Full hearted life

Saying yes to new experiences and opportunites!

Archive for March, 2013

Monday munchies – Tuna patties

 

IMG_1757 (640x347)

My grandmother used to make wonderful tuna patties, complete with left over mashed potato. We, however, never seem to have any leftover, but I love me some tuna patties. Fortunately, this recipe from Korean cooking site Maangchi doesn’t use mashed potatoes. As an added bonus, it’s quick to prepare, doesn’t require shaping or refrigeration time. Score!

The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of onion, but some people have a giant spring onion plant in their kitchen that needs to be used up. Personally, I actually prefer it with the spring onions.

Ingredients:
1 small can tuna, drained (about 140g drained weight)
1/4 cup chopped onion/spring onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg
1 tsp sesame oil
1-2 Tbsp plain flour

1. Heat a non-stick with 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil or butter.
2. Dump everything in a bowl and stir to combine. You may need more flour to make it all stick together, but remember these won’t need to be shaped, so will have more of a batter consistency.
3. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture in the heated pan and fry 3-4 minutes per side until done. You should get about six patties from the mixture.

Enjoy!
 


Lovely links

pepper youngdoo

Hello wonderful people! How was your week? Mine was pretty quiet – an exam, a chocolate tasting and probably a bit too much Twitter. On to the links!

Love this post on running and writing. Side note – I am listening to his selected music as I type this.

Celia wrote a lovely post on how learning new skills has empowered her.

This NY Times article really opened my eyes on the science and marketing of mass produced food.

Cassie’s done it again! Check out her advice on why you’re failing at dieting.

I need an excuse to make these no bake banana caramel cheesecakes. The husband hates bananas and I know if I made them I would eat them ALL.

What have you found interesting/useful/bizarre on the interwebs this week? Do share!

Photo courtesy youngdoo.


In my kitchen – March 2013

After my last IMK post I kept thinking of things to include in the next one. I then promptly forgot about all of them. (Note to self: Start writing things down.) So here we go with a bunch of random stuff I found around my kitchen today!

In my kitchen…

IAIN BURNETTis a box of Iain Burnett chocolates bought for Valentine’s Day. We’re finding the milks a bit sweet, but the lemongrass ganache has been a firm favourite of mine. (Photo from Alexeeva & Jones)

TEA CUPS (640x446)

are these small Chinese tea cups, bought from our local Asian grocery store for £1 each. Perfect for dipping sauces or frequent drinks of Celia’s ginger tea.

SPRING ONIONS (640x287)

is a bunch of spring onions. You may be asking yourself what is so special about a bunch of spring onions? Well this bunch was grown by taking the roots of a supermarket bunch and sticking them in water. Plain water! What you see above is about a week’s growth. I’ve already trimmed them several times, but they just keep growing!

CHOCOLATE (640x523)

are a few bars of Pacari and Amedei chocolates – my favourites from the tastings I went to at Alexeeva & Jones. Apparently, Amedei only make 20,000 bars of the Porcelana each year, so if you’re looking for bar 7692, you’re out of luck. It’s mine, all mine! OK, maybe I’ll share it with the husband.

FISH SAUCE (263x640)

is a giant bottle of fish sauce. Bought for the great meatball Olympics of 2012, I used one tablespoon in some Vietnamese meatballs and the bottle has been sitting on my bench ever since. Please send me some recipes to use it up!

HEALTHY STUFF (640x427)

is a bag of maca powder and a bag of chia seeds, part of my new healthy eating regime. The maca is an acquired taste, but I’m slowly working my way through both bags.

JAPANESE BOOK (640x567)

is a book by food anthropologist Katarzyna Cwiertka detailing the shifts in Japanese cuisine throughout the centuries. I’m not finished with it yet, but so far it’s been interesting to learn how Western influences have changed the landscape of Japanese food and cooking since the 1850s.

What’s happening in your kitchen this month?