Friday 23 October 2015

Pomelo's Page (Continued) - From 3 August 2015


Fruit Salad with Pomelo
Rujak or Lotis
Tropical salad, one of my favourites.  I lived in a hot climate, by a late afternoon, the heat of the tropical place was so intense, and you would be longing for a refreshing drink or wanting to eat fresh fruits.  The rujak or lotis was the answer.

Rujak (mixed fruits with spiced coconut sugar dressing)
Ingredients
Pomelo, cucumber, pineapple, star fruits (belimbing), papaya, sweet potato,
Prepare all fruits: grate them finely.
Palm Sugar
Dressing: 1 chopped chilli, 1/2 cup grated palm sugar, lime juice (2) or tamarind juice a pinch of salt.  Mix the ingredients together to make a smooth and runny mixture.
To serve the rujak:  Place the mixed, prepared fresh fruits on a bowl, drizzle the dressing and toss together.  Serve at once.

You could get the coconut sugar or palm sugar in any Asian supermarket or Supermarket.  I use palm sugar for this recipe, but traditionally coconut sugar is used.  If coconut sugar is used, the colour of the dressing is darker, but flavorwise is similar.
The Lotis: Variety fresh fruit cut or slice in thin pieces served with dipping sauce
Lotis-fruit salad Javanese style
Mixed sliced apple, pineapple, strawberry and,
 pomelo with the dipping sauce
The dipping 
Sauce:  1/2 cup grated palm sugar, finely 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger, 1 juicy lime/lemon, 1 chilli, finely chopped and a little salt.
(mix these ingredients together to make a smooth paste).  Add a drop of water if necessary to make lighter sauce mixture.
Pomelo flesh for the lottis
Rujak
Grate the fruit instead of sliced, add in the sauce mixture and toss together.  Serve at once.
It is an easy way to eat, enjoy the freshness of the fruits with the spiced sauce on a hot day. It is delightful.
You could add cucumber, star-fruits, papaya, sweet potato, and other tropical fruits.


Pomelo Salad with Fried Prawns.
Using pomelo for salads is very refreshing, especially an excellent mature ripe pomelo.  I did a mixture with Vietnamese flavour.

Ingredients
12 prawns
1 tablespoon self - rising flour and a teaspoon yoghurt or lemon juice

Mixed vegetables: lettuce, cabbage, parsley
Pomelo flesh
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
(Add in the dressing prior serving, and place on a serving plate)

The dressing: 1 juice of lime, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar, mix these ingredients to combine.

To fry the prawns: clean and shell and devein the prawns
Place them in a bowl, add in the flour, yoghurt or lemon juice, mix together.
Fry in medium hot oil for 1 minute, put the prawn one by one so they won't stick together, Take them out and rest them over the vegetable salad (as you got it ready before frying), and serve at once.
Pomelo Salad with Fried Prawns


Pomelo and Pineapple Cake

Baking without a recipe, but I am so pleased, it worked very well.  The cake is moist but slightly flat, to get the extra height I filled with custard and top it with meringue.  It is a pretty dainty cake and sweet.


Using Glace Pomelo

Chocolate cake with glace pomelo topping was excellent, baked for Lance and Melanie when they were home with the children for a weekend visit.  Lily called it custard cake, it was filled with chocolate patisserie.


The Pomelo Tree
Now is the mid-spring and my pomelo tree is springing with a lot of new glossy leaves, and it has flowers. Maybe it is going to be a big harvest this year.  I must trim it down as I like the tree stays small and easy to care for.






Until Next Post
Susy

Tuesday 20 October 2015

Soup - Savoury - Sweets


In My Kitchen

Soups
Clear broth for a light and delicious soup, one of my favourites is meatballs in a saffron broth.

Vegetable soup is delicious for spring, while herbs and vegetables are at their best.  I do a quick vegetable stock or meat stock for the based of the soup.

Savouries
Bread and Brioche
Bread with Pistachio nuts, the best home-baked that keep well, delicious to be eaten fresh or toasted the next day.

Fancy brioche: Large brioches or mini brioches, filled with goat cheese and caramelised onion.  They are delicious and travel well, excellent for a picnic.

The freezing day is the time of baking, I did a brioche crown, had a taste and the rest was for freezing. 
Sausages and Rice
Sausage rolls with spinach are suitable for the children to eat vegetables.  The grandkids love it particularly young Thomas.

Rice served with Tempe and sauteed hot spicy vegetables, it is a treat for me, I am home!

Lazy savoury scones are easy to prepare and served well for any occasion.

Pan-fried vegetable pie is suitable for spring cooking. Hot fried egg and ham served with greens is another quick and easy cooking.
Sweets
Chocolate cake
Using glace pomelo for the topping of chocolate cake, it is filled with chocolate custard for Mel and her family.  Pretty mini cupcakes for the grandkids

Scones, my family love scones, from dull to fruit.  Date scone is the winner, we don't make biscuits very often; instead, we have home baked scones.

Summer fruity sponge for springtime, a light cake to have for morning tea, with dear friends.

Savoury and Sweet.
Sandwiches and tarts travel well.  For a morning tea, we contributed a plater of pretty finger sandwiches and apple galette.




No recipes on this post.



In the kitchen is always fun as I have an excellent helper.
Susy

Monday 19 October 2015

A Good Team (Continued)


It was a lovely weekend, we did what we liked to do.  Visited the Grow Master nursery, which was having a sale and bought a beautiful plant to add to my flowering plant's collection.

In the afternoon, some terracotta wood chips were delivered, and we worked hard to move them from the front to the backyard.  It was tiring, but we worked so hard, and the result is very pleasing.

From the Front to the Backyard

Rayner did the big job, and I did a view trips moving the chips with my wheelbarrow.  The best fun of all was that I got the part to spread them along the garden beds.
The back garden has always been looking healthy and well cared for, but for some reasons, it seems tired. No, not any more. Now the backyard appears brighter, the terracotta chips lift up the garden beds lively, overall the garden looks happier.

 The colour of the chips goes so well with the green.

 The children's garden benches need fixing, it is the next project for Rayner to do.

 Rayner was checking out what I did, and I think he was pretty happy, even though he did not say much.

 I am pleased with the look of the garden after it is dressed with the terracotta wood chips, it is as good as I thought.

While Rayner working at the benches, I will be working on my forty cymbidium orchids, fertilising and keeping them well,  placing them to the right spots.  It is going to be a lot of lifting and moving the pots around.

We have to keep up in working together to get the job done efficiently.  That is what good teamwork is all about, and we are good at it.



Until Next Post
Susy

Monday 12 October 2015

A Good Team.

We always work together to get the job done.  In the garden, I would have ideas and work through them, but without Rayner's help, my thoughts would not be delivered.  This is an example, last week I started working - digging in the front yard very early in the morning, while I was doing it my good neighbour was passing by after getting his morning paper, and he stopped to say hi.  He said, what are you doing Susy, are you digging the whole garden? I suppose Rayner has not seen it yet!  My answer was straightforward, good morning, Bruce, just enjoy the newspaper, and bye !!!.  He went off, heading to his home.
What I did was, starting digging a strip line which is eventually to be filled with gravel.   It took me an hour or a little bit more to do,  and very roughly.  In the afternoon, Rayner continues to do it, and the job was done with perfection, just as I wanted.  Well done.

Filling Up with The Gravel
Topping up some gravel to the existing gravel area.



The front yard looks acceptable and better now, and also the driveway entrance is roomier, I am so pleased and proud that my idea was achievable with ease.

It's Monday afternoon, after playing light support in the morning, you have more energy to do extra physical activities that were very encouraging.

A lot more fun in the garden, working and enjoying our rewards.  This year is the year for the flowers to me.  All flowering plants which I have been doing amazingly well.  The red roses started to flower, and the size of the bloom is almost as large as a plate.  Amazing

Beautiful flower beds are well kept, the trees are green and so forth, but they won't look great and stand out without the green grass which is regularly cut, to that thanks to my mate Rayner.   Indeed we are a good team.

Spring is a lovely time for all gardeners and everyone.  Enjoy the season.

Until Next Post
Susy