Singapore noodle ( serve 4).

I love Singapore noodle and for the Irish I changed recipe using more of Western ingredients. The original recipe uses dried shrimps, that’s not very popular to find them here so I use chorizo and it works brilliantly. The taste of dish doesn’t change much with that light curry flavour which is the key thing. You can use both egg noodle or gluten free rice noodle.

Ingredients:

2 bak chois( or other name is bokchoi). If you cannot find bak choi then spinach will work perfectly.

1 small carrot.

2 eggs.

1 small onion.

5 mushrooms.

2 rolls dried noodle.

2 inches Chorizo.

Soy sauce and curry powder.

2 chicken breasts.

3 thin slices bacon.

Methods:

 For noodle I use this thin noodle from my local supermarket. You could use any kind of noodle that easy to find. The difference is the boiling time. Thicker noodle will need to be soaked in hot water slightly longer than the thin one.

This boiling step is very import to get the dish right.

In a pot bring the water to boil.

Add in the noodle.

Use a fork to separate the noodle and straight away remove the pot from the cooker to stop it comes to boil again.

Leave the noodle in the pot to soak for further 3 minutes.

Drain the noodle.

Please note not to rinse it because that will make the noodle mushy.

While the noodle is still slightly warm spread them on a tray to let them cool.Use a scissor to cut the noodle short before adding to the pan. Sprinkle 1 table spoon of curry powder on top and mix well.

Make a diagonal cut with the Chorizo, then cut into matchstick. 

 Use a shredder and shred the carrot.

Finely chop the onion, mushrooms and bak choi as in the picture.

Thinly cut the chicken breasts.

Use a scissor to cut the bacon into small pieces.

Use your hand to separate them from sticking to each other.

Beat 2 eggs in a bowl and fry them on a hot frying pan.

Make sure they flat out like in the picture. Turn the other side to cook before removing them from the pan.

Thinly cut the fried eggs into strings.

Add 1 table spoon cooking oil into a hot frying pan and cook the bacon for 3 minutes until slightly brown.

Add in chorizo and toss well.

Then add in chicken and mix well.

Cook for 2 minutes.

Then add in shredded carrot.

Add in also onion and mushrooms at the same time. Toss well and cook for 3 minutes.

Use a scissor to cut the noodle short before adding to the pan. Sprinkle 1 table spoon of curry powder on top and mix well.

I used two spatulas to mix. Then add in 2 table spoons soy sauce and mix all well together again.

Add chopped bakchoi. Mix well.

Add egg strings and mix well. Cook for another minute and constantly mix everything together.

When everything in the pan gets warm it's ready to serve.

Asian spiral potato.

I'd never tried them before but seeing my friends sharing those beautiful spiral potato pics on Facebook while on holiday. They are very popular snack, street food all over Asia.

My first attempt making Asian spiral potato today, my kids finished them all in no time. I am more than happy to do another batch for them and their Irish neighbour friends.

Methods: 

It will require a bit of focus and patience. I had fun making it.

 Chose the long and flat potatoes. Soak the bamboo skewers in water while peeling the potatoes.

I am not that strong to push the skewer through the whole potato so I cut it into half. Use a sharp small knife and gently cut the potato, make sure you go slowly follow spiral core of the skewers to the end.

Once reaching to the end, press the knife and go backward to make sure the cut is through. From the top you push the cut down to make space using the knife.

Soak them in water to remove the starch. Dust them with some flour ( mix in some curry powder and salt, black peppers or any kind of spice mixed you prefer)). In a large frying pan, heat up the oil and place the skewers neatly when the oil just slightly warm. Cook at medium heat. This way will help the flour stick to the potato. 

Turn occasionally until golden brown.

Vietnamese lettuce wraps.

Vietnamese dishes are well known for using a lot of fresh herbs, low carb and flavorful. I cannot find that many type of fresh herbs in Ireland like in Vietnam but there are enough to work around it. This recipe has great balance of savory and refreshing flavor. Easy to make and it makes you feel light, satisfied if you want a low carb meal. It also could be served with rice or noodles.

Ingredients:

400 gr of pork chop( beef or chicken).

10 mushrooms.

1 chili.

3 lemongrass stalks ( you also can add in ginger). 

 Salad plate:

Shredded carrot ( use a cheese grater, or diced celery ).

Sprout, mints, coriander, lettuce and any kind of light herbs you like.

In a small bowl add :

2 spoons ( normal one) fish sauce.

1 tea spoon sesame oil.

1 spoon soya soy.

1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice.

1 full spoon sugar.

Methods:

Cut the pork into small pieces.

Chop the white part of the lemongrass.

Chop half of the chili and mince them finely. ( use the whole one if you like it hot).

Finely chop the mushrooms.

Add 3 spoons cooking oil to a hot frying pan.

Fry the lemongrass and chili until brown.

Add in the chopped pork.

Stir well then add in the seasoning bowl with 3 spoons of water.

Simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat and toss well until the pork becomes slightly dried.

Add in the chopped mushroom and fry for another 2 minutes.

Once the mushroom cooked through it's ready to serve.

Mango smoothie ( serve 4).

Summer is here and mango is in season. Time to make mango smoothie. The silky, smooth texture and the wonderful taste of ripe mango is something out of this world. I always make this smoothie every summer for my kids. Ripe mango is available in many supermarkets right now. In winter, when the craving kicks in I will use the frozen ones. The taste is still the same.

The recipe is so simple. You can turn it into ice pops and it never fails to impress the kids.

Ingredients:

2 big ripe mangoes.

1/2 kg frozen yoghurt.

Avocado/ lemon juice ( optional).

Methods:

You can adjust the amount of mango and yoghurt to suit your taste. Sometimes I add in avocado to get creamier texture. To boost the flavor of the mango, a wedge of lemon/lime juice will work great.

Remove the skin of the mangoes. (I usually chill the mango in the freezer for 20 minutes before making the smoothie to get this chilly smoothie for a very hot day).

Add the mango, yoghurt and 1 cup of water into the blender. 

Blend until smooth and it's ready to serve.

Carving pineapple boats/ curry pineapple fried rice.

Pineapple is not only great fruit with so many health benefits, it's also could be used for cooking. This tutorial video will guide you step by step how to carve one. The flesh goes nicely for curry fried rice and the boat looks really nice for decoration, both for the rice or for a salad bowl.

It's very easy once you know how to do it. 

Lemon and lime Rooibos iced tea.

A friend introduced me herbal Rooibos tea few months back then and I love it since. Rooibos tea, also called red bush tea, is a herbal tea derived from the leaves of the rooibos plant. Though consumption of the tea was once confined to the South African regions in which the plant grew, rooibos tea is becoming more popular in Western countries due to its robust taste and numerous health benefits. You can find them easily in the health shops in bag or lose tea. It's the perfect tea for making iced lemon tea and I came up with this recipe:

Recipe:

5 cups water.

3 Rooibos tea bags.

2 lemons.

1 lime.

4 or 5 table spoons sugar.

Boil 2 cups of water and add in the tea bags. Leave the tea bag to brew and let it cool for few hours or over night will give it intensive taste. Sometimes I use the left over tea and it's still perfect.

Extract juice from lemon and lime, add in sugar and 3 cups of water to dissolve the sugar.

Mix in with Rooibos tea and serve with ice.

Homemade seasoning salt instead of stock cubes.

Since my two son are diagnosed with autism, I make sure they won’t eat anything I think contains artificial ingredients. One of the essential ingredients in my house is spiced seasoning salt. I use this salt to replace stock cubes that contain a lot of artificial ingredients.  I always make them in big batches to ensure sure I never run out.

The idea of this spiced salt come from a very famous roasted dried shrimp salt in Vietnam called Muối Tây Ninh. This salt is a combination of roasted salt with dried shrimp and spices like black peppers, garlic, dried and fresh chili that have all the elements to satisfy your taste buds with strong umami flavour. I replace the shrimp with more spices in my recipe to keep the authentic flavor. 

The roasted salt has wonderful flavour which make any dish taste stronger.  You can add it to soup, roasted potatoes , it also could be used for both vegan and  meaty dishes.

Ingredients:

1/3 cups sea salt flakes and Himalayan salt.

1 table spoon whole black peppers.

3 cloves garlic ( ginger, onion optional). 

1 small chili.

1 table spoon mixed seeds ( Linwoods brand).

1 and 1/2 table spoons brown sugar.

1 tea spoon ground nutmeg.

1 tea spoon mustard powder.

Methods:

Crush the chili and garlic together, the finer the better ( if you like onion flavor then chop them finely and add into the salt mixture 3 minutes after roasting). 

Combine the salt, chili, garlic, black peppers, and place on pot or frying pan( avoid using the nonstick pot and pan because the salt will damage the coating).

Roast on medium heat for gas and low heat for electric cooker. Toss the mixture constantly.

After 8, the garlic and chili turn dried add in the mixed seeds, mix well for 2 minutes. You will find the aroma is released and the salt turns brown.

Quickly transfer into a mortar and use the pestle to crush all the mixture together.

Transfer back to the pot, add in sugar, mustard and nutmeg powder and roast for another 1 minute to make sure all the spices are infused together.

Keep in a airtight jar and it will last as normal salt.

Chinese chefs often make their own seasoned salt. In this video chef Lupe Liang  makes his which used in Chinese cooking. 

Chef Andrew shows you how to make seasoned salt  using fresh Western herbs 

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