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Cookwise

Category Archives: Side Dishes

Spicy silken tofu

June 23, 2018 8:02 pm / Leave a Comment / Trudy

There seem to be lots of soy-tofu recipes around but it’s something I haven’t done before in the steam oven.  Remember the benefit of buying a quality steam oven is that you can have accurate control over the temperature.  Yes, I guess I could put this in at full 100 percent steam but I like to heat it slowly like a custard almost, giving it adequate time to heat evenly before you drench it in the delicious sauce.

You can adjust the sauce to taste but love it or hate it, tofu does need some flavour so this packs a punch 🙂

Ingredients:

1 block silken or soft tofu, removed from packet and drained
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
1 large clove garlic, crushed
a small knob of ginger, grated
2 tablespoons of soy
1 tablespoon of miso
1-2 tablespoons of water
pinch dried chilli flakes (optional)
¼ tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp white sesame seeds
Fresh coriander to garnish

Method:

Place drained tofu on baking paper in the perforated steamer tray.

  1. Heat the oil on medium heat, add the garlic and ginger and stir well being careful not to burn it.
  2. Add the chilli flakes if using then all the other ingredients
  3. Remove from heat and stir well until you have a smooth consistency, taste to balance flavours.
  4. Steam the tofu at 90°C for 8 minutes.
  5. Remove from steam oven and put onto a warm serving plate.  You can warm the plate in the steam oven while the tofu is heating.
  6. Heat the sauce again until hot and pour over tofu to serve.
  7. Cut into cubes and garnish with fresh coriander.  You could also top with chopped green onions which would be delicious too.

Serve as part of a shared meal.

 

 

 

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Posted in: Japanese, Main Courses, Side dishes, Steam Oven

Pomegranate & haloumi salad

November 3, 2014 1:39 pm / 3 Comments / Trudy

Pomegranate & haloumi salad

Time for some more healthy salads and this one has glorious flavours, lots of texture and is one of those salads that you really feel satisfied after eating.

As the weather heats up in Sydney the steam oven is the only appliance I am using at the moment.  Too hot for a conventional oven, this is the perfect appliance to use on a hot day as you can prepare all your base ingredients for a salad like this in just 20 minutes, anytime during the day.  If you want to serve it with a hot piece of salmon instead of the haloumi as we did on Saturday night then the steam oven was only on for 2 minutes for the fish.  With only that initial gush of steam at the end of cooking time, even on the hot 37°C day we had it didn’t heat up our kitchen at all.  To be honest, I use my combi as a steam oven more in the Summer than I do in the Winter.

I actually used a combination of cooked brown rice and red quinoa this time.  It is so easy to prepare a salad like this if you already have the main ingredient pre-cooked.  Remember, cooked rice can harbor bugs so only keep it for a maximum of three days.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

1 cup red quinoa, washed
2 cups vegetable stock
rind 1 lemon
½ cup mint leaves, chopped
½ cup parsley leaves, chopped
2 cups broccoli florets
½ cup chickpeas, washed and drained
1 x 250g block of Haloumi cheese, sliced
¼ cup mixed seeds & pine nuts
Olive oil to lightly fry

Dressing:
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ pomegranate, seeded and juice retained
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
pinch sea salt
ground black pepper

Method:

  1. Cook quinoa in stock for 20 minutes @ 100°C.
  2. While this is cooking, pop in your broccoli for 2 minutes then refresh in icy cold water.  Drain.
  3. Remove the quinoa from the steam oven, add the lemon rind, stir and set aside to cool and absorb any remaining stock.
  4. Mix all the ingredients, except the Haloumi together and set aside.
  5. For the dressing:  Remove the seeds from the pomegranate and catch all the juice into a container.  Pick out any pith that may have fallen into the juice.  Mix in the other ingredients, stir well and pour over salad.
  6. Mix well together, ensuring that the seeds and nuts are well amalgamated.
  7. Heat a shallow non-stick frypan over medium heat.  Add a splash of olive oil and when hot fry the Haloumi slices until golden brown.

Serve over salad as a complete meal.  Delicious also with a piece of salmon here.

Just a REMINDER, have you cooked your Christmas Pudding yet?  See my steam oven Best ever Christmas pudding here or a Gluten-free option here.

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in: Gluten free, Healthy eating, Main Courses, Salads, Side dishes, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

Steamed vegetables

October 6, 2014 9:32 am / 9 Comments / Trudy

Steamed vegetables

It occurred to me, when meeting a lovely lady from Santa Barbara on our recent trip to France, that I haven’t added to the blog a simple table with suggested cooking times and temperatures for vegetables.

Vegetables are so much better cooked in the steam oven as they retain their nutrients.  When I was selling appliances, people trying to chose their new kitchen just couldn’t understand why the cooking methods they had used in the past needed changing.  It’s not so much about trying to change the way you cook but looking forward, as technology improves, to buy and utilise a better cooking medium.  You know that green water that sits in the bottom of your saucepan when you steam your vegetables on the cooktop?  That contains all the nutrients from your vegetables and most people will throw that out with the washing up!  Microwaves? Well they are good to help you cook or to reheat a muffin but not great for vegetables, especially if you overcook them.

Not only are vegetables better for you from the steam oven, but they taste better too and don’t need salt!

(I do understand from all your feedback and comments that there are a whole lot of people still out there who are only using their steam ovens for cooking vegetables.  While this is a great place to start, it’s time to move on 🙂 )

To get the most out of your steam oven, try to multi-cook, ie cook your quinoa or rice, vegetables, eggs and fish at the same time.  It is okay if they all have different cooking times, you will soon get the hang of opening up and changing your trays around.   Start with the longest cooked item eg: brown rice and say pumpkin or eggs on another level.  When the pumpkin is cooked, remove and add your beans or broccoli.  Let them cook for another few minutes according to the list below.  Although it takes a few minutes for the steam oven to get back to temperature, it won’t affect something that cooks for a  long time, like rice.  It is especially easy to prepare some of the fantastic salad recipes like this – have a look at my Superfoods salad as an example of how you can easily cook healthy, delicious salads.

Zucchini slices                                 100°C                                   2-3 minutes
Asparagus                                        100°C                                   1-2 minutes
Pumpkin – cut small                       100°C                                   5-8 minutes
Potatoes – cut small                       100°C                                   10-15 minutes
Beetroot – small cut in half          100°C                                    20 minutes
Carrots, sliced                                 100°C                                   4-6 minutes
Cauliflower, florets                         100°C                                   4-6 minutes
Corn on the cob                              100°C                                   3-5 minutes
Beans                                               100°C                                   2-3 minutes
Bok choy                                          100°C                                   1 minute
Snow peas                                       100°C                                   1 minute

Another good thing to remember is that apart from some Asian vegetables, such as Bok choy, it is difficult to overcook vegetables in a steam oven.  Sure beats those overcooked, olive green vegetables that I was given as a child!

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Posted in: Side dishes, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

Crunchy zucchini slice

September 14, 2014 1:58 pm / Leave a Comment / Trudy

Crunchy zucchini slice

Another great way to use zucchini, I didn’t want fritters or a ‘savoury cake’ here but more of a meal.  This would also be a great brunch, lunch or side dish.

Cooked in the steam oven and just popped under the grill in your main oven to crisp the top, it is a great example of how you can utilise your different appliances for one dish.  Being an egg based slice it was perfectly cooked in the steam oven with a soft custard and the crunchy topping has lots of flavour.  The nuts and seeds really add to the texture.

Leave out the bacon for a vegetarian option.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

3 large zucchini, finely sliced with a food processor or mandolin
175g bacon, diced
1/2 cup spring onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 eggs, beaten lightly
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
chopped parsely
Topping:
1/3 cup natural seed mix (pepitas, sunflower kernels and pine nuts) or seeds of your choice.
1 cup grated tasty cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 slices multi grain bread, toasted

Method:

  1. Grease a small, solid steamer tray or baking dish.
  2. In a frypan add bacon, onion and garlic and sauté until softened
  3. Add zucchini and toss to wilt, about 5 minutes separating all the slices if possible.
  4. Place into the prepared pan and then pour over the egg mixture.  Flatten down and mix egg mix through evenly.
  5. Cover with foil and cook @ 100°C in the steam oven for 15 minutes until set.  It should be set around the edges and a little soft in the centre.  Adjust the timing accordingly for other brands of steam oven as it could take a bit longer to set.
  6. Toast the multi grain bread until brown.  Break into small breadcrumbs or do this quickly in a food processor.  In a bowl mix through other topping ingredients.
  7. Remove from steam oven and sprinkle over topping ingredients.
  8. Grill on medium heat on Static grill in your main oven being careful to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.  If the grill is preheated it will only take about 5 minutes.  Remove from the grill once the cheese has melted and the topping is golden brown.
  9. Rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Cut into squares and serve with a tossed salad or warm bread.

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in: Breakfast/Brunch, Eggs, Main Courses, Side dishes, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

Red cumin lentils

August 26, 2014 7:00 pm / Leave a Comment / Trudy

Red cumin lentils

Lentils are fantastic cooked in the steam oven.

The great thing about cooking a lentil dish or dahl in the steam oven is that you now don’t have to worry about it catching on the base of the pot!  Anyone who has ever cooked dahl will understand and appreciate this.  The last time we tried this recipe on the stove top it not only caught on the base but was too dry and gluggy.  As the steam oven adds moisture whilst cooking this wasn’t a problem anymore and the result was really light and ‘fluffy’.

This is our favourite recipe which I have adapted from the old Bathers Pavilion cookbook and substantially reduced the quantity of fat.  This lentil dish packs a punch with the spice paste, lime juice and fish sauce and is really delicious with roast meat, chicken or curries.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion
knob of ginger
3 cloves garlic
2 large green chillies
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups red split lentils
2½ cups beef stock
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp fish sauce

Method:

  1. Peel and roughly chop the onion, ginger, garlic and chillies
  2. Place them all into a food processor.  Add the cumin and process until you have a paste.  You may need to add a little water.
  3. Heat the oil in a shallow casserole that will fit into the steam oven over a low heat.
  4. Add the paste and fry until fragrant, about 10 minutes.
  5. While the paste is frying, place the lentils in a fine sieve and rinse under running water for a few minutes.  I like to do this a few times.
  6. Add to shallow casserole with the stock.
  7. Place into the steam oven @ 100°C for 15 minutes
  8. Remove from steam oven and add the lime juice and fish sauce.  Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary with a little more fish sauce or lime juice.

Keep warm until ready to serve.

 

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Posted in: Gluten free, Indian, Side dishes, Steam Oven

Freekeh & pumpkin salad

July 25, 2014 11:00 am / Leave a Comment / Trudy

Freekah and pumpkin salad

I love all the grains that are available these days.  They are so versatile, can be served hot or cold, sweet or savoury and are enjoyable in any season of the year.  A great healthy way to thicken soup in the Winter or enjoy as a salad in the Summer.

Freekeh is the latest ‘superfood’ that is popular at the moment.  This is the first time I have cooked it and I have chosen the ‘cracked’ version.  It is in fact cracked, green wheat and as it is picked and roasted when the grain is green it has a higher percentage of protein, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals.  It is not gluten free.  It is also available as a wholegrain which may take a little longer to cook.

Cooked just like rice or pasta it is yet another food that shines in the steam oven.   It is time that food manufacturers realised this so please, contact them and ask them to provide cooking instructions for a steam oven.  This is what happened when I did recipe testing and cooking instructions for Forbidden foods which was good for us all.  Have a look at that article here.  You may even want to cook some of those delicious recipes!

Ingredients:

1 cup Roasted, cracked Wholegrain Freekeh
1¼ cups water
500g butternut pumpkin, peeled and cubed
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds
4 spring onions, sliced
1 cup chopped, flat leaf parsley or coriander
Large handful baby spinach leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
grated rind and segments of one orange

Dressing optional:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
sugar, salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Place nuts and seeds into oven @ 160°C for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the pine nuts are golden brown.  Be careful not to burn them.
  2. In the solid steamer tray add freekeh which has been washed with water with a pinch of salt
  3. Cook @ 100°C for 20 minutes until cooked but still has a bite to the grain.
  4. While the freekeh is cooking add another tray into the steam oven at a higher level with the cubed pumpkin.  This will take approximately 5 minutes.  Remove and set aside to cool.
  5. Remove freekeh from the steam oven when cooked, add orange rind and the crushed garlic clove and set aside to cool.
  6. Mix dressing ingredients together in a small jar.  This is optional, the dish has enough flavour with the orange rind in the freekeh.  We drizzled a little over the top rather than mixing it through.
  7. Stir in all other ingredients reserving a few seeds for garnish, toss through the dressing, if using and serve.

Delicious with steamed chicken breast or salmon.

 

 

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Posted in: Healthy eating, Salads, Side dishes, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

French lentils

July 22, 2014 9:08 am / Leave a Comment / Trudy

French Lentils for Bastille Day

I haven’t done a steam oven recipe for a while so I have adapted this Lyndey Milan recipe for the tiny, French green lentils.  I thought that the flavouring would be perfect to serve with my Roast Tarragon Chicken for Bastille Day as a hot side dish.  I also thought it would be a lot easier to cook in the steam oven, especially while something else is cooking at the same time and would certainly be a lot less washing up as I can cook it in the serving dish!  The best part about cooking this is the steam oven was the fact that you don’t need to stir it, worry about it catching on the bottom of the pot and it took less time.  The lentils were also perfectly cooked, with just a little bite to them.

Remember, there is no transfer of flavours when cooking in the steam oven so even cooking fish with the lentils underneath won’t result in a ‘fishy flavour’ imparting into the lentils.

These lentils have a big flavour so would also be excellent with roast meat.

Ingredients: Serves 4

1 cup French Puy green lentils
1 tablespoon of oil
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 small leek, washed well and finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1½ cups water
pinch salt

Fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon of baby capers, rinsed
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Handful of baby spinach

Method:

  1. Heat the oil in a shallow casserole that will fit into the steam oven.
  2. Add the leek, carrot and garlic and sauté, covered on a low heat until soft.
  3. Add the lentils and water and cook @ 100°C for 17 minutes until soft but not broken down.  They should still hold their shape but have a bite to them.  Season with a pinch of salt to taste.

Stir through all the other ingredients and serve immediately.

 

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Posted in: Dinner parties, Gluten free, Side dishes, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

Forbidden Mexican red rice

February 25, 2014 2:42 pm / Leave a Comment / Trudy

Mexican red rice

We had our first Mexican Fiesta evening with a few friends after our trip to the USA last year.  We were inspired by the fantastic Mexican cuisine that we ate in all parts of the States with memorable meals in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.  The food was amazing, which has now inspired me to get into the whole Mexican thing.

Loving the new Mexican series on SBS1 with Peter Kuruvita on Thursday nights @ 7.30pm.  He is correct, authentic Mexican isn’t all soggy cheese and sour cream but is in fact a wonderful combination of earthy flavours and fresh ingredients.

I found this great Mexican cookbook on our travels and made this rice dish with just long grain rice on our return.  A great dish to cook again, this time with the Red rice from Forbidden foods cooked in the steam oven.  Their red rice is a combination of red and white long grain rice which is fantastic with this simple rice dish as it works well with the nuttiness of the rice, spices and colours.  Red rice is just SO Mexican!

Delicious served with my Pulled pork and Mexican Watermelon salad here and no, you don’t need the sour cream (that was just for the pic 🙂 )

Ingredients:  Serves 6-8

1½ cups Forbidden red rice, washed quickly
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1¾ cups chicken stock

Method:

  1. Heat oil and sauté onion and cumin seeds until soft and fragrant
  2. Add tomato paste and red rice.  Stir well
  3. Now add stock and place into the solid steamer tray.
  4. Cook @ 100°C for 30 minutes

Stir and garnish with chopped red chilli and coriander.

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Posted in: Gluten free, Mexican, Rice, Side dishes, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

Pearl couscous with dried figs & coriander

January 14, 2014 11:32 am / Leave a Comment / Trudy

Pearl cous cous

This is the first time I have cooked pearl couscous in the steam oven.  Easier and quicker than a huge pot of boiling water and as with quinoa you also have the ability to add flavouring into the couscous by cooking it in stock.

This is my version of Frank Camorra’s recipe that he served with the Spiced Chicken.  It is cooked twice, once in the steam oven and again with the oil and spices in a large frypan or wok so it doesn’t need the added flavour of stock in the first cooking process.  I also added some steamed pumpkin and baby spinach to some left-overs the following day and it was delicious!

Ingredients:  Serves 6

1½ cups pearl couscous
pinch salt
1¾ cups water

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup dried figs, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes, drained and chopped
zest from 1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped
1 cup coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Optional:  steamed pumpkin, cubed and cooked in the steam oven for 5 minutes
Handful of baby spinach leaves

Method:

  1. Add the couscous and water to the solid steamer tray
  2. Cook @ 100°C 10 minutes.
  3. Remove from steam oven and set aside to cool.  Add a dash of oil and stir occasionally until cold.  You do need to break it up.
  4. Heat the oil in a large wok or frypan and add the onion.  Cook until it browns 3-5 minutes.
  5. Add the garlic and spices and cook 5 minutes on a low heat until fragrant.
  6. Add couscous and half a cup of water and stir well.  This will start to form a sauce.
  7. When still warm add figs, preserved lemon and coriander.
  8. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Perfect in the LeCreuset shallow casserole as it was cooked and served in the same dish.  A side dish that is bound to become a favourite as the texture and spices really make this special.

 

 

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Posted in: Side dishes, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

Forbidden Nasi Lemak red rice

December 29, 2013 6:50 pm / 1 Comment / Trudy

Nasi lemak rice

A Malaysian friend of mine, Lily, was kind enough to lend me a book on Singaporean cooking when she heard about all my rice adventures.  This is a recipe adapted from a very old edition of ‘The Best of Singapore Cooking’ by Mrs Leong Yee Soo.  First published in 1988 and then again up to 2004 it must have been the local favourite.  You can tell that it was an old book as a lot of the recipes included MSG!  It is a long time since I have seen that in a recipe.

Lily said that the combination of the lemongrass and spices were good in this dish so I thought I would try it with the Red rice from Forbidden foods and cook it in the steam oven.  The Red rice is a longer grain than the other varieties so it will suit this dish better.  Our friends in Manly regularly use the Hainanese Chicken rice recipe here so it will be good to offer them another Asian rice dish too.

Ingredients:  Serves 6

1½ cups Forbidden Red Rice, washed
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 fresh pandan leaves if available (optional)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp. finely chopped lemongrass, white part only
¾ cup chicken stock
¾ cup coconut milk
½ cinnamon stick
1 medium onion, finely diced
Salt if required

Method:

  1. Heat oil and fry lemongrass and onion until fragrant and softened
  2. Add cinnamon, chilli powder and rice
  3. Stir to mix well and place into the solid stainless steel steam oven tray
  4. Pour over the stock and coconut milk, add the pandan leaves and cook @ 100°C 30 minutes
  5. Stir through the fresh lime juice and taste for seasoning.  You may need salt depending on your stock.

Garnish with sliced egg omelette (2 eggs beaten and cooked in a hot, oiled pan), fine chilli strips and crispy shallots 🙂

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Posted in: Gluten free, Rice, Side dishes, Steam Oven, Vegetarian

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