Duck and Plum Salad for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year falls on the 19th of February this year, we leave behind the Year of the Horse and welcome the Year of the Goat.  Duck is often featured in Chinese recipes and I would often choose it if I was eating out, however it's a meat I cook only occasionally.

This salad was so delicious, the tender roasted duck and juicy plums contrasting with the savoury vermicelli noodles and peppery rocket.  All of the ingredients are available at Marks and Spencer, who provided also provided me with the recipe.

This  would make a great dinner party meal as you can roast the duck and plums earlier in the day then you only have to assemble the salad before serving.  


Duck Breast with Plum Salad
Ready in 30 minutes, Serves 4
Ingredients

· 2 tbsp olive oil
· 4 duck breasts, skin removed
· 8 plums, halved and stoned
· 1 star anise
· 3 tbsp port
· 2 tbsp soy sauce
· 125g rice noodles
· Thumb-sized piece root ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
· ½ x 25g pack fresh coriander, leaves only
· ½ x 25g pack fresh mint, roughly chopped
· 4 handfuls rocket leaves


1. Heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius / 375 degrees Fahrenheit / gas 5 (170 degrees Celsius for fan ovens). In a small, ovenproof frying pan, heat 1tbsp of the oil. Season the duck breasts and fry for 2 – 3 minutes each side, until starting to brown. Transfer to the oven for a further 15 minutes, then remove and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, sit the plums, cut side-up, in a small roasting tin with the star anise. Drizzle over the port and soy sauce. Roast for 10 – 15 minutes, adding a splash of water to the tin if it becomes dry. Set aside.

3. Cook the noodles according to packet instructions, then drain and refresh under cold water. Heat the remaining oil in a small frying pan and fry the ginger for 2 minutes, until golden. Drain on kitchen paper.

4. Toss the noodles with the herbs and rocket. Divide among 4 serving plates and add the plums. Slice the duck breasts and arrange on top with the fried ginger, then spoon over any pan juices from the plums.

Per serving
334 calories, 14.9 fat (3.5g saturated), 196g carbohydrates, 11.7g sugar, 2.9g fibre, 28.6g protein, 1.52g salt



I received the ingredients for this recipe from Marks and Spencer, I was not paid and all opinions are my own.

Labels: duck, Marks and Spencer, noodles, plums, salad

posted by Janice @ 12:30 17 Comments

Wine, Chocolate, Green Tea, Noodles and Nuts on My Kitchen Table in September

Welcome to my kitchen table, if you haven't visited before then let me tell you that this is where I review a variety of different products that have been sent to me and I'd like to share with you.


So let's start with a nice chilled glass of wine.  I wasn't able to attend the Matua Sessions launch, but I was offered a bottle to try in the comfort of my own home!  Matua are a New Zealand Winery and the Matua Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is fresh with a real citrus zing, reminiscent of grapefruit and perfect for a warm summer day, an ideal match for fish and seafood. 7/10


Ever thought you might like to be a Chocolatier?  Well you can design your own chocolate bar without all the hassle of tempering with Chocolat Chocolat.  The website is easy to navigate and you can choose both the base chocolate for your bar from different types of chocolate, dark,  white  and caramel chocolate, then you choose from a variety of toppings.  Here is what I chose:

Bar 1 - 70% Dark, toppings - apricots, pecans and amaretti biscuit crumble
Bar 2 -  34% Caramel , toppings - Cappucino Buttons, Honeycomb and caramelised almonds
Bar 3 - 55% Dark, toppings - cinnamon, cardamom and chocolate coffee beans

I usually prefer dark chocolate, but I also loved the caramel bar with it's sweet and crunchy toppings.  This would be a perfect gift for a chocolate lover, or a special treat for yourself.

One custom bar costs £5.95, two custom bars cost £10.95 and three custom bars cost £14.95

As well as ordering online you can visit the Chocolat Chocolat shop in Cambridge for the full range of glorious chocolately goodness.  9/10



It's no secret that we are lovers of really good tea.  Brian is particularly keen on chinese green teas and he was so impressed with the Emperor Sampler Set from Adagio Teas.  This Sampler contains generous portions of the following:

• gyokuro - Deeply sweet, aroma of freshly buttered greens - no grassiness or harshness. Soft with a balanced, delicate finish.
• jasmine chun hao - Sweet perfumy cup, notes of warmed sugar, slightly toasty like a fresh biscuit. Light, refreshing and not overwhelmingly floral.
• jade snail - The tightly rolled fuzzy buds unfurl to deliver intricate notes of roasted nuts, soft smokiness and a hop-like crispness. Delicate yet bold.
• dragonwell - Inviting, toasty aroma and sweet rounded flavour. Nutty, buttery texture, pleasantly dry finish.

We loved them all, but the dragonwell was probably the one that came out top in our tasting test. the Emperor Sampler costs £13 for four teas 62g , Dragonwell costs £15 for 85g which works out at 40p per cup  8/10


I must now declare that I have NEVER eaten a Pot Noodle in my life!  So when I received a pack of Itsu Crystal Noodle Cups  I was somewhat sceptical.  However, I was pleasantly surprised as the broth, which comes as a paste in a foil pack, was really very delicious and had not artificial flavours or after-taste.   I adored the 'spork' which was really necessary to drink the soup and fish for the noodles,even better each cup is only 171 calories.

Itsu Crystal Noodle Cups are available from Ocado at £2.29 per cup (currently on special offer for £1.75) 7/10


Nuts are such a great ingredient in recipes and also a delicious snack on their own.  Jumble Bee nuts are available through Tesco stores with 175g packs retailing for £2.39.  I decanted a portion of nuts into a small plastic box and took it to work to keep me going through the day.  The nuts were lovely and fresh and the fruit soft and sweet, absolutely delicious.  8/10

I hope you have enjoyed my eclectic mix of foodie treats this month.  I'll be back with more in October.  

I was supplied with these products for review, I was not paid and all opinions are my own. 

Labels: adagio teas, Chocolat Chocolat, chocolate, designer, Green Tea, Itsu, jumble bee, Matua, noodles, Nuts, On my Kitchen Table, Reviews, Round Up, wine

posted by Janice @ 20:54 8 Comments

Steamed Sea Bass with Chinese Style Vegetables in the Microwave

Usually, I only defrost and heat up food in the microwave, I don't really use it for real cooking.  However, in case you haven't visited for a while, you may not know that I don't have a proper kitchen at the moment.  We have dry rot in our house and my kitchen has been stripped right back to the bare walls and I'm cooking in my utility room with my slow cooker, a single electric ring and the microwave (see pictures at the end of the post).  I'm pretty pleased with how I've managed so far.  I had frozen some chilli, bolognese sauce and some chorizo burgers but I've also made two slow cooker casseroles, omelette and pancakes.



I was particularly pleased when I was offered the chance for a product review for Lekue, a Spanish company who make high quality silicone cook and bake ware.   I chose to review the Steam Case with tray 3-4 persons, this is perfect for cooking in the microwave.

The Lekue Steam Case with Tray allows healthy steam cooking which maintains nutrients.  The removable interior tray guarantees the liquids accumulated during cooking or defrosting will drain away from the food. Cooking can be done with or without the tray depending on the desired results.  One of the things I really like about it is that it can withstand high cooking temperatures in microwaves and ovens AND it is dishwasher safe and maintains it's shape which has not been my experience with other silicone in the dishwasher.    



Things came together even more neatly when I saw that Charlene at No Love Sincerer had launched a Microwave Cooking Blog Challenge to help her friend Tom whose only means of cooking is his basic microwave.  Now that is a real challenge! 


So here is my guide to cooking Steamed Sea Bass with Chinese Style Vegetables in the Microwave.  The Lekue Steamer is ideal for this recipe, however if you don't have one, you could make this in a microwavable dish with a lid or with pierced clingfilm on top.




Place a pack of ready to stir fry egg noodles to the base of the dish. Add a pack of mixed Chinese style vegetables or a selection of vegetables e.g. mangetout peas, pak choi, carrots and spring onions. Steam the noodles and vegetables with a teaspoon of soy sauce for 3 minutes.


Add the Sea Bass fillets and add a sachet of stir fry sauce or you could simply add a little more soy sauce.  I also added shaved fresh ginger, sliced spring onions and garlic.  Cook in the microwave for a further 4 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

This isn't fancy cooking, most of the ingredients I used were semi-prepared, but the result was a meal that is simple to make in the microwave and had a lovely fresh taste.  It didn't taste like a 'ready meal' and didn't involve too much taking the food in and out of the microwave which is something I find really off putting about cooking anything in the microwave.

What is your favourite dish to make in the microwave?

Thanks to Lekue for providing me with this steamer, I was not paid for this post and all opinions are my own.

Labels: chinese vegetables, Lekue, microwave, noodles, sea bass, silicone, steamer

posted by Janice @ 07:00 10 Comments