Sunday, 1 April 2012

Post #160

this dish we sometimes have at chinese restaurants, and its VERY VERY chinese. a great 70% veg and 30% meat ratio type dish, its fantastic!! i wasnt so sure whether it would turn out ok, but it worked out well :)


-tofu and mustard green with pickled cabbage + minced pork-

so so easy! start the pan with chopped garlic, then the mustard green. add a small splash of water and put the lid on. meanwhile, chop the tofu (i used the cylinder ones for this dish) and arrange in a dish. cover with lid and pop it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, until cooked. when the greens are almost cooked, add the chopped pickled cabbage, and then the marinated minced pork. season, add a small drop of oyster sauce and round it off with corn starch water. absorb the excess water from the steamed tofu, arrange the mustard green around the tofu, and pour the pork mixture over, and its done!! YUM.

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Post #159

got too much time on hand, and i thought *just out of the blue*, why not try make some gnocchi from scratch?! not sure how this idea creeped out, cos i dont even like gnocchi all that much...

so with half a butternut pumpkin in the fridge, i thought i'd give pumpkin gnocchi a go. at least its meant to be softer and fluffier than their potato counterpart?! well so i thought...

having looked up a few recipes on the net and from my collection, i had my first ever attempt *and sadly, possibly the last...* on gnocchi. yes already sounding so defeated. so here's the result...



looking quite normal actually, but i've added so much more flour than the recipe suggests. but the dough kept sticking onto my hands, and was i suppose to knead it?!


-butternut pumpkin gnocchi with herbed butter + parmesan-
-spiced yoghurt lamb chop-


the gnocchi is nowhere near light and fluffy...

the positive tho is the brussel sprouts dish. nice and... christmas-y?!


-braised brussel sprouts in orange butter-

simply caramelise off some bacon, add the sprouts and a handful of currants, season. then zest and juice of an orange, close the lid and let it cook its merry way. round it up with a knob of butter, and its done! somehow the flavours remind me of a xmas glazed ham!! a must for xmas!!

Tuesday, 20 March 2012

Post #158

took such a long break i almost forgot how to log on its embarrassing!!

tho no posts for a long while the cooking continued, albeit in a rather lazy and un-gourmet like fashion. lets try again, with less rambling...

a jap inspired meal~


-nasu dengaku - grilled eggplant with miso, topped with tomato avocado + rocket salad-
-cold soba noodle with crunchy cucumber-
-panfried pork chop with sweet soy-


eggplant. my continuing exploration into non-greasy eggplants ~ its time to stop deep frying eggplants!!!! first score the eggplants, brush with sesame oil and grill for a few minutes. mix miso, mirin, sugar + sesame oil into a paste. spoon the mixture on top of the eggplants and grill till tender. keep an eye out on it so it doesnt get burnt!! once done, top with salad and with soy vinaigrette.