BOWL OF HAPPINESS

Some chicken wing tips resulted in some tasty broth for soup.

 

CHOPPED RICE MACARONI ADDED TO THE SOUP

DONE !

STIR FRY FOR YOU !

Two stir frys , one chicken and bacon and one spicy sausage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

lo mein

With the abundance of fresh veggies and with the addition of noodles, lo mein was an easy choice, though prep would be essential to the recipe.

A slicing of the veggies was done using the rotary slicer of the kitchen aid attachment.

One of those recipes, the more you look the more variations you find , you settle as with most “authentic” recipes to the ingredients you have available to the village or are grown locally.

I didn’t  get to list all the sauce ingredients and amounts, but loosely followed several recipes that I researched by listing all the ingredients that compose the sauce to get an idea of the basics. I modified it by adding a bit more cornstarch and a good amount of stock as I prefer s saucy-er thick coating to the dish.

The sauce was a build up from the basic soy sauce/rice wine/sugar combo. Some of the associated components are: soy sauce, rice wine, fish sauce, shrimp paste, chili paste, ginger root, galangal root, garlic, sugar, honey, salt and pepper with sesame oil.

The sauce, less the stock.

The veggies are the same deal, use what you have. Pea pods and the baby bok choy were included as they were fresh and attractive from the market. The carrot was also crunchy as they were fresh, large diameter and not very tapered as the packaged carrots were.

Stir fry the veggies in oil.

 

While stir frying the veggies, prep the noodles, I used rice noodles instead of the wheat noodles, so just a brief toss in hot water is all that’s needed, drain and add to wok.

 

Mix well , then add the sauce… serve….

 

 

 

The result is as good or better result than restaurant  because you have control of the ingredients. So if you like salad with noodles with a sauce here it is.

I made this dish twice and this post is a compilation of the pictures from both.

Rice noodles with sesame seeds

This was modified from a soba  noodle recipe. (Nigella Lawson)  it turned out very well as a cold dish considering you don’t stir fry it. I made 1/2 the recipe, it served 2 as a light meal in hot weather. You probably could serve it as a hot dish.

• 75 grams sesame seed
• salt
• 250 grams noodle, soba, (or rice noodle)
• 2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, (red wine vinegar)
• 5 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 5 spring onions
• optional sauteed mushrooms

Toast the sesame seeds in a pan over high heat till golden brown. If you use toasted sesame seeds often they can be toasted in advance, during cooler weather to reduce the heat in the kitchen. Store them stove side in a airtight jar.

Prepare the noodle with salted water as directed by the type, the rice noodle is soaked in cold water,  then  bring to a boil. Like pasta, watch over it and avoid mushy texture. Brake the cooking with drain and rinse with (ice) cold water.

Mix the other liquid ingredients like a dressing, and toss with the cooled noodle along with the thinly sliced green (spring) onion. Toss and add the toasted sesame seed.

If possible, let the dish marinade for some time. I put the dish in the fridge and served later for supper, a cool noodle, suprisingly  savory for a no stir fry dish.

I did taste the sauce and added more honey as I use double black soy sauce and dark sesame seed oil. I could see adding more components to the dish like pea pods or green peas. We like mushrooms so some sauteed  shitake and brown beech mushrooms were added as an ingredient. Broiled beef strips would also be a  good addition.

 

 

Grille/pizza night

Light the grille ! both propane and charcoal, pizza was the goal, I ended up also making flatbread, and spinach pies, my daughter manned the propane grille for her pizza, I’m the charcoal guy, if you don’t mind the char. 

It’s also in the news today a report of a famous foodie that took his life, we must always be reminded that no matter what industry,  it may take it’s toll,  we don’t know or may never know the details and respect the privacy of persons involved. Some  social media postings are too quick to judge , slander and defame someone who is unable to defend themselves.

Sausage stuffing

A small recipe,  ingredients and quantities by eye.

Course diced pork

Bacon

Bacon fat

Seasonings of choice

green onion

Garlic

Combine the above in a food processor and with plastic wrap, roll and  tie into sausages. Refrigerate at least overnight.

Diced bread crumbs

Diced celery and onion

Seasonings, Bell’s or other

Salt and pepper

Stock or water

Prepare the traditional stuffing recipe, saute the onion and celery with butter, the bread cubes were placed in an oven beforehand to dry out somewhat.

Mix and add enough stock to dampen the mixture. Add the sausage meat.

Place in a buttered pan and bake at about 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Good as a side dish or small meal with salad.

Soba beef noodle slurp

Over the top here , a quick dish, the spicyness and the noodle gives way to slurping this dish. Perhaps I gave a bit too much shrimp paste, but it didn’t bother me. If you didn’t  have the fish sauce soy and hoisin sauce ingredients it could have been south of the border flair. The fish flavor and the spicyness gave way to the texture of the beef. I could have bumped up the cabbage, it disappeared into the dish, and maybe left out the beef. But no doubt a very concentrated fish and spicy flavor with the beef in the background. The more I look at Asian recipes, the less I follow them! Loosey followed from https://therealcookingmaggie.com/2017/12/05/on-take-out-noodles-at-home/  who credited Bon appetite for the recipe.

We are prepped up for this dish, cabbage, green onion,sauce, beef, ginger root, garlic and a spot of haberno paste.

About 7 ounces of the soba noodles boiled , it only took  a few minutes, drain and put in cold water.

Sauté the cabbage , in this case some Napa cabbage, several minutes till it picks up some color.

Reserve the cabbage and mix in with drained cold noodles.

Turn in the beef to the fry pan now, undisturbed, till it picks up brown color …..

Add in the onion ginger , garlic and hot pepper. Cook several minutes, till onion wilts…

 Add in the noodle, cabbage mixture to pan.. Stir…

Add the sauce…..

Heat through, to meld ingredients …

Plate and garnish with some additional scallions, getting close to the bowl with fork or chopsticks and slurping up the noodle to me adds to the flavor. The color of the soba noodle , with it’s buckwheat component, gives this dish an eyefull for a savoury appeal. Though I might tone  down the fishy-ness, I enjoy the result of this dish.

Soup, yellow noodle, chicken

This is what I get for watching to many periscopes of traveling in Hong Kong , shops, markets, crammed along the streets , fast service at it’s best. Food from A to Z. Appetising !

Some chicken scraps tenders  from chicken breast that were trimmed for another use, some leftover mushrooms, in one small pot, a smidgen of duck fat, water, hot pepper pastes, diced white onion, ginger garlic paste, simmered with salt and pepper to taste. Later,  add the yellow noodle, simmer and drain using some of the concentrated broth as a base in a soup bowl. Spoon some the chicken mixture into the bowl.

In a stock pot,  a collection of vegetable trimmings accumulated over time added water to cover, simmer to render a vegetable broth.

Ladle the vegetable stock to fill the soup  bowl, garnish with the green onion.

 

White and Black Rice with Veggies, Bacon and Squid.

The bottom of a one cup measure,  a grain thickness of black rice, the remainder,  common white rice, prepared. Rendered fat from diced bacon bits, sautéed  green onion, garlic and celery. Fried squid.

Brunch re-iteration

White flour flatbread made with a bit of bacon fat, lettuce, egg, beef, green pepper and onion, hot pepper relish.