a quick, delicious octopus stew

A quick octopus stew with loads of flavour.

I have to confess I made this octopus stew ages ago. I loved how it turned out, and I was so incredibly proud of myself. Yet I never got around to posting it, for a rather silly reason.

See, because I was so pleased with myself for creating something so delicious, I took way too many pictures of the darned thing, and then I got overwhelmed at the thought of sifting through all that, so I left it for another day... and another... and another. This is also why it's taking me so long to finish blogging about all my 2014 travels, and why I never blogged about my degustation lunch at Vue de Monde. Too many photos!

So anyway, retracing my steps - I was at the market that day, and I decided to forgo the baby octopus from Thailand in favour of a portion of Australian octopus instead. The fishmonger cleaned a single large tentacle for me, and frankly I had a bit of sticker shock when it came to $16. But I gracefully paid for it while mentally telling myself I better make something good to make the cost worthwhile.

I ended up making this octopus stew and I surpassed my own expectations - it was sensational. If I ever compile a list of my best recipes, this one's definitely making an appearance.

Thus I dare say this is a great dish to try out, and really quite easy even if you're starting off as someone who isn't very confident on how to cook octopus. The trick here is gentle cooking - this is a dish you cook tenderly, for tender results. Vigorous boiling will result in tough octopus, so you want to keep it at a soft simmer until it's just cooked, and even though I call this a stew, the whole process doesn't take long at all.

Beautiful seafood flavours tangle with sweet and tart notes in this savoury stew, and it reminds me a bit of French bouillabaisse and Spanish zarzuela, but far simpler. I did not bother to tenderize the octopus before cooking, but as we are using an acidic tomato broth here, I suppose the octopus is essentially tenderizing in it as it cooks. Either way, the result is lovely and yielding, with just the right amount of spring and bite. Grab some crusty bread to mop up the thickened broth at the end, and you're all set.

A fresh octopus tentacle.

a quick, delicious octopus stew
(serves 1 as a main)

250 - 300g octopus tentacle (1/2 - 2/3lb), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon chopped chilli (adjust amount based on variety of chilli and individual preferences)
1 cup cherry tomatoes (about 125g or 4.5oz), halved
1 small red onion or shallot (about 90g or 3oz)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, for a smoky flavour)
1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional, helps balance the broth if it is too acidic)
1/8 cup basil leaves
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook garlic and chilli over low heat for about 1 minute. Add red onion or shallot. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Throw in cherry tomatoes, turn the heat up a little, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Pour in balsamic vinegar along with 1/4 cup water. Allow the mixture to bubble over low to medium heat 12 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and releasing their juices.
Stir in the chopped octopus tentacles, and let them softly simmer for about 3 minutes or until opaque, turning them occasionally.
Remove from heat, and fold in basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve! Enjoy this delectable stew on its own, or with crusty bread.

If you're after an easy octopus stew that tastes fantastic, this is it!

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raspberry goji smoothie

A super-delicious raspberry goji smoothie.

My love for smoothies continue, and this raspberry goji smoothie is my latest favourite creation.

It's funny how goji berries have, in recent years, become a darling in the Western world, lauded for its superfood powers and making endless appearances in smoothie bowls on Instagram. Growing up in our Asian household, goji berries are typically used in savoury soups and herbal teas, and I'll be honest, I was never a big fan, but upon the coaxing of my mum - "they're good for you, good for the eyes" - I'd reluctantly eat them, and at the end of the day, I didn't mind them that much.

Anyway, I purchased a packet of dried goji berries earlier this year - not because I was craving them, not because of their health benefits - but because I wanted to enter some health food competition thing to win a free holiday. Spoiler - I did not win the competition, and all I had afterwards, then, was this bag of goji berries and I had to come up with various ideas for consuming them.

I threw these goji berries into my muesli, added them to my ginger tea. I blended them up in various smoothies, too, but it wasn't until I made THIS smoothie that it felt like everything just fit together. My lost and aimless goji berries have finally found their home.

Dried goji berries for a goji berry smoothie.

raspberry goji smoothie 
(serves 1)

1 small banana
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon goji berries
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
2/3 cup water

- Blend all the ingredients together, adding more water if necessary if you would like a thinner consistency.
- Forget about what is a superfood and what isn't, and just enjoy the super-deliciousness of this smoothie.

Intensely red raspberry smoothie with goji berries.

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ginger-honey poached tamarillo compote

Ginger-honey poached tamarillo slices, served with yoghurt.

All through winter I quietly passed by the box of seductive ruby-red tamarillos every time I shopped at my local grocery store, flirting with thoughts of random tamarillo recipe creations as I did so, but then I would continue to walk on, and that was that. As spring beckoned, however, my adventurous side took charge, and I finally took the leap.

This is my first experience with tamarillos, and I was actually - um - a bit nervous? Off I went to do some online research, and it was probably a good thing I did, as I found warnings about the intense bitterness of the tamarillo skin, and helpful instructions on removing it.

Tamarillo, also known as tree tomato.

So I immersed my tamarillos in a bowl of freshly boiled hot water, and after a couple of minutes, I retrieved them, made a cut at the top with a knife, and managed to peel off the skin without too much of a struggle. As I did so, the luscious scent of passion fruit hit me - oh, divine! Then I sliced up my naked tamarillos, and they looked ever so pretty.

Peeled and sliced tamarillo.

At this point I was still debating whether to have the tamarillos raw or cooked, so I sampled a piece. It tasted kind of like a passion fruit, tomato, and kiwi fruit rolled into one - there is definitely potential for deliciousness here, but for some reason, my tamarillos were more on the tart and bitter side, with not much going on in terms of sweetness.

I decided then and there to poach my tamarillo slices in a ginger-honey syrup, and this did the trick! I ended up with a nice tamarillo compote that paired well with yoghurt for a healthy breakfast - as shown in the pictures - but I have to say, I tried it with vanilla ice cream, too, and I loved that even more. If I am to make just one recommendation, I say go the vanilla ice cream option, you won't be sorry.

ginger-honey poached tamarillo compote

2 tamarillos
2 cm ginger
2 tablespoons honey

Place the tamarillos in a bowl. Boil some water, and pour enough over the tamarillos so that they are fully submerged in hot liquid.
After two minutes, drain off the hot water. Make a cut on the top of the tamarillos, and peel off the skin.
Slice the peeled tamarillos into rounds of about 1cm/0.5" thick.
Peel and thinly slice the ginger, and plonk it into a small pot or saucepan. Add 1/3 cup water, and bring to boil. Turn the heat down and let it all simmer for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the honey, and add the tamarillo slices. Simmer for another 5 minutes, and remove from heat. Discard the ginger.
Allow the compote to cool down slightly before serving it warm with vanilla ice cream, or you can also let it cool down completely before covering it and storing it in the refrigerator for later use.

Ginger-honey tamarillo compote with yoghurt.

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simple and wholesome: broccoli and prawn soup

Broccoli and prawn soup.

It is a wonderful thing when your ingredients shine. And the easiest way to achieve this, is to keep things simple, while harnessing all the magic you can with what you've got.

In the case of this broccoli and prawn soup, it's all about the prawn heads. Some people would rather not handle these parts of the animal, but by shying away from them you'd be shortchanging yourself. The flavour you can draw out from these things - it's just fabulous, infusing so much richness and complexity into the soup that you hardly need any other embellishments. I mean, aside from salt, pepper, and water, this is effectively a 3-ingredient soup. Grab the prawns, broccoli, and lemon, and you're set. So here we go...

A lemony prawn and broccoli soup.

broccoli and prawn soup (serves 1)

6 large prawns/shrimp, with shells and heads intact
1 cup broccoli florets
1 wedge of lemon
salt and pepper, to taste

Chop off the prawn heads, and remove the shells. Throw the heads and shells into a pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer.
In the meantime, devein the prawns, and set aside.
When the liquid in the pot is reduced, takes on an orange hue and is wonderfully infused with flavour, discard the prawn heads and shells.
Add the broccoli florets to the prawn stock, and bring it to boil. Let the broccoli cook for 1 minute before stirring in the peeled and deveined prawns. Reduce the temperature and allow the soup to simmer gently for about 3 minutes or until the broccoli is tender-crisp and the prawns are just cooked through. Turn off the heat, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer the soup into a bowl, squeeze in some lemon juice, stir with a spoon, and enjoy!

A simple broccoli and prawn soup, with a touch of lemon.

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aztec fruit, or white sapote - and a smoothie!

Aztec fruit, or white sapote.

Ever since I finished my Thailand travel series, I've been so busy at work. But don't worry, I'm still around! While there is still the Taiwan travel series to come, those can wait till later in the year. For now, I'm going back to recipe posts!

It was autumn in Perth when I first spied this unfamiliar fruit at my local Asian grocery store. The sign perched on top says "Aztec fruit". Originally from Mexico and Central America, but now also grown in Australia, it is perhaps better known as "white sapote". Some also call it Mexican apple, and while from the outside it may look a bit like a green apple at first glance, I feel that there is where the similarities end.

I waited until the white sapote yields slightly under a firm but gentle press of my finger, and then it was time to investigate this fruit that I have never tried before! The smooth, creamy flesh within has an appearance and texture that reminds me of avocado, except it doesn't have that oily, fatty touch. Meanwhile, a few large seeds take up valuable real estate. I read somewhere that the skin is edible, but it was too bitter for me, so off to the compost it went. So all that aside, what does white sapote taste like? To me, it tasted very much like custard apple, or a soursop without the sourness. Simon said it reminded him of a soft, sweet guava.

The insides of the white sapote fruit.

I had purchased two of the white sapotes, and I had gone for the bigger ones - they were quite substantial, about 300g (or 2/3lb) each, though after removing the seeds, I was certainly not left with quite as much! I ate one just on its own, but if you know me, you know I can't resist making a smoothie with the other one. What can I say, I love smoothies!

And I really love this one. The sweetness of white sapote goes together beautifully with the dewy quality of cucumber. Yoghurt and freshly squeezed lime juice add a bit of zing. Add your favourite sweetener if you like, and there you go - a wonderfully invigorating white sapote smoothie.

A delicious, refreshing white sapote smoothie.

aztec fruit smoothie / white sapote smoothie (serves one)

1 white sapote, or Aztec fruit (about 300g or 2/3lb)
1 small Lebanese cucumber, chopped and frozen (about 90g or 3oz)
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 heaped tablespoons yoghurt (optional)
1 teaspoon honey (adjust to taste, optional)

Discard the peel and seeds from the white sapote - use only the flesh. Combine it with the other ingredients, and blend everything together with approximately 2/3 cup of water. You may choose to use more or less water depending on whether you prefer a thinner or thicker smoothie.

Drink, and be energized!

For a vegan smoothie, use a coconut yoghurt instead of a dairy yoghurt, and use brown rice syrup, agave nectar or maple syrup instead of honey. Alternatively, these ingredients may also be omitted.

Yep, it's worth making: an Aztec fruit smoothie.

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balsamic, black pepper and garlic braised fennel stew with tomato

Simple and satisfying: a balsamic, black pepper and garlic braised tomato-fennel stew.

Fennel is not a vegetable that I use often, as I tend towards cheaper produce, but every now and then, it begs to be consumed. Raw, it is crisp and fragrant in a salad. Braised, it boasts a voluptuously meaty presence in a stew.

For this recipe, I went for the latter as I embark on the type of kitchen adventure that I find to be most enjoyable: scanning my available ingredients, and throwing them together to create a tasty dish.

And tasty it was: I uncovered a fennel bulb from the fridge, picked a vine-ripened tomato from the garden, and introduced the pair in a pot. The fennel softens to a more yielding disposition, while the tomato breaks down, embracing the garlic, black pepper and balsamic vinegar to form a luscious base. This is an easy way to prepare fennel, one that rewards you greatly with only minimal effort.

Braised fennel in tomato, garlic, balsamic vinegar and black pepper.

braised fennel stew with tomato, garlic, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar
(serves 1, multiply the ingredients to create more servings)

1 medium to large fennel
1 medium to large tomato
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

Chop off the fennel stalks, and cut the fennel bulb into eight wedges. The stalks and bulb are the parts that are to be braised. Reserve the fennel fronds to use as a fresh garnish.
Cut tomato into eighths.
Warm up olive oil in a saucepan over low heat, and gently fry garlic and black pepper in olive oil for 2 minutes or until the garlic is soft and golden. Add tomato and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add fennel, and cook the mixture for an additional 2 minutes before incorporating balsamic vinegar, salt and water.
Bring the mixture to boil over high heat, then reduce the temperature, cover the saucepan, and allow the ingredients to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the fennel is tender-firm. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
Pour the stew into a serving dish, and top it with fennel fronds.
Serve this fennel stew by itself, with crusty bread, or stir through some freshly cooked pasta.

This delicious braised fennel stew is quick and easy to make!

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2-ingredient rockmelon smoothie / cantaloupe smoothie

Rockmelon/cantaloupe smoothie.

Happy Chinese New Year!

I wish I could say that I've been baking some really fabulous Chinese New Year goodies, but to be honest, my attempts have been nothing to write home about, and now that we're going through a heatwave in Perth, I am very much not inclined to continue trying. When I'm not working, you can typically find me hanging out in front of the fan, drinking cold beverages all the livelong day, and wishing I have air-con in my room.

But anyway, today, inspired by the flavours of one of my favourite Asian desserts, melon sago pudding, I whizzed up a delightfully tasty and satisfying two-ingredient smoothie, and it went down a treat. So without further ado, here's the incredibly simple recipe for this slushy, icy smoothie.

2-ingredient rockmelon smoothie / cantaloupe smoothie

2 cups diced and frozen rockmelon/cantaloupe (honeydew melon also works great!)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water

Thoroughly blend all the ingredients together, and voila, you have a healthy, refreshing rockmelon smoothie that tastes like Asian melon sago pudding!

Rockmelon + coconut milk = bliss.

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mint-ginger strawberry-peach smoothie-mocktail

The combination of mint, ginger, strawberry and peach makes for a festive summer mocktail-smoothie.

Christmas is part of the deal that comes with summer in Australia, so here's a summer drink recipe that features the festive colours of red and green. Call it a smoothie, call it a mocktail, call it whatever you want. Zingy with ginger and fresh with mint, sweet with peaches and exuberant with strawberries, this is a pretty beverage that will cool you down and invigorate your spirits.

Plus, you can easily convert this into a fancy cocktail by simply adding a complementary spirit or liqueur. Something like gin would be nice, but there are so many possibilities - for example, vodka, rum, Campari or Pimm's No.1, just to name a few. Or top it up with champagne to produce an effervescent delight. Feel free to be creative with it!

mint-ginger strawberry-peach smoothie-mocktail
(serves 1)

2 soft, ripe peaches, peeled and pitted
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon roughly chopped ginger
10 mint leaves
1 teaspoon honey (substitute with agave nectar / maple syrup to make it vegan-friendly)

Throw the peaches, strawberries, ginger and mint into the blender. Dissolve honey in 2/3 cup of water, and pour that in. Blend all the ingredients together until smooth, and you're done!

A pretty summer smoothie - lusciously red, with twinkling flecks of green.

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honey-balsamic nectarine salad with rocket and almonds

Honey-balsamic nectarine salad with rocket and almonds.

It's summertime in Australia, which means dealing with super-hot weather, but also, thankfully, super-juicy stone fruits. Nectarines can be pretty hit-and-miss, but I had some truly amazing nectarines last summer from the farmers market, so when I saw them popping up again I was quick to the purchase. This early-season batch isn't the best I've had, but they were still pretty decent. Paired with sweet honey, tangy balsamic vinegar, peppery rocket and toasty almonds, the charm of the nectarine definitely shines through in this super-simple salad recipe.

honey-balsamic nectarine salad with rocket and almonds

2 nectarines, sliced, cores discarded
3 cups rocket (also known as arugula)
1/4 cup almonds, toasted in a pan until fragrant
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
salt and black pepper

Place nectarine slices, rocket leaves and toasted almonds in a salad bowl.
Whisk balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil and honey in a small bowl. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Drizzle the honey-balsamic dressing onto the contents in the salad bowl, and toss everything together.

Nectarines, almonds and rocket/arugula tossed in a honey balsamic dressing makes for a simple salad.

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blueberry-chocolate smoothie with mint and celery

Blueberry-chocolate smoothie with mint and celery.

With all the travel posts in the last couple of months, I thought it might be time to get back into recipes for a while. But if you like reading about fun destinations, fret not - I'll come back to them next year. I've still got to tell you all about our trip to Thailand and Taiwan! If you really want your wanderlust fix, then go on and follow the Purring Around the World travel Instagram account or Facebook page that I started up recently - it has photos from Simon and me (mostly Simon, because he's the better photographer) - we're working our way through our photo archives so there is plenty to see!

But for now, hello smoothies! Before we went travelling last year, I had gotten into a happy and diligent habit of having smoothies almost everyday for breakfast. Sometimes I even whiz up smoothies at night! Since I moved interstate, however, I seem to have lost my smoothie mojo. Today's delightful blueberry smoothie is, thus, my attempt to get back on track.

But this is no ordinary blueberry smoothie. I'm not talking about the inclusion of banana, which makes it naturally sweet and creamy - that's par for course. It has the chocolate touch, and it has the slight tingle of mint, but I'm not talking about that, either. What I'm talking about is the gentle, teasing suggestion of celery that I've stealthily nudged into the list of ingredients. However, be assured that, rather than creating dissonance, the celery provides a soothing background note to the proceedings. Try it and you'll see.

Blueberry, chocolate and mint go well together - and surprisingly, a bit of celery doesn't go astray, either!

blueberry-chocolate smoothie with mint and celery
(serves 1)

2/3 cup blueberries
1/3 cup chopped celery stalk
1 ripe banana (medium-sized)
10 mint leaves
1 tablespoon cocoa/cacao powder (unsweetened)
3/4 cup water
4 ice cubes (if you're not using any frozen fruit, but would like a cold smoothie)

TIP: I'd suggest using either frozen blueberries, or chopped-up and frozen banana in this smoothie. I love using frozen fruits in smoothies, as I find that they create a pleasantly thick texture, and I love my smoothies refreshingly cold.

Blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding more water if necessary.
Serve, and enjoy immediately!

A luscious blueberry smoothie with banana, cacao, mint and celery.

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coconut persimmon yoghurt bowl

Coconut persimmon yoghurt bowl (with a hint of mandarin).

I wasn't expecting to find persimmons in the thick of winter. But there they were, at the farmers' market, at $3 a kilogram. And these were seedless persimmons! I felt like I had hit the jackpot.

The persimmons were delicious on their own, and the more I allowed them to ripen on the counter, the sweeter they tasted. There is really no need to embellish the persimmons any further when they are gloriously, perfectly ripe, but one morning, I decided to make a full breakfast meal out of them by adding them to yoghurt and sprinkling them with toasted shredded coconut.

This simple persimmon yoghurt bowl looks pleasing to the eye, and it did a fine job of satiating my hunger, too - it fueled me for a few hours before I started to feel peckish again. I think I'm going to have to make yoghurt bowls for breakfast more often from now on!

Persimmon yoghurt bowl with toasted shredded coconut, a healthy breakfast dish.

coconut persimmon yoghurt bowl (serves 1) 

1 ripe persimmon
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon mandarin juice (or tangerine, tangelo or orange juice)
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons shredded coconut
a pinch of chopped fresh rosemary, mint or thyme (optional)

Combine the yogurt with honey and mandarin juice in a bowl. Add more honey or mandarin juice if you like.
Gently toast shredded coconut in a pan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until most of the coconut is golden brown.
Peel the persimmon, and cut the flesh into small cubes.Top the yogurt with the diced persimmon and the toasted coconut.
Drizzle on a bit more honey and mandarin juice along with a tiny sprinkling of herbs, if you wish.

Enjoy this coconut persimmon yoghurt breakfast bowl...

A simple textural delight with creamy yoghurt, tender persimmons, and crunchy coconut.

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10-minute fish salad with chilli, tomatoes, lemon, wilted greens

This quick and easy fish salad takes about 10 minutes to make!

I am triumphant. This delicious dish takes, oh, I don't know... 10 minutes to prepare and cook, and it makes a lovely light one-pot meal for one. Despite the minimal list of ingredients, the flavours are excellent. Infuse some oil with chilli, cook the tomatoes to bring out their sweetness, and fry the fish until they are a lovely golden brown before deglazing the pan with a splash of lemon juice and tossing in some mixed salad leaves. Add salt and pepper, and you're done. Too easy!

A simple one-dish meal - fish salad with chilli, tomatoes, lemon and wilted greens.

10-minute quick fish salad with chilli, tomatoes, lemon and wilted greens

1 tablespoon oil (e.g. macadamia oil, rice bran oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, etc.)
1.5cm / 1/2" red chilli, thinly sliced; or a pinch of red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
2 cocktail tomatoes, quartered; or 4 cherry tomatoes, halved
150 - 180g / 5 - 6oz white fish fillet, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon lemon juice, or juice from 1/8 of a lemon (adjust to taste)
1 handful mixed salad leaves
salt and black pepper, to taste

Select a pan that is big enough to fry all the fish in one go without having to overcrowd the pan.
Warm up the oil over medium-high heat, and swirl to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.
Add chilli and tomatoes, fry 1 -2 minutes with tomatoes cut-side down to sear them well.
Add the bite-sized fish fillets, fry them for 1 - 2 minutes, and then flip them over and fry for another 1 - 2 minutes until they are a deep golden colour.
Turn off the heat, and immediately sprinkle lemon juice over the caramelized bits in the pan. Quickly scrape at the bits to dissolve them.
Stir in the mixed salad leaves, and toss everything together.
Season with salt and black pepper - I like lots of pepper for this salad.
Serve. I love this dish as a warm fish salad, but it should also be tasty served at room temperature.

*For even more flavour, add a small minced clove of garlic along with the chilli, and add a scattering of fresh herbs along with the mixed salad leaves.
** This fish salad can probably work well as a taco filling, too!

A lovely quick fish salad that easy to prepare, and delightful in its simplicity.

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a smoky, savoury apple salad

A smoky, savoury apple salad.

Another salad!

I promise the next post won't be a salad recipe, but for now, I hope you are tolerating (and even enjoying) my recent run of salads.

I'll put some of the responsibility/blame on Simon - I was chopping up apples the other day and had all the intentions of making an apple dessert. He insisted that he wanted a salad and I gave in. On the bright side, it's nice that he is trying (with some success) to lose weight. Plus, given my appreciation for fruits and vegetables, it is really quite a good thing to have a boyfriend who likes salads. Right? Right?

So here we go... a simple, savoury apple salad that I created on a whim. The apples provide sweetness while the green capsicum pleasantly counterbalances that with a hint of grassy bitterness. The tomatoes add juiciness, while the lime juice keeps everything fresh and tangy. Garlic, smoked paprika and coriander leaves impart piquant, aromatic touches. This salad is easy to make, and it's easy to eat, too.

Sweet, smoky and tangy flavours...

a smoky, savoury apple salad

1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tart/green apple
1 sweet/red apple (optional - include for a sweeter, fruitier salad; omit for a more savory salad)
1 green capsicum / bell pepper
6 cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup roughly chopped coriander leaves / cilantro (or substitute with flat-leaf parsley)

Mix lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, smoked paprika, cracked black pepper and salt in a salad bowl.
Chop apple(s) and capsicum into bite-sized pieces, discarding the stems, cores and seeds. Cut cherry tomatoes into quarters or sixths. Place the pieces of fruits and vegetables in the bowl. Add the coriander leaves.
Toss everything together to combine the ingredients. It's preferable to let the salad rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavours to mingle, and if you do so, toss the salad again just before serving.

Healthy apple salad. Also vegan and gluten-free!

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tahini-lime pistachio plum zucchini salad

Tahini-lime pistachio plum zucchini salad.

Now that I live in an area with an affordable farmers' market, I have been lavishly buying fruits every weekend. All through summer, and spilling into autumn, I have been snapping up peaches, nectarines and plums when I catch them at two dollars a bucket. The plums, in particular, frequently appear in different varieties - I don't know if I have a favorite, and if they're all cheap, I just play mix-and-match.

It is not often that you see plums in a savoury salad, but while I was peeling zucchini one day, I looked over at my assortment of gorgeous plums sitting on the kitchen counter and I thought - why not?

Why not, indeed. I'm proud of this salad. The plum slices went prettily with the zucchini strips, and they tasted great, too - a sweet, tangy counterpoint to the plainer zucchini. Pistachio nuts add a bit of crunch, and the creamy-yet-refreshing tahini-lime dressing pulls everything together for the final satisfying touch.

tahini-lime pistachio plum zucchini salad

1 medium zucchini
2 plums
1/4 cup pistachio nuts
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon lime juice (add some zest too, if you like)
1/4 teaspoon each of salt and freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste

Use a peeler to peel the zucchini flesh. Aim to achieve nice, fettucine-like strips.
Slice the plums into bite-sized pieces. If you use two different types of plums, it can add more interest or color to the salad, but this is not necessary.
Toast and chop the pistachio nuts if you're not feeling lazy. I was, so I just used them whole. Shhh.
Place the zucchini, plums and pistachios in the same bowl. Stir in tahini, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Make sure that you thoroughly combine all the ingredients. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Cover the salad and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle and dance together, then give it another stir just before serving.

Zucchini and plum salad, studded with pistachios and tossed through a lime and tahini dressing.

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mixed summer smoothie (with a little tomato)

A summer fruit salad smoothie.

British journalist Miles Kington once said, “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”

I wonder what he would say about this summer smoothie recipe, which is pretty much a blended-up version of a fruit salad... with just a touch of tomato.

Just a touch, mind. One single cherry tomato. Baby steps. Or kind of a wildcard, if you will. I'm not the biggest fan of the taste of raw tomato, in general, so really, this is me living life on the edge.

I was pleased that I tasted only just the tiniest hint of tomato in the end result - just enough to be discernible if you think about it, but so subtle that you might just completely miss it. I might be more daring next time in an attempt to slowly endear myself to the taste of raw tomato. Maybe.

mixed summer salad smoothie
(serves 1)

1 ripe banana
1 soft ripe nectarine or peach
1 orange (use whole segments with seeds removed)
1 cherry tomato / grape tomato / baby roma tomato
10 mint leaves
2/3 cup water
4 ice cubes

Blitz all ingredients together with a blender until smooth.
Serve and drink immediately while it's cool and fresh!

Mixed summer smoothie, with a little tomato.

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happy new year, new beginnings, and the 5:2 diet...

Delicious homemade Christmas breakfast, thanks to Simon's mum.

Happy new year!

After the gluttonous indulgences of the Christmas season, we are finally ready to tackle a new routine.

As regular readers will know, we have recently returned to Australia after nearly 5 months traveling through Asia - we set foot on Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Taiwan during this time, and had adventures that we will remember for years to come. I will be sharing some of these memories with you over this year as I sort through my thousands of photos, but for now, let's get back to food blogging.

As our journey neared an end, Simon expressed an interest in trying out the 5:2 diet. Many of you might have heard of this diet, which employs intermittent fasting to achieve weight loss (and potentially other health benefits as well). Basically, for each week you choose two days in which you you consume a very limited number of calories (500 for women, 600 for men), and the other five days you may eat normally.

While I am not terribly interested in following a diet, personally, and often find them a bit gimmicky, I have heard good things about the 5:2 diet from people who have personally tried it. Plus, I do enjoy crafting meal plans and recipes, and of course, I fully support Simon in his endeavour and I hope he succeeds.

A salad appropriate for the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet.

I made this salad for Simon's lunch on his first day embarking on the diet, after meticulously researching the calorie contents of various foodstuff the night before. It was made based on what I found in the kitchen, and, other than the egg and some red oak lettuce leaves, by chance it turned out to be made entirely out of green ingredients.

P.S. I'm not doing the 5:2 diet. My support is solely in preparing the appropriate food for Simon. I eat whatever I want while he suffers, hahaha! (Though actually, he has been coping alright, all things considered. I like to think that it's thanks to my wholesome meals.)

P.P.S. If you're interested, on that day, he had a banana and a coffee for breakfast. For dinner, he had another salad (slightly different to this one).

a green salad recipe for the 5:2 diet
(Serves 1.  Each serving = 136 calories.)

50g mixed salad leaves (16 kcal)
4 broccoli florets - raw, steamed or boiled (28 kcal)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (5 kcal)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves / cilantro (4 kcal)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce* (10 kcal)
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil (10 kcal)
1/8 teaspoon chilli powder (2 kcal)
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste (0 kcal)
1 hard boiled egg (61 kcal)

Put all vegetables and herbs in a large salad bowl. Combine the condiments and add into the bowl. Toss everything together till thoroughly mixed. Taste and add more condiments if necessary, but remember to factor in the added calories if doing the 5:2 diet. Top it all off with the egg.

*Traditional Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, however, there are vegetarian/vegan versions on the shelves these days. Some contain gluten, while others are gluten-free. Please remember to check the labels if you have specific dietary requirements.

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chamomile almond pear smoothie

Chamomile almond pear smoothie.

Big events, or at least the lead-up to them, can be stressful. Moving my belongings interstate, and following that with international travel, is definitely one of those things. I'm getting rid of the items I've accumulated over the years. Cleaning. Tidying. Packing. Dealing with red tape. Wrapping up loose ends. Trying not to freak out, trying to make time for friends and relatives before I go, trying to keep my sanity amidst it all.

Perhaps this is why I was drawn to create something with the gorgeous loose leaf chamomile tea I have in my pantry, an ingredient which I thought might help encourage relaxation. Besides - let's face it - I wanted to finish as much of my food as possible, before I go. Can't let the good stuff go to waste!

So the pretty dried chamomile flowers are put to work, and their soft, mellow perfume infuses this gentle chamomile almond pear smoothie. I drink it quietly, slowly, and I find a little moment of calmness.

Dried camomile flowers / Loose leaf camomile tea.

chamomile almond pear smoothie 
(makes 1)

1/2 teaspoon dried chamomile flowers or 1 chamomile tea bag
1/2 cup freshly boiled hot water
1/8 teaspoon honey (Optional, omit if vegan, or use maple syrup. You may add more, but I like the subtlety of less.)
1 soft, ripe pear
2 tablespoons almond meal
3 ice cubes

Steep chamomile in hot water for a couple of minutes (or you may time it according to instructions on the package, or just wait till the tea reaches your desired strength). Remove the tea bag / Strain out the chamomile flowers.
Allow the tea to cool down to room temperature, or chill in the fridge. Stir in just a tiny bit of honey, if using.
Remove the skin, stem and pips of the pear, chopping up only the flesh to use. Do make sure you use a soft, ripe pear - you want the flesh to be creamy (rather than crisp), for a good smoothie texture.
In a blender, whiz together the chamomile tea, pear, almond meal, and ice cubes.
Serve, sip, and chill out.

Pear, almond, and chamomile smoothie.

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bitter melon soup / bitter gourd soup

Bitter melon soup.

Wow. Firstly, I want to thank you all for the overwhelming support that you have shown for my recent decision to quit my job to travel. As I prepare for my adventure, I hope to share more details about our plans.

But for now, let's talk about food again!

So, obviously, I am going through interesting times at the moment. It's a time to say goodbye to some, but also a time to say hello to others.

It's a bittersweet time.

This bitter melon soup, then, seems like an appropriate dish to serve up in my life, and on my blog. I rarely cook with bitter melon, as I don't usually get the attraction of such a bitter vegetable. However, this is a soup that my mum cooks for my family. It is a soup that my sister likes. And recently, when I visited my uncle and aunt, and offered to cook dinner, they had a bitter melon waiting to be eaten, so this soup was, for me, the obvious solution.

A bitter melon / bitter gourd.

The bitter melon does have its distinctive bitterness, but it is balanced out by the sweetness of the carrots and ikan bilis (dried anchovies).

My uncle and aunt enjoyed the bitter melon soup. I liked it, too, more than I remember ever liking it. I was surprised.

Cross section of a bitter melon, when sliced lengthwise into half.

So much so, that two weeks later, I bought bitter melon, so that I can make the soup again, all for myself.

Perhaps, as I grow older, my appreciation for this bittersweet soup grows, too.

Bitter melon soup with carrot, tofu, and dried anchovies.

bitter melon soup / bitter gourd soup
(Serves 2 when accompanied with rice, as a main dish. Serves 4 as an appetizer or side dish.)

1 small to medium bitter melon (approx. 250g)
2 medium to large carrots (approx. 200g)
1/3 loose cup ikan bilis i.e. dried anchovies with guts and heads already removed (may be substituted with a few pieces of pork bones and/or dried cuttle fish)
1 small block tofu (approx. 200g. Optional if not serving this as a main dish.)
salt and white pepper, to taste

Cut bitter melon lengthwise into half. Scrape out the pith and seeds, discard those so that you're left with what looks like two empty green boats. Chop up the flesh into bite-size pieces. (First, slice the "boats" into half-rings, then chop those again into quarter-rings.)
Chop carrots into rounds.
In a big pot, put in the bitter melon, carrot and anchovies/pork/cuttlefish with 4 cups of water to boil, then turn down the heat to let everything simmer, partially covered, for around 30 minutes or until bitter melon and carrots are tender.
Cut tofu into bite-sized rectangles or squares. Add to the soup, bring it back to boil, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper.

Serve.

Notes:
I usually use a ratio of similar amounts of bitter melon and carrot, with a bit more bitter melon (it’s supposed the be the main character, after all).
If I recall correctly, my mum usually uses pork bones and dried cuttlefish to flavour the soup, but I substituted with dried anchovies (ikan bilis) here instead.
Choose the bitter melon / gourd with plump, succulent grooves rather than the ones that look shriveled up, dry and skinny.
I prefer to use semi-firm tofu (with a softness somewhere in between silken and firm, not too fragile) for this dish. This is usually just the regular type sold in tubs in Asian grocery stores.

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