Mmmmm....MoMos

Ever experience the sudden craving for a particular food the moment you open your eyes in the morning? With the craving monster persistently wounding it's long coiling fingers around you throughout the day and no amount of delicacies good enough to drive it away - this can indeed be rather tormenting!

That was exactly what I experienced when I suddenly developed a terrible craving for momos at 7am in the morning. To make matters worse, there is not even the remotest possibility of me getting hold of one such Nepali meat dumpling in the small town of Villach. Absolutely ZERO!

I was so close to compromising my momo cravings with the local chinese dumplings until my fingers unknowingly keyed in "Nepali momo recipe" in the Google search engine. And praise the founders of Google! I found so many recipes for momos ranging from complicated ones with the use of numerous exotic spices to the simple ones where the ingredients are easily available in the local supermarkets!

I combined a few of the simple recipes and came up with one of my very own! Who knows, maybe I might even be able to help save some unfortunate souls who are also being tormented by the momos craving monster?!?

Meat MoMos

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup water

500g minced meat (meat of your choice)

1 medium onion

a few cloves of garlic

1 slice of ginger

1 1/2tsp salt

dash of pepper

dash of cumin powder

dash of chilli or hot paprika powder

sesame oil

Method:

(1) Dice the onion, garlic and ginger.

(2) In a bowl, combine the diced onion, garlic and ginger with the minced meat, salt, pepper, cumin powder and chilli powder.

(3) Lastly, add the sesame oil and mix well. Set aside.

(4) To make the momo skin, slowly add the water to a bowl of flour until a smooth dough is formed.

(5) On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough for a few minutes. Leave the dough to rest in the bowl for ~30 minutes with a wet cloth covering the bowl. This prevents the dough from drying out.

(6) Pinch the dough into similar sized dough balls. The size depends on how big or small you want your momos to be.

(7) With a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball into flat circular dough skins. Roll as flat as possible otherwise you would end up with thick-skinned momos after steaming.

(8) Assemble the dumplings as shown in the video below:

(9) Coat the steamer plate with a thin layer of oil to prevent the momos from sticking onto the plate.

(10) Steam for ~15 minutes or until the momos are cooked.

(11) Serve hot with sauce of your choice!

Verdict:

(+) Relatively easy recipe to follow through which yields reasonably tasting momos.

(-) Flattening the little dough balls and assembling them into decent looking momos can be quite a feat!

(-) When biting into the momos, the meat fillings easily fell out as a whole chunk, separate from the momo skin. This was different from the ones I had in Nepal where the meat fillings are scattered within the skin.

(=) Quite a good first attempt. Will be motivated to make it a second time!

Gulasch

Gulasch is a traditional Hungarian dish but somehow made it into the list of traditional Austrian cuisine someway along it's long line of history. It is often served with semmel or semmelknödels in local restaurants of which I definitely prefer the former. The thick paprika and onion based soup with it's huge chunks of soft, well-stewed beef is good enough to win me over the first time I tasted it.

So on this fine Tuesday afternoon, having ran out of ideas on what to cook for dinner, I finally dug out my packet of "Knorr - Basis für Gulasch" from the depths of the kitchen cabinet and proceeded with my first attempt at Gulasch making. May The Force Be With Me!

Gulasch

Ingredients:

1 packet of "Knorr - Basis für Gulasch"

3/4l water

3tbs oil

1/2 onion - diced

1/2 red paprika - diced into cubes

300g beef chunks

Method:

(1) In a pot, add water and just prior to boiling, slowly stir in the contents of the Knorr packet.

(2) In another pot, add the oil and once it is heated up, stir fry the onions till it begins to brown slightly.

(3) Add the red paprika and continue to stir fry for a while more.

(4) Pour the Knorr soup mixture into the pot of stir-fried onions and paprika. Stir well.

(5) Add the beef chunks.

(6) With the lid half-covering the pot, allow the dish to simmer at low heat for 1.5hrs - 2hrs.

Verdict:

(+) It is so, so easy to recreate this traditional dish with the Knorr soup packet.

(=) A modern cooking twist to yield a traditional flavour!

Karaage Chicken

Karaage Chicken

Ingredients:

chicken thighs with skin on - cut into bite sized chunks

80g potato starch

40g plain flour

20g garlic

40g fresh ginger

200ml soy sauce

vegetable oil

Method:

(1) Slice the garlic and ginger thinly. Add them to the soy sauce and let it stand for half a day.

(2) Pour the soy sauce over the chicken

(3) Coat the chicken with a mixture of potato starch and plain flour

(4) Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown

Verdict

(+) The ginger-garlic soy sauce is a simple yet wonderful marinate sauce - Japanese style!

(+) The crust is nowhere near the KFC kind of crunchiness but nevertheless crunchy in a subtle way

(+) The meat is tender and not overly dry after frying

(-) Totally oily and cholesterol loaded

(=) A definite quick and easy party snack!

Steak It The Gordon Ramsey Way!

I do not know if it's got something to do with the Gordon Ramsey recipe or is it because of the edited clip. It seems terribly easy to cook a piece of steak which hasn't occured to me till recently!

And naturally, I feel so encouraged after watching the 1 minute video that I proceeded to cook three steaks all at once!


Well, It did not turn out so bad just that the steaks were a little on the tough side. And I gathered that while cooking the Gordon Ramsey "Way", one has to have sufficient common sense instead of simply following the recipes strictly. :)

Chicken Rice, Chicken and Cabbage Soup (鸡饭，白鸡，白菜汤)

Chicken rice aside, the chicken and cabbage soup are traditional dishes served up on the table by the Teochews during festive ocassions or when praying to the deities.

Chicken Rice, Chicken & Cabbage Soup

Ingredients:

a whole chicken

salt

button mushroom

cabbage (白菜)

ginger (sliced)

Method (Chicken):

(1) Buy the chicken a day before. Rub salt on both the inside and outside of the chicken. Wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it overnight.

(2) Dethaw the chicken. Pour boiling water over it before rinsing it with cold water.

(3) Cook another pot of hot salted water and just before it boils, add the chicken. Remember to flip the chicken while cooking.

(4) After about 20 minutes or when the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and chop it prior to serving. Garnish with parsley. Do not throw away the chicken stock in the pot as it will be used for cooking the rice and soup.

Method (Chicken Rice):

(1) To the washed rice, add the ginger slices, chicken stock (leftover stock after boiling the chicken) and salt.

(2) Then leave the rest to the reliable rice cooker.

Method (Cabbage Soup):

(1) To the remaining chicken stock, add button mushrooms and cabbage.

(2) Additional salt can be added for taste.

Verdict:

(+) Everything in this recipe goes right into the stomach...nothing goes to waste!

(+) The cabbage soup can even be used to cook noodles or the hot soup be simply poured onto cold rice!

(=) An easy recipe to hold on to the traditional Teochew culinary culture...

Weisskirchen - Food and Sights

Spent a relaxing weekend at the small town of Weisskirchen, Steiermark. It is summer now, sometimes at a scorching afternoon high of 35°C.

It is also the mushroom season and interestingly, I was informed that there is a local regulation stating that each person can only harvest a certain quantity of mushroom from the forest. With that, I decided to try my luck hunting for mushrooms in the nearby forest.

I'm lucky enough to spot some mushrooms but unfortunately, they were either poisonous or already half-eaten by insects.

Along the way, I also found some wild blue berries growing from the bushes but they were extremely sour to the taste. So much for having absolute zero patience and being a glutton.

Summer here is for a relatively short period of time compared to winter. So while it's here, everyone's taking the opportunity to enjoy the sun, buzzing insects and the bright colours that nature brings along with it - the white, white clouds, the blue, blue sky, the green, green trees, the red, red flowers and the brown, brown wheat harvest.

And of course, the Austrian cows which are a fantastically, photogenic bunch. :)

I also had the luxury of enjoying home-cooked Austrian food which were simply delectable!

Faschierte Laibchen mit Kartoffel puree

(Oven roasted meatloaf with mashed potato)

Fritattensuppe

(Pancake slices in beef broth - my all-time favourite)

Pistazien Kuchen

(Pistachio Cake)

Nuss Strudel

(Bread with nut fillings)

Let It Simmer

Who would have thought that I - someone who is an aficionado of elegant fare in the kitchen - would fall head over heels in love with stew, and be the one to extol the majesty of beef stew in all its gloppy glory?

Stews are bringers of contentment to a discontented world, high in the ranks with freshly baked bread and cakes, guaranteed to fill a kitchen with such a sense of abundance. Stews are the most forgiving dishes and seem to possess an organic vitality independent of the cook. Under their tight-shut lid they can be allowed to simmer away for hours on end, and whilst the aromas of bay and wine pervades through air, benevolent unions and fusions are taking place in the pot.

Ironically, being “in a stew’ is a description of sweaty anxiety when, in fact, the food is a balm for the fretful: a slow, voluptuous yielding, long bundles of fibre softening in a gently bubbling bath of yeasty beer - in the recipe of Belgian Carbonade. Stews are irrefutably wintry comforts but they are also sure-fire proof against dirty weather, hot or cold.

Despite with promised joy in the consumption of a richly cooked stew, it is rarely featured in the menus of ambitious contemporary restaurant. I suspect it’s because their messiness doesn’t sit quite well in a plating culture that wants you to ooh and aah at presentation that are often exquisite and sublimely beautiful. Stewing meat of whatever kind is never cute; it’s the slob on a plate, leaking incontinently towards the beckoning mash and beautifully tanned bruschetta.

With winter biting and gloomy nights look set to linger, my craving for gratifying, oozing, life sustaining stews becomes irresistible, and what could be better than a nourishing Pot of Pleasure. Moreover, when left alone overnight, gathering of richness and intensification of flavour would ensued, in other words, it will just keep getting better.

Belgian Carbonade
A rich stew of beef and onions cooked in beer
Serves 2
Ready in 3 hours and 30 minutes

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
500g beef brisket or stewing beef, trimmed of fat and cut into 3 cm cubes
50g chopped bacon or gammon
1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
200g baby potatoes, halved

1 tbsp plain flour

200ml brown ale
200ml hot beef sock
1 tsp brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Slices of crusty bread and mashed potato, to serve

• Heat a little olive oil and butter in a large nonstick pan and lightly fry the bacon pieces till slightly coloured. Transfer to a large pot.
• Brown the beef on all sides (don't overcrowd the pan or the meat will steam, not brown, and add a little more oil if needed). When nicely browned, tip them into the pot.
• Cook the onion in the pan until golden. Add garlic, then the carrots and potatoes till they took on a vivid glaze.
• Stir flour into the pan and add the brown ale gradually, stirring constantly to remove any sediment at the bottom of the pan. Heat until simmering and pour over the beef and vegetables in the pot.
• Add the stock, sugar, bay leaf, thyme, and a sprinkle of herbes de provence (an aromatic blend of dry herbs - thyme rosemary, basil, marjoram, oregano & tarragon). Cover and wish it a happy simmer over low heat on the stove for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Do poke your nose in the pot from time to time to check for dwindling juice.
• Add the balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, replace lid and simmer for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the mashed potato and bruschetta to serve with the stew.

Soy Sauce Stir-fry Chicken

This is one of my favourite dish that goes extremely well with plain porridge. Once the ingredients are prepared, the stir frying part is quick and easy!

Soy Sauce Stir-fry Chicken

Ingredients:

sesame oil

sliced ginger

chopped garlic

chicken, chopped to bite-size

light soy sauce

dark soy sauce

Hua Tiao wine (花调酒）

Method:

(1) Add sesame oil to the heated wok

(2) Add the sliced ginger and stir fry until it turns slight golden in colour

(3) Add the chopped garlic and keep stirring till it turns golden in colour as well

(4) Add the chopped chicken parts and stir fry

(5) Add a dash of MSG (optional)

(6) Add the light soy sauce

(7) Add the dark soy sauce

(8) Add the Hua Tiao wine

(9) Leave the chicken to cook and stir fry occasionally

Verdict:

(-) It's a little salty so go easy on the light and dark soy sauce

(=) What can I say, it's simply yummy-licious!

As the saying goes "A picture is worth a thousand words"...how about a video then?

Typical Weekend Dinner

Dinner on a weekday at home is considered relatively simple compared to the efforts put into preparing for dinner on weekends when more people are home.

Yesterday, this was what we had for dinner:

Tofu-tomato-button mushroom-minced meat soup

And I actually tried to recreate this soup some time ago. It really looks like a watered-down version compared to my mom's. :(

Stir fried Spinach and Mushroom in Oyster Sauce

One of my favourite! But I don't recall the taste of those juicy mushrooms. Hey!

Steamed Fish

I have no idea what fish this was. I only know one type of fish - Garoupa. But this does not mean I know how a Garoupa looks like. All dead fishes look the same to me.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Yummy! However, there's some fatty meat on the pork, so I'm torn between satisfying my taste bud and the potential threat of having a few grams added to the scale. So for every piece of pork, I had a piece of pineapple. Don't know why I did it...I just felt better somehow.

Mid-Autumn Festival Dinner

Today is the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. From where I'm sitting with my laptop, the full moon is already highly perched on the cloudless sky.

I can still recall many years ago when I was half convinced that there was indeed a fairy, an old man and a hare living on the moon. Back then, I would gobble up my dinner quickly before joining the other children who were already parading their paper lanterns along the corridor.

The best part for the little boys would be to light up the candles in the lanterns and sometimes, by 'accident', the lantern would catch fire much to the shrills of the little girls. On the other hand, the girls would be precariously trying to balance and hold the lanterns to avoid it going up in flames.

This would be the one day when we were allowed to play with candles and fire other than the ocassional blackouts in the housing blocks. And very often, some parents would try to limit the number of matchsticks 'allocated' to their children so that whenever they had run out of matchsticks, it would also mean that it's time for the children to head back home.

Those were my idyllic childhood days...

Tonight, I would rather take my time to enjoy the spread my mother has prepared for the occasion.

Awwww.......Mother's Cooking

Yesterday evening, the entire family paid baby Alicia a visit and I finally got to taste my mum's cooking after nearly 2 weeks!

The familiar aroma which filled the living room is reason enough to put a smile across my face. This is one of the things which I believe many have always taken granted for.

Sometimes, I'll wonder if in the generations to come, will home-cooked food be something which is more easily available everywhere else other than at home?

I have tried sometimes to recreate the tastes in some of my mom's dishes but it's never the same. My mum doesn't go by tsp or tbs or cups or grams. After a dash of this or a pinch of that, she always does a taste check by dipping her finger into the sauce or gravy and delivering it straight into her mouth. Then it's either a satisfied "hmm" or a pinch more of something else to complete the dish. There's no guidelines or recipes to follow.

It's all about the sense of taste...the art of cooking...or simply the common sense as my mother puts it - which I'm still trying hard to grasp.