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Hi Everyone,
Yes! As you may have guessed, i have been a busy bee that i always am...
After a very long silence here, i thought long and hard as to the best comeback offering to all the supporters of riceandnoodles and have put in a lot of dedication and hardwork to come up with this new and may i say stunning layout just to give a little more interest and vavavoom to the site. I hope you enjoy browsing through each of the pages.
Thank you for your continued support.
Mae x
First, slice the lobster on the shell joints and the head in half. Set aside.
Prepare the tomatoes by slicing off the tough end and slicing again in half vertically. Place in a large enough bowl. Add to this the minced garlic and sliced shallots. Drizzle the olive oil and mix everything with your hands.
Boil some water in a large deep pan. Cook the tagliatelle according to packet instruction. This takes around 8-9 minutes; al dente.
While the tagliatelle is cooking, place a saute pan on medium heat. Once hot, place the tomato mixture to the pan. This should sizzle and the tomatoes quickly starts to cook. Stir. After 1 minute, add the grand marnier and shake the pan. Cook for another minute. Add some freshly milled salt and pepper to taste and half of boiled water. Immediately after adding the water, add some torn basil, stir and place the lobsters on top of the sauce. Cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 3 minutes. Check to make sure there's enough liquid in the sauce to avoid drying out.
Take the lobsters out of the pan and set aside, leaving the sauce. Add a little more boiled water to the sauce if required. Add the drained tagliatelle to the pan and stir in with the sauce.
Turn off the heat.
Plate the tagliatelle and lobster slices, garnish with fresh basil and serve while hot.
1 very large lobster [cooked]
250g plum cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp grand marnier
fresh basil
1 clove garlic [minced]
1 large shallots
2 tbsp olive oil
freshly milled salt + pepper
1 cup boiled water [for the sauce]
dried tagliatelle [enough for 2 people]
makes upto 20 cupcakes
130g self raising flour [sifted at least 3x]
80g caster sugar [sifted]
4 egg yolks
6 egg whites
2/3 tsp baking powder
130ml water
80ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp pandan essence [this depends on the strength of your pandan essence]
green food colouring
icing...
400g jar of nutella
Preheat the oven to 150c [fan assisted].
Whisk the egg yolk with 40g of sugar on high speed until thick and creamy ribbon stage.
Add oil, water and the pandan essence and whisk until well combined on medium speed.
Add the flour and baking powder and continue to whisk until well combined but this time on low speed.
In another metal bowl, whisk the egg whites gradually adding the other 40g of sugar to stiff peaks.
Fold the meringue mixture to the flour mixture a third at a time with a plastic spatula.
Divide into the cake cups to 2/3 full.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, take out of the oven and leave to cool on a rack before icing them.
This is dedicated to J.
On one occasion while talking about food [an occurence that happens quite often], she mentioned that she can never get to cook adobo right. It's either too sour, salty or the lack of. J is a keen cook but i personally think what's lacking, is her confidence as i'm pretty sure she can rustle up a mean adobo if she just believe in herself that she can make a mean adobo. Like she does with her mean salads.
Adobo is a national dish of the Philippines. You can adobo almost anything - meat, fish and vegetables. Cooking adobo varies and there's no set rules - you just have to have the main ingredients such as soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, onions, bay leaf, peppercorns. Other variations of ingredients which depends on what type of meat you're cooking - ginger [for fish and chicken], lemon [for drizzling on chicken & pork livers even bistek], cocunut milk [for chicken and vegetables]. Indeed you can adobo vegetables too like snake beans, ung choi/kangkong. I even make oysters adobo too like i did here quite recently.
My favourite adobo would be pork, boney chicken, baby squids, snake beans and kangkong but i like all variations of adobo. Beef bistek or fried beef adobo is another favourite not forgetting pork chops bistek [Ian's mum likes this one] but more of these later as i will try and post all the adobo mentioned here.
For now, let me share with you my chicken adobo recipe as promised.
Chicken Adobo
1 whole medium to large chicken [or chicken pieces like thighs, wings and drums] [cut in medium sizes with the bones]
2-3 medium size potatoes [cut in quarters]
2 cloves of garlic [crushed with the knife]
1 tsp peppercorns
thumb sized ginger [sliced in small batons]
1 large onions [sliced in half rings]
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
2-2 1/2 tbsp of sunflower oil or vegetable oil
for the sauce:
1/4 cup or 2 fl oz dark soy sauce [dark soy sauce is slightly sweet and darker]
1/4 cup or 2 fl oz light soy sauce [light soy sauce is saltier than dark soy sauce]
1/4 cup or 2 fl oz malt vinegar
1/2 cup or 4 fl oz water
extra 1/2 cup water [if the sauce gets too thick or dried out]
Prepare the chicken by washing first, dry with paper towels then cut to medium pieces with the bones intact. If using pre-cut chicken pieces like the thighs with the legs, cut the leg off the thighs and cut the thighs again in half. Set aside.
Place all the liquid ingredients for the sauce in one big bowl or cup or measuring jug. Stir well. Smell it. Taste it. Remember the smell and more importantly, the taste as this will be the basis of your next adobo adventure. Next time, or shall i say, after a while, you won't be needing to measure the ingredients as you'll be able to judge it by taste and smell alone.
On high heat, heat a pot large enough to accommodate the chicken pieces and potatoes. Once hot, add the oil. Add the garlic, let sizzle then almost immediately, add the ginger and the onions. Stir and cook for a few seconds. Then add the chicken and cook always stirring for 2 minutes. Add the peppercorns, stir then add the bay leaf. Sprinkle or grind 1/2 tsp of salt. Stir. Add the liquid sauce, stir. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add the potatoes, stir. Cover the pot, lower the heat to low-medium. Cook for 20 minutes. Occasionally checking and stirring [very carefully as to not mash the potatoes] making sure that the sauce hasn't dried out. Add 1/2 cup of water [if the sauce gets too thick] and leave to simmer for further 10 minutes.
Serve with boiled jasmine rice.
[Notes: This chicken adobo can be cooked the night before and serve the next day. Just re-heat in the pot on lower-medium heat simmering it gently. The sauce can also be used for making adobo fried rice.]
piri-piri spiked snapper in tomatoes & spring onions
This is another fishy favourite of mine that i would like to share with you. It's so simple to make and little or no thought is required in making this dish yet it's flavourful.
In Philippines, this dish is called 'sarsiyadong isda' or simply 'fried fish in eggy tomato sauce'. Normally beaten egg and black/yellow beans would be put in the sauce but i occasionally skip that and do without.
The piri-piri powder [courtesy of my brother] was a last minute addition which gives a little kick to the dish. Of course you don't have to have this if you don't like it chilli hot but since i cooked this just for moi, i had the luxury of adding as much piri-piri as i wanted [beware as this fine powder can be lethal!]. If and when i'm cooking this for company, i would just put the piri-piri powder on a little bowl on the side for everyone to add as desired.
Here's my recipe...
Piri-Piri Spiked Snapper in Tomatoes + Spring Onions
1 medium sized Snapper [ask the Fish Monger to clean, gut and trim]
sea salt
ground mix pepper
1 tbsp sunflower oil
For the sauce,
5 plum tomatoes [skinned then chopped*]
1 large clove garlic [crushed then sliced]
6 spring onions [+ 1 to garnish - sliced]
1 tsp fish sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup boiled water
piri-piri powder [as desired - optional - or served on the side]
*To skin the plum tomatoes, place the tomatoes in a large bowl, then add enough boiled water to cover all the tomatoes. Leave for 2 minutes. Then take the tomatoes off the bowl. With a small knife, make a criss-cross on the top of the tomato, then pull the skin off [it should come off easily]. Chop and set aside.
Wash the fish, dry. Score the fish, sprinkle some sea salt and ground mix pepper on both sides.
On medium heat, place a non-stick pan with 1 tbsp of oil. Once hot, place the fish on the pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Take out the pan and set aside.
On the same pan, add 1 more tbsp of oil, add the garlic and cook until brown. Add the spring onions and almost immediately, add the plum tomatoes. Stir. Add the fish sauce, water, stir and taste [adjust the seasoning accordingly - add a pinch of salt if needed] and cook for 2 minutes [if you're adding some piri-piri powder, you can add it now as well]. Place the fish in the middle of the pan and baste with the sauce. Cover, lower the heat and cook for further 3-5 minutes.
Best served with boiled jasmine rice.
I would like to contribute my recipe to LP:12 [Lasang Pinoy : 12th edition - 'Distinctly Pinoy with a Twang' Filipino Food Fusion'] which the very creative and talented Ces of essenCes is kindly hosting this month. To all non-Filipino readers, 'Lasang Pinoy' or 'Filipino Taste' is a monthly event for which all Filipinos and non-Filipinos [but have interest in Filipino food], put together a series of Filipino dishes according to monthly theme. Please check out Ces' website to find out more about this month's exciting theme. Thank you for hosting Ces!
chocolate truffles : pistachio nuts & vanilla
Another chocolate truffles post.
I've made another batch for Christmas give-aways today; Pistachio Nuts & Vanilla Bean using Thorntons 70% dark chocolate and a repeat of Orange & Grand Marnier using 70% Lindt dark chocolate. The results were totally awesome. Loved the simple combinations. I've always been a believer of less is more. Suffice to say, i'm happy with the results of my experiments.
The pistachio nuts was inspired by the many pistachio covered entries in the SHF no. 25 round up which was hosted by Johanna of The Passionate Cook. If i have to choose one and only one favourite nut, i would easily choose pistachio with hazelnut coming second. I'm a visual person and the choice would be for that perspective alone otherwise both nuts would be my most favourite.
I was going to make more of Milk Chocolate & Hazelnuts but completely forgot to get some more milk chocolates. Although it worked out quite well as the boxes i got only fits 4 good measure of chocolate truffles so i just put a pair in each. I must add that although i've enjoyed making these truffles today, it was really difficult to limit myself for only sampling 3 of the Pistachio Nuts & Vanilla and 2 of the Orange & Grand Marnier. It was so unfair but it's all for a good cause.
All in all, i made 12 boxes today to be delivered respectively to friends and family tomorrow. Some of which already got their gifts from the first batch i made last week.
Here's the recipe...
Chocolate Truffles : Pistachio Nuts & Vanilla Bean
200 gms 70% dark chocolate [i've used Thorntons chocolate]
150 ml double cream [i've used Jersey cream but you can use any other brand]
1 vanilla bean
75 gms de-shelled raw pistachio nuts [chopped]
Boil the kettle. Chop the pistachio nuts, place in a large round bowl, set aside.
Put the boiled water in a small deep pot, place on the hob [medium heat]. On a heatproof bowl that perfectly fits on top of the deep pot, roughly break the chocolates. Place on top of the pot and melt the chocolate. This shouldn't take long; about 5-7 minutes.
Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthways and scrape off the seeds. On a separate small pot, place both the scraped vanilla bean and seeds with the cream and heat gently until it starts to simmer; about 3-4 minutes. Take out the vanilla pod and discard.
Once the chocolate have melted and the cream warmed, place the melted chocolate on another heat proof bowl. Add the warm cream and mix gently in a circular motion until smooth.
Let it stand to cool for 15-20 minutes on the counter.
After the 20 minutes, mix again and place in the fridge to set for about 1 hour or until it starts to set nicely [but not too hard].
Take it out of the fridge, and using a teaspoon, scoop some ganache and use another teaspoon to shape them to almost round.
Place on a grease proof paper. If you want a perfect round shape, you can use your palm to roll the ganache against the grease proof paper, very lightly [make sure your hands are cleaned and dried well and or use a plastic glove].
Put the round ganache onto the bowl of ground pistachio nuts and shake the bowl gently in a circular motion sideways.
Oriental Chicken Sausage Rolls
yields 25-30 bite-size pieces
250 gms minced chicken
150 gms pancetta [finely chopped]
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped spring onions
1 tsp red birds eye chillies [seeded and finely chopped]
1 large egg [1/4 cup size]
1 box 375 gms ready rolled puff pastry [there's two rolled out per box]
1 egg yolk
sesame seeds
to serve
sweet chilli sauce
fresh coriander leaves
Prepare all ingredients. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180c fan assisted.
Wash and dry hands.
Put the chicken, pancetta, grated ginger, minced garlic, chopped coriander leaves, chopped springonions, birds eye chillies, fish sauce and egg in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands.
Wash and dry hands
Roll out pastry on a clean, dry surface. Cut each of the 2 rolled out pastry in 2 lengthways. Line each with the filling and carefully roll into a sausage brushing the edge with water, then fold over to seal. Place the sealed edge underneath, and using a sharp knife, cut the sausage rolls into 3-4 cm diagonally, discarding the end pieces. Repeat process.
Place in a baking tray, brush the tops with egg yolk and top with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden.
Take out of the oven and let cool down a little on a rack before serving.
Serve garnished with fresh coriander leaves and sweet chilli sauce for dipping.
[These can be made a day ahead of the party. Just reheat in the oven at 180c fan assisted for 10 minutes or until warmed through.]
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Rice
serves 2
tiger prawns [as many as you want! head taken out, peeled, cleaned leaving the tail on]
2 heaped large cups of freshly boiled rice [or leftover rice] [i've used jasmine rice]
1 tbsp thai green curry paste [Mae Ploy]
2-3 tbsp of coconut milk
fresh coriander [a handful - chopped]
1 tbsp of sunflower oil
1/2 lime [cut in 1/4 per serving]
1-2 tsp of fish sauce [for seasoning]
Mix the green curry paste with the tiger prawns, marinate for 5-10 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
Heat a wok and place the oil. Once hot, fry the prawns with the curry paste for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and cook for 1 more minute. Add the rice, mix well and incorporate all the sauce on the wok. Always stirring, cook for 2 minutes. Taste and season with fish sauce if needed. Add the chopped coriander, quickly mix through and take off the heat.
Serve with a 1/4 lime wedge per serving. [I completely forgot to add this to the photoshoot! I cut the lime really neat too... ah well, next time.]
You may also garnish with sliced cucumber to cool the senses. Please note, the hotness of this dish depends on how hot the green curry paste that you have [you can always add more chillies for 'suicidal hot']. The thai brand i use are typically hot! If you don't want it too hot, it's worth buying a mild curry paste.
From riceandnoodles kitchen, i bring you... 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Rice'. Enjoy!
Crab Vermicelli w Ginger, Garlic and Coriander
crab meat [picked about _ - _ cup]
1 medium sized bowl of soaked vermicelli
1 red chilli [sliced]
1 springonions or shallots [sliced]
1 tsp of ginger [peeled and finely grated]
1 clove of garlic [minced]
3 tbsp of dark soy sauce
coriander leaves [from the garden - a handful roughly chopped]
Soak the vermicelli in just boiled water for roughly 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Place the wok on high heat and when it’s very hot, add the oil. Carefully throw in the garlic and the ginger, fry briefly. Add the crab meat, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, chillies and springonions. Fry for 1 minute. Add the noodles and the rest of the soy sauce and stir well making sure the noodles are well covered with soy sauce [I find using chopsticks to stir the noodles really helps]. Add the coriander, take off the heat and mix the coriander well with the noodles. Serve hot.
With the noodles that I cooked for the party, I left out the chillies [to make it friendly to everybody]. I also added the egg noodles as I wasn’t sure if the vermicelli was enough and I only had 1 packet of vermicelli.
Pork Vermicelli & Egg Noodles w Ginger, Garlic and Coriander
Pork [sliced small - about a1 1/2 cup full]
1 packet vermicelli
2 clumbs of thin egg noodles [optional]
3-4 springonions or shallots [sliced]
2 tsp of ginger [peeled and finely grated]
2 clove of garlic [minced]
2-3 tbsp of sunflower oil
5-7 tbsp of dark soy sauce [I actually forgot to measure the soy sauce – make sure there’s enough just to cover the noodles.
coriander leaves [from the garden – plenty - roughly chopped]
Soak the vermicelli in just boiled water for roughly 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. If adding egg noodles, follow the packet’s instructions.
Place the wok on high heat and when it’s very hot, add the oil. Fry the pork [it should sizzle] for 3-5 minutes until just brown and soft. Make a well in the middle of the wok and carefully place the garlic and the ginger in the middle and fry briefly. Mix the pork and the garlic, ginger together then add some soy sauce and springonions. Fry for 1 minute. Add the noodles and the rest of the soy sauce and stir well making sure the noodles are well covered with soy sauce [I find using chopsticks to stir the noodles really helps]. Add the coriander, take off the heat and mix the coriander well with the noodles.
Best served with lemon wedges.
The party was great and Big J had a great time.
oysters...
Low tides in the summer only means one thing - oysters. On high tides, Ian [my lovely Fiance] dives for seafood like crabs, scallops, plaice, sole, cuttlefish, john dory and whatever else he can catch to satisfy my seafood cravings. Armed with chisel and hammer, we harvested some oysters today from the rocks at a secret location [it is secret because i'm greedy or shall we say 'we' who knows about this place are greedy and to keep our good supply of oysters, 'we' don't want to disclose it's prime location]. No, not illegaly. These oysters grow on rocks where they've attached themselves - so it's fair game. It takes a lot of determination to get these oysters off the rocks hence the chisel and hammer but the reward is always satisfying.
Of course we can always go to the fish market to get some locally farmed oysters but it's more fun to go down the beach to search and pick the oysters ourselves and it's free. To keep the supply ample for everyone else wishing to pick some oysters, i personally observe the etiquette of picking just the right size and just enough amount of for the occasion.
One of the oysters we picked was 5 1/2 by 3 inches[!] but unfortunately, there's no pearls this time. Maybe, just maybe, next time.
Oysters Adobo
20 oysters [cleaned and shucked, drained on tea towels]
a clove of garlic [crushed and chopped finely]
springonions [sliced]
1/2 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 lemon juice
ground black pepper/salt
1/2 tbsp tabasco [optional]
2-3 tbsp sunflower oil
Heat the oil on high and fry the garlic. Just before browning, add the oysters and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the soy sauce, lower the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice [and tabasco if adding] and cook further for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the springonions and remove from heat after 1 minute.
Serve immediately with boiled jasmine rice.
This is a great way to eat oysters if you don't like them raw. As you can see on the first photo, they look so plumpy and juicy. Not only that, they were delicious. Worth every scratches i got on my tiny palm from shucking them [Ian had to rescue me again - and he doesn't even eat them].
roast duck in black bean sauce on a bed of baby bok choi
sliced roast duck [as before]
1 yellow bell pepper [sliced thick]
1 onion [sliced thick]
1 clove of garlic [crushed then sliced finely]
2 tbsp black beans [grind 1 tbsp in pestle and mortar]
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup of roast duck broth [as before]
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornflour [dissolved in 2 tbsp of cold water]
1-2 tbsp of duck fat [which was collected after roasting]
baby bok choi [quartered lengthways]
spring onions [for garnishings]
Before you begin, boil just over a pint of water in a small pot. Blanch the baby bok choi for 2 minutes, drain and arrange on a warm serving plate.
Heat a wok and the duck fat. Fry the garlic and almost immediately, add the black beans, bell peppers and onions. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the broth and the dissolved cornstarch. Add the soy sauce and sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add the sliced duck, stir fry for 2 more minutes. Take off the heat.
Place on top of the baby bok choi, garnish with spring onions and serve with either boiled or egg fried rice.
yum yum... tom yum
This is my version of tom yum soup - one that i very much enjoy. The recipe was inspired from the many tom yums i've had in many different Thai restaurants which i've re-created in my kitchen. There is a small cafe type eatery here in Jersey called Thai Dicq Shack which serves mainly Thai food and is perfectly situated on the beach. Everytime i'm in need of a quick Thai food fix, i always go to this place. They're very popular with the locals and one can be guaranteed of a great meal. If you happen to be in Jersey and you're after a great Thai curry by the beach where you can soak up the sun and play with the sand with your tired feet, this is definitely the place. And perhaps a little swim before the meal to get the appetite going!
Here's my version of seafood tom yum.
The addition of coconut milk gave a slightly velvety mouth feel [without making the soup too heavy] and sweet-ish taste which in my view, rounds up the hot, sour flavour of this dish perfectly. I believe in Thailand, they add milk to their tom yums but i wasn't particularly comfortable with doing that as i wasn't sure if it was condensed or evaporated milk that they add so i've used coconut milk instead.
mae’s seafood tom yum soup
[makes a good 2-3 portions]
2 lbs fresh moules [cleaned]
mixed variety of fresh fish [cod, salmon, haddock and tuna which can be bought mixed cuts from the fish monger - the sizes varies from 1 to 2 inch squares and i bought 2 of each fish]
2 large crab claws [bought cooked, wash and crack to reveal the flesh]
3 tbsp tom yum paste [Maesri brand]
400 ml coconut milk
1 1/2 pints of boiled water
1 stalk lemongrass [sliced diagonally]
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 small tomato [cut in quarters]
a thumb size ginger [slice in thin batons]
2-3 red chillies [sliced lengthways]
2 or 3 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 lime juice
a small bunch of spring onions [sliced - 2 inches]
fresh coriander [roughly chopped]
Pour the boiled water and coconut milk to a pot and bring to rolling boil for 5 minutes. Stir in the tom yum paste, add in the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, chillies, ginger, tomatoes and continue to simmer for around 4-5 minutes. Drop in the moules, stir and cover for 2 minutes. Add in the fish, fish sauce, lime juice, cover and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Add the crabs and cook further for 2 minutes. By this time, the moules should be fully opened and the fish cooked. Taste. Add more fish sauce or lime juice if necessary. Stir in the springonions and take off the heat.
Serve garnished with roughly chopped coriander.
Can be served as a starter on it's own or main course with jasmine rice.
[The chancer crabs are caught in Jersey waters - it had a sweet firm flesh that was so delicious. I couldn't help myself while preparing them - i ate large chunks from both claws before even adding to the soup! The moules are farmed in Jersey waters too and they were plumpy and juicy. Good ol' Jersey produce.]
Thai Dicq Shack
The Dicq Slip [by the White Horse Pub]
St Saviour
Jersey JE2 7PD
01534 730273
Blueberry Ice Cream
3/4 pint blueberries [pick out the stems and wash]
3 fl oz caster sugar
1 tbsp water
2 tsp vanilla extract
500ml Jersey whipping cream [or any brand whipping cream]
The following process assumes you are using an ice cream machine.
In a microwaveable bowl, place the bluberries, caster sugar and water, cover, then place in the centre of the microwave and cook in high heat [800 watts] for 5 minutes. If your microwave has lower wattage, just adjust the cooking time. Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir the syrup. Let cool for 3 minutes then put through a sieve - you should get 1/2 a pint of sieved syrup. Let cool completely.
In a measuring jug, pour the whipping cream and add the vanilla essence. Stir. Add the syrup prepared and mix again.
Plug the ice cream machine and press start. Slowly pour in all of the mixture. Churn for about 20-25 minutes.
Serve. You may also want to garnish with fresh blueberries for extra burst of goodness but totally optional. Enjoy!
Pad Thai
Serves 4
12 large prawns [peeled with tails intact, butterflied] [or thinly sliced beef if preferred]
200 gms rice stick noodles [kirin brand]
3 tbsp ground nut oil [peanut oil, sunflower oil]
2 cloves garlic [finely minced or pressed]
2 eggs
3 1/2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp palm sugar
ground chillies [to taste - optional]
1 tbsp ground roasted peanuts
1 cup fresh beansprouts
3 large spring onions [sliced]
for garnishing...
ground roasted peanuts
half a handful beansprouts
fresh coriander
quartered whole lime
fine ground chillies [optional]
Boil the kettle and in a large bowl, place the noodles. Soak the noodles for around 5 minutes or until the noodles are al dente. Drain and set aside.
In a bowl, mix together the tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar.
In medium heat, heat a large wok with 1/2 of the oil. Fry the garlic until slightly brown, add the prawns [or beef - if cooking with beef, fry until cooked on high [making sure the beef doesn't boil] then lower the heat for the next step] and fry for 2 minutes or until the prawns turns pink then set to the sides of the wok.
Add the remaining oil and break the eggs in the middle of the wok and using a spatula, fry scramble the eggs while stirring. Do this for 1 minute.
Add in the noodles, stir and add the tamarind mixture, chilli powder and ground peanuts. Stir fry for 3 minutes, taste, adjust the seasoning if needed, then add the beansprouts and spring onions. Mix thoroughly, cook further for 1 minute and take off the heat.
Serve garnished with fresh beansprouts, coriander, lime, ground peanuts and chilli powder.
Banana Fritters w Golden Syrup & Cinnamon Sugar Dust
2-3 ripe bananas
1 cup self raising flour
pinch of salt
1 cup cold water
golden syrup
1/2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon powder
Sift the self raising flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and gradually add the water and using a small hand whisk, combine the flour and the water and whisk gently until they are well combined. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.
On a separate bowl, sift the caster sugar and add the cinnamon. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
After the 30 minutes, heat some oil in a small deep pan. Slice the bananas in half lengthways and slice again diagonally.
Once the oil gets hot [but not too hot], give the batter a quick mix and place a slice of banana at a time into the batter using a cooking chopsticks, making sure the bananas are covered well and place immediately into the hot oil to fry. When you do this, the banana will sink to the bottom but should rise back to the top of the oil almost immediately [2-3 seconds].
Take it out of the hot oil once it starts to just golden brown. Using a clean cooking chopsticks or slotted spoon, take them out of the hot oil and place on a plate with kitchen rolls.
You can do 3-4 banana slices at a time. Repeat process until all the bananas are fried.
Serve immediately with a little drizzle of golden syrup and dust with cinnamon sugar.
Summer Berry Frozen Yogurt
1 cup greek yogurt
1 & 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
1/4 cup icing sugar [confectioners sugar]
Mix all the ingredients in food processor for a few seconds until the they are fully combined but still retains a chunky texture.
Spoon the mixture into small ramekin dishes, cover each with clingfilm and place in the freezer for 2 hours or until firm.
To turn out the frozen yogurt, use a small thin knife to gently loosen from the ramekins and invert them on to small plates each.
Serve immediately with either fresh or frozen berries on the side.
Sesame Noodles w Mixed Veg & Baby Pak Choi
2 small clumps of noodles [egg noodles, wheat noodles]
1 cup mixed vegetables [carrots, baby spring onions, purple cabbage, brocolli, baby corn]
1 clove garlic [finely chopped]
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp black sesame seeds [optional]
First boil the kettle. Place the noodles in the pan on medium heat and add the boiling water [enough so that the noodles submerge in water]. Boil for 3 minutes and drain.
Steam the mixed vegetables for 2 minutes.
Heat the wok on high. Add the splash of sesame oil, then the garlic. Fry for a few seconds until slightly golden then add the drained noodles. Stir fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the mixed vegetables and baby pak choi and the soy sauce. Keep stirring for a minute or two.
Take off the heat, place in a bowl, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Simple. Quick. Delicious.
Hunter Gatherers Scallops w Fresh Garlic Parsley Butter
6-8 fresh scallops
50 gms softened unsalted butter
1 tbsp fresh curly parsley [finely chopped]
1 clove garlic [finely minced]
rainbow pepper [ground]
Clean the scallops by carefully opening each one, slice the back with a knife to take it out of the shell, gut with a pair of scissors, leaving just the white flesh and roe. Rinse and dry with paper towels.
Clean the shells thoroughly.
Return the cleaned scallops each on the shells.
Mix thoroughly the butter, minced garlic and chopped parsley.
Spread about a teaspoon of garlic paste onto each scallops.
Season with a tiny salt and pepper.
Place under the grill for 5 minutes on medium to high heat or until the garlic is crisp and the butter golden.
Serve immediately with a lemon wedge.
