crispy bean curd rolls

i can't remember when or where i ate the dish that inspired these rolls, but the memory of the textures and flavours is impossibly vivid. crisp, light wrapping; chewy tangles of vermicelli and beansprouts; the rubbery crunch of black fungus... too good!


1 package dry bean curd sheets 
1c mung bean vermicelli, soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes then drained
1c shredded black fungus, soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes then drained
1c shredded carrot
3-5 cloves garlic, crushed
3-5tsp grated ginger
1c bean sprouts
finely chopped fresh chilli, to taste
1tsp ground five spice 
1tsp ground pepper
2Tbs sesame oil
0.25c vegetarian oyster sauce (mushroom sauce)


set a large bamboo steamer on top of a pan of gently boiling water. without unfolding, lay the bean curd sheets on the steamer, cover and turn every couple of minutes to keep them soft. over medium heat, fry all ingredients except vegetarian oyster sauce for 5-7 minutes; remove from heat and stir in oyster sauce.


remove the bean curd from the steamer and unfold so that it is two thick. slice into workable pieces (depending on the size of the sheets, try for pieces approx 20cm x 20cm). spoon filling into the sheet; roll and tuck in the ends, and fry in a frying pan until golden (3-4 minutes).


serve with chilli sauce!

coffee flavoured coffee cake

now: i love cake as much as the next person

except: when i'm trying to find the unfindable

what: a coffee cake recipe with streusel (i know, what the?!) topping

ie: a coffee flavoured cake with crumbly sandy junk on top

OMG GOOGLE YOU LET ME DOWN

let me make some helpful key words for future "COFFEE FLAVOURED COFFEE CAKE" seekers  

topping:

0.5c gluten free flour

0.25c chestnut flour

0.25c coconut flour

0.3 brown sugar

4tsp ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves

0.25c canola or other neutral oil

cake:

0.75 non-dairy milk

1tsp apple cider vinegar

0.3c sugar

0.5c canola or other neutral oil

0.25c coffee reduction (i used up leftover stovetop espresso; on lowest heat, allow 1c coffee to reduce with 3Tbs sugar until thick and syrupy; do not allow to burn)

1.25c plain flour

2Tbs coconut flour

2tsp baking powder

0.5tsp salt

preheat over to 180C. 

grease an 8"/20cm round springform tin. mix milk and vinegar in a small bowl; set aside for 1 minute to curdle. stir in sugar, oil and coffee reduction.

make the topping: in a small-medium bowl, mix flours, sugar and spices. drizzle oil and mix with fingers or a fork until crumbs form and mixture is like damp sand. set aside.

in a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. pour in wet mixture, and mix gently until smooth. scrape batter into pan; sprinkle evenly with topping.

bake for 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

this would probably work better if the recipe was increased by 50%, or the tin was 6"/15cm.

purrfection

happy bday mamacat! with <3 font="" frm="" the="" tinies="">

flower for iris's birthday: 42, the meaning of life!

fathers day biscotti

1c sugar
3tsp egg replacer (orgran) mixed with 6Tbs water
1-2 lemons, finely grated rind
1tsp vanilla essence
2c plain flour
0.5tsp baking powder
150g whole raw almonds



heat oven to 170C and line a baking tray with baking paper.


mix the sugar, egg replacer mix, rind and vanilla in a large bowl.


gently mix the flour and baking powder into the liquid until combined. add in the almonds and knead lightly until the dough is homogeneous. add a little flour or water a teaspoon at a time if the dough is too sticky or too dry.


divide the dough in two and form logs about 15cm long, 3-4cm wide, and flatten slightly on top. bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30-45 minutes. leave the oven on!


use a serrated knife to cut the logs into 0.5-1cm thick slices. lay flat on the baking tray, and return to the oven for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. remove from oven and allow to cool; store in an airtight container.

CLASS: learn how to make natural cosmetics!

come and learn how to make your own handcream, lipstick and other cosmetics with all natural ingredients! sunday 30 october at ceres community environment park.


more info soon!

corncakes with tartare sauce

1c frozen corn kernels, thawed

1c soymilk

1.5c cornmeal

1tsp baking powder

0.5tsp bicarb

1tsp salt

2Tbs agave or maple syrup

2Tbs oil

1 lemon, juice and rind

2Tbs herbs/spices to taste: smoked paprika, cayenne, dried ground rosemary and thyme

blend the corn and soymilk in a food processor four about 30 seconds. add all remaining ingredients and blend until combined. 

preheat a non-stick pan on medium heat for 1 minute; add a teaspoon of oil and measure out 3 large tablespoons of mixture for each cake. cook for 2 minutes then flip; cook for 3-5 minutes or to taste.

tartare sauce

total cheat, but yum: finely chop 1 gherkin or medium pickle, mix into 3Tbs mayonnaise. that's it!

sarma: serbian cabbage rolls

so delicious! the filling is lovely stuffed into green capsicums. even better the next day! the rice can be cooked and baked on it's own in ramekins or a baking dish if you don't have cabbage or capsicum.


4Tbs olive oil
finely chopped:
1 onion
3 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 small green capsicum 
2 cups white rice
4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
700ml tomato sauce or passata or tinned tomatoes - reserve 0.25c
2Tbs dried herbs (oregano, basil)
2Tbs paprika
salt, pepper to taste
1 head of cabbage, approx 1.5kg, 25cm diameter


preheat oven to 190C.


on low-medium heat, saute onion until translucent. add celery, carrots, capsicum and cook for 5 minutes. add garlic, cook for 1 minute. add rice, 0.25c tomato sauce/passata, and all seasonings; cook for 5 minutes. 


meanwhile, remove the 3-4 outermost leaves, and reserve. trim the base of the cabbage and cut an X in the base. steam the whole cabbage until leaves are limp (about 7-9 minutes). gently peel off whole leaves and remove the tough spines that make rolling difficult; resteam the remaining cabbage head if leaves aren't soft enough to remove. 


fill each leaf with 3-4Tbs of filling. fold the leaf over the filling, and place in a lightly oiled baking tray (at least 35cm long). repeat with all leaves until filling is gone.


pour the remaining tomato sauce/passata over the rolls, then top up with a little stock or water until the rolls are covered two-thirds the way up.


cover with reserved cabbage leaves or foil; cook for 1 hour.

raspberry lemon pancakes

un. bel. ievable.

0.75c plain flour

0.5c cornmeal (very fine polenta)

2tsp baking powder

0.5tsp salt

2Tbs sunflower/canola oil

1.25c soy milk

1/3c water

1tsp vanilla

3Tbs sugar

zest of 2 lemons

0.5c frozen raspberries

heat a non-stick pan on low-medium heat. sift flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar into a medium bowl. in a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients, then stir gently into the dry ingredients until just combined.

lightly oil pan; make pancakes the size you want (i drop two tablespoons of mixture on top of each other to form each pancake of about 10cm). when bubbles appear on top of each cake, flip with a silicone spatula and cook for another 2-4 minutes or to taste. serve with maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice.

ohhhhhhhhhhhh yes.

falafel wraps

i haven't made falafel from scratch yet, but the packet mixes i buy are great: mix with water and add spices and shredded carrot to taste; shallow fry and crunch away! i eat them on fried corn tortillas with babaganoush, salad and ribbons of moroccan preserved lemons. wonderful!