Minty Meatballs for the Moroccan Inspired Soup

Moroccan Inspired Soup with Minty Meatballs

I have finally edited the videos but please DO NOT LAUGH its not easy i tell you to video tape yourself cooking without tripod no less...anyway i did my best i hope that you can understand and enjoy the 'show' lol.



Minty Meatballs

200g minced meat
1sprig fresh mint - finely chopped
1tsp rosemary - finely chopped
1-2tbsp finely chopped onions
1tsp finely chopped garlic
1/4tsp nutmeg
1tsp paprika (you can add more if you like)
1/4tsp mixed herbs (you can buy pre-packed from the store)
salt and pepper to taste
1 whole egg medium size
1-2tbsp bread crumbs (start with 1tbsp, if its still loose add 1/2tbsp and so on but maximum is 2tbsp no more because otherwise the breadcrumbs will over power the meat and we don't want that)

just add everything in mix it all well then make a small ball using a 1/2tbsp measurement spoon as guide. put it on a tray and cover with cling warp to avoid drying. set aside until you're ready to put it in the soup.

Moroccan Inspired Soup

1/2 of large onion - finely or coarsely chopped (it does not matter actually)
2clove of garlic - finely chopped
1tbsp grated ginger
1tsp cumin
1tsp paprika
1/2tsp nutmeg
2 ripe tomatoes - cubed
1 leek - use the white and green part, cut in half
some baby carrots
some corn
1 small can of bake beans/chick peas/green peas
1tbsp chili sauce or chili flakes
1 can of whole tomato pulp.
1-500ltr stock or water - you can use chicken or beef stock, but here i only use water coz i ran out of stock
1tsp thyme
1sprig fresh sweet basil
1tbsp olive oil

heat pot with olive oil, then sweat onion, garlic and ginger. do not burn them. then add in cumin, nutmeg and paprika. let it sweat some more for another 3-5 minutes in a med-low heat. then add in 1 cup of stock 1st, let it simmer then add in all the veges including the peas let simmer again for another 5 minutes or so then add in the remaining stock and tomato pulps. let it simmer yet again until it slightly reduced. then season it with salt and pepper. after that gently add in the meat balls let it cook in the soup for 5-10 minutes depending on the size of your meat balls, mine takes only 5 minutes as its in a small fun bite size hehehe~ then you are ready to serve! garnish it with mint leaves.

this soup is great with pasta or gnocchi or even egg noodle but i did gnocchi and my children loves it! the white dumpling in the soup that you see in the picture. gnocchi is an Italian potato based pasta traditionally eaten with a cheesy creamy sauce. I might going to make them again, so wait for the recipe n pictures (i didn't get to take pictures for my gnocchi coz my daughter loves it so much i have to keep an eye on it at all time.)

TIPS:
1- i use baked beans, mainly because i can't find canned chickpea so i improvise. when use baked beans rinse it in cold water first to avoid the 'baked bean' taste/aroma that might over powering the soup.

2- Use Stocks are better than water because it'll give the soup body as it'll be the base/background of the tomato pulp/puree. in short it will taste 10x better! you may use chicken/beef /vege stock.

3- in the video i forgot to add in nutmeg so i add it later after i dump in meatballs, the taste will be subtle this way so it'll be a lot better if you were to add in together with the paprika n onions, as it will be infused in the soup.

4- As for the chili sauce, you can adjust it to your taste. if you don't have chili sauce, then you can add chili flakes later (towards the end of the cooking). mine is mildly hot..more of heat really...so that its children friendly, you can always add chili flakes later when you about to eat its ok too ;)...its versatile that way!

Roast beef fillet with abergine sandwich

i was watching Barefoot Contessa the other day and saw taken by her beef fillet sandwich it seem so simple to make except that she had horseradish something something. well for us Malaysian we can hardly find horese radish anything (not in my town anyway) so with her method i tweeked the
recipe to suit our taste or rather ingredient availability...

and as for abergine or eggplant part...i just thought that it'll be a great addition to a sandwhich so WHY NOT?why not throw that it while we're at it? i know it might sound odd putting abergine in a sandwhich, us Malaysia only use it in a curry based dish but never on a sandwhich...but it works! abergine is a very 'meaty' vegetable i can asure you that you'll love it...even a non vege eating person will love it coz its so good that you don't even think that its vegetable...am i over exagerating things here? well that's how i feel and true enough my non eating vegetable son LOVES it and he's a picky picky eater! so its worth a try...(anything to make the kids eat veges huh?)

you can see Ina Garten version of recipe here. her version have nothing to do with abergine and she had arugula or rocket as her greens...but i don't have that... looked at coldstorage last night and they were out...so i settled for lettuse but look for a good crunchy ones avoid those that turning yellow or mushed leaves (pssst check the bottom of the packaging and see if it is any good, don't just look on the surface or you might be fooled)

anyway here's my version of it... you need:-

Roast Beef fillet with abergine sandwich:-
2-3pound of fillet of beef trimmed and tied
1tsp corse Dijion mustard
2tsp fresh coarsly grounded blackpepper
2tsp of kosher salt or sea salt (this seem alot but its the only flavor the beef will have ;) )
a table spoon of butter - room temp
a set of sliced sandwhich bread lightly toasted. - i use wholemeal rustic bread
1 round abergine
lettuse or arugula
alfalfa
a slice of cheddar cheese or any cheese you like... ^_^

the beef fillet once rubbed with butter and dijion mustard mixture

already seasoned with salt and pepper

20minutes later....you can see how juicy it is. its still slight under cook which is good...a touch of pink in the middle...at this point, let it rest for another 15-20 minutes (the beef will keep cooking while resting and then the beef will be nice and tender and juice mmmm mmmm~)

mix butter and dijon mustard well then rubb it on the beef fillet (pat it dry first before rubbing it in, this will ensure that the butter sticks) then season it with salt and blackpepper. and roast it in the oven for about 20 minutes in a 190C preheated oven.

then the most important step in beef roasting is to let it REST for another 15-20minutes, oh don't forget to cover it with aluminium foil when resting it.

meanwhile...for the abergine:-

slice a round abergine thickly about 1/2 an inch or you can do it thicker. then rub it with salt let it sit for a minute or two, this will draw the slight bitterness of the abergine out. then rinse it and then pat it dry. spread the leftover mustard butter mixture and start grilling. a couple of minutes each side then season it with a bit of salt and we are done.

Sandwhich dressing:

1tbs plain yogurt
1tbs sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1tsp smoked powdered paprika
1tsp honey
a pinch of salt and b/pepper.

just combine all and ready to use. don't worry about the paprika it'll just give you a hint of heat.

isn't it gorgeous..i wish that you can smell this...

Assemble your sandwich, starting with spreading butter on your toast. this will prevent the toast being soaked by the dressing later. then layer in the cheese then the abergine then the cheese again then the lettuse/arugula (arugula taste A LOT better than lettuse). drizzle in the dressing....(my mouth is literally watering right now) then the sliced beef...i like to slice it rather thin so that i can have more than 3 slice in a sandwich plus its easier to eat but you cut it any how you like... then top it with alfalfa and drizzle in the dressing again and end it with another toast. Ahhh~ that's a handful of sandwich and though its seem simple but it is as filling as it should be. have it with corn on a cob on the side or a simple potatoe salad and you are set...

Assembling the sandwich....mmm yummy!

tah dahhhh~

MYstyle: Vietnamese Beef Noodles (Pho)

the broth, i didn't chop the cilantro for the broth because my children hate veges so what i did was i wash it and dip in a warm water then i tie it up. you can see the knotted cilantro here....

this is a bowl of my husband dinner for tonight i cling wrap it so that later he could just heat up the broth and enjoy the dish - its good presentation too.

i know that i've been idle, its only because my sister just got married last Friday (we had alot to do and still do). speaking of which i'll be having some food tasting at one world hotel, bandar utama later tonight. since i'm the only one invited i felt guilty for my husband and kids that i had to leave them behind (we drew straws...) so before i go i thought of making something simple for them to eat...and vietnamese beef noodles came to mind.

the Vietnamese Beef Noodles is also known as Pho or Vietnamese Pho (which pronounced as Fuh and NOT poo or pu or poe am i making any sense at all?) which i've made a fool our of myself miss-pronouncing the word in a fancy Vietnamese restaurant. so now you know...

anyway...this is my version of the Pho noodle recipe based on my convenience and preference and i personally think that this recipe just done it, its easy and tasty.


what you need for the broth..:

some good beef bones - the marrow will give you the beautiful distinctive beef flavor.
about 1lb meat - chuck or rump or brisket will do
2.5ltr water
2 large onions halved and charred
2" galangal root / lengkuas charred the crush
4" of ginger cut into half also charred then crushed - both charred Laos,onions and ginger will give it a bit of that smokey flavor.
Pho spices :- wrapped in mouslin cloth - 1tsp, coriander seeds, 1 med cinnamon stick, a couple of cardamom seeds, 1 star anise, 5pcs of cloves.
1tbsp salt or to taste
1tbsp sugar or to taste
1/4 c of fish sauce
1/2 stalk of cilantro

-> you just need to dump in all the ingredients except beef balls and boil away. once it reaches boiling point reduce heat and let it simmer until the broth reduced a little.

-> beef ball to be added just before serving (this is to avoid swelling of the beef balls)

the Noodles:

Flat Rice noodle / kue tiaw (not sure how to spell it) or regular rice noodle would do and in my case i use yellow 'fat' noodle ^_^
shredded carrots
some bean sprouts
chopped Cilantro
some fresh basil (daun selasih)
some mint leaf
lime wedges
finely sliced onion and red chillies. - for garnishing

=> you just blanch the noodle until just soft or if you're using dried noodles boil it according to the packaging. then place it in a bowl of individual serving and top all of the veges and garnishes. on the side place the thinly sliced cooked beef . serve your broth Hot.

=> also what you can do is to thinly slice frozen beef and marinade it with a dash of fish sauce. then just placed the delicate thin beef strips on top of your noodle along with the other stuff of course and the just pour in the extremely HOT soup/broth . this way the beef won't be over cooked and it'll hold its flavor better - this, i personally think is how you should enjoy your pho noodle!


mmm...somehow i think that my explanation is a bit off but i can't seem to put my finger in it...
anyway, should you just have any sort of question feel free to ask and i'll be happy to help you.

happy cooking!

Simple roasted beef

this roasted beef looked all done but its actually medium well and still have a touch of pink in the middle...which is purrrrrrrrrrrrfect!!!

this dish was one of those movie inspired dish...mmm namely the desperate housewife where argh can't remember the red head character's name this is annoying...oh yeah Bree, the 'perfect' housewife cooked a 'perfect' dinner (this was i think the 1st season where she still cook the restaurant worthy food)...

so my mom and i instantly had that craving so we immediately went to the market (pasar tani) that afternoon to look for a prime beef and some other ingredients to accompany the roast beef.
it was a simple recipe and also very satisfying dish. we didn't even have left overs, it was that good!

so here's the recipe:


Roast beef
a log of prime beef - if you are not familiar with the parts of beef, ask your butcher. its mmm how can i explain it one of those beef that is near the ribs its the best part. (correct me if i'm wrong though)
carrots
parsnip
celery sticks

seasoning:
salt - generous amount
freshly cracked black pepper as much as you like, personally the more the better.


side dish:
corn on cob
your fave garden veges
potatoes wedges season with salt and paprika


for this roasted beef you'd need to season it generously. why?
1. because its a big chunk of beef, any less you'll end up with bland roast
2. because we didn't marinate it, marinating is not necessary here.

as for the balck pepper you don't need to put it too much at first coz we'll need to season it with black pepper again later just before serving.

pre heat oven at 200c.
cut carrot, parsnip in big chunks, potatoes in wedges and line them in a buttered casserole dish together with celery sticks. then top it with the beautifully seasoned beef. roast it for 15 minutes.
reason being is that i wanted to some sort sear the beef and have that gorgeous browning effect around the beef and have that very tasty beefy outer crust. at this point you'd need to keep a special eye coz you might want to rotate it every now and then for even browning.

after 15minutes turn the heat down to 160-170c and let it roast for a further 1.5-2 hours depending on your desired done-ness. i like my beef medium well so with my oven it only take about 1.5hr.

once the beef out the no 1 cardinal rule of roasting beef is that YOU NEED TO LET IT REST for at least 15-20 minutes or so. why? because if you don't you'll end up with somewhat dried roast...so for this purpose you'll need to let it rest on a wire rack. this is important because this step will help the roast beef retain all the juice in side. if you notice when you roast beef and let it sit on a plate or tray and later on you see that your roast beef is in a pool of its own juice? this is what we want to avoid and what we want is to keep as much as moisture left in the beef as possible....

i hope you understand my explanation coz i feel like i'm talking gibberish... anyway let the roast sit on the wire rack and cover it with aluminum foil. after the 15-20 minutes rub it again with freshly cracked black pepper for extra kick and slice it and serve it. simple as that.

i need to also point out here is that the veges from the casserole dish is very flavorful and its abit too salty to eat it on its own so you'll need to incorporate it with your gravy.

to make the gravy just heat a knob of butter in the sauce pan mean while pour in hot water (about 2cups or so) in the casserole dish to loosen all of those flavors and pour it in the sauce pan. then add in about 1-2tbsp of corn starch to thicken the sauce, season it with salt and pepper to taste.

as for the side dish:
garden vegetables : just blanch it in hot water then set aside.
then heat a knob of butter and saute chopped garlic until almost brown then dump in all of the garden veges and toss it then season it with salt and pepper to taste. then ready to serve.

corn?...this is to easy for me to write this down, common go figure!


mmmm i just realized that i've forgot to take my gravy picture...sorry...but i do hope that you'll give this recipe a try and i can promise you this that this is and easy dish that will impress anyone who have a taste of it!

hearty beef stew

made this sometime ago and i think i've already posted the recipe so do i still have to post the recipe??

anyway this is one of the best stew i've made and my chicken stew is also a 'fast seller' on my dining table....i will post in the recipe in the next entry coz i'm unable to upload my pictures...

this is surely a MUST TRY recipe

Beef Stew : A hearty meal for whole family

tonight for some reason i feel like eating beef stew with some toast...sound plain and unappetizing huh? maybe...but you just gotta try before you judge...we all ate the whole pot of stew without realizing it...i was surprised myself. the smell of the stew was exactly like ones u used to have when i was studying in The UK. the the first taste of that tender beef almost melts in the mouth really brings back the wonderful and most cherished memories...ahh~

what you need:
300g beef cut in cubes : i use those ready cut beef written suitable for stew bought in cold storage.
1 stick of celery - cut coarsely
2 large tomatoes.- cut in 6 wedges each
1cup tomato puree
2 large potatoes - cut in chunky cubes
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary- i use only half coz my family doesn't like the overwhelming aroma of rosemary.
1 carrot stick - cut in chunks
1 large bombay onion - cut in chunks
2 clove garlic- coarsely chopped
salt to taste
1tsp paprika powder
a pinch of black pepper
1ltr stock - i use my homemade chicken stock (i never buy chicken stock *wink*)
1tbsp olive oil
sugar to taste - about 1 1/2 tsp. +-

how to:

1. prepping the beef by putting some salt and paprika to taste.
2. then saute or brown the beef. if using small pan then do it in section otherwise you'll steam it instead of browning it, you don't want that. then set aside.
   
3. heat olive oil, then saute onion until fragrant, then add in the garlic. stir until fragrant then add in the carrots. stir for a little bit then add in the chicken stock and tomato puree
4. let it simmer then add in the tomatoes, beef, potatoes, bay leaves and Rosemary and the seasonings (salt, black pepper and sugar to taste)
   
5. let it cook and simmer for about 30-45 minutes adding water and stir occasional to avoid burning
6. when the beef is tender (as do the potatoes ;)) and the sauce thickens, you may turn off the heat.

I serve this with corn and buttered toast...really a filling and hearty meal...
unfortunately i don't have my own picture for this stew coz as you know i do not own any camera only my trusty handphone nokia N series...since i made this in the evening the picture turned out badly that i'm embarrased to show it here so i pick one up from google images that looks closest to my stew. don't ask me the which site i can't remember but thanx to the owner, no Puns intended.

BBQ Baked Ribs

Yesterday we all break our fast with a feast heheh....i'm mean suddenly i got all excited making dinner to break our fast and at the time it was only 1pm (told you i got too excited) i usually start cooking around 4pm-5pm ...anyway as i dived in my fridge to find something good to eat i found my long lost ribs in my freezer (well not that long but i WAS supposed to cook it during the Merdeka Day but i forgot :D ) and then the rest is history...

I defrost my ribs marinate it and then bake it for at least 11/2 hours...emmemm~ and it was delish we ate it so fast in the end of the day we all looked barbaric my son said 'mommy, papa look like ghost and you too' (coz our mouth are all covered with the BBQ sauce, what can i say barbaric plus we're really hungry)i also almost forgot taking pictures of these yummy food...and i also made chinese style fried rice, fish crackers, fried eggs sunny side up and lompat tikam, a steamed dessert originated from Kelantan, my home town. ah~ its not fasting month if there's no lompat tikam in our house, oh and the drinks its Cincau Syrup and Fresh Coconut drink, oh yeah thats a must have...so that's our break fast meal yesterday simple but very filling..

anyway heres the recipe for my BBQ Baked Ribs
What you need:
400-500g ribs
1 can of tomato puree
3tbs honey
1/4c of brown sugar
a dash of sesame oil
1 sprig of coriender leaves chopped
1/4c chilli sauce
1tbs paprika powder
Salt to taste
a dash of black papper * optional

How you do it...
combine all ingredients and marinate the ribbs for a minimum of 2 hours (the longer the better)
then cover the ribbs with aluminium foil and bake at 200c when you reach the 11/2hrs reduce heat to 180c, take off the foil and continue baking for another 1/2an hour or so or until tender.
This is all i can save for my photo session lol ;)

and the lompat tikam...direct translation is 'jump and stab' how wierd is that? i really have no idea why they named that dessert like that...the tradisional lompat tikam came with 3 separated concogtion but all have some coconut milk in them. but this time around i made this ala kuih talam (or rather in a baking tin)

i would love to post the recipe here but i kindda for got the measurement for lompat tikam ala kuih talam but i'll post here the actual recipe

What you need:
Part A: The Screwpine(pandan) mixture

• 5pcs of screwpine blend with 200ml of water, take the screwpine water
• 500ml diluted Coconut milk
• 250g Rice flour
• a pinch of kapur sirih or soda ash
• a pinch of salt
• green coloring *optional - only if your mixture looks pale
  

mix all ingredients and cook in a sauce pan over medium heat until thicken, set a side (some people they heat it over the medium heat until the steam came out then they put the mixture in a steamer and steam until firm<--this is like kuih talam - sorry dunno how to translate that) part B:Coconut milk mixture

• 1500ml concentrated coconut milk (but i dilute it anyway coz i can't take the richness of the coconut milk)
  
• 80gm Rice flour (this is to thicken the coconut milk)
• a pinch of salt

again do the same like the above, heat it over medium heat and stir constant ly until thickens, set aside.

part C: Glutinous Rice

• 1c glutinous rice
  
• 1 c diluted coconut milk
• a bit of red coloring

wash the glutinous rice several time. To speed the cooking time before you make part A and B, soak the glutinous rice (this is to speed the cooking) then in a steamer, pour in the coconut milk and red coloring, steam until the glutinous rice is cooked thoroughly. its good if you were to stir the rice once in a while to even it(color).

The Sugar Palm sauce:

• 300g Palm sugar
• 3c water
• 1pc screwpine leave

cook the palm sugar, water and screwpine until melted and thicken. set aside.

to assemble:
you can serve it individually put a scoop of each a nd drizzle the palm sugar sauce and enjoy!

this is my version of talam lompat tikam which i forgot the portion of the ingredients....

Now this is how lompat tikam originally look like the picture is not mine borrow it from mudzaffar.blogspot.com ;) jangan marah hehe~