Asparagus With Sambal Belachan

This is a very spicy stir fried asparagus dish. Belachan or Shrimp paste are widely used in Southeast Asia cuisine. They usually come in a rectangular block form. A little bit, does go a long way. So, make sure you use it sparingly and remember to roast it too. For this dish, the shrimp paste are added in the process of making the sambal.

Asparagus With Sambal Belachan
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

500g Asparagus, cut into 1 inch in length

120g Prawns, shelled

15 to 20 Dried Chillies, cut into smaller pieces

6 small Shallots, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 tsp Shrimp Paste, toasted

2 Candlenuts

1 Tbsp Sugar

4 Tbsp Peanut Oil

3 cloves Garlic, whole

1 1/2 Tbsp Lime Juice

2 Tbsp Water

Sea Salt to taste

Method

To make the sambal, soak the dried chili pieces with boiling water until they are soften. Drain the chillies and make sure to get rid of the seeds. Then combine it with shallots, candlenuts, shrimp paste and blend them, until they become a paste.

Heat 3 Tbsp of Peanut oil and cook the sambal paste in a low heat. Saute until the sambal is fragrant, add the sugar and sea salt to taste. Dish out and set aside.

In a wok with high heat, add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil with the garlic. Saute briefly and add in the prawns and cook until they are pinkish in color.

Then add the asparagus and give it a quick stir . Add in the cooked sambal, saute and mix in the water and the lime juice. Serve immediately.

Note: Do not use all the oil from the cooked sambal. Otherwise, this dish would become too oily.

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My Perfect Roast Chicken

This is an easy roast a chicken recipe. All you need is loads of herbs, especially rosemary leaves. I simply love the smell of rosemary. Btw, they were from my garden! I have been roasting this chicken for many years. The recipes was adapted from Jamie Oliver cookbook. Today, I have omitted the lemon and use more rosemary leaves instead.

My Perfect Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

1 2 1/2-3lb free-range Chicken

salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3 small handfuls of fresh herbs (basil, parsley, marjoram), finely chopped

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1 Lemon, halved

4 Bay Leaves, torn

2 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

Method

Preheat the oven and a roasting tray to 425 degree F.

Wash the chicken inside and out and pat it dry as possible with paper towels. Rub the chicken cavity with salt, then, being very careful, grab the skin at the tip of the chicken breast, making sure that it doesn't rip, and pull it up gently. With your other hand gently separate the skin from the meat of the breast.

Sprinkle a little salt down the gaps that you have made, push in the chopped herbs. Drizzle in a little olive oil. Stuff the chicken cavity with lemon, bay leaves and rosemary.

Pull the skin of the breast forward so none of the actual flesh is exposed, tuck the little winglets under, and tie up as firm as possible with kitchen twine. Slash across each thigh about 3 or 4 times and rub in some of the leftover herbs, which allows the heat to penetrate directly into the thigh meat, enabling it to cook faster.

With your hand, rub a little olive oil into the skin of the chicken and season very generously with salt and pepper. Remove the hot tray from the oven and add a little oil. Put the chicken, breast side up and roast for about 1 hour or until the skin becomes really crispy. Read more...

Pamelo And Grilled Shrimp Salad

This salad is simply delicious! The lightly sweet and sourness of the pamelo really compliments well for the grilled shrimps. I have omitted the Asian Basil leaves and replaced them with cilantro leaves.

Recipe adapted from Pleasures Of The Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham

Pamelo And Grilled Shrimp Salad

Ingredients

16 medium Shrimps, peeled and deveined

1 tsp Shallots, minced

1 tsp Fish sauce

1 tsp Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp Sugar

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

4 (8 inch) Bamboo Skewers, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and drained

1/3 cup Matchstick Carrot Strips, soaked in ice water for 30 minutes and drained

1/3 cup Matchstick Cucumber Strips, soaked in ice water for 30 minutes and drained

1 cup Pamelo Segments, separated into bite sized pieces

1/4 cup Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

20 Asian Basil Leaves, coarsely chopped

1 Tbsp Cilantro, Chopped

1 Thai Bird-Eye Chili, chopped

2 Tbsp Roasted Peanuts, chopped

Method

Combine the shrimp, shallot, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and oil in a bowl. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

Thread 4 shrimps on each skewer. Grill or broil until the shrimp until just done, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside. (I grilled mine;) )

Place the carrots, cucumbers, pamelo, dipping sauce, basil, cilantro, chili and peanuts in a large bowl and toss gently. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with the grilled shrimps.

Note: Dipping Sauce Recipe

Mix 3 chopped Thai bird-eye chilies, garlic, 3 Tbsp sugar, 2/3 cup water, 1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice, and 5 Tbsp Fish Sauce Read more...

Spinach Congee

There are many types of Congee. I mean you can just have them plain with other dishes and condiments. Well, this is one of my favorite for a one pot dish. You can either use Chinese spinach or English spinach. Whichever spinach, its your choice, they are an excellent source of iron, vitamin A, C, E, K and much more. Then you can add either ground pork or chicken, fresh prawns and dried shrimps. For this recipe, I am using fresh prawns.


Spinach Congee

Ingredients

1 cup of Jasmine Rice with 5 cups water

1 bunch(350-400g) Spinach, cleaned

200g fresh Prawns, shelled and chopped

4 cloves Garlic, whole

2 1/2 cups Chicken Broth or Water

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

1 Tbsp Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp Peanut Oil

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

2 Stalk Scallions, chopped

2 tsp ground White Pepper or to taste

Fried Shallots to taste

Sea salt to taste

Method

Boil the rice in the rice cooker or in a large pot.

When the congee is cooked. In a large pot, add the peanut oil and saute the garlic on a low heat.

Once the garlic turns golden in color, turn the heat on high. Add the chopped prawns and saute briefly. Then add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and white pepper.

Then add the spinach and cook for about 1 minute.

Add the plain congee and water. Bring it to a boil and lower the heat. Cook for another 5 minutes and add the sesame oil and eggs. Combine until all the eggs are cooked and serve immediately. Top the spinach congee with some chopped scallions, fried shallots and more white pepper. Read more...

Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant

This must be one of the most well known chinese restaurants in Vancouver. They have won numerous awards throughout the years. I have been to this restaurant a several times for their dim sum. They are located at 3888 Main Street and another in Richmond. Reservation is recommended, especially during the weekends. Once, we had to wait for over 40 minutes for a table, but then it was during peak hour. (about 12 noon).

So, last sunday we were there early, around 10.40am and there were no problems with getting a table. An hour later, the restaurant was packed and many people were waiting for tables too! Btw, now they have the english dim sum order sheet, you just have to mark down what you want to order. This time, we find that the food wasn't as good as the last time we went. Probably 8 months ago. Or maybe it was too early and our stomachs weren't ready for the food? LOL! Overall, it wasn't so bad, after all the service was pretty good! Here is what we ordered...

Peanut With Dry Fish Congee $4.20

Deep Fried Sesame Ball With Lotus Paste $3.75

Sparerib With Black Bean Sauce $3.75

Bean curd Roll With Oyster Sauce $3.75

BBQ Pork Bun $3.75

Shrimp Shui Mai $3.75

Pan Fried Rice Roll With Soy Sauce $4.20

Deep Fried Golden Bean Curd $5.50

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Braised Chicken With Potatoes

Has anyone tried these odd looking potatoes? Shaped like bananas, yellow in color? Well, these are the Fingerling Potatoes! There are several variety of this kind of potatoes but; I like the yellow ones. I read that these potatoes are favorites among chefs too! I like them because they have a nutty flavor and creamy texture.


Braised Chicken With Potatoes

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breast, bone in and cut into smaller pieces

500g Yellow Fingerling Potatoes, skinned and cut into smaller pieces
5 cloves Garlic, whole

2 Tbsp Peanut Oil
2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 1/2 Cup Water
1 Cup Frozen Peas

2 tsp Cornflour, mix with 2 Tbsp Water

Marinate Sauce

1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

2 tsp Cornflour

Method

Combine the chicken and the marinate sauce. Set aside.

In a large pan with a low heat, add the peanut oil and the garlic. Saute until the garlic are golden in color.

Turn the heat on high and add the chicken. Saute until all the chicken are almost cooked.

Then add the potatoes and water. Bring it to a boil.

Add the light and dark soy sauce and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Then mix in the peas and continue to cook for another 20 minutes. Thicken the chicken mixture with the corn flour solutions. Serve immediately.

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Savory Taro Cake

I made this dish last weekend. Well, it turned out better than I expected. The recipe was adapted from the Famous Street Food Of Penang cookbook. I have omitted the garlic, and if I were to make it again, I will decrease about 20g of rice flour to achieve a softer texture. I also sprinkled some chopped scallions and red chilies to the taro cake.

Ingredients

Batter

350g Rice Flour

1 Tbsp Green Pea Flour

1250ml water

2 Tbsp cooking Oil

2 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped

2 Shallots, peeled and chopped

600g Taro, skinned and cut into 1cm cubes

1 tsp Five Spice Powder

2 tsp salt, or to taste

1 tsp ground White Pepper

Toppings

150g Dried Prawns, soaked for 5 minutes and drained

10 Shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

oil for deep frying

Method

To prepare the batter

Mix rice flour, green pea flour and water into a smooth batter. Strain and set aside.

Heat oil and fry the chopped garlic and shallots until fragrant and lightly browned. Add taro, five-spiced powder and pepper, and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the prepared batter and cook, stirring continuously, over a low heat until batter thickens.

Pour the batter into a greased steaming tray to a height of about 3cm. Steam over high heat for about 40 minutes or until set. Set aside for another 2 hours to cool completely.

To prepare toppings

Heat the oil and fry the dried prawns until aromatic and lightly browned. Put it in the electric blender to process into a coarse floss. Set aside.

Heat oil over a medium to low flame. Fry the shallots until golden and crisp. Remove the shallots from the oil immediately as it will start to burn very fast.

To serve, sprinkle prawn floss and shallot crisps generously on the cooled taro cake. Cut into pieces and serve with chili sauce.

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Tom Yum Goong

Tom Yum Goong is one of my favorite soup. So spicy, refreshing and sour too! This is a must order dish when I dine at a Thai restaurant. However, it's quite easy to prepare at home.

Tom Yum Goong

Ingredients

5 cups Chicken Broth

300g Prawns, shelled and deveined

30g Galangal, sliced

2 stalk Lemongrass, sliced

5 Kaffir Lime Leaves, torn

3 Tbsp Roasted Chili Paste

150g Oyster Mushrooms

2 ripe Tomatoes, quartered

6 Thai Birds-Eye Chilies

4 Tbsp Fish Sauce

Lime juice to taste

1 Tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

2 stalk scallions, sliced

Sea Salt to taste

Method

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large pot. Add the galangal, lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Then add the roasted chili paste and the birds-eye chilies. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, prawns, fish sauce, lime juice, scallions and bring it to a boil again. Season with sea salt or more lime juice. Serve immediately and top with coriander leaves.

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Black Pepper Crab

Okay, here is the recipe for my Black Pepper crab. Hope you guys will give it a try. Enjoy!

Black Pepper Crab

Ingredients

1 1/2 Dungeness Crab (3 1/2 lbs)

5 Tbsp Coarsely Ground Black Peppercorns

5 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

6 cloves Garlic, chopped

10 Thai Bird's Eye Chilies, chopped

2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Kicap Manis

Peanut Oil for deep frying

Method

Coat the crab pieces with some corn flour and deep fry them in hot oil. Then set aside.

Add 1 Tbsp of peanut oil together with the butter. Then add the garlic and chilies and stir briefly or until the garlic is light golden in color and fragrant.

Then add the coarsely ground black peppers, oyster sauce, kicap manis, dark and light soy sauce. Bring to a quick boil and toss in the crab pieces and stir until well combine. Serve immediately.

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Sweet and Sour Chili Crabs

Well, thanks to my fellow foodbuzz friend, chezannies, I'm starting to have a craving for crabs! So, after my coffee meet with my two dear friends from Richmond, I head on to Granville Market. I went to the Lobsterman, where they have plenty of live seafood, swimming in the tanks. I bought 3 large Dungeness crabs and I got them to clean them up and cut into the sizes I wanted. This is a sweet and sour chili crabs and I shall post the Black pepper crab recipe tomorrow.

Sweet And Sour Chili Crabs

Ingredients

1 1/2 Dungeness Crabs (3 1/2 lbs)

4 cloves Garlic, chopped

1/2 inch Ginger, chopped

1 medium Yellow Onion, diced

10 Thai Birds-eye Chillies, finely chopped

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

Peanut oil for deep-frying

Sauce

2 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

8 Tbsp Ketchup

3 Tbsp "Maggi" Chili Sauce
2 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Corn flour

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 1/2 cup Water

Method

Coat the crab pieces with some corn flour and deep fry in hot oil. Then set aside.

In a hot wok, add 2 tbsp of peanut oil and add the ginger, garlic, yellow onion and chilies. Cook the mixture until fragrant.

Then mix in the prepared sauce and bring it to a boil.

Add the crabs and stir briefly. Then add the beaten eggs and stir until all the eggs are cook and well combined. Serve immediately!

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Fried Rice With Beef

Okay, here is the recipe for fried rice with beef:)

Beef Fried Rice

Ingredients

5 cups cooked Cold Rice

200g Rib-Eye Steak, cut into small strips

3 Tbsp Peanut Oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

4 Eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 Yellow Onion, diced

3 stalk Scallions, chopped

2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

Sea Salt to taste

Freshly Ground White pepper

Method

Saute the chopped garlic with 2 Tbsp of peanut oil on a low heat until golden brown and crisp. Then set aside.

Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and some white pepper. Cook until they are set and break them into smaller pieces. Then set aside.

Turn the heat on high and saute the beef and then set aside.

With the remaining peanut oil, add the yellow onions and rice. Stir briefly and add the rest of the ingredients.

Stir quickly and add the light and dark soy sauce and season with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper. To serve, top with some chopped scallions.

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Green Mango Salad With Grilled Beef

Well, after so many days of rich food, I decided to make a salad to accompany my fried rice with beef. I will post the fried rice recipe tomorrow. My family loves salads, or rather greens. This is one of our favorite Asian Salads! It's sweet, tangy and sour! I hope you guys will like it too.

Ingredients

Marinate

1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Fish Sauce

1 Tbsp Sugar

2 tsp Ground Lemongrass

350g Rib-eye Steak

2 Green Mango, julienne

2 Shallots, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp Thai Basil, julienne

2 Tbsp Cilantro, julienne

2 stalk Scallions, chopped

3 Tbsp Mint Leaves, coarsely chopped

10 to 15 Grape Tomatoes, halved

1 clove Garlic, finely chopped

1 Lime, juiced

3 Tbsp Sugar

3 Tbsp Fish Sauce

4 Birds-Eye Chillies (Thai Chillies)

Method

Marinate the beef for at least 2 hours. Grill the beef to your likings. Then let it rest and then slice the beef.

Prepare the salad dressing, add the chopped garlic, sugar, fish sauce, chillies and lime juice.

In a large serving bowl, combine the grilled beef, mangoes, shallots, Thai Basil, mint Leaves, cilantro, tomatoes, scallions and the dressing. Toss and serve immediately!

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Presto Cucina

Italian fast food? Yup! We went to Presto Cucina for a quick dinner. They have several locations in the Lower Mainland. We went to Presto Cucina at 1746 Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC. Their concept is, place your order at the counter, help yourself to your beverage selection, and they will bring your order when it is ready. Sounds good if you are in a hurry. Their food is actually pretty good. They are famous for their Garlic Chicken Pizza. We did not order it, because we had enough of chicken and garlic for now. The price is very reasonable too! This is what we ordered.

Minestrone Della Casa....$3.99

Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza....$9.99

Spaghetti and Meatballs....$8.99 (we had 2 orders)

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Soto Ayam

Soto Ayam is a spicy chicken soup with vermicelli. They are delicious with mungbean thread noodles(glass noodles) and lontong (compressed rice roll) too. I consider soto ayam a feast by itself and they are commonly found in Indonesia and Malaysia.

The chicken broth are infused with white peppercorns, coriander seeds, ginger, galangal, candlenuts, garlic, shallots, cinnamon, cardamoms pods, star anise and lemon grass.

I also made a special "sambal kicap" to go with the soto ayam. They are mixture of some chopped garlic, plenty of birds eye chillies, Indonesian sweet soy sauce and lime juice. I always serve the soto ayam with a lot of condiments. They are fried tofu, boiled potatoes, beansprouts, hard boiled eggs, chinese celery leaves, scallions, shredded chicken, fried shallots and red chillies.

Well, I can't describe the aroma of the soup but I can tell you that its spicy and it tastes fantastic!

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Kuih Talam (Tray Cake)

Kuih Talam consists of two layers of cake. The top layer is made from coconut milk and rice flour and the bottom layer is made from pandan leave extract, mung bean and rice flour. This is another way of using the pandan leaves. The recipes were adapted from "Hot Favorites Kueh" a cookbook published from Malaysia. I have omitted the coloring and alkaline water. They still turned out perfect!

Ingredients

Bottom Green Layer

1o Pandan Leaves + 1 1/4 cup Water

1/2 tsp Alkaline Water

100g Rice Flour

75g Tapioca Starch

25g Mung Bean Flour

200g Sugar ( I used 150g)

some green food coloring

600ml Water

Top White Layer

200ml Thick Coconut Milk

320ml Water (I used 300ml)

50g Rice Flour

20g Tapioca Starch

1/2 tsp Salt

Method

Bottom Layer

Blend the pandan leaves with water to make 1 cup of pandan juice. Add alkaline water.

Sift the rice flour, tapioca starch and mung bean flour. Combine well with pandan juice, sugar and coloring.

Stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens. Pour it into a tray and steam over medium heat for 15 minutes till cooked.

Top Layer

Combine the thick coconut milk with water. Sift the rice flour and tapioca starch. Combine with coconut milk mixture and salt. Strain and stir over a low heat till mixture thickens.

When the bottom layer is cooked, pour in the top layer mixture gradually. Steam over a high heat for about 15 minutes. Remove and leave it to cool. Cut into small pieces and serve.

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Stir-Fry Leeks With Tofu

This is one way of using leeks in chinese dishes. An easy stir fry and tasty too! You should give it a go!

Stir-Fry Leeks With Tofu

Ingredients

2 medium Leeks, sliced

2 Red Chillies, sliced

2 Pcs (350 g) Firm Tofu, sliced

3 cloves Garlic, chopped

150 g Prawns, shelled

1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce

2 tsp Light Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper

1 tsp Cornstarch, mix with 4 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp Peanut Oil

Sea Salt to taste

Method

Heat the peanut oil in a wok, saute the firm tofu until lightly brown and set aside.

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Then add the prawns, red chillies, oyster sauce and light soy sauce and saute.

Then add the leeks and give it a quick stir and mix in the tofu, cornstarch mixture, ground white pepper and sea salt to taste.

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Bosa Foods

Feeling Italian? When I do, Bosa Foods is the place for me! They have all the ingredients for your Italian Food cravings. From, fresh and dried pasta, cheeses, condiments, dried herbs, olive oils, meat, pasta sauces, coffee, teas, chocolate, ice-creams, and so much more! No wait, scratch that, they have EVERYTHING! Their kitchenwares are superb! You can get a good pasta and ravioli maker too! The deli is fabulous! All their products are very reasonably priced. So, remember to bring plenty of cash and of course, a debit card will work too! (No credit card accepted)

Anyway, there are 2 Bosa Foods locations in Vancouver, BC. I frequent the one at 1465 Kootenay St. (between Highway 1 and Boundary). The other is at 562 Victoria Dr. Here are some of the foods I bought earlier today.

My 2 favorite sandwiches from Bosa... Paesano and New Yorker

Some antipasti... Garlic Prawns & Beer, Eggplant Provolone, Pepperoni, Sundried Black Olives and Mediterranean Mixed Olives

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Oatmeal with Chocolate Chips and Sultanas Cookies

Is that the most longest cookie name or what? I would like to think that. So this is a healthy cookie. Remember, its oats! Well, not quite... Especially with the amount of butter in the mixtures... But, I suppose it's okay to have them once in awhile, right?


Oatmeal With Chocolate Chips And Sultanas Cookies

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

2 cups Rolled Oats
1 3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Sultanas

1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

2 Sticks (1 Cup/225g) Unsalted Butter, melted

1 large Egg, beaten

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Baking Powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Line the baking tray with a parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Then mix in the butter and egg. Scoop about 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp of cookie mixture and shape into flat rounds.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the cookies are golden in color.

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