PAD THAI NEUA / BEEF PAD THAI

I’ve tried my hand at several Thai recipes over the past few years, just by guesswork after eating a particularly tasty takeaway Thai meal. I will admit that whilst my dishes were adequate, they always tasted like they were missing an ingredient or two. In my trusty April edition of Feast magazine owner of Sydney’s Chat Thai restaurants, Amy Chanta, shares some of her authentic Thai recipes and reveals some secrets of this popular cuisine. I am one of those people is that more often than not guilty of ordering Pad Thai constantly at restaurants; therefore I thought it would be fitting to start my traditional Thai journey with this dish. Due to unavailability of dried prawns, I used shrimp paste instead; just make sure that you mix the paste well with the beaten eggs. Tamarind puree can often be found in major Supermarkets or at Asian specialty stores. It is the puree or sauce form of the tamarind sweet and sour fruit. I used fruit sugar (available at major Supermarkets) as I consider it better for me than caster sugar. I have always been one to omit the sugar in an Asian recipe however I recently learned that the sugar is necessary to balance out the sourness of the fish sauce. Fresh or fried shallots are not essential but can be added. I personally think that the garlic chives add enough flavour. Don’t forgot to squeeze your lime onto the noodles before digging in.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs (preferably free-range), lightly beaten 
• 1/4 teaspoon shrimp paste or 1 teaspoon dried prawns 
• sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon tamarind puree
• 1 tablespoon fruit sugar (or 3 tablespoons caster sugar)
• 1 1/4 cup thinly shredded red cabbage
• 350-400g beef eye-fillet or rump, fat removed and thinly sliced
• 250g thin dried rice noodles, soaked overnight or soaked in boiling hot water for 5 minutes, then drained well with cold water
• 1 tablespoon ground roasted peanuts
• 10 roughly chopped garlic cloves, plus extra to serve, unchopped
• 200g fresh or tin bean sprouts (if in a tin, drain well with cold water)
• 1 teaspoon each serving of fresh or fried shallots (Optional)
• 4 lime wedges, to serve 

COOKING 

1. Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a large wok over high heat. Combine egg mixture and shrimp paste, whisking to break up paste. When wok is hot add egg mixture and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until egg is cooked through. Remove from heat and chop up cooked egg if not separated from the cooking. Cover to keep warm.

2. Add a dash more sesame oil to the wok and reduce to a medium heat.  Add red cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. 

3. Mix fish sauce, oyster sauce, tamarind and sugar in a small bowl. Add a small amount of beef slices to the wok, making sure not to overcrowd the beef.  Add a touch more sesame oil if the beef is sticking to the wok. Cook for 1 minute or so on each side, taking care not to overcook and then remove from heat and cover to keep warm. Continue this process until all beef is browned and then return all the beef to the wok. Add the sauce mixture and the rice noodles and cook, stirring constantly to coat noodles with the sauce. Cook for 2 minutes or until all liquid has reduced. 

4. Add peanuts, chopped garlic chives, bean sprouts and cooked egg to the wok and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until all ingredients are combined. Remove from heat. 

5. Divide pad thai into 4 bowls and top with lime wedges, extra unchopped garlic chives and 1 teaspoon each of fresh or fried shallots, if you wish. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 18-20 minutes 

x Emily 

PASTA E FAGIOLI / BORLOTTI BEAN PASTA

Another Feast Iuliano Family recipe! If you have no idea what I am on about, look at my very last post on ‘Polpette / Meatballs’ to get acquainted with the back-story. Another blissful Italian meal focusing on Passata, which, in a nutshell, is fresh tomato puree. I have changed the last two recipes to make them gluten & dairy-free and added in a bit more tomato, however the foundation of the traditional Italian family recipe is very much apparent. I am debating trying my hand at the Iuliano’s homemade bolognese sauce and gnocchi, as these recipes would compliment the blustery autumn weather we are currently having beautifully. It's the season for comfort food! Healthy comfort food of course.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 a large leek, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil & parsley, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve 
• 1 x 400g tin diced tomatoes 
• 2 x 700ml bottles of passata (tomato puree)
• 1 x 400g tin borlotti beans, rinsed & drained
• 500g gluten-free pasta 
• 1/4 cup sheep's pecorino cheese, finely grated (Optional)

COOKING 

1. Bring a large covered saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until pasta is just tender. Remove from the stove and reserve/set aside 1/3 of a cup of the salted pasta water. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water. 

2. Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium-high heat and swirl to coat the large surface of the pan. Place leek and garlic in the pan and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes or until just slightly golden. Add basil & parsley, tomatoes, passata and 1/2 cup of water to the pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer on a low heat, covered, for 15 minutes or until sauce has slightly reduced. Stir in beans, a pinch of sea salt & ground black pepper and cover for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and add the reserved pasta water and pasta to the pan. Stir well for 1 minute and make sure the pasta is well mixed in with the passata. Serve with extra basil and/or parsley leaves and pecorino cheese, if you desire. 

Serves / 6 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes 

x Emily 

KHLOE KARDASHIAN TWEETS ABOUR HER LOVE OF PILATES

Khloe Kardashian, youngest sister on the hit Keeping Up with the Kardashian's TV show, has shocked viewers recently with her incredible slim down. The wife of basketball player Lamar Odom credits regular Pilates and boxing to her new toned shape. The 28-year-old revealed her exercise regime to US Weekly magazine; "I love to box. I'm good at it. Boxing keeps me entertained and you just shed weight...I also switch it up because I get really bored. So I do a lot of Pilates."

Khloe has always been very vocal and likes to use twitter to express her views on love, life and exercise. The photos above clearly show that she has been working hard to tone up her body and has been tweeting updates to keep herself and others motivated. Here's what she had to say this past week on her favourite topic of the moment; Pilates. 

“I can't believe I missed my Pilates class this am! Ugh.... I must do some cardio today!!! Talking myself into this process." Khloe followed this up with a tweet later in the afternoon saying that she had in fact fitted in a cardio workout. Clearly she is serious about improving her health with exercise and does not want to make skipping a workout a regular thing. Good on you Khloe, as we all know that it is very difficult to motivate yourself to do a workout on any given day! 

“I am in so much pain but I keep going back! Pilates, I might curse at you but once I'm done I always thank you." Just shows that Pilates can be a very tough workout to everyone out there who has not tried it yet! 

Khloe also tweeted on April 1 that she initially got addicted to Pilates as a way to reduce her stress but that she now loves it. 

We love celebrities like Khloe that lose weight in a healthy way with a balanced diet and frequent exercise. It is great to see her celebrate her slim down and her stronger body as she has struggled with her weight publicly for years. We are sure that she will never get bored with her challenging Pilates classes! 

Want to lose a few kilos with Pilates and become stronger, healthier and more confident with your body? Keen to try a very tough, low impact workout? Try the Pilates reformer today! Call Premium Pilates Studio on 0402 680 724 or visit us online at premiumpilatesstudio.com

x Emily 

POLOPETTE / MEATBALLS

I get so so excited when my FEAST cooking magazine arrives in the mail every month. I’ve spent many a lazy afternoon pouring over my editions, thinking that one day soon I will try my hand at Peruvian cuisine, at creating a Chocolate Chilli Cake or at cooking a traditional Greek banquet. This SBS read has opened up my eyes to other cultures and their ways of life, traditions and of course, their food. Every edition a fortunate Australian family celebrates a ritual or cultural event from their heritage. This April issue the theme was Italian and the celebration was the annual Passata Day, a day in January where families come together to chop & boil tomatoes and bottle the delicious mixture, called passata, to consume throughout the year. This Polpette, or Meatballs, is just one of the Iuliano family recipes that I tried out and loved. If you are not dairy-intolerant feel free to use parmesan instead of pecorino, however I must admit that I much rather prefer the salty flavour of hard pecorino cheese to the 'smelly sock' taste of some parmesan cheeses! Keep your eyes peeled on the blog for more Italian delights coming soon. 

INGREDIENTS

• 500g extra lean minced beef
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 a large leek, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, preferably free range, lightly beaten 
• 1/3 cup hard sheep's pecorino sheep, finely grated
• 1 heaped cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley & basil, roughly chopped, plus extra parsley and/or basil, to serve
• 700ml passata
• 1 x 400g diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
• 3 cups beef or vegetable stock (preferably Massell brand) 

PREPARATION 

1. Combine mince, garlic, leek, eggs, pecorino cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley & basil and a pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper in a large bowl. Using clean hands, knead the mince mixture together until all ingredients are well combined. Shape approximately 2 tablespoons of the mixture into balls and repeat until all mince has been used. Place on a large plate/s or tray, cover and put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to sit. 

COOKING 

1. A few minutes before the meatballs have finished sitting, pour passata, diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water into a deep frying pan and bring to the boil. Add meatballs to the boiling liquid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through and the sauce has thickened slightly. (Whilst the meatballs are cooking, place rice in a medium saucepan and add 3 cups stock or water. Bring the boil and simmer, covered, over low heat for 8-10 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and keep warm with the saucepan lid on top). Remove from heat and season. Serve meatballs on top of the rice or with pasta and scatter extra cheese and basil/parsley leaves on top if you wish. 

Makes / 22-24 meatballs

Total Preparation time / 20 minutes (plus 20 minutes to refrigerate meatballs)

Total Cooking time / 27-32 minutes 

x Emily

SPEEDY VEGETARIAN FRIED RICE

Some days I just really crave a simple, vegetable filled fried rice.  I don’t know why vegetable fried rice doesn’t appear in my kitchen more often; its affordable, quick and easy to make. Perhaps I sometimes overlook it as it isn’t as exciting or sophisticated as other meals I could be eating. Silly me. All I can say is that I ate this meal for lunch, breakfast the next day and dinner that night too and I really enjoyed it. You can mix up the vegetables and add carrots and/or Chinese cabbage if you want. I remember my mother used to put little dices of ham into our fried rice when we were younger, probably so my brothers would see the meat and not get freaked out that they were eating a meat-free dish. What is it with all the men in my life and their fear of eating vegetarian meals? But I’m crossing over into a another blog post…enjoy the fried rice!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
• 1 small red chilli, deseeded & finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 1 cup half peas and half corn kernels (can be frozen, just make sure they are thawed)
• 1 medium zucchini, roughly chopped
• 3 heaped tablespoons kecap manis
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten 
• sesame oil
• sesame seeds (Optional)

COOKING 

1. Pour the rice into a medium saucepan and add 3 cups of water. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer, covered, for 8-10 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

2. While the rice is cooking, add 1 teaspoon sesame oil to a small fry pan and swirl to coat. Add egg mixture to the pan and let cook for 2 minutes on one side, or until the egg is set. Flip the thin omelette over and cook on the other side for just 30 seconds. Remove from heat and allow to cool then chop the fried egg roughly into small pieces. 

3. Heat a wok over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon sesame oil, making sure to swirl the oil to coat as much of the bottom and sides of the wok as possible. Add the chilli and spring onion and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the peas & corn and zucchini to the pan, stir-frying for 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables are bright in colour and warmed through. (If at any point the vegetables and/or rice are sticking to the wok, add a splash of water- try to do this instead of adding more oil!). Add the cooked rice to the pan, followed by the kecap manis and the chopped egg pieces, stirring well to combine the sauce, rice and vegetables. Season with sea salt and pepper and remove from heat. Serve with a drizzle more  kecap manis and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, if you desire. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes

Total Cooking time / 16-18 minutes 

x Emily