May 1, 2007: 'Fish' Amongst Tamarind Sauce

Piedemontes, I noticed too picked upward a box of White Lotus, too Michael needed piffling convincing that nosotros could endeavour this dish at home. So it was on to the internet, amongst a swift choice of this recipe. H5N1 quick scan of the ingredients indicates what an intense sauce this is: salty (soy sauce), sweetness (brown sugar), hot (red chilli) too sour (the eponymous tamarind) hitting your gustatory modality buds inwards roughly that order. (And too hence the garlic lingers...) Only a sparing dollop is needed if you're to bring whatever promise of tasting the fish underneath! Some unproblematic steamed rice too veges are the almost advisable side. The imitation fish was akin to the slightly rubbery (but otherwise delicious) imitation chicken I'm accustomed to too didn't quite alive upward to the frail texture of the layered edible bean curd at the White Lotus. However the rigid sauce could good larn a stir-fry fixture inwards this kitchen.

May 2, 2007: Vegetarian Lasagne

link to the recipe, an unenthusiastic Cindy too a backpack sum of vegies, I decided to give it a shot for Wed night's meal.

It's an exhausting process: peeling, chopping too roasting a kilo of vegies, cooking upwards the Lycopersicon esculentum sauce, making the cheese sauce, assembling too the cooking. You necessitate to bring a twain of spare hours earlier hunger volition kicking in, otherwise you'll halt upwards reaching for the snacks acre the tray is yet inward the oven. Luckily, the results were worth it: the roasted vegies were tender, the pesto-based sauce tasty too the cheese sauce gooily unhealthy. Mmmmm...cheesy. There's yet a niggling flake sitting inward the fridge, but we've each had dinner too 2 lunches out of it too then far without getting also fed up, which is high praise indeed.

May 5, 2007: Bala Da Dhaba

Regular readers (both of you!) mightiness guide maintain spotted a recent comment from Dmargster, having a friendly dig at our attachment to the inner due north in addition to naming their favourite local (Ripponlea) Indian eating topographic point inwards the process. With swift service that would hands-down compaction our local, nosotros paid a see to Ripponlea a mere 4 days later! On our pose out in addition to tardily Sabbatum night, nosotros mapped out an excursion to the due south side for dinner at Bala Da Dhaba, followed yesteryear a painting at the Classic Theatre.

I'm the form of daughter who would prefer that 'my local' is my lazy-glutton-night Indian or Thai eating topographic point but about the corner rather than whatever watering hole. Thus, I was quite chuffed that Dmargster shared this form of affection for Bala Da Dhaba in addition to it had but the unpretentious atmosphere I'd desire from my local. Picture a dated brick edifice amongst disposable newspaper tablecloths over the existent ones, vinyl padded chairs in addition to scattered Indian paraphernalia on the walls. The most nail characteristic is a pocket-size windowed room where 2 of the kitchen staff develop in addition to laid upward naan in addition to meat at the tandoori oven. Michael in addition to I were seated upward against the window into their oven-space in addition to I attempted to guide maintain a duet of sly photos. Unfortunately I failed to plough off the flash, yielding a vivid reflection off the drinking glass in addition to the attending of the guys at the oven. I shyly took 1 or 2 to a greater extent than flashless pics (all blurry - sorry!) in addition to tucked my photographic television camera away, my cheeks burning equally hot equally the bricks that were shielding our legs from the oven. It was nevertheless pretty fun to encounter the huge skewers of orangish meat descend into the dark depths, in addition to the fast, goodness rolling in addition to cooking of the dough balls into charred, fluffy bread.

There are nearly a dozen vegetarian dishes on the menu, in addition to it's also worth noting that Bala Da Dhaba has a page of specials (somewhat odd for an Indian restaurant, I think). This is where Michael chose his Paneer Akbari from ($12.90, pictured above) . I decided to exam the restaurant's baseline amongst 1 of my favourite dishes, the Malai Kofta ($9.40). Of course of pedagogy nosotros also had to exam the labours of our neighbours in addition to nosotros requested a garlic naan also ($3).

It was fortunate that nosotros had the oven to entertain us for a bit, because the service was pretty slapdash. Menus were proffered alone after I made oculus contact amongst the caput waiter, in addition to our bottle of H2O in addition to gratis pappadums arrived after our orders were taken in addition to the drinks arrived. But the mains were served really chop-chop after that, taking alone nearly 10 minutes. Michael's Paneer Akbari was huge, though non quite equally huge equally it looks - it was served inwards a dish three cm deep in addition to kept warm yesteryear concealed tealight candles. He thoroughly enjoyed the sweet, tomato-y gravy in addition to quite frankly, ate a lot to a greater extent than than he should have. (I intend I tin tell that because he groaned all the agency to the cinema!) The kofta balls were submerged inwards a similarly sweetness in addition to delicious gravy, the kofta were on the tough side of tender but to a greater extent than importantly were studded amongst cashew pieces. Finally, guide maintain a expect at that naan - guide maintain you lot always seen a naan smothered inwards in addition to thus much garlic ghee? It was quite the care for - really, our entire repast was an practise inwards exotic junk food, but it was a satisfying one. You'll guide maintain to expect elsewhere for a measured review of their cheese-less dishes!

Bala Da Dhaba is likely non the form of eating topographic point to repeatedly cross town for, but it has the comforting, scattered atmosphere in addition to smile staff I'd desire at my local. I'd move pretty pleased amongst myself on the solar daytime that my regular custom resulted inwards a nod of recognition at the door.

Address: 56-58 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea
Ph: 9523 8683
Licensed in addition to BYO
Price: veg mains $8.90-$12.90, rice in addition to breadstuff extra

May 6, 2007: Celeriac As Well As Worcestershire Soup

lasagne, a repeat watch to Ume Nomiya and, worst of all for our waistlines: impossibly cheesey (but delicious) Indian. To brand amends, I was groovy for something reasonably well for you lot on Dominicus evening. Calling in i lawsuit once again on Cindy's listing of other blogs' recipes (I mean value we've close stopped using our recipe books altogether), I settled on celeriac in addition to worcestershire soup from stonesoup. Most of the soup recipes Cindy's tagged involve cream and, spell there's a fleck of milk inwards this one, I figured it would at to the lowest degree root to repair the harm done over the weekend.

I'd never cooked amongst celeriac before, but it was all pretty straightforward (I followed the recipe to the letter, in addition to hence follow the link for details). Everything merely gets cooked upwards inwards a pot, spun through the nutrient processor in addition to served up, amongst the sauce left until the halt to render roughly colouring to a pretty plain-looking mush. The nutrient processor struggled a trivial to completely liquify the celeriac, in addition to nosotros were left amongst something approaching the consistency of babe food. Which was fine when it was ask from the pot, but was less appetising equally leftovers the side past times side day. The existent work amongst the leftovers may accept been my idiotic failure to add together the sauce to the mix - it actually does add together a lot to the sweetness celeriac flavour.

May 6, 2007: Fruit Crumble

I don't consume plenty fruit. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 fresh, seasonal slice of fruit is a wonderful affair but I haven't fully developed my mightiness to choose together with promptly consume it. It's non that I haven't tried - belike 1 time a month, I'll pick out a inexpensive handbag of whatever's at its pinnacle or merely 1 or ii pieces of something exotic I've never tried before. Either way, at to the lowest degree ii pieces of fruit volition loiter for a calendar week or to a greater extent than earlier I guiltily dispose of them (most guiltily if I exclusively bought ii pieces of fruit inwards the commencement place). Last wintertime I took upward fruit crumbles inwards a to a greater extent than creative bid to consume my fruit. You may snort that fruit crumble defeats my nutritional purpose, but this is a dual assault of getting to a greater extent than fruit and less after-dinner chocolate into me. Moreover, I've developed merely about junk-limiting rules for my homemade crumbles:

1. There volition last much to a greater extent than fruit than crumble;

2. The layer of fruit may guide hold a touching on of lemon juice or spice added, but no additional sugar;

3. There volition last oats together with nuts inwards the crumble;

4. Crumble volition non last accompanied past times cream or H2O ice cream. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 dollop of yoghurt is permitted if yoghurt already resides inwards the house. Otherwise a small-scale drinking glass of milk serves the food-combining final result sufficiently.

On this nighttime I belike exclusively deserved 2 - three out of 4 points for maintaining the spirit of the rules. That's a teensy weensy spoon of mascarpone yous see, but I hope that it was inwards the refrigerator already, together with non bought peculiarly for this purpose! And yeah, I went a fleck overboard amongst the crumble.

Clotilde of Chocolate & Zucchini fame is quite the crumble lover, together with has a number of recipes for it on her blog. I similar to work her element weights equally a guide, altering the fruit, nuts, spice, carbohydrate together with flour type from batch to batch. (Pictured higher upward is spiceless apple, pear together with almond rendition.) Rather than rubbing the ingredients together past times hand, I accept the fast together with furious approach of the nutrient processor, which has the nuts, oats together with butter melding together most agreeably.

Fruit crumble

At to the lowest degree 4 serves of fruit (a 'serve' beingness an apple, a pear, a twain of plums, etc)

a mash of lemon juice together with a pinch of spice (optional)

50g flour
50g oats
50g sugar
50g butter
25g nuts

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Peel, de-seed together with otherwise ready your fruit, together with hence cutting it into chunks. Throw it into a small-scale to medium-sized baking dish. Stir through merely about lemon juice and/or spice if yous desire it.

Put the flour, oats together with carbohydrate into a nutrient processor together with pulse a twain of times to combine them. Cut the butter into cubes together with add together it to the mix, processing a fleck longer this time. When you've got the fine breadcrumb look, add together the nuts together with procedure until it looks similar biscuit dough (some remaining nutty chunks are good). Alternatively, procedure to the biscuit dough phase subsequently adding the butter together with and hence stir the whole nuts in. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the fruit. Bake for almost xx minutes, or until the crumbly crust begins to brown.

May 11, 2007: Gertrude Street Grub - The Builders Arms Hotel

Update, 31/12/2014: The Builders Arms has been Cutler together with Co, Cumulus Inc together with others) together with has gone pretty upmarket. This ship service is non illustration of the pub anymore.

TrippyTaco to chase upwardly somewhere novel to blog. Things cruel into house on Fri though - the leftover provide dried upwardly on the alone solar daytime of the calendar week that The Builders Arms is opened upwardly for lunch. From the outside, The Builders Arms is a pretty average looking pub - a few tables on the street together with a fairly grimy looking populace bar - but if y'all wander through the door at the dorsum of the populace bar, y'all abide by yourself inwards a bizarrely garish pinkish restaurant. It was likewise much for me, together with hence I ordered chop-chop together with scurried dorsum to i of the exterior tables where the illusion of an old-fashioned pub could endure maintained. The carte du jour is a few steps from touchstone pub fare, amongst a vaguely Middle Eastern experience - tagines, Turkish meatballs, haloumi etc. There aren't dozens of vegetarian options, but at that topographic point are enough: a dhal, unopen to assort of artichoke empanada, vegie skewers together with a few smaller bits together with pieces.

I went for a plate of nibbles: ouzo marinated olives, Moroccan separate pea dip, Turkish breadstuff together with a few slivers of crunchy cucumber ($14). It was a fine combination - the dip inwards detail belongings all the flavours together with textures together. It was a chip of an oily choice for a workday lunch, but the cucumber cutting through it all a fiddling together with helped me pretend I was beingness healthy. The prices hither are a fiddling prohibitive past times my standards, but my commitment to documenting the Gertrude Street scene (and my predilection for olives) meant that it was worth stopping inwards at to the lowest degree once.

Address: 211 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
Ph: 9419 0818
Licensed (it is a pub later all)
Prices: Vego mains: $12-$18

May 11, 2007: Citrus Peanut Noodles

this recipe for Citrus Peanut Noodles on Tuesday - inside hours I'd bookmarked it; a hateful solar daytime subsequently I had the ingredients; 3 days from posting it was on our table! We doubled the sauce recipe thence that nosotros had enough of season to coat to a greater extent than or less saccharide snap peas, julienned zucchini as well as carrot too equally the noodles. We genuinely ate it warm on Fri night, but it proved to endure but equally tasty mutual frigidity for a picnic luncheon on Saturday. There's withal to a greater extent than to endure enjoyed equally a operate luncheon on Monday! The sauce is rattling much similar a lite satay thence you lot know it'll travel your tastebuds jumping. Even better, the orangish zest adds something exclusively new: aromatic, sugariness as well as a fiddling chip tangy.