Hot and Sour Soup

This is my most favourite meal in the world. I haven't made it for ages...and it is truly wonderful, such a lovely combination of flavours!

I was inspired to make it again when I picked up some shinoji mushrooms at the markets for $1.50- oyster mushrooms are great, but substitute with any kind of mushrooms you can get.

I usually make my own vege stock to start. Just your usual stock- but add in some coriander roots to give it a little bit of zing.

Hot and Sour Soup
Serves 2
Ingredients
Nam Prik Pow
4 tbsp oil
3 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp shallots
3 large red chillis deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

3 cups vege stock
1tsp nam prik pow
2.5 cm lemongrass, sliced
3 kaffir lime leaves roughly torn
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
60 g oyster mushrooms
2 – 3 small red chillies, slightly crushed
Coriander leaves to garnish

Nam Prik Pow – fry all ingredients except sugar and salt in the oil till golden brown. Pound all ingredients together in a mortar and pestle.
Bring stock to the boil and stir in Nam Prik Pow. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring well until the mushrooms are just cooked.
Pour into serving bowls and garnish with coriander.

Different Strokes

Yesterday I had decided to make one of my absolute favourite dishes ever - a beautiful curry using beetroot and eggplant. Rusty was less than excited. After announcing my plans and getting a less than thrilled response, I asked how he would rate this dish in terms of anticipation. 2/10. I was devestated. I guess its easy to accept that blokes don't want to watch chick flicks, or spend hours looking for shoes, but I still take it personally when my bloke doesn't get excited about the same food I do. After eating it, he gave it an 8/10 (I think if he was being honest that would have been maybe a 6 1/2 or 7)- so there was peace in the household. But for me, this dish is an absolute 10/10- I just love it!

I've been trying to think of other dishes that divide the genders- would love to hear your stories...

Beetroot and Eggplant Curry

2 red onions, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves
3-4 hot chillies (fresh or dried)
1 lemongrass stalk
1 dsp cumin seeds
1 dsp coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
4 tbsp sunflower oil
450 g beetroot, peeled and cubed
5 baby eggplants, quartered (or one normal eggplant)
200ml stock
300 ml coconut milk
Salt and pepper
125 g cashew nuts
Fresh coriander to garnish (optional)

Process the onions, garlic, chillies and lemon grass to a smooth paste either in a food processor or using a wand.
Dry roast the cumin, coriander and fennel for a few minutes and grind to a powder.
Heat the oil, when hot, add the onion paste and cook briskly for a few minutes, then add the spices, stirring continuously. When the spices and paste are nicely combined, add in the beetroot and eggplant and fry for a further couple of minutes- stirring constantly.
Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the veges are nice and soft.
Add the coconut milk and cook for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, dry roast the cashews to golden brown.
Serve with rice and garnished with coriander and cashews

Bake Club- Plum and Ricotta Crumble Cakes

Welcome to Bake Club. The first rule of Bake Club is you do not talk about Bake Club.

The second rule of Bake Club is YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT BAKE CLUB.

OK Bake Club isn't quite like that, but talk about pressure.

The real second rule of bake club is that you can't wimp out and just buy something- you have to bake it. Two people per week for about 20 people. And this week was my first week.

The standards are pretty high, but I was happy with my performance- got a good response.

It's a recipe I've done a few times from the April Gourmet Traveller.

Plum and Ricotta Crumble Cakes

Preheat the oven to 180°
Ingredients (makes 12)
Directions
90g butter
225g caster sugar
Finely grated rind of ½ orange
2 eggs
50 ml milk
100g plain flour
80g hazelnut meal
1tsp baking powder

350g ricotta
1 egg yolk
2 blood plums, thinly sliced
20g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Beat 80g butter, 165 g sugar and orange rind in a mixer until pale and creamy (3-4 minutes).
Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Scrape down sides and add milk and beat to combine.
Stir in flour, hazelnut meal and baking powder. Spoon into 12 buttered cupcake moulds. Smooth tops and set aside.
Process ricotta, the egg yolk and 40g sugar in a food processor until smooth and divide among the moulds. Top with plum slices (or any other fruit).
Combine chopped nuts, remaining butter and sugar in a small bowl, rub together with your fingers, then scatter over plums.
Bake until risen and golden.

Zucchini Flowers fresh from the market

A step too far outside my comfort zone- bitter melon

There are not alot of things I don't enjoy eating- brussel sprouts are about all I can think of. And in recent history, or since I've meet Rusty, I can honestly say I've only cooked one thing that was inedible (100 Year Eggs - gross!). Well now, make that two things.

We were at the Footscray markets last week, and I love to try out things I don't know, this time I think though I took that step too far out of my comfort zone. I think I've found another ingredient I don't like - bitter melon.

Its such a shame, cause everything around the bitter melon was delicious and I thought I was onto a really cool, quick to prepare and healthy weekday meal. And apparently bitter melon is amazingly good for you and can help with everything from diabetes to psoriasis.

The recipe I used comes from a fantastic book called "Secrets of the Red Lantern- stories and Vietnamese recipes from the heart" by Pauline Nguyen. If you've ever been to Sydney's successful Red Lantern restaurant on Crown Street in Surrey Hills, you'll know why the book is so awesome- Pauline is the chef, Luke Nguyen's sister.

Every other dish I've made out of this book has been delicious- so its not the recipe, but the overwhelming bitterness of the bitter melon. What I did think I might try is the same recipe but replacing the melon with choko or capsicum...any other ideas of what to replace it with would be very welcome!

But here's the recipe just in case for anyone who does like this rather unusual vegetable.

Ingredients

50g glass noodles

50g dried blck fungus, sliced

150g minced pork

4 spring onions, sliced- just the white section

3 tbsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 egg

2 bitter melons

1.5 litres chicken stock

green parts of the spring onions

tbsp chopped coriander

Soak the nookles and fungus separately in boiling water for 10 mnutes. Strain, then dry. Roughly chop the noodles into 4cm pieces and mix up with the fungus, pork, white parts of the spring onions, 1 tbsp of the fish sauce, sugar, 1/2 tsp of salt, half the pepper and the egg.

Cut the ends off the bitter melons, then cut into 2cm slices. Remove the seeds and white flesh. Wash in cold water and pat dry. Lay the discs flat and fill with the pork mixture.

Put the chicken stock in a large saucepan with the remaining fish sauce and salt and bring to the boil. Add the stuffed melon, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the greens of the spring onions, coriander and remaining pepper.

Cirque du Soleil

This post is totally off topic, but I just have to say, I thought I'd hate it, but actually loved it! OK, I laughed at alot of it, but man that trampolining thing looked like so much fun!
There was so much cheesiness- mainly in costuming and music (the medieval Bonnie Tyler look-alike and her side-kick cruising around singing mashed arias was priceless) and their attempt at appealing to female sexuality (well, I think that's what it was) - a woman and a ridulously buff bloke on ribbons looking longingly at each other and swinging around in the air - had me in stitches.
But yeah, you did have to marvel at their physical ability (although the bird who stands on one hand was pretty dull after the first 25 seconds of ooh aah) and I love the energy and showmanship of the whole thing.
Most of the buzz around the office this morning ( a bunch of us from work went along) was about the size of the juggler's package and how many seconds prior to the rest of his body this particular part of his anatomy hit the floor when he did the splits.
So from me, an 8/10 for an evening out- kept me super amused- in one way or another- for the whole night.

Dancing Dog Cafe in Footscray

Doesn't look like much from the outside, but the Dancing Dog cafe is a little haven for a perfect coffee in Footscray.

The Dancing Dog is open 7 days a week, 8am - 4pm, 9am Sundays.
42a Albert Street Footscray