Cantonese–style Wonton Noodle Soup

Giant Cantonese–style wonton noodle soup

I was really really craving wonton noodle soup. This is a comfort food for me when I was very young growing up in HK and it has been ages since I've had homemade ones. Frozen wontons are available in supermaket and Asian stores but I find them incomparable to the homemade ones.

T-Rex helped me wrapped these and some of them are pretty ginormous. heheheh.

I confess, it's been awhile since I wrapped any dumplings and I was never very proficient at it. So I watched a few youtube videos on how to fold them. We experimented on a variety of ways to wrap them. It's really up to you, as long as the filling stay inside, it's all good!

Speaking of filling, it definitely needs to have prawns, chunky bits of prawns, so there's some texture to it and not just dry and meatbally.

Ingredients:

• A package of wonton wrappers
• A dozen frozen prawns
• 500g mince pork
• Minced ginger
• Spring onion
• Coriander
• White pepper
• Chinese cooking wine
• Sesame oil
• Light soya sauce
• Dry thin egg noodles
• Choy Sum or any green veggie
• Wonton soup mix (yeah I know! Being super lazy, but this mix powder gives me the exactly flavour of the soup of my childhood memory)

Directions

• Defrost the frozen prawns and soak them in cold water and then chop each prawn into 3.
• Mix prawns with pork mince, herbs and the other seasoning, keep stirring until the mixture seems gooey (at least 5 mins).
• Now you're ready to wrap, I generally use about 1 tablespoon of filling per wrapper. Fold it up whichever way you prefer. I liked folding them in half in triangles and then folding the ends behind and pressing it in so they look kinda like tortellinis - which I've always thought of as Italian wontons.
• Get your water boiling in a pot and add the wontons, cook until they float - at least 10 minutes.
• At around the 5 minute mark, add in the noodle, veggie and soup mix.
• There you have it, yummy homemade wonton soup. I think I'll add some shitake mushrooms to my filling next time.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Yummy vegetarian summer rolls

It was a particularly hot day here in M-town and I really didn't feel like cooking anything after work, or rather turning on the oven and making the apartment even hotter. So I figured some summer rolls would be a great idea, plus T-Rex can also help roll them.

I made vegetarian version for Meat-free Monday and had an addictive spicy peanuty dipping sauce to go with it. I think I crave the sauce more than the rolls.

Here's what you will need.

Ingredients:

• Rice paper
• Vermicelli
• Carrots
• Cucumber
• Mint
• Basil
• Spinach/Lettuce
• Hard tofu
• Peanut butter
• Hoisin sauce
• Fresh chilies

Directions:

• Start by julienne the carrots, cucumber and tofu
• Cook the vermicelli according to the direction on the package (soak in hot water) and then drain
• Get a big bowl and fill it with cold/room temperature water for the rice paper, if you use hot water the rice paper becomes too soft and tears very easily.
• Lay out the damp (but still "rigid") rice paper on a plate/board and add a handful of the noodles to the lower third of the paper, top up with the other fillings and herbs, be careful not to overload, else it's very difficult to wrap it up.
• By this time, the paper would have soften enough, fold the bottom up, then the two sides and then just roll it up. TaDa!
• For the sauce, I usually use a ratio of 2 spoons of peanut butter to 1 spoon of hoisin sauce, top with hot water to your desired sauce consistency and add fresh chopped chili to your spice level, I added about 4 chilies.
• Enjoy! You can try other cooked fillings as well, maybe smoked salmon, prawns, chicken slices. Be creative :)

Jamaican Dinner

Yummy Jamaican Brown strewed chicken with red beans and rice

This was the night after the Attica Degustation dinner. And what do you eat after a delicate 5 course dinner?
A hearty, spicy, full of flavour Jamaican meal of course!

This one is a handy, foul-free treat.

Brown stewed chicken with red beans and rice. I also had some left over pumpkin from the previous week's Sunday roast dinner. So here's how you go about getting this easy dinner on the table.

Ingredients

• Chicken pieces
• Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Chili
• Red capsicum
• Green capsicum
• Soya sauce
• Pickapepper sauce
• Ketchup
• Apple cider vinegar
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Thyme
• Sugar

Directions

• Season the chicken with salt, pepper, chili
• Heat up the olive oil in a dutch pot, add the chicken pieces to brown
• Remove the chicken when they look 70% done
• Top up a little more oil if you need and then add the aromatics: onion, garlic and ginger
• Add the capsicums
• Add the seasonings: soya sauce, ketchup, pickapepper and top up with some hot water
• Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer, add back the chicken and the juices, cover lid
• Add the sugar, vinegar, hot sauce, thyme to taste and reduce the sauce til it's nice and thick and just coating the chicken.

I basically cook all my rice in a rice cooker, never learned to do it any other way.

So I added a drained and rinsed tin of red kidney beans to my washed rice, along with a tin of lite coconut milk (I find the coconut cream too sweet). Long grain rice is best to get that individual grain result. season with a little bit of salt and allspice/mixed spice.

Thai Chicken Larb Salad

Spicy, Salty, Sweet and Sour. It packs a punch of flavours!

I just adore Thai food. The spicy, salty, sweet, sour and fresh flavours are tantalizing to your tastebuds. Though some people might not be fans of fish sauce, but it's ok in moderation.

Here's a pretty quick salad that's something different. I combined a few different recipes and added my own twist to it.

Even my new housemate who hasn't had much appetite of late had 2 servings of this yummy salad.

Ingredients:

• Chicken Mince
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Coriander (including the roots)
• Cucumber
• Green beans
• Basil
• Mint
• Kaffir lime leaves
• Dried chilli flakes
• Fresh chilli
• Bean sprouts
• Fish sauce
• Lime/lemon juice
• Sugar
• Salt
• Peanut oil

Directions:

• Heat oil in wok, add the minced garlic, ginger and coriander roots
• Add chicken mince brown and break into little bits with dried chilli
• Add fish sauce and sugar 
• Add the chopped up green beans and stir until heat through, this is all the cooking done.
• Remove from heat and toss in all the remaining ingredients, all chopped up except the beans sprouts
• You can top it off with some crushed peanuts for the extra crunch but I ran out of peanuts.

Random Spicy Sausage and Potato Stew

I went to the markets over the weekend and got a bit over enthusiastic with the vegetables. Now my fridge is completely packed so I had a few friends over for dinner every night.

 

Last night, I initially wanted to cook vegetarian but then I got distracted when I saw these sausages on special at my local supermarket. Plus I wasn't sure if the Persian lentils and vegetable casserole along with the rice pilaf would be enough to feed us all. Better to have more than less right?

Spicy!

I didn't really have a concept in mind when I bought the sausages, but it turned out really well.

Ingredients

• Beef sausages cut into chunks
• Potatoes
• 1 can of tomato
• Onion
• Garlic
• Red capsicum
• Parsley
• Chilli
• Sugar
• Thyme
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive oil

Easy Peasy Instructions

• Heat some olive oil in a hot pan, brown the sausages, onion and garlic
• Add the potatoes and tomato and a bit of water
• Season with chilli, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper,
• Cook covered til potatoes soften and the sauce thickens.
• Add the capsicum and cook for another 5 mins
• Top with parsley and serve

Winter Favourite - Red Wine Lamb Shanks

 Winter is the best time month to leave stuff bubbling away in your slow cooker, I usually do it overnight so my apartment smells amazing in the morning and then I can't wait for lunch.

But this time I managed to wait and save it for dinner, O lamb shanks, o lamb shanks, why did I wait so long to try you out again? Years ago, living in Sydney, I had attempted to make lamb shanks but unfortunately, the meat just stayed stuck to the bone, and I never really got over that disappointment.


Lamb Shank with Sweet Potato Mash & Pomegranate Salad

I finally decided to conquer my failure and try it again. I saw these pomegranates at the market and just couldn't resist them. Just the thought of their little sweet juicy gems can bring a smile to my face.

 

And you can't make a stew without something to sop up the sauce, initially I was going for cauliflower mashed, but it was twice the normal price at the moment so I settled for some sweet potato, which is just as good.

Ingredients for the Lamb Shank:

Onion                  Salt/Pepper
Garlic                  Tomato Paste
Carrot                  Can of Tomato
Lamb Shanks       Worcestershire
Red Wine             Sugar
Stock                   Flour Mixed Spice        Bay leaf               

Directions

• Dust the lamb shanks in flour that's seasoned with salt and pepper and brown it in a pan
• Meanwhile, add the paste, can of tomato, seasoning, sauce, bay leaf to the slow cooker
• Add the lamb in slow cooker
• Brown the onion, garlic and carrot, then to slow cooker
• Top up with red wine and stock up to 7/8 of the shank.
• Cook it on low for 8 hrs (I did this and went to bed or in the morning before going to work)

After consuming the meat-falling-off-don't-even-need-knife-from-bone, there was still quite a  bit of sauce left and since I didn't want to waste it, I dumped some mystery meat I had frozen in my freezer and set my slow cooker to work again, Ta-Da 2 meals in one!

Tuscan Sausage and Bean Stew with Kale

It's already getting quite cold here in M town, the nights starts early and last night, along with that chilly wind it was also wet. Uuuugh. It's the kinda weather that makes you want to stay at home, curl up on the couch with a good book or Netflix marathon....

I've been meaning to eat healthier, since my obsession with Fried Chicken is really not working out (super sad). So I scour the web for tonight's dinner inspiration. My current flattie is returning to Italy end of next week and is super critical of all Italian cooking. So it was with trepidation that I decided to attempt my take on a Tuscan classic, the Sausage and Bean stew with Kale.

Yummmy, so much veg

Luckily my version was met with approval :)
I think I'll be adding it to my repertoire of Winter favourites.

Here's what you need: 

• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
• 2 carrots, cubed
• 1 - 2 zucchinis, cubed
• handful mushrooms, cubed
• bunch of kale leaves
• 1 can of white beans
• Sausages, chucks (I used Lamb with rosemary)
• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Chili
• Paprika
• Stock
• Worcestershire sauce
• Sugar
• Salt & Pepper

And how to make it:

• Heat up the pot, sauté the onion and garlic til soften, add the chucks of sausages and brown.
• Add the hard veggie (carrots and zucchini), add the mushroom
• Add the seasoning and some stock, top up with water so it slightly covers everything.
• Cover and simmer for 20 mins or so, (til your kitchen smells nice)
• Add in the beans and kale, stir
• Taste, and add more sugar/Worcestershire sauce/chili

Tortilla de Potatas

Finished product - yummm

So the other day, when I woke up late on a Sunday and wasn't sure what to eat for brunch. I remember I still have a couple of potatoes left over and a dozen eggs. So I decided to try my hand at the Tortilla de Potatas.

It looked pretty simple with only a few ingredients required.

Here's what you will need:

Ingredients:
Potato sliced thinly (I used my mandoline)
Onion, sliced
Garlic
6 eggs, beaten with a little bit of milk
Salt and Pepper
Grated cheese
 a few leaves of Basil

Directions

• Pan fry the potato slices in hot oil until they're crispy but not burnt
• Remove potato from pan, cook the onion garlic in some oil until brown
• Add back in the potato, layer them evenly around the pan
• Pour in the beaten eggs (seasoned with salt and pepper)
• Cook it for a bit til the egg mixture is firm
• Add grated cheese to the top and put the pan in the grill until golden brown
• Top with pieces of fresh basil

Korean Fire Chicken

I was craving something spicy last week when the weather was really crappy. This spicy and sweet dish really lifts your mood.

It was actually quite easy to make, and I did tone down the spiciness just a notch so my flatmate could eat it without dying. Also I didn't have quite a whole chicken. But you can just adjust the spiciness to your taste.

Here's the ingredients (And I'll try to be more specific with the amounts)

• 1 kg Chicken
• 2 Onion diced
• 4 cloves of Garlic crushed
• 2 tablspoon of Soya Sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Sesame Oil
• 2 tablespoon of Honey
• 2 tablespoon of Sugar
• Pinch of Salt and Pepper
• 2 stalks of scallion/spring onion/ eschallots (Was having this discussion with Squishies what the long green tubes with white bits at the end are called....)
• 1 tablespoon toasted seasame seeds
• 1/2 Nashi Pear
• 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
• 3 tablespoon Korean Chili Paste
• 1 tablespoon of Dried Chili Flakes

Directions:

• Marinate the Chicken with 1 of the onions, 1 stalk of scallion, garlic, soya sauce, seasame oil, honey and sugar for 30 - 45minutes
• In the food processor/blender thingy, add the nashi pear, chilis, honey, sugar, other onion and blitz into a thick red paste - aka Fire sauce
• Brown the chicken in a hot pan with some oil, add the Fire sauce to the chicken and cook until sauce thickens.
• Serve with remainder scallion and scatter the toasted seasame seeds
• Best serve with white rice

Dinner for 1

So I'm determined to post a bit more this year than I did last year....and one of the recipes I'd like to share is this ridiculously easy Berlotti Beans with Tomato Stew. With Melbourne's crazy weather, one day it's 30 degrees plus but then the next drop to the teens. A hearty bean stew sure warms your body and soul when it's suddenly very cold. But this would still be great during warmer weather.

Easiest Stew Ever!

 

The original recipe recommended 20 minutes cooking time, but since I did this in my slow cooker it didn't even count. I chucked everything into the crockpot in the morning before I head out and I am greeted by a delicious aroma when I open the door in the evening when I get home. This just made me so happy and so little efforts involved.

So Healthy and economical

 Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups dried Berlotti Beans rinsed well (no need soaking overnight)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 diced onion
• 2 diced carrots
• Allspice
• Rosemary
• Mixed herbs
• Chili powder
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 Stock cubes
• Chopped Parsley

Directions:

• Dump all but the parsley into the slow cooker, cover with water and leave it on high/auto
• Go to work/play/sleep
• Ta da, all ready when your house seems slightly smokey (in the bbq way, not the burning house way)
• To serve, top with chopped parsley

Happy 2015

Fresh new year, fresh new start.

My new housemate Ms Romantica once told me when she first moved in that Pasta with Vongole was one of her favourite meals. Ever since that conversation a couple months ago, I've had Vongole on my mind. So for our first meal together in 2015 I decided to make this delicious pasta dish with fresh clams from the market.

 

Spaghetti alle Vongole

 It was really simple with just a few choice ingredients, but the end result was stunningly. I can definately see why this is one of her favourite dishes, I think it's become one of mine also.

So here's what I did:

 

Serves 4. Time: 15 mins

 

Ingredients:

• 1 kg Vongole
• 1 package dry spaghetti (or any pasta of your preference)
• Garlic
• Parsley
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chili (I used both powder and dried)
• Splash of white wine
• Juice and Rind of 1 lemon
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Butter
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

 

• Heat up your pan, add olive oil and butter and then garlic
• Add cherry tomatoes and vongole (make sure they were rinsed and toss out any opened ones)
• Add wine and cover pan, cook for 5 mins and then check
• Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water as directed on package
• Once all the vongoles are opened, stir in chili and lemon rind and juice, add the cooked spaghetti and some of the cooking liquid so there is a little sauce in the pan.
• Season to your liking
• Turn off heat and toss in chopped parsley
• To serve top with parmesan cheese