After posting low-carb recipes three times in a row, I'd now like to go back to the real heart and soul of 'Cooking Gallery' - dumplings and noodles ;) - this doesn't mean that I have neglected my mission to eat less carb. If you have followed my blog for some time, you would have noticed that I LOVE dim sum, rice and noodles. These are the things I wouldn't be able to live without...! So, from time to time I still do want to enjoy high-carb meal like this...:-).

The magic potion for this dish is still this man below ;). I am simply in love with his beautiful chili condiments. This time I used his 'Fried pork with chili in oil'. This dish is super easy to make and super yummy...!

Ingredients - serves 2

• 400 g Udon noodles
• 250 g ground pork
• 100 chopped mushrooms
  
• 2 tbs fish sauce
  
• 3 tbs 'Fried pork with chili in oil'
• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• Pepper to taste
  
• Frozen wontons and meatballs
• Chopped green onions and fried onions for garnish

Instructions

• Heat 1 tbs oil in a wok.
• Toss in the ground pork and mushrooms and stir fry until slightly brown.
• Add fish sauce, 'fried pork with chili in oil', oyster sauce and pepper.
• Simmer the meat sauce, stirring occasionally until cooked through.
• Place cooked udon noodles in a bowl. Top with the meat sauce, cooked wontons and meatballs. Garnish with green onions and fried onions.
  

If you want to make wontons yourself, you can look at my wontons recipe here.

Finding low carb sweets and desserts is very hard in Germany, which could be deadly for me who's got a real weakness for chocolate, gummi bears and ice cream ;). A few days ago, I created some low-carb chocolate cookies, using gluten flour and ground almond. The cookies didn't turn out bad at all, they're soft and rather flaky but still delicious! Scroll down to find the recipe!

Ingredients (Makes 14)

• 100 g butter
• 1 egg
• 100 g gluten flour
• 100 g ground almond
  
• 4 tbs sweetener (of your choice - you can add or reduce the amount as you like)
• 4 - 5 tbs cocoa (without sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla
  

Mix all ingredients well. Shape into little balls. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

What are little boys made of?

What are little boys made of?

Frogs and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails,

That's what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice

And everything nice,

That's what little girls are made of.

For people who celebrate Chinese New Year: Gong Xi Fa Cai 2011 ! May you all have a prosperous and joyful Bunny year ahead :)!

Another beautiful dish that you can make from Shirataki noodles is Char Kway Teow. I still prefer the original Char Kway Teow of course, because I love rice noodles to death, but being able to eat such a dish during a low-carb diet is heavenly...!

Ingredients:

• 200 g Shirataki noodles
• 100 g prawns
• 1 Chinese sausage, sliced
• 100 bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 egg
• 1-2 tbs pork lard (or substitute with olive oil)
• 1 tbs minced garlic
  
• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• 1 tbs sambal oelek
  
• Pepper to taste
  

Instructions

• Heat the pork lard in a wok.
• Add the minced garlic, prawns and Chinese sausage. Stir fry for 2 minutes until aromatic.
  
• Add fish sauce, sambal oelek and oyster sauce. Simmer for 1 minute.
• Quickly add the noodles and stir until well combined.
  
• Toss in the egg, bean sprouts, green onions and add a dash of pepper. Stir fry for another 1 minute.
• Serve!

Eat the noodles with the Szechuan crispy chili in oil, as I told you in the previous post. It makes it even yummier :)!

A few days ago I bought 4 small packets of Shirataki noodles. I had never tried them in my life but I had a pretty a good idea of what it might taste, since it's made from konjac plant/konyakku and I love konyakku jelly. At the moment I am trying to reduce my carbohydrate and sugar intakes (which is very hard because I love my STARCHY rice and noodles...!!), I thought I should really give these so-called 'miracle noodles' - no calories, no sodium, and almost 0 carbs, a try.

I have to say I was not disappointed. The noodles taste like cellophane noodles but thicker, quite similar to Korean Daang Myun noodles which are usually used to make Japchae, but slightly chewier. I thought chewy noodles would taste better spicy, that's why I used Chinese hot bean sauce and Szechuan crispy chilli in oil (look at the picture below) to stir-fry the noodles.

Szechuan Crispy Chilli in Oil.
When you go to your local Asian grocery store, watch out for glass jars with a picture of this man - he makes very very tasty sauces...! Just absolutely gorgeous!

Shirataki noodles have a rather unpleasant smell, rather fishy I would say, that's why before you stir-fry the noodles, make sure you rinse and pat them dry.

Ingredients - serves 2

• 400 g Shirataki noodles
• 300 g ground pork
• 2 tbs oil
  
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1 tbs fish sauce
  
• 1 tbs hot bean sauce
• 1 tbs Szechuan crispy chilli in oil
• 1 tbs oyster sauce
• 1/ 2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup bean sprouts
  
• 1/2 tsp white pepper

Instructions

• Heat 2 tbs oil in a wok.
• Add the minced garlic and ground pork. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the ground pork is slightly brown.
  
• Add fish sauce, hot bean sauce, crispy chili and oyster sauce. Simmer for 3 minutes.
• Quickly add the noodles and stir until well combined.
  
• Toss in the bean sprouts, green onions and add a dash of pepper. Stir fry for another 1 minute.
• Serve!
  

For people who have to take care of their carb-intake, make sure that you check the labels and ingredients for ready-made sauces. They usually have sugar and thus some hidden carbs - so don't use too much!

Strawberry milkshake is probably something that you wouldn't want to have in winter, but I am simply somebody who can eat ice cream or drink cold beverages all year round - and in fact, I am actually not very fond of warm drinks, even in winter. To make strawberry milkshake you just need fresh strawberries, milk, ice cubes and vanilla ice-cream. You're free to adjust the measurement to your liking.

Ingredients

• 8-10 fresh strawberries
• 500 ml cold milk
• 15-20 ice cubes
• 1-2 scoops ice cream
• Sugar (optional)
  

Toss all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately!

Another festive dish with poultry - roasted goose. I don't usually make goose dishes because goose tends to be very oily. But once in a year, it's something that we shouldn't really miss, because when cooked right, it's just sensational...!

Ingredients

• 2 haunches of goose
• 400 ml chicken stock
• Salt, pepper, marjoram, paprika powder
• 4 tbs Armagnac
• 50 ml cream
• 1 tbs corn starch (mixed with 3 tbs water)
• Sugar to taste (for the sauce)

Instructions

• Rub the goose with salt, pepper, marjoram and paprika powder
• Put goose, skin sides down, in a medium-heated skillet. Don't add any oil, because the goose itself is already fatty and going to produce (a LOT) of oil.
• Cook goose until skin is golden brown (about 10 minutes - you want to get all that oil out). Turn over and cook for another 10 minutes.
• Remove goose from skillet and put into a roasting tin. Pour chicken stock.
• Roast goose at 160° for 2 hours.
• Remove roasted goose from the tin and keep warm.
• Pour the goose juice into a saucepan. Add the cream, armagnac, salt, sugar, pepper to taste and let it boil.
• Add more chicken stock if necessary and the corn starch mixture to thicken the sauce.
• Serve goose with the armagnac sauce, carbs and braised vegetables of your choice!
  

Happy New Year, everyone! It's 2011...!!

Finally my mission to make a gingerbread house is completed...:)! But I have to say it was a LOT of work of several days. I am nevertheless happy with the result of my first gingerbread house ever. Well..., it's actually not really my 'first' gingerbread house, I tried to make one last year on Christmas Eve and thought I would be able to do everything in one night (template, baking, decorating, etc), but after one of the roofs broke and fell apart, I gave up completing the house. This year I was wiser and gave myself several days to complete the gingerbread house project.

The gingerbread house in the making...

The house after I added some sugar icing, sweets and muesli for the chimney.

Bilbo's house from The Hobbit, German Fachwerkhaus and of course Hansel and Gretel's candy house came into my mind when I decorated the gingerbread house.

Can you see why? Does the round 'oreo' cookie door remind you of Bilbo's little house? - at least a little bit... ;)

Hopefully the handpainted timber makes it look like a Fachwerkhaus.

And the candy-covered roof like the witch's house in Hansel and Gretel....

I will not write much as I am at the moment in my MIL's house. But I want to wish you all a lovely Christmas time with your family and friends.

And one more time, in German, Frohe Weihnachten, lovely readers :)!

Christmas is on its way... This means roasted duck time - my favourite German dish ever :)! Starting from November onward, you would start seeing duck or goose in the menu when you go to restaurants. The Germans usually eat roasted duck or goose on Christmas Eve, in some parts of Germany they also eat fried carp, but since I am not that fond of fish, I have never tried this other specialty. Last year I made traditional roasted duck with potato dumplings and red cabbage. For this year I wanted to make something slightly different, that's why I decided to use the homemade orange marmalade that my MIL gave me to make Ente à l'orange - Duck with orange sauce, a few days ago.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 duck (ca.1.5 kg)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 shallots, chopped coarsely
  
• 2 tbs orange marmalade
  
• 100 ml orange juice
  
• 150 ml chicken stock
• 150 ml white wine
  
• 100 ml cream
• dried chopped marjoram
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs flour, mixed with 3 tbs of water
  

Instructions

• Rub the duck with salt, pepper, orange marmalade and marjoram.
• Put the duck into a roasting tin. Pour orange juice, chicken stock, white wine, chopped shallots and the bay leaf into the tin.
• Roast the duck at medium temperature (150 C) for 2 - 2.5 hours. Check every half hour and keep adding hot water (even better, chicken stock) over the duck. I would say, 50-100 ml per half hour.
  
• Remove the cooked duck from the roasting tin. Cover.
  
• Sauce: Transfer the juice from duck into a saucepan and let it boil, adding cream, sugar, salt, pepper and the flour/water mixture.
• Serve with potato dumplings, red cabbage and orange slices.
  

This meal is so festive and somehow always makes me feel happy eating it :)!

Look at my balcony! Isn't it pretty? I am really hoping for a white Christmas...!

I am a fan of schnitzel, be it chicken, pork or veal. In Germany, you can get schnitzel in almost any restaurant you go to. The most popular ones here are Wiener Schnitzel (the good ol' Viennese Schnitzel traditionally made from veal and served with lemon slice), Zigeuner Schnitzel (which means gypsy-stlye schnitzel, usually served with slightly spicy sauce with paprika and onions) and Jäger Schnitzel (or 'Hunter schnitzel' dished up with creamy mushroom sauce).

Last week I made pork schnitzel with salad. Making schnitzel is actually quite easy, because you don't need many ingredients: just meat cutlets, eggs, flour and bread crumbs and you're ready to fry the schnitzel.

Ingredients (serves 2 - 4)

• 4 pork cutlets, pounded to 0.5 cm thickness
  
• 2 eggs, beaten
  
• 1 tbs oyster sauce (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• Oil for frying

Instructions

1. Set the eggs, flour and bread crumbs in three different shallow bowls.
2. Add oyster sauce, salt and pepper to the egg bowl and mix well.
3. One at a time, dredge the cutlet in the flour, then dip in the egg mixture and coat with the bread crumbs.
   
4. Repeat step 3 one more time (optional).
5. Deep-fry the cutlets until golden brown.
6. Serve with salad.

By the way, adding oyster sauce doesn't make the schnitzel taste 'asian' in any way. The sauce adds good flavour to the schnitzel which is usually rather bland. And if you want a healthier version, you can pan-fry the schnitzel instead of deep-frying it.

Germany has been covered by snow for about 2 weeks now. It's very very cold, but it does look pretty...! When I look around, everything is white, the trees, the cars, the streets... I hope the snow will stay until Christmas.

I made shrimp bisque a few days ago. I was (and actually still am) in the mood for eating something soupy and warm. It's a very tasty yet easy-to-prepare appetiser, which would delight anyone, especially during winter time.

I added some 'soup pearls' to my shrimp bisque. Basically 'soup pearls' are like round croûtons. I got to know these gems when I visited my MIL and she treated me with a bowl of delicious chicken broth topped with soup pearls. A real pleasingly crunchy addition to your soups :)!

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4-5 tbs olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 can (peeled and seeded) tomatoes
• 500 g shrimps, peeled and deveined
  
• 1 l chicken stock (or seafood stock)
  
• 150 ml white wine
• 125 ml double cream
• 2 tbs cognac
• 1 tbs butter
• salt/pepper
• 1 tbs dried tarragon
• 1 tbs Crème fraîche
• 2 tbs flour (mixed with 50 ml of water)
  
• Soup pearls

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add chopped onion and carrot. Sauté until soft.
• Add shrimps and tomatoes and cook under medium heat for around 3 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock, wine, cream and tarragon. Cook for another 3 minutes.
• Puree the soup mixture in a food processor.
• Return the pureed soup into the pot. Add salt, pepper, butter, cognac and crème fraîche. Stir for about 1 minute.
• To thicken the soup, add the flour+water mixture to the soup and stir for another 1 minute.
• Serve the soup hot. Garnish with soup pearls and cream.
  

You have never heard of Thai-style pasta before? Well, me too :)! The only thing Thai about this pasta is the Thai chili paste that I use. The rest of the ingredients is quite typical Italian.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 200 g pasta, boiled until al dente
  
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 100 g prawns
• 150 ml cream
• 2 tbs Thai chili paste with soy bean oil*
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 tbs Maggi vegetable granules
  
• 1 tbs dried oregano
• 150 g grated Parmesan cheese
  
• 1 tsp sugar
• Black pepper to taste

*This is the Thai chili paste I use. If you cannot find this paste, be creative and find a different type of Asian chili paste and create your own East-West pasta combo.

Instructions

• Heat olive oil on medium heat.
• Add minced garlic and prawns. Sauté until fragrant.
• Add Thai chili paste, cream, Maggi granules, sugar and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Stir and then let it simmer for 1 minute.
  
• Toss in the pasta, Parmesan cheese, black pepper and dried oregano. Sauté for about 1 minute.
• Serve immediately and garnish with some cherry tomatoes and salad greens.