Mee Goreng or Zok's version of Mee Goreng

1 brown onion, chopped finely

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

2 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped (or not* says Colleen)

2 cm aka 3/4 in. of fresh ginger grated

60 ml or 1/4 c. oil (Zok would mention here you want an oil that can take the high heat and not burn away so Sunflower is better than Peanut)

350g about 12 oz. of Hokkien noodles, gently pulled apart

A package of firm Tofu first fried then cut

4 spring onions

1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks

1 tbls. kecap manis

1 tbls. soy sauce

1 tbls. tomato sauce

extra spring onions, to garnish 

Combine chopped onion, garlic, chillies, and ginger into a mortar and pestle (or use short bursts in a food processor)

pound until ingredients are paste-like (you can add a bit of oil if needed)

Set this aside.

In your wok use about 1 tbls. of oil  and stir fry your noodles until they are plump and warmed through. Place them in a covered bowl when done to keep them warm.

Add another tbls. of oil to your wok and stir-fry your paste mixture until golden.

Add your carrots, then your tofu

(Stir-frying all the while)

and then your kecap manis, soy and tomato sauces

Spoon the finished mixture over your noodles.

Notes:

You could at the tofu step substitute some sort of meat- you know- if you are in to that.

Roberto's Beans and Tortillas

One of the foods we missed the most while in Tasmania was Mexican food.

We have lived here since 2006, and just this last year have small Mexican food stalls started appearing here in Hobart.  I love Mexican because it is one of the easiest vegetarian "really don't" hate meat eaters meal to make for everyone.

Sometimes you need a friend to get you from "We really should." into "Gee that was easy."

Our friend,Roberto, was the catalyst for us making our own beans and tortillas and we do, quite often.  Zok has gotten a tortilla warmer and two tortilla presses.

An advantage to tortilla is that corn meal is a great substitute for the gluten intolerant.  

Here are Roberto's recipes that got us started.

I will put up the corn recipe in a separate post.

Flour Tortillas:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder (not soda!)

3/4 cup of 'hot'! water (we use the tea kettle)

1/4 cup of vegetable shortening *

1. Mix all the dry ingrediants: flour, powder, salt

2. Cut in the shortening*

3. Add hot water, if the mixture feels too sticky (it should at the end come cleanly from your hands and the bowl) add more flour (tip: have a flour shaker so adding in flour is easy, even, and gradual)

4. Knead the dough for 5 minutes (Zok now uses his Kitchen Aid for all and any mixing)

5. Cover dough for 10 minutes

6. separate dough into balls to either press with your tortilla press or to roll out with your rolling pin.

7. Fry in a hot pan- the dough will bubble up a bit and that is a good time to flip it.  Otherwise you can just continually flip until done 

*In Australia and Sweden the vegetable shortening is some form of coconut, and it comes cold and we have to grate it with the small part of a cheese grater.

If you are using soft American shortening you could just put in small scoops at a time.

The tortilla warmer does keep the tortillas hot.

Pinto Beans: (We actually use a variation of Bolito beans because that is what we can find here and in Stockholm-they work really well).

2-3 cups beans

6-8 cloves garlic

1 medium onion (I use white or yellow as I find they dissolve in, leaving flavor but not too concentrated a flavor)

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

1 tbl. cumin seeds

1. Separate and rinse beans (compost any funky looking ones or sometimes there are non-bean bits depending on how you buy your beans)

2. Chop onion and half the garlic

3. Crush your cumin seeds, and then crush the rest of your garlic into the crushed seeds, I use a mortar and pestle, and then use water to rinse the whole lot into the pot

4. Add all to a pot with a large bottom (wide as opposed to deep)

5. Add enough water to cover to about 2 inches above the beans.

6. First bring to a rapid boil for about 8 minutes, then lower to a simmer.

Cover and remember to check often, and stir often.

I cheat a bit and crush my beans towards the end with a potato masher, but I do spend hours letting them slow cook.  They always seem to taste best when I don't speed up the process.  You can always add more water if too much evaporates off.  This will happen if you are cooking them faster.

If the flavor isn't quite right I will add more cumin or garlic.

Double Chocolate (white and dark) Marble Cake (Kitchenaid)

This is Zok's altered version of violet, double chocolate marble cake from a KitchenAid recipe book.

100 g dark chocolate (70%)*

50 g white chocolate chips*

115 g softened butter

150 g sugar

2 Eggs

200 g self-raising flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180 C.  Grease a 23 cm ring mould.  Melt your chocolate.*

Cream the butter and sugar in the mixer bowl with the flat beater on speed 4 for 1 minute, until pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.

If the mixture looks curdled, add a tablespoon of flour.**

Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, then beat into the creamed mixture on speed 4 for 1 minute until well-combined.  Spoon half the batter into another bowl and add the vanilla extract and white chocolate.
Then with your melted dark chocolate, mix this into the batter left in your mixer bowl with the flat beater on speed 1 until thoroughly combined.

Then drop alternating spoonfuls of each batter into your cake tin.  Smooth the surface with a spoon and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. (Warning-overcooking really dries out this cake). Leave the cake in its tin to cool, but first loosen the edges a bit with a dull knife.

Zok tops his cake with a ganache. (If you search the word ganache-it will take you to that post)
However here is the recipe from the book, we just have no access to violets.

100 g white chocolate
25 ml violet liquer
50 g crystallized violets
Melt your chocolate together with the liquer.
Roughly chop the crystallized violets.
Melt your chocolate and stir in your liquer.
After turning your cake out- drizzle the cake with icing and then sprinkle on the violets.

*This is what is stated in the book recipe, but this sort of depends on what chocolate you have access too- the cake relies on good chocolate, so you are best to buy specialty chocolate from a chocolate shop if possible.

If it is a large block you can grate it, if the chips are large just break them a bit.

Zok melts his chocolate by using hot water in a tin bowl, with a tin bowl with the chocolate on top, and the heat from the water melts the chocolate.  Then using a rubber scraper to get all the melted chocolate into the mix.

**Zok would tell you to always have a shaker of flour by your side when baking and add as needed.

Tasty Tofu: An introduction to stir-frying and Tofu and of course Rice

I think the original recipe for this dish is in Sweden, where we are not.

 However, this recipe has evolved away from any true recipe, this is the dish Zok makes when we are short on time, or short on ingredients.

Because we use a rice cooker, the dish is especially quick.

I think originally, this is the recipe that made Zok start to actually want to eat tofu, hence the nickname of 'Tasty Tofu'.

For those who care there are some tips on Stir-frying at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients:

Firm tofu (amount depending on how many you are feeding)

Shiitake Mushrooms (Zok would say that only Shiitake mushrooms should be used due to the small amount of ingredients and the strong flavor of these mushrooms)

Garlic (again this is about your own taste)

Real Butter

Sauce:

30 ml Soy Sauce

30 ml Miran

30 ml Cooking Sake

 

Cut all ingredients into thin slices, trying for uniform sizes

First melt your butter to coat the bottom of your pan*

Quickly flash fry your garlic- until fragrant and put them aside (into a small dish)

Coat the pan with butter again and quickly do the same with your mushrooms and then put then aside

Repeat again with your tofu pieces, getting them golden-brown in color.

Then you can put all your ingredients together into the pan and add your sauce.

Essentially you are just reducing down the sauce so that it is thickened.

Dish out your rice and add your tofu, mushrooms, garlic tasty-goodness over the top.

We usually have a glass of cold sake with this meal.

*Disclaimer, Zok uses a heavy based, good heat conducting frying pan not a wok for this dish because it doesn't need much cooking as of course you could eat these ingredients raw.

Tips on Stir-frying

This dish is a bit of a introduction to stir-frying, as you can practice making your ingredients uniform, and having everything to hand to quickly add in.

These are the most important parts of mastering a good stir-fry.

Because everything is cooked quickly, a good, high, constant heat is important.

When using the wok, it is especially important to have everything you need nearby and ready to go.

Any oil (or butter) is good as long as they are not cold pressed.  

Having a little bit of water to hand is a good idea, you can sprinkle the edges of your wok so items don't stick because they are drying out.

Because your food is cooked simply and quickly there is a crisp caramelized taste.