Spicy Cucumber Curry Soup

Date Published: Jan 1st, 2023 | Last Updated: Jan 1st, 2023
Author: Abby |Category: starter, appetizer, main, healthy, vegetarian, < 30mins, easy, low-cal
Serves: 6-8 as a starter, 4 as mains | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins

Jump to recipe |

With an abundance of cucumbers on the Homolka farm lately, I’ve been experimenting with different ways of using it up. This recipe uses up 4 cucumbers at a time, however full disclaimer, the actual flavour of the cucumber is masked by the spices, but it’s still a delicious and hearty soup nonetheless, and also healthy and low in calories! (If you’re looking for a cucumber soup full of cucumber flavour, check out the Hot or Cold Creamy Cucumber Soup recipe.)

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:

1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 large cucumbers, peeled, deseeded, and chopped
1.5 Tbsps curry powder
2 tsps red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you prefer it spicier)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsps sesame oil
2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 cup milk
4 cups of cooked shredded chicken (optional)
1 cup Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium sized pot on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the onion is very soft, translucent, and slightly browned (~5 mins).

Set aside a large handful of sliced cucumbers for garnish at the end and add the rest into the pot. Mix around for 30 seconds then add in the curry powder, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper. Sauté for another minute until the spices are fragrant, then add in the soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken stock, and milk. Bring the soup to a boil then simmer gently for 10 mins with the lid on, until the cucumbers are soft.

After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and use a stick blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can pour the soup into a blender instead of using a stick blender.

Put the soup back on the stove on MED heat and add in the shredded chicken. Once heated through, stir in the greek yogurt and taste to adjust salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the reserved cucumbers when serving. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Spicy Cucumber Curry Soup

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 large cucumbers, peeled, deseeded, and chopped
1.5 Tbsps curry powder
2 tsps red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you prefer it spicier)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsps sesame oil
2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 cup milk
4 cups of cooked shredded chicken (optional)
1 cup Greek yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium sized pot on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the onion is very soft, translucent, and slightly browned (~5 mins).
Set aside a large handful of sliced cucumbers for garnish at the end and add the rest into the pot. Mix around for 30 seconds then add in the curry powder, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper. Sauté for another minute until the spices are fragrant, then add in the soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken stock, and milk. Bring the soup to a boil then simmer gently for 10 mins with the lid on, until the cucumbers are soft.
After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and use a stick blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can pour the soup into a blender instead of using a stick blender.
Put the soup back on the stove on MED heat and add in the shredded chicken. Once heated through, stir in the greek yogurt and taste to adjust salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the reserved cucumbers when serving. Enjoy!

January 1, 2023January 1, 2023

AbbyLeave a comment

Hot or Cold Creamy Cucumber Soup

Jump to recipe |

Happy New Year everyone!

Summer is upon us which means the Homolka farm is once again in full swing with an array of fresh home-grown veggies! Of these veggies, zucchini and cucumber seem to always be in abundance with Toby’s dad at least harvesting 4-6 per day! There’s only so much cold cucumber salad you can make, so I was on the hunt for cooked cucumber recipes. I’ve always been a sucker for soups so when I came upon a hot cucumber soup recipe from EatingWell.com, I just had to try it! It was delicious right from the start but I made a few little adjustments and doubled the recipe amount so I can have this as a main dish instead of a small appetizer portion. This recipe can be served hot, warm, or chilled – cold soups never seem satisfying and hearty for me, so I always like to have it hot.

This is only part of the cucumber mania on the farm! ❤️

This soup is so quick and easy to make. It’s also fantastic for using up an abundance of cucumbers and best of all it’s creamy and low in calories at the same time! Sounds too good to be true, eh?

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsps lemon juice
4 large (~8 cups) cucumbers, peeled, deseeded, and sliced
3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 tsp cooking salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 avocados, diced
1 cup Greek yogurt

Directions:

In a medium sized pot on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the onion is very soft, translucent, and slightly browned (~5 mins).

Add the lemon juice and sauté for another minute, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pot.

Set aside a large handful of sliced cucumbers for garnish at the end and add the rest into the pot. Mix around for 30 seconds then add in the chicken stock, salt, and black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil then simmer gently for 10 mins, until the cucumbers are soft.

After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and add the diced avocados to the pot. Use a stick blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can pour the soup into a blender instead of using a stick blender.

Stir in the greek yogurt and taste to adjust salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the reserved cucumbers when serving. Enjoy hot, or chilled!

Summarized Recipe:

Hot or Cold Creamy Cucumber Soup

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsps lemon juice
4 large (~8 cups) cucumbers, peeled, deseeded, and sliced
3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 tsp cooking salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 avocados, diced
1 cup Greek yogurt

Directions:

In a medium sized pot on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion until the onion is very soft, translucent, and slightly browned (~5 mins).
Add the lemon juice and sauté for another minute, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pot.
Set aside a large handful of sliced cucumbers for garnish at the end and add the rest into the pot. Mix around for 30 seconds then add in the chicken stock, salt, and black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil then simmer gently for 10 mins, until the cucumbers are soft.
After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and add the diced avocados to the pot. Use a stick blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can pour the soup into a blender instead of using a stick blender.
Stir in the greek yogurt and taste to adjust salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the reserved cucumbers when serving. Enjoy hot, or chilled!

January 1, 2023

Abby1 Comment

Creamy White Wine and Garlic Mussels

Date Published: Dec 28th, 2022 | Last Updated: Dec 28th, 2022
Author: Abby |Category: < 30mins, easy, appetizers, mains
Serves: 2 as mains | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins

Jump to recipe |

I LOVE mussels. I could eat them all day everyday. It is physically impossible for me to not order mussels if it’s on a menu. I prefer them in a white wine broth like this recipe, whereas Toby prefers it in the a tomato sauce base. Either way, mussels are one of my favourite seafood items and I could eat a whole kilo of them all on my own – ask Toby 😜. We’ve travelled around Australia and have tasted the freshest seafood available but my favourite is at the Queen Victoria Market mussel van where they have the plumpest mussels farmed in Port Arlington and they offer them cooked in a variety of flavours. You gotta try the blue cheese mussels. Seriously. (It’s on my to-do list to try and recreate them.)

I’ve spent a few months trying to perfect this recipe and we’ve also tasted a lot of disappointing white wine garlic mussels in my research. I’m glad to finally be able to share my version of a classic mussel dish! This recipe has a buttery garlic and onion broth base and finished off simmering in cream for that perfectly flavourful indulgent broth. They’re a breeze to whip up and add a touch of fanciness to dinner parties.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

2 Tbsps + 1 Tbsp (43g) unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 cup dry white wine (ie. sauvignon blanc – I’ve used Chinese cooking wine successfully as well 😅)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 kg live mussels, washed and debearded
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

In a large pot on MED-HIGH heat, melt 2 Tbsps butter then add in the garlic and onion. Sauté until the onions are soft.

Add in the bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and white wine. Bring the sauce to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add in the mussels and stir. Put the lid on and cook for 5-7 minutes until the mussels all open up.

Once all the mussels have opened up, take them out with a slotted spoon and divide evenly amongst serving bowls. Leave the sauce in the pot and add in 1 Tbsp of butter and the heavy cream. Let it simmer for 10 mins to let the flavours infuse and until the sauce thickens a little. Turn off heat and pour sauce over the mussels. Serve with slices of toasted bread. Enjoy!

Other mussel recipes:

Mussels in a Rich Tomato White Wine Sauce

Summarized Recipe:

Creamy White Wine and Garlic Mussels

Ingredients:

2 Tbsps + 1 Tbsp (43g) unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 cup dry white wine (ie. sauvignon blanc – I’ve used Chinese cooking wine successfully as well 😅)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 kg live mussels, washed and debearded
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

In a large pot on MED-HIGH heat, melt 2 Tbsps butter then add in the garlic and onion. Sauté until the onions are soft.
Add in the bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and white wine. Bring the sauce to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add in the mussels and stir. Put the lid on and cook for 5-7 minutes until the mussels all open up.
Once all the mussels have opened up, take them out with a slotted spoon and divide evenly amongst serving bowls. Leave the sauce in the pot and add in 1 Tbsp of butter and the heavy cream. Let it simmer for 10 mins to let the flavours infuse and until the sauce thickens a little. Turn off heat and pour sauce over the mussels. Serve with slices of toasted bread. Enjoy!

December 28, 2022

AbbyLeave a comment

Creamy and Tangy Czech Mushroom & Dill Soup (Kulajda)

Date Published: Dec 25th, 2022 | Last Updated: Dec 25th, 2022
Author: Abby |Category: soups, appetizers, <30mins, easy, mains, vegetarian
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

Jump to recipe |

What is Kulajda?

Kulajda (pronounced “koo-lie-duh”) is a creamy and tangy mushroom, dill and potato soup that is traditional to Southern Czech. We first came upon it on our trip to Prague this past summer. Apart from all the nostalgic Czech dishes that Toby wanted to have (including steak tartare), we also googled some famous must-have Czech dishes that led us to the historical Michelin-guided restaurant, Café Imperial. There were SO many delicious things at this restaurant but my all-time favourite was the kulajda. In fact, I liked it so much that I was on the lookout for it at every subsequent restaurant we went to on our trip around Czech! The flavour combination of savoury and tangy and highlighting the ingredients of mushrooms and dill were out of this world. It was a combination that was new to me and I loved it!

Also a big fan of their svičkova and steak tartare!

After googling recipes and experimenting with a few, I’ve come up with this version that is a mix of a couple of different recipes that resulted in a soup just like the one at Café Imperial. 😊 The soup was surprisingly easy and straightforward to make. If it wasn’t so heavy, I’d probably make this all the time 😜.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

40g dried porcini mushrooms
5 bay leaves
4 whole allspice berries
2 cups (480ml) water
40g (1/3 stick) unsalted butter
4 Tbsps (40g) all-purpose flour
3 cups (720ml) beef or chicken broth
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
3/4 cups (180ml) heavy cream
2-3 Tbsps white wine vinegar (start with 2 Tbsps and add more if you prefer it more tart)
1/4 cup (50g) sugar (or more to taste)
3 Tbsps fresh dill leaves, chopped (no stems) + additional for garnish
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (or more to taste)
4 eggs

Directions:

In a small saucepan, add the dried porcini mushrooms, bay leaves, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to simmer for 15 mins. After 15 mins, turn off the heat and set aside.

While the mushrooms are simmering, make a basic roux: In a medium sized soup pot on MED heat, melt the butter, then gradually sprinkle in the flour bit by bit while stirring until it’s all incorporated and you end up with a thick paste. Don’t add in the flour all at once or you’ll get a big clump of dough.

Once you get a thick paste, slowly pour in the beef broth while continuously stirring to ensure no clumps form.

Strain the mushrooms from the saucepan in step 1 and pour the mushroom-soaked water into the beef broth pot. Bring to a boil and simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside and discard the bay leaves and allspice berries.

After 10 mins, add the potatoes and soaked mushrooms to the soup and continue simmering for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes soften.

Turn off the heat and stir in the cream, white wine vinegar, sugar, and dill. Taste and adjust salt, sugar, or vinegar to your liking. Let the soup rest for a few minutes before serving.

While the soup is resting, poach 4 eggs.

When serving, add a poached egg to each bowl and pour the soup overtop. Sprinkle extra dill leaves on top to finish. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Creamy and Tangy Czech Mushroom & Dill Soup (Kulajda)

Ingredients:

40g dried porcini mushrooms
5 bay leaves
4 whole allspice berries
2 cups (480ml) water
40g (1/3 stick) unsalted butter
4 Tbsps (40g) all-purpose flour
3 cups (720ml) beef or chicken broth
450g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
3/4 cups (180ml) heavy cream
2-3 Tbsps white wine vinegar (start with 2 Tbsps and add more if you prefer it more tart)
1/4 cup (50g) sugar (or more to taste)
3 Tbsps fresh dill leaves, chopped (no stems) + additional for garnish
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (or more to taste)
4 eggs

Directions:

In a small saucepan, add the dried porcini mushrooms, bay leaves, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to simmer for 15 mins. After 15 mins, turn off the heat and set aside.
While the mushrooms are simmering, make a basic roux: In a medium sized soup pot on MED heat, melt the butter, then gradually sprinkle in the flour bit by bit while stirring until it’s all incorporated and you end up with a thick paste. Don’t add in the flour all at once or you’ll get a big clump of dough.
Once you get a thick paste, slowly pour in the beef broth while continuously stirring to ensure no clumps form.
Strain the mushrooms from the saucepan in step 1 and pour the mushroom-soaked water into the beef broth pot. Bring to a boil and simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes. Set the mushrooms aside and discard the bay leaves and allspice berries.
After 10 mins, add the potatoes and soaked mushrooms to the soup and continue simmering for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes soften.
Turn off the heat and stir in the cream, white wine vinegar, sugar, and dill. Taste and adjust salt, sugar, or vinegar to your liking. Let the soup rest for a few minutes before serving.
While the soup is resting, poach 4 eggs.
When serving, add a poached egg to each bowl and pour the soup overtop. Sprinkle extra dill leaves on top to finish. Enjoy!

December 25, 2022

AbbyLeave a comment

Bobotie with Turmeric Rice

Date Published: Dec 25th, 2022 | Last Updated: Dec 25th, 2022
Author: Abby |Category: mains
Serves: 8 | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins

Jump to recipe |

Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone! Toby and I have been so busy getting married, starting a new locum job, and organizing our move to NYC lately that the website has been on the back burner for a few months. However, I have also been trying out a few new recipes and even picked up some inspiration from our recent travels. I’ve written a few draft recipes here and there that I’m working on polishing up to share soon!

What is Bobotie?

Bobotie is a South African dish introduced to me by a friend in vet school years ago. It’s a curried ground beef dish with a thin eggy topping often served over turmeric rice and a fruit chutney. It’s sweet, savoury, hearty, and oh so delicious! This dish has been on my list to publish for ages and I’m happy to finally be able to share it with you!

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:

Bobotie:
- 1 cup milk
- 4 slices plain white bread
- 2 Tbsps unsalted butter or neutral oil
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1kg ground beef
- 1/2 cup of raisins
- 1.5 Tbsps of fruit chutney + extra to serve
- Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 eggs
- 1 pinch salt
Turmeric rice:
- 2.5 cups water
- 1 cup long grain white rice (basmati is a good choice)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

*Ideally make this in a cast-iron or ceramic/dutch oven pot so you can ease the clean up by transferring directly from stove-top to oven, but if you don’t have one, just use a regular pan to cook it then transfer to a baking dish when baking.

Preheat oven to 175˚C (350F). If you’re not using an oven-safe pot or pan, lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish or meatloaf pan.

In a bowl, pour milk over the bread and let it soak.

In a pot or pan over MED-HIGH heat, melt the butter and sauté the onions until soft.

Add in the garlic, curry powder, and turmeric. Continue to sauté for another minute.

Next, crumble the ground beef into the pan and add in the raisins, chutney, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Sauté everything until the beef starts to brown. Turn off the heat.

Remove the soaked bread in step 2 and squeeze out any excess milk back into the bowl. Set the milk aside. Tear the soggy bread up into chunks and add it to the pan along with bay leaves and mix.

If your pot/pan is oven-safe, put the lid on and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, covered. If your pot/pan is not oven-safe, then transfer it all to the greased baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

*While you wait for the bobotie to bake, make the turmeric rice (see step 12).

After 30 minutes, take it out of the oven and remove any excess pools of oil. Mix it around then cover again and bake for another 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, take it out of the oven and remove any excess pools of oil. Mix it around then pat down the surface of the beef. You want a nice flat tight bed of meat so your egg topping doesn’t sink down.

Make the egg topping: whisk the reserved milk (from step 2) with eggs and a pinch of salt. Pour this mixture over the flattened bed of beef then put it back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes (until egg is done and top is golden brown). Done!

Turmeric rice:

Mix all the ingredients (water, rice, salt, turmeric, cinnamon, raisins, butter) in a small pot/sauce pan and cover with a lid. Switch it on high heat and bring to a boil. (Mix the rice occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan)

After it reaches a boil, turn the heat on low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the water is gone or rice is fluffy. Done!

To serve: spoon the bobotie over the turmeric rice with a dollop of chutney (fruit or hot) on the side. Can also sprinkle desiccated coconut over it, some chopped almonds and sliced bananas. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Bobotie with Turmeric Rice

Date Published: Dec 25th, 2022 | Last Updated: Dec 25th, 2022
Author: Abby |Category: mains
Serves: 8 | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins

Ingredients:

Bobotie:
- 1 cup milk
- 4 slices plain white bread
- 2 Tbsps unsalted butter or neutral oil
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1kg ground beef
- 1/2 cup of raisins
- 1.5 Tbsps of fruit chutney + extra to serve
- Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 eggs
- 1 pinch salt
Turmeric rice:
- 2.5 cups water
- 1 cup long grain white rice (basmati is a good choice)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 175˚C (350F). If you’re not using an oven-safe pot or pan, lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish or meatloaf pan.
In a bowl, pour milk over the bread and let it soak.
In a pot or pan over MED-HIGH heat, melt the butter and sauté the onions until soft.
Add in the garlic, curry powder, and turmeric. Continue to sauté for another minute.
Next, crumble the ground beef into the pan and add in the raisins, chutney, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Sauté everything until the beef starts to brown. Turn off the heat.
Remove the soaked bread in step 2 and squeeze out any excess milk back into the bowl. Set the milk aside. Tear the soggy bread up into chunks and add it to the pan along with bay leaves and mix.
If your pot/pan is oven-safe, put the lid on and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, covered.
- If your pot/pan is not oven-safe, then transfer it all to the greased baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
*While you wait for the bobotie to bake, make the turmeric rice (see step 12).
After 30 minutes, take it out of the oven and remove any excess pools of oil. Mix it around then cover again and bake for another 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, take it out of the oven and remove any excess pools of oil. Mix it around then pat down the surface of the beef. You want a nice flat tight bed of meat so your egg topping doesn’t sink down.
Make the egg topping: whisk the reserved milk (from step 2) with eggs and a pinch of salt. Pour this mixture over the flattened bed of beef then put it back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes (until egg is done and top is golden brown). Done!
Turmeric rice:
1. Mix all the ingredients (water, rice, salt, turmeric, cinnamon, raisins, butter) in a small pot/sauce pan and cover with a lid. Switch it on high heat and bring to a boil. (Mix the rice occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan)
2. After it reaches a boil, turn the heat on low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the water is gone or rice is fluffy. Done!
To serve: spoon the bobotie over the turmeric rice with a dollop of chutney (fruit or hot) on the side. Can also sprinkle desiccated coconut over it, some chopped almonds and sliced bananas. Enjoy!

December 25, 2022December 25, 2022

AbbyLeave a comment

Chicken and Sweet Corn Dumplings

Date Published: Sept 14th, 2021 | Last Updated: Sept 14th, 2021
Author: Abby |Category: < 30mins, easy, low-cal, healthy, asian, quick, mains, snacks
Serves: ~100 dumplings | Prep time: 15 mins + time to wrap | Cook time: 10 mins

Jump to recipe |

When Toby and I took a trip to Alice Springs early last year, a local dumpling house called Confucius Palace Dumpling Restaurant came up on our radar when looking for places to eat. I’m always skeptical of asian restaurants located in a predominantly non-asian town but we were both pleasantly surprised by how good the dumplings were! Our favourites were the lamb and onion dumplings and the chicken and sweet corn dumplings which is the recipe I’m publishing today! Both dumplings are actually quite simplistic in their ingredients and super quick to make which is fantastic for a quick and easy meal. Dumplings also store very well in the freezer so you can whip up a big batch and save them for a rainy day when you don’t feel like cooking.

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:

Dumpling Filling:
- 1kg chicken mince
- 2 cans of super sweet corn
- 2 Tbsps soy sauce
- 3 Tbsps chicken stock powder
- 3 tsp white pepper
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Two packets of dumpling wrappers

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients of the dumpling filling in a bowl: chicken mince, sweet corn, soy sauce, chicken stock powder, white pepper, and sugar.

Wrap the dumplings.

You can either cook the dumplings right away or store them in the freezer. Make sure the dumplings aren’t touching when you freeze them or else they’ll all stick together in a block. Once they’re frozen you can transfer them into a container or plastic freezer bag. Check out this post on how to cook dumplings – 2 ways.

Summarized Recipe:

Chicken and Sweet Corn Dumplings

Ingredients:

Dumpling Filling:
- 1kg chicken mince
- 2 cans of super sweet corn
- 2 Tbsps soy sauce
- 3 Tbsps chicken stock powder
- 3 tsp white pepper
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Two packets of dumpling wrappers

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients of the dumpling filling in a bowl: chicken mince, sweet corn, soy sauce, chicken stock powder, white pepper, and sugar.
Wrap the dumplings.
You can either cook the dumplings right away or store them in the freezer.
- Check out this post on how to cook dumplings – 2 ways.
- Make sure the dumplings aren’t touching when you freeze them or else they’ll all stick together in a block. Once they’re frozen you can transfer them into a container or plastic freezer bag.

September 14, 2022September 14, 2022

AbbyLeave a comment

Czech Steak Tartare (Tatarský Biftek/Tatarák)

Date Published: Sept 13, 2022 | Last Updated: Sept 13, 2022
Author: Abby |Category: <15 mins, appetizers, mains, easy, quick, low cal, snacks
Serves: 2 (as an appetizer/snack) | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 0! No cooking required.

Jump to recipe |

Steak tartare is a dish served in many different countries and in many different ways. I’ll admit I was never a fan of raw meat, but Toby grew up with it when he would visit Czech Republic to see his grandparents. It became a nostalgic dish and watching him enjoy this dish with such excitement of course tempted me to give it another try. We spent 3 weeks in Czech a couple months ago and during that time the dish really grew on me. A Czech steak tartare is traditionally served with slices of crispy rye bread that is panfried in lard and a garlic clove. You’re meant to rub the garlic on the crispy rye bread for that extra garlicky flavour and spoon the steak tartare over the bread and eat it together. Yum! The basic ingredients are usually steak, mustard, salt, pepper, and onion, but you’ll find many different variations. This dish can be found everywhere in Czech Republic, from basic rural pubs to fancy high-end Michelin-guided restaurants. You can request to have it served with the ingredients all mixed together, or unmixed and you can mix it yourself to adjust the flavours to your liking (see photo). However you have it, it’s always best served with a cold Pilsen beer!

What’s the best cut of beef to use?

Since you’ll be eating the beef raw, it’s very important to choose the best and freshest cut, and of course you also want to get it from a reputable clean butcher that knows their stuff. Usually when I buy my meats I get it either from the regular supermarket or a nearby butcher, however we went specifically to a higher end fancy butcher shop specifically for a steak tartare. It might be a bit more expensive, but it’ll be worth it.

You want a lean piece with little to no fat and connective tissue. The most popular choice is usually a tenderloin (or eye fillet/fillet steak) which is the most tender cut of meat available, but you can also use sirloin/porterhouse as well. If you’re not sure which cut to use, ask the butcher and let them know you’re intending on eating the steak raw for a tartare and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

How to prepare the beef?

Once you’ve selected your perfect cut of beef for the tartare, it’s time to prepare it to your desired consistency. If you like the texture chunkier with more bite, you can finely dice it into cubes. Put your steak in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm it up prior to dicing – this will make it much easier to cut. For a softer texture, you can put your steak through a meat grinder or ask your butcher to grind it for you. I get a little weary of getting someone else to grind it for me since I’m not sure how well the grinders are cleaned between each order. I like my texture somewhere inbetween so I prefer to chop it up finely with a knife. The texture isn’t quite as mushy as a ground beef and has a little more bite to it.

This recipe is easy and cooks up quickly!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

200g high quality lean steak (ie.tenderloin/eye fillet), trim off any fat and connective tissue
- If you’re unsure which cut to get, ask your butcher for the freshest cut and let them know you’re intending on eating it raw for a tartare. Buy one a little heavier to equate 200g after trimming
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup (1/4 of a large) yellow onion, finely minced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground paprika
2 Tbsps Dijon mustard (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (or more to taste)
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
To serve:
- 2 slices of rye bread, either panfried in lard or toasted and buttered
- 1 garlic clove, cut in half

Directions:

Finely chop the beef until desired consistency. You can also put it through a grinder if you’ve got one.

Add in the rest of the ingredients (egg yolk, onion, garlic, paprika, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce) to the chopped steak and mix. Taste and adjust flavours to personal taste. You can also serve it pre-mixed and lay out the ingredients separately on a plate (see photo).

Toast the slices of rye bread and spread on butter, or alternatively you can pan-fry it with some oil or lard.

Serve the steak tartare with toasted bread and a garlic clove sliced in half. When eating, rub the garlic over the toasted bread and spoon the steak tartare over the bread. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Czech Steak Tartare (Tatarský Biftek/Tatarák)

Ingredients:

200g high quality lean steak (ie.tenderloin/eye fillet), trim off any fat and connective tissue
- If you’re unsure which cut to get, ask your butcher for the freshest cut and let them know you’re intending on eating it raw for a tartare. Buy one a little heavier to equate 200g after trimming
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup (1/4 of a large) yellow onion, finely minced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground paprika
2 Tbsps Dijon mustard (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper (or more to taste)
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
To serve:
- 2 slices of rye bread, either panfried in lard or toasted and buttered
- 1 garlic clove, cut in half

Directions:

Finely chop the beef until desired consistency. You can also put it through a grinder if you’ve got one.
Add in the rest of the ingredients (egg yolk, onion, garlic, paprika, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce) to the chopped steak and mix. Taste and adjust flavours to personal taste. You can also serve it pre-mixed and lay out the ingredients separately on a plate (see photo).
Toast the slices of rye bread and spread on butter, or alternatively you can pan-fry it with some oil or lard.
Serve the steak tartare with toasted bread and a garlic clove sliced in half. When eating, rub the garlic over the toasted bread and spoon the steak tartare over the bread. Enjoy!

September 13, 2022

Abby1 Comment

Victoria’s Eastern Coast

What’s in this guide?

This guide is an overview of the road trip we took of Victoria’s eastern coast.

When we travelled: Jan 4 – 8th, 2021

*Disclaimer: please double check the opening times and costs on their website since they may have changed since we last travelled these places.

Sample Itinerary:

The original itinerary we followed was a lot more hectic and disorganized. This is by far not a comprehensive list of everything there is to do (there’s just too much to explore in Australia!), but the places listed are the ones that were highly recommended from my trip planning research. I’ve made this sample itinerary as what I think an ideal trip along the eastern coast would look like, seeing all the highlights. Please double check all the opening times before you travel in case they have changed since we last travelled.

Day 1: San Remo & Philip Island

Early lunch at San Remo – MUST have the fish and chips at the Fisherman’s Co-op
Catch the Pelican Feed in San Remo at 12pm (next to the fish and chips shop)
Explore the small shops of San Remo for some dessert, coffee or walk along the beach/pier
Drive 15mins to the Philip Island Wildlife Park to get up close with native Aussie wildlife
Dinner: pack your own, explore restaurants in the main town of Philip Island, or there is a restaurant at the Penguin Parade
Penguin Parade (15min drive from the Wildlife park) – make sure to arrive 1 hour before sunset to not miss them
Stay overnight on Philip Island or nearby

Days 2-7: Kilcunda Beach & Wilsons Prom

Breakfast in town or pack your own
Brief stopover at Kilcunda Beach (30min drive from the Penguin Parade)
Wilson’s Promontory National Park (1.5-2hr drive from Kilcunda Beach)
- Spend at least 4-5 days at Wilsons Prom

Day 8:

Fit in one last short morning hike in Wilsons Prom before getting back on the road
Stopover at Sale for lunch and to stretch your legs or replenish groceries/snacks (2 hour drive from Wilsons Prom)
Optional: spend a couple hours at Raymond Island to spot some wild koalas (1 hr drive from Sale)
Reach Lakes Entrance (1.5 hr drive from Sale)
Check into hotel at Lakes Entrance and explore the streets and waterfront
Lots of dinner options in Lakes Entrance

Day 9:

Visit Griffiths Seashell Museum in Lakes Entrance before leaving (opens at 9am)
From here on we continued our coastal trip to the next state, New South Wales, stopping at Eden for lunch and the Killer Whale Museum (2hrs 45mins drive). There’s another large national park (Croajingolong) in Victoria that’s near the NSW border but we decided to skip it since Wilsons Prom was already full on with nature hikes during this trip and the views. Toby went to Mallacoota (near the border) as a child and had fond memories of losing the map there and getting lost with his family and came upon a random colony of seals 😅.

San Remo

San Remo, considered the gateway to Philip Island, is a small coastal fishing town with a few cute shops and a beach. Whenever we’re headed this way, we’ll always be sure to stop by out favourite fish and chips place at the fisherman’s co-op!

San Remo Fisherman’s Co-operative

Address: 170 Marine Parade, San Remo, VIC
https://srfco.com.au/

We’ve had a lot of fish and chips in our day, but this place always remains one of our favourites. The chips are pretty average, but the battered fish is what we come for – it’s not too heavily battered nor overly greasy, and it’s great paired with their homemade tartar sauce. We usually skip the chips and order a couple of calamari rings, potato cakes, and dim sims (for Toby). Yum!

During COVID times we could only do takeaway at the window.

Pelican Feeding

Address: 170 Marine Parade, San Remo, VIC
https://srfco.com.au/pelican-feeding/

Everyday at 12pm, the Fisherman’s Co-op feed the wild pelicans on the beach next to the pier and do a little information talk at the same time about Pelicans. It’s completely free and super cool to see these huge birds up close. The talk lasts about 15-20mins from memory so don’t be late Pelicans are Toby’s favourite bird and it’s pretty cute how excited he gets by them every time.

Phillip Island

This is one of the most popular day-trip tours from Melbourne (apart from the great ocean road). The main attraction is the Penguin Parade where you can watch wild penguins emerge from the ocean at night to their nesting spots. The Wildlife Park nearby is also fantastic for checking out the native Aussie animals. There’s also Moonlit Sanctuary that’s highly recommended in some itineraries. Toby has been to both and although Moonlit Sanctuary is more well-organized with a larger variety of animals, Philip Island Wildlife park has more free-roaming animals you can touch and feed.

Philip Island Wildlife Park

Address: 2115 Phillip Island Rd, Cowes VIC 3922, Australia
Cost: $19/adult
https://www.piwildlifepark.com.au/

There are a ton of zoos and wildlife parks around Australia but this place is all about native Australian animals and for the relatively cheap price of admission, they have quite a lot of animals. At first glance this place didn’t seem like much on the outside, but there’s actually a decent amount of space and tons of free-roaming animals that will come up to you for some feed that you can purchase for $2 at the entrance. If you’re a tourist and you want to get an up-close encounter with native Aussie wildlife, this place is a good option!

Penguin Parade

Address: 1019 Ventnor Rd, Summerlands, Victoria 3922
Cost: $27.50/general adult ticket
https://www.penguins.org.au/attractions/penguin-parade/

This was one of the first things I did when I moved to Australia 7 years ago. It has changed a LOT since then so I’m not sure what to expect anymore, but this is the best place to see the tiny fairy penguins in Australia. This is the main attraction of Philip Island and there are always tons of tour busses here. It’s $27.50 for a general ticket but there are a lot more viewing options available on their website if you want to get a closer view. When I was here 7 years ago, we were all ushered to a viewing area on the beach set up like bleachers (bring warm clothes, a blanket, or even a poncho if it’s wet because it’s completely outdoors). If you paid extra you could get a seat closer to the edges with a cushion to get a better view of the penguins. They start off with a staff member doing a talk about the penguins and then we all wait quietly as the penguins emerge from the ocean and make their way across the beach to their nesting site. You can take photos, but no flash photography. It was definitely a neat experience and super cool to see these adorable tiny wild penguins up close!

The penguins arrive at sunset every evening and it is recommended to get there 1 hour beforehand to settle yourself in and find your seat. Check the penguin calendar on the website for arrival time depending on time of year.

Kilcunda Beach

Toby came here a couple times when he was young and he wanted to do a quick stopover on our way to Wilson’s Promontory. We almost didn’t stop because the weather wasn’t the greatest, but I’m so glad we did! At first glance it was like any other beach, but then we came upon these really cool rock formations by the water. It made a pretty good photo-op especially with the gloomy weather.

Wilsons Promontory National Park

Wilson’s Promontory is a huge national park roughly 3 hours drive from Melbourne and 1.5-2hrs from Kilcunda Beach. It sits at the most southern point of mainland Australia. There are so many different hikes in this amazing park that you’ll want to stay at least 4-5 days here to get the best of it. There are coastal views, mountain views, beaches, tropical hikes, sand dunes, and even plenty of Aussie wildlife! This national park is hugely popular and accommodation gets booked out fast so plan ahead. Apart from the Great Ocean Road, this place is probably the second most popular jewel of Victoria’s natural wonders but it can be a bit full on when trying to plan a trip here.

There’s just so much to cover that I’ve written a comprehensive guide of our experience in Wilsons Prom in a separate post here: https://polyphagicabby.com/2022/09/12/wilsons-promontory-national-park-the-prom/

Big Drift
Mount Oberon Summit
Mount Oberon Summit
Darby River
Mount Bishop Summit
Tongue Point
Wild blonde wombat
Wild emu family
Tidal River inlet
Squeaky Beach/Leonard Bay

Sale

Sale is a large town with plenty of shops. There’s not much “to do” here in terms of tourism, but it’s a good place to stop to stretch your legs and replenish your groceries or road trip snacks. There’s also plenty of cafes and lunch options here too. This was our first stop after spending 3 days hiking in Wilsons Prom and we were glad to be back in a busy town again with food options. We passed by a massage place in the mall and got a 30 min massage of our tired hiking legs while they played Moana in the background.

Raymond Island

Disclaimer: We visited Raymond Island in 2018 while I was on a student vet placement in Bairnsdale and completely forgot about it until I was going through my photos recently. This island was not part of our recent road trip in 2021 but if you’ve got time to spare, it’s worth spending an hour or two on this small island to check out the koalas.

Raymond Island is a small island located off of the town of Paynesville. This island is known for its large population of wild koalas. In fact, there’s actually not much to do there other than to walk the koala trail which takes about half an hour that leads you through the neighbourhoods of the island. Toby and I made a game out of it to see who could spot the most koalas – I think in the end he won, spotting about 16 in total. The only way to get on the island is via a ferry. It’s free for pedestrians, but if you want to take your car it’s $13/car and more for trucks. As I mentioned, there’s not much else to do on the island other than spotting koalas so we just parked our car by the dock in Paynesville and strolled onto the ferry.

Ferry Timetable and Cost: https://www.eastgippsland.vic.gov.au/community/raymond-island-ferry

Lakes Entrance

Lakes Entrance is a seaside town that is a popular place for fishing, located 2.5 hours from Wilsons Prom. It’s aptly named due to all the surrounding lakes that converge in this one area and flow out to sea. Many Victorians will come here to vacation along with their boats or hire fishing charters to take them out. Toby has a few childhood memories here with his dad fishing. 😊

Apart from fishing, the town centre has a good selection of restaurants and shops that are quite busy during the peak holiday season. There’s also a beach and foreshore you can explore.

We only stopped here for one night and honestly, unless you’re planning on doing some fishing and a lazy beach day, one night was enough for us. We arrived in the early evening and checked into our hotel then spent a couple hours at the local fair, had dinner at a lovely restaurant with fantastic Thai food, and visited the seashell museum. I’ve highlighted the things we did here.

Nick’s – Thai & Japanese Restaurant

Website: https://www.facebook.com/nickslakesentrance
Address: 251-269 Esplanade, Lakes Entrance VIC 3909

I usually won’t include restaurants in my guides unless we found them to be really impressive and worthwhile visiting. We came upon Nick’s on the main street by the foreshore. From the outside (pictured), it didn’t seem like much. The decor didn’t give any hints as to what kind of food they served, but when we got closer and read the menu we realized it was a Thai and Japanese restaurant. I didn’t have high hopes for authentic Thai food this far away from a major city, but we arrived during dinner time and also COVID times so we didn’t have many options to eat. I’m glad they were able to fit us in because all of the food was actually REALLY GOOD. We couldn’t decide which mains we wanted so we ordered three and an appetizer. If we’re ever in the area again, we’ll definitely be coming back to Nick’s!

Salt and pepper calamari
Prawn and lychee red curry
Prawn chicken and pork laksa
Beef pad Thai

Chant’s Family Carnival

Overview of the carnival from the top of the ferris wheel

Entry: Free to enter but rides and games cost money
Location: Lakes Entrance Foreshore (just follow the lights and the ferris wheel)
Time: Usually only operates late December to January
https://www.lakesentrance.com/things-to-do/item/chants-carnival

This is a small country carnival with a few rides and games. It’s nothing special from any other carnival and it’s not especially big. It’s not even a “must-do” for this area but given the lack of things there are to do at night in Lakes Entrance (other than restaurants/pubs), it’s definitely a good way to spend a few hours. I would recommend going on the ferris wheel though. Since the carnival is situated on the foreshore, you get a beautiful view of all the lakes at the top of the ferris wheel. We happened to go right at sunset so it was even more magical. 😊

Griffiths Seashell Museum

Address: 125 Esplanade, Lakes Entrance VIC 3909
Entry: $8/adult
Hours: 9am – 4pm daily
https://www.facebook.com/GriffithsSeaShellMuseum

This place had a few mixed reviews – mainly positive, but some people called it dated. We decided to visit anyway and we’re glad we did. It’s a small shop on the outside, but on the inside there were shelves and shelves of SO many seashells, many of which we’d never seen before. Some had background stories on the original owners that passed on their collection to this museum. Although I will agree that the decor seem a bit outdated but who cares when there are so many beautiful shells from all over the world to appreciate! We spent a good hour or so in here just looking through it all. There were also a few murky fish tanks on display that weren’t the greatest and also a strange room of a huge model train set up that was out of place – maybe the owner just wanted some place to show off his hobby? In any case, just come for the seashells and you won’t be disappointed. There’s also a gift shop where you can buy a few of these funky shells to take home!

Mackenzie River Rainforest (highway stopover)

This isn’t really a place to stop but I thought I’d include it in this post anyway because of the significance of the massive forest fires in 2020. As we drove towards the border of New South Wales, Toby pointed out the funky-looking trees on the side of the highway and we realized that we were driving through one of the hotspots of the great Australian bushfire at the start of last year (wow, has it been a year already??). The funky appearance of the trees were a result of the trees recovering. The main tree trunks were all black and charred but they were all sprouting small branches with plenty of leaves making them look “fuzzy” from afar. It was surreal driving through it all and realizing how far the fire had spread and how big it must have been. It‘s amazing how much the trees have already started recovering and their resilience. Mackenzie River Rainforest was just a random highway stopover rest spot that we pulled over to get a better look at the trees up close. As I’m writing this post in 2022, I’d imagine the trees probably look somewhat back to normal now.

Continuing on to NSW…

From here on we continued our coastal trip to the next state, New South Wales, stopping at Eden for lunch and the Killer Whale Museum (2hrs 45mins drive). Check out the NSW road trip page to continue following our trip!

If you want to explore more of Victoria’s eastern coast, there’s another large national park (Croajingolong) that’s near the NSW border but we decided to skip it since Wilsons Prom was already full on with nature hikes during this trip. Toby went to Mallacoota (near the border) as a child and had fond memories of losing the map there and getting lost with his family and came upon a random colony of seals 😅.

September 12, 2022January 3, 2023

AbbyLeave a comment

Wilsons Promontory National Park (“The Prom”)

What’s in this guide?

Wilson’s Promontory is a huge national park roughly 3 hours drive from Melbourne and it sits at the most southern point of mainland Australia. There are so many different hikes in this amazing park that you’ll want to stay at least 4-5 days here to get the best of it. There are coastal views, mountain views, beaches, tropical hikes, sand dunes, and even plenty of Aussie wildlife! This national park is hugely popular and accommodation gets booked out fast so plan ahead. Apart from the Great Ocean Road, this place is probably the second most popular jewel of Victoria’s natural wonders but it can be a bit full on when trying to plan a trip here. I’ve included our experiences in this guide to hopefully help break it down.

When we travelled: Jan 5-8, 2021

Cost: FREE! This amazing park is free for everyone to enjoy. The only costs to consider are accommodation and food.

How many days do I need?

This national park is HUGE and there are SO many hikes to do. The time you need here depends on how many hikes you want to do and if you want to fit in a few easy afternoons at the campsite or hanging out at the beach. Toby and I spent 2.5 days here and we just managed to fit in all the hikes we wanted to do, but it was a very tiring few days trying to see it all. I’d recommend spending at least 4-5 days to make it feel more like a relaxing holiday.

Sample Itinerary

This was our trip itinerary when we went. As mentioned, I’d recommend spreading it out. We had super tired jelly legs by the end of our trip.

Day 1: (1 hike)

Left the hotel at 9am, parked at Tidal River Campground around 10am
Three Bays Walk – took 5 hours, finished around 3pm
Late lunch at the Tidal River Cafe/visitor’s centre
It rained after lunch so we called it an early day, otherwise we could’ve fit a short hike in
Dinner at our hotel

Day 2: (3 hikes)

Left the hotel at 8am, arrived at Prom Wildlife Walk at 8:45am
Prom Wildlife Walk – spent about an hour here, finished around 9:30am
Tongue Point – parked at Darby River carpark, took 3 hours – finished around 12:30pm
Lunch again at Tidal River Cafe/visitor’s centre (gotta love those burgers)
Mount Oberon Summit Walk – took 2 hours, finished at 4pm
Dinner at our hotel

Day 3: (2 hikes)

Left the hotel at 8am, arrived at Tidal River Campground at 8:50am to take the shuttle bus to Telegraph Saddle
Mount Oberon Summit Walk – arrived at Telegraph Saddle 9:15am, took 2 hours, finished at 11:30am
Took shuttle bus back to Tidal River Campground and had a quick snack
Big Drift – started at 12:45pm, finished 2pm

When to visit?

The ideal time to visit is during spring or summer when it’s warm and sunny so you can enjoy some lazy days on the beach. We visited in January 2021 which was in the middle of a Melbourne summer. Unfortunately the weather was pretty cloudy when we went but even with the gloomy weather the hikes were still beautiful. Despite COVID times the campsites were still pretty booked out but there weren’t that many people on the hikes with us which was kind of nice.

Getting Around the Park

This national park is HUGE and you’ll need a car to get around to the start of different hikes. Unfortunately there’s no bus service inside the park so you’re on your own within the park.

Check out the park website for more information regarding walks and track closures. It’s also handy to download their Park Map to know your way around.

Where to Stay? Accommodation Options

Outlined in red is the entire Wilsons Prom national park

A) Staying Inside the Park: Camping

There is only one place to stay inside the national park and that’s at the Tidal River Campground. There are cabins/roof accommodations available or tent sites here. Because this is the only place to stay within the entire park, it is extremely competitive and gets booked out MONTHS in advance, or even a year if it’s during holiday season. The accommodation is arranged directly through the parks website and may be one of the cheaper options. These days they have changed the booking system to a ballot system so you really have to plan ahead if you want to stay within the park. More info on the website here: https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/where-to-stay/ballots-and-peak-season-bookings/tidal-river-summer-ballot.

B) Staying Outside the Park: Campgrounds, AirBnb’s, Hotels…etc.

*Note: Tidal River Campground is where the main visitor’s centre is and also where a few popular hikes start. It is roughly a 30min drive from the entrance of the park (near Big Drift) to the Tidal River Campground, which means that any place you stay outside of the park will be at least 30mins drive to the visitor’s centre.

Stockyard Campground: The second closest campground to Wilson’s Prom is Stockyard Campground which is situated at the entrance of the park. Booking is also via the parks website here.

AirBnB’s: If you look early enough, there are tons of privately owned AirBnB’s or luxury accommodations close to the entrance of the park (near Big Drift on the map). The map on the right outlines the national park in red and there are at least a dozen accommodations available on Airbnb. Some of these are more expensive than others, but if you prefer to have a more relaxed luxurious holiday rather than camping, then this is the option for you.

Hotels: Apart from AirBnB’s, you can also look into the small neighbouring towns near Wilson’s Prom. When we did out last-minute trip, all the campsites and Airbnb’s were booked out but luckily there was one last room available at the Fish Creek Hotel in the town of Fish Creek. It was about a 45min drive to the entrance of the park every morning (I’ve marked it on the map above). The hotel was average but we were just happy to have found a place to stay to be honest.

Food Options (a little limited)

There is only one place to get food within the park and it’s at the visitor’s centre at the Tidal River Campground. It’s a canteen/cafeteria style that serves fries, burgers, sandwiches, sausage rolls, wraps…etc. Nothing gourmet, but not bad. We actually quite enjoyed the burgers and ended up getting them for lunch everyday after our morning hikes since we didn’t plan our meals ahead of time. There’s a very small amount of grocery items you can get but it was pretty pricy. The visitor’s centre closes at 4-4:30pm so there are no options for dinner within the park.

Lunch at the visitor’s centre. .They had an okay pumpkin salad.

Outside of the park there are small rural towns nearby where you can find small grocery stores, pubs, and restaurants, although when we went, most places were closed at night and the places we did find were pretty overpriced with average food. We stayed at Fish Creek Hotel during our trip and we had our dinners at the hotel pub. The beers were good but the food was meh.

If you’re camping and/or planning on cooking, do your grocery shop before heading down because the small town shops have limited options and are usually more expensive. Make sure your accommodation has a fridge to store your food items for the duration of your trip.

Hikes to Do

There are a LOT of different hikes to do at Wilson’s Prom. It took me a long time to narrow down which hikes to go on in the limited 2.5 days we had here especially since they all looked amazing. We managed to cram 6 hikes during our stay and although we had a fantastic time, it was also super tiring and I wish we had more time to chill out and relax a little more. After many hours of googling and scouring online travel itineraries, these are the top 6 hikes we chose based on popularity and scenery. (You can check out the full list of hikes on the parks website or download the parks guide pdf – there are 25 listed hikes on the website!)

Map from Parks Victoria website. I’ve outlined the walks we did.

Three Bays Walk: Squeaky Beach, Picnic Bay, Whisky Bay

Difficulty level: Grade 3 (walking track was relatively easy, some inclines and uneven foot path)
Distance: 12.4km
Time: advertised as 4hrs return, but it took us closer to 5hrs with a few minor rest breaks
Starting point: Tidal River Campground

This walk connects three beaches and gives you views of both forest and coast. It drizzled on and off all morning but it was still a beautiful hike nonetheless – plus, it was entertaining watching Toby rock his emergency poncho . The hike starts at the Tidal River Campground. Parking is at the visitor’s centre and you’ll have to make your way through the campground to the back to get to the start of the hike. (There’s a conveniently placed public toilet here just before the start of the 5hr hike.)

At the start of the hike is Tidal River which was a shallow murky river beside the campground where a few families were splashing around the water with floaties and enjoying the morning. You’ll cross the bridge and walk through an uphill forested road to get views overlooking Norman Bay, where the Tidal River joins. On this hike you’ll come across 3 beaches: Squeaky Beach, Picnic Bay Beach, and Whisky Bay Beach. Squeaky Beach is the most popular beach in Wilsons Prom and it’s named due to the squeaking sounds you make as you walk barefoot across the white sand. It was a bit too cold for us to go barefoot so we didn’t get to hear the squeak – we’ll have to come back in better weather next time! We were lucky enough to have the famous Squeaky Beach to ourselves because of the weather. The best part of the hike was meeting a blonde wombat on the track!!

The start of the hike at Tidal River
Rocking the emergency poncho 😂
The rain cleared up and it was a beautiful hike!
Tidal River inlet
Blond wombat!!! ❤️
Blond wombat!
Tidal River flowing out to Norman Bay
Tidal River flowing out to Norman Bay
Leonard Bay & Squeaky Beach
Heading out towards Squeaky Beach
Leonard Bay
Leonard Bay & Squeaky Beach
Large granite boulders near Squeaky Beach
Squeaky Beach
Colourful shells at Squeaky Beach
Fashionable at Picnic Bay Beach
On the way to Picnic Bay
Looking out over Picnic Bay
Picnic Bay and Whisky Bay in one view

Prom Wildlife Walk

Difficulty level: advertised as Grade 2, but the path was super flat and easy, should be Grade 1
Distance: 2.3km
Time: 45mins return
Starting point: Prom Wildlife Walk carpark

This cute little trek is not much for scenery but it’s great for getting up close to some native Aussie wildlife. Although it’s advertised as 45mins, you can make it as long or short as you like. We took a little longer because we went a little off track and stalked some emus. The whole walk is flat bushland with a narrow loop dirt track. We saw plenty of kangaroos and a family of emus. I was really hoping to see more blonde wombats like the one from the day before, but no luck.

Tongue Point (from Darby River)

Difficulty level: Grade 4 (some uneven footing on the path but it wasn’t particularly difficult, I’d probably give it Grade 2 overall but a few steep inclines makes it Grade 3)
Distance: 3.8km
Time: advertised as 4 hours return, but it only took us 3 hours
Starting point: Darby River carpark

This wasn’t listed as one of the “must go” hikes in my research but the pictures looked so nice that we decided to go anyway – I’m so glad we did because it ended up being one of my favourite hikes in Wilsons Prom! The hike starts at the Darby River carpark (there’s an option to start from Darby Saddle which is inland and takes an extra hour which we didn’t do because we were saving our strength for other hikes of the day). The walk started with a very tiring sharp incline that made me regret everything, but the magnificent views over the winding Darby river made it all worth it. It’s only 10mins to get to the top (although it felt much longer), but once you get to the top the rest of the trek was relatively cruisy with minor ups and downs through bushland. As the views open up to the coastline, you can start appreciating why the narrowing strip of land stretching out towards the sea is called Tongue Point. The hike ends at the tip of Tongue Point where there are great big boulders covered in bright orange lichen. We sat on these boulders for a good 20 mins just chilling out and enjoying the views of the waves crashing against the rocks below us before heading back.

The insane steep uphill at the start of the hike
Darby River
Darby River
Valley views from the top of the incline
Flat bushland track
View of Tongue Point
View of Fairy Cove below – there’s a small track that leads down to the beach if you want to take a detour
Coastal views leading up to Tongue Point
Reached the end of Tongue Point
Large boulders covered in orange lichen
More coastal views on the walk back
View of the Darby River again on the walk back

Mount Bishop Summit Walk

Difficulty level: Grade 3 (some uneven footing with a gradual consistent incline all the way to the top)
Distance: 7.4km
Time: 2.5 hours return (took us 2 hours)
Starting point: Lilly Pilly Gully Carpark

This was one of the highly rated hikes in my research but I’ll admit it wasn’t my favourite and it felt like it took AGES to get to the top and back down because of the monotony of the scenery (or maybe because my legs were so tired from the other hikes). Although the journey itself wasn’t the best, the sweeping views of the western coastline at the top were beautiful. You could see the multiple bays all in one view. Now only if we had some sun!

The track starts at the Lilly Pilly Gully Carpark. Follow the path for the Lilly Pilly Gully Nature Walk and about 15mins into the walk you’ll see a sign for a turn off to the Mount Bishop track. From here on it’s dense forest views all the way to the top. When you reach the top you’ll see the beautiful views of the coastline from afar. On the way back, retrace your steps back to the carpark.

Start of the hike as part of the Lilly Pilly Gully Nature Walk
15mins into the walk you’ll see the turn off sign for the Mt. Bishop track
Pretty much dense forest views all the way to the top. It was a little monotonous to be honest.
Mountain views near the top
Mount Oberon summit
At the summit
View of the bays from the top

Mount Oberon Summit Walk

Difficulty level: Grade 4 (the track itself is wide, paved, and easy to walk on but it is STEEP to the top and there’s uneven rocky steps near the end to get to the summit)
Distance: 6.8km
Time: 2 hours return
Starting point: Telegraph Saddle Carpark (you can only drive here before 9am with very limited parking spaces, otherwise park at Tidal River Campground and there are free shuttle busses after 9am)

Another hike on many “must-do” lists of Wilsons Prom. Similar to the Mount Bishop hike, the journey up is monotonous and unexciting but the views of the coast at the top are spectacular. The sun FINALLY came out for us after 2 days of cloudiness and lit up the coastline when we reached the top which was fantastic. If you only had time for one summit hike in Wilsons Prom, I’d pick this one over Mouth Bishop because although it’s a more difficult hike, you see more of the coastline at the top.

The shuttle bus schedule in 2021 from Tidal River Campground

The hike starts at Telegraph Saddle Carpark. You can only drive to this carpark if you get there before 9am (double check the parks website incase this time has changed since we were there). There are limited spaces at the carpark so if you want to drive, I’d recommend going early. After 9am, the road to the carpark is blocked off and you’ll have to take the free shuttle bus from the Tidal River Campground that runs every 30mins. We actually didn’t know we could’ve driven ourselves up before 9am and were waiting at the shuttle bus stop at 8:50am to try and catch the first bus up 🤦🏻‍♀️. If you’re planning on doing this hike, I’d recommend trying to drive up yourself to Telegraph Saddle Carpark so you can start the hike early before it gets too busy. When we were heading down the mountain, there were TONS of people getting off the bus to start their hike. The last stretch is a narrow single-file path up rocks and I can imagine that to be a bit of a nightmare waiting to get to the summit. Another benefit is that you can leave on your own time without having to wait half an hour for the next shuttle bus to get back.

Starting at the Telegraph Saddle Carpark, it’s a steep 1 hour incline on a wide paved road. There’s not much to see on the way up so you just have to grind through it until you get to the top. If only there was a shuttle bus to the top – the roads would certainly be equipped for it. You’ll see a cellphone tower when you’re near the top. When you reach the tower, you’ll climb some stairs and go up a rocky path until you finally reach the summit. The last short stretch to the top was pretty brutal on our already jelly legs from the day before, but the view was well worth it! The sun came out and the weather was fantastic. We had a quick rest to take in the views and jogged most of the way down the mountain to catch the next shuttle bus (and also so we could finish sooner to rest our legs ).

We caught the first shuttle bus up at 9am – there was only one other person on the bus
Start of the walk
Steep pavement incline all the way up. It was super tiring!
A cell tower near the top
Go around the cell tower up some stairs, follow this rocky path with sweeping views then you’ll reach the summit
Summit of Mount Oberon
Summit of Mount Oberon
Summit of Mount Oberon
Summit of Mount Oberon

Big Drift (sand dunes!)

Difficulty level: Grade 3 (most of the track is flat and easy but there’s a SHARP sandy incline at the end)
Distance: 4km
Time: 1.5 hours return
Starting point: Stockyards Carpark

Who knew that amongst the thick Aussie bushland, coastal views, and white sandy beaches, there was also a large patch of sand dunes! Wilsons Prom has got it all. I’d never been to a sand dune before so I was super excited for this hike. It was everything I imagined! We got sand in every crevice and definitely didn’t choose the right footwear. We had to take off our walking shoes halfway through from all the sand and wish we brought fit flops instead. This place was probably the busiest of all the hikes in this park and there were plenty of people who brought their own boogie boards to surf down the sand dunes. Next time we’ll be more prepared!

The hike starts at Stockyard carpark which is adjacent to farm land and seems to be the last place you’d expect a sand dune to be. Follow the signs and it’s a 20 minute walk through open grassy terrain until you reach the sand dunes. We were unpleasantly swarmed by flies during this part of the walk – I definitely recommend putting on fly repellent before going. The track will expectedly get sandier as you get closer to the sand dune and near the very end of the walk there’s a SHARP sandy incline. This was the toughest part of the hike, as you can imagine the difficulty climbing straight up a sand dune, but when we reached the top the views were AMAZING! It was open air with sand as far as the eye could see. There’s no shade up here, so make sure you’ve applied sunscreen beforehand. The endless sand overlooks thick bushland which is a unique view to see the divide between the dry arid sand and dense forested land.

Walking past a stretch of farmland in the first 20mins of the walk. LOTS of flies here. Wear repellent.
The track gets more and more sandy the closer you get. This is the last stretch where you start climbing the sand dune.
The toughest park of the walk. Straight uphill climb up a sand dune to reach the top
So much sand!!!
The divide between bushland and sand dune

September 12, 2022January 2, 2023

Abby1 Comment

Copycat KFC Gravy (so easy and quick!)

Date Published: Sept 5th, 2022 | Last Updated: Sept 5th, 2022
Author: Abby |Category: easy, <15mins, quick, healthy, low-cal, sauces
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 2 mins | Cook time: 5 mins

Jump to recipe |

KFC is one of the first fast foods I remember having when we first moved to Canada, and of course you HAVE to get the gravy when you have KFC. We were all obsessed with the gravy but my brother was the biggest fan of all. As the years went on and my older siblings moved away to uni, it was just my mom and I and we would occasionally get the Tuesday KFC deal at the food court in the mall near our house and the gravy has always been a staple. Now every time I have KFC gravy I’m transported back to the good ol’ family days of us huddled around a bucket with popcorn chicken. These days when Toby and I get KFC together, I always get a large popcorn chicken with not one, but TWO gravies because there’s only one gravy size in Australia and it’s never enough.

When I first came across this gravy recipe from RecipeTinEats, I was amazed by how quick and easy it was to make a copycat version of the KFC gravy and it’s also surprisingly low in calories. I’ve made it a bunch more times since with a few small tweaks. It goes amazing on everything, including these Healthy French Onion Meatballs.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

4 Tbsps plain flour
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 beef stock cube (concentration 1 cube = 1 cup)
1 chicken stock cube (concentration 1 cube = 1 cup)
2.25 cups (560ml) hot water
4 Tbsps (60g) unsalted butter
Salt to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Set aside. In another bowl dissolve the beef stock cube and chicken stock cube in 2 cups of hot water. Set aside.

Put a saucepan on MED heat and dissolve the butter. Add in the flour mixture from step 1 to the butter and mix until combined. Add in a quarter cup of the stock at a time to the pan and mix thoroughly between each addition, making sure there are no clumps. Once you’ve finished adding all of the stock, taste and add salt if needed. Add more hot water if you prefer a runnier gravy. Turn off the heat and serve!

Summarized Recipe:

Copycat KFC Gravy (so easy and quick!)

Ingredients:

4 Tbsps plain flour
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 beef stock cube (concentration 1 cube = 1 cup)
1 chicken stock cube (concentration 1 cube = 1 cup)
2.25 cups (560ml) hot water
4 Tbsps (60g) unsalted butter
Salt to taste

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Set aside.
In another bowl dissolve the beef stock cube and chicken stock cube in 2 cups of hot water. Set aside.
Put a saucepan on MED heat and dissolve the butter. Add in the flour mixture from step 1 to the butter and mix until combined. Add in a quarter cup of the stock at a time to the pan and mix thoroughly between each addition, making sure there are no clumps. Once you’ve finished adding all of the stock, taste and add salt if needed. Add more hot water if you prefer a runnier gravy. Turn off the heat and serve!

September 5, 2022

AbbyLeave a comment