Lemongrass & Ginger Veggies. The fresh flavours of Spring.

Lemongrass and Ginger Veggies. 

Finally got around to harvest the ginger from the aquaponics yesterday. It smelt so sweet and fragrant I had to use some in dinner last night so made up a quick veggie dish on the spot. 

Posted a picture of the meal to our Facebook page where a friend ask for the recipe (Cheers Sarah) so thought I'd share it here too.

The dish was made using all home grown ingredients except for the oil, garlic, sugar and mountain sauce.
The rest of the ingredients included some freshly picked snap peas from the aquaponics as well as a carrot and a lemongrass stalk from wicking barrels. Some leftover cauliflower and broccoli harvested on the weekend were also used.




Some of the measurements and cooking times are just guesstimates as I tend to add things as I go but am sure they're fairly close to the mark ;-)  It was enough to give us 3 adult and one child serves. 

1 lemongrass stalk, chopped VERY finely as it can be very stringy

1 thumb size piece of ginger, chopped finely

3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/3 head of cauliflower, broken into small florets and stems sliced

1 large carrot, sliced 3mm thick
2 Tbsp Thai Golden mountain sauce (soy or Ketjap manis would work well too)
1/4 - 1/3  cup of chicken stock

About 1 tsp of raw sugar or honey (I find a bit of sweetness helps to bring out the flavour of the lemongrass)
1/3 head of broccoli, broken into medium florets and stems sliced

A few small handfuls of snap/snow peas

• Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in hot wok then add garlic, ginger and lemongrass, stir for 2 minutes
• Add in cauliflower, carrot and sliced stems, stir fry for 2-3 minutes
• Add in sauce and ½ the stock and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring
• Taste sauce in bottom of wok (careful not to burn yourself) and if it needs sweetening add sugar/honey to taste (probably won't need any if using  Ketjap manis)
• Add in in broccoli and peas, Stir and add in more stock if wok is drying out
• Cover for a few minutes to lightly steam broccoli and peas
• Toss veggies through the sauce in the base of the wok and serve.

The fresh flavours of the lemongrass and ginger together make a fantastic combination. Must say that I impressed myself with this one and will be making it again very soon. The one stand out flavour that was missing for me was Thai basil. The girls have suggested that I add some finely sliced beef and chopped green onion stems to the next batch too.  





Would love to know what you think if you have a crack at making this yourself.
Cheers and have a great one.
Rob.

  

Getting more from your broccoli & a tasty brassica salad..

 Harvesting broccoli to get more from your plants..
Broccoli would have to be one of my favourite plants to grow.. It starts off with a nice tidy little head of green goodness only to go onto providing you with countless meals of side shoots for months to come.. We were concerned that we didn't plant enough broccoli for the season but we have started to be flooded with side shoots from a few of the plants.. 

 We now have the second crop starting to produce as well so I think we will be sorted for broccoli until the start of Summer now at this rate :) Not sure what we will be doing with the punnet of seedlings I have to plant out yet..


 Brassica salad...

We have been making up brassica salads for quite a while now & they have become a side dish here that is loved by all.. Thought I would post the recipe here even though a similar version has been posted elsewhere before.. It is one of those salads that gets whatever is growing out the back tossed into it.. The only ring-in veggie for this one was the capsicum/bell pepper,the rest came from the garden or aquaponics..



Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad..

1 Small head of broccoli .

1 Small head of cauliflower.

Remove the florets from the broccoli & cauliflower then chop into smaller 10¢/Nickel coin size pieces necessary.. Dice the stem of the cauliflower & broccoli finely.. I cheat & use the food processor ; )»

½ large red capsicum/bell pepper, diced finely.
3 stalks of celery, sliced thinly.

Large handful of cherry tomatoes, whole or sliced in ½.
Handful of parsley, chopped finely.
½ doz onion leaves, sliced thinly.

1/8th cup pine nuts lightly toasted.. We also like to use macadamia nuts as well.
Hand full of brassica flowers. Mustard greens flowers give the salad a nice little kick if you have them.

Dressing…
½cup yoghurt.
¼cup Mayonnaise.

1 heaped tsp of Dijon Mustard.
1 heaped tsp of honey.
Salt & pepper to taste. 

Mix all dressing ingredients together & add salt & Pepper to taste..

     Salad…
Add all the salad ingredients except for the flowers & mix well..
Add the dressing & mix again..
Serve up & use flowers as garnish..

It is a great salad & can be made with almost any salad veggie you have on hand..  
The left overs from this dish were supposed to be lunch today but decided that they would be better used as a side for tonight meal.. Will just be adding a few extra broccoli side shoots to boost it out a bit..
Hope you enjoy it if you give it a whirl..

For more regular updates, pictures from the patch & other happenings come visit us on our Bits out the back Face Book page.. 
Have a great one All...

A couple of updates on the patch...

Backyard Aquaponic update, more plans & jobbies. 29th April 2013
Not much happening with the aquaponics of late other than plants growing & fish swimming.. The radial flow filter is yet to be included into the main feed line to the grow beds.. It needs a few minor alterations so it can be cleaned out more effectively before that can happen though..



Have been inspired to start off a small 2000L/530gal fish farm so am making plans to clear some space to include it next to the aquaponics.. Hope to make a start on that as soon as I can save up some extra coin :)

Wicking bed & Straw bale garden update.. 1st May 2013
Really love the growth the garden puts on at this time of year but with the milder weather creeping up on us I think I will be wishing it was spring soon enough.. The hay bale bed looks to be working just fine & am looking forward to planting out some spuds soon using Peter Cundall's no-dig potato method ..



Have made a proper start on the hoop house extension & hope to have all the frame up by next weekend so you should see some progress on that in the next update..


For more regular updates & pictures from the patch come visit us on our Bits Out the Back Facebook page..
Have a great one All...