Posts
(definitely)Crispy (sorta)Mexican roast pork tortillas
My current food fad is a new found fascination for Mexican cuisine - no... not Tex Mex "Gag-a-mole" microwaved cheese-caked nachos... I'm talking about the zingy, spicy, fresh and complex flavours of Mexico.
I guess my feelings towards the things I used to hate about what I thought was a representation of Mexican food (think dodgy kebabs dressed as burritos, the aforementioned nacho disasters, etc) are exactly the same emotions towards the misrepresentations of Chinese food that make me cringe (I don't want to come across as a food snob but special fried rice and combination chow mein aren't exactly special or a sought after combo in China).
And so - in my journey towards discovering the flavours of ol' Mexicana, I whipped up my interpretation of that cuisine over the weekend in the form of a super crispy roast pork belly marinated in fire roasted green chilli, fresh coriander, lime juice/zest, garlic and olive oil.
In keeping with theme, I decided to serve this in a tortilla (store bought - I am only an el novice!) topped with home made guacamole (pimped up with fresh lime, coriander and chopped tomato) and a fire roasted red capsicum salsa. The flavours worked incredibly well together - the kick from the heat of the chillis and the tang of the limes balanced beautifully with the sweetness of the capsicums. And of course - the super crispy crackling on the pork belly added an addictive textural element to creaminess of the avocado in this comforting dish.
As far as food fads go - this one is definitely here to stay - just as I know that there is hope beyond the thick battered sweet and sour pork atrocities that are so prevalent in Chinese restaurants all over the world - my dream is that I will find myself in the streets of Mexico one day laughing with a few amigos at those nasty nachos. Viva la Mexico!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Panko Pangritata
For dinner tonight, M and I whipped up a quick but very tasty spaghetti with pan roasted field mushrooms, chilli, thyme and parmesan cheese. But something was missing... and so, I decided to add a textural dimension to our pasta dish - pangritata.
Pangritata is basically a poor man's parmesan born from Southern Italy. Breadcrumbs toasted in olive oil, garlic, chilli and seasoned with sea salt... the humble ingredients add crunch, loads of flavour and lots of fun to a basic spaghetti dish.
But what was special about my pangritata tonight was that because I didn't have any leftover crusty bread which I would normally process into breadcrumbs, and also frankly because I was too lazy to clean up, I used, in a stroke of rare genius (well to me at least it was), leftover panko I had in the pantry. And the results were surprisingly good. The panko crumbs crispened up perfectly and were so easy to make. Tossed through our pasta dinner, it turned something something so simple into something truly special.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Eggstatic
Ok - a word of warning to egg haters and vegans - this post may offend. And whilst I fully respect that everyone has their preferences on what they eat and equally what they don't, I have never been a closet eggnophile - I LOVE EGGS. There is something so rich and comforting about perfectly cooked eggs that is just so satisfying. And as much as some may try to deny it - I firmly believe that an egg makes a simple savoury dish look (and taste) fabulous.
I recently discovered a fail proof way to cook ni-tamago eggs - probably one of the best ways to enjoy the tastiest free range eggs you can get your hands on. Ni-tamago refers to the eggs that are most commonly found in ramen shops all over Japan - just set egg whites enveloping a creamy, gelatinous egg yolk that is still slightly ever so runny. Simply cook eggs straight out from the fridge in lightly boiling (not vigorously such that the eggs are tumbling around in the pot)water for approximately 7 minutes (for medium sized eggs). Remove and drop into an ice bath laced with malt vinegar (this apparently helps in the peeling process). Leave for approx 1/2 hour until the egg is completely cool - peel and eat.
They are fantastic paired with, as pictured above, Bovril noodles which I have previously blogged about, with Rosa's morcilla sausages on toast or simply by themselves.
Delicious.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Flavour combinations - Bovril braised pork belly
It is a well know and self publicised fact that I adore the dark, sticky, savoury goodness of Bovril. A rather old fashioned ingredient that is known as a condiment to stir into porridge, a convenient instant soup base or in the case of my family, stirred through instant noodles topped with finely sliced spring onions and crispy shallots - eaten with a runny fried egg... (I'm tempted to whip up some right now just thinking about it!)
But for too long this ingredient packed with bovine goodness has been one dimensional for me - always associated with a quick noodle fix. But in one of those moments just this weekend where all you think about is what to cook for your next meal, I began to wonder... surely, something that tasted so good must be good for something else... surely there must be a way of reproducing the flavours that work so well into something else that I adore that will... dare I say... make it taste even more amazing?
Enter the pork belly. I HEART pork belly... a hugely underrated cut that promises melt in your mouth goodness from the thin layers of fat that render to transform into an almost gelatinous consistency... perfect in a slow braise or even roasted to crispen the skin for perfect crackling.
And so - it would make complete sense to marry the beefy, savoury richness of Bovril with the sweet, butteriness of the pork belly... and complete sense it was! I marinated the pork belly overnight in a marinade made from Bovril (of course), mirin, cracked pepper, bay leaves, garlic and shallots (which were grated in).
I then pan seared the pork belly on all sides and poured in the marinade, a little sake to deglaze the by now sticky, gooey pan, and a touch of water. I then threw in a few whole shallots and smashed garlic cloves to simmer with the pork belly for about 45 mins on a low to medium heat.
45 minutes later, the pork belly is removed and cut into bite sized chunks. The stewing liquid is reduced to a syrupy consistency and knob of butter is thrown in to finish the sauce (butter tastes AMAZING with Bovril) and to give it a beautiful gloss.
After plating up, smother the pork belly with very finely sliced spring onions and crispy fried shallots. Eat with piping hot steamed rice and a fried runny egg to pay homage to the way Bovril has always been eaten in my family.
I promise you'll love this recipe.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
My Favourite Ingredient
There are many ingredients that I love to cook and eat with... but above all of the exotic and sometimes painfully expensive ingredients that I can think of, the humble egg takes the numero uno spot in every single way - flavour, texture, versatility and visual appeal. To me... a perfectly cooked egg can transform any dish from pedestrian to something completely memorable and extraordinary.
And so, waking up unusually early on a lazy Sunday morning (I blame this crazy Perth heat) gave me the perfect opportunity to experiment with cooking my favourite ingredient with a new technique - slow poached in its shell.
Readers who remember my post from late last year on Cumulus Inc (that fantastic breakfast spot in Melbourne) will remember how I fell in love with the 65/65 egg dish. Basically an egg poached in its shell at 65 degrees celcius for 65 minutes - I was swooning over the creamy texture of the not quite set egg yolk with the barely set egg white. And so, figuring I had time to dedicate to giving the mighty egg what it deserves, I set out to recreate this dish.
Now a word of warning - this did take a little bit of love and care during the cooking process (particularly if like me, you don't have the luxury of a induction hob which helps with maintaining a constant temperature)... but I firmly believe that food cooked with love is food worth cooking. Plus - the reward makes it all worthwhile.
I simply used a candy thermoeter and immersed a super fresh free range (please) egg in cold water which I brought to a warm bath of 65 degrees celcius (never allow the water to come to the boil or the dish is ruined).
Slow is the name of the game here - but 65 minutes on, crack your egg in a dish and you'll marvel at how beautifully shaped and intensely flavoured this super ingredient truly is. All that's left to do is to serve with fresh toast soldiers and a glass of orange juice for breakfast heaven... eggs-actly the way it should be.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
First attempts: Daily bread
Keeping in theme with satisfying food cravings from dishes I grew up with in Singapore, I attempted to whip up some roti chanai over the weekend. These were surprisingly easy to make from scratch - although my version probably needed alot more grease and also the very coordinating flipping of the dough to get it paper thin (something which I attempted to do but failed miserably in) for it to taste truly authentic
Roti Chanai
1) Mix 500g plain flour with 2 tablespoons ghee, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, approx 1/2 cup of lukewarm water and 1/4 cup lukewarm milk in a large bowl. Knead gently for 10 minutes until you end up with a smooth, elastic dough.
2) Form approx 12 balls of dough from the dough, coat in ghee and cover with clingfilm wrap. Leave to rest in a cool place for an hour.
3) Roll out each ball as thinly as possibly and fold each end into the centre to form a parcel. Sprinkle with olive oil and fry in a hot pan for approx 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
4) Just before serving, clap your hands together around the roti to fluff it up. Serve with a spicy coconut curry and remember to use your hands!
Pumpkin risotto with chargrilled prawns and prosciutto wafer
Alright, before I start with this recipe - I do realise that it has a strangely high proportion of its ingredients starting with the letter "P". Yes - that's right, pumpkin, prawns, prosciutto, baby peas... and the all important parmesan cheese... it wasn't till I started plating up that I was tickled by the natural pairing of ingredients beginning with the same alphabet (yes I am a geek).
Anyways - here's a simple recipe for this smashing pumpkin dish.
Pumpkin risotto
1) Roast half a pumpkin roughly chopped with shallots and garlic tossed in sea salt in extra virgin olive oil. Add to approx 4 cups chicken stock, simmer briefly and blend with a food processor.
2) Use pumpkin stock to cook risotto in the usual way (ie. fry up arborio rice in olive oil with chopped onion, garlic and a glass of white wine and add stock one ladle at a time for approx 20 mins until rice just gives on the bite).
3) Throw in a knob of butter and a handful of parmesan cheese - mix through and cover for 5 minutes for the rice to rest before serving.
Prosciutto wafer
1) Sandwich prosciutto between two sheets of baking paper and place a weight on top (e.g baking dish). Bake in a hot oven (approx 180 degrees) for approx 20 minutes.
2) Remove tray and remove baking paper.
Chargrilled prawns
1) Skewer each prawn from head to tail to hold its shape when cooking. Season generously with sea salt and cracked pepper.
2) Pan fry prawns in a hot pan with olive oil - about a minute on each side.
3) Reserve oil.
To plate up
1) Plate risotto in a ring mould on one end of the plate. Top with chargrilled prawns. Drizzle reserved oil used to fry prawns over risotto. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
2) Lay prosciutto wafer on other side of plate and garnish with boiled peas refreshed in cold water.
3) Bon appetit!
Monday, November 16, 2009
First attempts: Nasi Briyani
I've recently had a longing for some dishes available in Singapore and Malaysia which are hard to find here in Perth. One such craving is for the Indian Muslim dish of Nasi Briyani - there are variations available here in Indian restaurants but these taste quite different from the versions found in Singapore which are less rich and characterised by fluffier, almost al-dente basmati rice grains.
And so - not wanting to deny myself of life's simple pleasures, I set out to find a recipe and attempt to recreate the flavours I miss so much. "Singapore Heritage Food" by Sylvia Tan is a fascinating part recipe book part history of Singapore's culinary heritage. Below is an adapted version from her book.
Nasi Briyani
Chicken
4 tbs ghee
1 cup shallots, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 thumb sized length of ginger, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbs chopped mint leaves
1 tbs salt
1.5kg chicken pieces
3 cardamoms
1 stick sinnamon
4 tbs yoghurt
Rice
4 cups Basmati rice washed and dried
1 tbs ghee
4 cloves garlic smashed
1 thumb sized length ginger, smashed
5 shallots, finely chopped
1 stick cinnamon
5 cardamoms
5 cloves
1 tsp saffron threads
sprinkling of rose essence (omit if not available)
1 tsp salt
4 cups chicken stock
Method
1. Heat ghee in wok and fry shallots till golden - set aside.
2. In same oil, brown chopped onion, garlic, and ginger. Add 2 Tbs water to spice powders to form a paste and add to wok to fry over a low fire till fragrant.
3. Add tomatoes, mint and salt and cook till softened. Add chicken, cinnamon and cardamoms. Cook gently till meat is just cooked. Stir in yogurt and cook for 15 minutes more. Skim and reserve oil from sauce.
4. Fry ginger, garlic and shallots till golden brown. Add cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms. Add reserved oil and rice grains and fry till grains absorb oil. Transfer to a rice cooker.
5. Heat stock and add saffron and rose essence (if using). Add stock to rice cooker and cook until fully absorved.
6. Fluff rice with a fork and place chicken pieces in a well in the rice. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Garnish with fried shallots and serve.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Julie & Julia - Boeuf Bourguignon
As any self respecting food geek can attest to - Julie and Julia (starring the phenomenal Meryl Streep and the very impressive Amy Adams) is a unique film that portrays a fascinating story of how food can have a pivotal role in transforming everyday lives. Another thing that this movie brings to life is the idea that French food doesn't have to be daunting and can be accessible to everyday cooks.
Perhaps the best example of this is the classic dish of boeuf bourguignon - basically an extremely robust, earthy, rich red wine beef stew. The large quantity of red wine used in the recipe may seem overwhelming at first but transforms the humble beef stew into something beautifully rich yet subtle at the same time. There are of course multiple variations to this classic dish - from Julia Child's version to that found in the numerous French cookbooks in the market. I have adapted snippets from a few respectable French cookbooks into this version - try it - you'll love it.
Recipe
Ingredients
1.5kg beef shin (cut into quite large chunks)
10 red shallots peeled and left whole
4 rashers bacon roughly chopped
2 brown onions chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 cloves
1 bottle red wine (something delicious enough for you to sneak a glass while cooking)
bouquet garni (1 bunch thyme and parsley tied in kitchen string)
2 carrots cut into large wedges
10 button mushrooms cleaned and left whole
1 can tomatoes (drained)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
Method
1. Marinate beef shin in the red wine for an hour. Drain (reserving wine) and season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and coat lightly in plain flour.
2. Pan fry bacon until crispy and fat has been rendered. In the same fat, brown onions, shallots and garlic cloves. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same pan, brown beef pieces in batches (do not crowd the pan to prevent beef from stewing).
4. Return browned bacon, onions, shallots and garlic cloves to pan. Slowly add reserved wine marinade to pan to deglaze pan. Add tomatoes and cloves and simmer. Cover pan with baking paper and foil and secure with a tight fitting lid.
5. Pop the pan into a pre-heated oven at 150 degrees celcius. Cook gently for 3.5 hours (cooking the beef gently this way yields a melt in your mouth texture). Remove foil and baking paper. Pan fry button mushrooms and carrots until slightly caramelised - add to pan and return to oven for another hour.
6. Using clean hands, bind flour and butter to form a roux. Fry roux in a hot pan until slightly brown and add sauce from pan - whisk until sauce thickens and return to rest of the ingredients. Cook for another 2 minutes until sauce coats the back of a spoon.
7. Serve with a garnish of fresh parsley, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (ok - maybe this is an Italian touch but I love it) and serve with warm crusty bread.
Bon appetit!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Miso marinated roasted salmon
I love this recipe. Deceptively simple, delightfully tasty and definitely one of the best and easiest ways of cooking a beautiful fillet of salmon.
Simply marinate your salmon fillets (pin bones removed) overnight in a marinade of shiro (white) miso, orange zest, grated ginger, grated garlic, soya sauce and equal parts of mirin and sake (brought to a boil to burn off the alcohol content and left to cool).
The next day, remove excess marinade (this can be strained and reduced on the stove for a delicious sauce, and roast the salmon under a hot grill in the middle section of the oven for 4 minutes. Bring the roasting tray to the top section in the final 2 minutes of cooking to get some caramelisation and colour to the fish.
I like to serve this simply on a bed of wakame (japanese seaweed) dressed in rice vinegar, mirin and soya sauce, with miso soup and steamed rice. The orange zest and ginger are a perfect match with the rich earthy miso and the fattiness of the salmon - so simple but oh so good.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Colonel's curry
I'm not going to lie to you - I, just like many people who enjoy well coooked food, have a weakness for the Colonel's fried chicken. Yes... Kentucky deep fried "dirty bird" chicken, whilst so bad for me, does manage to satisfy a craving (albeit briefly) before consistently leaving me in a heap of "why the heck did I do that?".
Yes... there are so many things wrong with the idea of eating mass produced, battery chickens deep fried in artery clogging fat in the 11 secret (than God coz they were probably created in a science lab) herbs and spices... but it does appeal.
A genius way to enjoy the "calorie chicken" is to serve it with steamed rice and japanese curry. Yes.. that's right, Hot and Spicy chicken with home made japanese curry kicks ass. The spicy flavours naturally work well together and also means that you can introduce greens and vegetables into the otherwise sinful meal (any opportunity to lessen the guilt works for me). I like to add chopped chillis, onions, carrot, potato and sweet potato to my curry as well as half a freshly grated apple (preferably fuji) at the end of the cooking process to take the edge off the heat with natural sweetness.
Mmmm... this is one of those shortcuts in life that just make sense... try it to believe it.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Raising the Steaks
There aren't many things better in life than a simply but well cooked steak coated with a red wine sauce and devoured with a bottle of a full bodied red.
There's something about biting into a juicy, medium rare steak that satisfies the primal human and frankly, it takes nothing more than some loving care and quality ingredients. Below is a simple but winning recipe.
Ingredients
For the steak
400 gram steak (I used a T-bone on this occassion - look for good marbling)
Freshly cracked black pepper
For the sauce
Shallots
Beef bones (if you have them - otherwise use trimmings from your steak)
Diced carrot
Diced celery
Garlic cloves
Sprig of rosemary
Brandy
Full bodied red (I used a Cabernet Shiraz)
Good quality beef or veal stock
Knob of butter
Method
1. Leave meat out at room temperature for at least an hour. Season very generously with salt and pepper (the seasonings will "disappear" into the crust of the steak)
2. Once a pan is very hot, pan fry the steak 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a pre-heated oven (200 degrees celcius) and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove and rest for 2 minutes.
3. For sauce, pan fry bones in olive oil, add shallots, carrots, celery, garlic and rosemary. Season with sea salt and cook until vegetables start to caramelise.
4. Deglaze with brandy, then add a glass of red wine. Simmer until alcohol burns off and add beef/veal stock. Simmer for 20 minutes or until reduced. Strain sauce, season and add a knob of butter at the end of the cooking time.
5. Serve steak on a warmed plate, drizzle with red wine sauce and a side of blanched french beans.
6. Eat, drink and be very happy!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
The Proof is in the Crackling
At first glance, this may appear to be some lame joke on how to prepare a dish... but I kid you not - what you're looking at is a kickass method for making that old favourite - Chinese Roasted Pork Rice... with a twist.
In essence, this recipe borrows from the traditional method of roasting pork in an underground coal pit, where the intensity of the heat causes the meat to steam (from its own juices) as well as roast at the same time.
Now instead of heading out to your garden with a shovel to achieve porcine greatness, this recipe simply requires the pork belly to be cooked skin side down in a wok under a tight fitting bowl and covered in rice that cooks and bakes the pork at the same time.
What's brilliant about this method that you end up with a delicious crust for the rice flavoured brilliantly by the drippings and fat rendered from the roasted pork. The meat, through the baking process becomes melt in your mouth tender and has an unexpectedly intense flavour from steaming in its own juices. Best of all. the crackling formed from the slow searing of the pork skin in the wok is irresistably crisp.
Recipe
Ingredients
500 lean pork belly (skin on)
Salt (to taste)
Crush szechuan peppercorns (to taste)
5 cups long grain jasmine rice
5 cups water
Method
1. Stab skin of pork belly with a fork and rub in salt and crushed szechuan peppercorns. Leave for at least 1 hour at room temperature.
2. Place rice and water in a wok with a tight fitting lid and bring to a boil, stirring to prevent sticking.
3. When the water has mostly been absorbed and rice has reached a thick cosistency, push grains to one half of the wok. Then, place pork belly skin side down on the other half and cover with a fitting bowl. Push bowl (covering pork) into centre of wok and pack tightly with the rice. Cover wok with lid and cook over a low flame for 60 minutes.
4. Turn heat to medium high and cook for a further 5 minutes. Turn off flame and leave to stand for at least 5 minutes without lifting the lid.
5. Lift the lid from the wok, scoop out bowl from underneath the rice and cut pork into bite size pieces. Serve with accompanying rice and scratch your head wondering how something so simple could be so darn good.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Instant Gratification
A word of warning - what I'm about to rave about is not highly regarded, widely accepted or deeply craved for by most. Heck - its not even that pretty to photograph... but there aren't many things that can reduce me to a blabbering, grovelling idiot stuffing my face silly than a plate of these instant noodles topped with a crispy sunny side up fried egg.
But first a bit of history. For as long as I can remember, my family have made these noodles as a simple breakfast, a quick weekend lunch, a hearty family dinner or a late night supper on arriving back home after a long flight from a family holiday. Nobody knows who first created this simple variation on the plain instant noodles - tossed in shallot oil, chopped spring onions, deep fried shallots and the (now) not so secret ingredient - Bovril. Both my grandmothers become strangely vague when pressed about the originator of what what we affectionately refer to as "black mee"... like a part of the past they either are reluctant to talk about or have embarrassingly forgotten.
But black mee holds a special place in my heart (and of course stomach). Its what I practically lived on as a cheapskate student trying to satisfy my hunger pangs with as little as possible... and now when money has become less of a consideration when feeding my considerable appetite, its still a meal I come back to whenever I need to calm a deep (and frequent) craving for this nostalgic nosh. Call me a cheap thrill seeker - but this dish for me is not only instant, its instantly gratifying.
Recipe
Ingredients
2 packets of dried instant noodles
1 1/2 tablespoons Bovril
1 tablespoon shallot oil
1 finely minced spring onio
1 tablespoon crispy fried shallots
1 free range egg
Method
1. Prepare the dressing by combining oil Bovril, spring onions and fried shallots in a bowl.
2. Fry egg sunny side up in hot pan till crispy.
3. Boil the instant noodles till al dente in rapidly boiling water and toss in dressing with two spoonfuls of cooking water.
4. Top with fried egg, extra spring onions and fried shallots.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
梅菜扣肉 - Deconstructed
When it comes to cooking, I've always thought that if it ain't broken - don't fix it. But sometimes curiosity gets the better of me and I start wondering if I can put a successful twist on a classic recipe.
This was the case with my take on the much loved 梅菜扣肉 - a typically Cantonese claypot stewed dish of pork belly with salt pickled chinese vegetables. I've always found this dish comforting and the depth of the sauce that comes from slow simmering of the pickled vegetables - simply alluring.
What I have done here is add an additional layer of texture by firstly slowly simmering and thus infusing the pork belly with pickled vegetables. I then crispen its skin under a hot grill to form a crackling as you would with roast pork. The result? Deliciously crispy skin encasing melt in your mouth pork belly accompanied by that much loved classic sauce. I guess even if it ain't broken, you should still always try to have fun.
Recipe
Ingredients
1.5 kg lean pork belly (ask your butcher to leave the skin on
5 cloves garlic (leave skins on)
5 shallots
2 slices ginger
4 medium sized stalks of pickled vegetables (I like to used half of the salt pickled version and the other half of the sugar pickled variation)
3 Tablespoons of rock sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablepoons light soy
2 tablespoons dark soy
3 stalks spring onions bunched up in kitchen string
Method
1. Firsly soak the pickled vegetables in water. Rinse out and do this a few times until water runs clear. Remove thick stalks and discard and finely chop remaining vegetables.
2. Tie pork belly with kitchen string (to retain its shape while cooking) and place in large stock pot with garlic, shallots, ginger and wate. Slowly simmer this for 50 minutes and discard water.
3. Add remaining seasonings to pot and fill with water again - on a constant low temperature, simmer again for approximately 75 minutes. Leave pork belly to cool and marinate in sauce.
4. Remove pork belly from sauce and set aside. Poke skin with fork and rub with salt. Leave for 15 minutes and pat dry moisture from skin.
5. Place pork belly under a medium hot grill until a crispy crust forms. While waiting, reduce the sauce and season to taste. Remove pork and cut into large bite sized pieces. Plate by spooning reduced sauce with pickled vegetables onto a heated plate and placing pork belly on top.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Twisted fork
Wafu pasta restaurants have been sprouting up all over Singapore of late - putting Japanese twists on what is essentially an Italian ingredient.
I prepared my own simple version today - essentially an alio e olio with the addition of scallions and shallots and topped with teriyaki glazed chicken and chopped chilli.
Strangely, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would have. Perhaps its because I much prefer traditional sauces and ragus on my pasta... or perhaps its because I think a dish needs to have an identity to be memorable (somehow Japanese and South East Asian influences confuse rather than connect the palate).
But it was nevertheless tasty - the sweet teriyaki glaze a perfect backdrop to the heat of the chillis and the beefiness of the onions... and simple too, taking all but the time it takes to cook the pasta to prepare. And as far as quick and tasty lunches go, you won't have to twist my arm to try this one again.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Pho-natic
We often do things that seem a little extreme... bothersome and well... a little fanatical. This was definitely the case when I decided to make a beef broth for pho (Vietnamese beef noodles) from beef bones that I had picked up recently from the butcher. This is a recipe adapted from Secrets of the Red Lantern by Pauline Nguyen, drawing from the dishes from her popular Vietnamese restaurant in Sydney.
Method
1. Cover bones, chicken and beef in cold water with 2 tablespoons salt and leave for 2 hours. Discard water and scrub bones.
2. Return into pot and fill with 8 litres cold water. Add dried ginger, cinnamon and cloves wrapped in a muslin cloth and boil on high heat, skimming to remove scum.
3. Add sugar, salt and fish sauce and simmer for a further 2 hours. Remove beef shin and cover with stock - leave to cool.
4. Fill pot to 8 litres again and reduce flame to simmer for 5 hours. Skim excess oil off surface of broth.
5. Strain broth and discard ingredients. Wrap ginger and onions in muslin cloth and add to pot to cook for further 2 hours. Season to taste. Serve piping hot with freshly boiled pho topped with finely sliced onions. spring onions, sliced beef shin. Provide thai basil, sliced red chilli, lemon wedges and beansprouts as accompaniments.
This recipe will probably take you over 2 days to prepare, but you'll learn to develop a deeper appreciation for this dish. But a word of warning... you just may become a pho-natic too.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Nasu Dengaku - My Version
Nasu Dengaku is a delicious dish of eggplant broiled with miso. I love eggplant done this way for the creamy texture of the eggplant and the richness of the miso when grilled. Whilst usually a side dish, I like to have it as the main event, accompanied by pan fried chicken and tofu steaks. I also add, unconventionally, parmesan cheese when broiling the eggplant which forms a beautifully salty crust that I think is great with the sweetness of the miso.
For the nasu dengaku
For the tofu steaks
2 cloves finely minced garlic
For the pan fried chicken
Method
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Spaghetti with Slow cooked Veal Ragu
One of the great things about being back in Australia is the affordability and availability of great ingredients to whip up a delicious but simple pasta meal... something that I really missed when I was in Singapore. This is a dead simple dish but very tasty and perfect for a fuss free mid week dinner.
Ingredients
400g good quality veal shank (which your butcher can happily mince up for you)
350g dried good quality spaghetti
Glass of white wine
2 cloves Garlic thinly sliced
2 dried bay leaves
Diced carrots, celery and onions
Roughly chopped Italian parsley
Extra virgin olive oil
The all important parmesan (get your hands on Parmigiano Reggiano if you can get some - it makes all the difference)
Splash of full cream.
Method
1. Slowly fry up the carrots, celery, onions and garlic in the olive oil with a pinch of sea salt on a low heat and cover (this is to allow the vegetables to steam and not burn) - after around 5 minutes,the onions should be slightly translucent.
2. Add mince to pan and brown. Pour in the passata, chopped parsley stalks, bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, turn down to a medium low heat, cover and leave to cook for approximately 40 minutes. You can basically forget about the ragu at this stage and go about and do whatever you need to do.
3. 10 minutes before the end of cooking time, boil up the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water.
4. Season the ragu with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of sugar. Add three handfuls of the grated cheese, splash of cream and toss the pasta through.
Serve up on a heated plate garnished with more cheese and chopped parsley.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Burger Experiment - The Teritori Burger
Okay - cheesy name aside this was an awesome burger creation. The sweetness of the teriyaki (hence the "teri") grilled chicken (the "tori") fillet and the creaminess of the mayonnaise and avocado perfectly balanced against the zing of the grated daikon. Simply delectable.
"Teriyaki glazed chicken thigh fillet on a bed of shredded cabbage, topped with avocado, mayonnaise and freshly grated daikon, all happily sandwiched between a lightly toasted bun"
