Cook with peels

T-Mag Wednesday 05/September/2018 15:20 PM
By: Times News Service
Cook with peels

Don’t throw away those leftover fruit and vegetable peels. Turn them into delicious treats.

VEGGIE POTATO SKIN
Classic potato skins are stuffed with vegetables and loaded with cheese for a satisfying snack sure to please everyone at home or a party.
Ingredients
• 6 medium potatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 cup spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
• ½ cup fresh broccoli florets, finely chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preparation
• Wash and pierce potatoes. Bake at 200°C for 40-50 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly; cut each potato in half lengthwise.
• Scoop out the pulp. Combine butter and 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce and brush over the skins.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the spring onions, red bell pepper, broccoli, cheese and remaining sauce and spoon into potato skins. Place the potato skins on a baking sheet. Broil for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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GINGER CHICKEN IN ORANGE PEEL SAUCE
A delectable chicken dish from the Sichuan province that has ginger and orange as its main ingredients. The orange peel lends an incredible zest and zing to this recipe and a must try.
Ingredients
• 1 large orange
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon light soya sauce
• 4 spring onions, thinly chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup oil
Preparation
• With the help of a vegetable peeler, peel from the orange, strips into 1 ½ inch pieces.
• In an oven set to 200 degrees bake the peels for ½ hour. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes. Marinate chicken with soya sauce, spring onions, ginger, and red pepper.
• In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch, sugar, salt, and orange juice. Heat oil and stir fry orange peels – remove and drain on paper towels.
• In the remaining oil, stir fry chicken. Add the cornstarch mixture and pour over chicken. Stir-fry till it thickens and coats the chicken well.
• Add the orange peels and mix well. Garnish with spring onion greens.
• Serve with rice or noodles.

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LEMON PEEL PICKLE
An interesting pickle or achar recipe, the lemon skin achar is sure to add the zing to your routine menu. Savour this best with paranthas or dal and rice.
Ingredients
• 1 and ½ cups of chopped lemon peel
• 1 pinch of turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon fenugreek/methi seeds
• 2 teaspoons oil
• ½ to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
• Salt to taste
Preparation
• Chop the lime peel and pressure cook adding turmeric powder and salt until it softens to a good extent.
• Dry roast 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and ½ teaspoon methi seeds on a griddle and blend to powder them once cool.
• In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and allow to crackle, add red chilli powder, the cooked lemon peel, the roasted ground powder,
salt if required.
• Mix and cook for about 10 minutes till the spices combine well with the lemon peel.
• Once cool, store in an air tight container.

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BANANA PEEL SABZI
Banana peel sabzi or dry curry is not only a good way to reduce food wastage but also a healthy and delicious recipe that’s cooked in a jiffy.
Ingredients
• 3-4 peels of ripe banana
• 1 tablespoon oil
• ½ teaspoon carom/cumin seeds (ajwain)
• Salt to taste
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder) or 1 tablespoon tamarind water
Preparation
• Cut the ends of banana peels.
Chop them into ½ - 1 inch pieces.
• Boil 2 cups of water in a pan and add banana peels. Bring it to a roaring boil and drain.
• Heat oil in a pan or a wok. Add ajwain/cumin and sauté lightly till fragrant.
• Add boiled peel pieces. Add salt,
turmeric, coriander, and red chilli powder.
• Mix well and cook on low flame,
stirring occasionally.
• Increase heat to dry up the water till subzi becomes dry and crisp.
• Add dried mango powder/tamarind water and mix well. Serve hot.

Oneza Tabish is a food blogger, consultant, and columnist based in Oman. She is also the owner of Oman’s popular Facebook group ‘What’s Cooking Oman.’