Asian food

Tomato Chilli Jam

tomato chilli jam recipeHere’s another DIY foodie gift idea just in time for Christmas (and just in time for tomatoes coming down in price!). This is a Peter Gordon recipe, which I got via Ruth Pretty (a Wellington caterer/chef who I adore – if you ever get the chance, I highly recommend Ruth’s cooking school on the Kapiti Coast).

Anyhow, I digress. If you asked me what you can always find in my pantry, this’d be on the list: It’s like sweet chilli sauce for grown ups. It’s super versatile and goes with nearly everything: All meats, poached/fried eggs, quiche, it’s gorgeous in a stir fry sauce (use it in the place of sweet chilli sauce)… It’s kick-butt delicious on a pizza base… I even have it on top of my cheese on toast..  Sometimes I use it as an Asian salad dressing for Thai Beef Salad (3 Tlb chilli jam, add a bit of rice wine vinegar and a half teaspoon of sesame oil – amazing).  One of my favourite ways to serve it is as a dip: Get a big platter. Turn out a tub of Philadelphia Cream Cheese into the centre of the platter. Surround it with corn chips (don’t be shy, load them on). Cover the cream cheese with a generous amount of chilli jam. Get dippin’. Amazing. I usually package this up as a Christmas gift with a vintage knife or fork tied to the jar. Simple and stunning. (more…)

Quick and Easy Chicken Laksa

imageAnother mid week meal that you can whip up in a hurry, my Hot Hubby loves this and he has even been known to make it (without help) on occasion! Use whatever veges you have in the fridge to keep the meal in season and easy. Note, if you are calorie counting, here’s a tip:  When I was on Weight Watchers I made this and substituted the coconut milk for low fat evaporated milk and added a dash of coconut essence – it tastes great and you can’t tell the difference. (more…)

Asian Noodle Salad with Teriyaki Dressing

Asian Noodle Salad with Teriyaki DressingSummer is coming, so here’s another favourite that’s perfect for BBQs!  Oddly enough, it’s the boys that really seem to love this one, I think it’s the sweetness of the teriyaki?. Who cares? Boys eating salad? Yippee!  The beauty of this Asian Noodle Salad with Teriyaki Dressing recipe is not following it exactly. Go with whatever ingredients you have, and use seasonal vegetables. The result is a different but delicious salad every time. This recipe looks like a lot of steps, but if you have your timing right, make my Chicken Teriyaki one night, keep the leftover sauce and make this later on during the week, that keeps things easy (smart thinking, hey?)

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Speedy Prawn Fried Rice

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This is a tasty, nutritious and fast mid week dinner that would give Jamie Oliver and his 15 minute meals a run for his money. I always have prawns in the freezer as they defrost in no time at all, as well as a packet of ready-to-go precooked rice. These packets are always super-handy for emergency ‘gotta eat NOW’ dinners. (more…)

Honey Miso Spatchcock Chicken

imageMy bestie came for lunch a few weeks ago and bought me a jar of misomite.  This is a miso-based product, which you can use as a spread, or as a flavouring in dishes. It’s gorgeous and I’ve been having it every morning on my toast with poached eggs. Anyhow, I wanted to find another use for it…. and I came up with this marinade for a roast chook (spatchcock style, of course).  It was utterly delicious and worthy of sharing!   (more…)

Easy Mid-week Asian Chicken and Corn Soup

imageThis soup is a regular feature on our week night menu. It takes a quick 15 minutes to make from start to finish – assuming you have pre-cooked chicken on hand! Best of all, it’s healthy, everyone eats it, including our  fussy Small Child.   Use whatever vegetables are in season, or what’s in your fridge (or leave them out if you are short on time!). (more…)

Chicken Teriyaki recipe

chicken teriyaki recipeWe had this for dinner tonight and Hot Hubby said ‘you’ve gotta blog that’ – it’s been one of his favourite meals for at least the last decade! This meal is so easy to make, utterly scrummy and easily rivals any teriyaki dish I’ve had in an authentic Japanese restaurant.   If you’ve purchased store-made teriyaki sauce in the past, you won’t anymore when you see how easy this is!  On that note, I do recommend you double the recipe for the sauce and store the remaining half in a jar the fridge – it keeps well for months and bonus: You’ve got some on hand ready to go next time (or use as a stirfry sauce… Yum).

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