Archive for the 'Quickies ;)' Category

Home made “Kentucky” Hot and Spicy hahaha

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

On a recent trip to Cabramatta, I was intrigued to find a Malaysian version of a home made KFC style mix.  I LOVE KFC so I just had to try it.  Half a bottle of oil wasted to fry it, and I wasn’t that happy with the result.  It looks okay though, taste was fine, but more akin to a spicy version of the original recipe – ie it wasn’t crispy hot and spicy. And a word of warning…. don’t inhale when handling the dry mix – atchoo!!!

Here is my finished product and the packet if you’re interested!

XO Sauce fried rice noodles

Monday, May 9th, 2011

On our recent trip to Hong Kong, one new yum cha dish that we tried and adored was XO sauce fried rice noodles. Soooo simple to make, especially since XO sauce is so readily available now – even at Coles! By no means a low fat dish, but it’s just 4 ingredients! Firstly, buy a packet of those rolled rice noodles from your local asian grocer. I actually even saw them at Harris Farm too. Cut them into chunks. Then, heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok, then add the noodles and toss around until crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle. Then, add one tablespoon of XO sauce, stir fry until fragrant, and then a splash of light soy sauce. If you have some, add some chopped shallots until wilted. Take off the heat, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve. Eat alone. Do not share! hehehe :)  Breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner – or all of them! :)

Dinner tonight – Salmon en papillotte

Monday, April 11th, 2011

So it seems really easy and also mess free. I decided to give it a go. So easy – create a “bag” by taking a huge piece of foil, and a sheet of the same sized baking paper. Put the baking paper on the top and fold it in half. Fold the edges on two sides in very very tightly and you’ve got your bag! Then I took a piece of salmon, seasoned it and layered some slices of lemon on top. Place it carefully in the bag; along with a few sprigs of parsley and a few springs of dill. Now – very carefully pour in some white wine and a drizzle of olive oil, and now even more carefully, close up the bag with more folds. Place in the oven on a tray – at 220 degrees and bake for 20 minutes, depending on how cooked you like it. It’ll puff up in the oven.

When it’s ready, put the whole parcel on the plate and very carefully, using scissors, snip open the bag and take in the aromas, and the most AMAZING melt in your mouth fish ever.

You can serve it at the table for dramatic effect, or lift it out of the bag carefully and preserve every last drop of that precious yummy sauce! Chuck on some more freshly chopped parsley to serve.

I seriously can’t emphasise just how easy it was to make this dish. And the best bit is that if you’re careful, the only thing you’ll need to wash is your plate!  It’s certainly something you can incorporate into your weeknight dinner repertoire – or dare I say – a weeknight dinner PARTY repertoire? ;)

Quick Pork chops

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

The other day I had a temporary lapse of good judgement and poured tap water into a glass pyrex dish that had a roast in it cooking at 230 degrees. Wham! Explosion of glass shards covered in pig fat :( . Well apart from wasting a 2kg roast and having to clean up the mess, at least no glass went in legs. Hence I still craved pork. But 20minutes before guests arrive and no meat, quick dash to the nearest woollies and bought some pork scotch fillet. Here’s a great way to marinate them before grilling : press 2 – 3 cloves garlic in a garlic press to mince; add a generous tablespoon of harrissa, a few finely chopped thyme leaves, and fresh oregano, olive oil, sea salt and pepper. The aroma of the fresh herbs is amazing as it permeates the sweet pork. This quantity was for 4 large chops.  Here I served it Rockpool Bar and Grill style: with nothing else on the plate hahaha.

Pork chop.jpg