Ikea meatballs

Especially for Mags, who is a Ikea Swedish meatball lover! She's not alone tho' - Singaporeans really love their food. With a new Tampines Ikea branch, they will probably catapult Singapore into the top 5 Ikea cafes in the world in terms of sales! The cafe sales at the current Alexandra outlet already rates it top 20 in the world.

This recipe is reproduced from today's Sunday Times, which they took from the Ikea Real Swedish Food Book, available from the Ikea Food Market.

Ingredients
250g minced beef
250g minced pork
1 egg
2-3 deci-litre cream and water (or use milk and water)
2 1/2 onions, finely chopped
1/2 deci-litre unsweetened rusk flour
2 cold boiled potatoes (about 60g each)
4-5 tbs butter, margarine or oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method
1) Mash potatoes and moisten rusk flour in separate containers.
2) Heat the onions till golden with a few tbs of lightly browned butter
3) Mix and knead all the ingredients into a smooth paste.
4) Shape and form into balls, roughly about the size of 50 cent coins.
5) Pan fry in butter slowly, until golden brown.
6) Serve with Ikea's meatball cream sauce and lingonberry jam.

Casserole Chicken

I have been trying to re-create the tastes of my childhood - simple recipes yet it's the taste of home and family. The simpliest of them all - good old chicken soup, isn't really so simple after all! I just can't get the depth and richness of the tastes.

I have just found the trick to another familar favourite - casserole chicken. I had to wreck my brains and try to remember, and then I remembered cruching down on something deeply unpleasant when I was young, now I've identified it as star anise, a spice I've recently discovered a liking for! It gives this nice 'baked' taste to the soup, something I could never recreate until now. The carrot and potatoes are also essential to the flavour of the soup. ( I know because I used sugar peas instead..blech!)

So here it is, my mom's casserole chicken with that 'baked' flavour. The taste difference between normal 'steamed' or 'boiled' chicken soup and 'baked' chicken soup is quite different, give it a try and u'll know what I mean!

Ingredients (Serves 2, as always)
2 chicken thighs and 2 drumsticks
4 tbsp of chinese cooking wine (1 tbsp per per piece of chicken)
2 star anise
sprinkling of 5 spice powder
sprinkling of sugar
whole black peppercorns
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 potato, cubed
1 carrot, cubed
5 cups water
salt to taste

Method
1) Put all the ingredients into a casserole pot, chuck everything in. If you like, you can also marinate the chicken in the wine for about 15 minutes.
2) Cover. Bake in the oven at 200 deg C for 25 to 30 mins until cooked.
3) Served with steamed rice.

Rosemary and Garlic Pork Chops

I've always shied away from buying an extra bottle of this or that if it will clog up my already postage stamp-sized kitchen. In Cold Storage recently, I caved and got myself one of the 4 'kings' of British cooking - worcheshire sauce. Every cuisine has what I term their '4 great kings' and worcheshire sauce is to British cooking what oyster sauce is to Chinese cooking.

I didn't even know that there were different varieties of worcheshire sauce. The only usage I know for it is on top of grilled cheese. I know it goes well with roast beef or steak and also in stews. But beyond this, I was pretty unawares. But there was a 'marinade' version which I used. In terms of taste, it's a lot sharper and more sour than the non-marinade aka table use version.

Having to put my newly acquired bottle of sauce to good use, I figured since it works so well with beef, it'll probably work well with pork too. And I was right! Vegetarians read no further! This is where only true meat lovers dare to venture!

Ingredients
4 juicy slabs of pork chop, with bone intact. (Nothing retains the flavour like cooking on the bone!
1 tbl soya sauce)
1 tsp English mustard
Chopped or dried rosemary (I also added other herbs like sage, thyme and parsley)
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 tbl worcheshire sauce
1 tbl honey (to offset the sharpness of the sauce)


Method
1) Combine all the ingredients and massage into the pork chops. Leave to marinade, overnight is best.
2) In a baking tin, pour some oil to prevent sticking to the bottom of the plan. Lay on the pork chops. Drizzle with more olive oil for extra flavour. No time for diets here!
3) Bake at 200 degrees C for 25 min or until cooked. You can tell quite easily because the bone is in, so you can quite easily see whether the bone is still red and whether any blood is oozing out.

French toast

I had some old eggs and bread running around in the fridge so I thought what could be nicer as Sunday brekkie than to do French Toast.

Normally, my toast comes out soggy. The best french toast I know is from Burger King - they have a kind of crust on it, but I can't decipher how they do it. However, I'm pretty sure it's deep-fried, most unhealthy!

I got inspired by a batter I saw on telly recently. Beat egg whites until fluffy and put in corn flour, fold it it, never mind the lumps, these will be little surprising crispy bits. This works well for things like frying fish to give it the extra crispy texture, without a heavy batter.

I decided to do a little experiment:

Experiment #1
Coat bread with egg wash, and then dip in corn flour and pan fry.

Experiment #2
Coat bread with egg wash, then dip in normal flour and pan fry.

Between these 2, the different isn't entirely discernable. With corn flour, the flour amalgamates easily with the egg wash, making the coating slightly crunchy but smooth. With plain flour, the flour acts as a separate coating by itself and you can still see the flour bits on the bread, not so pretty. However, it's most crispy than corn flour, probably because it doesn't amalgamate with the egg.

Experiment #3
Combine the corn flour and normal flour into the egg and beat. There will be lots of little lumps.

This was the worst of the lot, didn't make it any more crispy, looked ugly (uneven finish) and just made the bread a bit 'tough' to chew on.

So I think the best compromise is still to coat with corn flour. Pretty and yet slightly crispy.

Brown sauce

A couple of nights ago, we went to the Swimming Club and tucked into an interesting dinner at the clubhouse. Dad decided to go with the steak, and it came on a hotplate, with the gravy served on the side in a gravy boat. How quaint! We seldom see gravy boats around nowadays.

Inspired by the brown sauce, I decided to go track down its recipe. I found this interesting link on all you ever wanted to know about brown sauce and some brown sauce variation recipes.

Description from website:
Brown sauce is the 'little black dress' of the culinary world. It is the must have recipe that can be used alone, or that can form the basis for other dishes, suitably dressed up with other ingredients.A basic brown sauce is made by browning flour in oil or fat, then gradually adding a meat stock and other seasonings and cooking until the sauce is thick. This sauce can be used alone over mashed potatoes and meats.Common additions to brown sauces are mushrooms, onions, peppercorns or ground pepper, and wine. If using wine in your sauce, reduce the amount of meat stock accordingly.
Many of these sauce recipes begin with a roux, a mixture of butter and flour that is cooked over high heat until the flour browns and no flour taste remains. A roux can be light or dark, depending on how long the flour is browned in the butter. Care is needed - there is a fine line between a dark roux and a burnt roux.Roux can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready for use. Make sure to cover it tightly (use empty, clean butter tubs) to keep it from absorbing flavors from other items.Be careful when purchasing 'brown sauce' online or in stores; make sure you know what you are getting. In the UK, the term means something different than in the US - it is a condiment for meat, which in America would be called 'steak sauce'.In Asian cookery, brown sauce is also a fundamental foundational sauce, but is made from soy sauce, with oyster sauce or other flavorings, and thickened with corn starch.
What's the difference between 'brown sauce' and 'brown gravy'? There isn't any, really.

Nigella's Lamb and macaroni stew

Here's another one of Nigella's recipes, taken from the episode "Weekend". What I simply love about her receipes are that it's so simple and fool-proof, anyone can do it! Now if only I could work up the effort it takes to do so! (transposed to the best of my memory) Nigella added that with any stew, it's just something thrown together rather rustically, so no need to over-fret over the proportions and amounts, just something reasonable would do!

Ingredients (feeds 6 to 8)
Lamb shoulder, cubed (enough to feed 6 to 8, heck if I know how much!)
2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
3 tins canned tomatoes
Oregano
A few bay leaves
Roughly 1 cup water
1 large onion, peeled
2 to 3 cloves fat garlic, crushed and paper removed
Salt and pepper for seasoning according to taste
Oil for browning

Method
1) Brown the cubes of lamb. Remove onto another dish.
2) In a processor, blitz together the celery, garlic and onions. Pour into the pan with the left over oil from browning the lamb. Let soften for about a min (but don't brown).
3) Remove half of the mixture. Flatten out the remaining mixture into the plan.
4) Pour back the lamb. Pour back the onions on top and cover the lamp. (Nigella does because she says that she finds that the mixture helps to seal in the moisture of the lamb)
5) Pour in the 2 cans of tomatoes, and 1 cup of water.
6) Sprinkle over the oregano and bay leaves.
7) Cover and simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Alternatively, transfer to a low oven for 2 hours.
8) It will be a bit watery, but this is used to cook the macaroni. When the stew is ready, pour in the macaroni to cook. Season with salt and pepper.
9) Serve when macaroni is cooked.
10) Nigella also uses feta, roughly mixed by hand together with chopped fresh oregano and serves this on top of the stew.

Otah

I remember that the common mistake for this is spelling it as 'otak', which is really 'brain' in Malay. My family loves otah and we have been consuming vast quantities of it in recent times. In addition, at one point, my mom even tried her hand at making it herself but somehow, it was never quite spicy enough, firm enough and a bit too (coconut) milky. Trust mothers to want to add the most 'leow' for the buck :P

Got this recipe from the papers, but they also made the fatal mistake of spelling it as 'otak'! Alamak! :O

Ingredients (makes 20 packets)
500g fish meat (horse mackerel, pound or blend 2/3 of it and slice the remaining 1/3 for more bite)
500ml water
1 1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients A
120g shallots
2 slices galangal
5 slices tumeric
6 buah keras
2 lemongrass stalks
1 small piece balacan
32g dried chilli (boil briefly and leave to cool)
8 fresh chillies

Ingredients B
200ml coconut milk (fresh tastes better than the processed version)
1 tbs sugar
2 eggs
2 limau purut (lime) leaves, finely diced
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tbs corn flour
8 tbs oil for frying
several banana leaves, 18 * 20 cm, washed, scalded in boiling water briefly to make pliable and wiped dry
Toothpicks

Method
1) Dissolve salt in water.
2) Scrape fish using a spoon and pound meat in a mortar, adding salt water gradually. Use ice water to blend fish meat if desired. Mix meat well till it becomes sticky and firm.
3) Blend Ingredients A. Heat oil in a wok and fry ground ingredients over low heat til it exudes out. Leave it to cool and put into fish meat. Mix well.
4) Add coconut milk, eggs and restg of ingredients B. Mix well.
5) Scoop 2 tbs of fish paste onto a banana leaf, fold leaf and secure with tooth picks.
6) Grill for 10 - 12 mins at about 200 deg C till cooked.

Bread and butter pudding

This is a traditional staple dessert of the British home. Its also my aunt's favourite dessert. Altho I've made it a few times in the past, I never really liked doing it because I found making the custard and having to butter the bread a real chore, and never could get the right 'crispy' finish on top. Not to mention it's super fattening.

Anyhow, came across a rather simple recipe in the newspapers today, so thought I'd write it down for whenever I next feel the urge strike me to bake something.

Ingredients
750ml milk (for that extra sinful taste, use half milk and half single cream)
3-4 tsp sugar
3 eggs
Chopped dried fruits (apricots, raisins, figs, dates or even fresh bananas)
Butter, jam and/or marmalade

Method
1) Butter a 1l capacity baking tin. Line the tin with slices of bread, either torn up or as is.
2) The bread can be buttered or even spread with jam if you like.
3) Alternate layers with chopped fruits or cocoa powder if you like.
4) Beat 3 eggs into the milk together with the sugar, and pour over the bread. Let sit to soak for a least half an hour.
5) Bake in the oven for 180 degrees for 45-55 mins or until the custard has set.
6) For an extra crispy topping, sprinkle demera sugar on top during the last 5 mins of cooking time and flash under a hot grill to caramelize. If you have a blow torch, all the better! :D

Still more Jaime (3) - Flour and water crust chicken

This is a popular idea in Singapore now but I won't attribute it to Jaime. We have the 'curry in a bread' idea here which is basically the same idea - bake a curry in a bread and presto, u get both! Jaime thought up this recipe as a easy-no fuss and no mess way to transport your chicken and bread to a picnic!

Taken from Jaime Oliver's forum but the recipe comes from "Happy Days with the Naked Chef"

Ingredients (Serves 4)
(Jaime's comments) This is a great dish to serve up to friends - they'll wonder if you've gone a bit mad when you produce what looks like a huge lump of pastry and put it in the middle of the table! It's a great way to cook chicken - the meat steams inside the pastry crust and becomes incredibly tender. I've used nice small spring chickens, or poussins, in this recipe but it's just as easy to use one 2kg/4.5lb bird and roast it for 2 hours instead. ps. you don't eat the pastry! (altho u can eat the crusty bits with the juices from the chicken)
905gr/2lb plain flour
2 fat lemons
2 handfuls of fresh sage leaves, picked
1 handful of fresh thyme leaves, picked
picked 8 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 spring chickens

Method
1) Put your flour into a large bowl, and mix in around 500ml/18fl oz of water, bit by bit, until you have a dough that is pliable and elastic and not too sticky. Cover and put to one side while you prepare the chickens.
2) Using a peeler, remove the peel from 1 of the lemons and bash up with the sage, thyme and garlic, in a pestle and mortar, or use a metal bowl and a rolling pin. Add your olive oil and plenty of seasoning. This flavourful marinade is great with just about all kinds of meat.
3) Roll up your sleeves and rub the marinade all over the chickens as well as inside the cavity.
4) Slice the remaining lemon and stick a slice or two inside the cavity of each chicken.

In the show, Jaime puts the lemon in a pot of boiling water for about 10 mins while he seasons the bird. He then scores it with a knife and sticks it into the cavity of the chicken (this is 1 big chicken instead of 4 spring chickens). According to him, the lemon will 'explode' and ooze flavour everywhere.

5) Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas7.
6) Get your dough mix, divide it into 4 pieces, and roll each one out to about 0.5cm/1/4inch thick.
7) Now mould a piece of dough around each of the chickens so that you have 4 airtight parcels. Leave for 5 minutes, then bake in the preheated oven for an hour. The crust will harden during cooking, steaming and protecting the chicken while keeping all the lovely juices inside which will give you a fantastic homemade gravy.
8) Let the chickens rest for 15 minutes after baking, then bring them to the table and for a bit of drama, crack open each crust in front of your guests. You'll unleash a wicked aroma, steam, the lot, so waft it around a bit. Very impressive stuff. Serve simply with some potatoes and greens.

More Jaime (2) - Chilli con Carne

From Food Network
Ingredients (serves 10)2 medium onions
1 clove garlic
Olive oil
2 level tsp chilli powder
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
Sea salt and black pepper
1 pound (455g) chuck, mince or pound beef
7 ounces (220g) sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes (400g)
1/2 stick cinnamon
5 ounces water
2 (14 ounce) canned red kidney beans, drained (400g)

Method
1) Use a food processor and chop up the onions. Fry in olive oil until softened.
2) Add chilli powder, cumin and seasoning.
3) Chop up meat in the processor and add to the pan, cooking until brown.
4) Place sun-dried tomatoes and chilli in the processor with the oil (from the tomatoes) and blend until it forms a paste.
5) Add these to the beef with the tomatoes, cinnamon stick and water. Season if needed.
6) Bring to the boil and cover.
7) Either simmer on the stove or bake in the oven for 1.5 hours.
8) Add kidney beans 30 mins before the end of the cooking time.

More of Ollie's recipes(1) - Steak Sandie

It's a nice lazy Fri night with no plans, so what better way to spend it at home than watching food programmes? It's a treat - a doublebill of Jamie Oliver! First it's the original (1st ever episode) Naked Chef (where he moves into his apt with Jules). Fast forward a few yrs to Oliver's Twist. My oh my how he has put on weight! :O The hazards of being a chef and fatherhood!

Here are the recipes I'd like to try (to the best of my memory!)

Steak Sandie (Serves 4)
Ingredients
900g rump steak - cheap and tasty
Salt and pepper to taste
Rosemary
Olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Ciabatta
French Djion mustard
Rocket

Method
1) Cut the rump steak into 2. Put each into a ziploc bag.
2) Season with salt, pepper and tear off rosemary leaves. Add a bit of olive oil.
3) Give each piece of steak a good bashing with your fist to flatten it out.
4) Stick in on a super hot griddle, 2 mins each side.
5) Remove and let it rest for a min, drizzle on more olive oil and squeezing the juice of a lemon over it.
6) Slice the ciabatta into half and drizzle olive oil on both sides.
7) Spread with djion mustard.
8) Lay on the rocket.
9) Slap on the steak (tearing to fit) and slice up for serving.

Soda water

Recently, as B was moving out of his old office, he came into possession of a lot of soda water, specially imported from Thailand. Not wanting to know how long it's been there, I assumed it was still usable and went to work figuring out how to drink it. It's slightly more salty than normal soda water but otherwise it's more tasteless than I imagined. I think of it more along the lines of bottled *real* sparkling mineral water which actually tastes salty, rather than the 'fake' type which just adds gas to distilled water.


Experiment 1: Add to coffee
I didn't honestly think this tasted so bad - think carbonated and salty tangy coffee. Hrm, isn't 'salty' coffee the way the Ethiopians (or was it Turks) take their coffee? :D

Experiment 2: Add to Yakult
I heard that Yakult-inspired drinks are all the rage in Taiwan, just like salted boiled Coke, or boiled Coke with Lemon or boiled Coke with Ginger was in HK at one point. I can't exactly remember how the Taiwanese used Yakult, but I didn't think this would be very bad. And I was right! Altho it was a bit salty, I added the juice of 1 wedge of orange and magically, the salty taste disappeared! :O My most successful experiment so far!


Experiment 3: Kai Tung Kho
This is the popular Cantonese cake traditonally made as an offering to the gods. I remember that my aunt who used to live near us would 'bake' this for us ever so often. Up to this day, I still miss her cake.

I've since experimented until I've gotten a version that involves self-raising flour, but the correct way is to use soda water and steam the cake. I am guessing that if we want to use soda water, then we have to increase the egg and flour.

Ingredients
1 egg: 3 ounces flour: 1 ounce sugar (slightly less for less sweet)

To make 12 cupcakes3 eggs
9 ounces self-raising flour
2 ounces sugar
vanilla essence
salt

Method
1. Beat eggs with sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla essence halfway.
3. Fold in flour.
4. Distribute about 1.5 tablespoons mixture into each cupcake.
5. Steam for 20 mins.

If anyone knows the real traditional recipe using soda water, pls share! :)

Jaime's Chocolate Pot

I tried in vain to find this on Nigella's website as she made it seem so easy to prepare. Unfortunately, it wasn't there. Darn, I guess we're meant to buy her book. :(

However, I did find a recipe by Jaime Oliver instead. It seems just as easy to prepare.


Ingredients1/2 pint single cream
200 gms plain chocolate (minimum of 70% cocoa solids)
2 egg yolks
3 tbsp / 50 mls brandy (Cointreau or Grand Marnier as alternatives)
20 gms butter

Method
1) Heat cream but do not allow it to boil.
2) Add crumbled / broken chocolate to the cream and melt, stirring all the time to combine the two ingredients to a smooth consistency.
3) Add egg yolks and brandy and beat lightly to combine with chocolate mixture.
4) Ensuring that the mixture is not too hot (warm) stir in the butter until it completely melts and is blended.
5) Pour into ramekins and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Serves 4

Nigella's Lamb Shank Stew

I love Nigella! She makes cooking look so posh and sexy. Here's an inspirational recipe from Nigella Bites, she makes cooking for a dinner party seem so easy! I know this is one of those recipes I will never try because 1) I don't know where to get lamb shanks here! and 2) I have no patience waiting for the stew too cook!
Nigella: "Don't let the word stew put you off. Yes, I know it's crippled with connotations of school-dinner gristle and gluey-gravied mess, but the lamb shanks here are anything but that. Of course, you could use shoulder, cut into greed-satisfying chunks, and it still wouldn't be compromise, but the bone in the shank gives such rounded richness of flavour and there's something so unpretentiously satisfying about the great meaty hunkiness of it on the plate. Since supermarkets now routinely stock (or will order in) lamb shanks, and since they're both meaty and cheap, it makes sense to seek them out for this.
As with all stews, this is even better made in advance and reheated; for me, this only makes things easier. The couscous, however, needs to be made last minute."
Ingredients:
6 tbspns ground nut or vegetable oil
8 Lamb shanks
2 onions
4 cloves of garlic
sprinkling of salt
1 tbspn tumeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 dried red chilli pepper, crumbled, or quarter teasp dried chilli flakes * 2 tsps cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
black pepper
3 tbspns honey
1 tbspn soy sauce
3 tbspns Marsala
6 tbspns red lentils

to serve:
3 tbspns chopped pistachios, chopped blanched almonds or a mixture of both

Instructions:
1) Put 3 tablespoons of the oil into a very large, wide, heavy-bottomed pan and warm over medium heat. Brown the lamb shanks, in batches, in the pan and then remove to a roasting tin or whatever else you've got to hand to sit them in.
2) Peel the onions and garlic and process in a food processor or chop them finely by hand.
3) Add the remaining oil to the pan, and fry the onion-garlic mush until soft, sprinkling salt over to stop it catching.
4) Stir in the turmeric, ground ginger, chilli, cinnamon and nutmeg, and season with some freshly ground pepper.
5) Stir again, adding the honey, soy sauce and Marsala. Put the shanks back in the pan, add cold water almost to cover, bring to the boil then put a lid on the pan, lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 to 1 and a half hours or until the meat is tender.
6) Add the red lentils and cook for about 20 minutes longer without a lid, until the lentils have softened into the sauce, and the juices have reduced and thickened slightly.
7) Check for seasoning.
8) Toast the nuts by heating them for a few minutes in a dry frying pan, and sprinkle onto the lamb as you serve it.

Serves 6

Tea-infused spare ribs

A friend gave me this recipe as an alternative to bak ku teh. Here it is, with my modifications.

Ingredients
1 to 2 bags of rich black chinese tea (use whatever you like, but I find oolong and even pu'er work well. Don't use green or white tea, as the flavour will not be strong enough. You can also use tea leaves instead of tea bags, the flavour will be richer)
200ml boiling water
250g pork ribs
1.5 tbsp dark soya sauce
1.5 tbsp light soya sauce
Corn flour
1 tbsp brown sugar (or normal white cane sugar)
2 tsp five spice powder
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 shallots, chopped
1 thumb-sized segment of ginger, smashed and roughly chopped
2 star anise and 3 cloves (optional)
2 tsp crushed black peppercorns

Method
1) Soak the tea bags or tea leaves in the boiling water to fully release the flavour. Set aside.
2) Marinate the ribs with the soya sauces and five spiced power for at least 20 mins, overnight works best.
3) Pat the ribs dry, and coat the ribs with corn flour. In a heated pan, add oil and lightly brown the ribs. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
4) Drain and throw away the tea bags or tea leaves, leaving the freshly brewed tea.
5) In a saucepan, using back the oil used to brown the ribs (pour away some if there is too much oil), lightly saute the shallots, garlic and ginger.
6) Just as they are turning translucent, return the ribs to the pot, and add the star anise, cloves and peppercorns.
7) Pour in the tea. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 mins or until the ribs are cooked.
8) Serve with steamed rice.

Oriental Salad Dressings

Sick of the same old boring bottled dressings like Thousand Island, Ranch (still my favourite though) or honey mustard? Why not try these simple yet tasty dressings that you can whip up in a jiffy, with minimal mess! Some are Oriental inspired, and guaranteed to give your tastebuds a vacation from bottled dressings!

1) Honey mustard
Ok I admit isn't new, nor is it oriental but I like it anyway, and it beats anything that comes out of a bottle.
- Combine 2 tbls honey (use flavoured ones like manuka for a change!), 1 tsp mustard with a drizzle of olive oil and whisk.
- Goes well with any garden salad.
2) Chilli udang floss (fancy name for 'chilli prawn floss')
- I use the bottled floss but if you are lucky enough to get hold of the real deal Teochew favourite, it makes all the difference! As a substitute, chicken floss will do too, just add some sambal if you have it for the extra spicyness.
- Goes well with steamed beans and carrots
- Fresh from my recent Bangkok trip, I topped this off with bits of crispy sweet and spicy cuttlefish (the snack).

3) Honey Wasabe
Japanese inspired and something I tasted once, so I experimented until I got the ingredients and proportions
- Combine 2 tbls honey, 1 tbl sesame seed oil, 1 tbl Japanese soya sauce and 1 tsp wasabe. Whisk. (Add more of the honey or wasabe to your own taste preference)
- Goes well with garden salad or other 'Japanese' ingredients like cooked inoki mushroom, crabstick and Japanese cucumber.
4) Tofu and century egg salad
This is actually a starter in Shanghai food, again, I experimented till I got the ingredients and proportions to my taste
- 1 packet of silken toufu, cubed (drain away the water); combine with 1 cubed century egg, and add 2 tsp of sesame oil. Combine well but be careful not to break up the toufu until it becomes messy.
- Best served chilled
5) Japanese cucumber salad
Another starter in Shanghai food which I experimented until I managed to replicate the taste
- Combine 2 tsp sesame oil with 1 clove of crushed garlic and microwave on high for 15 seconds (cover so that it does not splatter) Toss well with 1 Japanese cucumber, sliced
- Best served chilled

6) Thai chilli and soya dip
Another Thai-inspired recipe, this can be used either as a dipping sauce or as a dressing. This is my favourite brand of chilli flakes, found in selected supermakets.
- It goes best with a few sprinkles into 1 tbsp of nom pla (Thai fish sauce) or normal Chinese dark soya sauce (if you don't like the fishy smell), and diluted with 1 tbsp of water
- Serve with steamed brocolli

Involtini with Castagne + Prosciutto

Recently I've been watching Cable with a vengence in order make as much out of my 3 mth subscription as possible. I've discovered another delightful celebrity chef, David Rocco and his "Dolce Vita" series. Nothing much written on his website about his profile, but as much as I can figure, he seems to speak with a strong American accent and also speaks fluent Italian (which he obviously is) and he's doing the show out of Italy, showing people around Italy and its local cuisine. Each episode, he'll attempt to recreate some of the dishes and 'dishes' out important titbits on Italian cuisine - the way it's meant to be cooked and eaten!

Got inspired by tonight's episode and this receipe. To translate, it has to do with pan fried rolled beef with chestnut stuffing. Going to be lazy and just copy and paste, but here's the original link.

Ingredients (serves 4)
9oz beef (250g), cut into 4 thin slices
24 chestnuts, boiled and peeled
4 cooked ham slices (prosciutto cotto)
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to season
2 cups white wine, (480ml)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (60ml)
Sprig of rosemary

Method
Involtini can be made with almost any ingredients that work well together - turkey, cheese, spinach. This particular recipe is great in the fall when chestnuts are in season.
* Have your butcher provide you with 4 large thin slices of beef.
*Lay slices of beef flat on a worktable and put a slice of ham on each. Place 3-4 chestnuts on each ham. Salt and pepper.
*Roll each slice of beef and secure with toothpicks.
*Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large pan.
*Add onions and sprig of rosemary.
*Sear beef on all sides. Add wine and cook for a few minutes on medium heat. (this makes the sauce) Salt to season.
*Add remaining chestnuts to the pan, breaking up some of the chestnut to thicken the sauce. Let sauce reduce.
*Remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes with the lid on.
*Serve warm.

Some tips not found on the website:
1) The chestnuts can be roasted first, giving it a nice toasty flavour, or steamed, giving it a smoother and more moist feel.
2) Instead of beef, other meat like chicken, veal or pork can also be used.
3) Use whatever is in season, so if chestnuts aren't and they're not fresh, you can stuff with things like cheese or spinach.
I'm wondering though - how come white wine? Weren't we always told by conventional wisdom that beef goes with red wine? Altho recently some wine experts have been telling us that's all hogwash, if we want to eat fish with a red then go ahead (except some seafood and red wine together produce a metallic taste in the mouth)

Trifle

I love Jaime Oliver! (Actually, no, I don't, but it's a great catchy way to start a blog entry :D)

Having the prvilege of cable TV and a day off recently, I managed to catch one episode recently. Gosh has he put on weight! Marriage and fatherhood does agree with him, or perhaps it's the 'hazard' of the job from all the food.

He did this really simple yet funky British desert which I couldn't really catch the name of, but which sounded like truffles. (thks Mags for pointing out that it should be 'trifle'! What struck me was how easy it is to do (provided you live in Britian!) since its only assembly required, yet turns out so 'posh'! Here it is, to the best of my memory.

Ingredients
1) Packet of ready jello. Here Jaime used red jello for the nice colour contrast with the custard. [apparently you can get these in Brit supermarkets but I can't find them here :( ]
2) Canned custard [again, ode to Brit supermarkets! :( ]
3) 1 Chocolate bar
4) Canned mandarins
5) Sponge cake
6) Alcohol (something that goes well, say rum, brandy, kahlua, tia maria or Bailey's?)

Method
[While us poor sods who don't have access to ready-made jello and custard have to prepare the things from scratch, the rest of the world can get on with the assembly of the receipe.]

1) Take the sponge cake, cut it up into cubes. Bring out 4 serving glasses (chilled preferably) and rrange them at the botom of the glass. Pour over a tsp of your chosen alcohol, or more if you like! Press down to let it soap up the alcohol.
2) Pour the ready jello into a bowl and roughly chop it up with a knife.
3) Spoon on the jello on top of the soaked sponge.
4) Pour on a layer of custard to cover the jello.
5) Continue alternating the layers until you fill the glass.
6 Lay the chocolate bar smooth side up on the countertop. Using a knife, hold the sharp edge and run the knife along the chocolate bar, towards you (basically a scraping action but be careful!) Place shavings artistically on top of dessert.
7)Top off with some slides of tinned mandarins.
8)Serve immediately with fresh sprigs of mint if you have them.

And Jaime has a website and blog and here's some interesting info on trifle,

Soft boiled eggs

Over the years, I've experimented a lot with soft boiled eggs. How do you get them just right - when the whites are no longer clear but have turned white yet it's still runny, and when the yolk is still in it sac, but still nice and runny when u bite into it? More importantly, how do places like Ya Kun and Killiney do it, with probably 100% success every time? (there has to be some consistency otherwise how to sell? They can't be breaking open every egg to check!) I admit I've even sneaked a peek behind to counter to see how they do it. I only saw huge vats of hot water with eggs soaking inside!

There are 2 methods, thanks to my favourite chef - Delia Smith.

1) The first involves starting with cold eggs in hot water. The eggs are put directly into simmering water, and letting it boil on high for just a min, then turning off and flame. Cover and let it sit for about 6 minutes and its done.

2) The second involves putting eggs into cold water, and then boiling the whole thing. Once it starts to boil, let it boil for no more than 3 minutes.

Honestly, getting eggs of the right consistency are never easy. It depends on the size of the egg, the size of the pot and even the type of water (hard water or soft water). It even depends on how many eggs you attempt to cook at once!

Delia's recipe works for Delia because UK eggs are much larger than our own. They have hard water too. When I try her methods, I find that the whites are no longer clear but are still runny, however, the yolk hardens and becomes squidy rather than runny. Urk, will I never get it right?

Today, I hit on a winning formula, also based on my tiny pot (diameter no more than 1 hand span)

1) Fill pot with enough water to cover eggs 3/4 way. I used 4 eggs. (when the water boils, by magic, it expands and covers the tops of the eggs)
2) Boil the water with the eggs on medium heat. Give the eggs a jiggle to turn them around halfway (to evenly cook) Turn off flame after 10 minutes (ie from the time u start the fire, not from the time the water starts to boil). Leave to stand for 15 minutes.
3) Remove eggs from pot and soak eggs in cold water to stop the cooking process.
4) Crack open and serve with 1 tsp dark soya sauce for every 2 eggs, and plenty of white pepper.

Heaven!

But if all this is too much trouble, just buy the plastic contraption where boiling water is poured into the top-most container, and the water drips out slowly into the bottom container. Takes damn long (at least 20 mins) but the contraption is cheap, and eggs come out perfect almost 100% of the time!

Fine beans

I came across these beans in a restaurant here some time back. I had never seen them before in my life, but they were very nice. They're smaller and thinner than French beans, and they're sweeter and crunchier too.

Came across a recipe in the papers introducing these beans. They're called "Fine Beans" from Kenya, and they're only available in certain supermarkets.

How to cook them? I'm not exactly sure, but since the restaurant cooked them simply, ie just steaming them, I did the same.

The result wasn't so great - I over-steamed them (about 11 mins) :( I think next time, about 5-7 mins sld suffice.

Brown rice

My organisation has litle 'communities of interest' set up by people who share a common interest to come together and further their interest. Recently, this lady in my office starting eating healthily in a bid to lose weight and for general well-being. She went full time into brown rice and started to gather a following. She decided to set up a brown rice COI.

One of the 'activities' of this COI was to cook brown rice for everyone for lunch, and everyone brings their own food as they share lunch together. Last week, I walked in on the pantry when the rice was cooking and my, I was pleasantly surprised by the fragrance of the rice that whafted out from the pantry. It smelt like baking bread!

Piqued, I decided to ask her for some brown rice cooking tips. I have heard horror stories about cooking brown rice, like how it takes a zillion hours to cook and needs a specific amount of water. None of the 'hand' or 'finger' method of measuring water here!

Here are some tips she shared. Firstly, she recommended using the old fashioned electric rice cooker (the idiot kind), rather than those expensive new- fangled Japanese 'fuzzy logic' rice cookers. The former takes a lot less time to cook any form of rice, and it's also easier to clean up afterwards. Secondly, she said that eating brown rice is more filling than eating white rice, so this helps you to cut down on your portions. This is supposed to be why it is the weight-watchers' answer to GI and a lower carb diet. Lastly, she drew up a chart of recommended water to rice to serving proportions. Here it is:

She recommended Songhe brand, saying that the rice has been washed once before, so when you rinse the rice, it's cleaner. Thus, you only need to rinse the rice once. She has also tried Pineapple brand, which is totally unprocessed. The rice is thus dirtier and requires that you rinse it more than once. However, this may appeal to people who believe that less processing is more 'organic'.
So now it's my turn. I've just brought my first bag of brown rice and I'm raring to go. Altho some people seem to have 'problems' eating brown rice e.g. they'll mix it with white rice, or first-timers find that it over stimulates their bowel movements, this isn't the first time I've tried it. Mom and Gran experimented with replacing white rice with brown rice in our diet many years back. I don't exactly know why they abandoned their attempts, but I'm willing to give it a shot again, if only just to enjoy the beautiful aroma whafting through my kitchen as the rice cooks!

All Taste BBQ chicken

It's the start of Jun! Yes, it's that time of year we traditionally associate with holidays - when kids are let out of school, and when the weather is hot, warm and sticky. What better time than to haul out the barbi - except for our friends Down Under of course! :P

This recipe is a favourite of mine - it's so simple, yet has never failed to impress, and has people coming back for more. I adapted it from Brit telly and also one of those recipe labels from Sainsbury's (I miss them :( ). I call it 'all taste' because it comprises all the taste your tongue can distinguish - sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter! (less so but it's still there)

Ingredients
1 packet of frozen chicken (preferably wings and drumlets), thawed
4 tbls dark soya sauce
4 tbls light soya sauce
4 tbls chilli sauce
4 tbls honey
4 tbls lemon (or lime) juice
zest of 1 lemon (or lime)
3 tsps mustard

Method
1) In a big bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Here is the secret - taste the concoction! Adjust sweetness, sourness, saltiness, spicyness to taste.
2) Put chicken in the bowl. Mix well. 2nd secret - marinate overnight!
3) Drain well and reserve the marinade as a dipping sauce, making sure to microwave on high to cook well before serving.
4) Cook the chicken - either on the barbi or bake lay flat on a baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees C for 20 mins or until cooked.
5) Serve!

Beef Teriyaki with grilled Bananas

Continuing on the experiment in cooking with fruits, I bought some bananas today. Never been a fan of bananas, esp when it comes to anything with banana essence. Blech! However, I thought of how people bake bananas (eg banana bread, toffee banana) and an idea struck. The outcome - the pleasant taste of roasted bananas, caramelised and brown on the outside, warm and soft on the inside!

Ingredients
2 beef steaks
2 tsbp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp sherry/Japanese mirin (cooking wine) if you have it. I use Chinese rice wine, works just as well
freshly milled pepper
1 banana, sliced into thick chunks
Vegetables that can be roasted or grilled e.g. capsicums

Method
1) To make the teriyaki sauce, pour together the soya sauces, wine and brown sugar into a bowl. Microwave for 15 seconds until sugar dissolves.
2) Steep the beef in the mixture and leave to marinate. Add pepper.
3) Grease a baking dish and lay the beef and vegetables on top. Grill on high heat.
4) Put the vegetables and banana into the leftover marinate.
5) Halfway thru the grilling time, add the vegetables and banana and turn the meat over.
6) Serve.

Baked Chicken with Grapes

Recipe courtesy of Mags. Cooking with fruits isn't a new idea, but the trick is in finding fruits that cook well (don't end up in a mess) and also which blend well with the food in question. For instance, tried and tested combinations would include pineapples and pork, apples and pork, cranberry and turkey.

Ingredients
1 chicken, chopped into 8 pieces
small bunch of grapes
1 tbsp tarragon, chopped
1 tbsp sage, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
butter
cooking oil

Method
1) Marinate chicken with salt, pepper, tarragon and sage.
2) Brown the chopped chicken in a pan with the cooking oil.
3) Transfer the chicken and left over oil into a baking dish.
4) Squeeze the juice of a few grapes all over the chicken and stir in.
5) Add a few grapes (still on the vine) to the pan.
6) Dot butter all over the chicken and grapes.
7) Bake at 160 degrees for 40 mins, turning over halfway and basting.

No oil arrabiata

Traditional arrabiata in my mind always comes about too oily and too fiery. I'm really not a fan of oily stuff, and it's always hard to get the proportions of oil right.

However, last week, I came across a particularly tomoto-ey version by CBTL, with a nice tomato-based sauce and served with nice chorizo sausages for that smokey taste - hey why not!

Here's my recreation, made slightly sweeter cos B doesn't like sour stuff (ie he hates tomatoes) and also less spicy for me. I added barley because I usually find my sauces too thin - the barley gave the sauce a good 'saucy' consistency, and the barley texture gave it a nice mealy texture. The bonus was that in the tomato base, the texture and feel made it taste like baked beans! Keep it overnight and see how the sausages and barley bloats up!
Ingredients (Serves 3)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can water
1 packet (about 10) chicken franks sausages (or chorizos if you have them), cut into chunks
3 tbls chopped garlic
3 tbls chilli flakes (more if you dare!)
1 tbls chopped onions
2 tbls barley
3 tbls ketchup
1 tsp granulated chicken stock (I use the squeezy packets so it's simplier)
4 tsp sugar
Grated black pepper
Oregano or Basil
2 tbls Olive oil
Pasta for 3
Grated parmesan

Method
1. Saute onions and olive oil. Add garlic but do not brown the garlic.
2. Saute the chicken franks.
3. Add the chilli flakes and stir fry briefly.
4. Pour in the canned tomatoes. Stir. Using the same can, fill up with water and pour into the pot.
5. Add the barley.
6. Season with oregano or basil, black pepper, tomato sauce and chicken stock.
7. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary. Usually the chicken franks add enough salt to the sauce for me.
8. Cook pasta as per instructions on the packet.
9. Serve with grated parmesan.

Braised spare ribs in rice wine

Am currently into a phase where I am cooking with wine. I have tried cooking chicken and pork with wine. So far, the results have been quite good on both. Gotta love 'hua tiao jiu'! :D

Ingredients
300g pork spare ribs
Handful of wolfberries
Handful of red dates
1 star anise
150ml water

1 thumb sized ginger, sliced into thin slices

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 shallots, chopped

Oil for cooking

Marinade
3 tbls chinese rice wine
2 tbls dark soya sauce
2 tbls light soya sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbls corn flour

Method
1) Marinate the pork ribs and set aside for at least half an hour. Best results if left overnight.
2) Fry the shallots, ginger and garlic until fragrant. Drain the ribs and set aside the marinade for later us. Add the ribs to the pot, and brown evenly.
3) Pour the marinade and water into the pot. Add the wolf berries, dates and star anise.
4) Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.
5) Serve with rice.

Option 1: Lazy me, I prefer oven cooking, so I pour everything into a covered casserole dish and just bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes.
Option 2: You can also soak some dried shitake mushrooms in the 150ml of water. Slice them up when soft and add them to the pot.

Cheesy french toast sausage casserole

It was a 'clean out the fridge' day again. Got bored with eating sandwiches, so though I'd give it a twist, adapted from the 'Bread and butter' pudding. Easy and quick to do!
Ingredients
Canned sausages
Margarine (optional)
2 - 3 eggs
3-4 slices of bread
Parmesan cheese, grated
Herbs to taste
Salt and pepper to taste (if required)

Method
1) Butter a casserole dish so the food won't get stuck. On a casserole dish, arrange the slices of bread to fit the bottom of the dish. If you like, you can cut off the crusts of the bread. Spread the margarine on both sides of the bread if you like. This makes the whole thing more 'buttery'.
2) Beat the egg and add salt/pepper to taste if required. Pour it over the bread and spread evenly to ensure that the bread is all evenly coated with the egg. Let it soak in for about 5 mins.
3) Sprinkle herbs over the bread (parsley, sage, thyme - whatever you like)
4) Slice the sausages length-wise into half and lay them on top of the bread.
5) Sprinkle grated cheese over the top.
6) Grill for 15 mins until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown.
7) Serve with a nice side of salad.

Crusty Ham & Cheese Meatloaf

Got the standard meatloaf recipe from Mags. Decided to do a 'clear up of leaftovers' in the fridge thing before supermarket shopping later on. Decided to improv (that's the training term for 'improvise' activities) and here's what I got. Not a bad outcome, the top was almost like short crust pastry. Give it a try!
Ingredients
300g minced beef
Herbs (I used my favourite '4 big kings' or 'shi da tian wang' variation but you can use anything that you like which goes well with beef e.g. rosemary, oregano, etc)
2 tbls light soya sauce or salt to taste
Freshly milled black pepper
2 eggs
4 slices picnic ham, sliced into cubes
3 thick slices of bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese, grated
8g melted butter

Method
1. Mix the minced beef, herbs, salt and black pepper together. Add the ham and half the bread crumbs and mix well.
2. Beat up 2 eggs. Pour into the mixture and mix well.
3. Brush a baking tray or casserole dish with melted butter.
4. Spread on the beef mixture, pressing down with a fork to ensure that the mixture is well distributed over the surface of the pan, and pat down the surface so that it is flat.
5. Pour in the melted butter into the bread crumbs. It should resemble breadcrumb consistency (no pun intended)
6. Spread on the bread crumbs on top and pat down with the fork.
7. Sprinkle grated cheese on the top.
8. Bake at 200 C for 20 mins. If using a casserole, cover for 1st 15 mins and unconvered to brown and melt the cheese for last 5 mins.

Slice up and serve with salad. Nice for a warm summers' day or as picnic food.

Variation
If you're a real cheese lover, sprinkle the grated cheese into the beef mixture and mix well for that extra cheesey surprise when you bite into the loaf.

5 spice Pig Maw soup

People say that as we get older, our tastes change and we start to appreciate foods with stronger flavours. Indeed, as a child, I would swear off intestines of any form. Yet in the last 10 years, after an introduction to 'kuay chup', I started liking intestines. I developed a liking pig maw (stomach) soup only in the last couple of years and would look forward to it. Of course it's not the healthiest dish on earth and frankly, neither is it very tasty, but I like the texture of chewing pig maw.

However, I notice that most pig maw soups that I've had are usually quite bland - it is usually just pork bone/chicken stock and pig maw with tonnes of black pepper. Not much taste otherwise, which has always been a 'source of concern' for me. Especially since most soups I've tasted had so much black pepper, it was more like a very peppery soup and not much else, and it's usually to cover the 'soh' smell of the maw.

I thought of my mom's great 5-spice chicken soup and decided to adapt that. I cook this all up in a slow cooker so that the pig maw is not tough. Great to pop this into the pot in the morning and u got lovely soup after a hard day at work! (that's provided u can pry yourself from bed in the morning!)

Ingredients (serves 4)
300g cooked pig maw
300g pork bones for soup (soft bones are great too)
10 cups of water (coffee mugs are great - u can add more water if you want a thinner soup)
1 handful wolf berries (optional, adds sweetness)

Seasonings A
1 shallot, finely chopped
2-cm length ginger, sliced
2 tsp 5-spice powder
9 cloves
4 star anise
2 cinammon sticks
10 black pepper seeds

Seasonings B
2 tsp sugar
2 tbls chinese rice wine

2 - 3 tsp salt (to taste)

Method
1) In a slow cooker, put in the maw and bones. Boil the water and pour it over the maw and bones. This is very important as it will scald the bones and seal in all the juices, and keep your soup clear. Alternatively, I brown my bones in a pan (what they do for ang mo stews) together with the onion and ginger. It takes more time, but adds a nice caramalized flavour to the soup.
2) Put in the wolf berries and Seasonings A and cook for 1.5 hours.
3) Add in the sugar and wine to taste after the 1 hour mark.
4) Add in the salt last (also to taste), about half an hour before the end. You don't want to put in the salt too early as salt is easily absorbed into the food. 1stly, salt causes meats to 'sieze up' and turns it tough. 2ndly, it is easily absorbed into the food and at the end of the cooking time, u can't taste it in the soup anymore, so you end up putting in more. I've been taught to put it in near the end so that you only flavour the soup and it means u add less salt to your cooking overall.

Serve with steamed rice. Lovely.

Cheesy Bak kwa sandwich

Now that the CNY feasting is nearly over, what to do with left overs? Well, usually with bak kwa, that's seldom a problem but I guess the weight-conscious people like me would eat it really sparingly.

To assauge my guilt, I turn it into a good and super easy to prepare meal, and I use other 'healthier alternatives' like low fat cheese and margarine (rather than butter). Especially useful after a bout of exercise of course! :P

Of course in reality, we all know I'm fooling myself...but what the heck, CNY only comes around once a year. Eating bak kwa any other time of the year kinda loses it's festive 'flavour'.
Ingredients
1/2 slice of bak kwa
1 slice low fat cheese (but of course!)
2 slices bread
margarine (but of course too!)

Method
1) Only assembly required. I usually put the cheese on top of the bak kwa so that it melts into the bak gwa. Yum.
2) Grill the sandwich or toast it. For best results, use a sandwich maker.
3) Optional - you can slot slices of tomato or lettuce into the sandwich but only after it's been grilled/toasted. You don't want your veggies to wilt!

Steamed Fish with Lemongrass

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Fish marinade
3 stalks lemongrass, sliced thinly
4 red bird eye chillies
30g (1 oz) ginger, julienned
4 kaffir lime leaves
4 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice (optional)
1 whole sea bass, make incisions on both sides of the flesh

Chilli sauce
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 pcs coriander roots
5 red bird eye chillies
1 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp lime juice
4 tbsp water
1 tbsp fish sauce

Method
1) Prepare the chilli sauce ahead. Crush the garlic, coriander roots and red bird eye chillies in a mortar and pestle to obtain a rough paste. Add sugar, lime juice, water and fish sauce and combine well. Keep refrigerated.
2) Place the fish on a platter. Combine all the ingredients and marinte the fish for 5 minutes.
3) Place the fish in a steamer and steam for about 20-25 mins until cooked through but still flakey.
4) Garnish with some coriander leaves and serve with chilli sauce and rice.

Optional garish
Infuse some hot oil with leftover lemongrass. Strain and pour a few drops over the fish for extra flavour.

Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 large pineapple
3 tbsp cooking oil
200g (1/2 lb) chicken leg meat, skinned, boneless, cubed
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cups cooked rice
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
12 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp soya sauce
50g (2 oz) cashew nuts, roasted
50g (2 oz) raisins
Coriander leaves (cilantro) for garnish

Method
1) Cut the pineapple into half lengthwise. Scoup out the flesh, leaving the skin intact so both havles can be used as serving dishes for the rice. Cut the flesh into medium sized cubes. Reserve 100g for the rice and keep the rest for another use.
2) Place the oil in a wok over high heat. Saute the chicken for a few minutes, until cooked. Reduce the heat and add the onion and stir fry till translucent.
3) Add the cooked rice and tumeric powder and stir well until the rice is well mixed in.
4) Add the fish sauce, soya sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
5) Stir in cashew nuts and raisins. Add 100g (1/4 lb) of diced pineapple.
6) Serve hot in the pineapple bowls, garnish with a few cashew nuts, raisins and coriander leaves.

Note
The chicken can be replaced by prawns if desired.

Red Curry with Chicken and Pumpkin

I managed to get the Thai recipes my other cols learnt at Sunrice. Here they are.

Ingredients (serves 4)

Red curry paste
4 red bird eye chillies
5 dried red chillies
6 small shallots
8 cloves of garlic
pinch ground cumin
pinch gound coriander
2 cm galangal
2 stalks lemongrass
1 kaffir lime, rind only

Chicken and pumpkin
400g boneless chicken leg, cut into 1" cubes
2 tbsp cooking oil
4 tbsp red curry paste
2 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp palm sugar
4 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
150g pumpkin, diced, steamed till cooked but firm
20g thai sweet basic leaves
1 red chilli, thinly sliced

Method
1) Prepare the red curry paste ahead of time. Pound all the ingredients together (starting with lemon grass and galangal) to form a fine paste. To make it easier, you may want to chop up the ingredients first. Set aside.
2) Place the oil into a wok and fry the red curry paste for 5 mins over moderate heat until the fragrance emerges. Be careful not to burn the paste, adding a little oil or water if necessary.
3) Add coconut milk. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the fish sauce, palm sugar and kaffir lime leaves.
4) Stir in the pumpkin and cook for 2 mins. Garnish.

Chef's tip:
Carefully remove the flesh from the pumpkin and reserve the skin for use as a serving bowl.

Popiah

This was our competition dish and we won! We were judged on presentation, portion and concept. Kudos to my team for doing such a great job, and thanks to myself for the masterpiece chilli flower carving! :P

Ingredients (serves 4)

Filling
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp garlic, chopped finely
1 tsp preserved soya bean paste
1 bamboo shoot, shredded
200g turnip, shredded finely
1 piece soya bean cake, cut into strips and deep fried
4 popiah skins
1 tsp salt

Garnish
1 tsp sweet flour sauce
1 tsp chilli past
1 tsp garlic paste
1 bunch chinese lettuce (pang chye), washed and drained
50g bean sprouts, blanched
1 hard boiled egg, peeled and cut into strips
100g prawns, steamed and deshelled
1/4 spring coriander leaves (cilantro)
1/4 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and cut into strips
1 cup water

Method
1) Use 2 tbls oil. Stir fry garlic at low heat until slightly fragrant, then turn up heat and add salted soya bean and fry until fragrant.
2) Add in the bamboo shoots and turnip and stir fry for 2 minutes.
3) Add in the water and cook for 5 minutes.
4) Add in the bean cake and season with salt.
5) Fry until water has evaporated. Remember to stir frequently so as not to burn.
6) To assemble, place 1 piece of popiah skin on a flat surface and overlap another piece on top, leaving a portion intersecting. This is so that the popiah skin doesn't break so easily and gives you more surface area to work with. The 'smooth' surface of the popiah skin lies on the flat surface.
7) Spread 1/4 tsp each of garlic and chilli paste and sweet flour sauce in the middle of the skin (the intersecting portion).
8) Lay on the lettuce (remove the stem), bean sprouts and 2 heaped tbls of drained turnip filling onto the centre.
9) Add eggs, prawns and coriander leaf and cucumber according to preference.
10) Roll away from you twice, tuck in the ends and finish to obtain a tight cylinder. Place the roll on its seam. Continue with the rest of the wrappings and filings, place the rolls on a flat dish.
11) Slice cross-wise into 4 portions and serve warm.

Laksa

Ingredients (serves 4)

Paste
3 stalks lemon grass, finely shredded (just the white portion)
2cm galangal, peeled
3 candlenuts
12 dried red chilli, soaked in hot water
6 shallots, finely chopped
1 tsp shrimp paste (balachan)
1 cm fresh tumeric
1 tsp coriander powder

Laksa ingredients
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp dried prawns, soaked in hot water for 30 mins, drained and pounded
3 cups water
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 cups coconut milk (packet type)
400g fresh laksa noddles
100g bean spourts, blanched in boiling water for 15 seconds
4 medium sized prawns, blanched and peeled
50 g fish cake, fried and finely sliced
1 boiled egg, cut into quarters
1/4 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and shredded
5 laksa leaves, shredded (or use a whole stalk, washed and knotted)

Method
1) Start by making the spice paste. Pound all the ingredients to obtain a fine paste. Start with lemongrass, galangal and tumeric, then candlenuts, shallots and dried chillis, and lastly, balachan and add the coriander powder.
2) Heat 4 tbls oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry until fragrant for about 10 minutes. It becomes very dry at this point, so be careful not to burn it. You can add 1 more tsp of oil. It should look glossy at this point.
3) Add the pounded dried prawns and stir fry for another minute.
4) Increase the heat to high, add in 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. You should see the oil sort of separate.
5) Lower the heat to medium and add in the coconut milk; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. There should be a thin layer of oil on top, not too much oil!
6) Add in sugar and salt. (it can be slightly more salty to compensate for the noodles which absorb the taste and are bland)
7) If you find the gravy too thin, let it cool for 10 mins, then warm it up again on medium. Bring it to a simmer and it would have thickened.
8) Blanch the noddles, beanspourts and place in serving bowl. Arrange the fish cakes and egg on top.
9) Pour over the gravy and serve with sliced cucumber.

Sambal String Ray

Went for cooking lessons as part of a team bonding workshop at Sunrice, a culinary academy at Fort Canning. Learnt 3 Singaporean favourites - Sambal Sting Ray, Laksa and Popiah. Never knew it was so easy!

Ingredients (serves 4)

600g sting ray
5g salt
Oil to baste

Sambal chilli tumis
20g dried prawns
75g shallots (about 2)
3 cloves garlic
15 dried red chilli - deseeded and soaked
1/2tsp prawn paste (balachan)

Method

1) Marinate the sting ray with salt and set aside.

2)Pound all the ingredients for the paste together to obtain a fine paste. Start with prawns, garlic and shallots, then chilli and lastly, balachan. To make it easier, you can chop the ingredients up first before pounding.
3) Heat the 4 tbls oil in a pan. Add the paste and stir fry until fragrant. It will turn dry, so keep adding water slowly tsp by tsp and fry until the mixture becomes wet and 'shiny'. The paste should be moist but not like a gravy!
4) Spoon the sambal over the sting ray and pat down, ensuring that the whole surface is covered.
5) Heat a grill and grill the sting ray on each side for 5 mins or until cooked.
6) Alternatively, put sting ray on banana leaf and bake at 180 degrees for 15 mins or until cooked.
7) Garnish with lime and serve hot.

Cornflake cookies

That dratted festival will soon be upon us! Yes, CNY again. I remember getting all excited about the festival - coming home from school and helping Gran make cookies. She'll always make 2 kinds - her delicious butter cookies and also her kueh bankit. No where else have I tasted kueh bankit which quite compares. I'd help her cut the dough with the cookie cutters, crimp out the designs, etc. My aunt would make her delicious pineapple tarts and love letters and never failed to give us at least a tin of each.

Sadly, Gran's receipes are lost to us now. As for my aunt, she's getting on in years and can't bake as much as she used to.

However, in the spirit of baking something festive, I've started my own traditions of baking simple cookies. This year however, the spirit escapes me. Maybe it's the environment, at least in the past in an 'auntie' environment, I was spurred to bake my own goodies and bring them to work, sharing in the season. Everyone would be in on it, baking their own goodies and bringing them to work. I miss those times.

This is the prized receipe of my ex-colleague, a super duper baker.

Ingredients
10 oz self-raising flour
1 egg
8 oz butter
6 oz fine sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 box cornflakes

Method
1) Cream butter, sugar & egg till sugar has melted.
2) Add vanilla, flour slowly bit by bit.
3) Finally add the crushed cornflakes.
4) Press together hard into a ball and fit them into tiny paper cups. U can coat some cornflakes on the outside too.
5) Bake at 120 degrees for about 45 mins.