A Cauliflower Challenge and Ideas from a Steamer

Inspiration's Challenge for this week was to use a regional and seasonal vegetable, namely cauliflower, in a dish. I agree with her that we should try and boost our country's livelihood and buy from local farmers - this is something I am going to be focusing on in my own life. It is more exciting to buy seasonal produce instead of eating the same vegetables all year round, and it is cheaper! It is actually essential for me to have variety in my diet, to prevent more allergies from occurring, therefore I am going to be embracing this concept whole heartedly. I see it as a win win situation :)

Monday night was day two of my dumpling challenge - I had my heart set on steaming them and making perfect see-through wrappers, just like in Chinese restaurants - this didn't quite go to plan, however, but I do feel I am getting ever closer to victory!

Just because the dumpling texture was still not right, didn't mean I had to abandon my whole mission. The filling was still amazingly tasty and moist, which gave me an idea - replace the dumpling casing with something else. I have come to rely a lot on tin foil and I thought it would be the perfect thing to replace the dumpling dough.

Steamed Fish Balls with Cauliflower Puree:
(Serves 2 as a Starter)

Ingredients:

Fish Balls:

4 Hake Medallions, Defrosted
1 Teaspoon Smoked Sesame Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Chilli Flakes
3 - 4 Baby Salad Onions, Sliced
2 Teaspoons Sesame Seeds (Optional)
Herbal Salt

Cauliflower Puree:

Half a Head Of Cauliflower, Cut into Florets
3 - 4 Tablespoons Soya Cream
1 Teaspoon Paprika
Zest of Half a Lemon
Juice of Half a Lemon
Herbal Salt and Pepper to Taste

Tin Foil

Directions:

Blend all fish ball ingredients together
Place a spoonful of fish mixture onto a square of tin foil and make into a lollipop shape
Repeat until all the mixture has been used up
Steam in a steamer for about 5 minutes, until the fish mixture has taken on the shape and has turned translucent
Boil the cauliflower, until soft
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth
Serve the fish balls with a dollop of cauliflower puree

The fish balls would also work wonderfully with the Chinese broth in my previous post. With the cauliflower puree, this can be made into a light supper