Friday Squalls And Stir Fry Noodles

Just as we were beginning to think the weather was clearing, we met with squally weather. On a Friday which is our bath day. The one day in the week that we are allowed a shower. I actually managed to get exactly one sun sight reading before the clouds set in with a vengeance. I still have to do the sight reduction and plotting, as it was quite late and I had to prepare dinner.

On this boat it is a definite advantage to have a shower. Especially when the motors have been running. Then we have hot showers as the boat is fitted with proper geysers. These work off the engine cooling as well as off shore power when connected. For now, the engine heat is enough to heat the water to way beyond comfortable temperature. In fact, you can almost make coffee. The wonders of modern engineering never cease to amaze. Thank heavens for small mercies like these on a cold and blustery Friday.

At the time of writing we are about 140 nautical miles away from the island and making good way in this wind. Another blessing in disguise, I reckon. We shall be arriving at the island half a day earlier than expected as a result of exactly this blustery weather. Then comes the part of whether the authorities will allow us ashore by clearing us in. We are arriving at a most inopportune time, as the Springboks will be playing against New Zealand at the time of our arrival. Interesting bureaucracy in the offing, methinks. In the event we are only cleared in on Monday morning, we shall be doing the various services required at this stage while we wait out the day.

This afternoon our crew saw a yellow fin tuna jump out the water, probably after some small bait fish. In turn, the crew almost jumped out of his skin. We had not been able to fish during the last few days as we were making good sailing time and the skipper felt it prudent to keep going while the wind lasts. You never know when we shall hit the doldrums and need the extra diesel.

It was my turn to cook again. I made an Asian style stir fry beef mince dish. Well, as Asian as I could make it with the ingredients on hand. Italian spaghetti, South African beef mince, butter instead of oil and a can of creamed sweet corn to boot.

The spaghetti may be substituted with rice, especially brown rice. Rice makes a change for the better to both the texture and flavour of the dish. Use one cup of rice for every four people.

I used all fresh vegetables and some dried Shitake mushrooms. The result was quite edible, if somewhat eclectic. We have only Jalapeno chillies on board, nothing hotter, so I used two. At least we got the flavour. I also used the last of our batch of fenugreek sprouts. These little sprouts impart a slightly bitter flavour and make a juicy addition to the mix.

I also used some black mustard seeds and coriander seeds to add to the flavour. The spaghetti, meat and vegetables were all mixed before dishing up.

This dish came out quite creamy as a result of using creamed sweet corn. We don't have anything else in the line of corn, so that was it. The sweetness was exquisite and the dish had just the right amount of saltiness from the soy sauce. I chopped half of the onion Chinese style, the other half into the normal diced style. This gave me some texture i8n the dish. The carrots were roughly julienned for the same reason. Something to look at while you are eating.

Ingredients

400g lean beef mince

½ cup dried mushrooms

1 onion, chopped

2 jalapeno chillies, chopped

1 ½ teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 can sweet corn

1/3 cabbage, coarsely sliced and chopped

½ sweet pepper, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, coarsely julienned

1 cup sprouts

2 teaspoons chopped garlic & ginger mix

250g spaghetti

some butter for frying

some soy sauce

Process

Start by reviving the mushrooms by soaking them in boiling water.

Fry the mustard and coriander seeds in a little butter until the flavour comes out, then add the onions and jalapeno chillies. Fry until translucent. Add the meat and fry until the meat is brown, then add the sweet corn and a dollop of soy sauce. Simmer this until some of the fluid has cooked off, then set this aside to rest.

Use the same pan, in our case a wok. It is now flavoured with your ingredients. Add a little butter to the pan and fry the garlic and ginger mix until the flavours come out nicely, then add all the vegetables. Fry these until they are al dente to your taste, then set aside away rom the heat.

Get the spaghetti boiling while the other two parts of the dish are resting. I broke the raw spaghetti into three sections to get shorter pieces. Shorter pieces mix easier into the vegetables. Once the spaghetti is done, mix it directly into the vegetables. Simmer a few minutes to allow the juices to mix. Add a little soy sauce to taste.

Once the vegetables and noodles/spaghetti are cooked through, add the meat mix and warm through.

Then dish up. Hopefully you have enough for four people. If they are hungry, like my shipmates, they will devour this dish in no time.

Bon appetit!

Authored by Johan Zietsman

Last updated on 2013-10-04

Hot Chilli Pork With Stir Fry Vegetable Noodles

Just the other day I realised that I haven't made this dish for ages. In fact, the last time was about two years ago. My journey into the world of proper food has certainly taken me along a new path!

So, after a short discussion with the missus, the decision was made. Time for a decent stir-fry dish again.

This dish may be cooked on board, buth one needs to look at the sequence and the conditions at sea. The preparation may take some time. However, it is a very good pastime for idle shipmates to help and have a decent conversation to boot!

I used to make this one in my braai-skottel out of doors. This skottel has  fallen out of use since our relocation to the little town of Strand. This recipe is adapted from a stock standard Chinese recipe for stir-fried pork. It also works very well for chicken and extremely well for turkey. I also cut off all the fat and, in the case of using chicken, I cut off the skin.

The turkey which I am unable to locate locally, except for a whole bird, complete with the requisite chemical basting juices injected, ready for the oven. This recipe calls for de-boned, non basted meat. Wholesome, unadulterated meat.

There is no special addition of salt in this dish. The soy sauce takes care of all of the salt. I use the light soy sauce because I am told it contains less salt.

The preparation of the ingredients takes up more time than to cook the dish. This recipe will render at least four decent helpings. I use the cheapest cuts of pork that I can find, then remove the fat and bones at home. Sometimes you get pork cut up into strips ready for a stir fry at the same price as other cuts. Wonders never cease.

Ingredients

1 kg de-boned pork or chicken. This time I used pork.
¾ cup of cornflour (Maizena)
2 medium sized eggs
1 Thai, Jalapeno or medium heat chilli or ½ a Habanero with the pips removed. Chopped finely.

For the glazing sauce

¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sugar or golden syrup

For the vegetable noodles

1 small Chinese/baby cabbage
½ large or 1 medium onion
2 spring onions, chopped
½ cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 medium carrots, julienne'd. This for the looks!
½ cup of fresh sprouts. Any sprouts
Some baby corn heads
some mangetout
¼ bell pepper, chopped
Depending on the number of servings, you may also use some cauliflower, broccoli and baby marrows. You can also add some rehydrated dried mushrooms. They tend to add to the flavour.
4 squares instant noodles
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon garlic, chopped and minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped and minced
¼ cup soy sauce
Some freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for frying

Process

Get the water for the noodles on the boil and boil the noodles. This takes the longest and gets used last, so it starts first.

 

For The Pork

Mix the corn flour and the eggs until you have the consistency of a thick batter. Dump all the pork in there after you have cut it up into small strips. Ensure all the meat is covered in the batter. Heat some oil in the pan. I used my Le Creuset buffet casserole, as I was cooking indoors. Add the meat to a medium to hot pan and fry until the outside of the meat is nice and brown. The cornflour will make this easy. Remove the browned meat from the pan and keep to one side. Add some oil and fry the chopped chilli in the oil for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the meat back to the pan and mix thoroughly. Now add the glazing sauce which is the mix of vinegar, soy sauce and sugar.
Stir continuously until the sauce has thickened enough for your taste, then remove the meat from the pan and keep it warm. I used another Le Creuset saucepan for this, as it keeps the heat nicely in, although the saucepan is still cold.

 

For The Vegetable Stir Fry

Add some oil to the pan. Fry the white pepper, ginger and garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then add all the vegetables en masse. Stir fry this lot until the vegetables are al dente, then add the cooked noodles. Mix this lot thoroughly, then add the quarter to half cup of soy sauce. This will give some flavour and add the requisite salt to the dish.

Voila, the deed is done!
Heat the meat, if necessary, before dishing up.

Bon appetit!

















Authored by Johan Zietsman
Last updated on 2013-06-29

2nd Leg Day 9: Another Fish & Stirfry Vegetable Noodles

Today dawned with the lowest barometric pressure since we left Cape Town. 1015HPa. And sure as little green apples we got nice wind around lunch time. At present it is about 19h30 local time and the wind is blowing at 20 knots. The boat is sailing nicely along at around 7 knots and jumping around a bit from the swell on the port quarter. Somewhat different from the sedate pace at which we sailed up to now.

We now have to hold on to move around and your core muscles are working full time to keep you upright. I have difficulty in hitting the correct keys typing this blog. Every time the boat lurches, I hit the wrong keys and have to correct the spelling. The spelling mistakes come out hilarious. I suppose I don't look too elegant either, sitting here with both my hands on the table, propping my hands on the index fingers or thumbs, as required by the typing style. It is a slow and laborious process to do this under the prevailing conditions.

I had the chance of taking an early sight of the sun while it was away from the clouds. These two sights, combined with the dead reckoning over two days, reduced to a fix which was 8 nautical miles away from the boat's GPS. More support for decent backup navigation, I would venture. And definitely a warm feeling in my psyche.

I caught my fifth fish today, a medium size Dorado. This one we kept. And this time I did the dressing of the fish. Therefore there was ample sashimi for lunch. Renier does not eat sushi, let alone sashimi and Dawid is not really patial to sashimi, although he eats it on an experimental basis. Which left more for me. These were the morsels that was left on the skeleton after the filllets were removed. They were sprinkled with lemon juice and some soy sauce, then left to cure a little for about ten minutes. After which they disappeared in short order.

We got four meals out of this fish into the freezer in addition to my sashimi lunch. I kept one portion out for dinner tonight, as it was my turn at galley duty. This became hot Sechuan fish served with stirfry vegetable noodles.

Hot Sechuan Fish with Stirfry Vegetable Noodles

Ingredients

400 g fresh fish fillets

1 large egg

¾ cup cornflour (Maizena)

1 hot chili, chopped

¼ cup vinegar

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup sugar

Dash of white wine

3 packets two minute noodles, cooked

Small wedge cabbage or two small Chinese cabbages, chopped

1 onion. chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 cup fresh sprouts. I used some mung bean and fenugreek sprouts.

2 carrots, julienned

Some frozen peas

4 dried Chinese (Shitake) mushrooms, rehydrated and finely sliced.

Some hot water to rehydrate the mushrooms

Some vegetable cooking oil

Dash of soy sauce

Some white pepper

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

Process

Hot Sechuan Fish

Mix the egg and the cornflour to a thick batter. Cut the fish into thumb size cubes and cover the fish in this batter. Mix the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar to form a glazing sauce. Fry the battered fish in a light5ly oiled wok until the batter goes brown. Remove from the wok. Then add the chopped chili to the wok, fry for 3 minutes, then add the fish back to the wok. Stirfy this until the flavoured oil has covered all the fish, then add all the glazing sauce. Bring this to the boil, then boil until the sauce has the right thickness. This is up to personal choice. Remove the fish and sauce from the wok and keep warm. The fish is now done. If this took more than ten minutes you have done something wrong.

Stirfry Vegetable Noodles

Lightly oil the wok, then fry the pepper and garlic until the garlic is nicely done. Take care not to burn the garlic or the pepper. Add all of the vegetables and stirfry until they are just al dente. Add the cooked noodles and mix thoroughly. Add a dash of soy sauce and dish up. This takes another ten minutes maximum.

A fast and easy to make dish that uses basically one pot/pan and goes a long way to stretch your protein supplies on board. This lot provided six generous helpings. Pity we weren't ashore. Then we could have had a nice crisp dry white wine with it.

Authored by Johan Zietsman
Last updated on 2012-12-12

Roerbraai vark, groente en skoonmaak

2011-12-10 04h00

Ons het gisteroggend 'n dorado gevang. So een meter lank. Nadat hy afgeslag is en mooi verpak is, is die laaste porsie van die bonito oorboord gegooi; die skipper en eerste offisier hou duidelik nie van bonito nie. Dit was ook stortdag en mens kom heel verfris uit die koue stort. Dan sit jy sonder 'n hemp in die son om mooi droog te word.. Die koue water tap steeds mens se energie en 'n uur later was ek ver weg in droomland.

Die see is nou amper heeltemal plat. Gister het dit nog gekabbel, maar nou is die kabbelings selfs weg en die water se oppervlakte lyk sommer blink in die maanlig. Die wind is stadig maar seker besig om te draai.

Ons seil tans heel lekker op 'n bakboord “tack,” maar sal eersdaags moet omskakel na stuurboord. Dis nie die weer wat draai nie, ons is besig om uit die Suid-Atlantiese hoogdrukstelsel te seil. Op die oomblik is ons omtrent aan sy bokant, met die wind oos-suidoos. Binne 'n paar dae behoort die wind oos te wees soos ons nader aan die Brasiliaaanse kus kom.

Ons is nou nader aan Brasilië as aan Afrika. Nie dat ons naby aan die enigeen is nie. Inteendeel, ons is naby aan die middel van die see, aan die noordelike deel van die Suid-Atlantiese Oseaan. Teken 'n driehoek tussen St Helena, die suid-westelike punt van Wes-Afrika en die noord-oostelike punt van Brasilië op die bog van Suid Amerika, dan is ons iewers in die middel van die onderste been.

Dit was weer my beurt om te kook.

Roerbraai vark met roerbraai groente en noedels.

Bestanddele:

400 g varktjops

1-2 brandrissies, gekap

3 eetlepels maizena (cornflour)

1 eier

Glasuursous:

¼ koppie sojasous

¼ koppie asyn

¼ koppie suiker

skeut kookolie

Gemengde groente na smaak. Ek het kool, wortels, uie en soetrissie gehad. 'n Ui en kool is nodig, die res na smaak. Ons het nie sampioene gehad nie.

1 teelepel knoffel

peper

skeut sojasous

4 porsies 2-minuut noedels

Metode:

Meng die eier en die mazeina. Die beslag moet redelik dik wees, amper soos goue stroop. Sny die vleis in blokkies en voeg by die deegbeslag. Kleiner vleisblokkies is beter, dan kry jy meer geur. Braai die vleis met deeg in vlak olie. Tot die deeg bruin word. Verwyder uit die pan. Braai nou die brandrissie sodat die ergste brand uit is. Dis nou soos in erg skrikmaak. Wees versigtig om nie die rissies aan te brand nie, dan is alles bitter. Sit nou weer die vleis terug in die pan met die rissies. Meng goed . Voeg dan die glasuursous by. Dis nou die suiker, sojasous en asyn-mengsel. Kook die spulletjie totdat die sous dik genoeg is na smaak. Vewyder die vleis en sous uit die apn en laat dit eenkant rus.

Voeg 'n skeut olie by die pan en braai die peper en knoffel tot gaar. Pasop vir aanbrand. Voeg nou die gesnipperde groente by en roerbraai tot die groente “al dente” gaar is. Voeg die gaar noedels by en meng goed. Die noedels word apart gaargekook.

Voeg 'n skeut sojasous by, meng deur en dis op.

Die manne het elkeen twee porsies geëet en daar was 'n groot stilte tydens die ete. Mens mors nie tyd met gesels terwyl jy weglê nie.

Ons het vandag gesit en nabetragting hou oor ons dieet. Dit kom toe uit dat ons nie retig al disse herhaal het nie. Daar was wel 'n paar pasta-geregte op die spyskaart, maar verskillend genoeg om te kwalifiseer as aparte geregte.

Ek wonder hoe lank ons dit kan volhou. Ons het letterlik net vyf eiers oor. Ek beplan om binnekort roti te maak. Sal nog sien wat daarmee saamgaan. Sal net meel sout en water gebruik, met bietjie botter(?)

My navigasie-oefeninge is nou tops. Ek het vandag ons posisie geplot met 'n lopende peiling (“running fix”) tot binne ses seemyle van waar die boot se GPS aandui. Nou is dit die beurt van die sterre. Ek het bietjie ingestudeer, maar vannag is bewolk. Die maan is ook te helder, dan sien mens nie juis die sterre nie.

Ek is effe bekommerd dat die ander nie juis my belangstelling deel nie, maar dis miskien miskien my eie entoesiasme wat oordonder. Ek geniet egter die oefening. Dis darem positiewe afleiding en stimulasie, teenoor Soduko, wat net afleiding is.

Ek voel sterk genoeg oor my navigasievermoë om sonder 'n GPS te kan klaarkom op lang reise. Mens het nie daardie presisie van die GPS nodig in die middel van nêrens nie. Teen die kus is dit 'n perd van 'n ander kleur, met die kans op swak sig. Mens kan dan in die moeilikheid raak as jy nie ordentlike kaarte het nie. Ek is bly ek het my nek uitgesteek oor die navigasie-ding. Ek sou maar redelik verveel gewees het van boeklees en Soduko invul.

Gisteroggend was my skottelgoed-was beurt. Gisteraand was my kookbeurt. Drie-uur is hierdie skof verby, dan gaan ek net lekker slaap en rus vir die res van die dag. Ek sal weer twee stelle sonlesings neem en dit verwerk, dan bywerk by gister se stel lesings en dit plot. Dan kan ek begin om my kaart by te werk.

Authored by Johan Zietsman
Last updated on 2012-12-12