Kimbap

I fell in love with this Korean sushi when I first tasted it over a year ago. Ed brought a roll back made by his Korean tenant. Some people don't like it cos they think it is soggy sushi, but I love the assortment of tastes - sweet, salty without the vinegar. Mine you I still love Japanese sushi.

My sushi rice and nori seaweed have been sitting in my cupboard for months...begging me to use them *haha*. So one afternoon last week, whilst Nicole was at my in laws place, I was hard at work in the kitchen.

The traditional recipe calls for minced beef/pork to be used. I substituted with vegetarian minced meat. I fried it with some garlic and shallots (the authentic Korean version will of course not have garlic and shallots), dark soy and sesame oil. Next I stir fried some mushrooms and carrots and chinese spinach (all because these are Nicole's favourite veggies). Made some omelette strips, cut the japanese cucumber into strips and rolled it all up with sushi rice and seaweed. Oh yes, the sushi rice was cooked and cooled beforehand. And just as it is fairly cool, stir in sesame oil and light soy or salt. Do use a damp cloth to keep the rice moist as you are preparing everything else, a step I forgot which resulted in a drier rice texture.

Verdict - taste is there, just need to brush up on my rolling technique. Oh yea, don't be too greedy like me trying to pile on as much "liao" as possible in 1 roll. My first roll was bursting at the seams and I had to wrap it up in cling film to keep it in place!!! When ready with the rolls, you can roll them up in aluminium foil and store in a cool place till you are ready to serve. For us we just eat the whole roll as it is (aka sandwich style) or you can slice it up and serve sushi style. Sauce wise, a nice korean sweet chilli sauce is good enough. For me, I eat it without any sauce.

Comment from hubby: First time I eat sushi and am so full!

French Toast with A Twist

Been in a cooking frenzy over the long weekend. Saw this done on channel 69 on the Restaurant Makeover programme and have been wanting to try it out. The actual recipe calls for sauteed spiced peaches to be sandwiched into thick toast, then dipping the whole piece of bread into egg mixture and pan fried in oil, served with cruncy roasted macademia nuts, drizzled over with maple syrup and dusted with icing sugar...mmm...heavenly.

Well, with a toddler at home, I gotta watch the sugar and oil amounts I use, so this is my version. Nectarine was aplenty at home, so I sliced 3 just ripe nectarine and sauteed it in a little olive oil with grounded cinnamon and light brown sugar till soft but not overly soft. The skin of the nectarine was kept on, so it bleeds into the juices, giving a nice pink rose hue. Next, I dipped multi-grain bread in the whisked eggs and pan fried till golden sans the oil(I used a non-stick pan of course).

Maple syrup.....yums....the real thing and not those corn syrup with maple flavouring you get at fast food restaurants.

Nostalgia

Lately, I have been dreaming of and thinking of the UK and occasionally Europe. Missing those carefree student days, reminiscing about the past, the things me and my bunch of friends would do and oh yes....the cooking.

I wonder if nostalgia is a sign of age...hmmm....or maybe it is just me missing the freedom....likely to be both *grins*

All my cooking skills were honed during my university days in the UK. Some times my mom wonders if I am there to study or to cook as each summer I will lug back with me dried shrimps, kuching laksa paste and curry powder. So I have been thinking, better jot down my recipes before I forget (I probably have forgotten some bits already...almost a decade ago you know!!!) Since the festive season is approaching, you can try out these farily easy and homey styled food.

Bon Appetit!

Grilled Lamb Chops
6-8 pieces of lamb chops/steaks
1 small bottle of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce (yes all of it)
freshly ground black pepper
2-3tbsp rosemary (fresh is best, dried will do)
dash of hua tiao jiu (or any chinese cooking wine)

Marinate the lamb chops with all the above ingredients for at least 2-3hours. Better if overnight. Grill in a preheated over of 200C for about 20-25minutes. It depends on how you like your meat done and the thickness of your chops/steaks.
For the herbs, rosemary goes best with lamb. But if you like something else, by all means. A closer alternative can be thyme, oregano or mixed italian herbs.
For the meat, you can substitue with beef if preferred. Goes well with potatoes or mash and a fruity, zesty salad. Balance out the savouriness with something tangy and sweet.

Baked Mushrooms with Garlic Herb Butter

Garlic herb Butter
50 -100gm butter
minced garlic (if you like a strong garlic taste, use more)
any dried or fresh herb of choice, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste (if using salted butter, no need to add extra salt)

Mix the ingredients together and spoon into cavity of white button mushrooms/brown mushrooms/portobello mushrooms. Bake for about 10-15minutes at 200C or till mushrooms turn a darker brown. The butter would have melted and soaked into the mushrooms.

Baked Salmon in White Wine

For each salmon steak, you will need
4-5 tbsp white wine
a few springs of fresh dill or about 1-2 tbsp of dried dill
salt
black pepper
grated lemon zest

Wrap each steak with the ingredients in aluminium foil to make little parcels and bake for about 10-12min at 200C. Do not over-cook salmon as the flesh will be tough.
If you are cooking for kids and want to obmit the white, not a problem. Squeeze a few drops of kemon juice if desired or just do without.

If you like a rich sauce to go with the salmon, save the juices from the baked fish, add a spoonful of butter, milk and plain flour and boil in a saucepan till sauce thickens. Stir continously. Add more milk to thin the sauce if desired. Season to taste. And voila, you have salmon with white wine and dill sauce.