Easy One-Sauce Lasagna

As the days go by, I've come to realise that Cloud9Food is all about comforting, home-style food that is not only tasty to eat, but is also heavenly for the chef ie. simple to prepare! Another favourite of mine which falls into this category is my One-Sauce Lasagna.

I love lasagna, but the thought of preparing the bolognese meat sauce, bechamel sauce, layering everything and then baking it sends me running to find something else that's faster to cook. Hence the One-Sauce version. 

Instead of making bechamel sauce from scratch (which I find terribly tedious), I make a large portion of "creamy" tomato meat sauce. The sauce is then layered with instant lasagna sheets and baked. It still takes some time, but is much faster than the original 2-sauce version, and I don't find I lose much taste-wise. This lasagna is still tomato-y, creamy and cheesy. The meat sauce can even be made in advance and frozen, which cuts down preparation time even more. And yes, I cheat and buy tomato soup (the no MSG, no preservative variety!) to add further flavour to the meat sauce. Who has time to boil and boil and boil the sauce?

For bento lunch makers, leftovers can be packed in microwaveable safe containers for lunch the next day.

Continue reading for the recipe...

Easy One-Sauce Lasagna
(makes one large lasagna in a 2.5 L capacity dish)

500g pack of instant lasagna sheets (which does not require pre-cooking)
6 -7 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp light olive oil (or other cooking oil)
400g minced beef or a mix of minced beef and pork (as lean as possible)
2 large carrots, chopped into small cubes
2 x 400g canned tomatoes
5 heaped Tbsp tomato paste
500 - 600g creamy tomato soup (look for the no MSG, no preservatives, organic soup variety if possible. For reference, I use Pacific Natural Foods Organic Creamy Tomato Soup)
black pepper
salt
1 -2 bay leaves (optional)
1 cup milk (low-fat, skim milk is also fine)
100g cheddar cheese
additional 200g - 250g cheddar and/or parmesan cheese (for layering and topping the lasagna)

1. In a large saucepan, add the olive oil and fry the garlic lightly until fragrant. Add the minced meat and stir to separate the mince until the meat is cooked. Add the chopped carrots. (If you are pressed for time, microwave the carrots to soften them first.)

2. Add the canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with some salt and pepper, and stir. Add 1 -2 bay leaves here for added flavour (optional). Bring to the boil, then simmer over medium heat for 20 - 30 minutes. 

3. Add 500g of the creamy tomato soup and simmer for another 5 - 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

(When making the meat sauce in advance, allow to cool and transfer into a freezer-safe container for freezing at this point. To defrost, transfer the frozen sauce into a large saucepan and heat until defrosted.)

4. Add the milk and 100g cheddar cheese to the meat sauce and stir. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. You should have quite a lot of meat sauce at this stage as it replaces both bolognese and bechamel sauces.)

5. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees C. Lightly grease a 2.5L capacity ovenproof dish. Ladle some meat sauce into the dish to cover the bottom. Add a layer of instant lasagna sheets (you may need to break them to fit the size of your dish), then a sprinkle of cheddar or parmesan cheese, then some more meat sauce. Repeat until the meat sauce is used up. (There may be leftover lasagna sheets as well.) End with a layer of meat sauce, and sprinkle some cheddar/parmesan (or a mix) of cheeses on top.

Tip: Around 3/4 of the way through layering, if it looks like you don't have enough sauce, add another 100g or so of the creamy tomato soup to the sauce and mix. 

6. Bake the lasagna in the oven according to the time indicated on your packet of instant lasagna sheets (approx 30 -45 minutes). Serve with a side salad.

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Pan Seared Foie Gras with Raspberry Apple Sauce

Yes, yes, I know. Foie gras ("fat liver") is cruel to geese. But what can I say? It's only of my guilty eating pleasures. It was the day after Valentine's Day, and I was at the supermarket - to my surprise, I saw a packet of foie gras on sale - 2 decent sized pieces for HKD49.90 (USD6.40)!!! What an incredible bargain. Of course I could not resist and bought the last two packs. I pan fried them with glee and served them with a tart raspberry apple sauce to a surprised and happy YH as a post V-day treat. 

Continue reading for the recipe...

Pan Seared Foie Gras with Raspberry Apple Sauce

4 pieces of raw, chilled foie gras
salt
pepper
1 red apple
handful of raspberries (frozen or fresh)
sugar (to taste)

1. Make the Raspberry Apple Sauce first by chopping up the apple into small cubes. Heat up a small 20cm frying pan and add the apples. Stir over medium heat until the apples are stewing slightly, then add a similar amount of raspberries into the pan. Stir and crush the raspberries as they heat up. Add a little sugar to taste (the sauce should be tart and not too sweet). Continue frying and mixing until the fruit disintegrates into a thick sauce-like texture. Transfer the sauce to a side dish.

2. Liberally shake salt and pepper over the foie gras pieces. Lightly grease a large frying pan over high heat.

3. When the frying pan is very hot, add 2 pieces of foie gras. The foie gras will start "melting" so you have to work quickly. After around 10 seconds, flip the pieces over to sear the other side. When both sides are nicely browned and the foie gras has shrunk slightly, remove and set aside. Repeat for the other 2 pieces. 

(I cook 2 pieces at a time so I have better control over timing - the worst thing is to overcook your foie gras. You can of course cook all 4 pieces at once)

4. Serve immediately with the Raspberry Apple Sauce.

You can also serve your seared foie gras on top of freshly toasted slices of French Bread, or with sweet caramelized onions, and other tart/sweet fruit such as pears, plums, figs, etc.

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Simple Crêpes

Yesterday was Shrove Tuesday, or what is now more commonly known as Pancake Day. As my parents are in town visiting, and both my dad and YH love pancakes, I thought it would be appropriate to make some pancakes to celebrate. Apparently, in the past, Catholics used to eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, as it was the day before Ash Wednesday (the start of Lent). Pancakes were made to use up the household's supply of eggs and fat (which was restricted during Lent). 

I asked my dad which type of pancake he would like to eat - thick, fluffy American ones, small pikelets, etc. and he chose crêpes (thin pancakes made from wheat flour that originated in Brittany, France). My cooking, as always, tends towards the quick and simple, and these crêpes were no exception. The ingredients are just tossed into a blender (or food processor), blended, then poured out and cooked. Perfect for a "lazy" cook, and the results are pretty decent, too. (If you don't have access to a blender or processor, the ingredients can be mixed by hand as well.)

I served my crêpes with some sliced bananas, vanilla ice-cream, pure maple syrup, and also some homemade orange syrup, but you could also use strawberries, chocolate sauce, lemon juice and sugar, or anything else you like. 

Continue reading for the recipe...

Simple Crêpes
(makes around 12 crêpes when using a 20cm pan)

1/2 cup plain flour
2 tsps caster sugar
1 cup milk
2 eggs
60g butter
1 tsp pure vanilla essence

1. Place the flour, sugar, milk, light beaten eggs, melted butter and vanilla essence into a blender or food processor.

2. Blend/process for 15 - 20 seconds until ingredients are well combined and lump-free. 

(If you don't have a blender/processor, mix the wet ingredients and sugar together first, then slowly sift the flour into the mixture and stir well together until combined.)

3. Transfer the mixture to a jug (or bowl), cover, and leave for 10 minutes. This will allow the flour to absorb the liquid and produce a better batter.

4. Lightly grease a 20cm non-stick pan. Pour around 2 - 3 Tbsp of batter into the pan and swirl around until the batter covers the bottom of the pan evenly. Cook over medium heat for around 30 seconds or until the underside is golden. Flip and cook the other side of the crêpe until golden.

5. Transfer the crêpes to a plate, and cover with a tea-towel or paper towel to keep them warm. Repeat Step 4 until all the batter is used up.

6. To serve, fold each crêpe into half, and then half again to form a quarter circle, and serve with your favourite toppings - vanilla ice-cream, banana slices, pure maple syrup, chocolate sauce, lemon and sugar, etc. The crêpes can also be filled with cream or fruits, and then rolled up.

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Chocolate Fondue

If you are searching for a quick, simple to prepare, yet satisfying dessert to serve up at your next casual dinner party, consider the chocolate fondue. It is easy to prepare (think - slicing fruits and putting them into bowls), most of it can be prepared ahead of time, and it still has that wow factor - who doesn't like the idea of dipping fruit into melted chocolate?

If you have a chocolate fondue set at home, that's great. You could also buy a cheap, simple one - mine are just a pair of little ceramic bowls on metal stands atop tea-light candles. Or else, get some small microwaveable bowls, add some chocolate chips in each, microwave them (a minute, then half a minute at a time on HIGH until the chocolate has melted) and serve the small bowls up to each guest or pair of guests. At the rate I eat the fondue, the chocolate doesn't have time to set, but if it did, just toss it back into the microwave.

Suggested toppings are strawberries, sliced bananas, marshmallows, sliced green apples, and small balls of ice-cream (scoop small balls of ice-cream and place them slightly apart on foil-lined baking trays. Freeze until set, then serve with the chocolate fondue).




Pumpkin & Pancetta Pasta II

On the second day of the New Year, I was already running low on fresh meat in the fridge, so I turned to my stock of preserved meat, namely some cubed pancetta. I combined the pancetta with pumpkin and cherry tomatoes and roasted it all in the oven to make a simple pasta sauce. It's the same pasta recipe that I made last Halloween (Roasted Pumpkin & Pancetta Pasta), except that for Halloween, I used squid ink spaghetti for a more ghoulish effect. 




Year of the Ox - Burger

Apologies for not posting in a while, I've just finished up a project I was working on, and that took up most of my time for the past few weeks. Happy Chinese New Year for those celebrating! The first day of Chinese New Year was on 26th Jan, and we've been enjoying our 3-day holiday here in Hong Kong. Many small shops and restaurants close at this time of the year, so I tend to go on a grocery shopping frenzy beforehand to stock up the kitchen. I've been cooking almost non-stop (or so it seems) the past few days, and I'm finally taking a break - until lunchtime.

This year is the Year of the Ox, and although it was not planned, we ended up having (beef) burgers for lunch. I knew I would have a few days of cooking coming up, and some late nights, so I'd made the patties in advance and froze them. It made the world of difference in timing to simply defrost and re-heat the patties, and put together the rest of the burger. 

The recipe for my simple beef mince homemade burgers are here. If you are not raw onion eater (like me), or you don't like the taste of onion much, fry the onions first before adding them to the raw mince. That way, you can still have a medium-cooked burger, without the overpowering taste of semi-cooked onions. 

I topped the burgers with some avocado slices, mushrooms, melted cheese, and a homemade tomato sauce. This sauce is really quick and easy to make, and is a nice alternative to tomato slices (or store bought tomato ketchup) in your burgers. It can also be used as a dip for chicken nuggets, fish fingers, or as a topping for some pan fried seabass, etc.

Easy Homemade Tomato Sauce...

Easy Homemade Tomato Sauce

8 - 10 cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp light olive oil
red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Slice the cherry tomatoes into quarters.
2. Heat up the oil in a small frying pan. Add the tomatoes and fry over medium high heat.
3. Squeeze the tomatoes with a spoon/spatula so their juices ooze out.
4. Add a few shakes of red pepper flakes if you like your sauce spicy (optional).
5. Continue frying until the tomato and their skins break down and the sauce thickens.

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Another Bento delivery...

Yesterday, I popped over to my friend's place and delivered a soba salad bento lunch. It was a last minute decision, so I didn't have much time to prepare, which meant I arrived at around 2pm - my trick is to make the person I'm feeding so hungry that whatever I dish out is tasty. HA. 

Soba noodle salads are quick to make and relatively healthy. I mixed the noodles with a little sesame oil and soba sauce, sliced cucumbers, sugar snap peas, shredded egg omelette and served it with some hot smoked salmon. Kiwi fruit and blackberries were added for fruit content and colour, and overall I felt quite pleased with the amount of fruit and veggie in the dish. That's one of my new year's decision, by the way, to eat more fruit and veg...




Tuna Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Bento

I stopped making bento over the holiday period, and am slowly getting back to it. Today's bento lunch is a leftover from last night's dinner - Tuna Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. I made a slight variation to the recipe by adding a squirt of tomato paste to it (around 1 Tbsp) - when you mix it through, you can't really taste the tomato, you just get a bit of added flavour coating the spaghetti. I also substituted the rocket leaves for baby spinach leaves. 

Also in the bento are some kiwi fruit, half a nashi pear and the odd frozen raspberry (for colour). This year I'm really going to try adding more fruit and vegetables to my diet...

This pasta should really be eaten warm, so I packed it in my microwavable container. The fruits are sitting in little plastic sections that can easily be lifted up before heating the pasta. I then sprinkled a few drops of water over the pasta before microwaving it.




Chinese Rice Congee

Rice congee, or rice porridge, is a very popular dish in Asia. It is often eaten for breakfast, supper, or as a substitute for rice, and there are many different styles - thick, thin, plain, or boiled with other ingredients. My favourite style is the traditional Cantonese style of congee, where the rice has been boiled a long time and has broken down into a very smooth, medium-thick liquid. 

Although congee is available all over Hong Kong, I still like to make it at home (for dinner). It's the laziness speaking again, but I usually follow my mother's recipe and make chicken congee, which is basically just boiling a roast chicken, rice and water together until the rice and chicken are both soft and tender. If you have a large rice cooker, making congee is a snap. However it is also easy to make in a large pot, and if you like the rice in your congee smooth and broken down as I do, I discovered a quick and easy method of making smooth congee without having to boil it for hours.

Continue reading...

(Chicken) Rice Congee
(makes a large pot, enough for 4+ servings)

240g rice
half roast chicken (with or without the skin)
water
chicken stock (optional)
spring onions and ginger (optional, as garnish)

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, add the rice and some cold water. Swirl the rice around the pot with your hand to "wash" it. Pour away the water and repeat, until the water runs clear. Drain, then add 2 cups cold water.

2. Cover the saucepan and bring the rice and water to a boil. When it is boiling, remove the lid and allow the rice and water to continue boiling on medium high heat. Stir the rice frequently with a plastic ladle.

3. When you see most of the liquid has been evaporated or absorbed by the rice, stir and mash the rice with the ladle. This aids the rice in breaking down faster. When most of the liquid has disappeared, stir another 1/2 cup of cold water into the rice.



4. Continue to stir and mash, and add another 1/2 cup cold water into the rice. Continue mashing the rice with the ladle until it is soft and the grains have broken down.



5. Once the rice is soft and mushy, add more water and stir until you reach the consistency of congee you like - this may be thick, or thinner, according to your preference. Add the roast chicken. You may need to transfer everything to a larger pot at this stage. If you are making plain congee, boil the congee for a bit longer, then season as per Step 7.

6. Boil the rice and chicken until the chicken is tender. The rice will thicken slightly again, so add a little more water if necessary. Pick out the chicken bones before serving (or if you are lazy like me, and not feeding this congee to children, you can leave them in!)

7. Taste and season with white pepper, salt, and some chicken stock (if required). Sprinkle some chopped spring onions and ginger on top before serving (optional).

Optional: If you have some chicken/turkey/pork bones lying around (!), you can use this as stock for additional flavour. Put the bones in another pot, cover them with water and boil. Keep the stock liquid boiling as you boil the rice, and add the stock liquid to the rice instead of the plain water.

Tip: Instead of chicken, you can also add fish fillets, or minced pork.

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Tomato Ketchup Spaghetti

We are back from our short holiday and my post-holiday laziness has kicked in. I've not been very inspired in the kitchen, so last night YH bought a roast chicken home and I paired this with a favourite side dish that I've eaten and loved since childhood - tomato ketchup (or tomato sauce) spaghetti. My mother first ate this when she was young and studying in Ireland - her landlady used to serve this up to them fairly often (it's simple and cheap, I suppose) and my mum re-created this recipe for us when we were growing up. 

The pasta itself doesn't sound that impressive - just spaghetti, garlic, oil and yes, tomato ketchup straight from the bottle, but do give it a try - I liked this pasta even during the days I didn't like ketchup. You must serve this with some sort of meat, though, as the pasta on its own is very bland. My mum always served it with pork chops, but sausages, roast chicken, and lamb also work well.

Continue reading...

Tomato Ketchup Spaghetti

spaghetti
light olive oil
1 bulb garlic, peeled and chopped
tomato ketchup (I use Heinz, but use whatever brand you prefer)

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat up a saucepan on low heat and pour in some olive oil (around 3 - 4 Tbsp, or enough to coat the amount of pasta you have).

3. Add the chopped garlic and fry gently on low heat until the garlic is golden and fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic).

4. Pour the spaghetti into the saucepan (you may need to loosen up the pasta with some water first if it has clumped together) and mix it with the garlic oil until well coated. Turn off the heat.

5. Squeeze tomato ketchup (tomato sauce) into the spaghetti and mix well. Add enough ketchup to coat the spaghetti. Season with a little salt and pepper, and more ketchup if necessary.

6. Serve as a side dish to meat, such as pork, chicken, or lamb. Place the bottle of ketchup on the table so those who prefer more sauce can help themselves.

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Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: 3 Generations, Cruising to 3 Countries, for 1 Big Celebration

31 December, 2008, 4:00 PM – Along a narrow corridor on Deck 2 of Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship Legend of the Seas, 3 generations of my family were re-united to spend the last few hours of 2008 together.

We’d traveled down from different parts of Asia for a 5-night cruise around Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore to celebrate my dad’s 70th birthday, and of course, the new year. I’d not seen my parents, sister, her husband and baby Julian for over a year, so it was a very happy reunion.

We explored our new home, and in the evening, donned our life-jackets for a compulsory “muster” (evacuation drill). Luckily, there were no icebergs floating around in the tropical evening heat. After that, it was time for our first dinner on board and we made our way eagerly to the Romeo & Juliet dining room. I wasn’t too impressed by the name (too cheesy and brought to mind that old tv show The Love Boat), but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food served there. Continue reading...

There were 7 starters and 10 different main dishes to choose from, with a good mix of Asian and Western selections. As food was already included in the cruise package, you could freely select as many or as few dishes as you wanted. This type of dining is particularly dangerous for my family, as we are all mad about food.

I started with the Vidalia Onion Tart which had been recommended by our waiter. It was excellent, with sweet Vidalia onions and Gruyére cheese, baked together and served with sautéed red peppers and a leek fondue sauce at the side. The pastry was crusty and flaky, and the onions soft and piping hot. My sister and parents also loved the tart, and after tasting some of mine, my husband YH ordered one as well.

My second starter was the Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup. It was a clear soup, and tasted like Thai tom yam soup without the red curry paste. It was very spicy, which was to my liking, with a delicate lemongrass flavour, but the prawns in the soup were limp and totally tasteless (a sad case of boiled-to-death seafood).

For the main course, everyone at our table ordered the Slow-Roasted Prime Rib, served with a horseradish jus and potato. When the dish arrived, we all gaped at the large slab of meat reclining across the entire dinner plate. It was delicious, though. Tender and juicy, as stated on the menu.

We also ordered the recommended Pan-Seared Atlantic Salmon to sample, which was served with braised lentils, green beans, snow peas and a verjus beurre blanc. Unfortunately the salmon was dry and overcooked, and worse of all, had a slightly fishy taste.

Although by now we were all stuffed full, we felt obligated to order dessert. I tried the Strawberry Pavlova, and it was surprisingly good. Pavlova has never excited me that much, as I’ve always found it too sweet, but this one had a perfect blend of texture and taste, with its not-too-sweet crispy meringue, soft fresh cream and strawberry compote. I also tasted a little of the lemon sherbert, which could only be described as - strange. It was neither creamy, nor icy, neither sour not sweet… it ended up being just a cold goo. If I’d been hungry it may have been more appealing…

After dinner, we headed to the theatre for a live magic show, and then it was time to gather around the centre of the ship to countdown the new year. The ship generously provided free flutes of champagne, and as the clock struck twelve, 2000 balloons were released from above as the live band played “Auld Lang Syne”. It was a lovely moment.

The night wasn’t over yet, as we had a little birthday surprise for my dad. The previous day, I’d made some sticky date maple cupcakes and had packed them along with me in an airtight bento box (lunch box). After the new year festivities had settled down, we headed to a quiet corner, and by removing the container’s lid and adding some candles on top, I presented my dad with a little birthday “cake”. I knew we would all be too full and I wanted something that could travel and keep well, so these mini cupcakes were perfect. My dad loved them, and everyone managed to eat (and enjoy) a cupcake, despite our enormous dinner…

Our night was a huge success, and extremely memorable. We all felt it was very special as we were able to meet and celebrate together as a family. Thanks to my mum for organizing this cruise and to Foodbuzz for selecting my entry as part of their 24 Meals, 24 Hours, 24 Blogs special.

Happy New Year! And here’s wishing everyone a very blessed year ahead.

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Sticky Date Maple Cupcakes

Tomorrow, New Years Eve, we are off on a short cruise with my parents and sister's family to celebrate my dad's birthday, and the New Year. (Look out for my next post from the cruise ship which will document our first meal on board!) 

I wanted to prepare a little something for my dad, so in the spirit of bento (as in packing food in a box) I decided to make a little birthday cupcake bento to bring along with us. This is obviously technically not a bento lunch, it's just cake packed into one of my bento boxes! But it is another versatile way of using your bento accessories. 

My dad is not very keen on cakes, but he does love sticky date puddings. So I decided to make a sticky date maple syrup cupcake which is very moist and pudding-like, rather than the normal buttercake recipe that many cupcakes are based on... This recipe is really simple and pretty fail-proof - you simply stick everything in a blender/food processer and zap it. Happy New Year!

Continue reading for the recipe...

Sticky Date Maple Cupcakes
(makes approx 12 cupcakes)

200g dried and pitted dates
310ml (1 1/4 cup) boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g butter
100g brown sugar
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup (try and use pure maple syrup, not the maple-flavoured syrup)
2 eggs
150g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder

Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees C.

1. Put the dates in a blender/food processor. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the boiling water, and add it to the dates. Soak for 5 minutes.

2. Blend/Process the date mixture a little. Add the butter and sugar, and blend.

3. Add the maple syrup, lightly beaten eggs, flour and baking powder. Blend until all the ingredients are combined. You should have quite a liquid batter.

4. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, or lightly oil the muffin pan (if you are using the pan directly). Alternatively, you can use silicon moulds. Fill whichever container you use 3/4 full of batter. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until browned. Poke the middle of the cupcake with a metal skewer/cake tester (or raw piece of spaghetti) to test if the centre is cooked. The skewer should come out clean.

Tip: If you are making mini cupcakes, lessen the cooking time accordingly.

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(Turkey) Pasta Salad

Christmas for me usually includes roasting a turkey, and it's around this time that I'm faced with a fridge full of leftover turkey meat. This is not a burden, mind you - I absolutely love having leftover turkey, and I suspect if a day comes when the turkey is completely eaten on Christmas itself, I would be very depressed. 

This year, I didn't roast a turkey, but went over to a friend's place for dinner instead. She'd ordered a giant 6kg turkey(!), and as she was busy the next few days and not particularly keen on leftovers, I (the Leftovers Queen) had the happy honour of taking most of the meat and bones back. The turkey carcass, in large ziplock bags, went straight into the freezer and the packets of turkey meat (also in ziplock bags) were stored in the fridge. Over the next few days, I've been making turkey and avocado sandwiches, turkey pasta salad and tomato turkey pasta. I'm not sick of turkey, yet...!

Here's the recipe for a simple (Christmas-coloured) turkey pasta salad. This pasta salad (without the turkey) is a great side dish to accompany meat (roasts, sausages, etc.), and works well at picnics and BBQs. Continue reading...

(Turkey) Pasta Salad

375g spiral pasta (use tri-colour spiral pasta for added colour)
1 whole bulb garlic
1 red capsicum
1 green capsicum
light olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
chicken stock (optional)
red pepper flakes (optional)

leftover roast turkey meat (omit for a plain pasta salad)

1. Cook the spiral pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to the timing on the pasta packet (less 1 minute). Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

2. Peel and chop the garlic.

3. Chop the capsicum finely into small pieces.

4. On low heat, pour some light olive oil in a pot and add the garlic. Fry until the garlic is fragrant, but not brown/burnt.

5. Turn up the heat to medium, add the capsicum and turkey meat and fry for a short while. Add the cooked pasta. Mix well. If the pasta looks a little dry, add some more olive oil.

6. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. For added taste and some spice, sprinkle a little chicken stock (optional) and red pepper flakes (optional).

Tip: Substitute the turkey meat for chicken meat, slices of ham, bacon bits, etc.

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Caviar Canapes

I like to make this dish on special occasions such as Christmas or New Years Eve, although it would work well for any party, any time of the year. I was first introduced to caviar at a friend's party many years ago, and I've never looked back. The blobs of black may not seem particularly appealing, but if you enjoy eating fish roe in Japanese cuisine, such as tobiko (flying fish roe), ikura (salmon roe) and tarako (salted pollock roe), chances are you will most likely also enjoy caviar. 

Good quality black caviar from sturgeon fish can be ridiculously expensive, so I generally use lumpfish roe, which is the cheaper alternative, although you could of course use either one for this recipe. 

Continue reading...

Caviar Canapes
(makes a decent sized bowl)

1 bottle 100g black caviar (or black lumpfish caviar)
4 large eggs (normal chicken eggs)
1/4 red onion
juice of half a lemon

1. Hard boil the eggs. Place the eggs, in a small saucepan. Cover the eggs with cold water (the water level should be just above the eggs). Put a lid on the saucepan and heat over medium high heat until the water is boiling. Turn the heat down a little and simmer rapidly for 4 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the saucepan as is while you prepare the onions and lemon juice. (You want the egg yolks to be hard and cooked through.)

2. Chop 1/4 red onion as finely as possible and place in a medium-sized bowl. (If you are not a raw onion fan, make sure you chop the onion into really, really small bits). Squeeze the lemon.

3. When the eggs are ready, peel them, and pat them dry. Separate the egg yolks from the egg white by slicing into each egg carefully to remove the yolk.

4. Finely chop the egg whites. In a separate small bowl, mash the egg yolks with a fork until powdery.

5. Add the egg white, egg yolk, caviar and lemon juice to the onion, and gently toss together with a fork until well combined. Taste and season with more lemon juice if necessary.

6. Serve the caviar on top of something hard and crunchy, such as a crispy vol-au-vent, or the more traditional melba toast. I feel obliged to add that due to the amount of eggs in this dish (caviar plus chicken eggs), it probably isn't good to eat a lot of it if you are watching your cholesterol.

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I'm back-dating this post and it's off-topic, but here's wishing everyone a Very Blessed Christmas! Happy Feasting!




Rudolph Bento

The Christmas season crept up on me this year and took me completely by surprise. (Yes, decorations have been displayed everywhere for ages, but as they've been up since November, I really lost track.) It finally dawned upon me that if I didn't get my act together it would be next year... so I dug through my bento stash and leftover rice to make this simple Christmas-themed bento.

It's Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, who, by the way, I feel very sorry for. I also object to the song about him - he was laughed at because he looked different, and then he became popular just because he was useful?? Anyway(!), Rudolph's head and legs are made out of mushroom and soya sauce fried rice, and his antlers and body are made out of teriyaki chicken meatballs. He has a cherry tomato nose, and surrounding (and underneath) him is a simple display of grapes and cherries, and some sugarsnap peas. 

Continue reading for a Step-by-step guide on how to make this Rudolph Reindeer Bento...

Step-by-Step Guide: How To Make a Rudolph Reindeer Bento

Ingredients:

• 5 heaped Tbsp cold, cooked rice
  
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
  
• sesame oil
  
• soya sauce (light and thick, dark soya sauce)
  
• 2 shitake mushrooms, chopped
  
• 3 teriyaki chicken meatballs (made fresh, or from your freezer stash)
  
• 1 cherry tomato
  
• 2 black peppercorns
  
• small squeeze of mayonnaise
  

For the rest of the bento (if you wish to follow the bento pictured) or feel free to substitute with other vegetables, fruit, etc.

• handful sugarsnap peas (boiled)
  
• small bunch seedless green grapes
  
• 5 - 7 cherries
  

Equipment:

• Small paring knife
  
• Small non-stick frying pan (to fry the rice) and small saucepan (to boil the sugarsnap peas)
  
• 1 bento box (I used a single tier, 630ml capacity container).
  

Step 1 - Make the Fried Rice

In a small frying pan, add a few drops of sesame oil, and fry the chopped garlic until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, rice, a splash of light soya sauce, and some thick, dark soya sauce. Stir and fry together until the rice grains are well coated with the soya sauce. Set aside to cool.

Step 2 - Make Rudolph's Head

Place a square sheet of strong plastic wrap on your open palm, and scoop 3 Tbsp of warm fried rice onto the plastic.

Close your fingers around the rice, which will enclose the rice in the plastic. Twist the plastic at the top and compress the rice ball. Shape one end of the ball so it is slightly pointed in shape. Unwrap the rice and place it in the bento box.

Step 3 - Make Rudolph's Legs

For each leg: Repeat Steps 2 and 3 using 1 Tbsp of rice and squeeze the rice ball to form a long sausage shape. Unwrap and place into the bento box.

Step 4 - Make Rudolph's Antlers

Take 2 meatballs, and cut a small semi-circle from the bottom of each one with a small paring knife. Set aside the semi-circles.


Cut out two small triangles from each of the remaining meatballs (as pictured) to form the antlers.


Place some sugarsnap peas into the bento box around Rudolph's head, and then place the antler meatballs above the head. Shift the legs down.

Step 5 - Rudolph's Body

Cut a small semi-circle out of the 3rd meatball, and place it in-between the head and the legs to form Rudolph's body.

Step 6 - Rudolph's Face & Hooves

Slice a cherry tomato into two, and place the bottom part on his face to form the nose.

Squeeze a small amount of mayonnaise onto a dish, and use a chopstick/skewer to dab two small circles of mayonnaise above the nose to form eyes. Stick the black peppercorns onto the mayonnaise eyes to form pupils.

Slice bits of the remaining meatballs into small squares and place them on Rudolph's legs to form hooves.

Step 7 - Filling up the rest of the bento box

Finish off the bento by placing cherries, grapes and some extra sugarsnap peas around Rudolph. I chose these for their red and green Christmas colours, but substitute with other fruits/vegetables if you wish.

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Bacon & Asparagus Roll Bento

Today's bento contains my favourite Bacon & Asparagus Rolls, hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, stir-fried mushrooms, rice and some pickled cabbage in the little heart container.




Bacon & Asparagus Rolls

In addition to Ham n Egg Rolls, another roll that's easy to make and great as a bento filler is a Bacon & Asparagus Roll. You can adapt this dish and use the bacon to wrap many other things like vegetables, sausages, etc, but my favourite is asparagus. 

Continue reading...

Bacon & Asparagus Rolls

• Asparagus (you really need fresh asparagus here, not the canned variety)
  
• Streaky Bacon Rashers (streaky bacon works best as it is more malleable than back bacon, although the fat in the bacon means this isn't the healthiest of recipes)
  

(With 4 thick stalks of asparagus and 4 long rashers of streaky bacon, I could make 16 mini rolls, but this will depend on your asparagus, width and length of bacon rashers)

Teriyaki Glaze
equal parts of:

• Soya Sauce
  
• Sake
  
• Mirin
  
• Sugar
  

1. Wash and trim around 1cm (1/2 inch) off the base of the asparagus stalks.

2. Boil some water in a saucepan and when the water is boiling, add the asparagus. Turn down the heat and simmer for around 4 minutes, or until just cooked through. Drain and set aside.

3. Cut the asparagus into shorter lengths. I cut mine to around 5cm (2 inches) long, but go along with the original length of your asparagus as well (eg. cut it into thirds or quarters if more convenient).

4. Cut the bacon into shorter lengths. A good gauge is to make the lengths of bacon around twice the length of your asparagus stalks. Slice the bacon to adjust the width if necessary as well. (You may want to cut one slice first to test if the width and length are correct.)

5. Roll a strip of bacon around the asparagus. If you are using thick stalks, you can wrap the bacon around each stalk. If your asparagus stalks are thinner, wrap the bacon around 3 - 4 stalks. Put the rolls tightly next to each other in a small bowl (to help prevent them from unrolling). If the bacon unrolls too easily, the lengths of bacon are too short.

6. Make the teriyaki glaze by mixing equal amounts of soya sauce, sugar, sake and mirin. For a small batch of bacon & asparagus rolls, 1 Tbsp of each seasoning is sufficient. Pour the glaze over the rolls.

7. Heat up a little oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the bacon and asparagus rolls on both sides until the bacon is cooked and lightly browned. Baste the rolls with the extra glaze in the bowl as you are frying them. You can also cook the rolls on a bbq/cast iron grill/George Foreman grill.

 
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Ham n Egg Rolls

Eggs are extremely versatile, and the same holds true for using eggs in bento. Along with the popular tamagoyaki, another great way of using egg is making a thin omelette (usuyaki tamago). These thin sheets of egg are great for cutting out into little shapes, rolling up, as a wrap or nori (seaweed) substitute, or shredded as a topping for noodles. Recently, I used these thin omelettes to make some ham and egg rolls. Continue reading...

A traditional usuyaki tamago is usually made with a little dashi stock and sugar, as well as cornstarch or potato starch (to strengthen the egg mixture).

However, if you plan on using the omelette to cut out shapes, as I often do, I don't bother to add cornstarch. I'm also not very keen on sweet egg, so I usually just make a savoury, thin omelette - with egg, a splash of water and a dash of salt. I use a small non-stick square pan which is great for making tamagoyaki and square thin omelettes, but a small (round) frying pan works just as well. If you make tamagoyaki often enough, it may be worthwhile to invest in a small square tamagoyaki pan. My one was cheap, and very small (for 1 - 2 eggs). I find the small ones more handy, as you need many eggs to cover the larger tamagoyaki pans.

Ham n Egg Rolls

1 large egg
dash salt
1 tsp water
1 slice of ham per thin omelette (I get 4 thin omelettes out of 1 large egg, but this differs according to the size of your pan)
light olive oil (or other oil for cooking)

1. Beat the egg well with the salt and water. Heat up a well oiled small frying pan on low heat.
(Edit: You can strain the egg through a strainer for finer results, but I usually don't bother, as you can see from the bits of egg white showing in the picture...)


2. Add a small amount of egg mixture and tilt the pan so the egg coats the base.


3. When the egg mixture hardens slightly, use a spatula or pair of chopsticks to loosen the sides of the egg. Carefully flip the egg over.


4. Cook for a further 10 seconds. The egg is so thin that it cooks very quickly.


5. Remove, re-oil the base of the frying pan, and repeat until all the egg mixture has been used up.

6. Add a slice of ham on top of each egg omelette, and roll it up together. You can roll it with the egg or the ham on the outside, or a combination of both. Slice into pieces to fit the height of your bento box.

You can also use the thin omelette to decorate your bento by using cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the omelette. 

eg. flower shapes to decorate onigiri.

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Monokuro Boo Bento

I have taken a short break from kyaraben (character bento) recently as they do take some time to make, and I have not been feeling too inspired. However, when I read that the topic for this week's bento challenge over at the Live Journal Bento Challenge community was "twins", I suddenly wanted to make a Monokuro Boo Bento. I love these monochrome square-shaped pigs by San-X, and to fit the Bento Challenge theme, I have decided the pigs are fraternal twins...

My Monokuro Boo pigs are rice onigiri filled with salmon flakes. One is wrapped, and the other isn't (to form one black and one white pig). They are sitting in a colourful garden of carrot, cheese and egg flowers, edamame, broccoli and cherry tomatoes, and some ham and egg rolls.

Monokuro Boo is quite easy to make, as it is basically a square-shaped onigiri. The hardest part is to cut out the little eye and nose details. It helps if you have cutters, but if not, you can make do with a small, sharp pair of scissors and a little patience. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to make this bento.  Step-by-Step Pictorial Guide: How To Make A Monokuro Boo Bento...

Step-by-Step Guide: How To Make a Monokuro Boo Bento

Ingredients:
(For 2 Monokuro Boo Pigs)

• 6 heaped Tbsp cooked short-grain rice
  
• Filling for the onigiri (I used salmon flakes, but you can use whatever filling you wish)
  
• 1 triangular sheet of nori seaweed
  
• + extra piece nori
  
• 1 slice processed cheese
  

For the rest of the bento (if you wish to follow the bento pictured) or feel free to substitute with other vegetables, meat, etc.

• 1/4 carrot
  
• 1 large egg
  
• 2 slices ham
  
• edamame
  
• broccoli
  
• 2 cherry tomatoes
  

Equipment:

• Small paring knife
  
• Scissors (preferably small ones)
  
• Small circle cutter or a straw
  
• Flower-shaped cutter (ordinary cookie cutters are fine), or any shaped-cutter you prefer eg. stars, hearts, etc.
  
• Small frying pan (to fry the egg) and small saucepan (to cook the broccoli)
  

• 1 bento box (I used a single tier, 630ml capacity container, but you can use other sizes - the amount of food you fit around the pigs will just increase/decrease according to what size box you use.)
  

Step 1 - Making the Onigiri (Rice Balls)

Start by making 2 rice onigiri. If your rice is cold, sprinkle a few drops of water over the rice and warm it up in the microwave. Tear a square-shaped piece of strong plastic wrap and place it on the palm of your hand. Scoop 2 heaped Tbsp of warm rice onto the plastic wrap in your palm.

Step 2 - Filling the Onigiri

To make an onigiri with filling, add your filling on top of the rice. Here, I have added a few tsps of salmon flakes. Other fillings you can use - teriyaki chicken bits, canned tuna with mayo, minced beef soboro, etc.

If you just want to make a plain rice onigiri without any filling, proceed to Step 3.

Step 3 - Completing the Onigiri

Add 1 heaped Tbsp of rice on top of the filling to cover it. (For a plain onigiri, just add 1 Tbsp of rice. You can also sprinkle a little salt on the rice for flavour.)

Gather up the sides of the plastic wrap by closing your fingers inwards (as if you were gripping a tennis ball in your palm). Twist the plastic wrap together at the top. You should now have a ball of rice.

Step 4 - Shaping the Onigiri

Compress the rice together and shape the onigiri as you desire. As we are making Monokuro Boo, press the rice ball to form a flat square shape, and squeeze out two ears and two feet at each end of the square. Set aside the shaped onigiri in the plastic wrap, and repeat Steps 1 - 4 for the second pig.

Step 5 - Making the Black Pig
(You should now have two pig-shaped onigiri wrapped in plastic.)

To make the black coloured pig, take one of the onigiri and warm it up in the microwave for 10 seconds. You need the rice to be warm so the nori wraps around it easily.

Place a triangular piece of nori (seaweed) on a flat surface. (You can buy triangular-shaped nori, or just cut a big square of nori into half diagonally to form a triangle.) Unwrap the warm onigiri and place it on the nori seaweed.

Wrap the nori around the onigiri by tucking the top down (the ears will form quite naturally) and wrap the sides around the square. The back should look something like this -

...and the front should look something like this -

Tuck and squeeze the nori a little to form the legs.

Place the wrapped nori pig and the white rice pig into a bento box. Set aside as you prepare their faces.

Step 6 - Making the Eyes and Noses


Eyes

Black Pig: Take a slice of processed cheese and cut out 2 little circles using a straw or a little round cutter.

White Pig: With a small piece of nori, cut out 2 little circles using a nori face punch, or a small pair of scissors.

Nose

Black Pig: With a sharp paring knife, cut out an oval-shaped piece of cheese for the nose. Estimate the size of the nose according to the size of your onigiri pig. Tip: If you are unsure of how big it should be, cut out a larger oval, and slowly trim the ends until it is the right size.

White Pig: With a small pair of scissors, cut an oval out of nori. Try to make it the same size as the cheese oval you just made.

Nostrils

Black & White Pig: Cut out 4 small oval shapes out of nori, using a pair of scissors. The nostrils should be slightly smaller than the eyes.

If you used a nori face punch to cut out the eyes, cut out 4 more small circles, then convert them into oval shapes with the scissors. (This is what I did, therefore the nostrils in the above picture are round as I had not shaped them yet. See the picture below for the shaped nostrils)

Step 7 - Adding the Faces

Black Pig: Place the cheese eyes, cheese nose, and nori nostrils onto the black pig.

White Pig: Place the nori nose lightly onto the white pig, then quickly lift it off before it sticks. The nori should now be soft, but not soggy. Fold the nose slightly and make a small cut in the centre with a pair of scissors. Then unfold and cut around the inside of the oval to make an oval ring as pictured. Place the nose on the white pig, as well as the nori nostrils and eyes.

Your Monokuro Boo pigs are now complete!

Step 8 - Packing the Rest of the Bento
Now surround the pigs with colourful vegetables, meat, eggs, etc. of your choice.

Here is what I added:

• steamed broccoli;
  
• carrots (shaped into flowers using a flower cookie cutter. You can also shape them into stars, hearts, etc.);
  
• cherry tomatoes;
  
• edamame;
  
• ham and egg rolls (Edit: Link added for the ham n egg rolls);
  
• egg (fried thinly, then cut into flower shapes);
  
• processed cheese (cut into flowers - a good way to use up the remainder of the cheese slice).
  

How I packed the bento:

I began by selecting the "harder", more bulky items. In this case, it was the broccoli, which I added around the sides of the bento box.

This was followed by the cherry tomatoes and the ham and egg rolls.

Next, half of the carrots and the edamame were added to fill in the gaps. The remaining carrots were placed on top to create a flower scene, and the egg and cheese flowers were added for further colour and design. The completed bento:

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