Sat, 15th Nov 2008

Here are more pics from my very impromptu dinner of sorts party.

Foie Gras.

Inside.

On the table.

Macro shot.

Served with a sweet dessert wine.

Tin Sockeye Salmon (from Vancouver) Mayonnaise with finely diced sweet red onion, red and yellow peppers.

Pitted Black Olives (very popular but I CAN'T stand them AT ALL).

Some smoked oysters and spicy tomato salsa (part of) - one small tin yields 12/14 pieces.

Tomato Salsa is easy to make - diced tomato (remove seeds), cilantro, sweet red onion (or shallots), chillies, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and olive oil.

A closer look.

The small buffet of sorts table. Grilled Chicken, Salad, Pasta & French Beans.

And here I am right now (waiting for my hair to dry) - just 5 hours to go before I hit the bootsale - I want to complete my Jodi Picoult collection of books.

Sat, 15th Nov 2008

What started out as a "oh just come as you are we'll eat in the kitchen when/if we're hungry" kind of thing has turned into a full-blown fuss fest, what I am best at; here is a pic of the kitchen counter and the simple salad which is corn kernels, red and yellow peppers, cubed cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, with good ole English Salad Cream (Light). I've added Dijon/Grainy Mustard, Black Pepper and a sprinkle of dried parsley for extra taste.

Let's see, the rosemary/garlic chicken thighs/drumsticks are in the fridge waiting to be grilled, French beans with tomatoes have been cooked and chilling nicely in the fridge, Foie Gras and tile which it will be served on also in the fridge and pot of water on standby for the spaghette aglio olio.

I have to make a spicy tomato salsa for the tinned smoked oysters and the garlic/olive oil/chilli mixure for the spaghetti. Oh yes, slice the bread for toasting later.

A picture of the smoked oysters from my dinner party earlier this year - stolen from Mr AB.

Made lots of ice-cubes and drinking water scented with lemons & limes in jugs are sitting in the fridge. Glasses, napkins (*paper*), crockery and cutlery have been set out.

What's next? I'm just looking out of the window waiting for the sun to set :-)

More pics to come.

Thurs, 13th November 2008

It has been very quiet here lately.... but I'm back for the moment anyway.

After watching Kylie Kwong make this recently on her programme, tonight I made braised Lion's Head with bok choy in a claypot. I kept it very simple; minced meat marinated with light soy, Chinese cooking wine, white pepper, sesame oil, dash oyster sauce and a pinch of sugar. Added some sliced shallots and mixed them into the meat mixture. Roughly shape them into even sized balls and pan fry till browned. Half the meat balls became dinner for my kids and the other half for the stew. Kylie's recipe has grated ginger and spring onions added into the meat mixture.

The claypot was lightly 'seasoned' with a bit of oil the meat had been fried in, garlic, Chinese cooking wine, light and dark soy. The pot was lined with vegs, then topped with meatballs and more vegs was added.


Here is the stew after 15 minutes over a very low flame.

After half an hour, I tasted it and it was awfully bland and lacked flavour/taste. What next? Half a teaspoon of chicken stock, quarter teaspoon of five spice powder, a splash of cooking wine and another pinch of sugar was added and it made a huge difference in taste. I also added a corn starch solution to thicken the gravy at this stage.

And after 20 mins, here is the dish; it's cooling in the kitchen and soon I will put it into the fridge for tomorrow night's dinner.

I hope my kids will like the meat ball stew. (On reflection, maybe the vegs should be added tomorrow to retain crunchiness - oh well..)..

Sat, 1st November 2008

Exquisite bags -My 3 favourites

More

Love the one in the middle.

HRH The Prince of Wales

FOOD

Big lens.

And more bags.

Kolomee

a) Make shallot oil by frying sliced shallots and salt in a few tablespoons oil. Put aside crispy shallots and oil. Keep some oil in the pan.

b) Make a sauce using oyster, dark, light sauces, white pepper, sesame oil and shallot oil. (Sometimes I dilute these sauces with a little water and cook with some sugar - but do this only if you have time). Put aside.

c) Now make a meat sauce in same pan which you used to fry the shallot oil, add minced garlic, minced chicken or pork and fry till dry. Add dark soy, white pepper, oyster sauce. Add a bowl of water and cook till mince is soft and gravy is thick. You can thicken the gravy further with a little cornstarch if necessary.

d) Quick rinse of fish cake and pat dry. Fry in a little oil. Cut into slices. Or just wipe dry and slice (it's already cooked) but I like to fry it briefly.

e) In a pot of briskly boiling water, add noodles, stir briefly, remove and put under running water to remove starch. Let water come back to boil and add noodles & vegs - remove almost immediately. (Omit the rinsing stage if you're rushed for time).

f) Put noodles into a serving bowl/plate. Toss with (b) and (a).

g) Top with (c), (d) and more (a) and vegs.

h) Add egg omelette and spring onions if you wish.

Good luck!

Mon, 27th Oct 2008

Beef Shank Stew with Garlic & Coriander Cous Cous

And here is Hazel as the cous cous model.

Mon, 27th Oct 2008

Salt/Pepper Tofu with Five Spice Powder - especially for vegetarians.

Rinse and drain a block of tofu, pat dry, lightly coat with cornstarch flavoured with salt, white pepper & five spice powder. Pan fry in shallow oil till lightly golden. Put aside. Fry shallots & garlic till golden brown and crispy. Add to tofu and add some fresh chillies. The chillies will definitely mask the light fresh flavour of the tofu; I actually added them for colour and for their heat to lightly adhere to the tofu; and did not actually eat them. This morsel of tofu/chillies/shallots/garlic is purely an attempt to food style; the chillies were discarded after.

Enjoy!

(For extra flavour, add some salt and five spice powder to a half a teaspoon fresh oil and warm gently through - drizzle a few drops of this flavoured oil on the tofu). This recipe really cannot get any easier.