Coleslaw

At the moment, I'm still kind of waiting for my renovations to complete, so its a bit hard to get back to my regular cooking routine. So when my friends asked me to bring something along for a weekend BBQ get together, the only thing I could commit to was a salad. I immediately thought of making a coleslaw. For me, coleslaws are a must-have item with BBQ meats. The tanginess of the coleslaw gives a nice break to all the meat being consumed. :)

I prefer a coleslaw that doesn't have too much mayo used. So this time, instead of using mayonnaise, I substituted it with a Greek style yogurt. I still added in the Dijon mustard and some whole grain mustard for some extra tang.

Coleslaws are quite flexible with what ingredients you add in. When I was searching online for a base recipe to refer back to, I found Ina Garten's Blue Cheese Coleslaw. If I had some blue cheese, I would have added it in, but I didn't have time to go out and buy some before going over to my friend's place for the BBQ. The next time I feel like making coleslaw again, I would definitely give the Blue Cheese Coleslaw recipe a go.

Coleslaw
preparation time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 small head green cabbage (sliced using food processor or mandolin)
• 1/2 medium-sized head purple cabbage (sliced using food processor or mandolin)
• 2 large carrots (peeled, then shredded using a food processor or grater)
• 200g Greek Style Yogurt
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (roughly chopped)

Method:

1. Process the cabbages and carrots through the thinnest settings of your food processor. If you don't own a food processor, you can use a mandolin or grater.
2. Place sliced cabbage and carrots in a large salad bowl and add in the yogurt.
3. Then add in the Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, cider vinegar and toss to mix well.
4. Season with a teaspoon of celery salt, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
5. Add the parsley leaves, toss the coleslaw until the mixture is even. Taste and adjust seasoning if required.
6. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
   

Steamed Garlic Prawns (with Coriander)

Just realised I've been neglecting my blog a bit. Its nearly been two months since my last posting. I do have a good excuse though.. I've finally purchased my own apartment !!! Woot !

After sorting out the home loan, I've been running around trying to sort out the renovation work. Getting quotes from builders, and choosing everything from toilet, tiles to taps. So needless to say, I haven't been able to do much cooking.

I love my garlic prawns. I've had similar dishes to this at Chinese restaurants before, but I've only seen it cooked with garlic only and maybe some spring onions thrown over the top as garnish. Although I would agree you can never have too much garlic in a dish, I like to mix in some coriander to lighten it up a bit and add some extra freshness into the dish. The key with cooking this dish is to steam the prawns over simmering water for no more than 3 minutes. And to use hot oil to "pre-cook" the coriander and garlic mixture.

Steamed Garlic Prawn (with Coriander)

Ingredients:

• 1 Dozen Fresh King Prawns (vein removed, using scissors open the prawns up flat)
• 1/2 bulb garlic (finely chopped)
• 1/2 bunch fresh coriander (stem & leaves, finely chopped)
• 4 tablespoons of Grapeseed oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Method:

1. Using a pair of scissors, cut through the shells and open up the prawns until they can lie down flat and remove the vein. Give the prawns a quick wash in some icy cold water and then leave in a colander.
2. Prepare the garlic and coriander mix, and add in the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. And set aside in a ceramic, glass or heat proof bowl.
3. Bring a wok with some water for steaming to boil.
4. Using a separate saucepan, heat up 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil until the pan starts to smoke.
5. Pour the hot oil into the garlic and coriander mix. Work slowly and pour a bit at a time into the bowl. The garlic and coriander should be cooked by the hot oil.
6. Lay out the prawns on a plate, and smear a spoonful of the garlic and coriander mix into each prawn's exposed flesh
7. Place a rack into the wok
8. Place plate over the rack, cover and let steam for about 2-3 mins (depending on the size of the prawns used). My prawns were about my hand's length long and I steamed them for just under 3 mins.
9. Once done, remove the plate from the wok and set aside.
10. Heat up the remaining 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil and lightly drizzle the hot oil over each prawns.
11. Serve immediately with some steam rice.

Enjoy.. :)