Aussie-Asian smoked salmon rice paper rolls

 

We love fish and seafood,  and salmon is one of our family's favourites.  Raw or smoked, it's always a welcome treat in the lunch box, in salads and in our mains.  And I was just too happy to oblige to receive an invitation to the #huonsalmon blogger's competition sponsored by Huon Aquaculture. 

 

 

With salmon and my cooking style, I prefer simple and fresh.  As much as possible, I want the star of the dish to shine.  So it was a little bit difficult to think of a dish to make that's not already out there.  And this came to mind - Australian salmon meets Asian spring rolls.  This may be one too many of similar dishes out there, but I don't mind.  This was a welcome change to our usual fare.  I also added some Australian macadamias for that extra texture and to make it even more Aussie.

 

 

Ingredients

8 pieces rice paper rolls

1 Lebanese cucumber, deseeded and julienned

1 carrot, julienned

60 grams salted macadamias, roughly chopped

60 grams rice vermicelli noodles

 

250 g Huon Reserve Selection Whisky Cured Tasmanian Cold Smoked Salmon, cut into 1in x 4in strips

 

Method

In a bowl, soak the rice noodles in warm water for 10 minutes.  Once soft and noodles have turned white, drain.

 

In a large bowl, combine the rice noodles, julienned cucumber, carrots and the macadamias.  

 

  Prepare a wide bowl with some water, and a dry tea towel on the counter.

Soak one rice paper roll in the water for 10 seconds or more until soft. 

Place the rice paper and pat on the tea towel, then on a cutting board.

Place a strip (or more) of smoked salmon on the rice paper roll.

Spoon some of the rice noodle-macadamias-cucumber-carrts onto the smoked salmon.

Fold the front end of the rice paper roll and slightly tuck to hug the filling, fold the right and left sides then continue to roll.

Continue with the rest of the rice paper rolls and the filling until you've used up all ingredients.

 

 

 

These can be dipped in simple soy-sauce or sweet chilli sauce, or you can also make your own Nuoc Cham sauce which is the traditional dipping sauce for the inspiration for this dish - the Vietnamese spring rolls. This sauce is adapted from SBS Food with some slight changes.

 

To make the nuoc cham sauce:

 

1 garlic

 

3 pieces red chillies

 

juice of 1 lemon

 

60 ml fish sauce

 

60 ml warm water

 

3 teaspoon raw sugar

 

1/2 teaspoon Worcestire sauce 

 

 

Grind the garlic and chillies in your mortar until you get a paste consistency.

Combine the fish sauce, water, sugar  in a bowl stirring until the sugar is dissolved.  

Add the Worcestire sauce and stir.

Add the garlic-chilli paste, stir and serve with your spring rolls.

Disclaimer: The writer (adobo down under) was invited to take part in the #huonsalmon blogging challenge and Huon Aquaculture has provided the products mentioned in this recipe. 

Mixed vegetable soba noodles salad with peanut sauce

Traditional Filipino cuisine does not have a lot of fresh vegetable salad dishes in its repertoire.  Most vegetables are cooked in soups or stews, some are steamed and served with a side of dip or some form of chutney or relish.  It's quite surprising because even with the warm tropical climate, cooked vegetables are almost always the only option in most homes across the island.  The reason is that while there are available salad vegetable varieties, they are pricey as they come from the upper north or the south where the climates are cooler.   

Growing up, I can't remember salads serve on the dinner table except for the usual tomato-onion-green mango that comes with a good barbeque, classic salads are only to be had when dining out in restaurants.  

Living in Australia has opened a lot of fresh green doors for me.  My kids are now accustomed to fresh salad and veggies on the table, lettuce in their sandwiches, cucumber slices in their lunch box... the works.  Especially as the season becomes warmer, fresh and cold salads are the best way to serve the day's healthy portions. 

Now the real hero here is the dressing, aka peanut sauce.  The soba noodles add the healthy protein touch.  This recipe is adapted from Pallavi Gupta through Honest Cooking.

To  make this salad just add vegetables which you are keen to eat fresh and raw - cucumbers, lettuce leaves, cherry tomators, grated carrots, slices of capsicum. You can just play around with the quantities.   But for this salad of 4 serves, I used:

Ingredients:

60 grams organic soba Hakubakku brand, cooked according to packet instructions then drained through cold running water.

(I used 2 bundles from the 90g pack)

half capsicum, julienned

6 pieces cherry tomatoes, sliced in two

1 cucumber, sliced

1 carrot, julienned

1 brocolli, stems removed

2 stalks of spring onions, sliced

For the sauce:

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1 red chilli, finely diced

1 clove garlic, finely diced

2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

60 ml warm water (or less)

Combine the peanut butter, chilli, garlic, sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce in a bowl and whisk together.  Add the warm water a tablespoon at a time and continue whisking until you get the desired consistency of the sauce.

 Place the cold soba noodles in a large bowl, add the vegetables and toss together.  Drizzle the peanut sauce when serving.

Tips and tips

* You can add as many or as few raw/fresh vegetables in this salad.  Just make sure you slice them thinly (julienned).

* You can make the sauce as thick or as thin as you like, just add (or don't add) warm water as you prefer.  

* I made this a day ahead and it became think in the fridge.  I diluted it with a little bit of warm water and added a few more teaspoons of sweet chilli sauce to suit my taste.  

Perfect for the warm spring weather for a weekday lunch, entree or to accompany hot BBQ on a weekend.

Enjoy!

Fresh brocolli salad

There's an email going around the office. Its been shared by a family for many years and so apparently its also been passed on to office colleagues who came and went.   And it's not a chain letter.  It is actually a really good brocolli salad.  And this is it.   Mr G who shared this salad recipe is a lovely man who's been all over the world and back.  He's like a jolly Santa always happy to share a ho-ho-ho or a recipe or two.  Even when it's way pass Christmas.

Broccoli salad
Print the recipe

Ingredients

3 heads brocolli, washed and cut into florets/small segments

250g diced bacon

1 medium red onion, sliced

1/2 cup sultanas/raisins

1 tablespoon pine nuts

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

sugar to taste (optional)

Method

Cook the bacon until crisp, drain on paper/kitchen paper and set aside to cool.

Place the brocolli florets in a large bowl. 

Add the mayonnaise then all the other ingredients.   Mix until the brocolli florets are coated with the dressing. 

*Add a bit more cider vinegar or sugar to balance the taste.  Should be a bit tangy and sweet.

Once bacon is cooled, add to the salad mixture and stir.  

Leave in the fridge to cool for at least an hour before serving.

* You can omit the bacon and make this entirely vegetarian.  Alternate mayonnaise with sour cream.  You can also use other types of nuts - toasted almond slices work a treat.*

I work in an office where there's a culture of sharing food/dishes made at home, especially when there's an occasion that calls for it - a birthday, someone going away, anniversary, etc. etc.  And I've tasted this in one of those occasions.  And it just changed the way I look at fresh brocolli!   As I'm a newbie at work (about 6 months and counting), I heard so much rave reviews about this salad that I had to get a copy of that circulating email and try it at home!  

Its a great summer salad!  To bring to that party or that picnic at the park!  Why as brocolli's a year round vegetable, its great at just about any season!

Try it!  But don't tell Mr G it came from me.  Ssshhhh!

PS - I do have the permission from the owner to share this so you can all relax.  xx

Quick and easy salsa verde dressing

Using a mortar and pestle, ground a bunch of parsley, basil and 3 cloves garlic.  Once greens are almost fine,, transfer to a small bowl.  Add 60ml olive oil, juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper to taste and stir to mix through.

Spoon on your grilled salmon, or chicken or anything else that you think might need some extra lovin'.

 

Warm salad of prawns with exotic mushrooms

“To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist - the problem is entirely the same in both cases. To know how much oil one must mix with one's vinegar.” - Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Warm salad of prawns with exotic mushrooms - Lesson 1, Term 3 @ Kitchen 10

This recipe is adapted from Futura Training's Appetisers, Salads and Sandwiches & Stocks, Sauces and Soups, but was tweaked to adapt to available ingredients in the pantry at the time of preparation.

Warm salad of prawns and exotic mushrooms

5 cooked prawns, medium (peeled, de-veined)

1 clove garlic, minced

10g Black fungus (cloud ears) mushrooms

2-3 cos lettuce leaves

20 ml extra virgin olive oil

5 grape or cherry tomatoes

10g baby rocket

10g Mesclun (or an assortment of salad leaves)

1 stalk coriander, chopped

10ml Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to season

Heat a pan and saute the garlic in olive oil.  Add the prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Set aside.

In the same pan, add the mushrooms and stir to cook until soft.  Add the coriander and cherry tomatoes and stir.  Add the cooked prawns and glaze the pan with balsamic vinegar and turn off heat.

On a plate, place the cos lettuce as base for the salad.  Using thongs, place the mushroom and prawns on the lettuce and spoon some of the balsamic sauce from the pan onto the salad. 

Garnish with some julienned carrots.

Warm salad of prawns with exotic mushrooms - Lesson 1, Term 3 @ Kitchen 10

Term 3 and a caesar salad

 Lesson 1, Term 3 - Caesar Salad  and dressing @ Kitchen 10

Appetisers, salads and sandwiches and food service!  A new and exciting semester.  Or new and not so exciting, depending on viewpoint.

This term will be all about salads and appetisers.  This includes sandwiches and canapés (or hors d’oeuvre pronounced awr durvz), quiches and wraps.  And tiny things that can be served before the main meal. And then the last term will be double the excitement as we move to Kitchen 11 for the unit on Food Service – preparing and serving food to real customers!

Salads, sandwiches and appetisers.  Sounds a bit boring, but the first day was far from dull.  First of all, our new teacher is the epitome of the true French chef.  He is in fact French, has a million years of experience in a commercial kitchen, some local and  international stints and exudes that posh and almost conceited and distinctively French aura, and accent.   Don’t get me wrong.  I love the French (and at 40  I’m still dreaming of a trip to Paris and immersing into a true French adventure)!  Especially their attitude towards food and eating!  The first time I saw Mireille Guilano (author of the book French Women Don’t Get Fat.  She has since wrote a cookbook which is a take-off from this) on Oprah way back in 2006, I thought, “this lady’s got sense and definitely knows what she’s talking about!”  A lot of which are old truths we already know, but don’t really have habits of like, truly savouring every meal (not rushing that you gorge down every morsel down your throat), eating in portions (not stuffing your face because you love the food),  taking walks for pleasure and just plain to enjoy eating, enjoy food!  She quotes this French saying - joie de vivre – which translated means looking at your life as something that is to be taken with great pleasure and enjoy it.  Enough said. 

I know that its going to be an exciting term because I admire French chefs no matter what their status is. - celebrity, small café owner, retired, whatever.  And Chef A is the vision of a true Chef to me.  Not those in the cooking shows with celebrity chefs.   He reminds me of that French chef in the animated movie Ratatouille.  Not in a disrespectful sort of way, but more of awe and admiration of the passion showed in the kitchen.  He walks about tall and proud and peeks at our benches and what were whisking away in a bowl and sneers or snorts or imparts a quizzical look which leaves you wondering whether your mayonnaise actually looks right, or you’re doing your work flow as instructed.   I like him straight away.  Besides the fact, that amongst all the Caesar salads prepared in class, he chose mine and actually ate it, in the pretense of a real customer.  I’m stoked!

We made all 6 salads on the board including dressings and vinaigrette!  Why is it again exciting?  Besides having a French chef for a teacher, we make the salads and sandwiches, including the dressings!  And so it will come to happen that when we make those canapés in the next few days, we will also be making pastry.  Which is something that I’ve always been keen to take on.  Just think!  Cocktail party! 

 This recipe is adapted from the textbook : Appetisers, Salads and Sandwiches, & Stocks, Sauces and Soups published by Futura Training.

Caesar salad with Caesar dressing

Serves 2

1 cos lettuce
50 ml olive oil
30g bacon, chopped
1 garlic clove
 1 slice bread
8 anchovy fillets (can be omitted for those who prefer a less fishy taste)
15 parmesan, shaved
1 batch Caesar dressing


Clean the lettuce and refresh in a colander.


In a small pan, fry the bacon and add the crushed garlic and set aside. (Place them on a plate with kitchen paper towel to drain some of that oil)

Add the diced bread and fry for croutons (or the alternative is to toast the French baguette slices in a tray in the oven.  Rub some garlic on them and drizzle some olive oil.  Alternatively, you can cut them into cubes and fry them as instructed here)

Place the heart leaves on two plates; tear the remaining leaves into bite size pieces and draw through the dressing.

Add some croutons and bacon.  Place on top.

Finish with the remaining bacon, Parmesan and anchovy fillets and croutons.
(For the anchovy fillets, I simply crushed 2 pieces, pan fried them in the bacon/garlic oil till they were crispy and topped them on the salad.  Just get ready to break the room apart.  It is fish after all.)

Caesar Dressing

2 egg yolks
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 anchovy fillet
15g Parmesan
5g mustard (use real honest to goodness English Mustard)
20ml wine vinegar
60ml olive oil
5ml Worcestershire
5ml lemon juice
1/2 parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Whisk the yolks with the garlic, squashed anchovy fillet, Parmesan, mustard and the vinegar until all combined.

Add the oil gradually, just like making mayonnaise.
(To be able to do this by hand, you need to place a medium sized sauce pan on the kitchen bench, cover this with a kitchen tea towel and place your bowl on it.  One hand with the whisk, other hand pouring the oil gradually.  Or, you can always asked for a helping hand.)


Season with the remaining ingredients.

The semi hard boiled egg (runny yolks) is an optional extra.  To make this:  Boil some cold water in a sauce pan.  Once boiling, put eggs in and boil for 5 minutes.  Take the eggs from the water and place in a bowl with cold water - to stop the cooking process.  This results in a semi hard boiled egg with runny yolks. The perfect accompaniment to a Caesar salad.

An important tip from Chef A when plating salads for presentation.  Follow the sequence of: 1. Base, 2.  Body, 3. Dressing and 4. Garnish

The rest of the other salad recipes will be shared in the succeeding posts.