Black carrots?

What I stumbled upon at Coles, World Square. After googling 'black carrots', I learnt that these are actually called 'Purple carrots'. They are all natural plus are the healthier variety!

Kimchi nabe: a Winter haven

A few days ago, my Japanese friend came over and brought along something lovely that I have been deprived of ever since I left Japan 3 years ago - Kimchi Base. This is used to make kimchi nabe ('nabe' translates to 'pot' in Japanese), I assume it's quite similar to something like kimchi stew though I've never had the real deal before. It is the best winter warmer (they proved this on Japanese TV) and still very appetising during warmer weather! Thought I'd like to share a rough recipe of Kimchi nabe with you guys :)


Kimchi Nabe for 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tbsp 'Kimchi Base' - apparently this can be bought at Japanese grocery stores in the city (like Miracle). If you can't find this, you can create a similar taste with more red pepper paste, soy sauce, miso added on top of the following.
• 1 tbsp red pepper paste (adjust according to your taste)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2-3 tsp miso (any kind will do)
• 300 ml water
• 2 fresh prawns, washed
  
• 1/3-1/2 of a medium sized Chinese cabbage, cut into 3cm widths
• 1 handful of kimchi
  
• 3 small square blocks of tofu, cut into quarters
• 1 heaped handful Enoki mushrooms (or any kind you have on hand)
• 1/2 packet of konnyaku noodles (available at Asian groceries)
  
• 1 stalk spring onion, sliced thinly diagonally

Optional (for the leftover soup after eating)

• 1 egg
• easily meltable cheese (such as mozzarella, we used a 4 cheese pizza mix)

METHOD:

1. Bring the water to boil in a medium sized pot. Meanwhile, add the kimchi base, soy sauce, red pepper paste in a bowl with a little bit of hot water in a bowl. Mix well until smooth.
   
2. When water is boiling, add the sauce mixture to the pot. Give it a quick stir.
3. Add cabbage and leave to simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes (or longer if time permits) until soft. You might notice that there may not be enough water, but the cabbage will release a lot of water when boiled.
   
4. Add kimchi, mushrooms, tofu, prawns and half of the sliced spring onions. Simmer for 7-10 minutes.
5. Dissolve miso in a ladle with some of the soup and stir.
6. Take off heat and serve the entire pot on the table. You could serve it with rice if you like but if you look below...
7. Optional (but I reckon this is the best bit of the meal!): Once you're done with the stew, there should be some soup left over in the pot. If there's not enough, just dump the remaining soup from your own bowl to add Dump enough rice in and bring into the boil. Turn off heat and crack an egg into the rice/soup and give it a quick stir. Take off heat so the egg is still slightly raw. Add cheese and mix until melted (this may sound odd, but the combination is heaven!). Now, eat up!
   

Note: You can really add what you want to too, such as meatballs or spare ribs, but Chinese cabbage shouldn't be omitted.

Pad Thai at home

Pad Thai is perhaps one of the most popular dishes of Thailand, not to mention its growing popularity in Australia. However, we don't have to always commit to the rather frequent trips (as I've been noticing my friends' addiction to Thai restaurants, not to say my own) to Thai restaurants to satisfy our cravings, often of these sweet, sour and spicy noodles. Though we all love to idle away in a culturally infused ambience, while ironically savouring the exotic flavours of Thailand, we can almost produce the same thing back at home for half the price. Kind to the wallet, and saves the couple of litres of petrol wasted to get to that haven of exotic food.

So what was it like to make Pad Thai at home? Simple and straightforward. Pad Thai is somewhat a friendly meal to make if you follow this recipe. Since I'm a pesco-vegetarian, I added a range of different veges - broccoli, eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes (these were added last so they didn't disintegrate) and tofu. You could really add any ingredients you like to the Pad Thai, depending what's on hand. On Pim's site, there are heaps of other Thai recipes that will definitely have you drooling, so try them out! With the festive season coming up, what better feast can we have than a Thai banquet! Also, for those who haven't tried Pad Thai before, now is the time!

So roll up your sleeves and get chopping; I'm sure you'd find that inner cook in you. Well, if you don't, then do give it another go! You only improve by learning through your mistakes :)

No need to knead!

Nothing beats hot, fresh bread straight out of the oven! A while ago, I stumbled upon some really fascinating stuff - No Knead Bread. Easy and great results. A good crustiness to the outside while soft and gluten-ey on the inside. Paired with a little butter or extra virgin olive oil, this bread goes a long way!

Simply mix all your flour, yeast, water and let it sit for 12 hours. Throw it in the oven for about 45 minutes and there you have it. All you need is a cast iron/casserole dish with a heavy lid to bake your bread in - you could even use a pyrex. This mini 'steam oven' develops the crust of the bread that you are looking for. Unlike bakery bought bread, the No Knead hardens up fairly quickly so it's best eaten warm, though you can just pop a slice in the toaster/sandwich press to soften up the insides. You can find the recipe here.

Trust me, this bread will exceed your expectations, and perhaps you'll find yourself ditching the good ol' Coles baguette for this lovely and affordable variation ;)