Bird Netting for Vegetables Raised Bed

There was a bad experience of birds that attacked our seedlings late last year, so before even planting begins this year, there are some precautions to take - setting up a bird netting over the raised bed is one of them.


It is not an expensive solution and the entire bird net is easy to set up. You start with pushing two ends of the bamboo hoops into the soil, securing them in the soil, each hoop at equal-distance across the planter bed.  These hoops are multifunctional and are able to provide stable support for long-stemmed plants and climbers as well. As the material is bamboo, they are suitable for outdoor use and will not rust easily.

When the bamboo hoops are secured, lay the bird net carefully over the bamboo. It will look something like this.

These Bamboo U-Hoops from Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) are about $5 and the Bird Netting from Lowes is  about $6, which sets our bird netting at just under $12.

Growing vegetables in small spaces

As this blog grows to one that encompasses the notion of being "vegetarian", one of the objectives is to achieve "farm to table" which in this case, to bring a small backyard vegetable garden to the table.

With vegetarian cooking and recipes being featured occasionally, there will be also gardening posts in the future to be shared from the perspective of us - two novice gardeners.

In the direction of limited budget and time, we hope to have at least some vegetables successfully grown in our backyard this year.

This planter bed is not huge but it came with the home. So we are going to make full use of it - at least try!

Depending on the space you have for Urban Gardening, you can always select the type of raised garden bed that is suitable for you. For example, this Lifetime Raised Garden Bed Kit can be ideal for some of you. It is a stackable garden bed with one early start enclosure. There are even no tools required for assembly, and you have a full garden set-up in less than an hour. It is also constructed of UV-protected high-density polyethylene and will not rot, crack or peel.

Watermelon Salad, and Stir-Fry 西瓜两用

Something wacky about watermelon for today.

The sweet juicy watermelon used in this Watermelon Basil Salad,

and the rind used in this Watermelon Rind Stir-Fry.

Tag: watermelon salad, watermelon rind

Indian-Spiced Green Beans 印度香料长豆

When these green beans are cooked down to tender, almost soft, with the spices, they are just so delicious. The ingredients in this recipe are almost similar to Indian Spicy Chickpeas.


Indian-Style Green Beans 印度香料长豆
Ingredients: green bean sliced, 4-5 shallots sliced, 2-3 garlic minced, 1-2tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, butter, salt, 1tbsp oil, freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle of red chili pepper flakes

Directions: Add butter and 1tbsp oil to a frying pan, add in minced garlic, shallots saute till fragrant. Add in green beans and saute till green beans and onions are slightly tender/onions caramelized. Add the spices. Salt to taste. Cook for about 10 mins in low-heat pan (note: if too dry, add some water). Add in some freshly ground black pepper and red chili pepper flakes, mix well.





Really good with steamed rice!

Tag: indian spices, green beans

Garlic Herb Butter Crostini 蒜泥香草牛油烤面包

A hearty bowl of minestrone or pumpkin soup would pair so well with these garlic crostini (means "little toasts" in Italian).


You do not need a full-range oven for this. A small little toaster oven will do the job. And even a better deal - you can use "old" baguette (bread) and inject new life into that dry loaf of mass.


Garlic-Herb Butter Crostini - 蒜泥香草牛油烤面包
Ingredients: Baguette, thinly sliced; unsalted butter; garlic, finely minced; dried herbs (basil, oregano), salt

Directions: Preheat toaster oven at "Bake". When the butter is slightly soft (at room temperature), add in the minced garlic and herbs, then mix them thoroughly into the butter. Spread the garlic-herb butter on one side of the bread slice, then place the bread slices (slathered side up) onto a tray laid with Al foil. Set oven to "Toast" and toast for about 12-15minutes till the bread becomes toasted, golden brown.





Enjoy.

Tag: soup, garlic crostini

Flavoring Vegetarian Soups + Bitter Melon Soup 苦瓜蛋花汤

It is not the (huge) amount of oil you have to use. You also don't have to depend on excessively-rich, heavy hot sauces. How to flavor vegetarian soups?

Cooking Tips:
- Add tomatoes (I cannot emphasize enough);
- Then there is also a pre-fry of the onions (till slightly charred and caramelized) to deepen the flavor intensity.
- It is sometimes not everything-all-at-once-in-the-pot! The sequence of adding the ingredients is important as well. Refer to this post: Since celery, and carrots cook longer than Napa cabbage - those were added first so that more time is allowed for developing flavors with the aromatics (onions, ginger, garlic) before the Napa cabbage is added. To zoom into details, you should add the "white" bottom stems of the Napa cabbage first (since those take longer to cook), then the leaves.

This Bitter Melon Egg Drop Soup 苦瓜蛋花汤 is another example of using tomatoes and using a pre-fry step.



Bitter food is good for us, and helps to speed up our metabolism. Green vegetables such as broccoli, and spinach can also be classified as bitter good. Well, broccoli and spinach do not taste bitter to me. Bitter melon might be the ultimate!

I have cooked bitter melon soup many times and bitter melon soup (egg-drop version) quite frequently.

This time, the base of this Bitter Melon Soup 苦瓜蛋花汤 starts with ikan billis (dried boiled anchovies), some onions, ginger, and tomatoes. In a soup pot, aromatize them in a little oil. When the onions turn translucent, then add water (or stock) to constitute the soup. Allow it to come to a boil for about 10 minutes (for flavors and aromatics to infuse), then turn down heat, add in bitter melon and continue to let it simmer till the bitter melon is cooked (no more than 30 minutes). Before serving, gently stir in whisked egg to create silky egg-strands. Turn off the heat. Sea salt and ground white pepper to taste. Garnish generously with finely chopped green onions and cilantro.



Tag: bitter melon, soup

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Chayote (Chokos) Tomato Stew 番茄焖煮佛手瓜

Okra with Tomatoes. Bitter Melon with Tomatoes. Brisling Sardines with Tomatoes. Cabbage with Tomatoes. And now...Chokos (Chayote) with Tomatoes.


When the word "Umami" became a hype these few years, tomatoes became a topic of the town as they are tied to ketchup which many claimed to taste "Umami" - kinda addictive with savory deliciousness. I do not like ketchup (or probably, should I say, not my kitchen or dining habit to have it?) but extremely so love tomatoes. That is why many Indian curries and dishes taste so good. They've got tomatoes.

Napa Cabbage and Barley Soup 白菜薏仁汤

Practice makes perfect when creating tasty vegetarian dishes. Nah, vegetarian dishes are not bland.


In fact, they can be flavorsome and delicious. Seriously, it is not difficult to develop flavors in vegetarian dishes. It is not the (huge) amount of oil you have to use. And you don't have to over-depend on excessively-rich, heavy hot sauces.

How then?

Stir-Fry Chayote with Fresh Lily Bulbs 清炒佛手瓜鲜百合

As I am quite familiar with using chayote in cooking, I also explored another relatively new ingredient to pair with chayote recently. Fresh Lily Bulbs mark a close resemblance to...errr.... "finger nails"?

Can you find the finger nails I am talking about?

Fresh lily bulbs have a natural hint of sweetness and according to Chinese medicinal perspective, have slightly "cold properties". When the weather is dry, lily bulbs can be used to relieve coughs, dry throats and to clear away "heat" in the body. They are also known to promote restful sleep, to treat insomnia and reduce heart palpitations.

Broccoli with Fresh Shitake Mushrooms 清炒西兰花

It is rare. Strangely rare. This is one of the few times I have done a broccoli stir-fry. It is so easy to enjoy steamed broccoli that I do not bother to cook them other ways. Do you stir-fry your broccoli or prefer to enjoy them...steamed?

But this day, I wanted to add more vegetables and cook just ONE side (vegetable) dish to pair with steamed rice. So I did so (the stir-fry)...with garlic, ginger, celery, carrots, broccoli and fresh shitake mushrooms.


This pan of fresh veggies stir-fry 

Enjoy!

Tag: stir fry, broccoli, stir fry broccoli

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Asparagus with Toasted Sesame Seeds 芝麻芦笋

The fatter (male) asparagus were better off steamed or to be cooked in a fish soup while the thinner (female) asparagus are worthy of stir-fries or in omelette. That's personal preference, really.


The sweet caramelized onions and carrots in this Asparagus Stir-Fry with Toasted Sesame Seeds complement with the flavors of fresh asparagus and fragrant toasted sesame seeds. Yum!

Spaghetti Squash Frittata Fritters

I wanted to try spaghetti squash after seeing "noodle" dishes out of them! This recipe came to me at the instant when I had that plate of squash strands (after roasting in the oven 375degF for ~ 45 minutes) sitting right in front of me. No squash noodles, I decided, since I am cooking rice congee for that same meal. I wanted a side-dish more than a one-disher noodle. Here comes my Spaghetti Squash Frittata Fritter!

I am a huge fan of Indian spices so I fall back to my comfort zone when seasoning the squash strands - cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, curry powder, red chili powder, salt, pepper - that should work!

Roasted Spicy Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato is nutritious with Vitamin A, C, B6 and minerals such as manganese and potassium.


Basically, these are the spices I have in my pantry. I wanted it spicy, added a lil' red chili powder (Note: Paprika or Cayenne Pepper should work too). Too bad I have no ground cinnamon at home if not it would have been perfect!

Black Pepper Buttered King Trumpet/Oyster Mushrooms

This recipe is super duper easy using the "pan-grill" method. You need butter, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. That's it.


Butter and Black Pepper King Trumpet/Oyster Mushrooms
Ingredients: 1 pack of king trumpet mushroom, remove the bottom white portion (about 1/4 length from the bottom of the mushrooms but retain the "stems"), thinly slice the mushrooms caps and stems as whole; 1 tbsp unsalted butter; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions: Add butter in a heated flat wide-area pan and when butter melts, lay the mushrooms across the pan, do not overcrowd (Note: cook in batches). Lightly salt each batch and add freshly ground black pepper. When mushrooms turn tender, dish out and set aside.

Note1: This method (pan-grill, almost like grilling a steak) works really well for meaty mushrooms like the King Trumpet/Oyster.

Cooking Tip: for a 2nd dish!... ....

Roasted Cauliflower Pizza

I have been re-visiting some of my older recipes and giving them a fresh new spin. So today, I am making Oven-Roasted Cauliflower, which goes as the topping for my Indian Naan-bread pizza base. Decided to do away with pita bread as the pizza base this time and try another kind of bread-base.

Roasted Cauliflower Indian-Style Naan Pizza! It works!


Oh boy, am I stagnating right now? I seem to be toying with my comfort-zone ingredients. I need new ingredients! More! More! To excite me, to inspire me.

Okra and Eggplant Stew

Bittermelon with tomatoes is delicious, eggplants with tomatoes should not go wrong too.


To create more substance and add more vegetables in this dish, I use another old recipe of mine - okra with tomatoes and include some eggplant mash into an already stew-like dish. Okra is very good in stews since the "slimy" factor perfects the stew consistency. Remember the last time you had Gumbo? Traditionally, one of the key ingredients is okra.

Can't even see the eggplant....it is that obvious.

Okra and Eggplant Mash Stew , first posted in An Escape to Food
(partially inspired by Real Simple - Eggplant Caviar, then adapted from the same recipe)

Ingredients: Similar to Recipe: Okra with Tomatoes; one eggplant

Directions: Roast the eggplant in the oven and scrap the flesh when eggplant is cooked (Refer to pictures below). Similar to Recipe: Okra with Tomatoes. When okra is almost cooked, add in the flesh of the eggplant

Steamed Brussel Sprouts

Fall is also brussel sprouts season and I am going to eat them wholeheartedly.


They are usually expensive (due to being typically imported from nearby countries such as Australia) in Singapore. But now, I have the luxury to buy them reasonably, seasonably and relatively cheap in the US. Brussel sprouts are high in Vitamin K, C, A; folate, maganese, potassium, iron....mmmmm...you should look at the long nutrients list.


Contrary to the popular and common method of pan-frying with bacon or butter, I did the "Chinese" thing and steam them. Cooking Tip: To get them uniformly cooked yet not overcooked remains the same regardless of cuisine if you want to cook them whole. Cut a cross at the base/bottom of each brussel sprout so that "heat" can get in there easily.



Steamed Brussel Sprouts
Ingredients and Directions: 10-12 brussel sprouts, rinsed then cut a cross at the base of the vegetable, set aside on a plate. Sprinkle some salt, ground white pepper and freshly ground black pepper on the vegetables. Set the steamer for steaming. When the water in the steamer is boiling, add the whole plate of brussel sprouts into the steamer and steam for about 8 minutes. More freshly ground pepper on the cooked vegetables, if you prefer, before serving.


Enjoy.

Tag: brussel sprouts

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Sesame Oil White Pepper Steamed Potatoes

"Amazing colors!"...my first thoughts on getting the samples from Tasteful Selections some time ago.

Growing up in Asia, potato is really not my kind of staple or ingredient (Rice is!). But I was excited to try these potatoes especially when they are petite, cute, fast to prep and easy to cook. 


Have you tried Steamed Potatoes? Yes, you heard me right. S-T-E-A-M-E-D Potatoes!

Butternut Squash Soup

Pumpkins and squash are coloring the scene yellow, orange, and gold. Butternut squash soup is one of the best dishes to represent Fall season.


And if you do not have a food processor or blender to puree the butternut squash, do not worry. This is a trick you can use. Steam the butternut squash (skin already removed and flesh cut into cubes) for 10 to 15 minutes till soften. Then place the softened butternut squash into a deep bowl and mash the squash with a fork, till a slightly chunky puree forms.


Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients: Butter; 1/2 butternut squash, pureed; 1-2 cups whole milk; pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper; pinch of ground cumin

Directions: In a heated pan/pot, add butter. When butter melts slightly, add butternut squash puree and add milk (bit by bit, "eyeballing"), then stir till soup texture forms (Note: It depends on the texture you prefer. If you want more chunky and thick soup, add less milk). Add pinch of ground cumin, then pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix well. Garnish with baked butternut squash fries.

Enjoy.



Tag: soup, butternut squash

Parchment Steamed Broccoli and Bell Peppers

Stir-fry vegetables is enjoyable but there is always a pan/wok to wash - no matter how "clean" the cooking can be.

And not all vegetables can be possibly blanched? Well, broccoli or cauliflower...yes, ok, blanching. But what about zucchini and red bell peppers?


Parchment-steamed veggies to the rescue! Parchment so that moisture can be retained as much as possible; and parchment so that there are less dishes wash.


Parchment Steamed Broccoli and Bell Peppers
Julienned organic red bell peppers, thinly sliced organic zucchini, broccoli florets and thinly sliced broccoli stems, whole garlic crushed, dash of pepper, pinch of oregano, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Wrap in parchment and steam for about 8-10minutes. Before serving, pinch of sea salt, toss to combine well.


Tag: parchment-steamed vegetables, vegetarian

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