Pandan Salmon Bundels

Oh boy. The second I, no, BEFORE I even removed these guys from the oven, I could smell how delicious they would be. The slightly charred pandan and the Asian marinated salmon together were so fragrant, I immediately started freaking out because I knew what I had created today was a success. 

Savory recipes are sometimes tricky, because salt adds a lot of flavour. But with these you won't miss the salt at all! The combination of the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chili and pandan is absolutely divine. If you love pandan, salmon and lemongrass as much as I do, you HAVE to try this recipe!

Even better, it's so simple! Anyone can do this :-) 

Be sure to leave your pandan leaves wet after washing them to keep them from burning while on the grill!

What you'll need

125g salmon fillet, cut in to 4 pieces

1.5 tbsp shallot

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp chopped lemongrass (white part)

1 tsp chopped ginger

1/2 red chili, chopped

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp water 

4 pandan leaves (leave wet)

How to

1. Blend all ingredients together EXCEPT pandan and salmon. Marinate salmon in the paste for 30min - 1h. 

2. Preheat grill. Roll each piece of salmon (along with some paste) in a damp pandan leaf. Keep the end of the leaf at the bottom of the salmon so it does fly out. Grill for 12min. If your pandan leaves look like their getting too brown, brush some water on and continue grilling! 

I served mine with brown rice, salad and tomatoes.

Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Cranberry Sauce

The first of the two Christmas recipes for today. 

Pistachios and cranberries are a classic Christmas combination. Since I have yet to make a dish with the two, I felt it was only right I made this pistachio crusted baked salmon and cranberry sauce served on a fluffy bed of quinoa. The tartness of the cranberries goes really well with the salmon and adds that wonderfully festive feel. This is so basic anyone can do this :) 

For salmon I used fillets premarinated with a whole bunch of herbs and a little garlic. If you are using plain ones, please add some herbs and garlic to marinate it. 

What you'll need

1 125g salmon fillet (I used premarinated ones, see above)

1/2 a lemon (juice)

15g pistachio nuts

1/4 cup or more cranberries

1 tbsp water

1 tsp honey

Cooked quinoa

Steamed vegetables

How to

1. Chop up pistachio in a small food processor. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Squeeze lemon over salmon fillet and coat the salmon in the chopped pistachio. Bake for 15min.

3. Microwave cranberries for about 40s, depending on your microwave. Mash it up with a fork and mix it together with water and honey. 

4. Serve over salmon with quinoa and steamed vegetables.

P.S To quick steam your vegetables, wash them, don't pay dry and microwave for a 30s or so until cooked. 

Sweet Potato Salmon Nomcakes

Now that I'm done ebooking I'll be posting a lot more! These were inspired by these 'Ugly Salmon Cakes' (yes they're called that) my mom ordered at a restaurant on Father's Day. My mum says mine tastes better and she really loved them. I did too and though they aren't all that pretty, they taste pretty damn good.