Somewhere in Dandenong is a small Indian restaurant that serves Pani Puri, which is an Indian street food, crunchy deep fried stuffed with what looks like lentils, potato pieces, chili sauce and served with 'puri', which is water, where the crunchy pieces are dunked. As it is a restaurant we were a bit more refined, so had to spoon the water into the holes in the crunchy bread, and stuff the whole thing into your mouth. Priceless.
I still dream about these yummy treats... Especially if I can one day go to India for the real thing :)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Pani Puri
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Tea Smoked Salmon, and Other Seafood
It was a Saturday and we had a quick trip to the city for some errands, and then we decided to swing by Queen Vic market for some seafood. We were a bit desperate as the local fishmonger was undergoing renovation and has been closed for the past few weeks so it was a great opportunity to go seafood shopping while we're in the city.
I have a particular fascination with markets. Growing up, I would be my mom or dad's tail as they weave through the wet market. It wasn't too far away from our house, and it would be normal to go to the market daily (especially at the time when we didnt have a proper functioning fridge) or every other day just to get fresh meat or fish. The smells, the hustle and bustle, chaos and wet slushy floors in some areas, flowers, the piles of dried shrimp and stacks of dried goods in some shops... There is an energy that radiates from markets that draw me in and i can happily spend the day browsing through things, unusual ingredients, learning, sniffing, tasting whenever possible!
Anyway, Queen Vic market is especially awesome, especially the delis and their smoked meats and sausages. Not particularly cheap, but I think you get your money's worth with stuff that you buy there (or maybe I am just trying to convince myself, hehe). But the main business was fish, so we bought sashimi grade salmon and tuna and 2 moreton bay bugs for what would be a Saturday night Seafood Platter.
The salmon got the tea smoking treatment. I know you're probably thinking - sashimi grade salmon is best eaten as a sashimi, yeah? :) But the tea smoking process does not take very long and the center of the salmon is still very pink, yet it infuses the most amazing smoky flavor that lingers (both in the palate and in the kitchen - i mean the smoke. Hehe)
The kindling is made of rice, brown sugar, lemon verbena leaves (only because i have them and the leaves die in winter...), thyme and jasmine tea, on a bed of foil.
This foil sits on top of small frying pan. The pan is subjected to high heat, and a bamboo steamer placed on top.
The salmon was just seasoned with salt and pepper, and placed in the steamer lined with a small piece of baking paper.
This is a relatively big piece of salmon, and i usually would steam a 1.5inch wide darne of salmon in 7 minutes. These pieces are 2 inches wide and i still steamed them for 7 minutes. I only placed the bamboo steamer when the 'kindling' have started to emit a lot of smoke.
The moreton bay bugs had to be prepared by splitting them into two, the innards removed, and simpy brushed with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper before being placed under the grill for around 12 minutes (or less depending on how big they are). You'll notice the translucent flesh turn white. It is best not to overcook them so that after grilling they are still nice and juicy.
Had to take out the big guns to halve this...Nothing like a cleaver to do the trick!
(i had 2 mushrooms with garlic, thyme and olive oil grilled as well)
The tuna was simply seared for a couple of seconds, both sides. A dipping sauce of soy sauce and wasabi was prepared accordingly.
I read somewhere that moreton bay bugs take on asian flavors very well, so using a toy i purchased from a tupperware night (!!!), i made a little salsa - blitzed a cheek of green mango, half a tomato, half a red onion, half a clove of garlic, olive oil and a couple of leaves of parsley. And a dash of fish sauce. Coriander leaves would have been very tasty too, but i have a lot of parsley! This was spooned over the bugs.
This toy is basically a manual mini food processor. You pull the white handle, and out comes a string which twirls the blade in the center.
What I also love about seafood dinners is that they are quick to whip up.
Sorry there was not enough patience to make the whole platter pretty.....Just wanted to eat the lot! And yes, for the record, this served two people.
Burp.
Previous tea smoking Here
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I have a particular fascination with markets. Growing up, I would be my mom or dad's tail as they weave through the wet market. It wasn't too far away from our house, and it would be normal to go to the market daily (especially at the time when we didnt have a proper functioning fridge) or every other day just to get fresh meat or fish. The smells, the hustle and bustle, chaos and wet slushy floors in some areas, flowers, the piles of dried shrimp and stacks of dried goods in some shops... There is an energy that radiates from markets that draw me in and i can happily spend the day browsing through things, unusual ingredients, learning, sniffing, tasting whenever possible!
Anyway, Queen Vic market is especially awesome, especially the delis and their smoked meats and sausages. Not particularly cheap, but I think you get your money's worth with stuff that you buy there (or maybe I am just trying to convince myself, hehe). But the main business was fish, so we bought sashimi grade salmon and tuna and 2 moreton bay bugs for what would be a Saturday night Seafood Platter.
The salmon got the tea smoking treatment. I know you're probably thinking - sashimi grade salmon is best eaten as a sashimi, yeah? :) But the tea smoking process does not take very long and the center of the salmon is still very pink, yet it infuses the most amazing smoky flavor that lingers (both in the palate and in the kitchen - i mean the smoke. Hehe)
The kindling is made of rice, brown sugar, lemon verbena leaves (only because i have them and the leaves die in winter...), thyme and jasmine tea, on a bed of foil.
This foil sits on top of small frying pan. The pan is subjected to high heat, and a bamboo steamer placed on top.
The salmon was just seasoned with salt and pepper, and placed in the steamer lined with a small piece of baking paper.
This is a relatively big piece of salmon, and i usually would steam a 1.5inch wide darne of salmon in 7 minutes. These pieces are 2 inches wide and i still steamed them for 7 minutes. I only placed the bamboo steamer when the 'kindling' have started to emit a lot of smoke.
The moreton bay bugs had to be prepared by splitting them into two, the innards removed, and simpy brushed with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper before being placed under the grill for around 12 minutes (or less depending on how big they are). You'll notice the translucent flesh turn white. It is best not to overcook them so that after grilling they are still nice and juicy.
Had to take out the big guns to halve this...Nothing like a cleaver to do the trick!
(i had 2 mushrooms with garlic, thyme and olive oil grilled as well)
The tuna was simply seared for a couple of seconds, both sides. A dipping sauce of soy sauce and wasabi was prepared accordingly.
I read somewhere that moreton bay bugs take on asian flavors very well, so using a toy i purchased from a tupperware night (!!!), i made a little salsa - blitzed a cheek of green mango, half a tomato, half a red onion, half a clove of garlic, olive oil and a couple of leaves of parsley. And a dash of fish sauce. Coriander leaves would have been very tasty too, but i have a lot of parsley! This was spooned over the bugs.
This toy is basically a manual mini food processor. You pull the white handle, and out comes a string which twirls the blade in the center.
What I also love about seafood dinners is that they are quick to whip up.
Sorry there was not enough patience to make the whole platter pretty.....Just wanted to eat the lot! And yes, for the record, this served two people.
Burp.
Previous tea smoking Here
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Winter Flower Power
The previous posts have been mostly around food! So to break the monotony a bit, here's the latest blooms around the garden...
Snowdrops are supposed to be around in spring! But here you go...
I have forgotten what this one is called, but these tiny white flowers are really very delicate and pretty...
Orangey lily (unofficial name, ofcourse!)
Camelia. This red one is always a showstopper. There is a pink camelia tree right beside it, taller and bears more flowers, some of the have already fallen to the ground, together with some leaves from the decidous vine across it. If i had to sweep the grounds every week, I'd be a really, really busy bee :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Snowdrops are supposed to be around in spring! But here you go...
I have forgotten what this one is called, but these tiny white flowers are really very delicate and pretty...
Orangey lily (unofficial name, ofcourse!)
Camelia. This red one is always a showstopper. There is a pink camelia tree right beside it, taller and bears more flowers, some of the have already fallen to the ground, together with some leaves from the decidous vine across it. If i had to sweep the grounds every week, I'd be a really, really busy bee :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Lemon Meringue Pie, take 2
We were invited to a Christmas in July party and considering the previous version was a hit, i made another pie and brought it to the party.
It was successfully demolished :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It was successfully demolished :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, July 11, 2011
Lemon Meringue Pie
After a constant discussion about lemon meringue tart over lunch last week with colleagues, there was no other way to flush this thought out of my mind but to actually make one. I haven't made a lemon meringue tart before, but i did make a lemon tart... The meringue makes a lot of difference for sure, in taste, texture as well as effort!
Anyway, after some research I found a recipe from this site which is one of my favorite links, with trustworthy recipes. As usual, there was a bit of tweaking involved... But very minor this time around. The only thing i changed was the addition of the zest of one navel orange to slightly offset the tartness of the lemon. This was an influence from the lemon tart recipe that i did which was an adaptation from Rachel Allen's recipe - i really liked the way the sweetness of the orange coated the mouth which complemented the taste of the tart lemon.
Here's a photo journey of this lemon meringue tart.
I mainly followed the steps in this recipe so just check this out if you want the ingredients
It started with the pastry - flour, sugar, butter...Pulsed till it resembled breadcrumbs...
.. Plus an egg. Blitz until it had come together like this.
I sandwiched the dough between 2 sheets of clingfilm to facilitate the rolling process
Into the fridge it went for about an hour.
Meanwhile, the curd was made. First it was milky white (cornflour, lemon juice, lemon zest, orange zest, sugar and water)
Then, translucent, after heat was applied!
Then it came off the heat and the butter and egg yolks whisked in. Rather vigorously.
And it went to the fridge as well.
Anyway, after about an hour the dough was ready for rock and roll.
(just wanted to make sure it fits!)
Again another trick i learned from Rachel Allen, the clingfilm also makes it easier to flip the dough into the tin...
..and to trim the excess.
Ready for blind baking
... And just like it came from a holiday from the beach - a beautiful golden color. Let cool.
Spoon in the lemon curd, and dollop meringue on top.
Looks pretty already. Although i messed up my timings a bit and i made the meringue too early, which left me with little time to fully cool the pastry shell. Or i was just impatient!
Bake until the meringue takes on a bit of color.
Serve, serve, serve! Again, just me being impatient. You're supposed to let it cool and chill in the fridge.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Anyway, after some research I found a recipe from this site which is one of my favorite links, with trustworthy recipes. As usual, there was a bit of tweaking involved... But very minor this time around. The only thing i changed was the addition of the zest of one navel orange to slightly offset the tartness of the lemon. This was an influence from the lemon tart recipe that i did which was an adaptation from Rachel Allen's recipe - i really liked the way the sweetness of the orange coated the mouth which complemented the taste of the tart lemon.
Here's a photo journey of this lemon meringue tart.
I mainly followed the steps in this recipe so just check this out if you want the ingredients
It started with the pastry - flour, sugar, butter...Pulsed till it resembled breadcrumbs...
.. Plus an egg. Blitz until it had come together like this.
I sandwiched the dough between 2 sheets of clingfilm to facilitate the rolling process
Into the fridge it went for about an hour.
Meanwhile, the curd was made. First it was milky white (cornflour, lemon juice, lemon zest, orange zest, sugar and water)
Then, translucent, after heat was applied!
Then it came off the heat and the butter and egg yolks whisked in. Rather vigorously.
And it went to the fridge as well.
Anyway, after about an hour the dough was ready for rock and roll.
(just wanted to make sure it fits!)
Again another trick i learned from Rachel Allen, the clingfilm also makes it easier to flip the dough into the tin...
..and to trim the excess.
Ready for blind baking
... And just like it came from a holiday from the beach - a beautiful golden color. Let cool.
Spoon in the lemon curd, and dollop meringue on top.
Looks pretty already. Although i messed up my timings a bit and i made the meringue too early, which left me with little time to fully cool the pastry shell. Or i was just impatient!
Bake until the meringue takes on a bit of color.
Serve, serve, serve! Again, just me being impatient. You're supposed to let it cool and chill in the fridge.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Little Elsie
Couldn't help myself when I saw the original photo - it seemed perfect for the colorsplash app...!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday Night (cooking) Live 2
Last Saturday night was good food night :)
It started with salmon 2 ways - on the left side is pan fried salmon, encrusted with black sesame seeds, topped with crispy skin, dressed with soy, mirin and wasabe. The other side is ceviche-style, marinated with kaffir lime and lemon juice and their respective zests. All served on a bed of rocket.
Cross section (don't look if you like your salmon cooked all the way through!)
The main meal was a three mushroom risotto (enoki, oyster mushroom and shiitake)
And it all ended with a bang with a dark chocolate orange cake with vanilla ice cream and candied orange, garnished with orange powder and chocolate mint leaves.
The best part - all the above was enjoyed at home. The spring onions, rocket leaves, kaffir lime and lemon used in the starter were from the garden, the risotto was perfumed with thyme and bay leaves also from the herb patch, the orange in the dessert was from the backyard (the orange powder was made from the zest dried in a low oven, and ground with a bit of caster sugar) and the candied fruit was from a previous harvest. The chocolate mint was also from the herb patch (a variety of mint, i got it from Bunnings).
Oh and let's not forget the wine! D'Arenberg 2009 The High Tree cabernet sauvignon.
So far the above has been one of the best meals we've done ourselves so far. Yes, we were pleased!
----
Cook's notes:
Dark chocolate orange cake
Melt 100g of dark chocolate (85% coco), a tablespoon of honey, 50g butter, zest of half an orange and juice of 1 orange, over a bain marie. Meanwhile whip 2 eggs and a teaspoon of caster sugar until thick and pale. Fold 1 tablespoon of plain flour to the egg mixture. Fold in chocolate. Spoon into greased ramekins. Bake for 10 min at 200C and let cool.
Orange powder
Spread the remaining zest (half an orange) on to a baking tray lined with baking paper, place into 90C oven for around 35minutes. Mix in about a teaspoon of caster sugar and lightly grind together in a mortar and pestle.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It started with salmon 2 ways - on the left side is pan fried salmon, encrusted with black sesame seeds, topped with crispy skin, dressed with soy, mirin and wasabe. The other side is ceviche-style, marinated with kaffir lime and lemon juice and their respective zests. All served on a bed of rocket.
Cross section (don't look if you like your salmon cooked all the way through!)
The main meal was a three mushroom risotto (enoki, oyster mushroom and shiitake)
And it all ended with a bang with a dark chocolate orange cake with vanilla ice cream and candied orange, garnished with orange powder and chocolate mint leaves.
The best part - all the above was enjoyed at home. The spring onions, rocket leaves, kaffir lime and lemon used in the starter were from the garden, the risotto was perfumed with thyme and bay leaves also from the herb patch, the orange in the dessert was from the backyard (the orange powder was made from the zest dried in a low oven, and ground with a bit of caster sugar) and the candied fruit was from a previous harvest. The chocolate mint was also from the herb patch (a variety of mint, i got it from Bunnings).
archive photos of previous candied peel (grapefruit and orange, harvested from the garden)
Oh and let's not forget the wine! D'Arenberg 2009 The High Tree cabernet sauvignon.
So far the above has been one of the best meals we've done ourselves so far. Yes, we were pleased!
----
Cook's notes:
Dark chocolate orange cake
Melt 100g of dark chocolate (85% coco), a tablespoon of honey, 50g butter, zest of half an orange and juice of 1 orange, over a bain marie. Meanwhile whip 2 eggs and a teaspoon of caster sugar until thick and pale. Fold 1 tablespoon of plain flour to the egg mixture. Fold in chocolate. Spoon into greased ramekins. Bake for 10 min at 200C and let cool.
Orange powder
Spread the remaining zest (half an orange) on to a baking tray lined with baking paper, place into 90C oven for around 35minutes. Mix in about a teaspoon of caster sugar and lightly grind together in a mortar and pestle.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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