discovering food: August 2008

Friday, August 15, 2008

Sichuan encrusted tuna and beans

Pound some sichuan pepper and salt, and use this to cover the tuna on both sides. Pan-fry the tuna, then remove and rest it while covered with foil. Fry up some baby beans with sliced garlic while the tuna is resting. Plate and squeeze some lemon juice over the tuna. My first time with sichuan pepper; very interesting - I liked it. (Maybe I went a bit too heavy on the sichuan pepper, but it was very good).

Chorizo and Chicken paella

Take chicken thighs with skin and bone in, and brown. Set aside. Take the chorizo, slice and brown, then also set aside. Fry up garlic, one onion and one capsicum cut into thin strips. Add smoked paprika and chilli flakes to taste. Add quite a bit of stock (it will be absorbed later on by the rice), return the chicken and chorizo. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes. Then sprinkle the paella rice into the liquid, and place into 160 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Remove when the rice is tender and there is a slight crust on top of the paella. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Beef shin casserole and mash

Really yum beef shin! Brown the meat, and place in a baking pan. Add sliced onion, and a lemon cut into quarters. Then combine meat stock , tomato paste, tabasco, a 1/4 cup of chutney, chilli powder, sugar, paprika, cumin and garlic. Bring to the boil and simmer this for a couple of minutes, and pour over the meat. Cover and bake for 1-1/2 hours. Love the lemon taste. Serve with mash, pan-fried mushrooms and spring onions. (It was so yum I almost forgot to take a photo - that's why there's so little left on the plate!)

Maple glazed salmon, nasuden and tofudengaku

Make a marinade from maple syrup, soy sauce, ginger and a bit of corn starch dissolved in water. Put the salmon in a pan, skin-side down, pour marinade over and bake for 15 minutes at 220. The nasuden was made from Japanese eggplants sliced and pan-fried, then topped with ready-made gakumiso paste (thank goodness for Fuji Mart) and placed under a grill. (Similarly for the tofudengaku.)

Spinach, cashews and tomato curry

Make a paste from curry powder, wholegrain mustard, salt and a bit of water. Fry up some garlic and ginger, then add mustard seeds until they pop. Then add paste and cashews. Turn heat down and add 1 chopped tomato and spinach (should use fresh, but I used a packet of frozen spinach), 1/2 cup water. Simmer for 10 minutes or so. When ready add 1/2 cup coconut milk and cook for another minute or so. Served with dry-pan-fried fresh roti (from Prahran Market). Quick and very tasty.

Lentil, tomato and lemon soup

This soup uses red lentils. Cook onion and garlic, add lentils until coated with the oil and add stock. Bring to the boil, skim off scum, and then add a tin of chopped tomatoes, some tomato puree, s&p and chopped fresh thyme. Simmer 20 minutes, finish off with some more thyme and lemon juice. The thyme and lemon really makes this soup!

Mustard glazed veal brisket

Take the brisket, cover with water and cook it slowly for 3 hours with garlic, onion, celery, peppercorns, allspice and bay leaf. Remove brisket and place in a roasting pan with 1/2 cup of the liquid. Make a glaze from brown sugar and mustard and spread on the brisket. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 until glaze bubbles. Yum yum!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Warm eggplant salad

Start with eggplant that has been cooked in a microwave (easy to do, cooks it well and doesn't require any oil. Take a whole eggplant, pierce it and microwave on full for about 7 minutes until fully collapsed. ). Add cooked red onion, garlic and long green chilli (can be roasted or microwaved). Chop all ingredients, toss with lemon juice, cumin and salt.

Beef Stir-fry and asian greens

Always a favourite. Easy to make too: marinate the beef strips in oil, soy sauce, garlic and lots of ginger. Stir-fry the beef until just sealed, and remove. Stir-fry the veggies, and return the beef just to warm it. No more cooking required and the beef is so tender and juicy!

Sweet potato and tamarind soup

A Gordon Ramsay recipe: Start with onion and spices fried in sesame oil - garlic, chilli, cumin, star anise. Then add sweet potato, coconut milk, tamarind paste, bit of soy sauce, and stock. Cook until potato is soft, then blend and sieve.