Cooking Lab - 5 Grains Origiri Rice Ball

Rice balls are super easy to make and fun to eat. 

Making my own version. 

(c) GMV - Got My Vote!

 

圓圓的飯團這回成三角型。

話說昨天沒吃到我想吃的飯團口味，所以今天就來自己動手做做。

用健康的五穀米，加豬肉酥，酸菜。。。。快樂的做，挰，滾。好玩又好吃。全吃完後，才發現，又忘了油條!

Cooking Lab - Lamb Cutlet Stack with Parsley Pesto

Spring time is all about vibrant green vegetables and herbs and I can’t stop thinking about lamb.... 

Spring lamb cutlets are so tender and full of taste....


(c) GMV - Got My Vote!

When stacked high, paired with baby asparagus and add a dollop of home-made creamy parsley pesto, you will get a gourmet cafe-style meal. 

Ingredients:

- 6 Spring lamb cutlets 
- 2 cup fresh parsley 
- 1 bunch baby asparagus 
- 1/2 cup walnut 
- 3 tablespoon olive oil 
- 3 large tomato 
- 4 cloves of garlic 
- 2 bay leaves 
- 1 cup all purpose flour 
- 100ml red wine 
- 100ml white wine 
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika 
- Pink salt and pepper 

Instructions: 

1. Marinate the lamb cutlets in red wine and season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until required.

2. Press the lamb cutlets firmly into the flour mixture.

3. Lightly spray cutlets with olive oil and place them in a hot skillet pan.

4. Pan fry for 3-5 minutes until golden on both sides.

5. Add the baby asparagus and 2 cloves of garlic into a fry pan. Cook until tender and season with light salt.

6. In a saucepan, add diced tomato, bay leaves, garlic, water and white wine. Bring it to boil and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Keep warm.

7. Place parsley, walnuts, garlic in a food processor and process until combined. Slowly add in the olive oil until the pesto is smooth and creamy.

8. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Set aside.

9. Place a layer of asparagus in the center of each serving plate. Add a spoonful of tomato jus. Place a lamb cutlet on top. Drizzle with a spoonful of parsley pesto on top.

10. Repeat the process.

11. Finish with a dollop of the parsley pesto and just a little more tomato jus.

12. Season with salt and pepper.

13. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Cooking Lab - Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad

Summer is just around the corner and this refreshing Vietnamese-style salad is gorgeous on its own. Or you add some sizzling beef for a perfect evening meal. 

(c) GMV - Got My Vote!(^O^)／

I just love the flavour explosion of Vietnamese salad, the fresh herbs, slippery noodles and the drizzle of lemon juice. It gets better from the first bite :)

It is so refreshing and filling. I feel so healthy with this salad. I can eat as much as I can :)

Ingredients: 

- 250g rice vermicelli

- 1 cup fresh coriander

- 1/2 cup fresh mint

- 1/4 cup fresh shallot

- 1/4 cup fresh basil

- 1 carrot

- 200g pistachio 

- 2 tablespoon of fried onion 
- 250g beef slices 
- 50g kale 
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce 
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce 
- 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
- 1 teaspoon chili 
- 1/2 lemon 
- Salt and pepper to season

*Add some French onion and Lebanese cucumber if available...

Salad Dressing:

- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

- 1/8 cup white vinegar

- 2 tablespoon soy 

- 1 tablespoon brown sugar

- Juice of 1 lemon 

- 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce

Instructions:

1. Cook the vermicelli noodles according to the packet instructions.

2. Rinse the noodle under running cold water.

3. Keep it cool with ice.

4. Rinse the fresh herbs: coriander, basil, mint and shallot under running cold water.

5. Grate carrot into long stripes.

6. Soak the carrot stripes in sweet vinegar water.

7. Marinate the beef slices in soy sauce, fish sauce, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, fried onion, salt and pepper for at least 30 minutes.

8. Place the pistachio nuts in a food processor and grind until coarse.

9. Heat up a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add some olive oil and grill the beef slices until fragrant.

10. Add some slices of onion and kale. Season with salt and pepper.

11. Place the cooled vermicelli noodles in a large serving platter.

12. In a small bowl, combine the salad dressing ingredients and mix well. Adjust if necessary. The taste should be sweet, tangy and sour.

13. Chop the coriander, mint, basil and shallots in small pieces and toss on top of the vermicelli noodles. Place the pickled carrots around the side.

14. In a large bowl, toss the vermicelli noodle, herbs and chili with half of the salad dressing. 

15. Garnish with fried onions and pistachio nuts on top.

16. Serve together with grilled beef.

17. Squeeze some lemon juice on top to lighten up the meal.

Cooking Lab - Light & Tangy Crab Salad Dip

This is such a versatile great salad and we used to have it at every extended family lunch. Seafood highlighter is not real crab - it just have the crab taste. 


(c) GMV -Got My Vote!

I always remember this dish fondly. Perhaps its because of the tangy, refreshing taste, or I was really tricked into believing that its real crab :) 

This is very versatile salad and you can enjoy it on its own, or use it as a sandwich filling or make California sushi roll with it. 

I am using the seafood highlighter in this salad dip, but, of course you can use real crab meat - and that would taste so gourmet.


If you are not a fan of crab, you can replace it with tuna, prawn or chicken. 

Ingredients:

- 250g seafood highlighter (imitation crab meat)
- 50g chopped parsley 
- 3 tablespoon thousand island dressing
- 1/2 lemon
- 10g finely diced French onion
- 10g finely diced apple
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and black pepper

Instructions:

1. Separate the pieces of crab (seafood highlighter) by hand. Save 30g of whole pieces of crab aside.

2. Boil a pot of water and cook the seafood highligher for 3 minutes.

3. Drain and set aside to cool.

4. Once cooled, place the seafood highlighter, thousand island salad dressing ,finely chopped parsley, apple and onion in the blender.

Note: Celery usually go nicely in this salad. I've use apple instead because I am just not a big fan of celery. 

5. Season with black pepper.

6. Half way through the blending, add in the lemon juice and olive oil.

7. Continue blending until you achieve a nice fine coarse texture.

8. Season with salt.

9. Scoop the crab dip from the blender and set in the fridge over 1 hour before serving.

10. In a fry pan, shallow pan fry the ribboned seafood highlighter.

11. Season with salt and place on top of the crab dip salad.

12. Serve the salad dip with fresh avocado slices and lemon wedges.

It is the guilt-free kind of salad!~ 

Cooking Lab - Potato Gnocchi with Aubergine & Tomato Ricotta Sauce (義大利馬鈴薯麵疙瘩)

When we dined out at Red Zucchini Italian Restaurant, I really liked a comfort food dish called Gnocchi al Norma. 

It was a simple vegetarian classic potato gnocchi served with baked ricotta, basil, Napolitana sauce and topped with eggplants. 

在外吃到這種像麻糬的義大利麵。今晚就來試試吧! 原來還滿簡單煮的。吃起來很Q軟彈牙。加入茄子，蕃茄醬，很快就可以上桌吃飯囉~


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Tonight, I am recreating something similar and I've also topped my gnoochi with some shaved ham :) 

This is an ultimate comfort food dish. 

Ingredients:

- 1 packet of potato gnocchi 
- 200g fresh baby rocket salad 
-150g shaved ham 
-1 large eggplant 
-1 brown onion 
-1 jar of ricotta sauce 
-1 clove of garlic 
-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
-2 tablespoon fresh Parmesan cheese 
-3 tomato 
-Salt and black pepper to season

Instructions:

1. Cook potato gnocchi in boiling salt water according to packet instruction.

2. Lightly spray with olive oil to prevent stickiness.

3. Cut eggplant into large bite-size chunks.

4. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium high heat.

5. Deep fry until the eggplant turn golden on all sides.

6. Remove and blot off the excessive oil on paper towel.

7. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frypan over medium heat and crisp up the shaved ham. Remove.

8. In the same frypan, fry the garlic and onion until fragrant.

9. Add in the fried eggplant and tomato.

10. Pour in the ricotta sauce (or tomato puree paste) and stir to evenly cover all ingredients.

11. Add the gnocchi into the pan.

12. Reduce heat to medium.

13. Evenly coat the gnocchi in the rich tomato sauce.

14. Add in the rocket leave (basil would work as well).

15. Let the sauce simmer to intensify the flavour and colour.

16. Divide the gnocchi into 6 equal servings.

(Gnocchi are very filling, so reduce the serving portion)  

17. Top with shaved ham and fresh parmesan cheese shaves.

18. Season with black pepper.

19. Garnish with baby rocket and herbs.

A really good hearty pasta dish and it tastes even better when reheated the next day.

Cooking Lab - Tuna Donburi (鉄火丼)

Cooking Lab - Mediterranean Tabouli Parsley Salad with Cous Cous (中東的異國風味沙拉)

This is a refreshing salad for Summer days and it tastes great on its own or as the perfect side dish with grilled meat. 

通常這道塔布里沙拉是來當配菜使用，加入了檸檬汁和小麥米就是夏日𥚃的開胃小菜。酸酸口味跟烤肉超搭的，又會去烤肉的油膩味。

(c) GMV - Got My Vote!

This is a great Mediterranean-style salad in warm Spring days. It is a variation from the Lebanese tabouli salad. I use cous cous instead of bulgur, and the result is more fulfilling. 

Ingredients:

- 1 bunch of fresh parsley 
- 1/2 cup of cous cous 
- 1/2 french onion 
- 2 truss tomato 
- 1 lemon 
- Sea salt and pepper 
- 1 packet of garlic crouton crackers

Instructions:

1. Fill 3/4 cup of water in a sauce pan. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and bring it to boil.

2. Stir in the cous cous and turn off the heat.

3. Cover the sauce pan and let it stand for 3 minutes.

4. Fluffy the cous cous with a fork and set aside to cool.

5. Place 3/4 bunch of parsley in the food processor.

6. Add in the 1 tablespoon olive oil, diced french onion, 1/2 of lemon juice and blend coarsely together.

7. Place the mixture in a large salad bowl. Add in the diced tomato and the rest of the olive oil.

8. Add the cooled cous cous into the salad. Toss to mix well.

9. Topped with remaining hand-chopped parsley on top.

10. Drizzle the rest of the lemon juice on top.

11. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

12. Serve with garlic crouton crackers for added texture.

It is a very easy salad to prepare and taste is so good in sandwiches or alongside some heavy grilled meat. 

It is just a great all-rounder salad.