Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen

My First Online Cooking Game Available Now

2010-07-11T16:46:00.005+02:00

After a few months of hard from from Chris over at e-cooking games, my very first online cooking game featuring one of my old-time favorite Creamy Sunroot Soup recipe has finally been published and is available online now for free :-)

I have been playing various games over at e-cooking games for months now and I can say that they are very silly, but heaps of fun :-) I was therefore very honored when Chris asked me for a permission to turn one of my recipes into a cooking game.

I came up wth this soup, as it looks nice, it is simple to make and has so far pleased everyone that came over to have a spoonful.

Chris then worked for about two months and just yesterday he shoots me a mail to check out my game:

To play this awesome game, click on the above soup cartoon or click here :-)

I am really happy and grateful, thanks Chris for all your efforts. I love it and so hope that everyone else will :-)

T&T - Zlamushka s Spicy Kitchen

2010-05-16T08:05:00.005+02:00

I am very sad to announce that I had to passed on my Tried And Tasted event, as I completely lacked the time to keep it up and running on a regular basis. The good news is that it reached a very good and responsible owner Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles.

And right after I have done that Lakshmi decided to host my blog as the Blog of The Month. I am so humbled, happy, excited and also a bit nervous. I hope you like my recipes and that they come out exactly the way you wish for them to be :-)

Do let me know if you have any questions or comments.

The details for the event are over at Lakshmi blog. There are 15 more days to go...

One of the reasons why I got so busy lately is my little adorable kitten Piku. I am so happy to have her, she is my little cuddly sweet heart :-)

Now that I re-read the post, it turned out to be a very happy one, even thou it started with me being sad.

Chicken Soup

2010-04-26T06:21:00.007+02:00

... for the soul.

I have been sick with flu for more than a week now - not fun! The weather here in Denmark has been really moody and it is slowly getting on my nerves. Spent more time in the kitchen, though, which made me happy :-)

Chicken soup was one of the dishes I decided to make immediately. As a sick person, you need a lot of warm fluids and this one is just what I am talking about - just like my mum used to make :-)

CHICKEN SOUP:
(Kuracia polievka)

2 chicken breasts*
2 carrots
1 parsnip root
1/4 celery bulb
1 onion
1 bunch fresh parsley
salt
black pepper

* NOTE: My mum puts chicken intenstines into the soup instead of breasts. It is a great way of using chicken leftovers. If using, boil the intenstines first (for abt 40 min) and then towards the end, add the chopped veggies.

Clean the breasts and pat dry. Wash and peel the root veggies and cut into big bite-sized pieces. Peel and halve the onion. Organize the parsley into a buquet and tie a piece of thread around it.

Bring about a litre of water to boil together with the meat and veggies. Throw in the parsley buquet and cook on low heat until the carrots are soft.

Take the chicken pieces out and break into smaller pieces. Put back to the soup, adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Done :-)

Jamie Oliver´s Carrot Cake with Nuts

2010-03-24T14:26:00.001+02:00

I love carrot cakes. I love the crunchiness of its carrots and the nuts, its spices, slight sourness, hm... everything. I have about 20 carrot cake recipes that i actually tried.

Jamie Oliver's Carrot Cake is one of the bestest. I made it at least 10 times already, because it is easy to make and you would really have to try hard to mess it up. I have my own version (recipe below) that I really enjoy. So today, I felt like making it again and while looking for the recipes, I realized that this one never left its post-queue. Well, here it is - belated summer ode :-)

Another summery day at work when thing are just dragging their feet and as half of the office is on vacation, there is not much better to do than eat cookies and cakes :-)
Oh well, it might be a bit exaggerated, but summers ARE slower than winters. So while waiting for other colleagues returning all happy and tanned from their fancy vacations, I decided to bake another cake (the third of its kind this summer) for the few left in the offices.

I am now in process of moving out of my apartment and so for the very last time, while I was browsing through my soon-to-be-ex room mate´s cookbooks (thanks girl ;-), I ran into my all-time favorite - Jamie Oliver. Having tons of carrots in the fridge and a few other leftovers, this cake seemed to combine it all - festiveness of the looks an simplicity of ingredients.

So while I am looking forward to my new kitchen, you guys enjoy my version of Jamie Oliver´s:

CARROT CAKE
(Gulerodskage)

250g butter, room temperature
250g sugar (preferably brown, I used white)
5 eggs
juice and zest of 1 orange
juice of half lemon
170g sieved flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
50g chopped almonds
120g chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
285g grated carrots

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Whisk the butter with the sugar. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and whisk in the yolks, one at a time. Add the orange zest and juice, lemon juice, followed by the flour, baking powder and spices. Add the chopped nuts and carrots. Mix well.

Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy. Add the foam to the cake, mix in carefully. Pour the cake batter into a baking tray and bake for about 50 minutes. Let cool down completely before serving.

It was very moist and juicy - yums, the cake disappeared in a second :-)

Japanese Seaweed Carrot Salad

2010-03-10T14:02:00.000+02:00

A lovely warm salad that has so much taste and texture, I ate a whole giant bowl on my own :-) And I should not be laughing because since I decided to eat really simply and modestly during the Christian Lent period, I should not be stuffing my face with nothing.

Anyway, I am not Christian and this salad has not more than 120 kcal per portion, so I guess it wasnt such a big sin!

Lovely, here it is - my new winter favorite:

SEAWEED CARROT SALAD:

1 dl dried arame seaweed
2 carrots
225g broccoli florets
handful walnuts
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sunflower seed oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp apple juice

PLace the arame saweed into a bowl and cover with water. After 10 minutes, strain and drain through colander.

In the meantime, cut the carrots into matchsticks. In a saucepan, bring 1/2 litre water to boil and add the carrots. After 2 minutes, add the broccoli. Drain and set aside. The veggies should not be mushy, but still crispy.

In a separate bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients and pour over the veggies and the seaweed.

Serve with rice, with fish or as we did - with mashed Jerusalem Artichoke & Potato Purée.

Chinese Veggie Stir-Fry

2010-03-01T13:48:00.000+02:00

Are you also like me browsing through cookbooks in the morning trying to figure out what to do with your leftovers and preferably without too much fuss? There are plenty of ideas here at BurntMouth.com on how to use up leftovers and this one is no excpetion.

It is said that bright orangey colored foods encourage appetite and provide our bodies with lots of nutritious elements. Depending of course which veggies you end up using, you should in any case end up with plenty of vitamins.

CHINESE VEGGIE STIR-FRY
（中式炒菜）

1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp apple juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion
1 clove garlic
2 cm long ginger root
2 cup ready to cook veggies (chopped or in matchsticks)
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tsp sesame oil

In a small bowl mix together the soy sauce, cornstarch, vinegar, sugar and the apple juice and a teaspoon of the oil. Set aside.

In a wok, heat the rest of oil and fry the sliced onions, chopped garlic and chopped ginger. Add the veggies and stir-fry ofr about 5 minutes stirring constantly.

Add the sunflower seeds and after a few seconds, the mixed dressing. Cook through and take off the heat. Serve with rice.

I had mine with brown rice pulao and some really nice home-made seaweed chips.

Universal Tomato Pasta Sauce

2010-02-20T18:54:00.000+02:00

Anyone who runs a lot is advised to eat plenty of "easy carbohydrates". Pasta with tomato sauce is strongly encouraged, especially the night before a marathon.

Regardless if you are a runner, a busy mother or just a poor student, past with tomato sauce must come in handy. Low in calories and easy to make, you will never get tired of it. With this one, you can make a whole bunch and then add different ingredients when re-heating. You can of course use different types of pasta, too. Great, isnt it?
TOMATO PASTA SAUCE:

2 onions
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp oil
5 tomatoes
6 sun-dried tomato halves in oil
chilli flakes
1 tsp sugar
salt, pepper
fresh herbs

Chop the onions and garlic and sauté in heated oil. Add the chilli flakes and sugar and sauté until the sugar caramelizes. Add the chopped tomatoes and the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and chopped fresh herbs and continue simmering for another 10 minutes.

In the meantime cook the pasta as per instructions and serve with the sauce.

Now here comes the fun part. You can add just about anything to the ready made pasta sauce. Here are a few examples:

- garlic fried shrimps
- flaked pecorino cheese (Pasta Arrabbiata)
- roasted aubergine and grated parmesan cheese (Pasta Alla Norma)
- fried meat balls (Pasta Alla Bolognese)
- chopped olives (Pasta Alla Putanesca)

... or nothing. Here is the one I made recently - with shrimps...

Soy Bean Roast

2010-02-14T16:12:00.005+02:00

Roasts, patties and burgers, these are all great - regardless whether made with meat or not. They just feel like you are eating some 'real' food. I have enjoyed many bean or lentil patties, many tofu or veggie burgers, bean burgers, you name it, but I have only ate nut roast once. Even though it was the best nut roast ever (compared to the ones I imagined they could taste like), I still am a little shy when making one myself. Nuts are very fatty and I am scared of enjoying it too much.

Soy bean roast is a different story. It is light, hearhty and still filling in a very comfy way. Mine is mixed with shredded root veggies, which makes it creamy and rich in flavor. This was the first time I made it and man it was good :-)

SOY BEAN ROAST

1 cup cooked wheat berries
1 cup cooked soya beans
1 onion
1 cup root veggies (celery bulb, carrots, parsnip etc)
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp cumin seeeds
1 tbsp marjoram
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce

Place the wheat berries and soy bean into the blender together with some cooking liquid to blend easier. Add the chopped onion, shredded root veggies, oil, herbs ans spices and chopped garlic. Blend until smooth. Adjust the taste with soy sauce and pour into a greased baking tray.

Bake at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes or until crispy on top.

Serve with green beans blanched in boiling water and sauteed in oil, garlic and soy sauce.

Chinese Rice Congee Porridge

2010-02-01T15:28:00.001+02:00

Chinese congee (粥 - zhou) needs no introduction. It is probably the most popular breakfast in Asia. There are millions of ways to eat congee - sweet, savory, spicy, sour or just plain, where pretty much anything edible makes a suitable congee ingredient.

I have never made congee, because I wasnt sure how difficult and time consuming its preparation was. And then again - I lived in Asia, where it was impossible not to get a real nice rice porridge any time of the day.

Now that I came back to Denmark again and the weather here is impossible at this time of the year, the idea of a warm breakfast bowl is more than tempting. This morning, I made myself one just like that. Here is my recipe for the most basic one:

CONGEE:
(粥 - zhou)

Rice
Water

All you need are these two ingredients in ratio of 1:8. Any type of rice can be used - white, brown, black, glutinous, polished or unpolished. You take the call. For a simple congee for one person I use 2 tbsp raw rice.

Soak the rice in water for 2 - 4 hours. Plain white polished needs shorter soaking time than black, brown, glutinous or unpolished rice. Drain well. Transfer into a saucepan together with eight times more water. Bring to boil, reduce the heat and cook for about 30 minutes. You will see that the porridge will get very gooey and lovey smelling. This is when its done.

Simple as that, the topping is up to you.

For a savoury variety, cook the porridge with some chicken or beef or top the ready made porridge with soy sauce, chilli sauce, dried fish or sautéed vegetables.

For a sweet variety, I recommend soaking and cooking the rice together with some black, red or mung beans and top the ready porridge with a dollop of brown sugar. Some fresh or dried fruits can be added.

I soaked / cooked mine together with red dates （红枣）and lotus seeds　（莲子） and added a spoonful of brown sugar and some wolf berries （枸机子）as topping.

There are no limits to my porridge imagination :-)

Enjoy!

Chinese Herbal Medicine - Slimming Tea Recipe

2010-01-23T14:23:00.005+02:00

Travelling in Asia last month once again sparked up my old curiosity for discovering new spices and herbs. I used to browse the stores buying stuff I have never seen and then spending days indulging myself into figuring out what these things were and how to use them.

This time I was on a Chinese slimming tea recipes quest. I must admit that I have put on a loooot of weight last year :-( However to all fairness, I did eat the best. I think that was the best gourmet year in my life. Not much cooking and if, it would involve scrumptious stuff like scallops, lobster, leg of lamb, port wine cream sauce, etc. December was nearing by and I wasnt happy standing on my scale...

Sooo, it all probably started with meeting Julane, who is one hell of a lady. Spent years traveling the world, trying new stuff and shares the same love of Asian food, culture, spices and walking. The two of us just cold not stop talking, running around eating, drinking and really enjoying ourselves.

She took me to a few Chinese stores with traditional herbal medicine and showed me around. I ended up doing what I used to do while living in China - shopping for weird-looking stuff.

Once I came back I opened up all the goodies, google and dusted off some old Chinese medicine books. After turning everything upside down and inside out, I ended up with a list of all kinds of herbs and fruits that claim to have metabolic and other digestive-friendly qualities. Yesterday, I brewed my first cup and it was pretty good :-) Not that I can claim a considerable amount of weight loss, bt it felt right. It has about similar ingredients as most of the stuff you buy in Asian stores that has "Slimming Tea" on it.

Here is my recipe:

CHINESE HERBAL SLIMMING TEA:
(中式减肥茶）

4 rose petals （玫瑰花 - mei gui hua）
10 Hawthorn fruit slices（山楂片 - shan zha pian）
2 tsp cassia seeds （决明子 - jue ming zi）
15 wolfberries （枸机子 - gou ji zi）
5 red dates （红枣 - hong zao）
3 threads lotus flower (金针花 - jin zhen hua)
3 slices dried tangerine peel (陈皮 - chen pi)

(in the middle, you can see the purple rose petals, then in the top right corner the dried tangerine, clockwise the 3 lotus flower threads, cassia seeds, red oval-shaped wolf berries, sliced dried hawthorn fruit and finally the four big red dried dates)

Instructions (做法）:

Put all the ingredients except for the tangerine peel into a big sauce pan together with a litre of water. Bring to boil, reduce the heat and let simer for about 10 minutes. Add the tangerine or lemon peel and boil for another 2 minutes.

Turn off the heat and strain. Drink this tea as desired.

Cabbage Vadai Fritters

2009-12-13T19:18:00.007+02:00

Hm... cabbage fritters - unforgettable crunchiness. My favorite leftover treat. Served with mango chutney or dips - I can eat them anytime. Ok, I know I should not :-( Even though cabbage is a vegetable (and a very healthy one) we know that deep-frying it does not help much to maintaining our skinny waistlines, eh? ;-)

Just to make it a tiny bit more fair, I shallow-fry mine in very little oil. Yeah... it sort of helps...

CABBAGE VADAI:

1 cup split red lentils (red dal)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp asafoetida
4 small green chillies
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shredded cabbage*
1 onion
1 bunch coriander leaves
oil

*Use spinach leaves for another variety.

Soak the lentils in the water for at least 2 hours. Drain off the water completely and blend the lentils in a blender. Add the asa, chopped chillies, chopped onion and salt. Blend some more.

Add the cabbage and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. With a wet hand, take a spoonful ofthe dough and form a ball. Flatten it with a palm of your hand and let slip into hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crisp. Drain on the kitchen towel until the others are done.

Serve hot with chutneys or dips.

Curried Sugar Snap Peas

2009-11-22T20:42:00.004+02:00

This simple dish I pulled together during one of my lonely lazy Copenhagen after-work evenings. It was one of those when you come back late from work, forgot all about shopping and the only thing you want to do is to look into the fridge and come up with some kind of cooking math:

"One tomato + one onion + a few sugar snaps equals tonight´s dinner".

Ok, happy. It is just me after all and I really hate a) going to bed hungry and b) throw away food if it is still edible.

So, unexpectedly enough, this turned out to be such a simple tasty stir-fry, that now, two years later, I still find myself cooking this one up:

CURRIED SUGAR SNAPS:

2 tbsp oil
1/2 onion
1 tomato
a few curry leaves
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp curry powder
salt
two handfuls sugar snaps

Heat the oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and fry until light brown. Add the curry, the cumin seeds and the tomato and cook until gravy-like. Add the curry powder and mix in the sugar snaps. Cook for a minute or two. Adjust salt to taste and serve right away.

Very simple, but tasty. Good with flavored or plain rice.

Salad Greens with Orange Dressing

2009-10-25T15:30:00.004+02:00

Summery lovely fresh crispy salad greens complimented with tangy cranberries and crunchy almonds, dipped in sweet & sour orange-mustard dressing. I am so in love with this simple salad, lately it has been my number one side dish to steaks and other juicy meats, like duck. Oh... what is up with duck and orange combo? It is just amazing...

This is a simple salad with exotic richness and taste. Must-try in my kitchen.

SALAD GREENS WITH ORANGE DRESSING:

1/4 cup orange juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp mustard (Honey Dijon is perfect for this)
salt and pepper
6 cups mixed leaves
1 orange
1/3 cup almonds
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Wash the greens and mix with almonds and cranberries. Peel the orange and divide into segments. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the salad. Mix well and serve.

Spicy (Soy) Chicken Stew

2009-10-17T17:44:00.012+02:00

Copenhagen got really cold these days. Each time I finally cycle home and take off my gloves and b**tch about the weather, I wish for a bowl of hot thick creamy soup. Today I was running around with the usual - shopping, laundry, etc. so when I got home, I was really ready to cook something hearthy. This is a very simple, yet delicious European stew that I used to make quite often during my vegan days. Served with mashed potato, this stew makes a filling dinner.

SPICY STEW WITH (SOY) MEAT:

1 cup cooked soy nuggets *
vegetable oil
500ml veggie broth (preferably mushroom flavored)
1 onion
2 carrots
handful of soaked dried mushrooms
3 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns
1 tbsp any grill spice mix (or my Cajun Spice Mix)
1 tbsp wholegrain flour
1 tbsp mushroom flavored soy sauce

* NOTE: Instead of soy nuggets, use cubed chicken.

Fry the soy nuggets (or chicken) in oil, until crispy. In a pan, heat some oil and add the chopped onions. Fry for about 10 minutes or until brown. Add the carrots and the mushrooms. Saute for another 5 minutes. Add the broth together with the spices. Bring to boil, lower the heat and cook until the veggies are 90% done. Add the fried soy nuggets and the soy sauce. Cook for about 3 minutes, stir in the flour and cook until thickened.

Serve warm with mashed potatoes and pickled beet roots.

I served mine with mashed parsnip roots. To do that, simply boil chopped parsnip in salt water until soft, drain and blend with a hand mixer. This is a lighter (and to mne tastier) version of the tradition.

You can naturally use cubed chicken instead of the soy nuggets.

Beetroot Sauerkraut Salad

2009-09-17T16:56:00.007+02:00

So we have this BBQ party tomorrow called "Work & Friends" organised by one of my colleagues from my new job. Bill is a crazy American, who likes his parties. As the summer is coming to an end, he thought this was the (last) biggest opportunity to gather a crowd down at the beach and throw some meat on the barbie.

Since we are a team of people from all over the world Bill wrote in his invite that everyone has to bring some food from their country. Now this is something I would hate to miss out on. So when I heard that I knew exactly what I was bringing. Danes love root beets and potatoes and sour stuff. I love sauerkraut, so this salad was a winner.

Well, we shall wait and see. There is a panel of judges (which I happen to be part of) that taste and judge. Definitely look forward to that part :-)

Anyhow, this is what I am bringing to the party:

BEETROOT SALAD WITH SAUERKRAUT:
(Cvikľový šalát s kyslou kapustou)

1 kg beetroot
800g potatoes
3 carrots
2 onions
5 cloves garlic
1/2 little celery head
400g sauerkraut (German fermented cabbage)
2 handfuls sprouted wheat
2 handfuls watercress
200 ml juice from the sauerkraut
5 tbsp oil
salt
pepper

Boil the potatoes and the beet roots in separate pans until soft. Peel the beet roots (and potatoes if necessary) and cut both into small cubes. Mix in a big bowl.

Grate the celery and the carrots and finely slice the onions. Press the garlic cloves. Add to the potato-beet root mix. Add the sauerkraut, sprouts and the chopped watercress. Mix together with the sauerkraut juice and the oil. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste and let sit for about two hours prior to serving.

This is a huge amount of salad that will (hopefully) feed everyone at the party tomorrow :-)

Chinese Tea Eggs

2009-09-12T19:30:00.004+02:00

Funny that when I lived in China I could not care less, but once I came back - I became to love these little patterned eggs. Often prepared on the streets, the smell of cinnamon, star anise and sugar is a standard "incense stick" of Beijing, very popular around our campus. Waking up to this aroma always felt somehow Christmasy. Now a similar feeling is evoked at home each time I cook them. And today, I felt like Christmas... Just got off the phone with my sister who is expecting her second baby and since we live thousand miles away from each other, she was quite disappointed to hear that I might not be there for Christmas.

This is for you, sweets :-)

CHINESE TEA EGGS:
(茶叶蛋 - cha ye dan)

5 eggs
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1 star anise
1 tsp sugar
1 cinnamon stick
small pice of ginger, cut into coins
1 tbsp dried black tea leaves

Boil the eggs for about ten minutes in salted water. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

In a pan, heat 500ml water together with the rest of ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Place one egg on a table. Lightly press on it with your hand and roll it back and forth on the table surface to crush the egg shell. Do not peal though. Repeat with each egg.

Place the eggs into the tea broth and let cook for about 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool down. Take out the eggs and peal them. Serve cold.

Enjoy :-)

Buttermilk Veggie Sambar

2009-08-08T11:35:00.003+02:00

Another news to share with you...
I am moving out next week. Finally, a place completely on my own :-) aaaah, still in Copenhagen, but not bad. So, new job, new flat, new friends, good old me :-) Let us see how it goes.

You know how food sometimes evokes feelings in you? To me, whenever I think of sambars, I feel like dancing... mainly i think it because a) dancing involves drinking and drinking involves spicy hot lovely curry or b) because the word sambar somehow contains "samba" latino dance and that one I liiiike :-)

Sambars are thick and spicy curries often served as the first course of a traditional Indian meal. Containing one of three bases: tamarind, dhal or buttermilk, sambars make a universal sauce for any type of vegetables. As for my very first attempt, I have decided to try buttermilk based with Brussel sprouts as main veggies. I must tell you, not a bad shot. Here it is - a simple quick:

BUTTERMILK SAMBAR PASTE:
(Moru Kozhambu)

prep time: 15 minutes
makes: enough to cook 1 cup chopped vegetables with 2 cups yoghurt

2 tbsp oil
1 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp dhal (I used red lentils and mung dhal)
1 tsp coriander seeds
6 dried red chillies
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
3 tbsp coconut flakes (I used dried)
1 cm piece ginger

Heat up the oil and fry the fenugreek seeds, dhal, coriander seeds, red chillies, asafoetida powder and sauté for about 2 minutes. Take great care not to burn it.
In a mortar, crush the spices well, add the coconut and ginger and process to a smooth paste. Add a bit of water if necessary.

To make a simple Buttermilk Sambar, you will need:

2 cups plain (soy) yoghurt
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt
1 cup chopped vegetables (I used quartered Brussel sprouts)
1 quantity Buttermilk Sambar Paste (see above)
tadka (Indian tempering)

Heat the oil in a pan and prepare tadka. Add the chopped vegetables with turmeric and fry until coated. Add enough water to cover the veggies. Cover the pan and let cook until soft.
Meantime, whisk the yoghurt with the Buttermilk Sambar Paste and salt.
Once the veggies are soft, lower the heat and slowly mix in the yoghurt paste mix. Right before it starts boiling, set off the fire to prevent curdling of yoghurt.
Adjust salt to taste and serve hot.

Off to my farewell party with my soon-to-be-ex...

... work mates :-)

Creamy Sunroot Soup

2009-08-05T20:06:00.010+02:00

Ok - my NEW JOB is now official and confirmed and so I have nothing else on my mind than celebrating :-)

Whenever compiling a festive menu for a precious visitor or a real gourmet, I always think of this one.... ....and the story behind it.

Shortly after I joined our company, I was asked to organise a team building. Me being always up for fun, I thought that was a real cool task. I googled a few places to consider and ran into a food house that specialised in organising company events. Now you could count all the nanoseconds that passed from the time I saw the offer until I said OK to it on one hand :-) Kitchen, cooking, food - that was it.

The event was fun - we were split into a few groups and had to guess different spices by their smell and different beers by their main brewing ingredients :-) My biggest challenge was recognising caraway seeds - I thought they were cumin seeds (other than that I was goood :-)

Anyway, afterwards we were invited to a table and served a wonderful 5-course dinner. It was absolutely delicious, but their starter - the soup was absolutely to die for!

After the dinner, when things calmed down and the chef was just standing around, I gathered all my charm to convince him that giving me his super wonderful recipe for his sunroot soup was a really good idea ;-)

This soup is a slight adaption to his - still untouchably perfect...

The main ingredient is sunroot or jerusalem artichokes (or "fartychokes" as the chef calls them as they do make you .... well whatever the name implies :-)

CREAMY SUNROOT SOUP:

800g cubed sunroot
200g chopped onions
3 cloves garlic
500ml vegetable stock
2 sprigs thyme
150ml cream
1 tbsp butter
salt
black pepper
lemon juice to taste

To garnish:
100g sunroot
200g bacon
1/2 bunch chives

Scrape and cube the sunroot, chop the onions and the garlic. In a pan, heat the butter and add the onions and the garlic. Sautee until golden. Add the cubed sunroot and stir-fry a bit. Add the thyme and the veggie stock. Cover and cook until the sunroot is done.

Strain the remaining water, discard the thyme sprigs and mash the soup. Add the cream and mix thoroughly. Bring to boil, adjust salt and pepper to taste, add the lemon juice and set off the fire.

In the meantime chop the sunroot, the bacon and the chives into small cubes. Fry the bacon pieces and mix with the rest in a bowl.

To serve, pour a big laddle into a soup plate and garnish with the mixture. Enjoy :-)

T&T - A Life(Time) of Cooking

2009-08-02T17:41:00.004+02:00

This month I am proud to announce two things:

1) Yasmeen of Health Nut is the proud hostess of the Tried & Tasted event, featuring Ganga´s Life(Time) of Cooking. I have to admit that Ganga´s blog is truly new to me. Having said that I have to say that her blog is a true gastronomic journey all around India and beyond.

For the period of over 2 years, Ganga has collected an extensive collection of drool-worthy recipes perplexed with lovely travel stories. I am sooooo looking forward to taste as many recipes as I can put my hands on :-)

Yasmeen, thank you so much for hosting and making me discover A Life(Time) of Cooking :-)

Everyone else, let´s get started. Here are the details ....

2) My T&T logo has undergone a dramatic change. Ksenia of Tales of a Spoon has been the most wonderful to volunteer to amend the logo each month :-)

August is truly gorgeous - what do you think?

Breakfast Scramble With Tofu

2009-07-14T20:43:00.004+02:00

Yummy morning ahead of us. Warm scrambled eggs with bits and pieces of tofu stir-fried over spring onions. It is a lovely way to start weekend and pack up on protein...

I would like to introduce to you a simple omelette, but would not like you to get stuck with that only combo. It is sooo easy to experiment with scrambled eggs - try sprinkle of smoked paprika powder or cumin powder, v-e-r-y goooood :-)

SCRAMBLE WITH TOFU:

1 egg
1/2 pack tofu
1 spring onion
oil
salt and pepper

In a bowl, whisk the egg together with the salt and pepper. In separate bowl, crumble the tofu. Heat the oil in a wok, add the spring onions and stir-fry gently. Add the crumbled tofu and continue cooking for about a minute. Add the egg mixture and heat through, breaking up the lumps. Adjust salt to taste and turn off the heat while the eggs are a bit runny - that is the way I love my eggs :-)

Serve with sliced fresh bell pepper...

Instant Harissa Chilli Paste

2009-07-10T14:21:00.001+02:00

Traditional term of Harissa in the Middle East refers to a simple rehydration of dried chillies flavored with salt. Spreading all over the continent over the last centuries, this name represents hundreds of chili pastes varying with families or regions.

In my earlier Harissa post, I went a bit further into the history of this wonder and introduced you to one of the most traditional Harissa recipes. Today, I would like to show you how to make my most favorite instant version of it:

INSTANT HARISSA CHILI PASTE

2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp paprika powder (mild)
1 tbsp pressed garlic
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 dl boiled water
1/2 dl oil

Mix well all the ingredients apart from oil and water. Heat the water and pour over the dry ingredients. Add the oil and let soak through.

Store in the fridge in airtight container. This paste will happily hold for about half a year or even longer.

Use wherever the recipe calls for a chili paste.

Fermented Tofu Stir-fry

2009-07-05T19:47:00.008+02:00

Fermented Tofu or 豆腐儒 dou fu ru - is one of the stinkiest and strongest things you can possibly put into your mouth (with the exception of the "surströmming" - the traditional Swedish pickled (or rotten) herring).

"Stinky Tofu" or "Chinese Blue Cheese" is fairly popular in China or Vietnam, traditionally eaten with plain rice. This however is a combination that I find fairly hard to digest. Yes, I am aware of how healthy this fermented thingy is, but much rather have yoghurt please...

The one I own (above) comes in this gorgeous earthen jar, which I plan on keeping and using to ferment cabbage or make yoghurt. The tofu ru is of Zhejiang brand, which is supposingly the best :-)

So while I am still becoming friends with Tofu Ru on its own, let me introduce to you a simple actually quite tasty:

FERMENTED TOFU STIR-FRY
(豆腐儒炒菜)

a few florets broccoli
handful green beans
handful mixed green leaves
1 fresh chilli pepper
1 tbsp fermented soybean curd
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water
sesame seeds (optional)

Heat oil in a pan and fry the sliced garlic. Add the chopped chili, fermented tofu, soy sauce, a splash of water and heat quickly through. Add the green veggies and stir well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with a nice dollop of rice.

Note: Above I substituted the green beans with sugar snaps. The sweetness of the peas really complemented the saltiness of the dish. Was yums :-)

Stir-fried Wood Ears with Cucumber

2009-06-30T06:22:00.002+02:00

Cucumber stir-fries have always been my favorite, particularly in summer. The freshness and crispiness combined with cooling juiciness - yums. Touched with chilies and garlic, how can you resist. Now before I get too carried away with adjectives, let me introduce you one of my favorite summer side dishes.

Just a small note: In my kitchen Chinese food is often times unmeasurable. It is more of a splash of this and handful of that, rather than cups and grams. Feel free to adjust the quantities to your own taste.

STIR-FRIED WOOD EAR WITH CUCUMBER

1 cucumber
oil
3 garlic cloves
5 cm fresh ginger root
handful of dried wood ear
3 dried chillies
3 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Slice the cucumber diagonally into thin slices. Cut the ginger into thin strips. Soak the wood ears in hot water for about 20 minutes or until soft. Drain well and squeeze all the remaining liquid.

Heat the oil in a wok and swirl it around. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the cucumber and the mushroom. Sautee for about two minutes. Add the sugar and all the liquid ingredients. Heat through and set off the fire. Stir through the sesame oil and serve immediately.

Greek Sautéed Fennel (or Onion)

2009-06-26T09:02:00.003+02:00

Traditional health medicine and a gourmet side dish, this fragrant light green furry bulb is not one of those veggies you would like to miss in your diet. Packed with nutrition and a very low amount of calories - fennel is one of the fullest veggies that can easily substitute a main course.

I am still yet to discover all the wonderful fennel dishes out there, so if you know any, do tell. In the meantime, I would like to share this simple sauté with you:

GREEK SAUTÉED FENNEL:

1 lemon
100 ml water
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp white wine
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 big fennel bulbs*
salt,
6 peppercorns
25 g fresh parsley

* Note: Substitute 500g pickled onions or shallots for the fennel.

Slice the lemon to 5 thin pieces, discard the seeds. Mix the water, oil, wine, lemon, garlic, coriander, peppercorns and the bay leaf in a cooking pot and bring to boil. Lower the heat, cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, chop the fennel into 1 cm thick slices. Add to the broth and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until soft. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the fennel and set aside.

Let the liquid boil down to half and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the fennel and serve garnished with some chopped parsley.

Tastes great cold as well.

At last - here is a bunch of fennel leaves - I am not particularly mad about their liquorish taste, but people here in Denmark enjoy tossing a few strands into salads, yoghurt-based dips or in soups. Well, I guess I like more the way they look :-)

Note: I just tried this again and added some shaved Parmesan cheese right before serving. It was really delicious, I must say...

Strawberry Buttermilk Pie

2009-06-24T16:35:00.000+02:00

So it was my birthday in the beginning of this month and it is an unspoken tradition at our work that the B-day girl/boy should bring in something sweet for everyone to enjoy. However having 400+ people in the offices, there are plenty of cakes around us. So when my 27th was approaching I wanted to bring in something salty for a change, but somehow people remarked that June was fairly slow in birthdays...

I got the message and felt obliged to make a pie. Summer in Copenhagen is fairly warm this year and strawberries are a big hit, so I thought I bake something light. Influenced by my childhood summer treat,I am proudly presenting my version of our traditional Slovakian:

STRAWBERRY BUTTERMILK PIE:
(Jahodova Bublanina)

1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
100g salted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp vanilla sugar
2 eggs
lemon zest from 1 lemon
2 cups fresh strawberries
coarsely ground almonds (to garnish)

Whisk the butter with the sugar until smooth. Gradually add the eggs. I used a food processor, so the job was done very fast. Add the buttermilk and flour that you mixed with the baking powder and soda. Add the remaining ingredients apart from the strawberries.
Pour the dough into a greased baking form.

Wash and stem the strawberries and cut each in 4 - 6 pieces. Sprinkle these on top of the dough heavily, on top of each other, if necessary. Most of them will fall through, so no worries :-)

Bake in pre-heated oven at 200 Celsius for about 30 minutes or until done. The cake is done when a toothpick that has been pierced through comes out clean. Sprinkle with almonds and serve with coffee :-)

Yums.

This is my contribution to the Strawberry Feast hosted by Happy Cook over at My Kitchen Treasures.