summer rice paper rolls

I made these rice paper rolls for my lunch today.
I had some crumbed chicken tenderloins leftover so I decided to use them along with some cucumber, red pepper, lettuce and herbs that were in the garden.

 The key to making these is to not soak the rice paper for too long in the water.  Only about 10 seconds.  They get too flimsy and difficult to work with otherwise.  It should be still hardish.  I then like to fold it in half.  Sometimes it snaps in half.  Thats ok.  It will soften up by the time you are ready to roll.
First I put the herbs down with the nice side facing outwards. Place in the middle of the rice paper.  I had coriander, mint and vietnamese basil.  Then a bit of lettuce, some chicken, cucumber and peppers some more herbs and lettuce.
Lastly pickup the end closest to you and roll over and keep it all firm and keeping rolling until all enclosed.  Traditionally summer rolls are served with peanut sauce.  I used sweet chile as I couldn't be bothered making peanut sauce, maybe another time.  This would be nice with prawns also.

broad bean dip

This dip is made with frozen broad beans bought from the frozen section of the super market.  Not always that easy to come by as they are not always there year round, but they should be there as they are in season now.
They are actually a very good product, probably like frozen peas but unfortunately I  have a very unhealthy aversion too, due to childhood trauma of force feeding.

Anyway the recipe is as follows

• 250g of frozen broad beans or 1/2 a packet
• 10-15 mints leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest and squirt of juice
• pince of salt and pepper
• a chunk of feta cheese, probably a large tablespoon
• drizzle of good olive oil

This is what they look when the come out of the frozen packet, quite disgusting really.

Pour on some boiling water and leave for at least 5-10 minutes.  I find there is no need to boil them in a pot.  Drain off the water and them pop them out of their pods.  Look how beautifully devine they are now that they have shed their grey green skin.
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and whiz until you get the desired consistency.
You could just smash them all together too for a more chunky look.
Serve on toasted bread or as lily does something she dips her carrots into for school lunch.

prawn pot stickers

Lily loves dumplings so when I came across this recipe here at Rasa Malaysia, I decided to give it a go.
Just simply ingredients which were all in the house.
She used  square wonton wrappers but I prefer the round ones and I just used sweet chillie sauce as the dipping sauce and of course I didn't fold them like hers either.

Don't over fill them or it makes it difficult when it comes to the folding and sealing.
I folded them over in half using a bit of water as glue and then pleating them until sealed.
Put them in the freezer until you are ready to use them.
I also cooked them differently as I wanted pot stickers with the crunchy bottom.

When you are ready to cook them put the dumplings (frozen) in a frypan on a high heat along with 1/2 cup water and a dash of plain oil.  Put a lid on it and bring to the boil.  Once the water has evaporated take off the lid and turn the heat down to low.  The dumpling will come off the bottom of the pan once it has got some goldeness to it.  Don't be tempted to play around with them or you will get a big mess.
They probably take about 10 minutes.

camembert with caramelised onions

Haven't had camembert for years, probably back in the 90s.  It was 1/2 price at New World so decided to give it a go.  I was not disappointed. It went nicely with the caramelised onions that I made.

goat cheese, beetroot and caper crostini

The combination of chevre (goat cheese) and sweet beetroot relish is absolutely sublime.  Add some deep fried capers, lemon zest and Colonna olive oil and you are in heaven as far as I am concerned

Start off by making the beetroot relish.
You will need 1 medium to large beetroot.  Peel and grate.  Heat up a fry pan and add the beetroot with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cold water.  Bring it to the boil and then add 3 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.  Let it simmer away for about 20 minutes uncovered until the liquid reduces down.  You can add more sugar and vinegar to your taste.  You can make it tart and sweet and syrupy. Just play around with it.  I love it.  It also goes really well with BBQ meat.

Next up are the deep fried capers.  I use the large cheap capers when I deep fry them.  Drain a handful and put on paper towel to dry them so they don't sputter in the oil.  I use my wok, but any pan with oil will do.  Heat the oil to medium heat add the capers and cook to your liking.  I like them with a light crunch on the outside but still have some texture in the middle.   Again cook to your liking and put on paper towel to soak up some of the oil when done.
Deep fried capers match amazing well with fish and seafood, especially raw fish.

Slice your bagette or whatever bread you have and bake in the oven to make your crostini.  I don't add oil to the bread as I don't like it.  A gentle rub of raw garlic is magic though.  I forgot to do that.
I spread the goat cheese on the crostini and then grilled for a couple of minutes just to soften it.  Then on goes the beetroot relish a few capers, lemon zest some black pepper and a few drops of Colonna olive oil.
A delightful fresh vegetarian option.