Cooking in Den Haag: Pan Fried (Asian) Pork, Onions and Potatoes

Quick wholesome one-pan meal for those times when I don't feel like eating more bread.

What I used:

Pork steak (Don't ask me what cut it is. It doesn't have a bone.)

Soy sauce

Red Chilli Sauce

Honey

Lemon

Garlic

Sea salt

Half a white onion

Baby potatoes

Oil to cook

In a bowl, mix one spoon each of soy sauce, chilli sauce and honey. This is my ready-to-go asian flavour mix for most dishes. Works with chicken, mushrooms, and clearly, even pork. Put the pork in the mixed sauce. Squirt half a lemon onto the pork, rub in some sea salt and coat evenly.

In a pan, heat a bit of oil. When it is moderately hot, add the chopped garlic and wait till it starts browning slightly.

Put in the pork in the hot oil. Careful, it splashes. Spoon the remaining sauce over the pork. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, remove from pan and keep on a plate. Pork should not be overdone - it becomes chewy! It sounds be slightly browned on the outside and still pinkish inside.

The oil, garlic and sauces will keep bubbling in the pan. This is good.

Add the chopped white onion to the bubbling liquid in the pan.

Throw in the baby potatoes. Cook till everything is done, and the sauce is sticky around the onions and potatoes.

Arrange the pork on a bed of lettuce. Strew the onions and potatoes around it, and drizzle remaining sticky sauce over everything.

One pan. Meat, greens, potatoes. Happy. :)

Cooking in Den Haag: Cheat Pork Shawarma

I'm calling this "cheat" pork shawarma because

a) this is not technically a shawarma

b) its quick and easy and takes 10 minutes, tops

c) I made it with random ingredients because someone mentioned shawarma and I was craving one

So, Pork Shawarma, student version! What you need:

Pork (Steak or Chops or whatever - without bone is ideal)

Tortilla or Pita bread

Salad greens - I used chopped iceberg letture

Green peppers (and/or red, yellow...)

Tomatoes if you like them (I don't)

Hummus (see previous post on easy hummus)

Oil for cooking pork

Juice of half a lemon

Sea salt

Pepper

Chop the pork into manageable pieces - It will cook quicker.

In a bowl, season the pork pieces with lemon juice, salt and pepper. This step is essential, because I did not have time to marinate the pork and I wanted flavour without wasting any time. Let it stand for about 15 minutes, if you're in a hurry, or 30 if you're not.

In a pan, put a little bit of oil (not too much) and when its moderately hot, throw in the pork (careful here) and toss around frequently till it starts browning.

Don't overcook pork. It will become chewy. The pieces should cook in about 3-4 minutes, no problem.

In a plate, put your pita/tortilla and start assembling your shawarma.

Tortilla + Hummus. Don't be stingy with hummus, its healthy.

Tortilla + Hummus + Lettuce

Tortilla + Hummus + Lettuce + sliced Green Peppers (Capsicum)

Tortilla + Hummus + Lettuce + Peppers + Pork

Wrap it up! :D

Health Fix: Hummus (With and Without a Blender)

I dream of hummus. Smooth, creamy, packed with proteins, so easy to make, and so many ways to make it. This is going to be a looooong post :P I can't stop experimenting and trying new flavours and ingredients.

1. Chunky Hummus - No blender

I used to make this as a student in the Netherlands, when I didn't have a blender or food processor in my dorm. The easiest way to make it was with canned chickpeas. I made it my own way, with garlic and yogurt. 

Microwave the chickpeas in a bowl for about 30 seconds. This makes them easier to mash with a fork.

Mash it as much as you can - put all your strength into this! The smoother the better, but it will obviously stay a little chunkier than normal.

I don't have an oven in my kitchen, but I love the sweet, nutty flavour of roasted garlic in hummus. I wasn't sure how to roast garlic without an oven, so I just decided to cook it in olive oil a bit. Heat a little bit of oil in a pan, when it is warm but not too hot, throw in chopped garlic and cook until slightly browned and soft and fragrant.

Pour the oil and cooked garlic into the mashed hummus. Add a squirt of lemon juice. Mix well.

One dollop of creamy yogurt (Greek is best), mix everything together and voila! Student version of hummus.

Make in excess, store in an airtight container in the fridge for quick eating with pita bread or tortillas.

2. Basic Hummus - With a blender (mixer)

My three gems of flavour - green chilli, garlic, and lemon. Yes! That's a lemon! Out of nowhere, a tree started growing in our kitchen garden that had big lemons on it - almost four times the size of normal lemons. We cut one open, and it looked like an orange - but trust me, the juice and taste is exactly like a lemon. I have no idea whether this is a cousin variety.. But its darn pretty isn't it? The juice has a lemon-lime acidity but the fragrance has orange-y notes to it as well.

Blend them all together with some olive oil, till it emulsifies and combines into a base flavour mix.

I started with dried chickpeas - soak them in water overnight, pressure cook for about 15 minutes, drain and rinse. For the creamiest hummus, its best to remove the skins off the chickpeas, but I can't be bothered. I'm not too fussy when I'm feeding myself. :P

Toss the chickpeas into the mixer, along with some more olive oil, and a generous amount of yogurt. This is healthy hummus - minimum oil. Blend blend blend away. Add more yogurt, and a little bit of water, as necessary. Don't forget to add salt!

Scoop out the creamy deliciousness into a bowl, swirl the top with some olive oil and red chilli powder for taste.

Yum! More variations coming soon. :)

Health Fix : Yogurt with Blueberries and Honey

For those in-between times when I'm not really hungry, but really want to eat something.. Everyone has those :P

Easiest thing to do.

Greek Yogurt

Handful of Blueberries

Squirt of Honey

Put it all together in a bowl. Dig in.

Get experimental! I like adding some Kiwi or Pears sometimes :)

Cooking in Den Haag: Spaghetti Carbonara

Friend/neighbour, Annabelle, French, taught me this :) Easiest way to make carbonara! :D

What you need:

1 packet Spaghetti

Bacon bits (with fat)

1 onion, roughly cut

Cream (or creme fraiche if you're feeling indulgent)

3 egg yolks (seperate the whites)

Salt

Pepper

In a pan, without any oil, throw in the onion and bacon bits. The fat of the bacon will melt off and the onions will cook in it. Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti in a different pan according to packet instructions or until al dente.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites. In the pan, add the cream to the onion and bacon, and then when it is warm, add the slightly beaten egg yolks. Stir everything together, lower the heat, keep warm.

Add the spaghetti when done, toss it around in the sauce, and feed to hungry grateful people. :D

Picture is not so great, but the food really is. :)

Say Cheese! Cheese with Walnuts

Found another kind of cheese at the Super Market. Cheese with Walnuts. Looked interesting. Its yum :) Hard cheese, strong flavour, and walnuts! :D

Cooking in Den Haag: Spaghetti with Mushrooms, Garlic and French Cheese

I know mushrooms and spaghetti is getting a little repetitive, but I have a small fridge in my small apartment, and I can't stock too much at once! :P

What I used:

handful of Spaghetti

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 small white onion, finely chopped

4 large juicy mushrooms, sliced

about as much cheese as I could. I didn't have mozzarella, so I used the soft French cheese that I have, which kind of tastes similar but is softer :)

Boil the spaghetti as per packet instructions, or until al dente.

In a pan, heat some oil, put in the garlic. As the garlic starts to slightly brown and smell yummy, throw in the chopped onions. Cook until soft.

Put in the slices of mushroom and gently toss around so that its well coated with the oil and garlic. Cook, tossing frequently, until it just starts to water. Turn off the heat as soon as you see it watering - this way, the earthy flavours of the mushroom won't be lost.

Once the spaghetti is cooked, drain it (save some pasta water). Toss in some butter, the cheese and salt. Toss it all together till the pasta is coated will the butter and melted cheese.. The soft cheese shouldn't take long to melt. Add the mushroom mixture and toss everything together.

Spoon it all onto a plate, dot the pasta with some more cheese on top, pour yourself a fat glass of wine and feel proud. :D

So incredibly good. I think this is going to become a regular. :)