2016 has been an adventurous year for me in terms of cooking and baking. I am so blessed to be able to live in Australia, the land where a wide array of fresh produce is so widely available! I thought to myself, it would be a waste to not learn how to cook when I could source the freshest ingredients so easily. Having moved to a new accomodation with a really encouraging kitchen, I really love my new found culinary hobby. Just thought I might do a recap on my humble experiments throughout the year here. These are meals I've cooked over the weekend, or meals that I've bulk-cooked to last me a few meals. I am a busy full-time nursing student you see, but cooking does relieve some my stress and it is very, very therapeutic.
You may find the recipes I retrieved from various sites and I apologise for some recipes which I couldn't relocate. Do follow me on Pinterest, I have some of the recipes pinned on my "Recipes to Try" pinboard. Hope you enjoy this :)
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| The kitchen in my new accomodation |
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| Seafood Paella
This paella (pronounced as pie-yah) wasn't cooked in the most authentic Spanish way as I do not have a paella pan. And being a student living on a budget, I opt out the saffron for the rice. But my version of this paella definitely has the goodness of the smoked paprika and the lovely seafood!
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| Teriyaki Salmon |
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| Japanese Chicken Katsu and Egg Don Recipe: https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyhorng/fried-chicken-and-egg-rice-bowl?utm_term=.abeM3qaaxy&sub=4174185_8139415#.iqR2a3mmNW |
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| Fettuccine con Salsiccia & Funghi Porcini (Italian Sausage and Porcini Mushrooms Fettuccine) Recipe: https://au.tv.yahoo.com/my-kitchen-rules/recipe/30820018/my-kitchen-rules-recipe-fettuccine-con-salsiccia-funghi-porcini/ |
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| Simple Asian Stirfry Recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/tofu-cashew-stir-fry/ |
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| Gyu Don (Japanese Beef Bowl Rice) Recipe for Gyu Don: http://thewoksoflife.com/2016/02/gyudon-recipe-beef-rice/ Recipe for ajitsuke tamago (marinated eggs): http://www.justonecookbook.com/ramen-egg
I visited Melbourne earlier this year and had a bowl of satisfying gyudon when I touched down. Couldn't stop thinking about it when I came back from Melbourne so I decided to look into the recipe. It's one of the easiest thing to make and I've been cooking this for a few times now!
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| Gyu Udon (Japanese Beef with Udon) |
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| Teriyaki Chicken |
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| Vegetarian Bibimbap |
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| Eomuk Bokkeum (Korean Stirfry Fish Cake) Recipe: http://www.koreanbapsang.com/2015/04/eomuk-bokkem-stir-fried-fish-cake.html
Inspired by one of my favourite banchan (side dish) at Brisbane's Maru Korean Restaurant, the super famous Korean restaurant located in the CBD.
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| Lemon Chicken Rice Recipe: http://rasamalaysia.com/lemon-chicken/ |
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| Lotus Root and Pork Ribs Soup
One of my favourite soup my mum cooks at home. Lotus root simmered in pork ribs and red dates for hours. Comfort food.
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| Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Recipe: http://themeatmen.sg/salted-egg-yolk-chicken/ |
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| Nua Pad Krapow (Thai Beef and Basil Rice) Recipe from Adam Liaw's Asian Cookery School |
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| One Pot Chicken Rice with Grated Ginger and Homemade Chilli Sauce Recipe: https://www.tastemade.com/videos/hainanese-chicken-rice |
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| Nyonya Chicken Stew Recipe from Adam Liaw's Asian Cookery School |
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| Apam Balik (Malaysian Folded Pancake) Recipe: http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2015/03/apam-balikpancake-with-peanuts-filling.html
It was the Ramadan period and my friends were sharing photos of the ramadan stalls on their social medias so I decided to make my own Apam Balik! Not as yummy as the ones back home but I was satisfied with these ones.
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| Prawn Linguine |
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| Avocado Toast (Practiced cutting avocado rosette) How to cut an avocado rosette: http://healthynibblesandbits.com/how-to-make-avocado-rose/ |
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| Baked Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash (Sunday wrap with salad greens and sautéed mushrooms and onions)
This is one of the impromptu ideas I had while shopping at the markets. I told you fresh produce are so readily available in Australia so make use of what you have and whip up a good, hearty, meal! Sweet potatoes and butternut squash, so nutritious!
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| Agedashi Tofu (Japanese Deep Fried Silk Tofu in Dashi Stock) Recipe: http://norecipes.com/recipe/agedashi-tofu Also available from Adam Liaw's The Zen Kitchen |
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| Tuna Pasta Bake |
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| Practiced plating a quenelle Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci1MTA6pX9U |
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| Winter warmer - Sweet Potato and Ginger Hot Dessert
What my mum would make at home. In Chinese culinary, ginger has a warming properties, and too much of it becomes "heaty". Adding a few pieces of ginger would balance the "coolness" of the sweet potatoes.
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| Shrimp Pasta with Lemon Cream Recipe: http://littlespicejar.com/shrimp-pasta-with-lemon-cream-sauce/ |
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| Chicken Mushroom Florentine Recipe: http://shewearsmanyhats.com/mushroom-florentine-pasta-recipe/ |
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| Apple and Blue Cheese Lamb Burger Recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/blue-cheese-apple-burger/ |
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| Miso Ramen |
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| My favourite breakfast - Avo Toast and White Tea (Fried two eggs to match the Brazilian colours to celebrate the opening of the Rio 2016 Olympics Games) |
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| Baked Hasselback Potatoes Recipe: http://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/recipes/hasselback-potatoes-2273 |
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| Lemon Chicken and Sun-dried Tomatoes Linguine Recipe: http://www.iheartnaptime.net/lemon-chicken-fettuccine/ |
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| Chinese Hot and Sour Soup Recipe: http://rasamalaysia.com/hot-and-sour-soup/ |
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| Malaysian Coconut and Palm Sugar Jellies Available from Adam Liaw's Asian Cookery School |
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| Baked Garlic Ginger Drumsticks Recipe: http://rasamalaysia.com/ginger-garlic-baked-chicken/ |
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| Honey Soy Drumsticks Recipe: http://rasamalaysia.com/honey-soy-chicken-wings/ |
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| Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe: http://rasamalaysia.com/cilantro-lime-rice/ |
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| Karipap Pusing (Malaysian Spiral Curry Puffs) Recipe: http://www.huangkitchen.com/spiral-curry-puffs-karipap-pusing/ |
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| Takes a lot of effort and time to achieve this spiral puffs! |
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| Baked Rosemary Lamb |
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| Crispy Skin Salmon with Broccoli, Sweet Potatoes and Barley Forget about quinoa/chia seeds. Don't get me wrong, quinoa/chia is very nutritious for you but it's not the only superfood trend that is worth following. There are so many other nutritious grains that you can incorporate into your cooking, like barley! |
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| One Pot Lemon & Herb Chicken Rice Recipe: http://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/2015/06/one-pot-lemon-herb-chicken-rice.html
If you are stocking up on proteins aka chicken breasts on your work-out routine, don't forget you could make use of all the herbs and spices to season your meat rather than eating them blandly! Nutritious food are meant to be healthy and flavourful at the same time! (But still, stock up on greens and grains too!)
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| Chawan Mushi (Japanese Steamed Savoury Egg Custard) Available from Adam Liaw's The Zen Kitchen |
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| Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl) Recipe: http://www.japanesecooking101.com/oyakodon-recipe/
Oyakodon is literally translated into "parent-and-child in a bowl", where the "parent-and-child" refers to chicken and egg. This dish answers the famous question - Did the chicken or the egg exist first? Clearly, chicken wins this round!
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| Mum's One Pot Long Bean Rice
This is something my mum and my maternal aunts would cook at home. One pot meals are my family's favourite! Not only they are easy to cook (dumping everything into a pot), but they are extra flavourful too!
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| Pandan Chicken Recipe: http://rasamalaysia.com/pandan-screwpine-leave-chicken/ |
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| I visited my family in the UK during my July holidays and cooked a few meals for them. This Gyu Don is one of them :) |
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| Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes - baked these with my sister-in-law, Kirsty for my baby nephew Noah's baptism (Yes, I'm an aunt now!) Recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery |
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| Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes for Noah's Ark themed Baptism party |
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| Carved a strawberry rose |
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| Baked Sea Salted Kale Chips |
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| Matcha and Red Bean Snow Skin Mooncake for Midautumn Festival Recipe: http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2014/08/green-tea-custard-snowskin-mooncakes.html
I didn't have a proper mooncake mould so I made these using a thin plastic jelly mould. The patterns weren't too obvious because of the thin plastic material of the mould. Nevertheless, I was making use of what I had at that time.
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| Matcha Cupcake with Matcha Frosting Matcha Cupcake Recipe: http://www.thelittleepicurean.com/2011/09/matcha-azuki-cupcakes.html Matcha Frosting Recipe: http://mynameisyeh.com/mynameisyeh/2014/5/chocolate-cupcakes-with-matcha-green-tea-frosting |
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| Matcha Pancake Recipe: http://www.patesmith.co/matcha-pancakes/ |
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| Yaki Ramen |
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| Flapjacks Recipe: http://www.likeastrawberrymilk.com/2012/02/find-a-map-and-draw-a-straight-line-chewy-flapjacks/ |
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| Chicken and Chorizo Paella Recipe: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/rice-recipes/chicken-chorizo-paella/ |
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| Got my second Adam Liaw's cookbook, this one is his fifth cookbook, but his first cookbook dedicated to all things Japanese. The first one was Asian Cookery School. I didn't quite like cooking Asian cuisines (too many condiments needed) but I was obviously converted and heavily inspired by Adam Liaw :) |
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| Sukiyaki of Beef and Asian Greens from Adam Liaw's The Zen Kitchen
This is a nabemono (one-pot) dish which is very easy to make by frying the ingredients and pushing them to one side one at a time. These cooked ingredients are then simmered on soy sauce and then served in the pot for everybody on the table to dig in.
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| Chicken and Tofu Meatballs from Adam Liaw's The Zen Kitchen
Breadcrumbs are normally added to the meatballs/hamburgers patties as "fillers" but tofu gives a juicier result. And it is so much healthier too! These meatballs are pan-seared then coated with Teriyaki Glaze (which you could make and store your own) for a glossy finish.
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| Egg Rice Porridge from Adam Liaw's The Zen Kitchen
This is something my mom would make for me for breakfast or when I'm sick. Simple yet delicious!
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| Summer Ramen with Wafu Dressing from Adam Liaw's The Zen Kitchen Recipe for Summer Ramen: https://au.tv.yahoo.com/the-morning-show/a/33102924/adam-liaws-summer-ramen/ Recipe for Wafu Dressing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QJxo5xOx6o |
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| Okinawan Salted Shortbread Cookies from Adam Liaw's The Zen Kitchen
Besides being the birthplace of karate, Okinawa is also famous for its high quality produce, such as pork, bitter gourd and seaweeds. Two of its famous exports are a rich, black sugar called "kokutou", and mineral-rich sea salts. I have not been to Okinawa so obviously my ingredients are sourced locally from Australia. I would love to visit the beautiful Japanese islands one day!
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| Vinegar-dressed Cucumber and Wakame from Adam Liaw's The Zen Kitchen
Dried seaweed is one of the staples I have in my pantry. I use it for cooking miso soup all the time. The rehydrated seaweed and sliced cucumber are mixed with "sanbaizu", which consists of 3-part rice vinegar, 2-part sugar/mirin, and 1-part soy sauce. This is a super easy-to-make side dish and can provide important balance to oily fish or savoury simmered dishes.
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| I turned 21 this year and I baked myself a birthday cake for the first time! |
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| Lemon Cake with Rosemary Buttercream Recipe: http://www.thelittleepicurean.com/2015/11/rosemary-lemon-cake.html |
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| This is also my first ever 3-layer semi-naked cake. So happy it turned out well! Many would find the rosemary buttercream odd but I actually like the hint of rosemary in the buttercream. |
2016 has also been star-struck year for me! I've met celebrity chefs like Luke Nguyen, Matt Sinclair and Adam Liaw with my Brisbane food buddy, Carmen, whom we've met through my uni's Malaysian Students Association! Food really does connect everybody together!
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| Met Luke Nguyen at Brisbane's Night Noodle Markets! |
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| Matt Sinclair, runner-up of MasterChef AU 2016. So happy to be able to see his food truck dream came true at Eat Street Markets, Hamilton! |
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| And I finally met my biggest Asian home-cook/celebrity chef, Adam Liaw, winner of MasterChef AU 2010! |
