Fried Udon Noodle with Beef & Seafood

I prepared this simple dish for our Sunday lunch as per our youngest son's request.  He loves Udon noodle - no matter whether it is served in a soup or fried!

Ingredients (serves 4):
200 g minute beef steak, to be sliced into strips and mixed with 1 tbsp light soy sauce & 1 tsp cornflour, set aside
200 g prawns
2 medium-sized cuttlefish
1 bundle spring onions, to be washed and cut into 3 cm lengths
2 medium-sized carrots, to be peeled and finely sliced
some cabbage, to be cut into small pieces (optional)
6 dried mushrooms, to be soaked in warm water and finely sliced
3 tbsp oyster sauce
salt & pepper to taste

3 tbsp oil
4 small packets cooked Udon noodles (note:  there are 3 small packets in a packet), to be soaked in hot water for a minute in order that the noodles are separated and then remove to a colander

Method:
Cut one side of cuttlefish and open it up with the inside side facing up.  Using a sharp knife, lightly make diamond cuts.  Cut into 3 cm strips and then cut the strips into 3.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and stir-fry beef strips until it changes colour.  Remove to a plate.  Then, add in squids and prawns to work.  Stir-fry quickly and remove to a plate.

Add 2 tbsp oil to wok and stir-fry spring onions and carrots.  Then, add sliced  mushrooms and cabbage.  Add oyster sauce and pepper to taste.  Return beef, squid and prawns to wok and stir well.  Then, add Udon noodles and stir thoroughly.  Cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes or until the noodles are heated through.  Season to taste. 

Remove to serving plage and serve with sliced green chillies in light soy sauce.

Bon Appetit!!!

Prunes Tart

The german name for this prunes tart is Zwetschgenkuchen.  It is a german speciality which I will bake rather frequently during late summer and early autumn.  It is simple to bake and tastes delicious.

For 1 Tart baking tin (Tarte-Form), 30 cm Ø preferably with a loose bottom or an oven baking tray

Ingredients:

250 g flour

½ cube fresh yeast (ca. 20 g)

125 ml warm milk

60 g sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 pinch salt

70 g soft butter

1–2 tablespoon breadcrumbs

1.2 kg plums (Zwetschgen or Pflaumen)

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoon coarse sugar (Hagelzucker)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 175º C (Fan/Umluft:  160º C) for about 15 minutes.  Butter the base and sides of baking tin or tray.  Sift the flour into a bowl and make a hollow part in the middle.  Break up the fresh yeast into it.  Add 2 tbsp warm milk and 1tsp sugar to the yeast and mix it slightly.  Sprinkle some flour over it and cover with a dish cloth.  Set aside for about 15 minutes for it to rise.

Once ready, add lemon peel, salt, 30 g sugar, butter and balance of milk into the bowl.  Knead the mixture (if possible, with a cake machine) until smooth.  Sprinkle some flour on it and cover with a dish cloth again.  Set aside for another 30 minutes in a warm place.  Once ready, roll out the dough on a floured surface to the size of the baking tin and cover the base and sides of the tin.  Poke the base with a fork and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on it (it will absorb the juice of the plums while baking).

Wash and half the plums and remove the seed.  Arrange the plums side by side on the dough.  Mix 30 g sugar and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon together and sprinkle it on the plums.  Bake in oven for about 40 minutes.  Once ready, sprinkle coarse sugar on top and let it cool down.  Serve the cake with whipped cream.

Happy baking!!!

Grilled Rumpsteak served with Tomato Salsa

A simple Sunday lunch:  Grilled Rumpsteak served with Garlic-Rosemary-Olive Oil and Tomato Salsa.    It is one of our favourite summer dishes!  It is simple to prepare!

For 3 persons:

3 rumpsteaks

Ingredients for Garlic-Rosemary-Olive Oil:

6 garlics, to be peeled and diced finely

1 rosemary twig, to be washed, dried and cut finely

olive oil (good quality)

Ingredients for Tomato Salsa:

400 g ripe tomatoes, to be seeded and diced finely

1 onion, to be peeled and diced finely

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sugar

salt & pepper according to taste

Method:

To make garlic-rosemary-olive oil, mix all ingredients together and set aside.

To make Tomato Salsa, mix all ingredients together and season to taste just before serving.

Finally, grill the rumpsteaks without any seasoning according to one's preference. We like ours medium!

Ready for serving!  We served ours with Grilled Halloumi Cheese!

Bon appetit!!!

Marble Cake

Marble cake is a cake with a "marbled" appearance which is achieved by lightly mixing the light and dark batter with the use of a fork.  The texture of this cake is spongy and moist.  It is easy to make and the following are the step-by-step method:

Ingredients:

350 g butter

350 g sugar

350 g flour

1 packet baking powder

7 eggs

20 g cocoa powder

1 egg

5 cl rum

icing sugar

Method:

Sift flour together with baking powder in a bowl.

Whisk the softened butter with sugar until creamy.  Once creamy, fold in 2 tbsp flour and mix  well.  Then, add in 1 egg and mix well.  Repeat this procedure until all 7 eggs and flour are used up.  Divide mixture into two parts (2/3 and 1/3).

Butter and flour a cake tin (28 cm ø) with funnel (Frankfurterkranz cake form will do the job well) or a normal 26 cm ø cake tin and add in 2/3 of the batter.

Mix the cocoa powder, rum and egg together and fold into the 1/3 batter.  Mix well.  Add on top of the light batter in cake form.  With a fork, run a continuous circle movement through both dough mixture to create a marble effect.  Level the surface with a tablespoon.

Bake in a pre-heated fan oven (Umluft:  170ºC) for about 40 minutes.  Pierce cake with a satay stick to check whether cake is done.  If the stick turns out sticky, bake cake for a further 5 minutes.
After baking, leave cake in cake form for about 5-10 minutes before turning it out on a wire gitter.  Cool cake completely.

Before serving, sprinkle cake with powdered sugar or if preferred, cover with hard icing.  

Bon Appetit!