Veggie Pancakes?

When I was staying with John and Chrystal last year, John's mom came to visit. She cooked some really great food. This dish was my attempt to recreate one of her dishes. I didn't even come close but this still tasted pretty good. I will get the real recipe and try again some day but these satisfied my itch for them for now. 

Scrumptious. Salty, savoury, soft and chewy, crispy, and fresh. This dish is a sensory overload.

When this dish was made for me it was done with shrimp.  It was so good but alas, no shrimp in my house at the moment so I went straight up vegetarian.  I'm sure you could put anything in these and they would be tasty but I wanted to keep it kind of simple.  I only used mushrooms, green onions, zucchini and bean sprouts.

Now, this is where I went awry. I could not remember what was in the batter except cornstarch so I basically altered my crepe recipe. One egg, milk, and flour.  I wanted a really loose batter so it would be thin and cook quickly.

Cornstarch gives a really good crisp crunch in batters so it was the star here. I ended up using about two Tbsp because that is what pouffed out of the container and into my bowl. It worked for me.

If I remember correctly these were served with fish sauce and soya sauce. I like heat so I set out chili flakes so I would remember to add them. The fish sauce portion of this dish might have been mixed with something else. I am really not sure. My memory is my weakness.

To test my batter I fried a bit in some hot oil. It was sure crispy. I thought it would do.

Time to get cracking. Add oil to your very hot wok, throw in your veggies. Cook stirring constantly until they start to soften.

Pour your batter right on top. Shake and tilt the wok so all the 'raw' batter from the middle goes to the edges to be cooked. It will form a big crepe looking pancake thing. Very technical.

Now the hard part, flip that whole thing before it burns without it falling apart. Cook the other side for a minute or so, checking often to be sure the bottom is not burning. Partially remove from the heat if your pancake is cooking too quickly.

Turn it out onto a plate and eat immediately. This was really fun to cook because I stopped to eat every one while it was hot. While it is still hot, splash soya sauce, fish sauce, and chilis on top then eat and enjoy. Add more sauce as required.

Because I was eating every pancake as I was cooking it, I experimented a bit to see if I could improve my technique. I tried batter in first and batter on top. Batter on top was definitely best. Plus, the veggies developed more flavour getting to cook a bit on their own first.

John's mom also made this really wicked curry soup and I still need to get the recipe. I love trying new foods, especially when they are this yummy!

Pad Thai at Home

I love food. This is something that you should know about me. I love cooking, I love baking, I love looking for new recipes and remaking my old favourites and of course EATING! I love trying new foods, especially favourites from other cultures. One of my all-time favourites is Pad Thai. My first experience with Pad Thai was from Thai Express, which I highly recommend.  But for those times you don't go to Thai Express and want to cook at home, here is a Pad Thai for you!

Looks good doesn't it?!

You will need some type of rice noodle.  This time I used the flat sticks but I like the long rice vermicelli best.

Get your pans ready. Hot water on the boil for the noodles and get your wok screaming hot.

This is where the magic comes from. If you look up Pad Thai recipes they have at least 20 ingredients. This is probably half of them!

The finishing condiments are very important for this dish. Thai Express will serve lime, Sriracha, and chopped peanuts on the side. I didn't have any peanuts but I added crushed chilies for extra heat.

Prepare your ingredients. One egg, beaten, big handful of bean sprouts, zucchini, green onion, and mushrooms. I made this vegetarian but you would usually have beef or chicken cut up very thinly.

I also added carrot, thinly sliced.

The water should be boiling, drop your noodles. These rice sticks will take a few minutes to cook so you'll want to start them first. If you are using rice vermicelli you will want to drop them closer to the end of the cooking time because they take way less time. You can also just pour boiling water over them and let them sit until you are ready to add them. The package will tell you the best cooking method.

Once the wok is hot, add oil, let it start smoking and add the egg. Using chop sticks move the egg around in the hot oil. It will form longish scrambled ribbons. As soon as the egg has started to set but is still soft (not runny though) move it back to its bowl. Don't worry if they aren't fully cooked, you will finish cooking them later.  The important thing is to not burn them.

Add more oil and then add in your longest cooking veggies.  In this case it would have been the carrots but they were sliced very thinly so I put everything in at once.  Keep back the green onion and bean sprouts.

Let the veggies cook a bit until they start to soften.

Next you'll add 6 Tbsp of the pad Thai sauce. Your noodles should be partially cooked if not mostly cooked by now. Add them now but keep their water to add to the sauce later if necessary. Add in the soft egg scramble and toss everything together. Sorry for the steamy photo here!

Oh my, look at that!  Once your noodles are completely cooked add in the bean sprouts and green onion. If your pad Thai is getting too sticky add in some of the cooking water from the noodles. The noodles will keep taking up moisture so add water as you go. I also like a bit of a saucier pad Thai so adjust to taste as well.

Time to dress the dish and eat! Add dried chilies, Sriracha, and lime. Serve with chop sticks and enjoy!

The most of the cooking time is taken up with the prep for this dish so make sure you get everything ready before you start your wok or you'll have something burn and it will not be nearly as tasty.

Amazing Quinoa Burgers

I have been late joining the Quinoa movement.  I don't have special dietary needs, I'm not gluten intolerant, not vegan or vegetarian or likely to be the first to jump on new health trends.  That being said, I have been trying to find recipes that use quinoa because I enjoy it.  This is one recipe that introduced quinoa to me.  My sister discovered this recipe as a meat substitute and as meat eaters Chris and I enjoyed it and didn't even miss the meat.  These are so versatile, they are flavourful and have a hearty texture that make them sturdy enough to act as a meat patty.

Quinoa cooks sort of like rice, sort of like pasta.  You measure the water and quinoa like with rice but you treat it like pasta.  Use double the amount of water as quinoa and you are golden.  

I used one cup of uncooked quinoa for this recipe.

Two cups of water.

1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Bring to a boil, turn it down and simmer until the germ part of the seed separates a bit and becomes visible.

Set aside to cool.  This calls for eggs and we don't want scrambled eggs in our patties.

Next, gather your ingredients, three eggs will do.  The recipe also calls for cottage cheese but I didn't have any.  I was going to substitute cheddar and mozza but decided I didn't want the extra fat.

Grate some carrot.  Alternately, you can add grated zucchini or a mixture of both.  Really anything goes.  Just make them in small enough pieces they will cook quickly within the patty.

Now this is where you have options.  I followed the recipe as it is found here but you can really personalize this.  Because of the eggs you will need something to hold the patties together.  The recipe calls for flour or rolled oats as a gluten-free alternative.  I have only made these with flour, personally.  Also, we love cumin so we are happy to stick to the recipe there as well.

The recipe calls for green onions but, again, I didn't have green onion so I diced up yellow onion.  That the great thing about cooking, it is very flexible.

Throw everything into a bowl and mix.  I used my stand mixer for this because it it easy and I'm lazy.

Plus, why have awesome appliances if you don't use them??

It should be completely blended, pretty loose and moist.  Add cheese at this point if you want.

Oil a baking pan.  The recipe calls for these to be fried but I like to start them in a pan and finish them in the oven.

Get a 1/2 cup scoop or measuring cup for portion control.

I use my electric breakfast grill here.  Scoop out your patties, they will cook in the shape you set them in so they are pretty forgiving.

Now squish them into patties with the back of the spatula.

Brown well on both sides.  Then, onto the prepared baking pan so they will continue cooking in the oven.  Be sure they get a good crust before you try to flip them or they will come apart.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 375F.  They will be moist inside, a bit crunchy around the edges and firm enough to be treated as a regular burger patty.  These can definitely be finished in the pan instead of in the oven but I like not having to watch them too closely.  I served these with a nice fresh salad and some left over ham warmed up.  They were excellent with ketchup.  The next time I make them I will be mixing up the seasoning to try a different taste.

After supper, I was having a serious sugar craving so I mixed up a mug cookie.  I'll be sharing that recipe tomorrow.  So. Damn. Good. Seriously!

My First Stirfry in a Wok, YIKES!

I have had a wok for years and I have never used it.  I have this idea that only certain things should be cooked in a wok.  Things that I don't usually make.  When I do make things like stirfry I end up just grabbing my biggest frying pan and doing it like I usually do.  This time I was determined to use my wok.  I had a bunch of veggies in the fridge that needed using so it was full steam ahead.

I actually did some research online on the best ways to use a wok and get some recipe ideas.  I learned that you should add oil a bit at a time as you add items to the wok and highest heat is best.  So off I went with this knowledge to conquer my wok.

To start: get everything you are going to be using right at hand.  Cooking on high heat means you have zero time to cut anything or mix anything or look for ANYTHING.  Also, have oil on hand as you will be adding a bit every time you add something new to the wok.  I used canola oil because it has a higher smoking point than olive oil.

I chopped up my veggies into thin, bite-sized pieces and had them separated and ready to go.

I beat two eggs in a bowl.

I wanted a sauce but didn't have any ready made sauces so I looked up a recipe here.  I reduced the recipe to make just enough for this meal instead of extra for the fridge like the recipe makes.  The floaty bits are powdered chicken stock.  I don't buy liquid stock usually.

Time to start frying!  Start by heat up the wok on screaming high heat.

Add in some oil, wait until it smokes (which should happen really quickly if your wok is hot enough) then start to add in your veggies.  Longest cooking veggies should go in first.  You cannot do anything else once you start cooking or it will burn so you need to be here stirring it constantly.  I have to say, it is very satisfying to listen to the sizzle as you move it around.

Add in carrots next.  I tried to get these to be thin so I wouldn't end up with crunchy carrots.

Next goes in the broccoli and cauliflower.  As you add each veggie, push everything away from the center, add oil, add veggie.  Turn the cooked ones over the 'new' ones and start stirring.  This prevents the hot ones from burning by cooling them with the 'new' addition and gets them straight into the hottest part.

Last I added in the peppers because they cook really quickly and get soggy fast, no thanks.  After only a few minutes I added in the sauce.

The sauce will start out looking cloudy but will begin to thicken right away.  It will turn glossy and transparent as the cornstarch gets warm.

Once the veggies were getting close to done I moved them all back to my prep bowl and quickly wiped out the wok to get the eggs going.  Add a bit of oil and pour the eggs in.  I used chop sticks to stir them around so they were more like ribbons than clumps.

Add the veggies back in once the eggs are about half setting up.  I wanted the eggs to be soft and silky and to not over cook or have a chance of burning.  Burned eggs will ruin everything.

Last, I added in some rice I had cooking and finished it all off together.  I love having the rice through the sauce.  If that isn't your thing or you want a more traditional presentation serve the rice on the side.  This would also have been excellent with noodles too.

Time to dish up and dive in.  It was so good!

I have to say I really loved the experience of cooking in a wok.  It was fast, easy, and FUN.  When I staying with Chrystal and John, John's mom visited and made these awesome savory pancakes for us with shrimp and bean sprouts.  I really want to try making them and I will be using my wok.  Stay tuned!