A sushi course for my birthday

Back in May, for my birthday, I was treated to a one-on-one sushi lesson with two lovely teachers, Narihito & Yoshie Matsunaga

The course lasted for three hours and in that time we learnt loads and made loads…

We prepared the rice first which we rinsed in water a few times to get rid of some of the starch. I always believed that sushi rice was never washed to retain the starch, which kept it so sticky, but Nari and Yoshie explained that sushi rice is so starchy that it needs a good rinse. Once rinsed the rice was placed into a rice cooker along with some accurately measured water, and timed to cook for 15-20 mins, resting for 15. Nari told us that a rice cooker is a must own piece of equipment for any Japanese household as rice, along with miso soup, makes up the base of nearly every meal including breakfast. It is a pretty nifty piece of equipment and so simple to use!

Once the rice was cooked we had to cool it using a paddle which we sliced through the grains at an angle. The rice was mixed with sushi vinegar during this process which gives it a unique flavour and helps make it really sticky and ready for sushi making.

One of my favourite things on the course was watching traditional Japanese omelette being made, Tamago. Nari & Yoshie told us that the first thing they will try when visiting a new sushi restaurant is the egg omelette. If it is good they will stay and if not they will move on. The Tamago recipe is different for each sushi restaurant as it has often been passed down through generations. Many sushi restaurants in Japan stamp their shop name onto their Tamago.

The omelette we watched being made consisted of eggs, sugar, water, dashi (Japanese fish stock powder), mirin (sweet sake, used in lots of Japanese cookery including marinades) and a pinch of salt. It is cooked in a Japanese omelette pan which is rectangular in shape, about the size of a DVD case. Some oil was heated in the pan then a layer of egg was poured in which bubbled and fizzed. Once nearly cooked, Yoshie used her chopsticks to fold up the egg into a long rectangle. She then poured in a second layer and, once cooked, folded it again but this time around the already cooked portion. She repeated until all the egg was used up, by which point the omelette was a very thick oblong. Yoshie then placed the omelette, just cooked, onto a bamboo mat which was rolled around the egg and gently moulded into a rectangular shape. It was then left to cool. The Tomago has a slightly sweet taste but it is very light and yummy, nothing like the rubbery pieces you sometimes get in supermarket sushi packs.

Tomago was one of many ingredients we used, along with the rice, in our sushi making. The other ingredients we helped prepare included pickled radish (Takuwan), cucumber, avocado, crab sticks, cooked prawns and fresh sushi grade salmon and tuna. I liked the pickled radish as I had never tried it before. The bright yellow colour comes from saffron which is used in the pickling process.

Combining these ingredients with dry seaweed sheets and wasabi we moulded, shaped, rolled and pressed our sushi into many different shapes and sizes. It was great to see professionals at work, Nari and Yoshie made it all look so easy.

While trying some of the sushi during the course Nari and Yoshie gave us a few hints on traditional sushi eating technique; soy sauce and wasabi are mixed together to eat with sashimi, as sushi is made with wasabi you eat this with soya only and pickled ginger is used as a palate cleanser between sushi – I had always eaten it with the sushi.

john and I with all our sushi

By the end of the sushi course we had learnt loads and made and created a whole selection of sushi; hoso maki (thin roll), chu maki (medium roll), ura maki (inside out roll), futo maki (thick roll), nigiri (rice blocks) and a host of others. As you can see it filled two large trays – don’t worry we had help eating it – what a feast :)

Me with Nari and Yoshie

I love learning and expanding my knowledge of food, cuisines and culture and this course did not disappoint :) To find out more please visit their website

Mauritian home cooked yumminess

The main reason I think I am so into my food is due to my family’s equal love. I am very lucky to have lived in a household full of fresh food, varied flavours and home cooking

One of my main influences is my mum who was born in Mauritius and lived there for about 6 years before she and her family skipped across the Indian Ocean and Madagascar to land in Durban, South Africa. My Grand Mere and Grand Pere have a strong family history in Mauritius and they are great Mauritian cooks, something that they have passed down onto their children

Mauritius is a very small island but is filled with many different cultures including French, English, and Indian. This mix of culture is apparent in the cuisine of the island too, it’s a melting pot of Indian, Chinese, African and European flavours.

The base of most of the dishes contains obvious notes of European cookery including garlic and thyme. The distinct difference comes with the addition of ginger, which is where the Chinese and Indian influence comes through (in the garlic too). Onion is another prominent ingredient in Mauritian cookery and is often fried with the above aromatics – this is known as the fricassee. To this base you can add stock and vegetables to make your vegetable dish. Or, to make curry you add your spices, tomato, stock and meat/veg of choice. To make the milder stews simply leave out the spices. There are other ingredients you can add to the dishes but the fricassee, in essence, is the foundation of most Mauritian dishes. The Indian and Chinese influence comes through again with the other staple, rice, which is eaten with most meals. It is this mix of ingredients that gives Mauritian cooking its uniqueness

On a recent trip back home I was lucky enough to be treated to one of my favourite Mauritian and favourite all time dishes, Rougaille.

Rougaille is one of the milder stews and is very versatile and easy to cook. The star of the rougaille can be changed to suit your mood and can include sausages, corned beef, fish or beans (anything really!). There is a great Mauritian Cook Book at the family home called ‘Genuine Cuisine of Mauritius’ by Guy Felix. He uses salted fish, salted meat, bacon, Bombay duck or beef for his rougaille. There are some other great recipes in the book including; Unicorn Fish Curry, Monkey Curry, Roasted Beef Tongue, Tenrec Curry with Madagscar Hedgehog, Fried Wasp Grub with Bombay Onions and Stew of Green Turtle Meat. – I think I might stick with my mum’s recipes for now.

My favourite star for rougaille is sausage. The sausages are browned first and then removed while the sauce is prepared. In goes the onion to fry for a few minutes before the crushed garlic, ginger and chopped thyme are added. We also add green pepper to the dish. There is something about green pepper that gives a great flavour to rougaille and it wouldn’t be the same without it. When the green peppers start to soften, tip in some tomatoes and simmer for about 10-20 minutes to reduce to a thick sauce before adding the sausages (we like to cut them in half so they can soak up all the juices). Leave to simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Rougaille is served with brede, lentils and rice. Brede is a vegetable dish made using the fricassee (onion, garlic, thyme and ginger) some water, or stock if fancied, and fresh watercress. You can also use Chinese leaf, lettuce or cabbage. My mum has had it with pumpkin leaves in Mauritius but you can’t find them easily in the UK.

The lentils are similar to dhal though you can keep the flavour simple without adding anything extra to them. We often add the fricassee ingredients to the lentils once they have been cooking for about 10 minutes. You can leave as is or add a pinch of ground cumin and coriander to spike with the Indian flavour.

Once everything is cooked and ready to eat we pile some cooked rice onto our plate, top it with the rougaille and spoon lentils and brede on the side. At the table there are some accompaniments we eat with the meal (and most other Mauritian dishes) which include mazavaroo (a hot chilli – my Grand Pere makes his own killer version), achar (or atchar, a vinegar and turmeric based pickle which can contain all sorts of fruit and veg including mango) and chutneys. Sometimes we have a simple sambal as well which is a mix of fresh chopped tomato, onion and fresh coriander.

It doesn’t look much like fine dining but this is what I call fine food – delicious simple dishes packed full of flavour. I have tried to cook rougaille myself, a few times, and although mine is good I can never quite get it as yummy as my mum’s

Recipe – for 4:

Rougaille

• Sausages, meaty ones - about 8 (2 each)
• Onion - 1 large finely chopped
• Garlic - about 5 cloves
• Ginger - thumb size piece about same quantity as garlic
• Thyme - few sprigs finely chopped
• Parsley (optional) - a small bunch finely chopped
• Green bell pepper - 1 sliced
• Tomatoes - 1 tin or 8 fresh medium chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Brown the sausages in a frying pan and remove. If you need to, add more oil to the pan and fry the chopped onion until transparent. Crush the garlic and ginger in a pestle and mortar with a good pinch of salt and add to the onion along with the thyme and parsley (if using) and fry until aromas are released.

The chopped green pepper goes in next– be careful not to brown or burn the garlic – turn the heat down if needed. Once the pepper has softened; stir in your tomatoes, a dash of water (to loosen everything) and a squeeze of tomato puree. Taste and season with freshly ground black pepper and salt if needed, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes to thicken. For a good sauce you need to let the tomato cook down for quite a while.

Cut the sausages in half and chuck them back in, continue to cook for about 20 / 30 minutes. Taste the sauce again, season if needed and serve.

Brede

• Half a small onion finely chopped
• Garlic - one clove
• Ginger - a small piece about same quantity as garlic 
• Thyme - a couple of sprigs finely chopped
• Veg stock powder - about ¼ teaspoon
• Water - boiled from kettle
• Watercress (about 2 packets from supermarket)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Heat some oil in a sauce pan and fry the onion, garlic, ginger and thyme until nicely cooked through – avoid burning or browning. I have been informed that my mum will leave out the ginger and my aunt will leave out the garlic – I compromise and use both but it’s up to personal taste

Pour in some hot water to about a couple of cms and let it come to the simmer. The vegetable stock powder can be sprinkled in at this stage

Wash and rinse your watercress and add to the pan – you might have to help it out so gently push with the back of a spoon so it wilts into the water. Put on the lid and slowly simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and if there is a lot of liquid left you can continue to simmer to reduce a little. I like having some of the liquor left to spoon over my rice. Season to taste and serve

Lentils

• Brown lentils - 2 cups
• Cold water
• Half a small onion - thinly sliced (use other half from brede)
• Garlic - one clove
• Ginger - a small piece about same quantity as garlic
• Thyme - a couple of sprigs finely chopped
• Cumin - half a teaspoon
• Coriander - half a teaspoon
• Tomato puree - a squidge
• Bay leaf - 1 or 2
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Rinse lentils then place in a saucepan and cover with cold water to cover double the quantity of lentils. Boil on high for 10 minutes and then turn to a simmer - you may need to add more water at this point

Stir in the thinly sliced onion, garlic, ginger, thyme, cumin, coriander, tomato puree and the bay leaf and leave to simmer for 40 minutes. Season and serve. It is important not to season with salt at an earlier stage as it can prevent the lentils from softening


To Serve:

Boiled basmati rice and any accompaniments you may like

Tips:

The onions, garlic, ginger and thyme are used in all dishes so to save time we will chop all the onions, all the thyme and crush all the ginger and garlic together. We then divide into three for each dish; the majority for the rougaille and two smaller portions for the brede and lentils.

You can also serve with brown rice if preferred

A mini afternoon tea

Blog posts – like buses, you wait around for ages and then two come at once :) sorry for the delay guys

As I alluded to in my last blog post I was considering making an afternoon tea of my own. I thought the Royal Wedding would be the perfect opportunity. I set out with great expectations wanting mine to look as elegant and as wonderful as some of these high teas you can sample all over London at the moment. Or indeed in Devon. But reality sunk in as I didn’t have a tiered do-dad, I didn’t fancy scrimping on the portions, I didn’t have much time to prepare and I quite like crusts.

So the main event was not so high tea as picnic in the living room – it was still pretty good though. We had home made cupcakes (in red, white and blue, courtesy of my partner in crime Gem), scotch eggs, stuffed peppadews, crackers, crisps, dips, crudités (aka chopped up veg) and not forgetting the sandwiches.

This is where I got a little adventurous and where most of the work went in. I opted for two traditional sandwich fillings and tried to pimp them up a bit. After much deliberation I settled on egg and cress and smoked salmon and cream cheese.

My egg and cress recipe was based on one that I had browsed through on the Good Food website. This version was a little healthier using half fat crème fraiche in place of the more traditional mayo option. The egg mix was generously seasoned and I added some chopped chives for an extra dimension. The main winner here though is the cress. Its smell, look and taste seem to transport me right back to childhood. Mainly because it is the first thing I ever learnt to grow at school. So I went a bit wild with my little plastic pot and pretty much snipped the whole lot into the mix – with a few sprigs left to squidge on the top once in my rolls.

 

The smoked salmon option was also quite healthy with the use of half fat cream cheese. I love dill and capers with smoked salmon; The Nordic’s nailed this combo a while back with their traditional Gravlax dish – here they cure the salmon rather than using shop bought smoked. Gravlax is on my list of must try dishes. So I got chopping and combined a few sprigs of dill with the capers, some seasoning and the cream cheese. I then lavishly spread all over a lovely piece of fresh brown bread which I topped with the smoked salmon, sliced cucumber, a good squeeze of lemon juice and a generous cracking of ground black pepper.

We munched down all these yummies while watching the wedding, washing it all done with some big tumblers of Pimms – all in all a great morning

Give my sandwiches a go:


Egg and Cress sandwiches (fills 4 mini rolls generously) – adapted from Good Food recipe

• Eggs – 2 large
• Half fat Crème Fraiche – 1 tablespoon
• Chives – a little bunch chopped
• Salad cress (a little tub from the supermarket)
• Little poppy seed rolls to serve (or whatever you fancy)

Hard boil your eggs then cool in cold water and de-shell. Mash your eggs in a little bowl and combine with the crème fraiche – season generously, add in your chives and cress and mix everything together. Pile into rolls with some extra cress sprinkled on top - serve


Smoked salmon and cream cheese (makes 2 sandwiches)

• Smoked salmon – 2 slices for each sandwich
• Half fat cream cheese – about half a tub
• Dill – a little bunch finely chopped
• Capers – about a tablespoon chopped
• Cucumber - sliced
• Lemon juice and seasoning to serve
• 4 slices of brown bread (or whatever you fancy)

Combine the cream cheese, capers and dill and spread mix over 2 of the slices of bread. Top with smoked salmon, cucumber, a squeeze of lemon and some black pepper. Place the other slice of bread on top, slice into triangles and serve

Cream teas and something a little healthier

The long Easter weekend in Devon was a mix of a few overcast days and a few sunny ones, but overall it was very nice indeed. The overcast days provided good walking opportunities and the whole experience involved some good food times

For our first walk we decided to head south into Cornwall, following the coastline down to Duck Pool beach, a good five hour trek. However, this turned out to be a bit too ambitious for our first walk so we finished half way through at our intended lunch stop in Morwenstow. As you head inland to the village from the coastal path, the gorgeous old vicarage greets you, followed by the local church and the delightful Rectory Tea Rooms. The village also boasts a great pub called The Bush Inn but we decided to lunch at the Rectory this time

After plonking down in our chairs we ordered the afternoon tea, a selection of some of the Rectory’s best sweet and savoury goodies. We were treated to a sandwich of our choice (cheese and pickle), quiche, salad, a mini meringue, some little biscuits, a half scone each, a cake of our choice (chocolate) and a top tier full of fresh fruit. The scones came ready assembled, covered with yummy strawberry jam and topped with a good blob of clotted cream
- The Cornish Cream Tea

Cream teas are a quintessentially English tradition and a fundamental institution in the South West of England. Both Cornwall and Devon are proud sponsors of the tea, and its famousness has even reached the other side of the world. As reported in the Times, Britain’s first tea plantation, Tregothnan estate in Cornwall, has started to export their cream tea to Japan, India and China.

The next day we headed for a longer walk in the other direction, into Devon. We do this particular route quite often as our destination is the wonderful Docton Mill. Complete with beautiful gardens, a water mill and wildlife pond it makes a perfect location for a cream tea. Our cream tea arrived with invitingly warm scones, 2 little jars filled with clotted cream and jam and a pot of tea. If the scones had arrived ready assembled, we would have found them covered with cream first and topped with jam
- The Devon Cream Tea

 However, because we were able to assemble our own we stuck with our preferred Cornish way, smothering our warm scones with lashings of strawberry jam and finishing with a big dollop of clotted cream which we tentatively spread on top

 So here is where the debate begins and it is quite a heated one at that; which is better, Devon Cream Tea or Cornish Cream Tea? Jam or Cream first?

Both the BBC and the Guardian have reported on it, the Guardian even setting up their own opinion poll on the matter. There are Facebook pages in support of both options and Facebook groups arguing for and against. But I guess it’s just down to personal preference

I think that spreading the jam first allows you to pile the cream on top, whirling in the jam as you go creating lovely rippled pink effects. I tend to think this might be the greedier option (and therefore, possibly why it’s my choice :)). What about you? Are you of the Cornish or Devonshire persuasion?

But it wasn’t all about cream teas as on the Sunday, while lazing in the garden, we welcomed a healthier treat. Sue, John’s mum, was doing some gardening and spotted some leeks which were ready for picking. Leeks are very yummy and moorish with a light oniony taste – almost like a fatter and milder spring onion but softer in texture when cooked. They are part of the Alliaceae family, along with the garlic and onion.

Sue steamed, cooled and then dressed the leeks with a simple creamy lemon spiked dressing. Because the dish was cool, it was perfect for a hot day and we ate it with some little savoury tarts. I think the lemony oniony flavour would also work well as a veggie side dish to accompany a barbeque on a hot summer’s day, especially with fish. The dressing would also work well with asparagus.

Like John and I, Sue is a bit of a foodie too and organises some great events in Clovelly, a picturesque village where she works. These events include the Lobster and Crab Feast and the Herring Festival which has featured in Channel 4’s River Cottage. We are hoping to be a part for the Herring Festival this year so watch this space for more info on that

So another 4 day weekend approaches and the question “what good food times to come?” - Hmm... maybe an afternoon tea of my own...



Leeks with lemon dressing (serves 6 as a side)


Ingredients

• About 5/6 leeks
• 4 tablespoons of basic vinaigrette (olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper)
• An egg yolk
• 4 tablespoons of cream
• A garlic clove, crushed into a paste
• A good squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• A few sorrel leaves sliced into strips (if you can’t find sorrel you could use baby spinach or a herb of your choice such as some chopped parsley)

Method

• Steam or boil the leeks until tender (about 6 mins), and then cool
• Lightly whisk the egg yolk into the cream. With your vinaigrette in a separate bowl, slowly pour in your cream mix, whisking all the time to combine the two sauces
• Add in your garlic and sorrel and season if needed. Now add a good squeeze of lemon to taste
• Toss the sauce with the leeks and serve

Easter :)

Off to Devon for the Easter weekend with me man John to stay with his folks. Fresh air, great scenery and hopefully some sunshine :)

This means that I will be away from the blogosphere for a few days. Mainly because I will be preoccupied with eating - Devon is pretty well stocked when it comes to good food. Of course we have the cream teas as well as homemade quiches, great pies and delicious fish and chips. We are very well fed at John’s house too, with homemade bread, fresh veg from the garden and good home cooking - yum!

But it’s not all about eating as the other great thing that Devon has to offer is her coastline, which is hard not to explore. We aim to walk every day, rain or shine, and really look forward to it after the hustle and bustle of London town. Long daily treks up and down valleys, across fields, through woods and over beaches. But food is not altogether missing from this scene as the walks are usually planned with food in mind, peppering in a well deserved cream tea or a pub stop. Can get you walking a little faster too...

On my return I hope to have some glorious close up shots of all things yummy. I don’t want to make you all too jealous but you may wish you had a magic futuristic computer that you could put your hand into only to emerge with a giant clotted cream scone! I know I’d like one of those...

I might re-ignite the scone debate too: jam first or cream first?

In the meantime I wish you all a very splendid Easter weekend and hope it is filled with great food and happy times, all dazzling with some great sunshine

A “healthy eating but still yummy kick”

As I briefly mentioned in my last and first blog post I am currently on a healthy eating kick – this includes lunches as well as dinners and I have been racking my brain (and recipe collection) to create shopping lists that include ingredients for about 10 meals a week – trying to be as cost effective about it as possible by using elements (i.e. leftovers) from the dinners for the lunchbox the next day

This has been going pretty well for the past 3 weeks but does get lost on the weekend where time flies and I just can’t help but being greedy - there are just too many yummy but deadly foods out there – such as BUTTER and CHEESE – which, if we all face it, are pretty damn yummy and I admit, my weaknesses

But healthy eating can still be delicious, quick and fun and there are a few ingredients that can really jazz up an everyday meal

..presenting HARISSA

Harissa can be found in own brand jars in many supermarkets but by far the best and the one that will last you the longest is Belazu. Belazu is a great brand specialising in Moroccan & European sauces / spices and accompaniments. I also love their preserved lemons which go great in salads and salsas

But harissa is super! On a basic level it is a chilli paste so is quite hot and spicy if used in large quantity. But it also contains lots of spices, including rose, which combine to give a great sweet smoky flavour if used sparingly. You can also use it in pretty much anything too... Mix a teaspoon into yog for a great dip to eat with grilled lamb chops and cous cous. Or mix it in scrambled eggs, pasta sauces or even jazz up beans on toast (which is mega yum)! It also tastes great as a marinade when mixed with garlic and oregano

As I found out last night it works with sweet potato wedges too, a recipe which I had spotted in the latest wave of new recipes on GoodFood (my favourite recipe site). They turned out ok but were a bit too mushy – next time I’ll do bigger chunkier wedges. But I love that about cooking – trial and error and learning

We ate the wedges with some simple lamb meatballs and a big batch of roasted veg which I used in a cous cous and chickpea salad for lunch the next day. The veg was mixed with a little olive oil, dried oregano, seasoning, and a splash of balsamic. I often go looking for any green dried herb I have in the spice draw and chuck that in too...

For the meatballs I mixed together some lamb mince with crushed garlic, salt and a mixture of dried mint, oregano and charmoula. I then fried them off in a tablespoon of oil and once browned I chucked in a can of toms. As there were lots of flavours going on with the wedges and roasted veg I did not need to add anything else to the sauce

Charmoula is a spice mix I discovered at my favourite local Moroccan restaurant (seriously yum). It is used in a lot of North African cuisine as a meat rub and marinade. It is also a key ingredient used in Keftas – traditional Moroccan meatballs which are boiled either in water or a rich tomato sauce. Charmoula is a combination of a number of herbs and spices which usually include; parsley, cumin, coriander and chilli. I have made traditional Keftas before and hope to get the recipe up here soon :)

I have found that if you are prepared you can make the best use of the time available while cooking a meal – it doesn’t have to be a slog. While my veg and sweet pots were roasting in the oven I got my meatballs on the go and prepared the cous cous for the salad the next day! But I always make sure I have moments to put my feet up with a glass of red wine in hand

I enjoy food too much so wanted to keep that desire alive while still making it as yum as it’s always been –more posts to come :)

My first blog post

So I was checking through the new posts that had popped up on my netvibes when I came across a new entry from David Lebowitz about his favourite links. Through this I stumbled across a new food blog called mattbites and some super great pics of sandwiches (which made me even more hungry!) ).

His strap line = “No 7 - 50 WORLDS BEST FOOD BLOGS from Times Online”

I’m not aiming too high (for now). Through further investigation (= search on google) I was able to discover quite a few interesting blogs all about my favourite thing - FOOD. After a quick sweep through and a pick of the best (which I added to my netvibes), I started to explore

It was through this exploration that I stumbled upon 101 Cookbooks and her recipe post for Sweet Potato Falafel

The blog started with: Do all you U.K. based readers know the Leon restaurants?

“Umm – No I don’t think I do!”

I then read further down the page and saw that the recipe was for non-deep-fried falafel - as I have been on a “healthy eating but still yummy kick” (blog posts to follow), I was interested to see how these were made as I have been trying out some falafel recipes of late. Once I had “ummed” and “ahhed”, I headed to the above link to check out Leon’s restaurants where I found wonderment and another food destination to add to my ever growing list!

The power of the blog!

This tipped me over the edge and fully prompted me to write this mini story of my journey into the blog world – maybe one day prompting someone else to do the same