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



Prawns and Snowpeas pasta in a zesty yogurt sauce

This is a great dish when you're short on time on a warm night. The zesty yogurt sauce is appetizing, light and creamy. In another word....PERFECTAMENTE!

Creamy Zesty Light pasta with Prawns and snow peas

I love this dish so much! Basically my friend Squishy showed me two different pasta dish and I thought it would be perfect to combine them. Here's what you will need.

Ingredients:

• Pasta
• Prawns
• Snow peas
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chili
• Parmesan cheese
• Small Tub/cup of Greek yogurt
• Half a lemon ( Zest & juice)
• Garlic
• Basil
• Dill
• Salt & Pepper
• Butter
• Olive oil
• White wine

Directions

• Cook pasta per direction. I used spaghetti but use whatever you like. Same same.
• Heat oil in pan, add the butter to melt then add the garlic, cook til golden and add the prawns
• Toss in the tomatoes and snow peas, add some fresh herbs (I put in dill and basil), add a dash of white wine and chili and add the pasta to toss through. You can actually stop here and have a yummy pasta dish (this was one of the recipes)
• If you wanna try something new - empty of the tub of Greek yogurt into salad bowl, add zest of half a lemon plus the juices, salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese
• Combine everything together and top with more cheese. Trust me it's so good, even my Italian flatmate was impressed ;)

Jamie Oliver's Pumpkin and Spinach Rotolo

So Mr ShyGuy is going to the Freezing Land of nowhere to teach for a year, so I figured I'll make something fancy for one of the last meals he'll have at home. I recently bought a copy of Jamie Oliver's Save $$$ Cookbook and this Vegetarian Pumpkin and Spinach Rotolo caught my eye.

I must admit it's alot more effort than what I usually make (1 pot wonders) and this involved 3 pots and a baking tray....but it's kinda one off (for now) unless I need to impress someone I might make it again. But saying that is not to put you off from trying it, because it was really yum! And looks impressive, it wasn't very hard to do - kinda like rolling sushi, but just need to get all the components ready. Took about 1hr and 30 mins include the 30 mins baking time.

Alrite so let's get started.

JO's Pumpkin & Spinach Rotolo

Ingredients:

• Peeled and roasted pumpkin
• English Spinach
• Garlic
• Parmesan Cheese
• Feta
• Can of  diced tomato
• Onion
• Chili
• Basil
• Pasta sheet (Lasagna)
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

• Mash up the roasted pumpkin
• Heat up the olive oil in pan, add the garlic and onion, brown and then add the spinach to wilt it and add the chili
• Cook the pasta sheet as per instructed
• Assemble the ingredients as you would with sushi: pasta sheet down, add pumpkin layer, then spinach, then feta, and roll it up. Leave it resting with the "flap" side down
• Heat up the can of diced tomato with more onion and garlic, chili, basil and season with salt and pepper
• Cut up the roll, and plate up with the sauce, add the rolls and top with parmesan

Vegetarian Baked Eggs with Mushrooms and Tomato

Sunday Brunch....my favourite meal of the week.

This is the time I can get up leisurely, make a cup of coffee and peruse over my fridge and pantry and decide what to start my week with. Sunday is the beginning of the week right?

I've already made the big breakfast with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, tomatos and avocado on Saturday, so figured I'll mix it up a bit.... I've made pancakes the last couple of Sundays....I Looove Pancake. But yeah time for a change... so browsing through foodblogs...I came across these little baked eggs in muffin tins. Score!

Yummy Baked Eggs

Here's how I made mine:

Ingredients:

• Sliced bread (white or brown or whatever you have)
• Desired number of eggs
• Tomatos, chopped
• Mushrooms, chopped
• Spring Onions, chopped
• Parsley, chopped
• Tasty Cheese, gratted
• Butter
• Salt and Pepper

* Feel free to subsitute filling with what you like, say....BACON!!!

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 180C
• Saute the mushrooms, tomatos and spring onions in butter
• Spray the muffin tin with oil (I forgot to do it and was a bit difficult to get them out afterwards)
• Smash the bread with your palm/fist to flatten it a bit and then smoosh it into the muffin tin
• Fill each bread cup with the coked veggies
• Topped with some cheese
• Crack an egg into each cup
• Put in oven and cook for around 15 -18 minutes until the eggs are cooked to desired consistency
• Scatter some chopped parsley on top and serve!

I also squirted some Siracha Chili Sauce on top heh

My Aboslute Favourite - Jamaican Curry Goat

If you ask me what's my favourite Jamaican dish is......the list of probable responses would be:
a. Jerk Chicken
b. Escovitch Fish
c. Oxtail stew
d. Curry Goat

and my answer every time would be Curry Goat, I've only had it a few times here in Oz (always at a restaurant) and have been wanting to make my own. Finally the other day we went to the markets and came across an ethnic butcher and I decide to poke my head in and see what's available and what do you know, right in front of me is a tray of "curry goat" meat. It's like calling to me to take it home.

I was so excited and quickly messaged a few friends to come over for a Sunday night dinner party.

The goat turned out amazing! I saw a piece left on Mr ShyGuy's plate and I thought he wasn't having it so I quickly stabbed it and transferred it to my plate, only to have him turn around and tell me he was saving it and was just going to get a knife to cut it down.... o well, you snooze you lose....heehee

Here's the Jamaican Curry Goat Recipe:

Ingredients:

the curry goat bubbling away happily on my stove

• 500g curry goat meat
• 2 onions, sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 potatos, cubed
• 2 carrots, cubed
• 2 sprigs spring onion, chopped
• 1 habernero chilli, chopped
• curry powder
• all spice
• thyme
• Ketchup
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Supar
• Salt and Pepper
• Oil

Directions:

• Add 1 of the sliced onion, garlic, chili, curry powder, salt and pepper to the goat meat and let marinate for at least 5 hrs or overnight
• Heat up oil in your heavybased sauce pan and brown the goat meat, leaving the onion/chili stuff behing
• After meat is browned on all sides, all remaining marinating stuff to the pan and top with some boiling water until meat is covered, put lid on and simmer on medium/low heat for 1 hr
• Add the chopped up vegetables and top with more curry powder
• Add seasoning and cook down uncovered til the sauce is thick and gloppy

Serve with white rice, I'm so making this again soon!