Kung Pao Chicken

This is a dish you can only find here in Asian all you can eat restaurants. It does not exist on the "Chinese Menu" here. The way it is served often is a bastard version of the recipe.

I used ideas from the School of Wok. They came up with the pinch of Five Spice Powder and they grind Szechuan pepper. I love this pepper. The little numming on the lips is special.

Recipe for 2:

2 chicken thighs without bones and skin

Marinate:

2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp 5spice powder, 2 tsp Maizena, 1 tsp ginger grated

Veggies: 

2 spring onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 knob ginger, 1 red bell pepper, 30 g roasted peanuts

Sauce:

100 ml veg stock, 1 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1tbsp Chinese cooking wine, 1/4 tsp Szechuan pepper ground, 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp Oyster sauce, 2 tsp Maizena

1 cup Jasmine rice, rapeseed oil

Cut the chicken in bite size chunks. Put them in the marinate for 20 min.

Cook the rice and chop the veggies. Make the sauce.

In a wok or cast iron pan heat up the oil to high. Spread the chicken pieces around and let them sit to get some color. Now stir and cook until nearly done. Take them out. Add a bit more oil and toss the veggies in. Let them cook for a couple of min and stir well.

Put the meat back in and pour the sauce over. Stir until done. Add the peanuts and serve with the rice.

Egg Hoppers

This is street food from Sri Lanka in a version from Discounter ALDI.

I found the recipe in one of the advertising magazines. I was very curious because it was not made from rice flour. Instead oats were used.

I saw the Sri Lankan Egg Hoppers only on food shows on TV and the internet. The street food vendors use special small high pans. The batter sticks thin around the high rim of the pan. It is see through when the pan cake comes out of the pan.

The oat batter is a lot thicker. Without the right pan you just get a pancake. But it works. I had a problem with the Aldi recipe. The batter was much too thick after the 90 min resting time. I had to loosen it with more coconut milk and water.

Recipe for 3 to 4 pancakes:

65 g fine oats, 120 ml luke warm water, 1/2 tsp dried yeast, 1/2 tsp sugar, 

120 ml coconut milk, 1 tbsp flour, pinch of salt, 4 eggs, oil

In a mini chopper make a fine flour from the oats. In a bowl mix water, yeast and sugar and let that rest 10 min. Add oats flour, coconut milk, flour and salt and make a batter. Cover it and let it rest in a warm place for 90 min.

Check if the batter has a loose consistency, otherwise add a bit more liquid.

Use a small non stick pan with a lid. Brush with oil up to the sides and spread some batter around. After you have it evenly distributed, crack an egg on top and close the lid. Cook the egg to the consistency you like. Season.

Take the egg hopper out of the pan and dress with some salad and sauce. I used Sriracha.

The first one I've bake in my smallest 16 cm metal pan. It mostly stuck to it.

Mushroom Goulash Hungarian style

Hungarian Kitchen is a tradition in the part of the city were I live. After WWII the refugees from Hungary and Romania found here a new home. They received land and small houses. The kitchen of there lost home stayed with them and some dishes are imbedded in many families here.

I was on holiday 5 times in different parts of Hungary and learned to love the dishes. My beautician grew up here in this part of town and has many fond memories of Hungarian food and cooks it often. 

Recipe:

250 g brown button mushrooms, 2 dried shitake mushrooms, 2 wood ear mushrooms, 2 dried porcini mushrooms, 10 g wild mushrooms

3 shallots, 1 small onion, 1 garlic clove, 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs of thyme

125 ml veg stock, 100 ml mushroom water, 100 ml double cream, salt and pepper, 2 heaped tsp paprika powder

2 tsp potato starch, 2 tbsp water, fresh parsley

Take all dried mushrooms and soak them in 200 ml cold water for 2 hours. Put them through a fine sieve and keep the mushroom water too. Use whatever kind of dried mushrooms are available.

In a pan with a lid heat up the oil and get onions and garlic in. Give it 3 min, then pour 30 ml of water in the pan and close the lid. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onions for 8 min. Add all the mushroom quarters and diced dried ones. Stir and cook open for 6 min. Now season with salt and pepper, paprika powder and toss in bay leaf and thyme.

Add the veg stock and reduce it by one third. Now add the double cream. Make as starch slurry and bind the sauce. Chop parsley and finish it.

Serve with pasta or rice.

Spinach Yogurt Soup - Labaneja

This soup is from a small Arabic cookbook. The traditional soup was only made with water and no herbs.

I added veggie stock and fresh mint to boost the flavour. On the TV a couple of days ago I watched a Chef prepare a Turkish Almsoup. That was a bit similar.

Use high fat yogurt for the soup. Otherwise it will not bind it and the yogurt splits.

Recipe for 4:

1 large onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 3 tbsp oilve oil, 110 g long grain rice

300 g defrosted spinach, 750 ml veg stock, white pepper, salt

500 g Greek yogurt 10% fat, 3 sprigs of mint

Chop onion and 2 garlic cloves and saute them in olive oil for 5 min.

Add defrosted and squeezed spinach and rice and give it a good stir.

Add hot veg stock and season with some pepper and salt. Cook for 15 min or until the rice is done. Take the pot off the heat.

In a bowl mix yogurt with chopped mint and white pepper and grate the last garlic clove in. Stir well and add it to the soup. Stir and taste for seasoning.

Eggplant Peanut Piccata

Eggplant covered in a tasty batter. It is the first time I used peanuts in a piccata. 

Piccata Milanese is a most common dish. A slice of veal is drenched in a gloopy mix from eggs and Parmesan cheese. This is baked in some oil and often served with pasta and tomato sauce. 

This eggplant is covered with a different kind of mix. Roasted and unsalted peanuts together with a bit of cheese and eggs are the base of this gloooy mix. It sticks to the eggplant slices very well.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, 60 g roasted unsalted peanuts, 30 g Grana Padano, 3 eggs, pepper und parsley, salt, 30 g flour, 4 tbsp olive oil, 3 sprigs thyme

In a mini chopper blend nuts, cheese and thyme. Fill into a bowl and mix 3 eggs in.

Cut the eggplant in 1 cm discs and salt them and let them sit for 15 to 20 min. Pat dry with a paper towel. Coat in a bit of flour and set into the piccata mix.

Heat up a large pan to medium high heat and pour the oil in. Set the covered eggplant slices in and wait until you see a brown circle form on the bottom. Turn and bake the other side. It will totally take up to 12 to 15 min. Be carefull with the heat not to burn them.

Dip;

Sour cream and Ayvar

Rabbit Legs with Thyme and Red Wine

Second Day of rabbit time. When you have to buy frozen food, the problem with leftovers will eventually come. I had 4 rabbit legs but only wanted to cook 2 on the first day. I needed a second recipe for the other 2 legs.

I watched a German Chef prepare rabbit legs with a little red wine and fresh thyme. That gave me the idea.

The basic vegetables were already in stock. The German "Suppengrün" the base for all sauces and soups. You will get it here in every supermarket, packages and ready to use.

Italy has Sofrito: carrot, celery, onion

France has Mirepoix: carrot, celeriac, parsley, onion 

Southern Louisiana has the Holy Trinity: celery, green bell pepper, onion

Germany has Suppengrün: leek, carrot, celeriac and parsley

Recipe for 2:

2 rabbit legs, 150 ml red wine, 500 ml veg stock

3 carrots, 100 g leek, 75 g celeriac, 3 stalks parsley, 2 onions, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 bay leaf, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp oil, 5 stalks fresh thyme, salt and pepper

Season the rabbit legs with salt and pepper and let them get some color in the hot pan with oil. Take them out. Chop the veggies and toss them in the same pan. Saute them for 10 min, season. Add tomato paste and cook that 2 more min. Sprinkle the flour over wnd stir well.

Now take a third of the red wine and deglaze the pan with it. Be careful when you try to stir not to burn yourself with the hot steam. Add the other third of wine and stir and then the rest. Put in the rabbit legs, thyme and bay leaf and add the veg stock. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 min or until the meat is done.

Berry Liqueur

Make your own liqueur. 

As a gift for Christmas I received a package of a dry berry, spice and sugar mix. It came from the Harz region in the middle eastern part of Germany.

As a dessert we all love the fruity dark berry jelly with mixed in fruits and custard cream. Rote Grütze.

The package contained dried blueberries, blackberries, and others. Rock sugar and spices. I used a 30% hard liqueur, grain based. I mixed the package with 2 liters of spirit.

It had to rest in a warm place for 7 weeks. Then it was filtered. I filled 6 bottles as Easter gifts for my friends.

Rabbit Legs Indian Style with roasted Cauliflower and spicy Carrot Mash

I found the idea of the recipe on the internet on Krumpli' s site. I made my own version of it.  

The cooking and preparation time in the original recipe was not logical to me. I needed about 50% of the time. When the meat is cooking, preparing both veggies during this time id easy. You just need the oven for one and a second pot on the stove.

Rabbit Legs are a great source of protein and are very lean. The cooking method ensures that it keeps juicy.

Recipe:

2 rabbit legs, 800 ml chicken stock

2 shallots, 3 cloves of garlic, 3 slices of ginger, 6 cardamom pods, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds

4 carrots, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp tumeric, 1/2 tsp chili, pinch cayenne, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt

4 large cauliflower florets, 2 tsp fennel seeds, salt, pepper, 3 tbsp mustard seed oil

Heat up the ocen to 180C.

Use a small pot and place both legs in. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and all the seeds and fill the pot with chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer about 40 min.

Use an oven proof dish. Toss the cauliflower florets in mustard seed oil, salt and pepper and fennel seeds and stick in the oven for 25 min.

In a small pot cook the peeled and sliced carrots in salt and sugar water. When the are soft, use a potato masher, add butter and seasoning. Spread on the plate and top with rabbit meat and cauliflower.

Jerusalem Artichoke Salad -vegan

This salad is easy to prepare. It is great as a side dish for meat or BBQ.

This veggie is not so often found here. I have got it from the organic produce isle in my supermarket. I have not seen it in a long time.

Recipe:

500 g Jerusalem Artichoke, salt, 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

Dressing:

150 ml veg stock, 3 tbsp rapeseed oil, 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp whole grain mustard, 1 tsp agave syrup, salt, pepper, chives

Wash the roots carefully and place them in a pot with salted boiling water and cook fir 15-25 min, depending on the size. Stick a knife in to check if they are done. Put under cold water and cut in halves or quarters.

Heat up the oil and toss the veggies in and fry them for 4 min. Add them to the dressing.

Put the dressing ingredients in a pan and cook for 3 min. Pour in a bowl.

Let the salad cool down minimum 30 min.

 

Carp baked Rügen style

Rügen is a large island off the coast of Mecklenburg Western Pomerania.  Most famous are the limestone cliffs of Cap Arkona.

One method to prepare that freshwater fish comes from this island. I have never cooked carp before. I remember a visit where carp and pike were cooked in a pot together. Eating was not a pleasure, because these fishes are riddled with bones. 

If you need reading glasses for fine print, I recommend to put them on. The fine tuning fork like fish bones are nearly see through and need to be pulled out, before you eat the fish. Otherwise you have to pull them out of your mouth which is not a nice thing to do. The large bones are no problem to find and can he pulled out before serving the cooked fish.

I bought a baby carp today. Carp is on promo this week for a very reasonable price at one of the supermarket chaines. But when I stepped up to the counter I only 2 two carps on display. I asked for carp pieces, but they were not available. One carp had about 2,3 kg, the other was tiny in comparison. I left with the small one.

Recipe:

615 g of whole carp, salt and pepper, horseradish with cream, 

3 carrots, 10 cm leek, 200 g celeriac, 2 spring onions, parsley, 3 tbsp olive oil 

Heat up the oven 170C fan

Wash the carp and pat it dry. Season it inside and outside with salt and pepper. Spoon dome horseradish cream inside and the rest on top of the carp. Stick in the oven and bake for 25 min.

Cut some of the veggies in juliennes and stick them in the fish. Use baking paper and spread olive oil in the middle. Put veggies on and place the carp on top.

When I serve the carp, I use s knife and a palette and cut along the line in the side of the fish and pull the meat down and up with the palette. I turn it and get the large fish bones out. Then turn and proceed on the other side.