A taste of China…

Well you have probably grasped by now that I quite like cooking….Ok, I really like cooking (slightly obsessed even?).

I like eating even more.. one of my favourite foods has to be Chinese.

Now I obviously didn’t think this through when I moved out into the sticks. I love being in the country…we have a wonderful view and a lovely long garden, which I am going to hopefully grow some of our food in this year (dependant on the dog :S ).

However…we are miles away from a takeaway..and the one that will deliver isn’t that good to be honest. So I have been practising with my wok and steamer, and its going pretty well. I did find ingredients limited in the supermarket, so this weekend we took a trip to a wonderful Chinese supermarket in Leeds. My gosh it is fab.

They have an absolute wonderful array of all sorts of wonders. From basic ingredients (The lemongrass and bay leaves were fantastic value.) to prepared dishes such as salt and pepper spare ribs and wantons. There was every type of noodle known to man and lots of exciting seafood all at fantastic prices.

My freezer and cupboards are now back to brimming 😦 but at least it is with new exciting stuff.
The char sui marinade transformed a dish of chicken thighs. the dumplings and ribs added to my increasing waistline.
I am sure it was a lot healthier than a takeaway. It was a lot cheaper that’s for sure. and it was a lot of fun…

Tonight we are having white fish steamed with lemongrass and ginger, and prawn chow mein…

Whats not to love?

Happy eating..
Love
Sky @ http://www.thesideplate.com

Computers, cake and chaos…

Goodness me, one windows update, a busy school week and celebration meal and it all went to pot!

I actually prefer the chaos to the calm, as long as I have a back up plan.
My meal plan went to pot this week but after today I shall be back on track.
I don’t need to go shopping for the next week 🙂

It all started with a computer update which seems to have wiped out half of my computer..but where there’s a will, there’s a way..so here I am back at my tappity tap keyboard.

Monday dinner was a fabulous Chinese meal. our usual takeaway was closed (see even that plan went awry).
So we tried a new one and it was excellent…so anyone who lives near Ossett, Wakefield, I can highly recommend The Orient Express.
It was a belated birthday tea, complete with balloons and cake. We finally rounded up all the children, and as it was St Patricks day, I made a chocolate guinness cake.

Wow it was the kind of cake that halfway through making it you think, Jeez this seems a lot of effort (I am lazy, what can I say). but I have to say even without the icing it was divine. I shall post the recipe later.

The rest I guess is just history…tonight’s dinner is a mishmash of pizzas wraps and fries. my boys been on a school trip so we will need to chill. Tomorrow is a little more planned with an easy roast dinner, and pie on Friday…all I need now is to sort out this damn computer.

Cooking I can do….computers..errr not so good.

Lovely to catch up and thanks for reading.

Sky @ http://www.thesideplate.com

Chinese New Year 2014

Chinese New Year 2014. A favourite celebration.

I absolutely adore Chinese food, and it is something I never tire of…So much so, that when I was a young girl tucking into my bowl of sweet & sour chicken and noodles. I declared my ambition to marry a Chinese chef who was a millionaire…my mother was quick to point out if I married any millionaire, I could hire a chef. It turned out I did neither, but the first cookbook I ever bought was the Hamlyn All Colour Chinese Cookbook. (I still have it.) And on receiving the keys of a slightly dodgy and incredibly small flat, I cooked up a feast on my one working gas ring.

I still remember the night when I was about 15, and my parents were celebrating something or other. We went to new local restaurant and it was Chinese New Year. Oh what a night. A true feast of delights, we ate until our tummies were fit to burst…and then some more. A stunning Chinese dragon danced its way through the diners into the chilly night air. We all followed in high anticipation.
Now if you have never experienced Chinese firecrackers, they are fantastically extreme. I don’t think I have ever heard anything quite as loud in such close proximity. I am guessing the guy stood near who decanted his glass of red wine down the front of his shirt hadn’t either….

Tonight I shall be cooking my favourites of homemade prawn toast, a tender beef Cantonese, and a special curry, their of course will be rice and noodles…the prawn crackers will be shop bought ones..I once tried to make them, but they were rubbish and I nearly burnt the house down.

Happy New Year

Love Sky @ http://www.thesideplate.com

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

My very first cookbook @ http://www.thesideplate.com

Chinese cookery books