Butterfly Pea KakiAge and Smurf Drink (Garden Gobble)

 This Thursday we are participating Garden Gobbles hosted by Veggiegobbler. I am always amazed on how creative Veggiegobbler at producing amazing vegetarian dishes from her garden for her family. The garden produce that is daily available to us is the Butterfly pea flowers and Surinam Spinach or also known as Javanese Ginseng. When I first came back, I seriously thought that Javanese Ginseng was a weed plant before I knew what it was. Well, it grows like weed even now in our garden, self-seeded readily and they thrive any kind of weather here in our garden without any care. But Javanese ginseng leaves have a lot of health benefit for the whole family. One of the benefit for children eating Javanese leaves is that it helps boost appetite. So I always sneakily add some Javanese leaves into the dishes for my underweight kids so they eat more. For example, whenever I cook pasta or fried rice/noodles, I will add some Javanese leaves. Our Rayyan who is 3 and a half years old is only 11 kilogram.

 Butterfly peas is good to harvest daily as the blooms only open per-day and it promotes the plants to produce more flowers too. I was thinking of another way to enjoy our butterfly pea harvest and got the idea to fry it like Japanese kakiage style. Kakiage are often set on top of a rice bowl or Japanese soup like dishes that contain udon or soba noodles. Kakiage is usually a mixtured of julliene carrot and onions mix together with tempura batter and fried deeply in hot vegetable oil until you get a crunchy texture. Basically, it is a very easy to prepare kakiage, you just need tempura flour, vegetable oil, veggies and water for the basic ingredients. I tried mixing with sweet basil leaves before too which is also ok.  However, we made a fusian dish, we enjoyed the crispy kakiage together with pasta which contain Ginseng Jawa leaves harvest from our own garden.

Butterfly Pea Flowers Kakiage ~ Butterfly pea blooms, carrots, onions, tempura flour, water, vegetable oil.

Butterfly pea kakiage lifted our from the hot wok.

 Do you know you can create magic show for your children with the smurf drink? The smurfy blue colour drink with lime/lemon juice added to it will slowly turn to purplish ~ pink depending on how much you add. Scientifically its like a pH indicator of acidic or alkaline of a way to explain to your student. To make the smurf drink is easy, just boil water together with the blue part of the flower only. Traditionally it is boil with pandan leaves (screwpine leaves) but if you don't have it don't worry it is not necessary. Add sugar according to your taste. We usually harvest more than 50 butterfly pea flowers which can get me more than 3 Litres of smurf drink. Don't worry if you don't have much butterfly pea flowers you can adjust the water volume bit by bits. The more flowers, the more bluish it is. After cooling the smurf drink you can squeeze some lemon/lime juice according to your taste.

Smurf drink ~ Butterfly pea flowers, pandan leaves (optional) , sugar, water and lemon/lime juice (optional) . 

 Due to the weather change each week with one hot weather than the week after thunderstorm, many people got sick near Klang Valley area. So do take care. I am still having a fever.

Turnip Rikyu Soup

 We harvested some purple top turnip this week. I like purple colour so I was excited to harvest these root vegetables and it is the first time I had success with this variety after  trying to grow them at second attempt. It is the gardener fault sowing in the wrong season the first time because I can't wait to grow them. I have been keeping this turnip recipe since last year and waited to try to cook it. My husband and I enjoy Japanese food very much and he is the one who cooks better Japanese food than I do. So I handed the recipe to him. I really like the simplicity of the preparation and ingredient in 'The enlightened kitchen~Fresh vegetables from the temple of Japan' recipe book by Mari Fuji for 'Turnip Rikyu Soup'.

~Turnip Rikyu Soup~

Ingredients:

4 small white kabu turnips (about 60g), peeled

2 tablespoon white sesame seeds

Turnip leaves, very finely chopped (about50g)

800ml Konbu stock

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sake (did not add)

finely grated yuzu rind, for garnish, optional

1> Cut the turnips lengthwise into 4 to 6 wedges.

2> Roast the sesame seeds, then grind in a food processor.

3> Blanch the finely chopped turnip leaves briefly in boiling salted water. Drain and squeeze lightly.

4> In a saucepan, combine the konbu stock, soy sauce, salt, sake and turnips, and place over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until the turnips are cooked through, but still crisp.

5> Add half the turnip leaves to the saucepan (my husband add tofu and spring onions too), bring very briefly to a boil, then remove from the heat and serve. Garnish with ground sesame, the remaining turnip leaves, and yuzu rind.

A very healthy and nutritious food. Sorry no photo of this dish, it is just a soup dish and I was too hungry to take a photo after feeding Abby.

Squid with Chilli, Garlic and Crisp Lettuce

 Ohoho....This is a record for this blog, I have not updated for more than a month. I have been a very bad blogger. My hands are really full now and its very tricky to type with one hand. For friends that have known me from this blog, will probably guess right what has kept me away from posting or visiting. There are many waste going on in the garden and into the compost heap. We are blessed with many self-seeded edibles this year and with only 2 mouths to feed in the house now, we can't managed to finish the goodies by ourselves. Lettuce are nice to be pick now in the garden smack straight between sandwiches.  There are still a few left of red chillies dangling outside for us to make our favourite squid dish.

~Squid witg Chilli, Garlic and Crisp Lettuce~

(Recipe from Your Place Or Mine by Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris)

Ingredients:

2 squids (about 400 gram each)

500ml peanut oil, for deep frying plus a little extra

1 head garlic, finely chopped

35 gram cornflour

75 gram rice flour

2 teaspoons sea salt flakes

2 teaspoons freshly grounded white pepper

1 egg white

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

2 fresh red bird's-eye chillies, thinly sliced

2 fresh green bird's eye chillies, thinly sliced

1 fresh long red chilli, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger

2 tablespoons chopped coriander

1 small iceberg lettuce, washed leaves separated (optional)

2 small lebenese cucumbers, peeled, cut into strips (optional)

Coriander sprigs, to serve

(1) Rinse the squid, then separate the hood and tentacles. Rinse and remove the contents of each hood and rinse again. Remove the head and beak from the tentacles and rinse again. Remove the quill from inside the hoods and discard. Score each hood lightly on the softer side on the diagonal with the tip of a sharp knife then repeat in the other direction to form a neat criss-cross pattern.  Cut each hood into 4 cm pieces and set aside with the tentacles.

(2) Heat a splash of the oil in a wok over low heat and fry the garlic until just golden. Remove that garlic with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel to drain, then set aside.

(3) Mix the cornflour, rice flour, salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside. Place the egg white in a stainless-steel bowl, then beat until light and foamy. Place the squid first into the egg white, then lift out, wipe off the excess and toss through the flour mixture. Set aside.

(4)Heat oil for deep-frying. Working in batches if neccessary, deep-fry the squid for 4 minutes or until crisp, then remove and drain on a paper towel.

(5)Heat a splash of extra oil in the wok and fry the spring onion, chilli and ginger for a few seconds over medium heat, then add the squid and coriander and toss together. Tip the lot onto a plate and serve with lettuce, cucumber and coriander sprigs.

Hope to catch up with every one soon.

Take Care!

Brinjal with spicy potato

Its time to comfort myself with food.

The veggies flavour is also tasting much better now as we are having warm mild weather during the day.

Nights can be around 15 degree Celsius this week.

I have not really cook that much these days.

Many of the veggies has been left over ripe.

Not picking them as often as I should.

Brought in the last batch of garlic in the kitchen that were left curing in the shed.

'Black Beauty' brinjals (eggplants) had holes in it from admirers.

Some of the brinjals has interesting looking resident in it taking shelter from the previous heat I think.

We have "Red Romaine" lettuce volunteer around the garden.

I left some go to seed previous spring.

Thank you to Mr. H for the lettuce seeds.

I have kept a recipe from Troth Wallis ~ The Globe Vegetarian Kitchen recipe book since last year to try in my recipe file. The recipe is said to come from the Moluccas in Indonesia which is formerly known as the Spice Island. It was the source of many spices, such as cloves and nutmeg that was highly prized in Europe during the trading era. The taste of this 'brinjal with spicy potato' dish actually remind me of Indian dish rather than South East Asian dish. But this is not surprising because the old empire in Malaysia and Indonesia were first highly influence by India empire and culture before it was colonised. I think adding a handful of curry leaves will be more interesting for this dish after I tried this recipe.

Brinjal/ Eggplants with Spicy Potatoes (serves 2-4)

Ingredient:

1 brinjal (diced)

2 potatoes (diced and parboiled)

1 onion (sliced)

1/2 tsp chili powder (I used chilli/sambal oelek)

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 inch piece fresh ginger root, chopped

lemon/lime juice (from 1 fruit)

oil

salt

a handful washed curry leaves (optional)

(1) Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion until it is clear and soft.

(2) After that put in the chili, mustard seeds, turmeric, ginger, curry leaves and salt. Cook on a gentle heat, stirring to mix well. Then turn up the heat, add the brinjal and parboiled potatoes and brown them, turning to prevent them catching.

(3) Add a little water to cover the base of the pan, put the lid on and cook gently for 10 minutes or so until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is absorbed. Add lemon/lime juice mix well.

Join in Robin Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard and Wendy Garden to Table Challenge.

Stir-Fried Kangkung with Garlic, Fish Sauce and Lime

Kangkung (water spinach) has been the most generous one in our garden this mid-autumn. If we don't have anything else to harvest, we will have kangkung. We have been harvesting kangkung weekly in autumn season. With its cut and come again personality, you don't need much space to grow them. Twenty-ish degree Celsius (minimum) and plenty of water (moisture) during their growing season, reward guaranteed from kangkung.

A small corner where most of our kangkung supply came from.

My favourite kangkung dish is to stir-fry it with chillies and shrimp paste (belachan) which is a popular dish in Malaysia which we call 'Kangkung goreng sambal belacan'. Eating out at any of Malaysia local family restaurant and you see this dish on the menu.

But I decided to try something new.

So I was flicking through Gordon's Great Escape Southeast Asia recipe book and saw one of the recipe "stir-fried water spinach with garlic, fish sauce and lime"  at the Vietnam section and decided to try it with some minor changes. The recipe instructed to blanch the kangkung first. But I did not blanched the kangkung as it will wilted rather quickly when stir-fry in a wok from experience. I think you can use this recipe as well for sweet potato young shoots. Liz  (Suburban Tomato) asked me weeks ago how to prepare sweet potato young shoots. Sweet potato young shoot and kangkung plants are related and belong to the same family with morning glory.

Stir-fried kangkung with garlic, fish sauce and lime

Ingredients:
1 bunch washed kangkung (cut abouth the length of match)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
juice of 1~2 limes ( 1 lime was more than enough for me)

- Heat vegetable oil
- Saute garlic until fragrant
-Toss in water spinach and stir
-Add fish sauce, oyster sauce and lime. Mix well.
-Stir until kangkung has wilted and quickly transfer to plate.

Express cooking.

Quick to prepare.

Convenient for busy mother.

Join in Wendy's Garden To Table Challenge.

Perch steamed with Lemon Basil and Ginger for Good Friday

We have many lemon basil volunteer plants sprouted from last spring. Sometime when I pruned them to make them bushier, I bring  those pruned stems in the bathroom as they have very strong lemony scent. The lemon basil are flowering and bees really like the flowers.

How was your Good Friday day?

We bought a perch on Thursday and I saw this nice recipe from CikManggis~jom masak, jom makan-makan blog and adapted her recipe with what I have in my garden and pantry. Terima kasih (Thank you) CikManggis, we really enjoyed it, especially Rayyan who was really greedy. It was only 3 of us for dinner on Good Friday, me,hubby and Rayyan. So I thought one medium perch will be enough but next time for greedy Rayyan will have to steam 2 fish. A good protein source and a very healthy dish.

Perch steamed with Lemon Basil & Ginger

(Recipe adapted from CikManggis~jom masak, jom makan-makan blog)

It was really quick dish to prepare if you already have a cleaned fish ready. Took me less than 45 minutes to prepare this dish.

While preparing ingredients you can warm up your steamer.

Ingredient (A):

1 cleaned medium size perch (or any other suitable fish)

3 garlic cloves thinly sliced

3 shallots thinly sliced (or a quarter of red onion)

5cm of ginger - julienne

1 pepper-sliced

2 lemon grass stalk- bruised

a handful of washed lemon basil leaves (or 3 kaffir lime leaves)

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 or 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce

about 3 spoon of water

(you can season it with white pepper, sugar & salt, but I did not put any seasoning for my toddler)

To make it more spicy add some chillies (did not because of our toddler).

Put the fish and all of the ingredient (A) into a suitable container and steam for 15 minutes.

While waiting prepare ingredients B.

Ingredient (B):

1 tomato-cut

lime or lemon juice from 2 fruits

1 carrot-julienne

can garnish it with coriander, chinese celery and spring onion leaves.

Add ingredients B after ingredients A steamed 15 minutes.

Steam for another 15 minutes and done.


Join in Wendy's Garden To Table Challenge.

We found this video today and was reminded of Rayyan's cardiac surgeries in the past. Rayyan was lucky to have a gifted cardiac surgeon for his first and second surgery with Prof. Igor whom is featured in this video. He has created many miracles for us and hope. We hope that Rayyan will be 3rd lucky to have the same surgeon again for his pending 3rd surgery this coming May.

Prawns and Pumpkin In Coconut Gravy

As year of 2012 is getting closer, Adelaide temperature is soaring and we probably lost many vegetable plants due to the extreme heat. Several of our plants had perished this week. New Year day is predicted to be more than 40 degree Celsius. We probably lost many tomato plants this week and when their fruits are just starting to get bigger or ripen. Many warm loving vegetables flower bloom this week but they won't set any proper fruit at all. During Christmas week, many of our plants at the back of our backyard fence were being eaten. However, we caught the culprit now. Well Rayyan stumbled upon him nipping our cabbage leaves while Lenay was watering the plants. Never did I taught that the culprit was a big male rabbit. I think he was someone pet before and was abandoned. Not sure whether it was purposely left near our garden though. Don't think he was given that much vegetables before perhaps more on pelleted food. He is very tame. In the mean time, he has been taken inside the backyard garden and treated like a pet. Feel really bad leaving him outside without any source of water especially when we have extreme weather at the moment. He probably came out of thirst each time after we watered our plants previously to lick water from the plants.

We harvested our first Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Pumpkin and shallots this month. Garlic are drying in the shed at the moment. I found this interesting recipe that I can use from our fresh harvest of pumpkin, garlic and shallot from 'The Best Of Chef Wan A Taste of Malaysia' recipe book. Chef Wan is the most popular Malaysian Chef.  A celebrity chef that was once in his early career an accountant. I recommend this book if you like Malaysian food. 

Prawns and Pumpkin In Coconut Gravy

Ingredients:
300gram pumpkin, peeled and cut into large chunks
500ml/2cups coconut milk (or extracted from 1 grated coconut and 500ml water)
1 Turmeric leaf, finely sliced, if desired
200gram prawns, cleaned and shelled
Salt and sugar for seasoning

Pounded Ingredients:
2 Tablespoon Dried prawns (shrimps) , soaked and drained
3 Shallots, peeled
1 clove garlic, peeled
5 red hot chillies, if desired

~Put the pounded ingredients, pumpkin and coconut milk into a pot. Bring to boil and simmer until the pumpkin is soft.
~Add the turmeric leaf and prawns and cook for a further 3 minutes.
~Season with sugar and salt. Garnish as desired and serve with warm rice.

A Happy New Year to You!

Salmon and Green Bean Potato Patties

Many of our potato plants gone yellow and wilted. So had to dig and find spuds. Although I do wish that they grow much longer, rather than finding so many tiny little spuds. Because many of the plants are rather young. Yesterday, pull out some dragon carrots and purple top turnip as well.

Not many edibles to harvest from the garden at the moment. So we have to depend on our frozen goods. We are trying to use up our frozen beans from last summer which should be more than 9 months sitting in the freezer now. So we found this recipe to enjoy those fresh potato and carrot with some of those frozen bean. This is our first time joining in Robin's Thurday's Kitchen Cupboard.

Salmon and Green Bean Potato Patties

(adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly~The $ Smart Cook)

150 gram green beans
800 gram potatoes, chopped coarsely
20 gram butter
1/3 cup (25gram) finely grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
415 gram can red salmon
1/3 cup (35gram) packaged breadcrumbs
vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
3 medium size carrot (coarsely grated)


(1) Boil, steam or microwave beans until tender; drain. Rinse under cold water; drain. Chope coarsely.
(2) Boil, steam or microwave potato until tender; drain. Mash potato in large bowl with butter, cheese and egg until smooth.
(3) Drain salmon; discard skin and bones. Add salmon, carrot and beans to potato mixture; mix well. Shape salmon mixture into patties; coat in breadcrumbs. Place patties on tray, cover; refrigerate 30 minutes.
(4) heat oil in large frying pan; fry patties, in batches until browned lightly and heated through. Drain on absorbent paper.

A very very very simple lunch.

Leek and Fetta Triangles

For the last few weeks, we have been harvesting leeks that were transplanted last autumn. We have harvested most of these leeks as some were showing the sign to form flower stalk. In replacement of those leeks, we are trying to grow Turkish leopard melon. Not sure whether it will go well with growing melon here as with little water and very hot soil, success rate is probably close to 0%. We did not have trouble growing carrot here in fall/winter but spring/summer grown carrot here don't look good. Leeks were starting to yellow due to hot weather. It was so green during cool season.

Today, we harvested some Musselburgh leeks growing in a container. There were some volunteered bayam (chinese spinach) harvested as well.

This is our first time using fillo pastry and fetta cheese.

There were a lot of guessing how to use the fillo pastry.

So if you have any tips on using fillo pastry please advise.

We still have many extra fillo pastry.

Leek and Fetta Triangles (The Australian Women's Weekly-Fast Vegies)

Ingredients:
100gram butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium leeks (700gram), sliced thinly
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
150gram fetta cheese chopped coarsely
1/3cup (40gram) coarsely grated cheddar cheese
4 sheets fillo pastry (depending on the size you want to make)
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

(1) Heat half of the butter in large frying pan, add garlic and leek;cook, stirring occasionally, until leek softens. Stir in caraway seeds; cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

(2) Combine leek mixture in medium bowl with cheeses.

(3) Preheat oven to 200 Celsius/180 Celsius fan-forced. Lightly oil oven tray.

(4) Melt remaining butter in small saucepan. Brush one sheet of the fillo lightly with butter; fold in half lenthways. Place the leek mixture at bottom of one narrow edge of fillo, leaving a 1cm border. Fold opposite corner of fillo diagonally across the filling to form a triangle; continue folding to end of fillo, retaining triangular shape. Place on tray, seam-side down; repeat with remaining ingredients.

(5) Brush triangles with butter; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until browned lightly.

Have a lovely weekend!

Spicy Sardine and Spaghetti Bake

We harvested our first Lebanese zucchini for this summer. This is our first time growing 'Lebanese zucchini', so I was not sure what size is perfect to harvest this variety. Did not want it to get too mature or it will stop other fruits to develop. A few leeks and another one kohlrabi harvested this week. 

Our Lebanese brinjal plant that has now experience 3 summers did not disappoint us. We just enter summer and that old brinjal plant has given us roughly 10 eggplants for us. We had endless supply of yellow currant cherry tomatoes last week.

What did we do with the cherry tomatoes?

The second recipe that I enjoyed from this recipe book.

 Spicy Sardine and Spaghetti Bake (The Australian Women's Weekly~Gratins & Bake recipe book)

Ingredients:
250g spaghetti
1 cup (70g) stale breadcrumbs
1/3 finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (used curly ones)
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
318g canned sardines in oil, drained
250g cherry tomatoes, chopped coarsely (did not chopped)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

(1) Cook pasta in large saucepan of boiling water until tender; drain and reserved 1/3 cup (80ml) cooking liquid.
(2) Preheat oven to 220 degree Celsius.
(3) Combine breadcrumbs, parsley and 1 tablespoon of the oil in medium bowl.
(4) Heat remaining oil in same pan; cook sardines, tomato, garlic and chilli, stirring, until tomato begins to soften. Stir in pasta; season to taste.
(5) Spoon mixture into 1litre (8cup) ovenproof dish; pour reserved cooking liquid. Sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture. Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until browned lightly.

Sardines and this yellow cherry tomatoes goes well together.

Rayyan enjoying the pasta.

One funny-looking purple savoy cabbage was harvested.

Two of our 3.5 months grown Royal Blue potato plant were all dried up due to the hot weather. It was a trial to plant potato on our most sunny patch at the end of winter. It grows really fast but the soil is too hot now. Touching the soil on that area is very hot during mid-day. I won't be able to walk on it barefoot. So I have to reluctantly dig the spud out early cause it was supposed to be medium-late variety. There still supposingly  in their baby stage. The trial is half-successful since there were at least 12 medium~large size spuds from each plants. Not bad considering it just been 3.5 months since I planted the seed potatoes. I probably grow this potato variety again because the yield is good even on shorter growing time.

Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions.

Salmon Kedgeree with Fennel and A Malaysia Twist Salad

This week, we harvested nice size of leeks. Those leek seedlings were born in Gnomesville given to us by Veggie Gnome last fall. We harvested as well a Florence fennel, purple kohlrabi, some yellow cherry tomatoes from 2 plants and some baby potatoes. Did you noticed our November cooking are speedy and simple. The cook is getting lazy in the kitchen as she is getting busy with writing up her thesis. Have to do lots of reading before you can think and write something for a thesis. I found another interesting fast to prepare dish and less cleaning up to do in the kitchen with this recipe. If you have left-over cooked plain rice this is a good recipe for it as well. This dish is to said originate from Britain.

Salmon Kedgeree with Fennel (adapted from The Australian's Women Weekly-World Table)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups white long grain rice (We used basmathi or leftover cooked rice about 5 cups)

400 gram canned red salmon

75 gram butter

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup sliced florence fennel

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped coarsely

(1) Cook rice

(2) Drain salmon, discard skin and bones. Flake flesh.

(3) Melt butter in large frying pan; add rice, fennel, parsley and juice. Cook stirring until heated through. Add salmon and eggs; cook stirring gently until heated through. Serve with lemon wedges.
Note: I mixed in some Pak choi together.

Yup fennel and lemon goes well together.

Simple!

Another new experiment prepared in our kitchen.

If you don't have green mangoes or other vegetables that usually mix together for a Malaysia typical sambal salad, you can use slice red onion, florence fennel, kohlrabi mix together with pounded shrimp paste and chilli. Season well with lime/lemon juice, salt and sugar. You can also add in some crushed roasted peanuts. It taste so good that I took the picture only when it is left this much. It really taste like Malaysia typical sambal salad. A good appetiser.

Canned red salmon will be stock in the pantry now for busy days.

Spring Onions and Prawn toasts

Thanks to Mad Gnomes for sharing some of their self-sowed spring onions last fall from their garden we have many to harvest this spring. We usually don't allocate specific patch to grow spring onions as we always plant them in between with other plants. With these seedlings, we planted it under sunflower that were growing last fall.

Those spring onions are starting to flower now.

I found this interesting recipe to enjoy those spring onions. Ilhan like prawns and bread very much, so I thought it will be something he will enjoyed very much. It is also a good way to finished slice bread quickly before it come to waste when it need to be finished soon. Lenay made this for Ilhan since she is much better at frying coated prawns than me.

Prawn toast (from The Australian Women's Weekly~World Table recipe book)

Ingredients:

16 uncooked large prawns (750gram)

2 eggs, beaten lightly

1/4 cup (35gram) cornflour/cornstarch

8 thick slices white bread

1 green onion (spring onions), chopped finely (personally I think it will be much better if those spring onions not finely slice, maybe1~2cm)

vegetable oil, for deep frying

Sweet chilli dipping sauce (combine ingredients in small bowl)

1/4 cup (60ml) sweet chilli sauce

1/4 cup (60ml) chicken stock

2 teaspoons soy sauce

~Shell and devein prawns, leaving tail intact (I don't keep the tail to make easier for my kids to eat). Cut lenthways along backs of prawns, without separating halves. Toss flattened prawns in medium bowl with combined egg and cornflour; mix well.

~Remove and discard crusts from bread, cut each slice in half. Place one prawn, cut-side down, on each piece of bread; gently flatten prawn onto bread. Sprinkle prawns with onion; press on firmly.

~Heat oil in large wok; carefully lower toast; in batches, into hot oil.

~Deep fry until browned lightly and cooked through; drain on absorbent paper.

~Meanwhile, make sweet chilli diping sauce.

~Serve prawn with dipping sauce.

This can be good to bring for picnic as well.

Green Beans with Sesame Sauce

We harvested all over-wintered parsnip and carrots grown in container last week. Those carrot root centre/core are about to be woody so it was better to harvested all of them. We also harvested some broccoli. Yellow currant cherry tomatoes plants from last year starts to be so generous with producing many tomatoes now. I was very amazed to observe that the number of fruits dangling on the plant at the moment surpassed last year peak season of this plant. On top of that the fruit size were bigger as well. Beans were becoming a constant thing on the kitchen table.

A very fast healthy dish to prepare with beans last weekend was a basic classic Japanese home-cooking dish which is green beans with sesame sauce. I got this recipe from chef Yoshihiro Murata's Japanese Home Cooking with Master Chef Murata cooking book. It took less than 15 minutes to prepare this dish.

Green Beans with Sesame Sauce

Ingredients:

170g young green beans cut into ~4cm (cook in boiling water with a pinch of salt until tender but still crisp, shock in cold water and drain)

Sesame dressing:

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 tsp soy sauce (because I prefer strong taste or 'koi aji' I used 3 tsp soy sauce)

1 tsp sugar

Chop the sesame seeds with a knife (I did not chopped the sesame seeds) and combine with soy sauce and sugar in a medium bowl to make sesame sauce. Dress the green beans with the sauce.

The first harvest of Lebanese eggplant for this spring from our 2 years old plant. Asian leaf green like red choi were also harvested and it ain't look pretty. The poppy flower stalk can even go through the holes on the leaves.

This spring I have not started to sow any leaf amaranth seeds. However, we have many volunteers growing in different containers that we even got a bunch of leaf amarant harvest last week. Last weekend we harvested one of the last cauliflowers for this year for us.

Visit Daphne's Dandelion for Harvest Monday.

Finocchio Frittata

We have been very lucky with growing finocchio this year, I have no complaint at all about growing this plant. It grows well without any pampering or much attention. But I will say that it is not a vegetable that can make you fall in love with it at first sight regarding taste. It is definitely one of the vegetables that is an acquired taste. To be honest, I don't hate or like this vegetables at the first month I started to harvest them. But now I started to really like and enjoy them. It is all after trying different recipes and experimenting what combination goes well with finocchio. I found out that finocchio really goes along well with mixing them with lemon juice.

 This is one of the recipes that I tried with florence fennel. This is also the first time I used ricotta cheese in my cooking...I like the taste of this cheese blended in the mixture of this frittata.

Finocchio Fritters (Recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly-Fast Vegies)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh fennel

1 medium fennel bulb (500gram), chopped finely

3 green onions (spring onions), chopped finely

1 small carrot (70gram), grated finely

2 eggs, beaten lightly

75g ricotta cheese

1/4 cup (35g) plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

vegetable oil, for shallow frying (used olive oil)

~Combine fennel leaves and bulb, onion, carrot, egg, cheese, flour and baking powder in medium bowl, mix well.

~Heat oil in large frying pan; shallow-fry heaped tablespoons of mixture until golden brown both sides and cooked through. Flatten slightly during cooking, drain on absorbent paper.