Navarin Printanier - French Fridays With Dorie

When I knew this week's FFWD  dish  is Navarin Printanier....I quickly look it up to see what Navarin Printanier is. It is lamb stew ( navarin ) with freshly dug spring vegetable ( printanier ).  It is a classic and a staple of the Easter season and it is one of those slowly braised dishes that make French cooking timelessly appealing. I am glad I did not give this dish a miss. This recipe came to Dorie fourth-hand.  It was her friend Betty Rosbottom, a cookbook author who gave it to her and who had gotten it from her friend Catherine Lafarge , who had begged the recipe from her mother and Dorie in turn shared with us in her book " Around My French Table " . Wow...thanks for their generosity, we get to savor such a delicious one dish meal !

Pan Seared Tuna With Spicy Teriyaki And Lemon Thyme

This is my first time cooking a piece of tuna,  and really when I bought the tuna chunk , I had no idea what to do with it.  In the end , I just pan seared it simply with the spicy teriyaki sauce and lemon thyme. You won't believe it, the lemon thyme really smell like lemon. I love it ! I lightly crushed it and pan seared it together with the piece of tuna steak...lovely !  And do you believe it, I chomp down the lemon thyme like a goat. Read that it is good for health and has some medicinal value to it.  Well..the herb is expensive , so better chomp it all down like a goat LOL!  So fragrant and great for the tuna fish.  I love fresh herbs so it is no problem to me taking in fresh herbs like thymes and dill.  I used to grow thymes but they all died on me :(

'Daging Masak Hitam Sarawak' With Bario Rice

I received  a tub of  'Masak Hitam ' paste from our famous Sibu blogger , Arthur aka as STP of  Still Crazy After All These Years .....and Claire my buddy lugged it back for me when she went over to Sibu for her holidays.  A big THANK YOU to Arthur for the ' Masak Hitam 'paste and a big HUG for Claire for lugging it back for me :)   I waited until last Saturday to cook it with beef.  This dish  ' Daging Masak Hitam Sarawak ' is a famous dish in Sarawak.  It was so delicious that Piggy Josh ate two big plates of Barios Rice   At the same time I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs.Leong for the Bario Rice.  She is Elaine's mommy. And Elaine is Piggy Josh's friend :)) I will talk about this Bario Rice further down the post !   ' Daging Masak Hitam Sarawak ' with Bario Rice....now you tell me...is this a great combo?   Ask Josh, I am sure he is still thinking of the tender , juicy and well flavored beef and the wonderful texture of the Bario Rice !  Arthur...I finally did justice to your tub of Masak Hitam :)))) it was delicious!  

Asparagus And Bits Of Bacon - French Fridays With Dorie

Wow, I just realized how much I miss FFWD :) and today it is FFWD again.  I love asparagus with bits of bacons ...yea, I know I have put in more of those artery clogging goodness than what the recipe calls for :p  No way I am going to skip this recipe.  I made this for dinner last night and whoa....it was one fabulous dinner.  Asparagus with bits of bacon, poached egg, pan seared salmon steak....let me tell you something, it does sounds a simple dish but the addition of  walnut or hazelnut oil and lemon juice gives you the sophisticated flavor, texture and looks.  To all my Doritas friends, I forgo the hazelnut oil and used toasted crushed almonds instead to give it a nutty taste and texture.  It was really good...every bite of it !  This is a make-and-eat recipe .  

Pan Fried Spicy Hot Tofu Cubes With Mint Leaves

I have tried making this dish using deep frying method. And I managed to get it 90% as near as the one sold at the night market. Sad to say , they are not selling anymore. A great disappointment each time I visit the night market to find the stall no longer there.  A taiwanese street food...the tofu is specially made with some spices...meaning the tofu is a flavored tofu.  I replicate by buying the ' bunga lawang' flavored firm tofu from Jusco, Ipoh and cut them into cubes and coat them with corn flour for crispness.  This time, I just pan fried  the flour coated tofu cubes with grapeseed oil and I find it tasted just as good and healthier too. I still get the same crispness and same flavor as those sold at the night market.