SAN CHOY BAU

I have missed my kitchen beyond belief over the past 7 months that I have been renovating my new digs. And my new kitchen does not disappoint. Beautiful off-white shaker cabinets and vintage black handles have greeted me the past few days since we have moved in. Several metres of ultra-clean ‘midnight’ benchtop not only beckons to be used, but longs for me to make a mess on it. So I have been busy in my kitchen instead of focusing on the boring task of unpacking boxes labeled ‘knick knacks’ and ‘lots of shit’ (thanks Chris for doing such a good job packing). I made San Choy Bau several times over the past few months whilst living with my in-laws and I have had lots of practice to perfect the sauce and ingredients. I usually like to add some cooked rice vermicelli noodles into the mix with the cooked meat to add some healthy carbs to the recipe. Sesame seeds are optional but really add some extra flavour to this dish and using both white & black seeds is a very pleasant experience. I’m off back to my black & white sanctuary of a kitchen to make muffins now. Have a wonderful night everyone and I hope you love your kitchens half as much as me. 
P.S- if you are looking to carb this recipe up a big add 100g rice vermicelli noodles. If going vegetarian, omit the mince for tofu and instead of adding the fish sauce to the dressing, add 1 teaspoon sesame oil instead or go without. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon rice bran oil / sesame oil 
• 2 green shallots, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes 
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
• 500g extra lean pork, chicken or beef mince
• 200 - 250g bean sprouts and / or 200g green beans, trimmed & roughly chopped 
• 1 Lebanese cucumber or 150g continental cucumber, cut into small pieces
• A whole iceberg lettuce, leaves carefully separated into cup shapes 
• Optional - fresh coriander leaves, to serve 

Sauce

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten-free if possible)
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• the juice of 1 large lime
• water
• 1 tablespoon (tbs) white sesame seeds & 1 tbs black sesame seeds (or 2 tbs of whichever you have)

COOKING 

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and add shallots, chilli and garlic. Stir for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the mince and cook, breaking up any lumps of meat with a strong spoon / spatula. When meat is cooked, that is, it has changed colour and appeared to be cooked, turn off the stove. (If not 100% sure that the meat is cooked, leave the mince on the stove and cover, so it can cook while it rests). 

2. Prepare the sauce by combining all the ingredients and adding a teaspoon of water at a time, tasting the sauce each time. (You do not want the sauce too watery however you want to thin out the sauce so that you have enough!). 

3. Combine the bean sprouts / green beans and cucumber in a large serving bowl. Add the cooked meat to the bowl and toss. Pour 1/2 -3/4 of the sauce over the top of the meat and toss well to combine. Heap each lettuce cup with a big spoonful of the meat mixture and top with more sauce, more green shallots and fresh coriander, if desired. 

Total Preparation time / 15-20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 15 minutes 

Serves / 4 

x Emily 

5 INGREDIENT GLUTEN & DAIRY-FREE BROWNIES

I had a bit of a catastrophe in the kitchen on the weekend. I was baking a cake for my Mother’s birthday and was under strict instruction to make it healthy, light and gluten-free. Following a recipe for Banana-Yoghurt cake, I altered the instructions to make it fit these categories. To end a long story short, it did not work as planned. The cake was dry to the point of making everyone parched, however they still ate it and smiled, assuring me that ‘it wasn’t that dry’ and ‘tasted good’. You got to love family and their ability to love you no matter what, even if you serve them a cake that 

could potentially break their teeth.

I will freely and happily admit that I am not a baker. My inability to measure ingredients precisely and completely modify recipes to the point of unrecognisability proves just this. However, let me share with you a recipe for brownies that not even I could screw up (there are only 5 ingredients after all).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup caster sugar
• 120g dairy-free spread, such as Nutalex
• 4 eggs, preferably free range
• 1/2 cocoa powder, sifted
• 100g almond meal 
• Optional- a teaspoon of vanilla essence 

BAKING 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius/180 for fan forced. Sparingly grease a slice pan/baking tin with coconut oil or other oil. 

2. Place sugar and cocoa in a heatproof bowl and stir to combine. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. When butter is melted, pour over the sugar and cocoa and stir to combine. One by one add the eggs, beating lightly. Add almond meal and stir well until mixed through. 

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, making sure that the surface is even (you can do this by wetting a tablespoon and patting the mixture down. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges have set and the centre is just slightly moist. Cool in pan, then transfer to a surface and cut into pieces. 

Makes / 12 - 16 pieces

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Baking time / 25 minutes 

x E 

BLACK BEAN & BEEF SOUP

Whenever I visit a friend or family member’s house, I love to look at their books. It’s a bit of an obsession. Usually I know the person I am visiting quite well, but on occasion when I don’t I think they find it really strange. I was at my Aunt and Uncle’s new beautiful house in the Gurdies, very close to Philip Island in Victoria a few weekends ago and I found myself entranced by my Aunt’s very organized bookshelf. I like to look in cookbooks for ideas and inspiration; hence I pulled out a few of her huge cooking chronicles and absorbed myself in them until lunch was ready. I came across an interesting ‘Cuban black bean soup’ recipe, which gave me the notion of creating my own black bean soup when I got home. This soup has a bit of a kick to it, however the black beans and beef balance out the spiciness.  

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup black beans 
• 250g extra lean beef mince
• coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled & finely chopped
• 4 cups gluten-free beef stock
• 810g tinned or fresh tomatoes, diced

COOKING 

1. Place black beans in a large bowl or saucepan and pour water over the top of the beans, making sure that the water level is a few inches higher than the beans. Leave to soak for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight. 

2. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant. Add beef and spices, stirring often so that the spices do not stick to the pan and the beef browns. Use a large cooking spoon to break up any lumps in the mince. When mince is browned, add tomatoes, carrot, beef stock and 2 cups of water to the pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer, uncovered, for around 45 minutes or until the black beans are tender. (To check if the beans are tender, make sure that you taste 4-5 of the beans as some may cook faster than others). Remove from heat and serve topped with fresh parsley if you desire. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes (plus a minimum of 4 hours for beans to soak)

Total Cooking time / 60 minutes / 1 hour 

x E

LAMB KEBABS / SKEWERS

I am endeavouring to cook with lamb more, as it is a red meat and therefore high in iron. A word to the wise; be careful with lamb as it can be super fatty if fat is not removed before cooking. Last week when I made this recipe, I needed some brightening up. Life can sometimes get us down and we all have our own unique ways of dealing with stress, anxiety or restlessness. Some people choose to drink, others to paint, shop, read, write, kick things…I choose to cook. My purple, green, red and brown lamb skewers served the all-important purpose of cheering me up on my blue day. As a plus, they were super tasty.  

INGREDIENTS

• 400g lean lamb fillet, all fat removed and cut into even 3cm pieces 
• 1 medium green or red capsicum, seeds removed & cut into even 4 - 5cm pieces
• 1/2 red onion, chopped into thin 4cm pieces
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil (in liquid form)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice 
• 8 skewers 

COOKING 

1. Combine lamb pieces, capsicum, red onion, sumac, oil and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Toss well to combine and marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, place skewers in water for 30 minutes to soak (do not skip this step or your skewers will break whilst cooking in the oven). 

3. Preheat a fan forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Thread lamb and vegetables onto the skewers, alternating with each ingredient or making whatever pattern you like. Place skewers in the oven for 10 minutes or until lamb is cooked through and capsicum and onion are just slightly char-grilled. 

Serve warm with a yoghurt dressing or my tomato & parsley dressing (1 tomato, finely chopped, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley, tossed well). 

Serves / 4 (2 skewers each)

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes (plus 30 minutes to soak & marinade)

Total Cooking time / 10 minutes 

x E

LENTIL, TOMATO & PARSLEY SALAD

One of the simplest salads I have ever made but also one of the freshest. My mother has made this lentil salad for years, it is like her ‘ole faithful’ side dish. Fresh tomatoes and parsley are a must and around 20 minutes of chopping is required, however it is worth the arm work. I consider myself one of the most impatient women on this earth and I was able to blast some music and get through the relentless chopping. Perfect as a summer or spring salad, I served it in winter alongside warm Lamb Kebabs (recipe tomorrow!).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 x 400g tin of brown lentils, rinsed & drained
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 cup of fresh parsley, finely or roughly chopped & washed
• 5 small (375g) tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

PREPARATION

1. Combine the lentils, parsley, tomatoes and garlic cloves in a large serving bowl, tossing well. Drizzle lime juice on top and toss well to combine. Serve cold. 

Serves / 6 as a side

Total Preparation time / 20 - 25 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 0 minutes 

x E

LAMB SOUVLAKI WRAP

Isn’t Souvlaki one of the best meals in the world? Whenever I go out to West End in Brisbane I love to go to Greek restaurants, however I usually can’t go past chicken souvlaki. On Saturday lunch I decided to try my hand at cooking with lamb. Now, if you are a regular reader of the blog, you know that I rarely cook with lamb. Very, very rarely. However, sometimes you must explore the unfamiliar. A very simple recipe, the most difficult part being that you have to marinade the lamb for 30 minutes. Unfortunately it is not dairy-free, as I have yet to figure out how to make tzatziki dairy-free (but I will find a way!). 

INGREDIENTS


Lamb

• 350g lean lamb, cut into small 3cm pieces
• 3 teaspoons dukkah (any mix will do, I used almond dukkah)
• 1/2 a red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• a handful of washed lettuce
• 1 tomato, finely sliced into thin wedges
• 4 x Gluten-free wraps or 4 x Pita Bread

Yoghurt tzatziki 

• 1/2 cup natural yoghurt, 99% fat free
• 1 large lebanese cucumber, finely grated
• 1/8 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• pinch of sea salt 

COOKING 

1. Combine the lamb pieces, dukkah, red onion and garlic cloves in a medium bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

2. After grating the cucumber finely, place the cucumber in a tea towel tightly. Rinse the excess moisture from the tea towel, then place the cucumber in a small bowl. Add the yoghurt, chilli, coriander and sea salt and stir well to combine. Add 2 tablespoons water to thin out the tzatziki. 

3. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread lamb around the tray. Cook for around 10 minutes or until lamb is browned and cooked through. Remove from the oven. 

4. On each wrap / pita bread, spread tzatziki and top with cooked lamb, tomato and lettuce. Serve whilst lamb is warm. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 30 minutes (inclusive of refrigeration time)

Total Cooking time / 12 minutes 

x E

GARLIC & PARSLEY PRAWNS IN TOMATOES

This is one of the simplest prawn meals I have ever made. It was late on Wednesday night and I had no idea what to make for dinner. I had bought some frozen prawns with the tails off (you can certainly make this dish with prawns with tails intact) and was saving them to make sushi or a complex risotto. Instead, I figured that garlic, parsley and prawns would go well together. The tomatoes were a last minute addition in an effort to increase the meager vegetable intake in the meal. This recipe would take only a few minutes to cook, if not for the steaming of the brown rice. To save time, use white rice such as doongara or basmati, as its cooking time is less. You could also add Asian greens into the dish, such as buk choy.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice 
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 200g raw prawns, peeled & defined (tails on or off- your choice)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 heaped tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 400g diced tomatoes 
• a pinch of chilli flakes

COOKING 

1. Cook brown by rice by combining rice and 3 cups of water in a small to medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat. 

2. Heat a wok over medium heat and add the sesame oil, swirling around to coat. Add garlic and prawns and cook for 3 minutes or until prawns are cooked (that is, their skin has changed from transparent to a soft pink colouring). Add diced tomatoes, parsley and chilli flakes and cook over medium for a few minutes, until the tomatoes are cooked through. Remove from heat. 

Serve tomato & garlic prawns on a bed of brown rice. 

Serves / 2 - 4

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes 

x E

TURMERIC RISOTTO WITH CHICKEN & CHORIZO

Part 2 of the chorizo trilogy! Like I said a few days ago folks, not the healthiest meat to cook with and definitely best saved for a special occasion. Unfortunately for me, I have had a few special occasions recently and have been incited to cook with this spicy, smoky meat. This dish I made last Sunday, feeling a little sorry for myself after one too many champagnes at a ball on Saturday night. I love doing the old trick of adding ground turmeric to a risotto or curry to make the ingredients yellow in colour. Cookbooks will tell you to add saffron threads, but unless you have high figures in the bank, saffron is too expensive for the average Joe (aka me!). Also, ground turmeric works just as well. Thanks Mumma for that tip! To make this dish healthier, lose the chorizo and replace it with an extra 100-200g of chicken breast fillets.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 chorizo, around 120g, finely sliced
• 250g chicken breast fillet, cut into even 4cm pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 x 400g tin of diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, diced 
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary / 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1 eschallot, finely chopped
• a pinch of ground turmeric
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 2 cups doongara rice 
• coconut oil
• a handful of baby spinach leaves, washed

COOKING 

1. Heat a large, deep saucepan over medium heat, adding 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Add eschallot, garlic and turmeric, stirring for 2 minutes. Add chicken pieces to the pan and cook, stirring constantly or until chicken is white in colour and cooked through. Add chorizo and rice and cook for 2 minutes. Add stock, diced tomatoes and dried herbs. Bring to the boil, then simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. 

2. After 15 minutes the rice should be tender and the liquid should be absorbed. If not, simmer for a few extra minutes. Then add spinach leaves and mix through the rice. Cover again for 5 minutes or until leaves are wilted. Serve warm. 

Serves / 4 -6 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 - 35 minutes 

x E