Ginger and Garlic Kale

I don't know about you but I love Kale. It's very woody in flavour and when cooked right, it is chewy and wholesome.

Here is how I prepared the ginger and garlic kale.

1. Steam kale for 4 minutes
2. In the meantime, toast some sesame seeds in a frying pan.
3. Smash some garlic and ginger.
4. Once kale is steamed, place some oil in frying pan and add garlic and ginger. Toss in pan to release aroma and flavour.
5. Add kale and season with salt and pepper to taste. Since kale had been steamed, no need to leave for too long.
6. Place kale in bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
7. Serve and enjoy.

Follow me on Instagram @heelsandspice for more recipes and updates. Check out my other posts for simple recipes.

Midnight Cheat's Noodle Soup

It's midnight and I am craving noodle soup. All yhe restaurants in my area are closed and I am not in the mood to drive to Chinatown to get some.

So I check my pantry and I have some Special Chicken flavoured IndoMie and some dumplings in the freezer which I had prepared earlier. There are some greens in the fridge and I am pretty much all set. Here is how you turn the humble 2-minute noodles into a meal.

1. I left some dumplings out for a few minutes to defrost then fried them on low heat to get the wrappers crispy.

2. Cook noodles as per instructions then add the vegies. Depending on what you have, I had leafy ones so I just blanched them in the same pot as the noodles.

3. Drain then place in bowl, add dumplings.

4. Serve with fried shallots and fresh chilli. Enjoy!

It's not the healthiest indulgence but it certainly satisfied my craving. Don't have dumplings? Substitute with leftover meat, mushroom or put an eggs in there and poach. Follow me on Instagram @heelsandspice for more ideas and updates.

Prawn and Pork Dumplings

I love making dumplings. I usually get some minced pork from the Asian supermarket, shitake mushrooms and wonton wrappers then get some fresh prawns and spend the evening in front of my favourite tv show, wrapping them up.

Here is what I do:

1. Place five mushrooms, three stalks of spring onions, one brown onion, one small carrot and prawns in the food processor and mince.

2. In a mixing bowl, place minced pork and vegetables and prawns, add a tablespoon of soy sauce or oyster sauce. Add salt and pepper to season and mix well until combined.

3. Cover and place in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.

4. To wrap, take a sheet of pastry, place a teaspoon of mixture into the middle of the pastry then bring the edges to cover the filling. Repeat until filling is used. Any leftover pastry can be wrapped and placed in the fridge.

6. Dumplings can then be steamed for 15-20 minutes.

To freeze dumplings:

1. To freeze the dumplings, place in a plastic container and layer dumplings with plastic cling wrap in between, space them out so they don't stick together.

2. Once frozen, move dumplings into zip lock bags.

Here are some before and after photos. Follow me on Instagram @heelsandspice  for more ideas and updates. Enjoy.

Brown Rice Salad

I am attending a housewarming bbq and what I usually do is make a dish to bring then leave the serving plate there as a gift.

Today, I have decided to make some brown rice salad. It is something simple, healthy, flavoursome and delicious.

So here is what I did:

1. Cook or heat up brown rice. I need two cups of cooked rice.

2. Mix half a teaspoon of chopped garlic, a teaspoon of soy sauce, a teaspoon of mirin or rice wine vinegar or just vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar (optional) and a tablespoon of olive oil and leave for ingredients to fuse together

3. Chop up a medium sized, red capsicum and three shallots or spring onions

4. In a large bowl, place brown rice, a cup of sultanas or raisins, half a cup of pepitas or sunflower seeds, capsicum, spring onions, dressing and mix well.

5. Serve in platter or bowl.

The combination of colours and flavours are just amazing. Nuts can be added or chicken but I prefer this dish to be meat-free. I hope you like it too. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @heelsandspice for more ideas and updates. Enjoy!

Breakfast - Omellete with leftover steamed veggies

My eldest son asked me for something different to eat for breakfast. That means something other than cereal, toast, bacon and eggs etc. I looked in the fridge and there was a bowl of steamed veggies leftover from last night's dinner. I asked him if he wanted an omellete with steamed veggies and he said 'yes please'.

Here is what I did:

1. Chop up half a small onion and pan fry on olive oil in a non-stick oven-proof pan
2. When onion starts to brown, add the steamed veggies. Put flame on low to medium as the veggies have come out of the fridge and needs time to warm.
3. Place 4-6 eggs in a bowl, add salt and pepper and beat.
4. Spread the vegetables out to an even layer then pour on the egg mix. Tilt the pan to spread out the egg. Leave on low flame to ensure the bottom is cooked through.
5. In the meantime, set you grill to 150 degrees celcius.
6. Once the omellete starts to solidify on the bottom, place the pan under the grill. Once the top starts to solidify and turn golden brown, remove from grill.
7. Sprinkle spring onions on top and serve.

It was a hit! Even my 5 year old who is not a fan of veggies had two serves. Enjoy!

Chilli Beef - Leftover Roast Beef Transformation #2

My previous post was about transforming leftover roast beef into a stir-fry with zucchini and mushroom. This post is about transforming it into a spicy dish that is filled with bursts of fresh flavours which tastes amazing with steamed rice.

1. In a blender/food processor, place:
x3 brown onions
x1 lemongrass or 3x kaffir lime leaves or a small piece of ginger
x1 garlic
x3 large red chillies or x1 red capsicum
x1 birds eye chilli for extra spicyness (optional)
x1 tsp sugar
x1 tsp salt and pepper
Blend until you get the desired texture. I prefer to be able to see the ingredients, some prefer more of a paste
2. Cut up beef to matchstick like pieces.
3. Add oil to wok or frying pan, once heated, add beef and leave on medium heat until all liquid has evaporated and beef has crisped on the edges.
4. Remove beef, wash the pan the add oil. Once heated, add the spice mix and stir fry on medium heat until capsicum and onions starts to wilt.
5. Add the beef and mix well.
6. Serve on steamed rice.

The spice mix can be used with vegetables or even boiled eggs (recipe coming soon). It is one of my favourites.

Follow me on Instagram @heelsandspice for more ideas and updates. Enjoy!

Stir-fry Beef with Vegetables - Leftover Roast Beef Transformation #1

So you made some roast beef and even though it was delicious, there was too much and now you have leftovers. If you want to transform it into a different dish without too much fuss, allow me show you what I did at our #wintergetaway2015 :

1. Get that roast out of the fridge and slice it up into matchsticks
2. Put some oil in a wok or frying pan and once oil is hot add the beef and leave for a few minutes on medium flame. It will release some liquid then gradually dry up. 3. Whilst that is going on, chop up some vegetables, I used mushrooms and zucchini.
4. Once beef starts to crisp up on the edges, remove from pan but leave the remaining juices there (don't wash the pan).
5. Add another tablespoon of oil then add the zucchini and a teaspoon of garlic. On medium heat, stir fry until the zucchini is near see-through then add the mushrooms. Once mushrooms starts to wilt, add beef and mix well.
6. Place a teaspoon of cornflour and place in a small bowl with some cold water. Mix well then pour onto the vegetables and beef and mix well.
7. Add salt and pepper as desired keeping in mind the beef was seasoned when roasted and the veggies have absorbed the liquid in the pan.
8. Serve on steamed rice or on it's own.

There is also a spicy option that I will post soon, so follow my instagram account @heelsandspice for updates. Enjoy!