Location: My tiny kitchen
I made crab cakes from fresh crabs again and this time, I used more mayonnaise. The taste turned out better than before. ET has never been a big fan of these crab cakes; however, he had four of them for dinner tonight. There were three left and he wants to have them for lunch tomorrow.
Here is the recipe. I used 1 more tbsp of mayonnaise than the amount in my original recipe.
Location: My tiny kitchen
Among different types of canned fish, canned sardine has always been my favourite. Although its popularity falls far behind that of canned salmon or tuna, I managed to make good use of it in many different ways. When I have a strong craving for it, I would eat it whole with baked beans in tomato sauce and a fried egg. Feeling creative one day, I turned it into a creamy sauce for spaghetti.
This opened sandwich is another sardine recipe that I thought of. The cucumber gives this sandwich a refreshing touch.
This recipe makes 3 sandwiches.
Ingredients:
- 1 canned sardines in oil (contain 3 or 4 whole sardines), preferably use the ones from Portugal or Spain
- 1 baby cucumber
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- coarse grain mustard (I used Maille’s)
- 1/2 tsp of chopped dill
- 1/2 tsp of chopped tarragon
- 1/4 of a lemon
- 3 slices of baguette
1. Put the sardines into a large bowl. Drizzle 2 tbsp of oil from the can.
2. Put 1 tsp of mustard, freshly ground pepper, dill, tarragon, garlic and lemon juice into the sardines. Using a fork, mash the sardines with all ingredients.
3. Optional: Using a non stick pan, gently toast the baguette slices over medium low heat until both sides are golden brown.
4. Cut the cucumber into very thin slices.
5. Place the sardines onto each baguette. Make sure the edge is well-covered.
6. Place as many slices of cucumber as you want on each baguette.
7. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper on the baguettes.
Location: My tiny kitchen
One of the common Chinese comfort food that I grew up eating is steamed egg with minced meat. The Japanese has a similar dish called chawanmushi. When cooked perfectly, the steam egg has a smooth and silky texture like that of a creme caramel.
This recipe serves 3 people. You will need a stainless steel rack for steaming. I used 3 short glasses to make individual servings. If you don’t have short glasses, you can use a deep dish.
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs (I used omega-3 eggs)
- 1/2 of minced pork or chicken
- 3/4 cup of chicken broth
- soy sauce
- 2 green onion, finely sliced
1. Marinate the minced meat with:
- 1 tsp of salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp of onion powder
- 2 tbsp of Japanese cooking wine
2. In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg with the chicken broth.
3. Fill a stock pot with 2 inches of water. Place the steam rack in the centre of the pot. Let the water bring to a boil.
4. Divide the meat into 3 portions and place the meat into the bottom of each glass.
5. Pour the egg mixture through a sieve and into the glasses. Passing the egg through a sieve helps the eggs to have a smooth and silky texture once they are cooked.
6. Using a chopstick or a fork, gently stir the egg mixture to let all bubbles come up to the surface.
7. Cover each glass with a plastic wrap. Using a fork, punch a few holes on the wrap.
8. Place the glasses on the steam rack. Cover and steam for 14 minutes. If you are using a deep dish, steam for 11 or 12 minutes. I usually check the eggs a minute or two before the time is up. The eggs are ready when the edge is set while the centre is still soft and jiggly.
9. Remove the plastic wrap. In a small pot, heat 3 tbsp of oil. Pour the oil over the egg. Drizzle with soy sauce and sprinkle a few green onion slices on top.
