Le Pain Quotidien

If I ever own a cafe, I want it to look exactly like this.

I first stepped into this glorious bread filled, french style bakery in London, UK. I was overwhelmed. The communal wooden table, the beige mugs, the rows of croissants and pies and tarts were a sight to be seen. I love the 'homely' feeling of this cafe, as if everyone around the big wooden table were neighbours. The french speaking waitresses made it feel as if I was in Paris again. I remember looking around, seeing elegant students typing away at their laptops, couples and children.

I have always dreamt about owning my own cafe, and Le Pain Quotidien has sparked my inspiration even more.

Unfortunately, in Australia, the only locations of Le Pain Quotidien are in Sydney.. fail.

http://www.lepainquotidien.com/

My Singapore Noodles

I call this "My Singapore Noodles" because I don't think it is actually singapore noodles.. it is more of a mix of noodles and nazi goreng. I love making this because it makes enough for 2 (greedy) people, and it tastes absolutely wonderful.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:
1 packet of hokkien style noodles
2 eggs
Peanut oil
1 onion, diced
4 golden shallots, diced
1 carrot, cut into small pieces
1 small red chilli (with or without seeds, depending on preferred taste), diced finely
1 chicken breast, diced finely
100g bean sprouts
1 bunch of bok choy, sliced
Splash of soy sauce
3 cups of cooked, cold rice


Beat the eggs together to create an omlette. Heat a wok over high heat with a splash of the peanut oil, and pour the eggs into the wok. Spread the eggs around so it covers the bottom edge of the wok, and heat for a minute on one side, and then lift from the wok. Roll the omlette up and slice into small pieces.


Add a splash of oil to the pan and add onion. Cook until the onion is slightly browned and remove from wok into a separate bowl. 

Return the wok to the heat, add a splash of oil and add the shallots, carrot and chilli. Cook, stirring often for around 3 minutes. Add the chicken, bean sprouts and bok choy and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring. Add the soy sauce and rice, breaking it up if needed. Continue stirring until the rice is coloured and the whole dish is heated through.


Add the onion and the sliced omlette and toss to combine. Voila!

Coconut Rice

This is the first time I have made coconut rice, and I was impressed. Every time I go to our local Thai restaurant, I make sure the waitress loads up my plate with this delicious rice. Their rice is thick, flavoursome and soft. I tried to recreate this today, and managed to eat nearly the whole serve (mind you, this serves 2 people) myself... I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

Serves 2
 
Ingredients:
2 x 165ml cans of lite coconut cream.
5 x cups of water.
1 x cup of medium grain white rice.

Empty the coconut cream and water into a large saucepan, and place on a high heat. I used lite coconut cream, but depending on your preference you could use regular which would create a stronger flavour. While the liquid is boiling, run the rice in a sieve under a tap until the water runs clear. When the liquid is at boiling point, throw the rice into the saucepan and lower the heat until it is simmering.

Simmer the rice for around 14 minutes or until the rice cooked properly. Keep stirring to avoid the rice sticking to the bottom of the pan.

When the rice is cooked, put the rice through the sieve and keep the excess liquid. Serve out the rice, and drizzle a little bit of the excess boiled water and cream over the rice to make that sticky, thick consistency. Voila!

The rice will keep for a little while in the fridge, and let me tell you, it tastes gooooood from the fridge.

The start of a new craze.

Hello Bloggers,

This is the start of my very own food blog. I'll be posting recipes accompanied by pictures of the food I create, and I promise I'll try and post regularly.