Steamed Moneybags

I’ve been on the lookout for ideas for easy but tasty and eyecatching finger foods lately and I liked the idea of making some Asian inspired Moneybags but I thought they might be a bit time consuming or tricky to make, but I decided to give it a go and to my surprise they were really quite simple and quick to make and certainly effective to look at – and by all accounts tasty to eat as they all disappeared very quickly.

 

Id  like to have taken some photos of the process of making them – I might do that in a separate post but I only had my tablet with me –  and I didnt want to get icky meaty fingers all over the screen picking it up and putting it down – and besides- I wasnt really sure they would work out well enough for a blog post anyway!! – so I may make another batch later this week and add some photos of the process .

In the  mean time heres the photo I took just before I put them in the Steam Oven

 

STEAMED MONEYBAGS

INGREDIENTS

250gm minced pork meat ( lean)
1 small spring onion finely chopped
1 2-3cm knob ginger grated
1 small chilli finely chopped
2 cloves garlic –crushed and chopped
1tspn salt
1tbsn sesame oil
1tbspn hoisin sauce
1tbsn rice flour ( or cornflour will work too)
25 wonton wrappers
25 chives – thicker chives work more easily

METHOD

Mix all but the last 2 ingredients in bowl.
Roll a small ball of meat mixture ( approx 2cm diameter) .
Take wonton wrapper in one hand and place meatball in centre and bring up edges of wrapper and pinch together  to form a parcel . Tie with chive .( This isnt as hard as you might think- the wonton wrapper sticks to itself fairly easily so you can put the parcel down while you tie it with a chive)
My chives from my garden were quite thin and broke fairly easily – so use thicker chives or garlic chives to make the tying easier.

Dip tops of moneybags in water ( I did this because some of my wrappers were quite floury) then place on perforated try and steam at 100 degrees for 25-30 minutes . Alternatively you could steam these in a bamboo steamer in a wok.

Serve with your favourite dipping sauce

DIPPING SAUCE
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1 chilli chopped
1 tbsn grated ginger
1 tbsn hoisin sauce

Mix all ingredients together in small bowl and sprinkle with a few pieces of chopped chilli and chive if desired.

Delightfully Easy Apple Tarts

 

 

 

I dont make dessert on a regular basis. Often the only time we eat dessert is if we have guests, and I have to admit only part of the reason is health related- probably the biggest reason is lack of time and basic laziness on my part.

Even when we have friends over, these days I’m always on the look out for something simple  for dessert. Food is more about the company these days and I dont like to spend hour upon hour in the kitchen preparing fancy meals – simple, fast  and delicious is my preference.

So here is a dessert that covers both those requirements- Its certainly quick to prepare and its one of the easiest desserts around – and adaptable – if you dont have apples you can swap them out for pears, peaches, apricots , bluberries – you name it .

Make more than one each if you can because if you serve these with a dollop of vanilla icecream and youll find yourself wanting a second one !

 

DELIGHTFULLY EASY APPLE TARTS

(Makes 6 tarts)

 

INGREDIENTS

1 –2 apples – halved then sliced into thin slices ( approx 3 mm thick)
1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry ( approx
1/4 – 1/2 cup apricot jam.
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup raw sugar ( optional)

 

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200C ( 400F)

Cut pastry in half and then each half into 3 portions .
Prick central area of pastry leaving 1 inch border around edge unpricked.
Spread approx 1 large tspn of apricot jam over central area of each pastry portion then sprinkle with approx 2 tspn of almond meal.
Arrange overlapping apple slices  in row down centre of pastry over almond meal.
Melt remaining jam with a bit of water in  microwave or on stove top and brush over entire tart covering apple and pastry edges.

Sprinkle with raw sugar ( optional)

Bake in oven for approximately 15 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.

Serve warm with cream or icecream.

Apple may be replaced with any other firm fruit.

Summer Sparkler–a Summer Afternoon Cocktail Refresher

 

 

 

Anyone who knows me well knows I’m a fan of fruity cocktails – I love experimenting and trying out my new creations and the ones I love the most are those which are refreshing, light and citrusy.

Ive long been a fan of 42 Below Feijoa Vodka  which is odd as Im not a great fan of the fruit itself eaten raw. ( For those who are unfamiliar with feijoa you can read about them here)

Anyway the best part of the feijoa IMHO is its aroma which is that of  mid afternoon  sunshine – yeah I know you didnt think sunshine had an smell – but seriously if you could imagine the smell of a hot summer afternoon by a pool then you know exactly what feijoa smells and tastes like.

Feijoa Vodka is the perfect addition to any summer cocktail.

My other more newly developed love is for flavoured ciders ( these are the alcoholic variety ) – The Swedish brand Rekorderlig being my recently favoured  brand but there have been numerous local brands pop up on the shelves of supermarkets and liquor stores lately. including the one I used for this cocktail – Wildside Feijoa and Passionfruit Cider

Combining cider and Feijoa Vodka seemed to me like a perfect match for a summer cocktail – and so I came up with the Summer Sparkler.

 

SUMMER SPARKLER

INGREDIENTS

1 500 ML bottle cider ( I used WildSide Feijoa and Passionfruit Cider but you could try it with any other variety)
125ml 42 below Feijoa Vodka
500ml Ginger Beer or Ginger Ale
125ml  lime juice- unsweetened – I use lime juice a lot in cooking and cocktailis so I buy it in a bottle – I love the St Andrews 1 ltr bottles – but you can use any unsweetened lime juice – or squeeze it yourself.
1 lemon or lime sliced
Several sprigs of mint

METHOD

Mix all ingredients in a jug and top with mint lime and ice.

Pour and Enjoy.