Kits Chow

435. Pasta with grilled vegetables

2011-08-18T17:35:00.001-07:00

Pasta with grilled vegetables

In Vancouver we have rain and more rain in the winter so I really look forward to summer. I don't want to be in the kitchen. I want to be outdoors - to grill food and enjoy our meals outside. We can really enjoy it because we don't have mosquitoes in Vancouver. There is the odd wasp or two but it isn't a problem

I love grilled meat and vegetables. Preparing vegetables for grilling is easier than making a salad - just marinate the veggies with some chopped herbs, garlic and olive oil and put them on the grill. In fact, grilled vegetables are my latest craze - the zucchini tastes so sweet.

When grilling vegetables, put more vegetables on and use them with pasta the next day.

I am just giving you a general idea for the dish.

The ingredients are:

Pasta - any kind you like. I used penne.

Grilled vegetables - You may grill whatever vegetables you like for this dish.

I had grilled zucchini, onions, red peppers, eggplant and a portabello mushroom. Cut the vegetables in chunks or slices. Leave the mushroom whole. Make a marinade of thyme, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Put the vegetables into the dish and toss everything together.

A can of peeled, whole tomatoes

Crème fraiche or regular cream

Chopped garlic, shredded fresh basil and olive oil

Grated Parmesan cheese

Chopped parsley for garnish

Method:

Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta.
Chop the vegetables into bite sized pieces.
Heat some olive oil in a pan and add some pieces of chopped garlic. Fry the garlic a bit but do not brown it.
Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook, stirring to break up the tomatoes, for about five minutes.
Add the basil and the chopped vegetables and stir together to heat up.
Add the crème fraiche to the sauce and cook for about a minute. Add as much cream as you like or omit it.
Add the pasta to the pan. Toss everything together and cook for a couple of minutes.
Dish up. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Pass the grated cheese. Enjoy.

Note: Crème fraiche is very expensive in North America. It is economical to make at home. There is nothing to it. You just need whipping cream and plain natural yogurt (I use the Balkan style yogurt).

I keep an eye out for whipping cream that is marked down (50% off at my local supermarket). It doesn't matter that the cream is reaching its sell by date because it will be sitting on the counter for a day or two to turn into crème fraiche.

Pour a pint of whipping cream in a small glass dish (eg Pyrex casserole with lid). Add a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt and stir to mix. Cover the dish and leave in a warm place. I just leave the dish on the kitchen counter. The cream will have thickened in a day. If it is still thin, leave it out for another half day.

Put the crème fraiche in the refrigerator and use a dollop or two in pasta, soups or with fruit. It can be kept for about a week but we go through the stuff very fast so I have never had it go off.

I am entering my recipe to Presto Pasta Nights #227. The host is Jennifer Sikora of For such a time as this.

PPN is the creation of the wonderful, Ruth Daniels of, Once Upon a Feast, fame.

434. First day of Lent 2011

2011-03-09T07:41:00.001-08:00

Vegetarian rice rolls, 素腸粉

Lent has begun and it is the time for simple, meatless meals. One Lenten dish I like to make is vegetarian rice rolls. Chopped cilantro is spread on rice noodle sheets which are rolled up and streamed.

I bought fresh rice noodles from a local noodle shop, Hon's. They are uncut and sold in 2 lb or 5lb packages.

Fresh rice noodles in slabs, 沙河粉

Ingredients:

Sheets of fresh rice noodles
Chopped cilantro
Sesame oil
Garnish: Toasted sesame seeds

Method:

Open the slab of rice noodles carefully and peel off a sheet. Put the sheet on a cutting board and cut into rectangles about 6" long. I used the folded edges as a guide for the width.
Spread the chopped herbs on the rectangle and roll it up like a jelly roll.
Place the roll, seam side down on an oiled plate. Continue rolling as many as you need.
Place the plate in a steamer and steam for about 5 minutes until the noodles are soft and translucent.
Drizzle some sesame oil over the rolls and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Serve with soy sauce or hot sauce.

Note:

It is best to use fresh noodles as they are pliable. They harden and become brittle after they have been refrigerated.
Here is a recipe if you want to make the rice noodles from scratch.
To soften refrigerated noodles - Bring some water to a boil in a wide, shallow pan or wok. Turn off the heat and wait till the boiling has subsided. Slide the noodles into the hot water and submerge them for about a minute. Use a wide skimmer to remove the slab. Or slide a plate under the noodles and then drain the water. The noodles should have softened but they shouldn't be mushy. Cool the noodles. They should be pliable and you'll be able to separate the sheets.
Use a lot of cilantro. The rolls look very nice with bright green bits showing through the translucent noodles.
Any leftover sheets can be refrigerated and cut into strips for soup or fried noodles. I would advise against softening a second time in boiling water for rice rolls.
If you don't feel like going to all this trouble, use dried rice noodles rather than sheets. Soften the noodles by soaking them in cold water for about fifteen minutes. Drain. Mix the herbs and sesame oil with the noodles and steam for five minutes.

I am sending my recipe for vegetarian rice rolls to Sarah, of Maison Cupcake, who is hosting Presto Pasta Night No. 204.

Congratulations to Ruth, of Once Upon a Feast , for creating this fabulous pasta lover's event. PPN is four years old. Here is the 4th Birthday Bash.

433. Drunken spaghetti

2011-01-20T11:31:00.001-08:00

Drunken spaghetti

I fell in love with Italy when Mr. KC and I visited the beautiful country a couple of years ago. The food was just wonderful. I have been trying to recreate the delicious Italian food at home.

I have been watching David Rocco's show on TLN and also Lidia's Italy. A friend scoffed at David Rocco, calling him an idiot.

Well, she doesn't cook and didn't see beyond the goofing. In my view, David Rocco is an excellent cook. He is a natural. I don't know if he is a trained chef or what but he has the cooking sense. Cooking sense is what distinguishes a good cook from one who just follows recipes exactly. The latter isn't cooking; it is just learning by rote.

This is a show I would recommend to beginning cooks because of the relaxed, casual way DR cooks. Cooking shouldn't be stressful. Plus, the dishes he makes are delicious.

I saw him make Drunken Spaghetti and tried it myself. It was so easy I made it from memory but, if you want more details, here is the recipe.

Boil some spaghetti. Remove from the pan when it is still firm and drain it.

Fry some garlic, hot pepper flakes and anchovy paste in olive oil.

The recipe uses chopped anchovies but I find it easier to keep anchovy paste on hand.

Drain the spaghetti and add to the pan. Toss it around.

Pour some red wine into the pan, mix the pasta and simmer until the pasta is al dente.

I was pouring the wine with one hand and taking the photo with the other, so I added a lot of wine because I kept snapping away. So my spaghetti is Dead drunk spaghetti.

The sauce smells wonderful! Add some grated cheese and garnish with chopped parsley.

I am sending my recipe for Drunken spaghetti to Heather, the GirliChef, who is hosting Presto Pasta Nights #197.

Presto Pasta Nights is a weekly, food blogging event featuring pasta. It is the brainchild of Ruth, author of the fabulous blog, Once Upon a Feast.

432. Tastes Like Home - My Caribbean Cookbook by Cynthia Nelson

2011-01-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I know this is the 19th but I haven't been blogging for a while and this is the first chance I have to wish my readers a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

I haven't posted recipes because I have been all blogged out. The dishes I made were just ordinary ones and Christmas dinner wasn't different from previous Christmas dinners. I didn't want to repeat same of the more.

Plus, the winter lighting isn't good for the photos. But that has all changed now and I am back blogging.

One, Mr. KC gave me the Optex Photo Lighting Kit for Christmas. I don't need to depend on natural lighting to photograph the dishes:

and

Two. My stalled food blogging has been jump started! I received Cynthia Nelson's fabulous book, Tastes Like Home - My Caribbean Cookbook.

I haven't got much done in the past day or so as I have been poring over the pages. The food looks and sounds wonderful. Cynthia's photographs are beautiful.

Caribbean food is a new cuisine for me and her book has made me very interested to learn about it. I can't wait to try her recipes.

As every food blogger knows, Cynthia is the author of the award-winning blog, Tastes Like Home. She has a very large international following.

We became friends when I asked her for a recipe. She is very generous and helpful to bloggers. Cynthia had some problems with the first publisher and the book was delayed about a year. But she has overcome all the difficulties and has produced an excellent cookbook featuring Caribbean recipes. Here is a sample recipe.

Her tips are so thoughtful.

Thank you very much for your beautiful gift!

Congratulations, Cynthia! May this be the first of many more cookbooks!

431. Some useful things from the thrift shop - Photographs

2010-11-22T16:03:00.000-08:00

Grip light

Hands free. It is a great design. With the weather causing power outages in Vancouver, this light is very handy. One can never have too many flashlights at home. I'll probably keep this in the car. One dollar.

Zojirushi Ms.Bento Stainless Lunch Jar

I owned this lunch jar (paid full price) and would bring a lunch of soup or rice for hikes or wandering around the city taking photographs.

We took it on road trips too. I left it behind in a motel and only remembered eighty miles later. So I was glad to find another one in good shape at my favourite thrift store. The manager had to ask me what it was. It didn't have the insulated carrying case but for one dollar I'm not complaining.

White bean soup

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm linking to Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday.

430. Macro Monday - Photograph

2010-11-21T19:04:00.001-08:00

Poppy

Meet Ember at Lisa's Monday Macro.

429. Yellow iris - Photograph

2010-11-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Mellow Yellow Monday!

428. Peacock blue - Photograph

2010-11-21T10:21:00.001-08:00

A peacock appeared in our friends' yard one day and decided to stay with them. This is his feather that I picked up on the lawn.

Whenever I see the three together, I urge the humans to strive for some sartorial elegance. Fleece and duck boots are pale in comparison to peacock feathers.

Comparisons are so odious, aren't they?

Do join Smiling Sally for Blue Monday.

427. Ducks at Jericho Beach - Photograph

2010-11-20T16:24:00.001-08:00

My first entry to Shadow Shot Sunday

Thank you "Hey Harriet" for Shadow shot Sunday

426. Cheat's beef and barley soup and bahn mi op la - Recipe

2010-11-20T11:37:00.001-08:00

Cheat's beef and barley soup

First winter snowfall in Vancouver

It started snowing last night and, by morning, we had 7 centimetres of the white stuff . The heavy snow caused burst water mains, power failure in some areas because of fallen trees, etc. Roads were blocked and traffic lights were not working in some intersections. As it snows so seldom in Vancouver, many drivers have little experience of winter driving. It is frightening to be out on the road with cars skidding and worse. We opted to stay home. But staying home doesn't mean staying indoors. Mr. KC was outside shovelling the driveway and working up a good appetite.

Nothing beats soup and a sandwich for lunch on a winter's day. I made Cheat's beef and barley soup from 2 cups of wine sauce and a piece of short rib, leftover from last night's Vietnamese braised short ribs with wine.

So basically, this is a thinned sauce with bits of vegetables and barley. But my, the soup was delicious. The wine sauce gave the soup a rich flavour.

Ingredients:

2 cups of sauce from beef stew and any leftover meat
One cup of barley, cooked
One cup of frozen peas, carrots and corn
4 cups of soup stock or water

Method:

Cut the meat into small pieces and put it into a pot with the sauce and the rest of the ingredients.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Thin the soup, if necessary.
Dish up and serve.

Now for the fried egg sandwich:

Bahn mi op la - Vietnamese fried egg sandwich

A friend described a sandwich she ate in Vietnam which sounded like a fried egg sandwich. She raved about it so often that I decided to make it.

There is nothing to it. Here is how I interpreted bahn mi op la.

This recipe is for one large serving:

Fry a couple of eggs. I don't care for runny eggs so I fried both sides. But make it sunny side up if that is what you like.
Split a piece of baguette in half. Slather with butter and fill with the fried egg.
Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and grind some pepper over the eggs. Mr. KC sprinkled some Maggi sauce on his.
Enjoy!

Note: I often do things backwards. After we had eaten the sandwich, I went online for information on bahn mi op la. I discovered that the sandwich is usually made with fried eggs and greens. Cilantro, cucumber and other greens are added to it. I'll have to remember that next time. And there will be many more times. Who knew a simple fried egg sandwich could taste so good!

Also the baguette is not sliced into two but cut so that the bread opens like a clamshell. It would hold the slippery egg better than two slices of bread.

Don't throw out any leftover beef stew. Turn it into soup.

I am sending this soup and sandwich to the wonderful Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen, in warm and sunny Hawaii for Souper Sundays.

Lucky Deb is probably enjoying herself on a surfboard or lolling on the beach in her bikini.

If you want a great recipe for a turkey burger, here is Deb's Spectacular side dish turkeysliders's.

424. Pink Saturday - Photographs

2010-11-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

Chrysanthemums in bloom about a month ago

I am sending these photos to Beverly, at How Sweet the Sound, for this week's Pink Saturday.

423. Red in the kitchen - Photograph

2010-11-17T09:44:00.000-08:00

I love red!

Happy Rednesday! Share something red at It's a very cherry world.

422. Seen at Granville Island - Photograph

2010-11-16T05:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Ruby Tuesday !

Here are the wonderful entries to this week's Ruby Tuesday.

421. Mellow Yellow - Photograph

2010-11-15T02:28:00.001-08:00

I can understand why Van Gogh painted so many sunflowers!

Posted for the Mellow Yellow Monday meme, hosted every week by Drowsey Monkey.

Happy Mellow Yellow #95.

420. Two sisters - Photographs

2010-11-14T15:20:00.001-08:00

Swedish embroidery afghan

A few months ago, I caught a glimpse of this afghan amid a jumble of used bedding in a thrift store. I saw immediately that it was beautiful needlework and it looked new.

Well, I couldn't leave it there, could I? I paid $5.00 for this handmade afghan. Only $5.00 for all the care, skill, time and expense that went into making it.

When I returned home I examined my purchase and saw this label:

The concise text fulfils 4 of the 5Ws.

Who made it: Sylvia Whyte (sister)
What it is: Swedish embroidery, made with acrylic yarn on 100% monks cloth
When it was made: 2003
Why it was made: for Helen Hahn
Only where the afghan was made is not mentioned.

I didn't know about Swedish embroidery but Mr. Google was most helpful. I discovered that it is an old needle craft. It is also known as known as Swedish huck weaving, huckaback darning, huck embroidery and punto yugoslavo.

Swedish embroidery begins with a row of stitches across the material, then works the design upwards or downwards to repeat a motif. There are excellent instructions on YouTube for Swedish embroidery.

Mrs. Whyte must have loved her sister dearly to make this afghan for her.

My post would have ended here but, on impulse, I googled the name Helen Hahn. You'll be surprised at the many Helen Hahns on the Internet.

I narrowed the search with the terms Helen Hahn, Sylvia Whyte and sisters. I found Helen Hahn's obituary. She passed away in August 2010. Syliva Whyte lives in North Bay, Ontario.

This is the first time an object that I bought told me something personal. I caught a glimpse of a stranger's life. A life well- lived. Here is what I gathered from the obituary:

Miss Hahn was well-loved by her family, friends and colleagues. She

loved maps and books, especially mysteries
was an accomplished artist. Worked in various media
was a world traveller. Her favourite places were southern France, Australia and the golden wheat fields of Saskatchewan
an avid bird watcher. She enjoyed field trips while keeping track of the migration routes.
an avid follower of the Tour de France
loved baseball
must have loved opera as she was a volunteer for the Vancouver Opera Guild
was a researcher who worked for 35 years at the University of British Columbia. The University flew their flags at half-mast on Tuesday, August 17th, the day of her memorial reception
was a genealogist. She researched the family names of Hahn and Lengert and was able to trace their history back to the 17th Century.

From the University sources I learned that Miss Hahn, the researcher, knew a great deal about UBC. The University memorial book is based on interviews with Helen Hahn and Irene Alexander, and sources held in the University Archives.

She must have been a competent, responsible woman. In 2001, Miss Hahn (now retired) was appointed by the University for a four-year term on the Pension Board.

Here are her words: “I want to help make the Plan do well and improve benefits ... “I want to add a retiree perspective and represent the concerns of retired folks, but I also have concerns for staff who are not yet ready to retire.”

I feel a bit uncomfortable to have this afghan that Mrs. Whyte made for her sister. I would like to return it to her. I'm not sure I want to contact Mrs. Whyte directly as I don't want to intrude.

So I'm keeping it for a year (just like the lottery tickets that are valid for one year!) and hope someone who knows Mrs. Whyte might read this post and tell her. After that, I'll probably donate it to a hospice.

In the meantime, let's say a prayer for the two sisters. Rest in Peace, Miss Hahn. God Bless, Mrs. Whyte.

This post goes to Apron Thrift Girl for Thrift Share Monday, November 15 and to

Linda, of Coastal Charm, for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays No. 38.

419. Tisane of thyme - Recipe

2010-11-14T11:18:00.001-08:00

Tisane of thyme

In the spring I bought some 4-inch pots of herbs and planted them in a barrel. They thrived. This is through no skill on my part as I don't have a green thumb but I had put the planter in a spot that suited the oregano and lemon thyme very well.

There is a bee among the lemon thyme

Lemon thyme, Thymus citriodorus

It is such a pleasure to be able to drink infusions made with my own, home-grown herbs. It is so simple to do, it is just like brewing a pot of tea.

Ingredients:

Some sprigs of thyme from the garden
4 cups of boiling water
Honey or any kind of sweetener

Method:

Put the thyme in a pot (I used a Pyrex carafe with a lid)
Pour boiling water over the herbs.
Cover the pot and steep for about 5 minutes.
Strain into a pretty glass, add sweetener if you like, and enjoy this soothing drink. I like mine without any sugar.

Lemon thyme has antispasmodic properties. It soothes coughs and relieves muscle spasms. It is an ingredient in cough mixtures. Deb, author of Kahakai Kitchen in Hawaii, made her own herbal cough syrup with thyme.

Thyme infusion can be used as a mouthwash as it has antiseptic and antimicrobial qualities. It is an ingredient in Listerine mouthwash.

Best of all, lemon thyme is said to have anti-aging properties.

It is 2.50 pm on Sunday and I am rushing to get my post for Thyme tisane to Weekend Herb Blogging.

The rules state the deadline is 3pm Utah time.

WHB#259 is hosted by the fabulous Susan, of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

418. Happy Blue Monday - Photographs

2010-11-12T05:45:00.001-08:00

Orcas at Gabriola Island, British Columbia

This is the reason I always take my camera along when I go for a walk.

These whales were having such a great time chasing each other. They were so exuberant.

I was so lucky to see these beautiful creatures. They move so fast I was just snapping away, hoping I would get a picture. I had to guess where they would be next and wasn't able to catch them bursting out of the water.

Do join Smiling Sally for Blue Monday.

417. Scotch broth - Recipe

2010-11-12T05:29:00.001-08:00

Scotch broth

Scotch broth is a delicious, hearty soup that is a meal in itself. It is usually made with bits of things thrown into the pot.

For my soup, I had a bit of leftover roast leg of lamb and pan drippings to throw into the pot. Barley is traditionally used but my barley was over two years old so I used Farro instead of my rancid barley.

Faro, the food of the Roman legions

Ingredients (for 4 - 6 servings):

For soup stock:

One bone from a leftover roasted leg of lamb (cut the meat into small pieces and chill it. Save the pan drippings too)
One onion, cut in quarters
One large carrot, cut in big chunks
Three stalks of celery, broken in thirds
A few bay leaves
A few black peppercorns
Water to cover the ingredients - about 6 cups

For Scotch broth:

Strained lamb soup stock
Half a cup of yellow split peas
A cup of farro
Half a cup of dried vegetable flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: chopped parsley

Method:

Make the soup stock by simmering the bone and vegetables in water for a couple of hours. Strain the soup (yield - 4 cups) into a container and let it cool. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. Discard the residue. The vegetables are tasteless and mush. It isn't a good idea to give the bone to the dog.
Soak the farro and split peas in water for a couple of hours (in separate bowls). Strain and put into a Dutch oven or stock pot. Add the dried vegetable flakes.
Take the stock out and remove the layer of hardened fat on top.
Add the stock to the pot
Simmer the soup for about half an hour.
Add the bits of lamb and the pan drippings. Cook for a minute.
Dish up. Garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy this delicious soup! Everyone loved it, especially my cats.

I am sending my cottage pie recipe to the wonderful Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen, in Hawaii for Souper Sundays.

Here is last Sunday's roundup of delicious soups, salads and burgers.

416. Blue and white - Photographs

2010-11-08T13:11:00.001-08:00

Blue and white Chinese bowl

I went to my favourite thrift shop yesterday with some donations and ended up buying this bowl.

In order to drop off the donations, I had to walk through the store to the back . So I had a good look at the merchandise. Nothing caught my eye. Wonderful! I felt I was quite safe - I could comply with Mr. KC's wishes. He doesn't say goodbye when I go out, he tells me not to buy anything.

Alas I had to walk past the manager, who knows of my fondness for blue and white. He pointed out the lovely bowl to me. I didn't say "No thank you, I'm leaving". Instead, I picked up the large bowl to take a look. When I turned the bowl over I saw this label:

Woodward's was a Vancouver department store. Everybody shopped at Woodward's. I have happy memories of shopping there, especially on the Food Floor. They had $1.49 day which was a Vancouver institution. It closed in 1993. Vintage blue and white! What can I say? It had my name on it.

Interior of the bowl- the diameter is 10 inches.

Since this post has the b/w theme, here are some other pieces of b/w that I thrifted in the last couple of years:

$2 for 3 platters

My blog is a cooking blog and I look for dishes that will enhance the food. I try to match the dishes to the food. Here is a picture of noodles served on the platter:

Chicken and vermicelli salad

A little plate for snacks and a b/w pitcher

B/w pedestal plate, copy of b/w Chinese export porcelain

Glass noodles (Mung bean vermicelli) salad with vegetables

Three lidded cups. The design reminds me of Japanese textiles.

Condiments on a silver salver. All the items were thrifted. None cost more than one dollar. The pepper grinder had pepper corns in it, though I threw them away.

I am sending this post to Apron Thrift Girl for Thrift Share Monday and

to Linda, of Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays.

414. White bean soup - Recipe

2010-11-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

White bean soup

My late mother-in-law loved my white bean soup. She would ask me to make large portions so that she could give some to her friends. I became famous among the seniors set for my bean soup.

They said that they had never tasted anything like it. What was my secret?

White bean is usually made with a ham bone. As I seldom had a ham bone on hand, I made the stock with roasted pig's feet that are sold in Chinese BBQ shops. The pig's feet give a very rich and delicious taste to the soup. I think that was what they meant.

I was making bean soup so often that I started taking short cuts. It didn't affect the taste at all. No one noticed. I didn't use canned beans. I still soaked and boiled the beans but I stopped all the prep work with fresh vegetables and used dried vegetable flakes that I bought from the bulk foods section of the supermarket.

Roast pig's feet

To make the stock:

Cook the pig's feet in a pot of water. Add some bay leaves and black pepper corns. Simmer the soup until the meat is falling off the bone.
Strain the soup into a container. Cool and refrigerate overnight. The soup will set into a jelly.

Senior's favourite but kids love it too. Try it!

Ingredients: For 6 servings

2 cups of great northern beans or any other kind of white beans
Stock made from BBQ roast pig's feet
Half a cup of mixed, dried vegetable flakes
A tablespoon of Mrs. Dash
Garnish: Bits of crispy, fried bacon and chopped parsley

Method:

Soak the Great Northern in cold water overnight. The water should cover the beans.
On the next day, simmer the beans in a pot of water until soft. Drain the beans.
Remove the layer of fat that has hardened on top of the meat stock.
Put the stock into the pot with the beans. Add the dried vegetables and Mrs. Dash.
Simmer the soup for an hour.
Fry a few slices of bacon till crispy. Drain on paper towels. Break them into bits. Mince some parsley.
Use a wooden spoon to mash the beans. Thin the soup with some hot stock or water to the consistency you like.
Served the soup with a garnish of bacon bits and chopped parsley.

I am sending my cottage pie recipe to the wonderful Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen, in Hawaii for Souper Sundays.

413. Pasta with olives and peppers, Trecce dell'orto alla contandina - Recipe

2010-11-03T05:24:00.000-07:00

Trecce dell'orto alla contandina

I don't know how it happens, but I always have plenty of pasta on hand. I seem unable to follow the very sensible "use it up before buying new" rule. Now I'm trying to use up the dried pantry goods before year end. So that I can start the New Year with fresh stuff! Ha!Ha!

What do I have here?

Fattora pasta

A package of multi-coloured pasta called Trecce dell'orto. Google translate says it is "Braids of the garden". Don't you just love the poetic names Italians give their pasta?

The manufacturer describes these braids as "Durum wheat semolina pasta with vegetables, spices, aromatic grasses and squid ink".

Close up of Trecce dell'orto, Braids of the garden

I have never used this type of pasta so I decided to try the recipe printed on the package. It is in Italian but that is not a big problem. Not when there is translation software.

Let's start with the name of the dish. Trecce dell'orto alla contadina. Contadina means peasant or farmer, so I figure the name of this dish translated literally is braids of the farmer's garden.

So, with Google translate's help, here is my version of the farmer's braids:

Ingredients: For 4 servings

400 gr of the pasta
One onion
Half a pepper (I used a red pepper)
One clove of garlic
One cup of tomato sauce
8 black olives
3 anchovies packed in oil or one spoon of anchovy paste - I used the former
Oregano
Basil
Half a glass of olive oil
Salt, pepper
Grated pecorino
Bay leaf

Method:

Chop the onion and pepper.
Sauté them in oil with the garlic and bay leaf.
Add the tomato sauce, black olives, anchovies, oregano and basil.
Add the salt and pepper and cook until the sauce thickens.
Cook the pasta to al dente. Here are the manufacturer's instructions on how to cook pasta correctly.
Drain the pasta and put into the pan to cook with the sauce.
Add some freshly-ground pepper and grated pecorino.
Serve.

Note: I didn't read the recipe properly when I bought the olives. I used sliced olives but the recipe must use whole black olives as it doesn't mention chopping olives. Also, I garnished with chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Here is the scientific reason we must eat pasta:

"the true strong point is that pasta makes happy and not only thanks to its good flavour; the sugars and the tryptophan amino acid concur to the production of the hormone of the happiness, the serotonin, that it is famous to contributes to improve humour. "

Eat pasta, pasta is your best medicine.

I am sending my happy making recipe to the fabulous, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

Ruth is the creator of Presto Pasta Nights, the weekly food blogging event for pasta lovers, aka happy, good-natured people.

Send your entries to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by November 4.

Check back for the roundup on November 5.

412. Beautiful needlepoint cushions - Photographs

2010-11-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

Beautiful needlepoint cushions

Here are 3 needlepoint cushions I found at lunchtime at the Value Village in Richmond, BC. The cushion backs are black velvet and the pansy cushions are down-filled. All three are in perfect condition. Such beautiful things for $3.99 each - the price of a cappuccino!

An accomplished needlewoman made them. I imagine she displayed them in her living room. I don't think they were used.

I am a potter and appreciate how much thought and skill is involved in producing handmade things. I do what I call handwork rescue - I buy hand knits, ceramics, artwork. I also do tarnished silver rescue. So there was no way I could pass on these cushions even though I don't need them.

I love the bold, graphic design and the beautiful colours. The colours are more vibrant "in person".

Close up of the down-filled pansies cushions

The day after Halloween I got this bat cushion for $1.99. It is made by Flaming Angels. I'm keeping it out all year round. Bats are good luck symbols.

Flaming Angels produce handmade and indie fashion right here in Vancouver. I have never heard of them even though they have operated since 2000. This is one of the things I love about thrift shops. One discovers new things all the time.

Want to see more thrift finds?

Visit Apron Thrift Girl for Thrift Share Monday

and join the party at Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays hosted by Linda of Coastal Charm.

411. Spicy bean sprouts salad - Recipe

2010-10-31T09:04:00.000-07:00

Spicy bean sprouts salad

One of the most popular recipes that I have posted is Sukji namul, Korean bean sprouts salad.

Sukju namul

I was a bit puzzled about the big interest in this simple side dish that I serve often. But I thought, why not? It is delicious, healthy, low-cal, low-cost and easy to make. It is light and fresh, the perfect salad.

Sometimes, I want more zing to the sprouts and I add Kimchi. Keep a bottle of store-bought Kimchi in your fridge and you can jazz things up so easily. Or, if you feel like doing a bit of work, make your own.

Up close and spicy

This is so easy to make, I'll just give you a few pointers:

Chop some kimchi into small pieces. Use as much as you like.
Blanch some bean sprouts. A handful per person, plus another handful gives each about a cup of salad.
Drain the bean sprouts.
Toss the sprouts and kimchi.
Splash some soy sauce and sesame oil over the salad and toss again.
Garnish with a bit of chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Enjoy!

I am sending my post to Divya, of Dil Se. She is hosting My Legume Love Affair No. 28.

Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook created this food blogging event that is a vegetarian's delight.

MLLA should be the go-to site for people cooking legumes.

409. Cottage pie, Pâté Chinois - Recipe

2010-10-30T05:19:00.001-07:00

Cottage pie, Pâté Chinois

You'll never find Paté chinois on a menu in a Chinese restaurant. Pâté Chinois is a popular Québec dish, a gratin of meat topped with mashed potatoes. A British person taking a bite of Paté chinois would recognize it as Cottage Pie or Shepherd's pie.

Mr. KC is familiar with Paté chinois, having partaken of it while enjoying a couple of brews in Québec taverns. I ate it at school lunches in Hong Kong, where it was called Cottage pie. Whatever its name, it is perfect, comfort food and just the thing to eat on a rainy day in Vancouver.

I'm not giving a recipe because everything you need to know about making this dish can be found in the Guardian's How to make perfect cottage pie and Simon Hopkinson's, Shepherd's Delight. I'll just give a couple of tips I gleaned from these authors.

Simon Hopkinson uses anchovy sauce instead of salt in his recipe.

I didn't have Geo Watkins anchovy sauce but I figured it is probably similar to Vietnamese fish sauce, nước mắm. I used this and, for good measure, added a couple of tablespoons of sambal belacan. I added these Asian condiments to a pot roast I made. The result was the best sauce ever. You can't taste the fish sauce or belacan but it blends into the sauce and gives it a very deep flavour. Talk about umami!

My cottage pie was made with leftover pot roast cut into cubes. Here is my recipe. I used a whole blade roast instead of short ribs and I didn't use the wine. Also I added some corn and green peas to the mixture.

Both sources advise to cool the meat before topping with the mashed potatoes.

My tip:

Have plenty of thick gravy. Give the meat a good blanket of gravy.
Mash the potatoes with butter instead of milk. I think a firmer mash is better. My topping was quite gloppy. It seemed to have absorbed a lot of the gravy.

Try it! You'll love it.

I am sending my cottage pie recipe to the wonderful Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen, in Hawaii for Souper Sundays.

408. Steamed rice flour cake, 盆粉, Banh bot chien

2010-10-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Steamed rice flour cake, Banh bot chien, 盆粉

I was surfing the net and found a lovely blog called Ch3rri-Blossoms. I saw a Vietnamese recipe called Bahn bot chien that looked and sounded like a dish called 盆粉, Poon fun. Poon means a basin and I assume the name means rice pasta made in a basin. How about that for serendipity. I found a recipe that I wanted for a long time!

I loved Poon fun but hadn't eaten it in years. I couldn't find a recipe. Sad to say, no one seemed to know or remember this dish. It appears that the dish has become forgotten in Hong Kong and China. However, it is alive and well in SE Asia.

Wikipedia describes Banh Bot Chien as "A Chinese influenced pastry that exists in many versions all over Asia; the Vietnamese version features a special tangy soy sauce on the side, rice flour cubes with fried eggs and some vegetables. This is a popular after-school snack for young students."

In Singapore, rice flour cake is known as Chwee Kwei, 水粿 and is steamed in little bowls. Here is a very informative and interesting read about this favourite breakfast food.

The Malaysian version is Woon Chai Koh, 碗仔糕

So I made Banh bot chien. It was very easy. I realized that it is an abbreviated version of Lo Bak Go.

I made it with a package of rice flour and got two large pans of steamed rice flour cake. I used an electric steamer to cook the cake.

Ingredients:

A package of rice flour (1lb)
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
Half a teaspoon of sugar
Half a teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
7 cups of cold water

Method:

Oil the pans for steaming.
In a large pot, add the dry ingredients and stir to mix.
Add 2 cups of cold water and stir to mix. Add another 2 cups of water to thin the paste. Pour the rest of the water and the oil into the mix and stir till the batter is smooth.
Stir and cook the batter on medium/low heat until it thickens slightly. Keep stirring. Don't leave the pot unattended. The paste has to be cooked evenly and have no lumps. You don't want to scorch the mix.
Pour the mixture into your oiled pan(s).
Steam until the cake is cooked. It should take about an hour to cook and you'll probably have to add more water to the steamer.
Remove the dish from the steamer. Let it cool.
Turn the cake out and serve.

To serve: fry slices with eggs the way Wandering Chopsticks does. Or

cut into cubes and put it into chicken or vegetable soup, or

cut it into slices and top with a sauce composed of soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar and topped with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

I am sending this post to Tigerfish of Teczcape, who is hosting Presto Pasta Nights No. 187. Come back to see the round up on Friday, 29 October 2010.

PPN is a weekly food blogging event created by Ruth from Once upon a Feast

Happy Halloween to all the Pasta Lovers! Would you like a couple of digits, my lovelies? You'll find these Witches Digits at Shockinglydelicious.

Aren't these grotesque, fabulous, creepy cookies!

407. Yakiudon - Recipe

2010-10-07T15:57:00.001-07:00

Yakiudon

I haven't blogged for two months as we moved and have been busy packing and unpacking. For the last couple of months I served simple meals such as Yakiudon.

Yakiudon is tasty and so easy. It can be cooked in about 15 minutes - the noodles are not boiled but softened with boiling water from the kettle. Any kind of meat can be used - chicken, ham, etc. The BBQ pork from Chinese roast meat stores are very handy.

Ingredients: For one large or two smaller servings

One package of Udon noodles
One boneless pork chop, grilled and cut into slices
2 cups of napa cabbage, sliced
Mushrooms, sliced - about 5 dried or fresh shitake mushrooms, or a handful of white button mushrooms - I used about a quarter of a punnet of shimeji mushrooms
One clove of garlic, minced
A knob of fresh ginger, grated
4 stalks of green onions, sliced
Vegetable oil

Seasoning sauce:

Half a cup of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of mirin
A splash of sesame oil
Salt and pepper

Shimeji mushrooms

Method:

1. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Place the udon in a bowl. Cover the noodles with boiling water and let them soak for 10 minutes. Soaking will soften them and the strands will be separated. Drain the noodles and set aside.

3. Heat a wok or frying pan and add some vegetable oil. Fry the garlic, ginger and green onion for about a minute. Add the sliced pork and fry together with the herbs. Remove the contents and set aside.

5. Add a bit more oil and fry the cabbage for a minute. Then add the mushrooms and fry for another minute.

5. Add the meat and toss everything together.

7. Add the noodles and toss. Pour the seasoning sauce into the wok and toss everything together until the noodles are evenly coated with the sauce.

7. Dish up.

I am sending my recipe for Yakiudon to Jennifer of Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat who is hosting Presto Pasta Nights #184.

PPN is the creation of the brilliant blogger, Ruth, who is the author of Once Upon a Feast and 4EveryKitchen.

I am sending this popular, Japanese noodle dish to Andrea, of Nummy Kitchen.

Andrea is our tour leader for My Kitchen My World and she is taking travellers to Japan this month.

MKMW members are transporting themselves and their readers to the Land of the Rising Sun via the delicious recipes they cook.

The roundup will be posted on October 31.

Where are we going next month? Afghanistan! Then, we'll spend Christmas in Germany.

406. A thing of beauty - photographs

2010-07-27T06:01:00.000-07:00

A thing of beauty and an engineering marvel. Click on the pictures for a better view

Beauty is all around us - here I found it by the garbage cans

405. Jellyfish and shredded chicken salad,手撕雞 - Recipe

2010-07-25T17:43:00.001-07:00

Jellyfish and shredded chicken salad,手撕雞

Summer is finally here in Vancouver and we had a "lazy BBQ" on the weekend. How lazy? All one has to do is lift a finger.

Here are the simple instructions:

go to your favourite, Chinese roast meats shop
point, and pay

So I pointed at a roast duck, roast spare ribs and some char siu. I saw some jelly-fish and decided to make a jelly-fish and chicken salad.

I prepare food from scratch but I let someone else handle the jellyfish. It doesn't seem difficult from what I read but, why bother, when one can get ready-prepared jellyfish all nicely-seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil.

Ingredients:

Half a pound of prepared jellyfish
One chicken breast, cooked and shredded (I bought a white-cut chicken)
Half an English cucumber, seeds removed and shredded
A bit of carrots, cut into thin shreds
One green onion, sliced
A knob of ginger, peeled and shredded
A bit of chopped cilantro

Dressing:
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
3 tablespoons of sesame oil
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
2 teaspoons of sugar or Splenda
Garnish: White sesame seeds, toasted

Method:

Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
Add the jellyfish, chicken and the rest of the ingredients.
Toss everything together with the dressing.
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

The jellyfish was cut into strands, like pappardelle. They are translucent, crunchy and delicious. Chinese people think so highly of jellyfish that is served in the centre of a platter of appetizers at banquets.

Some people liken it to eating rubber-bands. I have never eaten rubber bands so I can't say. Jellyfish is something you either like or don't like. I can't get enough of it.

Try it. This is a really good, low cal salad.

I am sending my jellyfish salad to the wonderful Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen, in Hawaii for Souper Sundays.

404. Chicken and vermicelli salad - Recipe

2010-07-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Chicken and vermicelli salad

This past week, I have been posting "A salad a day". I am back on the South Beach Diet and wanted to eat some simple, healthy, delicious salads. Today's salad has carbs but can be adapted for the SBD by omitting the noodles. For the vegan version, skip the meat.

I was channel surfing on TV and found a cooking show where the host was making a salad with rice vermicelli. It looked very good and Mr. KC said he wouldn't mind having some rice noodles like that.

Why not? It was easy and looked delicious.

The salad looked like a Vietnamese- inspired dish with a bit of Chinese influence.

It was missing an essential Vietnamese ingredient - the ubiquitous, fish sauce. Plus, he added a dressing of tahini. As far as I can tell, sesame oil/paste is seldom used in Vietnamese cooking. The dressing sounded Chinese. Cold noodles with sesame- vinegar sauce served is a popular noodle dish in China.

Here is what he did:

stir-fried some strips of pork that had been marinated in a soy sauce mixture
softened the vermicelli in boiling water
cooked them in a pot of boiling water for about a minute
drained the noodles in a colander and ran them under running cold water to cool
made a dressing #1 with lime juice, soy sauce and sugar
made a dressing #2 tahini, soy sauce, sugar and lime juice
tossed the cooked pork with slices of raw snow peas, green and red peppers and napa cabbage and dressing #1
tossed the cooled noodles together with the salad and drizzled dressing #2 over them

Here is what I did with the ingredients I had at home:

Ingredients: For 2

2 squares of dried rice vermicelli*
2 pieces of chicken thighs, cooked
2 cups of mung bean sprouts, blanched
Half an English cucumber, seeds removed and shredded
6 cherry tomatoes cut into quarters
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Dressing:

2 tablespoons of sesame paste
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
Lime juice - from one lime
2 tablespoons of mirin
Freshly-ground pepper

* I like the Dongguan brand as it is packed in square pieces. One square per serving is how I estimate the servings. Any other kind of vermicelli is fine.

Method:

Put the dried vermicelli in a bowl and pour boiling water to cover the pieces. Press them into the water and leave to soften for about 10 minutes. Use a fork or chopsticks to separate the strands of noodles. If the noodles are still hard, let them soak in the water for another 5 minutes. Drain the noodles and set aside.
Beat the ingredients for the dressing together until the sesame paste becomes blended with the other ingredients.
Cut the chicken into thin strips.
Toss the chicken, mung bean sprouts, cucumber and cherry tomatoes together with the dressing.
Add the cooled noodles and toss gently to mix.
Garnish with the chopped cilantro.

Pan-Asian fusion chicken noodles

I am sending my chicken noodle salad to the wonderful Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen, in Hawaii for Souper Sundays.

Here is Peanut butter lassi , a sample of some the delicious food and drinks that Deb makes.

403. Laotian cucumber salad, Tam taeng - Recipe

2010-07-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

Laotian cucumber salad, Tam taeng

Here is another Laotian salad from Healthy salads from Southeast Asia.

The dressing is similar to most Southeast Asian dressings except that it calls for a tablespoon of liquid from pickled fish.

I think this liquid is padaek. It made from fresh water fish that has been fermented over a long period. It is very aromatic (polite term for smelly) and there are chunky bits of fish in the sauce.

I didn't have the fish liquid on hand so I used regular fish sauce.

The Romans would probably have liked this salad as they had a basic condiment called garum or liquamen which was similar to this fish liquor.

Here is my version of cucumber salad:

Ingredients: for 2 servings

4 small Japanese cucumbers, peeled
6 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters

Dressing:

2 tablespoons of fish sauce
Juice of half a lime
One tablespoon of sugar
A teaspoon of red chili flakes

Method:

Cut the cucumbers in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Shred the cucumber.
Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and mix until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the cucumbers and tomatoes. Mix together.
Arrange the salad on two plates and serve.

402. Spicy fried egg salad, Yam kai dow - Recipe

2010-07-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

Spicy fried egg salad, Yam kai dow

This is not your usual chopped egg salad bound together with mayo. The eggs are fried, not boiled and the dressing doesn't have any oil. Try this delicious, South-Beach Diet-friendly, Laotian salad. It is so easy to make.

Ingredients: for 2 servings

2 eggs
Some lettuce leaves
2 or 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced, or use half a red onion
A few cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
Oil for frying the eggs

For the dressing:

Juice from half a lime
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
One tablespoon of sugar or Splenda
A teaspoon of red chili flakes
2 shallots, peeled and minced

Method:

Heat the oil in a small frying pan and fry the eggs over low/medium heat. Flip them over to cook the yolks.
Slide the cooked eggs onto a cutting board and let them cool.
Cut the eggs into square-shaped pieces
Put the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl (large enough to hold the salad) and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
Put the lettuce, tomatoes and shallots into the bowl and stir gently to mix.
Transfer the salad on to two salad plates or bowls. Arrange the egg squares on top.
Drizzle any dressing remaining in the bottom of the bowl over the salad. Enjoy.

I adaped this recipe from Vatcharin Bhumichitr's Healthy Salads from Southeast Asia.

There are many simple, fresh and varied salads in this book. Each chapter covers recipes from a Southeast Asian country.

I have decided to try one county at a time, so for the next week you'll be reading about (and I hope, making) salads from Laos.

I discovered the Vancouver Sun is featuring Summer Salads. They are now on Week 4 and have some recipes from Healthy Salads.

Here is someone else who is taken with Bhumichitr's salads.

Note: Just in case someone noticed. I photographed the salad on a piece of batik from Indonesia. I didn't have any Laotian fabric or artifacts to use for the styling.

401. Bean sprout salad with garlic scapes - Recipe

2010-07-20T06:41:00.002-07:00

Bean sprout salad with garlic scapes

Here we are at Day 2 of "A Salad a Day" amd I am making a variation of Korean bean sprout salad - Sukju namul. I was taken with surprise that my recipe for Sukju namul is one of the most popular posts in my blog. Who knew so many bloggers would be interested in a recipe for a bean sprout salad?

I added blanched garlic scapes to the Sukju namul and they gave the sprouts some extra pungent flavour. The bright green herb makes the white salad look better too.

Garlic scapes

I buy garlic sold in trios and seldom was able to use them all before they started sprouting. I would then buy a new package and throw out the moldy and sprouting heads. Last year, I planted the sprouting cloves in flower pots and now have garlic scapes for salads.

This is a very simple recipe. Blanche a few handfuls of mung bean sprouts and some garlic scapes cut into 3" pieces. Pour a dressing of soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, minced garlic and chopped green onions over the salad. Optional: chili pepper flakes. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

If you want the full recipe, here it is.

What's for salad tomorrow? Maybe an egg salad. Come back and see. Have a good day! Thanks for visiting.

400. Lemon balm tea - Recipe

2010-07-20T06:41:00.001-07:00

Lemon balm tea

Lemon balm, Melisa officianalis

Lemon balm has been used since ancient times in healing the mind and the lips. It soothes the mind and body! It helps to relieve stress.

I don't have a green thumb but am very successful with growing anything from the mint family. They are vigorous growers and flourish despite me. Lemon balm is no exception. I have plants sprouting all over the garden.

Crush the leaves in your hand and lemon balm emits a fresh, lemony smell. I often cut a bunch of lemon balm and use them as bouquets for my home. The pale, green leaves are beautiful and the rooms smell wonderful.

I believe these bouquets improve the atmosphere at home. Both humans and cats are in a good mood in my sweet-smelling home. Cheap too! I get them for free!

I like to put small vases of lemon balm on the beside tables. For added fragrance, crush some fresh leaves and put into small bowls. Place the bowls on the windowsill.

The smell of fresh, clean sheets and lemon balm - ah, domestic bliss!

Lemon balm has antibacterial, antihistaminic and antispasmodic properties. One of the oldest uses for lemon balm is as a paste to prevent the infection of wounds.

Lemon balm tea is a good restorative and helps to cleanse the system. Just put a handful of the leaves in a pot, pour boiling water over them, cover and steep for about 15 minutes. Strain into a pretty glass, add sweetener if you like, and enjoy this soothing drink. I like mine without any sugar.

Double the benefits of lemon balm by drinking and bathing in the tea. Make a bigger batch of lemon balm tea. Strain most of it into your bath and reserve a cup of two for drinking.

Relax, play your favourite music, soak in the tub and enjoy the tea. Forget your cares and woes for half an hour or more. Emerge from your beauty bath with soft skin and a wonderful feeling of well-being.

Want to grow some lemon balm? Ask a gardener for a sprig, stick it in a pot and, in no time, you'll have a large, fragrant bush. I suggest growing lemon balm in a container. It needs to be contained otherwise it will take over your garden.

I am sending my post about Lemon Balm to Huan, at Eat.Live.Read, who is hosting Weekend Herb Blogging #243.

Weekend Herb Blogging was created by the wonderful Kalyn, of Kalyn's Kitchen.

This popular blogging event is now run from Australia by Haalo, of Cook Almost Anything.

Lemon balm tea served in Moroccan tea glasses

399. Spinach and garlic salad - Recipe

2010-07-19T05:47:00.001-07:00

Spinach and garlic salad

I'm blogging again. I'm also back on the South Beach Diet as I have been indulging in too much rich food lately. I have decided to post a salad a day, or more accurately, I'll try to post a salad a day and I'll be using some of the vegetables and herbs I am growing in my garden.

I want to make different kinds of salads to make meals more interesting for myself and others who are on low-carb diets.

Spinach is in season. Two bunches of spinach for a dollar! Beautiful fresh spinach pulled right out of the ground with black earth still clinging to the leaves and stems. What a job it is to clean.

I felt I was using too much water to rinse them so I changed my methods. Instead of washing the whole bunch, I divided the bunch into two. I cut off the leaves from the stems. The leaves were easy to wash and I left the stems to soak. It was a lot easier to get rid of the grit in the stems.

I noticed the tender leaves at the hearts of the spinach and I used just these leaves for a salad inspired by a very elegant dish served in Cantonese banquets - spinach with garlic cloves and braised, dried oysters.

Here is my version:

Ingredients: For two servings

The hearts of bunch of spinach greens - about 5 leaves, stems and part of the roots from each head of spinach
A dozen cloves of roasted garlic
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

15-minute, stove-top roasted garlic

Method:

Blanch the hearts of spinach.
Toss the cooled spinach with the roasted garlic.
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

That's it. Try it. It is so healthy and delicious.

Thanks for visiting. Come back tomorrow to see what delicious rabbit food I serve!

398. Welcome to new followers

2010-07-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

The wonderful people who follow my blog. Thank you!

I haven't been blogging for over a month now. I have been cooking, taking photos of the dishes I made but somehow I never got around to writing and posting. I don't know why but I just couldn't get myself going. A week slipped by and then another. Worse of all, I have been remiss in replying to the comments. My apologies to all the people who were kind enough to comment.

How to unblock blogger's block? I decided to welcome new followers. This is a diverse group of people who all share a love of food and cooking.

I cannot say enough about how thrilled I am that people actually read and follow my blog. Welcome!

Merrilyn Huycke, is a very talented artist from Princeton, British Columbia. She has a beautiful blog called Journaling Life.

Do visit her blog. You are in for a big treat.

Tracy McNeill, Book Goddess, mommyblogger, literati, writer

Domminikki, of Mascara and Postcards, says:

"Nothing makes me happier than when I'm shopping or painting or photographing. Addicted to magazines and extra espresso shots in my cappucino."

Domminikki is a paralegal and provides "the training for the legal database for get this.. General Counsel of the parent company, and Senior Partner of a major law firm".

I can't say I have seen any paralegals as stunning as she is at the law firm my family uses.

The lovely Mariceli, is "Happily married to Hector. We have three wonderfull sons; Armando,Gabriel,Ivan."

Mariceli's Corner is her first blog!

She is a realtor in Southern Florida.
Mariceli loves to cook and her dream was to become a chef.

pst

Chris

Karthik Shetty is a blogger from Bangalore, Karnataka, India. His blog is called The Gastronomical G- spot. This blog gives good tips on dining in Bangalore.

Here is what he says about himself:

"Karthik Shetty is a mercenary (eh?) in the garb of a software engineer working for GXS in Bangalore. While not plying his trade, he can be found in any one of the numerous eat-out joints in Bangalore, savouring what the city's best cooks have for the palate. A true connoisseur of food, he considers himself an artist; the food is his paint, the cutlery his paintbrushes and his stomach is his canvas. Addicted to comics, food & socio-politico-economic issues, he loves to discuss issues that affect R K Laxman's common man and happens to ruffle a lot of feathers in the process, and he plans to continue this crusade indefinitely. He's a libertarian in every sense of the word and he doesn't like those who get preachy and seem to be shut to reason. You can have a conversation with him on any topic under the sun and expect him to contribute substantially to the discussion. A rare quality in him is he's an extremely good listener (so he's been told); so talk, don't yap."

Jennifer, has a beautiful blog, Cook, eat, play, repeat, which has excellent recipes and photographs.

She describes herself as " foodie with a passion for cooking and eating. I'm also a gamer with a passion for RPG's and am a loyal Nintendo fan :) I tend to like a little bit of everything, so expect a wide variety of topics."

Jennifer has returned to Waterloo, Ontario after living in the Netherlands.

rae.ca

Nat Ler

tomvicky

397. Spicy Mama Noodles, Yum Ma Ma - Recipe

2010-06-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

Spicy Mama Noodles, Yum Ma Ma

Last week I posted a recipe for Chiang Mai Noodles, Khao Soy using instant noodles instead of fresh noodles.

js, of eating club vancouver, commented "Is it wrong to love the instant noodles in this?" Ruth, of Once Upon a Feast, replied "to Eatingclubvancouver...absolutely brilliant to love instant noodles!"

Absolutely! I love instant noodles. There is nothing wrong with loving instant noodles. Millions of people love them too. A considerable amount of engineering, food science and technology has gone into making this convenience food for us.

When we slurp these noodles we might think about Mr. Momofuku Ando, "Mr. Noodles", the inventor of instant ramen noodles. His instant noodles revolutionized the food industry.

The man was a humanitarian. He did something about world hunger: "Faced with food shortages in post World War II Japan, Ando developed the idea that a quality, convenient noodle product would help feed the masses."

His noodles must really be longevity noodles since he lived to age 96.

Cartoon taken from here.

Did you know that "Mr. Noodles" invented Space Ram, instant noodles that could be eaten in outer space?

Some instant noodles are gourmet noodles. You can get green tea chorella noodles, oat noodles and other wondrous, instant pasta.

"Noodle son" is a Seattle blogs dedicated to instant Asian noodles and snacks. There is a handy Instant Noodles 101 course. Here are a couple of instant noodles that I like:

These noodles are not fried. They are the ones that js loved in Chiang Mai Noodles.

I found a recipe in Appon's Thai food featuring instant noodles. She shows us how they jazz up instant noodles in Thailand. Appon raves about Mama brand instant noodles so I bought a few packages to try her recipe. Plus, I couldn't resist the name Yum Ma Ma. Too bad I didn't find this recipe so I could have posted it for Mother's Day.

Ingredients: For 2 servings

2 packages of Mama Noodles, I used the one with Tom Yum soup
3 Hot dogs (I used a small can of Vienna sausages)
2 ounces of ground pork
4 teaspoons of lime juice
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
One cup of water
Lettuce
Bean sprouts
Hot chili oil
Garnish: spring onion, chopped, coriander leaves, chopped

Method:

1. Put the Mama instant noodles in a pot. Add the contents of the seasoning packets - bouillon and tom yum paste into the pot.
2. Pour boiling water over the noodles, cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove the noodles from the soup, but keep the liquid in the pan. Add more water, if necessary.

3. Add the sliced mushrooms and ground pork. Stir and simmer for a minute.

4. Add the sausages,

lettuce and

mung bean sprouts.

5. Mix everything together and simmer the soup for a couple of minutes.

6. Dish up. Sprinkle the fish sauce, lemon juice and hot chili oil over the noodles. Garnish with the chopped spring onion and coriander.

Note: the original recipe called for 5 bird's eye chilies, sliced. Too hot for me. I used hot chili oil instead.

The Vienna sausages were horrible. Next time I'll use Chinese or Filipino sausages.

Try this recipe. You'll never add hot water only. Maybe you would if the fridge is empty but it tastes much better jazzed up.

Yum Ma Ma

I am sending my recipe for jazzed up instant noodles to Presto Pasta Nights #168 .

The host is The Sweet Kitchen.

Here is the Presto Pasta Nights #167 roundup.

396. Indian mint tea, Pudina chai - Recipe

2010-06-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

Indian mint tea, Pudina chai

India! This is the destination suggested by MKMW traveler Margaret. Excellent suggestion!

I am so excited to travel in my kitchen with the My Kitchen My World group; to visit the sub-continent without stepping out of my front door.

I started looking in cookery books and googling for Indian recipes. But, wait a sec! A couple of followers of my blog are from India. Why don't I return the compliment by perusing their blogs and making one of their recipes.

I visited a lovely blog called Indian Cuisine whose author is Hari Chandana, a 21 year old accountant from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Charminar, Hyderabad, photograph taken from here.

Indian Cuisine is a vegetarian blog with many recipes for sweets, curries, sun-dried food, dals/lentils and other foods.

India is very famous for tea and there is a very popular drink called Pudina Chai. It is Indian tea brewed with mint. Since I have mint growing in my garden and I have Indian tea, I made Hari Chandana's Pudina Chai recipe. More or less, as I didn't have tea powder.

This is a delicious chai and I will be making it often. It is perfect for the summer.

Peppermint

Refreshing mint tea

Ingredients: for two cups of pudina chai

2 cups of water
2 teaspoons of Darjeeling tea leaves
2 sprigs of fresh mint leaves
Milk to taste
Sugar or honey to taste

Method:

Bring the water to a boil in a kettle.
Put the mint, tea leaves, milk and sweetener in a small pot.
Pour the boiling water over the leaves.
Simmer the mint tea for ten minutes
Remove from the heat and strain the seeped tea mixture.
Pour into pretty tea cups. Sit back and enjoy this refreshing drink.

Join the fun! Visit India with the MKMW group. Cook an Indian dish or two. You have lots of time to cook and send your recipe to Andrea, of Nummy Kitchen. The deadline is June 30.

395. Chiang Mai Noodles, Khao Soy - Recipe

2010-06-08T06:53:00.001-07:00

Chiang Mai Noodles, Khao Soy

I discover very interesting food blogs by checking the favourites in bloggers' blogrolls and reading the comments section. I found an excellent, Thai food blog called Easy to Thai Food.

Of course, the first thing I did was check the section featuring noodles. All the dishes looked great. Here is the recipe for Chiang Mai Noodles which I adapted. The recipe called for fresh noodles but I used instant noodles and cooked everything in one pot.

The noodles turned out very well. Try it! A delicious and economical dish that only takes ten minutes. Plus there is almost no prep work and you'll only have one pot to wash. What more do you want?

Ingredients: For 2 servings

4 ounces of ground pork
2 packages of instant noodles

Sauce:

Half a cup of coconut milk
One tablespoon of red curry paste
One tablespoon of Madras curry paste
A clove of garlic, minced
2 to 4 cups of chicken stock
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
A handful of fresh mung bean sprouts

Garnish: Lime wedges, chopped cilantro, fried shallots

Method:

In a medium- sized saucepan, heat the coconut milk on low heat.
Stir in the curry paste and minced garlic. When the sauce begins to simmer, add 2 cups of chicken soup and the fish sauce. Bring the curried soup back to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer.
Add the noodles to the soup. Press the noodles down into the liquid to absorb the soup and soften.
Cook the sauce for about 1 minute. Add more stock if the noodles have absorbed all the liquid. It just depends on whether you like your noodles soupy or drier.
Add the minced pork. Stir the meat into the soup and cook until the pork is done. This should take a minute.
Add the bean sprouts. Roll it around the pot into the hot noodles.
Squirt the lime juice over the noodles.
Dish up and serve.
Garnish with chopped cilantro, lime and fried shallots.

I am sending my recipe for Chiang Mai Noodles to Kirsten Lindquist of From Kirsten's Kitchen to Yours.

She is hosting Presto Pasta Nights, the fun weekly round up of pasta dishes from all over the world, literally!

Join the other pasta-loving bloggers to play PPN.

Send Kirsten a picture of your dish and a link to the post by Thursday, June 10 and then check back for the pasta roundup on Friday, June 11.

Please send your submission to
kirstenmlindquist (at) gmail (dot) com and
cc to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com, founder of Presto Pasta Night and author of Once Upon A Feast - Every Kitchen Tells its Stories.

394. Spanish garlic soup, Sopa de ajo - Recipe

2010-06-03T16:14:00.001-07:00

Spanish garlic soup, Sopa de ajo

For the past week, it has been raining every day and it is cold for June. A bowl of hot, chicken soup is just the thing for a cold, rainy day. So I made a very garlicky chicken soup.

Three bulbs of garlic! Isn't that a bit much? Not really, the garlic is roasted first and the taste is quite mild.

Try it! you'll love this soup. Plus it is a good way to use stale bread. My bread was so stale it broke into chunks when I cut it.

Ingredients:

3 garlic bulbs
2 slices of ham, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of pimenton (Spanish smoked sweet paprika)
4 cups of chicken stock
Freshly cracked pepper
4 eggs
Spanish extra virgin olive oil

Garnish: chopped parsley or cilantro

Method:

To prepare the garlic:

Trim the root end of the garlic bulbs and separate the cloves but don't peel them.
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan almost to smoking point and then turn the heat to low.
Add the cloves of garlic with skin to the pan.
Roll the cloves in the olive oil and cover the pan.
Cook the garlic for about 5 minutes. The garlic skin should be lightly brown.
Shake the pan and turn the cloves. Cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes.
The garlic should be soft and smell wonderful. Remove the garlic skin and mash the garlic with the flat side of a knife to make a paste.

To prepare the bread:

Use the same pan that you used to cook the garlic. Pour more olive oil to the pan and add the bread.
Fry on low heat until the sides are brown. Sprinkle more oil over the bread, if necessary.
When the bread is crispy and golden brown, remove the pieces and put in the soup bowls. Sprinkle some pimenton and pepper over the hot bread.

For extra garlicky flavour, save a bit of the roasted garlic and spread on the fried bread.

To make the soup

Put the chicken stock in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the garlic paste to the soup. Stir everything together
Turn the heat down. Simmer the soup for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the finely-chopped ham.
Crack the egg into a saucer and slide it into the soup. Ladle some hot soup over it.
Scoop the egg into the ladle and pour over the bread. Ladle more soup into the bowl.
Garnish with some chopped parsley.
Do the same for the other eggs.

Delicious soup!

I am sending this garlic soup to the wonderful Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen, in Hawaii for Souper Sundays.

Here is last week's roundup of soups, stews, salads and sandwiches.

393. 15 minute, stove-top, roasted garlic - Recipe

2010-06-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

15 minute, stove-top, roasted garlic

Chili garlic peanuts

'Tis the season of the Stanley Cup playoffs and our social life takes place in the TV room.

The entertaining is easy. All a hostess has to serve are beer and munchies. A bit hit with the hockey fans was chili garlic peanuts.

The peanuts were gone in a flash. No one touched the garlic. They didn't think of garlic as a munchie. I confess to have eaten the peanuts only.

I thought the garlic's role was to impart its flavour to the peanuts and was going to throw the cloves into the garbage but, hey, wait a minute, the garlic looks just like oven-roasted garlic. I tasted one and it was just like roasted garlic.

I made roasted peanuts and discovered a quick and easy way to make roasted garlic. Then I let the garlic fry solo. The results were excellent.

Ingredients:

3 bulbs of garlic
Olive oil

Trim the root end of the garlic bulbs and separate the cloves but don't peel them.
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan almost to smoking point and then turn the heat to low.
Add the cloves of garlic with skin to the pan.
Roll the cloves in the olive oil and cover the pan.
Cook the garlic for about 5 minutes. The garlic skin should be lightly brown.
Shake the pan and turn the cloves. Cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes.
Remove the cover, shake the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring the cloves all the while.
The garlic should be soft and smell wonderful. Remove the garlic ski. Use the whole cloves or mash the garlic with the flat side of a knife to make a paste.

Spread some garlic paste on pieces of crusty bread for a delicious snack or store the paste in a jar, cover with olive oil and keep it in the fridge. It will come in handy for:

Spaghetti with oil, garlic and hot pepper

Spanish garlic soup, sopa de ajo

I buy the trio of garlic bulbs in the mesh wrapping and usually end up with sprouting cloves or moldy ones. The sprouted ones are planted in pots and the moldy ones go into the garbage. This is a good way to use the extra cloves of garlic.

I am sending this post to Weekend Herb Blogging #236.

This week, the host is Simona, of Bricole, who has made a strawberry mousse with yogurt instead of whipping cream.

Weekend Herb Blogging is a weekly event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, and is now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once.

392. Poppies and peony - Photographs

2010-06-02T16:04:00.001-07:00

Some flowers in my garden:

391. Some noodle dishes - Recipes

2010-05-31T06:21:00.001-07:00

Spaghetti with rapini

Presto Past Nights is one of my favourite food blogging events but I haven't played for a few weeks. I have been cooking pasta but, because none of the dishes were new or special, I didn't enter them for the food blogging event. They were variations of recipes that I have already posted.

But then I thought, most dishes are variations of basic recipes. How many different cooking methods and techniques are there? Cooks just change the ingredients a bit but the food is variation on a theme. So I am posting about some of the pasta I have cooked.

Spaghetti cooked in my non-stick ceramic wok

Spaghetti with rapini is a variation of Spaghetti with fried zucchini, which is spaghetti with garlic, oil and hot pepper with added vegetables.

Rachel Ray's version featured Broccolini and bucatini and Mark Bittman's Spaghetti with brocolli rabe included bread crumbs. But the basic recipe is the same.

In this version, I made Spaghetti with oil, garlic and hot pepper and added some fresh tomatoes.

Vietnamese French braised short ribs with red wine, vegetables, noodles and soup, not unlike the following:

Noodles with Cantonese braised short ribs with Chou Hou sauce.

Noodles with vegetables are cooked like:

Spinach and spinach noodles

Glass noodles (Mung bean vermicelli) salad with vegetables. I used the flat glass noodles. This is a vegetarian version of

Yam Woon San, Thai glass noodles salad

Stir fried jicama, bean sprouts and zucchini. A topping for soup noodles or added to stir-fried noodles.

Stir fried rice noodles with vegetables

These are my tried and true dishes and everyone loves them. I hope you will too.

I am sending this pasta post to Ruth, of Once Upon a Feast.

Ruth created this wonderful pasta blogging event, Presto Pasta Nights. This is PPN #166.

390. Spinach with spinach noodles - Recipe

2010-05-30T12:58:00.001-07:00

Spinach with spinach noodles

Eat spinach. Spinach is good for you. Spinach has a high nutritional value; it helps protect the body against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases. In order to get the full nutritional benefits, spinach should be barely cooked.

Since spinach is so good for the health, I thought I would get extra benefit by pairing spinach with spinach noodles.

This is one of my favourite ways to cook spinach, Korean spinach salad, Shigumch'i namul.

Then the spinach is tossed with noodles. It is so easy it can be made in one pot. The longest prep time is to wash the spinach which is usually quite gritty. The dish can be prepared in about ten minutes.

Ingredients: For 2

One bunch of spinach, washed, stems removed (pinch the stems to separate them from the leaves). I chose the young leaves.
One or two bundles of spinach noodles

Dressing:

One teaspoon of fried garlic
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
3 tablespoons of sesame oil
Hot pepper flakes (optional)

Garnish: sesame seeds

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea), the secret ingredient for this month's Weekend Wokking Challenge.

Spinach noodles

Method:

Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and cook till al dente.
Put the spinach in the pot with the noodles.
Press the leaves into the pot.
Drain the water.
Pour the dressing into the pot of noodles.
Stir to mix. Add more sesame oil if necessary.
Dish up. Garnish with sesame seeds.

The spinach noodles were a pale green colour but the soy sauce dressing has covered up the green.

What did I do with the spinach stems ? I blanched and chopped them and put them in a meat loaf. This is cat food. My cats eat homemade, human grade food. They are picky eaters. If they don't like it, we'll have it.

Here is the recipe for cat meat loaf: chopped spinach, 4 cloves of garlic, minced, 2 pieces of Weetabix cereal, ground meat, bits of cheese. Mash the Weetabix with the spinach - the juice softens the cereal. Mix everything together and bake for 45 mins at 350deg F.

I am submitting my recipe for spinach to Weekend Wokking, a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks to celebrate the multiple ways we can cook one ingredient.

389. Indonesian Oxtail Soup, Sop Buntut - Recipe

2010-05-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

Indonesian Oxtail Soup, Sop Buntut

Mr. KC loves Sop Buntut, Indonesian oxtail soup. When he traveled to Indonesia, he would start every meal with oxtail soup. Back home, he would talk about this wonderful soup and express a wish to have some.

I don't know why I balked at making oxtail soup. After all, I could find a recipe easily in one of my cookery books or online. I think it was the fear of not meeting his expectations. Too stressful. I didn't want to watch anxiously while he tasted it and wait anxiously for his verdict. I didn't want to hear, "good, but not quite like ..."

For years, I used Mad Cow Disease as the excuse for not eating oxtails. Too dangerous. The prions, you know. Can't take the chance.

Then I relented and bought a package of oxtails. Mr. KC was so keen he googled and found the recipe for me from here. He even printed the recipe and asked if I had all the ingredients.

This is a big first for him. He doesn't take any interest in cooking. So I made the soup, more or less, according to the recipe. He was very pleased.

I didn't ask for his verdict. After all, comparisons are so odious, aren't they? He had Sop Buntut every day until he finished the potful of soup so it must have been quite good.

Ingredients:

A knob of fresh ginger, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a cleaver
2 lbs of oxtail, chopped
3 cloves
2 whole nutmegs
6 cups of cold water
Vegetable oil
One large leek, bottom white part only, thickly sliced
One large carrot, peeled and cut into cubes
2 tomatoes, chopped into cubes
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2-3 stalks of Chinese celery with leaves, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: Crispy fried shallots and 2-3 stalks of Chinese celery with leaves, coarsely chopped

Method:

Put the ginger and water in a soup pot. Bring the water to a rolling boil.
Add the oxtail and scald uncovered for 3 minutes.
Drain, discard the water and ginger.
Wash the oxtail in cold water to remove the bits of scum.
Scrub the pot clean, and add the oxtail, cloves and nutmeg.
Add the cold water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer, for about an hour and a half, until the meat is tender.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the leek and carrot. Stir-fry over medium heat until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the leek, carrot, potatoes, tomatoes, salt and pepper to the soup.
Bring the soup back to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
Serve in individual serving bowls garnished with Chinese celery and crispy fried shallots

Sop Buntut is not the thick, oxtail soup usually eaten in the winter time in North America. The Indonesian version is light and spicy and very delicious.

I have been won over! I have overcome my fear of Sop Buntut and will make it again. Do try it. I'm sure you'll love it too!

I am sending Sop Bunut to the wonderful Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen, in Hawaii for Souper Sundays.

388. Traditional Middle Eastern Tabbouleh - Recipe

2010-05-19T03:17:00.000-07:00

Traditional Middle Eastern Tabbouleh

My dear friend, Zlamushka, told me "T&T this month is ME :-) I know you cooked plenty of foods from my blog, maybe you can forward them to Lakshmi who is hosting the event? Old posts also count :-)".

Of course, I am happy to oblige, Zu! I can do better than that! I'll cook another of your recipes.

ME is Zlamushka, of Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen, creator of Tried and Tasted, aka T&T.

Each month, a cooking blog is chosen to be the Blog of the Month. Bloggers get a chance to try someone else's cooking and learn about different cuisines and cooking styles.

Now, Zu doesn't have time to keep T&T running and has passed the host duties to Lakshmi, of Kitchen Chronicles. Lakshmi has chosen Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen as blog of the Month for May. This is the perfect start to the next stage of T&T.

So I cooked Zlamushka's Traditional Middle Eastern Tabbouleh that I found here. This is a fabulous, healthy vegan salad. It is chock full of my favourite herbs - parsley, mint and garlic. The smell of the herbs is absolutely lovely. And is is not spicy. This is unusual because her food is spicy. Her blog url is Burnt Mouth.

Zu loves, loves, loves spicy food. I call her the Spice Girl. Her blog is "A scrumptious blog about my great passion for spicy cooking and other kitchen tales."

I met Zu two years ago, when we were partners in Taste and Create. We have become friends. Because of her influence, I am adding some hot chilies into my cooking!

As you will see below, I managed to find and cook the non-spicy dishes from her blog:

Zlamushka's Vegetable Cream Soup

THE "5 DIGESTIVES" TEA

Tabbouleh

387. Sticky rice with fruit coulis, Gao Nep Voi Trai Cay Cu Li - Recipe

2010-05-18T05:35:00.001-07:00

Sticky rice with fruit coulis, Gao Nep Voi Trai Cay Cu Li

Sticky rice, Oryza sativa, aka glutinous rice is gluten-free.

The adjective "Glutinous" is used to describe this type of rice to mean " of the nature of glue; gluey; viscid; sticky". Kind of puts one off, doesn't it? But please try it, sticky rice is wonderful stuff. It doesn't taste like glue at all.

This delicious rice does stick to the ribs, stick to the hips, stick to the pan/mold and dishes.

There are all sorts of special steaming equipment to cook sticky rice but I think microwave technology beats them all. It is so easy to do and the result is perfectly cooked sticky rice.

Sticky rice is wonderful eaten with savoury foods but it is also very good sweetened for desserts. Sticky rice with mango is a very popular dessert in SE Asia.

I am making Sticky rice with mango coulis or Gao Nep Voi Trai Cay Cu Li. I suspect Cu Li is the Vietnamese version of Coulis. I adapted the recipe from here:

Ingredients:

2 cups of sticky rice
One can of coconut milk
Sugar to taste

Mango Coulis:

2 ripe mangoes, diced
2 tablespoons of palm sugar
Half a cup of water or mango juice

Method:

To cook the sticky rice:

Wash the rice and soak it in cold water for a few hours or overnight. The longer the soaking time, the less water is needed for cooking and the quicker the rice cooks.
Drain the rice and rinse again.
Put the rice in a microwave-safe dish. A wide, shallow dish, such as a Pyrex quiche dish or pie plate, works well. You want as thin a layer of rice as possible.
Pour about half a cup of water over the rice and spread the rice evenly across the dish. The water should just moisten the rice.
Cover the dish with microwave wrap and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Remove the plastic wrap to check the rice. Be very careful when peeling the wrap as you could get burnt from the steam. The cooked rice is translucent. Sometimes the rice will be cooked in an uneven manner, ie in one part of the dish but not in another. Don't worry about this.
Stir the rice to mix.
Open the can of coconut milk and remove the layer of coconut cream on top of the milk. Put the coconut cream in the refrigerator.
Add the coconut milk left in the can to the rice. Stir the rice to mix.
Cover and microwave for a few more minutes until all the rice is translucent. Cooking the rice should take about 10 minutes. The rice might not have absorbed all the coconut milk. Not a problem as it will be absorbed eventually. The cooked rice shouldn't be mushy. The mass of rice should be made of individual grains touching each other.
Taste the coconut rice. Add some sugar to sweeten. Mix everything together.
Put the rice into ramekins and chill, or when ready to serve warm the rice and scoop into small dishes.

To make the mango coulis:

Boil the water, sugar and mango.
Lower the heat and simmer until the mango is soft.
Press the mango through a food mill or sieve. Discard the pulp.
Stir the mango coulis to mix. The sauce should be smooth and thick.

To serve cold:

Unmold the cold rice in the ramekins. Spoon some mango coulis over the rice and top with a dollop of coconut cream.

To serve warm:

Spoon the warm rice into small dishes and top with mango coulis. Add a dollop of coconut cream.

Note:

Sticky rice is best made with fresh coconut milk. I wish we could get it Canada. While I like to make things from scratch, this is something I would pay top dollars for someone else to make.
I prefer the rice warm . The cold packed rice is very dense.
You may serve the rice with pieces of mango instead of the coulis.
Or use canned Alphonso mango pulp instead of making the coulis.

Sticky rice with mango coulis

This post goes to Joanne, the wonderful future doctor, of Eats Well with Others.

Joanne is also the host of Regional Recipes and this month she chose Vietnam.

Cook your favourite Vietnamese dish, blog about it and send your post to her. There is still time to enter this wonderful food blogging event.

386. Chile-garlic Peanuts and Jicama Snack - Recipe

2010-05-17T07:21:00.001-07:00

Chile-garlic Peanuts

In May, My Kitchen My World travelers go to Mexico to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. They travel not by plane or boat or camel but via their kitchens. They are transported by recipes.

What dish shall I cook? I decided to make Mexican munchies. Every party needs little bits and bites to accompany the drinks.

I mades a traditional Oaxacan bar snack, Chile-garlic peanuts and, to cool the down, Jicama snacks.

Ingredients:

One whole garlic bulb
A pound of raw peanuts* with skin
2 hot red chilies
One teaspoon of coarse sea salt
One lime - Grated zest and juice
A quarter cup of peanut oil

Method:

Trim the root end of the garlic bulb and separate the cloves.
Heat the oil in a frying pan almost to smoking point (I used a wok), turn the heat to low.
Add the peanuts, garlic and chilies.
Shake, rattle and roll the pan to cook the peanuts. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the peanuts are cooked. The peanuts burn very easily and nothing tastes worst than burnt peanuts, so keep an eye on the pan. Avoid mult-tasking otherwise you'll have to throw out the burnt offerings.
Add the lime juice and zest to the mix and give it another good shake. You'll hear sizzling and popping as the juice hits the hot peanuts.
Sprinkle the coarse sea salt and toss.
Pour into a serving bowl and see them disappear. You will wish you had quadrupled the ingredients!

Note:

I didn't known there were different types of peanuts. I bought the first peanuts I saw in the store which were American peanuts. In Oaxaca, they use the short, round peanuts known as Spanish peanuts.
The whole chilies will be burnt so I suggest removing them and adding a couple just for the garnish. Or, if you like hot spicy peanuts, sprinkle some chili flakes over the peanuts and toss them together.

Garlicky, spicy, sour peanuts. Absolutely delicious and addictive! Make double the amount. You'll have everyone clamouring for more.

Mexican jicama snack

Ingredients:

One jicama
Juice of 2 limes
One tablespoon of red pepper flakes

Method:

Peel the jicama and cut into match sticks. Serve them raw or blanched.
Put in a bowl.
Mix the lime juice and cayenne pepper.
Pour the dressing over the jicama and toss to coat.
Serve as finger food.

Very refreshing, low-cal and healthy

My Mexican snacks are going to our intrepid leader, Andrea, of Nummy Kitchen.

Andrea hosts My Kitchen My World. We travel around the world in our kitchen every month.

Do join us! We go all over the world and have a ball!

385. Vietnamese Vegetarian Noodle Salad, Bún Chay - Recipe

2010-05-16T05:43:00.000-07:00

Vietnamese Vegetarian Noodle Salad, Bún Chay

Vietnamese cuisine has a strong Chinese influence but where it differs from Chinese cuisine are the salads and the abundant use of fresh herbs. Herbs are an essential part of Vietnamese cuisine.

The herbs used in Chinese/Cantonese food are what I call the trinity: ginger, garlic and scallions with a bit of cilantro for garnish. There seems to be an aversion to uncooked food, especially vegetables.

The only salad we had at home was Russian salad, made with cooked ingredients and bound together with mayonnaise. Mint was boiled in vinegar for mint sauce.

So it was a complete revelation to me that mint and vegetables could be eaten raw. Except for dill, cilantro, garlic and shallots, the herbs used in Vietnamese cooking were unknown to me. I have grown to love the taste of fresh herbs and have started growing some Vietnamese herbs. I tried growing lemongrass but haven't been successful. I am looking for perilla and Vietnamese basil.

Here are some of the herbs I am growing:

Green onions

Mint, I think this is common mint

Kinh Giới, Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)

Húng Cay, Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

Vietnamese Vegetarian Noodle Salad, Bún Chay has become one of my favourite dishes. Herbs, herbs and more herbs, plus bits of crispy tofu. Fresh, light, healthy and delicious!

Ingredients: For 2

4 ounces of rice noodles or dried rice sticks
4 pieces of fried tofu puffs

A handful of :

Shredded lettuce
Mung bean sprouts
Julienned cucumber
Mixed herbs, coarsely chopped or torn (basil, mint, cilantro; if available: rau răm or Vietnamese coriander, tiá tô or Vietnamese perilla)

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, Nuoc Cham, adapted from here:

2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons of sugar
4 tablespoons of water
2 1/2 tablespoons of fish sauce

Optional: A clove of garlic, crushed, Fresh red chilies, finely chopped

Garnish: 2 tablespoons of peanuts, chopped

Method:

Put the noodles in a bowl and pour boiling water to cover them.
Leave the noodles to soften. After 10 minutes the noodles have absorbed most of the water and will be white colour, tender but still firm.
Drain the noodles and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
Cut tofu puffs into strips.
Heat a small skillet (low heat) and toast the tofu until crispy. Keep an eye on the tofu as they burn easily. Place the toasted tofu on paper towels and let them cool.

To serve:

In a bowl, toss the vegetables, herbs and tofu together.
Add the noodles and lime juice and toss together.
Just before eating, drizzle with sauce and garnish with chopped peanuts.

I am entering my Vietnamese vegetarian noodle salad to Delicious Vietnam #2 .

Delicious Vietnam is an exciting, monthly, food blogging event open to Vietnamese food lovers.

It is the creation of Anh, of A Food Lover's Journey and Hong and Kim, the Ravenous Couple.

Their aim is to promote and explore the diversity of Vietnamese cuisine.

Here is the inaugural roundup.

384. Blanched A-choy with oyster sauce, 油菜 - Recipe

2010-05-16T05:41:00.001-07:00

Blanched A-choy with oyster sauce, 油菜

Taiwanese Lettuce, A菜, 香麥菜 A-Choy/A Tsai, aka Yóumàicài, 油麦菜

It is also called Sword Lettuce because of its long, pointed leaves. To me, they resemble streamers or ribbons rather than swords. The ones I buy usually have long ribbon-like leaves which may be a foot and a half long.

A-Choy is often compared to romaine lettuce but I think the taste and texture is more akin to butter lettuce. Whatever the comparison, it tastes delicious and is very healthy for you.

I cook simple, Cantonese meals at home. Our meals consist of white rice and three small dishes - meat, tofu or seafood and vegetables. As the food has to be on the table at the same time, I cook blanched vegetables on the back burner and use the main burner for stir frying. So we eat bok choy, Chinese broccoli, mustard greens, rapinni, all types of leafy vegetables cooked the same way every night.

Don't think "Boiled vegetables, ugh!". These veggies are blanched and taste delicious. Of course, the vegetables are fresh. I can't guarantee what old, tired vegetables that have sat in the crisper for a while will taste like.

Ingredients: For two

One or two heads of A-choy, depending on the size
A tablespoon of sesame oil
A tablespoon of oyster sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce

Method:

Trim the A-choy and tear the steams and leaves into 4-inch pieces.
In a large saucepan, bring some water to a rolling boil.
Pour a tablespoon of sesame oil on the water. (Pouring Oil on troubled water! Haha!)
Put all the A-choy in the boiling water. Submerge the vegetables in the boiling water and cook for about a minute.
Drain the water.
Arrange the A-choy on a serving plate.
Drizzle some oyster sauce over the vegetables. Use chopsticks or fork to stir the vegetables gently to distribute the oyster sauce.
Add a splash of sesame oil.

I am entering my recipe for Blanched A-choy with oyster sauce, 油菜 to Weekend Herb Blogging #233 - May 10th to May 16th

The host is Marija from Palachinka, the blogger who bakes such beautiful cakes. She is an excellent photographer too.

The administrator of WHB is Haalo of, Cook Almost Anything .

Here is last week's splendid roundup.

383. Papas bravas - Recipe

2010-05-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

Papas bravas

Tapas are a national institution of Spain. Before lunch and dinner, the Spanish enjoy these delicious morsels of savory foods with chilled wine, beer or sherry.

Papas bravas are a classic! These spicy and hot fried potatoes are absolutely delicious and there is no need to go to Spain for them. Enjoy them anytime at home. They are so easy to make.

Ingredients:

4 large Russet potatoes
Half an onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of Spanish paprika
Half a cup of tomato sauce
Half a cup of hot pepper paste
Olive oil
Mayonnaise

Method:

To make the Bravas sauce:

In a saucepan, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is soft.
Add the paprika, tomato sauce and hot pepper sauce. Mix everything together.
Cook the sauce until it begins to boil.
Set aside, reheat the sauce if necessary. Drizzle the hot sauce over the fried potatoes.

To cook the potatoes

Steam or boil the potatoes until just cooked. Don't overcook them.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into wedges.
Heat a large frying pan or griddle (medium heat) and add some olive oil.
Put the potatoes in the pan and roll them around to coat them with oil. Leave some space between the potatoes.
Lower the heat to about 300 deg F. and let the potatoes cook slowly until a golden crust develops.
Turn the potatoes and drizzle more oil over them so the potatoes are browned on all sides. The slower the cooking, the crunchier the potatoes.
Put the potatoes in a serving plate, add salt and pepper to taste and drizzle the Bravas sauce and mayonnaise over them.
Enjoy!

Papas bravas

382. Spot prawns with Allioli - Recipe

2010-05-15T06:33:00.001-07:00

Spot prawns with Allioli

May 8 was the start of the Spot prawn festival in Vancouver. For the next two months, we indulge in eating wild, fresh prawns as much possible.

Live prawns are available all year round in Asian fish stores but, who knows how long the prawns have been kept in holding tanks. I prefer to get the day's catch from the fisherman. Here is where you go for the prawns:

Fisherman's Wharf

1505 West 1st Avenue
Northwest of Granville Island, between the Burrard Street Bridge and the Granville Street Bridge

Boats arrive between 4:30 and 5:30 pm daily, and on Saturdays around 2:00 pm

Spot prawns, Pandalus platyceros

Restaurants in Vancouver are holding spot prawn festivals and I am sure they have wonderful ways with prawns but we pass on restaurant fare and prefer to cook them at home.

Boiling or steaming the prawns is the best way to cook them and all they need is vinegar and shredded ginger or Allioli. This is so easy to do at home and is much cheaper too, or rather you can eat many more prawns for the money. Also, eating prawns is messy and sucking on the heads is best done in private.

A meal of prawns requires good timing. I have everything ready then dash to the wharf to get the star attraction. Then dash home to steam them.

I don't know how long the prawns can stay alive out of water but they were quite frisky when I got them home. I kept them covered until I was ready to cook them otherwise they'll be jumping all over the place. It drives the cats crazy when they see these red things flopping around on the floor.

Last year, when I was cleaning the fridge, I found a couple of dehydrated spot prawn at the back. I was tempted to try them to see if they were like Chinese dried shrimps.

Get a couple of pounds of spot prawns, some wine or beer, make a salad and you'll have yourself a feast:

Ingredients:

Two pounds of live spot prawns (about 24 prawns)

Allioli:

One large egg, at room temperature
One tablespoon of white wine vinegar or lemon juice
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, peeled - add more garlic if you like
Coarse sea salt (about half a teaspoon)
Half a cup of Spanish extra virgin olive oil and half a cup of corn oil, combined

Method:

To make the Allioli: I used a whisk but a food processor fitted with a metal blade works fine.

1. In a mortar mash the salt, vinegar and garlic cloves together to form a paste.
2. Add the egg and whisk to blend evenly.
3. Add the oil, drop by drop and whisk the mixture hard.
4. The mixture will soon thicken and then pour the oil in a slow, steady stream while you keep whisking until the sauce is thick and smooth.

To steam:

Fill a wok or dutch oven with water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Put the prawns in bamboo steamer, cover and steam for five minutes. Put the bamboo steaming basket on a platter and bring to the table. Serve immediately.

To boil:

Fill a stockpot with water and bring it to a rolling boil. Put the prawns in the boiling water and cook for about a minute.

Use a large strainer to remove the prawns. Put the prawns on a platter. Serve immediately.

Mr. KC likes to peel and eat the prawns, one at a time. I like to peel the prawns, arrange them on my plate, suck on the heads, wash my face and hands and then eat the prawn salad with a fork.

I am sending my spot prawn recipe to the wonderful Deb, at Kahakai Kitchen in Hawaii for Souper Sundays.

Here is last week's roundup of soups, stews, and salads.

381. Vietnamese grilled pork chops, Suong Nuong - Recipe

2010-05-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Vietnamese grilled pork chops, Suong Nuong

A couple of months ago, I made Vietnamese grilled meat with rice vermicelli. The meat was quite pale and a reader, Albert Hang, suggested "you might want to add a little sugar and dark soy sauce to the marinade. usually thit nuong is darker when cooked due to the sugar content and soy sauce".

I was glad to receive his advice. I am self-taught in Vietnamese cooking and didn't cook Vietnamese food until I began blogging. I have never been in a Vietnamese home to see and taste real Vietnamese cooking. I have learned a lot from Wandering Chopsticks and other bloggers. I read cookbooks and pay attention when eating in Vietnamese restaurants to get an idea about taste and presentation. That is the extent of my knowledge of Vietnamese cooking. But I have a big love affair with Vietnamese food and love to learn more.

I don't find Vietnamese cooking difficult because many of the dishes are influenced by Chinese cuisine and I am familiar with the cooking style and ingredients. I think I avoided Vietnamese, Thai and other SE Asian cuisines before because the herbs used were completely unfamiliar to me and I was out of my comfort zone. But I am learning and turn to Wandering Chopsticks for help, which she has generously given.

This is my second attempt at grilled pork chops. I followed an excellent recipe by Tia Nguyen, though I adapted it slightly. This time, the chops were nicely caramelized and were excellent. Mr. KC loved them!

I grilled them on an electric, table-top grill and used thick pork chops. I was afraid the chops would be charred on the outside but undercooked inside so I cut a couple in half. As it turned out, the thick chops were better. They were nice and juicy. The thin ones were dry.

Ingredients:

Marinade:

3 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of Cheong Chan Elephant thick caramel sauce
2 tablespoons of chili oil
2 thick stalks of fresh lemongrass, peeled and thinly sliced
4 shallots, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
Chili flakes
One teaspoon of black peppercorns

5 centre-cut, loin pork chops, about 2 pounds
Garnish: Chopped green onions

Dipping sauce, nuouc cham, courtesy of Albert Hang:

"Dipping sauce nuoc cham is mostly fish sauce, water, sugar, and garlic and some chili peppers to taste".

Method:

Place ingredients for the marinade in a mortar and pound them into a paste with the pestle.
Transfer the paste to a shallow dish .
Add the chops and turn to coat evenly with the paste.
Cover with saran wrap. Marinate them for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat the electric grill, broiler or charcoal grill.
Grill the chops until they are browned on both sides and just cooked through (the juices near the bone should run clear when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife), about 6-7 minutes on each side.
Garnish with chopped green onions.
Serve immediately with rice and vegetables or a salad. Drizzle some dipping sauce over the chops.

I am entering my grilled pork chops to Delicious Vietnam, a
new and exciting monthly food blogging event open to Vietnamese food lovers.

Delicious Vietnam is the creation of Anh, of A Food Lover's Journey and Hong and Kim, the Ravenous Couple.

Their aim is to promote and explore the diversity of Vietnamese cuisine.

The host for Delicious Vietnam #1 is Anh.

380. Vietnamese watercress salad, Cai Son Va Dau Phu Luoc - Recipe

2010-05-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

Vietnamese watercress and tofu salad

Did you know that watercress is packed with vitamins C, B1, B6, K, E, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, and Potassium.

"By weight, Watercress has more calcium than milk, more vitamin C than an orange and more absorbable Iron than Spinach (spinach is loaded with Oxlactic acid, which blocks the natural absorption of iron). A single 4 ounce bunch has more than a full days RDA for Potassium."

I didn't know watercress was such a super vegetable. But now I will certainly be serving watercress often at home. Cantonese cooks usually team watercress with dried ducks gizzards for soup. In fact, I don't think I cook watercress any other way.

This week, I decided to get out of my comfort zone and do something different for Weekend Herb Blogging.

I made a healthy, delicious watercress salad. It looks elegant and is South Beach Diet-friendly. Basically it is watercress and custard topped with Asian salsa.

I adapted the recipe from The Best of Nicole Routhier. Most recipes call for firm tofu but I don't care for it - too firm - so I used silken tofu in a tube.

Ingredients: For 4 servings

A bunch of watercress, washed
A tube of soft tofu
Garnish: Fried shallots

Dressing:

One tablespoon of sugar or sugar substitute
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese fish sauce)
A quarter cup of lime juice
A teaspoon of chili flakes
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

One cup of tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons of cilantro, chopped

Method:

In a small skillet, combine the vegetable oil with the nuoc mam, lime juice,chili flakes, sugar and garlic.
Cook over moderate heat just until bubbles form around the edge of the skillet, about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and chopped cilantro. Mix everything together.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch the watercress. Just submerge the watercress in the water for about 30 seconds. Put the watercress in a colander and under the tap. Refresh it with cold water. Drain the watercress and squeeze it dry.
Chop the watercress into one inch pieces.

To serve:

Arrange equal portions of watercress in four plates.
Open the package of silken tofu and cut a thin slice.
Leave the tofu on the blade of the knife and slide it on top of the watercress.
Arrange 2 or 3 pieces of sliced tofu in each plate.
Top with the tomato dressing. Garnish with some fried shallots.

That's it. Do try it. It takes all of 15 minutes to make. Your body will thank you.

I am entering my recipe for Watercress and tofu salad for
Weekend Herb Blogging #232 - May 3rd to May 9th.

The host is Lynne from Cafe Lynnylu

The administrator of WHB is Haalo of, Cook Almost Anything .

379. Cantonese braised short ribs with Chu Hou sauce - 柱侯牛腩煲 - Recipe

2010-05-06T05:03:00.001-07:00

Cantonese braised short ribs with Chu Hou sauce - 柱侯牛腩煲

This is a homey, Cantonese dish that everybody loves. The beef is usually braised in an earthenware casserole but a slow cooker or dutch oven works just as well.

I make a big batch and freeze the stew in individual servings. Need a quick bowl of noodles? How about soup noodles with braised beef. Or eat the beef stew with hot rice. Ladle the gravy over it and you have a very satisfying meal.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of beef short ribs
4 ounces of ginger, peeled and cut into thick slices
6 cloves of garlic, peel and smashed
Vegetable oil

A.
2 pieces of dried red chili - seeds removed
2 pieces of star anise
One whole nutmeg
One piece of dried orange peel, soaked in hot water and softened
2 tablespoons of Chu Hou sauce
One tablespoon of wine
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce

B.
One piece of rock sugar, about the size of an egg
4 cups of hot water

Garnish: Sesame oil and chopped spring onions

Chu Hou sauce,柱侯醬

Method:

There are different ways to prepare the beef for braising. I am partial to Method 1 and 3. Method 2 is messy - the oil splatters all over the stove-top.

Cook the beef in boiling water for about five minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Pat the meat dry with paper towels.
Brown the meat on all sides in oil.
Broil the meat in the oven till the surface is nice and brown.

To braise the meat:

Heat some oil (medium heat) in an earthenware pot or dutch oven. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for a minute.
Add the ingredients A, including the water used for soaking the orange peel. Stir everything together and cook the paste for a minute or two.
Add the beef and stir it into the sauce.
Add the rock sugar and hot water. Stir to thin the sauce.
Bring the sauce to a boil and then turn the heat down to the lowest setting. The rock sugar will be a hard lump. It will dissolve slowly during the cooking to sweeten the sauce.
Cover the pot to braise the beef for an hour.
Check the pot from time to time. Add more water if needed. Cook until the beef is tender. Remove the herbs and spices
If the sauce is too thin, remove the meat and boil the sauce down. Or make a paste using a tablespoon of cornstarch and cold water. Add to the sauce, stir to cook until the sauce has thickened.
To serve: Cut the meat into smaller pieces. Put the meat back into the casserole. Add a splash of sesame oil and garnish with chopped green onions. Or put the meat and sauce into a bowl, garnish, etc.
Enjoy!

Braised beef and rice

I am entering my braised short ribs to Souper Sundays, a weekly food blogging event that features soups, stews, salads and sandwiches.

Deb, of Kahakai Kitchen in Hawaii, created this popular event.

Soup noodles with braised beef

Ingredients: For one serving:

2 cups of beef or chicken soup
A piece of short rib, cut into smaller pieces (heated)
A few pieces of baby bok choy
Udon or boiled noodles
Chopped spring onions to garnish

Method:

Bring the soup to a boil in a small saucepan.
Add the baby bok choy and boil for a minute. Remove the vegetables and set aside.
Add the noodles and bring the soup back to a boil.
Pour the soup and noodles in a bowl.
Top with the beef and vegetables.
Drizzle some sauce over the meat. Garnish with spring onions.

I am entering my bowl of beef noodles to Presto Pasta Night No. 162. Ruth, of Once Upon a Feast, is hosting this week's event.

Check back for the roundup on May 7.

378. Kimchi - Recipe

2010-05-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Kimchi in a ceramic pot that I made.

I had a very difficult time learning to throw on a wheel. I didn't take to it naturally. Looking back, I don't know how I managed to go to the studio day after day to face another day of disappointment. Even the department chairman expressed amazement that I kept coming back.

I would see my classmates throwing pots with ease and I just couldn't throw. It took me two years before I got the hang of it. Two years of daily practice. Once I got it, I became a strong potter. I think those two years stood me in good stead because I got a very good understanding of clay.

This pot is my breakthrough pot. It was the first pot that I considered half decent. I have never been sentimental about my pots. I made them and sold them. I was just happy that people would pay for my pots but I wouldn't sell this one. I kept it all these years and when I made kimchi I found my pot and filled it with kimchi. It sits in the refrigerator and I see it every day.

377. The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup - Recipe

2010-04-30T16:23:00.001-07:00

The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup

I have been making Senate bean soup from a recipe I found in a cookery book on American food. It is a delicious soup but I wondered how it compared to the real thing. Then I thought, why don't I go to the source. I googled and found the recipe in the US Senate website. The bean soup is so famous that the recipe is posted there! They give two recipes. One is for five gallons of soup.

Bean soup is on the menu of the Senate restaurant every day. It is a very popular soup and I can understand why. It is absolutely delicious.

Here is my version that I adapted from the Senate restaurant recipe:

Ingredients: For 6 servings

One pound of dried navy beans
One smoked ham hock
One onion, chopped
One medium-sized carrot, diced
2 pieces of celery, diced
Bay leaves
2 tablespoons of butter
4 cups of hot water
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Wash the navy beans and soak them in a bowl of water overnight or for a few hours.
Add some butter to the soup pot to sauté the onion, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables on low heat till they are soft and golden brown. Remove the vegetables and set aside.
Cut the meat off the hock and dice them.
Add the beans, the ham bone, a few pieces of bay leaves and 4 cups of hot water to the pot.
Simmer the soup simmer approximately two hours in a covered pot, stirring occasionally.
Remove the ham bone.
Add the diced ham and vegetables to the soup. Simmer the soup for half an hour.
Before serving, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper.

My recipe for Senate Bean Soup goes to Hawaii for Souper Sundays.

The wonderful Deb, at Kahakai Kitchen, created this weekly, food blogging event that features soups, salads and sandwiches.

I am entering this soup for My Legume Love Affair No. 22..

MLLA is hosted by Ruchika of Ruchika Cooks. Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook created this very popular food blogging event featuring legumes.

376. Beef Stroganoff - Recipe

2010-04-30T16:22:00.001-07:00

Beef Stroganoff

My Kitchen, My World is a monthly food blogging event that has bloggers experience other cultures through their food.

On the first of each month, Andrea, of Nummy Kitchen, picks a country, and we cook/travellers do some research to cook a dish or two or three from that country. We travel to that country gastronomically. She posts a roundup of the interesting and delicious dishes our fellow travelers have cooked.

As you see, Andrea sent us to Russia this month.

I am making Beef Stroganoff, a classic Russian dish, for MKMW. It was created by Count Pavel Stroganov's cook in the 19th century. The count was a diplomat, a member of the Imperial Academy of the arts and a gourmet.

Beef Stroganoff used to be a very popular party dish a while back. It is a delicious dish usually served over rice or noodles. I don't know why it has fallen out of favour. Too rich, I suppose. I haven't seen or eaten Beef Stroganoff in years. Beef Stroganoff is very quick and easy to cook. I remember hostesses preparing the dish at table in a chafing dish.

There are many versions and variations on cooking Beef Stroganoff. I like the simple recipe which uses just beef, butter, shallots, sour cream and nutmeg.

Here is my recipe that I adapted from "A Gift to Young Housewives, Elena Molokhovets, [Moscow, 1861], recipe #635 translated and introduced by Joyce Thomas [Indiana Press:Bloomington] 1992 (p.213-214).

Ingredients: For 2 servings

One frozen strip loin steak
4 shallots, peeled and cut into thin slices
One cup of sour cream, at room temperature
Butter
Nutmeg, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley for garnish

Method:

Thaw the steak slightly so that you can cut it. Trim the fat. Cut the meat into thin slices and then into strips. Place the meat in a colander to thaw. Pat the meat dry with paper towels.
Five minutes before you sit down to dinner, heat a skillet or frying pan and add some butter. Sauté the shallots in the butter till they are limp. Do not let the shallots brown. Remove the shallots and set aside.
Add more butter to the pan and turn the heat to high. Sauté the strips of steak. The meat should be rare. Add the shallots and sour cream and cook for about a minute. Do not overcook this dish.
Sprinkle with nutmeg and add the salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Serve immediately with buttered rice or noodles.

375. Tofu with satay sauce, 沙爹豆腐 - Recipe

2010-04-30T06:52:00.001-07:00

Tofu with satay sauce, 沙爹豆腐

I don't think I am ever without tofu in my kitchen. There are so many different types of tofu and one can make easy, delicious, inexpensive dishes.

The tofu in a tube is the one I use a lot. I didn't look at the instructions on the package when I used it the first time. It looked like a tube of toothpaste so I snipped the end and tried to squeeze it out like toothpaste. Ha! Ha. My late MIL was amazed when she saw me doing this.

MIL: Ah Christine, What on earth are you doing?
Kits Chow doesn't want to admit she is an ignoramus: I am preparing Hong Kong style tofu.
MIL: Indeed!
Kits Chow: Yes, HK style tofu spaghetti. It is all the rage there.
MIL: You HK people are crazy!

I don't think I fooled her.

Silken tofu combined with ground pork and Jimmy's Sate sauce is a quick and tasty dish. It takes about 10 minutes to make. The prep work takes a couple of minutes.

Ingredients:

One tube of silken tofu, cut into chunks
A quarter pound of ground pork, more if you like
A piece of green onion, sliced
A knob of ginger, grated
A clove of garlic, minced
A tablespoon of Jimmy's sate sauce
Vegetable oil
Garnish: Chopped cilantro

Marinade for pork:

One tablespoon of soy sauce
One teaspoon of sesame oil
One tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine
Ground white pepper
One tablespoon of cornstarch

I have many bottles of satay sauce in my fridge - I have a shelf full because it is like the Holy Grail for Satay sauce. I like the Bull Head brand and also the LKK one but Jimmy's is my favourite.

Method:

Mix the pork with the marinade and set aside for fifteen minutes.
Heat some oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the green onions, ginger and garlic for a minute. Remove and set aside.
Add more oil to the wok, if necessary. Stir fry the pork until it is almost cooked.
Add the sate sauce, scallions, ginger and garlic. Stir fry for half a minute.
Add the tofu and mix together gently. Cook for a minute. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Dish up.

I am submitting my recipe for Tofu with satay sauce to Weekend Wokking, a world-wide food blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks to celebrate the multiple ways we can cook one ingredient. This month's secret ingredient is tofu.

The host this month is Sweatha, of Tasty Curry Leaf.

If you would like to participate or to see the secret ingredient, check who's hosting next month.

374. Grilled cheese wafers - Recipe

2010-04-16T05:03:00.001-07:00

Panini Happy's 2nd Annual Grilled Cheese Pageant is here. Last year's Pageant was a blast!

I was so thrilled that my Red Leicester and Herb Ricotta Grilled Cheese Toas-Tite Sandwich was one of the "Classic Beauty" winners.

Well, once I got a taste of pageant fun, of course, I am raring to participate again.

I serve these tiny, crispy and cheesy grilled cheese wafers for ladies' lunch and they are irresistible. The big complaint is "Why didn't you make more?".

Here is how I make triple decker or 4-decker wafers. Keep going if you want more layers of cheese.

Ingredients:

A baguette or a loaf of bread, frozen
Cheese, sliced thin. I used cheddar
Butter
Mustard, or Pannini Happy's Secret ingredient, Chili oil

Method:

Cut the frozen bread into very thin slices.
Melt some butter in your grill pan or butter the bread on one side.
Spread some mustard or chili oil on the bread.
Put the sliced cheese between the bread.
Place the sandwiches on a heated. cast iron pan and cover with a press.
Fry or grill the bread till it is golden and crispy.
Turn over and do the same for the other side of the sandwich. Remove and keep warm.
Put a piece of bread, mustard side up on the pan. Top with a slice of cheese and a grilled cheese wafer.
Fry till golden. Keep the bread weighed down.
Keep adding cheese and bread till you have many layers of buttery, cheesy, crispy wafers.

My grill press

What do you think? The competition will be stiff but do these beauties stand a chance to win an award?

373. Welcome to new followers - photographs

2010-04-06T17:11:00.001-07:00

Welcome! Thanks for following my blog. I love to hear from you all.

Melissa. Wonderful Melissa, who has tried a couple of my recipes. And they turned out well.

Liz, of Shedding the Fat Suit , says, "I'm a 38 year-old serial-dieting, animal-loving, occasional exercise enthusiast looking to quit dieting and change my life."

Liz shares her weight-loss progress with us.

She is doing so well on Weight Watchers and has lost 12.2 lbs since November 11, 2009. Congratulations, Liz! Your blog is so inspiring!

Ceci is from Markham, Ont. See her lovely photographs on Flickr.

Krystal Starr, says "Don't wait on the world, because the world won't wait on you."

Bratsche

Jessica, of Vegan Takeaway, gives some good advice for natural skin care.

Pei Fen

Just Jen

Julia Lee-Galterio

Takia

gldvue

Hari Chandana was mentioned in my first welcome post. I didn't know it then but she has a beautiful blog called Indian Cusine.

She has great photos and features vegetarian recipes. Everything looks delicious. I want to try her Chocolate Milk Burfi.

Mel Chan, of Craving for Food in Berlin quotes Jeffrey Steingarten ~ journey of thousand meals begins with a single bite ~

If you are in Berlin and craving Asian foods, check Mel's posts for good restaurants. The photos are beautiful too.

Miss Sara, of My Little Corner of the World.

Her blog is about "life on the Drive:restaurants with banana dessert, neighbourhood events, the locals, the lowdown... "

Camelias

372. Pearl McGillicuddy's All-in-One Buns - Recipe

2010-03-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

Pearl McGillicuddy's All-in-One Buns

In honour of St. Patrick's Day, Andrea, of Nummy Kitchen, chose Ireland as our destination in March.

Andrea is our tour leader for My Kitchen My World, a monthly food blogging event created "to document the journey of experiencing other cultures through food. That's right - food...that I make. And YOU make. On the 1st of each month, a random country will be selected, and we adventurous types will have a month to find a recipe for a dinner that takes us there for a fraction of the plane fare! "

I was happy to go to Ireland again. My, we had such a great time last year. Here is what we cooked last year when we visited Ireland.

What Irish dish should I cook? Who better to turn to than Darina Allen, Ireland's best known chef. I think most people who are interested in cooking have heard of her Ballymaloe Cookery School.

I found the recipe I wanted to make from Simply Delicious Food for Family and Friends. Pearl McGillicuddy's All-in-One Buns" on Page 99.

Usually, I don't follow recipes carefully except for baking. I followed Darina Allen's instructions. These buns are easy to make. They are like so buttery I thought I had done something wrong when I saw all the butter oozing out the batter. But they turned out so well! See here:

Ingredients: For 24 buns

8 oz. of butter, chopped
1 cup of icing sugar
2 cups of unbleached flour
4 eggs
Half a teaspoon of baking powder
A quarter teaspoon of pure vanilla essence

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 deg. F. Line 2 twelve mold muffin tins with paper liners.
Chop the butter into small dice.
Put the icing sugar, flour and baking powder in the food processor. Give it a whirl to mix everything together.
Add the butter, eggs and vanilla essence to the dry mixture.
Give it a whirl for about 30 seconds.
Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and process again for about 30 seconds. The batter should be creamy.
Fill the liners with the batter and bake in the oven.
As soon as the buns begin to rise, lower the heat to 375 deg. F and bake for about 20 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack. Watch them disappear mysteriously.

These are dainty buns. They are so buttery they can be eaten alone or with some lemon curd, honey or jam. All you need is a cup of tea and you are in heaven, or Ireland.

371. Tomato and egg flower soup - 蕃茄蛋花湯 - Recipe

2010-03-28T08:05:00.001-07:00

Tomato and egg flower soup - 蕃茄蛋花湯

Tomato and egg flower soup is a variation of egg drop soup. I call it the the 1-1-1-1 or Four ones soup.

The main ingredients are: one cup of broth, one tomato and one egg for one person. It is healthy and South Beach diet-friendly. Plus it is economical and so quick and easy to make.

I've already given the recipe but here it is for those who want a bit more detail:

Ingredients: for one serving

One small tomato, cut into small pieces
One egg, beaten lightly - I put the egg in a measuring cup but a bowl will do also
One cup of broth - I used vegetable broth but chicken broth may be used
Some chopped cilantro
A splash of sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Bring the broth to a boil and add the chopped tomatoes. Bring the soup back to the boil and simmer for two minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Hold the measuring cup about a foot above the soup and pour the beaten egg slowly in a thin stream. Stir lightly. Add a splash of sesame oil.
Garnish with the chopped cilantro.
Ladle soup into a bowl and eat it while it is nice and hot.

Variations: Add some chopped spinach or different herbs such as basil.

Cherry tomatoes cut into half makes a very attractive soup. If you use a beefsteak tomato, one tomato is sufficient for four servings. Another idea is to use V8 juice instead of broth for a redder soup.

For vegan version, use silken tofu instead of eggs.

I am sending my tomato and egg flower soup to Graziana, from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with herbs), who is hosting Weekend Herb Blogging #226.

Weekend Herb Blogging was started by Kalyn, of Kalyn's Kitchen and is now administered by Haalo, of Cook Almost Anything.

Here are the rules.

Kits Chow

435. Pasta with grilled vegetables

434. First day of Lent 2011

433. Drunken spaghetti

432. Tastes Like Home - My Caribbean Cookbook by Cynthia Nelson

431. Some useful things from the thrift shop - Photographs

430. Macro Monday - Photograph

429. Yellow iris - Photograph

428. Peacock blue - Photograph

427. Ducks at Jericho Beach - Photograph

426. Cheat's beef and barley soup and bahn mi op la - Recipe

424. Pink Saturday - Photographs

423. Red in the kitchen - Photograph

422. Seen at Granville Island - Photograph

421. Mellow Yellow - Photograph

420. Two sisters - Photographs

419. Tisane of thyme - Recipe

418. Happy Blue Monday - Photographs

417. Scotch broth - Recipe

416. Blue and white - Photographs

414. White bean soup - Recipe

413. Pasta with olives and peppers, Trecce dell'orto alla contandina - Recipe

412. Beautiful needlepoint cushions - Photographs

411. Spicy bean sprouts salad - Recipe

409. Cottage pie, Pâté Chinois - Recipe

408. Steamed rice flour cake, 盆粉, Banh bot chien

407. Yakiudon - Recipe

406. A thing of beauty - photographs

405. Jellyfish and shredded chicken salad,手撕雞 - Recipe

404. Chicken and vermicelli salad - Recipe

403. Laotian cucumber salad, Tam taeng - Recipe

402. Spicy fried egg salad, Yam kai dow - Recipe

401. Bean sprout salad with garlic scapes - Recipe

400. Lemon balm tea - Recipe

399. Spinach and garlic salad - Recipe

398. Welcome to new followers

397. Spicy Mama Noodles, Yum Ma Ma - Recipe

396. Indian mint tea, Pudina chai - Recipe

395. Chiang Mai Noodles, Khao Soy - Recipe

394. Spanish garlic soup, Sopa de ajo - Recipe

393. 15 minute, stove-top, roasted garlic - Recipe

392. Poppies and peony - Photographs

391. Some noodle dishes - Recipes

390. Spinach with spinach noodles - Recipe

389. Indonesian Oxtail Soup, Sop Buntut - Recipe

388. Traditional Middle Eastern Tabbouleh - Recipe

387. Sticky rice with fruit coulis, Gao Nep Voi Trai Cay Cu Li - Recipe

386. Chile-garlic Peanuts and Jicama Snack - Recipe

385. Vietnamese Vegetarian Noodle Salad, Bún Chay - Recipe

384. Blanched A-choy with oyster sauce, 油菜 - Recipe

383. Papas bravas - Recipe

382. Spot prawns with Allioli - Recipe

381. Vietnamese grilled pork chops, Suong Nuong - Recipe

380. Vietnamese watercress salad, Cai Son Va Dau Phu Luoc - Recipe

379. Cantonese braised short ribs with Chu Hou sauce - 柱侯牛腩 煲 - Recipe

378. Kimchi - Recipe

377. The Famous Senate Restaurant Bean Soup - Recipe

376. Beef Stroganoff - Recipe

375. Tofu with satay sauce, 沙爹豆腐 - Recipe

374. Grilled cheese wafers - Recipe

373. Welcome to new followers - photographs

372. Pearl McGillicuddy's All-in-One Buns - Recipe

371. Tomato and egg flower soup - 蕃茄蛋花湯 - Recipe

379. Cantonese braised short ribs with Chu Hou sauce - 柱侯牛腩煲 - Recipe