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Showing posts from November, 2008

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 samb...

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. Sprin...

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. O...

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.

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.

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, man...

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.

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.

Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken is a popular Szechuan cuisine. This is a must dish to order for my family, whenever we dine at a Sichuan restaurant. Of course, the vital ingredients are the Sichuan peppercorns. A small amount of the Sichuan peppercorns will go a long way. They have a slight lemony taste and also use to numb or tone down the spiciness of chilies. Updated: December 3rd 2013 Kung Pao Noodles With Chicken {related recipe} Kung Pao Chicken Ingredients 2 Chicken Breasts, skinless and cut into cubes 3 Tbsp Peanut Oil 50g Cashew Nuts, roasted 4 stalks of Scallions, cut into 1 inch segments 3 cloves of Garlic, roughly chopped 1/2 inches of Ginger, thinly sliced 1/2 tsp of Sichuan Peppercorns 15 Dried Chilies, cut into 3/4 inch segments Marinade 1 Tbsp Chinese Rice Wine 2 tsp Light Soy Sauce 2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce 1 Egg White 2 tsp Cornflour Sauce 2 Tbsp Chinese Black Vinegar 1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce 2 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce 1 tsp Sesame Oil 2 tsp Sugar 1 tsp Cornflour 100 ml Water Metho...

Chicken Wrapped in Pandan Leaves

Pandanus, Pandan or Screwpine leaves are originated from Southeast Asia. They are widely used in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. These leaves have a nice scent and often used in both savory and sweet dishes. The leaves can be pounded for their juices and is used in many sweet dishes. Guess I will be making something sweet with the pandan leaves very soon. So, watch out for it! Chicken Wrapped In Pandan Leaves (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 400g Chicken Thigh, skinless and boneless, cut into bite size 300g Chicken Breast, skinless, cut into bite size 4 cloves Garlic, chopped 1 Tbsp Coriander Powder (use coriander root if,available) 1 tsp White Pepper 2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil 1 Tbsp Sugar 2 tsp All Purpose Flour 2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce 30 Pandan Leaves Vegetable Oil for deep frying Method Combine all the ingredients and marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight. When ready to cook, wrap the chicken with pandan leaves and secure with toothpicks. Heat...

Yong Tau Foo

Yong Tau Foo is also known as stuffed bean curd. This a Chinese dish, in my opinion they are originated from the Hakka Clan and commonly found in Malaysia and Singapore. As for the true Hakka, the dish is simply served with steamed white rice. Others might serve it with steam rice rolls with sweet sauce. I will post the fish paste ingredients and you can stuff the fish paste with any type of vegetables or bean curd of your choice. Here, I am using bitter gourd, okra, eggplant; red chilies, bean curd sheet and some firm bean curd. As for the soup, I boiled some chicken bones with some soy beans. Soy Beans will enhance the sweetness of the chicken broth. 
 Yong Tau Foo Ingredients 350g Halibut Fillet, ground 250g Prawns, shelled, ground 200g Ground Pork 30g Salted Fish, soaked and drained 1 tsp Sesame Oil 1 tsp Ground White Pepper 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce 1 tsp Oyster Sauce 1 Egg White 1 Tbsp Cornstarch Oil for pan-frying Method Mix all the ingredients until well combined. Stuff the vegetables a...

Cordon Rose Banana Cake

This is one of my favorite recipes for overripe bananas. I like the tenderness of this cake. Not to mention, the rich taste of bananas. The recipe is adapted from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. Ingredients 2 large ripe Bananas 2 Tbsp Sour Cream 2 large Eggs 2 tsp grated Lemon Zest 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla 2 cups Cake Flour, sifted 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Sugar 1 tsp Baking Soda 3/4 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Salt 10 Tbsp Unsalted Butter(must be softened) Method Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. In a food processor process the banana and sour cream until smooth. Add the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla and process briefly just to blend. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and 1/2 the banana mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and strengthen the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the remaining banana mixtur...

Paella

I have made a big pan of Paella for dinner. It’s a great one-pot dish. I have cooked the Paella with some clams, prawns, mussels and chicken. They were delicious and so satisfying. Paella Ingredients 5 Tbsp Olive Oil 400g Chicken Breast, cut into bite size 1 medium White Onion, chopped 5 cloves Garlic, chopped 1 Red Pimiento, cut into strips 1 Green Pepper, cut into strips 1 Dried Bay Leaf 1 Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced 350g Prawns 200g Mussels 350g Clams 1 cup Frozen Peas 1 cup White Wine 3 1/2 cup Chicken Stock 2 1/2 Cups Medium grain rice 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika 1/2 tsp Saffron Lemon Wedges Freshly Ground Black Pepper Sea Salt to taste Method Heat the oil in a large Paella pan, brown the chicken breast and set aside. With the remaining oil, add the chopped onions and saute for about 5 minutes and add the garlic. Add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, green peppers and red pimiento strips and saute for another 5 minutes. Then add the chicken stock and white wine. Bring it to a boil...

Fried Rice

Hey everybody! Well today's post is gonna be about, yup according to the title, Fried Rice! First of all, this is a special post for Foodbuzz's "24 hours,24 meals,24 blogs". You can read all about it here . Foodbuzz does great things for all foodies all over the world. To me, they are the best source for everything, food! So, I'm thinking why don't I make something that is universal or going to be universal. The versatile of Rice! This is an easy fried rice to cook and I'm pretty sure, many people will enjoy cooking and savour them! Like my kids! My daughter even had two bowls! Ingredients 3 cups of cooked Rice 5 cloves Garlic, chopped 3 scallions, chopped 5 eggs, lightly beaten 150g Prawns, chopped 2 Chinese Sausages, sliced 3/4 cup Frozen Peas, thawed Soy Sauce Sea Salt Freshly Ground White Pepper 3 Tbsp Peanut Oil Method Saute the chopped garlic with peanut oil on a low heat until golden brown and crisp. This will bring out the sweetness of garlic. Then...

Braised Chicken Wings

This is a Chinese Styled, Braised Chicken Wings. There are of course many ways to cook the chicken wings. I like Buffalo wings, deep fried asian style and many more. Recently I saw a nice recipe from here . I will try to make them soon. Here is the recipe for braised chicken wings and was adapted from the "a little taste of China" cookbook. Ingredients 24 Chicken Wings 3 lumps Rock Sugar 1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce 1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce 1 Tbsp Shaoxing Rice Wine oil, for deep-frying 2 tsp finely chopped Ginger 2 stalk Scallions, finely chopped 2 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce 150ml Chicken Stock Method Discard the tips of each chicken wing. Cut each wings into two pieces through the joint. Put the wing pieces in a bowl. Add the sugar, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and rice wine in a small jug. Mix until combined, breaking the sugar down as much as you can. Pour the mixture over the chicken wings, then marinate it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Drain the chicken wings,...

Korean Pancake

Anyone had Korean Pancakes before? I was at the Korean Supermarket last weekend, and saw this nice packaging of pancake mix. Now, I don't usually buy premix stuff but this one caught my attention and looked pretty interesting to me. So, without knowing what is a Korean Pancake or ever heard of it. I thought why not, just buy one packet and give it a go! Surprise, surprise, it was pretty darn good! It says you can mix any vegetables or seafood to the mixture. Hence, I decided to make the pancake with bell peppers, chilies, chives, scallions and prawns. I even served the pancake with mixture of soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil. Savory and yummy!

Angel Hair Pasta With Bolognese Sauce

I just had a hearty Bolognese Sauce with angel hair pasta. I made the meat sauce with fresh button mushrooms and it's delish! Ingredients 1/4 cup Olive Oil 1 White Onion,finely chopped 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped 400g fresh Button Mushrooms, sliced 800g fresh Roma Tomatoes, skin, seeded, diced 1 tin(796ml) Roma Tomatoes,drained, seeded, diced 1 tin(156ml) Tomato Paste 2 Tbsp Bovril 600g Ground Beef 2 Tbsp Fresh Italian Parsley, finely chopped 3 Tbsp Fresh Basil, coarsely chopped 2 tsp Fresh Oregano, finely chopped 1 dried Bay leaf 1/2 cup Red Wine Freshly Ground Black Pepper Sea Salt to taste Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese 1 packet (350g) Fresh Angel Hair Pasta Method In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onions and saute until golden brown, for about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook the meat until the meat is no longer pink. Then add the mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are cooked. Add th...

Fish Curry

Hey everybody, Happy -belated- Halloween! I didn't get a chance to post this Fish Curry I made last evening. It was a very busy day, with my kids gone trick or treating and then coming home with friends for dinner. Since it was cold and it was raining the whole day, I thought that it was a good idea to have a pot of curry ready for them. I also prepare some plantain chips, that I have posted yesterday and some fried pappadums too! UPDATED: November 25th 2013 This is an updated post with a new video cooking guide. Fish Curry Ingredients 3 Tbsp Oil 1 tsp Mustard Seeds 1/2 tsp Fenugreek 1 Tbsp Curry Leaves 1 tsp Aniseed Powder 4 1/2 Tbsp Coriander Powder 1 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder 1 Tbsp Cumin Powder 4 Tbsp Chili Powder 60g Tamarind Pulp mix with 2 cups of Warm Water 200g Shallots, sliced 30g Ginger, finely julienne 3 Green Chili, seeded, halved2 Tomatoes, diced 1 Eggplant, diced 200g Okra 600g Halibut Fillet 1 can Coconut Milk (400ml) 500-600ml Water ...