Tag: Superbowl

Categories
Mains Recipes

Vietnamese Rice Soldiers

I first came across Vietnamese Rice Soldiers on my travels to Australia, where there is a varied range of Asian cuisine and the quality is high.

Initially I thought they were uncooked sausages when I saw them in a deli takeaway. I soon learned that in fact they contain a mix of finely chopped protein, veg, herbs or spices, with rice or noodles, all wrapped up in a piece of transparent, edible rice paper. They are eaten cold as finger food, with a sauce for dipping, and usually accompanied by a stir fry side or noodles.

I sampled them in a restaurant in Little Vietnam, the name given locally to Victoria Street in Melbourne, and immediately became a fan! I brought home a pack of rice papers and am now able to make my own at home. Here is a photo of my latest batch:

A pack of rice papers is essential if you want to give these a try. I bought mine (below) in Aussie supermarket chain, Coles. Availability will depend on where you are in the world, but in the UK I have seen some smaller packs in M&S. The best bet may be a specialist Asian food store or online.

They are made from simply flour, salt and water, requiring just some fresh, lukewarm water to rehydrate and make them soft and flexible.

Servings

This made 8 soldiers. At 2 per serving, that makes 4 adult portions.

Timings

30 mins to chop and prepare the filling. Rolling up takes seconds. The soldiers can be made up in advance and kept in the fridge for a day or two.

You Will Need:

  • 8 circular rice papers
  • a shallow dish filled half with just boiled water, and half with water cold from the tap (so that overall the water is lukewarm, around 50C)

    For the filling:
  • 120g boiled rice, cooled
  • 1 marinaded chicken breast, cooled
  • 1 carrot
  • around 10cm length of cucumber
  • 2 – 3 scallions/spring onions
  • half a red pepper
  • small bunch of coriander/cilantro

    For the dipping sauce
  • 2 tbsp chilli paste
  • 1 tbsp each of soya sauce, rice vinegar, honey and orange juice
  • a good squidge of tomato passata.

Method

  1. Chop the carrot and cucumber into tiny little batons. Chop the other filling ingredients into small pieces and lay everything out on a board.
  2. Take one of the rice papers and submerge it in the lukewarm water. It will begin to soften and take on a slightly, sticky, stretchy feel. Lay it down on a chopping board and put a line of rice across the middle.
  3. Lay a line of chicken pieces on top of the rice, then follow with the carrot, cucumber, scallions, coriander and pepper. Use a little judgment here – you want the soldier to be well-filled but not overstacked.
  4. Lift the flap of the rice paper nearest you and fold over the filling. Tuck in both sides, then roll the whole soldier forward until you have a sealed parcel. Check out my photos below, showing the rolling up in action! Set aside on a tray.
  5. Carry on until all the soldiers are made up.
  6. Put all the dipping sauce ingredients in a clean, screw top jar with lid on. Give it a good shake to combine, then pour into a serving bowl. The soldiers can be dipped into the sauce, or alternatively, once you’ve bitten off the top, spoon it on and let it drizzle down to mingle with the filling. Yum!

Customise It!

Vary the protein to include small pieces of fish, or use chopped cashews if you want to go vegan. A sprinkle of sesame seeds would be an excellent idea. Swap in fine, vermicelli noodles or bean shoots for the rice. Finely chopped root ginger, corn, celery are also options. As always on A Different Kitchen, use your imagination and go with the ingredients you like.

I served these with a side of stir fried bean shoots, pak choi, root ginger, garlic, red onion, carrot and mushroom topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds (as shown in my main photo at the top of the post). For the stir fry sauce I simply made up more of the dipping sauce and poured that in. Hey – keep things simple!

It’s Superbowl weekend once more, and I am looking forward to staying up late this Sunday to watch the game. I can’t see any other outcome than the Kansas City Chiefs winning again, as they seem to be invincible when it comes to play-off season. Apologies to any Philly Eagles fans, but who knows, maybe you will surprise me?

Here’s a piece of classic Americana – Tom Petty with Running Down a Dream. Enjoy the Superbowl, everybody.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Soup-erbowl

This weekend’s incoming batch of seasonal veg from our local community farm had winter soup written all over it. I’m talking hearty and wholesome here, with pearl barley and lentils, giving a good portion of protein and fibre. Included in the box was even a handful of fresh herbs – parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, would you believe. Well, hey – I feel a song coming on!

For the benefit of any millennials, that’s a reference to a line in a Simon & Garfunkel song, Scarborough Fair – check it out.

Which brings me to another great American institution that’s been around for over half a century. Yes, it’s Superbowl weekend – Superbowl LVIII to be precise (that’s 58 to you and me – why does the NFL insist on using roman numerals?).

The pinnacle of the American Football season is a match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. It’s a repeat of the 2020 game, when the Chiefs emerged victorious. My prediction is that the Chiefs will be taking home the trophy once again – Patrick Mahomes and co just seem to have the experience and the ability to do what it takes when it comes to the postseason play-offs.

Food is always a key part of enjoying the Superbowl, and each year I aim to come up with a healthy(ish) snack to have with the game. There will definitely be some Smoked Paprika Popcorn on the table, when the game kicks off at around 11.30pm UK time.

It’s always fun seeing what extravaganza they have lined up for the Half Time Show. This year the game is taking place in Las Vegas, which is where U2 have been performing their residency at the Sphere. Seeing as Bono and the lads are in town, I did hope they might be popping down to the stadium to treat the audience to a few numbers. Usher is this year’s headliner, however. I understand he’s trailed that he may bring along a special guest, so….you never know?

Anyway, where was I? Back to the homemade soup, which I shall be enjoying this Soup-erbowl weekend.

Servings

4 adult servings.

Timings

The pearl barley/lentil mix needs soaking overnight, then boiling/simmering for 45 mins. Making the soup is then about another 30 mins.

You Will Need

  • 100g pearl barley/lentil/split pea mix
  • 500ml water
  • 1 onion
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 2-3 carrots
  • 1 parsnip
  • 500ml veg stock
  • handful of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (or whatever fresh herbs you have!)

Method

  1. Soak the pearl barley mix overnight in the cold water.
  2. The next morning, pour the water away and rinse the pearl barley mix under cold running water. Place in a saucepan and cover with water, Bring to the boil for around 10 mins, then reduce to a simmer for another 35 mins. Switch off and drain.
  3. Using the same, empty saucepan, heat a little oil and throw in the chopped onion, celery, carrots and parsnip. Stir and let the veg soften in the heat.
  4. Pour in the veg stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, and tear in the herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. After 10 mins, blitz about half of the soup with a handheld blender. Alternatively, transfer half to a food processor with blade fitted, blitz and return it to the pan. This will give the soup a nice consistency, while still having chunks of veg in there.
  6. Add in the cooked pearl barley mix and simmer for another 10 mins. Switch off, and the soup is ready to serve.

Customise It!

Any other winter root veg will go well – swede, celeriac, potatoes for example. Add in a leek or two. Just make sure you don’t mess with the parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (only kidding, use whatever fresh herbs are to hand).

Just imagine what a brilliant Half Time Show Simon & Garfunkel could have put on. As far as I know, they never did one, however, and it’s unlikely to happen now. Unless they do an Abba, and have avatars, perhaps? All that classic Americana would go down a storm with the Superbowl audience. We can but dream. Here they are with one of their best: Mrs Robinson.

Enjoy Usher; enjoy the Superbowl, everyone.

Categories
Recipes Snacks

Smoked Paprika Popcorn

This week I’ve been looking to make a snack to enjoy while watching this weekend’s Superbowl. I always stay up for the game, even though it starts at around 11.30pm UK time, and continues into the early hours.

This year’s should be a particularly good match-up – the Philadelphia Eagles have had an outstanding season, but will face their toughest challenge yet against the Kansas City Chiefs. Even though the Chiefs have the talented Patrick Mahomes as quarterback, I’m predicting that the Eagles will be just too strong overall, and will take home the trophy. We shall soon see if I am right!

As it’s Superbowl weekend, I’m keen that my snack should follow an American theme. I also want it to be savoury, that can be enjoyed alongside a cold drink while watching the game.

This has led me to popcorn, a classic American snack. It’s a food that sometimes gets a bad press online, typically for being served smothered in refined sugar and hydrogenated fats, in large cardboard buckets and consumed in dark multiplex cinemas. Even in the home, microwave-ready popcorn also comes in for some criticism with concerns over chemicals used in its packaging.

However, as I am sure my lovely American foodie followers will point out, popping corn, prepared properly, is essentially a healthy snack! As a grain, it is high in fibre, low in calories and a good source of antioxidants.

So why not have a go at making some? It is inexpensive, quick and easy. I bought a 500g bag of popping corn in Sainsbury’s for £1.45, meaning the portion size below costs about 15p (or 18 cents) to make.

The smoked paprika drizzle ingredients are minimal, and cooking it from scratch means that you are in complete control over what and how much is added. This means it can be enjoyed as a relatively healthy snack. It is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.

Will you be following the Superbowl? Feel free to leave any comments you wish at the foot of this post. Enjoy the popcorn, and enjoy the game!

Servings

This will make around 50g of popcorn, enough for two people as a Superbowl snack. If you’re expecting guests, especially hungry, or if the game goes into Overtime, just make extra!

Timings

10 mins to make in total (see, I told you it was quick).

You Will Need

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 50g popping maize corn
  • sea salt flakes
  • half to 1 tsp smoked paprika

Method

  1. Put a heat under a heavy pan with tight-fitting lid. Add in 1 tbsp of the oil and the golden corn. Spread the corn in a single layer across the bottom of the pan (see photo above).
  2. After a minute, pick up the pan and hold down the lid. Give it a good shake to ensure all the corn is coated in the oil. I actually do this a few times during the cooking process. Just make sure to keep that lid tight on the pan while doing so!
  3. After another few minutes, it will all start kicking off. The corn will begin to pop and bits will be pinging off the lid and walls of the pan. A drop of moisture inside each corn kernel causes it to explode when heated, making it jump around (hence the reason for the tight fitting lid).
  4. There are usually a few kernels that don’t pop, and the ones that have popped will toast nicely in the hot pan. After a few minutes the popping will slow down, and you can remove the pan from the heat.
  5. Pause for a moment to enjoy the delicious aroma of cooked and popped corn that will just have filled your kitchen.
  6. Tip the popcorn into a large sharing bowl and, while it is still warm, drizzle over the second tbsp of oil. Sprinkle over the sea salt and the smoked paprika. Give it a good stir so that all the corn gets coated.
  7. Finally, taste and add further seasalt or paprika, if required.
  8. Take the bowl (which should resemble my main photo at the top of this post) with your cold drink of choice, and retire to the TV room to enjoy the Superbowl.

Next track for the ADK Spotify Playlist is also Superbowl-inspired. It’s Rihanna’s turn to headline the Half Time Show this year. With no rain forecast for Arizona this Sunday, I wonder if she will still be bringing along her Umbrella? Let’s hope so!