Jeera Rice (Cumin Rice)

I come from a multiethnic family - with a strong influence by my Indian paternal grandmother, as she is the matriarch of our large and boisterous family. This influence shows itself a LOT through our food preferences - dad to this day can't go 3 days without having dhal (the special dhal recipe Nini passed down to all of us, not just any old random dhal you can get at a Mamak store in Malaysia), and my absolute favourite food in the whole wide world is tandoori chicken. With all the trimmings.

So when it comes to cooking, as much as I love cooking western food, the most common type of Asian food I would cook is Indian food - not only is it familiar and therefore easy, it's also damned delicious! I'm about to share a series of different Indian food recipes (as Nini makes them) in the next few posts, but I'll start with the easiest and most basic of all - rice. There are many types of rice that you can cook, but this is my favourite as it also uses the best spice in the world - Cumin.

Jeera Rice
Serves... 2 if you're hungry, 4 if you're on diet

• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1/2 cinnamon stick 
• 1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
• Pinch of salt 
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups water, room temp

1. Heat a tbsp of coconut oil (or vegetable oil, doesn't have to be fancy) in a saucepan and add all the spices once hot. Toast the spices for about 3 - 4 minutes. 
2. Add the rice and stir to mix with all the spices, and continue to toast for about 2 - 3 minutes - I don't know why, it may have something to do with how the flavours mix together. Add the water and pinch of salt, cover and keep on a low heat for 15 minutes. 
3. At the 15 minute mark, remove the lid, turn off the heat and fluff up the rice with a fork. You can keep the lid on to retain heat or serve immediately with a garnish of chopped cilantro and your favourite curries. 

Easy no? I also do this with quinoa when I'm feeling extra guilty. The trick to using quinoa is to ensure you wash it thoroughly before cooking and also to toast it (step 2) for slightly longer (4 - 5 mins) until you hear a soft popping sound and a nutty smell arises. Then add the water and cook for 15 minutes too.

Moroccan meatballs with lemony couscous

I was down with a really bad fever over the weekend, caused by a raw and inflamed throat. I traced it back to having had extremely hot soup, at which point I had scalded my throat and caused this stupid thing. My throat's still quite raw, but not as bad as it was on Friday. So since I was feeling slightly more human today, I thought to make dinner for R and myself as a thank you of sorts for taking care of me over the past few days.

I need to start planning my photography better... especially with a hungry husband around, rushing me to eat and thus taking away my styling time. That's not entirely fair, I've also just really fallen out of practice and have gotten lazy. I assure you though, the recipe may be simple, the photos may be crap, but the food is good!

Moroccan Meatballs with Lemony Couscous
Serves: 2
Meatballs

• 500g minced lamb (or beef)
• 1/2 red onion, chopped 
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1cm root ginger, grated
• Pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Olive oil
• 1 tin (400g) diced tomatoes
• 100ml chicken stock
• 1/2 bunch coriander, chopped

Couscous

• 100g couscous
• 25g butter
• 175ml chicken stock, boiling
• 1/2 bunch coriander, chopped
• Juice of half a lemon
• Crumbled feta (optional)

1. Combine the minced lamb, onion, half of the garlic, half of the ginger and half of the spices in a medium sized bowl, season lightly and mix with your hands (clean, of course), then form the mix into small meatballs
2. Heat the olive oil in a large, nonstick pan, add the meatballs and cook in batches until they're all nice and browned all around. Remove from the pan and add the remaining crushed garlic, ginger and spices and cook in the oil and meat juices for a while. 
3. Add the tinned tomato (with the liquid) and chicken stock to the pan and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, then add the meatballs back in and cook for 20 minutes. Season well. 
4. Place the couscous and butter in a small-medium heatproof bowl, pour the boiling chicken stock and lemon juice then cover the bowl with clingwrap and leave for 10 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork, stir the coriander and feta through and serve with the mealtballs.