Chinese Sausage and Dried Shiitake Mushroom Rice (臘腸飯)

Rice has always been a comfort food for me, especially when I am feeling tired and grumpy. Contrary to popular belief, rice is actually very easy and quick to cook, which makes a perfect mid-week supper. My parents always use a rice steamer when cooking rice, and yes it is very convenient especially if there are quite a number of people around for dinner. Nonetheless, cooking rice in just a saucepan is equally simple, if you know how. Nothing tastes more disgusting than pre-steamed rice that comes in a sachet, not only are they not sticky like proper steamed rice, they also taste like plastic. I know this because I had the privilege of sampling this kind of product when I was at boarding school, where the boarders have no facilities to cook (apart from using the microwave, which was allowed) and were desperate for some comfort food.

And there is the good ol' Boil in the Bag rice. This type of product is sold to consumers as 'convenient' and 'great for portion control'. I mean, how challenging could it be to measure a portion of rice really? Will Boil in the Bag pasta be available on the market next? OK, enough ranting and perhaps it's time to talk about this comforting rice dish instead.... There are quite a few Chinese sausage varieties, and the most common and popular ones are Lap Chang (臘腸) and Run Chang (膶腸). Both of these sausages are dried and hard, look similar to chorizos, but look can be deceptive.

I used Wing Wah Lap Chang in this dish and for those who are not familiar with Wing Wah, it is a famous Hong Kong-based food manufacture, with quality guaranteed.

Serves 2

A handful of dried Shiitake mushrooms, soaked with lukewarm water till soft then sliced

2 Lap Chang, halves

Leek, thinly sliced

Basmati rice, enough for 2 (tip: 1 ramekin full per person)

Light soy sauce, to taste

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

To garnish: chopped spring onion

1. Put the rice on in accordance to rice cooker's instruction. 

2. Place Lap Chang and Shiitake mushrooms into the rice cooker when the rice is half cooked.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and pan fry the leeks until soft. Take it off the heat.

4. Once the rice is cooked, take the Lap Chang out have the, thinly sliced.

5. Season the rice with light soy sauce and mix in the Lap Chang.

6. Serve on a plate (or bowl) with leek and garnish with spring onion.

Enjoy!

Harvey Nichols - Sugo Con Ricotta Forte

As the title suggests, I will indeed be giving my verdict on this tomato passata with ricotta forte pasta sauce. When it is cold and grey outside, all one really wants (and needs!) is some comfort food, and I tend to consume an awful lot more carbohydrates-heavy food in the winter months: potato, bread, chocolate (with nuts only), pasta..... etc.and tonight I really fancy a hot bowl of spaghetti for dinner.

Dave didn't feel the spaghetti love so I took the liberty to make a pasta dish using this sauce and it contains some basic mix of ingredients:

3 rashes of smoked bacon
1/2 a courgette, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Sugo Con Ricotta Forte pasta sauce
Salt and pepper to season
A healthy shaving of Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 serving of spaghetti (some for tomorrow lunch)

I purchased this sauce when I was putting together Christmas food hampers for friends and family with shops-bought and homemade goodies. There are only 6 ingredients in this sauce (tomato, onion, extra virgin olive oil, ricotta forte, basil, salt) with no preservative. If tasting the sauce on its own it was actually quite acidic, but mixing it thoroughly with the Parmigiano-Reggiano has helped to reduce some of its acidity.
It is true to say that sometimes less is more. This simple dish has satisfied the winter comfort which I was after and there's even some for tomorrow lunch, win win!

Heartwarming Supper - Beef Cheeks Casserole

Despite the bad weather, the road isn't actually too bad and I've finally ventured out to the supermarket. Apart from restocking on the kitchen basic, I haven't really thought about what's on the evening menu, until I made a new discovery when walking pass the butcher section in Waitrose - beef cheeks!! It was very reasonably priced, if I remember correctly it was about £6.80 per kg. I bought 2 cheeks and that came just over 1 kg, and that's enough to serve 6.

I have only ever tasted beef cheeks once back in December last year at Pinocchio's, where Dave ordered 'Slow Cooked Cheek of Beef' for his main course. It was a rich and flavorsome dish, the meat was tender and it melt in the mouth. The only downside of this dish was that there was a huge quantity of pancetta, which made the sauce rather salty and overpowered the beef a little.

You guessed it! Beef Cheeks Casserole was on the dinner menu that night:-

Serves 6

1.2 kg beef cheeks
Splash of rapeseed oil
Sprinkle of plain flour
200g pancetta
2 stalks of celery, halves
1 carrot, ditto
2 cloves of garlic, ditto
2 medium onions, chopped quarterly
1 leek, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 dozen of black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 star anise
1/2 dozen of juniper berries
1/2 tbsp of dried thyme
1/2 tbsp of dried rosemary
1/2 bottle of good quality red wine
250ml organic beef stock, or organic beef stock cubes
250g button mushrooms
Salt and pepper, to taste

To Serve:
Golden mixed potato mash (sweet potato & potato), peas and broccoli

1. Cut each cheek into 6 portions and prepare all the vegetables 
2. Mix the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper, then sprinkle the meat with the mixture.
3. Heat the oil in a large, ovenproof casserole dish (i.e. Le Creuset cast iron) then brown the meat on both sides and set aside.
4. Heat a little more oil in the casserole dish, add the vegetables (apart from the mushrooms) and cook gently until soften.
5. Return the meat into casserole dish, add in all the herbs, spices, peppercorns, and berries.
6. Pour in the wine and stock, bring it to boil and turn down the heat to simmer for an hour.
7. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 190C/ 370F
8. Season with salt and pepper, mix in the mushrooms then place the casserole dish into the oven for a further hour. To avoid the meat drying out, check the liquid level and turn the meat from time to time.
9. Now, prepare the vegetable of your choice and the make the mash.
10. Take the casserole dish out after if has been into the oven for an hour. Keep it cooking on the stove with low heat. 
11. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat (and any vegetable in there) from the casserole dish. Discard the spices, peppercorns, berries and bay leaves 

Turn up the heat and reduce the liquid by 1/3.

Serve the meat, mash and vegetables evenly for each portion, pour the reduced sauce over.

The verdict and feedback from Dave was that my version was much tastier than Pinocchio's, as it was seasoned just right, the meat was tender and can really taste the beef. If I had more preparation time I would have marinated the beef with spices and red wine over night for a more in depth flavour. Overall, I thought this was pretty good effort as first attempt :p

Rituals...

I am a proper beauty product junkie who loves to experiment with new brands and products, as well as stocking up on all sorts of goodies, regardless I may already have a dozen of unused body lotion stashed away for rainy days... as they say, 'It is better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it'!! I first came across this Dutch beauty brand 'Rituals...' a decade ago when I was visiting family in The Netherlands. The shopfront was minimalistic and modern on a busy Amsterdam high street. All their products are inspired by Eastern rituals and there are 5 different rituals, each has its own benefits and properties - Ayurveda, Hammam, Sakura, Tao & Tatsu. The products are made of organic and natural ingredients where possible and safe alternatives are introduced where nature cannot provide. Most importantly, the company does not believe in animal testing but instead, products are tested by volunteers - I'd love to be one! Base on the brand's concepts and ethos, I suppose one can say this is the Dutch version of The Body Shop with a more chic image, marketing towards 20-something onward who shops at certain places, instead of  targeting towards the wider high street audience.

I honestly cannot remembered what were the products I tried on a decade ago, but I do remember my first purchase from 'Rituals...', which was the 'Rice Milk Hand Cream'. The quality was incredible. Lightly scented with a silky smooth texture, only a small amount is enough to rehydrate my hands - not that they were ever awfully dry. It was a 75ml tube size back then, perfect for the handbag (THE most essential item in my handbag after lip balm) and if I remember correctly, it was only €7, very economical for what it was.

'Rituals...' has since spread across the globe, and there are a few shops in the UK, primarily in big cities, and quite a number of counters within big department stores. They used to have a store in Cambridge few years ago and I introduced a friend to the products who has since become a follower of its products. As I have probably vaguely mentioned in a previous post, I visited The Netherlands in early January this year and indeed I did stock up some goodies from its home country. It is true I could have made a purchase in the UK but to me, it feels a little extra special to have bought these from The Netherlands.

From left to right: Infinity Hand Lotion, Mild Eye make-up Remober, Wai Wang Body Exfoliating Cream, Sereni-Tea Foaming Shower Gel and Lip Treat.

This ultra rich hand lotion is scented with refreshing Sweet Orange & Japanese Mint, which is a winter must-have, to protect the hands from the bitterly cold Arctic wind. It has a silky texture so and can be quickly absorbed by the skin, great for those who uses their hands a lot to avoid  leaving grease mark behind on objects or surfaces.

I have used a variety of 2-phase formula eye make-up remover before, and some of them are actually rather greasy and leaves a shine on the eye lids. This eye make-up remover is great, only need a tiny amount to remove eye shadow and eyeliner. I don't wear a lot of make up in general and seldom wear mascara, so I have yet to test this product to the max.

I have used the Wai Wang Body Cream a while ago and I absolutely adore the smell. It is a rich exfoliating cream but when massaging around the body, it feels as light as feather and skin immediately feels smoother (I am quite lazy when it comes to body exfoliation!). It also leaves the skin hydrated enough so I don't necessary feel the need of applying body lotion on after showering.

I have yet started on the shower gel or the lip treat yet, saving them for another time. Nonetheless, I must recommend its other lip treatment - Eve's Kiss. I was given a personalised Rituals... gift set last year and this lip balm was part of it. I carry this wonderful little tube of lip balm everywhere with me, perhaps I should buy one for each of my handbags... The reason why I love this product so much is because it smells (taste!) great (apple and karite), it also works as a lip gloss. It stays on for quite a while and a little amount can go a long way. One stone keeps two birds and a less product having to carry around :)

Ritual... currently have stores in these locations within the UK: Bluewater, Belfast, Brighton, Bromley, Canterbury and Gatwick. It also offers online shopping service for those who doesn't live near these areas, or check and see if there's a counter within your local major department stores.

Winter Wonder - Veggie Chili

Temperature has plummeted to sub zero since Tuesday and it looks like the freezing old weather (literally!) will linger around till next week! Mega effort was required each morning to drag oneself out of the warm and cosy duvet. Concentration level is low as all I could think about at work is 'What shall I have for dinner?' or more like 'What's Dave planning to cook for me tonight?'

I suppose I'm rather blessed to have a boyfriend who enjoys cooking and very good at it! What's better than coming home to a delicious home cooked dinner in the winter (or anytime of the year!)?

Since the beginning of 2013, Dave and I have made a lifestyle choice to actively eat less meat (especially processed meat), and have more vegetable orientated dishes. It hasn't been easy as a lot of the common vegetarian recipes use a lot of dairy product (Dave is lactose-intolerant), and I am OBSESSED with cheese - having recently attended a cheese tasting session when I was on holiday in Amsterdam! (blog to follow). I personally prefer Asian vegetarian dishes, as they use a lot of tofu product as substitute, and the texture (and taste!) and the taste of the dishes could easily rival meat dishes!

With a little bit of imagination and using the correct spices and herbs, Dave has rustle up this flavorsome veggie curry the other night. This recipe is easy to make and uses a lot of ingredients you may already have in the pantry, with a few staple vegetables. The flavor would greater enhance if cooked the night before serving.

Serves 4

Splash of rapeseed oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

1 tin of black eyed beans, rinsed with water and drained

1 tin of chickpeas, ditto

1 tin of red kidney beans, ditto

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
1 fresh red chili
Yellow and red peppers, roasted
Dash of red wine
250ml of bouillon
1 tbsp of tomato purée
Bay leaf
Salt and pepper, season to taste

1. Prepare all the vegetable and heat a splash of oil in a casserole dish.

2. Brown the garlic, fresh red chili and onion

3. Soften the celery and carrot. Add in the spices.

4. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and add a dash of red wine. Bring it to simmer.

5. Add the beans and bay leaf. Pour in enough bouillon until the beans are covered, season with salt and pepper. Bring it to boil then simmer for 20 minutes.

6. Add the roasted peppers and the tomato puree then leave to simmer for a further 30 minutes or until the beans are cooked through.

7. Serve with boiled basmati rice or tortillas

Depending what kind of beans are available at the time, different type of beans would work just as well (apart from Heinz's baked beans!). Also, depending on how tolerable you are with heat and the type of chili that is being used, some may find one chili is not enough. Nonetheless, lesson has been learned that it is always wise to put a small quantity of chili at the beginning and gradually add a bit more later if it is preferred.

It was a very heartwarming dish and I sprinkle some grated Cheddar with mine serving :)

The beginning

After weeks of contemplation, I have finally decided to go ahead with writing a blog. Having an opinionated personality means I like to share my view on social media, touching on subjects such as politics, fashion, lifestyle, travel and most importantly, food.
No, I don't dine out all the time but I do cook and experiment with ingredients quite often. Well, I should really use the term 'we' as I often cook with my boyfriend, who is also a food enthusiast and a brilliant cook.
Dave (the boyfriend) wasn't convinced that writing a blog was a good idea but I have decided to go ahead anyway. At least he was helpful enough to come up with a catchy name for the blog!! I have been keeping a photographic cooking portfolio and collecting various recipes a few years now and would like to organise and put these collection in order on a social media platform, and share them with the like minded people out there in the virtual community. 
We love food, good quality food I should say. We spend a lot of our time eating, cooking, watching cooking programme, experimenting, hunting out for new eateries to visit etc yes, we spend half our lives orbit round food and love it!!