witsandnuts

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  • Tag: Kitchen experiments

    • One-ingredient ice cream

      Posted at 8:05 pm by witsandnuts, on June 22, 2011

      homemade banana ice cream with kitkat

      While it’s rainy in other parts of the globe, we’re enjoying the summer in the UAE. Ooops, isn’t it summer everyday in the Gulf ever since the world was created? I thought, too! Apparently, summer’s technically only from June until August. Anyway, my thoughts (and taste buds) are actually driving me to one of our favorite eats this season… ice cream! However, for the ice cream lovers who are not getting any younger and have growing child(ren), options to consume healthy food must be explored. That it is going to be economical is a bonus.

      Here’s the good news, ice cream making is possible even with just one ingredient. Even if you don’t have a proper ice cream maker.

      The secret ingredient: BANANAS!

      1-ingredient banana ice cream

      Thanks to this recipe shared over the kitchn blog. I modified it a little and came up with my first home made creamy ice cream.  Easy as ABC!

      1. Peel the (Dole) bananas and cut into pieces as shown above. One banana is going to qualify for one satisfying serving. However, you may want to peel more because you can store them later on.
      2. Put peeled-cut bananas in the freezer for a minimum of 4 hours. In the original recipe, minimum of 2 hours was suggested. However, I like it to be more crumbly and harder.
      3. Put the bananas in the food processor (or blender). Blend on high. It is going to appear piecemeal in the beginning, just be patient and not too long (in a matter of seconds), you’re in for the magic! That is, it is going to be creamy.
      4. As an option, you may want to mix in the other ingredients you prefer.
      5. You may use a scoop in serving the ice cream to make it more appealing.

      homemade banana ice cream with peanut butter

      The good thing about home made preparation is that it works based on your preference or craving. Like in the first photo, the bananas were blended up to the creamy state. While in the last photo it was in mid crumbly and creamy state to match it better with the peanut butter. If you plan to stock up on your “magical ice cream”, try to blend it on a soft-serve style and freeze in an airtight container; it is going to get harder and be more like a regular ice cream. (I remember this happened exactly with my excess flavored icing when I stored in the refrigerator for over 24 hours, that we called it the “accidental ice cream”.)

      While the commercialized ice creams out there are fanciful, it is a good idea to explore more healthy options (think of the benefits of eating bananas). But honestly, I like this one-ingredient ice cream with a little add-on. That’s when the healthy part is becoming subjective. So far, we tried Nutella, chocolate bars, and peanut butter as mix ins. And I liked it best with the peanut butter. We are going to try honey, milo (and more) in it next time.

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      Posted in Food | 0 Comments | Tagged banana ice cream, Kitchen experiments, One-ingredient ice cream, Recipes
    • Buttered shrimps dampa style

      Posted at 8:28 pm by witsandnuts, on July 27, 2010

      Buttered shrimp dampa style

      I recently had another of those “if you cannot buy it, cook it” days. While buttered shrimps, garlic shrimps, spicy shrimps and the like are easy, but if you happened to have dined in dampa (I’ve been only to Seaside Macapagal Boulevard), you will definitely crave for their buttered shrimps one day. But for someone like me who is miles away, I cannot go in any seafood restaurant in the UAE and request the wonderful people there to cook it “dampa syle”. The challenge(s) of living away from home is either you enhance your self-contentment for whatever edible is available and/or you learn to recreate or replicate the dishes back home – no matter what it takes.

      I really appreciate the fact that the seafoods are reasonably priced in this part of the globe; probably due to generous supply considering UAE’s proximity to Arabian Gulf. While the main ingredient is very feasible, the problem is that dampa’s recipes are not published anywhere. Options left are to ask around or use the imagination (trying it most of the time). Of course, I did not get it the first time. I am not saying that they prepare it in this manner in dampa. But after trying the other possible secret ingredients, this was the closest I got. Onto my copycat buttered shrimps I just had to have the following:

      a kilo of shrimps
      1/2 cup of butter
      6 cloves of garlic, minced
      a little amount of salt
      and….. 2 cups of Mirinda (that’s the orange juice-like bottle in the photo with Arabic label)
      a little amount of cornstarch (optional)

      In a wok, boil the shrimps, salt and soda together in medium heat for 8 minutes. Remove the shrimps from the wok. Set aside the shrimp broth (with soda). On a separate wok, saute the garlic in butter. The smell it produces is always appetizing. After 2 minutes, pour in the remains of the broth (not all) until desired consistency is achieved. Optionally, you may put the cornstarch for thickened sauce. Pour over the cooked shrimps.

      Make sure your steamed rice is ready, then you’re all set and may opt to eat kamayan style (eat with hands).

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      Posted in Food, Kitchen experiments | 0 Comments | Tagged Buttered shrimps, Kitchen experiments
    • Buttered crabs with oyster sauce

      Posted at 10:40 pm by witsandnuts, on June 23, 2010

      buttered crabs with oyster sauce 3

      A friend asked me to cook for her as she had non-Filipino colleagues that came over to their house for dinner. Her guests requested for seafood and we thought that something that will sustain the appetite over chatters should be on the table. I am really glad that they enjoyed the hearty meal and I can just imagine when she told me that her guests devoured the buttered crabs with oyster sauce ala kamayan (eating with hands). This post is in response to her and her guests’ request for the recipe… and yes, for those who might need and want to try this. Although there is a lot of recipes available out there, this was a result of one of my kitchen experiments while in the UAE which was based on craving (and a little imagination on what might work when you combine estimates of ingredients). Fortunately, it never fails to satisfy the diners.

      Continue reading →

      Posted in Food, Friends, Kitchen experiments | 0 Comments | Tagged Buttered crabs with oyster sauce, Kitchen experiments
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    • About witsandnuts

      Snapchat-5703935704258315256 Marhaba! That's "hello" in Arabic. I am an expatriate based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). I started writing about my adventures and misadventures few months before arriving here at winter of 2008. I have 2 cats and a dog who live harmoniously together. I am also surrounded by kindhearted, crazy, funny and indescribable humans! I was a dormant blogger for almost 3 years because of countless reasonable justifications like watching football, postgraduate studies, sleeping, traveling, caring for the world, and more! :) I am just so happy that I am back! It is never too late to catch up with the people and things we really care about. Feel free to look around.
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