Marzipan

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Lübeck Marzipan (German: Lübecker Marzipan) refers to marzipan originating from the city of Lübeck in northern Germany and has been protected by an EU Council Directive as a “Protected Geographical Indication” (PGI) since 1996.

Ingredients

 

* pound almond paste

* cups powdered sugar (sifted)

* large egg whites (lightly beaten)

* Optional: 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

 

Steps

*Coarsely chop up the almond paste into quarter-size chunks, then place the almond paste in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

 

*Add powdered sugar to the bowl and mix on low speed until the mixture has a fine, sandy texture. 

 

*Pulse the almond paste and powdered sugar until the mixture resembles wet sand.

 

*With the mixer on low, slowly add the egg whites (and almond extract, if using) until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. 

 

*Dust a countertop with powdered sugar and knead the marzipan until it develops a smooth, pliable texture. It should have no lumps or dry patches.

 

 

*Use the marzipan immediately or store it for later use. To store your marzipan, cover it tightly in plastic wrap, then seal it in a plastic bag. Not only will your marzipan stay moist, but it also won't absorb any unfortunate odors or tastes. Marzipan will keep for three months in the refrigerator or up to six months in the freezer. Make sure to bring marzipan to room temperature before using it

 

*To color the marzipan dark brown, Just add a bit of cocoa powder to the marzipan. You could also color with food coloring if you wanted to.

 *If you’re going to make your own almond flour, use blanched almonds without the skin so that your flour is nice and pale.

 *Grind your blanched almonds in a food processor by pulsing in bursts. Sift your almonds through a strainer to remove any large bits of almond. Return the larger pieces to the food processor to grind up again. Repeat the process until you have enough finely ground almond flour.

 *Let your marzipan rest overnight before you handle it.

 

Raw Egg Warning

Consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs poses a risk of food-borne illness.

Atta Golgappa

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Golgappa is a type of snack that originated in Indian subcontinent, and is one of the most common street foods in India and Bangladesh.

Atta Golgappa

Ingredients

*1/2 cup fine sooji

*1 cup whole wheat flour

*1/2 tsp salt

*as required Oil for frying

*as required Warm water for kneading the dough

 Best Step by step guide

*Mix whole wheat sooji,flour and salt in a bowl.

*Add warm water and knead to make dough of medium soft texture.

*Cover the dough with a damp cloth and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.

*Knead the dough once again for a minute and divide it into 4 equal parts.

*Make the balls from the dough.

*Roll the dough ball on slightly floured surface to make a thin circle.

*Cut the circle into small 4-5 cm circle using a cookie cutter.

*Heat oil for frying in a pan.

*Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium.

*Slide the puri into the hot oil and fry untill they puff up and become golden brown.

*Gently press the poories with the back of the ladle.

*It will help to puff them up.

*Flip the puri and fry from other side as well.

*Remove the puri on a plate lined with kitchen towel.

*Fry all the puri in the same manner.

*Cool them and store in an airtight container.

Nasi goreng & Gili Islands

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NASI GORENG, IN A NUTSHELL, IS INDONESIAN FRIED RICE. IT’S SIMPLE FOOD, TYPICALLY MADE WITH LEFTOVER INGREDIENTS, AND VARIES QUITE A BIT DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE. WHILE WE WERE THERE IN THE HOT SOUTH, IT ALMOST ALWAYS WAS SERVED WITH SOMETHING CRUNCHY, COOL AND FRESH ON THE SIDE.

 

Ingredients:

 OIL -2 TBSP

BUTTER – 2 TBSP

GARLIC – 2 TBSP, MINCED

CHICKEN – 2 THIGHS, CUT TO STRIPS (OPTIONAL)

EGGS- 1. BEATEN

RICE – 1 CUP RAW RICE COOKED

SALT – TO TASTE

BLACK PEPPER POWDER – TO TASTE

SWEET INDONESIAN SAUCE (KECAP MANIS) – 3 TSP OR AS NEEDED

SHREDDED CABBAGE- 1/2 CUP, PACKED

GREEN BEANS – 1/2 CUP, CUT DIAGONALLY

CARROTS – 1/4 CUP, SHREDDED

BELL PEPPER (CAPSICUM) – 1/4 OF BELL PEPPER

FIRM TOFU – 1/4 CUP, CUBED (OPTIONAL)

 

 Method:

 

1. Prep all the ingredients and keep aside.

2. In a wok-style pan, heat the Oil and add in the Butter and allow it to melt.

3. While it is still melting, add in the minced Garlic.

4. Add in the Chicken and cook till the Chicken Strips are white in color.

5. Add in the beaten Egg. Stir and cook.

6. Add in cooked and cold Rice. Mix and allow the Rice to heat up.

7. Season with Salt and Black Pepper.

8. Add in Kecap Manis (Sweet Indonesian Soy Sauce) and mix till there is no white Rice to be seen.

9. Add in the Vegetables and Tofu and mix well till everything is incorporated well.

10. Add in Homemade Sambal and give it one final mix.

11. Remove from flame and plate as desired.

12. In a small skillet, heat a tsp of Oil.

13. Break an Egg and cook as you would a fried egg.

14. Once done, season with Salt and Red Chilli Powder.

15. Plate on the Nasi Goreng and serve.

 

Gili Trawangan

The Gili Islands], Kepulauan Gili are an archipelago of three small islands or Gili island triplets— Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air — just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia.

 

is the biggest and most visited of the three and has earned a reputation as ‘Party Island’ amongst the world’s travellers. Once a backpacker’s haven – with basic beach huts and simple bars, serving concoctions that offer ‘free lunar transport’ – Gili T has undergone some dramatic changes over the past five years and now caters to a decidedly more upmarket crowd, often with family in-tow, all seeking that tropical island experience with the luxuries of home. Aside from the laid-back beach culture, the main draw of the island is scuba diving, with a number of proffessional dive centres offering courses and fun dives. Watching the fishing boats passing through the channel between Gili T and Meno, plus the lack of motorized traffic still makes for a chilled out vibe - but at night time Gili T really is a partygoers paradise.

 

Garudiya & Bioluminescent Beach

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Garudiya

Garudiya or Garudhiya is a clear fish broth. It is one of the basic and traditional food items of Maldivian cuisine. The broth is based on tuna species found in the nation's ocean waters such as skipjack, yellowfin tuna, little tunny, or frigate tuna.

Ingredients:

• 200-gram Valhomas (Smoked fish) (Sliced Thickly)

• 6 Cups water

• 1 Half of normal Onion (chopped into 4)

• 2 Garlic

• 2 Dried Chilly

• 10 Seeds of Black Pepper

• 3 Drops of fish source (If you want to increase fish taste)

• Curry leaves (Hikandhifaiy)

• Salt

How to Cook:

There’s nothing groundbreaking about how this garudhiya is made. But it does bring a lovely change to its taste.

So let’s begin by adding 6 cups of water and the sliced valhoamas into a medium sized pan. Also add some salt along with it and boil it over a low heat for 5 mins.

Than add the chopped onions, garlic’s, black pepper, dried chilly and cook it for another 3mins.

Now add fish sauce if you would like to and balance the saltiness. Finally turn of the heat and add the curry leaves.

 Garudiya is eaten with steamed rice, but it can be eaten with Maldivian chapati-Roshi; when eaten with boiled breadfruit, or with boiled taro, grated coconut is added. Sometimes Maldivians use chilies, curry leaves and onions to flavor the garudiya according to their taste, however this broth is cooked using fish and water.

Kekki garudiya is a variant of garudiya with spices. Garudiya could be obtained using other fishes like mahi-mahi, wahoo or bluefin jack, among others, but the favored fish for garudiya is tuna and related species; when the tuna-based garudiya is cooked until all the water evaporates, it forms a thick brown paste known as Rihaakuru, valued in the Maldivian diet.

 Bioluminescent Beach

As waves break on the sandy shore, or bare feet step into wet sand, a bright blue glow appears. This magical effect is caused by the bioluminescent plankton that often appears in warm coastal waters.In the Maldives alone, the beach known with this bioluminescent phenomenon is the Vaadhoo or Mudhdhoo Island. The sea planktons are believed to be responsible for it. They are the ones producing the lights which are visibly seen at night.

One of the most popular places to observe such a fantastic spectacle is Vaadloo island found in the Raa Atoll, and the high season is between June and October. All you need to do is simply to stir up the water with your feet, and if plankton is there, it will immediately splash with gorgeous blue lights.

The appearance of a starry night in the sea is caused by bioluminescent phytoplankton that emits light when stressed. We just got to know that putting a type of plankton under stress results in one of the most stress-relieving sights on the planet. The blue glow creating astral patterns on seashores is a sight to behold.