Hello August! Can you believe we are heading towards the end of the year already?
On 9 August, we celebrate National Women’s Day.
To kick off Women’s Month, I am dedicating this week to a strong, amazing and inspiring woman and one of my favourite foodies, Cariema Isaacs.
Born and bred in Schotsche Kloof in the Bo-Kaap, she now resides in Dubai.
She is an author, recipe developer, food stylist, blogger, chef in culinary arts, marketing graduate and so much more.
Having an immense amount of knowledge in different flavours and foods from around the world, it’s great to see her strong Cape Malay heritage still shining through so beautifully in all her dishes.
I admire her work, her writing, her dishes and her zest for life.
Cariema has given inspiration to foodies all around the world.
She writes from the heart and each of her recipes tells an amazing story.
You can feel the love in her words and I certainly taste it in each dish I’ve recreated of hers.
Her first cookbook was published in 2016, called Cooking for my father in My Cape Malay Kitchen.
She has also written Spice Odyssey. Her latest release, Curried, celebrates the most versatile dish globally – the much loved curry.
This week one lucky reader will stand a chance to win a copy of Curried to create a little magic in your own kitchen.
I am also sharing some of Cariema’s much loved recipes for you to enjoy.
To stand a chance to win, SMS “Cooksister”, your name and surname to 33258.
SMS line closes on 4 August 2021 at midnight.
Terms and conditions apply.
Recipes
Chocolate Hazelnut Spoon Pudding
Cariema Isaacs @cariema.isaacs
Ingredients
4 eggs separated
150g dark chocolate
¾ cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
¼ cup sifted cake flour
¼ cup chopped hazelnuts
Pinch of salt
Method
Place the sugar, butter and chocolate in a glass bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water.
Stir until the butter and chocolate have melted.
Add the vanilla essence, stir this through and remove the mixture from the heat.
Add the flour and gently whisk it into the warm chocolate mixture.
Add the egg yolks, one by one and set the mixture aside.
In a separate bowl, whip egg whites with a pinch of salt until fluffy and smooth.
Fold the egg whites and hazelnuts into the chocolate mixture.
Place into an ovenproof, glass dish and bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven on 180 degrees
Allow to rest for just a few minutes and serve with soft, cold ice cream or whipped cream.
*You can substitute the flour and add 1/3 C (80 ml) ground almonds, to make this cake gluten free.
Thai Red Beef Stir-Fry Curry
Cariema Isaacs @cariema.isaacs
Ingredients
2 Tbsp (30 ml) peanut, coconut or canola oil
750 g fillet steak, thinly sliced into strips (use 1 tsp [5 ml] tenderizer and massage it into the beef strips)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) garlic and ginger paste
¼ C (60 ml) Thai red curry paste
2 small red onions, quartered
1 medium-size red pepper, seeded and portioned the same size as the onions
½ stalk lemongrass, ground soft and fluffy (this takes just a few seconds in a spice grinder or blender)
2–3 Thai lime leaves
1 medium-size marrow or 4 baby marrows, cubed
1 C (250 ml) sugar snap/snow peas, very roughly chopped
1 small bunch Thai asparagus, cut into 3 cm lengths (optional)
1 tsp (5 ml) fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste
1 C (250 ml) coconut cream
1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
Sliced red chillies and/or fresh coriander leaves, for garnishing
Method
Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan on medium to high heat.
Add the beef and stir-fry for 3 minutes, then remove from the wok and set aside on a plate.
Add the garlic, ginger and curry pastes to the wok and stir until the curry paste has rendered and all the ingredients are well incorporated. This takes 3–5 minutes.
Add the onions or shallots, red pepper, ground lemongrass and Thai lime leaves.
Keep on stirring the ingredients and then add the marrow, peas and asparagus (if using).
Add the fish sauce and lime juice and cook for another 1–2 minutes. Season with salt.
Return the beef strips to the wok and give this a good stir. Add both the coconut milk and cream, adjust the heat to high and cook for another 3 minutes or until the sauce is lush.
Garnish with slices of red chilli and/or coriander leaves and serve with noodles or steamed white jasmine rice.
TIP: The secret to a good stir-fried curry is the quality and cut of the beef. Most tender beef cuts, such as sirloin, rib-eye, top loin (strip) and tenderloin are ideal. I’ve used thinly sliced fillet steak, dusted lightly with a powdered tenderizer, which assists with the beef absorbing more curry flavour.
Carrot Halwa Pudding
Cariema Isaacs @cariema.isaacs
Ingredients
500 g (4–6) medium-size carrots, peeled, rinsed and grated
2 C (500 ml) full-cream milk
3 Tbsp (45 ml) ghee or clarified butter
¼ C (60 ml) flaked almonds
180 g white sugar
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) ground cardamom (or 3 large cardamom pods, husked and ground)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) flaked almonds, lightly toasted, for garnishing
Method
Place the grated carrots and milk in a medium-size saucepan on medium heat and simmer for 7–10 minutes.
Don’t be alarmed if the mixture appears as if it’s curdled, it’s perfectly ok. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Heat another medium-size pan on medium heat. Add the ghee and cook for about a minute until it is melted.
Add the flaked almonds and fry them until they have a deep golden brown appearance.
Transfer the cooked carrots and milk mixture to the pan with the fried almonds.
Add the sugar and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring intermittently to prevent scorching.
Simmer gently until all the moisture has evaporated.
The halwa is ready when the ghee begins to leave the sides of the pan and the colour of the mixture has transformed into an intense orange colour.
Lastly, stir in the cardamom powder.
Serve hot, with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and garnish with toasted flaked almonds.
TIP: Don’t be tempted to increase the quantity of sugar when you do a taste test while the halwa is hot, as your taste buds will not be able to judge the sweetness. Instead, scoop out a teaspoonful, cool it, taste it and then adjust the sugar to your individual taste.
Cape Malay Mutton Curry
Cariema Isaacs @cariema.isaacs
Ingredients
1 large onion
1/2 thumb of ginger, peeled
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 green chilli
6 curry leaves
1 Tbsp (15 ml) canola oil
1 tsp (5 ml) roasted masala
1 tsp (5 ml) kokni masala or Kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 Tbsp (7.5 ml) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 ml) turmeric
2 cardamom pods
2 small sticks of casual bark or cinnamon
700 g lamb pieces, preferably with the bone in
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice
Salt to taste
3C (ml) water
1 large ripe tomato, skinned and grated
1/2 x 410 g can whole Italian plum tomatoes
3 medium to large potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sugar
1/4 bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Method
Place the onion, ginger, garlic, chilli and curry leaves into a blender and pulse until finely chopped.
In medium sized pot, heat the oil and add the cardamom and cinnamon sticks until they become fragrant
Add the blended ingredients, as well as the ground spices and cook for 5 minutes (add a dash of water if the mixture seems too dry).
Add the meat and cook covered on medium heat for about 7 minutes.
In the same blender (no need to wash or rinse), blend the fresh, ripe tomato, tinned tomatoes and lemon juice until smooth.
Adjust the heat to high, add 2 cups of water and the tomato mixture to the cooked ingredients. Cook covered for 5 minutes.
Add the sugar and adjust the heat to medium and gently simmer 20 minutes.
Add the potatoes and the remaining cup of water, adjust the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Garnish with fresh, chopped coriander before serving with warm basmati rice and a refreshing sambal or chutney
Fish Curry
Cariema Isaacs @cariema.isaacs
Ingredients
4 to 6 medium fillets of Angel Fish
Also add the head and tail of the fish (cleaned and portioned)
2 Tbsp (30 ml) canola or sunflower oil
1 large or 2 medium sized onions, very finely chopped
1 large tomato, skinned
½ can of whole Italian tomatoes, finely blitz in a food processor with the one fresh tomato above – this creates that lush curry sauce when cooked
1 green chilli, split lengthwise or 1 tsp (5 ml) chilli paste - optional
6 curry leaves - optional
1 tsp (5 ml) brown mustard seeds – optional
2 Tbsp (30 ml) garlic and ginger paste
1 Tbsp (15 ml) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander
½ Tbsp (7.5 ml) roasted masala or curry powder
½ Tbsp (7.5 ml) seafood masala or leaf masala
½ tsp (2.5 ml) Kashmiri chili powder – this provides a pop of colour without the sting of a standard chili powder
1 tsp (5 ml) turmeric
1 Tbsp (15 ml) brown or white sugar
Salto to taste
½ C (125 ml) water
Method
Use a large saucepan when making the curry sauce, because you will need enough space to pack the fish portions into a single layer. This assists in cooking them evenly.
Heat the oil in the sauce pan on medium to high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start popping, add the curry leaves and reduce the heat immediately to a medium setting.
Add the onion and sauté for 7 to 10 minutes stirring frequently, until slightly golden.
Add the garlic and ginger and mix this well with the onions, sauté for 2 minutes,
Add the blitzed tomatoes and green chilli or chilli paste, followed by the ground spices and salt. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until the oil starts to separate from the mixture.
Adjust the heat to high and add the water and sugar. When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a medium-low setting.
Place the fish portions in a single layer in the saucepan and just gently shake the saucepan to level and balance the sauce and fish portions.
Cook, covered, for 7 minutes and then shake the saucepan again.
Adjust the heat to low and simmer very gently for another 5 to 7 minutes.
Serve hot and garnish with lemon wedges and sprigs of fresh coriander.