Home cuisine: Asian style whitefish

23 02 2014

Asian style whitefish - reijosfoo.com

Whitefish, one of the best Finnish fishes, can be prepared in a myriad of ways. This time made whitefish with asian style, one of our favourite cuisines.

First of all you need fresh whitefish. If you want to take a shortcut, purchase scaled and fish bones removed ones. Less messy and it saves time.

Whitefish - reijosfood.com

Recipe:

1 whitefish fillet for each diner

Rice (used whole grain instead of white)

Sauce: water, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, cane sugar, red chilli, ginger, fresh mint and coriander

Salad: carrot, cucumber, sweet pepper, fresh mint and coriander, balsamic vinegar

Riesling - reijosfood.com

Instructions (30 minutes preparing time, step 1 not included)

1. Take whitefish out of the fridge 1 hour earlier, add salt and pepper for both sides

2. Prepare sauce by mixing all ingredients depending how spicy you want to make it. You might want to add more sugar but tasting is important.

3. Prepare salad in separate bowls by using peeler in order to get thin chips and add sweet pepper and herbs

4. Boil water and add rice according to instructions on package (boiling time 10-12 minutes)

5. Put whitefish in the oven for about 15 minutes, 220C degrees (depending on the size of fillets)

6. Serve immediately; first rice on the warmed plate, then fish fillet and herbs. Pour sauce on top of the portions at the table.

Whitefish and rice - reijosfood.com

This dish is healthy and palatable. It is your choice how spicy food you like. This can be really spicy if you add plenty of chilli, ginger and herbs. It also can be dilute without those spices.

Suitable wine for this dish is white wine from riesling grapes. Tried Cono Sur Single Vineyard Block 23 Riesling 2012, which has enough acidity and character; therefore it paired perfectly. Wine review will follow later.





King prawns with Asian flavour

9 05 2013

For shellfish lovers easy and quick portion to prepare for lunch or dinner. But also really tasty and healthy!

King prawnsKing Prawns

Recipe

King prawns (enough for each person)

4 garlic cloves

1 chilli

1/2 -1 fresh ginger (depending on size)

Oil to fry

Asian mint

Baby salad or similar

Lime slices

Low fat Yoghurt

Whole-grain rice  for side dish

(Soy sauce)

Cooking instructions:

If king prawns are frozen defrost them in cold water and dry on paper. If you have shells on prawns, take them away.

1) Chop garlic, chilli and ginger in small pieces and cut 2 lime pieces for each person

2) Put the water to boil for rice and rice to pot when water is hot (takes 10 minutes to cook, ready cooking instructions from package)

3) Pour youghurt in small scoop and set salad leaves, lime pieces and scoop on the plate

4) Put oil on frying pan, heat it and add garlic, chilli and ginger in order to glaze them

5) Add king prawns and fry 1-2 min from both sides (depends on the size of prawns)

6) Take rice out of water and set it on the plate and add some soy sauce (if you like it)

7) Set king prawns on salad leaves which are already on the plate

8) Garnish with Asian mint

9) Enjoy with good white wine!

Ingredientsking prawns

Perfect wine due to Asian spices is KungFu Girl Riesling which was reviewed 12.1.2013.

Bon Appetit! Hyvää Ruokahalua!





Easter lamb shank

1 04 2013

As friend of confits and tender meats tried first time to prepare lamb shank. It takes about 5+ hours to cook in the oven at 150C degrees but it is worth of it. Meat becomes really crisp and comes off the bone easily. And it is delicious!

Lamb shankLamb

Recipe for 4 person

1 lamb shank per person

1 Carrot

 1/2 Celery

1/2 Swede

1 Onion

1 Garlic (4-6 cloves of garlic)

Rosemary

Sage (4 leaves)

1/2 liter dark beer (e.g. Velkopopovicky Kozel)

1+ liter meat stock

Maizena

Salt, pepper

Mashed potatoes

Cooking instructions:

1) Remove meat slides and extra fat (in picture below not yet done). Fry the meats in a pan for few seconds just to get some color. Place meets on pot or casserole dish.

2) Chop the roots and place them on the pot. Add also garlic, rosemary and sage leaves + salt and pepper

3) Pour beer (must be dark!) and meat stock on food materials so that they are covered

4) Bake in the oven for 5+ hours at 150C degrees in order to soften the meat. Be patient, 6 hours will be even better

5) Prepare sauce from broth by adding some Maizena

6) Put some vegetables on another pan, add some honey and bake in the oven at 225C degrees about 15 minutes

7) You can prepare mashed potatoes meanwhile pot prepares in the oven. No cooking instructions, just prepare it how you are used to

8) Place goodies on the plate, add some rosemary and finger salt.

9) ENJOY THE DISH

10) WITH RED WINE (review coming later)

LambVegetablesMuseum





Mämmi – traditional Finnish Easter pudding

29 03 2013

Mämmi is traditional Finnish Easter dessert which might make you to hesitate when you see the appearance of it. Any thoughts?

Mämmi

Mämmi, also sometimes called “Easter Surprise” (in Swedish Memma) is made of water, rye flour and powdered malted rye. Generally Mämmi is eaten cold with either milk or cream and sugar, and less commonly with vanilla sauce. To be honest I am not the fan of this dessert but like to maintain the traditions of Finnish cooking and dining. But you can encourage to try dessert by serving it a little bit more attractive way than Finns are used to.

Mämmi w creamMämmi with cream

Nowadays you can purchase Mämmi all year around as frozen but years ago it was only available at Easter time. I have not seen Mämmi anywhere else than in Finland but propably you could get it in Sweden because of quite similar food cultures. Wait, of course you can get it in those places where Finns have moved for instance in Fuengirola, Spain from Finnish owned shops.

If you want to know more about this dessert, just click links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A4mmi

http://www.kymppi-maukkaat.fi/en





Asian style whitefish and whole-grain rice

3 03 2013

This ASIAN STYLE WHITEFISH WITH WHOLE-GRAIN RICE is propably easiest and quickest to prepare, least messy, really healthy and on top of all one of the most delicious fish foods ever! Two important things to succeed; tasty marinad and right baking time in oven. Whitefish (lavaret) is popular fish in Finland, fish meat looks like Sea bass but usually size of the fish is smaller. This time we were able to find quite nice pieces from Stockmann Helsinki department store.

WhitefishWhitefish and rice

Recipe (2 portions)

400 g whitefish (scaled and fish bones blucked out)

Thai basilica

1 Red chili

1 Lemon

Salt, sugar and pepper

Teriayki soy sauce

Vegetable oil

Instruction: Prepare marinade by mixing squeezed lemon juice, vegetable oil and teriayki soy sauce. Chop chili and thai basilica and add them to marinade. Add salt, pepper and enough sugar to marinade so that it is not too bitter due to fresh lemon. Pour 3/4 of marinade in baking dish, put fish slices on marinade skin side up and pour rest of the marinade on top of fish.

Bake fish in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of fish pieces. Remember not to over cook! If fish lays on marinade a littke bit longer it has begun to mature due acids in lemon.

Cook rice in a pot according cooking instructions on the package while fish is in the oven.

WhitefishCitron and chili

Preparing time for portion is less than 30 minutes if you can get whitefish, which is already scaled and even bones plucked out. No fat, not too much salt because of other spices.





Fried whitefish and parsnip puree

24 02 2013

FRIED WHITEFISH WITH PARSNIP – GOAT CHEESE PUREE AND SPINACH

Really quick and easy portion to prepare. You do not even need too many foodstuffs. Suggest to prepare puree first because fish needs to be just fried.

Whitefish

Recipe for whitefish (4):

600 g whitefish (lavaret), scaled and fish bones plucked

salt, pepper

oil and butter for frying

Instruction: Make few knife cuts on fish skin. Fry fish skin side down in oil and butter mix for about 4-6 minutes

Recipe for puree (4):

500 g parsnip

80 – 100 g soft goat cheese

salt, pepper, butter, milk

Instruction: Boil peeled parsnips in salt water. Puree parsnips and add goat cheese, butter, milk, salt and pepper.

Instruction for spinach: Defrost frozen spinach in microvawe oven (shortcut)

ParsnipWhitefish pieces

Would say most difficult part is frying the fish. Whitefish skin is quite thin and it comes off too easily.  You could also add some potato to puree if you do not like the taste of parsnip; makes it softer.

White wine enjoyed with whitefish paired well, review coming in the near future……