Randomhart- Sugar Rush

Day two- I've decided to go straight from sweet to bitter..vegetable, that is. Bitter melon, bitter gourd, caraille, karella. If you've never seen it raw, it is a long, oblong, narrow pale green fruit with distinctively bumpy skin. It is normally cooked and eaten in a variety of ways- stuffed with meat or vegetables and baked or deep fried, in soups, etc. Bitter melon is reported to be rich in iron, beta carotene, potassium, vitamins A, C, B1, B3, and is a good source of fibre. The fruit is normally eaten green, and the seeds inside are scooped out leaving the bumpy flesh. If not properly prepared, the bitterness makes eating caraille seem like cruel and unusual punishment. Definitely an acquired taste! Fortunately my husband liked this dish more than my beetroot soup:)

I prepared the bitter melons as part of a simple dinner- first cut in half lengthways, then thinly sliced and salted. This draws moisture and a lot of the bitter taste from the caraille. I then squeezed out most of the liquid and sauteed with diced onions, garlic, pimiento, scotch bonnet, and a pinch of cumin until fairly crisp. I served this with hot sada roti slathered with butter.

Fried Bitter Melon

1 lb whole bitter melons, washed

salt

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

2-3 pimentoes, diced

1/2 scotch bonnet pepper, diced.

1/4 tsp ground cumin

2 tbsp vegetable oil

• Cut ends of caraille and slice through lengthways.

Scoop out seeds using a spoon, discard seeds.

Thinly slice flesh.

Salt well- I used 2 tbsp regular salt.

 Let sit for at least 20 minutes.

Place sliced, salted caraille in a clean kitchen towel and twist firmly to squeeze out moisture.

When no more liquid can be squeezed out, spread on a large flat dish or tray to "dry" for a further 15-20 minutes.

• Place a large saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp oil.
• Add onions, garlic, pimiento, cumin and scotch bonnet pepper and fry gently until onions are transluscent.
• Add caraille and mix well with other ingredients.
• Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally until caraille is no longer bright green and looks dry, about 20 minutes.

• You shouldn't need to add any more salt.
• Serve hot , preferably with sada but warmed pita or flatbread can work too!

Crispy Fried Bitter Melon

The temperature has been soaring these past few days and the heat is unbearable. I literally want to canonize the inventor of air-conditioning since anyone who knows me knows that I cannot stand the heat. Never could. It's as if I was born with a defective internal thermostat. When my hubby is freezing, I feel comfortable. To deal with the heat and to rehydrate, I saw a delicious watermelon and lime drink on one of my favorite sites "Rock Recipes' and I adapted it to suit the broiling temperatures here. It's icy, sweet, healthy, and so easy to make, perfect for adults and kids to keep cool.

Watermelon Lime Slush

3 cups watermelon(or any melon you like), cut into 2" cubes and frozen overnight

1 1/2 cups already prepared  cold limeade

2-3 mint leaves (optional)

 ice, if needed

•  Put frozen watermelon into blender.
• Add limeade and mint leaves.
• Blend until slushy.
• Add ice if desired and blend again.
• Serve in glasses rimmed in lime and sugar, and float a sugared lime slice on top.
• Enjoy!

Final word- I didn't bother to remove the seeds from my watermelon since they sink to the bottom of the blender after blending. You can also mix in light or dark rum for an adult treat. My mom loved it!

Another weekend has literally flown by. I've flown through another year of my life and had my birthday celebration this weekend. I've reflected on the last 365 days of my life and thought  about what I've done and where I'm heading- re charting my course, so to speak. I'm happy to say that I'm exactly where I need to be, doing what I love and I want more of the same! Thanks to all my readers who encourage me to keep blogging and creating kitchen magic, because we all need some magic in our lives:) I know I do, so I am sharing a Double Chocolate Cupcake recipe today. Picture moist chocolate cake, studded with chocolate chips, and topped with a delicate mint frosting.

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

  2 cups all purpose flour

  1 1/2 tsp baking soda

  1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

  2 cups sugar

  1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

  2 tsp vanilla extract

  2 large eggs

  2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl using a whisk.
• In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add milk, eggs and vanilla to butter mixture and mix well.
• Add butter mixture to dry ingredients, mix well
• Stir the chocolate chips into the batter- don't overmix.
• Place cupcake liners into 2 cupcake pans and spoon batter into liners- 2/3 full.
• Bake cupcakes for 16-20 minutes, until tops spring back when pressed.
• Cool in pans for 10 minutes, remove from pans to cool completely.
• Frost with desired frosting.

Mint Frosting

3 cups icing sugar

3- 5 tbsp milk

2 tbsp softened butter

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1-2 drops green food coloring(optional)

• Sift icing sugar.
• Using a mixer or a whisk, cream the butter and sugar until smooth.
• Add milk- you can add more to achieve desired consistency.
• Add peppermint extract and green food coloring if using, mix well.
• Frost cupcakes.