Recipe: Shakshuka with Mushrooms, Parmesan and Basil

Both my children LOVE eggs, so you would often see us eating eggs in various cooking styles, such as half boiled egg, fried egg, scrambled eggs and hard boiled eggs. Earlier this week, I made shakshuka for them for brunch.

Shakshuka (or shakshouka) is a dish of eggs poached in tomato, with bread on the side to mop up the sauce. Here is my version with sauteed mushrooms and topped with Parmesan cheese and sweet basil leaves which I served with a crusty loaf. The eggs were still slightly runny in the centre. The dish is ready once the egg white has set. Simple and delicious! Suitable for vegetarians too.

The boy enjoying his eggs ;)

Watch this easy step-by-step video on how to cook shakshouka at home (full screen here)

Shakshuka with Mushrooms, Parmesan and Basil
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 8-10 minutes
Serves 4


Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
100g grey oyster mushrooms, sliced
1/2 can tomato puree (approx 200g)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp vegetable stock granules
4 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese
Sweet basil leaves


1. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute, until lightly golden.

2. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 1 minute. Then, stir in the tomato puree, water and chicken stock granules and bring to the boil.

3. Once boiling, reduce to low heat. Break in the eggs into the pan, (be careful not to break them), season the eggs with salt and pepper, then cover the pan with a lid and allow to cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until the egg whites have set.

4. Remove from heat, and grate Parmesan cheese all over. Garnish with sweet basil leaves and serve with some crusty bread.

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Recipe: One-Pan Lamb Chops with Roasted Vegetables

So, on Easter Sunday, I cooked my daughter's favorite lamb loin chops for dinner. I had friends telling me on social media how good it looks and I couldn't help but add "And it's so easy to cook too!".

This is currently my favorite recipe for cooking lamb chops as it's so easy! All you have to do is to place the lamb chops along with vegetables, all in one pan and roast it. You can add any of our favorite vegetables; our recommendation would be root vegetables such as carrots, onions and parsnips as well as zucchini, bell peppers and celery. It is a complete meal on one tray. On this occasion, I did make some mashed potatoes to go with it, as my kids love it, however to save some time, you can also add in some new potatoes to the tray so it all cooks together on the same tray.

One-pan lamb chops with roasted vegetables

Do remember to cut your vegetables in thick chunks as you want them to retain their crunchy texture.

See here for the full step-by-step video (view in full screen here)

One-pan lamb chops with roasted vegetables

Recipe by Baby Sumo

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15-18 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

15 lamb loin chops

1 carrot

1 celery

1 zucchini

1 yellow pepper

A handful fresh rosemary

Anchovies (optional)

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the gravy

1 OXO beef stock cube

2 cups of water

1-2 tbsp Bisto beef stock granules

1. Preheat oven to 200�C. Wash the lamb loin chops and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Line two baking trays with foil. Arrange the lamb chops between the two trays.

2. Cut the carrots, celery, zucchini and yellow pepper into large, thick chunks. Scatter on the tray between the lamb. Drizzle with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. If you are using anchovies, you can crumble them between your fingers all over the lamb. 

3. Snip rosemary all over the lamb.

4. Place trays in preheated oven and roast for 15-18 minutes.  Allow the meat to rest for 3 minutes before serving.

5. For the gravy, bring water to the boil, then add the OXO cube and mix until dissolved. Add the Bisto beef stock granules and stir well. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as necessary.

6. To serve, place lamb chops, and roasted vegetables on a plate, along with mashed potatoes. Serve the gravy in a gravy jug on the side and mint sauce.

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Recipe: Banana Blossom Salad with Prawns

We have been enjoying a bountiful supply of bananas from our garden for the past year. Usually, we would discard or give away the banana blossom (aka banana heart or banana flower or jantung pisang in Malay) as we do not quite know what to do with it. This time, we saved it and made a salad out of it!

Banana Blossom Salad with Prawns

The banana blossom we got this time was pretty small, so preparing it took a mere 5 minutes. First you will need to remove the tough reddish outer layer, also known as bracts. You can use these bracts for serving plates for your salad. The white or pale yellow colored heart is the edible part - before slicing them, prepare a bowl of water and add either lime juice or vinegar to it. You will need to soak the sliced banana heart in the acidic water to remove bitterness and waxy sap from it.

We also harvested other goodies from our garden such as Vietnamese mint (daun kesum), mint, and calamansi limes - Felt pretty amazing getting to use all these lovely produce from our garden in this salad. I made a simple dressing from the calamansi limes, honey and fish sauce.

This is a simple, appetizing salad - will definitely be making this again the next time we harvest another banana blossom! :)

Please watch this video on how to make this simple banana blossom salad with prawns (watch in full screen here)

Banana Blossom Salad with Prawns
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: less than 1 minute
Serves 1-2


Ingredients
1 small banana blossom
2 cup water
1-2 tbsp vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 Chinese cabbage leaf, washed and sliced thinly
1 stalk Vietnamese mint (daun kesum), washed and chopped
2 stalks mint, washed and chopped
8 prawns, peeled, deveined with tails intact


For the dressing
Juice from 2 calamansi limes
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fish sauce


1. Fill a bowl with 2 cups water and 1-2 tablespoonfuls of vinegar.

2. Peel off the bracts (tough reddish outer layer) and florets one by one. These bracts can be used as serving plates for your salad. Stop peeling once you have reached the white or pale yellow colored heart, this part is edible and tender. The florets are also edible.

2. Cut the heart into half, and then thinly slice. Place them into the acidic water for about 30 minutes, this helps it remove some bitterness as well as the sticky sap. Before using, drain and rinse in cold water.

3. In a pot of boiling water, blanch the prawns for 10-15 seconds, then remove and allow to cool.

4. In a small bowl, add the ingredients for the dressing - lime juice, honey and fish sauce, and mix well.

5. In a large mixing bowl, add the drained, sliced banana heart, cabbage leaf, mint and Vietnamese mint. Pour over the dressing and mix well. Add the prawns and serve in the reserved bracts.

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