Herby, peanutty, noodly salad

March 31, 2018 Belinda

Another interesting salad with a bright and zingy dressing. The fresh mint really makes it too.

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1/2 cup lightly salted peanuts
7 oz buckwheat soba noodles
5 oz snow peas
1/2 cucumber
6 green onions (scallions)
a small bunch mint, coarsely chopped
a small bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

For the dressing:

2 tbsp brown rice vinegar
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 lime
1 small fresh red chile, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp soy sauce or Tamari, plus extra to serve

Coarsely chop the peanuts and set aside.
Cook the noodles per the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Toss the cooked, cooled noodles with the dressing and leave to sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Add the snow peas to rapidly boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop them cooking longer. Drain again and then cut in half on the diagonal.
Thinly slice the green onions on the diagonal. Slice the cucumber in half lengthways and then slice into half moons.
Add the snow peas, cucumber, green onions, and chopped herbs to the bowl with the dressed noodles. Scatter the roasted peanuts on top.
Serve with soy sauce or Tamari at the table for people to add to their bowls.
An extra drizzle when serving really makes this salad sing. Enjoy!

Asian flavors · Fish

Salmon in ginger-butter sauce

March 31, 2018 Belinda1 Comment

This is a great recipe if you want to minimize time in the kitchen.
All you need is time to marinate the salmon filets in this gorgeous sauce, then broil them, served with rice or a simple green salad.

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Serves 2 (or can be doubled easily)

2 salmon fillets (1/2lb each)
3 tbsp dry sherry
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp finely minced fresh ginger
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tbsp butter
Freshly ground black pepper and salt

Advance preparation

Combine the sherry, soy sauce and sesame oil. Rub the fillets with this marinade.
Rub the ginger across the top of the fillets then sprinkle on the parsley. Dot the butter evenly across the surface and add black pepper and a sprinkling of salt to taste.
(This can be done several hours in advance)

Last minute cooking

To broil, preheat the oven to 550 F then turn the oven to Broil.
Place the salmon about 4 inches below the direct heat and cook without turning until the fish turns a lighter pink and just becomes firm to the touch. It will begin to flake when prodded with a fork, about 6 to 8 minutes.

When cooked, transfer the fillets to heated dinner plates and serve with a lovely salad, lemon wedge or some simple boiled rice

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan · Vegetable sides · Whole30 compliant

Coconut creamed spinach

September 24, 2017September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is a terrific recipe from the blog, “Pure Wow”. Coconut milk replaces the cream in this gorgeous, silky spinach dish and the fresh ginger and dash of curry powder make it more fragrant.
I served it with “Rosemary rack of lamb” from The Barefoot Contessa’s book “Make it ahead”.
This is a delicious side dish to lamb, chicken or beef.

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INGREDIENTS
2 – 3 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion–peeled, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
One ½-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
8 cups fresh spinach, rinsed and dry
1 cup coconut milk

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp curry powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
Kosher salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.

Add the spinach a few handfuls at a time, stirring until it wilts before adding more. Continue until all the spinach is added.

Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the mixture thickens, about four to five minutes.
Mix together the cayenne pepper, curry powder, smoked paprika and salt in a small bowl and start by seasoning the dish with half of it, stirring to combine. Taste, and if you would like more heat and spices, add some more.
I only used 1/2 of mine

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Fish · Gluten Free · Uncategorized · Whole30 compliant

Easy Dijon salmon

June 22, 2017 Belinda

This is great for a party and can be doubled or trebled easily. It’s so simple to prepare and is so tasty!

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1 1/4lbs salmon fillet, preferably wild
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp soy sauce (or if following the Whole 30, use Coconut Aminos)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground ginger powder

Line a baking dish with aluminum foil.Coat the foil with cooking spray unless it’s non stick foil. Place the salmon on the foil. Mix the mustard through the ginger powder in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the salmon and refrigerate the salmon for 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 375 F and bake the salmon for 20 -25 mins or until just cooked through and flakes easily

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Grains · Soup · Uncategorized · Vegan · Vegetarian pasta

A bowl of Asian goodness

June 7, 2017June 7, 2017 Belinda

This is divine on a hot day when you don’t feel like cooking too much. It’s also a great starter for a dinner party

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Serves 4 as a starter

1/2 oz instant dashi granules
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp wasabi paste
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
10 1/2 oz soba noodles
1 nori sheet
3 1/4 inch piece of daikon radish, peeled and finely grated
3 scallions, finely sliced

Put the dashi granules in a bowl and pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over them.
Stir until the granules have dissolved, then add the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, wasabi paste and ginger. Stir to make a dressing.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the noodles. Allow the water to return to the boil then add 1/2 cup cold water to drop the temperature a little.
Repeat this process three times, then drain the noodles.
Rinse the noodles with cold water to remove the starch, then divide between 4 bowls.

Toast the nori sheet over a high flame or in a hot oven, then slice into this strips. Pour the dressing over the noodles, toss lightly, then scatter with the daikon, scallions and nori strips.

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Poultry

Whole chicken legs braised in orange, sage, ginger and mustard

May 21, 2017January 10, 2023 Belinda

My sister highly recommended this Mary Berry recipe and modified it so it wasn’t too sweet. It turned out to be delicious and so easy. Like Delia Smith, Mary Berry, now in her eighties, is a British “institution” in highly successful, fail-safe recipes, particularly baking and it’s well worth investing in some of her recipe books.

Serves 4 to 6

6 whole large organic chicken legs
3-4 tbsp clear honey
1 heaped tbsp cornflour
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the marinade
20 fl oz freshly squeezed orange juice (don’t be lazy and use juice from cartons!)
6 fat garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp coarse grain Dijon mustard
4-5 tbsp Seville orange marmalade

Combine all the marinade ingredients, mix well and place in a large, resealable plastic bag with the whole chicken legs. Seal the bag making sure all the chicken is coated with the marinade then put in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 F or Gas Mk 6.
Take the chicken out of the plastic bag, reserving the marinade to make the sauce. Arrange the chicken legs, skin side up in a large roasting tin and drizzle with the honey.

Place in the oven to roast for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, lower the oven to 375F

Measure the cornflour into a pitcher, add the marinade and mix until smooth. Pour the marinade over the chicken and return to the oven for a further 40 – 45 mins.
Remove the tin from the oven. Taste for seasoning

Serve a whole chicken leg per person some some of the sauce and enjoy!

PS The marinade mixed with the cornflour thickens the sauce when it cooks in the oven

Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Fish

Miso-marinated black cod

September 3, 2016September 7, 2022 Belinda

This is my most favorite way of eating fish in a Japanese restaurant and I recently discovered it was so much easier than I ever imagined to make at home!
Make sure you allow 3 days for this as you need to marinate it for this length of time. After that there’s precious little to do and the final result is so buttery and gorgeous!

Serves 4

1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
4 tablespoons white miso paste
3 tablespoons sugar
4 black cod fillets, about 1/2 pound each

Two to 3 days beforehand, make the miso marinade and marinate the fish. Bring the sake and mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol. Turn the heat down to low, add the miso paste, and whisk. When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar, whisking constantly to ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Pat the black cod fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels. Slather the fish with the miso marinade and place in a non-reactive dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

To cook the fish:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat an oven-proof skillet over high heat on the stovetop. Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets, but don’t rinse it off. Film the pan with a little oil, then place the fish skin-side-up on the pan and cook until the bottom of the fish browns and blackens in spots, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily.

** Instead of cooking the fish on the stove top, you can do this step on an outdoor grill or under the broiler in your oven.

Accompaniments · Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Sauces

A really great and easy BBQ sauce

March 1, 2016March 1, 2016 Belinda

This is a really simple and super BBQ sauce you can keep refrigerated for up to 1 week, so if you’re planning a BBQ party, this part of it, you can do well in advance. It’s easily doubled too.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1/2 cup vegetable oil or any other oil ( don’t waste really good olive oil)
4 large cloves garlic, finely diced or minced
a good handful fresh rosemary leaves, stripped from the stalk, finely chopped (minced)
2 tbsp mustard powder
2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp curry powder
4 tbsp sesame oil(toasted is nice too)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup store-bought BBQ sauce (yes, I really mean it!)
salt to taste

Place ALL the ingredients in a jar with a tightfitting lid and shake really well.
Use to brush on absolutely anything that you BBQ, mushrooms, chicken, meat, onions, fish…
Enjoy!

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Fish · Gluten Free · Whole30 compliant

Roast salmon with spiced coconut crumbs

March 1, 2016January 5, 2017 Belinda

As you probably know by now, anything with coconut makes me stop in my tracks, so when I saw this on the BBC GoodFood website, I had to try it. It’s easy and very tasty, what more do I need to say!

Serves 8
Made in 30 mins or less

2 oz butter, ghee or clarified butter
8 green cardamom pods, seeds removed and finely crushed
3 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 plump fresh red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 pinch ground turmeric
8 slim boneless skinless salmon fillets
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

UP TO A DAY AHEAD:.
Melt the butter in a medium pan, add the cardamon and coconut and stir non-stop for 2-3 minutes until the coconut starts to toast. Stir in the chili, ginger, garlic, ground coriander and turmeric. Cook for another minute then leave to cool.

Arrange the salmon in a single layer, spaced slightly apart, in 1 large or two smaller buttered ovenproof dishes. Season the salmon, scatter on the cilantro and spread the coconut mixture on top. Cover in cling film and chill (for up to one day) UNTIL ONE HOUR BEFORE COOKING.

TO SERVE:
Turn the oven to conventional 400F/200°C .
Roast the salmon for 13-15 minutes until cooked, but still moist. If this is for a buffet, bring to the table in the dish(es).