Video review of Nick's Diner

Hey so we decided to do something a bit different this time and make our review on camera at the actual venue. Tell us what you think!

Teriyaki Beef Stir-Fry

Last night I made teriyaki beef for the first time and it was so delicious I've decided to share the recipe with you. 

Firstly, slice 500g of rump steak into 1cm thick strips. To marinate the steak combine 1/3 cup teriyaki marinade, 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar (mirin), 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 3 cloves of garlic (crushed) and a thumb size piece of ginger (grated). Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before cooking.

For the vegetables, julienne 1 carrot, half a red capsicum, and 6 asparagus spears. Also, slice 1 red onion into wedges and finely slice one red chilli. 

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a wok and brown the beef in batches. Add the carrot, capsicum, asparagus, red onion and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
Finish with a squeeze of lemon lemon and some chopped coriander and serve with some steamed jasmine rice.

A quick, tasty meal thats easy enough for anyone to give it a go.

Indian takeaway

Despite being Indian, I actually don't like Indian food all that much. So I was understandably disappointed when my parents brought home takeaway from a place at Epping Station - Hothi's Indian Restaurant and proclaimed it as my dinner. That said, as a food blogger, I'll try to make a useful review of it.

I tried two of the dishes, the chicken vindaloo in the image above, and also some butter chicken. The butter chicken in my opinion was beyond horrible - It had an unpleasant neutral taste that was nothing like any butter chicken I've had before (mainly because it lacked the sweetish taste that I've come to associate with the dish). It was like they'd just made a weird orange curry to pour onto their chicken and then realised that it resembled butter chicken. On the other hand, the vindaloo was really good. It had a strong spicy texture and aroma and was accompanied by a thick curry.

So I wouldn't say Hothi's is a horrible place to eat, but it might be wise to avoid dishes that are typically sweet if you go there.

Strawberry Smoothie

Now that Spring is here and the weather is getting warmer I figured it a good time to share with you my favourite strawberry smoothie recipe.

It is very easy to make as it only has four ingredients yet it is very tasty and is also quite healthy for you. Simply add 6-8 strawberries, 1/3 cup of pitted dates, 1/3 cup natural yoghurt and 1/3 milk to a blender and your done. I like to use dates as the sweetener in my smoothies as they are not only good for you but they help to make the smoothie deliciously thick and rich. Banana's are also great in this smoothie, but seeing's as I earn less than 100k a year i'll give them a miss until they come down in price!

Smoothies are easy to make and nearly as filling as an actual meal so why not experiment with your own creations during the warmer months. 

Its whats on the inside that matters

Now this cake I absolutely had to blog about. I haven't seen a cake like this before and found it amazing! The thing I found interesting was the fact that when it originally appeared it was very plain. It was just a tall white vanilla cake. It wasn't until it was cut that it showed its beauty.

 Now I'm not sure about you, but I have only seen cakes that are pretty on the outside. So having a cake cut to reveal a gorgeous layer of different pinks was a pleasant suprise. "Its whats on the inside that matters"- so next time maybe try and make the inside of the cake as amazing as the outside.

Mediterranean Roast Chicken Salad

As a financially and time poor uni student it is often difficult to come up with quick healthy meals that don't break the bank. One of my latest creations, however, meet these criteria and ofcourse tastes great as well. 

My Mediterranean Roast Chicken Salad is made using oakleaf lettuce (any salad leaves will do), sliced tomatoes and cucumber, olives and crumbled feta cheese. I dressed the salad with a balsamic dressing and then tossed all the salad ingredients together. 

I used one chicken breast (half is more than enough per serving though) which I seasoned with salt and pepper before roasting it in a moderate oven for 15-20 minutes. I then sliced and added the roasted chicken to the salad while still warm. 

To make the meal more substantial I also toasted a couple of pieces of sourdough, though any crusty bread will do. 

So take a break from your mi goreng and give it a try!

Manchurian Chicken

So my mum has finally returned from her trip to New Zealand and with a new recipe to boot.

She calls this Manchurian Chicken because it's based off a dish of the same name she tasted at a Chinese restaurant in India.

It tastes pretty good I think, at least in comparison to the steak, mince and boiled eggs my dad, brother and I are able to make on our own. Unfortunately I have no idea how she made it aside from chicken thigh fillets being a key ingredient ;)