Vietnamese style Fried Rice

Ingredients

1 cup of Basmati rice (preferably leftover cooked rice)
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 handful of non-salted cashews
1 tablespoon of oil
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 garlic cloves
2 centimeters of ginger
1 teaspoon of chili oil (with chili flakes)
3 small yellow onions
150 grams of cooked ham
3 carrots
1/2 yellow pepper
1 small Bok choy
1 small handful of Coriander
1 handful of bean sprouts
1 handful of Enoki mushrooms

Vietnamese Dressing
2 table-spoons of Fish sauce
2 table-spoons of soy sauce
1 tea-spoon of sugar

Making Vietnamese style Fried Rice

Boil water in a pot and measure out your rice, let the rice boil as the pack instructs. When the rice is done add it to a bowl to cool. Alternatively you use leftover cooked rice from the night before.

Crack eggs in a bowl, add salt and whisk. Put to the side. Take out your wok and turn the heat on. Add your cashews. Toast them lightly until they colour, remember to toss them in the air from time to time, so as not to burn them. Pour your cashews on a chopping board and leave to cool. Add a tea-spoon of oil to the wok and turn it down to medium heat. Add your whisked eggs and stir occasionally until the eggs are almost done. Add the eggs to a platter and leave to the side.

Take out a chopping board, peel garlic, yellow onion and ginger, cut the garlic and onion into thin slices and finely grate the ginger. Peel the carrots and use the side of a grater to grate the carrots into thin slices, give them a chop. Unwrap the Bok Choy layer by layer, and chop the layers into long strips. Chop the pepper into thin slices as well. Finely chop the stems of the Coriander, laying the leaves to the side.

Fire up your wok again with a good splash of oil. Add garlic, ginger, onion, coriander stalks and chili flakes. Give the mix a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the wok at all times so it doesn’t burn. Cut the cooked ham into long strips (I used ham slices). Add the onion onto the plate with the eggs and add another dash of oil to the wok. Toss the ham into the wok and give it a few minutes while stirring occasionally. When the ham has coloured slightly you add the vegetable, except for the mushrooms and coriander leaves. Add the onion mix as well, not the eggs, and stir. Stir and let the vegetables cook tender for a few minutes. Add the pre-cooked rice to the wok now that it has had a chance to cool. Give it another 1-2 minutes. Add the Vietnamese dressing and stir well. Add Enoki mushrooms, coriander leaves and the eggs. Roughly chop the cashews and add as well. Give the fried rice a final turn around in the wok, and serve.

Tip: If you want an extra kick season the dish with soy sauce, chili oil or a dash of sweet sour sauce.

Ham & Cheese Scones

Ingredients

100 grams of mozzarella or other cheese
100 grams of ham
500 grams of plain flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground pepper
5 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
100 grams of soft butter
2 big eggs (100 grams)
2 decilitres of water
1 deciliter of milk
1 egg for brushing
Grated cheese and fresh oregano

Making Ham & Cheese Scones

Ok, I must admit I have gone scone crazy, but hey they are so easy , so delicious and they remind me so of one of my favourite countries, IRELAND

Mix flour, salt, pepper and baking powder in a bowl. Add the soft butter and the eggs (both room temperature) and stir until it becomes a crumbly mass. Gather the dough together with water, milk, cheese and ham. I used both cooked ham and the rest of some smoked ham that I had in the fridge, but I imagine small cut ham, that you can get in the shop works well. Knead the dough for a few minutes, and add more flour if you need to. I added some until it became fast enough that it didn’t stick to the work surface. Place it in a bowl and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Turn the oven on to 200 degrees Celsius. Add flour to your work surface and your rolling-pin and roll out the dough until it is 2 centimetres thick. Make rounds using a small cake tin (5 centimetres in diameter) or as I did a small coffee mug. Add scones to a tray covered in baking paper and brush with a beaten egg. Add grated cheese and finely chopped oregano to the top. Bake them in the oven for 12-15 minutes until they are golden.

Tip: Grate for lunch or a Picnic on the beach. I would think they would taste wonderful with some cream cheese.

Check out my Bacon & Cheese Scones, my Fruity Breakfast Scones and Apple & Cinnamon Scones.

Inspired by Jamie Oliver