Indonesian Dish: Tempeh Stir-Fry

Last night, for the first time, I cooked Tempeh stir-fry, Indonesian style. Well, in Indonesia, it's known as "Oseng-oseng Tempeh" because it used Tempeh as the main ingredient. It's super healthy dish and it's a good choice for vegetarians or vegans. 

"Tempeh stir-fry"

I used to process Tempeh for my afternoon nibbles. In Indonesia, we called it "Tempeh Mendoan", but here I called it as soybean fritters, dip it in satay sauce. Yummoo!! Kerrin and all my friends loved it! 

So, what is Tempeh?

Tempeh

According to wikipedia, tempeh (/ˈtɛmpeɪ/; Javanese: témpé, IPA: [tempe]), is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty. 

It originated in today's Indonesia, and is especially popular on the island of Java, where it is a staple source of protein. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but it is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins. It has a firm texture and an earthy flavor which becomes more pronounced as it ages. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine, where it is used as a meat analogue. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh).

You can buy tempeh from Asian supermarket in Newmarket. It's about $4,50 for a small piece of tempeh, very expensive compare to chicken/beef price. Though it tastes really good. 

So, if you're interested in making tempeh stir-fry, you will need these ingredients

the ingredients you need

1 pk tempeh (you can add as much as you want)

8 mushrooms

broccoli

tomato

onion 

2 cloves of garlic

1 lemongrass 

green capsicum 

a handfull of chili

Kecap Manis/Sweet soy sauce (you can buy this type of sauce in Asian Supermarket)

Soy Sauce

1/4 cup of water

Golden oyster sauce

2 tbs canola oil

a pinch of salt and pepper

How to make:

1. Slice and cut all the ingredients into long and thin pieces.

2. In a wok, in medium heat, add the oil, cook tempeh into half done through for 3 minutes, then remove it to a plate and cover with foil.

3. Then add onions, lemongrass, cook for 2 mins until fragrant, add chili, cook for 1 mins, then add broccoli and mushrooms cook for 4 mins, add capsicum.

4. While waiting for the ingredients to cook through, grab a bowl, add all the sauce and water in a bowl and whisk it carefully. 

4. Add the sauce to the wok, and add tempeh and sliced tomato. Cook for 1 mins, and turn the wok off.

5. Serve immediately on white rice. 

Bon appétit!!

My amazing Banoffee Pie ever!

I made this delicious dessert individually, so Kerrin and I could eat our own pie! Kerrin's sister, Nikki, made this pie three months ago, and I loved it so much. It was like, the best dessert I've ever had! The Combination between banana, caramel and cream, was perfect! 

Then, I decided to make my own banoffee pie. Yeah baby, mine was so amaaaziiing! Wish I could eat ten of them, too bad I just made six...three pies each :( Oh well, I've got to watch my weight anyway!   

an individual benoffee pie in a ramekin

So, here is the recipe of my amazing banoffee pie: 

What you need
Base:
250g biscuits, crushed
100g butter, melted

For the caramel:
100g butter
100g dark brown soft sugar
375g condensed milk, use any brand.

For the top:
2 bananas
300ml thick cream
1 tbs icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Dark Chocolate, grated

You will also need, 6 ramekins 

how to make it

How to make
Step 1 is to make the base:
1. Crush the biscuits using a food processor or if you want to get rid of your anger, put the biscuits in a seal bag, and crush them using a rolling pin. 
2. Tip the biscuit crumbs into a bowl. Add butter and mix in. 
3. Spoon the mixture crumbs into the base and about halfway up the side of the of ramekins. Refrigerate it for 10 mins.

Step 2 is to make the caramel:
1. Melt the butter and sugar into a saucepan over a low heat. 
2. Stirring all the time under the sugar has dissolved.
3. Add the condensed milk and bring to a rapid boil for about a minute, stirring all the time for a thick caramel.
4. Spread the caramel over the base, cool and then chill for about 1 hour, until firm.

Step 3 is to make the cream:
1. Pour the cream in a bowl
2. Add icing sugar, vanilla, and whisk it careful into a thick cream.

Step 4:
1. Slice the bananas thin 
2. Add the bananas on top of the caramel sauce, then cover it with thicken cream until flat
3. Add grated dark chocolate on top.
4. Cover the ramekins with a plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 10 mins.
5. The banoffee pie is ready to serve! 


Tips
Make sure that you really boil the filling for at least 1 minute to be sure it sets to a perfect squidgy caramel.

Enjoy your gorgeous banoffee pie!

Josie Ann Park can paint you even better!

Today, I want to write about another talented artist, Josie Ann Park. She is a lovely English rose who has been living in New Zealand for almost 40 years.  I've known her for almost three years now.

Josie has been painting for a number of years and has emerged as a life art painter, with particular interest in portraiture. “Faces fascinate me. Whatever I do, I always come back to the faces”, and she does her job brilliant I can say.

Her natural talent and enjoyment of painting the life form, along with encouragement from her artist husband, bird painter Gary Roberts, has taken her painting from strength to strength. 

You know, when someone teaches you how to do some art things, you have to have a basic talent first, otherwise you will end up in a hole! So, she's definitely got an amazing talent in painting faces.

The most adorable thing about Josie, she will always listen to your idea; What do you have in  your mind, how do you want your face painted, what flowers do you want on your canvas, etc. Something that all artists should do when they take a commission to do;  listen to what their customers want, without limiting your creativity. Just my opinion :-)

So, here are some of her arts:

"Setting Free" oil on canvas unframed 770 x 380mm 

"Dance to the Calla" oil on canvas unframed 770 x 380mm

Josie’s preferred medium is oil. She takes a commission too! So, if you think to have yourself or family painted on a canvas, you better ask her to do it.  For more photos of her paintings, you can click her Facebook fanpage, https://www.facebook.com/josieannpark?fref=ts

Nespresso has turned me into A Coffee Monster!

Today, I want to write about Nespresso capsules. After last week, I have reviewed of my Nespresso Citiz, a great automatic coffee machine. Now it's the time to talk about the capsules.  

My capsules collection just for myself!

Nespresso has developed an exclusive method of packaging its coffee in a hermetically sealed aluminium capsule. This capsule provides the pressurized seal needed to preserve the 900 aromas and flavors of freshly ground coffee. 

Nespresso capsules are sold exclusively by Nespresso and are more expensive than portions of ground coffee purchased "loose". The cost per serving is up to three times higher than that of alternative brewing methods.Nespresso offer 19 different coffee "Grand Cru" arabica and robusta. Two Limited Edition Grand Crus are released every year as well as a new set of Variations, flavored espresso capsules.

Each capsule contains 5–6 grams of ground coffee and makes one cup of coffee. Depending on the length of the pour the capsule is designed for 40ml for an espresso shot, or 110ml for a lungo (long) pour. The capsule material and perforated top are both made of aluminum. For health reasons, the interior of most of the capsule is lined with food-grade lacquer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nespresso).

Dulsao do Brasil and Rosabaya de Colombia

Here are the capsules: 

Espresso Blends

• Ristretto (powerful and contrasting, intensity 10)
• Arpeggio (intense and creamy, intensity 9)
• Roma (full and balanced, intensity 8)
• Livanto (round and balanced, intensity 6)
• Capriccio (rich and distinctive, intensity 5)
• Volluto (sweet and light, intensity 4)
• Cosi(light and lemony, intensity 3)

Pure Origin

• Indriya from India (powerful and spicy, intensity 10)
• Rosabaya de Colombia (fruity and balanced, intensity 6)
• Dulsão do Brasil (sweet and satiny smooth, intensity 4)

Lungos 

• Fortissio Lungo (rich and intense, intensity 7)
• Vivalto Lungo (complex and balanced, intensity 4)
• Finezzo Lungo(floral and refreshing, intensity 3)

Decaffeinated

• Decaffeinato Intenso (dense and powerful, intensity 7)
• Decaffeinato Lungo (light and full-flavoured, intensity 3)
• Decaffeinato (fuity and delicate, intensity 2)

The dirty paper means I used this guidance to make my coffee everyday!

Variations: 

• Caramelito (The sweet flavour of caramel softens the roused of Livanto Grand Cru, intensity 6)
• Vanilio (Vanilla fusions to the Livanto Grand Cru, intensity 6)
• Ciocattiono (Dark and bitter Chocolate notes meet the caramelized ross of the Livanto Grand Cru, intensity 6)

Limitied editions range

• Napoli & Trieste - Spring, 2013

To get the capsules, you can buy online on their website or go to their boutique. You can get free delivery post if you order minimum 200 capsules. There is one boutique at 203 Broadway, Newmarket,Auckland. If you live outside Auckland, the delivery fee will be $8,90. 

How much is per capsule? My friends keep asking me that questions. Well, every variations have different price. Average price is $1/capsule. So cheap! They are cheaper than Starbuck Coffee, but in my opinion, they taste way better. 

I became a coffee monster because of their delicious tasty coffee!

Hope my review will help you! Now, it's my Nespresso time... :-)