Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Shrimps, Beef & Eggplant in Spicy Satay Sauce - Do You Like Dishwashing?


Remember those days when your mind went blank? When you had absolutely no idea what to cook? When you asked yourself "what do you wanna eat" and the answer is an annoying mental shrug?...and when you asked someone else hoping for an easy answer, you were always given the ever so helpful up-to-yous? (Damn, I hate up-to-yous).

Yep. I had one of those yesterday.


Then I remembered, when in doubt, drench anything in Lee Kum Kee's Satay Sauce, and everything shall taste delicious! OK, I got the sauce covered. Now...what would "anything" be?

I wandered around the market and nothing said "buy me, eat me"....finally, I got a pack of minced beef, since it tastes especially good with satay sauce; a pack of peeled shrimps, because no defrosting, no peeling, no deveining necessary (convenience wins me all the time), and the fragrance of shrimps on this dish? Unbelievable!

Gosh, I still needed some kind of vegetables. Does eggplant count as veggie? OK, I don't care. No soaking, no peeling, no fine chopping necessary; it soaks up sauces like a sponge; it's soft and creamy; and heck! The purple would look really nice with the orange of the shrimps. Thus...

Shrimps, Beef & Eggplant in Spicy Satay Sauce

Recipe
- 1 pack of minced beef (about 0.7 lb)
- 1 pack of peeled shrimps (about 15 pcs)
- 1 long eggplant (cut into bite sized chunks and pop in the oven with some olive oil until softened, I used 250C for 10 minutes)
- 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
- half an onion, chopped roughly
- 3 red chilli (with seeds for the heat)
- 2 dried lime leaves (optional)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- a bit of grated lemon zest
- 1 pack of Lee Kum Kee Satay Sauce for Hotpot (I prefer this, its liquid form makes it easier to handle, but add bit by bit and adjust as it can be too tasty)
- a bit of kecap manis (optional)
- olive oil for sauteeing

Saute garlic, onion, and chilli in olive oil, add beef, cook until almost done, add softened eggplants, add sauce, lime leaves, grate lemon zest, add shrimps, when the shrimps are just done (pink, curled and no longer transparent), turn off the heat, drizzle lemon juice, kecap manis, and serve with steamed rice. Important: never ever overcook the shrimps.

The cooking was a blast, and now the dreaded part begins...

There were times when I really thought I was so twisted and actually enjoyed washing dishes.
I was wrong.
Who the heck loves washing dishes? Oppps, maybe there are people who really find dishwashing theurapetic, soothing, calming, the bubbles are fun, even turning them on (hello, dishwashing fetish), whatever. NOT. ME.

I just hated the idea of piles and piles of dirty dishes towering in my kitchen sink. Thus I did them, even tried to enjoy it, without success.

Will these cake shaped dishwashing sponge cuties make dishwashing more enjoyable? Aren't they just so adorable?

I just wanted to bite that chocolate cake off its rack...or maybe the green tea swiss roll...


...or take a bite off that piece of watermelon?...

Whatever it was....they did not make me feel like washing dishes. SC, dish washing is yours, suck it up.

17 comments:

  1. Hahaha, try washing the dishes while listening to your favourite songs and singing at the top of your voice. That's the only reason why I like washing dishes...

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  2. ya..it's only fair if he does the cleaning part...just like my husband!

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  3. That looks very yummy. and the sponges are so cute! They still wouldn't make dish washing enjoyable but would look great on the ccunter.

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  4. Potone rek apik...poto sing kedua terutama kompone pas :) lalu aku mauuuuuuuu itu busa2 lucu2 :D:D

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  5. Cute dish washing sponges...Can I have the cake shape one, pls?

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  6. mana rawone.. hayo..hayooo tak jewer llho

    btw itu swap or spongebob lutu-2 :D

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  7. aku ora like dishwashing. wkwkwkwkwkwk

    ngemeng2, rawonku wes metu kae...
    rawonmu endi?

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  8. Beautiful pictures! You've made even eggplant look good! I wish I could find cute kitchen accessories here!

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  9. Hahha niiiceee! and for a dinner that was just thrown together oh yummmm! Hee hee cute sponges, I just want to eat them instead of wash dishes.

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  10. yum! this sounds just delicious. i DEFINITELY do not like washing dishes. generally, the only reason we go out to a restaurant is because i don't wanna do the clean-up ;)

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  11. what a lovely bunch of dish sponge there hehehe cute abiiiiiisss!!

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  12. I do find washing dishes soothing and therapeutic. And that's not even one of my wise-ass comments. I really do!
    Will wash dishes for food! :-)

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  13. oo.. I LOVE the dish you used for the photo! What an excellent idea!

    I reckon males shld ALWAYS take the dish washign..dont u think? LOL

    Great idea for the dish as well mocha! I like!

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  14. gimme the sponges... buy me the strawberry shortcake sponge!!! hmm... won't help me enjoying washing dishes tho... HATE IT!!!
    btw, love the pink stand cake, compliments your dish, fab!

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  15. They will not make dishwashing more enjoyable cos I will not be using these cuties sponge anyway. TOo cute to be used. Best they just stay as they are:p

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  16. This shrimp dish sounds really tasty! Nice presentation!

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  17. Hello, I just stumbled on your blog and I love it so I will be a regular! Could you tell me where I could find those adorable dishwashing sponges? I live in Fall River, MA. An hour from Boston. Thank you!

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