recent delights: yoghurt, salt with attitude, jarrah honey

Things have been hectic recently.

A huge change is coming, and I'll tell you all about it in my next post.

But for now, here's a short and sweet compilation of some recent delights, as it's been a while since I've posted about the random foodstuff I've bought and enjoyed.

For the past year or two, I've been buying five:am organic yoghurt. It now comes in many flavours, and I haven’t tried them all, though I’m actually quite in love with just the natural one with no added sugar. The tub in the picture below is of the vanilla bean yoghurt - as you can see, they're pretty generous with the vanilla. I still like some of the more niche yoghurts that I get elsewhere, but this stuff is great and has the upside of being easily available in the major supermarkets. I have my eyes on trying the coffee bean, as well as the dark caramel, next.

five:am vanilla bean yoghurt.

I've also just used up the last of my jar of Salt with Attitude from Green Farmhouse. I actually purchased this on a whim at a shop in a local airport whilst on an interstate trip. I rarely buy food souvenirs at airports, but this just looked like it would be delicious, and it was. With sea salt, sesame seeds, bush tomatoes, chillies and spices in the ingredient list, there is definitely some jazzy attitude there, with a bit of kick and a bit of zing. I think the rich, piquant flavour of the native Australian bush tomatoes really give it an extra edge. When I use this instead of regular salt, the dish takes on a distinctive new flavour.

Green Farmhouse Salt with Attitude.

Last but not least, Jarrah honey. Where have you been all my life? I got this on last year's trip to Perth because I was intrigued by the claims that the health benefits of this honey surpasses many others. What no one told me, was that it tastes like caramel popcorn. Yes. Seriously. Sweet, nutty, divine - I’m happy just licking it off a spoon! Mine was from The House of Honey but I suppose any minimally processed Jarrah honey from a quality producer should be just as good. I'm so in love.

Jarrah honey, purchased from The House of Honey in Western Australia.

I hope you enjoyed my Australian-centric edition of tasty odds and ends. Stay tuned for my big announcement in the next post!

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in praise of pork lard

Now I'd like to think my blog is pretty vegetarian-and-vegan-friendly, but sometimes, just sometimes, a meat-loving girl has got to pig out.

Literally.

In my last post I mentioned my parents have gone back to Malaysia after a lovely visit. In this post I will show you one of the wonderful things my mum prepared for me before she left.

Pork lard, glorious pork lard.

crispy pork lard - 猪油渣 (zhu you zha, chu yao cha)

My mum had bought some excessively fatty pork belly from the market, so she simmered the pieces of pork fat to render out the lard. This was skimmed out of the pot and then kept in the fridge where it soon solidified, and I've been using it instead of oil in stir-fries, even adding it to soups for some extra pizzazz. Delicious.

rendered pork lard, great for adding flavour to stir-fries and even soups, or for making pies and such.

After the rendering of the lard, of course, the pieces of pork fat were stir-fried vigorously over high heat until golden and crispy. I love these sprinkled liberally in noodle dishes. I'm also tremendously guilty of crunching on them just as a snack. Hey, it's not an everyday treat, and I don't get it in great quantities. Besides, as mum says, most of the fat had been rendered out already, so while it's probably not going to be the next craze in the health food industry, it isn't quite as unhealthy as you may think. So there.

But really, I shouldn't have to justify enjoying these delightful morsels. Look, here they are again, calling out to me...

another gratituous shot of the crispy pork lard crackling.

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tzatziki-inspired lemongrass yoghurt dip

lemongrass yoghurt dip, garnished with a lemongrass stirrer and a pinch of lemongrass-garlic paste.

Sometimes I just have days when I feel pretty lazy and unmotivated. New Year's Day was one of them. Luckily, the supermarket was open and I managed to pick up some great bargains for a quick lunch - a pack of garlic naan bread and a tub of lentil salad from the Indian deli section for $1 each!

Even though I wasn't in a cooking mood, I thought I'd still put in a little effort somehow, so whilst at the supermarket I also picked up a few fresh ingredients, thinking that perhaps I would make a quick and easy dip to go with lunch - tzatziki, in particular, was on my mind. But when I got home, I started to think about a stalk of leftover lemongrass I had tucked away in the fridge.

You know what that means - it's time for another one of my spontaneous creations!

grinding the chopped green parts of the lemongrass stalk into a paste.

I love lemongrass. What I don't love is how the green part of the stalk is so often neglected and discarded. Yes, it's a little tougher, and a little less fragrant... but it's a big, big world. There's gotta be a place for it, right? So I came up with the following recipe. The white parts should also work nicely, and you can use a mix of the two, but I only used the green parts of the stalk here. Try it! You may be pleasantly surprised.

adding the garlic, lemongrass and lime juice to the yoghurt.

seasoning my lemongrass garlic yoghurt dip with salt and pepper medley.

tzatziki-inspired lemongrass yoghurt dip

1/2 cup natural or greek yoghurt
the green part of one lemongrass stalk, tough outer husk removed
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tablespoon lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste

- Chop up the green parts of the lemongrass stalk, and grind with a mortar and pestle, breaking down the fibres until it forms a green paste. You may add a few drops of water or lime juice to assist the process.
- Add the chopped garlic and continue grinding. This should create a juicy and pungent pale green mixture.
- Combine this into the yoghurt along with the lime juice, then add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Use this as you would tzatziki - as a dip, sauce or salad dressing - with lamb, pita, crackers, or fresh vegetables such as carrot and cucumber.
- If you make it in advance you can cover and place it in the fridge for several hours or overnight. The flavours will develop even further.

This healthy, zingy lemongrass yoghurt dip was lovely, tangy and aromatic. But the important question is, how did it go with that garlic naan?

Well. This was how it went:

Garlic Naan: You... complete me.
Lemongrass Yoghurt Dip: Shut up. Just - shut up. You had me at hello.

I had my lemongrass yoghurt dip with garlic naan, lentil salad and fresh Lebanese cucumbers.

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chicken cucumber sandwich with ginger mushroom butter

chicken cucumber sandwich, moving towards the light.

December's going to be a busy month. I'll be doing lots of overtime at work, and my parents are visiting, but hopefully I can still update my blog fairly regularly!

I'll just make this a quick one. One of the sandwiches I am most familiar with growing up consisted of buttered bread with chicken and cucumber. It's simple stuff, perhaps a little boring to some, but I am rather fond of it. I had some leftover cooked chicken from a soup the other day, so I decided to make this sandwich with a slight twist, while still keeping it quite uncomplicated. This is where oyster mushroom + ginger butter comes in...

Making the butter was easy. I sweated diced oyster mushrooms and finely grated ginger in a little bit of salted butter, then removed from heat and folded this mixture into some more butter. This makes a chunky but soft and spreadable gingered oyster mushroom butter. I swiped it on some freshly toasted ciabatta bread.

gingered oyster mushroom butter

On top, I layered cucumber slices, then sliced chicken, and seasoned to taste. Seasoning suggestions: I thought ponzu would be nice with this but since I didn't have any, I settled for a little soy sauce, mirin,  pepper, and lemon juice. If you have some suitable herbs or greens lazing about (which I didn't, but wish I did), you can scatter them over as well.

I definitely prefer eating this when it is freshly made, while the butter is still warm, the oyster mushrooms juicy and the bread is toasty. I think it agrees...

chicken cucumber sandwich, contemplating life.

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homemade bbq sauce + grilled chicken wings

A couple of weekends ago, I decided to make my own bbq sauce. While I've thrown together quick marinades and dressings before, I've never actually made an American-style bbq sauce. I think perhaps I should have simmered it down... as it was, it ended up being still just more like a marinade after all. I'm posting it up because I'm still pretty happy with it!

the fresh ingredients for bbq sauce

Looking at the ingredients of several bbq sauces, they vary quite wildly but what I gathered was that generally you want something sour, something sweet, something salty and something savoury/spicy. With that in mind, I came up with this...

homemade barbecue sauce/marinade

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 chilli, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 a single celery stalk, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder

- Process all ingredients (except tomato sauce, blackstrap molasses and ginger powder) in a blender until smooth.
- Place blended mixture in a bowl and stir in tomato sauce, blackstrap molasses and ginger powder until fully combined.
- Let stand for a few hours, OR simmer it down in a saucepan until thick and sticky (read further for more of my thoughts on this).

Be warned, this will smell fairly strong! But it will mellow down after you let it stand for a few hours. This bbq sauce can be used to marinate your meat of choice, or even vegetables. The above yielded enough for about half a dozen generously sized chicken wings. As I didn't simmer it down, the sauce wasn't very thick and sticky so instead of saving some to keep for serving with the wings later like a proper bbq sauce, I just used it all up as a marinade. Hmm... now I'm thinking perhaps that would've been worth a try after all. Even though the consistency wasn't that of a traditional bbq sauce, I still liked the taste - and it had a freshness that a cooked version wouldn't have.

I used it all as a marinade. Wish I'd saved some to use as a dip for later!

After letting my chicken wings soak up the marinade for a few hours, I grilled them and they turned out golden brown and succulent, with a sweet, savoury, spicy hint from the bbq marinade. So my bbq sauce adventure may not have turned out quite the way I wanted, but it still had a nice ending after all.

the grilled chicken wings had a nice touch of flavour from the bbq marinade, and were very juicy!

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pimentón de la vera picante

pimentón de La Vera picante - Spanish hot smoked paprika from the La Vera region

The latest addition to my pantry is a tin of hot smoked paprika from the La Vera Region in Spain (pimentón de La Vera picante) and it's my new favourite condiment. This gorgeous, flavoursome spice is made by drying and smoking peppers over smouldering oak for two weeks, turning daily, and then stone-milling to a finely ground powder. Sounds pretty darn delicious! I couldn't wait to experience it...

I flipped open the lid of the spice tin, and shook out a little onto my hands. The colour was a deep, sensual red - I can see why they call it the red gold from Spain. I breathed in deeply. The smell was sultry and intoxicating. There's definitely smokiness and heat, and it's rich and complex. I licked it off my fingers for a little taste. Mmm, piquant. Those who have eaten good spicy Spanish chorizo will have some idea of what this smells and tastes like. If you're interested in getting some, fine food stores with a selection of gourmet items should stock them. The brand I have is La Dalia. There is also a sweet, mild version (dulce) and medium, bittersweet (agridulce) - these I am yet to try.

I recently applied this to my spicy coffee toffees... and I have made another simple dish since then which I shall post soon, with more in the works - I'm so enamoured with this I think it's going to be difficult to restrain myself from adding a pinch here and there, everywhere! Stay tuned!!

Are you familiar with Spanish hot smoked paprika? What do you like it with?

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