sweet and sour sesame soy sauce
This is one of those things I use in and on everything. It’s a nice blend of salty, sweet and sour that adds a touch of Japan to any dish.
You need:
3-4 tbsp of Japanese soy
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
some togarashi
- Mix the soy, sugar and the vinegar and bring it to boil.
- Let it simmer for about ten minutes.
- Add the sesame and the togarashi and allow to cool.
Mango Coconut Sauce
I had all this deep-frozen mango and then I saw a bottle of “Coconut Sweet Chili Sauce” in the store and presto! This idea
was born, right there in front of the soy sauce shelf. Perhaps to call it a Mango Coconut Chutney would be more appropriate, I don’t know. Either way, it would go well as an accompaniment to most Asian dishes, especially curries.
You need:
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
6 chillies, chopped
1 cup desiccated grated coconut
300 g of mango, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used deep frozen)
3 inches of lemon grass, chopped
2 tsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup water
1/2 tbsp of chopped/grated kaffir lime leaves
oil for frying
- Sweat the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes in a little oil.
- Add the coconut and let it turn a little golden.
- Add all the ingredients except the kaffir lime.
- Let it simmer until it’s a thick, smooth stew, app 40 minutes. Stir every now and then so it doesn’t burn.
- Add the kaffir lime and let it simmer for another 5 – 10 minutes.
- Taste with salt and sugar.
Chocolate Sauce
To make your own fab chocolate sauce:
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter
- Mix the sugar and cocoa, making sure to sift though any lumps.
- Add milk and butter and put it in a pot.
- Bring to boil and then allow to simmer for 5 -10 minutes. The longer it simmers the thicker it gets and personally I’m more of a 10 minute person, because I like it thick and creamy, but it’s a matter of taste.
Enjoy with anything that needs chocolate!
Canellini and Pine Nut Red Pepper Dip
Possibly this recipe should have been posted before the New Year’s celebrations and not after, but a) I didn’t have time and b) it’s not going to be the last time we bring out the champagne and party hats this year, is it? Let’s vow that it won’t be so. In fact, let’s make 2008 a year where the champagne flows and the fire works go off and we play music way too loud.
And have lot’s of snacks. With dip.
You need:
250 g canellini (white beans, boiled or from a can)
2 whole roasted red peppers (home-roasted or from a can)
1 chili
1 clove garlic (minced)
the juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp roasted pine nuts
1/2 cup crème fraiche (sour cream could be used instead)
salt and pepper to taste
- Drain the beans and rinse them if you use the can variety.
- Chop the chili.
- Put everything except the crème fraiche in a food processor and purée it until smooth.
- Add the crème fraiche and blend it some more.
I served it with crispy flatbread, but it’d work with nachos, fresh vegetables or anything else you like to dip too.
Oh, and happy 2008!
Creamy Eggplant Sauce
When my little sister was a child, we asked her about the things she disliked most in the world and she scrounged up her face and thought long and hard. Then she ventured: “War and eggplant”.
Luckily, she’s reconsidered as she’s grown older (about eggplant I mean, not about war). I say luckily, because eggplant is a favourite of mine. It’s one of the most beautiful fruits or vegetables produced by nature, it’s cheap, versatile – and they always have it at my local store. The latter is not the least important factor when deciding what to have for dinner.
My favourite way of cooking eggplant is to grill it and then chop it – like you do in a Greek melitsanosalata or a baba ganouj. This produces a rich and creamy sauce that can be used on pasta, with bread or as dipping sauce for virtually anything.
Of course, once you take it out of the oven it’s not so pretty anymore…
In this case, I made a variety that is meant to be served with spaghetti, but it would make a good side dish with grilled meat too, if that’s your fancy. The good thing about this dish is that it’s excellent to make in advance. In fact, it’s designed to be made in advance and just heated in time for dinner.
You’ll need:
1 middle-sized eggplant
5 cherry tomatoes or 1 regular (if you use the regular, remove the seeds before using it)
3 tbsp crème fraiche (yes, low fat is OK)
1 clove of garlic (chopped)
15 green olives stuffed with lemon
1 tsp forest spice blend
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
a handful of roaste pine nuts (optional)
- Heat the oven to about 220 °C ( 425 °F).
- Clean the eggplant and cut away the top. Prick it with a fork a few times.
- Let it roast for 30 – 40 minutes, until it’s soft (like in the picture above).
- Let it cool.
- Put it in a food processor along with the spices, the olives, the tomatoes and the crème fraiche and blend it until almost smooth (there should still little ‘chewiness’ to it).
- Put it in the refrigerator and just heat it in the microwave before serving it with pasta.
- A few roasted pine nuts sprinkled on top of the dish will make it perfect!
Spicy Sweet and Sour Apple Sauce
I was shopping for a few apples the other day. The man in charge of the fruit stand didn’t seem to get “a few apples” though. He insisted that I’d get “just few more, for the same price”.
How could I resist?
I used about half of them for making this sauce. I was inspired by the Chinese plum sauce, only I used apples instead. It’s reminiscent of the plum sauce, but not quite. It goes excellent with any pork based dish or as dipping sauce for springrolls. The sweet spiceness also makes it a great companion with cheese – try a dollop along with some brie for instance. But, depending on the individual chillies, it might be pretty spicy so check that before you heap it onto your plate!
You need:
500 g of apples, peeled and cut into tiny pieces
2 red chillies, cut in half and with seeds removed
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 cinnamon stick
6 tbsp of rice vinegar
6 tbsp of brown sugar
1/2 cup water
Put all the ingredients in a pan and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and mix it smooth using a food processor or stick blender.
