It's been soooo long!

Yeah well, despite all my good intentions, this blog has languished a bit with no posts for over a year now. Ive been busy, but that's no excuse. 

 

Having developed a chronic suite of allergies related to preservatives, colourings and flavourings I found myself having to rethink both my views on food and the way I eat.

This was so HARD at first. I won't lie here. Changing the way you eat has to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Having said that I REGRET NOTHING!

I have gone from a chronically unhealthy 126kg (278 pounds) to a respectable 89kg (196 pounds) in two years. I haven't felt this good since I've been in my 20's (now 41).  All that's left now, is to quit smoking...

In this time I've been bombarded by people asking what diet I'm on, or which detox I'm using. When I tell them I just gave up processed food and cook my own they look at me like I'm an alien from space.

Diets, detoxes, calorie counting, Paleo this, low carb that, in my opinion is a total bunch of BS. Portion size, eating when you're hungry and good wholesome, REAL food is the answer; at least for me :).

So this blog is going to be, from here on in, a look into the way I eat and the recipes I cook, for anyone bored enough to take an interest and as my own personal record. I hope it provides some inspiration to anyone who wants to feel better and live healthier.

Now when I say healthy I don't mean bland. I love to eat and eat well at that! Cooking has become somewhat of a meditative thing for me. The more I cook the more I like it. As they say variety is the spice of life and this is so true of eating.

I'm "luckier" than most though, I have NEVER enjoyed sugary fizzy drinks, even as a kid and have only an infrequent desire for sweet things, I've always been a savoury kind of guy. But when that sweet tooth craving comes upon me I'll go a chocolate mud cake with the best of 'em, but I'll make it myself!

Finding preservative, flavouring and additive free food can be a challenge. I DO NOT shop at "Health Food" Stores as they are another overpriced waste of time and effort in my opinion. I live in Australia, in Perth and shop mainly at the markets for fresh food as it is significantly cheaper than the main supermarkets. When I want non-fresh food I shop at Aldi as they seem to have a huge range of products that are free of additives. This has made my shopping experience so much simpler.

I'm often asked if it isn't more expensive to eat this way and I honestly have to say no, not really. I spend less on food now then I ever have. But I have changed the way I shop.

I used to do the once-a-week shop but no longer. This was mainly because I found a lot of food was wasted. Now I pop into the shops 2 to 3 times a week and only get what I need for a particular recipe, if I don't have it on hand.

OK preachy bit over.

So watch this space for recipes and ideas for a healthier you. I love Asian food and cook a lot of it, and while this may not be your idea of good food I hope the principle behind how I cook can give you ideas for your own personal tastes.

Peace and harmony to All.

Why does shopping local mostly SUCK!

I was reading with interest a little while ago, that business people here in Australia were petitioning the Government to lower the $ amount of things you could buy overseas before they incurred GST. These businesses were saying that competition from people ordering stuff off places like e bay where there is no GST was damaging their ability to compete.

For those who don't have it GST = Goods and Services Tax which is basically a government money grubbing exercise in return for doing sweet FA. They tax a business to sell and customers to buy.

Now this got me to thinking. Why do people shop online rather than at their local stores. Well I don't know about others but for me there are three main reasons.

1) Total lack of Customer Service:  It seems that the majority of times (with the odd notable exception) I have to interact with my local stores I am met by surly, unhelpful, ignorant shop staff, who if teenagers, are usually texting on their phone and will ignore customers if at all possible. Or if not teenagers, will grudgingly acknowledge your existence but leave you in no doubt that they really wish you were some place else.

Up to a point I can understand this; as I've also noticed that a large number of customers are either ignorant muppets or just plain rude to shop staff and if they talked to me like that on the street they'd get a bitch-slapping.

However I'm not one of them and I make it a point to try to be pleasant and polite, because I know how shit their jobs must be. But they make it all so very hard sometimes and when met with being ignored when I'm obviously waiting for assistance,or rudeness, I'm as blunt as a battleaxe and don't have to scream and shout to make them cringe behind the counter. Honestly though, why should it have to come to that? 

LOCAL BUSINESS: FAIL

2) No Help at All:  Everything is OH-SO-HARD. Several times now something that I wanted to buy was not stocked . Each time I've asked the various stores if they could possibly get it in for me as I don't mind the wait and would actually like to support my local businesses.

Either they quoted a ridiculously inflated price - one example was a laptop screen replacement which was quoted at 3x the price I could buy it for in Australia (after having it sent by courier from Queensland) WTF?  Or said it would take months to get in (food from Japan – 16 days via e bay including the time spent at customs) or they flat out refused. You would have thought I'd asked them to buy me parts for a particle accelerator.

LOCAL BUSINESS: FAIL

3) It's cheaper: This is where I get really confused. Now I buy a lot of stuff off ebay but not all of this comes from overseas, often it's just from other states in Australia. So please explain how it's possible for for me, a non business, to buy a single item, pay for shipping and still be able to get it cheaper than I can locally? This does not compute.

Surely a business buying at wholesale prices, shipping high volumes at reduced postage rates, should be making ample profits with what they are charging. This leads me to believe they are either grossly inflating their mark-up and so they're just greedy, or so incompetent they don't deserve to be in business anyway.

LOCAL BUSINESS: FAIL

That does not mean that I've totally stopped shopping locally however. There are a number of stores that I frequent time and time again. What is their secret? Are they cheaper than online? No.

Their secret is every time I go to them I feel welcome. The staff greet me with a smile and hello and it was like that from day one, not just because I'm a regular there now. Many of them will try to get me stuff in if they don't have it and in a reasonable time, at reasonable cost. In return for this they get my money and everyone is happy. Sadly these places are few and far between.

A lot of the local businesses and their staff need to get their acts together and realise that without customers they won't have a damn job and a lot of people are like me. They may spend there once but they won't be back again.

Rant Over.

Easy, Creamy, Coleslaw with a twist.

First of all you need to know I am NOT a coleslaw purist. Anything with sliced raw cabbage and mayo constitutes coleslaw in my book.

I made some Chinese inspired chicken stock last night and took it out at lunchtime to remove the fat and tub it up (see OCD plastic post). As I was doing this I just felt like making a 'bit-o-slaw ' for dinner tonight so here is the recipe.

2/3 Carrot
1/8 Cabbage
1 Corn Cob
1 Spring Onion
10cm long piece of Cucumber
Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Kewpie Mayonnaise

It is oh so simple, I whipped this up in about 5 minutes flat.

The Veg

 

Left to right: Salt, Pepper, Toasted Sesame Seeds

Regular Kewpie (L) and Hotel Style Kewpie (R)  Mayonnaise

1:  Take your cabbage and slice it how you like it, I like mine finely sliced.

Little bit of Cabbage

After Da Choppa

Next I cut the carrot into juliennes - but I cheated. I found this AWESOME Thai julienne peeler at one of my local Asian stores. I used to use a Mandolin Slicer but this is so much quicker with almost no clean-up.

Julienne Slicer - Love this thing

It's DA BOMB!!

So I peeled the carrot with this thing and then straightened all the curly bits out and chopped them into thirds.

Peeled

Straightened and Chopped

Then I peeled the corn cob and cut the kernels off with a paring knife. I recommend doing this over a bowl as a fair bit of mine ended up on the floor, which of course I then stepped in. :{

Naked Cob

Being Shaved

Shorn

I like the taste of raw corn so I don't cook it. If it's not your thing though at this point just throw it in some boiling, salted water for a few minutes. Drain and let cool.

Next I cut a 10cm section of cucumber, cut it in half and then de-seeded it with a teaspoon. Once most of the seeds were gone I cut it into thin strips and then into tiny corn-sized squares. But you can cut it however you like - knock yourself out.

Burpless Cucumber

ucumber

Cut in half and de-seeded with a teaspoon

Cut into Strips

Corn sized chunky bits

I then thinly sliced the Spring Onion after chopping off the roots and about 1/3 of the greens.

Trimmed

And Sliced

The  everything went in a bowl and I gave it a really thorough mixing with my hands so all the ingredients mixed well.

Everybody's In

After a good mixing

I then added the salt, pepper and toasted Sesame seeds to taste.  I then mixed it all really well by hand to combine everything. You need to do this before adding the mayo otherwise the seasonings have tendency to clump together and not mix through the coleslaw.

Toasted Sesame seeds give it a really nice nutty flavour and they're a favourite of mine.

Season to taste

I then added some Kewpie (Japanese) Mayo. This is my all time favourite Mayonnaise If I couldn't get this stuff I think I'd have convulsions and die, my body would go into shock. No additives, no preservatives, just yummy.

Of course just use the mayo you have at home but if you can find Kewpie give it a go.

Mayo Time!

Mix it thoroughly and taste test, adjust seasoning if necessary.

Pretty much done

 I like to leave it for at least a couple of hours in the fridge because I like to think the flavours develop and it tastes a bit better. However I always end up eating some of it straight away and it tastes pretty fine.

Packed ready for the fridge.

My love of Bento Boxes and OCD with Plastic.

Here's the thing. I have what I can only describe as a fetish for plastic. (^o^)  It started off so innocently that I didn't realise the slippery slope I was on.

At first it was just the pasta because they were so convenient and stopped all that pasta dribble in the cupboards and over the floor, when I sent them flying trying to grab stuff from the back with one hand while trying (unsuccessfully) to keep the rest of the crap in place with the other.

Then of course there was repeatedly coming home with stuff I thought I didn't have, only to find it wedged behind or under something else in the cupboard/freezer. Honestly I've now got four packs of sushi sheets, about 12 billion wonton wrappers and seriously how much frozen corn can one man eat?

Thus began my fetish for the plastic tub. I bought a pack of five to organise my Dashi stocks and dried goods because I thought it would take up less space and there was also the bonus of being easily able to see what I had on the shelves. Oh, oh, oh, oh, I liked it. I couldn't stop, I was hopelessly, totally addicted.

All Labelled no less.

 Oh but it didn't end there:

Note the multitude of wanton wrappers.

Now I'm sure I'm developing OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) as I have reorganised that freezer 15 times, first it was organised by size, then content (meat,veg,cooked,raw etc) on and on it went. I even labelled them all.

I have now settled  on frequency of use. Less use to the back, frequent use to the front. What probably disturbs me the most was how long it took for that thought to come to mind. It may be the onset of early galloping senility, who's to know?

On to Bento...

For those who don't know Bento or more properly O'Bento is a Japanese single portion takeaway or home packed meal (often lunch but not always).

Now I love food and especially good food. I'm not necessarily talking fancy here. I mean simple food that tastes great and isn't saturated in additives and preservatives. (I'm allergic to many of both.) Now I'm  lucky because I don't eat much bread (additives/preservatives) and the thought of eating a sandwich every day just makes me want to cry, and not just because I'll break out in a rash.  :(

In the English-speaking West we really have the wrong attitude towards our food. So many people say they have no time, or it's too hard or they can't be bothered cooking, yet good healthy food doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming.

Seriously, why would anyone want a sandwich when they could be eating stuff like THIS:

Thank you to LITTLE JAPAN MAMA. Please click on the Bento link to go to this page.

Which brings me to the point of this rant which was the arrival of my new Bento lunch box which I bought on ebay from South Korea. At first I thought it might be too small but happily it is perfect.

This sexy little number comes with an insulated cover with carry handle to keep your lunch hot or cold. Two microwave/freezer/dishwasher safe containers and a pair of detachable chopsticks in their own funky holder. I took this to the Zoo the other day and was really impressed with it.

I may blog some quick and simple lunches at a later date. Have a great day. :)

Mochi Rice Cake Gooeyness (Nama kirimochi)

I LOVE MOCHIIIII!

For those who don't know mochi is a soft, chewy type of Japanese rice cake that can be sweet or savoury and I lurve it. Especially Nama Kirimochi which literally translates as raw rice cake but rock-hard rice block would be a more accurate title.

They have the consistency of lumps of plastic at this point.

Now, I have made my own fresh mochi up until last week because I had never been able to find these little suckers. Let me tell you making mochi is a right royal pain-in-the-ass. The more mochi-like the rice gets the more it sticks to EVERYTHING and clean up is a nightmare of epic proportions. In fact I'd rather get a back, crack and sack wax (thank you Bali) than make this stuff, so I usually put it off until I'm just CRAVING it and make a whole lot at once then freeze it.

I found an awesome recipe for mochi pizza (yeah I know right but I like trying weird stuff) on youtube last week, thanks to runnyrunny999 and it was awesome. I made a Japanese style pizza because I don't do cheese very often.

But today I missed breakfast having to go out early and I was craving a quick snack. So I grabbed some of these kirimochi and topped them with soy sauce and the sprinkling of 'mozzarella style' (ie tastes of nothing, especially not like real mozzarella) cheese that's been sitting in my freezer for the past 6 months to make a cheese mochi pizza snack. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

Firstly I turned the gas to medium and used a non stick griller pan. Gave it a light oil with cooking spray and stuck the two mochi blocks side by side and waited till they got gooey.

On a side note if you can find this stuff and want to try this you MUST use a non-stick pan or you'll think it's been super-glued to the base and you'll spend the next three hours crying trying to get it off! (yes that was a painful personal experience right there)

First they get soft round the edges and then kind of melt together.

Stage gooey: Completed.

Once they've melted together I put around a 1/4 cup of water in the pan and stick a lid on top and allow it to steam until all the water is gone.

As long as the gas isn't too high its really hard to burn this stuff :)

Once it's done steaming it'll be really, really soft and sticky. I flip it over at this point and after spraying my spatula with a bit of oil I squish it and spread it out a bit so it's not so thick.

Flipped and squished. Also crisping up nicely.

As the insides heat up and it will expand like a blow-up mattress and release a bit of steam. I keep turning it regularly to keep both side crispy and heat it evenly all the way through.

Looking good - all nice and puffy

Next I sprinkled soy sauce all over the top for a bit of flavour for my bland, fake, wannabe-mozzarella  and flipped it over to re-crisp it.

Looks kinda burnt but it's just the soy sauce

Then I took it off the heat whacked it on one of the 'don't-quite-fit' oven trays and pre-heated the oven-grill while I topped it with cheese. Five minutes under the grill was all it took.

Gooey. Mmmmmmmmm....

It was yummy :)

While I was waiting I threw together a few mini-hamburgers for lunch tomorrow. I pinched one to eat with the pizza.

Regular mince, Panko breadcrumbs, chives, carrot and Spring onion with a little soy sauce and pepper.

I really enjoyed it.

A day out at the Perth Zoo

Yesterday I had a day out at the Perth Zoo with the family and my nephew who is on holiday from the UK. It was really nice. I remember going to the Zoo for the first time when I was a kid in the early 80's and hating it.

Back then pretty much all the enclosures were wire and concrete, often tiny and most of the animals looked  either bored out of their minds or just miserable. It made me so depressed and it left such a negative impression that it was 20 years before I went again; after they had spent millions of dollars on upgrading the enclosures.

It's been around 5 years since my last visit and I was impressed at the pace of change in that short time. It just keeps getting better and better. Well worth the $24 it cost to get in.

Entrance to the Zoo

Zoo Plan

Everyone was hanging out for a cuppa so first we headed to the cafe for a drink. Prices were pretty reasonable here. No more than your average coffee shop. $4.50 for a pot of green tea and about the same for a coffee. Such a beautiful location too, it was so relaxing with the sounds of the animals.

There are so many great open spaces around the zoo, for picnics, or to let the kids run themselves ragged for a bit, there's also a playground to keep them entertained. I was surprised to find the BBQs are free to use and not coin operated. Impressed.

The Cafe to the right. There is seating undercover, outside and under the huge tree.

We then headed to the African Savannah. I really liked the way the elephant grass has been planted all along the paths throughout this area, it really set the mood.

You're just waiting for something to jump out.

The animals seemed really relaxed and at ease. Most were sleeping though. Except for the cheetah which was a bit of a show pony and would come over to the glass every time someone came in. I personally think it was probably because of all the primary school kids there on an excursion and it was pretty interested in them. I'm sure it was thinking they were just the right size for a snack...

Oh so sleepy.

Just Chilling

Checking out the Snacks...

Giraffe saying hello to the keepers

These Meerkats where just so cute especially the babies. The iddy biddy babies had just started to explore the outside world and are just over a month old.

Meerkats playing

Aaaaw! So cute.

I thought it funny that one of them spent a lot of time admiring its reflection in the glass (below) 

Who is that sexy dude?

Apparently these tortoises are critically endangered because they are both pretty and tasty. So people kill them to eat and then make baubles from their shells. It sucks to be too popular. As they've got a top speed of about 30cm a minute they're not outrunning anyone either.

The Zoo is doing great work with its breeding program so hopefully they can be saved.

Chow Time.

So Tiny! About the size of a Tennis Ball

 The Galapagos Tortoises were Huge and the guy below looked like he'd been in a rear end crash. Though that would be difficult I suppose when you've got a top speed of like 2 kilometres an hour.

Galapagos Tortoise

Sadly their Islands and breeding grounds are being overrun with feral animals that compete for food and water, as well as eating their eggs and babies. It just goes to show that even when they live on islands in the middle of nowhere we humans can still fuck it up.

Nanna-Nap Time.

Tricia the local celebrity elephant, used to be chained  in a shoddy concrete imitation Greek-Temple-looking thing, all by herself when I was a kid.  She used to stand looking at the walls and sway from side to side, it was so awful.

Now though she has a massive naturalistic enclosure with waterfalls, bathing pool etc and is the matriarch of a little herd. She also goes for a daily wander round the Zoo, during visiting hours which is just awesome! Oh she also paints.

Tricia

Tea Time

But who's watching who?

The young Bull

There was so much more and I had a real blast. Spent over 7 hours here and it felt like 2.  Below is a quick snapshot of some of the other areas because I'm tired of typing.

Gibbon

Another Gibbon

Up a bit, no little to the left, down a bit...... Thaaaat's the spot.

Check out that Mo

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Ice Block Happy Time

Numbat - Native to W Australia and critically endangered

Termite Mound Replicas

Wallaby a close relative of the Kangaroo

Just cruising.

Tasmanian Devil - They started dropping like flies from some weird tumour disease in the 90s. These guys are disease free and used for breeding to reintroduce into the wild.

Iconic Australian - Koala

Looking like a hippy stoner.

Part of the walkway through the Wetlands Exhibit.

Red Kangaroos at Leisure

Now That's relaxed he's like a foot from the path.

Our local penguins playing

Wetland Australian Birds - Assorted flavours.

Our State's emblem - The Black Swan, has a tendency toward bad tempered fiestyness

 

Part of the Wetland exhibit

Tranquil

From the bridge

This guy's medium sized at around 4m long. It was sad to see that because of inconsiderate,retarded muppets they have had to put a sign up warning that the enclosure is under video surveillance and throwing stuff at the crocodile to get him to move will attract a seriously large fine and a permanent ban from the Zoo.

There was so much more and I recommend going if you live in Perth and haven't been for a while.