Low Carb Experiment - Recipe: Fruit Salad w/ Prawns, Cauliflower & Vanilla (365kcal per serving - Vegan)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

I’ve been having a go at one of those low carb / fasting days diets thingies. For each day (lunch & dinner) there’s a description of what you should eat. The brief for lunch was: 

“Fruit salad, any combination of fruits, as much as you want. Coffee/tea” 

which basically reads 

“You’re eating fruit mate!”. 

Now I’ve done this a couple of times and I can handle a banana, apple and a pear for lunch with a good chog of water melon, but watermelon is out of season at the moment so I came up with this instead. I know cauliflower is not a fruit, I know that! But you need something to bulk it out that isn’t going to blow you out of the water on the calorie front!

The flavour comes from the herbs, fruit and prawns. The  prawns, almonds and cauliflower give it a much broader texture than a normal fruit salad. 

Conclusion: At 365kcal per serving and a banging flavour profile it’s a keeper!! (and it’s vegan . . . crazy talk!!) Ahem, if you take out the prawns cough.

ingredients (serves 2)

for the fruit salad

250g cauliflower (1/2 cauliflower, blended)

140g black grapes (cut in halves)

180g tangerines (6 peeled, halved along the equator, then in segments)

50g dates (6 dates stoned & chopped)

6g coriander 

6g mint 

3g sage

1.5 dried chillies (initially I thought half this - but it was fine)

1g ea salt & pepper

50ml pear & vanilla juice

100g prawns per portion (frozen weight - thawed)

30g toasted flaked almonds (just right to give a nice texture and flavour)

Total for 2 servings = 729 (365 cal each)

method

Prep the ingredients as required and mix everything but the almonds and prawns.

Add the almonds and prawns just before you eat the salad.

thinking ahead

If you want to eat half the following day or later in the evening, add the prawns and almonds just before you eat it.

The mix will keep for a day no problem, add them when you eat it!

variations

If you don’t like coriander just don’t add it, it remains a very tasty salad.

To make it vegan simply don’t use prawns!

Experiment - Recipe: Pearl Barley with Mushrooms & Aubergine (Vegetarian)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

I tried this with and without mint and coriander as an experiment. Wow, the fresh herbs add a light and fragrant touch to the dish and balance it nicely - they make such a difference!!

I love this dish. The barley gives it bite. It’s packed with earthy goodness from the mushrooms, nuts and aubergine, and balanced with apricot, mint and coriander! A cracking flavour profile.

ingredients (serves 4)

for the pearl barley

250g pearl barley (+500ml water / veg stock)

250g chestnut mushrooms (cut into 1/4’s)

200g onion (1 large, sliced)

6 dried apricots (medium dice)

3 sprigs thyme (picked)

200ml apple juice

1 large aubergine (large dice)

couple pinches paprika salt (50/50 smoked paprika / salt)

olive oil

25g toasted sunflower & pumpkin seeds (you’ll need some butter for toasting) (link 720)

5g coriander (chopped)

5g mint (chopped)

2 spring onion (sliced into rings)

1 tbsp apple chutney (optional)

for the garnish

1 spring onion (sliced into rings)

5g chives (chopped)

method

Cook pearl barley 2:1 by weight - up to 3:1 if you like it softer and with residue liquid. I use a rice cooker for this. If you’re doing it in a sauce pan, use a nonstick pan, bring to the boil then reduce to simmer with a lid on the pan, cook until all the water is absorbed and the grain is soft but still has bite.

Cook each of the ingredients separately, putting them aside until needed. (I use takeaway boxes, they stack well and take up very little space when stored!)

Put the dried apricots and apple juice into a small saucepan and bring to the boil then set to simmer for 10mins until they’ve softened. 

Turn off the heat and add the fresh thyme leaves, put aside to infuse until needed.

Brush the mushrooms to remove any soil, then take the stalks off, and quarter them lengthways.

Cook the mushroom stalks w/ the onions in a little oil until the onions have started to brown. Don’t forget to season them. 

Combine all the ingredients except the nuts, spring onions, chives, mint and coriander and heat up in a large pan.

Then add the nuts, spring onions, chives, mint and coriander and mix through.

to serve

Serve in a serving bowl or in the pan, dressed with the spring onion, chives and a sprig of thyme.

variations

It’s quite nice with a poached egg and garlic bread!

If you like things spicy, add a finely chopped scotch bonnet and serve with coriander and mint greek yoghurt. (season the yoghurt with salt and lime juice) 

I had it with a pork shoulder chop done in a pimientos de padron and white wine sauce with garlic bread. That, methinks, will be another post!! : )

Or use it as the stuffing for a deboned leg of lamb!! Think I'd probably replace the mint and coriander for 1/2 tsp each of nutmeg, coriander, garam masala, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. And bump up (as in double or triple) the amount of dried fruit and nuts. And add cranberries for a touch of acidity!

Recipe: Zero Fat Salmon & Pork Wonton Soup

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

A friend of mine came round to lend a hand with hanging a door, a bit of sawing cutting varnishing that kind of thing. As a thanks for lending a hand I knocked this recipe up for a late lunch. I’m not gonna lie, it would have gone down exceptionally well accompanied by an ice cold beer! Unfortunately no beer allowed today - booooo! - watching that there waistline : /

Not bad for a bit of lunch - to be fair we'd earned it!!

Salmon is optional!! : )

Cucumber noodles

This recipe is a great recipe because you can have it with carbs or as a carb-less cucumber version!! Aye! So really good if you’re cooking for others while watching your own intake. Oh the sneakiness!! : )

It’s also quick and simplicity to make!

ingredients (serves 2 hungry people)

for the noodle soup

500g fresh noodles

1 chicken stock cube

1 tsp yellow bean paste (soya bean paste)

1L boiling water

1 medium red onion (finely sliced)

2 small green chillies (cut into rings, keep seeds)

1tbsp fish sauce (season to taste)

for the pork wontons

10 pork wontons (recipe post coming soon)

for the cucumber noodles

Mint & Sweet Basil

1/3 cucumber (mandolin to noodles)

1 tsp soy

for the salmon

300g salmon (cut into 2 pieces)

olive oil

salt

Ready for action!!

for the topping ~ garnish

2 tbsp cucumber noodles

10g sweet basil (stalks removed, torn)

10g mint (stalks removed, torn)

10g coriander (stalks removed, torn)

2 spring onions (cut into strips and then thirds)

~

2 spring onions (fine sliced into rings)

sweet basil (picked)

crispy fried onion

1 lime (sliced into 1/4’s)

apparatus / equipment

mandolin

method

for the noodle soup

Put the yellow bean paste and chicken stock cube in a pot, dissolve in the boiling water.

Add the green chillies, 1/2 of the red onion and the wontons, bring to the boil then set to simmer.

Add the spring onions just before serving. (or to the noodles, either will do)

for the cucumber noodles

Run the cucumber through the mandolin. Add a touch of soy if you fancy it!

Simple and fast! WARNING: Be so sooo careful with your fingers on the mandolin!!

Cook it 90% skin side down!! (Don't forget to de-scale it!)

for the salmon

I like my salmon ‘mit cuit’ but that’s a lot of ****ing about for lunch, so a nice quick alternative is to literally half cook it!

Quickly sear the remaining sides

Pat the salmon dry and coat it in olive oil. Salt the skin side to give a really nice crispy skin, and put it into pan on a medium high heat, skin side down. Leave it for 5mins until crisp and golden. the sear the remaining sides to finish. The centre should warm and still pink! If you’re using the skirt of the salmon, which is a lot thinner and fattier (and really nice) use a hot pan on a high heat for a shorter time.

for the pork wontons

I grabbed these out of the freezer!! I’ll put up a post on how to make them soon!

to serve

Unpack the noodles then loosen them and put them in a bowl. Microwave them so the broth stays warm when you pour it in.

Dress the noodles with herbs, cucumber noodles, spring onion and the red onion and pour in the broth. Sprinkle with round spring onion slices, crispy fried onion and chillies. Pop the salmon on top and serve with a slice of lime.

variations

If you’re making the cucumber noodle version replace 250g noodles with 2/3 of a cucumber that’s been sliced into noodles!

Recipe: Black Garlic King Prawn Kebab w/ Cucumber & Lime

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

Due to some bad planning and a rather rushed weekend I managed to end up with a rather large handful of uncooked shell-on king prawns I had to cook. That, or they would have gone to waste!  Now I don't believe in wasting anything, and I try and find good ways of preserving if possible: freezing, curing, whatever makes most sense. In this case I had some stunning ingredients left over from the supper club so I thought I'd treat my flatmates to some special kebabs!! Here's what I made for them . . . . .

Lemon oil, black garlic and prawns are a fabulous combination of flavours!!

ingredients (serves 2)
for the prawns
16 raw kingsize prawns (head off or shell off)
40g fermented garlic butter (in slices) - (here's how to make it!)
1/4 lime (juiced)

for the sauce
125g natural yogurt
10 leaves fresh mint (finely chopped)
1/2 cucumber (medium/large dice)

for the naan bread
2 fresh plain buttered naan (lush home made naan here)

for the garnish
5g coriander leaves
1/2 lime

equipment
wok
(and cast-iron pan and grill - if making naan)



sauce
Mix the mint, cucumber and yogurt together and season. The salt you add here will balance the sweetness of the black garlic prawns. Maybe worth dipping one in when they're cooked, just to test the seasoning you understand ; ) chef's privilege.




naan
I love making my own naan, mostly because I'm not that often near a place where I can get a really good one!
If you're lucky enough to have a good authentic local, and you're short on time go get 'em, but if you're relaxing on the weekend, maybe cooking for the family or friends you can very simply make your own. Here's how : )




prawns
Add a knob of butter to the wok and throw in the prawns, add the chopped black garlic butter, and mix well moving the prawns continuously to they cook, and coat evenly. Take care not to over cook them, they should moist on the inside! Once ready turn off the gas, leave them in the wok while you plate so they don't go cold!

to serve
If you are using head-on shell-on (HOSO, in fact, with any shell at all) serve the kebab open. With the naan bread butter side up, dress with a generous serving of cucumber mix, load the prawns on top and garnish with coriander and a squeeze of lime juice!
Serve immediately.

I might have had a little nibble of that there naan, was quite peckish!

Recipe: Naan Bread . . . . . and Turkey Kebab

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

I was a kebab virgin when I went to college - I know!! I was a bit of a late developer what can I say! Anyway there were 2 kebab houses near our digs in south Manchester. Bar the empty shop between them they were next-door to each other; the kebabs were OK. The selling point of Abduls was the good chicken and sauces, the selling point of the Haji's was it's mahoosive donners. (investigative post coming up on donners - watch this space) You can imagine my surprise when Sajaan a kebabeur (it's a real word honest) with Tony Montana sized balls opened his new kebab shop in between the two!!

Perfect kebab, healthy, tasty, and home made!!

 Fair play! So we went to try them first chance we got!! Blindingly good! Super fresh naan - IE made to order rather than off some huge pile of naans, the meats beautifully marinated, sauces fresh and vibrant, and the salad ingredients many and varied. When you walked out of Sajaans with your kebab, it would be like Gollum prizing the ring! Maiy preeesciooouuus. . . dribble!

Here's how from home . . . .

ingredients (makes 8 naans)
for the naan bread
500g strong flour
170ml    water   
35ml milk
7g yeast (dried)
30g sugar
5g salt
50 ml EVO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 egg    (beaten)
4g  garlic (finely chopped - optional)

for the dressing
8 pinches poppy seeds (optional)
150g salted butter (clarified)

naan bread
Activate the yeast: Boil the milk and add it to the cold water (the mix will be around 35C perfect temperature to activate the yeast). Dissolve the sugar in the liquid and add the yeast, stirring it in. Leave the mix for about 15 mins while measuring out the other ingredients. It should be frothy on the surface when ready.

Beat the egg and add the oil to it.

Put the rest of the ingredients into a food processor fitted with a plastic blade (dough blade).

Once the yeast is frothy, add the oil and egg mix.

With the motor running, add the liquid to the dry ingredients until a dough is formed, it should be coming away from the side of the mixer cleanly.

Knead the dough: by running the machine for another 2 mins (it feels like forever!!) or knead it on the counter for 8-10mins.
(the purpose here is to get gluten forming in the dough to give elasticity)



Once you're done kneading, put the dough into an oiled mixing bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Leave it somewhere warm to double in size for around 60mins. Alternatively cover with cling film and leave it in the fridge over night.




Get your heavy based pan hot! I did an experiment to see how much dough was required to fit my pan: it's 9inches, not a bad size for a naan. The dough should be about 2mm thick after it's rolled out. I tried a 70g ball, but it was a bit on the wee side, so I upped it to 120g. In the end a 100g dough ball, rolled out to 2mm thickness, was the perfect fit for my pan.

Don't forget to flour the work surface and the rolling pin before you roll the dough. Flip and turn it 90 degrees on each roll to ensure there's enough flour to stop it sticking. Roll it a touch larger than the pan since it will shrink as you transfer it to said pan.



Of course if you have a tandoor oven you'd pop it onto a round spongy thing and stick it to the inside of the oven for it to cook. But if you have a tandoor oven and you're reading this recipe I think you should have done a bit more research before opening your kebab shop!! Having said that, if you follow this recipe it'll come out better than the crap, loveless kebabs you get from most kebab shops. Where's my trumpet gone? Oh look, there it is, that'll be me there blowing it!! : )

Back to he recipe . . .



Watch the bubbles form on the surface, it will start to look irresistible - still needs browning on top - check the underside to make sure it's golden, then pop it under the grill, after putting a fork through the large bubbles - this will stop your naan ballooning under the grill and catching fire!!



Last thing you want is a Homer Simpson style 'Haaaaaaaa' as you run, flaming balloon naan, flicking from hand to hand to the garden, looking for the nearest disposal point.



Remove perfectly browned naan, brush with clarified butter and dust with poppy seeds. Heaven!

The dough will last in the fridge for a couple of days no problem, so fresh naan for lunch or breakfast? Thank you please!
Hmmmm . . .  : )


for 2 ultra healthy and super tasty moist turkey kebabs
This is a really simple prep, mix and assembly job, resulting in a cracking bit of fare for those invited to dinner!

for the marinaded turkey
1/2 tsp  garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin seed (ground)
6 cardamom pods (deseeded & ground)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp pimentón
60ml EVO
300g turkey breast (cut into chunks)

for the yoghurt and mint sauce
150ml natural yoghurt
10g fresh mint (finely chopped)
10g coriander (finely chopped)

for the mango sauce
100ml mango chutney
50ml water (to loosen)
15ml chilli sauce

for the salad
1/2 gem lettuce (roughly chopped)
1/2 tomato (diced)
1/4 cucumber (quartered lengthways and sliced)
100g cabbage (julienne)
1 spring onion (fine slice)
1/4 red pepper (julienne, halved)
4 mange tout (julienne)
2 tbsp mayo [LINK] (optional - if you're out of yoghurt)

for the naan bread
2 naan bread (see above)

for the garnish
coriander (torn)

yoghurt and mint sauce
Mix ingredients together.

mango sauce
Mix ingredients together



salad
Mix all the ingredients together except the gem lettuce.



marinaded turkey
Mix all the ingredients together and leave to marinate for at least 2hrs or overnight.
Sear in a heavy-based pan, it won't need any oil as  the marinade has enough, cook until golden brown, turning occasionally.
Remove the turkey from pan and deglaze it with a little water or white wine if you have some to hand (50ml). Put the turkey and the juice in a warm bowl ready for assembly of the kebabs!



what could go wrong?
You might eat all 8 naan yourself and turn into a pork chop! It's better to share them with family and friends!

thinking ahead
You can make the naan dough a day in advance, and keep it in the fridge ready for your guests' arrival. Are you kidding? Guestses aren't allowed near the precious are they? No-nooo, it's mineses it is!

to serve
Put all the components on the table and let folk serve themselves: Lay some gem lettuce on a naan, place some turkey on top of that, a little salad on top of that, coriander, and whichever sauces you fancy! Roll and eat

variations
Are many and varied, if you have a kebab recipe that you want tested in the foodlab please comment, or mail!

Ferdie learns Vietnamese: Basics, Herbs, Roots & Bits - Part 1 of 3

by ferdie

Well I don't know about you folks but walking into a Vietnamese shop if you're not Vietnamese (and you've never been in) it's a little bit daunting. Specially if all that's going to happen is you walk with a bag of funny shaped vegetables of unknown tastes and textures!!! Yikes! I'm outta here.

Anyway I'm pretty at home with most of the occidental bits and pieces but further east hmm, not so sure. ('cept Japan that is) What the hell is a Mooli anyway? I mean it looks suspiciously like Daikon to me!! ; )

So here goes green things first!

Thai Sweet Basil  (Rau Hue)
This in all sorts of dishes, either sliced up or as a garnish, we use this in pho, summer rolls, has a distinctive aniseed, relatively strong flavour specially compared to regular basil. (that we use in our pea soup, one favourite dished post coming soon I promise!)

Now you'd be forgiven when you get to shop for saying which mint was I after again?
Reminds me of Resevoir Dogs, I could never remember which was which, or how many there were!!

; ) You've got to be careful though because Fish mint will give you a slap, whereas Cockscombe mint will aromatise you - yes that is a real word! (honest)

Mints: 
Mint (Normal Mint!)
Yep! Get it at any supermarket or good vegetable shop. I love to freshen up our summer rolls with a good wedge of this, balances out the pork belly and the other meats and when combined with the dipping sauce wowza!

Mint

Cockscomb Mint (Kinh Gioi) This a light aromatic mint with delicate lemon zestyness about it, Le (Uyens mum) made a Bun Bo Hue (hot and spicy beef noodle soup) for me one night. The key flavours are that of the lemon grass in the broth, and the Cockscomb mint in the garnish. It has delicate lemony flavour which is quite simply a stunning combination. We've since put it on the menu.

 

Hot mint (Rau Ram) or aka Vietnamese Mint aka Vietnamese Coriander
Quite a strong flavour minty yet meaty.
Looks nothing like normal coriander, larger leaves will have a slightly purple tinge around the edge slightly bitter, pungent flavour. We grow this in our back yard with no problems, we got it from a herb seller in Columbia Rd market (where we got our lemon grass actually).
We use this in our summer rolls, and chicken salad.

Hot Mint aka Vietnamese Coriander

And at this point thing get really confusing because this bad boy has quite a few aliases. It's known as Vietnanese Coriander (took me a while to realise this), also known as Laksa leaf, and Cambodian Mint!!! What the hell have you been up to to have so many aliases, hmmm? Late breaking news easiest just to call it 'Rau Rum'.

Fish Mint (Dap Ca)
This is rather an acquired taste and when I first took a bite I did wonder what on earth it could be good for, but used sparingly it can add a depth and a little je ne sias quoi to the flavour! Err . . . gone all Dell boy there scuse me!

Fish Mint

Vietnamese Spring Onion (Hanh La)
I've sat these next to a bunch of european spring onions for comparison, they taste nothing like each other despite their similarity to chives, you find them in Vietnamese pancakes which are lovely!!
In fact had some of those on Tuesday night. Tried them in Vietnamese stall for that authentic understanding of what to aim at.

 Lemon Grass (Xa Cay)
A fantastic fragrant flavour, can be used as bruised or sliced sticks to infuse into a broth, or finely chopped to add to meat pastes, salads or sauces  
We use this in: bun bo hue, pho, beef in vine leaves, prawn salad...to name but a few.

Lemon Grass Leaves
We have lemon grass in the garden, and it's leaves also have similar but more delicate flavour and can be used in salads and to make infusions. It does have quits course strands running through though and needs to be finely chopped or you end up chewing on a big ball fibber like a ruminating cow!! Probably why it's not gone main stream!!! ; ) Smells lovely!! (sorry no photo note to self)

Coriander

Well where would be be without it I say, this has a gorgeously refreshing, but like a lot of things opinion is divided on this one some people find is flavour a little too strong for them!! They is crazy brother!

Vietnamese Parsley
Tastes like a crunchy coriander but more potent. Used sliced up in in noodle soups like Pho as a garnish.

Vietnamese Parsley

Pandan (La Dua)
Long leaf looks like a pond leaf but it actually comes from a tree. It's a sweet leaf used to make tea and for  for desserts - blended into cakes and jellies. This ones a new one to me, bumped into it in a Dried Logan Berry and Lotus Seed dessert.

Pandan Tree Leaf

Stir Fry and Garnish Vegetables
Pak Choi (also known as Bok Choi or Peking Cabbage), Choi Sum, similar but greener and with a longer stem, make nice additions to a stir

Flowering Pak Choi

Pak Choi

As you can probably tell from that rather brief coverage of the choi family, I think a cor blimey, I'm exhausted is due! But there's no garlic or fish sauce on this list!!?
to be continued . . .