All posts tagged: mint

Grilled shrimps, figs and summer squash salad recipe

Grilled Prawn, Fig and Summer Squash Salad in Harrisa Yogurt Dressing

Published by Lydia Wong

I love the feeling of my teeth sink into a cold, plump fig from the fridge every late summer morning, the chill does a better job of waking me up than my strong Oolong tea. Beside that I feel especially nurtured eating them first thing in the morning, nothing too overwhelming for the empty stomach, just a hint of sweetness with the most delicate texture, and most importantly, it is packed with nutrients and a good source of fibre. I also love to add a few slices in my yogurt with honey and toasted coconut, or on my crispy toast with a spread of salty goat cheese and a drizzle of honey; bake them in buttery puff pastry with berries jam, or lay them on top of cake batter, bake until they turn dark burgundy and bursting with heavenly sweetness. I especially fond of adding them to salad, with torn mozzarella cheese and dry-cured ham, or with crumbled goat cheese and peppery rocket. So here it is for today, a humble experiment turns into a wonderful salad recipe. The fig provides a subtle sweetness for …

Beef and Mango Summer Rolls with Coriander Dipping Sauce recipe

Beef and Mango Summer Rolls served with Coriander Dipping Sauce

Published by Lydia Wong

It is late summer, the sun is hanging low and casting long shadows. It is the most beautiful period of summer, I love the colour of the sunlight which seems somewhat richer, deeper, it makes everything looks more mature, like a person reaches his golden age. It is the time of harvesting, a sense of gathering and fulfillment. It is also the time to bottle up jam, marmalade; bake pies and pickle the lovely summer produce. I was lucky to have given some bottles of jam and confiture which were homemade by my friend’s aunt in a small french village, so I have spared myself the time of making any this year. And I want to enjoy this brilliant time of the year, so some days I will try not to spend too much time in the kitchen. Hence today’s recipe, minimum cooking but with big flavour. Summer roll is one of the most versatile foods I know, and one of my favorites as well. It is refreshing, delicious and easy to make. One can fill the rice paper with vegetables, shell fish (the most common one), …

Roasted za'atar carrot with goat cheese, pistachio and promagranate dressing recipe

Roasted Za’atar and Sumac Carrots Salad

Published by Lydia Wong

These carrots are roasted to perfection, flavoured with za’atar and sumac; a combined taste of tangy sweet and yet earthy and savory. Za’atar is a spice blend that originates in Middle East countries, such as Lebanon, Israel, Jordon, Palestine and Saudi Arabia; and also popular in some north African countries such as Morocco and Tunisia. Every country has their own blend of spices. The one I have (and I use here) is from Israel, it is a blend of dried oregano, white sesame, thyme, sumac, dill and salt, it has an intense earthy flavour with a hint of licorice note. It gives a wonderful taste to almost anything, I love to sprinkle it on egg of all kinds, or rub the spice on chicken and lamb then put straight onto the grill; scatter it on homemade hummus and baked pitta bread, to say the few examples. The other spice I use here is called Sumac, it is also native to the Middle East; a red coarse powder made from ground sumac berries. It has a floral …

On Noodles (with a recipe)

Published by Lydia Wong

Slurping up a bowl of delicious noodle soup is, for me, a fundamental act of living, like reading a good book or having a meaningful conversation with someone, it is something that I cannot live without. As exaggerate as it sounds, for some people, it could be driving a cutting edge designer car or going on luxurious holidays, but for me, as long as there is a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup in front of me, I am content. Noodle is an essential and staple ingredient in Chinese cuisine. When I was a child, there was (or perhaps still is) a noodle shop in every corner of every street in the old Macau city. We would eat noodle soup or ‘lo-mein’ (noodles dressed in seasoned soy sauce) with ‘won-ton’ (dumplings), braised beef brisket or vegetables (etc) as breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night supper. The noodles (usually two types: thin and thick wheat noodles or rice noodles) served in these small eateries are usually fresh rather than the dried type that we usually get in supermarkets. These fresh noodles have a beautiful …

Watermelon Bacon Salad and A Happy Announcement

Published by Lydia Wong

Just a quick and short post to share a happy news with you, I got an email last week from The Foodstand (an online global food community based in New York) that I have won their competition #RedEats!!! I was stunned by the news and it took me a while to really believe it! Anyway, I am going to receive some goodies (fresh food) from Marley Spoon next month as a prize and I am already so excited and looking forward to the delivery! Sharing the winning dish on this post alongside with the announcement will only be natural, and I would love you to make this salad, it is just so simple to make and really really tasty. One of the ingredients for this dish is watermelon, it represents summer with its vibrant colour and refreshing taste. Especially when it has been chilled. I remember when I was a child, eating watermelon was a fun business: in hot summer days, my mother and I (sometimes with my sisters as well) would sit on the balcony …

Sautéed Broad Beans, Green Peas and Chorizo – served with Creamy Polenta and Crispy Mushrooms

Published by Lydia Wong

I remember vividly the moment when I opened the bean pod from the broad bean plant I grew, on the balcony of my parent’s flat in Macau. I must have been about 10 years old, I saw those little pale green beans lying peacefully inside their furry pod, I was so excited beyond imagination, since I wasn’t the ‘green fingers’ type of girl (and I am still not!), that was a huge achievement for my 10-year-old-self. Strangely, I recalled almost every stage of its growth, from sprouting the bean on a damp cotton wool pad, transferred it gingerly to a small plastic container with proper plant soil, seeing it grew and flowered with beautiful white blossom (with some pattern that I somehow forgot); then the flower wilted and was replaced by a light green pod, growing slowly and steadily and eventually became a cosy shelter for three or four petite beans which were as green as jade. It was quite a valuable experience for me then, to look after something so fragile, and to see this wonderful transformation of …

Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse

Published by Lydia Wong

This dessert is an inspiration from my friend Nina’s amazing cake frosting recipe. Yes, cake frosting! All I did was adjust the quantities of the ingredients and here you go, a creamy yet not heavy mousse! The creaminess comes from a super healthy ingredient – Avocado! There is no heavy cream or additional sugar (besides those in the white chocolate) in it, so you don’t have to feel guilty when serving this to your little ones! Notes: I use white chocolate with vanilla in this recipe, if you can’t find it just add half a teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract in the mixture. For the topping, I use chopped pistachio, shredded coconut and as an extra shaved white chocolate, but be creative: extra raspberry, chocolate chips or sprinkles! You can also use the mousse as ‘cake frosting’ like I did, on top of my mini chocolate cupcakes, and they tasted sooooo good!! Ingredients: (makes 4) For the mousse: 1 large ripe Avocados 200g Frozen raspberry, thawed 120g White chocolate with vanilla, roughly chopped plus …