The Asian cook in Denmark

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

2012-02-07T17:21:00.004+01:00

I was inspired to make this shrimp and corn chowder after seeing a facebook post of how comforting it can be on a winters night. This is my first attempt at making the chowder and it turned out really delicious and full of flavour. Some recipes call for bacon to be cooked in some oil before adding the rest of the ingredients to the soup- to lend it flavour. I didnt have bacon- but I used a special ingredient to impart lots of flavour to the soup- the end-block of a parmesan cheese I had used up earlier in the day which I threw into the stock.

Ingredients:
1 red onion finely sliced
1/2 yellow capsicum finely chopped
1/2 carrot finely chopped
2 boiled potatoes cubed
1 organic chicken stock cube
1 cup milk
3 tbs sour cream (the recipe called for regular cream, but I had sour cream- it added a pretty good flavour to the soup actually)
end block of a parmesan cheese
50 g shrimp

1. Heat olive oil and fry onions, capsicum and carrot until softened.
2. Add 1 cup water, milk, chicken stock cube and parmesan block.
3. Leave to simmer for 30 mins.
4. Check on the soup- at this point, the parmesan block had softened slightly, lending a good strong flavour to the soup and the vegetables were cooked but still had a slight crunch to them, which I like.
5. Lower heat and add prawns and sour cream. Be careful not to over-cook- mine was overcooked slightly leading to shrinked prawns. Another way to add the cream for presentation is only when the soup is served, by adding a dollop to the top.
6. Season and serve. I seasoned with rock salt and cracked black pepper.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

2012-02-07T15:36:00.003+01:00

This is one of the simplest spaghettis you can make- apparently it is made as a midnight snack by Italians. I found the lack of any meat or seafood a bit unnerving- I would add some grilled shrimp if I can next time round. Also, it called for pepperoncino which I had but I would also add some finely cut red chilli for an added punch.

Ingredients:
6 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 cup parmesan finely grated
1 tsp pepperoncino
parsley (i had to use dried, fresh is better)
pinch of rock salt
5 tbs olive oil
spaghetti (for 2 people)

1. Heat olive oil and fry garlic.
2. Add the boiled spaghetti.
3. Take away from heat and mix in parmesan, spices and parsley.
4. Serve hot.

Beef Bourginon with Shiitake Mushrooms

2012-02-05T17:53:00.004+01:00

This is my own version of beef bourginon with an onion gravy and slices of shiitake mushroom. I cooked it in a slow cooker for over six hours which really blended the flavours beautifully. I found that the addition of shiitake mushrooms lent a strong and hearty flavour to the dish.

Ingredients:
200 g beef cubed
1 carrot sliced lengthwise
5 shiitake mushrooms broken up in pieces
2 red onions
4 cloves
1 star anise
3 cups red wine
1 cube of stock (I used an organic vegetable stock, though beef stock would have been more appropriate)

1. Brown beef in a skillet. Add to the slow cooker
2. Fry onions in left over oil until soft and light brown. Add to the slow cooker.
3. Add the wine and stock cube, together with the star anise, cloves, shiitake mushrooms and carrots. Slow cook on low for six hours or high for 3 hours.

Note: If you dont have a slow cooker, you can also do this in a Dutch oven or stovetop pan.

Spinach, Green Chilli and Parmesan Omelette

2012-02-05T17:44:00.004+01:00

I made this on a Sunday morning and it came out absolutely delicious. It was a simple combination of parmesan, a green chilli and a handful of spinach in the omelette- and the flavours balanced out wonderfully. My secret ingredient that kept the omelette moist and fluffy was a dollop of sour cream.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
50 g shaved parmesan
1 green chilli chopped finely
handful of green spinach chopped finely
1 tbs sour cream
pinch of rock salt
pinch of coarse black pepper

1. Blend eggs with all the ingredients listed above.
2. Cook over medium heat until omelette is golden brown on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
3. Serve with crusty bread.

Jamie Oliver's Pukka Pineapple with Bashed up Mint Sugar

2011-08-21T18:12:00.002+02:00

This is a recipe I got from Jamie Oliver. Its very simple and quite refreshing after a spicy meal.

Ingredients:
thinly sliced pineapple
4 tbs caster sugar
a bunch of mint leaves

1. Lay pineapple slices on a plate. In a mortar and pestle, pound sugar and mint. Sprinkle on top. Its that easy. And pretty tasty too.

Basil Pesto

2011-08-07T16:59:00.002+02:00

This basil pesto is seriously good on home baked fresh bread.

Ingredients:
Bunches of basil leaves
3-4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice
8 walnuts
pinch of rock salt

1. Blitz all the ingredients in a blender. Serve with bread.

Pork Chops ala Paula

2011-08-02T20:03:00.002+02:00

This is my own personal recipe for pork chops. It has a slight caramelized flavour that reminds me of char siu (chinese barbequed pork) which makes it my favourite recipe when I have to cook a Western style pork dish.

Ingredients:
1 pork loin
1 head garlic
1 lemon
1 tbs organic honey
2 tbs raisins
3 potatoes (boiled and mashed)
1 tbs dark golden syrup
salt and pepper

1. On the night before, put pork loin (pricked with fork), cloves of garlic (unpeeled), lemon juice and zest and honey. Bake for 30 mins until pork is cooked.
2. Place in fridge and allow to marinade.
3. The next day, remove pork and slice thinly. While cutting pork, boil potatoes. Squeeze the filling out of garlic cloves and add to potatoes and mash with some butter, salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Pour the rest of the juice from the baking tray onto a frying pan and cook thin pork slices on it. Drizzle the dark syrup on it and allow to caramelize.
5. Serve pork with reduced sauce, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. In this case, I steamed mushrooms, brocolli and carrot to serve with this.

Pizza

2011-08-02T19:58:00.002+02:00

I have showcased a pizza recipe on the blog before, but I wanted to put this up as it is a different combination of toppings that made for an absolutely superb pizza. This time around, I went for the freshest ingredients possible.

Toppings:
1. Tomatoes on vine (this made for a far tastier tomato than the ones sold without stalks or vines)
2. Onion (I had to use white, but red onions or shallots are tastiest)
3. Garlic (roughly chopped)
4. Fresh basil leaves torn up
5. Dried French pepperoni sliced thinly
6. Black olives (I find the ones sold without brine taste better than with brine)
7. Cheese topping: a mixture of parmesan, mozarella and cheddar

Spaghetti with Tomato, Basil and Smoked Salmon

2011-06-27T00:19:00.003+02:00

This is a simple spaghetti dish with canned Italian tomato sauce, smoked salmon, parmesan, basil and garlic.

Ingredients:
200 g spaghetti
1 head garlic
1/2 can Italian tomato sauce
100 g shaved parmesan
a bunch of basil leaves

1. Boil spaghetti until al-dente.
2. Heat olive oil in skillet and fry minced garlic until lightly colored. Add the spaghetti and stir up. Add tomato sauce and cook until sauce is heated. Remove from heat and toss in the rest of the ingredients. Serve.

Spaghetti Carbonara

2011-06-14T14:43:00.003+02:00

I finally did it. I made a perfect Spaghetti Carbonara after more than twelve failed attempts. It was the just the right blend of parmesan cheese, garlic, bacon and parsley. My trip to Italy taught me how important the consistency of the pasta had to be- to make it perfectly right it has to be 'al dente'. Yesterday I was in food heaven eating this considering its one of my most favourite dishes.

Ingredients:
1/2 pack spaghetti
3 slivers bacon
1 head garlic
3 tbs olive oil
1/2 block parmesan cheese shaved
3 sprigs parsley chopped
2 pasteurised egg yolks
5 tbs cream

1. Heat water to boiling point, add pasta and let it simmer until al-dente (chewy, not too soft).
2. Heat oil in saute pan and fry garlic, add chopped bacon.
3. Remove pasta from simmering water when cooked, sieve from all excess water and toss into saute pan. Take away from the stove. Toss in parmesan, eggs, cream and parsley and allow these to cook with warmth of pasta and cooked garlic and bacon. Season with a bit of salt and cracked black pepper and serve immediately.

Green curry with pork and vegetables

2011-06-09T08:42:00.004+02:00

This is another green curry recipe to showcase how versatile this curry can be. I have written up the recipe for making the actual curry paste- in this recipe, I will show the easy way to make the curry using Mae Ploy's curry paste which can be bought at Asian shops here. I usually make a curry to finish leftovers in the fridge- I had pork, french beans, coriander and cabbage that needed using up so I turned it into this delicious hearty curry. It only took a mere twenty minutes to cook this up.

Ingredients:
2 heaped tablespoons of Mae Ploy green curry paste
1/2 can coconut milk or coconut cream
2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs sugar (or you can use Thai palm sugar for a more intense flavour. It usually comes in big cubes that have to be cut)
pinch of salt
4 kaffir lime leaves (this can be bought frozen at the Asian shop, just peel off the frozen leaves and throw into pot)
1 sprig coriander chopped
1/2 onion sliced
100 g pork cubed
1/4 head of cabbage sliced

1. Heat oil and fry curry paste until fragrant. Add the pork.
2. Cook under high heat until pork is almost cooked and add vegetables (except coriander).
3. Add seasonings when vegetables are softened.
4. Finish off with coconut milk and coriander.

Bjarne's Brulee

2011-06-07T21:07:00.007+02:00

This brulee is the recipe of a friend of ours called Bjarne who made the most delicious creme brulee I have ever tasted. We made it on his instructions and it was pure heaven in a cup. His secret, from what I have gathered from his recipe is that he only uses top quality ingredients for his dessert such as the real vanilla stalk instead of vanilla essence, pasteurised egg yolks and the organic sugar made from sugarcane. This recipe calls for a fruit base which adds a fresh tart contrasting flavour to the sweet creamy brulee.

Ingredients:
1/2 litre of cream
1 stalk of vanilla
150 g of organic caster sugar (from sugarcane)
6 pasteurised egg yolks
200g mixed berries

1. Whisk the egg yolks with sugar until light and frothy. (with mixing machine).
2. Heat cream under low heat. Scrape vanilla seeds from stalk and add to cream. Throw in the stalk as well. Keep to a light simmer, and then sieve the mixture, discarding the stalk.
3. Add the warm cream slowly in pouring mixture to the egg yolk mixture while it is whirring in the machine at full speed.
4. Boil berries with 50 g of sugar until softened. Put on bottom of glass container.
5. Add the cream mixture on top.
6. Bake in water bath at 160 degrees for 1 hour. Take out and leave to cool for several hours.
7. Put the glass cups back in a water bath. Add 2 tbs of sugar at the end and bake under high heat to set or use a flame torch to caramelize sugar on top of the creme brulee.

Butter Prawns Bruschetta

2011-05-31T13:30:00.007+02:00

The most wonderful thing happened this weekend. I found fresh curry leaves in Bazaar Vest. After years of missing my favourite Malaysian butter prawns, I can finally make it at home. I was wondering how I should serve it. Usually it was a dish served with many other dishes at the Chinese restaurants I frequented to be eaten with rice. It didnt seem fitting to serve it by itself with rice- so I came up with the idea of making it bruschetta style, which turned out perfect- it soaks up the wonderful buttery, curry leaf aroma-filled gravy and you can enjoy the perfectly cooked prawns on top. It would make for the most decadent starter dish for a dinner. If the shopkeeper at the Bazaar continues to sell it, my dinner guests would be in for a real treat!

Ingredients:
200g tiger prawns, cleaned, de-veined
2 cloves of garlic minced
3 bird eye chillies chopped
3 tbs butter
5 tbs evaporated milk
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp shaoxing wine
1 tsp light soya sauce
1 tbs sugar
pinch of salt

1. Heat butter (add some extra virgin oil if necessary) and fry up garlic until fragrant. Add chillies and toss around under high heat.
2. Throw in prawns and cook for 2 mins before adding curry leaves. Season with shaoxing wine, soya sauce and sugar. Continue frying under high heat until prawns are cooked through.
3. Add the evaporated milk at the end to gather up and concentrate the different flavours into a sauce.
4. Toast bread (in this case I used soft buns as it best soaks up sauce). Put spoonfuls of the butter prawns, adding some of the sauce on the side, and serve up. Eat while its warm!

Sushi with Chilli Soya Dressing

2011-05-30T16:52:00.003+02:00

I make sushi periodically because it is easy to pack for lunch. Here is my recipe for sushi and a special dressing I invented which I call 'Chilli Soya Dressing'.

Ingredients:
Seaweed for rolling
2 cups sushi rice boiled with 2.5 cups water
3 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
Fillings for sushi- you can use tuna, salmon, cucumbers, avocodoes- in this case, I used tiger prawns and cucumber
1/3 cup sushi vinegar

1. Prepare sushi rice- boil rice. In the meantime, boil vinegar, sugar and salt together. Leave to cool.
2. When rice is prepared, mix in the vinegar mixture.
3. Use immediately by spreading on seaweed rolls, filling with condiments and rolling.

Chilli Soya Dressing
1 tsp linghams chilli sauce
1 tbs mayonnaise
1/2 tsp soya sauce

1. Mix up mayo and chilli sauce.
2. Drizzle the soya sauce on top of it. Absolutely delicious!

Another dressing I do is to mix up 1/2 tsp wasabi with mayo and then drizzle with soya sauce.

Coleslaw

2011-05-30T16:47:00.003+02:00

I made this coleslaw as an accompaniment to some spin-off Kentucky Fried Chicken recipes I was trying. It was so delicious that I packed it as a lunch for the next day.

Ingredients:
2 carrots shredded
1/4 cabbage shredded
1/2 red onion sliced
1 spring spring onion minced
3 tbs mayonnaise
1 tsp vinegar
1 tbs honey
1 tbs mustard
1/2 tsp salt

1. Mix the ingredients up together as you would do for a salad. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Stir Fried Chicken with Holy Basil (Gai Pad Grapow)

2011-05-23T21:39:00.003+02:00

I made this chicken dish with an addition of carrots to make it more hearty. A delicious blend of flavours from kaffir lime leaves, holy basil, fish sauce and sugar.

Ingredients:
200 g chicken minced
1 head of garlic minced
1 carrot sliced thinly
3 small red chillies
3 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs dark soya sauce
1 tbs sugar
4 kaffir lime leaves
dash of pepper and salt
Holy Basil

1. Heat oil and fry garlic.
2. Add chicken and fry until cooked.
3. Add carrots and chilli and fry for five mins.
4. Add condiments. Continue cooking under high heat.
5. Add the end of the stir frying, throw in holy basil leaves which have been stripped from stalks.
6. Serve hot with rice.

Thai Style Salmon Salad

2011-04-08T12:19:00.004+02:00

I made a simple Thai style smoked salmon salad for lunch today.

Ingredients

2 sprigs of green lettuce

1/2 avocado sliced

smoked salmon

2 tbs fish sauce

1 tbs palm sugar

1/4 lemon juiced

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

smoked salmon

1. Chop up vegetables and place in plate with slices of smoked salmon

2. Make the dressing of fish sauce, palm sugar and lemon by mixing seperately in a bowl before pouring over.

3. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Home-Made Pizza

2011-01-05T14:07:00.003+01:00

I really dont get why people buy pizzas when it tastes so much better home-made. This one is made with a medley of seafood- clams, prawns and crabsticks.

Ingredients:
For dough:
1 tbs dry active yeast
1.5 cups warm water
3.5 cups flour
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

1. Sprinkle the yeast on warm water, leave to bubble. In the meantime, sieve flour in big mixing bowl.
2. Make hole in the center of flour and add the water, oil and seasonings. Knead.
3. Cover with kitchen cloth and leave to rise for 2 hours before using for pizza.

Pizza toppings:
1 pack cheddar cheese
1 pack mozarella cheese
seafood
onions
garlic
tomatoes

For pizza sauce:
2 tbs tomato paste
1 packet chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

Boil these ingredients up in a pan, spread on pizza. Add toppings and bake in middle oven, 180 degrees for 15 mins.

Skildpaddeis (Chocolate Turtles Ice Cream)

2011-01-02T15:54:00.006+01:00

I tried my hand at making this absolutely delicious ice-cream that I wanted to share on this site. It is made with 'skildpadde' (chocolate turtles), a famous Danish chocolate which has a caramel filling inside. For this recipe, any ordinary chocolate will do as well. It has such a creamy and rich flavour, and I doubt I will go back to store bought ice-cream again.

Ingredients:
2 pasteurised egg yolks
4 tbs powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
5 dl cream
1 pasteurised egg white
12 Toms chocolate turtles (skildpadde)

1. Whisk eggs, powdered sugar and vanilla sugar.
2. Add cream (whip it until thick) and chopped chocolate turtles
3. Whisk egg white until stiff and fold in.
4. Put in a springform or baking tray and freeze for 3-5 hours.

Singapore Chilli Crabs

2011-01-02T15:42:00.002+01:00

This is one of the most delicious ways to cook crabs.

Ingredients:
2 crabs (in this case, I used 200 g cracked claws)
1 red onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
6 fresh red chillies
5 cm piece of ginger sliced
2 tomatoes quartered
1.5 cups tomato sauce
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1 tsp shaoxing wine
1 tbs sweet chilli sauce
1 tbs white vinegar
1 cup water
salt and pepper to season

1. Heat oil and fry onions, garlic and ginger.
2. Add chillies and tomatoes and stir. Add water and all the seasonings to a thick sauce. Then add crabs.
3. Cook crabs for 25 mins in the sauce
4. Serve with bread rolls to soak up sauce or you can look up the recipe of Chinese mantou buns which go superbly with the dish.

Malaysian Butter Prawns

2011-01-02T15:35:00.005+01:00

For this butter prawns recipe, I used virgin lobsters which worked just as well. The best result would be with tiger prawns. Also, fresh curry leaves would make a big difference in the intensity of the flavour of the dish. I had to use dried curry leaves instead as I didnt have any fresh ones- in this case, just use more to create the same kind of flavour.

Ingredients:
250 g prawns (or virgin lobsters in this case)
100 g dried curry leaves (or 3 sprigs fresh curry leaves)
100 g butter
1 cup evaporated milk
6 birds eye chillis (deseeded)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp shao xing wine
1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat butter and fry garlic and chillies.
2. Add prawns and curry leaves and fry at high heat (in a wok)
3. Add seasonings and evaporated milk. Simmer for 5 mins. Serve.
(Note that prawns should not be overcooked, otherwise they will shrivel).

Chocolate Brownies

2010-12-16T14:56:00.002+01:00

These brownies were wonderfully moist. I love serving them with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce.

Ingredients:
1 block unsweetened chocolate
1 cup butter
5 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 tbs vanilla essence
1.5 cups flour
1 tsp salt

1. Melt butter and chocolate till combined on double boiler.
2. In a mixer, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until well combined.
3. Pour in chocolate mixture.
4. Fold in flour and salt.
5. Bake for 30 mins at 200 degrees.

"Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies"

2010-12-16T13:37:00.002+01:00

This is what I found online. It doesnt taste exactly like famous amos, but it is very good. I think it is the blended oatmeal that makes this cookie chewy and crunchy at the same time.

Ingredients:
2 cups butter
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal
24 oz chocolate chips
1 tsp salt
18 oz Cadbury bar
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla essence

1. Cream butter with the sugar
2. Add eggs and vanilla essence
3. Fold in oatmeal, flour, and grated cadbury bar, baking soda and baking powder and salt
4. Add chocolate chips
5. Bake in oven in the middle shelf at 200 degrees for 20 mins.
(Note that this makes 122 cookies, so you may want to halve this recipe. I freeze most of the dough and use when needed).

Sweet and Sour Pork

2010-12-16T13:27:00.003+01:00

I have shared a pork recipe- which was the thai style of making sweet and sour pork. This is the chinese style, where the pork is fried first in a batter before adding to the sweet and sour sauce.

Ingredients:
Batter for pork:
200 g pork cubed
1 egg white
1 teaspoon shao xing wine
1 teaspoon soya sauce
salt and pepper
1 tbs cornflour

1. Season pork cubes with shaoxing wine, soya sauce, salt and pepper for 30 mins.
2. Add egg white and stir.
3. Take each cube with a chopstick, stir in cornflour to coat before frying. Set aside the pork fritters to drain on kitchen paper.

Sauce:
1 red onion sliced
1/2 clove garlic minced
3 tbs tomato sauce
1 tbs vinegar
1 tbs sugar
1 teaspoon chilli sauce
1 teaspoon soya sauce
salt and pepper for seasoning.
(you can add pineapple but I find that too sweet and substituted with green snap peas)
1 tomato wedged

1. Heat oil in pot and fry onion and garlic. Add 1/2 cup water.
2. Add all the seasonings and simmer until thickened. (20 mins)
3. Add vegetables and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Add pork cubes to sauce and serve with white rice.

Black Sauce Pork

2010-12-16T13:20:00.003+01:00

This is my mother's recipe- a pork dish braised with soya sauce, ginger and garlic. It used to be my favourite dish when I was a child. I have modified it slightly by adding a touch of shao xing wine and a star anise, which adds a bit more depth to the flavour.

Ingredients:

200 g pork cubed

6 tbs dark soya sauce

1 clove garlic minced

1 thumb sized piece of ginger sliced

1 teaspoon shao xing wine

1 tsp sesame oil

1 star anise

pinch of salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in pot and fry garlic and ginger until browned. Add pork and fry up until cooked.

2. Add 1 cup water and all the seasonings and sauces. Let it simmer until the sauce has thickened up. (30 minutes)

3. Serve hot with white rice

Creme Brulee

2010-08-01T16:10:00.002+02:00

One of those ultimate comfort puddings.

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
2 eggs
250 ml cream
250 ml milk
150 g sugar
1 vanilla pod

1. Heat milk and cream with the vanilla pod. Bring it to boiling point and then let the pod infuse for ten mins.
2. Beat eggs and sugar until pale and creamy.
3. Bring the cream and milk to boiling point again. Remove from heat and pour in the egg mixture, mixing as you do so. You now have a custard.
4. Sieve the custard into ramekins that are submerged in water (up to halfway) in a baking tin.
5. Bake for forty mins at middle shelf.
6. When done (wobbly in the middle), add sugar on top and grill for 5 mins.
7. Cool and serve.

Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken and Potatoes

2010-08-01T16:04:00.002+02:00

Thai yellow curry is an inspiration from Indian cooking and is rich with spices like coriander, cumin and Indian curry powder.

Ingredients:
2 tbs yellow curry paste (see recipe in 2009 archive)
2 potatoes quartered
200 g chicken cubed
2 fresh red chillies
2 sprigs coriander chopped
50 g spinach chopped
1 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs palm sugar
pinch of salt
1 packet coconut milk
100 g coconut cream

1. Heat oil and fry curry paste until fragrant.
2. Add 2 cups water and cook potatoes for 10 mins.
3. Add chicken and cook until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked.
4. Wait until water nearly evaporates before adding the rest of the vegetables.
5. Add coconut milk, cream, fish sauce and sugar. Stir well.
6. Simmer for five mins before removing from heat.
7. Serve with rice.

Cold Lemon Souffle

2010-07-30T20:17:00.002+02:00

This souffle is very palate cleansing and perfect as a dessert after a two course meal.

Ingredients:
1 tbs powdered gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 eggs seperated
2 lemons- grated rinds and juice
1 cup of cream beaten until stiff

1. Pour gelatin into water
2. Beat egg yolks together. Pour in lemon juice and rind
3. Beat egg whites until stiff
4. Heat the gelatin and water gently until gelatin dissolves. Fold into the lemon mixture.
5. Fold in egg whites and whipped cream
6. Pour into souffle dishes and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Fresh Bread

2010-07-29T09:51:00.002+02:00

There is nothing quite so divine as fresh home-made bread. Thomas has started baking again- last week he made a sundried tomato bread and yesterday, this yoghurt bread. I have bought some wonderful accompaniments- good cheese, smoked deer, homemade strawberry jam and smoked salmon to go with the bread. But really, its so good you can eat it on its own (or with a large dollop of butter!)

Storing curry paste

2010-07-29T07:53:00.005+02:00

What I do once in a while, is make Thai curry pastes which I store in my freezer. The ingredients for the pastes can only be purchased at the Asian shop, which is over an hour by train from my home. Here I have a yellow curry paste and red curry paste, all ready to be kept away until the mood for Thai food strikes me. I have posted the recipes for both in my 2009 folder.

Skyr

2010-07-26T10:40:00.002+02:00

Skyr is an Icelandic dish- this one Im showcasing is a dessert. Its basically a thick yogurt which you can sweeten with sugar and some wonderful summer berries.

Ingredients

Skyr (can be found in Brugsen, Irma and Kvickly)

2 tbs sugar

strawberries and blueberries

1/2 cup cream

1. Mix the skyr with sugar and cream until well combined.

2. Serve with berries.

Chunky Butternut Squash Soup

2010-07-24T06:00:00.003+02:00

Its rare to find butternut squash in the shops these days, so when I found one this week, I had to make this hearty soup.

Ingredients:

1/2 butternut squash chopped in quarters

1 carrot

2 potatoes

1/2 red onion

1/2 red chilli

2 sprigs coriander

1 thumbsized piece of ginger

1/2 chicken stock cube, salt, pepper, nutmeg

1. Heat a tbs of oil in the pan and cook onions until softened. Then add water to simmer other vegetables.

2. When vegetables are cooked (about half hour), mash with big fork in the pot, add seasonings. Add coriander for garnishing.

3. Finish off with a dollop of sour cream on the top.

American Cheese Ball

2009-12-03T14:35:00.003+01:00

You can serve this ball up with digestives and Tuc crackers at a party. Its easy to make, a great finger food but best of all, it usually winds up the star of the show because of its dramatic appearance.

Ingredients
2 packs Philadelphia cream cheese, original
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
(1 cup shredded smoked cheese- optional)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
few springs of spring onion chopped finely
crushed hazelnuts (or you can use walnut or pecan)

1. Mix all the ingredients except the nuts in a bowl.
2. Shape into a ball with a spatula.
3. Roll in chopped nuts.
4. Serve with crackers.

Bombay Toast

2009-10-24T00:04:00.002+02:00

Bombay toast is basically an Indian spin-off of French toast. The addition of condensed milk gives the bread a golden, caramelized flavour.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 tbs condensed milk
1 pinch salt
1/2 baguette

1. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk and salt together. Pour in a deep plate.
2. Dip cuts up pieces of baguette into the egg mixture to coat. Fry.

Seafood red curry

2009-09-29T20:21:00.007+02:00

I am showcasing a simple Thai curry recipe here that you can make in just under 15 minutes. This is comfort food at its best during the cold season. I have included some European vegetables in this dish to show how versatile it can be.

Ingredients
2 heaped tbs of red curry paste (you can use homemade curry paste that you will find in my archive or the packeted version sold in the Asian shop)
5 stalks asparagus chopped in pieces
1 carrot- chopped
1 sprig coriander chopped
1/2 pkt of prawns
3 tbs wild mushrooms
1/2 can coconut milk
1/2 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs sugar

1. Heat oil and gently fry the curry paste. Add 1 cup of water.
2. Add vegetables and prawns.
3. Simmer for 10 mins and season with sugar, fish sauce and pinch of salt. Add coconut milk.
4. Serve hot with rice.

Panna Cotta with Cherries

2009-09-29T20:03:00.003+02:00

I love the taste of panna cotta- its so light and creamy. I placed my homegrown cherries on it and it was delicious!

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
50 g sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
2.5 tsp powdered gelatin
3 tbs cold water

1. Heat cream and sugar in a saucepan. Add vanilla sugar.
2. In the meantime, sprinkle powdered gelatin in the cold water and let it stand for five minutes.
3. Pour the hot cream mixture over the gelatin mixture and stir thoroughly.
4. Pour into prepared cups. This recipe can be divided into four cups.
5. Keep it in the fridge for at least 4 hours to set.
6. Garnish with cherries and mint leaf.

Glass Noodle Soup

2009-09-28T12:48:00.003+02:00

I had some extra glass noodles in a tupperware in the fridge and made myself a Chinese style noodle soup for lunch. Glass noodles are also popularly used in Chinese and Vietnamese cooking. I love the texture of the noodles- its light and airy but suprisingly hearty at the same time.

Ingredients:
50 g cooked glass noodle
3 tbs prawns
2 asparagus (chopped)
1 sprig coriander (chopped)
1 sprig spring onion (chopped)
25 g pork (finely sliced)
2 tbs wild mushroom (sliced)
1 tbs chopped garlic
1 tbs chopped onion
1 slice ginger
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp light soya sauce
salt and pepper to season
1/2 red chilli finely sliced

1. Heat 1 tbs oil in a saucepan and cook onion, garlic and ginger until softened. Take care to make sure it doesnt get browned.
2. Add water to saucepan- (about 1/4) full and add the vegetables and meat, reserving the coriander and spring onion leaves.
3. When meat is cooked, add the seasonings and stir gently. Reduce to a simmer. Add the leaves.
4. Mix 1 tsp cornflour in water and add to thicken the soup slightly. (optional: you can break an egg into the noodle soup at this point)
5. Pour the soup over the prepared noodles in a deep glass dish. Serve.

Cornish Pasty- Asian Style

2009-09-28T12:32:00.005+02:00

I made some giant pasties on Sunday morning for breakfast- but I put Asian fillings instead of the traditional beef and potatoes of the British style. Actually, we have in Singapore something called 'curry puffs' which has these fillings in mini- cornish style pasties. I didnt have the patience to make these mini puffs and opted to make two giant pasties instead.

Ingredients for pastry (shortcrust pastry)
200 g flour sieved
1/2 tsp salt
100 g cold butter (cut into small squares with a knife)
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 tbs cold water

1. Rub in butter into flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add baking powder and salt.
2. Stir in cold water and knead dough with hands. Use immediately or keep it cool in the refrigerator.

My fillings- Masala potatoes (please see in earlier archive)
Sardine- Mix 2 cans of sardines with 1 sliced red onion and 1 sliced red chilli)

1. Divide the dough in half. Shape it into balls and roll out as a big circle. Put filling in the middle. (1 filling per pasty). Wet the edges of the pastry and fold it in half. Crimp the ends, or use a fork and press it together. Glaze with the yolk of an egg.
2. Bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.

Sundried Tomato Pesto

2009-09-27T16:48:00.004+02:00

This has a more tangy flavour and you can add it to pasta and pizza sauces to get a stronger and more flavourful taste of tomato.

Ingredients

1 packet sundried tomatoes

150 parmesan cheese

50 g pines nuts

2 pips garlic

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp rock salt

Bunch of basil leaves

1. Blend in a food processor.

Black Olive Pesto

2009-09-27T10:17:00.003+02:00

A lovely finger food to spread on freshly cut-up baguettes. Smells heavenly too.

Ingredients:
1 small jar pitted black olives
1/4 pack of sundried tomato
1 clove garlic
2 tbs olive oil
150 g parmesan cheese
3 tbs pine nuts
bunch of basil leaves

1. Blend the following ingredients in a mixer and serve with bread.

Thai Glass Noodle Salad

2009-09-26T18:39:00.003+02:00

This is a cool and refreshing noodle salad. Especially popular in the north of Thailand.

Ingredients:
1/2 packet glass noodles
1 bunch coriander chopped
1 bunch mint leaves chopped
1 bunch spring onion chopped
1/2 red onion finely sliced
1 tbs sesame seeds
1 green lime - juice
4 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs sugar
pinch of salt
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1 green chilli finely sliced- remove seeds

1. Boil water in a saucepan. Remove from heat and soak noodles. When noodles are softened, put in a colander to drain hot water away and wash with cold water. Use scissors to cut noodles so its easier to handle.
2. Mix in a salad bowl with the other ingredients.
3. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Scrambled eggs with Salmon

2009-09-18T09:45:00.003+02:00

This is a decadent breakfast and yet so simple to make.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 tbs chopped smoked salmon
1 tbs grated cheese
pinch of salt

1. Mix the above ingredients in bowl.
2. Heat oil and pour mixture on the frying pan.
3. Allow it to cook at the bottom first before scrambling it so you get a nice mix of cooked and soft egg. This lets the cheese melt properly into the egg too.
4. Serve with bread.

Cream of Tomato Soup

2009-09-17T18:21:00.000+02:00

I just love the taste of fresh tomato soup. Pair with a freshly baked baguette and you are good to go!

Ingredients:
8 tomatoes quartered
2 carrots sliced
1 white onion sliced
4 pips garlic sliced
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs philadelphia cream cheese or just regular cream
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in pot and gently fry onion, garlic and carrots until soft and translucent. Add one cup of water.
2. Add tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes have softened.
3. Blend in food processor- I like to just blitz mine lightly so I still get some chunkiness of tomato and carrot in the soup.
4. Add the soup back to the pot and season. Mix in the cream cheese. (this is my own version, I find the cream cheese adds a lot of flavour to the soup. You can also add regular cream).
5. Serve with crusty bread.

Raita (Indian yogurt salad)

2009-09-13T14:20:00.003+02:00

Raita is a good accompaniment to spicy food because it is cooling.

Ingredients:
3 tbs yogurt (whisk until thickened)
1/2 cucumber (remove seeds and slice into cubes)
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt and pepper

1. Mix the above ingredients together. Serve.

Masala Potatoes

2009-09-13T14:14:00.003+02:00

Masala potatoes are a great addition to any Indian dish- it can be eaten with chapatis and raita, be a side dish in an Indian platter or act as a filling to Indian samosas.

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes, boiled and quartered
1/2 cup peas
1 white onion- chopped
1 thumbsized piece of ginger- minced
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 green chilli chopped
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs ghee

1. Heat ghee and fry cumin and coriander seeds lightly. Add onion and minced ginger and fry until lightly golden. Add green chilli.
2. Add potatoes and peas and mix well. Add spices and 1/2 cup water if the mixture gets too dry, allow to simmer.
3. Mix potatoes with spatula so that they become lightly crushed. Add salt. You can add coriander leaves as well if you have them around the house. Serve.

Salmon Tartines

2009-09-12T11:10:00.004+02:00

I was served this dish in Paris - smoked salmon on buttered baguettes that had been lightly toasted. I couldnt believe how simple and yet delicious the dish tasted. A book I read on French food shared the basic principles of the cuisine- fresh, quality ingredients made simply so you can enjoy its flavours in its best form. So, I went out to the bakery and bought bread they had made that morning, used my ecological butter to butter the bread and bought scandinavian salmon that had been smoked the old fashioned way. It tasted absolutely divine. I topped this off with snippets of parsley from a plant in my kitchen.

Ingredients:
1/2 baguette
ecological butter
good quality salmon
parsley

1. Bake sliced baguettes in oven until crisp on the outside and soft inside.
2. Butter the bread and placed smoked salmon on top.
3. Sprinkle with parsley or any other herb you may have in your kitchen. I reckon dill would have gone beautifully with the salmon.

Lamb Masala

2009-09-09T19:18:00.002+02:00

This is similar to chicken masala- in this case we use lamb and potatoes. I buy my lamb from the butcher from Bazaar Vest and he provides very tender cuts of meat which is perfect for this dish.

Ingredients:
200 g lamb sliced in cubes
2 potatoes (quartered)
1 red chilli sliced
1 onion sliced
5 pips garlic minced
1 thumbsized piece of ginger minced
1/2 can coconut milk
2 sprigs of coriander chopped
1 heaped tbs garam masala powder (or curry powder)
1/2 tbs tumeric powder
1/4 tbs chili powder
2 tbs ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tomato (quartered)

1. Heat ghee on pot and fry onions, garlic, cumin and ginger until fragrant and lightly browned.
2. Add lamb and cook until skin becomes slightly translucent on the outside. You can add a bit of water if the lamb starts to stick to the pan.
3. Add the spice powders and fry until fragrant.
4. Add 1/2 cup water and add potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are cooked. Then add tomato.
5. When tomato softens, add coriander and coconut milk.
6. Serve with basmati rice (I like to add a garnish of cucumber with tomato sauce on top, a childhood habit).

Bacon and Beans

2009-08-22T14:35:00.002+02:00

This is another very hearty recipe- full of robust flavours. One of my favourite comfort foods.

Ingredients:
1/2 onion sliced
5 pips garlic minced
1 tomato sliced
4 strips of bacon chopped
1 can red kidney beans
1 tsp tomato paste

1. Heat oil and fry bacon until browned.
2. Add onion and garlic and fry up til softened.
3. Add tomatoes and fry until skin is slightly wrinkly.
4. Add red kidney beans, tomato paste and season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve with white rice.

Chocolate Mousse

2009-08-22T14:28:00.002+02:00

This is a very easy recipe- I made this with eggs and chocolate. You can choose to add cream if you want a lighter mousse-like texture.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
200 g chocolate bar
1/4 cup water

1. Separate the egg yolks from the white. Beat the whites until thick and fluffy.
2. Heat chocolate in a double boiler. Add egg yolks and water.
3. When cooled, fold in the egg whites.
4. Place in the refrigerator for 4 hours to set.
5. Serve.

Fish Soup

2009-08-22T14:22:00.003+02:00

A warm and hearty broth for those rainy evenings.

Ingredients:
1 piece of salmon
1 onion
5 pips garlic
1 thumb sized piece of ginger
1 tomato
1/2 tsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp shao xing rice wine
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp sesame oil
3 tbs evaporated milk to thicken

1. Put on a pot half covered with water on the boil. Add onion, ginger and garlic. Leave to simmer until these vegetables are fully softened.
2. Add tomatoes and seasoning. When tomatoes are cooked and partially flaking, add fish and seasonings. Cook until fish is done. Add evaporated milk to thicken the broth.
3. Serve.

Pancakes

2009-08-15T09:12:00.002+02:00

Pancakes makes for a great start for a weekend morning. Thomas likes them thin so here is my recipe for thin, light and fluffy pancakes. You can serve it homemade jam or maple syrup.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
115 g flour
140 ml milk
pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Make sure there are no lumps.
2. Cook on hot skillet- this recipe makes 8 medium sized pancakes.

Chilli Chicken

2009-05-22T16:21:00.002+02:00

Sometimes when I make home-made chilli sauce for food like Thai fishcakes, I use the left-over sauce to make a dish I call Chilli Chicken.

Ingredients:
1 red chilli (pounded)
2 pieces of garlic (minced)
50 ml vinegar
50 ml water
2 tbs sugar
200 g chicken
1/2 cucumber (chopped)
2 tomatoes
1 tbs cornflour paste

1. You can make home-made chilli sauce by mixing boiling pounded chilli, minced garlic, vinegar and water in a saucepan. Thicken with cornflour paste.
2. The left-over chilli can be used for the Chilli Chicken recipe. Heat oil and fry chicken until brown. Add chilli sauce, tomatoes and cucumbers and simmer until cooked. Serve with rice.

Thai Fishcakes

2009-05-22T16:14:00.002+02:00

Thai fishcakes has that added 'oomph' compared to ordinary fishcakes (like Danish fisk frikadeller) because there is red curry paste added to it. Commonly known as Todd Man Pla in Thailand.

Ingredients:
2 tbs red curry paste
1 string yard long beans sliced finely
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
6 fish fillets
1 egg
1 tbs cornflour paste

1. Slice fish fillets finely and add curry paste, beans, fish sauce, sugar and salt and mix well.
2. Add 1 egg to the mixture.
3. Add cornflour paste to thicken the mixture.
4. Fry in little patties.
5. Serve with Thai sweet chilli sauce.

Peanut Sauce for Satay

2009-05-22T16:10:00.002+02:00

Satay sauce is usually served with meat skewers, glutinous rice and a cucumber salad. It is also very tasty as a dip.

Ingredients
2 tbs red curry paste
2 tbs peanut butter
5 tbs crushed peanuts
100 ml coconut milk
1/2 juice of a lime
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1. Place curry paste and half of the coconut milk in a saucepan and stir well under low heat. When it comes to boiling, add peanuts, peanut butter, sugar, salt and lime juice. After 5 mins, add rest of coconut milk. Leave to cool until sauce thickens.

Red Curry Paste

2009-05-22T16:02:00.004+02:00

Red curry paste is the base of many different kinds of Thai food. Here is a recipe for a basic paste:

10 dried red chillies (soak in warm water to soften)
1/2 red onion
5 pieces garlic
1 stalk of lemongrass
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp muscatnut powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 thumbsized piece of galangal
1 tsp kaffir lime skin

1. Pound the above ingredients with a mortar and pestle.

Thai Green Curry

2009-04-25T17:32:00.004+02:00

My version of Thai Green curry:

Ingredients:
For the paste
15 large green chillies
5-6 small green chillies
1/4 red onion
2 pieces of garlic
1 tsp of grated lime skin
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin
1 cm piece of galangal
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 lemongrass stalk
1/4 tsp shrimp paste

1. Pound the above ingredients in a mortar.

Curry:
250 ml coconut milk
200 chicken breast or tiger prawns
1/4 eggplant
2 kaffir lime leaves (torn up)
2 tsb fresh basil
1/2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs palm sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs oil

1. Heat oil and fry curry paste till fragrant. Add 1/2 pkt of coconut milk.
2. Add chicken, simmer until cooked. Add eggplant.
3. After 5 mins, add seasonings and the rest of the coconut milk.
4. Taste to make sure all the flavours are balanced. Serve.

Mango with Sticky Rice

2009-03-22T19:22:00.002+01:00

This is one of the more popular Thai desserts- a sweet glutinous rice with mango and a coconut sauce.

Ingredients:
1/2 mango sliced
1 cup glutinous rice
3/4 cup water
1 can coconut milk
2 tbs brown sugar (or palm sugar grounded)
1/2 tsp salt

1. Cook rice with water and 1/4 can of coconut milk, 1 tbs sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. Boil under very low heat so that rice has time to soak in the liquid fully.
2. Make a sauce by boiling the sauce with sugar. Leave to cool for 5 mins. This will thicken the sauce further.
3. Serve with mango slices.

Tamarind Prawns

2009-03-15T15:47:00.006+01:00

This seafood dish can be served with white rice. The sourness of tamarind sauce blended with the rich sweetness of palm sugar is absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:
6 tiger prawns
1 tbs coriander root (chopped finely)
1/2 onion (sliced)
2 pieces of garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1.5 tbs palm sugar
1.5 tbs fish sauce
5 tbs tamarind sauce- 1 tsp tamarind mixed with 4 tbs water (squeeze tamarind in water with your fingers for 3 mins, and then remove the seeds. You should get a thick brown paste as a result. Otherwise you can also buy tamarind paste in bottles at the Asian shop)
coriander leaves for garnish

1. Heat oil in wok and fry onion and garlic until fragrant.
2. Add coriander root and fry for 2 mins.
3. Add tamarind sauce. Add prawns. Cook under high heat.
4. Add sugar, fish sauce and salt.
5. Fry until sugar melts and sauce thickens (approximately 5 mins). Remove and serve hot with rice.

Thai Beef Salad

2009-03-15T15:40:00.002+01:00

This salad is a delicious combination of warm beef and cool fresh vegetables.

Ingredients:
150 g beef- sliced thinly and marinated with 1 tbs dark soya sauce, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp salt.
3 leaves of romaine lettuce (sliced)
1/2 sliced white onion (in thin slices)
1/4 cucumber (sliced thinly)
3 stalks coriander (shredded)
3 stalks mint leaves (shredded)
1.5 tbs fish sauce
1/2 lime
1 tbs sugar
1/2 red chilli (sliced thinly)

1. Grill beef until well done. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, toss lettuce, cucumber, onion, coriander, mint leaves and chilli.
3. Add beef.
4. Add dressing: juice of 1/2 a lime, 1.5 tbs fish sauce and 1 tbs sugar.
5. Do a final toss and serve.

Caramel Popcorn

2008-11-16T14:33:00.003+01:00

This snack is one of Thomas' greatest weaknesses. Great for movie nights.

Ingredients:
1 pkt of popcorn
5 tbs golden syrup
6 tbs sugar
1/2 pkt almonds
2 tbs flower honey

1. Pop the popcorn in the microwave. Lay on a flat baking tray afterwards.
2. Pour syrup, sugar, almonds and honey on top.
3. Bake for ten mins until sugar has caramelized.
4. Pour into a big bowl and mix it up thoroughly.
5. Serve hot with in all of its crunchy, mushy goodness.

Cheese and Leek Soup

2008-11-16T14:30:00.003+01:00

This soup is one of the ultimate comfort foods. The first time I tried this dish was during a dinner party at a friend's house- her name is Herdis. She told me that she got the recipe from the Karoline's Kokken series. I was given the English version of Karoline's Kokken by my mother-in-law and I looked up this recipe on it.

Ingredients:
1 leek
1 onion
3 cups water
1/2 stk of butter
1/2 pkt of cream cheese
salt and pepper

1. Heat butter in pot and fry leek and onion until soft.
2. Add the water and boil until vegetables have softened.
3. Blend the soup until smooth and return to pot.
4. Add cream cheese, salt and pepper. Serve.

Beehoon Goreng (Malay style)

2008-11-16T14:18:00.004+01:00

Today I made a traditional Singaporean/Malaysian/Indonesian breakfast known as beehoon goreng. It is similar to Mee Goreng- just that bee hoon is used instead of thick yellow noodles. I made a very simple vegetarian version for my breakfast.

Ingredients:
Dried thin rice noodles (bee hoon)
1 tomato
1 egg
2 chillis
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 cucumber sliced
3 tbs tomato ketchup
1 tbs light soya sauce
1 tsp seasoning
salt and pepper

1. Blend chillis with onion and garlic to make your 'rempah' (paste).
2. Heat oil and fry the paste until fragrant.
3. Add 2 cups of water and dried noodles and cook until noodles are soft and water dries up. Add the sliced tomato and fry.
4. Add ketchup, soya sauce, seasoning, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
5. Push noodles to the side of the work and break an egg into the space. Scramble it slightly before mixing up with the rest of the noodles. Serve with sliced cucumbers topped with a 1 tbs of tomato sauce.

Additional ingredients that you can add to this dish:
1. prawns/meat
2. beansprouts
3. kangkong (asian leafy vegetable)

Fish Noodle Soup

2008-11-07T07:00:00.002+01:00

This Japanese inspired noodle soup is very comforting on cold winter afternoons.

Ingredients:
1 fillet of fish- deboned
1 pack of dried egg noodles
2 slices of seaweed
1 thumbsized cube ginger
1 clove garlic
1 red chilli- sliced
sprigs of brocolli
1 tbs light soya sauce
1 tbs dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
salt and white pepper

1. Heat water and add ginger and garlic. Simmer for 30 mins.
2. Add chilli, brocolli and fish. Boil until fish begins to flake.
3. Season with soya sauce, sesame oil and salt.
4. Add egg noodles. Cook until the egg noodles have fully softened.
5. Add the dried seaweed and cook for 5 mins.
6. Serve with a sprinkle of white pepper on top.

Fried Bee Hoon with prawns (chinese style)

2008-10-05T08:39:00.003+02:00

I have found a very quick and easy way to make fried bee hoon for breakfast. Bee Hoon is a dried rice noodle that is very popular as a breakfast dish in Singapore.

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic
1 cup prawns
1/2 pkt of bee hoon
2 tbs dark soya sauce
salt

1. Heat oil in wok and fry garlic until fragrant. Add 1 cup water and pour in prawns, bee hoon and seasonings. Cook until water has dried up and noodles are soft. Serve.

Wantan Noodles (Chinese Dumpling Noodles)

2008-10-05T08:07:00.010+02:00

Yes, I managed to make wantan noodles right in my own kitchen here in Denmark. Wantan mee is a big Singaporean favorite. Here is a step-by-step guide to this very tasty dish.

Step One: Make your 'Wantans' (dumplings)

1. Buy wantan wrappers from the Asian shop

2. Mix together a cup of minced pork and minced prawn with 1 tsp soya sauce, 1 tbs oyster sauce, 2 tbs grated ginger, 2 tbs grated garlic, 1 tsp cornflour, salt and white pepper.

3. To wrap- put 1 tsp of minced meat mixture in the middle of the wantan wrapper. Seal with a paste of cornflour and water.

Step 2: Boil noodles and beansprouts until softened. Place in a plate with 2 tbs sweet black sauce and 1/2 tsp of sesame oil. (As you can see here, I jumped the gun and have already added my pork on top of my dish- but look at step 3 for how the pork is prepared).

Step 3: Make char-siew pork by marinating pork breast in a char-siew sauce (barbequed pork sauce) mix that you can buy from the asian shop. Bake at 150 degrees at 40 mins before removing slicing up to put on top of the noodles.

Step 4: Boil wantans in a pot of water. Add 1/2 tsp of light soya sauce, salt and white pepper. The flavour of the meat in the wantans will flavour the broth as well- producing a tasty hearty dumpling soup to have on the side. (you can also fry wantans on the side and have it with some black sauce)

And there you have it- Singapore wantan noodles!

Rice and Carrots

2008-10-02T10:04:00.003+02:00

This rice and carrot recipe is a really tasty accompaniment to a main course.

Ingredients:
3 minced carrots
3 cups rice
5 cups chicken broth
3 tbs butter

1. Heat butter and fry carrots until softened.
2. Add rice and stir fry for 5 mins
3. Add chicken stock and leave to boil until rice is cooked.

Apricot Chicken

2008-10-02T09:55:00.002+02:00

This is a dish that combines sweet and savoury. You can serve it with buttered rice or potato mash.

Ingredients:
1 can of apricots
1 cup dried apricots
2 tbs raisins
1/2 cup chopped almonds (boil and remove skin)
3 chicken breasts
1 onion
1 packet of soup mix- the recipe calls for french onion soup mix, but I used asparagus soup mix instead.
salt and pepper.

1. Heat oil and fry onions until softened.
2. Add chicken breasts and cook until lightly browned.
3. Mix apricot juice (from can) and soup mix together and pour into pan.
4. Add dried apricots, raisins and nuts.
5. Add fresh apricots.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve.

Breaded Fish

2008-09-18T21:19:00.003+02:00

Making your own breaded fish is definitely far tastier than buying them. And its simple to make too.

Ingredients:
2 cups breadcrumbs (just crumble old bread up with your fingertips)
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp lemon salt
1 egg
4 pieces fish

1. Mix up breadcrumbs, dill and lemon salt.
2. Dip fish in egg and then place onto breadcrumbs.
3. Pan fry. Serve hot.

Pad Thai

2008-09-06T22:25:00.002+02:00

I think I have very nearly perfected my pad thai recipe. I posted a pad thai recipe on this blog around a year ago. I have made so many different versions of pad thai since then- and I am sharing my best version, by far.

Ingredients:

Thai flat rice noodles (1/2 pkt)

200 g beansprouts

1 clove garlic

1 square of fried tofu (you can get this at the Asian shop)

3 tbs fish sauce

1 tbs dark soya sauce

1 tbs white vinegar

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

50 g ground peanut

1 tbs chilli flakes

1/2 lime

1. Heat oil and fry garlic until brown.

2. Add 2 cups of water and then add the dried rice noodle.

3. Cook until softened. Add beansprouts, tofu and seasonings.

4. Add chopped coriander. Keep stir frying on high heat.

5. Serve with ground peanuts, dried chilli flakes and a lime garnish.

Yellow Thai Curry Paste

2008-09-06T17:33:00.005+02:00

There are all sorts of Thai curries- yellow, green, mussaman, red..the list goes on. Today, I worked on making yellow curry paste to keep in the freezer. The secret of a good curry lies in its paste.

Ingredients:

3 red chillis

1 stalk lemongrass

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 thumbsized piece of ginger

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tbs garam masala powder (Indian)

1 tsp salt

1. Heat oil in pan and roast sliced onion, garlic and ginger until soft and fragrant. Set aside to cool.

2. Mince all the ingredients including the roasted vegetables with 1 tbs water.

You can keep this paste for one week in the normal refrigerator or freeze it.

To make a curry:

1. Heat 2 tbs of curry paste in pot and fry until fragrant.

2. Add 1/2 cup of water.

3. Add meat, potatoes and any other vegetables you desire.

4. After meat is cooked and vegetables are softened, add 1 can of coconut milk.

5. Serve hot.

Corn Fritters

2008-08-28T12:36:00.002+02:00

I think its becoming noticeable that I am currently practising making Thai street food in my kitchen. These are corn fritters- a savoury snack that is very easy to prepare.

Ingredients:
1 can of corn kernels
2 tsp flour
1 egg
2 tsp ground garlic
salt and pepper.

1. Mix all the ingredients together.
2. Use a spoon to gather parts of the mixture into balls and gently lower into hot oil. Fry at high heat until fritters are formed.
3. The mixture falls apart very easily so the skill is in lowering the mixture balls carefully into the oil.
4. Serve with chilli sauce. In this case, I served it with a drizzle of honey around the plate because I like the savoury sweet combination.

Fried Bread Squares

2008-08-28T12:02:00.003+02:00

This is a Thai recipe for fried bread squares. It can be served as a starter dish. I baked these squares instead of frying them for a healthier option. It tastes pretty much the same, fried or baked.

Ingredients:

50 g minced pork

2 stalks coriander

1/2 red chilli

1 garlic bulb

1 tbs soya sauce

salt and pepper

6 slices of bread

1 egg

1. Pound coriander and garlic until it turns into a paste (with an Asian mortar and pestle)

2. Add to minced pork. Add sliced chilli. Season with soya sauce, salt and pepper.

3. Slice bread into triangles. Spread the minced pork mixture thinly on it.

4. Coat bread with beaten egg.

5. Heat oil and fry bread with the meat face-down. (or you can bake it like i did)

Thai Banana Fritters

2008-08-26T07:26:00.003+02:00

I made some snack food for tea time- Thai banana fritters. There is a Malaysian version called 'goreng pisang' as well. It can be eaten as a snack, or you can serve it as a dessert with ice-cream on the side. You can always find a street-side stall in Asia selling banana fritters, fresh off a hot wok.

Ingredients:

5 bananas (sliced lengthwise)

3/4 cup rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 tsp salt

2 tbs sugar

1 cup water

1. Mix flour, sesame seeds, salt, sugar and water together. Make sure the batter is lump free.

2. Dip bananas into the batter before deep frying.

3. Serve while its hot.

Vegetable and Lentil Stew

2008-08-25T19:12:00.002+02:00

I made an Indian inspired lentil stew today with loads of fresh vegetables.

Ingredients:

1/2 aubergine

1 white onion (sliced)

2 tomatoes chopped

2 carrots chopped

1 cube ginger (diced)

1/2 cup red lentils

1 tsp tumeric powder

1/2 pkt coconut cream

salt and pepper

1. Heat oil and fry onion and ginger until fragrant.

2. Add 2 cups of water. Then add lentils and vegetables.

3. Simmer for 20 mins until veggies and lentils are soft.

4. Add spices and seasonings.

5. Turn off heat and add coconut cream.

6. Serve with rice

Carrot and Tomato Soup

2008-08-19T09:54:00.004+02:00

I made this really satisfyingly tasty soup for lunch today.

Ingredients:

4 carrots

1 white onion

2 tomatoes

1 stalk spring onion

1/2 tsp ginger powder (or a cube of ginger)

2 tbs plain white yogurt

salt and pepper

sprinkle of dried herbs

1. Place vegetables in a pot in boil until soft. I wanted a chunky texture so I boiled them until partially cooked (for 25 mins).

2. Place broth and cooked veggies in blender. Blend for 2 mins by pulsing at regular intervals.

3. Place blended vegetable broth into pot, add seasonings.

4. Turn off heat and put in yogurt when soup is slightly cooler (after 5 mins)

5. Serve with sprinkle of dried herbs on top- I used some dill.

Gingernut Biscuits

2008-07-02T21:37:00.002+02:00

Baking can be very therapeutic. I was feeling a little tired this evening, so I decided to bake these delicious gingernut biscuits.

Ingredients:

100 g butter

100 g brown sugar

1 tbs honey

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp all spice

50g ground peanuts

150 g self raising flour

1. Melt butter, sugar and honey in a bowl on top of a boiling pot of water.

2. Sieve flour. Add ground ginger, all spice and peanuts.

3. Leave the butter mixture to cool for 5 mins before adding to the dry ingredients.

4. Shape the mixture into balls and then flatten with fork on baking tray.

5. Bake in moderate oven (160 degrees), middle shelf for 20 mins.

Mee Goreng

2008-06-30T07:48:00.004+02:00

This is 'Mamak style Mee Goreng' - a popular style of fried noodles in Singapore and Malaysia. I had to use spaghetti instead of the yellow noodles, but it did the job!

Ingredients:

1/2 pkt of spaghetti (break it in halves and boil)

Sambal paste:

2 chillis

1/2 onion

1/2 clove garlic

1 thumb sized piece of ginger

- Grind up in mincer

2 eggs

3 sprigs coriander chopped

1/2 cup beansprouts

3 tbs tomato sauce

1 tbs chilli sauce

1 tbs soya sauce

1. Heat oil and fry sambal paste.

2. Add beansprouts and fry until softened.

3. Add noodles and stir under high heat.

4. Add tomato sauce, chilli sauce and soya sauce.

5. Fry until dry- and then add eggs. Move noodles against the side of the wok and break eggs in the middle. Cook until scrambled. Then mix up with the rest of the noodles.

6. Add coriander. Cook for another 5 mins. Then remove and serve.

Note: Tastes very good with shrimps and meat. I just happened to make a vegetarian version.

Hummus

2008-06-15T16:02:00.003+02:00

Homemade hummus is absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas in brine

1 tbs tahini (sesame paste)

1/2 lemon- juice

2 garlic cloves

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

1. Mash all the ingredients in a food processor.

2. Place in bowl- add an extra dollop of olive oil and paprika

3. To be eaten with Turkish bread (which we purchased at the Middle Eastern shop)

Note: I added some extra chickpeas on the top because I like a chunky texture.

Fried Rice

2008-06-02T21:03:00.004+02:00

I know I have showcased a fried rice recipe on this blog before- but I wanted to do another one to show how versatile this dish can be in finishing up leftover food. I had all sorts of bits and pieces in my fridge that I had to clear out before it went bad. So I made a delicious fried rice.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice

1/2 capsicum

2 tbs corn

1/2 can tuna

french parsley

1/2 tsp light soya sauce

salt and pepper

1 egg

1. Heat oil and fry capsicum. Always fry the hard veggies first, like onions, garlic, brocolli, etc
2. Add rice. Stir to break up pieces. Add corn and tuna. Make sure the wok is on high heat. Work quickly in cooking up the rice. Add soya sauce and seasonings.
3. Push rice to the side of the wok and fry egg. Mash up with the end of a spatula. Mix with the rest of the rice.
4. Add french parsley and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve.

Sexy Salad

2008-06-01T23:05:00.004+02:00

Along the lines of Jamie Oliver's 'Easiest, Sexiest Salad', I have my own version of a sexy salad. Its sweet, its salty and slight bitter all at the same time.

Ingredients:

Italian salad leaves

Strawberries

Italian plum tomatoes

1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp flower honey

1. Mix it up and there you go. The best mix of flavours I have done up in a salad so far.

The Perfect Omelette

2008-05-05T20:22:00.003+02:00

There are so many variations when it come to omelettes so I thought to put down the recipe for what I consider to be the perfect omelette.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 red chilli (chopped in very fine pieces)

- 1/4 red onion (chopped finely)

- 1 tbs grated cheddar cheese

- 2 eggs

- salt

1. Mix chilli, onion and eggs together.

2. Pour egg mixture on a hot pan. Sprinkle cheese on it and allow it melt slightly before folding the egg.

3. Season with salt.

4. By folding the egg, you get a slightly crisp egg texture on the outside and a soft melted cheesy inside. Perfect.

Roti John

2008-04-18T10:27:00.003+02:00

Today I made 'Roti John' which means 'John's bread'. It was the creative invention of a Malay coffeeshop owner to combine french baguette and an Asian topping for the palates of the early European settlers in Singapore.

Ingredients:

2 French baguettes

Minced beef

1 onion

1 garlic

1 tbs garam masala

4 eggs

Sauce:

1 tbs chilli sauce

1 tbs tomato sauce

1 tbs water

1. Heat oil and fry onion and garlic until soft. Add minced meat and cook for twenty minutes. Add garam masala. Set aside.

2. Beat up eggs and pour over the meat mixture.

3. Slice up baguettes. Pour the egg and meat mixture on it.

4. Fry baguettes with the meat-side down.

5. Serve with sauce.

Pasta Salad

2008-04-12T18:33:00.003+02:00

It is so easy to make a pasta salad and at the same time, it really tastes very good.

Ingredients

Spaghetti

Tomatoes

1 red onion

Feta Cheese

Turkey ham

2 pineapple rings

1 tbs oregano

1 tbs tomato paste

salt and pepper

1. Boil spaghetti. When cooked, just pour into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and mix it up.

2. Serve. Best thing is that it can be eaten cold, so you can put the remainder in the fridge and snack on it anytime.

Masala Tea (Indian Chai)

2008-02-03T13:11:00.001+01:00

First you need very good masala spices. My mother grounded up cloves, cardamoms, cinnamons and various other spices, which she sent over to Denmark. It smells very good. Thomas cant seem to keep his nose out of the jar.

and you need good old fashioned condensed milk which you can only buy from Asian shop and Bazaar Vest.

Recipe:

cloves, cardamom, cinnamon (ground up)

3 bags black tea

2 tbs condensed milk

1. Heat water in pot with tea and spices. When boiling, add condensed milk.

2. Strain into a sieve.

3. Serve

Murtabak

2008-02-03T12:57:00.002+01:00

Murtabak cooking beautifully on the pan.

The finished product.

What's a good murtabak without curry?

The recipe can be found at: http://www.makantime.com/murtabak.htm

Fried Pork Chop and Pasta

2008-01-31T07:55:00.000+01:00

This is comfort food at its ultimate.

Pork Chop

Ingredients:

2 pork chops

1 egg

plain potato chips- crushed by hand

1. Soak pork chops in egg and then in the potato chips. You dont need salt or pepper as the chips have that already added.

2. Bake in hot oven -200 degrees.

Pasta

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic

Mushrooms

cherry tomatoes

Madlavning flode (18%)

1 slice cheese

salt and pepper

pasta

1. Bring pasta to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil and fry up garlic. Add mushrooms and tomatoes. When the vegetables have softened, add madlavning flode, cheese and seasonings.

3. Mix up with pasta.

Place both pork chop and pasta on plate and serve! Delicious.

Chinese stir-fried pork and vegetables

2008-01-20T12:58:00.000+01:00

I think that over time, it was inevitable that I should use Danish food items in creating Asian food. I guess its a fusion, so to speak. This particular fusion food came out very successfully.

Ingredients:

2 slabs of pork (cubed)

1 onion (sliced)

brocolli, carrots and cauliflower (sliced)

1 tbs dark soya sauce

1 tbs light soya sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsb oyster sauce

3 tbs madlavning flode (18%)

1/2 tsp cornflour

1. Cube pork and marinate with 1/2 tsp of the following- oyster sauce, soya sauce, sesame oil and salt.

2. Heat oil in a wok and fry onion till softened. Add pork and fry well.

3. Add vegetables after 15 mins.

4. When vegetables have softened, add oyster sauce, soya sauces, sesame oil, salt and pepper.

5. Add madlavnings flode.

6. Mix cornflour with a little water and add the mixture to the sauce to thicken it.

7. Serve with rice.

Aebleskiver

2007-12-17T05:20:00.000+01:00

Aebleskiver is a Danish treat during Christmas season. Served with jam and sugar. You need a traditional aebleskiver griddle for this.

Ingredients:

300g white flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1.5 tsp cardemom powder

1 tsp natron

3 eggs

5 dl kernel milk

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tbs oil

1. Blend flour, salt, sugar, cardemom, natron and lemon juice.

2. Whisk egg yolks and milk together and mix into the blend.

3. Whip up egg whites until fluffy and fold in.

4. Heat up the griddle and cook. There is an art to doing this!

5. Serve hot with jam and sugar. Delicious!

Paella

2007-12-16T09:11:00.001+01:00

Apparently there are all types of paella. This one is made with chicken and shrimps.

Ingredients:
shrimps
pieces of chicken (deboned)
saffron
rice
2 tomatoes
1 red capsicum
1 onion
1 tsp minced garlic
slices of bacon
salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil and fry onions and minced garlic until fragrant.
2. Add de-boned chicken and cook well until chicken is browned.
3. In the meantime, make a stock with chicken bones.
4. Remove chicken from pot. Add finely chopped tomatoes and capsicum and cook until paste-like.
5. Add the chicken after ten minutes and mix well. Add saffron.
6. Then, add uncooked rice and pour stock to cover the pot in order to cook it. Leave to boil under high heat. Add a sprig of rosemary.
7. After twenty minutes, the rice should be looking fairly cooked. Stir in salt and pepper and mix up the rice.
8. Add the shrimps on top and cook on top of the steaming rice for another 7 minutes.
9. By this time, you will get a lovely aroma of cooked shrimps, chicken, saffron and rosemary. Serve!

Guacomole

2007-12-16T09:05:00.000+01:00

This dish is so, so good. I like its chunky texture especially. Serve with tortilla chips.

Ingredients:

2 avocadoes, de-seeded and mashed

1/2 onion (cubed)

1 tomato (cubed)

1 dried chilli (pounded)

2 tbs lemon juice

1. Mix up all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Add the seed back into the mixture to keep that lovely green colour. Serve!

Fruit Custard

2007-11-18T20:59:00.001+01:00

I made a custard from scratch and placed some delightful berries on top.

Ingredients: 2 eggs

1 cup milk

4 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp cornflour

1. Put all ingredients in a pot and whisk under low heat until thick and creamy.

Polsehorns!

2007-10-16T19:11:00.001+02:00

Thomas had made a whole bunch of a Danish speciality- Polsehorns! -and they look good enough to be featured on this (ahem) exclusive food blog.

Ingredients:

500 g flour

25 g yeast

3 dl water

1/2 tsp salt

sausages

1. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and then mix in the other ingredients.

2. Knead dough well and seperate them in four portions.

3. Roll each portion out in a circle and cut into six pieces (like a pizza)

3. Roll a sausage into each portion. (You can sprinkle sesame seeds on top, that was my idea)

4. Bake at 200 degrees for 15 mins.

Roasted Stuffed Peppers

2007-10-08T12:23:00.001+02:00

If you noticed, I have been getting into a little bit of a health fad- a wonderful recipe for the health conscious:-

Ingredients:

1 pepper

3 tbs rice

1/2 tsp shredded cheese

1 tsp of finely sliced onion

1 tbs tuna

1 tbs corn

1. Mix rice, cheese, onion, tuna and corn together.

2. Stuff it into the pepper.

3. Bake for 20 mins in 200 degree oven. Serve

Lazy Man's Tomato Chicken with Capsicum

2007-10-08T08:15:00.001+02:00

I have been so busy with school lately, that I havent found the time to do some serious cooking. I still wanted to make fresh food though, so I just piled all vegetables and chicken in one pile in my pot. Interestingly, the dish came out suprisingly good.

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes (cubed)

1/2 white onion (sliced)

1 large red capsicum (diced)

1/2 green capsicum (diced)

1 chicken fillet (cubed)

1/2 tsp paprika

salt and pepper

1. Put everything in a pot and add a small cup of water. Leave to simmer for 20 mins.

2. The tomatoes will boil down to form a sauce and capsicums should be softened. Add paprika and other seasonings- I could have added some dried herbs. And there you have it.

3. Serve with white rice.

Apple Pie

2007-09-30T19:20:00.000+02:00

With so many apples in my garden, it would naturally lead me to make apple pie for almost any occasion.

Ingredients:

Apple sauce- boil peeled apples with a mix of plain sugar and vanilla sugar and add cinnamon sticks. Boil until it turns soft to the point of becoming a sauce when mixed.

Pastry:- 100 g flour

50 g butter

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1. Make pastry by mixing butter into flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 2 tbs cold water, baking powder and salt and mix to a dough.

2. Line a baking dish with pastry, pour in the apple sauce (after cooled) and top with decorative pastry strips. Bake at 200 degrees for 1/2 hour. Serve.

Low Fat Brownies

2007-09-24T10:03:00.000+02:00

I was craving for something chocolatey and fudgey- without the fat. This is what I eventually came up with:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp baking powder

raisins

1. Just combine everything in a large bowl- bake at 180 degrees for 1/2 hour. It tastes like the real thing.

P.S if you want it to be healthier, you can add baby food prunes to the dish and cut back on the sugar.

Samosa

2007-08-17T13:22:00.000+02:00

Really tasty and delightful for Sunday tea.

Ingredients:

Pastry: 225 g flour

2 tbs ghee

80 ml warm water

1 tsp salt

1. Make a well in centre of flour and pour in oil and salt. Mix.

2. Add water until dough is soft and springy.

Filling:

5 boiled potatoes- cut in small cubes

1 large onion (sliced)

coriander leaves (shredded)

garam masala mix: 1 tbs curry powder, 1/2 tbs tumeric, 1/2 tbs chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp salt

2 tbs sour cream

1. Heat oil and fry onion until softened. Add garam masala and fry the powders till fragrant.

2. Add potatoes and cream. Mix well.

Roll the dough out and cut into circles. Make a pocket with the circle and spoon filling in. Seal with water.

Fry in hot oil and serve.

Mushroom and Spinach Lasagne

2007-08-11T20:52:00.000+02:00

I made a vegetarian lasagne with mushroom, spinach, aubergines and creamy cheese sauce. It tasted pretty good, despite the lack of meat!

Ingredients:

Mushrooms (sliced)

Aubergine (sliced)

Pasta Sauce (you can buy it canned)

1 onion (sliced)

1/2 cup cream

mozarella cheese

Spinach (sliced)

Lasagne sheets

1. Heat oil and lightly fry onions until softened. Add mushrooms. Cook until fragrant and then add pasta sauce. Cook for another 5 mins. Make sure the mixture is fairly wet.

2. Place the half of the sauce in the bottom of a square pan and then add lasagne sheets over it. Place sliced aubergines above the sheets.

3.Then make a cheese sauce, by blending cheese and cream over low heat. Pour over.

4. Place the spinach above the sauce. Top with lasagne sheets and then pour the rest of the mushroom pasta sauce mixture on it. Scatter mozarella cheese over the top.

5. Bake in a 200 degrees oven for 45 minutes.

Indian Daal (Lentil Curry)

2007-08-09T11:59:00.000+02:00

Daal is the staple diet of punjabis. Back home, my mother would make daal daily and we would have it with rice and fried anchovies for lunch. For dinner, we continued to have daal but with chapatis and pickle instead. Thats how much daal was featured in my home.

Ingredients: 1 cup yellow lentils

2 tomatoes

1 chilli

1/2 aubergine

1 potato (cubed)

minced onion, garlic and ginger

coriander leaves and spring onion (chopped)

Masala spices: 1 tbs curry powder, 1/2 tbs tumeric, 1/2 tbs chilli powder and 1/2

tbs coriander powder

1. Wash lentils in water and boil with water covering 1/2 your index finger.

2. After 30 mins, add vegetables. Then add masala spices.

3. Add onion, garlic and ginger. If you want to make it 'tarka' method- you can fry the onion, garlic and ginger for 10 mins seperately until softened and then add in. I usually just add it in as it is.

4. Simmer for another 20 mins until vegetables are fully cooked. Then garnish with coriander and spring onion.

5. Serve.

Quiche

2007-08-05T18:23:00.001+02:00

My friends, Arne and Herdis invited me to a summer party and I made this dish to contribute.

Ingredients:

Filo Pastry (you can buy this from asian shops, otherwise known as spring roll pastry)

6 eggs

1/2 pkt cream

200g spinach (sliced)

1 tomato

grated cheddar cheese

2 sliced of ham (cut in strips)

1/2 white onion (thinly sliced)

1. Grease a pie dish liberally with butter and place filo pastry in thin sheets over the pie dish. Place more butter on the first layer of pastry and add another layer.

2. In a large bowl, mix eggs, cream and all the other ingredients- pour into the pie dish. Bake at 2oo degrees for 30 mins.