Tag: home-cooked food

Homemade Yu Seul Jja Jang Myun

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So the korean craze continues.

Remember my recent review on Han Guuk Guan and we had the yummiest jja jiang myun? I got adventurous and decided to challenge myself to make it! I was a bit apprehensive about it, but we both were craving for more after having it that night! So I went to the asian supermarket KFL at Springvale and guess what I saw?

Black bean paste! (: PERFECT! I snapped a photo and whatsapped the mr and he was as enthusiastic about it as I was. So I saw that as a green light to get it. It wasn’t expensive though. Just $3? Could definitely last us for a minimum of 10 plates of jja jang myun! haha

I also question how restaurants get their jja jung myun the beautiful dark colour and only after I cooked it myself, I realised it’s all in the black bean sauce! There is no secret and definitely no additional colouring. *phew*

I have to admit, after plating up I was dancing a small dance inside when I realised I got it looking pretty close to the one we had at Ham Guuk Guan! I couldn’t find the right noodles to use so I just used the flat wheat noodles. It worked well with it as well! Had a little spring to the noodles. Almost like the la mian you get from chinese restaurants. The julienne zucchini gave the dish an extra crunch and the mr really enjoyed that. (:

I sure do love my noodles black. hehe (:

Yu Seul Jja Jang Myun (Seafood Black Bean Noodles)

200g basa fillet, sliced into 1-inch pieces

150g prawn, shelled and deveined (keep the shell for stock*)

50g clams

1 onion, cubed

1 carrot, cute into cubes

150g black bean sauce

1 1/2 cup prawn stock (recipe below)

1/2 zucchini, julienned, for garnish

1/2 tbs sugar

1 heap tbs corn starch

3 tbs water

2 tbs olive oil

200g dried wheat noodles

Steps :

1) Heat the olive oil in a deep dish pan over medium to high heat and add the onions and carrots. Fry until the onions become transparent and the carrots become a little softer.

2) Add the black bean sauce and stir it well. Add the stock* slowly, stirring, making sure everything is well combined. Cover with a lid and allow it to come to a soft boil.

3) Add the seafood according to the time needed for them to cook. I added the fish and allowed it to cook for 2-3 mins, before adding the prawns then the clams.

4) Add the sugar and adjust amount as needed. Mix the corn starch with water and slowly add it to the sauce, stirring as you add the mixture, allowing it to thicken.

5) Boil the wheat noodles according to the instructions at the back of the packet, then drain them when ready. Place them on a large plate and top it with the black bean sauce. Top the dish with the julienned zucchini before serving. ENJOY!

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* For the prawn stock :

Shells from the prawns used

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbs vegetable oil

1 litre water

1 tsp fish sauce

Steps :

1) Heat the oil in a small heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and fry till it’s brown, careful not to burn it as it will turn bitter.

2) Add the prawn shells and fry till the shells turn orange/red. Use the spatula to press the heads down and get all the flavours out of the shells.

3) Add the water and fish sauce and allow the stock to come to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the stock to simmer for not more than 30 mins. Drain the shells and take out 1 1/2 cups of stock for the noodles. You can freeze the rest for up to 1 month or keep in the fridge to be used within 3 days.

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Once again, a messy plate is a yummy plate in my books! (: 

Veal Goulash

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I never had veal. Not that I can remember. It just never hit me that maybe I should give it a try. Maybe it’s just the thought that veal is the meat from young calves that made me not want to try them at first. But after watching Italian Food Safari and seeing how they cooked a veal osso bucco. I really wanted to try veal, at least once. And so I did. Of course I didn’t know what was the best way to cook the veal and so I decided, veal goulash!

So off I went to the supermarket to get the ingredients for a goulash. I walked the aisles of Woolies and just couldn’t think of what to compliment the veal goulash. Mash? Greens? But in the end, I decided that the stew would be perfect with egg tagliatelle. With the delicious gravy coating every single strand of the pasta. What could be better? And might I add, more comforting on a cold night after a day of work?

I cheated today and adapted from the recipe that was found on the packaging of the veal stew meat I bought from Woolies. Was a bit apprehensive because they put the juice of a whole orange in the stew. Something sweet in savoury? Will it work? Then I remembered the winners of MKR (Leigh & Jennifer) who used pineapple juice when cooking their massaman curry (so going to try it!), making Judge Manu Feildel go “OMG!” I immediately decided to give it a shot. And I am so glad I did! It was delicious!

As it cooks, the smell of the orange gets stronger. But when you actually taste it, there is only a subtle taste of the orange and it actually works beautifully!  With the saltiness of the parmesan cheese, everything just went so well together. We loved it!

Veal Goulash (adapted from Woolworths Recipe)

400g veal stew cut, diced

1 red onion, sliced into small wedges

1 heap tbs plain flour

1 tin (400g) diced tomatoes

1/2 cup green split olives

Juice of 1 orange

Rind of 1 orange, grated

250ml beef stock

1 tsp paprika (can add more if you like the spice!)

1 heap tbs thickened cream

salt and pepper, to taste

Steps :

1) Heat a heavy-based pot over medium-high heat with 1 tbs of olive oil and brown the veal. Brown them in 3 batches so that it will give the stew a nice dark colour. Take them out and put them aside.

2) Add another tbs of olive oil and the onions. Fry till the onions start to break down and soften. Add the plain flour and stir until the onions are well coated.

3) Slowly add the beef stock, olives, diced tomatoes, orange juice, orange rind and paprika. Allow the stew to simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Pop the lid on but do not cover the pot completely. Give a small gap to allow some of the liquid to evaporate, thickening the stew. Season with salt and pepper.

4) Just before you serve, add the cream and stir it well. If serving with pasta, cook the pasta according to the package and add it into the goulash coating the pasta well. Top it with shaven or grated parmesan and ENJOY! (:

If you ask me, a messy plate is a yummy plate. haha (: If you have any good veal recipes, please point me to the direction! Would love to learn more ways to cook this gorgeous meat!

Dry Pork Curry

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I first had this at my parent’s friend’s house during Deepavali and instantly, I loved it. It’s definitely not like your usual curry. It’s pork, for one, and it’s not similar to the rich and heavy gravy that you usually get when having curry. It is my idea of a healthier curry! There is no coconut milk added, and you don’t even need to add water! Amazing huh?

I made my mum ask Aunty Lata for the recipe so that she could cook it for us on a regular basis. haha Last year when she came, she cooked it for us for dinner one night and it was perfect for a cold winter night! There and then, I asked her to tell me the recipe verbally while I recorded it down. I stashed it in one of the boxes with my other recipes and forgot all about it!

I was looking for a winter warmer recipe (in Autumn, I know) cause it’s been s0 cold these couple of days and found it folded and clipped in between my food magazines. So I decided to give it a shot and I was so glad I did! It was spicy and tangy and just went so well with quinoa! Of course, it would be awesome with roti and steamed rice too!

I decided to do a step by step photo-recipe so that you will be able to get this dry pork curry on your dining table without much hassle and too much thought! I do hope you all will enjoy!

Aunty Lata’s Dry Pork Curry

Ingredients :

400g pork, sliced (I used the shoulder, with the skin and fat trimmed)

2 tbs curry powder (I used Baba’s meat curry powder)

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 tomato, diced

2 tbs olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 star anise

1 tbs curry leave (I used dried, you can use fresh ones if you have)

1-2 tsp garlic salt

Steps :

1) Marinade the pork in a tupperware with the curry powder, dark soy, garlic and tomato. Mix it till it’s well combined and let it marinade for at least 2 hours. Would be even better overnight!

 

2) In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbs of olive oil on medium-high heat and add the star anise and fry till fragrant. Add the onions and curry  leave and fry till the onions soften.

3)  Pour in the marinated pork and fry till the pork is cooked.

 4) Lower the heat to low-medium and cover the pot, allowing it to simmer for about 30 mins. DO NOT add any water to the pot as the tomatoes and the pork itself would provide sufficient liquid through the cooking process!

5) Lift the lid and allow it to simmer for a further 15 mins, giving the liquid time to evaporate and thicken the curry.

 Serve with quinoa or steamed white rice and ENJOY! (:

So what is your favourite kind of curry? Share with me! (:

Green Papaya Salad with Avocado

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I have been watching Poh’s Kitchen, and I really like how she is able to come up with recipes of things she have tried from different regions and countries. When I first saw this episode of Poh’s Kitchen on the road last year, I was super excited, because she went to Singapore! I was really thrilled (:

She made this amazing green papaya salad which made the mr and I drive out to Footscray Market to get the ingredients immediately. It’s almost like the Thai version of the papaya salad but she mashed an avocado which acted as a dressing that made the dish creamy and appetizing at the same time! Asian fruit salads are one of my favourites, when you have a bite, there is an explosion of different flavours. Sweet, salty, sour and spicy! This salad is exactly it!

It’s a really refreshing salad and it would go really well with any other asian dishes. I highly recommend something spicy like chilli prawn or BBQ stingray. YUM!

Green Papaya and Avocado Salad (adapted from Poh’s Kitchen On The Road)

1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
1/3 cup ikan billis
2 cups green papaya or paw paw, shredded (see note)
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ cup mint leaves, torn
½ cup picked coriander leaves
4 spring onions, green and white parts, sliced finely
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
1/2 of an avocado, mashed
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 teaspoons tamarind paste
3 teaspoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons caster sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Steps :

1. Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan over a medium to high heat. Deep fry the ikan blilis and dry them on a kitchen towel.

2. To make the dressing : combine chilli, avocado, garlic, tamarind, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice in a bowl and mix with a fork  until nicely combined. Check the balance of the dressing and adjust accordingly adding fish sauce for saltiness, sugar for sweetness and lime juice for acid.

3. In a large mixing bowl combine the prepared papaya, tomatoes, mint, coriander, spring onions and dressing and toss very gently with your hands until just combined.

4. Sprinkle the deep-fried ikan billis over the top and serve immediately.

Note : To peel the green papaya (or paw paw), deseed and use one of those Asian peelers with the shredding attachment to shred the papaya to thin pieces. Alternatively, you could cut them into long matchsticks (about 10cm long) using a sharp knife. Try not to use a grater, as it might bruise the papaya and will become very watery.

Childhood Memories

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Ever had a dish from your childhood that you can remember vividly and you try to recreate it recently? I sure do!

I remember when I was young and I use to head to my 3rd aunt’s house to stay over the weekend. She would call me the day I am heading over to ask me what I would like to have for dinner. The conversation would go like this (direct translation from mandarin) :

Aunt : What would you like to have tonight? (你今晚想吃什么?)

Me : You anyhow cook, I anyhow eat！ (你乱乱煮,我乱乱吃!）

That conversation still cracks me up! haha That’s how horrible my mandarin was (and is, sadly), since I was 2/3 years old! But my aunt knew what my favourite dish of hers was and she would whip it up for dinner when I’m over. So what is it? Fried prawn egg! It’s simple but so so delicious! Till now, when there are family potluck gatherings, she would make it for us!

Since we got back from Singapore, we have decided to abstain from meat on Fridays. It was difficult to prepare lunches for Fridays to be brought to work. You won’t want it to be too messy, and you would want something that could be easily eaten using a spoon. So immediately, this dish popped out in my head! So I have been doing trail and error to get the perfect recipe and I think my last attempt was the closest! The secret is to fry it like an omelet and make sure both sides are nice and brown before using your spatula to chop it into small bits of pieces.

So here’s the recipe! Hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!

Fried Prawn Egg (Adapted from My Aunt)

300g prawns, deshelled, deveined and cut into small pieces

2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

4 eggs

1 tbs olive oil

3 tsp fish sauce

3 tsp sesame oil

white pepper, to season

spring onion, chopped, to garnish (optional)

Steps :

1) In a small metal bowl, season the prawns with 1 tsp of fish sauce, 1 tsp of sesame oil and pepper. In another bowl, crack the eggs in and season the egg with 2 tsp of fish sauce, 2 tsp of sesame oil and pepper.

2) Heat a flat, non-stick frying pan on medium to high heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and fry till fragrant (careful not to burn them). Add the prawns and fry till they are brown and caramelised on the outside. Add the egg and spread it around the frying pan evenly.

3) Turn the heat down to medium and allow it to brown on one side then flip it to the other side, and allow that to brown too. This should take about 3-5 mins (on each side). You may check the progress by gently lifting up the sides with a spatula.

4) Once both sides are nice and brown and crispy, the fun (and distressing I might add) part begins. Use your spatula and randomly chop the omelet into small pieces. Allow it to fry for a further 3-4 mins then serve!

Serve this with rice or quinoa. Enjoy! (:

This is the mr’s portion haha in a “Light My Fire” lunchbox! Doing our bit for the environment! hehe

So dear readers, what is one childhood memory you can’t forget? Would love to hear it!

ps: so sorry about the quality of the photos. They were shot by my iphone4s. Been a bit lazy getting my camera. 🙂

Homemade BBQ Pork (Char Siew)

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I’ve always been a fan of roast meats, especially roast duck and roast pork belly. If you follow me on instagram, I actually head to Golden Harvest Restaurant at Footscray for their roast duck and it’s the best roast duck I’ve had!

It’s usually a treat when we head there for dinner. A celebratory meal (:

Of course another favourite of mine is BBQ pork (char siew) and not just any char siew, specifically my mum’s. Ever since she made her version of BBQ pork, my brother and I have never liked any other versions that we had that is bought. Something that bothers my dad alot is the artificial red colouring of most of the store bought BBQ pork. And mum’s has no sign of that at all.

Tender and juicy pieces of BBQ pork that were cooked in an AMC pot! AMC pots are magic, really. And I’m a super lucky girl, cos whenever I am back for a holiday, mum would surely make her char siew for me. (:

So when I’m back here in Melbourne. Of course I miss mummy’s char siew and I decide to give it a shot, without the AMC pot. haha with my fingers ans toes crossed, I marinated the meat and baked it in the oven!

I have to say, it was close but it’s still lacking the same punch and kick as the one mummy makes. But for now this would have to do and we will just have to keep trying and altering the marinade until we get it spot on! But this definitely satisfied our cravings that night!

So here’s my take on BBQ pork, how do you usually make yours?

Homemade BBQ Pork (An original recipe of Food Made With Love)

400g pork fillet (or any tender cut)

2 tbs Lee Kum Kee Char Siew Sauce

1 tbs Hoisin Sauce

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, chopped garlic

1 tbs shao xing wine

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp garlic salt

Steps :

1) Marinade the pork fillet with all the other ingredients listed above for at least 2 hours (even better overnight).

2) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. In a deep baking tray, place the marinated pork and pour 1/3 of the marinade on top of the pork. Cover the pork with baking paper to make sure the top doesnt burn (not yet anyways!). Bake for 20 mins and take it out to flip it to the other side.

3) Pour another 1/3 of the marinade on top and bake it for another 15 mins without covering this time.

4) Take it out and flip it for the last time, pouring the remaining marinade on top of the pork fillet and bake it for another 10 mins, or until tender.

5) For the last 5 mins, turn the grill on and allow the top of the pork fillet to char.

6) Allow the pork to rest for 10 mins before slicing it to thin pieces. Remember to scrape all the yummy sauce on the baking tray and serve it with the pork or on the side. ENJOY!

I prefer to have the sauce on my char siew. Have it with your choice of carbs. Of course mine is quinoa, how bout you?

Mummy’s Claypot Rice

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When I first came to Melbourne about 8 years ago, I didn’t know how to cook at all. The only thing I actually knew how to cook was fried rice, and it was horrible. haha. So you can imagine, 1 month before I came here to study, how hectic it would be in the kitchen as mum tries to teach me some basics. So for the first year, I survived on a cyclical menu of decently flavoured fried rice, spaghetti and different simple stir fry. And of course, lots and lots of trail and error. haha

I have to say, all the experimenting spurred my interest in cooking and of course baking. Each time I head back during my long breaks, mum would teach me a few new dishes to cook. I keep the recipes in a notebook, just in case I forget them. (: It’s like a mother-daughter bonding session. Absolutely love it. I know i’ve said it before, but she is my inspiration in the kitchen.

One dish that I absolutely love is her version of claypot rice, with a twist! If you’re thinking, “I don’t have a claypot and I have to get one”. This recipe is for you! Cause it’s cooked in the rice cooker!

I know most people have claypot rice for the crispy and charred parts at the bottom of the claypot, I do have to warn you that this recipe doesn’t have the crispy bits, but it is definitely as yummy! So don’t dismiss this dish just cause it’s missing the crispy bits (although I know how important that is for an authentic claypot rice) but this is really a quick fix for a claypot rice craving!

Mummy’s Claypot Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup of rice

2 chinese sausages, sliced

2 chinese liver sausages, sliced (optional)

5 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced

250g chicken thigh, cut into chunks

10 pieces of chinese cabbage, cut into big pieces

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs shaoxing chinese wine

1 tbs dark soy sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

50ml water

ground white pepper, to season

2 tbs thick dark soy (caramel thick sauce)

spring onions, chopped (to serve)

fried shallots (to serve)

Steps :

1) Rinse the rice and add water (according to the cooking instructions behind the packaging) and take out 2 tbs of water. Leave it aside.

2) Place the chinese sausage and liver sausage in a bowl and steam for 15 mins. Drain the oil and leave it aside.

3) In a heavy based frying pan, heat the vegetable oil and fry the garlic till fragrant, careful not to burn them. Add the mushrooms and fry till fragrant. At this time, start cooking the rice in the rice cooker.

4) Add the chicken pieces and brown them. Add the sauces, pepper and shaoxing wine and 50ml of water. Add the chinese cabbage and allow it to simmer for 20 mins and make sure the liquid is almost completely reduced. Add in the chinese sausage and liver sausage. The rice should be almost done, pour the mixture onto the rice and give it a good stir. When the rice cooker clicks, leave it in the “keep warm” mode for another 20-30 mins.

5) Just before serving, pour the thick dark soy over the rice, top with spring onion and fried shallots. ENJOY!

Even without the crispy bits, this is one solid claypot rice that reminds me of home (:

Crab, Prawn & Cherry Tomato Linguini

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Yes, I know. I’m proclaiming my love for Italian food again. But I am not going to apologise for that. I really do love Italian. If not cause of the carbs, I would eat pasta every single day. haha. But I have limit to once a week. The most! That’s okay, right? haha

Well. I didn’t intend to have Italian until my bestie sent me photos of what she was having at Da Paolo @ Rochester last night and I knew instantly what I wanted to try making : Crab meat linguini. That’s the only thing I order when I head to Da Paolo. Just saying the name of the place is making me want to have their crab meat linguini again. That’s how much I LOVE it. and how delicious it is!

Sorry bad lighting cos of the ambience!

I attempted to make a healthier version. Well by healthier, I mean leaving out the cream. As you will be able to see soon, everything else is healthy and not that sinful, really. Well without or without the cream, my version is nothing close to the one from Da Paolo though it was still satifying and yummy (The mr finished every single drop in the pot! hehe). But it was still a recipe worth blogging about! Hope you all will give it a try and enjoy it as much as we did!

Crab, Prawn & Cherry Tomato Linguini (an original recipe by Food Made With Love)

Ingredients :

1 canned crab meat (170g, 120g drained)

10 pieces of prawns, shelled & deveined and cut to small pieces

10 cherry tomatoes

2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 chilli, deseed and chopped finely

5 pieces of sundried tomato, chopped finely

3 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano

120ml dry white wine

300ml fish stock

salt & pepper, to season

grated parmesan, to serve

300g pasta, cooked according to the back of the packaging and drained

Steps :

1) Season the cherry tomatoes with a bit of the chopped garlic, 1 tbs olive oil and dried oregano and place them on a baking tray. In a 180 degree celcius preheated oven, bake the tomatoes for 15 mins.

2) Heat a deep dish pan over moderate heat, add the olive oil, garlic, chilli and sundried tomatoes and fry till soft and fragrant. Careful not to burn the garlic, or it will taste bitter.

3) Add the prawns in the mixture and fry till they turn from opaque to white. Add the baked cherry tomatoes (including all the juices) and the tomato paste. Mix it well but gently, not to mash the cherry tomatoes. Add the white wine and allow it to reduce by half.

4) Add the fish stock and allow it to simmer over low-medium heat for 15-20 mins. Season with salt and black pepper and add the crab meat at this point. (Don’t add it too early, as it might break down and you won’t be able to taste it).

5) Toss in the cooked pasta and mix well. Serve with grated parmesan and ENJOY!

Tip :

Instead of chopping garlic when you need it, chop it before hand and place it in a air tight glass container. Cover it with olive oil and you’ve not only got garlic-infused olive oil to use whenever you need to, you have chopped garlic all ready to go! (: Place them in the fridge and you should be able to keep it for up to a month! I would recommend not making too huge a container. Maybe prepare a container every 1-2 weeks depending on how big a fan you are of garlic!

Steamed Seafood Egg Toufu

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The Mr and I have decided to abstain from meat on Fridays so we either go full-fledged veg or have an addition of seafood. And I must say, it’s not a bad idea at all! (:  Of course, it’s so much easier to cook meat dishes. But this makes me think out of the box and try things that I don’t usually cook! Just the thought of it makes me excited!

My brother stopped eating meat about 2 years ago and there are a few dishes mummy makes for him that I decided that I should give it a go. Mummy is really amazing. She tries her best to cook a whole variety of things for korkor and they are all super delicious. Needless to say, mummy and my grandmother are the 2 people who inspires me to cook. (:

One of my favourite seafood dishes I love (and there is quite a list haha) is mummy’s steamed seafood egg toufu. It’s healthy and super good. You could easily eat a whole bowl. Mum usually makes hers with fresh soy bean milk (unsweetened) but I went a quicker way (and cheated) and used soft toufu instead. Of course the texture is not as smooth as it could be. But the flavour was close!

So I would recommend this for people who don’t eat meat, and are aiming to get healthier in time to come! I think most of us are striving for a healthier us, right? Take the first step! Of course, exercise is necessary! So here’s the recipe :

Steamed Seafood Egg Toufu (Adapted from Mummy)

Ingredients :

1 tube of silky toufu

3 whole eggs, lightly beaten

250g prawn, cute into small pieces

100g fish paste

3 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

ground white pepper, for seasoning

fried shallots and spring onion (for garnish, optional)

Steps :

1. Cut the top of the tube of silky toufu and squeeze the toufu into a big bowl. (Don’t worry, it should be mashed)

2. Pour the beaten eggs into the bowl and mix well with a whisk. Add the fish paste and prawn. Whisk the mixture till well combined.

3. Season with fish sauce and pepper. Steam for 30-35mins or until cooked through.

4. Pour the sesame oil over the egg, and garnish with fried shallots and spring onions.

DONE! (:

Give it a go and let me know what u think! (:

Garlic Mushroom Quinoa

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I have a new obsession. Actually. Not completely knew.

I have been obsessed with it for the past 6 months. At first, I didn’t know if I would like it. Cause it looked like a seed. But when its cooked, it blooms to almost barley-like. We first only had the white ones. But recently we had a new addition of red ones. Equally delicious. Equally healthy! Have you guessed it yet? QUINOA of course! (:

I think adding the red ones makes it look much prettier don’t you think? hehe

Something I LOVE to have with my quinoa is stews. Anything with gravy really. It goes like two peas in a pod! Even better than rice, in my opinion. My mum would probably say otherwise, especially when having my grandma’s pig trotters. haha It’s been done and tested. But, I prefer it with quinoa. Personal preference I suppose.

Anyway! One of my favourite ways of cooking quinoa is cooking a mixture of mushrooms on the side and stirring it into the cooked quinoa and that to me is a complete meal! I could have that everyday. haha Just saying (: Obsession to a whole new level. oops.

Before stirring it in!

For photo-taking purposes, I’ve placed the mushroom on top of the quinoa and have not mixed it together yet. haha Of course, you don’t have to mix it in. It will still be equally delicious, I promise!

So here’s my favourite recipe! Hope you guys will like it as much as I do!

Garlic Mushroom Quinoa (an original recipe)

Ingredients :

1/2 cup quinoa (cook according to the package, take off heat once it’s cooked)

1 tbs olive oil

3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (this can be altered to your liking)

300g fresh mushrooms, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup water

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garlic salt

freshly ground black pepper

Steps :

1. Cook the quinoa according to your package. It will differ with different brands. It’s either 1 cup of quinoa to 3 cups of water or 2 cups of water. (Please read the cooking instructions carefully! Too much water, and the quinoa might turn mushy, and that wouldn’t be nice anymore.)

2. Add the olive oil to a fry pan and heat over moderate fire. Add the garlic and fry till almost golden brown, careful not to burn them as it will turn bitter.

3. Add the mushrooms and fry for about 3-5 minutes, until the mushrooms starts to soften. Add the chilli powder, garlic salt and pepper.

4. Add water and allow it to cook until all the water has evaporated, stirring occasionally. If mushroom are not soft enough, add a bit more water (1 tbs at a time) and once again allow it to evaporate. (Do make sure the mushrooms are almost completely dry so as to not make the quinoa mushy when stirred together)

5. Add the mushrooms to the quinoa and mix well. Serve!

Enjoy! Remember you can definitely have this on its own or have it with dishes, just like rice! (: Hope you enjoy quinoa as much as I do!

just one more picture, just cause (:

Have a great Friday and weekend ahead everyone!