food soundtrack: green green grass of tunnel by MUM

I am out of work at the moment. so my time goes to looking for a new job. One including maybe creating a cooking show, so cross fingers.

Today I share with you my oriental chicken salad, its fresh, crucnhy and filling. It works as a shared salad for a party, lunch or a dinner dish. There are different elements to this salad, you dont need all of it of course and you can make your own twist, but I found this combination leaves me utterly satisfied.

I am not gonna give a specified amount, you cant choose how much or little you want to use.

For the salad greens I used

• Chinese cabbage, chopped
• Red cabbage, chopped
• fresh bean sprouts
• snow peas, chopped
• spring opnion, chopped
• mixed greens
• Mandarin orange sliced up.

You will also need some boiled shredded chicken

For the topping I used some finely chopped peanuts and some crispy wontons.  You can use some broken up instant noodles instead of wontons if you have trouble finding wontons.

Sesame ginger dressing

• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
• 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1/4 cup water

Mix the dressing together well and pour over salad

Food soundtrack: and your bird can sing by The Beatles

Who doesn’t love roasted chicken? I love the taste of the greasy store-bought rotisserie chicken, its has to be salty and smoky.  I found this spice rub resembles the store-bought ones the most.  You can easily make the spice rub in the morning then rub the chicken and then just leave it in the fridge the whole day in a zip lock bag.  Either way you should give them at least 20 minutes to marinade.  The most important thing about this is just like a turkey, I baste almost every 5 minutes while in the oven

As for the Pea puree, I used canned peas, but whatever tickles your fancy, fresh or canned.  It is a great substitute for potatoes, if you are trying to eat more low carb for dinner.

Spice rub (for about 2 chicken breasts)

• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• salt
• pepper
• cayenne pepper  (I just use a pinch of cayenne, salt and pepper)
• 1/2 onion quartered

Pea Puree

• 1 can of peas, drained
• 1 clove of garlic
• knob of butter
• 1/3 cup of cream

1. Rub the chicken breast with the spice rub all over including inside the skin. Shove in the onion underneath the skin
2. Roast in oven at 200 degrees celsius for about 25 minutes, basting 3-4 times.
3. While roasting, boil up some water with the garlic clove in it. Pour in the peas
4. When the peas come to a boil, leave for 30 sec. then drain peas. Transfer to a food processor and pour in the cream. Process til it become a silky texture.
5. To keep warm I pour into a low heated pan then blend in the butter and keep it there till serving.

I used some sliced mushrooms pan-fried in butter with salt and pepper, since I had in the fridge but purely optional.

Food soundtrack: Sea of love by Cat Power

My favourite food is shellfish and any sort of crustaceans. I love mussels, oysters any seafood really that requires peeling out of a shell.  Clams is one of those delights that in Thailand is easy to come by and it doesn’t matter what Italian restaurant I am in, I always get the pasta vongole.

This recipe requires Thai chilli paste (nam prik paw) it adds that sweet but spicy flavour that is such a staple of Thai cooking.  It’s important that you keep stirring throughout cooking.

• 2 lb. fresh clams
• 2-3 tbsp. peanut oil
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• chopped red chillies I use about 2, but this depends on how spicy you like.
• 2-3 tbsp roasted chilli paste
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves
• fish sauce to taste
• about 2 tbsp water

1. Heat oil in a shallow frying pan then add chilli and garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds, be careful not to burn.

2. Add chilli paste stir well, then add the sugar and fish sauce, finish with the oyster sauce and stir.

3. Add the clams and stir well till shell opens up and slightly changes color (you can of course pre soak the clams to open up the shells a bit)  Add some water. Keep stirring throughout.

4. Lastly stir in the basil leaves, remove from heat and give it a good last stir.

5. Served with rice and enjoy. x

Food Soundtrack: the bloody beetroots – awesome

I used to dislike couscous, it was just one of those foods I never gave a chance.  Then a few months back I was invited to dinner to some friends and they served me this couscous salad, I gave it a try and I loved it.  Since then I have been hooked and you can always find this salad in my fridge.  It’s great for lunch, pre or after workout meal as well as dinner side dish.  This is great on its own with some avocado slices. Or great with grilled fish, chicken or meatballs.

you will need

• 1/2 cup couscous
• 1/2 cup water (with salt and some olive oil) Then some butter to fluff the couscous
• half a yellow bell pepper/capsicum
• a small handful of  halved cherry tomatoes
• fresh cooked or pickled beetroot ( as much as your prefer)
• feta cheese crumbled into bits
• 1/3 cup of natural yogurt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• lemon juice
• pepper

1. Cook the couscous as package says

2. Mixed the chopped vegetables with crumbled cheese in a bowl. The mix in the couscous

3. In a separate bowl mix the yogurt, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Pour mixture over the couscous. Mix well.

Now I prefer this after its been in the fridge and let it set for an hour, but you can of course eat it straight away.

POST SOUNDTRACK: Peaches by presidents of the united states

I´ve been getting so much heat for practically neglecting this blog. Its one of those things when you go through phases of no inspiration. I have been cooking, not so much new stuff. Also I don’t like how my pics turn out at night-time, just doesn’t look good.

I just purchased a dutch oven, it cost a bit, but my my is it worth it.  Have a feeling loads of my dishes will involve my new lovely red dutch oven.

Today´s dish is a curry, I am not really sure what to call it. Just describing the ingredients might seem odd; Peaches, cheese, chilli,  cream, cashews, chicken but the taste is wonderful.  It has a very summery fresh taste, but also the comfort of a good curry.

Now you don’t need a dutch oven for this of course, but I made it all on one pan.

you will need

• a pack of chicken filets, sliced up to cubes.
• a can of peach halves (cut into wedges)
• 300 ml cream
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 3-4 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 3 good tbsp of mango chutney
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tbsp paprika powder
• 1 cup grated cheese
• unsalted cashew nuts (about 1/2 cup )

1. Mix the chilli, paprika, mango chutney, garlic and chicken stock in a pot and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer 2-3 minutes
2. Set pot aside then mix in the cream and some syrup from the peach halves can, about 1/3 of a cup
3. In a cooking dish layer the chicken filets and peach wedges along till its filled.
4. pour over the chutney curry mix, then sprinkle in the cashew nuts.
5. Finnish by topping over the grated cheese (I use mozzarella)
6. Set in bottom of oven for about 30 minutes at 220 degrees celsius 420 fahrenheit.

Enjoy with rice and nan bread.

Food soundtrack: Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins

I know I have not been consistent with my recipe posting the last few months, but I have been cooking and taking pictures. I think my biggest challenge till this day is scheduling things in my life, to actually set time aside and sit down and do stuff and not surf in forums on the internet like I tend to do.

I had craving for some soup and my friend suggested pumpkin soup with Thai red curry and coconut milk instead of cream, this sounded like a sure winner to me.

Now one thing I am still trying to master is actually peeling a pumpkin, I found it quite tricky and  I am sure I did it wrong, so I if you have any tips I sure would appreciate it

• 2 cups diced pumpkin
• 1 carrot
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/4 onion diced
• 2 shallots diced
• 1 garlic diced
• butter
• oil
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp red curry
• 1 1/2 chicken stock

1. Saute the onion, shallot and garlic in the butter for a minute before adding the stock.

2. When stock boils add the pumpkin, tomato and diced carrot. Let it cook for about 10 minutes (until the pumpkin is soft)

3. In a separate saucepan heat some oil add the curry, let it simmer a few second before adding the coconut milk. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes.

4. Pour everything in a blender and pulse a few seconds, be careful as I had a full blender and steam came shooting up, so you might want to do it in 2 batches.

5. Return to soup pan and ready to serve.

Post Soundtrack: Carmencita by Devandra Banhart

My boyfriend just came back from a one month stay in Europe, a little bit tubbier due to the heavy European food he has been eating.  He has asked to only eat Thai and Asian food for a while.

Yesterday I made one of my favorite curries, the massaman curry.  It’s a great “introduction” curry if you are serving people who might not be brave with spices and Asian food.  It has very earthy flavour to it as well as potatoes which really sweetens up the curry.

Some of the ingredients here like palm sugar and the tamarin sauce you probably have to get in your local Asian food store, but you can skip it and use sugar instead.

Like all curries, this really taste best the day after or made several hours ahead. I give it 2 hours to simmer on low heat.  Also you need to make sure you break down the coconut milk so it creates that oily surface in the curry.

• 2 tablespoons curry paste (depending how spicy you want it)
• 1 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 500 gram of knuckle steak diced into cubes (can also use chicken or pork)
• 1 cup white potatoes diced
• 1 cup diced onions (not too small)
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar (or sugar)
• 2 anise star seed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (taste for more)
• 3 tablespoons tamarind sauce (taste for more or less)

1. Heat up the half of the coconut milk, bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 3 minutes, you want to see the surface change into a bit more oily.

2. Add the curry paste, stir and let it simmer together for 3 minutes.

3. Add the beef and marinade well together. Add onions and potatoes, stir for about a minute.

4. Add all the cardamom pods, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and anise star then pour in the remaining of the coconut milk.

5.Bring to a simmer and add the fish sauce and palm sugar.

6. Let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes on higher heat then bring the heat down to lowest heat. put on a lid and now let it really simmer for 1 hour preferably up to 2 hours.

Serve with rice or roti.

Food soundtrack: Cream by Prince

Happy 2011

I havent been to consistent with the recipes lately, but being the holidays and all I really focused more on eating good than making it.

I was invited to a New Years dinner party and asked to bring a dessert.  I find when you have to make dessert or any food for a unspecified amount of people I tend to make it easy.  Trifle cake is my favorite, especially strawberry trifle, so simple and fun to eat. For this party I decided to stick to tropical fruits and add white chocolate in the whipped cream for some decadence. I found a great recipe at this site HERE that I used for the cream and fruit filling.

I made the pound cake quickly in a rectangle making dish, I guess you can use whatever, I later diced them into cubes.

Pound cake

• 1oog melted butter
• 200 ml sugar
• 300 ml flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 150 ml milk

Mix together then bake in oven at 175 C for 20-30 minutes. Let it cool, remove from dish and cool completely.

For the trifle

• 1 large, ripe mango, peeled and diced
• 15-oz can pineapple tidbits, packed in juice
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch

1. Drain the pineapple tidbits, adding the pineapple and half of the juice to a small saucepan. Add the mango and sugar to the saucepan as well.
2. Heat the fruit over medium heat until the juice gently boils. Meanwhile, blend the cornstarch with the remaining pineapple juice.
3. Add the cornstarch-juice mixture to the saucepan and stir. Cook the fruit until the sauce thickens, the sugar dissolves, and the mango becomes a little soft. Cool completely before assembling the trifle.

For the White Chocolate-Macadamia Mousse:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 5 oz good-quality white chocolate, either chopped or chips (plus a little more for garnish)
• 1/2 cup toasted macadamia nuts

1. Heat 1/3 cup of the cream in a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl for about 45 seconds, or until it is very warm but not boiling.
2. Add the chocolate to a small bowl and pour the hot cream over. Stir to melt the chocolate, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. While the chocolate cools, beat the remaining cream until it forms stiff peaks. Fold the cooled melted chocolate into the whipped cream. If the cream deflates a little bit, whip it for a few seconds more. Fold in the macadamia nuts.

1. Cut the cake into 1-inch cubes. Arrange a single layer of cubes on the bottom of a trifle dish or clear bowl.
2. Pour 1/3 of the cooled fruit onto the cake, then 1/3 of the mousse. Add another layer of cake and repeat with the fruit and mousse. The trifle should have 3 layers by the time you are done.
3. Garnish with a few chocolate chips and allow to chill in the refrigerator at least an hour before serving.

Food soundtrack: Jingle bell rock by Bobby Helms

Its December, the month of jolly.  The foods/desserts  I most associate with Christmas is without a doubt gingerbread, along side mulled wine or “gløgg” and Lucia buns.

I love gingerbread, in Norway I would buy these tin boxes filled with these delicious cookies with its wonderful Christmas aroma. This year is my first attempt to make my own batch of homemade gingerbread

Now I made mine with eggs so it was very soft.  If you want the classic crunchy gingerbread skip the eggs.

• 150 g butter
• 100 ml golden or dark syrup
• 200 ml sugar
• 100 ml cream
• 1 egg (can be skipped if you want crunchy ones)
• 1/2 tsp ground clove spice
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp baking soda
• approx 450 g all-purpose flour

1. Mix butter, sugar and syrup in a heavy saucepan. Heat up till the butter melts, stir well. Set aside and let cool.

2. Transfer the syrup mix into a mixing bowl the fold in the cream and eggs and spices.

3. Start mixing in the flour but by bit til it become a nice smooth silky dough. Cover and let it refrigerate til next day.

4. When ready with a rolling-pin make the dough nice and thin about 3 mm thick.  Cut out desired shapes.

5. Preheat oven to 175 celsius. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes untill golden brown. Cool down on rack.

6. Use icing sugar to decorate if desirable