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Posts Tagged ‘oil’

  1. Sichuan-style aubergine with tofu

    February 10, 2013 by potatoface

    And suddenly another year creeped up on me!

    So to say farewell to the Dragon’s year and welcome Snake’s Year I cooked my absolute favourite dish.

    It’s Ching-He Huang recipe and I love it!

    sichuan-style aubergine and tofu

    sichuan-style aubergine and tofu

    Sichuan-style Aubergine with Tofu

    3 tbs groundnut oil

    1 large aubergine sliced into batons

    2 garlic cloves, crushed

    5 cm fresh root ginger, grated

    1 medium red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (I replace it with chilli flakes if I run out of fresh one)

    1 tbsp chilli bean sauce or chilli sauce

    200g Cauldron Original Tofu, drained and diced

    For the sauce

    100g vegetable stock

    1 tbsp light soy sauce

    1 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar

    1 tbsp cornflour

    1 spring onion

    1. Heat a tablespoon of  oil in a wok over high heat. As the wok starts to smoke add batons of aubergine and stir-fry until browned. Cook stirring for few minutes until softened, then remove from the pan. Add small drops of water while cooking to create some steam . Once cooked, transfer to a plate and keep to one side.  Add further tablespoon of oil and lightly brown tofu. Set aside with the aubergine.

    2. In a small measuring jug combine all the ingredients for the sauce and stir to mix well.

    3. Reheat the wok and add the remaining oil.  Add garlic, ginger, chilli and bean sauce, cook for a few seconds. Place the aubergine and tofu back  into the wok and pour in the sauce. Bring to the boil. Simmer till the sauce has thickened to your liking, then stir in some spring onions and serve immediately with jasmin rice.

    胃口好

    sichuan-style aubergine and tofu

    sichuan-style aubergine and tofu

     

     

    Category dinner | Tags: ,,,,,,, | No Comments

  2. deep fried stuffed crepes

    July 22, 2012 by potatoface

    deep fried crepes

    deep fried crepes

    This is my ‘pick me up and turn me round’ type of food..

    Deep fried stuffed crepes

    Ingredients

     for the pancakes:

    1 cup of milk

    2-3 eggs

    1 1/2 – 2 cups of flour

    2-3 spoons of olive oil or melted butter

    pinch of salt

    1/2 cup of oil for frying

    For the filling

     220grams quark or ricotta

    2 mashed bananas

    1/3 cup of honey

    1 teaspoon of cinnamon

    1/2 cup of raisins or any dry fruit (cranberries, chopped apricots,etc)

    deep fried crepes

     1. Mix all the ingredients for pancakes. Leave it for 10 minutes. If it’s too thick after 10 minutes, add some water.

    2. In the meantime warm up a non stick frying pan on the medium heat. When the pan is really hot, pour your mixture using a ladle and tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

    3. Cook the crepes and flip when it starts to loosen. Use a spatula.

    4. Cook on the other side for a minute, transfer it onto the plate.

    5. Repeat till you use all the batter.

    6. After you have all crepes prepared, mix all the ingredients for the filling.

    7. Put about a tablespoon of the filling in the middle of the crepes, fold it like a tortilla, then fold it again to make them rectangular.

    8. Heat oil in a pan. Wait until it’s really hot, fry your stuffed crepes on medium heat till they are crispy and golden brown on both sides.

    9. Serve with a spoon of sour cream and sprinkled with icing sugar and cinnamon.

     Pick me up and turn me round
    I feel numb – born with a weak heart
    (So I) guess I must be having fun …

    Category brunch, dinner, lunch | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  3. Muffins

    April 3, 2012 by potatoface

    muffins

    muffins

    Do you know what I like about muffins? That they always come right. You don’t need to measure the ingredients (as long as you know what consistency you are looking for), throw anything in it and voila! Muffins are done. I wish life was more like muffins…

    I recently started taking driving lessons. I had never driven in my life before. I couldn’t afford driving lessons before as well. But now I’ve got this job most of the time I really like (is it weird to like your job if it’s not creative?) and in the job I really need to drive.

    I even found my driving instructor through work. He’s really nice and patient. He even gives me discount on my lessons. And because I really appreciate it, I try to bake something for him every time. And as I have to consider his health, most of the time I’m making him healthy muffins.

    His name is Kevin. Sometimes when Boyfriend is seeing me baking muffins again, he’s saying: ‘we need to talk about Kevin’. Not that Kevin is anything like the one in the book, hahaha….I hope.

    If you don’t know what I’m talking about there is a tip – the book was made into a film. Watch it.

    Anyway, I really enjoy driving around (or trying) in a mini. Yes, in a mini….I look so pretty in it.

    banana muffins

    banana muffins

     Muffins

    basic ingredients:

    240 grams of wholemeal flour

    100 grams of oats

    1 teaspoon of baking powder

    pinch of salt

    half a glass of agave syrup (or half a glass of demerara sugar, nut agave syrup is so much better)

    3 eggs

    half a glass of milk

    half a glass of sunflower or grape seed oil (or 60 grams of melted butter if you are decadent and don’t have to worry about your cholesterol)

    1 spoon of cinnamon

    1 spoon of vanilla extract

     These are your basic ingredients. Now, it depends where the mood (or season) is taking you. You can add any fruit you desire:

    1. one banana and 200 grams of raspberries

    2. three ripe bananas and handful of chopped walnuts

    3. 200 grams of blueberries, zest and juice of one lemon

    4. three chopped apples

    5. zest and juice of 2 oranges and handful of chopped pecans

    6. two pears and 7 plums chopped

    Etc, etc, you get the picture.

    raspberry muffins

    raspberry muffins

     1. So basically what you do is mix in a bowl flour, oats, salt and baking powder. Whisk eggs, and add it to the mixture.

    2. Add oil, milk, agave syrup, cinnamon and vanilla extract and mix it, not to vigorously.

    3. In the meantime heat the oven (170 C)

    4. Chop your choice of fruit or nuts. Add them to the mixture and fold it gently especially if you are adding raspberries.

    5. Line a muffin tray with paper muffin cases. Fill each case with the mixture to just below the top.

    6. Bake in the preheated oven till they’re nice and golden on top. Use the skewer to check if they’re baked inside (has to come out clean).

     See, why is everything in life not this easy?

    Category dessert, muffins | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  4. Summer lunch – fried aubergines and stuffed peppers

    June 17, 2011 by potatoface

    stuffed peppers and fried aubergines

    Summer time is for eating in the garden. Some people have barbecues. For my neighbours ‘barbecue’ is code for ‘all night drinking session with singing’ etc. If it’s dinner time you can have chilled wine and something nourishing to eat, at lunchtime you can have something summery like fried aubergines and stuffed peppers. You can have it with apple or pomegranate juice. It’s easy and quick to make.

     

    Summer lunch – fried aubergines and stuffed peppers

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    Category dinner, lunch | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  5. cauliflower croquettes – turning beast into beauty

    June 13, 2011 by potatoface

     

    cauliflower croquettesNever underestimate perfectly nice vegetables like cauliflower. I know they look ridiculous, like a cross between a flower and an atomic mushroom cloud and they don’t smell very appealing, but you can always work with that. You can disguise it and turn it into a croquette. My sister makes them, I make them, Boyfriend loves them, even Fred the Dog is totally impressed with them. Try it!

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    Category dinner, lunch, starter | Tags: ,,,,,,,, | No Comments