Escape To The Country

The first time I ever saw snow was when I was 12 or 13, so I still get stupidly excited whenever I see it. This weekend was spent with my parents down in Surrey. I hadn't seen them for a while, so it was great to see them but to also go to the country. The picture above is from their back door, and much different to what I see out of my window in South East London!

A weekend of Mum's cooking was in store. My mum was never the primary cook in our house, it was always my dad who did all the cooking. In fact, my mum was always the subject of jokes involving dinner cooking (shrieks, running for takeaway menus etc etc.) but clearly things have changed. The dinner we had was quite traditional, home-cooked Chinese food.

To start, we had pork and seaweed soup. Many Chinese households have a bowl of soup before dinner, usually a fish or meat broth with some vegetables. What you see next to this soup is a cold platter of shredded chicken, cucumber, jelly fish and steamed tofu. This was dressed with a sesame sauce (made just by mixing sesame paste and soy sauce) which I forgot to photograph.

Seaweed Soup & Chicken, Jellyfish and Cucumber Salad















These two dishes to start off with were a great mixture of textures. The jelly fish isn't at all fishy, but rather like eating rubber bands, while the tofu is very soft and jelly-like, and then the meatiness of the chicken and the crunch of the cucumber. Many flinch at the idea of eating jellyfish, but it is on many dim sum restaurant menus and is such a great texture. The soup was also flavoursome and light, perfect to start the meal with.

We had to have a breather before the mains, but also because they were dishes that really need to be cooked fresh. You can buy bags of deep-fried cubes of tofu, so you just need to cut them in half, hollow them out and stuff them with some fish paste, fry them, and then just add some garlic, chilli, coriander and a little slaked cornflour to make a gravy.

Fish-Stuffed Tofu, before cooking and after:















We had this with white rice, chilli and garlic fried prawns, and gai laan (Chinese broccoli).


Oh, I do get treated well.

Steam Boat

Steam boat or hot pot is one of my favourite ways to eat. You get a big pot of stock, sometimes divided into different sections to have different flavoured stocks, and it sits on either a gas fire or an electric hob to keep it bubbling. Raw meats, seafood and vegetables are then lowered into the stock with a small wire basket (like the one you can see on top of the veg) to cook at your leisure. It's a fun and sociable way to eat, and it allows you to cook the food just how you like it. At the end, you usually have noodles to throw in to eat with the well flavoured stock to eat as a noodle soup.

We had ours at this Vietnamese restaurant in the Wing Yip complex in Croydon. We chose seafood (£39.95 for four). It was delicious - it was all very fresh, although a bit cheeky of them to give us the 'crab'stick. We chose a tom yum stock, and this was obviously made fresh and not from a cube. It was both spicy and sour, like a good tom yum should.

Meat Balls

When I was living at with my parents (a mere 4 or so years ago), my 'speciality' was meat balls. I'm not sure if it's because mine were particularly good but perhaps rather that I could be bothered to stand there and roll them to feed 4 people.

Ever since I first made them, I've always tried to alter the recipe somehow to get the ultimate meat ball. Some say simple is best and prefer just salt and pepper, but I like some extra flavourings.

Here was tonight's effort:

Meatballs in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

For one hungry person

For the balls:

125gr minced beef

2 anchovies in oil, finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Half a shallot, finely diced

1 tbsp capers, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

I don't really think egg or breadcrumbs are necessary in meatballs. If you work the flavourings into the meat enough without working it too much into a paste, then it'll hold together fine. Fry the meat balls in a pan with some oil until browned on all sides.

Then add 1/2 diced small onion, 1 fat clove garlic, minced, 1/2 yellow pepper, diced and a large pinch of chilli flakes and fry until the onion is translucent. Add 1 tbsp tomato puree, 1/2 can chopped tomatoes and 1 tsp sugar. Simmer until thickened, serve with a pasta of your choice and a grating of Parmesan.

I had mine with tagliatelle. I had a bag of spinach in the fridge that was starting to look like it was going to get up and walk away, so I added a few washed handfuls to the pot of pasta after I'd turned off the heat, but before I'd drained it. I don't much like pasta to be drowning in sauce, more like a dressing, so add more tomato to taste if you like.

These were very good. The anchovy melts into the meat so it's not fishy, but provided a good savoury depth.

Nevertheless, the quest for the perfect meatball shall go on. What's your best meat ball?

Rice Paper Rolls

Flush with success with being (just) dextrous enough to make the potsticker dumplings, I decided to try my hand at making rice paper rolls. I love spring rolls, but dislike deep-frying. My flat has possibly the most sensitive smoke alarm in all of the land; anything fried or grilled sets it off. In fact, sometimes even the oven sets it off it you open the door for more than a peek inside, so deep-frying is no friend of mine.

I had a quick google around for a general idea of how to make them and what kind of sauce to serve them with. Carrots, peppers, a behemoth bunch of coriander and spring onions dominated my otherwise bare vegetable drawer.

Rice Paper Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Makes 10 - 12 rolls

Packet of rice paper sheets (I got a Vietnamese brand from Chinatown)

Filling:

1 carrot, cut into matchsticks

1/2 red and 1/2 yellow pepper, cut into matchsticks

2 spring onions, shredded

1/2 bunch rice vermicelli, soaked in boiling water and drained

Small handful of coriander, chopped finely

A few whole mint leaves

For the dipping sauce, mix together 3 tbsp hoi sin sauce, 1 tbsp peanut butter and a squeeze of lime juice. I used chunky peanut butter but I think either smooth or chunky would be fine.

Dip a dried rice paper sheet in a bowl of hot water. Leave for 30 secs, then remove and place on a clean tea towel and pat dry. Place the mint leaf in the upper part of the sheet, and some of the filling at the bottom half. Fold over the filling from the bottom, then fold the sides over, and then carry on rolling. Lay on a plate seam side down. The mint leaf should show through the rice paper quite clearly.

These were quite time consuming to make (so perhaps better for a weekend... or get a helper), and for some reason I steadily got worse at the rolling as time went on. I think I became impatient with hunger. The wait was worth it though; the rolls were crunchy, fresh, and reminiscent of summer. The singular mint leaf in each roll provided just the right amount of tingle without being overpowering.

A Food Blog

I've been reading blog posts for a while now, and have noticed that there is an awful lot of them. So I decided to join the masses.

I love food - both eating and cooking it. It is often wondered whether I have hollow legs, and so became the name of this blog.

This blog doesn't really have a theme (aside from food), it'll be just general musings, ramblings, and some recipes. My photography skills leave a lot to be desired but hopefully this will improve. Oriental cuisine is probably the food I cook the most. I lived in Hong Kong from birth till the age of 12 and this has influenced my preference a lot, so I thought I'd start this with some dim sum I made over the weekend.

Potsticker Dumplings (War Tip)

This is one of my favourite dim sum dishes. They're steamed and then fried, so that the bottoms go all crispy while the pleated parts stay soft from the steaming. When I was a kid we often went to a cafe in Wan Chai in Hong Kong, where they served great potsticker dumplings. It was almost ritual that we'd go there, have a huge plate of these and then follow with a cold dessert, called in Cantonese 'dau foo fah', literally 'tofu flower'. It was a block of sweet, silken tofu in a thin sugary syrup, delicious.

Anyway - I digress. The recipe was given to me by a lady on a food forum, named 'Sunflower'.

Makes 15 - 18 dumplings

To make the dough -

100gr plain flour

50ml water

Mix to form a dough and leave for half an hour.

Meanwhile, mix together:

125gr minced pork

2 tbsp spring onion, finely chopped

1 tsp finely chopped ginger

1 tbsp egg white

1 tsp cornflour

Pinch of white pepper

And leave for 30 mins.

Next, knead the dough for a couple of minutes and roll out into a sausage shape. You should be able to cut it into 15 - 18 pieces. Roll out into a circle, then add 1tsp of the pork mince to the centre. Fold in half, pinching the top where the two meet. Carefully fold the pleats, and put it on a floured plate.

To cook, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan and add the dumplings, making sure they sit flat. Add 100mls water, put the lid on to steam for at least 7 mins, topping up with a splash of water if needed. Take the lid off, and fry till the water has evaporated and the bottoms are crispy. Serve with black vinegar with matchsticks of ginger in it and/or chilli sauce.

Homemade Apple Tart

There's just something so comforting about homemade dough. If you ask me, that's pretty hard to beat with anything store bought but also surpinsingly easy to make. There's just something soothing about making dough, it captures all the stress of the day and somehow makes it dissapear. The longer I knead, the calmer I become.

Making dough has the wonderful power to bring me back to a time long gone: to an artisanal bakery where everything is made by the capable hands of dedicated artists - because dough-makers is truly in art. There is such a sense of acheivement when making dough - especially with one's bare hands. That these simple ingredients can be transformed into a malleable and souple dough with endless possibilities amazes me everytime.

I have had my fair share of dough making these past few weeks, and have a newfound love for homemade pasta dough, as well as for sweet and savory tarts. French apple tarts have been on the top of the list. They generally have very thin crusts, are filled with fresh fruit and are open-faced (with no dough on top). This is a simple apple tart, but could easily be substituted with fresh pears, plums, apricots and so on.

At culinary school, we were taught to serve it cold with a dollop of homemade whipped cream, but it could most definitely be enjoyed warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.



Recipe:
For the dough (enough for one 8-inch tart)
200 grams of all-purpose flour
100 grams of very cold butter
30 grams of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 egg, beaten with 2 teaspoons of water

Apple compote:
3 granny smith apples - peeled, cored and cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 lemon, juiced
5 tablespoons of water
50 grams of granulated sugar

Topping:
3 golden delicious apples
1/4 cup of melted butter
About 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

Sift the flour, sugar and salt directly onto a work surface (a cold surface such as marble works best). Cut the butter into small pieces. The butter must be very cold before you add it into the flour. Mix the butter into the flour by using a metal pastry scraper to cut in the butter and fully incorporate it into the flour mixture. You can also use your fingers, but if you do you must do it quickly to ensure that the butter stays as cold as possible. Once the dough has the texture of fine sand, create a well in the center by using a cup or a glass. Add the egg and water to the center (you can do this in batches depending on the size of your well). Gently beat the egg in the center and slowly incorporate the flour into the center making sure that the well does not break. Once most of the flour has been incorporated you can start using your hands. Knead the dough and form a round ball of dough. At this point, take a small handful of the dough, and, using the palm of your hand, smear it out completely onto the counter surface. This process makes sure that the butter is fully incorporated into the dough, and helps form a dough that will be easy to work with. Re-form the smeared piece of dough, and repeat with the rest of the dough until you have a pile of chunks of dough. Form it into a ball again. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.

While the dough is resting, make the apple compote. Put the lemon juice in a bowl and place the apples in it as you are cutting them to prevent them from loosing the color. Add the water and sugar and transfer to a pan on low heat. Place a circle of cut-out parchment paper (the size of your pan) with a small hole in the center, right on top of the apples. This ensures that the apples cook gently. Once the water has evaporated, remove the parchment lid and stir until the apples soften. This should take about 25 minutes. The apple compote should stay a little chunky. Leave to cool in the fridge.

Preheat your oven to 425 F. Take the dough out of the fridge, unwrap and leave it out for a few minutes so it warms up a little. Roll out to obtain a 1/8 inch thick dough. Place into a well buttered 8-inch tart mold. Add a thin and even layer of apple compote spreading the compote gently with the back of a spoon. Cut the golden delicious apples (after they have been peeled and cored) into very thin slices. Place evenly on top of the compote. Make sure that the apples are as flat as possible or they will burn. Brush with melted butter and sprinke with sugar (this helps the apples to brown and slightly caramelize). Place in the oven and bake for about 45-50 minutes or until the apples are golden brown. Leave to rest before cutting. Enjoy!

Almond and Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I haven't had as much time as I would want to post my recent food expeditions. First, I burnt myself in school with boiling caramel.. I was making creme caramel, a dessert I do not care for very much but that a lot of people adore. The texture of the flan has never really appealed to me, but let me say, it really got me back for it! I was ladling the caramel at the bottom of a ramekin (which is then toppled onto a plate for service) and my finger slipped into the caramel. Needless to say the pain was excruciating. I have since recovered, and still enjoy caramel as much as ever (I plan on making caramel-dipped apples later this week) but I am now that much more aware of the dangers of kitchen life! If anyone would like the recipe for the caramel flans, do ask, I will not hold it against you.

For the time being, just a little delicacy to enjoy on any day. This is actually a really easy dessert to entertain with and I count on experimenting with many more variations involving strawberries, chocolate and nuts (it seems hard to go wrong with any of these).



Recipe:
8-10 strawberries
A good handful of bittersweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons of butter
1 handful of sliced almonds

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Chocolate burns easily so a double boiler makes sure that the chocolate melts gently. Add the butter in small chunks. Stir once the chocolate is melted. Transfer to a bowl. Crush the almonds into small pieces and place in another bowl. Dip each strawberry into the warm chocolate and then into the almonds and place on a rack covered in aluminum foil. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours. If the chocolate seems a little thick, add a little melted butter or heavy cream to thin it out.