Hoisin Beef on Pak Choi Spoons

Aren't food-bloggers a peculiar little folk? Always seeking for inspiration, trying hard to add something of  value and entertainment to the ever-growing  niche of online writers. And while I guess that most of us don't write for fame or fortune (ehrm...), I am always very appreciative of any feedback I get, may it be through mails, comments or in this case, an award given to yours truly by children's book illustrator, food blogger and New Yorker Melissa Iwai of The Hungry Artist fame.

It is the second time I received the award for the Versatile Blogger but I don't see why that should be important, it is Melissa who thought of me that matters. Thank you!

This award usually comes with certain guidelines - passing it on to newly discovered blogs and write seven things about yourself, to be precise - but I feel like I should skip the first one (for now) as I was too busy with life to really go on a hunt for new, exciting food blogs. This one may be kept for later. ;)

However, no matter how busy I am, there is no way I can avoid myself, so writing things about me should be a doable task, shouldn't it? So, here - slickly ignoring that self-centred Tobias just managed to use "Me, Myself and I" in one sentence - are the cold facts about the author (trimmed down to five):

• I'm half German and Swiss, but grew up solely in Germany (being only German on paper) and have yet to step one foot on Swiss ground.

• I almost studied cultural sciences (or creative writing and cultural journalism) but was too much of a wuss to apply for their aptitude test as I neither play an instrument (the test covers many aspects of fine arts) nor thought my writing had enough consistency. Plus, I was a bit late, anyways. Another consideration was becoming a teacher (English and German). In the end, I'm studying something called "International Information Management" with my minors being literature and psychology. If you want to know a bit more about it, feel free to drop me a mail and I'll happily respond. Besides, I like receiving emails. :)

• One of my favourite authors is Banana Yoshimoto. I adore her poetic, easy-reading kind of style. I find reading  her books and short stories immensely soothing and if you would ever ask me for an author to recommend, it would be her.

• Alright, another odd one: I'm really into horror films. Not the torture porn kind of gross out flicks that seem to be popular these days, but the more subtle, suspense-heavy kind. Anything with ghosts and I'll gladly watch it with you. As the Japanese Ringu has caused a wave of amazing (and not so amazing) Asian ghost films, many of my favourites originated there. This had led me to seek out for Asian films of other genres, as well, so one of my favourite filmmakers is Wong Kar-Wai. Watch "Fallen Angels" and "Chungking Express", please.

• Hmmm, maybe I should finish this list with something cooking related? Let me think...Ah yes: I don't own a lot of cookbooks and the ones I have are mostly pretty old, bought from flea markets or thrift shops (same places I mostly get my props from). I just find that the new/good/beautiful ones are rather on the expensive side and as a University student, I try to be considerate with my expenses. Besides, what is the food blogosphere for if not  finding recipes and inspiration, right? I just wish I'd have more time to be more active in it.

Enough of me now and let's get to the recipe.

It is thought to be an appetizer but if only prepared for 2-3 people, can also be a lunch meal or light dinner. It is really easy to make yet quite the looker, in my opinion. I served it as shown in the photos, with the remaining meat and crème frâiche put in little ramekins on the table, ready to fill the pak choi left after the first bite.  Pak choi is also called bok choi.

Hoisin Beef on Pak Choi Spoons

• 125 - 145 ml  (4 - 5 fl. oz. or 0.5 - 0.625 cup) hoisin sauce
• 3 carrots
• 1 onion
• 350 g (12.5 oz) ground beef
• 400 g (14 oz) pak choi
• Crème frâiche or heavy cream/double cream
• Pepper to taste

1. Wash and dry vegetables.
2. Carefully cut or pull off pak choi stems from stalk, trying not to break any. I found it the easiest when I slit them just a little at the bottom and pulled them off. Sort out any stems that were either damaged or too small to be used as a 'spoon'. Set aside.
3. Cut onion, carrots and sorted out pak choi into very small cubes.
4. Pan fry ground beef on medium heat, crumbling it.
5. When half done, add and sauté cubed vegetables.
6. Stir in 120 ml hoisin sauce, taste and add more if needed. I did this recipe with two different brands and found one to be stronger/more concentrated than the other, hence the suggestion.
7. Season to taste with pepper.
8. Place on pak choi stems with a spoon.
9. Finish off with a dollop of crème frâiche or heavy cream/double cream.

Sesame Rice Noodles with Honey-Soy Drizzle and Chicken

Where has time gone?

No worries, this is no whimsical post about the finiteness of life.

I mean, seriously? Where did the last weeks go? Christmas, New Years, BAM! Exam time.

It has just been a bit too busy to really catch up. Does anybody else get that feeling sometimes that it is all just an endless stream of overlapping tasks, appointments and work? One little unforeseen bump in the road and the little car that is trying to bring me from A to B is up sh*t creek without a paddle (pardon my French).

Alright whiny little boy, it is time to get yourself together again.

Anyways. When times get tough, the tough get going (and I throw around idioms like they are on sale). And when it comes to cooking, I tend to rely on semi self-made (there may be something in that direction coming up in near future), unmentionworthy or quick and simple. This one is in the last category.

While it certainly is inspired by asian/oriental cuisine, it is by all means no authentic dish but that does not mean that it isn't delicious. Because it is. And quick. In fact, if you leave out the chicken, it can all be prepared in about 30 minutes! I know, the instructions seem a little lengthy but that is only because of all the little steps and preparations that need to be done.

Roasted sesame seeds may become one of my favourite ingredients. Like almonds, they are kinda meh when raw but once you give these bad boys some toasty action they just boast of deep flavour that complements perfectly the salty-sweet drizzle.

Sesame Rice Noodles with Honey-Soy Drizzle and Chicken

• 5 tblsp. water
• 5 tblsp. black soy sauce (also called dark thick soy sauce)
• 1 tblsp. brown sugar
• 2 tblsp. honey
• 1/2 ts chili flakes (the amount of heat the chili flakes are providing heavily depends on the kind you are using.)

• 400g (about 14 oz.) rice vermicelli (Bún tươi)

• 2 big carrots
• 150g (5.3 oz.) mung bean sprouts, washed and drained
• A dash of lime or lemon juice

• 1 chicken fillet (or to taste, customise amount of marinade accordingly.)
• 3 tblsp. thin soy sauce (the ordinary kind)
• 1 tblsp. oyster sauce

• 3 tblsps. sesame seeds

• thinly cut scallion for garnish (Highly optional. Frankly, I just put some on top because it adds some colour.)

• More soy sauce and honey for cooking as well as a bit of oil (I use either light sesame or rapeseed oil)

Before the actual cooking:

1. In a large heat proof bowl, soak vermicelli in boiling water. The good thing about rice noodles is that most of them do not need to be boiled, making the whole process a lot quicker. From my experience, even the ones asking to be boiled do not have to as long as you soak them long enough. That is why this is the very first step. When your are not sure, try one before using in cooking process.
2. Slice chicken fillet as thin as possible. Set aside, letting it marinade in 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and  1 tablespoon of oyster sauce.
3. Cut carrots diagonally, slice them in about 5mm thin sticks. Add dash of lime juice, stir until all sticks are covered. Set Aside.

For the drizzle:

1. In a small pot, combine all ingredients for the drizzle and cook on medium heat until big bubbles develop, stirring occasionally. To check whether it is done. Drop a bit of the drizzle on a plate. If it thickens at becomes syrupy when it cools down, it is good to go.
2. In the meantime, put a small pot on high heat. Pour in sesame seeds, stirring them continuously. Once the seeds starten to brown, instantly remove from heat. Remain in pot but keep stirring until pot cooled down a little and the roasting process stopped. Set aside.

Main Part:

1. Heat up either a pan or a wok to medium heat. Put in carrot sticks, add another shot of black soy sauce. With a wooden spoon, stir continuously until all liquid has evaporated and carrots are heated through well (the carrots will be cooked but still on the crunchy side. If you want them to be softer in texture, add a bit of water in the process so they cook longer). Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add chicken along with the marinade to pan/wok, stirring continuously. Make sure that it does not brown at all. The moment they are done (it will not take too long and is easy to see as it is sliced so thin), remove from heat and set aside.
3. Add a bit of oil to pan, strain noodles and pour them in.
4. Add about 2-3 dashes of black soy sauce to the vermicelli, as well as another tablespoon of honey (the amount of soy sauce depends on how salty you like it. Remember that the drizzle will give the majority of flavour. 2-3 dashes will not make it too salty but will add a nice and deep colour).
5. Add 2 of the 3 tablespoons of sesame seeds as well as the carrots. Turn of heat and carefully fold in mungo bean sprouts.
6. Put servings on plate or into a bowl, lay slices of chicken on top.
7. Drizzle with the sauce and garnish with remaining sesame seeds and a bit of scallion.

Enjoy!

Feta-Filled Carrot Meatballs

So, this is me slowly crawling my way out of the holidays. Happy New Year, everybody!

I have spend the days between Christmas and New Year like most of us probably did: stuffing my face with delicious fat-loaded heavy goodness of both the sweet and savory kind with friends and family. And the days I have spend at home I was still feasting on left-overs (sounds familiar?). Thank you stomache for handling this maltreatment as well as you did, even though you have had me lying on the sofa feeling drained more than once this time. Those pillows have never felt that good before. I don't regret nothing.

But that's what December is for, right? Now is not quite December anymore.

Even the glitz of New Year's has faded by now and all that is left gloom. And some soggy fireworks on the streets. The last days have been dark and colourless. That kind of days where midday already feels like evening. What a relieve when it actually gets dark so I do not have to see that dull gray in gray anymore. . . Pouty me is not impressed with you so far, twothousandandtwelve.

This kind of weather wanted me to make something with an undertone reminiscent of late summer. A bit of dried thyme – that I picked when one could still sit outside without a coat and a scarf - was the ingredient of choice in these meatballs. The cumin works just great with the mildly sweet note the carrots are providing and its warming characteristics is just right for the cold season. The feta is a bit of an extra but also serves as a warm and creamy surprise in the centre that can easily be omitted. It's still great and gives a nice change in texture. Depending on the size of the meatballs, they make great finger food or a salisbury style steak for a main dish.

Feta-Filled Carrot Meatballs

• 2 carrots, grated
• 500g  (17.5 oz) minced meat. Half beef, half pork (that is something you can buy here but either beef or pork works just as well. Half beef half turkey is also a great alternative if you don't do pork.)
• 1 tblsp ground cumin
• 1 ts paprika
• 1/2 ts curry powder
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3-4 splashes of soy sauce
• 1 little sprig of thyme (dried) or about 1/4 ts dried thyme
• 1 ts mustard (heaping)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (or ketchup if you aren't a snob)
• 200g (3.5 oz) feta cheese
• 100g (about 3/4 cup) breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
2. Mix well all ingredients but the feta.
3. Cut feta into cubes to your liking (small ones for finger food, larger and maybe cuboid shaped for salisbury steaks etc.)
4. With your hands, take a part of the mass, form into a ball and push in one feta cube each (make sure that there is no white peaking out).
5. Bake meatballs on centre rack for 15-20 minutes (time greatly depends on size of meatballs) until the tops are nicely browned.

Easy, right?

Enjoy!