Menu # 3
At times, we like to keep our meals really light (or I feel
really really lazy) and if I really want to take an extreme shortcut, I resort
to serving boiled corn, porridge or some such rubbish.
From time to time, I
actually make a teensy weensy bit of an effort and make soup, salad meals and
end them with a light dessert. Here’s
the first combination (a few more will follow soon):
3a) Onion Soup (Main/Starter)
Ingredients Per serving:
1 Cup sliced Onion rings (roughly ½ cm wide)
1 Soup cube
2 tsp flour (maida)
1 cup water
2 tbsp milk/cream (optional)
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp butter
Heat the
oil, lower the heat to keep the oil from smoking and then add the sliced
onions, toss around to ensure each ring of onion is coated in oil. Cook over
slow fire, stirring once in a while, till all the onion is completely soft and wilted.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions and add the butter, stir
till flour is evenly distributed. Add water and soup cube and bring to boil on
high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least another 10 minutes. Add milk
or cream if using.
Add salt if need be; serve with freshly ground pepper to
taste.
Variations: A
combination of leek and onion can be used instead of just onions – ½ and ½
A
combination of spring onions and regular onions (1/4 spring onions)
A
combination of white and red onions.
Tip:
if cutting rings is too tough, slice the onion into half lengthways and
then cut into slices widthways - to form semi circular slices.
Sometimes,
I add a well mashed potato or dried potato flakes (the type you get to make
mashed potatoes with) instead of the flour.
The salad
that I would go with is Oriental Salad, it is as delicious as it is easy to
make and is most certainly a bit different from the usual dressings we use. Furthermore,
it appeals to the Indian palat.
3b) Oriental Salad (Side/Support)
Ingredients for dressing:
2 tbsp extra
virgin olive oil
4 cloves of
garlic, grated
½ inch piece
ginger, grated
½ tsp red chilli
flakes
Juice of
half a lemon
Salt to
taste (you can substitute this with a splash of Soy Sauce)
A small
sized empty bottle or container with a tight lid
Ingredients
for Salad (All or some can be used):
Any sort of
crisp vegetables such as:
Cucumber
Lettuce
Cabbage
Carrots
Tomato
Rice Noodles
Cooked
Prawns
Shredded
Chicken (cooked)
Any sort of
Cold cuts
Method:
Pour the olive oil into the bottle or
container, add all the remaining ingredients.
Put the lid
on and ensure its shut tightly. Shake it vigorously and it’s ready.
Refrigerate
for at least 30 minutes.
This dressing
keeps for about 15 days in the fridge – I would substitute light vinegar for
the lemon juice if I were planning to store it. One can reduce or increase the
quantity of garlic and ginger, based on personal preference.
Since the
preparation of the main and supporting dish are so easy, I would recommend keeping
it that way and serving a fuss free dessert with store bought vanilla ice cream
and serving it with a homemade caramel sauce:
3c) Caramel Sauce for Ice
Cream (Dessert)
Ingredients:
1 ½ tbsp
sugar
1 tbsp butter
½ cup warm
milk
Take a heavy
based pan, place and spread the sugar as evenly as you can on the base of the
pan.
Watch the
sugar, DO NOT stir the sugar, and wait for it to melt and reach a golden brown.
Lower the heat.
Add the
butter at once to prevent further caramalisation. Stir as you pour in the warm milk.
Add to vanilla
ice cream and yummmm!
I usually
add some chopped walnut and how I arrange it is:
I take a
whiskey glass, put a scoop of ice cream, pour some of the warm sauce over and sprinkle
some chopped walnuts, add another very generous scoop of ice cream, top with
sauce and walnuts.
