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.. :)

Grill Chicken Thigh Steaks with Garlic, Thyme and Lemon

I haven't done much cooking since I've been down with the flu for the last couple of days. But still, there comes to a point when there is only so much instant warm oats, porridge and plain Congee that I can continuously eat. Having not done grocery shopping for the past week, the only thing I found in my fridge was 3 pieces of frozen chicken thigh.

All I could think of was something that would be quick, easy and full of flavour.

So after quickly defrosting the chicken in my microwave (yes.. I know.. not the best method..but I was hungry!!)... I teamed up the chicken with some garlic, lemon and some fresh thyme from my herb garden and grilled it on my cast iron griddle pan. Result ? Well.. It's a classic combination, so I couldn't really go wrong there. Still its something I'll definitely make again. I mean, it could have something to do with the fact I had been eating plain congee the whole day, but the smell was just amazing :)

Grill Chicken Thigh Steaks with Garlic, Thyme and Lemon

Ingredients:

• 3 pieces Chicken Thigh pieces (boneless)
• 2 cloves garlic (peeled, smashed)
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice from 1 lemon (use the zested lemon)
• 3 twigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Slice open the chicken thigh pieces and butterfly them so that it lays out evenly flat.
2. Marinate the chicken with the olive oil, garlic, thyme, lemon zest, salt & pepper and juice of 1/2 of the lemon.
3. Let the chicken sit in the marinade for at least 15 mins.
4. Place the griddle pan over high heat and wait for it to get really hot
5. Place the chicken steaks onto the griddle pan and cook each side for 2 mins. Then turn them once more every minute or so on each side, until you can see all the meat has turned white and opaque.
6. Remove them from the pan, squeeze the juice of the remaining 1/2 lemon over the steaks, season with a little bit more of salt and pepper, and then let rest on a plate for about a minute before serving.
7. Serve with some baked potatoes or green vegetables. Chicken also tastes great the next day sliced into finger-sized pieces tossed through some green salad.

Notes:

• There was quite a bit of smoke being generated from my grill pan. I would suggest you have all windows open and the exhaust fan on full whack when making this.
• If the grill pan is hot enough the chicken meat should not stick to the pan. So you shouldn't need to add any oil to the pan.