Thai-style Fried Rice

I figure I should actually post this here since it is one of my gotos when the fridge is mostly bare but I have leftover rice and various bits and pieces. It is open to major modifications.

Ingredients

• 500g chicken breast, pork fillet, prawn, beef, or tofu cut into thin strips
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 bunch chinese broccoli or gailan, carrot, snowpea, or baby corns (at most 2
• veggies to prevent too much moisture)
• 1.5 cups cooked rice per person
• 1/2 small onion, cut into strips
• 2 green onions cut into 3/4 inch long pieces
• 2 eggs (1 per person)
• 1 firm tomato cut into 8 wedges
• few cloves garlic, diced

Sauce:

1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
pinch of black pepper
1 tbsp thick sweet soy (ketjap manis)
1 tsp (maggi) seasoning sauce
(can substitute depending on what you have. For example, 2 tbs soya sauce, 1.5 tbs fish sauce, pepper, and a little sugar works perfectly well)

Seasonings:

1/4-1/2 lemon (for juice)
fresh coriander
sliced cucumber on the side as an accompaniment

Method

1. Heat oil in the wok
2. Add garlic
3. Fry meat until medium-cooked
4. Push meat to the side and add egg. Flip the meat on top of the egg so the egg coats it - let cook on one side a bit, then flip to cook other side.
5. Add onion and cook a little
6. (remove from heat if needed) Add: veggies, rice, and seasonings
7. Return to heat and mix well (can smush together with spatula)
8. Add tomato and mix in
9. Cook until the mixture is not too moist
10. Turn off heat and add a bit of lemon juice + coriander

Variations

Today I made this with sliced mushrooms in place of the meat. I fried up the mushrooms in oil with a little sprinkle of salt to draw out some moisture, added diced quartered carrots and cooked the carrots and mushrooms until they started to brown, then continued from step 4 with the eggs (so I used mushrooms + carrots in the place of the meat, since that's all I had). I skipped the coriander, garlic, and tomatoes since I had none (would have thrown in canned pineapple tidbits in the place of tomato but didn't have any of that either). I also often just use deli sandwich meat in this recipe - it's a good way to use it up if you have too much.

Grilled Salmon

I think I've been making grilling fish harder on myself than I really should... this was the easiest grilled fish I've ever made and among the tastiest (though I don't know if anything is likely to top the super fresh halibut fillets we had earlier this year).

The recipe comes from The Spruce Eats: How to Grill Salmon in 3 Easy Steps

I added a miso glaze when I put the fish on the grill, and I used a side of coho, cut in half. I also failed to maintain the temperature of the grill, so I added about 50% to the cooking time (according to the temp gauge on our bbq, I put the fish on at about 425F and the temperature dropped to just over 300F for a big chunk of the cooking time, so I left it on longer than they suggest).

Here is roughly what I did - this made almost exactly the right amount to feed 6 adults and 4 kids:

Ingredients

• in my case, a little more than 1kg worth of skin-on salmon fillets (1 side + 1 large fillet)-- any size/amount of fillets will do. See original recipe for tips on dealing with other cuts (basically put tin foil under it)
• 1/2 lemon (optional)

Glaze

(this made way more than I needed - you could definitely half the recipe):

• 2 tbs white miso
• 1 tbs rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbs mirin
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Mix together the glaze ingredients in a small dish and set aside
2. Heat the grill to med-high heat and clean it
3. If you're not lazy, rinse and dry the fish and pull out pin bones (see original recipe) - otherwise skip this step
4.  Rub both sides of the fish fillets with olive oil and put skin-side down on a dish or tray
5. Just before putting it on the grill (I did it after, which is probably why I lost so much heat), brush the top (non-skin) side of the fillets with the glaze. Don't overdo it as excess glaze could lead to flare-ups
6. Transfer fillets, skin-side down, onto the grill (I used 2 spatulas)
7. Cover and monitor the temperature if that's easy for you to do... one recipe I read suggested using the outer 2 burners on a 3-burner grill - I just turned the middle one down low
8. Don't touch it - just cook for 10-15 mins for a 1-inch fillet + 10 minutes per additional inch. Watch for the white fat to show on the top.
9. Remove to a serving platter. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over top if you have some.

Grilled Cajun-Style Halibut

Based on https://kalynskitchen.com/recipe-for-grilled-halibut-with/, but with a few of my own tweaks.

Ingredients

•  Halibut (I use thick fillets) - this recipe is good for about 4 peoples' worth... adjust quantities as necessary
• Olive oil
• The spice rub:
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp sumac (or substitute with lemon zest)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• pinch of cayenne (optional)
• Optional: Mango Salsa for serving

Method

1. Heat the grill to very high temperature
2. Dry the fish fillets, but only if you're less lazy than I am
3. Drizzle some olive oil over the fillets and rub to coat them
4. Sprinkle "a generous quantity" of the rub on each piece of fish and rub to coat more-or-less evenly on both sides
5. Put the fillets non-skin side down diagonally on the grill and immediately lower flame to medium-low setting. Close the lid to keep in the heat.
6. Cook about 3 mins (2 for thinner fillets) then rotate the pieces 90 degrees for fancy criss cross grill marks. Cook another 2-3 minutes with the lid down.
7. Carefully flip the fillets (I use 2 spatulas) so that the skin side is down. Cook another 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillets. (Lid down - make sure the temperature doesn't drop too low). Total cooking time should typically be 8-10 minutes, depending on thickness. Don't overcook - remember it will keep cooking a little when removed from grill.
8. Carefully lift the fillets from the grill - now that the skin side is down, you don't have to worry so much about losing fish if it is sticking.
9. Very nice served with a fruity cilantro-y fresh salsa (mango is best)

Fresh Cilantro-filled Salsa

I usually make my salsa from scratch unless I'm feeling lazy. I have always just followed a general pattern and substituted as necessary - as long as you have some kind of fruit base (tomatoes and mango are my usual ones, but I've also done this with cucumber or strawberries), plenty of lime or lemon juice, fresh herbs (cilantro is my fave, but I've used parsley/chives in a pinch), and salt and pepper then it will probably be yummy.

Ingredients 

(open to interpretations, listed in order of most to least important)

• maybe about 1-2 cups of finely diced tomatoes (or mango, or...) ... I'm not sure about the quantity
• juice of 1/2 to 1 whole lime or lemon (I prefer lime)
• generous quantity of salt and black pepper
• 1/4-1/2 bunch cilantro (or parsley/chives if need be)
• about 1-2 tbs very finely diced shallot, red onion, or regular onion 
• 1/2 - 1 clove garlic, minced (this adds a little spiciness)
• some amount of jalapeno or hotter pepper, diced very finely with or without seeds (adjust to your spice tolerance from none to a lot - I usually do none or about 1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed)
• optional additions I don't normally make, but you could:
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• pinch of chili powder
• diced peppers
• chopped avocado (I prefer to just make some guacamole separately most of the time)
• tabasco sauce

Method

1. Mix the above ingredients together in a smallish bowl
2. Taste and adjust seasonings.. if it's missing something, consider adding more salt

REMEMBER: If you have a bottle of hot sauce on hand, you can make the salsa on the milder side and let those who want more heat add the hot sauce to their serving (more kid-/crowd-friendly this way)

Granny Cake

Here is ilan's Granny's "Long Cake" recipe

The original:

And the revamped:

Ingredients

200g (7/8 cup) butter
250g (1 1/8 cups) caster sugar (this is a finer version of regular white sugar)
6 eggs, separated
100g (just under 1 cup) white flour, sifted
100g (just over 3/4 cup) corn starch
bread crumbs for dusting the pan
icing sugar for dusting over top

Method

Note: This recipe is best done with a stand mixer.

1. Prepare a bundt cake pan by greasing very well then dusting with bread crumbs
2. Cream butter in the mixer
3. Add caster sugar, beat till light
4. Add yellow part of the eggs
5. Mix for approximately 20 mins in stand mixer at a low-medium speed (according to tradition - can it be done at higher speed in shorter time? We will have to try it...)
6. Set oven to 300F at some point in those 20ish minutes
7. Add flour and mix in
8. Add corn starch
9. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff
10. Fold beaten egg whites into the cake mixture gently
11. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Mighty Tasty Basic Pizza

Crust

(based on https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/46595/amazing-whole-wheat-pizza-crust/)

Ingredients

• 1 tsp sugar
• 1.5 cups wrist-temperature water
• 1 tbs active dry yeast
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 tsp salt

Method

1. Rinse a large bowl with warm water (I used our stand mixer). Add the measured warm water and stir in sugar to dissolve. 
2. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface to avoid big clumps and let stand until the yeast gets foamy.
3. Meanwhile, combine whole wheat flour and salt in a separate bowl with 1 cup of the all-purpose flour.
4. Stir water/yeast mixture then add the olive oil.
5. Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed mixer setting with the dough hook (or by hand). Mix (or knead) and slowly add the extra half cup of all purpose flour as needed to prevent sticking. Dough is ready when it is smooth and elastic (about 2 minutes on low speed mixer setting). You may need a little extra all purpose flour.
6. Lift the ball of dough and pour a little olive oil underneath it then roll the ball of dough around in the oil to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. (This would be a good time to prep sauce and toppings)
7. When you are ready to make the pizza, preheat oven to 425F.
8. Divide the dough as desired (1 managed 4 very thin crust round pizzas, but you could divide it less for a thicker crust) and shape into rounds. I just put some oil on the pizza pan and used my fingers as a kind of rolling pin to stretch the dough out over it, but I could have just pulled out the rolling pin. Make sure to put some oil or cornmeal or something on your pizza pan to prevent sticking.
9. PREBAKE THE CRUST! Before you add toppings, put the crust into the oven on its own and bake for 5 minutes.. this helps to ensure the crust bakes evenly and doesn't get too soggy with toppings!
10. Pull the crust out of the oven and spread pizza sauce over top then add desired toppings. Bake another 10 minutes (or more if your crust is thicker), until the cheese is browned.

Tomato Pizza Sauce

This recipe came with our Cuisinart Food Processor and it is super tasty, especially if made with fresh oregano! We had a bit of a pepper and salt incident and had to triple the batch so we froze several small containers full... it might be a good idea to make a lot of this in the summer with nice fresh ingredients and freeze it to have on hand later.

Ingredients

• 2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and quartered
• 1 cup passata (crushed tomatoes)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3/4 tsp dried oregano or 1.5 tsp fresh oregano (best)
• 3/4 tsp dried basil or 1.5 tsp fresh
• 1 tsp sugar
• pinch of salt (they recommend kosher)
• freshly ground black pepper (to taste - not a teaspoon-full!)

Method

If using a food processor, proceed as follows. If not, adjust accordingly.

1. Add the fresh tomatoes to the food processor with the regular blade and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 6 times.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse 4 times to mix.

Topping Suggestions

Given that we are a pork-free household and we love pineapple, we generally stick with pineapple-mushroom-mozzarella as our favourite topping combo. The trick with mushrooms is to fry them up first with some butter, salt, pepper, and a splash of red wine so that they are extra-tasty and contain less moisture. It is great if you also fry up your pineapple to caramelize it a little bit.

Spinach-orange-almond Salad

Another Simple Salad that's mighty tasty! Quantities for the dressing ingredients are entirely made up here and may be off. Basically, it's a little more olive oil than balsamic vinegar and the rest can be adjusted to taste.

Ingredients

Salad

• spinach (1/2 - 1 bunch)
• orange (1 large navel or a few clementines)
• toasted almonds (I would use slivered if I had, but whole ones cut into chunks work too). 

Dressing

• ~ 1-2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• ~ 2-3 tbs olive oil
• 1/4 tsp of sesame oil (a few drops for flavouring)
• 1/4 tsp maple syrup or sugar (just a little sweetening is nice)
• salt
• pepper

Method

1. chop and toast the almonds in a dry frying pan - don't burn! set aside to cool.
2. wash the spinach and cut or tear into desired-size pieces - place in a large bowl
3. peel and divide the orange(s) into skafies and cut into bite-sized pieces (or if you prefer, cut off peels and slice into pieces instead). add to the spinach.
4. mix dressing ingredients together and shake well
5. toss the spinach and orange with the dressing then top with the toasted nuts

My Favourite Super-Simple Salad

I often like to put lots of things in salads, but whenever I'm low on supplies or just decide to make this, I love it!

PRO TIP: If you make it with just arugula, this is awesome served on top of a hot pizza

Ingredients:

• lettuce (green or red leaf is fine - it's great with some arugula added in too)
• parmesan or asiago cheese, grated
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. Wash and spin the lettuce
2. Sprinkle with parmesan
3. Mix equal parts olive oil and lemon juice in a small jar or mug with a little salt and pepper to make a dressing
4. Toss

I Ain't Got No Bubby... Challah Recipe

I don't have a Jewish grandmother because well I'm not Jewish. So instead I scoured the Internet for a challah recipe and have made my own tweaks to it over time. Here's how I make it!

Ingredients

• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 1.5 c all purpose flour, plus...
• additional flour: 2 - 3.5 c all purpose flour (usually about 2.5 cups is right)
• 1.5 tbs active dry yeast (traditional)
• 1 tbs salt
• 1/3 c sugar, divided
• 2 c warm water (wrist temperature)
• 1 egg, beaten (plus another for glaze)
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 1/4 c melted butter
• 1 c golden raisins (optional)
• sesame or poppy seeds for topping (optional)

Method

1. Rinse bowl of stand mixer with warm water to heat it up a bit
2. Combine 1 tbs of the sugar with the warm water in the mixer bowl then sprinkle the yeast on top
3. Let yeast dissolve for about 10 minutes, until foamy. 
4. Meanwhile, mix together the first 3.5 cups of flour, the rest of the sugar and the salt
5. Stir to dissolve the yeast mixture then add the flour mixture to it
6. Combine the oil, melted butter, and beaten egg - add to the mixer bowl.
7. Using the dough hook and a low speed setting, start mixing/kneading the dough as you slowly add in the additional flour (add only as much as needed - start with 2 cups and add more if it starts getting sticky before you hit the smooth and elastic stage). This should take about 2-3 minutes, maybe 4. Add the raisins in somewhere near the end (if using). [ALTERNATIVELY - knead by hand about 10 minutes as you add in the additional flour]
8. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, lift it from the bowl and pour in about 1 tbs of olive oil. Place the ball of dough on top of the oil then spin it in all directions to coat the dough with the oil (to keep it from sticking to the bowl as it rises).
9. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean damp tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours (or longer in a cool place)... aim to gently release some gas every 20 minutes or so after the first hour but if you don't do this it's no biggie.
10. Gently press down on the dough to release excess gas. Divide the dough into 2 (or more) pieces and then divide each of these for braiding. This recipe makes 2 large challahs or more smaller ones.
11. Braid using your preferred method. I like a 4-strand braid with the dough snakes wider in the middle and not too long and skinny, but you can find various challah-braiding instructions online.
12. Let rise 1/2 hour, covered with a damp tea towel. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375F.
13. Glaze with the extra beaten egg (mix it with a little water if you like but I don't usually bother). Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds if you like.
14. Bake 25-30 minutes. Don't forget to transfer off the baking sheet after 5-10 minutes so it doesn't get moist underneath the loaves.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I have made a few different versions of these in the last while but these were some of my favourites!

I've consulted and made these from several recipes that are all similar, but this version uses the sauce from this one: https://joyfoodsunshine.com/asian-chicken-lettuce-wraps/

Ingredients

Sauce

• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 3 tbs hoisin sauce (or substitute with massaman curry paste)
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tbs rice vinegar
• 1 tbs peanut butter
• 1 tbs honey
• 2 tsp sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp powdered ginger

Chicken filling

• 1 lb chicken, ground or chopped small - I used thighs and pulsed them in the food processor
• 1-2 tbs peanut oil
• 1/2 - 1 onion, diced small
• 1 8oz can water chestnuts, drained and minced
• ~2 cups grated carrots (optional but very tasty)

Accessories

• 1/4 c roasted peanuts, crushed (I whizzed them in a mini food processor)
• chopped cilantro
• lettuce leaves
• cooked rice (optional)

Method

1. Whisk together the sauce ingredients until well-combined
2. Heat peanut oil in a large frying pan or wok. Once hot, add the chicken.
3. Cook until the chicken bits are starting to brown, stirring regularly - this will take some time.
4. Add onion and cook for 5 mins or until onion is becoming translucent. 
5. Add the water chestnuts and cook another 5 mins or so.
6. Add the sauce and simmer on low heat until the chicken mixture is evenly coated and everything is heated through.
7. Turn off the heat and mix in the grated carrots.
8. Assemble the lettuce wraps at the table and don't forget to top with peanuts and cilantro!

Basic Belgian Waffles

Based on https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/the-best-belgian-waffles-63071

This is my go to waffle recipe these days...

Ingredients

• 1 c white/all purpose flour
• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 4 tsp (or 1 tbs and 1 tsp) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 2 c milk (or a mixture of milk and yogourt or yogourt whey)
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)

Method

1. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl (if you're on the ball, do this part the night before!)
2. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks (in their own bowl)
3. Mix the wet ingredients (egg yolks, oil, milk, vanilla) in a small bowl
4. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix well.
5. Fold in egg whites.
6. Cook in waffle iron to desired crispiness - note that this recipe cooks a little faster than some denser ones, so don't let them burn!

Variations

A new variant: hazelnut waffles!

Add 1 cup ground hazelnuts and multiply the wet ingredients by 1.5. Yum yum!

Bean and Rice Bowls - Pot in Pot, Instant Pot style

If you don't have an instant pot, you could easily adapt this to make it on a normal stove top, especially if you just use canned beans. But it's a pretty fun way to use the instant pot. Before I came across this recipe, I didn't know what pot-in-pot cooking was, but this is a prime example!

Based on https://www.cookwithmanali.com/instant-pot-beans-brown-rice/#wprm-recipe-container-36574

Ingredients

Beans

• 1 cup dry beans - either soak them in warm water for a couple of hours (or cold water overnight), or if you're not so organized then you can do a quick soak in the instant pot (there are recipes for this online)
•  1 tbs olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 14.5oz can of tomatoes (or skip the tomatoes and just a little extra water instead - about 1/2 cup should do)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika (smoked if you have it)
• 1/2 tsp chipotle powder, divided (optional)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1-1.5 cups water, depending on how dry you like them
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 tbs chopped cilantro
• lime/lemon juice

Rice

• 2 c brown rice in a heat-proof container that fits inside your instant pot such as a medium-large bowl or a small lidded casserole dish - make sure the container is big enough to fit the rice and water comfortably
• 2.5 c water

Toppings 

• sliced avocado
• grated cheddar cheese
• diced tomatoes
• chopped cilantro
• whatever else you like: sauteed mushrooms, grilled chicken, steak strips....?

Method

1. Press Sauté button on instant pot. When it says "hot", add oil then onion and garlic.
2. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes - until onions are softened
3. Stir in the can of tomatoes (if using) and the spices (oregano, cumin, paprika, 1/4 tsp of the chipotle powder, cayenne)
4. Cook for 3-4 minutes. 
5. Add the soaked beans, water, and salt and mix well.
6. This is where the pot-in-pot comes in: Place a trivet inside the instant pot (yup, just smush it right into the beany mixture so it sticks out the top), then place the container of rice on top of the trivet
7. Add the water to the rice container. Cover this inner container with tinfoil or a lid.
8. Put the lid on the instant pot
9. Press manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 22 minutes, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
10. Open the pot carefully. Fluff the rice with a fork and carefully remove the rice container.
11. Remove the trivet then press the sauté button. Mash some of the beans (optional). Add cilantro and simmer 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp of chipotle powder (if using). 
12. Add a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice. Adjust seasonings to taste.
13. Serve bowls of rice and beans and let diners add toppings of their choice at the table.

This is the best way to cook rice because the clean up is so easy!