we cover in our Advanced Indian cookery class here at The Cooking Academy. 

Spinach or Red Chard & Beetroot with Coriander 

 250g Red Chard or Baby/young spinach leaves

80g Beetroot cut into julienne strips if red chard is not available

1 tsp Coriander seeds – Roughly milled

1 dried chilli Red chilli

2 tsp Garlic  

½ tsp Turmeric

½ tsp Salt

30g Red skinned peanuts roasted and roughly chopped

1 tbsp Vegetable oil

1 medium finely chopped onion

2 small tomatoes

 Cooking Instructions

 Lightly roast the coriander seeds and the whole chilli for a few minutes either in a wok in an oven.  Crush them in a pestle and mortar and then set aside.  

Roast the red skinned peanuts separately and when cooled crush them a little and blow away the excess skin shells, set this aside.  

Heat the oil in a deep pan or wok and add the crushes chilli and coriander sizzle for 30 seconds or until you smell the gentle aroma.  Add the chopped garlic and onions and cook until lightly golden brown for approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Now add the turmeric, salt and tomatoes, stir in to blend the colours and then add 1^st the beetroot and then a minute later the spinach.  Now, gently fold the spinach into the onion and spice mixture, turn the spinach over to take heat from the base of the pan, but careful not to over cook it or allow the moisture to release from the spinach.  

Just as the spinach is beginning to wilt – remove from the heat and sprinkle the peanuts, toss gently and serve immediately.

Recipe created by Kumud Gandhi – Founder of The Cooking Academy.

This is is very popular Chicken dish favoured by The Saffron House clients.  It really is quite simple to make and versatile as you can make the chicken with out the sauce base and  serve an a starter, a canapé or BBQ dish.  Its tastes very good cold as well for a picnic.  let me know how you get on !

Spicy Coconut Chicken

by Kumud Gandhi

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

Place all the marinade ingredients except the chicken into the bowl and mix well so that the spices blend into each other, taste.  Add the chicken and rub the marinade in to each piece.  Side aside for 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready to make the chicken – remove from the fridge an hour earlier, Place the chicken on an oven tray with some depth and cook for 25 minutes at 180 degrees.

Whilst the chicken is in the oven, Heat the oil in a deep pan and add the finely chopped onions and caramelise slowly into a golden brown colour.  This should take about 20 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger and mix through for 1 minute to allow the aroma to infuse the onions.  Now add the turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, red chilli powder, salt, jaggery, stock cube and fresh coriander and stir into the onions and allow the flavour to develop for a few minutes.  Now add the coconut milk and stir through to integrate – cook for 2 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken and any water or sauces from the chicken tray mix to the sauce base, mix well and simmer for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle a little fresh coriander to garnish and serve at once.