Thai Basil Eggplant

I found this recipe while looking out for ways to use the basil leaves. It is delicious and you can simply eat this dish with rice or even noodles.

Thai Basil Eggplant

1 large eggplant
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 firm tofu pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
Basil leaves
Vegetable oil

Sauce:
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
2 tsp corn starch

1. Heat up a pot and boil some water. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 3/4-inch slabs. Then cut each slice lengthwise into 3/4-inch slice. Cut each slice into 2 or 3 pieces diagonally. Parboil the eggplant pieces in boiling water. The eggplant is done once it is cooked, but firm so it is still holding shape. Take them out of the pot and set aside.
2. Place the tofu in clean paper towels and squeeze the tofu gently to remove excess liquid. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes and pan fry on a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until the tofu is light golden brown on most sides. Set aside.
3. Sauce: Whisk all the sauce ingredients. Mix until the corn starch dissolve.
4. Using the same pan for the tofu, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and heat on medium-high. Add the sliced onion and bell pepper. Saute until they are cooked but still crispy. Add minced garlic halfway through and saute them together.
5. Add in the tofu and eggplant pieces. Turn the heat up and stir in the sauce.
6. Once the pan is hot, turn the heat down to low-medium and mix until the sauce slightly thickens and coat the tofu and vegetables. Turn off the heat and add some fresh basil leaves. Mix once more and serve hot.

Original recipe by vegetarian gastronomy.

Hobak jeon

Hobak jeon or pan fried zucchini slices has been featured in the drama series over and over again. I am intrigued by them, especially in Glory of the family where Dan-ah made them so pretty.

Hobak jeon are easy to make and they taste good. No wonder they are popular.

Hobak jeon

1 green zucchini
1 large egg
1/3 cup flour
Salt
Vegetable oil

Dipping sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar

1. Cut zucchini into 1/4-inch slices and lay them in layers on a plate.

2. Lightly sprinkle the zucchini slices with salt. Don't over salt the slices as you will be dipping the jeon in soy sauce. Set aside for 5-7 minutes.
3. Put some flour in a shallow bowl. Whisk the egg in another bowl.

4. Coat the zucchini slices with flour on both sides and set aside.

5. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
6. Dip each flour-coated zucchini slices into the egg until fully coated and place in the pan.
7. When the edges start to brown, turn them over. Take them off the heat when they are cooked on both sides.
 

8. Dipping sauce: Mix the soy sauce and rice vinegar and serve with the jeon.

Original recipe shared by kimchimari.

Japchae

I learned to speak a little bit of Korean words, all the easy ones thanks to the drama series and songs. But then I doubt I can survive if I am stranded in Korea alone, unless I can somehow communicate with them using one-word and thousands of gestures. I need to learn more.

Korean food - now this, I can say I know a little bit more. Bibimbap, samgyetang, banchan, gamjatang, gochujang, ddeokbokki, sundubu jjigae, seolleongtang, juk, hoeddeok, bulgogi, kimchi, doenjang, naengmyeon, kalguksu, jajangmyeon, hwe, jeon, patbingsu, kimbap, bungeoppang, etc.

Japchae is made from sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon) stir fried with vegetables. It used to be part of Korean royal court cuisine, specifically invented in the early 17th century for a King. Source: Wikipedia.


Japchae

1/2 pound dried Korean sweet potato noodles
2 and a half tsp sesame oil, divided
1 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 large onion, sliced thinly
2 red chillies, sliced thinly
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
3 stalks green onions, cut into 1" lengths
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms (shiitake/wood ear), sliced thinly
1/2 lb spinach, washed well and drained
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

1. Fill a large pot with water and boil. Add the noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Immediately drain and rinse with cold water. Use kitchen shears to cut noodles into shorter pieces, about 6-7 inches in length. Set aside.
2. Blanch the spinach in boiling water. Rinse immediately under cold water. Squeeze the water from the leaves and form into a ball. Cut the ball into half. Combine the spinach, half the garlic, and 1/2 tsp of the sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside to let the flavors soak in.
3. In a bowl, mix soy sauce and sugar together. Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry onion, carrot and chillies until just softened, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, green onions and mushrooms, fry for 30 seconds. Then add the spinach, soy sauce, sugar and noodles. Fry for another 2-3 minutes until the noodles are cooked through. Turn off heat, toss with sesame seeds and the remaining sesame oil.

Original recipe by steamy kitchen

Remarks: You can also include strips of beef if you want. This recipe produce a huge amount of japchae.

Apple and mushroom crostini

There is not much you can do when you watch Jamie Oliver cook his simple recipes - other than drool a bit, wipe them off your face, and promise yourself you'll make it yourself some day. This was featured in his 15 minutes meals' program, so it's really a downright simple recipe and delicious to boot. I used half of a green apple and half of a red one, just as Jamie himself prescribed. Go on, go grab the grilling pan right this second.

Apple and mushroom crostini

8 fresh button mushroom
1/2 loaf baguette
1 clove garlic
1 apple
1/2 bunch fresh parsley
1 lime
50g shredded cheese

1. Preheat griddle pan on high heat.
2. Remove the mushroom's stalks and place the tops on the griddle pan, turning when charred.
3. Cut the baguette into slices and add to the griddle pan.
4. When charred on both sides, rub with a halved garlic clove.
5. Coarsely slice the apple into matchsticks and toss with roughly chopped parsley and a little lime juice.
6. Place the mushroom on the toasts, sprinkle over the cheese, then pop under the grill until the cheese is melted.

Original recipe by Jamie Oliver.

Vegan banana bread

I was looking for a banana bread recipe that don't contain eggs, because I am all about baking without eggs these days - if I can help it. I learned that ingredients like banana, pumpkin and avocado can help us do that easily because of their textures. So you're probably going to see a lot of recipes on pumpkins and bananas here, if I manage to find good recipes.

I read how the writer tried different ingredients to achieve a moist banana bread, and finally succeeded this time. So I was tempted to try the recipe.

I did not like it at first. The batter was super thick before going into the oven, and I was afraid that it would be dry. It did turn out to be dry when I tried it a few hours after it came out of the oven. But after keeping it for a day, the bread turned moist and I love it. It is fine if you don't include the pepitas, I just wanted to try because the original recipe used sunflower seeds.

Vegan banana bread

4 medium-sized ripe bananas
1 and a half cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp pepitas (optional)
1 and a half tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
2. Mashed the bananas in a medium bowl and add in oil, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix together.
3. Fold sieved flour, baking powder and baking soda into the wet ingredients.
4. Add the pepitas into the batter.
5. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
6. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Original recipe from veg recipes of India.

Pepitas (Roasted pumpkin seeds)

Normally I would simply discard the innards of the pumpkin. But I recalled the bread I had once, which had this layer of crunchy pepitas on top and it was yum. I did not add the pepitas to any bread though. We ate them as snack. They are delicious and easy to make. Although I did follow Ree Drummond's recipe and really thought it'd take an hour of baking in the oven.

Pepitas

Innards of one pumpkin
Salt
2 tsp vegetable oil

1. Rinse the innards in a colander, pulling away the chunks of pulp as you go.

2. Spread the rinsed seeds out on a baking sheet.

3. Allow the seeds to dry for several hours. Don't use paper towels to dry them as they are slimy. Just leave them to dry on the baking sheet.
4. When the seeds are dry, preheat the oven at 120°C.
5. Drizzle the seeds with the vegetable oil. Toss the seeds around to coat.
6. Salt the seeds to taste. Bake for about 15 minutes until they turn light golden brown.

Remarks: I thought they really need an hour in the oven, so I was not going to look at them until halfway through or so. Luckily they started to pop like popcorn, after about 15 minutes in the oven and some already started to get darker than light golden. Thank God for the popping sound.

Spaghetti with Shimeji Mushrooms

I thought I'd give Shimeji mushroom in a pasta dish a try. This is a light dish and I increased the amount of chiles in it.

Spaghetti with Shimeji Mushrooms

300g Shimeji mushrooms
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp dried chili flakes
10-15 bird's eye chillies, halved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 pound dried spaghetti
Handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 tbsp unsalted butter

1. Brush off any dirt from the mushrooms with a pastry brush or a tea towel. Trim and separate the mushrooms into individuals. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente.
2. Put the olive oil in a very hot frying pan, and add the mushrooms. Let them fry fast, tossing once or twice, then add the garlic, chilli flakes and halved bird's eye chillies with a pinch of salt.
3. Continue to fry fast for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing regularly. Add in the lemon zest. Then turn the heat off and squeeze in the lemon juice. Toss and season to taste.
4. Drain and add the pasta to the mushrooms, with parsley and butter. Toss gently, coating the pasta with the mushrooms and their flavor. Sprinkle with a little extra parsley before serving.

Original recipe by Jamie Oliver.

Remarks: It is still not spicy enough by my standard. I would suggest pounding the garlic and bird's eye chiles for those who love some heat.