Asian rice salad

 

Asian rice salad

2 cups of leftover cooked long-grain rice

1 cup cooked soy beans (I use frozen ones, heated in the microwave)

fresh coriander and mint

sesame seeds

Dressing:

2 tbsp fish or  soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

juice of a lemon

2 tsp caster sugar

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

fresh chillies to taste, deseeded and finely sliced

Mix ingredients for dressing, ensuring the sugar is dissolved, then pour over warm soy beans. Toast the sesame seeds and toss together with the rice and herbs. Mix with the beans and dressing and serve immediately at room temperature.

NB: If making ahead of time, leave the herbs out until the last minute.

Old Thanh Huong, Marrickville

Old Thanh Huong is a great value restaurant in Marrickville, opposite the station on Illawarra Rd.

 

 

 

 

 

The stand-outs are the salt and chilli, the chilli and lemongrass, and the honey and pepper dishes. Mmmm. All the entrees I’ve had are very good, including the fishcakes and special steamed ravioli, as shown below:

Fishcakes at Old Thanh Huong

Steamed ravioli Old Thanh Huong

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a close-up of the ravioli – they are similar to some of the rolled rice noodles at yum cha restaurants, with a very delicate filling of pork, mushroom and pepper (I think!). They are a textural delight, slippery and chewy yet tender. (The Shaved Ape wasn’t a huge fan, but he’s not as mad about the delicate flavour of some Vietnamese dishes as I am. He preferred the fishcakes, which were really very good.)

Steamed ravioli Old Thanh Huong

On this occasion we had 2 mains: the first was pork with five-spice, which was delicious, well-balanced, intensely flavoured but not too rich. The second was ginger and shallot vegetables, was nice, with beautifully cooked veges – however it was more of an ‘accompaniment dish’… it wasn’t exactly boring, but it wasn’t very exciting either. Next time I’ll stick to chilli and lemongrass!

Five-spice pork

Ginger and shallot vegetables

Jasmins, Lakemba

Oh. My. God.

I love Jasmins. Look at this spread – a mixed plate and chilli chicken. About $20 total, and boy is it worth every cent!

Feast like a king at Jasmins, Lakemba

The Shaved Ape goes crazy at this place. I always end up nicking some of his kofte (best I’ve ever tasted – amaaaazing), kibbeh (like none other) and felafel (not just for vegetarians, like crunchy cumin-y fluffy balls of heaven). The bowl in the middle is garlic sauce… as you can see it also comes with humous, tahini, tabouli, loads of bread and pickles. We always end up taking leftovers home. Even he can’t finish it.

Heathy brekky

I love a good fry-up on a Sunday morning. Or Saturday. Pretty much anytime I’m hungover. But I also know how much fat is in a typical bacon-and-eggs breakfast, so here is one I made which is only about 14g of fat per person – not too bad!

Healthy breakfast

For 2 people:

4 eggs, beaten

200ml skim milk

200g shaved ham (the 97% fat free kind)

2 big tomatoes (quartered), or 4 roma tomatoes (halved)

fresh oregano (dried is ok)

To serve:

4 pieces wholemeal toast

fresh baby rocket, dressed with a drizzle of good quality balsamic

Heat a non-stick pan to hot. Fry the ham (no oil needed!) until crispy and smelling gooood. Remove and keep in a warm place. Put the tomatoes in the hot pan, cut side down, then cover with a lid and turn the heat down to medium-low. After 5 minutes, turn the tomatoes, add the oregano and season to taste. Fry for another couple of minutes then remove and keep warm. Beat the eggs and milk together and pour into the pan. Stir contantly until cooked but still soft.

Serve the eggs on toast, with a side of fresh rocket in balsamic, the tomatoes and ham. Yum.

Tofu with Salmon XO Sauce

Tofu with Salmon XO sauce

peanut oil

200g tofu (not too firm, but not silken either) in 1-inch cubes

3 roma tomatoes, cut to match tofu size

1 onion, cut to match tofu size

1 clove garlic, squashed

1 tbsp salmon XO sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp shoaxing rice wine (or dry sherry)

pinch sugar

splash of rice wine vinegar or lemon juice

fresh coriander

 

Heat wok to smoking. Stir-fry tofu in peanut oil until slightly browned and remove. Add onion and stir-fry for a minute, then add garlic, then tomatoes.When onions are translucent, add sauces and rice wine. Allow to bubble and thicken slightly. Add sugar and vinegar/lemon to taste.

Remove and stir through fresh coriander. Serve with rice and chilli sauce on the side. Arghlghlghlghl.

La Kazbah, Balmain

I came here for the first time last year for a birthday breakfast with my ladies. I have been back several times and chose it for my birthday breakfast again this year.

The Shaved Ape had the breakfast tagine (non-vegetarian of course) and was blown away. I adore it as well; perfectly spiced lamb mince with feta, eggs, spinach, roast capsicum and tomato, served with two kinds of bread. Arghlghlghlghl. He even said it’s one of his top five meals ever!

Breakfast tagine at La Kazbah

As much as I love the tagines, I do like to try new things whenever I go. This trip I tried the potato and feta cake with smoked salmon. It was accompanied with pickles, caperberries, onion marmalade and creme fraiche. Yum.

Potato and feta cake with smoked salmon - La Kazbah

I have also been here for lunch – while the food was nice, it was a little overpriced, and I’d not go again except for those amazing breakfasts. Great for groups too, with a $20pp banquet for groups of 8 or more – a great way to try everything! The tables are covered in white paper and crayons are provided for scribbling. Great fun!

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