Spicy Rice Salad

Here is another great recipe from Ching He Huang, with a few of my touches to make it more to our tastes.

With this recipe you can basically add anything you like, i didn't change the ingredients i just changed the way i prepared some of them.

This salad is so flavourful and fresh tasting!!

Ching called for raw pepper and chilli, but i roasted mine.

1. So i could remove the skins.
2. Because it made them sweeter and gave them more flavour.

I also added some chilli oil to give it more of a kick, as we love hot and spicy food!!!

I served mine with Roasted Salmon and a green salad.....

Serves 2 as a main meal, and 4 as a side dish.

4 cups cooked rice
¼ of a cucumber peeled, de-seeded and cubed
1 red chilli roasted, peeled and finely chopped
1 red pepper roasted peeled and diced
6 radishes finely sliced
Small bunch coriander chopped
1 tsp chilli oil

Dressing

Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil


Whisk all the dressing ingredients together.

Mix the rice, cucumber, chilli, red pepper, radishes and coriander together with the chilli oil, then stir in the dressing.

Beef Stew & Herby Dumplings Especially for Mary...

I made this stew for my dear friend Mary when she was feeling under the weather. We lived in America at the time but have since moved back to England
So Mary this is for you so you can make it when your feeling ill, or even better get someone else to make it for you.

It does freeze well, so you could make it and freeze it for when you need it..

Serves 6

Prep time 15 minutes

Cooking time 3 hours

Pre heat oven to 180c, 380f, gas mark 5

2 tbsp olive oil

1 kg stewing beef cubed

1 large onion chopped

5 carrots sliced

250g chestnut mushrooms sliced

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 tbsp dried oregano

½ tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped

½ tbsp fresh thyme finely chopped

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

3 tbsp flour

2 tins plum tomatoes

1 tsp Worcester sauce

½ bottle of red wine

500 ml beef stock

Dumpling Ingredients

250g self raising flour

140g suet

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp dried oregano

roughly 60ml water

In a large casserole dish that has a lid, heat oil then season and brown beef, remove from dish.
Add the onions to dish and sauté till softened, then add the carrots and sauté for 3 minutes, then add the mushroom and sauté foe 3 minutes, add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Add all the herbs, pepper and celery salt and sauté for 1 minute, stir in the flour, then add the beef back to the dish, add the wine cook out for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, Worcester sauce, and beef stock bring to the boil then turn down heat and simmer for 2 ½ hrs.
Make the dumplings by mixing all the dry ingredients together, then gradually add the water till you have a dough that is slightly sticky, roll into balls about the size of a golf ball and place in the stew, make sure you leave enough room for them to expand.
Cover the dish and cook in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.