Japanese Sakura Festival

Fun in the sun at the Japanese Sakura Festival. Luckily someone got our tickets beforehand so we skipped the 30 minute queue!

Takoyaki!

 

The best macaroons I've tasted so far!

Very talented origamist

Cosplay

This girl pressured me into wearing a yukata!

Lunch! Shoyu Ramen

The cutest little girl wearing a yukata!

African Vegetable Curry

I got this recipe from here

Ingredients

• 1/2 head cauliflower
• 1 red pepper
• 1 small red onion
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoon curry
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon clove
• pinch corriander, tumeric, and paprika
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1/2 small zucchini
• 1 cup vegetable broth

Instructions

1. In a large skillet or stock pot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat of medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about five minutes. Add cauliflower and pepper, continue to cook until cauliflower begins to soften- another five minutes..
2. While vegetables cook, in a small sauce pan combine remaining olive oil, garlic, and spices. Heat and whisk until sauce is warm and combined. Add spice mixture, beans, zucchini, and vegetable broth to vegetables. Continue to cook uncovered for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Liquid will reduce by half and vegetables will be cooked through. Remove from heat and serve over rice (I used 10 minute rice.)

Personally I didn't use any cauliflower and I used a whole zucchini instead of half. Also my garbanzo beans (chickpeas) were made from scratch, not canned and I added an eggplant.

Kenyan Curried Plantain

Thank you Grace for sending me this fabulous recipe! I used one plantain just to try it out and I absolutely loved it! One thing I've discovered about African recipes is that we don't really follow measurements when cooking, we just go with what feels right. This recipe was no exception but it's pretty foolproof.

Kenyan Curried Plantain

Onion, chopped
Diced tomato (or tomato paste)
Curry powder
Plantain, peeled and chopped
Salt

Method


Fry onion until salt. Add tomato and curry powder. Cook for a few minutes.

Add plantains and salt. Stir and cook for a few minutes.

Amazing! An instant favourite!

Baked Zucchini with Blue Cheese

My delicious new recipe! Sliced zucchini topped with olive oil, blue cheese, salt and paprika baked in the oven until the cheese starts to melt.

St Patrick's Day Parade 2012- Vancouver

Fun at the St. Patrick's Day parade!

Green nail polish!

East African Shrimp Curry

I have been inspired recently to try out some African recipes. When I lived in Africa, my family had a cook so I never really had much of an opportunity to cook African food which I find to be a real pity now that I live in Canada. I have learned to make a few things in the last several years but it's quite difficult (and expensive) to find some of the needed ingredients.

I really love East African food. Unlike Malawian food they tend to use more spices. Plus they use a lot of coconut milk. I got the recipe for this shrimp curry from http://africaimports.com/seafood1.asp?url=

SHRIMP CURRY, East Africa
Any size shrimp may be used in this curried dish, but small shrimp (over twenty five per pound) are just as satisfactory and far less expensive than the large shrimp.
In a 4-quart saucepan:

Sauté: 1 cup CHOPPED ONION
1 tsp. GARLIC POWDER
1 Tbs. CURRY POWDER
1 tsp. TURMERIC
1 Tbs. SALT
1/2 tsp. CHILI POWDER in
2 oz. BUTTER or OIL until soft but not brown.
Add: 1 cup COCONUT CREAM
2 lbs. SHRIMP, uncooked and peeled
2 cups POTATOES, diced, and
1 cup WATER.
Simmer until tender, about 20 minutes, covered tightly.
Add: 2 oz. LEMON JUICE
1 cup COCONUT CREAM.
Cook until slightly thickened-about 10 minutes more.*
*If a thicker curry is desired, dissolve 2 Tbs. cornstarch in 2 Tbs. water and add in the last few minutes of cooking
Serve hot with rice

A few of the ingredients I used

 

What I used instead of chilli powder: Malawian hot sauce