Chinese New Year Flavour

Chinese New Year is fast approaching and on 10th February we will be welcoming the arrival of  the 2013 year of the Water Snake. For some reason, I always get inspired by the new energy that the Lunar New Year brings so I thought it was the perfect time to cook something with a Chinese flavour in keeping with this celebration. Peking duck pancakes have always been a big favourite and my lovely husband Andrew has been asking lately if I could have a go at making them at home. Well, this week I got my act together and finally got around to it, creating my own version of this classic and very popular dish.

There is a real art to true, super shellac like, glossy and parchment crisp Peking duck that is pretty tricky to reproduce in a home kitchen. We are lucky enough to live in a neighbourhood where buying Peking duck fresh from the Chinese BBQ store is easy, so realistically just buying the duck and making the pancakes myself would be a viable shortcut. However, I decided that I would aim for a recipe that would give all the delights of Peking duck whilst being easy to put together for the home cook - and for those who don't have the luxury of having a Chinese BBQ outlet around the corner!

For any Peking duck experts reading this, I don't pretend that this is 100% authentic (the duck does not go through the usual drying processes)  but the result is a delicious try-and-stop-at-one pancake, with the gorgeous flavour of the traditional version.

So, why not celebrate Chinese New Year with a batch of these delicious treats? I warn you though that they are very moreish - best make a double batch!

Crispy Glazed Duck Pancakes
with cucumber, onion and hoisin sauce

You will need: 2 duck breasts skin on, 1 small continental cucumber, 4 spring onions, 1 cup Hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon minced chilli, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, salt.

For the pancakes: 1/2 cup plain flour, 3 tablespoons cornflour, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup milk, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon melted butter, pinch of salt.

Method:  First, make the pancake batter. Combine the flour, cornflour, water, milk, eggs, salt and butter and blend until super smooth. (I used a stick blender to do this) Pour into a jug, cover and stand for 15 minutes.

 

Now make the duck glaze by combining the honey, garlic, chilli, sesame oil and salt. Set aside.

 

De-seed the cucumber and cut into fairly thin strips. Do the same with the spring onion. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

 

Preheat the oven to 200C. Dry the duck breasts with a paper towel. Season the duck breasts with a little salt on both sides. Heat a non stick fry pan to a medium heat and cook the duck skin down for 6-8 minutes, draining off the fat as it renders down. When the duck is a deep golden colour, turn it over and cook it skin side up for about 3 minutes.

 

Transfer the duck to a baking tray and cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes (timing will depend on the size of the duck breasts) Remove the duck from the oven and brush both sides with half the glaze mixture. Return the duck to the oven for another 10 minutes.

 

Remove the duck from the oven, brush with the rest of the glaze mixture and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

 

Now, make the pancakes. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Brush with a little extra butter if you wish. Pour a tablespoonful of batter into frying pan. Spread to form a thin pancake, about the size of the palm of your hand. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn and cook for a further 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter. The pancakes should be pale and not browned. Turn the heat down if they colour up too much.

 

Slice the duck into thin slices and serve with the pancakes, spring onion and cucumber, with the Hoisin sauce on the side. Serve right away.

 

Makes about 15 small pancakes.

 

******

 

 

Lucky Duck

Well hello and Happy New Year to you all! I'm back from our South Coast getaway but very lucky to still be on holidays at the moment. To say that our household has been in extreme sloth mode would be an understatement - plenty of book reading, movie watching and long afternoon naps. Food wise, there has been a lot of sushi consumption, as well as Frosty Fruits and Caramel Cornettos eaten in front of the air conditioner as we try to escape the heat. In our hot Australian Summer, it makes perfect sense to eat light, fresh and flavourful food - and nothing fits the bill more than my favourite Asian cuisine, Vietnamese.

This week I decided to make a version of the classic crispy Vietnamese pancake - a restaurant fave for me - but with a different filling from the usual pork, prawn and beansprout one. I'm on a mission to use up freezer and pantry items right now and I didn't really want have to go out and do a special shop for all the ingredients, so I just used what I had. Checking in the freezer I found I had a couple of duck breasts and I thought they would lend themselves really well to this dish. The freshness of the herbs, the aromatics of turmeric and coconut and the tang of the lime and chillies are the perfect contrast to the rich duck meat.

These pancakes are extremely easy to put together and make a perfect meal by themselves, or part of a shared Summer buffet. I served the pancakes with nuoc cham, the classic Vietnamese dipping sauce - also very easy to make and which gives this dish a very authentic feel. I made quite a mild version today but add heaps more chillies if you want something with more of a kick. You can of course fill the pancake with all kinds of things - the pork belly and prawn combination that is very popular, chicken, minced pork, spicy tofu or even fish. You could also skip that all together and just do a super light salad version. Although I didn't use fresh beansprouts in my recipe (just because I couldn't be bothered going out and buying any!) I do think they add a beautiful crunch to this kind of pancake and when I make this again, I will actually get off my backside and go and get some.

Crispy Duck Pancakes

with Nuoc Cham (dipping sauce)

The method I have used for cooking the duck is a really good one to know and one that I use every time I cook it. Follow the steps and you will end up with a super crispy skin and succulent flesh, but without oiliness. Just render that skin gradually and drain off the fat as you go, then finish in the oven, rest the meat properly and you will have perfect duck every time.

In GG restaurant news, later this week we are heading off to Neil Perry's Spice Temple - you might recall last year I reviewed the Melbourne restaurant after having lunch there and really loving it. We are visiting Spice Temple in our own city this time around and I'm really craving chilli at the moment, so this will definitely fit the bill. Many of the dishes are eye wateringly, lip tinglingly spicy and I want to get a big dose of that. Just what you want in Summer I think (although Andrew doesn't share my penchant for the numbingly spicy, so I might be going it alone with some of the dishes!)

We are also off to Matt Moran's Chiswick in early February - taking Lady Nanette (aka Grandma) and my Aunt and Uncle in law (is that a real term?) Meg and Mark out for a special Sunday lunch when they visit from Canberra. I have been curious to check out Chiswick after driving past and seeing their on site garden where they grow produce for the restaurant. This will be a perfect excuse to visit. I will be sure to report back and let you know how it was. I'm told that the produce is really top notch, and that it is the perfect lunch venue, with it's garden surroundings. I'll ignore the fact that heading to the Eastern Suburbs always makes me slightly twitchy - that Stepford Wives vibe, boat shoes, Joh Bailey hair and too much Botox. All kinds of scary! But you know me, if the food is good - I'm going there!

Anyway, back to today's recipe - This is the first time I have had a go at making Vietnamese pancakes and I was really happy with the result. My version is a combination of a couple of different recipes I'd read and I think that this hybrid of mine worked really well. I was flying by the seat of my pants a bit, but the result was something I would happily make again. Hope that you are inspired to give it a try too.

Crispy Duck Pancakes with Nuoc Cham
You will need:
For the pancakes -1 1/2 cups rice flour, 2 tbs cornflour, 1 x 400ml can coconut milk, 1 cup iced water,1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, Pinch of white pepper, 2 tbs peanut oil

For the filling - 2 duck breasts (skin on), 1/2 cup thinly sliced spring onion, 1 small carrot julienned very finely, 1/2 small red capsicum, julienned very finely,1 small Lebanese cucumber julienned very finely, 1 bunch fresh coriander, handful of fresh mint leaves. Have extra lime, mint, chillies and coriander on hand to garnish the dish.

For the sauce (nuoc cham) - 1/4 cup fish sauce, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 1 tbs water, 1 tbs caster sugar, 1 or 2 red chillies de-seeded and finely chopped, 1 garlic clove, finely chopped.

Method: First, make the batter. Whisk the rice flour and the corn flour, coconut milk, water, turmeric, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Season with white pepper. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon. If the mixture is too runny, add a bit more rice flour. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight to rest.

For the sauce, simply combine all of the ingredients and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Now, cook the duck breasts. Heat the oven to 200C. Score the skin of the duck in a criss cross pattern - don't cut in to the duck flesh, you should score the skin only.Heat a non stick fry pan over a low-medium heat. Sit the duck skin-side down in the pan and allow to gently fry for around 10-12 minutes. Gradually, the fat from the skin will begin to render away - drain away the fat as this happens. Take your time with this step and don't be tempted to turn up the heat - we want the skin to be golden and crispy, not burnt. Turn the duck breasts over so they are skin-side up, and allow to cook for about a minute more.

Now place the duck on an oven tray, skin side up and allow to cook further in the preheated oven for 8 - 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the duck to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing into thin slices.

Now to the pancakes - Brush a fry pan generously with the peanut oil. Heat over a high heat until the pan is smoking. Add one-quarter of the flour mixture and tilt pan, swirling batter to cover base and slightly up the side. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the batter is golden underneath. Place one-quarter of the duck breast and a sprinkle of spring onion onto half the pancake and then fold it over. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.

Repeat with the rest of the ingredients until you have four pancakes. Fill the pancakes with the cucumber, carrot, capsicum, spring onion, mint and coriander. Arrange on a serving platter and drizzle with the nuoc cham (sauce), garnish with some extra lime, fresh chillies, mint and coriander. Serve right away.

Makes 4 generous pancakes.

******

A Weekend Food Diary

This weekend I had an old friend from overseas staying with us, and because we wanted some quality catch up time, our plan was to stay pretty close to home, cooking, enjoying a few glasses of wine and taking the rare opportunity to spend time together. I thought that I would share what we have been enjoying over the last few days, all cooked at home with the exception of a Sunday morning brunch trip to nearby Addison Road Markets in Marrickville, where we ate a very eclectic breakfast and picked up a few fresh ingredients to bring home on the way. All of the dishes were quite simple and easy to put together, but they were big on flavour. Looking back on the weekend, we have certainly enjoyed a diverse menu!

Friday:
My weekend food diary begins with a Japanese inspired Friday night dinner. A selection of shared dishes, served on some of the lovely Japanese ceramics we brought back from our recent trip. We began with crispy calamari and a creamy wasabi mayonnaise, and a dish of pickled radish, fennel and carrot for a tangy, crunchy contrast.

Crispy Calamari with Wasabi Mayonnaise

Radish, Fennel and Carrot Pickle

Next, a sticky, chilli coated stir fried tofu and snake bean dish, made extra delicious by the addition of dried shaved bonito. I love the very savoury dimension that dried bonito always adds to a dish - the ultimate seasoning I think! I used a medium firm tofu for this dish - it is quite forgiving as far as being handled goes and retains it's shape really well.

Chilli Tofu with Snakebeans and Bonito

For the final component of our meal, I took a beautiful smallish piece of beef fillet and coated it with a crushed mixture of fragrant black, white and red peppercorns. I seared it in a pan with a little oil, then transferred it to the oven for about 15 minutes to continue cooking. After resting it for another 15 minutes, I sliced it very thinly and served it drizzled with a simple teriaki sauce and topped it with sesame seeds. The texture of the meat was soft, moist and buttery - so tender you could pull it apart with your fingers. Washed down with a few glasses of Sake, our Japanese inspired dinner was a lovely way to kick off the weekend.

Fillet of Beef Teryaki with Sesame

Saturday:
It was a lovely sunny Saturday, so for lunch we decided to cook outside. We headed off to the fishmonger and bought some locally caught octopus as well as some fresh Australian prawns, which we brushed with a simple and very quickly thrown together olive oil, paprika and garlic marinade. We cooked the whole lot over coals in the back yard, and ate our seafood with crusty bread and a salad of mixed leaves which we drizzled with a small amount of fruity olive oil and some cherry balsamic. So simple, but a lovely lunch.

BBQ Prawns and Octopus with Mixed Leaf Salad

Now, there are unfortunately no pics of what we ate for dinner Saturday night - I got a bit trigger happy with delete function on my camera - so you will just have to imagine the twice cooked pork belly, served with a dollop of creamy mash and new seasons zucchini flowers, which I stuffed with a little feta cheese, parmesan and sorrel picked fresh from the garden. Rich, tasty and very delicious. I always get very excited when I start to see zucchini flowers appearing at the greengrocer - it means spring is on the way, and it is the perfect time to enjoy these delicate, beautiful vegetables.

Zucchini Flowers

Sunday:
Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny - perfect for being out and about - so we headed off to Addison Road Market in Marrickville to do a little bit of produce shopping and to find our breakfast. Unable to make up our minds on what to choose, we ended up trying a selection of dishes. Of course we can't visit the market without tasting the delicious hawker style roti - this time served with a rich and flavoursome lamb curry sauce. Surely this has to be one of the best breakfasts on the planet - one of my all time favourites anyway!

Roti with Lamb Curry Sauce

Delicious rustic style corn fritters were next, served with crispy bacon, homemade tomato relish, a pile of fresh herbs and a dollop of creamy aoli - yummo!

Corn Fritters

with Bacon, Homemade Tomato Relish and Aoili

In a nod to yum cha, we also shared a plate of freshly steamed dumplings - prawn and vegetables wrapped in a sticky rice wrapper, a BBQ pork bun and plenty of hot chilli sauce. I love the clean taste of a steamed dumpling, teamed with that eye watering chilli kick - certainly enough to wake you up on a Sunday morning!

BBQ Pork Bun and Steamed Dumplings

Wandering around the market, I picked up a few produce items, including organic, picked-that-morning broccolini, freshly baked ciabatta bread, crisp red radishes, pumpkin, King Edward potatoes, yellow heirloom carrots, a rack of organic lamb (from a local producer who was trying his product at the market for the first time) and some super soft and rich flavoured white rind cheese.

From Addison Road Market -

Organic vegebtables, Lamb, Ciabatta and Soft White Rind Cheese

When we arrived home from the market, we were definitely too full to eat lunch, so we had a glass of wine sitting in garden instead. I did however make a start on Sunday night dinner. I had gotten my hands on some ox cheek from our local butcher, which I was keen to slowly braise, hoping to bring out some of the amazing rich flavour that this cut of meat can deliver. It's funny, I see this ingredient on menus quite regularly, but until this week had not seen the raw product for sale at the butcher. When I saw it, I grabbed a couple of kilos right away.

Ox cheek requires very long, slow cooking - and we certainly weren't going anywhere - so it was a great time to make this hearty, comforting dish. I cooked it super simply - just seasoned and seared the meat, cooked a pile of onions, chopped carrot, parsley stalk and garlic in a little good quality olive oil and topped the whole lot with some plain beef stock before putting it in the oven for 5 hours at 120C. The resulting meat was buttery and melt in your mouth, with a dark, rich gravy. I think the secret to getting a really rich sauce is using lots of onions - I used sweet Spanish onions, which broke down during the cooking process to give a rich, caramelised flavour and body to the sauce.

Slow Braised Ox Cheek

with King Edward Potato Mash and Buttered Peas

I served the Ox cheek with a creamy mash made from the King Edward potatoes I bought at the market, and buttered peas. Nothing fancy, but hearty and full of flavour. Because the meat is very rich, we only needed small portions, so the leftover meat will be frozen, to be topped with golden puff pastry sometime in the future and reinvented as a delicious pie. A great way to have something special after work that can be thrown together quickly - all the hard work is pretty much done. I was really pleased with my first attempt at Ox cheek and will definitely keep my eyes open for it at the butcher. It wasn't expensive either - although I'm wondering if it will go the way of lamb shanks - something that butchers would almost give away a few years ago, and that now commands a top price due to a sudden fashion for that particular cut of meat. Time will tell.

So, that was the weekend in food.

And then.....
Next weekend we are heading up to my lovely in laws on the Central Coast for a Sunday family lunch, and have decided to make a weekend of it - driving up on Saturday via the Hunter Valley Region. The plan is to explore and enjoy some of the culinary delights of the area on Saturday, spend the night at The Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley and then drive across to the coast Sunday morning. The last time we were there, we discovered a farm that sold the most incredible tasting non homogenised milk, and we are taking an esky this time, so that we can stock up. We also purchased some gorgeous quality free range eggs (most turned out to have double yolks) from the same farmer, so we will be sure to pay him a visit again. Will have to do some research this week on what else we might want to check out - I hear there are cheese producers and all kinds of other food delights in the area, so there will be no shortage of things to do. Will be sure to pack my camera and my notebook, so I can share the highlights with you all.

Have a delicious week!

Review - Iggy's

So, there hasn't been a huge amount of cooking worth reporting since I've been back from Borneo/Singapore, just basic things as I catch up with my work schedule (although I did cater a lovely function on Saturday night and am kicking myself that I didn't get pics - too busy getting the dishes out!) so I thought I would share another restaurant review with you - this time for the much talked about Iggy's restaurant, which I had the opportunity to visit in my recent travels.

Iggy’s is the Singapore establishment of restaurateur and sommelier Ignatius Chan. Recently named as the number one restaurant in Asia, and number 26 on the Pellegrino 50 Best Restaurants in the World list, I was really eager to visit when I travelled to Singapore in July. There is no head chef as such – a team of chefs share the creation of the menu, based strongly on the extensive travel and dining experiences of Iggy himself. The restaurant has a reputation for innovation, so when I visited, I was prepared for something very different. I love having my boundaries pushed, and tasting foods and combinations that are new to me, so Iggy’s seemed like a must do dining experience when visiting Singapore.

Located within The Hilton Hotel on Orchard Road, the entrance hidden behind a sliding screen accessible only by buzzing the intercom and being let in by the wait staff, there was certainly a sense of occasion and expectation on arrival. Led down a stylishly dimly lit corridor, I was a bit let down when all that build up led into quite a bland looking dining space with some decidedly 1980’s looking back lighting. But still, for me, it’s all about the food so a bit of décor letdown wasn’t going to get in the way of a fabulous food experience.

The ten course degustation menu began with an interesting twist on sushi – beautiful fresh fish, with the rice component being a savoury rice meringue that dissolved in your mouth. The textures worked really well and quirky twist on the traditional sushi.

A deconstructed molecular version of Nasi Lemak, the classic rice dish was a real surprise – and one of my favourite dishes of the night, with aromatic pandan and coconut teamed with a gorgeous steamed fish base and toasty topping that was just delicious.

Deconstructed Nasi Lemak

The following dish of langoustine, watermelon and tomato jelly was fresh and pleasant, although not outstanding, and from here I’m afraid that the meal pretty much stayed at this level. The sea urchin and abalone dish failed to wow us (although to be fair to Iggy’s, the week before I had eaten Tetsuya’s sublime sea urchin dish at Waku Ghin and comparisons were going to be inevitable) A pork belly, sweet pea and fig course was enjoyable, although I have eaten far better pork belly dishes and the conger eel with yuzu and spring vegetables was crispy and pleasant – but again, there was no wow moment. Throughout the savoury dishes, which included lamb and black truffle courses, I felt there was something lacking that I just couldn’t put my finger on. The produce was top notch, the presentation was nice enough, but there was just no excitement there for me. Technically well done, but with absolutely no heart. It kind of just left me cold.

With the arrival of the dessert courses however, things really picked up. Not being a big dessert person (I am almost always happy to forgo dessert for some good cheese!) I loved the dessert of peach, yoghurt and elderflower – the peach component in particular was so fragrant and beautiful. But surprisingly, the dish of the night went to the final dessert of bitter araguani chocolate, banana, hazelnut and espresso. Texturally it was brilliant – combining chewiness and crunch, creaminess and crispness. Great flavours, a texture surprise and looking just beautiful on the plate. If only every dish had succeeded like this one.

Araguani Chocolate, Banana, Hazelnut and Espresso

It would be wrong to suggest that the Iggy’s experience was bad. There is so much about it that works in theory, the wait staff is friendly and professional, the produce is of excellent quality and what arrives on the plate is nice enough, but the experience fell way short of expectations, and to be honest I can’t imagine that I would be returning. Does it deserve its rating as number 26 in the world? Look, this stuff is all totally subjective, but for me it doesn’t come close to being in that league. Reading some other accounts of this restaurant, I'm left wondering if maybe they were off their game the evening I dined there, or if I'm just missing something here. I’m also a bit confused about Iggy’s reputation as a culinary innovator. I saw very few examples of innovation in the ten course menu – for the most part I felt that it was treading pretty familiar ground, and not hugely successfully, given the restaurant's reputation for excellence and the big price tag.


Iggy’s
The Hilton Hotel – 581 Orchard Road, Singapore
For reservations phone: +65 6732 2234
$275.00 per person (Singapore dollars, food only)

A Food Travel Flashback - Bali

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks up in the lush hills of Bali, learning about traditional Balinese cuisine. As well as discovering the indigenous plants and ingredients, I also got to spend time with some of the local women, cooking, exploring the market and marvelling at the beautiful flavours, colours and aromas that characterised the local food. I also built up my biceps from hand grinding all those gorgeous spice pastes!

Traditionally, cooking for an average day is done once in the morning - and that dish is eaten throughout the day, with rice. I remember waking up to the sound of roosters crowing, frogs in the rice paddies - and the beautiful smell of cooking early every morning, as the women in the various family compounds around where I was staying prepared food for the day. Early morning in the Balinese hills has a very distinct smell - like an exotic aromatic cloud made up of woodsmoke, incense, chillies, lemongrass, tumeric and flowers. Totally intoxicating.

Today I have a craving for some of that aromatic gorgeousness, so I thought I would share one of the dishes that I learned in my travels. I haven't made this for ages, but it is really beautiful and full of layers of flavour. Making your own spice paste may seem fiddly, but it is absolutely worth the effort - and you don't have to use a mortar and pestle if that doesn't appeal to you. A food processor is fine.

You will find all of the spice paste ingredients at any asian grocer or market. Be sure to use the fresh versions of the ginger, lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal and tumeric - dried won't cut it for this recipe. A note about the fresh tumeric - it stains like crazy, and if you get it on your clothing you will never get it off, so wear an apron and gloves when you are preparing it - unless you want ruined clothes and yellow Homer Simpson hands!

So here is today's recipe, courtesy of the gorgeous Indonesian island of Bali. This golden coloured aromatic curry is quite mild and "safe" to serve to those who might be a bit hesitant about spicy food. But of course if you are a chilli devotee, feel free to add more chillies - or leave the seeds in for extra punch.

Kare Ayam Tuwung

(Chicken & Eggplant Curry)

You will need: 6-8 skinless chicken peices (I use legs or thighs on the bone - much better flavour. I wouldn't use chicken breast for this as it will dry out too much),1 large eggplant,1 large sliced red onion, 1 tablespoon peanut oil, 1 cup coconut milk, 4 lime leaves, 1 stalk lemongrass about 10cm long,2 large tomatoes, 1 tablespoon palm sugar (you can substitute brown sugar if you don't have palm sugar),salt, pepper, 3 cups water.

For the spice paste: 6 shallots, 1 peice of ginger the size of your thumb,1 tablespoon fresh galangal, 6 cloves garlic,2 long red chillies with the seeds removed, 1 tablespoon fresh tumeric,1 tablespoon coriander seed,1/2 tablespoon cumin seed,2 teaspoons tamarind paste,1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste,3 grated candlenuts,1 teaspoon black peppercorns.

Method: Cut the eggplant into peices about half the size of a matchbox. Sprinkle with salt and place in a colander in the sink to drain. In the meantime, start preparing the spice paste.

Take the coriander seed, cumin seed and peppercorns and place them in a pan on a low heat. Gently toast them until you start to smell the aromas releasing. Be sure to move them constantly so they do not burn. If they do, start over, as burned spices will give an unpleasant bitter taste to your dish. Remove them from the pan and grind them to a powder (I use a mortar and pestle for this)

Chop the shallots, ginger, galangal, garlic, chilli and tumeric roughly. Place these in a food processor or large mortar and pestle. Add the cumin, coriander, peppercorns, candlenuts, shrimp paste and tamarind paste.Add about a third of a cup of warm water to the mixture and hand grind or process these until you have a fragrant paste. If the mixture is a little dry, add a few more teaspoons of warm water. Set the paste aside.

Cut a cross in the base of the tomatoes and place them in a bowl of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the water and peel off the skins - they should come off easily. Roughly chop the tomatoes and set aside.

Rinse the eggplant with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
Bruise the lemongrass stalk, still keeping it in one peice (a mortar and pestle is good for this!) Tie the stalk in a knot - this makes it easy to remove later and stops the fibres from breaking up through the dish.

In a wok or large saucepan, heat the peanut oil on a medium heat. Add the spice paste and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constatntly. Add the sliced red onion and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the chicken, eggplant, lemongrass and lime leaves.

Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Now add the tomatoes, water, palm sugar and a little salt. Simmer gently for 20- 25 minutes.

Now stir through the coconut milk. Turn up the heat so that the mixture is boiling a lot more rapidly and allow it to cook like this for 5-10 minutes remembering to stir it from time to time.

Taste the curry and adjust the seasonings to taste - add more salt and pepper as needed. Remove the lemongrass and lime leaves before serving.

Serve with rice and fresh chillies if you like it hot.

******

Welcoming the Year of the Dragon

I really love the Chinese Lunar New Year. It always seemed to make much more sense to me to measure the passing of time by the actual moon's cycles than just deciding that it starts on 1 January as in the Gregorian or Christian calendar. I guess my Pagan sensibilities have a bit of a problem with the calendar being manipulated back in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, in an attempt to quash the existing Pagan festivals. Although the western world still sticks to the Gregorian calendar, lots of us still mark the passage of time in the old ways - which also means that it is measured according the cycles of nature and the moon. For that reason, the Chinese New Year (like the Pagan one) does not fall on a fixed date each year.

In 2012, the Chinese New Year commences on 23 January and celebrations wind up around the 9 February. I have great memories of my Chinese neighbours setting off highly illegal (but very loud and festive) fireworks in my street in Marrickville when I lived there a couple of years ago. The celebratory vibe on the street was palpable and the Asian food markets were bustling with people buying food for New Year feasts. This year is the Year of the Water Dragon - a year believed to be ripe with power, flow and transformation. It is believed that it is very much a sink or swim year, where those who embrace the dragon's power and come from a solid spiritual place will thrive - and those who's beliefs and ways of living lack substance and who cannot ride the wave of dragon energy can get swamped by it. So let's get to it and ride that wave folks!

On Friday night we entertained a house full of friends to celebrate the Chinese New Year and whip up some positive, Dragon energy fuelled camraderie. I decided on a menu that was a combination of finger foods to start with, followed by a buffet of dishes served with hot steamed rice. We started off with delicious pork and sesame balls, served with plum sauce, then moved on to handmade prawn and scallop dumplings and then lovely crunchy chicken, vermicelli and black fungus rolls. The finger food went down a treat and kept everyone happy until the buffet meal.

Pork & Sesame Balls

with Plum Sauce

Prawn & Scallop Dumplings

with Soy and Sesame Oil

Chicken, Vermicelli and Black Fungus Rolls

with Chilli Lime Dipping Sauce

The buffet comprised of a fresh watercress, BBQ duck and pomelo salad (for those of you who aren't familiar with pomelo, it is a huge grapefruit like fruit, often used in South East Asia) The salad is packed with flavour, but also light and tangy - perfect for Summer.

Watercress, BBQ Duck and Pomelo Salad

Next came twice cooked pork belly, which I started 2 days before, cooking it in a highly aromatic master stock, with star anise, ginger, rice wine, cinnamon, garlic, sweet onions, peppercorns, soy, Five spice, garlic and chilli. After poaching the pork, it is left to dry out a little. The skin is then scored all over, and the meat is then cooked over the coals, then rested before serving with gai lan (Chinese greens) The resulting pork is super succulent and full of the exotic aromatics.

Twice Cooked Pork Belly

with Gai Lan

I added a simple seafood dish - prawns, fish and scallops that were coated in spiced rice flour and fried, then served with chilli and coriander. It is a very simple dish that allows the very fresh seafood to shine through.

Fried Spiced Seafood

There was a stir fried chicken and dried shitake mushroom dish, served with crisp snake beans and fresh bean sprouts. There were lots of comments on how meaty and delicious the mushrooms were - the flavour is just beautiful, and a lot stronger than using fresh ones. The dried mushrooms are soaked in water overnight before cutting off the stalks and using them.

Chicken & Shitake Mushrooms

with Bean Shoots

I hadn't planned to serve dessert, but Andrew suggested we head to the Chinese pastry shop and buy some sweet custard tarts to offer at the end of the meal. I thought it was a great idea, but when we got to the shop, there were only 5 or 6 left. We needed 25! Our friendly Chinese baker sweetly suggested that he would bake a batch just for us that we could pick up in an hour. Perfect. The tarts were divine and a big hit with our guests. Alas, no pictures - we were too busy devouring them all to photograph them!


Our Chinese New Year celebration was a lot of fun, and we certainly kicked off The Year of the Dragon with good vibes and much feasting. Happy Year of the Dragon everyone - ride that Water Dragon Wave! Gung Hay Fat Choy!!!

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An express Asian feast, dreams - and who stole my quails!!

Evening eveyone. I am happy to report that I am pretty much over this illness and that I am feeling almost normal again. Boy did that flu knock me out! I am not at all prone to sickness, so it was a bit of shock to be forced to pretty much take to my bed for two weeks. Not my idea of a good time, I can tell you! AND it kept me out of the kitchen!

As well as my flu symptoms, this sickness has been giving me some seriously crazy ass dreams too - the most amusing (and food related) being that I had dreamt I was competing in a cross between Masterchef and Iron Chef and it was a French themed challenge. I had this gorgeous quail dish worked out and all was going well, until someone stole my quails. How very dare they! I was bordering on hysteria, running up to strangers demanding that they give back my quails immediately, while the rest of my side dishes overcooked on the stove. When I woke up from the dream my heart was actually pounding, but would you believe it - I remembered my recipe for the quail dish! Now, I've never been inspired to cook a dish by a dream before, but I fully intend to turn the French quail dish into reality in the GG kitchen very soon. Many thanks to my kooky subconscious for the recipe idea - but do any of you dream interpreters know what it means when you dream about stolen game birds? Anyhoo.....

So it's Sunday night, my appetite is back after nearly 2 weeks with the flu and my tastebuds have a hankering for something with an Asian flavour. I also didn't want anything that was going to keep me away from the heater and the couch for too long (it's freezing!) I did toy with the idea of a sneaky Chinese home delivery, but instead I checked out the fridge and the pantry and came up with an easy Asian tasting plate that I managed to throw together in about 40 minutes. The result was three simple dishes - some fish, some greens, and some tofu - served with a couple of warming bowls of miso and seaweed soup on the side (not pictured - sorry, I completely forgot to photograph them, but they were your garden variety, instant Miso soups) Very yummy and a perfect accompaniment to any Asian meal.

I really love the concept of tasting plates - I like the sharing aspect, as well as the fact that you get to have a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Variety and generosity is good. Tasting plates also look great, providing a lovely visual contrast of colours and textures. They are a great way to entertain too, allowing everyone to just help themselves - and any of those pesky, fussy eaters to pick away at what they like and leave what they don't. 

Tonight's recipes are so simple and fast that I have just written them below in note form. Feel free to modify them to suit you. Here is what we shared for dinner on this chilly winter Sunday night, rugged up on the couch.....

Sunday Night Asian Tasting Plate

Crispy Seasame Barramundi with Wasabi Mayonnaise, Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame Oil and Soy Dressing, Fried Spiced Coriander and Pepper Tofu with Chilli Sauce

Method

For the Barramundi - I simply dusted the Barramundi with seasoned flour, dipped them in lightly beaten egg and then coated them in a mixture of 1/2 Panko breadcrumbs (you will find these in any Asian grocery store) and 1/2 sesame seeds. I then shallow fried the fish in peanut oil. The Wasabi mayo was just a couple of tablespoons of good quality aoli (garlic mayonnaise) I had in the fridge, mixed through with a generous amount of Wasabi paste. It can be as mild or as hot as you fancy.

For the Sugar Snap Peas - I steamed these for about a minute in the microwave and drizzled them with a couple of teaspoons each of soy sauce and sesame oil just before serving. I seasoned them with cracked pepper and sesame seeds to finish them off.

For the Tofu - I pounded together 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon of Szechuan pepper, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns and 1 teaspoon sea salt. When it was finely ground, I added it to 2 tablespoons of plain flour and mixed it well. I tossed the cubed tofu in the flour and then shallow fried it until it started to turn golden and puffy.

While the tofu was still warm, I tossed through some chilli sauce, a squeeze of lime juice, a tablespoon of spring onion and seasoned well with salt and pepper. That's it - dinner!

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Fresh, fast and fantastic!

I'm all about quick and easy at the moment - Andrew and I are in the process of merging households as well as searching for a new address in the hell that is the cut throat Sydney rental market, so we don't have a whole lot of time. Between work, open house inspections, trips up to Andrew's place on the Central Coast to pack things, work and the endless paperwork of tenancy applications, there hasn't been a whole lot of time for relaxing - or cooking anything too involved.

We decided we needed a break from this crazy schedule we are living at the moment and took time out last Sunday afternoon to hang out with good friends, have a few glasses of wine, share a lazy lunch (and a few rounds of "Beatles Rock Band"!) I had to rustle up something in a hurry to contribute to the buffet table because we had just dashed back from the coast after a bout of packing.


I was going to cop out and just do the cheese platter thing, but instead settled on these quick and easy Asian meatballs that ended up being a hit. They have bucketloads of flavour as well as looking pretty, thanks to lemongrass, mint, ginger and garlic. We ate them warm from the oven, but they are just as good cold. As a dipping sauce, I mixed up some good quality mayo and some black pepper paste (from Asian grocery stores) - it was really beautiful - and a change from that most misused and over represented condiment - sweet chilli sauce. God, I'm over that stuff - must people put it on everything??? Anyway, I digress....

I cooked these meatballs in the oven, so they don't require extra oil for frying and you don't even need to turn them. You can do the prep work in 10 minutes and cook them like I did for 15 minutes, so they are great if you are in a rush - in under 30 minutes you will have 30 meatballs. The result is delightfully moist, sesame crusted meatballs with not a lot of fuss. You can be very free and easy with the ingredients for these - my recipe is just a guide based on what I did on Sunday, but feel free to add or omit things or to experiement with different spices. Just don't be stingy with the flavours. Use whatever is around - although I would stick with the sesame seeds for the coating. They are what make the meatballs a bit more than your standard cocktail meatball. Speaking of which, these would make great finger food.


Have to run -  Hopefully next time you visit me I will have secured that elusive rental property, calmed down a bit and have a new Gourmet Goddess kitchen to relocate to. In the meantime, enjoy these lovely eastern delights....

Fragrant lemongrass, coriander and sesame meatballs

 

You will need: 1 kilo pork mince, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 1 whole bunch coriander finely chopped, 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint, 1 tablespoon very finely minced lemongrass (you can also use lemongrass paste or powder if you like) 1 teaspsoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes, 1 cup finely chopped spring onion, 1/2 tablespoon very finely grated ginger, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 tablespoon palm sugar (or brown sugar if you don't have it), 1 cup sesame seeds.

Method: Mix together everything but the sesame seeds in a big bowl. Use clean hands and make sure you combine everything very, very well. The mixture will be a little bit sticky, but that's fine.

Place the sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Wet your hands and roll the pork mixture into small balls. Toss the meatballs lightly in the seeds and place them on a baking dish covered with baking paper. If you find the meatballs difficult to shape, it will be because your hands are dry. Keep your hands wet and you will find the process a whole lot easier.

Bake in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the meatballs you make.
Serve warm or cold.

*Makes around 30 small meatballs. If you don't want to serve them all at once, these freeze well.

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Gorgeous Dumplings

There is something incredibly comforting about dumplings in broth - and my travels in Singapore, Cambodia and Vietnam have given me a real appreciation for not only eating this style of dish, but also the joy of making your own dumplings. I love that each dumpling is lovingly fashioned by hand and the attention that is put into each one. There are so many different fillings that you can put into dumplings, I have eaten pork, vegetarian versions with spiced tofu and green vegetables, Shitake mushrooms, fish and chicken - but my very favourite is the subject of today's recipe - a delicious light combination of scallops, prawn and water chestnut (I buy the small tins from my local Asian grocery shop, but I'm pretty sure many western supermarkets stock them these days)

These dumplings are so easy to make - even easier when you do what I do and buy the Gow Gee pastry instead of making your own! You will find Gow Gee pastry at any Asian grocer - they are usually sold in packs of 30 and are already rolled and ready to go. They freeze extremely well, so grab a couple of packs so you can whip up dumplings whenever the urge takes you. The filling will also freeze well, so if you are only cooking for one or two, you can freeze the Gow Gee pastry and the filling in a seperate container. Just defrost and assemble the dumplings when you are ready.

My recipe serves the dumplings in a lovely lemongrass scented broth, but you can just have the dumplings as they are, with a touch of soy. They make a nice entree or even finger food for a cocktail party. I like mine served with lots of fresh chilli, but you can omit the chilli completely if you prefer a mild dish. For me, nothing beats these delicious dumplings and aromatic broth for a beautiful comforting meal, with a touch of the exotic.

Prawn and scallop dumplings in lemongrass broth

You will need:

(for the dumplings) 300g Prawn meat, 200g scallop meat (Roe removed), 8 whole water chestnuts, 1 eggwhite, 1 teaspoon sesame oil (Plus a little extra to serve), salt and pepper, 1 pack Gow Gee wrappers (you can buy these from any Asian supermarket and they usually come in packs of 30), 1 whole egg, 1 teaspoon of water.

(for the broth) 1litre vegetable stock (I used Campbell's brand), 1 large stalk fresh lemongrass cut into about 8 large pieces, 1 bunch fresh coriander (roots and stalks removed and chopped roughly), 2 Tablespoons finely sliced spring onions, a couple of finely sliced red chillies (less or more, depending on your taste)

Method:

Combine the prawn and scallop meat, water chestnuts, eggwhite, sesame oil and a touch of salt and pepper in a food processor. Combine until smooth.

Beat the whole egg with a teaspoon of water and set aside.

To make the dumplings, place the Gow Gee wrapper on a chopping board and put about a teaspoon full of filling in the middle. Avoid over filling the dumplings, or they will be hard to handle and may burst as they cook.

Brush one edge of the pastry with the egg mixture and then pinch the sides firmly together to make a half moon shape. When I do this, I sort of fold the edges a little (like curtain pleats) so that the egdes are very firmly joined. You don't want the dumplings to burst when you cook them. Repeat until you have used up all of the filling.

To make the broth, simply allow the vegetable stock and lemongrass to simmer for about 15 minutes, then strain out the lemongrass (it is too tough to leave in when serving)

To serve, bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the dumplings for about 5 minutes. Drain them and place them in serving bowls with some fresh coriander and chilli to taste. Ladle over the lemongrass broth and drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil. Serve right away.

This recipe will serve 4-6 people.

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Vietnamese Inspiration - Spring Rolls

Today's recipe was inspired by some of the delicious spring rolls that I ate in Vietnam. The fillings tend to be fresher and lighter than other more Chinese influenced spring rolls I have eaten. They are a real crowd pleaser dish for a cocktail party or make a nice starter for a dinner party and are very easy to make. I made a big batch and put a whole lot of uncooked ones in the freezer for later - just defrost, deep fry and serve. You can be as creative as you like with the fillings - when I was away I ate spring rolls made with minced pork, chicken and prawns as well as vegetarian versions that used mung beans.

Our beloved "pork lady" (see previous post) used to put mung beans and pork in hers. She would make then earlier in the day and then grill them over the coals to reheat them, which gave them a whole new dimension of flavour. My recipe uses minced pork, fresh herbs, rice vermicelli noodles and black fungus (don't get freaked by the whole "fungus" thing - it is just a variety of dried mushroom that you can purchase easily from any asian supermarket) The fungus is quite mild and gives a lovely texture to the rolls, as well as gorgeous ebony coloured flecks through the mixture. I made these rolls on Saturday night and served them simply with some soy and sweet chilli sauce, but feel free to make your own dipping sauce if that takes your fancy. This recipe makes about 50 small rolls.

Serving suggestions:
- In Vietnam, fried spring rolls are often wrapped in lettuce and then dunked in chilli or a dipping sauce - they are delicious this way, as the crunchy fresh lettuce is a great contrast to the fried roll. I must admit that this is my preferred mode of eating spring rolls now.
- Another serving option is to cut the rolls into pieces (the Vietnamese just use scissors for this that they keep on the table) and use them to top cold noodle salads or pickled vegetables.

Spring roll handy hints:
- Dont overstuff your spring rolls or they are likely to burst open when you cook them.
- Make sure your filling mixture is not too wet - it can make your spring roll pastry weaken and split.
- Make sure your filling is cool or cold before creating your rolls - using hot filling can also split the wrappers. I sometimes make the filling the day before to avoid this.

Pork and black fungus spring rolls

You will need:

(for the filling) 400g pork mince, 1/2 cup dried black fungus soaked in hot water until soft, drained and chopped finely (available from asian grocers. You can also use dried Shitake mushrooms if you like),

1 bunch finely chopped fresh coriander, 1 finely chopped red chilli, 1 cup soft vermicelli rice noodles (I just soak the dried ones in hot water for 10mins and then drain them), 3 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1/2 cup finely chopped spring onions, pepper to taste, 3 teaspoons sesame oil, splash of peanut or vegetable oil.

(for the rolls)

1 pack spring roll wrappers - you can buy these from an asian grocer and some supermarkets. I like the smaller sized ones (about 14cm x 14cm), but if you want larger rolls, then go for the bigger sized wrappers.

Oil for frying, 1 egg and 1 tablespoon water whisked together.

Method: Heat a splash of oil in a pan and cook the pork mince until browned. Add the spring onion, chilli, noodles, fungus, sesame oil and oyster sauce. Combine well and season with pepper. Finally mix in the coriander. Allow the mixture to cool before making the rolls.

To make the rolls: Place the spring roll sheet diagonally, with a pointy end towards you. Brush the edges with the egg mixture. Place a small spoonful of the mixture on the pastry and fold the corner over the mixture. Now fold each side in. Now roll the pastry away from you - voila! One spring roll! Repeat with remaining mixture.

Cook the finished rolls in hot vegetable oil until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with sweet chilli sauce or soy.

*****

Welcome back to Gourmet Goddess after my South East Asian odyssey....

Hi everyone - Well, I'm back after what was a very memorable trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. I saw lots of beautiful and sometimes confronting sights and also did lots of things I never thought I would do (including finding myself underground in the pitch black, crawling on my stomach in an old Viet Cong fighting tunnel and shooting rounds off an AK47 gun !!) I also ate some fantastic local food in both places, including some of the more exotic options, including frog's legs, river snake on a stick (why does everything taste better on a stick??), fried crickets and fermented fish. I also became addicted to the delicious Vietnamese coffee.

One of my favourite food memories of the trip was a lady who sold the most incredible pork from a small cart at the intersection near where we were staying. Every night she would be there, cooking thin slivers of succulent pork belly, that was threaded onto split bamboo and cooked over coals, until it was melty and caramelised. The flavour was sweet and smoky and sexy. Needless to say that we kept going back for more! The lady on the corner became affectionately known as "The pork lady". Every neighbourhood should have one!

The pork lady and her cart

I thought I would get back into the swing of things with a recipe inspired by my time in Vietnam - a simple to put together salad that is fresh and full of flavour. I made this for friends who came to dinner on Saturday night and they really enjoyed it. You could serve this on individual plates as an entree, but I just tossed it all in a bowl and let everyone help themselves. I have used a combination of pork and prawns in my salad, but you could just use one of these if you want to. It would also work well with cooked squid, duck or chicken.

Pork and prawn salad with green mango

You will need:

(for the dressing) 5 tablespoons fish sauce (Nam Pla), Juice of 1 lime, 1-2 finely chopped red chillis (more or less depending on your taste), 1 heaped tablespoon palm sugar.

(for the salad) 1 green mango sliced thinly, 1 bunch coriander chopped, 1/2 cup chopped mint, 1/2 cup finely sliced spring onion, 1 cup fresh bean sprouts, 1 lebanese cucumber cut into juliennes, 12 cooked cold king prawns (I stir fried mine in a little oil with some salt and pepper), 400g cooked cold pork sliced into small pieces (I used cooked pork belly with the crackling left on, but you could use cooked pork chops or fillets), extra sliced red chilli to serve (I like lots!)

Method: First, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Taste for seasoning and add more lime or palm sugar if you need to. The dressing should have a nice balance of sweetness, saltiness and hotness from the chilli.

Toss together all of the salad ingredients. Drizzle over the dressing and serve right away.

How easy was that ?!!!

*****

The Spice Girls

Tonight's recipe is the result of another request from friends, who asked for a spicy beef salad that they could enjoy with the steamy hot weather we have been experiencing here in Sydney over the last few days. There is a very good reason that the hottest countries consume lots of chilli and their request made complete culinary sense given the season and the weather. So, Susan and Mary-Lou, spice girls that you are - this one is for you :)

This dish is very easy to throw together and it is also very versatile. Feel free to use spring onion instead of red onion, add sliced butter lettuce, a handful of bean sprouts or some snow peas if the mood takes you. If you want something a bit more substantial, then include some cooked rice noodles or vermicelli. Add bucketloads of chilli or just a touch and adjust the dressing to just how you like it - the measurements I have given are a starting point. I personally think this dish really works best with a decent amount of heat to it, but that's just me - I never feel I'm having a proper chilli experience unless I'm getting a bit of a sweat on :)

The key to this dish is to use super fresh ingredients - particularly the herbs. And please, if you don't have fresh limes, use fresh lemon. Don't be tempted by that hideous faux "lime juice" in the garish green bottles that you can buy on supermarket shelves. It is the work of Satan. Resist at all costs!!! I used topside steak for the recipe today, but if you are feeling a bit posh, then you can use fillet or another more premium cut. I personally think rump or topside is just fine though. It has a lot of flavour and as long as it is rested, it is succulent and tender. I cooked the meat in my grill pan, but of course if you have a BBQ, then it is perfect cooked that way. Actually, if I had a BBQ, that would be my preferred cooking method.

Okay, enough chit chat - here is tonight's dinner.....

Spicy Beef Salad

You will need:
For the salad: 500g rump or topside steak, 1 large lebanese cucumber deseeded and sliced, 1/2 finely sliced red onion, 1 small red capsicum or large bullhorn chilli deseeded and sliced, handful of cherry tomatoes sliced , handful of mint torn into pieces, bunch of coriander chopped roughly.

For the marinade: 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 tablepoon fish sauce (nam pla), 1 tablespoon palm sugar, pepper.

For the dressing: 3 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla), Juice of 1 lime, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon palm sugar, 1-3 chopped red chillies ( I used 3 - I like it spicy)

To serve: 1 tablespoon roasted unsalted peanuts crushed roughly, wedges of lime

Method: Combine the marinade ingredients and add the meat. Season generously with pepper. Cover and allow to marinate for at least 30mins (Overnight is even better)

Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Taste for seasoning and add more chilli, pepper or sugar if required. Set aside.

Heat a grill pan until hot and cook the steak in one piece for about 3 minutes each side. I like my meat fairly rare, but if you prefer your meat a little more done, then allow another few minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and allow if to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.

While the meat is resting, assemble the cucumber, capsicum, tomato, coriander, red onion and mint on a serving platter or individual plates.

Slice the steak into reasonably thick slices, being sure to cut across the grain. This will make for a much more tender result. Toss the meat through the salad ingredients and drizzle with the dressing. Serve topped with peanuts, a wedge of lime - and if you are a chilli masochist, extra chilli.

Serves 2-4 people

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Creature Comforts

I went back to work today after a few days off over the Christmas break and it's been a crazy day.  Launching yourself back into a hectic work schedule after a few days of lazing around the house, reading books in your pajamas all day and having a nanna nap every afternoon is a shock to say the least. I knew it would be a challenging day, so food wise I made sure I did all the right things - healthy, fibre filled breakfast? Check. Wholegrains and veges for lunch? Check. Fresh fruit to snack on? Check. Drinking 2 litres of water instead of coffee? Check. Now it's dinner time and I wanted to continue the healthy theme, as well as having something filling and comforting.

Soup would have to be one of the most comforting dishes ever, and I really love Asian clear broth based soups. They manage to be comforting without being too heavy and have a lovely flavour as well as freshness. The soup I'm sharing with you today is one that I like to make if I am feeling tired and run down, or if I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. It tastes so damn good and is so, so healthy. If you ever doubted that food is medicine, then this will change your mind on the subject. I swear that I always feel great after I've eaten it. I like to add a fair whack of fresh chilli to it, but of course you can adapt it to your taste. The dish contains dried Shiitake mushrooms that you can purchase at any Asian grocer. They are a great ingredient to have in the pantry - they keep indefinitely and have a knockout flavour. (Just soak them in water before use) They are also used extensively in Chinese medicine and can be brewed as a tea and consumed as a tonic. The broth in today's recipe is also flavoured with fresh ginger and star anise, which makes it deliciously fragrant.

The amount below is enough for 1-2 people, depending on how hungry you are. If you are super starving, noodles would be a nice addition. If you are a vego, you can leave the chicken out and use vegetable stock instead. You could also add some tofu if you wanted to. This whole dish took about 20mins to throw together, thanks to the use of purchased stock. Of course you can make your own stock if you have time - tonight, I used the supermarket stock option. I've been a bit general with the amounts in the recipe - just add as much or as little of the ingredients as you feel like. It is a very forgiving dish.

Asian Chicken & Mushroom Broth

You will need:
For the broth 500ml (2 cups) chicken stock, 1 star anise, a thumb sized piece of ginger sliced.
For the rest 1 chicken thigh- trimmed of fat and sliced into strips, 6 dried Shiitake mushrooms (soak them in warm water until soft and then slice them. If the stalks are a bit hard, cut them off), coriander, fresh chilli, bok choy, handful of sliced spring onion, red chilli, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, pepper.

Method: First, make the broth. Heat the stock and add the ginger, sliced mushrooms and star anise. Simmer for 10mins and set aside.

Combine the chicken and sesame oil and season with pepper. Heat a wok or pan and stir fry quickly till cooked through. Add the bok choy and cook until it starts to wilt.

Arrange the chicken, bok choy, coriander, spring onion in the serving bowl. Pour over the broth and mushrooms. Top with extra coriander and chilli and serve right away.

***

Very Vietnamese

Michael and I are in the midst of planning a trip to Vietnam (and Cambodia) in February 2010 and I must admit that the last few days of reading about the place, talking about it and looking at pictures of it has inspired me to post today's recipe. I am fortunate enough to live in a place that has a large Vietnamese population, which means I am very spoilt for Vietnamese restaurants, butchers, fishmongers, coffee houses and markets. Ingredients are very cheap and accessable and I eat Vietnamese food regularly. It is by far my favourite Asian cuisine- light, full of flavour and beautiful textures. I'm very excited about the prospect of eating Vietnamese food in Vietnam and seeing how different (or not) it is from what is made here by the Vietnamese in my own neighbourhood.

In warm weather, there is nothing nicer than a fresh Vietnamese salad, full of fresh herbs, chilli and the tang of lime and fish sauce (Nam Pla) My recipe today also includes prawns, baby calamari and lean pork with lightly pickled vegetables. The dressing is based on Nuoc Cham, which is a common Vietnamese dipping sauce served with a whole range of dishes, spring rolls, fried chicken and salads. Today's dish would make a lovely addition to a BBQ, plated individually as an entree or even as something different for your Christmas lunch table. You can prepare all of the components a few hours ahead and then cook the pork and seafood at the last minute and just assemble and dress the dish at the last minute. As always, go as light or as heavy on the chilli as you wish. I love this salad - hope you do too.

Vietnamese pork and seafood salad

You will need: (For the salad) 2 pork chops trimmed and boned, 6 raw king prawns peeled and cleaned,1 medium or 2 small Calamari cleaned and cut into rings, 20cm piece lemongrass cut into thin slices, 3 chopped cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons vegetable/peanut oil, 1 teaspoon chilli oil, salt, pepper, A handful each of fresh coriander, mint, snowpea/bean sprouts, 1 small cucumber, 1 small carrot, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon roasted unsalted peanuts, lime wedges to serve.

(For the dressing) 2 tablespoons each of fish sauce (Nam Pla), rice vinegar and palm or coconut sugar. 1 - 2 redchillies finely chopped, juice of 1 lime.

Method: In a food processor or mortar and pestle (I use the latter - less hassle) combine the lemongrass and garlic with a generous pinch of salt. The mixture does not have to be fine - this is a rustic dish, so it can be quite coarse. Add the vegetable and chilli oil. Divide the mixture in half and combine with the pork and the seafood in seperate bowls. Cover and allow to marinate for at least half an hour (or overnight)

Whisk together the dressing ingredients until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

De-seed the cucumber and chop into juliennes along with the carrot. Combine with the rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set aside to pickle for half an hour.

When you are ready to serve, pan fry or BBQ the pork and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into thin strips. In a very hot pan, hotplate or wok, cook the seafood - this will only take a couple of minutes. Be careful not to overcook it.

Drain the excess rice vinegar from the vegetables. Combine all of the ingredients together, add the dressing and serve immediately with wedges of lime, peanuts and extra chilli.

*