Bananaberry Bread

One night as I was tucking my twins into bed, Master H very randomly said "I want banana bread please". I did what most mothers would do to settle the kids and get them to bed, I simply said "ok, tomorrow, go to bed or you won't get it". When tomorrow came I of course had completely forgotten about the banana bread request BUT Master H did not. He kept harping on and on about it and I knew there was no shutting this one down.

My problem that day was I was actually working from home. I couldn't afford to spend heaps of time in the kitchen pretending to be a lady of leisure who didn't have a job and who had all the time in the world. So I Googled (of course) the simplest recipe I could fine with ingredients that were already in my pantry and got to it as quickly as possible.

This recipe was fabulous as I didn't even need an electric mixer, just a bowl and a wooden spoon. In 15 minutes flat the cake was in the oven. Master H was happy his request was baking away. I could go back in my office and work with a smile as the house was starting to smell heavenly.

Bananaberry Bread

3 ripe bananas
a handful of blueberries
half a cup of diced strawberries
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 and 1/2 cup plain flour
pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a loaf tin.

2. In a bowl add all wet ingredients. Mix well until sugar is dissolved. Add fruit to mix and stir.

3. Then add dry ingredients and mix well.

4. Pop in loaf tin, shove in oven for 1 hour.

5. Serve warm with butter melting all over it!

Pork and Veg Rice

This dish is so tasty and hearty and just packed full of wholesome goodness that I have to share it. It's a dish that reminds me very much of flavours from my childhood.

I was inspired to make this because a Malaysian friend who happens to be a talented cook made a dish called Long Bean Rice and showed me a photo of it. It made me want it instantly so I had to give it a go. It's basically rice and long beans cooked in a wonderful broth. What makes this dish extra special is the use of some funky ingredients like salted fish and dried prawns. These ingredients bring layers of flavour that is just second to none. However these flavours can also be quite strong especially for my 4 year old twins so I have modified it to be less in your face but still completely tasty and flavoursome.

Long beans/snake beans is the prefered bean for this dish as it holds it's firmness more than any other bean but I used round beans as it's readily available from Woolworths and is just as tasty. Also you can substitute all ingredients with whatever you prefer like chinese sausage for chorizo, dried shitake for fresh ones etc. My type of cooking is all about what's at hand.

Here's my version. Hope you like it.

Pork and Veg Rice.

250g pork mince
2 pieces of lap cheong (chinese pork sausage available from Asian aisle in Woolworths - or use chorizo if you're unsure if you'll like it)
25g dried shitake (soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes or use any other mushroom you like)
3 stalks of spring onions (use the white crunch bit at bottom, not leafy part)
3-4 cloves of garlic
200g round beans trimmed
4-5 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons light soy
2 tablespoons dark soy
4-5 dashes of fish sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
white pepper to taste
salt to taste
2 cups uncooked rice
ginger about the size of a thumb
4 cups water
 
****you can add carrots, capsicums or whatever you like really****

1. In a wok or frying pan cook mince, sausage, garlic for a few minutes, just long enough for mince to start the cooking process and for flavours of sausage to start oozing into the oil.

2. Then throw in mushrooms, spring onions, beans and rice and toss it all together. Then add all the seasonings and sauces and make sure everything is well coated.

3. Transfer everything to rice cooker pot. Add water and stir. Taste the soup and adjust salt, pepper and soy to taste. Throw in the ginger and turn on rice cooker.

4. Half way throw cooking process give it a stir to make sure nothing is stuck to sides or bottom of cooker.

5. I serve it with homemade chilli and ginger sauce but that's optional.