Quick-Pickled Carrots

It's Potluck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). I've made Nigella Lawson's Quick-Pickled Carrots, recipe from her latest cookbook Simply Nigella. 

This is a really quick pickle to make, as it's name implies. The only "extra" work is to cut the carrots into matchsticks. Nigella's very own words "if I can summon the patience to cut carrots into julienne strips, then anyone can". 

The recipe states to use two large carrots equivalent to about 8 ounces total. I grabbed a pack of two large carrots from the organic store and each carrot already weigh 8 ounces each! So I use only one carrot, since the only pickle lover in my house is me! 

Slice the carrot into julienned strips, then place in a bowl. The pickling brine is made by boiling together apple cider vinegar, water, honey, salt, bay leaves, mustard seeds, fennel seeds and lightly crushed cardamom pods. Once the brine has come to a boil, pour it over the carrots, then leave for one hour or so to reach room temperature. Refrigerate for at least an hour before eating.

There is no sugar used at all, but honey is used instead. I added an extra tablespoon of honey as the pickle is quite sour. The carrots are crunchy, a little sour and salty. This would be a lovely accompaniment for roasted meat, I was thinking of Chinese roasted pork! This is a sour pickle, you can add more honey to taste, if you prefer a sweeter pickle.

Quick-Pickled Carrots
(adapted from "Simply Nigella", by Nigella Lawson)
makes approx 2 cups
2 large carrots (approx 8 ounces total), peeled
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
3/4 cup cold water
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes or kosher salt
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
4 cardamom pods
1 x 2-cup preserving jar or any resealable jar with vinegar-proof lid

Peel the carrots and cut them into matchsticks, and put them into a non-metallic bowl or large measuring cup while you get on with the pickling liquid.

Put the vinegar, water, honey, salt, bay leaves, mustard, and fennel seeds into a saucepan. Crush or crack the cardamom pods and put them in, too. Bring to a boil, then take the pan off the heat, and stir to make sure that the salt is dissolved. Pour this liquid over the carrots and leave for about 1 hour to reach room temperature, then stash in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before eating.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs, theme for this week

March IHCC Potluck

and 

I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #15 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

Kimchi Pancake

I'm sharing one more of Donna Hay's recipe I've tried, for this week's theme "Monthly Featured Chef : Donna Hay" at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC).  I've made Kimchi Pancake.

Kimchi is a favourite in my house. Ever since I made my first kimchi almost two years ago, I'm hooked! There's always kimchi in my refrigerator ever since then. I have made kimchi dozens of times over the last two years. Right now, I have a new batch of kimchi in my refrigerator, which I've just made almost a week ago, and looking forward to make a pot of kimchi stew, our favourite kimchi dish. For now, it's Kimchi Pancake time.

Kimchi Pancake, served with Kimchi.

The pancake batter,  with lots of chopped scallions and chopped kimchi. After mixing everything together, the batter turns a lovely shade of red from the kimchi.

These are delicious. I've made some of the pancakes a little thicker and some a little flatter, to see which one we like. And we prefer the flatter ones! These pancakes looks rather nice with the red hue from the kimchi. I made these pancake on the weekend for a brunch snack and they are really perfect with a cup of warm tea. Do you like kimchi?

Kimchi Pancake
(from donnahay.com)
Makes 12
1-1/4 cups (185gm) self raising (self-rising) flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup (160ml) buttermilk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1-1/2 cups (420gm) kimchi, chopped
2 green onions (scallions), sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
kimchi, extra, to serve

Place the flour, eggs, buttermilk and fish sauce in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the kimchi and onion and mix well to combine
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. In batches, cook 2 tablespoons of the mixture for 2 minutes each side, or until golden brown and cooked through, adding the remaining oil as necessary. Serve the pancakes with the extra kimchi. Makes 12.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week

Monthly Featured Chef : Donna Hay

Spiced Black Pickled Grapes

"Gifts From the Heart", the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). With Christmas and holidays, just round the corner, it's time for giving and sharing, and what better way than to gift with something homemade, made with warm thoughts straight from the heart. The first thing that I thought of, was to make some homemade jam. I love making jams and pickles, and was looking thru Diana Henry's recipes for jams. Found this pickle recipe instead, Spiced Black Pickled Grapes, which is rather interesting to me, as I have never eaten pickled grapes before. 

Spiced Black Pickled Grapes

Black grapes.
The brine : cider vinegar, sugar, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, and I've added a pinch of salt.

I have omitted the juniper berries for the brine, as I do not have any, (an ingredient I've been looking for ages!). Diana Henry has advised that any spices can be used, I have however decided to use just the black peppercorns and cinnamon stick. I've used a 500ml jar, and have used only 1 cup of cider vinegar and 1 cup of sugar, and have added a pinch of salt. The brine is made by bringing to a boil all the ingredients for the brine, then simmer for 4-5 minutes, let mixture cool completely.

Remove the grapes from the stems, wash, drain and dry the grapes. Place them into the jar, then pour the cooled brine to cover the grapes, and seal the jar. The grapes can be eaten immediately as advised by Diana Henry, but there is no difference in the taste of the grapes if they were eaten at this point, as the brine has not been absorbed by the grapes. Be patient, keep it for a few days before eating. I kept the jar in the refrigerator.

These pickled grapes are rather addictive! According to Diana Henry, she loves it best after they are pickled for 7 days. I made these less than a week ago, and the brine has not fully been absorbed into the grapes as yet. Though I think that I should wait to consume these at the end of a week, but a quarter jar has already gone! :) The grapes are crisp, sweet (they were naturally sweet!), and as you bite into one, the sweetness of the sugar, spices and sourness of the vinegar comes next. The next time I would use 3/4 cup of sugar instead of 1 cup, to make it less sweeter. And to speed up the pickling, I would prick a couple of holes in the grapes. If you like eating pickles, then you would love this! This would make a lovely gift for pickle lovers!

You will be wondering how to use this pickled grapes other than enjoying them as they are. Diana Henry has given some suggestions, "These are made for roast pork - belly or loin - and look fabulous in little branches served alongside slices of the sweet, fatty meat. But they are also very lovely with pates (and a smooth chicken liver parfait), terrines and most cheeses".
Yes, these pickled grapes would be lovely served alongside roasts at the dinner table this Christmas, or they would be great too if served as part of an appetizer.

Knowing myself, I would eat these pickled grapes as a snack, sneaking a few every so often, before they even reached the table! I'll be making these again, and will try with different spices. Love it!

Spiced Black Pickled Grapes
(adapted from "Salt Sugar Smoke" or here, Diana Henry)
3-2/3 cups (1lb 4oz) seedless black grapes
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups white wine or cider vinegar
10 black peppercorns
10 juniper berries, bruised (did not use this)
1 small dried chilli (optional)
1/2 cinnamon stick
pinch of salt (my addition)

fills 1 (1-quart) jar

Instructions :

Pull sprigs of the grapes off the main stem. Put everything else into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Boil for about four minutes, then cool completely.

Wash and dry the grapes and put them into a warm sterilized jar. Pour over the vinegar and seal with a vinegar-proof lid. You can eat these immediately. The longer they are in the vinegar the more "pickled" the grapes will taste and the more wrinkled they become. They will keep for a year.

kitchen flavour's notes : I use about 450gm of black grapes and use only 1 cup cider vinegar and 1 cup sugar, which fills a jar of 500ml. Reduce the amount of sugar if a more sour pickle is preferred. (Note to self ; prick a few holes in the grapes to quicken the pickling process!)

*****************************

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week "Gifts From The Heart"

and

Cook & Celebrate Christmas 2014 hosted by Bake For Happy Kids, Eat Your Heart Out and Domestic Goddess Wannabe.

Purple Pickled Eggs

"Stock Your Exotic Pantry", the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). Pickled eggs are pretty exotic to me, especially when they look such as pretty as these Purple Pickled Eggs. These purple pickled eggs got their colour from a few slices of beetroot. I have seen other pickled eggs recipes from various websites and have always wanted to try at making them. So this is the perfect time to try Diana Henry's recipe, the featured chef at IHCC.

Firstly boil the eggs. I've made only 4 eggs. Peel the eggs, and use a cake skewer or wooden skewer to poke some holes onto the eggs. Put the eggs in a jar. 

The brine is made by bringing to a boil, the sliced beetroot, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick, sugar, dried chilli and white wine vinegar. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Pour the hot brine mixture over the eggs in the jar. Seal and refrigerate once cool. Keep for a few days before eating.

Such pretty eggs! I just love the colour from the beetroot. Makes the eggs looks really pretty in purple! 

How does it tastes like? Hmmm... I ate one on the very next day, and it was a little sour and the insides are not as purple as the ones above. I ate the second egg on the fourth day, as pictured above, the colour purple can be seen, already seeped into the eggs. The eggs are sour, and the whites has a chewy texture, while the york..well, tastes like yorks should be, I find no difference to its texture. It is an interesting pickle and would be great eaten as a side dish or appetizer accompanying a meal such as an Indian Briyani meal (suggested by my sis!). For those of you who love pickles, might like these pickled eggs, though it is not everyone's cup of tea. Would I make this again? I probably would, I rather enjoy eating it but prefer it to be less sour, so I would increase the amount of sugar, add a pinch of salt, reduce the amount of vinegar, to suit my taste.

Purple Pickled Eggs
(adapted from : Salt Sugar Smoke, Diana Henry or here)
14 eggs (4 eggs)
1 litre (1-3/4 pints) white wine vinegar (1 cup)
1 beetroot, sliced (a few slices)
100gm (3-1/2 oz) granulated sugar (2 tbsp)
2 tbsp coriander seeds (1/2 tbsp)
1/2 cinnamon stick (a small piece)
3 dried chillies (1)

1. Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, then drain, run cold water over them and peel. Make a few punctures in each egg with a slim skewer or a cocktail stick. Set aside.
2. Mix all the rest of the ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes. Put the eggs into a sterilized jar and pour the hot vinegar over them. Seal with a vinegar-proof lid and keep in the refrigerator once cold. The eggs will taste better after a couple of days. They'll keep - covered with the vinegar - for about a month.

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week, "Stock Up Your Exotic Pantry".

Hungry Gopher's Delicious Kimchi

Do you like Kimchi? I do! Kimchi is one of my favourite! I love kimchi soups, and would usually have it at Korean restaurants. If you like pickles, chances are you are a fan of Kimchi.

I have been meaning to make Kimchi for ages, but could not find "gochugaru" (Korean chilli pepper flakes). When Hungry Gopher contacted me to inform about her Korean cooking blog, complete with videos on how to cook delicious Korean food, I wasted no time in visiting her blog right away! I saw her delicious Kimchi and knew then that I just have to make that! I then enquired about using "gochujang" (Korean Chilli Pepper Paste) instead of "gochugaru", and Hungry Gopher is so kind as to advise me that Kimchi is made using "gochugaru", instead of "gochujang" as the later is a chilli paste that is made with a mixture of ingredients, and it might affect the overall taste of the kimchi. "Gochugaru" is made from sundried Korean dried chilli peppers that has been milled into flakes or powder, and is an important ingredient in making Kimchi and other Korean dishes.

I have been looking for "gochugaru" for quite awhile, and finally found it at Aeon Big. Bought it and a few days later, after buying a large napa cabbage, I finally made my Kimchi!

"Gochugaru" (Korean Chilli Pepper Flakes). It is stated as powder on the pack...

but they are actually chilli flakes, bright red and vibrant! 

The napa cabbage. Did not take any photos on the making of the kimchi, as my hands are smudged with the kimchi paste! I wore a pair of disposable plastic gloves, as the kimchi paste is spicy hot. For the full tutorial on how to make your own kimchi, please do visit Hungry Gopher's delightful video from her blog, with step-by-step instructions and useful tips. She has other delicious Korean recipes, and I have already bookmarked her other recipes to try.

My first batch of kimchi... finished within two weeks, after giving some to my sisters.

My second batch which is fast finishing, am left with a small container. Going to make my third batch soon! Yum! Yum! My sister already made "bookings" for it! 

This Kimchi is really yummy! I have been nibbling pieces of it. Crunchy, spicy, a little sour, salty and just delicious! For the first batch, I left mine to ferment for 48 hours on my kitchen counter, until the sourish taste from the fermentation is to my liking. It was a long wait for me, as I was really eager to eat it! Well, I did taste a small piece on the first day, another piece after that, then one more piece! wink! Once the sourish is to my liking, I keep the kimchi in the refrigerator. You may however refrigerate it as soon as it is made, up to your preference. It will ferment further in the refrigerator, at a slower rate. I like mine a little sour, so I left it on my kitchen counter for two days before I refrigerated the whole container.

For the second batch, I fermented it for only one day, it all depends on the temperature and humidity of the day, how fast the fermentation takes place. As you know, our weather has been really blazing hot for the past few months!

I have been making some dishes using kimchi, and will be sharing those dishes in the coming weeks. And there's more recipes that uses kimchi on my list to try. Waiting for my third batch of kimchi making soon.

I'm only listing the list of ingredients needed for making the kimchi, for the full steps and directions and lots of useful tips, please visit Hungry Gopher and say hi! And if you have used this recipe (do try it, it's delicious!), please link it back to Hungry Gopher.

Kimchi

(source from hungrygopher.com)

1 medium napa cabbage (4-5 inch/10-13cm diameter of head)
coarse sea salt for brine

Starch Mixture :
1 cup water
3 tbsp all-purpose flour or sweet rice flour

Seasoning Mixture :
1-1/2 cups peeled, julienned Daikon radish (substitute with red radish if needed).
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup gochugaru (Korean chilli pepper flakes)
* adjust amount to your preference of spicy level
1/4 medium onion
2-1/2 tbsp minced garlic
2-1/2 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp & 1/4 tsp fish sauce
(skip fish sauce if vegan recipe is required)
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
*use extra 2 tsp coarse sea salt if fish sauce is not used

Vegetable Pickle

"In Quite A Pickle", our theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). I love pickles! Found this recipe in Nigel Slater's book "The Kitchen Diaries II", which he entered on November 26, page 463. He made this pickle for a pork sandwich which he has included in the recipe as well. But I'm only giving the pickle recipe since I did not cook the filling for the sandwich.

For this recipe, Nigel has given a rough amount of each ingredient, so adjust accordingly.

Firstly, the brine is made by heating the rice vinegar and sugar till the sugar melts. He mentioned that he uses a small wineglass of vinegar and equal amount of caster sugar. I do not know how big is "a small wineglass", and since I've used a medium size each of carrot, daikon (to replace the radishes) and cucumber (remove the soft centre core), I used half a cup of rice vinegar and caster sugar. Then 4 slices of fresh ginger and 2 star anise are added in, together with some fish sauce to taste. Take the pan off the heat, and I poured the brine into a heatproof casserole bowl.

Put all the vegetables in the bowl, mix to combine. I could not help adding 2 small red chillies from my chilli plant which is heavily fruiting right now. Besides, I love a little spiciness for pickles like this. Chop the chillies and add to the veggies. According to Nigel, "After an hour in the mixture, they have become crunchy. Two hours and they are full of zingy bite and refreshing crispness".  Now whenever I make pickles, I would place them right in the refrigerator,  for a couple of hours or overnight before eating, where they will become really crisp and still maintain their crispiness even for days. So instead of leaving the bowl  of pickles on the kitchen counter, I have placed it in the refrigerator.

About 4 hours later, I ate the first piece, then the second, then the third....!!!  Oh my! These are so delicious and addictive. You would not stop at just a few pieces. The veggies are so crunchy, sweet, sour and slightly spicy from the red chillies, especially delicious when eaten cold, straight from the refrigerator. These would be great to accompany any roasted meat or sandwiches, though I ate them as a snack! I would definitely make this again! 

Vegetable Pickles
(adapted from "The Kitchen Diaries II", Nigel Slater)

"This morning I make fresh, hot vegetable pickles. I thinly slice a raw carrot, 4 radishes and a quarter of a cucumber. I bring to the boil a small wineglass of rice wine vinegar and the same of caster sugar. In go 4 slices of raw ginger and 2 star anise. I then add enough Vietnamese fish sauce to make it interesting, about 2 tablespoons (everyone's tolerance to fish sauce is different; keep tasting as you go), put in the vegetables and let the mixture cool. After an hour in the mixture, they have become  crunchy. Two hours and they are full of zingy bite and refreshing crispness."

This is what I used :
1 medium carrot
1 medium daikon
1 medium cucumber
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup caster sugar
3 tbsps fish sauce
2 star anise
4 slices ginger

I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week "In Quite A Pickle"

and

Cook-Your-Books #15 @ kitchen flavours

Homemade Pickled Jalapenos

Pickled Jalapenos has been on my list of to-try for ages. I finally got round to it. Making our own is definitely much cheaper than the ones sold in jars from the supermarket, and you can find them only from the high-end supermarkets. Again, this is one item that I am always hesitating to buy, as a small jar is rather costly. Fresh Jalapenos are really not expensive, and Pickled Jalapenos are really so easy to make, so there's really no excuse not to make some, that is, if you like pickles!

I found this recipe from David Lebovitz's website, which he adapted from "Michael Symon's Live To Cook" by Michael Symon and Michael Ruhlman. 

The Jalapeno pepper are first washed, cleaned and wiped dry. Make a few slits in each Jalapeno. Place them in a clean preserving jar. 

The brine is made by bringing to boil, the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, bay leaves, coriander seeds, black peppercorns and garlic. When the brine starts to boil, turn down heat and allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes, to infuse the flavours. Pour the brine over the Jalapenos in the jar. Place the lid on and let cool. Refrigerate for at least a week before consuming.

Pickled Jalapenos can be used in just about anything that calls for pickles. Just cut them up and use them in your Quesadillas, burgers, hotdogs, in pastas, even eaten with fried noodles, just as we love eating our local noodles with sliced pickled green chillies. 

The Pickled Jalapenos are very crunchy. The little red chilli is not crunchy at all, maybe because the red chillis are ripe, when I use to pickle them, even though they are very firm when I plucked them off the plant. Next time, I'll just stick to fresh Jalapenos for my pickles!

I cooked some fried beehoon (Chinese rice vermicelli), and had the Pickled Jalapenos, chopped up as a condiment. 

Give this a try. You could sliced up the fresh Jalapenos if you like, before soaking them in the brine instead of leaving them whole.

I've made about half a recipe from the original recipe below, using about 8 medium sized Jalapenos and 3 small red peppers from my own garden. These Pickled Jalapenos are great, really crunchy and not too sour. 

Pickled Jalapenos
(source from : David Lebovitz)
1 pound (450gm) fresh jalapeno peppers, washed (or another chile pepper in place of the jalapenos)
2-1/2 cups (625ml) water
2-1/2 cups (625ml) vinegar (David used white distilled vinegar, and so have I)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons coarse salt, such as kosher
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1. Stab each pepper three times with a sharp paring knife and place them in a large glass preserving jar.
2. In a non-reactive saucepan, bring the other ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.
3. Remove from heat and pour the brine over the peppers. Place the lid on the jar and let cool. Once cool refrigerate for at least a week before using, if possible. (You can use them sooner, but Michael says they're worth the wait).

Serve whole, with Mexican dishes, or remove the seeds then chop and use to season any recipe that is improved by a little bit of sweet heat.

Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi

Kimchi is Korea's national dish and there are different varieties of kimchi, depending on the regions and seasons. Kimchi is one of my favourites. I would never fail to order kimchi soup when we eat out at Korean restaurants. And have always wanted to try my hands at making my own kimchi, the traditional ones using cabbages, but I have yet to do so! When I was browsing thru one of my cookbooks "The Best of Asian Cooking", this recipe, in the Korean section for Vegetables and Salad, caught my attention. I love eating cucumber, which are always great in pickles, and these quick kimchi style pickled cucumbers sounds good to me. 

Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi are very easy to make, only thing is, make this about 5-6 hours in advance, keep them pickled in the refrigerator and enjoy them later!

I use only 1 Japanese cucumber as I am eating this alone. This is too spicy for the kids and hubby does not like kimchi! Haha, more for me to enjoy! 

For the cucumber : smoothen cucumbers by rubbing salt all over. Rinse and pat dry. Cut off about 1/2 inch from both ends of cucumber and discard the ends. Cut cucumber to 2-3 inch lengths. Stand cucumber slices cut side up. Make a slit across one side, but do not cut through. Sprinkle with some salt, set aside.

For the kimchi paste ; carrots, onions, ginger, chives and garlic are chopped finely. Mix all paste  ingredients together in a bowl with some fish sauce, chilli powder, stir to combine. 

To stuff : Squeeze gently excess water from cucumber. Fill the cavity with the kimchi paste.

Place in a bowl, and sprinkle the balance paste on the cucumbers. Keep refrigerated for 5-6 hours.

Six hours later. Enjoy!
This is SPICY, crunchy, salty!
I ate two as an appetizer at dinner time. And even great as a pickled filling for a sandwich. I sliced them up and use it for my egg sandwich for lunch. 

Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi
(source from "The Best of Asian Cooking")
3 Japanese cucumbers
60gm Kosher or sea salt

Stuffing :
45gm Chinese chives, finely chopped
30gm carrot, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 slices ginger, finely chopped
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 to 2-1/2 tbsps chilli powder

1. Smoothen cucumbers by rubbing with some salt.
2. Cut 1-cm (1/2-in) off each end of cucumbers and discard. Slice cucumbers into 6-8cm (2-3in) lengths.
3. Stand cucumbers on a cut side. Make a cut across one side of cucumbers but to not cut through. Sprinkle remaining salt on cucumbers. Set aside.
4. Combine stuffing ingredients and mix well.
5. Gently squeeze excess water from cucumbers or dry with a clean towel. Fill cavity with stuffing.
6. Refrigerate stuffed cucumbers for 5-6 hours before serving. The stuffed cucumbers can be kept for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

I'm submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #37 : Korean - Feast of Hansik (Nov 2013) hosted by Grace of Life Can Be Simple

I'm sharing this post with :

Cook-Your-Books #6 hosted by Kitchen Flavours

Chicken Meatballs with Preserved Lemons and Harissa Relish : IHCC

"Pattycake, Pattycake", the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), a group of lovely homecooks who are cooking from Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes until September. IHCC's Optional Monthly Community Recipe for this month is Preserved Lemons, where we can use Preserved Lemons in any of our chosen weekly recipe. So for today, I have combined the Optional Monthly Community Recipe (Preserved Lemon) with this week's theme "Pattycake, Pattycake". 

I have never made preserved lemons before or even eaten them, even though I love eating pickles and preserves. So it is a challenge to make our own Preserved Lemons, and I have used Ottolenghi's "Quick Pickled Lemons" recipe. There's another recipe of Ottolenghi's that requires the lemons to be preserved for about four weeks before consumption, but I have opted to use the quick pickled recipe instead.

Another ingredient that I've always wanted to make is Harissa Paste. I have seen so many recipes, from my cookbook collection and from various websites that uses this paste. So far, I have not seen this paste sold in any of the supermarkets that I went. Harissa Paste is a red hot pepper paste used in North African cooking. Since I cannot find this paste, I have made my own. Will share this on another day.

For this week's theme together with the Monthly Optional Community Recipe, I have made Chicken Meatballs with Preserved Lemon and Harissa Relish.

Firstly 1 whole corn (husk removed) is brushed with olive oil and grilled on pan for about 8 minutes, turning frequently until dark charred marks are visible. Remove from heat and once cool enough to handle, shave the corn off the cob.

Ingredients used are grilled corn, white bread, chicken mince, chopped onions, chopped garlic, chopped coriander, chopped parsley (did not use this), ground cumin, chopped red chilli, 1 egg, salt, pepper. Everything is mixed till well combined.

Form into round balls and grill on pan for 1-2 minutes on each side until charred. Place meatballs on lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 6 minutes or until meatballs are fully cooked. They were cooked at exactly 6 minutes! Mine was not exactly round, as the mixture was rather wet, maybe because I have used only 400gm (original is 500gm) of minced chicken and a large egg instead of medium.

Prepare the Lemon and Harissa Relish. Mix the pickled lemons, harissa paste, lemon juice, some olive oil and a pinch of salt together. Set aside.

Serve with the Chicken Meatballs, mine are more like Chicken Patties!  With some fresh corianders.

I really like the Lemon and Harissa Relish! This would be good eaten with burgers! The lemons are not really sour and the spiciness from the harissa paste is just so good!

The Chicken Patties are really tender and moist. So good! I'm the only one eating the Chicken Patties with the Lemon and Harissa Relish,  the family prefer eating the patties as it is. I knew that I would be the only one eating the Relish, as it is too spicy for my kids and the hubby does not like sour lemons! All the more for me, yay!

You may view the video here, where Yotam Ottolenghi shows how these Chicken Meatballs are made. Enjoy the video!

Please do stop by I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC) to view what my friends have made for the theme of this week, "Pattycake, Pattycake", and if you are interested to join us, please find out more details from IHCC.

Chicken Meatballs with Preserved Lemons and Harissa Relish
(source from here)
1 whole corn cob, husk removed
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
35gm crust-less white bread, roughly torn, soaked in water for 2-3 minutes, drained and squeezed
500gm chicken mince
1 small onion, grated (60gm net)
1 garlic clove, crushed
15gm coriander, chopped
7gm parsley, finely chopped
1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 small red chilli, finely diced
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper

Lemon and Harissa Relish
2 preserved lemons, flesh and skin sliced into thin strips (220gm net)
1 tsp lemon juice
2-1/4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp harissa paste

Preheat the oven to 180C.

To prepare the corn, heat a chargrill (ridged griddle) pan on high heat. Allow it to heat up well. Brush the corn with 2 tsp of the olive oil and chargrill, turning regularly, for 8-10 minutes, or until it has lots of dark charred specks and the corn turns smoky. Remove from the heat, and when cool enough to handle, use a large, sharp knife to shave the corn off the cob. Place the kernels in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

To make the relish, mix together the ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.

To make the meatballs, add the bread, chicken, onion, garlic, herbs, cumin, chilli, egg, salt and a generous grind of black pepper to the bowl with the corn. Stir the ingredients until well combined. Lightly moistened your hands with some of the olive oil, take 60gm portions of mixture, and form into round meatballs. Place on a tray lined with baking paper.

Return the chargrill pan to a high heat. Once hot, cook meatballs for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until visibly charred and lifting up easily from pan. Return to the baking tray and place in the oven for 6 minutes, or until cooked through.

Serve the meatballs warm with the relish.


Quick Pickled Lemons
(source from here, Yotam Ottolenghi)
Makes 1 large jar, approximately 1.5 liters)
Ingredients
1/2 red chilli, chopped (I use 1/2 tsp coarse chilli flakes)
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 small-medium unwaxed lemon, halved lengthways and sliced widthways as thinly as possible
35gm caster sugar
1/2 tbsp coarse sea salt
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 ground turmeric

Method
Use a pestle and mortar to smash together the chilli with 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice; you want to get a rough-looking paste. Transfer this to a large bowl along with all the other ingredients. Use your hands to mix everything together well so that all the flavours get massaged into the lemons. Leave in a bowl, covered, overnight. Transfer to a sterilized sealed jar the next day - it will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.

kitchen flavours notes :
I use 2 lemons and yield only half a jar.

Hot and Spicy Hyderabadi Tomato Chutney : IHCC

"Relishes, Chutneys and Pickles" is our theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), where we are currently cooking from Madhur Jaffrey's recipes. For this theme, I have decided to make Tomato Chutney, as I love eating tomato chutney with Indian breads. There are a number of different recipes, and decided to go for this hot and spicy chutney. 

I have used fresh tomatoes, about 5 big ones for this chutney. The tomatoes are peeled and seeds removed, the flesh are chopped to small pieces and are mixed with grated ginger, mashed garlic, turmeric powder, and chili powder. Recipe calls for cayenne powder but I used chilli powder for the spiciness.

This is really very simple and quick to cook. Just like most curries or chutneys, I let it sit for an hour after cooking, as I find that it tasted much better after the flavours of the spices have all infused together. This chutney is a little sour with a hint of spiciness, and really fragrant from the spices and garlic. I think that it would be even tastier if the tomatoes are fully ripe and sweet. 

After I have cooked this, I went out to get some Indian bread from the local Indian restaurant near my place.

I bought some Idli, my most favourite Indian bread of all time! Idlis are very good eaten with just about any curry. I have not made idli for ages, as it involves quite a bit of work, maybe next time round!

The idlis are great with this Tomato Chutney.  This is my lunch! Burp...!!!

To see my friends at IHCC dish for this week, you may visit them here. If you would like to join us in our cooking journey with Madhur Jaffrey, you may get the full details at IHCC's Welcome! page.

Hot and Spicy Hyderabadi Tomato Chutney
(source from : sparks recipes, "World of East Vegetarian Cooking" by Madhur Jaffrey)
1-3/4 cups peeled, seeded, chopped tomato (canned is OK)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp well-mashed garlic pulp
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more) (I used chilli powder)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 whole dried hot red peppers
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Mix the tomatoes, ginger, garlic pulp (not the whole cloves), turmeric and cayenne in a bowl and mix.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium. Add the garlic cloves, stir and fry until lightly brown. Add the cumin, mustard and fenugreek. Let sizzle for a couple seconds and add the red peppers. They should puff up and darken. Add the tomato mixture (it could splatter when it hits the hot oil). Stir and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced. You should have about 3/4 cup of chutney.

Serve hot, cold, or at room temperature.

Cauliflower Pickles

These Cauliflower Pickles are so addictive! They are great served alongside roasted meats, and make really good appetizer, in my case, so addictive to snack on, that it is so difficult to stop! I have made this a couple of times already, and everyone who has tasted this love it!

They do look kinda plain, but do not let that fool you, make a batch and see for yourself!

For full flavour, make these a couple of days before serving, I let them sit in the brine solution, stored in the fridge for three days before I actually eat them.  On the second day, I tested one (alright, a few!) and found that I got to add in more rice vinegar and sugar, depending on how sour or sweet you want. Stir with a chopstick or long spoon and wait for another day or two before consuming.

Do not cut the florets into big chunks, just cut them up into suitable sizes that are easy to pop into the mouth in one bite! It makes munching easier and is tastier as the solution gets soaked into the florets! Trust me! If you are not a fan of cauliflower, this might turn you around.

These should be eaten cold, right out from the fridge. Crunchy, sweet, sour with a tinge of the garlic and ginger. If you do not like the strong garlic smell, just reduce the amount to 1 clove. However, if you love garlic, do not be tempted to put in more, the taste of the garlic will be too strong. Just follow the recipe for the right amount of garlic. Pop the garlic and ginger in your mouth when you have finished with the cauliflower! Yum! Great as a refreshing appetizer for parties! I made this for a Christmas party two weeks ago and will be making this again for the coming Chinese New Year. There will be lots of "rich food" during festivities and this will be a great "snack"!

I'm sharing this with :
Cookbook Sunday hosted by Couscous & Consciousness
Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage


This is the original recipe, you may adjust the rice vinegar, sugar and salt according to your own taste. This recipe makes a large amount. I halved the recipe and got three bottles as per the photos above.
Cauliflower Pickles
(adapted from "The Chinese Kitchen" by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo)
3 quarts cold water
5 garlic cloves, peeled
One 1-inch-thick slice fresh ginger
3-1/2 pounds fresh cauliflower, cut into 1-1/2-inch florets
1-3/4 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups Chinese white rice vinegar or distilled vinegar
5-1/2 cups cold water
4 teaspoons salt

1. In a large pot, bring the 3 quarts of water to a boil with the garlic and ginger. Add the cauliflower and blanch for 30 to 45 seconds. Do not overcook. Remove from the heat and run cold water into the pot. Drain. Fill the pot with cold water and let the cauliflower rest in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain.
2. In an oversized glass jar, place the sugar, vinegar, 5-1/2 cups water, and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon to ensure that the sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Add the cauliflower, garlic, and ginger. Cover the jar. (A jar with a plastic screw top is preferred, if unavailable, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top before closing.) Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. Serve cold. The cauliflower pickles will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 6 months.