Sweet & Sour Cauliflower

Sweet & Sour Cauliflower
600g cauliflower, chopped into florets

4 tbsp (60g) flour

6 tbsp (90ml) water

Sauce:

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp honey

2 tsp white vinegar

2 tbsp water

1 tsp cornstarch

1) Preheat oven to 220C / 430F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

2) In a large bowl, combine together flour and water until a smooth batter forms. Add cauliflower florets and toss to coat evenly. Arrange the cauliflower onto the baking tray, making sure they don't touch each other. Bake for about 15 minutes or until cauliflower is softened and slightly browned.

3) While the cauliflower is baking, prepare the sauce: in a small saucepan, combine together soy sauce, ketchup, honey and white vinegar. 

4) In a small bowl, combine together water and cornstarch. Stir with a spoon until there are no lumps. Add this to the saucepan.

5) Turn on the heat and cook the sauce over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. You do not need to bring it to boil. Cook just for a few minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened (thick enough to cover the cauliflower). Remove from heat.

6) Once the cauliflower is cooked through, transfer it to a bowl and add the sauce. Toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.

Serves 2.

Recipe by collecting memories 

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

250g (2 cups) flour
240ml (1 cup) boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
Up to 60ml (1/4 cup) sesame oil (I used sunflower)
A bunch of chopped scallions

1) In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt. Stir in the boiling water and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough forms comes together. Transfer to a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Wrap in a plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge).

2) Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a disk (20 cm / 8 inch in diameter) and brush the tops with oil. Sprinkle some scallions and roll the disk up. Twist the disk into a spiral and re-roll it into a disk (same size). Repeat the process with oil and scallions, roll it up, twist into a spiral again and re-roll into a slightly smaller disk (It depends how thick you want your pancakes). Repeat this process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.

3) Heat some oil in a frying pan. Cook pancakes for around 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Cut into 6 wedges and serve immediately with soy sauce for dipping.

Recipe adapted from here (you can find step by step pictures here as well). 

Chinese Fried Rice

Christmas time was crazy. I baked tons of cakes, cookies, pies and fudge and it feels like I didn't eat anything normal during this holiday period. After this baking marathon I feel like I need something a little bit healthier. I'm sure some of you have started eating healthier this year (I promise that to myself every year, but my healthy eating never lasts too long). Anyway, I wanted to stay away from sweets this time and cook some "real" food. Yes,  this is fried rice and it doesn't sound healthy. But it just doesn't sound healthy because actually it's packed with veggies and traditional white rice is substituted with brown rice. The only bad thing about it is oil (but come on, it's just 1 tablespoon).  So if you try to eat healthier, this shouldn't ruin your diet.

Oh and finally, I want to thank you for reading my blog for the past few years. I'm very happy to see your comments every day and I feel even happier when you leave feedbacks on recipes you try. I will continue publishing new recipes and sharing my cooking experiences with you this year and I'll keep growing this tried & tested recipe collection. 

Chinese Fried Rice 

70g (2.5 ounce) brown rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small carrot, julienned
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
A handful of bean sprouts, drained
Pinch salt
1 tbsp Teriyaki sauce
Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

1) Cook brown rice and allow to cool.

2) In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion and cook until translucent and lightly caramelized. Add garlic and carrot and stir-fry over medium heat until carrot has softened a little bit.

3) Add egg and stir with a wooden spoon, breaking it into small bits as it scrambles. Add bean sprouts, salt and rice. Finally, add Teriyaki sauce and stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes. 

4) Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Serves 1

Recipe by collecting memories 

Bean Thread Noodle & Carrot Stir-Fry

Going to Chinese supermarkets can be a fun experience. Despite tons of different foods which definitely don't look edible and I'd never know what to do with them, and a strange smell which I find in most Chinese supermarkets, I really love shopping there. It's super fun to explore the shop full of unusual stuff. But I'm kind of scared to buy something I'm not familiar with so I usually choose something I know. Bean thread noodles, Bean sprouts and Teriyaki sauce is what I really love. And here's a simple dish with these 3 awesome Chinese ingredients. If you're not used to Chinese food, don't be scared. This recipe is super simple. Aaand it's probably my favourite dish now. Really, after I made this, I fell in love with mung bean noodles even more!

Bean Thread Noodle & Carrot Stir-Fry 

2 tbsp oil
100g bean thread noodles 
1 medium onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot (140g), thinly sliced
1/2 chili pepper, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground ginger
A handful of bean sprouts
salt, to taste
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2-3 tbsp Teriyaki sauce (I used this)

1) Pour some boiling water over the noodles and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Remove from hot water and rinse through with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain completely.

2) In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add onion and cook until lightly browned and softened. Add garlic, carrot, chili pepper, ground ginger and salt. Cover and cook for a few minutes, over medium heat, until carrots are softened. Add bean sprouts, sesame seeds and noodles. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add Teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds.

3) Serve immediately and enjoy!

Serves 2

Recipe by collecting memories