aubergine parmigiana

Aubergine Parmigiana

Normally, on Wednesdays and Fridays, it will be either Fish or Vegetables or both. I am not a meat person, but I do not think I could be a vegetarian as well!
This is a very easy dish to prepare. This is my own take on the dish.

Ingredients:
2 large aubergines - cut into 1 cm rounds on the diagonal
1 or 2 garlic cloves - minced finely
1 large onion, sliced
button mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 cube beef stock
2 tsp worcester sauce
grated parmesan cheese
grated half and half mozarella and cheddar cheeses
salt and pepper

Method:

1. Lightly oil a baking sheet or 2 and line them with the cut aubergines. Place in preheated oven, 200 deg C for around 20 mins or till soft. You may want to turn them over half way.
2. Whilst the aubergines are in the oven, pour the chopped tomatoes into a saucepan, add the beef cube, worcester sauce. Let it simmer for about 10 mins, then add in the mushrooms (if using) and simmer for another 5 minutes more.
3. Using an ovenproof dish, line the bottom of the dish with the tomato mixture, the a layer of the aubergines, then then the 2 different cheese and continue till the last layer on the top is the cheese layer.
4. Place in oven which has been heated to around 190 deg and bake for about 1/2 hour till the top is golden, crisp and bubbly.
5. Serve hot!

turkey tsukune

Turkey Tsukune

It has been raining since last week and it's been dark and dreary everyday. Go to work in the dark, come home in the dark...Bleah!

It was still raining this morning and I was walking across the front lawn to my car and whoops... I did a skidder... hey like a footballer doing a save... fell on my bum. Got up, asked Pat who if my trousers looked ok, no mud or anything like that. No, he said, just looks wet, so thought ok, I can live with that as I could not be asked to go back to change. It was only when I got into work and looked down that I saw a patch of mud on my front right trousers! Yew.... been walking around like that, but the mind is funny like that isn't it, if you don't realise you don't feel conscious...

Anyway, made turkey tsukune last night. This is normally made with chicken mince but I thought I would go one step further and be a bit more healthy.

Ingredients:
450 gm minced turkey or chicken
2 tbsp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 onion chopped
1 egg (beaten)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp mirin

Sauce Ingredients:
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin
1 tsp sugar
1 cup water
1 tbsp cornflour

Method:
1.Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix well and make small meatballs.
2.Heat a pan of water till boiling and drop them in. They are cooked when they float.
3.Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together except for the corn flour. Pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add some water to the corn flour, mix well and add to the mixture. Stir well.
4. Add the boiled turkey balls and boil for a few minutes to coat them. They can be served and eaten at this stage.
I go a step further and put some oil in a grill pan. When the oil is hot, add some meatballs and fry till they the sugar caramalise.

Curry rice from scratch

Japanese Curry rice from scratch

When I was back in Singapore last year, I had a conversation with D and E and was telling them that I would experiment with making Japanese curry rice from scratch and if I was successful, I would post it and inform them.


Sorry ladies that it has taken so long for me to try it out. But as the saying goes -"better late than never" right?


I tried making it using the roux method and it did work and Pat liked it, so it must be a success then!


Ingredients:
(For roux)
50 gms butter
2 tbsp plain flour
chicken or beef stock
Meat curry powder


1 onion (sliced)
button mushrooms (sliced)
beef or chicken (sliced or cubed - your preference)
Boil beef before hand to tenderize it
Carrot - big cubes
potatoes - big cubes
Fukushinsuke (pickles to go with Japanese curry)


Method:
1. Melt butter in saucepan, add sliced onions.Fry till translucent.
2. Using a wire whisk, stir the butter-flour mixture until it bubbles. This is called a roux.
3.Cook and stir the roux for 1-2 minutes. This gets rid of the raw flour taste and allows the starch granules in the flour to accept the liquid.
4. Add in your desired amount of curry powder and stir until well mixed.
5. Add in your stock and whisk well.
6. Add in your potatoes, carrots and beef and simmer till beef is tender. Lastly if you are using mushrooms, add in the mushrooms.
7. If the curry gets a bit thick, add in a bit more stock or water or even milk.
8. Serve with Japanese rice and fukushinsuke on the side.