I hadn't even heard of Nyonya cuisine until my last few trips to Malaysia. Mum was on the hunt for cookbooks, and I remember looking out for them when wondering into book shops.

I never thought I would be able to cook any Nyonya recipes, but after seeing a tempting curry on a recent episode of Poh's Kitchen, Hamsley and I were both dying to try this particular curry.
I didn't add all 20 chillies as listed, as I didn't know how spicy Hamsley could handle; as Nyonya food is usually quite on the spicy side.
It seemed easy enough on the show, but the recipe on the website failed to include tumeric in the ingredients list. It did list tamarind pieces, but failed to say when to add them. So I got the end of my cooking then released I didn't add them in.


I ended up shelling the prawns as I knew Hamsley wouldn't really be a fan of getting his hand all icky whilst eating, but left a few shelled for presentation. I found the prawns that stayed shelled to not be as spicy as their un-shelled companions.


Unfortunately our "blender" didn't grind my spice mix as fine as I would have liked, but it did a good enough job. I'll be picking up a Sunbeam foodprocessor/blender sooner rather than later after that experience. 

The smells coming from the kitchen as I fried the spice mix were amazing! I was immediately transported back to Malaysia. The taste was also fantastic. The spiciness of the chilli, mixed with the sweetness of the pineapple; which helped to bite through the spiciness; then all brought together with coconut cream. So lucious!

Can't wait to cook this for my family when they come down from the motherland!

 To learn more about Nyona: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan

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Let's talk tuna.
If you don't want to talk tuna.... maybe go find something else to do, cos I'm about to talk tuna, and nothing but tuna.

So I was asked to sample the new range of tuna from Sirena. I had used Sirena tuna before in my cooking, so there was no hesitation when asked if I wanted to try the newest flavours: rosemary infused, dill infused and basil infused.

Looking for a time to photograph and sample the tuna was rather hard with moving house; but we recently indulged in tuna for dinner.
Hamsley loves his tuna, so requested tuna on toast for dinner, which I was happy with since I had spent all day in the kitchen trying to get it into order.
I toasted up some bagels, smeared them with a little mayo and avocado and topped them with tuna for us to try the different flavours.


I found the tuna to be quite salty on it's own, so I was a bit scared that it was going to be too salty on the bagel.
Luckily they weren't, and you could really taste the flavours of rosemary, dill and basil.

Of the 3 flavours, rosemary was our number one pick. In fact our pantry is stocked with many cans of the rosemary variety at the moment. I rather liked the basil, and dill was probably my least favorite, but still delicious!
The flavours weren't overpowering, nor were they really subtle. It was just the right balance to make you want to keep eating.

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My friends were rather impressed too with my sushi, making this week's cookbook challenge a huge success. This was the picnic spread at the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's free concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. We were so lucky with the weather, unlike at Carols by Candlelight where we had torrential rain!

Sushi

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This was tonight's dinner for Hamsley and I. They were made so fast we have already made and eaten them, edited my photos and done most of this post; and it's only 7:30pm!

Even though I stuffed up the recipe.... I actually read the recipe for once, but got distracted by shiny things when assembling the ingredients by adding the bread crumbs to the patty mixture, instead of saving them for coating the patties. This was quickly fixed by adding more egg to bind the mixture and using extra bread crumbs to coat the patties.

They were quickly pan-fried, and with Hamsley on salad and sweet chilli mayo duty, we had dinner in no time! A delicious quick meal that I will be adding into my weeknight wonders list.



250g packet jasmine microwave rice
400g can tuna in brine, drained, flaked
3 green onions, trimmed, finely sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Serve it with:
1/3 cup whole-egg mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
Garden Salad

1. Cook rice according to packet directions. Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly. Add tuna, onions and eggs. Mix to combine.

2. Divide mixture into 8 portions. Using hands, roll mixture into balls and flatten slightly. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Add patties and turn to coat. Heat half the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook half the patties for 2 to 3 minutes each side or until golden. Drain on paper towel. Repeat with remaining oil and patties.

3. Combine mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce in a small bowl. Serve patties with mayonnaise mixture and salad leaves.

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I've been wanting to try using a miso marinade since I saw Tetsuya do one on Japanese Food Safari some time ago. Not Quite Nigella inspired me to get the new Bill Granger book, and once I had a flick through, I knew I really wanted to try this recipe.

It was a really nice, healthy option. If you love the taste of miso soup, you will definitely love miso fish. The lemon and the sugar along with the miso help to give the flavour a bit more depth. It was SO incredibly easy to make, just made the marinade, spread it on the fish and grill! Too easy. Great for those of us watching our weight and not wanting to put on an extra layer over winter.

Miso Fish with Spring Onions & Sesame Seeds
Bill Granger

4 x 180g pieces firm white fish fillet, such as snapper or blue eye, skinned
2 tablespoons white miso paste
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teapsoons extra virgin olive oil

to serve:
finely shredded spring onions
sesame seeds
steamed rice
steamed green vegetables, such as baby Asian leafy greens and asparagus

1. Place the fish on a lightly oiled baking tray. Preheat the grill to high.

2. Stir miso paste, sugar, lemon juice and olive oil together in a bowl to combine. Brush the fish with the miso mixture and place the tray under the grill for 5-7 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.

3. Serve at once, sprinkled with shredded spring onions and sesame seeds. Accompany with steamed rice and green vegetables.

Serves 4.

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Sorry I've been a bit slack with my posting, life is keeping me busy as per usual. And with Christmas on it's way, I'm sure you all are busy too!
I have a back log of posts, so watch out for them!


This recipe was for mid-week cooking and it came from my new favorite food magazine: Australian Good Food.
It was a very nice risotto, the only problem was the serving sizes were not very big...(as my mum complained about the whole time she was eating it...). So if you are going to make it for 4 people, maybe double the recipe. A definite keeper though, not too salty, the fresh fried prawns are great as they are not coated in the stock. Parsley and tomato add depth to the flavour.

Tomato, Prawn & Saffron Risotto
Ross Dobson

4 cups (1L) reduced-salt chicken stock
1 large pinch of saffron threads
40g butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 white onion, finely chopped
1.5 cups (300g) risotto rice
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
12 large green prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

1. Heat stock and saffron in a saucepan until simmering. Reduce to low.

2. Heat butter in a large saucepan on medium until melted and sizzling. Add garlic and onion and cook for 4-5 mins, until softened. Add rice and stir for 1 min, until rice is glossy.

3. Add 1 cup of hot stock to rice mixture and stir until stock is absorbed. Repeat until all stock has been used and rice is tender but still a little firm in the centre. Add tomato and cook for another 2-3 mins, until tomato softens. Cover pan and remove from the heat.

4. Heat oil in a frying pan on high. Season prawns with sea salt. Cook in batches for 2 mins each side, until pink and curled.

5. Spoon risotto between serving bowls. Top with prawns and sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Serves 2 big portions or 4 small portions

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What to give your mum for her birthday when she tells you not to get her a gift (because you are kind of between jobs and aren't exactly swimming in money)?

Well me being me, I told her I was going to cook her dinner instead then and wasn't going to take no for an answer. Little did she know I had the idea of a 3 course meal up my hand!

I trawled through the Taste website for ideas. Finally I decided on a prawn cocktail recipe. I'm not sure why I chose this recipe from all the others, but it doesn't matter because it was a huge winner!

I slightly altered the recipe and added some avocado slices.
The dressing is delicious, I had no idea that orange juice and Dijon mustard went so well together! Keeping this recipe on hand to impress!


Prawn Cocktail
Taste Website

2 tbs fresh orange juice
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tbs chopped fresh chives
36 large cooked prawns, peeled leaving tails intact
1 treviso lettuce, hard core removed,finely shredded

1. Whisk together the orange juice, oil, vinegar, mustard and chives in a jug. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

2. Place the prawns in a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss until well combined.

3. Divide the treviso among serving glasses. Top with the prawn mixture to serve.

Serves 6.

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Mid week cooking so nice and simple this week, I wish it could always be that simple!

Taken from my favorite source of the moment, the Taste website, I wanted something easy and quick so I didn't have to fluff around in the kitchen. Turned out well since I have been free-lancing the last two weeks and getting home a bit later than I'm used to.

Dinner was on the table within 30 minutes. Everyone enjoyed it.
I'm not a huge capers fan but I have to agree with mum and say that the capers really add a nice taste to the dish.
If you are not a tuna fan, I'm sure this dish would taste great with smoked chicken.

Creamy Tuna Pasta

350g fettuccine or spaghetti
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup (250ml) thin cream
2 tbs sundried tomato paste
425g can tuna in oil, drained
1 cup (150g) frozen peas
1 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
100g semi-dried tomatoes
2 tsp capers, rinsed, drained

1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and toss with half the oil.

2. Heat remaining oil in a large frypan over medium heat, add onion and cook 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in cream and paste, add tuna and peas. Heat gently for 1-2 minutes. Stir in half the parsley with the tomatoes and capers, add pasta and season. Stir until just heated through. Serve sprinkled with remaining parsley.

Serves 4

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Mid-week cooking is back, and it's healthy for those of you looking for quick, healthy dinner options.
I also gave my Donna Hay recipe collection a brief rest and got out a recipe from another famous Aussie chef, Bill Granger.

To be honest, I found this dish to taste a little "fishy". However the marinade was very nice with the rice and bok choy. I think this dish would go excellent with chicken if you are not into seafood. I will be trying this with chicken next time so I don't get the "fishy" taste.


Glazed Salmon with Brown Rice
Bill Granger

2 tablespoons julienned fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
700g salmon fillet
200g bok choy (pak choy)
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon soy sauce

to serve:
steamed brown rice

1. Stir together the ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce in a large bowl. Cut the salmon fillet into large chunks, add to the bowl and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to up to 1 hour.

2. Preheat the grill (broiler). Arrange the salmon chunks in a single layer on a large baking tray and cook under the hot grill for 7 minutes (the fish should still be pink in the centre).

3. Meanwhile, halve the bok choy and steam or blanch for 1 minute, or until tender but still bright green and crisp. Spoon the brown rice into serving bowls, top with slamon and pan juices and serve with bok choy. Mix together the mirin and soy sauce and drizzle over the bok choy.

Serves 4.

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I finally made it back into the kitchen for mid-week cooking this week. I chose something quick and easy so I didn't have to spend endless hours slaving away in the kitchen, like I did on the weekend with this month's Daring Baker's challenge.

I saw this recipe in the Delicious 5 Nights a Week book, but also came across it on the Taste website when I was looking for inspiration.

The wellingtons looked rather professional, smelt amazing but some what lacked a little in flavor. I ended up adding some tomato sauce, whilst my mum added some tartar sauce. However my dad and Iron Chef Rob preferred them without any extra sauce.

I would say if you are serving at a dinner party, make smaller versions as these were quite huge. Chips would be a nice side dish for a classy fish and chip dish.


Salmon Wellingtons
Delicious - 5 Nights A Week
Valli Little

4 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 tbs basil pesto
4 x 100g skinless salmon fillets
4 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/3 cup (80ml) lemon juice, plus extra wedges to serve
1 egg, beaten
1 tbs sesame seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Halve each sheet of pastry. Spread 2 teaspoons of pesto in the centre of 4 sheets, leaving a 3-4cm pastry border. Place a salmon fillet on each and season with salt and pepper. Lay overlapping slices of tomato on top of each salmon fillet. Drizzle with lemon juice and brush the pastry border with some beaten egg.

3. Cut 4-5 long slits in the centre of the remaining 4 pastry pieces. Lay each piece of pastry over a salmon fillet, pulling slightly to separate strips, then press down the edges and trim, making each parcel into a neat rectangle. Brush the pastries all over with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

4. Using a fish slice, carefully lift the parcels onto the prepared baking tray, bake for 20-25 minutes until the fish is just cooked through and pastry is puffed and golden. Serve with lemon wedges and a green salad, if desired.

Serves 4.

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Mid week cooking was a success this week! I even decided to attempt a dessert as well from the latest Delicious magazine that arrived in my letterbox this week.

Huge hit at the dinner table. The recipe says to used 2 cans of Sirena tuna in oil, so I used one of the plain variety then thought I'd spice things up a little and get a can of the tuna in chilli oil for the other can. It added just the right amount of kick to make the dish come alive.
Didn't have any rocket, so used a little bit of normal lettuce from the greenhouse and it turned out just as well. We also didn't have any ripe lemons, so I used lime instead.

So easy, so tasty, can't wait to make this one again!

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My mid-week cooking came from the latest Delicious magazine (May 2008, pg. 32).
I put my boyfriend in charge of cooking the pasta as I worked on everything else. Was truly delicious and will definitely be making it again!

Serves 4

500g spaghetti
extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 long red chilli, deseeded, thinly sliced
6 basil springs, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
400g peeled green prawns, roughly chopped
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped

Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions.
Meanwhile, heat a large, deep frypan over medium heat and add a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and chopped chilli and cook with the basil stalks for 1-2 minutes until garlic is lightly browned. Add prawns and fry for 1-2 minutes until pink and almost cooked through. Add the tomatoes and season well with salt and pepper. Simmer for 1-2 minutes until tomatoes softens.
Drain the cooked pasta, then add to the frypan and toss to combine. Sprinkle with basil leaves (roughly torn if large) and serve immediately.

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Another sensational risotto graced the dinner table this week, and the best part was that it was soooo easy to do! Even though the avocados I used were not 100% ripe, it was still a creamy, delicious risotto that I can still taste of the tip of my tongue!

Thanks to Delicious - 5 nights a week.

1.25L vegetable stock
25g unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups aborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
500g green prawn meat, roughly chopped
1 cup grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
2 avocados
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup roughly chopped chives

Place the stock in a saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and keep the stock at a simmer.

Meanwhile, heat the butter and olive oil in a deep frypan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook, stirring, for 1-2 mins, until softened but not coloured. Stir in the garlic, then add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 min to coat the grains. Add the wine and allow the liquid to evaporate. Add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring occasionally, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. Continue until you have one ladleful of stock left - this should take about 20mins. Add the prawns with the final ladleful of stock and continue to stir for 2-3 mins until the prawns are cooked through. Stir in the parmesan, then cover and remove from the heat.

Peel the avocados, dice and toss in the lemon juice. Just before serving, carefully stir the avocado mixture into the risotto. Serve in bowls topped with extra Parmesan and chopped chives.

Serves 4 - and is VERY yum!!

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