Chinese Bitter Melon Scrambled Eggs (苦瓜炒鸡蛋)

This melon is popular in most Asian countries. The scientific name for this melon is Momordica Charantia, but it is commonly known as bitter melon, bitter gourd or bitter squash. This fruit also has many benefits and nutrients.  It helps diabetics lower their glucose levels, stimulates digestion, reduces fever and helps skin problems. It also reduces blood pressure, enhances immunities, expels worms and has many more beneficial qualities.

When I was young, I didn't like this melon because it tastes bitter. My mum always told us that the nutrients from this melon are good for our body. I have come to appreciate it as I grow older and now I love it.  Thank you MUM!!

In Charlotte, this melon is not available year round. Summer is the time that I see many, either in the local farmers' market or Asian stores.

In Malaysia, it is known as bitter gourd, my mother likes to stir fry it with chicken, pork or scrambled eggs, she also likes to have it cut into thick rings and fills the center with either flavored fish paste or flavored ground pork. Then she pan fries it and cooks through with some water. At most of the Indian restaurants in Malaysia they have it cut into thin slices, coated with some turmeric flour mixture and deep fried. These dishes are all yummy. 

This recipe serves 2 person.
 
1/2 bitter melon, cut into thin slices

2 eggs
1 tbsp fresh milk, optional  
(Adding some milk in the eggs helps keep the scrambled eggs moist).
Salt to taste 
Oil for pan frying

A dash of cayenne pepper or black pepper, optional

In small a bowl beat together the eggs, salt, milk and set aside.


Heat some oil in a frying pan on high, add bitter melon and stir occasionally until it starts to turn soft.

Spread the bitter melon evenly on the frying pan and pour in the eggs mixture, cook until you see the bottom start to turn light brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

 
Sprinkle some cayenne pepper or black pepper on it, turn the eggs and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. The eggs will be in broken pieces when you turn them. Serve warm.



You can also start stirring it once you have poured in the eggs without waiting for it to turn brown. I like the taste when its a bit brown.

Braunschweiger Buns with Spinach and Mushroom

This is my other braunschweiger buns recipe. I usually add mushroom, spinach and cheese. This time it is without cheese as I had run out. Well, it is still yummy! Come join me.

For the bread recipe click here.

Filling:

200gm or more braunschweiger, cut into small cubes
9oz frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed out the water.
1 medium onion, chopped 
1/2 cup fresh button mushroom, chopped 
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Add this only if the filling is too soggy:
2 to 3 tbsp potato flakes


Prepare the bread dough. click here for dough instructions.

While waiting for the bread dough to be ready, heat a frying pan on medium high. Pour in oil, onion and mushrooms, stir until it just turns soft. Add braunschweiger and saute for about 5 minutes. Then add spinach and cook until it heats through. At this point add potato flakes if you find it is soggy, if not skip this step. Add salt to taste, remove from pan and let cool on a flat plate. 

 

Once cool, divide into 12 portions and make into balls. Cover with plastic wrap and put into the fridge until it is ready to use.




 
When the bread dough is ready, divide into 12 portions and roll into balls.

Use a rolling pin and roll out the dough into round shape. Place the braunschweiger filling at the middle and wrap.

 
I placed 8 pieces of the unbaked buns into a 11" x 5" bread pan (see picture on the right) and the remaining 4 pieces in a 8" square cake pan about 1 inch apart. Make sure all the buns are placed seam side down. Let rest for another hour or until the buns double in size.

Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until the food thermometer reaches 160 °F. Serve warm.

Note: 

The buns that come out from the bread pan are too tall to heat up in the bread toaster, but the ones from the cake pan are OK after I cut off the top a little. Please make sure the filling is not exposed or you might spoil your toaster. I heat the tall buns in an oven. 

If the fillings are too soggy add 2 to 3 tbsp of potato flakes, this will help absorb the extra moisture, remember to add a bit of salt after that.

Braunschweiger Buns

Braunschweiger is a type of liverwurst or liver sausage.  We normally had ours sliced and added into sandwiches together with some mustard and cheese or some sliced tomatoes, pickles and onion. Or we would spread it on bread or crackers. Today it became the buns' filling. Heating up is easy, just put into the bread toaster ...viola! it is ready to eat in minutes. The best part is the bread stays crunchy even after heating it the next day.

Bread recipe:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup warm milk (about 110°F to 120°F), add more in cold weather and reduce when weather gets warm.

1/3 cup potato flakes

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp yeast

1 full tsp salt
 
Filling:

200gm braunschweiger

Set the bread machine on dough function. In the bread machine pan, pour in the warm milk and olive oil, followed by all purpose flour, potato flakes and sugar. Make a well at the center of the dried ingredients and add the yeast into it. Place the salt at one corner of the pan and press start.

While waiting for the bread to be ready, cut the braunschweiger into 12 pieces, (I had it cut into wedges), wrap with plastic wrap and return it to the fridge until it is ready to use.

Once the kneading and proofing of the bread dough are done (about an hour), divide into 12 pieces and roll into balls.

Use a rolling pin and roll out the dough into round shape, place the braunschweiger at the middle and wrap into triangle shape.

 
Place the pieces at least 1 inch apart from each other onto a baking sheet with seam side down. Let rest for another hour or until the pieces double in size.

 




Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until the food thermometer reaches 160 °F. Serve warm.

Note: You can warm up the buns in a bread toaster. If the buns are too thick, cut off the top a little, please make sure the filling is not exposed. Or you can also heat them up in the oven.

Asparagus with Herb Eggs

Asparagus is on sale this week, there are so many ways to cook it. Make into soup, stir fry with sambal belacan (shrimp paste)  wowowo.., wrap them with bacon yum yum yum... I cooked them with eggs and herbs and this is our side dish for dinner tonight.

9 or more fresh asparagus, wash and snap or trim off the end stems

1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp McCormick Lemon Herb seasoning
a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
salt to taste

2 eggs

Oil for pan frying

In a small bowl, mix together all the seasonings: paprika, lemon herb, cayenne pepper and set aside or you can sprinkle direct from the bottle, which I did.

Heat a frying pan on high heat, add oil, then asparagus, turning from time to time for about 2 to 3 minutes.  Line up the asparagus and gently pour the eggs (one at a time) on top of it. Sprinkle the seasonings and salt onto the eggs and cover with a lid. Reduce heat to medium and let cook for about 5 minutes or longer, depending on how cooked you want the eggs to be. We like ours half cooked. Serve warm.

Baked Flaky Curry Puff

I prefer savory over sweet when it comes to finger food. After trying many different pastry recipes, with trial and error, I settled on this one. It's light and fluffy. Plus with the food processor, it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.  

If you look carefully, the pastry in the above curry puff is fluffier than the one below, as I have rested the dough for 2 days in the fridge and the one below just rested overnight.  The taste and texture of the pastries are the same.

For the filling in the above picture, I had the potatoes cut into cubes, with some black mustard seeds and green peas. For the recipe below I had the potatoes shredded, no mustard seeds or green peas, as I ran out of them. The rest of the ingredients are the same. This recipe is vegetarian, you can add chicken of beef if you would like. Do feel free to ask if you have any questions.

 
For the pastry:  
(This recipe is enough for a 9" pie plate or 16 pieces of curry puff)
 
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed
3 to 5 tbsp ice water






In a food processor (or you can use your fingers), add all purpose flour, salt and pulse a couple of times. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse sand. Add ice water, a tablespoon at a time and process until mixture forms into a ball. (PLEASE!! start checking the dough after adding the 2rd or 3rd tbsp of water, if the dough sticks together when pressing, that means you have enough water) 

 
Dust the counter top with some flour, place the dough on it and roll into a log (see picture on the right). Do work fast before the butter starts to melt or it will be very difficult to roll. Molding the dough into a log will make dividing easy later.

Wrap in a ziploc bag and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.  This dough can last up to a week in the fridge.

Note: I notice the pastry are fluffier after two days rest in the fridge. Use just a little flour for dusting, more will make the dough hard.

For the filling: 
(This recipe can make up to 32 pieces of curry puff.)

500gm potatoes, cut into small cubes or shredded
1 big onion, chopped
2 tbsp curry powder  (I used Baba's meat curry powder)
Curry leaves from a stamp, chopped
1 cube of chicken flavor bouillon (optional)
1 1/2 tsp garam masala (or 1 tsp fennel seeds and 2 tsp coriander seeds)
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

1/3 cup frozen peas, optional
1 tsp mustard seeds, optional

Note: I find the shredded potatoes cooked faster compared to the cubed ones.

Rinse the shredded potatoes with cold water a couple of times to remove the potato starch (this will enable the potatoes to cook faster). Place in a strainer and set aside.

In a frying pan, heat oil on medium high heat and cook the onion until translucent. Add curry powder, garam masala (or fennel and coriander seeds) and mustard seeds if you are using them. Stir until you smell the aroma of the spices, be careful not to burn the spices. Pour in the potatoes, stir to combine with the onion and spices, add salt, chicken flavor bouillon and continue to stir from time to time until the potatoes are fully cooked (if you are using green peas, add when the potatoes are almost cooked).

Remove from the frying pan and let cool. This can be cooked in advance. Just store them in an air tight container or ziploc bag and refrigerate it.


Wrapping: 

Dust the counter top or chopping board with some flour, remove the dough from the ziploc bag and cut into 18 pieces. Use a roller and roll the dough into a round shape or almost round hehehe... (see picture on the right)  I am not perfect, but it works anyway.






Place 1/2 tbsp of the filling onto the pastry, fold into half moon shape. (see picture on the left)

Press the edges together (see picture on the right).

Now use your fingers to seal the edges by pinching a little of the dough at the edge, gently fold upwards and press to seal. Repeat until finished. (See the two pictures above) You can also use a fork or anyway you want to seal the edges together.

Heat oven to 350F. Keep the curry puff in freezer/fridge while waiting for the oven to heat up. Skip this step if your oven is ready. Bake for 30 minutes or until the color turns golden brown. Serve warm. 

Note: Return the dough to the fridge for at least 1/2 hour if it starts to get sticky when you roll them. 

Uncooked curry puff can be kept in the freezer for up to a month. When ready to bake, just put into the heated oven directly from the freezer.  

Cajun Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Bell Peppers

 

We stopped in Pittsburgh PA on our way back from Toronto.  This city is also known as The Iron City and is the country's largest inland port. There are many things that interested us to make the stop. Other than the historical side, this is also the city of three rivers, the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers join to form the Ohio River.

There are many fresh markets and restaurants there. You will also find many old shops selling souvenirs, kitchen utensils, Asian groceries, herbs and spices from many different nationalities. I was especially attracted to one Italian grocery shop. The minute we stepped into the store, the aroma from the spices really enticed me. They have many freshly ground spices, baked Italian bread, cheeses, cured meats like ham, salami, Porchetta... all kind of nuts, fresh meats, vegetables etc. Their spices are stored in big containers and it is sold by weight. I was busy at the sample section!


The taste of their freshly baked  bread goes with the olive oil, the cheeses and not to forget the cured meat, mmm mmmm mmm! It is unforgettable. The shop has been there for over a  hundred years  and this is my kind of shop.





That afternoon, we had Mediterranean food for lunch, the food was barbecued right in the front of the restaurant and it was delicious. Their dinning area is nicely air conditioned. 

Now back to cooking. One of the spices that we bought is Cajun. I have used it mostly on chicken and fish. Today I used it on chicken, mushrooms and rice and here is the recipe.




4 large Bell Peppers, cut off the top and remove the seeds

For the filling:

1 cup Fresh chicken meat, cut into cubes  
1 tbsp Cajun Spice
1/4 tsp salt, omit this if the Cajun Spice has salt 
1 tsp red Spanish Wine

1 medium size Onion, chopped
3 large Button Mushrooms, cut into big pieces
2 cups Cooked Rice
1/3 cup frozen Green Peas 
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup Shredded Cheese
1/4 cup water 

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Wash bell peppers with cold running water, cut off the top of the bell peppers, remove seeds and core. Dry with paper towel and set aside.

Marinate the chicken with cajun spice, salt, red wine and set aside. 

Heat a frying pan on medium high heat. Add in 1 tbsp oil and 1tbsp butter, stir in the chopped onion. Once it starts to get translucent add mushrooms, stir for about 2 minutes then add chicken and saute until it is fully cooked (no more pink), pour in the cooked rice and green peas, stir and cover with lid for about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the lid, add salt and chopped cilantro, mix well and they are ready to stuff into the bell peppers. 

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spoon the cooked chicken rice into the bell peppers, top with cheese and place into a baking pan/dish. Add 1/4 cup of water into

the pan and bake for 30 minutes. 

Serve warm with salad.

Pan Fried Potatoes with Paprika and Cumin

There are many definitions of Tapas. Generally, people know them as snacks, finger food or a light meal and can be served at any time of the day.  Tapas can be made by many different ingredients: ham, cheese, sausages, anchovies, eggs, nuts, vegetables and more. In Spain almost all the bars serve these. Usually they are displayed on the bar, the waiter will serve your selections on small plates. Every region has their own version/taste of Tapas.  It is something you should not miss when you visit Spain. This is one of the hundreds of recipes of Tapas, hope you like it.

3 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper, optional if you don't like spicy
1/2 tsp Salt

I lb Yukon Gold potatoes

Oil for frying

In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and set aside.

Peel, wash the potatoes and cut into wedges. Heat oil, add the potatoes in single layer and cook for about 10 minutes, turning from time to time until golden brown. Remove and drain the oil on paper towels. While the potatoes are still hot sprinkle with the spices and gently toss it until all sides are coated. Serve warm.

Meat Loaf stuffed with Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese

This is a "less-meat" meat loaf. Most meat loaf recipes that I read have no filling and are too meaty for me. So I had mine stuffed with vegetables and cheese, to reduce the amount of meat. We enjoyed this very much.

8 oz Pork, grounded
7 oz Beef, grounded
3 pieces Garlic, finely chopped
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 tsp Poultry Spice
1 tbsp Paprika
1 Egg, beaten
2 tsp Salt and pepper (do not add too much salt, as the cheese is salty)

1/4 cup Bread crumbs
3 tbsp Milk
 
1 cup Cheese, shredded (any cheese you like. I used Colby Jack)
1 cup fresh Spinach, chopped
1/2 cup fresh Parsley, coarsely chopped
1 can Mushroom, sliced 

I medium Cauliflower, cut into chunks
1 cup Baby carrots

Plastic food wrap

9" x 13" Baking pan 



In a small bowl mix together milk and bread crumbs and set aside. 

In a big bowl add the first group of the ingredients: pork, beef, garlic, onion, poultry spice, paprika, beaten egg and add the bread crumbs. Mix until just combined. Over mixing will make the meat hard.



Wet the counter top with a damp cloth, and place the plastic food wrap on it.This is to prevent the plastic from moving around. Spread the meat mixture into a rectangular shape.

Arrange the filling (please chop the spinach smaller, I made a mistake by not chopping smaller, it was difficult to cut when it is cooked). There are no rules on which ingredient comes first.

Once all the fillings are in, carefully use some of the plastic wrap to fold half of the meat over the other half, carefully seal all the filling inside the meat. Then pull the other side of the plastic up and wrap up the whole meat. See picture on the left.

Refrigerate for an hour or more to firm up and maintain the shape of the meat.

 

Preheat Oven to 350°F and bake for an hour or  until the kitchen meat thermometer reaches 170°F. It does not require more time to bake as fillings are vegetables and the meat is not thick. 1/2 hour before it is done add baby carrots and cauliflower.

Let cool for 5 minutes, cut and serve.