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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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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not-quite-traditional lazy easy tuna onigiri for non-crafty people

These easy Japanese rice balls make a nice simple meal or snack.

 "What's with the cow-patch design?" Simon asked, amused, upon laying his eyes on my onigiri creations.

Since we live out in Perth Hills these days, there isn't really an abundance of dining options, particularly international cuisine. It seems that the lack of a vibrant food scene may be starting to show its effects, as Simon has recently expressed a strong interest in making sushi, which I take to mean that I'll be doing most of the work.

As a compromise, I decided to make tuna onigiri. To keep things easy, instead of trying to wrap the rice around the tuna, and then wrap the nori around the rice, I just tossed everything together. And as it turns out, yes, my onigiris have a cow-patch design. Whatever, it's really kind of cute, don't you think? Also, they tasted pretty good - Simon was quick to devour most of it!

not-quite-traditional lazy easy tuna onigiri for non-crafty people
(serves: 2 as a light meal, or more as a snack)

1 1/3 cups sushi rice (uncooked)
2 cups water
1 can tuna packed in oil, about 150g or 5oz
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used wasabi mayo)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 large sheets roasted nori (seaweed), torn into small pieces (I used a spicy seasoned nori)

Rinse the sushi rice, drain well, place it in a saucepan with 2 cups of water, and bring to boil.
Lower the heat and allow it to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from heat. Wait for 5 minutes before transferring the rice to a large bowl.
Drain the tuna, thoroughly combine it with all the condiments, and mix it into the rice. Fold in the torn nori.
Put a piece of cling wrap on the table, and place a dollop of the rice mixture into the center. The size is up to you. Small ones can be cute and good for snacking and sharing, but take a bit more time.
Gather the ends of the cling wrap to enclose the mixture, and gently shape it into a rice ball. Set the rice ball aside on a plate. Repeat this step until all the rice mixture is used up.
Ta-da! You, too, can have your very own cow-patch-style onigiri.

Onigiri with a cow-patch nori pattern. Don't knock it till you try it.

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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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quick & easy 5-ingredient kimchi miso udon noodle soup

Quick and easy 5-ingredient kimchi miso udon noodle soup.

Even though I'm all partnered up, I'm the kind of person who actually doesn't mind cooking for one. In fact, I love making noodle soup for one. It's just so uncomplicated. No need to worry about dividing the portions. I can eat my noodles straight from the saucepan, and cleaning up is a breeze. Happily, I still get the opportunity to cook for just myself every now and then, and when I do, I seize the chance to make myself a simple and delicious noodle soup.

This kimchi miso udon noodle soup is one of my latest creations. I love that the short list of ingredients is capable of producing so much flavour. If you ever feel tired or lazy but you're still in the mood for a home-cooked meal, try this one-pot five-ingredient noodle soup recipe that is quick and easy to make. The recipe is wonderfully versatile, too - feel free to adjust or even swap some of the ingredients to suit your taste.

Spicy, umami kimchi udon noodles in a miso broth.

quick & easy 5-ingredient kimchi miso udon noodle soup
(serves 1)

90g / 3oz dried udon noodles
50g / 2oz minced pork (or: minced chicken or cubed tofu)
1 small handful chopped Asian greens (or: mixed salad leaves)
6 pieces kimchi
1 tablespoon miso

Cook the noodles briefly in a saucepan of boiling water, just enough to release some starch from the noodles so that the water turns cloudy. Drain the noodles, rinse with cold water and drain again.
Pour 1 + 2/3 cups of water into the saucepan with the noodles. Bring the mixture to boil again, and add the minced meat. (Hold back if you're using tofu - add that only during the last minute of cooking.)
Allow the mixture to simmer until the noodles and the meat are done - or even just slightly underdone, as they will continue to cook in the hot broth. Stir in the greens, and remove the saucepan from heat.
Add the kimchi - you may chop them up into smaller pieces prior to adding them, if you wish, or leave them whole if you're lazy (like me).
Allow the noodle soup to cool slightly for a couple of minutes or so. Submerge the spoonful of miso just under the surface of the broth, and use a fork to gradually loosen up the miso and whisk it in. Taste and add more kimchi or miso, if you like, to make it spicier or saltier.

Quick, easy, five-ingredient udon noodle soup with pork, vegetables and kimchi in a miso broth.

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baked lamb cutlets in kaffir chilli cider sauce

When I think about it, this is kind of a wacky dish.

These lamb cutlets are part of a meal, one that is a rather odd combination that strangely works. It's kind of an Asian fusion thing, paired with sauerkraut and spatzle-like egg noodles. A weirdness that is sort of Australian meets Thai meets German. It's not intentional - just a coming-together of ingredients when I want to use up a few things, and the nonchalantly cooperative part of my mind thinks, "That should do."

And it did well, for us. So here's the recipe, if you're feeling wacky enough...

6 lamb cutlets (each cutlet between 60 - 75g, or 2 - 2.5oz)
2 tablespoons apple cider
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
4 single kaffir lime leaves (or 2 twin leaves)

Mix all ingredients together, making sure the liquid thoroughly coats the lamb cutlets. You may leave them to marinate for a while, but it's not absolutely necessary if you're in a hurry.
Transfer lamb cutlets to a foil-lined baking tray, then pour the marinade over them.
Bake at an oven that has been preheated at 180ºC / 360ºF fan-forced (200ºC / 390ºF conventional) for 20 - 25 minutes, turning once mid-way.
Serve with salad, or try it with sauerkraut and egg pasta, like we did!

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a long weekend, and a mussel festival

Paella at the Port Phillip Mussel Festival, South Melbourne Market.

Just a hastily written post today, to mention the mussel-licious long weekend I've had!

The Port Phillip Mussel Festival (part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival) was held at South Melbourne Market on Saturday and Sunday, where fresh mussels were sold by the bucket, and a fun variety of mussel dishes were on offer. And let's not forget - live music and a great crowd.

(I also witnessed a few people - one of whom was an almost-naked dude, save for his bright red underwear and bandanna - parading down the sidewalk while doing some kind of dance with whole, raw fish in their hands, and I have no idea what that was about. If anyone can solve the mystery, please do!)

But anyway.

I wandered around and found this bargain of a dish from the Turkish restaurant, Koy - mussels in tomato and feta sauce. It was $5 for a small plate, which is considered good value for typically pricey festival food in Australia. I was happy with what I got for my money. Plump, juicy mussels, at least half a dozen of them, in a spicy, tangy tomato sauce with feta cubes liberally dotted throughout. I lapped it up.

Mussels in tomato and feta Turkish sauce ($5).

But wait, there's more! We have a public holiday on Monday, and my friend Leon invited me over for home-cooked mussels in a chilli-kaffir-lemongrass coconut milk broth. We enjoyed that with steamed rice for a delightfully filling meal. Additionally, he treated me to creamy brie with some wondrous fig jam, plus Guinness beer; while I proffered fragrant Malaysian biscuits and a refreshing achacha beverage.

A merry food exchange this was, indeed.

Mussels cooked in coconut milk with chilli, kaffir lime leaf, and lemon grass.

How was your weekend?

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hot smoked trout salad

Hot smoked trout salad.

Happy new year, everyone!

This year is going to be exciting. Plans are a-brewing; this is the year of big decisions and big adventures. I'll leave it at that, but I promise you, even if I don't post terribly often, I'll be here to tell you about it all when it happens.

But for now, we'll talk about smoked trout. Simon spied a heavily discounted whole hot smoked trout at the supermarket a couple of months ago. He asked me for my opinion on whether to purchase it; neither of us had tried it before. I shrugged, "we'll figure out something to do with it."

By the way, so inexperienced was I, that at first I thought the "hot" in "hot smoked trout" stood for spiciness. I've since educated myself and now know that it is merely refers to the temperature of the kiln in which it is smoked. So you get "cold smoked trout" and "hot smoked trout".  The cold smoked version is soft and juicy, like sashimi, and the hot smoked version is flaky but still tender, like a gently barbecued fish.

We didn't use it immediately, so off it went, into the freezer. Recently, when we were going through the food we had accumulated, we finally did something about it. I sent Simon off to the shops with a list of vegetables to buy, and when he came back with the goods, I made a smoked trout salad.

Hello, hot smoked trout!

The salad was absolutely delicious, and it had a feel-good quality to it, too. The simple vegetables were lightly dressed, the trout danced all about in the bowl, adding a salty smokiness.

Hot smoked trout salad with potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, mint, basil, olive oil, and butter.

hot smoked trout salad
(serves 2 - 3 as a main, depending on how hungry you're feeling)

1 punnet cherry tomatoes / grape tomatoes / baby roma (approx. 200g / 7oz)
4 medium all-purpose potatoes e.g. sebago (approx. 150g / 5oz each, x 4)
green beans (200g / 7oz) - add to pot once potatoes are close to ideal tenderness, then boil about 3 minutes.
1 smoked trout (375g / 13oz), flaked
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
1 heaped tablespoon each of shredded basil and mint (or dill and parsley)

Roast tomatoes in an oven at 180°C / 360°F fan-forced (200°C / 400°F conventional) for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, boil potatoes in a pot of water for about 10 - 15 minutes, and just before they reach your preferred tenderness, add the green beans and boil for another 3 minutes. Drain off the water.

Toss potatoes, green beans and cherry tomatoes together with olive oil and butter. The tomatoes may burst, but that's okay, even encouraged - it becomes part of the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste, but be conservative with the salt, as the smoked trout will be quite salty. If you don't want your herb leaves to turn dark, put them in after everything has cooled down, or perch them daintily at the end after you've doled out individual serves - otherwise you can toss them through immediately if you don't care, which was what I did. Add pieces of the hot smoked trout. (Obviously I did a dastardly job of flaking mine, and missed some of the bones as well, I'm sure you'll do better.)

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hot smoked paprika milk steak marinade

A smoky milk steak marinade.

I hereby briefly interrupt my interstate travel journals to bring you this simply smokin' steak marinade recipe. It's a recent experiment and it's super easy, so easy that there is really no excuse for not trying it. Go on now, caress your steak with milk and let those warm, seductive paprika notes sing...

hot smoked paprika milk marinade 
(makes enough for 2 steaks)

1/3 cup milk
4 teaspoons hot smoked paprika

Mix milk and hot smoked paprika together to create the marinade. That's it! You may add more flavours with minced garlic and herbs, if you like. You may also add salt to season it now, or you may decide to salt your steaks later - just before grilling, or even afterwards.

Alternatively, mix together just enough milk and hot smoked paprika together to form a paste, and rub all over the steaks.

how to use this smoky marinade:

Marinade for at least 1 hour, but 2+ hours or overnight would be even better for greater flavour infusion. If the meat is not well-immersed in the marinade, flip it every now and then.

(Vegetarians: I imagine you can use this smoky milk marinade for things like vegetables, tofu, tempeh, and mock meats, too.)

When you're ready to eat, remove steaks from marinade, oil the pan, and cook those juicy hunks to your liking. Serve the steaks with a sprinkle of salt, plus a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or a slice of butter. Alternatively, you cook the marinade to create a sauce to go with the steaks - see below.

what to do with the leftover marinade?

You can try simmering the leftover paprika milk marinade along with some butter to reduce it down to a sauce that can go nicely with your steaks. Alternatively, save it and use it later in another dish - quiche, gratin, scrambled eggs and whatever else takes your fancy...

Hot smoked paprika milk steak.

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pan-grilled hoisin pork steaks (a 3-ingredient recipe)

3-ingredient pan-grilled hoisin pork steak.

Sometimes the rescuer in me wakes up, and seeks out neglected ingredients that have been sitting in a lonely corner for far too long. It makes me happy when I save them from oblivion and find them a good home. On a plate. In my belly.

My recent efforts revolved around a full bottle of hoisin sauce in Simon's fridge. No one really knows who bought it, or how long it has been there. Every time I open the fridge, it niggles at me a little. I started to think about how awful the bottle of hoisin sauce must feel, because surely if you are a bottle of hoisin sauce, all you want to do is mingle with other delicious things, to create even more delicious things.

Because I'm that kind of crazy woman.

It just so happened that I won a competition and received the prize of an incredible meat tray around that time (thanks, The Vegetable Connection and Cherry Tree Organics!) so there were plenty of carnivorous delights to go around. One of the items in the meat tray were some lovely boneless butterflied pork steaks. I thought they would match well with the sweet, rich hoisin sauce, which is often described as a Chinese BBQ sauce.

And thus, these 3-ingredient pan-grilled hoisin pork steaks came into our world.

pan-grilled hoisin pork steaks

1/4 cup hoisin sauce* (more to taste, later, if desired)
1 tablespoon oil with a high smoke point (e.g. rice bran oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil)
2 boneless pork butterfly steaks or chops (approx. 300g / 2/3lb total, and 2cm / 3/4" thick)

Combine hoisin sauce and oil. Rub all over the pork steaks and let them marinate for 1 hour, or longer.
Heat a grill pan over a medium high flame. Once the pan is hot, slap the steaks down. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. (If they curve up during the cooking process, you can press them down a little so that they continue to sear well and evenly.)
Remove the steaks from the pan and rest for another 3 minutes before serving.

If you'd like to brush a little more hoisin sauce on your pork, or add other condiments like pepper... go for it!

I served mine with a simple vegetable side dish: steamed bok choy, drizzled with soy sauce and sesame oil. (This is only 3 ingredients, too - yay!)

*Since this recipe has so few ingredients, it is important that you use a hoisin sauce that tastes good to you. The one I rescued from Simon's fridge is Ayam brand, and it also happened to be gluten-free. However, not all hoisin sauces are gluten-free, so if you are that way inclined, do check the label and list of ingredients. I also try to look for sauces that have a fairly natural ingredient list.

easy-as-anything pan-grilled hoisin pork butterfly steak with a simple side of bok choy.

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mix 'n' match summer ceviche

A summer ceviche, made with odds and ends from the kitchen.

Okay, so I know it's not really summer in Australia anymore... but this is a nice, simple little ceviche that I made some weeks ago that I didn't get around to posting earlier. The main ingredients for creating a tasty ceviche, as far as I'm concerned, are the fish, lime, red onion and chilli components, and all other fruits and vegetables I'd say are negotiable, making this quite a versatile recipe. So feel free to experiment with what's in season, whatever fruits and vegetables you have begging to be used - those that your instincts tell you may go well in this tangy seafood dish. The mix-and-match method was how this ceviche came about for me, after all!

mix 'n' match versatile summer ceviche recipe
(serves 2 as a main, up to 6 as an appetizer)

300g / 2/3lb fresh, mild white fish (e.g. rockling, snapper), skin removed, cut into cubes
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small red chilli, thinly sliced
1/3 - 1/2 cup lime juice (approximately 4 - 5 limes) - enough to generously marinate all above ingredients
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 small stalk celery*, chopped
1 nectarine*, cut into cubes
a bit of chopped mint or coriander/cilantro, if you have it (I didn't... )

Additional: coconut cream, to serve.

*Instead of celery, you may also consider cucumber, fennel, radish, and avocado, to name a few. 
*Instead of nectarine, you may also consider other stone fruit e.g. peach, apricot, plum; or melon fruit e.g. honeydew, rockmelon/cantaloupe, watermelon; and how about grapes, strawberries, or corn?

Thoroughly mix fish, red onion, chilli, lime juice and salt together in a glass bowl. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Just before serving, toss through the celery and nectarine or other vegetable/fruit, and the herbs if using. Season with more salt if desired.
Add a dollop of coconut cream on top, if you like, for a smooth creaminess to help balance out the acidity.
Enjoy!

A mix 'n' match, odds 'n' ends ceviche!

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smoked salmon sandwiches + jalapeno sour cream

jalapeno sour cream, smoked salmon, and cucumber sandwiches for a picnic in summer.

There aren't many things better than a potluck picnic on a lovely summer's day, wouldn't you agree?

I've never been much of a social butterfly, however, so I thank my housemate, Kathy, for initiating this idea and making it happen.

January has been, for me, a month of working 11-hour days, so when I knew I could be free for this picnic on a Saturday forecast to be slightly cloudy, mostly sunny, and intermittently breezy, I jumped at the chance.

It was a glorious day, filled with good food, drinks, and company. An array of dishes were sampled. New friends were made. It was joyous. It was therapeutic. It was just what I needed.

smoked salmon sandwiches with cucumber and jalapeno sour cream.

This was what I brought to the party. A refreshingly tangy, spicy, savoury combination of light rye sour dough, chive-jalapeno sour cream spread, smoked salmon, and cucumber. Embrace the flavour.

smoked salmon sandwiches with cucumber and jalapeno sour cream

for the jalapeno sour cream:

250ml sour cream or light sour cream (8oz)
10g chives, chopped (2 tablespoons) - optional, or substitute with another seafood-friendly herb like dill
1 jalapeno pepper (5cm / 2 inches), chopped into rings, then quartered, seeds included if you like it spicy
15ml lime juice (1 tablespoon, or half a lime's worth)

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container. This may be made the night before and kept chilled in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Tip: This jalapeno sour cream can be used not only as a spread, but also a dip or a salad dressing!
P.S. If not complementing it with a salty ingredient (as I did with smoked salmon here), you may want to add a pinch of salt.

other ingredients for the sandwiches:

200g smoked salmon (7oz), roughly torn
1 continental cucumber or other cucumber (go with 2 if using small cucumbers), sliced
1 loaf bread (I used a light rye sourdough)

to assemble a sandwich:

Spread sour cream mixture on each slice of bread. Top with pieces of smoked salmon and cucumber, then another slice of bread. Slice into triangles, to easily share amongst a crowd, or for a smaller gathering, forget about daintiness and tuck into a full-sized sandwich.
Also: I don't remove the bread crusts, because I LOVE them.
And if you're using a fairly soft bread, don't assemble too early in advance, lest they become soggy.

Note: Ingredients may not match up exactly for a precise number of sandwiches - it depends on how generously you allocate the individual elements. However, each of the ingredients are so versatile in their own right, it doesn't matter if you have leftovers.

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a humble tomato celery mince stew

A simple mince stew, enriched with tomatoes and celery.

Happy new year, everyone!

I apologise for being somewhat missing in action lately. Work is still ridiculous at the moment so my posting schedule will likely be quite erratic for the next few weeks. I do hope you'll still remember to pop in every now and then, regardless!

When work is busy, I tend to eat quite takeaway more often, and while I do still cook, creativity in the kitchen will just have to wait, even on the weekends. I'm not thinking about unusual combinations or interesting juxtapositions, just something that I can throw together without much thought.

So we have this very humble mince, tomato and celery stew here, which I cooked up on New Year's Day. A couple of tomatoes and a handful of mince meat (pork, chicken, lamb, beef - it's up to you) are simmered together in some water, and as everything disintegrates and thickens, a few stalks of chopped celery is added, followed by a sprinkle of mixed dried herbs, salt and black pepper, and cooked just a little bit longer, until the celery mellows a little, while still retaining a crunch. And if you love your pepper, as I do, serve it with an extra grinding on top.

And that's it. Ready to serve.

A humble tomato-mince-celery stew.

Since making this stew, I've managed to create a couple of blog-worthy recipes amidst all the busyness, so let's stick around and see if I can get those posts up in the next week or so.

How has your January been so far?

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of chervil, milk mayonnaise, and chicken burgers

chervil mayo chicken sandwiches on toasted seven-seed bread.

I have to confess that despite my apparent adventurous streak, I frequently use the same herbs over and over again. This is due partly to my cheerful reliance on my little windowsill herb garden, which currently flourishes with mint, rosemary and garlic chives, but let's face it... variety is fun, and there are only so many facets I can tease out of those three, awesome as they are.

So I've decided I should expand my repertoire and when I spotted chervil at the markets recently, it felt like the perfect challenge, because I knew absolutely zilch about it.

Chervil looks like a tinier, daintier version of flat-leaf parsley, and upon sampling it I found that it has a similar taste too, but gentler and with a bonus hint of anise. Now I have to say that my feelings toward parsley and aniseed are lukewarm at best - I'll accept small amounts in my food, but I don't go out of my way for them - however, I have developed quite an affection for chervil, perhaps because it has a much subtler magic to it. In fact, I bought it again at South Melbourne Market the very week after my first purchase, and I can see it sneaking into my meals more often in the future.

A few simple ideas for chervil? Chop it up and toss it together with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and almond flakes to create a simple salad. Serve it fresh atop a hot noodle broth. Use it anywhere you can imagine using parsley. Trust that it will deliver. It did for me.

chervil.

But wait, there's more! I did a bit of poking around online to see what others have done with their chervil and came across David Lebovitz's chervil mayonnaise recipe, which is basically a chervil-ised adaptation of David Leite's milk mayonnaise - an intriguing eggless mayonnaise recipe of Portuguese origins that uses milk in lieu of yolks.

This milk mayonnaise, it works. If you feel a bit iffy about raw eggs, it will change your life. Fresh mayo, no eggs, no worries - and if you're vegan, soy milk will do, too!

I decided to start with Leite's mayonnaise, with the idea that I would just dress some roughly chopped chervil with it afterwards, instead of incorporating finely chopped chervil as per Lebovitz's way. Initially, I foolishly attempted this by hand with a balloon whisk, which took me nowhere, but once I transferred the mixture to a little blender, it emulsified beautifully, smooth and thick. I then foolishly washed my chervil just before dredging it through the mayonnaise (instead of doing it earlier and letting it dry). The excess moisture undid my efforts and I ended up with a slightly watery concoction.

Oh well, live and learn. By the way, if you're suspiciously wondering why my milk mayonnaise is so vibrantly yellow, it's due to the carotene-rich oil I used. It's all legit, I promise!

Despite my gaffes, dinner was served. Toasted organic sourdough seven-seed bread. Pan-fried free-range chicken patties. Freshly blended milk mayonnaise. Garlands of chervil. Simon helping me out with the photographs, because he knows better on how to fight the curse of artificial lighting, and because I could really use a break after all my travails. Standing by the kitchen bench together as we devoured our burgers. Happiness.

chervil mayo chicken burgers on toasted seven-seed bread.

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lemon-pepper soy-ginger lamb heart stir-fry

Stir-fried lamb's heart (plus capsicum and spring onions) with lemon, pepper, ginger and soy.

As an omnivore who often enjoys vegan and vegetarian meals, but still loves the taste of meat too much to give it up, I like using the parts of animal that are often neglected and could otherwise go to waste. The following story and accompanying images contains content that may be off-putting to those who are not comfortable with offal.

However, if you are interested in trying it out, I am of the opinion that heart is a good starting point. The taste is quite gentle, and the texture is conventional enough - some may even prefer it to meat. I've had chicken heart before, which I found to be quite delicious. This is my first experience with lamb heart, and I feel equally positive about it. Lamb heart, when raw, has a fairly rich, fleshy scent. When cooked, it has a pleasantly mild taste of lamb and a tender texture. Other than a stir-fry like this, I can also see myself throwing it into a pho or a curry laksa!

And for those of you who already embrace offal - enjoy!

A lamb heart story:

Girl goes to Victoria Market with parents, uncle and aunt.
Girl meets lamb hearts (only 80 cents each!), is intrigued at first sight.
Girl points out the lamb hearts to mum, who regards them with unconcealed disgust.
Girl points out the lamb hearts to dad, who is as curious as girl and encourages her to buy a couple.
Girl purchases lamb hearts.
Girl gets home and decides to stir-fry one lamb heart for dinner.
Girl's mum helps by preparing the lamb heart - trimming off the fat and tubes; cutting the glistening dark meat into thin slices.
Girl marinates lamb heart in lemon, ginger, soy sauce and black pepper, then stir-fries it in a wok with capsicum and spring onion.
Girl serves up lamb heart stir-fry for dinner, enjoys it with dad as the rest of the table keeps their distance.

Ah, lamb hearts. Certainly a far cry from the cutesy valentiney love hearts we see...

The cross section of the lamb heart. Sorry, it's not really getting more attractive is it?

Lamb heart, all sliced up and swaddled in marinade. Hey, it's not looking too bad now...

lemon-pepper soy-ginger lamb heart stir-fry

1 lamb's heart
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2cm / 1 inch ginger, cut into thin strips
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 small capsicum (bell pepper), cut into strips
2 stalks spring onion (scallions), chopped into sections
oil, for frying

First, prepare the lamb heart. Cut off any vessels, valves, tubes and the like. Trim away excess fat (that would be the white bits on the outside). Basically, you want get it down to that meaty-looking maroon part of the lamb heart, which you then slice into strips.

Create a marinade by mixing together lemon juice, soy sauce, ginger and black pepper in a bowl. Toss the lamb heart in and mix well, then cover and keep in the fridge for an hour.

Heat up some oil (half a tablespoon should do) in a wok or pan over a medium high heat, then stir-fry the lamb heart until the pieces start to change colour. This could take less than a minute, depending on their thickness. Lamb heart gets tougher when it's overcooked, so try not to dilly-dally.

Add in the capsicum and spring onion and stir-fry for another 20 seconds. Taste and add more seasonings if desired. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately with steamed rice.

The result: a not-that-scary and rather scrumptious offal dish: lemon-pepper soy-ginger lamb heart stir-fry.

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smoked salmon pasta salad with grapefruit yoghurt, almonds and coriander

Some food bloggers out there have great stories that come with their recipes. Idyllic musings inspired by exotic locales. Nostalgic memories about grandmothers who made the best apple pies. Beautiful, poetic stories that just reach out, and bring about a wistful, collective sigh amongst their readers.

From trash to treasure... smoked salmon pasta salad with grapefruit yoghurt, almonds and coriander.

Reflecting upon that, I wish I could give this tangy, creamy smoked salmon pasta salad a nicer story. Alas, it really only came about because there were a number of ingredients in the fridge that needed to be used up quickly before they went off.

Me: Simon, how long has this smoked salmon been sitting in the fridge?

Simon: Um, I dunno... a few days?

Me: I think you're supposed to eat these things within two days of opening. Besides, I thought you don't even like salmon. Why did you buy it?

Simon: I don't. And I didn't. Kelvin brought nibbles the other night when he came over to hang out, and these are leftovers.

Hell-bent on not wasting the pitifully neglected smoked salmon, I rummage through the fridge, and I found half a tub of Greek yoghurt that was also on the verge of expiry. I found grapefruit that Simon's housemate gave him before she went travelling. I found coriander that was starting to look just a little tired. I also found penne lisce and slivered almonds in the pantry - these were, happily, in considerably better condition than their refrigerated friends.

I put them all together to dish up this surprisingly delectable smoked salmon pasta salad with grapefruit yoghurt, almonds and coriander.

Crisis averted. Lunch created. Mission accomplished.

I guess it's not such a bad story after all.

Healthy and delicious! Smoked salmon pasta salad with grapefruit yoghurt, almonds and coriander.

smoked salmon pasta salad with grapefruit yoghurt, almonds and coriander
(serves 2 - 4)

2 cups penne lisce (smooth-sided penne)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup greek yoghurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
100g smoked salmon, roughly torn
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh coriander
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cook the pasta according to packet directions until al dente, then rinse under cold running water and drain well. Set aside.
Lightly toast slivered almonds by gently frying in a pan until golden and fragrant. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine yoghurt, minced garlic, grapefruit juice and extra virgin olive oil.
Stir through smoked salmon, coriander and toasted almond slivers.
Season to taste with sea salt and cracked black pepper.
Add the cooked pasta and mix well, then re-adjust seasoning if desired. Serve.

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chinese borscht / abc soup / luo song tang

If you have some kind of Chinese background, you probably know this soup, and you've probably made it dozens, maybe even hundreds of times before. At home, my mum calls this luo song tang (罗宋汤). My cousins call it ABC soup. I've seen Chinese restaurants with English menus refer to it as Chinese borscht. Whatever you choose to call it, it's delicious, ridiculously easy, and the meat and vegetables involved can be sourced very cheaply. Great taste-to-effort ratio, great ROI with simple ingredients. What's not to love?

chinese borscht, aka abc soup, aka luo song tang (罗宋汤).

Everyone seems to have their own way of making this soup, with slight (or not-so-slight) variations in ingredients plus other quirks. My mum always uses either chicken or pork, but I've seen others use beef. I've even tried making it with lamb, which is rather unorthodox but also wonderful. But that's not all. Which cut? On the bone or filleted? (For the record, I prefer using not-so-lean cuts, and I find meat on the bone tends to end up more lusciously tender.) Aside from that, the choice and balance of vegetables also vary. Then there's the matter of method and presentation. Some people like the ingredients fine and dainty in the form of little cubes - not me. Chunky and hearty is how I roll.

In the end, you play with the basic idea and make this your own. No one I know bothers with a recipe when they make Chinese borscht, at least not after their first attempt. It's rustic, adaptable, effortlessly delicious - and that's why we love it.

Without further ado, here's a rough guide to how I usually do it...

A lovely and nutritious soup-stew, perfect for any weather.

chinese borscht / abc soup / luo song tang 罗宋汤 (serves 2)

3 cups water (add more if it reduces too much during the cooking process)
2 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium carrot, sliced diagonally
1 large tomato, cut into wedges
1 small onion, roughly sliced
2 cloves garlic, whole and unpeeled (optional)
3 chicken thigh fillets, roughly chopped, or 4 chicken drumsticks on the bone
seasonings: light soy sauce and white pepper, or salt and freshly ground black pepper

I usually approach this in a fairly casual manner: I pour the water into a large pot over a robust flame, and while waiting for it to boil, I set about chopping up my ingredients and throwing them into the pot as I go.

I do either the potatoes or the carrots first, then fling in the tomatoes, onion and garlic. By this time, the water is boiling quite merrily and I'll put the chicken in, turn the heat down and let it gently simmer, covered, for approximately 45 minutes or until everything is superbly tender and the potatoes and carrots are almost, but not quite falling apart into the gradually thickening soup. Now all it needs is a final touch of light soy sauce and white pepper - alternatively, salt and cracked black pepper is also always a good bet.

Serve this as a soup entree, or have it as a main meal with steamed rice.

Oh, and one more thing! Feel free to double or even triple the recipe if you have a generously sized pot and ample space in the refrigerator, for after you finishing cooking this, the flavours will continue to schmooze and mingle even as it cools down, begging you to re-heat it again hours later for another meal. Your Chinese borscht then transforms from a summer-friendly soup into a winter-worthy stew. Either way, it's homely bliss to warm one's soul, over and over again...

come on, have a spoonful of chinese borscht!

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pan-grilled lime and pepper infused salmon and asparagus, topped with yoghurt, pomegranate and mint

Oh hello! I have a fancy dish. By my standards, anyway.

I blame it all on those cooking shows I've been watching recently, especially Masterchef, the reality TV show featuring amateur cooks, currently in its third season in Australia. In Masterchef land, plates are dotted with sauce, swiped with puree, and swirled with chocolate in a concerted effort to impress. Delicate cuts of meat artfully graze amongst idyllic fields of vegetables, exuding an air of confidence and serenity despite their impending fate.

Poorly equipped as I may be with my limited stash of kitchen supplies - not to mention cooking and decorating skills - I decided to embark myself upon a "pretty dish challenge", with a cruel and unintended 1-hour timeframe for cooking, photographing, eating and washing up, as this was a late lunch and I had to rush off to my uncle's house out in the suburbs for an early dinner.

Did I succeed? Well, sort of.

pan-grilled lime and pepper infused salmon and asparagus, topped with yoghurt, pomegranate and mint.

What might I say about my dish if I were a judge on Masterchef? (I'm a very busy girl, aren't I, pretending to be a contestant AND a judge in my own made-up challenge!)

Me (as a judge): "Your heart may be in the right place, but your execution is a little clumsy. The pieces of salmon are shoddily cut - perhaps you should've just left the fillet whole. And the asparagus stalks are not all trimmed to quite the same length. You need to refine your plating-up skills, but I do love the fresh and vibrant colours in this dish. Now let's see how it tastes."

*takes a bite and chews thoughtfully*

"The salmon is tender and juicy, ditto the asparagus, and I like the flavour hit of lime and black pepper. But it's not quite the complete dish, is it?"

Right, my time constraints meant that I was eating my portion of fish and asparagus off the pan as it cooked, so I didn't actually end up trying the full version with the yoghurt, pomegranate seeds and mint leaves. These all ended up in the one semi-pretty plate that I served to Simon. So he'll have to claim position as the second judge.

The thing is, though, with Simon, I don't really get very comprehensive feedback.

Me: "Time for lunch!"

Simon, grinning: "That's a little posh, isn't it?"

Me: "Don't laugh at me, just eat it. What do you think?"

Simon: "It's nice."

Me, playing insecure girlfriend/food blogger role: "Are you just saying that?"

Simon: "No, you know I'm not a big fan of salmon, but I'm finding this really easy to eat."

And that was it. On the plus side, Simon is quite an honest judge and has at times expressed reluctance to eat (or finish eating) certain dishes I made, so, considering he finished everything on the plate, I am quite content with this verdict of his. And you will just have to trust him.

pan-grilled lime and pepper infused salmon & asparagus, topped with yoghurt, pomegranate & mint
(makes 2 very modest lunch servings)

2 small salmon fillets (approx. 250g total)
12 stalks asparagus, trimmed
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
1.5 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 heaped tablespoons greek yoghurt
2 heaped tablespoons pomegranate seeds
20 small mint leaves

- Combine lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper and lime zest. Use half this mixture as a marinade and rub all over the salmon and asparagus. Reserve the other half for drizzling later.
- On a heated grill or frying pan, cook asparagus spears for about 4 minutes, turning occasionally and testing for tenderness.
- Pan-grill or pan-fry salmon on all sides - exact times will depend on the thickness of the salmon fillet. I cook them until they turn just opaque on each side, and the whole process invariably takes less than 10 minutes.
- For each plate, arrange asparagus spears in a tight square. Place salmon fillet on top. Add a tablespoon of yoghurt. Scatter pomegranate seeds and mint leaves in decorative fashion. Lightly drizzle with seasoning mixture, and sprinkle with more salt and black pepper if desired.

pan-grilled salmon and asparagus infused with black pepper, lime juice and olive oil, topped with yoghurt, mint and pomegranate.

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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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