Whilst in England earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit the Oyster Festival at Whitstable. This is a 3 day celebration of all things oyster, dating back to Norman times. It was a great day, there was a market and music, a fun fair and as much seafood as you could poke a stick at! The seaside town of Whitstable is also lovely with some great shops and eateries. Well worth a visit even if the festival isn’t happening.
How to best to celebrate this day and the humble oyster but with another quintessentially English ingredient… rhubarb!
WTF??? Yep, rhubarb. Sounds weird but bear with me…it really works. Meantime, here’s some pics from the Oyster Festival.
While we were in Whitstable, we had our oysters with a traditional mignonette which is chopped shallots, red wine vinegar and cracked black pepper. I jazzed mine up with some very finely chopped rhubarb.
Raw rhubarb has a sharp, clean, crisp, sour taste – imagine sour green apples mixed with celery which mixes perfectly with the red wine vinegar and shallots in a traditional mignonette, plus it makes it a glorious pink colour!
Of course, if you want a traditional mignonette, you can use this recipe from Bon Appetit. But why not take a teeny step into the wild side and try this? It is really lovely!
Any leftover mignonette can be used as a delicious dressing for any salad greens!
Today we are exploring the first part of a two-part series taken from the pages of Vogue Entertaining October / November 1989 with a gorgeous Japanese snack plate.
On the plate today we have Japanese Fried Chicken, Prawn Canapé’s, Radish Canapés, edamame beans, wasabi and mayo! This is so pretty, perfect for a Spring brunch!
The magazine comes from a time when ingenious recipes and inventive ideas may have involved giving your guests a bowl of roses to munch on. Yummy!
Roses aside, we are putting some Spring flavours in full bloom on today’s Japanese snack plate. Just as an aside though, guess which day the J key on my laptop decided to break, meaning it had to be hit about four times harder than all the other keys. The sound track for the writing of this post was tap, tap, tap THUMP tap, tap, tap THUMP.
Minor typing difficulties aside, lets turn our attention to some hors d’œuvres for our Japanese snack plate.
Japanese Stuffed Radishes
Could not be simpler and the crunchy peppery radish is delicious with the salty punch of the caviar. Simply slice your radish down the middle of the stem, then scoop out a small hollow in your radish and fill with caviar. I think nowadays if you were making this you would use tobiko instead of normal caviar but maybe that was readily available in 1989. Come to think of it, I have no idea if it is readily available now!
Stuffed Prawns
Pardon me for having two things stuffed with caviar in this post but seeing as I had to buy it specially, I wanted to get some bang for my buck. Also, if it was good enough for Vogue Entertaining in 1989 its good enough for me!
This is also very tasty with this time a contrast between the sweet prawn meat and the salty caviar. Add a dob of pungent wasabi and some creamy mayo and you have perfection! The original recipe had the prawn heads left on. I took mine off. I just think it is easier to eat with head and shells gone.
It is important to skewer the prawns so they stay straight.
To make these you will need:
12 medium green king prawns
2 tsp salt
25g black caviar
Place a satay stick through the body of each prawn to keep it straight. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Drop the prawns in and cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the water and leave to cool.
Remove the satay sticks and remove the heads and shells, leaving the tail. Split the prawns down the back with a sharp knife and remove the digestive tracts. Fill the tract cavity with a little caviar. Repeat.
Soy and Ginger Edamame (loosely adapted from A Moveable Feast by Katy Holder)
These are not from Vogue Entertaining Oct /November 1989 but make a tasty and colourful addition to the snack plate.
200g edamame in pods
1/2 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp light olive oil
1/2 tbsp mirin
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp grated ginger
pinch of sugar
Cook the edamame in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Pop the beans from their pods. Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl, stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the edamame and sit for at least an hour to let the flavours absorb. Strain and add to the plate.
Japanese Fried Chicken
I did not make this for the snack plate. We had it for dinner the night before but I made extra so we could have it on the plate. This is so good. Huh…it’s fried chicken, like it was ever going to be bad! This was great hot from the fryer in the evening and also super eaten cold the next day – it was not too greasy like a lot of fried chicken as leftovers and still quite crispy, although it is not a thick southern style coating.
“I hope somewhere in this book there is a dish or two that you choose to serve to your family. Something that gets asked for again and again, and each time you make it, it becomes a little more your own. Then one day, years from now, when the people you cooked for have left and live their lives and come back to visit, you make that meal for them again. And that’s what makes them feel like they’re home” Adam Liaw, Adam’s Big Pot
Okay. Now that there’s not a dry eye in the house we’ll talk Tasty Reads.
Our latest theme has been Asian food and I kind of lucked out in that I already owned one of of the book choices, the absolute classic Charmaine Solomon’s Complete Asian Cookbook. But ‘s that’s not what we’re going to talk about today. Because, on high recommendation, I bought Adam’s Big Pot.
For those of you who have not heard of him, Adam Liaw was the winner or runner up or something in Master Chef a few years ago. But you don’t need to know that. What you do need to know is that apart from his annoying man-bun, Adam Liaw is immensely likeable.
I on the other hand am not intensely likeable, in fact, I am a contrarian at best and part of my reason for choosing this book was to take it down, It was SO highly recommended I thought there was no way it could live up to the expectations that had been set.
I stand corrected.
This book is AWESOME.
I have not been so excited about a Tasty Reads book since Persiana – only 17 recipes to go after I totally botched the baklava on the weekend. But we’re not here to talk about my cooking disasters.
OK, fine, seeing as you insist. I overcooked the sugar syrup so when I poured it over the pastry it set like toffee so the top of the baklava is tooth breakingly hard and the bottom is as dry as dust. My fault entirely, because after cooking the syrup for the requisite amount of time I thought it looked too watery. And because having made Baklava precisely…let me see…never before, I considered myself a bit smarter than the recipe. (Sigh, eyeroll, face palm).
But lets not focus on the bad, let’s talk about why I am excited by this book!
Adam’s Big Pot – Highlights
This is a very good primer in Asian food, lots of counties are represented – Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, India. A great variety without being too daunting.
There are lots of super photos
Adam’s descriptions of each recipe are great
He’s not too prissy – he offers lots of alternatives – eg if you don’t have a master stock handy, use chicken.
His tips are great
The book is beautifully presented
The meals are quick, easy and approachable
Cooking from this book is like cooking with an old friend. He’s just so damn likeable!
The food is super delicious. I have only made one thing I didn’t like (see Dishes Made below).
Adam’s Big Pot – Weaknesses
I feel like I’m being super picky here but you know, just so you know this isn’t paid for by Adam or anything (ha! I wish!).
If you were utterly unfamiliar with Asian cooking and you wanted to try a lot of the recipes in here you may have to buy a lot of ingredients that you may not use again if you did not love the dish and / or they may make you break out into hives (see below).
I think the Bits and Pieces section which is the very first in the book and contains the recipes for the curry pastes, the stocks and all the other base ingredients would have been better placed at the end of the book.
No bread! No roti, chapati, naan or paratha! I would have LOVED at least one bread recipe in here!
Adam’s Big Pot – What I’ve Cooked
Carrot and Cumber Som Tam.
So good. This is Adam’s version of my favourite, green papaya salad. Lovely, fragrant, spicy, fresh.
Tuna Takaki Salad.
Just divine!
Tuna, Corn And Avocado Salad
This is on high lunch rotation! I have made it pretty much every week since finding this recipe. The recipe calls for raw corn, I have used tinned and leftover grilled corn. All super.
Chicken and Cashew Nuts
Something in this recipe made me break out into a horrible rash and massive hives. I suspect it was the dark soy sauce because it was the only thing I have not used before. This probably says more about the excitability of my skin than a real flaw with the recipe because the fussiest eater in the world was perfectly fine. He had seconds and took it to work the next day.
Tandoori Chicken
Starting with homemade tandoori paste! I was RIDICULOUSLY proud of myself for making this. Who makes their own tandoori paste? Isn’t that what supermarkets are for? But it was so easy to do. I will never buy it again! And you know, seeing as I am Ms Allergic to the World, the more things I can control in my diet the better!
And then the chicken:
Salt and Pepper Squid
I love squid. The Fussiest Eater in the World will, however, not touch it with a ten-foot barge pole. So, I quite often make it for one. Adam’s recipe is so quick to cook, it is a great after-work meal for one or many! It’s also why I bought rings instead of tubes – easier to control portions.
I also had absolutely no idea that Salt and Pepper Squid was not a thing everywhere.
Adam says
“You could argue that salt and pepper squid is Australia’s national dish. It’s universally loved and you can buy it in just about any pub, Vietnamese, Thai or Chinese restaurant or Italian café around the country. On top of that, it’s not commonly found in any other country. It’s a truly homegrown favourite”
So, here it is rest of the world. What are you waiting for? Make this tonight. And thank me later!
Cut down one side of the squid tubes and open them flat. Lightly score the surface in a cross -hatch pattern, cut into bite sized triangles and toss in the flour.
Shake off excess flour an deep fry the squid din batches ffpr about a minute per batch or until just cooked and lightly golden.
Drain well.
Remove the oil, leaving about a tbsp in the wok. Heat the wok over medium heat and add the garlic, chilli and spring onion.
Toss in the wok for about a minute, or until the ingredients are lightly browned.
Add the squid and toss constantly scattering with the salt and pepper.
Remove the squid from the wok, scatter with coriander leaves and serve with lemon wedges and aioli.
What to cook Next?
I have some of the tandoori paste left so it would be sensible to make the tandoori chicken again. And the naan and the rojak I made from the Charmaine book when I made the tandoori chicken were super and the flavours went really well together.
However, with so many other delicious recipes still left to cook, including:
Prawn and Grapefruit Salad
Tom Yum Fried Rice
Kuku Paka which is an African chicken curry
Whiting With Nori Butter
Tiger Skinned Chicken
Baked Thai Fish Cakes
Canonigo which is a Filipino desert made from meringue, orange custard and caramel
D0 you cook Asian at home? What is your Asian favourite cuisine? What is your favourite Asian recipe? You know I’m nosy and love to know your business so please leave comments!
Anyhoo, I’ve loved cooking from this book and I’m awarding it Five Golden Rings of Squiddy Delciousness!
Let’s see if the rest of the Tasty Reads crew agrees!
Maybe it’s because it’s Halloween week but here I am with another thing, actually two things that scare me. Batter and deep-frying. Because I made Sliders. And not just any sliders, Oyster Sliders. And not just any Oyster Sliders but Old Bay Oyster Sliders!
Ooooooohhhhhyeeeeeaaaahhhh!!!
Can I just say that these were as good as they look?
Start off with some mini brioche…..hmmm..now where would you find some of them? And toast them up.
Whip up some aioli ( I had this saffron and roasted garlic aioli from something else I had made), but any aioli or even mayo would be fine. But the saffron makes it look so pretty!
Choose your vegetables. I used lettuce, carrot, red cabbage and red onion.
Don’t forget the pickle! I used a pickled jalapeno but a dill pickle would also be fine.
Next up a tempura style batter loaded with Old Bay! Heat some oil, drench your oysters in the batter and drop into the hot oil. These only need a minute or so to cook. Drain on crumpled paper:
And assemble.
Now, you have to promise not to laugh or judge me too harshly…(oh wow does that make a third thing that frightens me, in this post alone?) but I made my first ever gif.
Ok, deep breath, here ’tis…
Eeek….if anyone’s left after that, here’s the recipe!
If you read my last post you would have already seen these amazing cucumber candlesticks…now you get to learn how to make them yourself!
Cucumber Candlesticks
I found the original recipe in, yep, you guessed it, the delight that is Salads For All Seasons by Rosemary Mayne Wilson, because that book never gets old. Well, technically yes it does but you know what I mean.
I fancy pantsed mine up a bit by adding a little bit of hot sauce into my crab and mayo mix but you could use wasabi or tomato paste or chilli sauce, chopped herbs, chopped up sun-dried tomatoes, or pretty much any flavouring you liked. You could also swap out the crab for canned tuna or salmon if that’s how you roll.
I also added a strip of sun-dried tomato as a flame.
The only bit of making these that was even a little bit difficult was scooping out the flesh of the cucumbers and not having them break. I don’t have a grapefruit knife as suggested by Rosemary Mayne Wilson so I ended up using a 1/4 teaspoon measure and scooping out a little bit at a time.
Cucumber Candlesticks
These were really tasty and pretty easy to make. And a pretty cool retro canapé to kick off the celebrations.
Cucumber Candlesticks2
To eat these you can slice them either across into rounds down the middle into half or quarter moons.
But before the recipe, I thought I might do a quick “retro” spective. I spent some time the other day going through some old posts and one thing became clear. If there was going to be a sub-sub title for this blog, it would surely have to be “I like round food. And I really, really like small round food”
May 2012 – Cucumbers Stuffed with Cream Cheese
July 2012 – Moccha Mousse
July 2012 – Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes
February 2013 – Barbra Streisands Coffee Ice Cream
April 2013 – Devilled Chestnuts
April 2013 – Rosé Wine Cup
May 2013 – Television Eggs
September 2013 – Ice Cream Muffins
September 2013 – Vietnamese Inspired Aubergine
Minh Mang-o Daiquiri
November 2013 – Kale and Onion Pies, Smoked Salmon Frittata
December 2013 – Pepperoni Pizza with Boccocini, Olives and Mint
December 2013 – Cabbage Rolls with Meatballs
January 2014 – Saffron Risotto Balls
April 2014 – Ox Eye Eggs
August 2014 – Autumn Rosti With Smoked Salmon
August 2014- Meatball Sandwich
Umami Meatballs
November 2014 – Cheesy Eggplant Sandwiches
Eggplant Salami Sandwich 4
November 2014 – Chargrilled Aubergines from Persiana
How to best to celebrate this day and the humble oyster but with another quintessentially English ingredient… rhubarb! 
WTF??? Yep, rhubarb. Sounds weird but bear with me…it really works. Meantime, here’s some pics from the Oyster Festival.
While we were in Whitstable, we had our oysters with a traditional mignonette which is chopped shallots, red wine vinegar and cracked black pepper. I jazzed mine up with some very finely chopped rhubarb.
Raw rhubarb has a sharp, clean, crisp, sour taste – imagine sour green apples mixed with celery which mixes perfectly with the red wine vinegar and shallots in a traditional mignonette, plus it makes it a glorious pink colour!
Of course, if you want a traditional mignonette, you can use this recipe from Bon Appetit. But why not take a teeny step into the wild side and try this? It is really lovely!
Any leftover mignonette can be used as a delicious dressing for any salad greens!
