Welcome Shobana Chetty

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Shobhana Chetty

Meet Shobhana Chetty, also known as Shobha by friends and family. We have known each other for many decades and our husbands are first cousins. Shobha is now a grandmother and I am hoping I will be too, in the not too distant future.

Shobha is a school teacher and has been living in New South Wales, Australia for several years having emigrated from South Africa. She has always had excellent taste in home decor and her skills as a cook are well known. When I was just a fledgling cook, Shobha used to turn out the the most delicious & impressive looking food, be it the main meal, desserts or cookies. That is why I was so glad that Shobha submitted some of her recipes for publication.

We feature a few of Shobha's recipes. Some of them are for large amounts, so just adjust the recipes to suit you. A few of the the measures are in kilograms, a kilo is equal to 2.2 pounds. Here is a link where you can easily convert kilograms to pounds and vice-versa. Convert Kilograms and Pounds

The recipe for Pumpkin Soup has many rich ingredients like cream, butter and full cream milk. I am sure it will be okay to indulge in this soup occasionally or make it for a special event. Here are Shobha's recipes.

For more of Shobha's recipes check
Shoba-2
Shoba-3

PUMPKIN SOUP

INGREDIENTS

  1. 2 kg pumpkin–peel & cut into chunks
  2. 1 medium sized onion–sliced
  3. 1 litre full-cream milk
  4. 2 tbsps. oil
  5. 125g. butter
  6. ½ tsp. cumin powder
  7. ½ tsp. black pepper
  8. 1" stick of cinnamon
  9. 5 cloves garlic
  10. 1 tblsp. sugar
  11. salt to taste
  12. 1 dry red chili-optional
  13. ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  14. sour cream or fresh cream-to garnish
  15. fresh Parsley finely chopped-to garnish

METHOD

  1. Heat oil in a deep pot & add onions. Fry onions until “glassy”
  2. Add pumpkin & cook for about 10 min. until soft-add a cup of water to prevent burning
  3. Add the ingredients 6 to 12 & milk. Simmer for about 30 min. until all the pumpkin is soft. Then add butter and nutmeg. Continue to simmer–5 min.
  4. Remove the cinnamon stick and using a stick blender (or in a liquidizer) blend all ingredients until smooth. Adding more milk will will thin the soup
  5. Garnish with parsley & a blob of sour cream just before serving

SHOBA'S MINCE KEBAABS

INGREDIENTS

  • 1kg Lamb mince
  • 1 large onion very finely chopped into small cubes
  • 1 bunch coriander finely chopped & a cup of finely chopped fresh mint leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tsps. coriander powder
  • 2 tsps. cumin powder
  • 1 heaped tsp. curry powder
  • 2 or 3 green chillies (mild or hot) depending on personal taste
  • 1 teaspoon each of ground garlic & ground ginger

METHOD

  • In a food processor pulse chilies with about ½ cup of mince until chilies are ground finely with the mince
  • Mix the rest of the ingredients thoroughly until spices are blended through all the mince
  • Roll mince into golf-ball size balls. Shallow fry in a little oil on medium heat until cooked through. Serve as finger food
  • Or Divide into hamburger size patties and fry on gentle heat in a pan. Make up burgers as you normally do

KEBAABS IN TOMATO CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large onion finely sliced
  • ½ cup oil
  • 3 cups finely diced tomatoes
  • 6-8 curry leaves (optional)
  • 2 or 3 green chillies sliced
  • 1 tsp. each of cumin, coriander & curry powder
  • 1 level tsp. each sugar & salt
  • 3 cloves garlic minced

METHOD

  • Sauté onions in hot oil until slightly brown
  • Add all remaining ingredients
  • Simmer till tomatoes are cooked and sauce has thickened. ( 15 – 20 min) If sauce sticks to the bottom of the pot add a little water to aid cooking
  • Add the kebabs and simmer for 5-6 minutes
  • Garnish with chopped coriander
  • Serve with rice or rotis

For more of Shoba's recipes check
Shoba-2
Shoba-3

If you have any questions or would like to add a recipe of your own, email me, Nirmala, at email address
I will be happy to help in any way I can. The site will be regularly updated with tasty recipes and hints and tips. You can also reach me at Contact

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