Kitchen Venture #7: Pan fried basil pesto salmon and Cold Soba part 5

Rightey-o, let's wrap up the Cold Soba series with my very first version and favourite one! It definitely requires more work than the other versions in the previous parts. I would suggest also that you do this on the day you prepare your cold soba. So maybe it is slightly hot, warm soba. But I can always tell you how to make it cold in a short amount of time. Leave it in the fridge on a separate plate on top of ice cubes!

Preparation for the salmon pieces:

1. Salmon with skin on will give you more texture because of the crispy skin at the end of it. Do wash the fish properly and make sure there are no scales left on the skin.

2. Slice the salmon into thick pieces so it retains its juices but will be cooked through. Season with salt and pepper at this point.

3. Chop onions (red or brown doesn't matter, but here I used brown so there will be no colour clash). Not too finely, just so you can have bite and the crunch.

3. Heat up frying pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or butter.

4. Fry the minced garlic until brownish.

5. Add salmon pieces to the hot pan on top of the garlic. Use a pair of tongs or chopsticks to turn them. Throw in onions around it too.

6. While one side is cooking, add a layer of basil pesto (dips are fine) onto the other side of salmon. Once browned, turn salmon pieces.

7. Make sure to also sear the skin side till crispy. You can do this one by one while the other pieces are cooking on the meat sides.

8. Poke one to check if it is cooked through. Once done, use a spatula to push it around and mix the garlic and onions with salmon pieces for a minute or two. Switch the stove off after and let it sit.

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
Preparing the plate:

1. Twirl noodles as tight as you can, not in the direct middle of the plate, slightly to the right. It should sit high.

2. Position 4 salmon pieces to the left before adding onion pieces on top of it and a sprinkle on top of the noodles. Pepper to season.

3. Clean sides and decorate with Balsamic Glaze (I used Balsamic Apple Glaze).

4. It is now ready to be served. The balsamic glaze is actually to be eaten and dipped into! If you want the traditional soba soya mirin sauce, it is not difficult to buy a bottle of it. Pour it into individual bowls, only 1/3 of the bowl and add some water. Throw in some spring onions.

Now, it is lunchtime and I am hungry again...Hmmm....I sure hope you have fun with your cold soba noodles and be sure to tell me if you come up with any versions!

Till my next kitchen venture, Mayy xo

Kitchen Venture #6: Poached Egg and Cold Soba part 4

The reason I did not include this in part 3 is because this version needs some cooking and preparation too. Also, there is a new kitchen venture going on here too! Needs to be acknowledged eh?

No prizes also for guessing what is the new kitchen venture. It is poaching eggs! Friends kept telling me their poached eggs turned up lousy and they took ages to make them. After watching Julie & Julia the movie that day, I gathered enough courage to give it a go for dinner that night. All I needed was one egg really. AND I DID IT!!! Succeeded on my first try. I so earned the right to brag. =P

How I did it:

1. Boil water in the pot. Fill to about 3/4 level.

2. Crack an egg into a cup. Get ready a spoon by the pot!

3. Once the water is boiling, lower the cup carefully and slowly near the water surface. Slowly tip the egg into the water, let it slide in. Yes it may burn you so be careful or wear something like a glove. Lower the stove heat.

4. Once in, grab the spoon and keep covering the egg yolk with the swirling egg white. FAST and repeat the covering of the egg yolk just to make sure.

5. Based on judgement, you can watch the egg simmer and boil for however long depending on how you like your yolk runny or cooked through. I like mine runny, I let it boil for about 3-5 minutes before switching the stove off.

6. Grab a skimming ladle sieve and slowly spoon the egg up without the water. Put it over a bowl or cup while you go prepare your noodles or whatever. This should be your last step!

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
Eggs aside, you need bacon and ham for this version of the cold soba. The cooking of this ham and bacon can be done beforehand, on that day or days before. So here's really a tip for student or busy people. Like when your ham or bacon is about to expire, chop them up and fry them in olive oil or butter. Let it cool and store them in the fridge. When needed, microwave or heat them up in the frying pan again.

Preparation:

1. Twirl noodles onto the centre of the plate. How? Use chopsticks or fork. Grab amount you want with them and lower it onto whereever you want on the plate. Slowly spin the plate around while you keep the noodles in place. Once you feel it looks good and the noodles are tight enough, slowly and carefully remove chopsticks or fork.

2. Arrange the bacon and ham pieces around the noodles. Pat the top of noodles flat for egg. Make a slight indent.

3. Now carefully lower the egg onto the top of the noodles. (mine slide off, sad.) So I think you need a dent on top, sort of like a volcano shape.

4. Salt and pepper to season. I don't use salt because I feel the bacon and ham are salty enough. You can also add a drop of ketchup on top of the poached egg. Cute.

I want to know how YOUR poached egg experience turned out. I have yet to try it again but I will once winter sets in. It is too hot here now!

Till my next kitchen venture, Mayy xo

Kitchen Venture #5: Cold Soba part 3

So let's continue with our Cold Soba Kitchen Venture. In this post and onwards, the soba noodles are the green tea ones, cha soba. This is my first batch of cold soba actually and turned out way better than the buckwheat ones. That's why I prefer this and kept the best for the last!

Preparing the cold soba noodles is exactly the same as what I posted in the first part. Except I did not add the garlic bits to this batch. So you can really savour the green tea and in my opinion, the green tea soba noodles taste smoother. Maybe it is the brand I used which is actually organic green tea.

For my first version, you will need blueberries, mangoes, sugar and balsamic vinegar.

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
You will need a bit of cooking to prepare this dish. It can be served as an alternative dessert. Something different and you can serve it in very small portions which is really good enough. This is also a pretty seasonal dish because it was springtime and you can get it cheap and very good in the supermarkets here, especially the blueberries. However, in Asia, you can use mangoes on its own too. Do a Mango Balsamic Reduction instead of mango blueberries.

Preparation:

1. Heat the frying pan which should have some depth to it. Not the flat ones.

2. Slice mangos, remove skin and cut it into squares. Throw into the hot pan and let it sit.

3. Add about 2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar to the pan and use the spatula to push it around so the mangoes are coated properly. Add blueberries at this point too.

4. Let the fruits simmer and vinegar bubble in low heat. Push around at intervals. Mangoes should become gooey and blueberries soft but still retaining the round shape. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar at this point, less or more depending on how tangy sour or sweet you like it.

5. Once the consistency is thick and mangoes have lost their shape, it is ready. Let it sit after switching the stove off. Have you prepared your soba noodles the way you want to serve it? Do that now if you have not.

6. Top noodles with the fruits reduction and let the vinegar seep through. It is now ready to be served. If it is for a dinner party, you can do this step after mian course and perhaps if you want to make it warm, microwave or let it simmer again for a few minutes by turning the stove up.

All these are really just the versions I have tried and I am sure you can think up of so many more creative ones to go with it. Don't be scared. Nothing gained if nothing ventured. ;)

Till my next kitchen venture, Mayy xo

Kitchen Venture #5: Cold Soba part 2

For today, 2 versions before I stop posting about it for now. And I will do more tomorrow or on Monday. I can't give away everything at one go. It will be no fun right? ;)

Both of them are very very simple and really do not need further cooking. It is sort of like a noodle salad. You can serve it as an entree at dinner parties but for me, I eat them for dinner or lunch. Just vary the portions, decorate them. If entrees, you can serve them in chinese spoons portions, little plates or champagne glasses. Anything! It is so up to your imagination!

What you need for this first version I am introducing: Cashew Nuts, Balsamic Vinegar (get a good grade from Modena, and so NOT balsamic glaze or vinaigrette). Although, I think vinaigrette or an alternative oil based salad dressing will do fine. so NOT mayonnaise or thousand island or caesar. As for the cashews, you can go with salted, unsalted, or even flavoured. I use the Woolies brand of Thai Lime flavour. really good on its own too ;)

You just take the desired amount of noodles you want and twirl it onto the plate. Sprinkle however much of nuts you like (chopped or unchopped). Chopped will be easier to eat. Toss. And then 2 tablespoons of Balsamic and let it soak through. Top with more nuts for presentation. I also added some ikan bilis and peanuts that I brought from Singapore. If you have that, good too. But it is not everyone's liking...

For the second version, you need Smoked Salmon and cucumber and abit more garlic if you want.

Lay the bowl or plate with smoked salmon slices in a round shape. You can either make it a fully covered circle or a circle with a 'hole' in the middle for the noodles to go into. Slice cucumber lengthwise and pretty thin. Twirl noodles onto the smoked slamon and top with garlic. Just add the cucumber slices and you are good to go.

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
Pretty easy huh?

Till my next kitchen venture, Mayy xo

Kitchen Venture #5: Cold Soba part 1

It is Summer here in Australia, and I am in Western Australia which is the hottest and sunniest part. So for me who really dislike sweating and being hot, I hate summer here. I escape back home for the period but I never fail to get caught in the last few weeks of it. =(

What I like to eat in summer are usually the cold food like salads, sandwiches, cereal and sushi. So I thought I will post my favourite kitchen venture for you, Cold Soba noodles. I experimented with them in Nov/Dec 2010 and is still obsessed with it. It's always been a favourite order of mine when I go to a Jap lunch with friends.

Since I have done so many versions of it, I thought we would divide it into parts. And part 1 will be the buckwheat soba noodles, not the green tea kind which I much prefer.

There it is. Looks plain here and a huge bowl of it so I just store it in the fridge and eat it whenever I want for the next week. That's the good part about it. You don't have to worry about meals for the next couple of days. You can play around with it using it as the core of the meal. You can heat it up and have it warm. You can throw it back into soup and have a soupy noodles meal! It is MINIMAL FUSS, pretty special and easy to clean up after.

Preparation:

1. Boil a pan of water and you don't have to add salt to it. This is not like pasta. About 3/4 full.

2. When the water is boiling pretty full on, hold the noodles in one fist above the pan and slowly release them, strand by strand or a few strands at a time. Again NOT like pasta where you just throw the chunk in and watch it sink as the water softens them.

3. Once all the strands are in, use chopsticks or fork to swirl them into the waterand make sure they are fully covered. Reduce boiling.

4. Let it cook for the next 10 to 15 minutes. Use a fork or chopstick to pick one strand up to test. Make sure they are cooked through. Switch off fire once you think it is done. Please do not have al dente soba. They DO NOT taste good chilled. Believe me, I tried.

5. Let it sit and cool before draining the noodles dry. You can use a strainer or just pour thre water out carefully. Whichever. And let it cool again so you don't burn your fingers!

6. Once cooled, transfer it into a bowl or container you are storing it in.

7. SESAME OIL!!! I use the Chee Seng brand from Singapore (yes I bring sesame oil in with me back to Aussie). But you can find Yeo's brand in Coles or Woolies or just head down to the oriental shops. Be generous here. Drizzle or pour sesame oil to your heart's content. Put your hands in and toss the noodles. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty here! MAKE SURE all the noodle strands are well coated with sesame oil, if unsure go for more over less. Because if it is less, the end result is NOT pretty. Believe me, I tried. It should sort of glisten with oil...

8. Once you are dizzy with happiness from the yummy smell wafting through your kitchen, cover it with cling wrap or a plate (just cover it), and stick it into the refrigerator. NOT the freezer unless you want soba popsicles! Leave it in the fridge overnight, or if you want it for dinner, make it at lunch or before. This ensures it being all cold and the sesame oil flavour really sinks in.

Tip: I sprinkle fried garlic pieces onto the soba noodles and toss them well. Yums. So that's that. all done. And you can start to play! I will doing the versions next so tuned in for that! =) Follow me on twitter for updates, @mayyb.

Till my next kitchen venture, Mayy xo