Crumbed Prawns on a Sweet Veggie Salad

Ahh seafood, a luxury for a student like myself. How is it that something so simple can brighten up my day in an instant? When I scurried into Harbour Fish yesterday, I was shocked to see a whole bag of crumbed prawns for five dollars. Lucky me.

Prawns. Crumbed prawns. What do people have with prawns? Being such a luxury, I had never cooked them before and rarely get the opportunity to eat them. So I searched high and low in my fridge and decided to use what I had. A few desperate vegetables and a lemon. It was going to be one of those experimental meals. I quickly ran to warn my boyfriend of the potential failure that was ahead, and then started chopping like crazy.

This is often the way my kitchen works. I have learnt to be economical and use up as much as I can whenever I cook. People often ask me how I can afford to cook so many meals that often have  expensive ingredients such as prawns, when I am a student. My answer? Honestly I am still learning but I guess I'll start by saying, don’t go to the supermarket with a strict list, buy what is in season and what's on special, and then come up with your meals. Use leftovers, create recipes, and always keep your spice rack full! You might have the odd disaster, but it is all a learning experience. And sometimes you might just have a wonderful outcome, like I did last night.

A simple cauliflower, broccoli, calvo nerco (kale), and date salad with pre-crumbed prawns. Obviously you can opt to crumb your own prawns or even keep them fresh, but like I said, I bought what was on special at the fish store. With a touch of seasoning and some lemon juice, this dish was divine.

Serves two

Ingredients

1 small head cauliflower

1 small head broccoli

Handful of calvo nero (dark kale)

Moroccan seasoning (season to taste)

Salt and pepper

Garlic

1/2 cup dates 

Rice bran oil for frying

1 lemon (zest and juice)

16 prawns (crumbed or fresh)

Grate the broccoli and cauliflower, and finely chop the calvo nero and dates. Fry the calvo nero in the oil until softened. Add the cauliflower, broccoli, dates, Moroccan seasoning, garlic, and lemon juice. Fry together over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the mean time you can either bake or fry the prawns. To bake the prawns, drizzled them in a touch of oil and lemon juice and then bake at 200°C for 10 minutes or until nice and crispy. To fry the prawns, heat some oil in a pan and fry the prawns for a few minutes on each side or until nice and crispy. 

Serve up your veggie salad, place the prawns on top and drizzle with a bit of lemon juice.

This is such a fast and easy meal, enjoy!

-Sophea

Yuki Izakaya

I have always loved japan. Not just for its beautiful scenery, incredible history, or cute Harajuku girls, but for its food.

I love all Asian cuisine. Chinese for sweet and sour, Thai for a creamy green curry, and Indian for spicy saagwala. For me there is something about Japanese food that, if done well, brings a whole new meaning to 'flavours of the world.' It is friendly, inviting, and exciting, yet also daring and different. The flavours are exotic but not too extreme like some other Asian counties. Japanese food is the discovery of new flavours without the shock of sweat-worthy spice or the discovery of chicken feet in your soup. To put it simply, I am never scared to try a new Japanese dish.

Another reason I love Japan might be because I have grown up with a number of Japanese live-in students. Whether they stayed for two weeks or a year they were always delighted to share something new with us. We got to experience the flavours first hand right in our home. From sushi platters to udon dishes. Japanese cuisine is a huge passion of mine so I am always thrilled to try a new Japanese restaurant. 

Yuki Izakaya. A hidden gem right in the center of Dunedin. It would have to be the only place tucked away in Bath Street, just seconds away from dozens of other cafes, bars, and restaurants near the Octagon. In Japanese Yuki literally translates to either 'snow' or 'happiness'. Perfectly suited for Dunedin I thought. And Izakaya is a place to drink and enjoy a range of small meals. My first thoughts as I left dinner last night, what a flawlessly suited name. Welcome to Yuki Izakaya, a place of happiness where you can drink from their outstanding drinks selection or even bring your own wine, and indulge in a wonderful array of small meals.

When you slide the door, yes slide not pull, and step into the restaurant the unique atmosphere hits you right in the face. You will notice how small yet open the room is. There are a handful of beautiful wooden tables, stools and chairs neatly arranged around the room and in the back ground there are glorious sights and smells coming from the visible kitchen. The staff greeted us promptly, making sure that we had indeed made a booking, then guided us to our table. Before we knew it we were handed the extremely oversized and slightly confusing menus and from that moment on were approached every couple of minutes by various staff members to see if we were ready to order. All of this is a lot to take in so I recommend ordering a drink to start, or some glasses for your own bottle of wine, and exploring the menu. 

As soon as I saw it on the menu I knew I had to try it. Okonomiyaki, a savoury pancake filled with cabbage and your choice of bacon, seafood, or vegetables. 

The flavour of this dish was top marks compared to other Japanese restaurants I have been to lately. It was different to your average asain buffet where the flavours all become one, it was authentic. The pancake was filled with generous amounts of shrimp, crab, and squid and was drizzled with Japanese mayonnaise and barbecue sauce and finally topped with fish flakes that appear to be dancing on your plate (another reason I love okonomiyaki). It was almost perfect, with impeccable flavour however it was more soggy rather than fluffy. Thank goodness for the crunchy texture of the cabbage to balance that factor out. 

The staff kept coming over to take orders throughout the night, maybe it was our compelling conversation or maybe they were trying to hurry us along. Who knows. 

Due to a few hasty decisions the next couple of dishes were purely mediocre. The agendashi tofu... I do not have too much to say about it. The pieces were larger than I expected and managing to pick up a large wobbly piece of tofu with chop sticks is as hard as it sounds. Despite this, they were cooked reasonably well with a nice crispy skin. The tofu itself was bland and the tsuyu sauce could have upped the excitement a considerable amount if it had actually soaked through. It was simply, nice. 

The pork hot pot, well I can say I liked it. Small pieces of pork, cabbage, and sprouts in a spicy broth. But don't fear, the cute bucket hot pot it's served in will keep you entertained! I didn't love or hate it and quite frankly I would rather make it at home.

Now before you start to think I am giving Yuki a bad name, I'll lighten up the mood a little . Takoyaki octopus balls. These were a remarkable finale. Crisp skin, cooked perfectly, and an explosion of flavour. I hadn't tried anything like these until I visited Yuki, in the future I will order these again. A MUST try.

Other recommended dishes are the pork belly, karaage chicken, and spicy chicken. But I am not trying to 'bulk' and would not be able to eat that much even if I tried.

 I do love Yuki I just believe you need to be careful wear you tread. Choose wisely, it's better to stay safe and go with what your friends recommend. Whenever I venture outside of my comfort zone at Yuki I am not usually excited about it. Don't get me wrong, the popular dishes are outstanding and if you are in dunedin do go out of your way to go. It's a place to bring your own wine, drink Asahi beer, enjoy company, dive into a variety of small dishes, and finish on a shot of hot saki. Just make sure you book in advance or else you will be shown to the door by every staff member available. 

-Sophea

Simply Sweet Cinnamon Scrolls

Oh sweet buns, why do you have to look so delicious in the evenings?

Sugar, my guilty pleasure.

Baking has to pretty close to the top of my favourite-things-to-do list. The whole process is so enjoyable for me. It's all about creating something so sweetly satisfying that makes your house smell like a home. However, as unfortunate as it is, eating the baking is even closer to the top of my favourite-things-to-do list. Yes, I love to eat the final result and this is why I don't do a whole lot of baking. It's far too dangerous for me to have muffins, cookies, or loaves lurking in the pantry at night time. I just know I will give in to temptation. 

And this is why I need a bit of a push, an excuse, any excuse to do some baking. Visitors are coming? Great I will make some slice. Someone's birthday? Cake it is. Chocolate was on special? Cookies, I'll see you soon.

So when it was requested to me this week that I do a blog on cinnamon scrolls, I jumped at the opportunity.  Not only did I have a whole day off from study, but my flat mate's new camera equipment arrived this week. Excuses were flying at me from every angle. Why not spend a day researching cinnamon scrolls (seeing as I had never made them before), making and trialing recipes, and taking photos of the final result. The perfect Friday afternoon!

So here we have it, my final result. Sweet Cinnamon Scrolls glazed with icing. I chose to go with a recipe that is simple because as I have discovered, a lot of recipes for sweet scrolls are quite complicated. And honestly, the simpler the better. Not everyone has time to spend hours baking. Even for me this was an odd occasion. So please do give them a go, don't be scared of making the dough, it's easy I promise!

There is only one problem... these beauties taunt me at night time. They are dangerously awesome so make sure you have guests coming over when you make them - they are best eaten on the day!

Ingredients 
Dough:
2 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp dry activated yeast
1/2 cup water
1/4 milk
50 grams butter
1 egg

Filling
60 grams butter melted
2 Tbsp cinnamon
2 heaped Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Basic Icing
50 grams butter
1-2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
boiling water as needed

How to
1. Preheat your oven to 100°C. Grease a pie dish with butter and set aside.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast and then set aside.

3. In a sauce pan heat butter, water, and milk over a medium heat until hot (do not boil). Once hot, pour into the flour mixture, add the egg and mix to make a soft dough. The dough should not be sticky but rather soft and elastic. If it is sticky, add a Tbsp of flour at a time till it comes right.
Once you have a soft ball of dough kneed it on a floured surface for 5 minutes and then let it rest for 10 minutes.

4. Roll the dough out to a large rectangle ready to coat with the filling.

5. In a bowl mix the sugars and cinnamon together. Cover the dough in the melted butter and then sprinkle the sugar mixture on the top.

6. Starting from one end, tightly roll the dough into one long scroll. With a serrated knife, cut the dough into about 10 or 11 different pieces.

7. Place the scrolls in your prepared dish and cover with tin foil. Place them in your preheated oven and then turn the oven off! This will help your scrolls rise in the perfect environment. Now leave them there for 1 1/2 hours.

8. Once, risen bake scrolls uncovered for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned.

Icing
For the scrolls I recommend two different types of icing. Just use the basic icing recipe ingredients and then add these yummy extras. You choose! I know this recipe for icing is vague but every time I make icing I do it differently. It really depends how much icing you want and what kind of texture you want.

Brown Sugar Icing
Cream the butter and add 2 Tbsp brown sugar. Whisk until smooth. Add 1-2 cups of icing sugar and vanilla essence then whisk all together. Too thick? Add  tsp of boiling water at a time to thin it out. Too runny? Add 1/2 cup icing sugar at a time to thicken it up.

Coffee Icing
To make this icing instead of adding the brown sugar like above, add a shot of coffee! Dissolve as much coffee as you want (I use 1-2 tsp grounded coffee) in a small (less than 1/4 cup!) amount of boiling water. Coffee icing on cinnamon scrolls is amazing!

Once the icing is made literally drizzle it over the warm sweet buns and you are done. Don't they look beautiful?

I hope you enjoy these as much as my house hold has enjoyed the numerous times I have made them recently. Happy baking everyone, try not to turn into your own personal version of a cinnamon scroll!

-Sophea

Chocolate Caramel Slice

After bragging about how much I have been enjoying eating my home-made chocolate caramel slice this week, and considering that it's Easter weekend, I thought it was about time I share this recipe.

Until recently I have always believed that there is only two types of chocolate caramel slice in this world, the soft icing icing type that tastes far too much like icing sugar, and the type that has a hard chocolate topping which causes all the caramel to come oozing out the sides when you bite into it. Is it so bad to want sweet decadent flavours as well as perfect texture? Or am I just being picky? Well, in the world of Matt and Fee we say texture is just as important as flavour. So here we have it, the perfectly sweet and perfectly textured chocolate caramel slice.

What you will need:
Base:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 gluten free flour (you could use regular flour if you want. However, for this particular base I think the combination of these flours adds great taste and texture)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup sugar (I use organic unrefined sugar, it adds a wonderful depth of flavour and unique quality)
125g melted butter

Filling
70g butter
1 can condensed milk
3Tblsp golden syrup

Topping
1 block dark whittakers chocolate
3Tblsp coconut oil

Here's how:
Grease your slice tin with butter by using baking paper, don't be shy with the butter! To make the base, mix all the ingredients together well, then press into baking tin and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Then remove from the oven and let it cool.

To make the caramel filling, melt the butter, condensed milk and golden syrup in a pot and stir it over medium heat for at least 10 minutes. I usually stir it for about 15 minutes. This allows it to get that rich caramel flavour and nice firm, yet sticky texture, Then pour the mixture on the base and bake for another 12 minutes.

To make the chocolate topping, let a pot of hot water simmer slightly and place a heat proof bowl over the water (make sure it doesn't touch the water!). Break in the block of chocolate and add the coconut oil. Stir until completely melted. I love this bit, the glossy chocolate is so satisfying. Pour over the cooked base and filling and then place it in the fridge until completely sold. This will take a few hours.

And you're done. This recipe is so simple, I have already made it twice this week! Use a warmed knife to slice it into small squares. Try not to eat it all in one go. Although, I would be lying if I said we didn't eat ours quickly. With the help of some guests, of course.

Enjoy!

-Sophea

Chicken Nacho Baskets

I always get motivated to make something nice for dinner after watching Jamie Oliver on TV. The way he cooks is incredible, a true naked chef. Watching him reminds me to stop being so particular in the kitchen. Cook the way YOU like. Use the in ingredients YOU love. And always add a little extra of your favourite ingredient if YOU want to. Cooking should be enjoyable not stressful. When I'm in the kitchen I like to be in control, it's my space to play, my space to relax, and the decisions are always mine to make.

Tonight, after watching Jamie's 30minute meals of course, I decided to break almost every rule when it comes to nachos. I didn't feel like greasy mince or fatty nacho cheese crisps. I felt like something fresh, like the real deal when it comes to eating REAL food. 

I don't know, sometimes I just hate the thought of processed and genetically modified food. You know that feeling, right? So I found the freshest food I could find in my kitchen that could be used to create nachos and made these, Nacho baskets!

The bonus is, they were super easy and looked crazy cute. So, what did you have for dinner tonight? Want something fresh that feeds that greasy nacho craving you get every now and then? Chuck these together in the same amount of time it takes you to decide if you want supreme cheese or salsa crisps. 

This will serve two

You will need:

3 wraps of your choice 

1 chicken breast 

1 chopped onion 

1/2 green capsicum 

2 large tomatoes 

A few chopped jalapeños 

Fresh herbs such as origano, coriander and parsley 

1 teaspoon paprika

Chilli powder

Chilli flakes

1 tablespoon spoon of tomato paste

Sea salt

Oil (I use rice bran)

Garlic

1/2 can cannelloni beans

A sprinkle of organic golden sugar

Brown your chicken breast in an oiled pan and then bake for about 15 minutes at 180 degrees or till cooked so it's ready for shredding. In the same pan, fry the onion for 5 minutes and then add the herbs and spices. As for the chilli, add as much as you would like. I like it hot so I add a lot, about 1 heaped teaspoon of hot chilli. While this is all frying you may need to add a little more oil.

Take a moment to smell it, isn't it wonderful? The paprika adds terrific colour and smells amazing. Add the tomato paste, capsicum, jalapeños, beans, tomatoes, and then sprinkle over some sugar. Let it simmer. Once the chicken is cooked through, shred it using two forks and then add it to the mixture. 

For the baskets, get reasonable sized muffin tins and drizzle the oil over four of them. Warm the wraps up in the microwave for 20 seconds and place two in their own muffin tin, creating the basket shape. As for the other wrap, break it into triangles and place into the other prepped tins. Sprinkle with sea salt, chilli flakes, and some more oil. I baked mine for roughly 5-7 minutes in a moderate oven and then flipped them all over and baked for another 5 minutes. Or until the edges are browned and they are crispy. 

Fill your baskets up and top with some grated cheese and coriander. I love to have cottage cheese and natural yoghurt on mine too. As for Matt, he is happy with just yoghurt. Drizzle with a bit of lemon juice and chilli flakes and you are done.

-Sophea

Ta da! 

I do what I want in my kitchen and what I wanted was fresh chicken nacho baskets. What do you want in your kitchen? 

Food is Life. Life is Food

Mazagran Dunedin. Photo from neatplaces.co.nz

I haven't blogged in quite a few weeks now. Now don't jump ahead and say my lazy behavior is the culprit because honestly, I am not lazy. I hate sleeping in too much, I could never watch a television series on repeat all day, or drool over cat videos while the dirty dishes pile up. This idea of life doesn't exist in my books. I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that. In saying that, I am not one to judge. I do like watching movies in the evenings and having an afternoon nap on a Sunday but I feel like I need to be deserving of these pleasures. A week of productivity and hard work should be rewarded with an insistent 'I do what I want attitude'. 

Productivity and hard work. What does this mean to you and how hard should we really be working? I haven't blogged in a few weeks not because I've been too lazy but for two other simple reasons. Firstly because last time I uploaded my fresh, and quite frankly rather insightful post, it was accidentally deleted (how this happened we shall not speak of). The frustration and devastation of all that hard work and time, although enjoyable, seemed to be wasted. I didn't just give up, that's not something I would endorse, I merely got thinking. That leads me to the second reason I haven't posted in a while, I have been racking my brains over one of life's most 'important' requirements. Work. What does that mean to me? 

I am only 21 and I am months away from completing my degree. I am months away from the real world, from a career that has been flourishing over three years at university. What do I want to do and am I ready for a committed full time career? And after some time, pondering over this quite universal question of a nearly new 21 year old graduate student, I have come back to realise what I love and how wonderful it is. I love writing, it's a chance to have thoughts and record them so that they never evaporate and disappear forever. So that they can develop, be nurtured, so they can grow and be shared. Thoughts are precious, they are one of a kind and I want mine to be happy, inspiring, wonderful. The second thing I love, naturally, is food and coffee. I appreciate that many people can say that they love these things, and I'm sure they do, but when I say I love them I mean it in an entirely different way to the average Joe who approves the flavours of most meals. I mean passion, I mean interest, and I mean extraordinary. I see cuisine as something I can explore and experiment with, something I can continuously share with people. To me food and coffee is about exploring an infinite pathway of knowledge on taste, aesthetic presentation, health and well being, cultures, social experience, and life. Food is something that everyone around the world can understand, it is something different cultures, ethnicity's, and even classes share. I want to explore the variety, the options, the possibilities...

I don't want to live a life where my career owns me. I want to live a life of happiness, doing what I want and what I want to do is travel, write, eat, share, and experience. I want to make the most of everyday whether I am down here in Dunedin studying my nights away or roaming the streets of France admiring the lovers. Life should be about doing what you love and sharing it with others. And for me, one of my passions is food so now, I'll start there. Food is life and life is food. So take a piece, eat it, and enjoy it completely

The question that surely remains for now, what does Dunedin have to offer that is special and unique? This is my final year and I will spend it exploring the nooks and crannies of this beautiful city. I will gain experience before I move onto the next saga of my life. The next step? Out for dinner with my man on Friday... let us see what Dunedin has to offer.

This right here is what I love. I apologise for no real food critiques or recipes this time. 

-Sophea

Sun Moochers and Smoothie Gangs

Smooth over baby.

Dunedin you have not disappointed me thus far. After coming back across the ditch and leaving the sticky weather behind my hopes of seeing the sun were low. I was nearly going to dust off the old woollies and welcome my winter boots back into the world. However, the sun has stayed with me, and along with it my holiday attitude. I thought I left my laziness and free-will appetite behind, I had even vowed to start a no-carb, smoothie diet. Don't get me wrong, I did great, for a few days, and then the weekend came around. That beautifully unexpected sun was glistening through the bedroom window by 7am, by 7.45 I was off to the market, and by 8.30 I was home with my boysenberries, veggies, and eating my fresh chocolate and almond croissant on the deck. Diet? What diet? The sun made me do it I say! The holiday attitude needs to go!

The sun is glorious down here in Dunedin, and unexpected. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely adoring spending time at the salt water pools and gardening in the sun, but along with those things often comes delicious snacks, ice creams, quick meals, and alcohol. The relaxation is great, but too much of this carry on is starting to leave evidence behind!

So it was official, we were to have one last carb loaded, greasy dripping, quick and easy meal. It was to be our last supper before we join the sugar-free, low carb, and smoothie gang. It would be our last moment to excel as lazy, sun moochers. It would be our last time to make a meal that requires 0% effort and 100% carbs... That's an exaggeration, our last supper would have been healthy minus the greasy bacon and 'carby' focaccia, but you understand what I mean. It's time to start putting more thought, more time, more colour and less nasty 'extra's' into our meals.

Our last lazy lunch: fresh focaccia from the market, organic salad toppings, and top of the range bacon fried in top of the range fat, butter. 

Okay so out last 'supper' wasn't that unhealthy but we did kiss goodbye to two of our favourite things, bread and greasy, dripping butter. Our third favourite, sugar, unfortunately never got to say its goodbyes.

Now to the good stuff. The health fix, the diet, the healthy lifestyle, the detox, the cleanse, whatever you want to call it. It's not going to cost us hundreds, it's not going to starve us, and it's not a dangerously drastic change. Firstly we are doing one week of smoothies for breakfast and lunch, no sugar, and minimal carbs! But don't worry, for dinner we will be eating full meals. 

The trick is to spend time cooking, don't make rushed meals, and don't snack. Plan your meals ahead and fill up the veggie draw. I truly believe that a healthy meal is one that is organic, made from scratch, and is colourful. If you are going to add a packet of flavouring, take a minute to read the ingredients. If you can't understand some of the words, it is most likely you shouldn't be putting them into your body. The first week will be difficult but from then on we will slowly add a few treats back into the routine. I'm not the cold-turkey kind of girl. For the mean time the chocolates and chips are hidden, the fruit is on display, and the blender has been warmed up. Lets hope my greedy sweet tooth doesn't take over anytime soon. 

Here is my most favourite smoothie so far, Banana-Berry Breakfast Blend:

Serves 2:

2 bananas 

3/4 cup berries 

2 Tblsp protein powder

1/2 cup oats

2 cups milk 

Blend the banana, oats, protein powder and milk together until smooth. Finally, add the berries of choice and pulse for a few seconds until just blended. Voila! Breakfast is served. 

I know I'm only sharing one simple recipe today but more smoothies, healthy dinner recipes, and snack ideas will be coming soon. And quite frankly, I am addicted to this breakfast smoothie and haven't ventured any further. As soon as I get sick of it I will let you know. 

What is next on the menu next you may ask? Keep your eyes open for my lunch smoothie and home-made stir fry with easy satay sauce. 

Until next time,

-Sophea