collective culinary traditions

How are you guys?  Can you believe that today is the last day of July?  Where does the time go?  Seriously.  Life is moving at warp speed ultherapy.

Sneaks has been under the weather this week with some tummy trouble.  He’s also been more restless than usual.  As is the case for many of us I think, both human and furry friend alike, his restlessness is on account of the heat wave moving through our area Préparez voyage hong kong.  The last few days have given new meaning to the term “Dog Days of Summer” for sure.

Keeping an eye on my best guy has simultaneously given me an excuse to stay holed up in the air conditioning and test out some recipes that I ultimately hope, will keep us cool.  Ice cream, snow cones and popsicles – with watermelons and a few salads interspersed for good measure – have all become dinner fare and that’s just fine by me Beauty Mama.  The popsicles have been my favorite though, because from a mixing standpoint there are just so many ways you can go with them.  Boozy.  Fruity.  Savory.  The list goes on and on.

While I was tinkering with this version, a very serendipitous thing happened in that a box of spices from RawSpiceBar landed on my doorstep.  RawSpiceBar is a monthly subscription service that offers three small batch premium spice blends from one geography or region, every month Beauty Mama.  I love this concept and I think you will too for the same reason, as it forces my hand a little in experimenting with new flavors and getting into the kitchen to try new things.  I get very geeky about food culture as well – and in a slight digression from what we’re talking about – spices are such an indicative part of a locale and its people, and their collective culinary traditions.

This month, the focus is on Memphis, and if there is one place where the idea of a sultry summer resonates, it has got to be Memphis.  The July box included a Dry Rib Rub, an Applewood Smoked Salt and Triple Ice Cream Spices.  The latter being a mix of green cardamon, cinnamon and star anise, it played perfectly to the buttermilk and marscapone layer I created here.  Opening that package was definitely a case of the Ice Cream Gods (Those exsist, right?) smiling down upon me!

Wick Prize pack

The first time I had this was in Malaysia, it was in a restaurant near my work. At first I was wondering what was that thing wrapped in leaves and a colleague told me that those are fried chicken wrapped in pandan leaves. I immediately ordered some and got hooked, first because it was a fried chicken and second is because of the pandan leaves that gives that distinct vanilla like aroma 一程多站旅遊.

Pandan Chicken is a Thai Style where tender chicken pieces are wrapped and cooked in pandan leaves, usually served with a dipping sauce made out of lightly flavoured soy sauce or fish sauce. Making it here in New Zealand is quite challenging as I never had seen any fresh pandan leaves and the available ones are the frozen ones that are pre-cut Beverly skin refining center. Having said that the size of the leaf from the frozen ones are only 4 to 5 inch in length making it impossible to wrap a chicken nibble so in this post we just roll it in two pieces of leaf and securing it with a skewer which gives it a similar result but different in presentation SEO Hong Kong.

Before you head over to the recipe today don’t forget we are running a competition for a week and were giving away some Air Wick Prize pack, all you need to do is send your details below (Open only to New Zealand and Australian residents).  Join Now!

soaking the noodles

Be sure to start soaking the noodles about an hour before you’re ready to start preparing the rest of the dish.

When you’re ready to cook, start by heating a tablespoon of oil in your wok. Scramble the eggs and set aside. Add a little more oil, turn the heat up to high, and sear the shrimp just until they’re cooked through and a little crisp on the outside.

Heat another 2 tablespoons oil in your wok until it just starts to smoke. Add the roast pork and stir-fry for about 20 seconds.

Add the onion, garlic, and pepper, and stir-fry for another minute. The heat should still be high, and you should be stirring constantly. You want enough sizzle to produce that “wok hay” (literally translated to: ‘breath of the wok’) flavor.

Add the ham and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.

Add the soaked noodles and give everything a good stir.

Toss in the eggs and shrimp and stir-fry until the noodles are heated through (about 3-5 minutes).

Add the shaoxing wine, sugar, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix well. If your noodles begin to stick, the wok is probably not hot enough. Just use your metal wok spatula and make sure to scrape anything off the bottom of the wok so it doesn’t burn!

Finish with the scallions and continue to mix until the scallions are cooked to your liking. I like them barely heated for this dish myself. Serve with your favorite hot sauce!

gravy dreams

Growing up, on the rare occasion that my parents went out for the evening, my brother and I would always eat canned beef stew for dinner. We never had those kinds of processed foods growing up (I was very fortunate to grow up in a household that put a lot of value in high-quality, homecooked food), so opening up a can of beef stew for dinner felt very novel. I remember thinking it was pretty much the tastiest thing on the planet.

It’s weird how grass is always greener on the other side. As a kid, I was obsessed with processed food—because it was something I never had. So whenever I’d go over to a friend’s house and they’d have pizza rolls or chips or whatever other food that never made an appearance in my parents’ kitchen, I’d be all over it. Then, I moved away to college, and all I really ate was processed food, and all the novelty quickly wore off. I started to desperately miss the homecooking I grew up with. I think I even tried a can of stew in college and took one bite before throwing it in the trash—it definitely wasn’t the tasty treat I remembered from my childhood.

The first time I made beef stew at home as a newlywed, I realized, “Oh hey! This is what beef stew is supposed to taste like!” And I haven’t bought the canned stuff since. Beef stew sounds like one of those foods that would be complicated and difficult to make, but it’s actually incredibly easy. They key is slow-cooking—either in the actual slow-cooker or on the stove top. Low and slow cooking gives the stew a roasted flavor, and makes sure the meat and veggies are fall-apart tender. And it cooks the gravy up into a thick and smooth sauce that is what dreams are made of. Beefy, gravy dreams.

I tend to swap out the new potatoes that you’ll usually find in beef stew for sweet potato chunks, not only do I like the festive orange color (perfect for October), but I think the touch of sweetness is a really nice balance to the richness of the beef. Sweet potatoes and red meat work incredibly well together.

I personally think beef stew should be served with a slice of sandwich bread slathered in butter—it’s perfect for sopping up all that leftover dreamy gravy. My Canadian husband says the right way to serve stew is with biscuit-style dumplings plopped in it (which sounds delicious, although I’ve never tried it). Whatever you do, promise me you’ll have some sort of bread vessel to scoop up all that leftover deliciousness, okay? No gravy left behind.

Enjoy!

speculos spice cookie

I really wanted to try the gâteau basque for dessert, a traditional dessert that’s a buttery cake that sandwiches a dense, cream filling inside. It’s one of my favorite desserts – but I was stuffed. (The four women behind me were splitting one slice Standees. And if there had only been two of them, I might have asked for a taste of theirs. But I didn’t think it fair when there were four of them battling it out over one order.) So went for the fig tart with mascarpone and prune-Armagnac ice cream, layered over a speculos spice cookie. Every dessert that was coming out of the kitchen looked spectacular, and mine was no exception. They were obviously all made in-house, so kudos to Chef Gravé for pulling them off so nicely. I loved the speculos cookie, similar to a gingersnap, although I could only make it through three-quarters of my enormous dessert before calling it quits hk idc.

The three-course lunch is €27 if you order the plat du jour (the daily special), with your choice of appetizers and desserts from the regular menu. (There’s a €35 menu which allows you to choose from other main courses from the printed menu. And a few specials are on the chalkboard.) The restaurant is tiny, so if you go, expect to be close to your neighbors. I wasn’t sure if I needed to call for a lunch reservation, but when I walked in and saw everyone in there, I was glad I did. Although I decided since I was by myself, I’d take a seat at the bar and let them seat a walk-in two-top at the table that I’d reserved. (Once a restaurant employee, always a restaurant employee) But I didn’t feel alone there, as I had an oversized bottle of Armagnac on tap to keep my company. The staff is very friendly and efficient, and everyone in the kitchen smiled at me on the way out. A happy staff (and chef) makes good food. And that seems to certainly be true at Pottoka yellow coffee mug .

small amount of sugar

one of my healthiest and most scrumptious muffin recipes. Complete with Caramelized Bananas, Creamy Peanut Butter and a Streusel Topping heart disease.

Guilt-free indulgence has a name. And a very long one for that matter. I tried keeping it short and sweet, but couldn’t get myself to leave out either one of the components. Can you blame me? Caramelized bananas had to be part of the name, I mean we’re talking CARAMELIZED bananas here. Which is quite possibly one of my new obsessions. It’s what happens when you want to make banana muffins, but don’t have any ripe bananas and zero patience. More on that in a second.
Peanut butter, oats, and streusel are equally as dear to my heart, which is why I’m growing more and more fond of the name. I know it’s a mouthful, much like the muffins themselves, but one bite and you’ll understand why they deserve a special name china work visa.

I took all of my breakfast wants and combined them into one amazing muffin. Not only was I looking for a quick breakfast on the go, but it had to be satisfying, give me a lot of energy and leave me looking forward to the next day when I could have another.
All of which were met in this handheld goodie.

Cutting down on sugar was another goal I had in mind for these. Thanks to the bananas and their natural sweetness, which was extremely intensified during the caramelization process (aka baking slices of banana in the oven for a couple of minutes), the muffins didn’t lack a thing. Like I mentioned above, you don’t need to wait for brown bananas. I used ripe ones that didn’t have any green color left on them. I cut them into slices and instead of frying the bananas in a pan to achieve that beautiful caramel hue and flavor, I baked them in the oven. Out came something so beautiful and delicious - I barely knew how to contain myself Antique jewelry.
Thanks to the caramelized bananas, I bet no one would be able to tell that the muffins were made using a very small amount of sugar. You will be pleasantly surprised.
This is also my first recipe on the blog featuring whole wheat flour. Say what? It’s a staple in our pantry and was practically begging to make its debut on Deliciously Yum. Let me just tell you, I didn’t need much convincing. It was about time that one of my everyday flours got its moment.