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!