Prawn Tempura

Hi guys,

Sorry its been a long while since I have posted, alot is going on in my life at the moment and I haven't had the time or energy to cook for a while : ( Been eating out heaps but nowhere special, just my usual favourite local restaurants hehe

During the week, I was craving for seafood and decided to make some prawn tempuras for mid week dinner. This is my first time making it. I didn't have a secret tempura recipe to follow hehe but I decided to wing it and use the same batter I use for my onion rings hehe only extra ingredient I used was Panko Breadcrumbs. I was very surprised by the outcome, it turned out better then I expected : )

Heres my awesome recipe:

1/2 kilo of large prawns peeled leaving tail, and deveined, I used Banana Prawns
1 cup of plain flour
1/2 cup of light beer
1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper to season
Lemon wedges and Japanese Mayonnaise to serve
Vegetable oil for deep frying

What to do next:

Mix half the plain flour together with the beer in a small bowl until batter is smooth. Lightly season with salt and pepper.

Put the remaining half cup of plain flour in another small bowl, and the Panko breadcrumbs in a third bowl.

Heat oil on medium heat in a small saucepan.

First, dip one prawn at a time into the plain flour, second into the beer batter mix, and lastly coat plentifully in the Panko breadcrumbs. Repeat until you have coated all the prawns.

Deep fry 2-3 prawns at a time in the oil, it should take no more then 2-3 minutes to cook, it should be ready when the prawns are lightly golden brown. Adjust the heat of the oil if necessary (if your prawn becomes golden too quick, turn the heat down a tad).

Place cooked prawns on paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serve while hot with lemon wedges and the mayonnaise.

Enjoy!!

These are as delicious as they look : )

I had these with some rice and Miso soup for dinner, but they are awesome on their own also : )

Theses are really easy to make and are sure to impress your guests at any dinner party!! It sure feels good to be cooking again, hopefully I can bring you guys some more awesome recipes soon!

Happy Eating!
Fat Pom Pom

Twice Baked Potatoes

Mmmm...at my family Christmas dinner last year, my boyfriend made these twice baked potatoes which were absolutely delicious and one of the most praised dish of the night : ) Though it was served as a side dish, it can easily be served as a main as they are quite filling! Since then, there have been many asking for the recipe!! So here it is : )

Twice Baked Potatoes:

Ingredients:
4 medium size potatoes (any that are good for baking)
3 tbsp of sour cream
100g shredded tasty cheese
200g of bacon, cut into small pieces, and pan fry until crispy
small bunch of chives, chopped
100g of butter

Method:

1. Preheat an oven to 180 degrees C, lightly season potatoes with salt and pepper and bake for 1 hour.
2. Once cooked, cut potatoes in half lengthways and scoop out the potatoe flesh into a small bowl.
3. Add butter, sourcream, chives and a small amount of tasty cheese and mix to combine well, season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spoon the filling back into the potato skins, top with extra cheese and bacon and bake in oven until cheese is golden.

5. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy this simple yet delicious recipe! All credits goes to my wonderful boyfriend!! xoxo

Happy eating,
Fat Pom Pom

Vietnamese Spring Rolls!

This dish is one of my favourite all time Vietnamese meals (apart from Pho....actually I love all Vietnamese food) hehe. I often eat them at my local Vietnamese restaurant called Dong Que in Footscray. They have many authentic Vietnamese dishes there that many other Vietnamese restaurants don't have. This recipe is inspired by Luke Nguyen and if you don't know who he is, check him out on SBS on Thursday nights. A Vietnamese chef from Sydney who travels Vietnam to explore all the wonderful food that the country has to offer. He is a hero of mine and inspired me to start cooking Vietnamese food (apart from my mum that is) !!!

This is the recipe I followed:

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Ingredients:
60g dried wood ear mushroom, soaked for 20 mins and sliced
50g bean thread vermicelli, soaked for 20 mins and cut into 4cm pieces
1small can of water chestnuts, finely chopped
200g mince pork
200g crabmeat
1/2 onion finely chopped
1tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt and 2 tsp of pepper
1 tbsp of fish sauce
20 round rice paper
Lettuce, Vietnamese herbs and mint to serve

Dipping Sauce:
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp of warm water
1 tbsp of white vinegar
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 chilli and 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
Combine all ingredients to make the dipping sauce. You can adjust the quantity of fish sauce/sugar/lemon according to your taste.

Method:

1. To make spring roll fillings, combine of ingredients and mix well. 
2. Soak each rice paper in warm water for 2 seconds and put a heap tablespoon of the filling in the centre of the paper. 
3. Fold in the sides and roll the fillings in the paper tightly right to the end. Prepare the other 19 rolls in the same way.
4. Heat vegetable oil in the pan on medium heat. Deep fry a few rolls at a time in the oil to ensure that they don't stick together and become crispy. 
5. Remove from oil, and place on paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
6. Serve wrapped in lettuce leaves and herbs with dipping sauce.

I hope your rolls turn out as delicious as mine did hehe!! 

Happy eating friend :)

Fat Pom Pom

Kimchi Jigae and Japchae!

I have always been a big fan of Korean cuisine, they are always packed with punches of flavours!! Spicy, sweet, sour, saltiness, they are always a nice balance of flavours. My family always looks forward to dinner when I cook korean dishes, and seeing their satisfied faces leaving the dinner table, I know I have done a good job ; ) 

These two dishes below are my favourite korean dishes and I always order them when dining out in a Korean restaurants. My recipes are as follows:

JAPCHAE

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 packet of Korean sweet potato noodles (350g)

1 medium onion, slice into 8-10 wedges

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 carrot, chopped into 5mm match sticks

4 green/spring onions, cut into 5cm peices

10 shitake mushrooms, soaked for 2 hours in warm water and then slice thinly

150g thinly slice beef fillet

100g of spinach, soak in boiling water for 1 minute, drain and season with 1 tsp of soysauce and sesame oil

Sesame oil, sugar, soysauce for seasoning

Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Boil the noodles in boiling water in a big pot for about 5 minutes. When the noodles are soft, drain them and put in a large bowl.
2. Use scissors to cut the noodles (as they are quite long) and add 2 tbs of soy sauce and 2 tbs of sesame oil. Mix it up and set aside. 
3. Heat a small frying pan, add a few drops of olive oil and your carrot strips and saute for a few minutes. Remove from pan and add to the bowl of noodles.
4. Repeat the same with onion and spring onions.
5. Add a few drops of olive oil to the pan and add your beef strips and your sliced shitake mushrooms and garlic. Stir it until it’s cooked well, then add 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1-2 tbsp sugar. Stir for another 30 seconds and then add to your bowl.
6. Add 3 tbsp of soy sauce, 2-3 tbsp of sugar, 2 tbsp of sesame oil to the bowl and mix all ingredients together. Taste and add more soy sauce or sugar according to your taste. 
7. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on the top to finish.

  

KIMCHI JIGAE

Ingredients:

500g kimchi

200g of soft or silken tofu, cut into smaller peices

1 small can of spam 200g, cut into smaller peices

5 green/spring onion, cut into 5cm peices

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Sesame oil

2 tbsp of hot pepper paste (see picture)

1tsp of chilli flakes/powder

3 cups of boiling water

Method:

1. Heat a medium size pot, add 1tbsp of sesame oil. Add the garlic, kimchi and spam and saute for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add water, hot pepper paste and chilli flakes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes for the flavour to develop. You can leave to simmer for longer for a more intense flavour!
3. Then add tofu and spring onions and simmer for another 5 minutes. Before serving, garnish with more spring onions and 1tsp of sesame oil.
4. Serve with rice

Hope you guys enjoy the recipes!!! Let me know how yours turned out :)

Happy eating!

Fat Pom Pom