Mama Hung’s Apple Potato Salad


Date Published: Dec 25th, 2021 | Last Updated: Dec 25th, 2021
Author: Abby |Category: sides, salads, easy, appetizers, vegetarian
Serves: 6-8 (one large bowl) | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 1 hour

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Happy holidays everyone! Wherever you are, I hope you’re filled with good food for the holidays. 😊

‘Tis the season for potato salads! Potato salads are pretty much a staple at most big family dinners – maybe because they’re easy to make? I’ll admit, I’ve never been a huge fan of them because they always seem to be the same combination of potatoes, mayonnaise, eggs and carrots. Not that I have anything against a potato salad, but I just find it pretty bland and just a filler between the mains. However over the last few Christmases, I’ve been happily proven wrong. Last year Toby’s mom made a traditional Czech potato salad with mustard and pickles which sounded weird to me at first, but was really delicious – I just posted that recipe earlier today and I highly recommend trying it 😊. Three Christmases before that, I celebrated the holidays with my friend Janice and her family in Point Cook and her mom made this delicious potato salad with apples, pineapples, corn and shrimp! The fruit in the salad was so refreshing, I kept going back for more! It’s like a cross between a fruit salad and a savoury potato salad. (We actually had a work Christmas party a few days ago and I couldn’t decide which potato salad to make so I brought both 😜.)

This recipe is technically easy, but labour-intensive (like most potato salads). The recipe instructions seem long, but it’s pretty much just describing how to boil the vegetables. It also takes some time due to waiting around for the vegetables to boil, so I’d recommend doing this on a lazy afternoon while playing some Netflix in the background. All of the work is in the chopping of the potatoes, carrots, apples, pineapple, shrimp, and eggs. The rest is just boiling and mixing together. This potato salad is best served chilled for at least an hour or overnight. I love recipes that are better made the day before because it frees up plenty of time for me during the day of a party and all I have to do is scoop it into a bowl to serve. 😊

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 1kg (~4-5 large) white potatoes, diced to 2cm pieces (peeled or unpeeled)
  • 500g (~3-4 large) carrots, diced to 2cm pieces
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 can (430g) pineapple, diced to 1cm pieces (you can use fresh pineapple as well)
  • 1 can (420g) of cooked sweet corn kernels, strained
  • 3 apples, cored and diced to 1cm pieces
  • 300g cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp, chopped to 2cm pieces (you can use thawed cocktail shrimp)
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise (good quality)*
    • I prefer whole egg mayonnaise or kewpie mayo. Do not buy the cheap stuff – I made that mistake earlier and the generic brand mayo was so nasty that I nearly had to throw out the whole salad. 🤢
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

*Note: if you have the space, you can boil the potatoes, carrots, and eggs all at the same time in separate pots to save time, or if you prefer to do less clean-up, you can do them one after another.

Boil the Potatoes: In a large pot on HIGH heat, add in the diced potatoes and fill the pot with hot water until all the potatoes are submerged. Once the water boils, turn the heat down to MED and keep to a rolling simmer until the potatoes are soft enough to cut easily with a fork (~30mins). Strain and set aside to cool (or if you’re impatient, run it under cold water). Do not over boil the potatoes or else they will be too mushy.

Boil the Carrots: While the potatoes are boiling, in a medium pot on HIGH heat, add in the diced carrots and fill the pot with hot water until all the carrots are submerged. Once the water boils, turn the heat down to MED and keep to a rolling simmer until the carrots are soft enough to cut easily with a fork (~20mins). Strain and set aside to cool (or if you’re impatient, run it under cold water).

Hard boil the Eggs: Gently place the eggs in a medium sized pot and fill the pot with cold water until it is 2cm above the eggs. Turn the heat on HIGH. Once the water comes to a hard rapid boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Let it sit for 12 minutes then submerge the eggs in cold water. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel the shells and dice the eggs into 1cm cubes.

Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, add together the cooked potatoes, cooked carrots, hard boiled eggs, apples, pineapple, corn, shrimp and mayonnaise. Mix until combined. Salt and pepper to taste and add more mayonnaise if needed.

Place the salad in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for at least an hour before serving, or best if chilled overnight. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Mama Hung’s Apple Potato Salad

Date Published: Dec 25th, 2021 | Last Updated: Dec 25th, 2021
Author: Abby |Category: sides, salads, easy, appetizers, vegetarian
Serves: 6-8 (one large bowl) | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 1kg (~4-5 large) white potatoes, diced to 2cm pieces (peeled or unpeeled)
  • 500g (~3-4 large) carrots, diced to 2cm pieces
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 can (430g) pineapple, diced to 1cm pieces (you can use fresh pineapple as well)
  • 1 can (420g) of cooked sweet corn kernels, strained
  • 3 apples, cored and diced to 1cm pieces
  • 300g cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp, chopped to 2cm pieces (you can use thawed cocktail shrimp)
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise (good quality)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

*Note: if you have the space, you can boil the potatoes, carrots, and eggs all at the same time in separate pots to save time, or if you prefer to do less clean-up, you can do them one after another.

  1. Boil the Potatoes: In a large pot on HIGH heat, add in the diced potatoes and fill the pot with hot water until all the potatoes are submerged. Once the water boils, turn the heat down to MED and keep to a rolling simmer until the potatoes are soft enough to cut easily with a fork (~30mins). Strain and set aside to cool (or if you’re impatient, run it under cold water). Do not over boil the potatoes or else they will be too mushy.
  2. Boil the Carrots: While the potatoes are boiling, in a medium pot on HIGH heat, add in the diced carrots and fill the pot with hot water until all the carrots are submerged. Once the water boils, turn the heat down to MED and keep to a rolling simmer until the carrots are soft enough to cut easily with a fork (~20mins). Strain and set aside to cool (or if you’re impatient, run it under cold water).
  3. Hard boil the Eggs: Gently place the eggs in a medium sized pot and fill the pot with cold water until it is 2cm above the eggs. Turn the heat on HIGH. Once the water comes to a hard rapid boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Let it sit for 12 minutes then submerge the eggs in cold water. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel the shells and dice the eggs into 1cm cubes.
  4. Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, add together the cooked potatoes, cooked carrots, hard boiled eggs, apples, pineapple, corn, shrimp and mayonnaise. Mix until combined. Salt and pepper to taste and add more mayonnaise if needed.
  5. Place the salad in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for at least an hour before serving, or best if chilled overnight. Enjoy!

Abby1 Comment

Czech Potato Salad (bramborový salát)


Date Published: Dec 25th, 2021 | Last Updated: Dec 25th, 2021
Author: Abby |Category: sides, salads, easy, appetizers, vegetarian
Serves: 6-8 (one large bowl) | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 1 hour

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Merry Christmas everyone! Wherever you are, I hope you’re filled with good food for the holidays. 😊

What is bramborový salát?

Bramborový salát is a traditional Czech potato salad. Toby’s mom first made it about a year ago (it actually may have been for Christmas, exactly a year ago) and it was SO GOOD. I usually find most potato salads pretty boring and they all taste the same, but this one was different. It’s made with potatoes, carrots, onions, eggs, and pickles. Yes, pickles! It sounded weird to me at first, but trust me it totally works. The salad dressing has the addition of mustard which gives it an extra kick that pairs fantastically with the rest of the salad. Bramborový salát is also often made with the addition of parsley root (kind of like a cross between carrot and celery) but I’ve decided to skip it in this recipe because A) its difficult to find in Australia, B) I’m not a huge fan of celery anyway, and C) there’s already so much chopping involved and I cbs doing more 😜. Besides, when I made this salad for the first time, Toby said it tasted just like his mom’s and his grandma’s (who are Czech, btw) and ate 4 servings in one sitting, so I’d say the parsley root wasn’t missed 😂. If you want to make it more traditional, feel free to add it in the same amount as the carrots in the recipe. If you can’t find parsley root, Toby’s mom said you can replace it with either a celeriac or parsnip.

This recipe is technically easy, but labour-intensive (like most potato salads). The recipe instructions seem long, but it’s pretty much just describing how to boil the vegetables. It also takes some time due to waiting around for the vegetables to boil, so I’d recommend doing this on a lazy afternoon while playing some Netflix in the background. All of the work is in the chopping of the potatoes, carrots, onion, pickles, and egg. The rest is just boiling and mixing together. This potato salad is best served chilled overnight to allow the flavours to marinate through (its definitely worth the wait). I love recipes that are better made the day before because it frees up plenty of time for me during the day of a party and all I have to do is scoop it into a bowl to serve. 😊

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 1kg (~4-5 large) white potatoes, diced to 2cm pieces (peeled or unpeeled)
  • 500g (~3-4 large) carrots, diced to 2cm pieces
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced to 0.5cm pieces
  • 2.5 cups dill pickles, diced to 1cm pieces
  • 5 eggs
  • Dressing:
    • 3/4 cup mayonnaise (good quality)
    • 1/4 cup pickle juice
    • 2 Tbsps dijon mustard
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

*Note: if you have the space, you can boil the potatoes, carrots, and eggs all at the same time in separate pots to save time, or if you prefer to do less clean-up, you can do them one after another.

Boil the Potatoes: In a large pot on HIGH heat, add in the diced potatoes and fill the pot with hot water until all the potatoes are submerged. Once the water boils, turn the heat down to MED and keep to a rolling simmer until the potatoes are soft enough to cut easily with a fork (~30mins). Strain and set aside to cool (or if you’re impatient, run it under cold water). Do not over boil the potatoes or else they will be too mushy.

Boil the Carrots: While the potatoes are boiling, in a medium pot on HIGH heat, add in the diced carrots and fill the pot with hot water until all the carrots are submerged. Once the water boils, turn the heat down to MED and keep to a rolling simmer until the carrots are soft enough to cut easily with a fork (~20mins). Strain and set aside to cool (or if you’re impatient, run it under cold water).

Hard boil the Eggs: Gently place the eggs in a medium sized pot and fill the pot with cold water until it is 2cm above the eggs. Turn the heat on HIGH. Once the water comes to a hard rapid boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Let it sit for 12 minutes then submerge the eggs in cold water. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel the shells and dice the eggs into 1cm cubes.

Make the Dressing: Add all the ingredients of the dressing to a bowl and whisk together until combined: mayonnaise, pickle juice, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.

Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, add together the cooked potatoes, cooked carrots, hard boiled eggs, diced raw onion, and diced pickles. Mix in HALF the amount of dressing and taste. Add in more dressing to taste.

The amount of dressing required will depend on personal taste and also how big or small you cut up your potatoes and carrots. I usually find I need less dressing if I cut up the veggies smaller and vice versa. We also like our potato salad mayo-y and will usually use up most of the dressing.

Place the salad in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for at least an hour before serving, or best if chilled overnight. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Czech Potato Salad (bramborový salát)


Date Published: Dec 25th, 2021 | Last Updated: Dec 25th, 2021
Author: Abby |Category: sides, salads, easy, appetizers, vegetarian
Serves: 6-8 (one large bowl) | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 1kg white potatoes, diced to 2cm pieces (peeled or unpeeled)
  • 500g carrots (~3-4 large), diced to 2cm pieces
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced to 0.5cm pieces
  • 2.5 cups dill pickles, diced to 1cm pieces
  • 5 eggs
  • Dressing:
    • 3/4 cup mayonnaise (good quality)
    • 1/4 cup pickle juice
    • 2 Tbsps dijon mustard
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

*Note: if you have the space, you can boil the potatoes, carrots, and eggs all at the same time in separate pots to save time, or if you prefer to do less clean-up, you can do them one after another.

  1. Boil the Potatoes: In a large pot on HIGH heat, add in the diced potatoes and fill the pot with hot water until all the potatoes are submerged. Once the water boils, turn the heat down to MED and keep to a rolling simmer until the potatoes are soft enough to cut easily with a fork (~30mins). Strain and set aside to cool (or if you’re impatient, run it under cold water). Do not over boil the potatoes or else they will be too mushy.
  2. Boil the Carrots: While the potatoes are boiling, in a medium pot on HIGH heat, add in the diced carrots and fill the pot with hot water until all the carrots are submerged. Once the water boils, turn the heat down to MED and keep to a rolling simmer until the carrots are soft enough to cut easily with a fork (~20mins). Strain and set aside to cool (or if you’re impatient, run it under cold water).
  3. Hard boil the Eggs: Gently place the eggs in a medium sized pot and fill the pot with cold water until it is 2cm above the eggs. Turn the heat on HIGH. Once the water comes to a hard rapid boil, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Let it sit for 12 minutes then submerge the eggs in cold water. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel the shells and dice the eggs into 1cm cubes.
  4. Make the Dressing: Add all the ingredients of the dressing to a bowl and whisk together until combined: mayonnaise, pickle juice, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
  5. Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, add together the cooked potatoes, cooked carrots, hard boiled eggs, diced raw onion, and diced pickles. Mix in HALF the amount of dressing and taste. Add in more dressing to taste.
    • The amount of dressing required will depend on personal taste and also how big or small you cut up your potatoes and carrots. I usually find I need less dressing if I cut up the veggies smaller and vice versa. We also like our potato salad mayo-y and will usually use up most of the dressing.
  6. Place the salad in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for at least an hour before serving, or best if chilled overnight. Enjoy!

Abby4 Comments

How to Cook Dumplings – 2 ways!


The only type of dumplings I ever had growing up were boiled dumplings because my mom always said it was the healthiest and didn’t need any extra oil. It was also the fastest and easiest method to cook them when you’re whipping up a large batch to feed a family of 5! When I moved out from home, I learned how to pan-fry them from my fellow dumpling-loving friends. Pan-frying takes a little extra effort, but the yummy crunchiness is worth it. I find boiling is best for dumplings that have a filling with a stronger flavour such as my lamb and onion dumplings. Pan-frying is better in fillings with a lighter flavour such as these vegetable dumplings where you can notice the extra fried toastiness.

Every Asian household tends to have their own little variation in how they cook their dumplings and there are a few methods to cooking them. In this entry, I’m sharing the two ways I cook my dumplings: pan-fried and boiled.

A. Pan-frying

You’ll need a flat wok or pan with a lid for this method. The method is essentially first steaming the dumplings with a bit of water and oil. The steam from the water cooks the filling and the skin of the dumpling, then the remaining oil cooks the bottom of the dumplings for crispiness. 👌

1. Heat up a flat wok or pan on MED heat. Add a drizzle of neutral oil and place the dumplings fat side down on top of the oil then add in 1cm of water.

Try not to crowd the dumplings so they don’t stick together and makes it easier to flip.

2. Put a lid on over the wok and let the dumplings steam.

3. Once all of the water evaporates, remove the lid and check the bottom of the dumplings for a golden brown colour and flip them over. If they’re not yet golden brown, continue cooking the dumplings.

4. Once the bottoms are golden brown, flip them over and cook the other side of the dumplings until golden brown. You can add a little oil to the pan so they brown up a little faster.

5. Serve while hot with your favourite dipping sauce!

B. Boiling

This method is a lot more straight-forward. You’re essentially boiling the dumplings until the insides are cooked. Make sure your dumplings are sealed well, otherwise the filling will fall out in the boiling process. Try not to over boil it, or else the skin will become too soggy and break apart. If your dumplings are stuck together from the freezing process, just throw them in the pot altogether. Do not try to break them apart of else the skin will break. They will naturally separate in the pot.

1. In a large pot, fill 2/3 of the pot with water and bring it to a boil.

2. Once the water is boiling (we want a big boil where the water is moving vigorously, not just a simmer), gently drop in the dumplings, careful not to splash yourself!

3. When the water starts boiling again, add in a cup of cold water.

4. When the water starts boiling again, add in ANOTHER cup of cold water.

5. When the water boils a fourth time, the dumplings should be ready. The dumplings should be floating and you’ll see little pockets of air under the skin to signify the inside is cooked. If not, boil them for a little longer.

(See in the photo how the dumplings are floaty and pillowy with small pockets of air in them –>)

6. When the dumplings are cooked, strain them from the pot and transfer to a plate. Add a drizzle of sesame oil (or neutral oil) and mix it around to prevent them from sticking together. Serve with your favourite dumpling dipping sauce!

Dumpling Recipes:

Abby3 Comments