Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Chicken in Sambal Sauce
Used, 4 large, half chicken breasts, cubed, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, ketcup, soya sauce, kicap manis (thick dark sweet soy sauce),salt and sugar. The ground ingredients were chili paste, shallots, onion, garlic, and ginger. Not very saucy, but very tasty. Will make again.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Yam Ring with Meat and Vegetables
I had tried this dish before CNY, and it didn't turn out satisfactory. The yams I used before were small and more like taro, and my ring was thicker and no crispy enough to my liking. So, after discussing with C. and L. about the dish, I decided to try again with the bigger size light-colored yams available here. However, I didn't purchase enough yams, and ended up with a smaller, thinner, and delicious yam ring. Didn't take a picture of the final result as H had cut into it already! So here's a plated picture instead. Thanks GFs for your tips. Used the recipe by Amy Beh
Ingredients
600 yam
90g wheat starch or tang mein fun
50g shortening
50g maragine
Seasoning:
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 tsp pepper
Filling:
400g chicken meat, skinned and cubed
Seasoning for the chicken:
1/2 tsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp sugar
A dash of pepper
A pinch of salt and sugar
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
Handful of fresh mushrooms, soaked and cubed
1/2 c water chestnuts, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 c baby-corn
deep-fried cashewnuts
Seasoning (combine):
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp chicken stock granules
A dash of pepper
1/2 cup water or stock
1/2 tsp corn flour
Steam the yam until cooked. Mash the yam and add shortening, seasoning and wheat starch. Mix thoroughly until mixture becomes a paste and does not stick to your hands. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Remove yam paste and shape into a ring. Deep-fry the ring in hot oil until golden brown. Deep-fry the beehoon until crispy. Dish out and place on a large plate. Place the deep-fried yam ring over the crispy beehoon.
Heat oil and sesame oil in a wok, saute garlic until fragrant. Add the seasoned chicken and stir-fry well. Stir in mushrooms and the rest of the ingredients. Mix in combined seasoning.
Bring to a boil then simmer for one to two minutes until the gravy turns thick. Pour the mixed vegetables into the yam ring and serve the dish immediately.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Spicy Pork Loin
Marinate overnight 3 lbs. pork loin, cubed or sliced, seasoned with tumeric powder, curry powder, salt and black pepper.
In a food processor, process 4 shallots, 4 cloves of garlic, 3 thai chilies, and 1 inch piece of ginger.
In a large hot non-stick skillet, add oil and add a piece of cinnamon and crushed lemon grass to infuse the oil. Add marinated pork and cooked till browned. Add about a cup of tomatoes, cayenne pepper, black pepper a cup of chopped onions, a small amount of tamarind and water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
This dish is spicy!
Had this with fried bee hoon.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Spiral Puff Class
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Cranberry Pork Chops
Oh, but I couldn't just have potatoes for the family. So, the next step I took was to look into the fridge to decide on what proteins to cook. There were chicken breasts, beef sirloin and pork chops. And there cranberries and ingredients for a salad. After deciding on pork chops, that became the menu for the evening. And I thoroughly enjoyed my garlic mashed potatoes while the family feast on the chops. Doubled this recipe from Bon Appétit.
1 tablespoon butter
2 5- to 6-ounce boneless pork chops
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup cranberry sauce (sub with dried cranberries and home-made broth)
3 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Sauté pork until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer pork to plate. Add wine to same skillet. Bring to simmer, scraping up browned bits in bottom of pan. Stir in remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Return pork and any juices to skillet. Cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer pork to plates. Spoon sauce over and serve.
Recipe from Bon Appétit
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Chicken Sauté with Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes & Lemon Pan Sauce
Recipe by M Driscole:
2 medium-size boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs, plus 2 tsp olive oil
8 grape tomatoes, halved
6 medium asparagus spears, ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 large cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons water or homemade chicken broth
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil (I used Thai Basil)
lemon zest for garnish
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened and the asparagus is golden brown around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Heat another 1 tablespoon oil in the pan and add the chicken. When the underside of the chicken has turned deep golden brown, (about 1 minute), turn it with a metal spatula. Turn occasionally for even browning until almost cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken to the bowl of vegetables.
Reduce the heat to medium and heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the pan. Add the garlic, cooking until golden brown, about 1 min. Add the water or broth and the lemon juice, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits in the pan and blend them into the sauce. Simmer for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the butter. Return the chicken, asparagus, tomatoes, any juices, and the basil to pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Change of Cuisine
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Gong Xi Fa Cai
Saturday, February 17, 2007
CNY Bakes
Here's some of the bakes besides the fatt goh and the nian gao posted earlier.
Fatt Goh and Long Yok/Bak Kua
Friday, February 16, 2007
Nian Gao/Neen Gow/Chinese New Year Steamed Gooey Cake
Recipe from Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen:
3 Chinese dried red dates
5 slabs brown candy (peen tong), about 11 ounces
3 teaspoons vegetable oil
7 cups glutinous rice flour
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 large egg
vegetable oil, for pan-frying
In a small bowl, soak the red dates in 1/4 cup cold water for 30 minutes, or until softened. When softened, remove and discard the pits.
Cut each brown candy slab into 8 pieces. Place sugar in a heatproof bowl, pour 2 cups boiling water over the sugar, and set aside until dissolved and completely cooled.
Grease a heatproof 8-inch round, 3- to 4-inch-deep, straight-sided bowl, such as soufflé dish, with 2 teaspoons vegetable oil.
In a large bowl, place rice flour. Make a well and stir in cold sugar water. Knead dough in the bowl, adding an additional 1/3 cup cold water until dough is smooth, slightly moist, and shiny, 5 to 10 minutes.
Place the dough in the prepared dish and pat until it fills the dish evenly.
Cut the red dates into halves and place cut-side down in a ring around the outside of the dough, leaving a few to decorate the center.
Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds. Coat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, using your fingers and lightly pressing down on the dates and sesame seeds.
Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer large enough to fit the dish without touching the sides of the steamer. Carefully place the dish into the steamer, cover, and steam 35 to 40 minutes on high heat. Check the water level and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. The cake is done when it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Carefully remove the dish from the steamer and pour off any excess liquid on the surface. Place on a rack to cool. Loosely cover and set at room temperature in a cool room until the next day, when it will be ready to eat.
Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen sides. Place a cake rack over the bowl and invert to unmold. Flip the cake right-side up onto the cutting board. Wrap the cake in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.
When ready to eat, cut the cake into quarters. Cut each quarter crosswise, not into wedges, but into two 2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip crosswise into scant 1/4-inch-thick slices. This is the typical way of slicing a cake Chinese style. Beat an egg in a small bowl, until frothy. Dip the slices in egg.
Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet, over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add just enough vegetable oil to barely coat the wok, add the egg-dipped slices in batches and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Recipe from Grace Young
It's also good sandwiched with yam and/or sweet potatoes in a batter, then fried (according to my friend C.)
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Valentine's Day
I used a recipe found in baking sheet's earlier postings, and I added peanut butter to her recipe. I used half the batter for cupcakes and the half was baked in heart-shaped silicon molds. Both turned out wonderful, and was a big hit with the family. Here are some pictures of my bakes. Thanks Baking Sheet for this recipe!
My children love lamb. And I love watching them chomp down on these trimmed racks of lamb while holding them with their little fingers. Made these today, and everyone enjoyed it!
On the menu today was Rack of Lamb with saute spinach, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted grape tomatoes. I found the recipe for the breaded and baked lamp chops from Gourmet, and here's the recipe.
For lamb
2 (8-rib) frenched racks of lamb
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
For herb coating
1/2 head new garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Brown lamb: Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until hot, at least 2 minutes. Meanwhile, pat lamb dry and rub meat all over with salt and pepper. Add oil to hot skillet, then brown racks, in 2 batches if necessary, on all sides (not ends), about 10 minutes per batch.Transfer racks to a roasting pan.
Coat and roast lamb: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.Stir together garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and oil. Coat meaty parts of lamb with herb mixture, pressing to help adhere. Roast 15 minutes, then cover lamb loosely with foil and roast until thermometer inserted diagonally into center of meat registers 120°F, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Cut each rack into 4 double chops.
Recipe from Gourmet
Happy Valentine's Day!
So, here's wishing you a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY in case you didn't get a card from me!LOL.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Banana Fritters/Goreng Pisang
Almost anything deep-fried is a treat for me, and growing up with goreng pisang made from the small, frangrant asia-grown bananas that were easily accessible at various food outlets had been convenient. To replicate this treat is very easy, and I used Amy Beh's recipe which turn out very well. I sprinkled some powdered sugar onto the fritters for the kids. Before my health concious cousin start commenting on what we should eat, I want to add that this is another occassional goody for the family. LOL!
CNY 5 Days Away!
Hence, this is the week of last minute cleaning and baking before the Chinese New Year festivities begin next week. The real fortunate ones will celebrate all 15 days of CNY, but modern life and work schedules only allow a couple of days of celebration. In most of South-East Asia, it's a three day holiday, so my friends are taking this time to take a mini break from work. Lucky guys!
My oven had been going all night, whipping up sweet, melt-in-the-mouth favorites of the family's CNY traditional and new recipes like peanut cookies, almond cookies, pineapple tarts, cornflake cookies, and then some. After Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year,superbowl, and valentine's day, the baking and cooking continues to celebrate the new year of the wild boar (or otherwise known as the year of the pig). Will post some pictures of my bakes soon. In the meantime, here's a picture of one of my aquarium as you requested, Ching.:)
Monday, February 12, 2007
Kuih Salat
Recipe was adapted from a fellow blogger sbasc who got it from Patricia Lee's book Delicious nonya kueh and desserts. FYI, kueh is also spelled kuih these days. Used pandan paste as I can only find frozen pandan leaves at the asian market, and didn't have any at time of cooking.
Kueh Salat/Kuih Salat Recipe:
400g glutinous rice
200ml thick coconut milk with 100ml water
2-3 pandan leaves
pinch of salt
6 eggs
800 ml thick coconut milk
200g rice flour
320g sugar
few drops of pandan paste
pinch of salt
For the bottom layer:
Soak glutinous rice overnight. Rinse and Drain. Steam the rice with a pinch of salt for 20 minutes or till tender. Remove from steamer and add coconut milk. Mix well. Back into steamer for 10 minutes till cooked. Lay a saran wrap on the bottom of an 8 inch square tray. Place steamed rice in the tray and press down firmly with a banana leaf on top to compact it. Return to steamer and steam for another 5 minutes. The bottom layer has to be hot when the top layer is poured.
For the top Layer:
Beat eggs in a mixing bowl with fork. Mix in rice flour. Strain. Cook coconut milk, pandan paste, sugar, and salt over low heat. Keep stirring and add in the egg mixture. Stir continuously over low heat, until mixture thickens. Pour the yellow mixture over the steamed glutinous rice in the steamer slowly. Steam for 20 mins. or till toothpick inserted into the top layer comes out clean. Cool the kueh before slicing.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Chewy Sticky Peanutty Mua Chee
Microwave Mau Chee
Ingredients:
250g glutinous rice flour
375ml water
2 tbsp oil
250g peanuts
50g castor sugar
Method:
Roast the peanuts and process in food processor till fine. Mix with sugar and set aside.
Mix flour, water and oil til smooth, the mixture will resemble a batter mix.
Pour into a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 6-7 minutes, depending on your microwave.
Careful as the mua chee will be very hot. Cut up the mua chee and into small pieces using scissors, and mix in the peanuts mixture. Toss till well coated and serve.
Serve immediately.
Recipe was from KC
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Tau Suan/Sweet Mung Bean Soup Dessert
Tau Suan
2 cups water
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup mung beans
1/3 cup coconut milk
Boil mung beans in 2 cups of water until tender. It should take about 20 minutes. Dissolve tapioca flour in a cup of water and add to the boiling mung beans. Stir quickly and constantly to prevent the bottom from burning. It should get a little sticky. Add more water if it gets too sticky. Add more flour if too watery. A consistency of gravy is ideal. Add sugar, bring it back up to a boil and turn off the heat
In a separate bowl, mix 1/3 cup of coconut milk with salt. Heat it up in the microwave for a few second just to warm it up. Don't let the coconut milk boil, or else it will separate.
Serve hot with coconut milk on top.
Recipe from thaitable
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
East Meets West Guacamole
East Meets West Guacamole recipe
3 medium ripe Haas avocados
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup water chestnuts, diced
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (2 TB)
1 tsp cumin powder, ground
1/2 tsp 5-spice powder
1 tsp Sriracha hot chilli sauce (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp hot sesame chile oil
2 TB cilantro leaves, minced
juice of 2 small or 1 medium fresh lime, (3 TB)
sea salt, to taste
4 green onions, thinly sliced
8 cilantro sprigs
Cut the avocados and scrape all of the pulp into a medium bowl.
Roughly mash the avocado while mixing in all the ingredients till salt, making a coarse, thick and creamy mixture. Garnish with green onions and cilantro sprigs.
Recipe adapted from Wholefoods Market.
Monday, February 05, 2007
East Meets West Steak Fajitas
One of the superbowl party feast:
6 sirloin steaks
-- soy sauce
-- minced garlic
-- worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbs vegetable oil
4 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 cup sliced onions
2 medium red or green bell peppers, thinly sliced
8 flour tortillas (6-inch size), warmed
-- shredded cheddar cheese
-- salsa
-- sour cream
-- fresh cilantro, minced
Combine steaks, next three ingredients, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Grill.
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in non-stick skillet. Add cabbage, onions and peppers; stir-fry 2 mins. Add the marinade and cook another 2 mins. Dish into a plate.
To assemble, place a warmed tortilla on a plate, add slices of steaks, cabbage stir-fry, and desired toppings. Serve warm.
Recipe adapted from Texasbeef.org
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Superbowl Party Foods
What a game it was! The Bears started strong, but in the end, the Colts won. Since 75% of this family is down with the seasonal cold and flu, we opt to stay home and not spread the virus to our friends and family. As a gesture to the other 25% that is healthy (for now), I made up some party food to please the small masses...
Superbowl party
Friday, February 02, 2007
Lok Bak Gow/Radish Cake
A friend of mine had mentioned about having lok bak gow or radish cake for breakfast in Singapore. The last time I had that was at a local dim sum place and it was greesy and cold. So after she revived my memory of the crispy, savory snack found in Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong (that I've tasted so far), I decided to try my hand on making some too. Tested this recipe on Lok Bak Gow/Radish Cake from Grace Young in Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen which is also available at epicurious, and substituted some ingredients based on what I have in the fridge and pantry. Her description of the method was very thorough, and not complicated at all. I halved the recipe and it came out very tasty. I might have added too much bacon then called for in the recipe this time. Curbed my craving for the time being. Will tweak on this recipe or try another when I have more time on my hands.
Recipe from Grace Young
6 ounces Chinese bacon (lop yok) (I used a slab of smoked applewood bacon)
1 large Chinese white turnip/daikon, about 2 pounds
8 Chinese dried mushrooms
1/2 cup Chinese dried shrimp, about 1 1/4 ounces
2 teaspoons Shao Hsing rice cooking wine
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups rice flour (I used a little more for a firmer cake)
Cut the bacon into 3 equal pieces and place in a 9-inch shallow heatproof bowl. Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer large enough to fit the bowl without touching the sides of the steamer. Carefully place the bowl into steamer, cover, reduce heat to medium, and steam 15 to 20 minutes, or just until the bacon is softened and there are juices in the dish. Check the water level from time to time and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Carefully remove the dish from the steamer and set aside to cool.
Peel the turnip and grate to make about 4 1/2 cups. In a 3-quart saucepan, combine grated turnip and about 1 quart cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until very tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, soak the mushrooms in 1/2 cup cold water 30 minutes, or until softened. Drain and squeeze dry, reserving the soaking liquid. Cut off and discard stems and mince the caps. In a small bowl, soak the dried shrimp in 1/2 cup cold water for 30 minutes, or until softened. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Finely chop shrimp and set aside.
Remove the bacon from its dish and reserve the juices. Cut off and discard the rind and the thick layer of fat. Cut the remaining meat into paper-thin slices and then finely chop. In a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet, stir-fry the chopped bacon over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until meat releases fat and just begins to brown. Add the minced mushrooms and shrimp, and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice wine, sugar, and pan juices from the bacon, and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
Return the cooked, drained turnip to the saucepan, add the bacon and mushroom mixture, and stir to combine. In a large bowl, combine the rice flour and the reserved mushroom and shrimp soaking liquids, stirring until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of the hot turnip broth. Pour this batter into the saucepan, add the salt, and stir until combined. The consistency will resemble that of rice pudding. Pour mixture into a heatproof 8-inch round, 3- to 4-inch-deep, straight-sided bowl, such as a soufflé dish.
Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer large enough to fit the dish without touching the sides of the steamer. Carefully place the dish into the steamer, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and steam 1 hour, or just until cake is set and is firm to the touch. Check the water level and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Carefully remove the bowl from the steamer and allow to cool on a rack for about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 to 4 hours.
Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen sides. Place a cake rack over the bowl and invert to unmold. Flip the cake right-side up onto a cutting board. Wrap the cake in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.
When ready to eat, cut cake into quarters. Cut each quarter crosswise, not into wedges, but into two 2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip crosswise into scant 1/2-inch-thick slices. This is the typical way of slicing a cake Chinese style.
Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet, over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add just enough oil to barely coat the wok. Add the turnip cake slices in batches and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.
Serve immediately with chilli sauce.
Recipe from Grace Young in epicurious.