I am just beginning to take an interest in cooking for a few reasons. Firstly it’s a skill everyone should have, second it’s a cheaper option than constantly buying for ready made and if you’re a bit health conscious like me you can make your food however you want.
So with all that said, where is a good place to start. Some easy dishes that I can put together? Bear in mind I really am a novice when it comes to cooking. Also if you guys could point me to any youtube channels or websites??
Laura in the Kitchen on YouTube…she makes loads of easy-to-follow and simple recipes.
As for ur first dish…erm…i think pasta is an easy way to enter cooking. Make sure u have very good quality ingredients…olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, spinach and Parmesan go very well together. Or u can make a basic tomato sauce…garlic, onions, olive oil, Italian herbs, spices, salt…simmer away for 30mins-1hrs.
It may seem complicated , but trust me , its no biggie !
Awesome tips by above posters , How about you suggest a dish that you fancy and we can all help you achieve it with as much ease as possible? that way we will be able to know as well what kind of food interests you the most and we can introduce you to more of that cuisine. Know what I mean?
Ok , no worries , I will share the basic recipe with you, its very easy.
Boil few cups of water , add one and a half tsp salt, one tsp oil and after it starts boiling add the pasta in. It should get done in 10-15 minutes on medium heat. Read the instructions of the pasta on the back of the package as well, some are softer and get cooked quicker.
To make the sauce, chop one onion finely as possible. Start frying it in a bit of oil. When it starts browning, add in crushed garlic almost one tsp, fry for a couple of minutes . Meanwhile blend 5-6 tomatoes in a fine paste. Add this paste to the garlic and cover the pot coz this will splutter. Let it cook for a good 15 minutes , after which time, you will see its getting reduced to look like a thick paste. Add in salt to taste, green chilli or black pepper , which ever you prefer, mixed herbs two tablespoons , you get mixed herb packets commonly in grocery shops, a handful of fresh corriander coz that tastes awesome in pasta. When you see the oil floating on the top , the sauce is ready. you can toss the drained pasta in this sauce and sprinkle cheese on it.
If you want to add mince to pasta, as in Pasta Bolognese then , you fry the onion , add garlic and half tsp ginger paste as well, add the mince , fry it until its browned and cooked , add in the tomato paste , wait for it to get reduced to a thick paste and then add the spices , mentioned above . Toss in the pasta and you are good to go !
If you like Pasta with chicken and white sauce , then you can do the following:
White sauce: mix half cup self raising flour with a cup and a half of milk. ensure its mixed as finely as possible and there are no lumps in it. Add salt to taste , black pepper to taste , mixed herbs two tsps . Now start heating this mixture, keep it on low fire , it will start to thicken up within seconds , after just a minute of it on the heat , add in loads of cheese, keep stirring continuously. Four to five minutes later , this mixture will turn into a thick paste. If its become too thick, add in more whole milk and stir until you get the right thick ketchup like consistency. Keep it aside.
Prepare chicken: bite sized chunks of chicken. chop onion fine, fry , add ginger and garlic one tsp each , fry , add chicken and fry for five to 8 minutes , then add in one tomato chopped and let this chicken cook. Add spices , salt, green chilli or black pepper, mixed herbs. Addd in half cup chicken stock ( you can use the cubes and mix them in water ) wait for the chicken to really soften up and then cook until its got very little gravy and the chicken is soft to touch.
Now, chuck the chicken in a bowl, throw in the pasta and then the cheese sauce , mix it all really really well and adjust seasoning , enjoy !
If you like Medditeranean type chicken and rice, this is a copy cat recipe for the Halal Guys cart in NYC…it’s pretty easy, I taught my cousin to make it when he moved out on his own lol…the quantities given are for my family of 5 so you would definitely half all quantites given!!
For Chicken -
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 green chilli - chopped ( as per your taste)
1/4 cup light olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken - (cut in ps as you like. I did mine to small bite size.)
Combine the lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, green chilli and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Season the marinade to taste with kosher salt and black pepper. Marinate the chicken for 1 hr.
When ready to cook, chop one white onion - fine to small pieces ( that’s my addition, you can use the red or yellow onion) . Saute in lil oil till soften and then add the chicken with all its marinade. Cook nice till done. make sure not to make it too dry, just moist enough.
FOR RICE -
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups long-grain or Basmati rice
1 knorr chicken cube
2 1/2 cups chicken broth or any veg broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot. -Add the turmeric, knorr chicken cube and cumin and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes without disturbing. Remove from the heat and allow to rest until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
For WHITE SAUCE -
8-10 oz. Greek yogurt
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. white or red vinegar ( I had apple vinegar at home and it was fine to taste)
lemon juice - 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 tsp dill or fresh parsley
1 tbsp cold water
In a small bowl, combine all the above ing for sauce and whisk nicely. Season to taste with salt. Keep aside.
For topping - slice a tomato and sprinkle with lil olive oil and light pan fry for a min or so.
To Serve individually - Shred some Lettuce and place on the plate. Place rice on top of lettuce and pile the chicken on top of the rice. Put some slices of sauted tomatoes. Top with the white sauce and (hot sauce). Serve immediately. Keep the bowl of white sauce on the table for adding as needed.
LOL sara hahahahaha. Im never gonna live that one down. CB and KC cheers a bunch! Im gonna give both of these a bash. KC how did you figure out the white sauce recipe?
4 oz of Greek yogurt (imagine those single serve sizes that younger for brekkie etc)
1/4 c mayonnaise
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vinegar
squeeze of lemon (from a small quarter cut piece)
1 tsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp of fresh dill
From what I have found and experienced while helping novice cooks is that it’s not so much the ingredients that matter, but technique. Once you learn the basics (grilling, frying, sautée, marinate, chopping, dicing etc) you’re good to go! Like the above, the amounts for the white sauce are not an exact science…you taste and adjust as you go! Also, the marinade for the chicken is a staple that can be used on fish, chicken breast and even lamb! You can use it for making kebabs when grilling. The rice is a basic technique too that can carry over to making desi pulaos.
Once you learn through trial and error how to navigate basic techniques, any recipe will fall into place. The most important thing is enthusiasm, the rest will come!
One tip I wish someone had told me when I started cooking…don’t boil the pasta until its completely cooked. By the time you eat it, it’ll be mash. Boil until its almost cooked and has a little time left to go…it keeps cooking once its off the heat so don’t think its kacha.
Yup! That’s called "al dente", or “to the tooth”. The same is true when grilling meat or steak, you have to account for carry over cooking time. And when you let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing, it allows for the juices to redistribute, thus ensuring you won’t get dry, tough meat.
Going back to pasta, before you drain the pasta, always reserve about a cup of the boiling water. It acts as an instant binder/thickening/finishing agent for your sauce, as all the starch has been released while boiling. Also, instead of dumping the sauce on boiled pasta, add the pasta to the pan where the sauce is cooking, it will coat your pasta better, and the al dente pasta will finish cooking off.
