Back to the Grind

A couple of weeks ago I gave a hint about what I was up to during reading break, and I can now reveal that I was in Maui, Hawaii, with my parents! I went last year at easter with my Mum, but this time around my Dad came too, which gave us a lot more freedom since he rented a car and is up for a lot of activities.
We had about a week, we stayed in a very nice hotel, did the road to Hana, snorkelling, paddleboarding, kayaking, swimming, tanning, and lots of eating and sleeping! We saw humpback whales, and green turtles, without even stepping on a boat, as well as colourful lizards, and lots of lovely birds (although none were endemic), amongst other things, including some biting insect that feasted on me when we stopped for a taco on the road to Hana!

Mum and Dad in Keanae

Now, however, I am back at school, trying to get back to work. The trip to Hawaii has lifted my winter blues somewhat, and I think the rest and sun did me good as I'm feeling a lot healthier (not to mention fatter!) than I was before the break. So, seeing as I haven't posted in a while, I thought I'd put up a recipe. I had this for dinner tonight, it is very warm and comforting, and brings a little spice to a winter night.

Easy Kedgeree

serves 4-6

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked rice
4-6 eggs
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
2 heaped tsp curry powder
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
250g hot-smoked fish (eg kipper, salmon or mackerel), flaked or chopped
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 bunch asparagus or other vegetables of your choice


- bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the rice according to the directions on the package. Ten minutes before the rice is done, add the eggs, whole, to the pot. When the rice is cooked, drain it, and run the eggs under cold water until they cool.
- in a deep frying pan, heat the butter and oil, then add the onion and soften for a few minutes, then add the ginger, garlic and curry powder and cook for another minute.
- add in the fish, and stir it around to get coated in the spice mixture, then add the stock. Bring to the boil for a few minutes until it becomes a thick sauce, then add in the rice and asparagus and heat through*
- peel the eggs, then cut into halves or quarters. Serve the kedgeree topped with the eggs.

*I like asparagus to be crispy, but if you are using other vegetables, such as carrots or peppers, you should add them between the onions and the spices.

Recipe: Teriyaki Salmon With Soy-Braised Vegetables

I made this for dinner tonight, and it actually turned out pretty well.  I also remembered to take some step-by-step photos, although I have to apologise for the lighting - it was light when I started, but just when I was about to start cooking the veg the fire alarm went off and we all had to evacuate the building and sit around in the commonsblock for ages.  By the time I got back the sun was setting and the light was terrible.
Anyway, here we go!

Teriyaki Salmon With Soy-Braised Vegetables


Start off with a nice fillet of salmon, and some store-bought teriyaki sauce.  Put the salmon in a dish and slather the top and sides with around a tablespoon of the sauce.

then cover the dish with cling film and put it in the fridge to marinate while you prepare the veggies!

Chop up some veggies of your choice - I used cabbage, courgettes and curly kale, but next time I think I won't have the courgette because it goes mushy in the time it takes to cook the cabbage and kale.  However, if you like mushy courgettes, go for it! Also, peel two cloves of garlic and grate about a teaspoon of ginger root (I use the ready-grated stuff you can buy in jars, it's way easier).

Next, heat some vegetable oil in a deep frying pan or wok (one with a lid would be best), mince the garlic and throw it in with the ginger.

Cook for a minute, then add the vegetables, along with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and half a cup of water - this is the "soy-braised" part.  Mix it all together, then cover and leave it all to cook while you do the salmon.

Heat some oil in a pan - there is probably a bit too much here.

Put the salmon in, skin side down, then leave it alone for a few minutes.  Don't even think about touching it - I mean it! The idea here is to crisp up the skin and render the fat underneath it.  Salmon is a fatty fish and can be too rich and greasy if you don't let the fat render out of it.

When it looks a bit like this, you can turn it over...

Then cook it for a few more minutes until it looks more like this!

Plonk it on a plate, then add your veggies, which should be cooked by now...

and there you have it! Teriyaki salmon with soy-braised veggies!
If you want to change it up a bit, I think the addition of some sesame oil or seeds to the veggies would be nice.  It would also be good served with rice or plain noodles.  You could probably substitute the salmon for a chicken breast too if you don't want fish.

here's the ingredient list again:
Fillet of salmon
1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
veggies of your choice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce