It is such a wonderful feeling growing and cooking your own vegetables. Not to mention saving a few dollars every now and then too. However, due to a lack of garden space and fertile ground soil, I have no choice but to resort to growing my vegetables in containers, using mostly polystyrene boxes. I use shallow containers that are around 3/4 feet in depth for growing quick yield veggies like mustard green, chives, spring onions and pak choy, and deeper 1 3/4 feet containers for growing plants like ladies' finger (okra) and brinjal (eggplant). Here's my recent harvest - several ladies' fingers, my first brinjal and a few stalks of celery. The celery was used for chicken stew and the brinjal and ladies' fingers, for a yummy stir-fry with onions and tomatoes. The brinjal, oh my goodness!, tasted so succulent, smooth and sweet. One of the ladies' fingers was slightly woody as I had left it on the plant a bit longer than it should but luckily I had picked the rest while they were still young and tender.
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| Fresh veggies, I love the beautiful purple color of the brinjal! |
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| Yummy! I love a stir-fry like this to go with rice, alongside other meat or fish dish |
Peel 3 cloves of garlic and chop them. Or, you could use a garlic presser if you have one. It's my latest cool gadget and I absolutely love using it! Oh, here it is (recipe will continue below...:)
Peel 1 large onion, halve it and cut into thin slices. 1 tomato, quartered. 1 medium-sized brinjal, cut into 1.5 inch chunks and then quarter each chunk. Top and tail off several ladies' fingers and slice diagonally. 1 fresh red chilli, slice thinly. Soak 1 tsp dried prawns (udang kering) and 1 tbsp dried anchovies (ikan bilis) for 5 minutes, drain off the water. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 tbsp worstershire sauce, 1 tbsp light soya sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp Chinese cooking/Shiaoxing wine with 1/4 cup water.
Heat 3 tbsps cooking oil in a wok/frying pan. Under medium to high heat, saute the garlic, dried prawn and dried anchovies together in the hot oil until they turn half brown and fragrant. Mix in all the vegetables, including the onions all at once. Stir fry for a few minutes, then add in the 1/4 cup water that has been mixed with seasonings. Let it come to a simmer and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables have softened to your liking. Add a light dash of salt if preferred. Dish up and serve with rice.
Heat 3 tbsps cooking oil in a wok/frying pan. Under medium to high heat, saute the garlic, dried prawn and dried anchovies together in the hot oil until they turn half brown and fragrant. Mix in all the vegetables, including the onions all at once. Stir fry for a few minutes, then add in the 1/4 cup water that has been mixed with seasonings. Let it come to a simmer and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables have softened to your liking. Add a light dash of salt if preferred. Dish up and serve with rice.
Have a superb day!
I love seeing your home grown veggies. I just can't seem to grow them around here, maybe it's too hot...but the bugs like them too. I should really try the containers like you did, I'll look for them soon. I would love to have some greens on hand whenever I need them.
ReplyDeleteThat looks amazing. I think there really is no secret to great home cooking except preparing it with lots of love and using the best and freshest of ingredients you can get. I work at the farmer's market in london, so I'm lucky enough to get amazing produce. One day when I have the garden space to, I'd like to try growing my own too (:
ReplyDeleteThat looks amazing. I think there really is no secret to great home cooking except preparing it with lots of love and using the best and freshest of ingredients you can get. I work at the farmer's market in london, so I'm lucky enough to get amazing produce. One day when I have the garden space to, I'd like to try growing my own too (:
ReplyDeleteYour bendi are looking good! So geram seeing your brinjal, so cantik! Cool garlic press, and cook colour too!
ReplyDeleteOops, I meant cool colour too! hahaha! After seeing your brinjals, felt like cooking it for dinner, went to Tesco, bought two today!
ReplyDeleteHello Nyonya, I too used to love growing our own vegetables. Used to grow 4 angle beans which I love very much.
ReplyDeleteChillies, etc. Good fun.
I sure love this dish of yours.....looks so delicious.....
Makan this nama mak pun rosak as sure to polish off 3 plates of rice, ha ha ha.
Have fun and keep a song in your heart.
Lee.
MMMMM,..;that dish looks superb, my friend! :) Yummy Yummy Yummy!
ReplyDeleteI also love to cook & bake with veggies home grown! They taste the best! :) xxx
I miss lady fingers...so cool that you have grown so many veggies at home.
ReplyDeleteMemang puas hati bila dapat harvest from own garden. Sayang tak da tempat for more veggies to tanam eh..memang sedap.
ReplyDeleteHey your garden seems getting bigger already...like your types of veggie combinations
ReplyDeleteso cool to have your very own vegetables gardens!
ReplyDeletehi dear, the garlic presser come out in tiny cuts or long strips?
ReplyDeletehi Genie, the garlic comes out in tiny cuts but a layer of the garlic will remain as a piece inside the presser.
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