Spicy Lamb Tong Fun

I thought I had pork mince in the freezer. Happily, I took it out and realized that what I had was lamb mince instead! The meal plan was spicy pork tong fun but I thought.. oh well, might as well use lamb mince then!


The thing I like about lamb mince is the robust flavour it adds to the dish. Recently, I made moussaka (future post!) and lamb mince certainly adds more of a rich flavour than beef mince. The same goes for this dish as a little mince goes a long way!

Spicy Lamb Tong Fun (Serves 4-5) 

350-400 grams lamb mince

marinate
1 tsp of soya sauce
3 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tsp of corn flour
1/4 cup of hua tiao jiu 
salt and pepper

Tong Fun or Mung Bean Vermicelli soaked and drained
4-5 dried mushrooms rehydrate and sliced 
3-4 stalks of celery diced
2 shredded carrots
1 sliced red onion
1 tablespoon of garlic

2 eggs

2-3 more tablespoons of soya sauce
3 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1/2 cup of hua tio jiu
1 chopped chili + extra chili flakes! 
plenty of dashes of white pepper! 

marinate mince for around 10-15 minutes.

Heat pan/wok. Saute onion and garlic. Add mince and cook till nearly done adding some water or stock if needed. Toss in the veges and mix well. When nearly done, toss noodles and seasoning through. Taste and adjust accordingly. Make a well and add two eggs. Wait till it nearly set and mix it through noodles. Serve Hot with fried shallots.

Sharing this with my friends from Presto Pasta founded by Ruth. This week, it is hosted by Kate from Thyme for Cooking! 

Almond Crusted Fish Wrap

I love public holidays! ahh.. Yesterday was Anzac Day and therefore, it is a public holiday today. Somehow, hubby and I are appreciating free days like this even more recently. More time to rest, do housework, go for walks/jogs and plan our future. In fact, we had 1 hr of running and walking (I ran, he walked!) before breakfast. Surely this is the dream we have to spend quality and restful time together.

I made this dish a few weeks ago when fish was on sale. It was shark-which was probably the worse decision I made that day. The fillet,although fresh was tougher and thicker. Later, I made breaded fish using dory and it was sooo good. Nevertheless, I thought of using almond meal as the crust as I had some in a bag that I wanted to finish using. Love the crust for sure but will add more seasoning. I served it in a tortilla and salad leaves.

Almond Crusted Fish Wrap (Serves 4) 

4-6 small to medium size fish fillets.
around 1 cup of almond meal seasoned with pepper, salt and some paprika.  
2 eggs lightly beaten
spray oil

Salad leaves, avocado, cucumber and chopped tomato mixed with some lemon juice.

Dip each fish fillet into the egg mixture then coat it in the almond mixture. Heat fry pan till hot and spray with the spray oil. Pan fry fish on each side for around 4 minutes till cooked. Serve wrapped in a tortilla with the veges and some chili or tomato sauce.

Indian Spiced Rice with Toasted Cashews

Reading ABC Delicious Magazine and this caught my eye! It resembles a briyani or pilaf and certainly fits into the one pot dinner idea.

What I enjoyed about this dish is biting into juicy tender chicken. I bought these cutlets on the bone as they were cheaper, but the flavour that the provided to the rice was totally worth it.

Indian Spiced Rice with Toasted Cashews

1 kg of chicken thigns (I used bone in)
200 grams of  Tandoori paste
marinate overnight.


2 cups of basmati rice
1 carrot peeled and chopped
1 cauliflower chopped

Garlic
1-2 tsp of cumin 
4-5 tsp of curry powder
1 tsp of garam masala powder

Cashew nuts to serve with.

Pre heat oven to 200 C. Quickly Pan fry chicken till it turns brown. In a deep pan, heat up some oil and saute garlic, cumin, curry powder and garam masala powder till it smells soooo good. Then add rice. Add around 2-3 cups of water till it absorbs partially. Toss in the veges. Spoon rice onto over proof dish, top it up with chicken and bake it for around 25 mins.


Serve with toasted cashew nuts. 

Spinach Pine Nut Toastie

Sometimes, less is more. I like having toasties for lunches as it makes me feel satisfied without the heavy feeling. This was again inspired by Donna Hay magazine (March/April). Quick and easy, I sauted some spinach, mix in some pine nuts, stuffed in between multigrain bread rolls, toast it and Da Tuh! Done!


Spinach Pine Nut Toastie (serves 2)
around 200 grams of baby spinach 
1 tsp of garlic
squeeze of lemon juice
handful of pine nuts toasted.


2-3 bread rolls.

Saute spinach with garlic. Season with some lemon juice and pepper. Toss in the pine nuts. Fill in between bread rolls toast and serve!

Seasoned Minced Pork with Silken Tofu

Since young, I have been a fan of tofu. When I started learning how to cook however, tofu seems like a nightmare to handle for me. Why you ask?. It breaks up too easily and I usually end with tofu mush rather than the real dish itself.

I enjoy making this dish because 1) It is super easy, 2) The tofu remains in one piece and I don't even have to cook it if I don't want to. I usually just warm the tofu up in the microwave and then spoon the mixture over it. It's perfect the way it is and with another vegetables as a side dish, dinner is served! 

Seasoned Minced Pork with Silken Tofu 

1 packet of Silken Tofu

350 grams pork mince

Marinate
2 tablespoons of Oyster Sauce
1/4 cup of hua teow jiu.
1-2 tablespoon of light soya
1 tablespoon of dark soya (Adjust if needed)
generous dash of pepper (or if u r like me, 5-6 dashes!) 
few drops of sesame oil


2-3 stalks of spring onions chopped/diced
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic 
1-2 red chili chopped 

Marinate pork mince for around 10-20 mins.
Saute garlic and chili together (if u have ginger, that's even better). Add marinated pork mince. Keep frying to break up the mince. Add spring onion. Taste and season. Add around 1/4 cup of water if mixture appears too dry. Spoon over steamed or heated up silken tofu.

Presto Pasta #159

It's Pasta Party time guys!

I'm back with a blast to host this week's Presto Pasta. Looking at what we have today, it's truly a feast for the eye.

The long sort of pasta, the short form, the chinese noodle form- I learned recently that Napoleon took the noodle idea from China and brought it back to Italy. What a creative and smart man. He knew that pasta is too good to be true to be hidden from the world.

Without further ado, come grab your utensils of choice. Whether it be a long pair of chopsticks, a fork or just plain fingers.... come and have some fun:

We welcome Ching from Little Corner of mine as our first entry. I am a big fan of hers as she comes up with such great simple ideas that is suitable for the family. This Salmon Noodle Soup is perfect for our cooler autumn Perth weather.

Then we have Juliette from A Little Foodie sharing with us her Spaghetti with Sardines and Capers. Juliette is completing her Masters at Oxford and needed that extra bit of comfort. I think pasta is one of the best option-don't you agree?

 Chaya from My Sweet and Savoury is trying to recover from bronchitis. She made a delicious and healthy light meal figuring lots of veges, cheese and pinenuts. Apt name for this too - A bowl of goodness!

One of my favorite bloggers of all time is back in action! Mochachocolate-Rita presents us with Easy Spicy Mackeral Pasta.  I like how canned food can make pasta looks and tastes so posh too!

 Chaya certainly enjoys pasta! This is her second entry from  Chaya's Comfy Food Blog. I say more recipes the better! Her New York Pasta looks like it's perfect for a cool night.

What can I say? Noodles are so versatile. Little Inbox from Eating Pleasure shared with us on a new type of noodle that is made with soy. It resembles one of my favourites- Penang Char Kueh Teow but using soy noodles instead of rice. She presents us with Fried Soy Noodle! I like mine with heaps of chili please!

Salmon is always a winner for me. Jeanne from CookSister! joins is with this creamy and yummy dish-Smoked Salmon Penne. I can taste the dill with the salmon already.

I will have a hard time resisting this fresh, spring dish for sure! Kirsten From Kirsten's Kitchen To Yours came up with this amazing dish with fava beans- Smashed Fava Beans with Rosemary and Soba Noodles. I like the idea of rosemary and soba too. It looks so green and fresh that you can nearly smell the sunshine that comes with it. Too bad Perth seems to be heading towards the winter route!

Joanne from Eats Well With Others joins us with this yummy looking dish Beef Pierogi. These cute little dumplings costs alot of sweat for Joanne but I can tell it is all worth it!

Who says Vegan can't have alot of variety in their meals? Kahakai proves us wrong by sharing with us this Fresh Ginger and Basil Pasta dish. One thing for sure, it looks healthy. Pop down to Kahakai Kitchen for more vegan inspiration!

Presto pasta always welcome new creations and Katie from Thyme from Cooking has done an awesome job with her Pasta Primavera. Look at how fresh and green it is! Spring brings so many opportunities when it comes to fresh veges! Love how she uses yogurt in this. Healthy and creamy without the calories!  

So many times, I choose to use shortcut methods to cook. Sarah from What Smells So Good cooked up this mean bowl of Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup from scratched. I mean, she roasted the chicken, made the stock using the bones of the chicken and even found a way to combine them in her own homely way. This is perfect for cold and stormy Perth.

Whoever says that noodles/pasta are for savoury dishes only? Cool Lassie from Pan Gravy Kadai Curry has kindly shared with us her Cocoa and Saffron Vermicelli Pudding. It's Vishu and Cool Lassie cooked up a stormed with this pudding to celebrate the event. Totally brings me out of my zone and I love it!

Reeni from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice brought us two very comforting dishes to share. Artichoke Chicken and Parmesan Orzo oozes out with creamy appeal. With white wine, lemon, garlic and chicken both as a base, it must be a winner on the dinning table.

Reeni's second dish is Ricotta Cauliflower Creamy Pasta with Toasted Garlic  Bread Crumbs. Doesn't that sound divine? Reeni also mentioned that Parmesan and cauliflower are perfect matches! Ah, now that's something new that I have learned.

Cynthia from Kitchen Slave brought a fantastic dish to share. Creamy Tom Yum Chicken. She said that the real thing is so much better than eating packages of instant noodles. Looking at the final product, I can see why!

Sometimes, I think that the most last minute meals tastes the best. Libby from The Allergic Kid put together Creamy Chicken Florentine quickly one dinner. It turned out to be a big hit with her kid and why wouldn't it? I would never call this ugly chicken dish for sure. In fact, it looks very hearty!

ooo, I like the look of this pasta. Ruth the awesome founder of Presto Pasta and author of Once Upon A Feast shared with us that this "tiny little pasta that shape like tire" holds all the sauces so well. I can see why, they nearly looked juicy don't they? Check out her Radiatore all'Arrabbiata.

Of course, my dish for Presto Pasta this week is Garlic Chili Chorizo Prawn Zucchini Pasta.


What great fun to host this week's Presto Pasta! Make sure you come back next week =) Send your entries to Cythina from The Kitchen Slave chuang2(at)travelers(dot)com and cc ruth at ruth(at)4everykitchen(dot)com

Garlic Chili Chorizo and Prawn Zucchini Pasta

New discovery!

Chorizo and prawns goes so well together!

oops- sorry about taking time before realizing this fact! A fact that was discovered because I wanted to use the remaining chorizo in the fridge.

This is my entry to this week's Presto Pasta founded by Ruth Daniels.  After a few weeks of hiatus on pasta dishes, rest assured that my mojo for noodles and all things stringy is still intact. Hubby has been requesting a few of his old pasta/noodles favorites hence I haven't been taking photos and posting them up.

This one though, is simple and delicious. Quick one for our Tuesday night dinners.

Garlic Chili Chorizo and Prawn Zucchini Pasta(Serves 4)

1 tablespoon of garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 chili chopped finely
2 tsp of dried chili flakes
1 zucchini grated
1 cup of chopped mushrooms
1 chorizo sausage sliced
around 200-300 grams of prawns

Extra olive oil 
Squeeze of lemon juice
1/2 packet of pasta. 

Cook pasta and drained.  Set aside

Saute garlic and chili with olive oil. Quickly cook chorizo. Add prawns. Cook till it is nearly done. Toss in pasta and zucchini. Season with dried chili flakes and crack pepper. Add a little more olive oil if it is a tad dry. Serve with lemon juice. 

Have you submitted your entry to PASTA PRESTO yet? =) 

Chorizo and Halloumi Cheese Skewers

Edited on 13th of April:

Another inspiration from Donna Hay Mag. This time, this was from the recent issue "50 fast dinners" (I think it was March?). A simple side dish that our guests loved. She calls it the "Squeaky cheese" -Halomi of course! Certainly, I love this when it is grilled up and served with a side of lemon. Ahh.. simple eats in life!

Halloumi Cheese is made of a mixture of goats and sheep's milk. It has a different texture to other cheese and could hold its shape when grilled (higher melting point). I don't think it resembles any other cheese- except that it is a hard cheese and not a soft one like brie. 

Chorizo and Halmomi Skewers (made around 6)
1 Chorizo sliced
around 50 grams of Halomi Cheese chopped in cubes.

bamboo skewers soaked in hot water.


Skewer these babies up, grill them and serve with lemon! Simple as!

This week, I am hosting PRESTO PASTA! Come and join us as we celebrate another week of creative pasta dishes. Don't be shy!  Send me an email at daphnesu16(at)yahoo(dot)com for all your entries.

Coconut and Lychee Jelly

Evan and I have many common interests. One huge interest is on Donna Hay's photography and magazines. When Evan ordered some previous issues of Donna Hay's magazines to be delivered to our Perth add (much cheaper!), I asked if I could have a look through and generously, she said yes!

One recipe caught my attention straight away. It looks simple, refreshing and perfect for dessert. We were having friends over for lunch and this just seem to be a good one to finish a meal off with. Not too heavy but certainly appealing.

Evan and I agreed that the names of some Donna Hay dishes can be misleading- This one has Coconut in it but really.. it's just coconut milk!

The only thing I did differently was to cut up some lychee bits and added it to the jelly. What I really do like about this is that the layers separate by itself- making it looks visually appealing. Don't be surprise if you pour the mixture together and it looks mixed up-when it is in the fridge, those wondrous things called gravity and chemistry helps it to separate.

Coconut and Lychee Jelly

2 cups of Lychee Juice
3 tsp of powdered gelatine
4-5 lychee chopped
1/2 cup of caster sugar
1 cup of coconut milk

Place 1/4 cup of lychee juice in a bowl. Sprinkle over gelatine. Rest for 5 mins.
Place sugar, coconut milk and remaining lychee juice into saucepan and simmer till sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil for around 1 min. Remove from heat. Add the softened gelatine/lychee mixture and stir. Pour jelly into 9 inch dish and fridge it till it sets. Turn out and cut to serve.

Serve it with remaining lychees.

I'm the host for PRESTO PASTA  this week! 

Come join in the fun by sending me your pasta dishes. They will be up and posted by Perth time, Friday Evening. Drop me a line at daphnesu16(at)yahoo(dot)com 

I'm back! Honey Joys

Woohoo! HELLO everyone. I am glad to be back from our recent Great Ocean Road trip. Friends and us traveled for 5 days.  It was a total blast!

 Remember my appeal for help to look for a good honey joy recipe? Turns out that Little Corner has been experimenting as well. This simple to use recipe is also versatile as I added in other ingredients to it.

Brought it to work-and it was gone! Thank you Little Corner! Her blog never fails to inspire me to cook up something different.

Honey Joys 

250 grams butter
1/2 cup of honey
1 tsp of sugar
275 grams of corn flakes
walnuts
raisins/sultanas

Melt butter sugar and honey in saucepan. Turn off heat and add cornflakes. Mix it well.
Use teaspoon to scoop cornflakes into mini baking cups. Press lightly
Bake for 10-15 mins in preheated 180C oven.

Simple Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese Quiche

So I have been a little over the top in posting vegetarian dishes. But hey, it was part of the challenge and I embraced it! Poor Ar did whinge a little but got over quite quickly-forgetting that he was going meatless.

I made this for another lunch. Again with some left over puff pastry, spinach, mushrooms and egg, it was easy to mix them all up with spices, put them in the oven and da tah, another quick and easy meal done. One cannot go wrong with puff pastry I think.. such a handy item to have in the freezer!

Simple Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese Quiche  

1 cup of baby spinach
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
4 eggs beaten with around 1/4 cup of skim milk
1 cup of cheese (I used cheddar)
1 defrosted puff pastry

some paprika and salt/pepper for seasoning.

Beat eggs, milk together. Set it aside.

Pre heat oven to 180C. Place baking paper on slices tray. Line it with puff pastry. Place slices of mushrooms and spinach on it. Pour of egg mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for around 20 mins.


I'm off on a short trip during this Easter Long Break.

It's a time of rest and also a time for reflection. Happy Easter everyone! and remember the Grace that God has provided. =) God Bless!!