Saturday 16 June 2012

Salmon with Asian rice

I invented this recipe on the back of loads of similar styles (stir fry, paella, kedgeree). It's simple, tasty and (aside from the fish) cheap.

Serves 4

3 fillets of skinless and boneless salmon
300g basmati rice
800ml vegetable stock
Olive oil
2 medium onions
1 chilli pepper
A thumb-sized piece of ginger
Two garlic gloves
100g frozen peas
6 - 8 good quality tomatoes (on the vine preferably)

1. Put a large pan on a medium/high heat and add the oil. Soften the onion in this for 5 minutes.
2. Chop the garlic, ginger and chilli (seeds removed) finely, and add to the pan, cook for a further minute.
3. Add the rice and mix so it gets covered in the oil. Now pour in the stock. Bring to the boil on a high heat and then reduce to the lowest heat and cover. Leave to cook for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile season and oil the fish, put these in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes until cooked through.
5. If the rice is undercooked after 10 minutes, add a little water and cook until that water has been absorbed.
6. Quarter the tomatoes and throw these in the rice. Add the frozen peas too. Stir it up to get heat through the vegetables.
7. Flake in the fish and mix briefly (without breaking the fish into tiny pieces).
8. Season and serve.

Jane's Rice Pudding with a hint of lemon

Rosie's mum gave us this recipe. After halving the ingredients I whipped up a batch and it is delicious. By treating it as a risotto (as oppose to throwing all ingredients into the oven) you get an extremely creamy end result with a delicious hint of lemon. Fab on its own, or served with a blob of jam.

Serves 4

1.1L milk (full fat or semi-skimmed)
150g pudding rice
2 teaspoons cornflour
150g sugar
2 - 3 strips of lemon peel

1. Pour the milk, rice and lemon into a heavy-bottomed pan. Bring up to temperature (hot but not boiling) on a high heat and then reduce to a low heat. Stir and cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is soft (half the recipe, 20 - 25 minutes cooking).
2. Mix the cornflour and sugar separately to get the flour evenly mixed in.
3. Stir the cornflour/sugar mix into the milky lemony rice.
4. Stir again for 20 - 30 minutes until thick (half the recipe, more like 10 - 15 minutes).
5. Remove the lemon and transfer to a serving dish and leave to cool. This can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature (or cold if that's how you roll).

Monday 4 June 2012

Thai Tofu Noodle Soup with Lemongrass


Original Source: http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/veggilemongsoup.htm

Thai Lemongrass Tofu Noodle Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: SERVES 2 as a main entree

Ingredients:

  • 225-280g dried Thai rice noodes, linguini-width
  • 1-2 stalks minced lemongrass, OR 4 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass
  • 4-6 cups vegetable (or faux "chicken") stock (or regular chicken broth if non-veg.)
  • 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced into matchstick pieces
  • 1/2 package medium or soft tofu (packed in water) - drain off the water and slice tofu into cubes
  • 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets including stems
  • 1-2 cups Chinese cabbage, chopped into bite-size pieces (bok choy, baby bok choy or su choy)
  • 1-2 carrots, sliced
  • 4 Tbsp. soy sauce OR wheat-free soy sauce (or use 3 Tbsp. fish sauce + 1 Tbsp. soy sauce if non-veg.)
  • 1/2 can good-quality coconut milk
  • 3-4 kaffir lime leaves (available in frozen packets at Asian/Chinese food stores)
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large (or substitute fresh coriander/cilantro)
  • Optional: fresh-cut chilies OR chili sauce, to taste

Preparation:

  1. Dunk noodles in a pot of boiling water and turn off the heat. Allow the noodles to soften while you prepare the soup.
  2. Place stock in a soup pot together with lemongrass (include left-over stalk pieces if using fresh), plus galangal (or ginger), whole lime leaves, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Allow to simmer while you chop up and add the remaining vegetables. Simmer until vegetables have softened but are still bright in color (about 5 minutes).
  3. Reduce heat to minimum and add the coconut milk, stirring to dissolve. Finally, add the tofu, gently stirring so it doesn't fall apart.
  4. Add the soy sauce. If you prefer your soup spicy, add some fresh-cut chilies OR 1-2 tsp. chili sauce - or simply serve it on the side. Do a taste test, adding more soy sauce if not salty enough. If you find the soup too salty (this depends on how salty your broth was to start with), add 1 to 2 Tbsp. lime juice. If too sour for your taste, add 1 tsp. sugar.
  5. Check rice noodles to make sure they have softened enough to eat (they should be 'al dente'). Drain the noodles and portion out into bowls. Pour several ladles of soup over each bowl of noodles. Sprinkle over fresh basil, and serve with chili sauce on the side, if desired