Dear Readers

Though I haven't posted up many of my own recipes, I like to think I still have a productive role in this blog by editing the recipe posts, as well as the personal ones. Editing is much like eating. The cook produces the dish, and the eater consumes it before critiquing it and offering up their opinion on what could be improved.

Similarly, the editor reads over work that's already been produced by the writers, before polishing it up and offering up their opinion on what could be improved on. The editor would be out of a job without the writers though. Jeff, Linda, and Saba have all provided this blog with their own favourite recipes, and even their own recipes. And with a team like the one I have, I can say that  I'm proud to be this blog's resident editor in chief :D

Image taken from here

Family Favourite

Hi Everyone,

A family favourite of mine is this  traditional Vietnamese dish called cuộn (cold rolls). What I love about this dish is it can be very versatile in terms of what you want in the cold roll.

For my family we enjoy making this particular beef cold rolls. For this you need the following:

Ingredients

• 1kg sliced up beef marinated (family of 4-5)
• Butter
• 2 large onions sliced up 
• Lettuce
• 1 bag bean sprouts
•  Rice Paper
• Dipping sauce.
• 1 Large cucumber cut long ways 
• Rice vermicelli follow packet instructions on cooking directions

Method:

1. Prepare a deep bowl filled up with hot water. Place one side of the rice paper in the bowl and move in clockwise direction until rice paper is soft and place on a flat plate.
2. Place a teaspoon of butter on the hot grill plate add onions to cook them off and then add the beef. Cook to ones desire. With the cooked meat keep the lid on if not being used yet to keep it moist. 
3. Place lettuce leaf horizontally on the edge of rice paper closest to you. Place Rice vermicelli onto of the lettuce with cucumber, couple of beef pieces, onion and handful of bean sprout.
4. Don't over stuff or the rice paper will rip.
5. Fold in the two side flaps, starting at the end closest to you bring the rice paper over to the opposite side and roll up. 
6. Repeat the process for the amount you want.   

Fish Sauce

1. 60 ml fish sauce
2. 60ml rice vinegar
3. 2 tbsp white sugar
4. 125ml water
5. 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
6. 1 chili (optional)finely chopped
7. 2 tsp lime juice

I don't know about you, but you can never go wrong with making sandwiches.

And for those poor unfortunate souls who are not allowed to venture forth into the kitchen, there's always an online alternative to everything. And in this case, you can play one of my favourite games as one of my favourite characters. Happy sandwich stacking!

Tabouleh

Taken from here

Tabouleh is a diced parsley salad, and is a popular lebanese side dish. 

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped 
• 3/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped 
• 3/4 cup burghul (cracked wheat), rinsed
• 3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
•  2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice

Method

1. Place burghul in a bowl, and cover with boiling water. Stand for 20 minutes or until softened. 
2. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Drain again, pressing out water with a metal spoon.
3. Place burghul, parsley, mint, tomato and onion in a bowl. Stir to combine
4. Place oil and lemon juice in a screw-top jar. Secure lid. Shake to combine. 
5. Drizzle over tabouleh.Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve.

Lobster with Ginger and Scallion

Taken from here

Ingredients

• A fresh lobster (shelled diced)
• 4 green onions(cut into 7.5 cm scallion around)
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
•  1 / 2 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 10 fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons rice wine
• 113 grams of chicken soup
• 1 teaspoon sugar
•  1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• Corn starch(enough to block wrapped lobster)
• Vegetable oil (1.5 cups ( 355 ml ) for quick blanching ; another 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for stir-fried preparation)
• Cornstarch mixture (1 teaspoon cornstarch , 0.5 teaspoons of sugar , 0.5 teaspoons soy sauce , add 1 tablespoon water)

Method

1. Cut lobster head , discard lobster legs, and remove the organs. Break shrimp claws, with a knife blade hit the claws, shrimp break apart . Vertical incision lobster tail , then cut into chunks.
2. Place lobster pieces into a large mixing bowl .
3. Sprinkle cornstarch in the lobster pieces , you cannot cover them with it .
4. Place the lobster pieces into the filter bowl , shake off excess corn starch.
5. Heating vegetable oil in a wok until hot steam to take the half lobster fry quickly in hot oil for 1 minute, turn it over , and then deep-fried for 1 minute, remove dry control . Repeat for the remaining lobster operation .
6. To remove all excess oil , then add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in the wok with fresh . Add ginger and scallions , hot stir fry 15 seconds .
7. Add the lobster pieces in a wok , stir fry, spilled wine, add chicken broth, then stamped , simmer for 1 minute.
8. Open the lid , and check to see if cooked lobster is bright orange.
9. Add the soy sauce , oyster sauce, white pepper and sugar , then stir fry 10 seconds .
10. Finally, add the corn starch mixture and lush , fry mix thoroughly , 'til shiny.
11.  Immediately transfer to a plate meal .

Recipe taken from here.

Steamed abalone

Taken from here

Ingredients

• 6 fresh abalones
• A handful of ginger, thinly sliced
• Some Green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
• 3-4 tablespoons of oil

Method

1. Wash and scrub the abalones. With an unused toothbrush, scrub the sides of the abalones until it is no longer slippery and clean. Set aside.
2. Thinly slice gingers and chop green onions.
3. Place the abalones in the serving plate and top with ginger. Pour over the Chinese cooking wine. Prepare for steaming.
4. In a wok, full up with some water and place a steaming rack in the center. Place the abalones inside the wok when the water is boiling. Steam for 8-10 minutes.
5. Heat up the oil on high heat in a separate frying pan.
6. When the abalones are finished steaming, sprinkle with green onions. Pour over hot oil and drizzle with light soy sauce. Ready to serve.

Taken from here

Sheer pera

Not everyone can make afghan sweet sheer pera, sometimes it will go soft or sometimes it's so hard that you can break your teeth (like the way I make it) but in my family my sister is the expert. She loves making sweets, and she makes the best sheer pera, and everytime you ask for it, she will make it for you because she thinks she is too nice to say no :).Today we visited her house and  after a nice swim we started cooking and it was really fun, so I am going to share her recipe with you guys today.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of walnut
• 1tbs of pistachios
• 1tbs of cardamom
• 3 cup of white sugar
• 3tbs of Oliver spread
• 3 cup full-cream milk powder  

Direction

1. Mix milk powder with Oliver spread, walnut and cardamom very well 
2. Place a pot on stove in medium heat boil water and sugar until it becomes caramelized 
3. Move the pot from stove to a cooler space put the mix powder in the caramelized sugar while its still hot and mix it till it gets smooth.
4. Once it is ready place it in a tray with foil and oil spray the foil.
5. Spread the pistachios on the top of it,and  let it cool down in room temperature (do not put in the fridge to get cool down)  once its cold you can cut it the way you want it and its ready to eat.