Steamed Cabbage and Carrots

The last recipe I posted was the ‘Tau Eu Bak’ (Soy SauceBraised Pork) recipe. Along with it, I also made this steamed cabbage to make the meal complete with some vegetables. So if you are also making the soy sauce braised pork, this can be made a few minutes before the braised pork is ready. As cabbage and carrots are naturally sweet vegetables, only minimal seasoning was needed to enhance it so its natural flavour could shine on its own. 

Steamed Cabbage and Carrots

Ingredients:

• ½ head of cabbage
• 2 small carrots (sliced)
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 3 tbs water (or more)
• Dash of soy sauce and sesame oil to taste

Method:

1.  Wash and roughly cut the cabbage into big chunks.

2.  On a hot pan of medium heat, pour a little oil and sauté the garlic until fragrant.

3.  Place the carrots and cabbage into the pan then add about 3 tbs of water, cover and let them steam until  vegetables are slightly softened.

6.  Add a small dash of soy sauce and sesame oil to taste and stir to combine. 

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Chilli Ginger Salmon

Friday morning, the last day of the work week. Everyone anticipates for the weekend. Clearly, I was already drifting in my dreams. I was in the train to work as usual. Normally, I would get off at the right station and do that 20 minutes walk to the office but not this day. The iPhone kept me really busy communicating with the girls from the other side of the world. So, I missed my stop! Neither the girls or the phone was to be blamed, but it was the ballet I watched the night before that got me excited and still thinking about it the next morning.

Missed the stop and this is what I spotted! Beautiful morning dew stringed into tiny droplets on the spider web. Do you believe it was taken with the iPhone camera?

The first time inside the Royal Opera House Theatre

At the Paul Hamlyn Hall Bar during the break

That ballet was entitled Polyphonia / Sweet Violet / Carbon Life. They were three separate ballets by different choreographers. Each, unique on it's own but only one stood out!

Carbon Life was my favourite out of the three. It was choreographed by Wayne McGregor with music collaboration by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. It was a fantastic fusion of ballet, contemporary, futuristic pop, live music, fashion, great backdrop and lighting. The whole choreography was well put together; very inventive. Angular costumes by Gareth Pugh fitted well in the choreography. I liked the spiky tutus although I wasn't sure about te spiky boots.

The opening of Carbon Life was filled with suspense where dancers dance behind a thin, almost transparent screen, dressed in skin coloured body fitted costume. Spot lights that shone on them make them glow like dancing fireflies. There were spots of glowing light above the dancers that looked like some sort of floating spaceship. I would sum this scene up as futuristic heaven with glowing fairies dancing around in their birthday suits. Further into the choreography, the fairies in the wonderland moved into more energetic moves with power and precision yet with fluidity of movements.

Even the exterior looks romantic; the lights of the interior shining through the glass windows and the sparkly light hanging on the naked tree.

When you saw the title of this post, you must have wondered how ballet, spider web and salmon makes a dish. Hopefully pan-fried salmon with sugar snap peas did not disappoint you.

Pan-Fried Chilli Ginger Salmon with Sugar Snap Peas

makes 2

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of salmon
• 3 inch of ginger (grated)
• 6 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 chilli (chopped)
• 2 tbs premium light soy sauce
• 8 tbs water
• 100g sugar snap peas
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• coriander (optional)

Methods:

1.  Descale the salmon skin if that has not been done by the fishmonger.

2.  Clean and pat dry the salmon with kitchen towel.

3.  Wash the sugar snap peas and place in a bowl. Boil some water, enough to cover over the bowl of sugar snap peas.

4.  While waiting for the water to boil, chop the garlic and chilli finely and grate the ginger. Place them aside.

5.  When water is boiled, pour over the bowl of snap peas, making sure the water covers over them. Cover it with a plate.

6.  Heat the pan with oil in medium-high heat. Place the salmon skin side down. Cover the pan and let it cook for about 4 minutes until skin crispy. Turn it over and cook for another 3 minutes. Time of cooking varies depending on the thickness of fish and how cook you like them. The timing above will cook the salmon to how i like it, slightly pink.

7.  Use a thong to take the fish out of the pan and place on plate with kitchen towel to drain the oil.

8.  Use the oil (reduce it if necessary) and stir fry the garlic, chilli and ginger until fragrant.

9.  Add in the soy sauce and water. Let it boil and reduce to about half.

10.  Drain the snap peas, and toss with sesame oil.

11.  Place the salmon on a serving plate, along with the snap peas. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve with some coriander leaves on the side.

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Date Night In : Beef Stew

Valentine's Day has always been quite controversial. There is a legend behind this day but some think that it is a day created so businesses could benefit from selling cards, buying gifts, flowers, restaurants hiking up prices just because it is a day of romance and everything else that is related to February 14th.

Personally, I think it is not necessary to go out on expensive dinner dates on this very night just cause everything is twice the price, restaurants are packed, most places would have a set menu to make their life easier so there is limited choice, and then there is higher expectations cause it is suppose to be this perfect night spent with your loved ones. All these are unnecessary. What is most important is that loved ones are nice and caring towards each other throughout. The most romantic in my opinion is the little everyday details. It could be the morning or I'm home kiss, even making dinner for him/her, helping out with laundry and cleaning, or waking up with that amazing breakfast with juice and hot chocolate or tea waiting for you. All that daily details aside, what makes a girl happiest are surprises at the most unexpected moments.

Since M and I won't be celebrating Valentine's Day on the day itself, we had a date night in on Saturday. It was a perfect evening with great meal home cooked with love, good wine and the best company. It was simple but lovely.

MENU for DATE NIGHT IN

~ no starter ~

~ beef stew with puff pastry ~

~ chocolate thyme cake with orange cream ~

Beef Stew with heart shaped Puff Pastry sprinkled with herbs

The beef stew was initially planned to be served with rice or potato puree but I thought of giving it some texture so chose puff pastry instead. It makes it sort of like a dismantled beef pie; less rustic with heart shaped puffs.

BEEF STEW RECIPE

adapted from SmallKitchCara's entry on Food52
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 700g stewing beef, cut into 2-3 inch cubes
• Salt & pepper
• 2 tbs olive oil

• 1 anchovy
• 2 slices of bacon
• 1 leek, sliced thinly
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery, diced
• 150g white mushrooms, quartered
• 70g tomato paste
• 60ml red wine vinegar
• 120ml red wine
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 150ml water
• 1 can chopped tomatoes

• 2 small bay leaves
• 2 sprigs thyme (I used scented thyme)
• 10g dark chocolate
• Handful chopped parsley

Scented Thyme

Chopped ingredients

Methods:

1. Brown the beef that has been seasoned with salt and pepper in high heat. Remove to plate
2. Fry the bacon then the onions and garlic until fragrant. Add in the rest of the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes until softened.
3. Stir in anchovies and tomato paste, melt it and distribute.
4. Add in the beef and its juices, vinegar, wine and chopped tomatoes.
5. Add the beef bouillon that has been melted in 150ml of water into the pot. Then put the bay leaves and thyme in and bring it to boil.
6. Let it simmer for about 3 hours then stir in the dark chocolate and let it cook for another 30 minutes.
7. Cool to room temperature. Have it to sit for a few hours until ready to serve.
8. Heat it for about 3o minutes and garnish with chopped parsley.

The lovely multi-sized heart shaped puffs with the simple but delicious beef stew

Please click here for Chocolate Cake recipe.

You may also like:

• Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew)
• Beef Pot Roast

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