Rice Cakes with Chinese Roast Duck

1 kg (2 lb) Chinese barbecued duck 2 cloves garlic, crushed 200 ml (6 ½ fl oz) orange juice 2 tablespoons soy sauce 4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander 2 cups (500 ml/16 fl oz) chicken stock 1 1/4 cups (250 g/8 oz) quick-cooking brown rise 1. Remove the meat from the duck, cut into large slices and place in a large non-metallic bowl. Whisk together the garlic, orange juice, soy sauce and 2 tablespoons coriander and pour over the duck. Toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. 2. Place the chicken stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the rice, then reduce the heat and simmer rapidly until tunnels appear. Reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the remaining coriander. Divide the rice among four 1/2 cup (125 ml/4 fl oz) ramekins. Keep warm. 3. Drain the duck, reserving the marinade. Heat a large frying ran, add the duck and stir until warmed through. Heat the marinade until boiling in a separate pan. To serve, turn the timbales out onto four serving plates and arrange the duck over the top. Spoon on some reserved marinade and garnish with a few coriander leaves. Water Spinach with Garlic and Fish Sauce 1 3/4 lb (750 g) fresh water spinach 3 cloves garlic 5 tablespoons vegetable oil (preferably groundnut) 4-5 teaspoons fish sauce or salt to taste Pull the spinach leaves apart and wash them well. Drain. Bring a large pall of water to a rolling boil. Drop in the spinach. Bring the water to the boil again, and boil rapidly for 2 minutes or until the spinach is just done. Drain and rinse under cold running water to fix the bright green colour. Drain again. Peel the garlic and chop it finely. Put the oil in a wok or large frying-pan and set it over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the garlic. Stir a few times or until the garlic turns golden. Add the spinach. Stir and fry for 3 minutes. Add the fish sauce or salt, a little at a time, stirring and tasting as you go. Cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Pickled Carrot Carot Nqam Dam 450 g carrots 100 ml white rice vinegar 1 tablespoon fish sauce 2 tablespoons sugar Peel and grate the carrots and place in a glass jar. Mix the vinegar with an equal quantity of water (sufficient to fully cover the carrots), stir in the fish sauce and sugar and pour into the jar. Seal with a tightly-fitting lid and refrigerate for at least one day before using. Pickled Daikon Cu Cai Lam Dua 1 large daikon fish sauce sugar hot chilli sauce Peel the daikon, cut into small sticks and place in a jar. Mix 1 part of fish sauce with 3 parts water (sufficient to cover the daikon) and add sugar and chilli sauce to taste. Seal the jar with a tightly-fitting lid and refrigerate for at least 1 day before using.

Sculpurel knitting continued

Dette "sculpturel knitting" er noget af en udfordring. Se indlægget fra 17. december. Man skal holde tungen lige i munden og hele tiden tjekke, at man ikke har lavet fejl. Jeg er dog efterhånden blevet ret god til at droppe et par masker, lade dem løbe ned for derefter at samle dem op igen korrekt - selv gennem "slå om og strik to sammen"!

On our way back home

Vi er i transfer i Singapore lufthavn, og der er gratis internetadgang. Det var trist at skulle forlade Vietnam, selvom vi må indrømme, at det har regnet det meste af tiden. Det var på slutningen af regntiden, men det jo sjældent koldt i Hoi An. Vi havde aldrig mere på end shorts og kortærmede bluser - og så derudover af og til et engangsregnslag. Det bedste ved ferien i Hoi An har været den helt fantastisk lækre og billige mad. Om vi så bestilte det dyreste på menukortet og drak både gin(vietnamesisk kopi)&tonic og øl, så lykkedes det os ikke at få regningen over 100 kr. Vi havde lejet cykler for hele ugen, så vi har cyklet rundt i byen, og vi har fået nye venner ved snart at være kendt i byen.

Again it was terrible to leave Vietnam, but we made it and are now in transfer in Singapore. This time we must admit that it rained most of the time in Hoi An but wasn´t cold. We were wearing shorts and shirts with short sleeves all the time. The best with this holiday was the fantastic delicious and cheap food, long cyckle trips around the town and making new friends among the locals.