Strawberry Delight

Strawberries are in season - in the supermarket.

Some of them are so plump you would think they have GM inscribed in their genes.

So plump they can be quartered and still look luscious in a bowl of home-made ice-cream.



Strawberries are not my favourite fruit.

They are prickly and always seem to leave a sour aftertaste.

To take the edge off, I like to marinate them in whiskey and brown sugar.

Eat them with yoghurt ice-cream made with strawberries for a double dose of pink.


Strawberry Yoghurt Ice-Cream with Marinated Strawberries


500 gms strawberries, hulled and washed

250 ml plain yoghurt

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons lemon juice

80 gms castor sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 tablespoons whiskey


To make the ice-cream, puree 180 gms of the strawberries with the lemon juice and castor sugar in a blender.

Add the yoghurt and sour cream and blend for a few seconds till everything is mixed.

Pour the mixture into an ice-cream maker and let it work for about 30 minutes.

When the ice-cream is done, transfer it to a box and let it stand in the freezer for about 2 hours before serving.

Next, cut the rest of the strawberries into halves or quarters.

Stir the brown sugar into the whiskey and pour the mixture over the cut strawberries.

Mix well and chill in the fridge.

Let the strawberries marinate for about 45 minutes, stirring them occasionally.

When ready to serve, scoop some ice-cream into a bowl and decorate with the marinated strawberries.

Steamed Pumpkin Bao

There is more to pumpkin than just pie.

It makes a great filling for Chinese dumpling too.

Organic food shops in Fortune Centre sell delicious wholemeal bao filled with pumpkin.

Here's my version of it.





Make a dough in a bread machine with 5 fluid ounces low fat milk, 8 ounces stone-ground organic wholemeal flour, half teaspoon sugar, half teaspoon salt, half ounce butter and 1 teaspoon dried yeast.

While the dough is rising in the machine, peel and clean a pumpkin and cut it into cubes. Mix 3 teaspoons curry powder with some water to make a paste. Add the curry paste to the pumpkin, stir and cook in a microwave oven for 5 minutes on high. Add salt to taste when it's done.

When the dough is ready, knock it back and divide it into 8 equal portions. Flatten each piece and roll it into a round. Place two teaspoons of pumpkin in the centre of each round of dough. Bring up the sides of the dough to cover the filling and pinch the edges to seal.

Place the buns on a plate, cover with cling film and leave to rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Remove the cling film and steam the buns for about 15 minutes. Serve hot.