DIY Pizza

My very first attempt at pizza-making. Got the recipe from some moms at a bookclub and decided that it didn't look too intimidating to try. Turned out better than I expected! Plus, it was real fast and easy. Originally intended for dave to be involved in the process. Well, he was kinda involved...he kept picking at the ham squares and finished a whole chunk before I could use 'em. Ok, to be fair he did help with the kneading of the dough a little. ANYWAY, turned out that I had the most fun making it and everybody else in the family had fun gobbling it all up! I shall consider this a small victory for my day :)

what goes in:
pizza base
plain flour, 375g
salt, 1tsp
sugar, 1T
yeast, 7g (i satchet)
olive oil, 2.5T
warm water, 235ml

suggested toppings
tomato paste
ham, cut into squares
chicken franks, sliced thinly
tasty cheddar, grated
basil leaves, fresh or dried
olives, black or green
onions, chopped finely
broccoli, chopped into small pieces


1. Mix oil and water into dry ingredients.

2. Knead for 15 minutes.

3. Cover with a damp cloth and stand for 30minutes. This allows dough to breath and rise.

4. Divide dough into 3 parts and roll out each to make a round piece.

5. Poke holes all over each rolled dough then spread tomato paste on top. Add a layer of cheese then place desired toppings. Finish with another layer of cheese to ensure ingredients adhere to dough when baked pizza is cut. sprinkle some dried or chopped basil if desired.

6. Preheat oven to 190 degress C. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately while hot!

Assorted Sushi Rolls

what goes in:
sushi rice
3 C medium grain white rice
120ml rice vinegar
60ml sugar
10ml salt

California Rolls
Seaweed sheets
one ripe avocado, skinned, seeded and cut into strips
black sesame seeds
3/4 C crabmeat, cut into strips
2T Japanese mayonnaise
1/2 t salt

Pickle Rolls
any type of Japanese pickle
pickled ginger
pink cod floss


1. Once rice is cooked, allow to cool to room temperature. Put vinegar, salt and sugar in a pot and heat to melt sugar. Stir for an even mixture. Allow to cool.

2. Add vinegar/salt/sugar mixture to rice gradually while folding rice gently. Use an electric fan to cool rice further for about 5 minutes. Rice will appear shiny and will be sticky to the touch.

3. Mix crabment, Jap mayo and salt together in a bowl.

4. Place bamboo mat on table and line with cellophane wrap. Place one sheet of seaweed wrap (shiny side down) on top of cellophane. Spread a layer of rice evenly on seaweed and sprinkle black sesame seeds randomly thru'out rice layer. Press firmly on rice to flatten it.

5. Flip seaweed and rice on the other side so that the rice is now on the cellophane and shiny seaweed surface is facing up. Line avocado and crabmeat horizontally onto seaweed and roll away to get california rolls!

6. For pickle rolls, use same method except without the layer of seaweed. Coat with pink cod floss for a pretty-looking sushi.

Kong Bah Pao - Dark Soya Pork Belly in Chinese Buns

mmmmmm...i love this dish. Dave and J had it for dinner tonight. I know how many of us cringe at the afterthought of having eaten too much pork fat but it really isn't so bad once u remove the topmost layer of fat in the pork bellies. And it still melts in your mouth. J walloped his portion in minutes while Dave puked all his out (he over-ate).

What goes in:
pork belly, 4 slabs (look for those with intricate lines of fat throughout)
dark soya sauce, 2 T
light soya sauce, 2 T
garlic, 6 cloves, crushed
ginger, two 2-inch pieces (size of two thumbs)
cinnamon, 1 piece
star anniseed, 3 pieces
cloves, 1 stalk
sugar, 1 T
rice vinegar, 2 T (optional)
coriander, one spring
water
Chinese open-mouthed buns
lettuce, any type (i use butter lettuce jus cos its the right size), fridging the leaves immediately after washing gives a refreshing crunch upon serving.

1. Brown meat on both sides over high heat to seal in flavour and "juices".

2. Place browned meat in a deep pot and add dark soya, light soya, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, star anniseeds, cloves, sugar and rice vinegar.Add enough water to cover meat. Boil for three minutes, secure lid and let simmer for two hours.

3. When meat is done,steam buns for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, scoop up the slabs of pork belly and slice (1-inch thick) on a chopping board. Meat should be soft and easy to slice. Remove topmost layer of fat if u want to stay healthy!

4. Line the inside of buns with lettuce and serve hot with sliced pork and coriander.
Enjoy!!

Healthy Sliced Beef Bee Hoon

A nutritious, low-fat meal loaded with veggies. I added egg tofu for this dish tonight just for a change from the usual. Plus, I used "Golden Boy" carrot-rice vermicelli....it claims to be "made with all natural carrot juice" and has the Health Promotion Board's Healthier Choice Label on it.

What goes in:

sliced beef, 2 servings
bee hoon, 2 servings
bean sprouts, 2 handfuls
2 carrots, slivered
4 leaves of cabbage, chopped
spring onions, chopped 5-cm length
6 oranges, juiced
ginger, sliced
light soya sauce, 3 T*
sesame oil
pepper


1. Soak beef in the OJ, light soya, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and ginger. Set aside in fridge. You can use this anytime but if you wish to have more intense-flavoured beef, marinade overnight.

2. Boil bee hoon in pot of water.

3. Meanwhile heat wok and quickly stir fry bean sprouts, carrot, cabbage and spring onions. I use a bit of evoo** for this. Do not over-cook, veggies should still be crunchy to the bite. Dish out cooked veggies.

4. Using a pair of tongs or chopsticks, fish out beef slices and sear on wok over high heat. Turn beef slices over once it begins to cook. Over-cooking the beef will be tough and rubbery to the bite. So nice and pink is good. Remove beef from wok.

5. Boil the remaining OJ and let simmer for 30 seconds. If u prefer to preserve the Vitamin C of the oranges, you could omit OJ in STEP 1 and add it straight into bowl upon serving.


* Tablespoons
**extra virgin olive oil

Easy Carbonara

Mmmm...Deliciously creamy. We had this for dinner tonight. Make sure to achieve the right flavour by balancing the amount of cream, egg and salt.


what goes in:

farfalle (or other pasta), 200g
bacon or ham, 7 slices, finely sliced.
frozen petit pois(green peas), 1 1/2 cups
2 eggs
double cream, 200ml
fresh mint leaves
salt
freshly ground pepper
parmesan


1. Boil pasta in water.

2. Whip double cream and eggs (ratio 1 egg: 100ml cream)in a big bowl till smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Stir-fry bacon till its oils are released. Meanwhile add frozen peas to boiling pasta in the last two minutes. Drain and add the lot to the pot of cooked bacon. Immediately pour in cream and egg mixture and stir around to get sauce into pasta. The residual heat from pasta will cook the carbonara sufficiently. DO NOT overcook. Flame should be turned off or on low when cream is added.

4. Serve with chopped mint leaves and parmesan.

Oxtail Soup

Invigorating and comforting....

What goes in:

oxtails
potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
onions, skinned and roughly chopped
celery stalks, roughly chopped
cloves, 3 pcs for one big pot
coriander
freshly ground black pepper


1. Preboil oxtails in a pot of water to remove excess fat and blood.

2. Dump all ingredients (except coriander) into a slow cooker and let simmer for 3 hours.

3. Serve hot with chopped coriander.

Que Pasa Quesadillas with Mango Salsa

"Salsa" (not the dance in this case, but equally reverberatingly "hot") in the Spanish language simply means "sauce". Mango salsa is probably a mexican invention but u could substitute the fruit with another personal fave eg. pineapple.

A versatile, all-savoury yet refreshing dish served at brekkie, lunch or dinner. Generally a hit with both young and old. Enjoy!

U'll need:

tortilla skins (say it aloud now, "TOHR-TEE-YAHH")
a strong cheddar, grated
ham/salami

1. Sandwich ham/salami & cheese with tortilla skins.

2. Grill in a flat pan over low heat till cheese melts. Flip

3. Cut into pieces (like pizza slices)and top with chilled mango salsa.


For the mango salsa:

2 ripe medium mangoes (but not over-ripe as they'll be too soft, slice into cubes(approx. half cm cubes)
half a large white onion, finely diced
one sprig of fresh coriander, washed and finely chopped
3 or 4 chilli padis, seeded and finely chopped
12 small but potent limes, juiced

Mix the above salsa ingredients in a bowl and chill sufficiently.

For best results, serve with some spicy Latin music.