Stir Fried Mushrooms

The first time I cooked with whatever ingredients I had in the house, I was so impressed with myself that I wrote a blog about it and called it  Ad Hoc Cooking (click if you want to read). Today it isn't so unusual for me to do this. A few weeks ago I had a friend stopping by and I know she loves my salads. She is also a garlic and a chili freak, so I decided to make sure I gave her a little of it all. I had mushrooms in the house and this is how I stir fried them.

Ingredients

Mushrooms, 1 packet; washed and sliced
Garlic, 12 cloves; sliced thin
Ginger 1" piece; julienned
Bird's eye chilies about 4; sliced thin on the diagonal (can substitute with green chilies)
Spring onions, 4 heads & stalks; cut on the diagonal about and 1" long
Lemon grass, 1 small stick; sliced thin on the diagonal (if available)

Picture by Ulupi

Lemon zest, 2 lemons
White pepper
Salt
Oil

Method

Use a wok or heavy bottomed pan. Pour in the oil and stir in the garlic. Start the flame on slow and watch for the oil to heat.
Add the ginger, lemon zest, lemon grass and chilies and cook till the edges turn colour.
Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and stir well. Allow the water to release and burn off most of it.
Just before the mixture loses all the water, add the spring onions and white pepper. Toss till the water burns off.
Serve hot

Notes

The same recipe works great with shredded chicken.
You can also add bean sprouts.

Broccoli Soup with a Twist

The other day I had lunch at the Hyatt and they had a lovely spinach and pea shorba for their soup course. I really loved the consistency and the flavour hitting the back of my throat. Naturally I wanted to try my hand at creating something on the same lines. So here's what I did to make a broccoli soup with a twist.

Images courtesy the world wide web

Ingredients
Broccoli, 1 head
Maggi vegetable stock cubes, 2
Bay leaf, 2 / 3
Butter, a pat
Pesto sauce, 2 / 3 tbsp
White pepper, 2 / 3 tsp

Method

Chop and boil the broccoli (including stalks). Once cooled, puree and strain into a large pan.
Add 3 times the amount of water to the broccoli puree, along with the stock cubes and bring to boil.
In the meantime, in a small pan, heat the butter with the bay leaf and then add the pesto sauce and cook a little for the flavours to emerge and then add it to the boiling soup.
Add the white pepper and salt (if needed, the stock cubes have enough) and boil thoroughly till quantity  is reduced to 2/3rd.

That's it!

Cheers!!!

Hello...

For many many years, my father told me to keep a blog for the food I create, he loved my cooking and he loved my writing. Unfortunately I never ended up doing it, till now. Better late than never I say. This one is for you dad and for all my family and friends who have been more than appreciative of my handiwork.

In this blog I will attempt to record all the food I cook, either my own inventions or versions of other people's work. In case I miss out on giving proper credit to anyone, please feel free to let me know so that I can correct myself.

Cheers, from the writing chef :-)