Cookbookmaniac
  • Indian-style Salmon Curry with Tomato & Lime – Bill Granger
    Indian-style Salmon Curry with Tomato & Lime – Bill Granger
    Asian Recipes

    Buying herbs. I am a wannabe frugal foodie. It frustrates me when I approach the herb section of the greengrocer to find that bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, sage, basil and parsley are packed in amounts that will never see full use in my kitchen. Fresh bay leaves are often sold in quantities of 20 but a recipe will only specify the use of two or three. I often only use parsley as a garnish for most of my dishes, but it is only sold in bunches. I am fraught with worry as to how I can best utilise these herbs before they deteriorate past being edible. I have dreamed of having my own potted garden, perhaps a very cute one that hangs outside my kitchen window. It would excite my poor little heart to simply open a window and pick off the necessary leaves. It would not only be a…

  • Fortune Cookies – Happy Chinese New Year!!
    Asian Recipes

    Gung Hei Fat Choi!! Happy Chinese New Year!! I absolutely love this time of year. It's my version of Christmas. The streets are decorated with red and gold signs, lanterns and flowers. They are also full of people lining up to watch the parade of lion dancing, firecrackers, and talented musicians smashing away on huge drums and gongs. Everyone is so happy and giving, wishing you good fortune for the new year to come. Isn't it wonderful! My huge family always gathers together for a feast and silent prayer. Don't get me wrong, I am not religious but I feel a quiet grace when I thank my ancestors and the deities that be, for the good fortune that I have presently and for the many that I will receive in the future. It is humbling and I feel very grateful. I decided to make fortune cookies for my Chinese New…

  • Thai Kangaroo Salad – What is Australia’s national dish?
    Asian Recipes

    It was Australia Day a week ago. For a longtime I'd been wanting to cook and present one of Australia's National Dishes to the blog. However, I was having a hard time selecting one, or actually, I don't know if I had even found one that didn't have its origins from elsewhere. Pizzaboy and I came up with a few possiblities: Meat Pie & Sauce Shepherds Pie Fish'n'Chips Pavlova Sticky Date Pudding Lamingtons Masterchef runner-up Poh Ling Yeow suggests that it may be Salt & Pepper Squid. I don't think she was too far off. You see, Australia is culturally multi-layered, built by many years of immigration from around the world. Almost all of the world's cuisines are represented here, we are very lucky in that respect. With all this in mind. I do believe that we show our "Australianess" by throwing together a barbeque. Everyone can bring whatever they…