Roast Cauliflower

For the longest time, cauliflower has never been on my favourite vege list, until I discovered Fried Cauliflower Rice.  If you love fried rice but dread the carbs, you've GOTTA try it.  Enuf said.

Homemade Pickle

Ever since hubby got me the Iphone 5, it is so much easier to snap pictures on the go. I also find myself using the phone camera to take more photos of my cooking. That's why you have been seeing more "inferior" quality photos that have minimal styling and food props :P  My poor DSLR...The photos in this post were all taken using the Iphone 5.

After reading Gertrude's post on her Vietnamese lunch, I was inspired to make a batch of homemade pickle so I could then use them to make a similar meal.  Homemade pickle is so easy to make, it just depends on the variety of vegetables you want and how complicated the dressing you prefer. 

I always just opt for something simple and easy to prepare.  These pickle are just one of those things that always come in handy - as appetizers, as tasty sandwich ingredients, as well as ingredients for Vietnamese prawn rolls - recipe coming up!.  Add some of these pickles in the roll and it makes the whole thing so much more apetizing and gives it that wonderful zing and crunch.

I find that the best tool to shred the vegetables into the right strips is not a mandolin or a grater, but this guy below :- 

Thanks to Veron of Quay Po Cooks, who bought this handy tool for me at one of our bloggers' meet.  She said this is widely used to shred unripened mangoes to make Som Tam, the Thai mango salad.

It sure is useful - it shreds the vegetables to the right size and thickness that I like.  I'm sure you can find this in many supermarket or grocery store.

Easy Homemade Pickle

• 1 medium size cucumber, shredded
• 1 carrot, shredded
• half a white radish, shredded
• 1/3 cup of distilled vinegar
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 1 tsp of salt

1.  Put all the ingredients into a big bowl and mix well.

2.  Store in two clean, glass jars (including the liquid) and keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

My Favourite Salad Dressing

 

Very often, usually on Mondays and Tuesdays especially after a weekend of eating out, I will make a big bowl of salad for hubby and myself for lunch.  

Going organic with Ozganics

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a media preview for Ozganics, a leading food developer and manufacturer of organic condiments and sauces based in NSW, Australia.  The session included a cooking demo by the founder herself, Anni Brownjohn. 

Cold Seaweed Pasta Salad

A couple of months ago, hubby had to do a lightning trip to Sabah, East Malaysia and came home bearing two huge packets of this...

Shrimp and Cashew Nut Salad, Thai Style

We had just returned from a family holiday in Bangkok about a fortnight ago.  Ever since then, I've been on a Thai food cooking frenzy :P  The smell of fish sauce, lime, lemon grass and other related aromatics have been wafting from the kitchen for the past many days.  The neighbours must be wondering if a Thai family has moved in!

Cold Lettuce Rolls

Hot hazy weather? Fret not. Let's have some cold rolls :) 

Salmon Sashimi and Avocado Salad

With the sweltering weather, salads are the order of the day.  I love avocados and sashimi salmon. When I realise that you can combine them into a delightful piquant salad, I was absolutely thrilled.  I got the idea for this salad from one of our favourite japanese restaurant.