Tag: asian food

Banana Flower Curry

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Banana Flower Curry
Banana Flower Curry

30ml vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
10ml ginger powder
15ml garam masala
10ml curry powder
10ml ground cumin
5ml ground coriander
5ml smoked paprika
2,5ml turmeric
5ml salt
15ml sugar
250ml vegetable stock
1 x 400g can coconut milk
2 x 400g cans chopped tomato
3-4 handfuls of baby spinach
2 x cans Banana Blossoms

Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil and onion.
Stir-fry until the onion is soft, add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the ginger, garam masala, curry powder, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, salt and sugar and stir-fry for a minute or so.
Now add the stock and the coconut milk and stir together.
Add the chopped tomato and turn the heat down slightly. Allow the curry sauce to simmer for 5 minutes or so – you want it to become slightly thicker.
Add the banana blossoms and baby spinach and stir.
Simmer lightly for 10 minutes.
Serve on a fragrant rice.

Spicy Pad Thai Noodles

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Spicy Pad Thai Noodles
Spicy Pad Thai Noodles

750ml chicken stock
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
2 red chillies, halved
2,5ml ground ginger
20ml soy sauce
10ml sugar
20ml oyster sauce
2,5ml sesame oil
2 x 200g fresh pad thai noodles
2 eggs, soft-boiled, peeled and halved
a handful of sliced green onion

Add the chicken stock, garlic, chillies, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, oyster sauce and sesame oil to a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer.
Add the noodles and gently agitate it with a fork until it comes apart.
Place a lid on the saucepan and gently simmer for 10 minutes until the noodles are cooked.
Spoon the noodles and some of the broth into two serving bowls, add the boiled egg and scatter with the green onion to serve.

Saucy Udon Noodles

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Saucy Udon Noodles
Saucy Udon Noodles

The recipe makes one large portion but may be doubled as needed.

Sauce:
30ml cornstarch
125ml water, room temperature
60ml soy sauce
45ml honey
15ml lemon juice
2,5ml sesame oil

200g udon noodles
100g mushrooms, pan-fried
cucumber cut into thin “sticks”
radish cut into thin “sticks”

Ensure that the mushrooms are cooked and the cucumber and radish have been sliced and prepped.

For the sauce:
Add the cornstarch to a small mixing bowl and add just enough of the 125ml water to dissolve the cornstarch. Stir briefly.
Add the rest of the water, soy, honey, lemon juice and sesame oil and whisk together until fully incorporated.
Place a pan on medium heat, add the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes while stirring continuously.
Remove the sauce from the heat as soon as it thickens – it is going back on so simply pull it away.


Cook the noodles according to packet instructions.
Place the sauce back on the heat and add the noodles.
Stir for about a minute so that the noodles absorb some of the sauce.
Spoon the noodles and any sauce into a serving bowl and arrange the mushroom, cucumber and radish on the noodles.
Serve immediately and slurp away!!



Fried Rice

by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment on Fried Rice
Fried Rice

One of the secrets to perfect fried rice is the temperature: cold rice fries brilliantly and thus this is the perfect dish for those leftovers in the refrigerator! The other secret? Butter!

45ml butter
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 carrots, cut into small cubes
about 750ml of cooked, cold rice
250ml frozen peas
1 x 400g tin of corn kernels
15ml sesame oil
15ml soy sauce
15ml fish sauce (optional)

Add the butter to a large non-stick pan set over medium heat and allow to melt.
Add the onion, garlic and carrot and stir-fry until the onion starts to catch a little.
Add the rice, peas, corn, sesame oil, soy and fish sauce and turn the heat up to high.
Fry the mixture and stir it around every now and then for 3-4 minutes. The high heat will crisp up and caramelise the rice.
Take the pan from the heat and taste the fried rice. Drizzle with some more soy sauce if it needs it.
Serve warm.