Prawns

Christmas 2015

Posted by Gary

Christmas 2015

I’m writing this from my parent’s dining table in Brisbane.

It’s Friday 25 December 2015. It’s Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas 😃🎁🎅🎄⭐🌟🖖

My flight from Canberra to Brisbane departed shortly after 9 am. I enjoyed meeting some friends at the airport before boarding which was great.

My flight was uneventful and smooth. I was surprised how full the flight was. I managed to get an aisle seat with no one next to me so that was a plus.

The Brisbane roads were pretty barren so the journey to my parent’s place was very quick.

It was good to see Mum and Dad. It’s been a few months since I last visited. I’ve been busy with work and trying to save a little money.

As soon as I arrived mum had me preparing coleslaw. I made it with a special surprise. I added some fried shallots and crushed Queensland nuts (Macadamia). Mum had two chickens (chooks) in the oven full of her stuffing which I love. Mum made a green salad with hard boiled eggs, mango and avocado. We also had smashed potatoes (spuds). Dr48 (my middle brother) was due to arrive with roast pork and crackling, chicken wings, Moreton Bay bugs, Endeavour prawns and a lobster. Mum made a seafood sauce to go with all the seafood. Dr48’s wife (SIL) brought along a pavlova (you know that Australian invention that people from New Zealand claim they invented).

2015-12-25_12.11.36_001_GARY_LUM_FB 2015-12-25_14.54.38_001_GARY_LUM_FB 2015-12-25_14.57.10_001_GARY_LUM_FB 2015-12-25_15.40.57_001_GARY_LUM_FB

I feel so full. I had three plates of lunch followed by a big slice of pavlova with ice cream.

It’s been a good day. It was good seeing my brothers. It was good seeing Mum and Dad.

I feel so full. I’m not having any dinner. I think if I tried eating more I’d make myself feel sick.

I hope you had a great Christmas Day.

Tell me what did you eat for Christmas 2015?

I’m a monster

Posted by Gary

What’s being a monster got to do with a food blog?

Well nothing really but I thought it would act as a little click bait.

It’s been warm in Canberra today. Apparently it got as warm as 36.4 °C but the humidity only reached about 20%. I tweeted my desire for a more muggy day.

 


There were some responses 

 

 

Anyway, this is a food blog so here are some photographs of food I ate today.

Smoked salmon with vegemite and wasabi sesame seeds
Smoked salmon with vegemite and wasabi sesame seeds
Prawns and udon noodles with coconut milk
Prawns and udon noodles with coconut milk with a Little Monster Girl looking on

 

Do you think I’m a monster?

What I ate today

Posted by Gary

After yesterday’s amazing morning with Owen Saddler at Dream Cuisine Patisserie and Café, I was on a sugar high for hours. I knew I probably should not have eaten dinner and I certainly didn’t feel like it, but I didn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night feeling hungry.

I ended up with something light. A toasted bread roll with cream cheese and sweet chilli sauce.

Cream cheese and sweet chilli sauce on toast
Cream cheese and sweet chilli sauce on toast

I woke up this morning after a sleepless night and after a couple of coffees made myself a hot breakfast.

Cheesy kale omelet with a cup of coffee

Cheese and kale omelet with coffee.
Cheese and kale omelet with coffee.

After breakfast I went for a walk around Lake Ginninderra and shot a few photographs. On the way out I noticed a notice stuck to a wall of the apartment complex I live in.

We’ve been having trouble with some of the residents shopping at the local Westfield shopping mall and bringing their groceries back with shopping trolleys and then abandoning the trolleys on the pathways around the apartment complex. The trolleys weren’t just on the footpath but also in the internal courtyard and walkways.

My neighbours in the place I rent are a mixture of people with a lot of Chinese students who attend the University of Canberra.

Trolley warning
Trolley warning
Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra

At the end of my walk I stopped at the Everbean Espresso Bar in the Westfield shopping mall. While I was there I met one of the owners, Andrew. He’s seen my Instagram feed and wanted to say hello. The coffee at Everbean Espresso Bar is also very good.

While I was there I enjoyed a nice caramel milk shake.

Caramel milk shake from Everbean Espresso Bar
Caramel milk shake from Everbean Espresso Bar

When I got home I made a simple lunch.

A smoked salmon bagel with cream cheese, raw red onion, capers, wasabi sesame seeds and sweet chilli sauce.

Smoked salmon bagel with cream cheese, capers, raw onion and wasabi sesame seeds
Smoked salmon bagel with cream cheese, capers, raw onion and wasabi sesame seeds

After ironing and watching some Star Trek I went back out to the Westfield shopping mall to get some more groceries.

For dinner I made prawns and udon noodles.

Wasabi prawns and udon noodles with kale and quinoa
Wasabi prawns and udon noodles with kale and quinoa

Wasabi prawns and udon noodles from Gary Lum on Vimeo.

Wasabi prawns and udon noodles with kale and quinoa

What did you eat today?

Prawns with ginger quinoa fried rice with kale

Posted by Gary

This morning when I went grocery shopping I saw some prawns and thought why not. Tonight I made prawns with ginger quinoa fried rice and kale.

I had some leftover quinoa rice which would be perfect for fried rice.

Prawns with ginger quinoa fried rice with kale
Recipe Type: Dinner
Cuisine: Australian
Author: [url href=”http://about.me/garydlum” target=”_blank”]Gary Lum[/url]
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • Fresh green prawns with the tails still attached 250 grams
  • Fresh kale 1 cup shredded
  • Leftover quinoa rice ½ cup
  • Buderim Ginger Factory ginger marmalade 1 tablespoon
  • Flaked almonds
  • Fried shallots
  • Tomato sauce
  • Barbecue sauce
  • Sweet chilli sauce
  • Chilli flakes
  • Soy sauce
  • Red onion
Instructions
  1. Marinade the prawns with the tomato, barbecue and sweet chilli sauces and chilli flakes for an hour
  2. Sautée the prawns in a hot frying pan
  3. Remove from the heat and set the prawns aside
  4. Wilt the kale in the frying pan and then set aside with the prawns
  5. Fry the quinoa rice and add some soy sauce
  6. Add the flaked almonds and fried shallots
  7. Add the prawns and kale and stir through
  8. Plate up
  9. Shoot a photograph
  10. Set up the time lapse for the eating video
  11. Eat the meal
  12. Wash the dishes
  13. Write the recipe
  14. Blog (verb)

It’s a pretty simple recipe and it makes a really delicious meal.

This is a photograph of Raw prawns with tails attached in tomato sauce, barbecue sauce and sweet chilli sauce with chilli flakes and ground pepper.
Raw prawns with tails attached in tomato sauce, barbecue sauce and sweet chilli sauce with chilli flakes and ground pepper.
This is a photograph of Cooked prawns with tails attached in tomato sauce, barbecue sauce and sweet chilli sauce with chilli flakes and ground pepper.
Cooked prawns with tails attached in tomato sauce, barbecue sauce and sweet chilli sauce with chilli flakes and ground pepper.
This is a photograph of Saturday dinner. Prawns and fried ginger quinoa rice with kale.
Saturday dinner. Prawns and fried ginger quinoa rice with kale.

Watch me eat my meal

This morning I went for a walk around Lake Ginninderra. I had hoped to have a milkshake at Heather’s House of Cake but it was closed for a private function.  I may have to go there tomorrow. It was fairly overcast but the water was very still.

This is a photograph of Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra

I used a 24–240 mm f/3.5–f/6.3 zoom lens. This zoomed in shot captured the trees on the north shore nicely.

This is a photograph of Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra

Today there were a couple of pelicans on the lake. I was able to get up close to this one.

This is a photograph of a pelican on Lake Ginninderra
Pelican on Lake Ginninderra

After lunch I made lunch which was a salmon rissole, baked beans, fried egg and avocado.

This is a photograph of Saturday lunch. Salmon rissole with fried egg, baked beans and avocado.
Saturday lunch. Salmon rissole with fried egg, baked beans and avocado.

Do you reckon you’d enjoy prawns with ginger quinoa fried rice and kale?

 

If you want to see the photographs as a gallery click here. Click on one image to see it full size. To see the EXIF data (including a map if the photograph was geotagged) click on the information (i) icon in the top right corner. You can navigate through the gallery using the arrow keys or by swiping if you’re using a tablet or smartphone.

How to cook low carb garlic prawns

Posted by Gary
Raw garlic prawns and parsley

Prawns are not cheap but they are tasty and with a low carb dish in mind I wanted something a little different from beef, lamb, poultry and pork. I will have salmon early next week and so I thought another seafood option for a quick and easy dinner would be a creamy garlic prawns dish.

As much as I like garlic I rarely cook with it. I can always tell when I’m emitting a strong garlic odour and in deference to the people around me I usually refrain. Tonight though these prawns needed a little kick of flavour and garlic would do that.

Raw garlic prawns and parsley
Raw garlic prawns and parsley
Amazing low carb garlic prawns
Recipe Type: Dinner
Cuisine: Australian
Author: Gary Lum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • Green uncooked prawns
  • Garlic
  • Lemon juice
  • Pepper
  • Salt
  • Parsley
  • Cream
  • White wine
  • Almond flakes
  • Parmesan
Instructions
  1. In a bowl marinade the prawns with some crushed garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil for 1 hour (or overnight in the refrigerator)
  2. In a hot pan heat up some oil and butter to the point where the butter bubbles
  3. Add the prawns and cook for 3 minutes
  4. Turn down the heat and add a splash of white wine and a splash of cream, cook for 1 minute
  5. Take off the heat and add the parsley and almond flakes plus some grated parmesan
  6. Pour into a shallow bowl and a shoot a photograph
  7. Eat the prawns
  8. Wash the dishes
  9. Write the recipe
  10. Blog (verb)

 

Freshly chopped parsley
Freshly chopped parsley
Creamy garlic prawns and parsley
Creamy garlic prawns and parsley

These garlic prawns were really very nice and so quick and easy to make. If you prepare the prawns the night before you can have them waiting for you to cook after returning home from work. If I wasn’t eating low carb, a nice piece of crusty bread would be great with this, perhaps even some cheese toast. An alternative would be to serve them with a little rice and/or quinoa.

Creamy garlic prawns and parsley
Creamy garlic prawns and parsley

Do you like garlic prawns? How do you cook them?

Blue whipped cream dessert
Blue whipped cream dessert