Dinner For Two – Valentine Recipe

So with less than 24hours to valentines day, here’s an idea for a romantic dinner.

Suprise that loved one tomorrow evening with a very simple everyday ingredients as you make this three course meal.

The dinner consists of a Soup Starter, an Entrée (main course) and a Dessert.

Starters- Corn and Chicken soup ; Golden fried Prawns

Main Course- Stir fried Beef Rice noodles

Dessert- Chocolate Strawberry medley

I used clams for my stock and you’ll never guess  where I bought them from! Cheap, organic and fresh. Please go to Oyingbo tomorrow Friday and you will be pleasantly surprised!

Ingredients : ( Dinner for 2)

Main Course:

1/4 pack of rice stick noddles

1/2 kg steak

1/2 tin beansprouts – Shoprite

4-5 medium button mushrooms

4-5 fresh Chinese cabbage leaves

5 baby corns (1/2 a tin)

1 medium green pepper

2 small Chinese cucumber

1 large carrot

2 cups clam stock (or any stock of choice)

1 tablespoon cornflour

1/8 spoon thyme

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 Knorr cubes

1/2 teaspoon dry Cameroon pepper

Salt to taste

Beef seasoning :

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon dry meat spice

1/8 teaspoon thyme

1/8 dry Cameroon pepper

1/8 cayenne pepper

1 Knorr cube

Pinch of salt

Clam stock:

1 kg fresh clams ( Oyingbo)

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

1/8 teaspoon dry thyme

1/4 tablespoon dried mixed herbs

1/2 cube Knorr cube

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Method:

Soak the clams for at least 2 hours so they can clean out their gut. Scrub shell clean using a firm sponge. Rinse properly.

Wash, cut beef into strips and season then set aside and allow it marinade for at least 15-20 minutes while you are busy with the vegetables and clams. 

Melt butter in a wok, add seasoning and herbs.  Fry for 2 minutes then add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Add the clams and cover the wok. Allow it boil for 3-4 minutes until majority of the clams open. Discard any unopened ones, luckily, all of mine opened 🙂 . (An awssome culinary moment lol)

Seperate clams from stock and save for use in the noddles and soup dish.

Boil noodles according to instructions on the pack. Once cooked rinse on cold water, set aside.

Wash the fresh vegetables and cut them into strips, set aside. Slice the mushroom into thin cuts, set aside.

Heat oil, stirfry the beef until tender.

Add the carrots and stirfry for 1 minute. Add the Chinese cucumbers and cabbage. Mix the cornflour in 1 cup cup of clam stock and add to the vegetables.  Bring to a boil,  add the beansprouts, mushrooms and baby corn. Stir properly, add tje fish sauce, dry Cameroon pepper and knorr cube.

Add the noodles and cooked clams, incorporate ingredients, once the noddles is heated through,  check for salt then turn off heat.

Main course ready!  Phew!

Chicken and corn soup:

Ingredients:

2 small chicken fillets

1 2/3 cup clam stock (400ml)

1 teaspoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon cornflour

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 can creamed corn / 210g

1/2 can sweet corn / 110g

1 teaspoon sunflower oil

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 Knorr cube

Chillies to garnish *optional

Method:

Wash chicken fillet and cut into as tiny bits as you can manage.

Mix the soy sauce, knorr cube, cornflour and sesame oil into the chicken and let it sit for about 20 minutes.

Beat eggs, set aside.

In a large pan heat a tablespoon of oil, add freshly grated ginger and fry for 1 minute. Add 1 cup seived clam stock and 1 cup water, add creamed corn and sweet corn kernels.

Just before it boils, scoop about 1 or 2 cooking spoons of stock into chicken mix.

Mix chicken and stock well then add to the pan with the rest of the corn and stock.

Let it boil for 10 – 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Beat egg and add gently to the cooking soup using a fork to swirl the egg so it cooks in streaks.

Let it boil for another 2 minutes, turn off heat.

Chicken and corn soup ready!

Almost there…….

Golden prawns

Ingredients :

9 medium/large prawns

4 teaspoons corn flour

3 teaspoons plain flour

3 teaspoons rice flour

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon tumeric

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/8 salt

Method :

Seive all the flours together, set aside.

Wash and devein prawns.

Mix all the dry ingredients together and add 10 teaspoons of  water.

Heat oil for deep frying once hot, dip one prawn at a time into melted butter then into batter mix then fry for 2-3 minutes.

Drain on a paper towel. Serve with Sriracha sauce.

Now we are ready to plate up!

Set the table nicely, light some scented candles and turn the light off 😉 .

 

Unveil gradually…

 

 

With ♡ Azu 🙂 .

*tips: Use of clams is optional, you can use chicken stock if you don’t have clams.

For heavy coated prawns, skip the use of melted butter