Noodles... in more than 2 minutes.

Noodles. One of my greatest food loves. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not a 2 minute noodle kinda gal. In fact, I've only tried the 2 minute variety once, during food shortages, in Zimbabwe, whilst camping. And I wasn't happy about it. The fact that they come in a packet, and have flavours which include bacon, biltong, Indian wedding and freshly washed linen just seems wrong. 

So this is my take on Asian noodles. And they take longer than 2 minutes :)

Asian Steak Noodles

Meat Ingredients:

• 2 x Rib eye steaks – approximately 500g together.
• Hoisin sauce - I always use the Woolworths one.
• Soy Sauce
• Chopped fresh ginger
• Fresh coriander

Combine all of these together and leave to marinade for at least 2 hours. You can be generous with these ingredients, there isn't an exact quantity of each. It depends on the size of your steaks and how much you love each of these delicious ingredients. 

Noodle Ingredients:

• Any Asian noodle (Pad Thai or Glass Noodles work best) - enough for two, depending on your appetites - I like the Woolworths versions. 
• 1 whole pineapple, chopped finely
• Rind of half a lemon, zested
• A tablespoon of chopped fresh ginger 
• A chopped handful of fresh coriander
• A chopped handful of spring onion
• Soy Sauce
• Hoisin sauce

Method:

Precook the steak in a frying pan in the sauces it has been marinating in, then set aside. We prefer our steaks medium rare, you can cook yours for slightly longer, but just remember sliced tough meat, really isn't tasty. 

In the same pan, add chopped pineapple, lemon rind, ginger, garlic, coriander, soya and spring onions into the pan. 

Fry lightly, then add the noodles, along with some extra soya and hoisin.

Cook until noodles are ready and all coated in sauce.

Plate and add the steak on top.

Serve with chopped coriander mixed with ginger, salt, sesame oil and pepper and chili on the side.

Deeeelicious! 

This has to be one of my favourite dishes ever. Either just for two, or for friends and family - nothing makes me happier than tasting the fresh ginger, coriander and delicious Asian flavours.

Let me know what you think, and if you have any Asian dishes you're really fond of, we're always dying to try more.

Enjoy!

xx C

PS, this recipe comes fully husband-approved

There’s a rooster in my cappuccino

This weekend is almost definitely on the ‘Best weekend of 2012’ list.  From Friday evening onwards, it felt like a flurry of good food, great wine, fantastic company and the obligatory Sunday afternoon nap.

The freezing weather in Cape Town, and undelivered promises of snow on the ground, didn’t deter us from venturing out of the city and into Franschoek on Saturday morning. As a fairly-recent Capetonian, I have fast discovered that ‘festivals’ of any kind in these little towns surrounding Cape Town aren’t something that I enjoy. We went to a certain unnamed olive festival a few months back, and somewhere between the traffic, lack of and poor state of the toilet facilities, broken ATM’s, drunk students, drunk everyone, overpriced food and limited seating, I lost interest in attending such events.

Very chilly day. 

As you might know, it was Bastille Day in Franschoek this weekend, which is the annual celebration of the towns French Heritage, so we departed from Cape Town early to miss the crowds flocking into Franschoek to partake in the French festivities. The reason for our visit was not in fact to attend any Bastille Day events, but rather to visit the lovely La Petite Dauphine farm nestled just 2kms outside the village. La Petite Dauphine is a working fruit and wine farm offering guest accommodation, and wow, it is beautiful!

We found a warm spot in Café Bon Bon – a large almost ‘barn’ shaped building with stunning home-like furniture including a mini-library, lounge area with cozy leather couches, beautiful rugs and a big crackling fire to keep us warm. To our surprise, Hendrick, the resident Rooster was also in attendance to make us feel at home. 

Hendrick. 

The story goes that the farm was once home to a family of ducks. A passing Lynx took a liking to the little ducks and slowly decimated the group, much to the dismay of the family. The farm owners decided to buy a chicken from a nearby township to offer as live bait in the hopes of capturing the Lynx and releasing it higher up in the mountains. On the night in question, Hendrick was released into the pond area as live bait, but the lynx had already moved off the farm never to be seen again. Hendrick now resides inside the restaurant! He is a fine specimen and reminds you of his existence by happily crowing at any given moment.

Hendrick, showing us what he's made of. 

The breakfast menu at Café Bon Bon is limited, but perfectly adequate, and very tasty. Our group was slightly under the weather from the night out before, so many comfort options were ordered including French toast dripping in syrup, lovely fluffy omelettes and warm health bread toast with sticky jam. 

I would really urge you to visit the farm if you haven’t been already. The staff and management are really friendly and happily regale stories of Hendrick for those willing to listen. Franschoek is also worth a walk through on your way home.

Enjoy it,

Lisa x

Visit La Petite Dauphine on Excelsior Road in Franschhoek or ring them on +27 21 876 3936.

Happy Weekend

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Any plans for the weekend? If not, you must put Diaz Tavern on your list - check out our post from yesterday on it here - do it! Worth every minute! 

For all those off to Kynsna to run - wishing you strong legs. For all those off to eat copious amounts of oysters and drink some bubbly - jealous! If you've never heard of the Knysna Oyster Festival, you can find out more here. Well worth a visit! 

We're off to a Birthday breakfast tomorrow in Franchoek - yes, we know, pretty much one of our favourite places. Check out this post for our previous Franchoek adventures :)

Breakfast, one of our favourite meals. Image from Pinterest. 

Have a great weekend everyone! Stay warm! 

xx C & L 

A night at Diaz

It’s a well-known fact that as soon as winter descends on Cape Town majority of the population transform into complete hermits. In summer, my plus-one and I pop out after dinner for a quick walk on the Seapoint prom, or a glass of wine at a friend’s, or just a drive to watch the sun fall over the sea. The days are far longer, the views around Cape Town are mind-blowing, and the idea of staying in seems totally foreign.

Fast forward from January to July, and the opposite is true. Between bouts of monsoon-like rain, wind that pelts the rain into a sideways motion fooling any umbrella and freezing temperatures, the thought of poking one toe out of the front door is absurd. We sprint home before dark to close curtains and stop the cold coming in. We huddle around the gas heater like we’re the last two people on earth, and my dogs grow into mini fluff balls resembling little grey lambs. Besides the little lamb bit, which I secretly enjoy, winter in Cape Town is totally depressing.

All is not lost however; as I have discovered one little treat which will suit both young and old. Now keep an open mind. The place that I recommend below is well-known by most Capetonians, but not necessarily a first option for a night out. Keep in mind that this recommendation comes on the back of many depressed nights in and the need to stretch your fun muscles.

So here it is:

Dias Tavern. Don’t gasp or shake your head until you’ve read until the end. The key to a good night at this old Portuguese institution is a LARGE group of friends. Don’t bother going if it’s just you and your in-laws – the key to success here is loads of fun-loving people to accompany you. Book a big table in advance (it gets busy). Anywhere in the restaurant is fine, but not near the bar or dance floor.

Yup. This happened at Dias. Your turn.

We’ve been a couple times for birthdays and other celebrations and I find that taking matters into your hands early on and booking a taxi ride there and back is the best way to do it. There is an FNB ATM at the entrance to the restaurant, so if you’ve forgotten cash for transport, no need to stress. The restaurant is warm and welcoming and absolutely packed most of the time. If you’re into sport, get there early on sporting days to watch the major rugby or football games – they seem to screen most of them. 

Once you’re in, don’t delay: Order a pitcher of Katemba immediately. If you haven’t tried it, you haven’t lived. This is one of those ‘when in Rome’ moments. If you’re going to soak in the authenticity of the place then just give in. Katemba is a mixture of Coca Cola and Red wine (another gasp). The benefit thereof is that your head and stomach might cope slightly better the next morning :)

The menu is filled with many delights like Trinchado, giblets, livers, Espetada, Prego (I could go on for ages) – you are bound to find something that suits your taste. I seem to always choose the giblets as a starter followed by the Trinchado. I can highly recommend both – and the hotter the better!

After dinner, specifically on a Friday or Saturday evening there is live entertainment, and hopefully by that time you have warmed up on the Katemba and are in the mood to shake those hips. The crowd is usually completely diverse, but united in their need for a good party. The best thing to do is pack your inhibitions to one side, along with your winter coat, and dance all your stress away.

This picture is blurred to protect the identities of the people having ridiculous amounts of fun at Dias :)

You need to relax and enjoy it – try not be too particular about seating, noise or service. Just get into the vibe and have a great time. We do it often, and we have many hilarious stories to tell about nights out at Dias.

Tell us yours once you’ve been.


xx L

Dias Tavern is located at 15 Caledon Street (off Buitenkant st) Cape Town. You can contact them on 021 465 7547.

Commenting on Little Kitchen

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The truth, about my curry...

Someone once told me, life is too short to grind your own spices. Some of the best cooking advice I've ever had in fact. If something is available, that makes life simpler, easier and still equally as delicious. Use it. 

I will admit curry is not my favourite dish to make. Don't get me wrong, I love a good curry as much as the next person. But making it, well, I just don't have the energy.

Searching for the perfect spices, grinding, blending, getting that paste to the perfect consistency, I would rather bake macaroons for hours and whisk eggs into fluffy goodness. Curry, not so much.

But along with winter comes the craving for hot, saucy curry dripping over a mound of steaming rice, so I buckled and got cracking. I must warn you though -  I cheat. Yes. I cheat when it comes to curry :)

This recipe isn’t mine. And it isn’t from some fancy recipe book either. It is Woolworths’ Butter Chicken Curry, just presented and paired the way I like it. The person mentioned above (life being too short to make your own curry paste), also reminded me that we do not live in 14th Century India, we have the convenience of fabulous shops. Use them. And, believe me... I do! 

Butter Chicken Bunny Chows

Serves 3-4 depending on how hungry you are :)

As a standard I double the recipe, but the recipe below is the standard single version. Doubling is very easy, just double all the ingredients, and ensure adequate cooking time for all the chicken. Don't think that you have to double the time cooking the chicken, just cook it as per normal, making sure it’s not under cooked (pink and watery on the side) and not rubbery and overcooked. 

Ingredients:

• 1x Packet Woolworths Butter Chicken Curry Paste
• 400g Skinless chicken breasts 
• 1x Tin of Tomato's
• 125ml Cream
• 50g Butter
• Fresh Coriander
• Mango / Banana
• Poppadum’s
• Chutney
• Toasted Cashew Nuts
• Olive Oil
• Cooked Basmati Rice
• Woolworths Heat and Eat rolls

The Good's. Image my own. 

Method:

You will need a heavy based pot or pan, in which to cook the curry. I am completely biased towards Le Creuset, and always go for my 30cm buffet casserole pot.

La Creuset. Makes me happy. 

Empty the paste into the pan, add a dash of olive oil and fry the paste for 1-2min until it is completely warmed through.

Paste. Tomato. Curry Goodness. Images my own.

Add the tin of tomato's and stir into the paste, until evenly mixed through. Set the stove to a medium heat and let this mixture simmer for 10min.

In the meantime, slice the chicken into bite size strips. 

Chop Chop. Images my own. 

Once the curry paste mixture has cooked for the 10min, pop the chicken strips in and ensure all the chicken is covered.

10min. Starting. Now. 

You now need to let the chicken cook in the sauce for about 10-15min under cooked, but still tender. 

The extras:

- Don't forget to cook the rice. I always use Tastic Basmati Rice. Microwave or stove, your choice.

- Slice up some fresh Mango and Banana, pop into a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice on it.

- I can't eat home-made curry without chutney – also your choice.

- I buy the dried poppadums from PnP which are easily puffed up on the stove top –wait until the oil is very hot and then be VERY quick otherwise they burn easily.

Once the chicken is cooked through - pop in the cream, and stir in, letting it streak its white goodness throughout the curry – it doesn’t necessarily need to be mixed right in.

And then. The cream. It's worth it. Believe me. 

Once your heat and eat rolls are hot out of the over, cut a small hole in the top of the roll – discarding the piece. Place the roll on a clean warm plate and place the roll in the centre of the plate. Slowly spoon your delicious curry into the hole, letting is drip down the sides of the roll. Plop a small portion of rice onto the place, as well as a little bunch of coriander leaves, scatter your toasted cashews over the top of the curry, and serve while steaming hot.

My cheat is complete. Images my own. 

I have to say – this one is a winner at my table. It warms the cockles of your heart...try it, you’ll see.

Stay warm in this weather and drive safe

C xx

One more pea in the little kitchen pod

Wow, how time flies. I feel like I blinked and suddenly I hadn’t posted on the blog for 2 weeks. Apologies to those who might have visited in the interim.

As a stop gap to help me fill the time I am taking on a partner. Someone to help me keep the blog up to date with interesting and relevant content. You would have read posts from Lisa regularly on the blog, so now, to make it official – here are a few details on Lisa...

Lisa & Rufus, Hout Bay

Lisa is a communications consultant living in Cape Town, South Africa. She is a fellow Miniature Schnauzer lover and I’m sure we will see the odd post about her furry babies R&R. Lisa only moved to the fair Cape with her new hubby in Jan 2011, so she has interesting insights on Cape culture and things that many of us take for granted.  She has been heard ranting about the lack of parking ‘in our village’ and happily greeting many a grumpy Capetonian on a morning run. Yes, we’ll admit to not being totally friendly first thing in the morning!

Lisa has fast become my number one exercise partner as well as drinking buddy, and together we conquer many fabulous trail runs, restaurants and recipes.

You can follow Lisa on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lisaedwardssa

I hope you’ll enjoy hearing from both of us, and please leave us your comments below if you have any questions or requests.

xx C & L