Red Date Tea 红枣茶

As I write this recipe, I question the category in which I’ve assigned it, that is under tea. However it seems the most appropriate as the recipe calls for dried red dates to be boiled, simmered and steeped – infusing water with a smoky, sweet sometimes also syrupy flavour. Therefore, as you can see – this post is labeled Red Date Tea – translated from the Chinese 红枣茶 (Hóngzǎo chá).

A single 红枣.

Red dates 红枣 (Hóngzǎo) also known as jujubes are prominent in different cultures. I only know of it through my Chinese upbringing, but I believe it is also a kitchen staple in Korean kitchens as well – I believe they also have a version of red date tea with ginger – as well as Indian foods. Today, I write about Red Date Tea, as I know it – because as a kitchen go-to and as a recipe in which Chinese households don’t usually think twice – it is therefore rarely written about. But people should read and know more because it is delicious and also healthy.

Water, egg, red dates, sugar.

Dried red dates or jujubes are known to have really amazing health benefits. It’s often used as a health tonic or in herbal medicines for balancing Qi and blood in your body. From my personal experience, and the information I’m about to tell you may make you uncomfortable (sorry in advance, I enjoy a healthy dose of tmi) or you may exclaim Hallelujah gal – but for someone who lives in a matriarchal family unit – whenever it is anyone’s time of the month, this recipe is a go to for replenishing blood.

Put the washed red dates, egg and water into a saucepan over medium heat. And there you go – life is delicious.

I’m not sure if the above has put you off or not – but it really is delicious and not medicinal– tasting in any way. It’s simply a hot beverage that is a great source of comfort, for warming your body or your tummy. It works a treat as an after dinner sweet snack because it is not just really tea~ hence my earlier confusion, we always make it with a boiled egg and serve it in a bowl. So, it really is quite a substantial and flavourful dessert which rests on the uniqueness of the red date, with no fuss cooking and very few ingredients. What a triangle of positives?!

Come on, you know you want some.

Sending smoky sweetness your way

Xoxo,

Moony

Red Date Tea (红枣茶)Recipe

• 15 – 30 whole red dates (30 – 60 red date halves), washed
• 4 bowls of water
• 1 egg, washed
• ½ tsp of sugar (optional)

Put the washed red dates, egg and water into a saucepan over medium heat. Keep a lid on the saucepan until the mixture comes to a boil, then leave the mixture to simmer with the lid off.

After approximately five to seven minutes, your egg will be boiled and fully cooked through. With a spoon, take the egg out of the mixture and once comfortable to touch, peel the shell. Place the whole egg back into the red date tea mixture. Reduce heat to low.

The tea will be ready after simmering for a further fifteen to twenty minutes, or until the red dates have softened.

Much of the water will have evaporated to approximately a third of what you originally had in the saucepan. The colour of your tea, depending on the number of dates/ the intensity will range from a golden yellow to a darker plum colour.

If serving in a bowl, this is a generous portion for one, or if you like the mug life, this recipe serves two.

Additional Notes:

• Feel free to add an additional egg if you’re serving more than one person. Alternatively, you can leave out the egg.
• Eat the red dates! They are very healthy. Did I mention this before?
• I personally don’t think the extra sugar is necessary, the dates give a lovely smoky sweetness – but it is totally up to you.
• IMPORTANT: You can buy red dates or jujubes at any Chinese grocery store or herbal shop! They are very accessible.

Red dates usually come in a bag like this at an Asian grocery store.

Boeuf Bourgignon

I cannot specifically remember how I had come to know about Boeuf Bourgignon, but I believe it was around five or six years ago when I was curious about French cuisine. At first I thought it was a very fancy dish, mainly because it was French and also because my pantry staples did not include red wine, western herbs like thyme or bay leaf or purple gem-like onions, i.e. eschalots. Therefore, it was ironic when upon researching Boeuf Bourgignon, I realised it was in fact a peasant food, as the ingredients were accessible and inexpensive in its originating country and region.

My attempt at taking an interesting photograph with all the ingredients.

Cook the vegetables until the leek has reduced and the celery has somewhat softened.

Boeuf Bourgignon translated to English means Burgundy Beef as it originated from the Burgundy region in France. However, others have also reflected that the name is a tribute to the colour of the stew, which because of the heady amount of red wine added, is a deep burgundy.

Maybe it’s because it’s the first Western stew I ever made, I feel as though any delicious stew would echo the same rich velvety colour. This is the colour I want to see on my dinner table in winter, when I come into the home and throw off woolen shawls and gumboots. Therefore, as we near the end of May in Sydney and autumn bids us adieu for winter’s chill, fog and rain – here is my version of Boeuf Bourgignon that’s been adapted and changed over the years from Guillaume Brahimi’s (from SBS Food Safari) recipe.

Respectively from top, bottom left then bottom right: Combining the beef chunks into the vegetable mixture, pouring in the whole bottle of wine, and parsley stalks tied with string (to be thrown into the mixture)

It is really delicious, with the beef tender and melting in the mouth, caramelised and stewed vegetable goodness, the velvety liqueur that is the stew (I swear, this stuff is gold) and if that’s not enough – come on guys, there’s a lot of red wine. It is family friendly too, as the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process. I really hope this has inspired you to make the dish, to dip your hand in some traditional French cooking and that when you do – it thoroughly warms you and the people around you!

winter elixir (though it’s not confined to any season!)

p.s. I apologise for any funny looking photographs, I’ve just started learning and appreciating the fact that photography is really hard!

Sending you much warmth,

Moony xo

Boeuf Bourgignon Recipe

• 1 kg chuck steak, chopped into 2-3 cm cubes
• plain flour for dusting
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 50 grams butter
• 3 bacon rashers
• 3 large eschalots, roughly sliced
• 3 – 4 large carrots, chopped into bite sized morsels ( 6 – 8 small carrots)
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped (approx. 0.5 – 1 cm width)
• 1 leek, roughly chopped (approx. 0.5 – 1 cm width)
• Handful of parsley – separate whole stalks from leaves, chop leaves finely
• 1 bottle red wine (750 mls)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 8 – 10 mushrooms, halved
• Salt, to season
• Pepper, to season

Coat the beef chunks in plain flour and heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in the frying pan. Do not cook the beef until well-done, you are only looking to seal the sides and give it some colour. Set aside.

In a large pot with a heavy base, melt the butter over medium heat and cook the chopped bacon pieces to render off some fat. Then add eschalots and stir for around five minutes until soft and caramelised. Then, add in the chopped leeks, celery and carrots and give the pot a wild stir so you can see all the colours and their vibrancy. Season with salt and pepper. Continue sautéing for around five to ten minutes until the leeks have shrunken and the celery is softer.

Then mix the beef cubes into the pot. Pour the whole bottle of red wine (try to pour the whole bottle, though I can understand that you’ve taken a drink before this point). Make sure the beef is just below the liquid. If not, pour some water or beef stock so that the beef can snugly fit. Then stir in the tomato paste and beef stock cubes. With the whole parsley stalks, tie them tightly into a small bunch with some kitchen string and stir them into the mixture.

Turn the heat to low, so that the stew is simmering. Cook for the next two to two and half hours on the stove top, giving it an occasional stir every fifteen minutes. In the last fifteen minutes of the cook, add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are cooked through, season the stew with salt and pepper to your taste. Turn off the stove and sprinkle on the chopped parsley leaves and serve.

Additional notes:

• A lot of the time people say you should cook with a wine you would actually drink ~ but my budget does not allow me that generosity. However, it is absolutely fine, it tastes good with a regular/cheap red cooking wine (I spend approximately $5-6) at the nearby liquor store.
• After you pour the red wine into the pot, it’s okay if some of the beef cubes are peeping up. Ultimately everything will reduce so that there is more liquid than beef and vegetable content. I usually try not to put water or stock in, or if I do, it is very minimal – because I don’t want to reduce the red wine flavour of the stew.
• The parsley stalks aren’t all that necessary, but this is my way of utilising them in this recipe and ensuring minimal wastage (i.e. stowing them away in the fridge and forgetting about them).
• Ensure the beef stock cubes dissolve into the mixture. I usually smush the cubes against the side of the pot once it has started to disintegrate in the red wine mixture. Alternatively, you can dissolve it in two tablespoons of boiling water before and then pour in.
• For length of stewing, I find that once the stew hits the two-hour point and over, the taste really becomes quite marvellous – it’s rich, beefy, and winey. It’s silly because I am biased, but it’s really good.
• By a general rule of thumb, whilst it tastes better overnight, I would not keep this for more than three nights in the fridge.

Salt Pepper Nutmeg

I’m not sure about you, but it seems to me that the suburbs are constantly underrated when it comes to interesting restaurants and food. Perhaps, this is just a uni student obsession with the city that I’m simultaneously holding and challenging. And, what better way to do this than with my favourite restaurant Salt Pepper Nutmeg.

It’s somewhat hidden because there is no signage on the front door. I guess you have to be a regular or perhaps you fall in love as a curious passerby, whereon your stroll towards Roseville Cinema you peek in at all the diners chattering away gaily, all the inviting lights and colours, and become mesmerised with the smell.

As you walk in, you are greeted by a visual delight. Lights are soft, there is an array of wild flowers or cauliflowers steeped in water as décor, fairy lights, a smattering of crayon artworks along the walls (all created by diners at the table), the flickering shadow dance of tea light candles, bookshelves filled with yellowing books, eclectic objects here and there. For me, this atmosphere is like no other. On the page it may seem put on, but in reality it is completely unpretentious. Also, snuggly.

When you’re at your table, the waiter or waitress will come around with a big blackboard with the specials for the night. The food is European inspired as mirrored in dishes like Lamb Orecchiette with eight hour braised lamb shoulder or Risotto alla Zucca with saffron, wine, roasted pumpkin and cherry tomatoes. A personal favourite of mine is the Salad of Trees and Fields, a seasonal celebration of fruit and veg which grow from trees and fields. Such are a few of the dishes which spring from this beautiful nook, for a more generous idea I believe you should go and venture yourself.

The night I recently went, we ordered from the Specials Board a potato, celeriac and cauliflower soup, a “Bowl of the Sea” and a Flan Catalan for dessert.

The soup was creamy and so comforting. It suited autumnal-winter weather finely and instantly engrained in me the need to make it every time I would feel unwell. (Only this morning I tried to replicate it because of seasonal winter blues)

The “Bowl of the Sea” was not what I expected. It was a bowl of seafood with a bisque-like thick broth surrounding and some bread. We had a soup-y night, but there were no regrets. The seafood in our bowl included mussel, prawn, fish, clams and I’m pretty sure – crab leg. The broth was a meeting of tomato, white wine, bay leaf, saffron and seafood juices – can you imagine? Are you feeling hungry yet?

On the menu, the Flan Catalan was described as a “Baked egg custard infused with vanilla bean and orange, topped with sugar brûlée, citrus segments and pistachio nuts.’ And indeed, that is what we got. Really, it felt like a crème brûlée with a delicious orange flavour. Helen said the orange gave it an edge, I thought it gave a well-roundedness to the custard, but such is the subjectivity of food. Objectively though, we devoured it.

I know it may sound like I’ve been paid to write this. Rest assured, I have not – I simply have just sustained my love affair with this restaurant. Or rather, Salt Pepper Nutmeg has nurtured my love affair with it.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, and that perhaps you will give this restaurant a try – whether it is with your significant other, friends or family, I think it will truly knock your socks off.

Speaking for myself, I do enjoy a good sock-knocking.

Salt Pepper Nutmeg: 

110 Pacific Hwy, Roseville NSW 2069

T: (02) 9880 9994

Monday 4:00pm – 10:00pm

Tuesday 10:30am – 10:30pm

Wednesday 10:30am – 10:30pm

Thursday 10:30am – 10:30pm

Friday 10:30am – 10:30pm

Saturday 8:00am – 11:00pm

Sunday 8:30am – 9:00pm 

(Dinner reservations recommended)