20130822 Pork in tomato sauce

Ingredients

400g pork strips

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 small onion, finely chopped

2cups broccoli florets

2cups sliced mushrooms

400g canned tomato blocks 

1 rosemary stalk

1/2tsp dried Italian herbs

1/2tsp sugar

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Methods

1. Heat oil in the pan and fry garlic and onion briefly. Add the pork and cook for about 5 minutes. 

2. Add the veggie and tomatoes. Add the herbs and sugar. Stir well and simmer for about 10 minutes. 

3. Season to taste. Served with potatoes (I fried 450g of potato cubes, and season them with salt and dried dille).

20130821 Coconuty fish curry

My little one loves this dish, and will eat any veggie that is thrown in (including French beans that are not usually welcomed). pour loads of sauce over the rice and enjoy!

Ingredients

600g white fish filets, cut into big chunks

500g frozen mixed veggie

2tsp Kerrie powder

1/2tsp turmeric powder

1/4tsp ginger powder

1/4tsp ground cumin

1/8tsp chilli powder

Salt and white pepper

Olive oil

250ml coconut milk

1cup white rice + 1cup brown rice, cooked as per instruction

Methods 

1. Season the fish with some salt and white pepper. Heat some olive oil in a pan and fry the fish in batches - about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove fish from pan and set aside. 

2. Add some more oil and the frozen veggie (NOT thawed!) into the pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the veggie gets softer. 

3. Add the spices to the veggie and fry until fragrant. Add coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes. 

4. Add the fish chunks and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes. Season to taste, and served with the cooked rice. 

20130815 Potato & Mozzarella Tortilla

I served this with roasted sausages and pepper, as I found them in the fridge. But I think this would go better with a simple green salad.

Ingredients 

450g potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced 

5 eggs, beaten

4 tasty tom tomatoes, sliced

175g mozzarella ball, torn into small pieces 

1tsp dried dille

Olive oil

Salt and freshly grounded black pepper

Methods 

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, and fry the potatoes over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Season with 1/2 tsp of dille and salt and pepper. 

2. Pour the beaten eggs over the potatoes, and let it cook (without lid) for about 15-20 minutes or until the base is set. 

3. Transfer the tortilla to a baking dish and cook under a hot grill for about 3 minutes. 

4. Remove the dish from the oven and scatter with tomatoes and mozzarella pieces and the rest of the dille. Return the dish under the grill and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and mozzarella is melted.

5. Cut into thick wedges and serve right away. 

20130808 Pasta with Tuna & Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, pressed

400g can chopped tomatoes

1/4tsp chilli powder

1tsp dried basil

1tsp sugar

100g can tuna, drained

Black olives, pitted and sliced

2cups pasta

Grated cheese

Freshly grounded black pepper

Olive oil

Methods:

1. Cook the pasta as per instructions on package. 

2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the onion. Add garlic, tomatoes, chilli, basil, and sugar. Give it a good stir, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. 

3. Flake the tuna and add the olives and drained pasta into the sauce. Heat through and serve with a generous amount of grated cheese. 

20130807 New Potato and Mince Curry

I usually use about 150g of frozen spinach for this recipe. But as I ran out of spinach, I have replaced it with frozen peas instead. Yummy as usual! :-)

Ingredients:

350g minced beef

500g new potatoes, halved

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, pressed 

2tsp ground cumin

2tsp ground coriander 

2tsp kerrie powder

1tsp turmeric

1/2tsp paprika powder

1/4tsp chilli powder

500ml water

1cup frozen peas

125ml Greek yoghurt

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown the onion and mince. 

2. Add the garlic and spices, and fry until fragrant. Add the water, bring to the boil and simmer for half an hour. 

3. Add the frozen peas and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the yoghurt. 

4. Served with basmati rice or naan bread. 

20130728 Taco

Ingredients

For the meat...

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp paprika powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp beef bouillon block, broken

freshly ground black pepper

salt

olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

500g lean minced beef

1cup water

And the rest...

8 taco shells

lettuce leaves, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 jar taco sauce

125ml sour cream

Grated cheese

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meat and onion. 

2. Add the water and rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil them simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Heat the taco shells as per instructions on the packet. 

4. Spoon the meat and basically any veggie you like into the taco shells, and top with taco sauce and sour cream and grated cheese. Eat right away and serve with Desperado!

20130725 Pesto salad with Parma ham

Ingredients:

150g green salad

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1 tbsp pesto

Freshly grounded black pepper

1 mozzarella ball, torn into small pieces

8-10 slices of Parma ham

1/4 melon, cut into small pieces 

Method:

1. In a salad bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients well. 

2. Place the mixed salad on two plates and lay the Parma ham over them. 

3. Place some melon on the side and serve with some fresh ciabatta bread. 

Happy Tummy, Happy Baby!

I have created a separate blog to document my journey of baby food cooking. Feel free to check out

Happy Tummy, Happy Baby! 

20121025 Mini Marble Cupcakes

(SOURCE: BBC Good Food - Chocolate & vanilla cupcakes)

My friend came to visit last week so I wanted to make some mini cupcakes and decorate them nicely. I tried to bake cupcakes several times and am never satisfied with the result. For some reasons, I just couldn't make my cupcakes flat. I made sure all the ingredients were at room temperature, but they always had nice crowns. I know I can simply cut off the top before decorating them. But for these mini cupcakes, taking off the top will simply leave us not much cupcake left. So what the heck, I simply serve them plain without any frosting. They tasted good and went well with our morning coffee, so no complaints from my guest!

INGREDIENTS
100g butter, room temperature
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
100g self raising flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
few drops of vanilla essence

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 180 degree C.
2. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs and flour. Divide the mix into two. Add cocoa to one half and the vanilla to the other. Combine the two batter together without mixing too much.
3. Spoon into the mini muffin tins lined with paper cases (should make about 24 mini cupcakes). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

20120903 Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

My husband finds this sandwich disgusting, but I think this is the ultimate comfort food. Nothing can beat the melted peanut butter and warm banana slices, yummmmmm.

INGREDIENTS
2 slices brown bread
1 banana, sliced
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

METHOD
1. Spread 1 tbsp of peanut butter onto one side of each slice of bread. Place banana slices onto the peanut buttered side of one slice and top with the other slice.
2. Place it into the panini maker and grill for 2-4 minutes.