Oven Baked Crispy Spiced Chickpeas

Oven Baked Crispy Spiced Beans

These are excellent healthy snacks. You may have come across something similar in Asia, or in Asian shops. Those are usually deep fried. The oven baked version is almost as good, I would say about 70-80% as good. 

The main downside of the oven baked version is that they take a lot longer to cook compared with deep frying. 

I used chickpeas and white beans. You can use pretty much any kind of bean.

Ingredients

Cooked beans (chickpeas, white beans etc)

Enough oil to coat (about 1 tablespoon per cup)

Salt

Spices (paprika, curry powder, garlic powder etc)

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 230 degrees

2.   Mix the beans with oil until coated

3.   Bake until they are brown and crispy, around 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally 

4.   Season the beans and bake for a further few minutes. Over season the beans, you will be surprised how much salt they take

5.   Let it cool completely. These snacks go well with a cold beer

Daim Chocolate Ginger Brownies

Daim Chocolate Ginger Brownies

These chocolate ginger brownies are not as gooey and chewy like most brownies, they are more like a dense rich cake. But very delicious. I used more ginger than recommended in the recipe.

If you prefer the brownies to be bit more chewy you can add a small amount of golden or dark syrup. 

Adopted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter plus more for baking dish

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped

¾ cup sugar (or 1 cup sugar is using cocoa powder instead of O’boy Daim chocolate drink mix))

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup O’boy Daim chocolate drink mix (or ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder)

2 large eggs (1/4)

1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 160 degrees

2.      Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Line bottom with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over 2 sides. Butter parchment; set aside.

3.      Melt butter and chocolate together in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining ingredients.

4.      Pour batter into prepared dish. Smooth top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes.

5.      Let cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Lift out, and let cool completely on rack. Cut into sixteen 2-inch squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.

Kuurdak Recipe

Chicken Kuurdak

Kuurdak (or kuyrdak or kuirdak) is a Central Asian dish which may sound exotic and complicated but it is really easy to prepare. It basically involves sautéing meat, potato and onions. With so few ingredients the quality of the ingredients becomes particularly important.

Red meat is more commonly used but there is no rule against using chicken! Sometimes Kuurdak is made with innards such as intestines.

Kuurdak is usually very lightly spiced since the Central Asians are not heavy handed when it comes to spices. 

A critical flavouring which I always use with restraint is fat. The fattiest cuts of meat are used and sometimes more fat is added. If you order Kuurdak in Central Asia and the plate appears with a generous amount of melted fat do not be shocked! On the contrary this may be a sign of a good restaurant.

The recipe has no amounts, it depends on your taste, what is available and how many people are eating.

Ingredients

Meat (preferably not boneless)

Potatoes (inch cubed)
Onion (diced)

Garlic

Seasoning of your choice (I used chili flakes)

Salt and pepper

Oil

Directions

1.       Heat oil in a non-stick or heavy bottom pan over medium heat

2.      Sauté onions until translucent

3.      Add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds

4.      Add meat, potatoes and seasoning and cook uncovered until done, stirring occasionally