Meatball And Spiced Tomato Relish Sub

If you are indeed having a grand final party today (or one for rugby union on Sunday) and are planning to make some cheese filled meatballs as suggested, I hope you are making a very large batch. They will be very popular and the chances are you might want to nibble on them once everyone has left the party. The other likely scenario is you waking up with a massive hangover and searching for food in a ..... mmmmm very messy kitchen!

In either case an easy and satisfying meal such as this delicious meatball sub is essential to give you the will to live through the day and the energy to clean up the mess left behind by your mates.

It can of course be enjoyed in a pristine environment without a hangover.... better still on a picnic rug in the nearest park if the weather permits!

P.S more recipes using the meatballs and spiced tomato relish are coming up so please stay tuned.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
recipe per serve
you'll need;
1 mini baguette*
3 mozzarella filled meatballs, reheated in the microwave
a small handful of salad leaves
2 heaped tbs of spiced tomato relish
grated parmesan cheese
*I usually get mine freshly baked from my local Vietnamese bakery.

Make a cut lengthwise leaving the baguette attached, place some mix leaves into the cavity, follow by meatballs, spiced tomato relish and grate some parmesan cheese over. The whole exercise will only take less than 5 minutes.

This is equally delicious eaten sober, half drunk or with a nasty hangover!

Chikin Sandoitchi チキンサンドイッチ Roast Chicken Sandwich With A Japanese Twist

Making more roast chicken that was needed for the filling of my onigiri (Japanese rice balls, recipe next) was a deliberate act; though not overly sure what I would do with the leftover chicken at first but that was before I saw the freshly baked mini baguettes on offer at the Vietnamese baker.

With the Japanese flavoured roast chicken, it is only appropriate to finish my chickin sandoitchi with a squeeze each of kewpie mayonnaise and Japanese mustard, both available at Japanese or Korean grocers.  

P.S leftover tori no karaage (Japanese fried chicken) is a good substitute for the roast chicken.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen

oven preheated at 220 C (conventional)

makes 2

you'll need;

1 small carrot, julienned

1 small cucumber, sliced

1 tbs of toasted sesame seeds

a handful of mixed salad leaves

2 mini baguettes

kewpie mayonnaise to serve

Japanese mustard to serve

for the roast chicken;

2 chicken marylands 

2 tbs of mirin

2 tbs of soy

dash of sesame oil

5 cm piece of ginger, grated

2 cloves of garlic, grated

Marinate chicken with mirin, soy, sesame oil, grated ginger and garlic for at least an hour.

Roast chicken in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the marylands.

While the chicken marylands are resting, prepare the carrot and cucumber.

When they chicken marylands are cool enough to handle, shred into large pieces and mix in the pan juice and the sesame seeds.

Assemble the sandwich by stuffing as much goodies you can to the baguette.

Squeeze some kewpie mayonnaise and Japanese mustard and enjoy!

Spiced lamb, Tomato And Cucumber Salsa Wrap

We had another wrap dinner, this time with my favourite spiced lamb mince (see spiced lamb, sultanas and pine nuts in filo pastry and spiced lamb, sultanas and pine nuts and spinach pinwheel pie). It settled my craving for both lamb and carbs on a rather chilly night.

You may change the ingredients around to suit your taste; use beef or chicken mince instead and serve it with your favourite salsa.

Apart from the other two dishes I mentioned earlier; you can also use this delicious spiced lamb mince as a sauce for pasta or noodles, base for shepherd's pie and filling for pie or empanada.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
serves 4
you'll need;

500g of minced lamb

1/2 an onions, finely diced

1/2 an onion, slic

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tbs of cumin powder

1/2 tbs of coriander powder

1/4 tbs of cinnamon powder

1 tbs of hot paprika powder

1/2 tsp of turmeric powder

2 tbs of yoghurt

2 tbs of tomato puree

salt and pepper to taste

chopped coriander leaves

a handful of baby coz lettuce

8 to 10 shop bought flat breads 

for the salsa;

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 continental/telegraph cucumber, diced

1 spanish onion, finely diced

2 tbs of chopped coriander leaves

2 tbs of chopped mint leaves

4 tbs of olive oil

juice from half a lemon

salt and pepper to taste

for the yoghurt sauce;

3/4 of a cup of Greek yoghurt

a handful of mint leaves, finely shredded

1/2 tbs of cumin powder

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tbs of grated lemon rind

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the onion, season the lamb mince with a little salt and pepper.

Saute onion and garlic til lightly brown then add in the minced lamb and continue to cook til lamb is no longer pink.

Add spice, tomato puree and yoghurt, continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Add sliced onions and season well, turn off the heat and allow to cool down slightly when the onion is soften.

While waiting for the spiced lamb mince to cool down, prepare the salsa by combining all the ingredients in a large bowl, check for seasonings and set aside. Also prepare the yoghurt sauce.

Place a tortilla or flat bread on the workbench, place some lettuce over then top with some of the spiced lamb mince, salsa and yoghurt sauce.

They can then be rolled up and eaten as they are or lightly grill on a hot plate which is how we like it.

Serve wraps with extra salsa on the side.

Chermoula Roasted Chicken, Tomato, Avocado And Cucumber Salsa Wraps

I have wanted to try my hands on cooking Mexican or even Tex-Mex food at home for a while now. When I finally got my acts together to do my research and found a recipe suitable for a first timer like me, the specialty shop was closed when I arrived with my list of ingredients. 

Thankfully the supermarket is a stone's throw away from the specialty shop and I managed to come out with a Mediterranean version of my planned tacos meal. 

This completely revised meal is now a tummies' favourite whenever we want to get away from rice and pasta. Mexican food is still on the pipeline and if you know of any good Mexican cookbook do let me know, thank you.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
serves 4 as a one dish meal
you'll need;
1 free range chicken, butterflied
5 tbs of chermoula for marinade
8 to 10 shop bought tortillas or other flat breads
200 g of baby cos lettuce leaves
2 tbs of extra chermoula

for the salsa;
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 continental/telegraph cucumber, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 spanish onion, finely diced
2 tbs of chopped coriander leaves
2 tbs of chopped mint leaves
4 tbs of olive oil
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

To butterfly or spatchcock the chicken - remove the backbones of the chicken using a pair of kitchen scissor then flatten it slightly with both the palms of your hands. Use 5 tbs of the chermoula to marinate the chicken for at least an hour in the fridge.

Heat up an oven tray and lightly brown the chicken on both sides (2 -3 minutes/side) then roast it in the preheated oven for ~45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down.

While waiting for the chicken to cool down, prepare the salsa by combining all the ingredients in a large bowl, check for seasonings and set aside.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle drain off most of the accumulating oil in the oven tray and shred the meat from the carcass, reserving the bones for your stock pot. Return the shredded chicken to the tray and mix it with the remaining delicious sticky bits and cooking juices and the extra 2 tbs of chermoula.

Place a tortilla or flat bread on the workbench, place some lettuce over then top with some of the shredded chicken and salsa.

They can be rolled up and eaten as they are or lightly grill on a hot plate which is how we like it.

Halve wraps at an angle and serve it with a little more salsa on the side.

Lamb Burger With The Lot

Lamb burger is a favourite at the tummies'; with quite a bit of beetroot relish left from our last meal the decision was an obvious one, besides what's a good Aussie burger without some form of beetroot in it? Although the other tummy would have preferred a bunless buger but I decided that the real deal with chips on the side was more appropriate considering how cold the evening was. Dinner was served when our favourite show was just about to start, so we did the unthinkable - hunkered down in front of the tv with our plates of sinful treats!

P.S It is a glorious winter day here in Melbourne and I had just spent a wonderful morning with my very old friends and their beautiful twins. I plan to take full advantage of the beautiful weather, some good food with a few glasses of wine in the sun perhaps?  Enjoy the rest of the long weekend and I see you on Tuesday with a Malaysian Monday post.

serves 4

you'll need;

500 g of lamb mince or mince of your choice

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tsp of smoked paprika

1 tsp of cumin powder

1/4 cup of bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

a handful of mixed lettuce

2 vine ripen tomatoes, sliced

1/2 a cucumber, sliced

1/2 an onion, cut into thin rings

4 burger buns

beetroot relish to serve

tzatziki to serve

oven ready thick cut chips

tomato ketchup to serve

Prepare the vegetables.

Mix mince with beaten egg, chopped onion, spices, bread crumbs and season well.

With wet hands, divide meat mixture into 4 portions and mould into patties. 

Grill meat patties on a hot griddle or on the bbq.

Grill the buns under a hot grill, spread some butter over each bun if your heart desires.

Assemble the burgers, drizzle a generous amount of beetroot relish atop the lamb patties follow by some tzatziki. 

These oven ready chips are godsends and one simply can have chips with a good burger I think.

Our tv dinner is ready!

Souvlaki But Not At 3 In The Morning!

The days (or nights) of walking home after a night of dancing, munching on a souvlaki with the sauce dripping down from the chin is certainly over for me. I now prefer to eat this delicious Greek treat in the comfort of my own home. I used a mini lamb roast for this and I think it works all the time. In the coming weeks I will be sharing some Greek recipes I learnt from N.

serves 4 generously

you'll need;

1 1.2 kg lamb roast

lettuce, sliced

3 tomatoes, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

pita bread

tzatziki, click HERE for recipe

chili sauce (optional)

salt and pepper

olive oil

half a lemon

Greek oregano or rosemary

Marinate lamb roast with olive oil, Greek oregano, lemon juice, salt and pepper over night or at least 2 hours.

Brown lamb roast all over on a hot griddle before roasting in a hot oven for 40 minutes (medium rare) or to your liking.

Rest the lamb for 20 minutes before slicing.

Prepare the vegetables and tzatziki .

Place some tzatziki on the pita bread, follow by some lettuce, red onions, lamb meat, tomato, chili sauce if using and wrap it up. 

Grill the souvlaki on a hot pan seam side down first, this helps to set the shape thus easier to eat.

I like mine with extra tzatziki on the side.