Chinese chive and prawn scrambled egg ??????

This recipe is so simple easy and tasty. Only takes 5 - 10 minutes! Great with rice, noodles or pile high on fresh bread.

1 x (200 - 250g) packet of raw or frozen (or fresh) peeled king prawns
about 150 - 180g of Chinese chive (if not available sub with spring onion/scallion)
4 - 5 eggs
a little light soy
1 tsp cornflour
few drops of sesame oil
some ground pepper
pinch of salt
some cooking oil

Read More

Steamed fish with black bean sauce and tomato

Chinese New Year is just a week away. In Chinese tradition, fish is always a must have for the festive meal. Fish is auspicious to symbolise there will always be plenty year after year. In Chinese phrase it is called 'nian nian you yu' ???? or ????. Here the word fish ? sounds the same as ? which means plenty left.

Steamed fish is very popular for any Chinese festive meals. Fish for steaming

Read More

Honey lemon and ginger fish

I love honey, lemon and ginger hot drink. I have it quite often with or without a cold. This combination also works for a Chinese style sweet and sour.

Here is the recipe for this simple fried fish with honey lemon and ginger sauce.

Ingredients:

about 500g fish fillet
1 tbsp soy sauce
pinch of ground pepper
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 egg beaten

1/2 cup of cooking oil

Read More

Garlic fried prawns ????

Gon Jin Ha Look ????

This is my mum's Cantonese dried fried prawns with garlic we called gon jin ha look. Simple and so tasty. We always used very large king prawns (about 5 - 6 " long) and always with the shell and head on. Shells and heads are so good licking and sucking the sweet juice from the head. The garlic cloves are fried till light brown and very sweet.

Large raw king prawns can be

Read More

Masak lemak labu & udang (Creamy pumpkin and prawn curry)

If you ask me what do I cook most, my answer will probably be Chinese and Malay food. I love the rich and aromatic Malay/Nyonya curries, salad, cakes and cookies. I can get most of the spices, herbs and other Malay ingredients over here to make almost anything I want, though many ingredients can be quite expensive over here than back home.

Today recipe is a Malay style pumpkin and prawn curry

Read More

Copycat fried 'dace' fish with black beans ?????

I was talking with Josh of Cooking The Book the other day about canned fried dace with black bean 'dou si lian yue ????' and how difficult to find them these days due to limited import because of suspected contaminated fish used for manufacturing. I have a craving since for this salty chewy leathery fish with yummy black beans.

Couple of days ago I was shopping in Lidl and they had frozen

Read More

Caramelized Anchovies & Peanuts ???????

When I was a kid, I love this dish made by grandaunt. It goes very well with plain rice porridge.

� cup cleaned split dried anchovies (don�t wash them!)
� cup raw peanuts
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
3 Tbsp cooking oil

1. In a dry wok, low heat, fry peanuts for 2 minutes or until skin is dry and can be removed easily. Remove skins by rubbing them with fingers and blow the skins away.
2. Medium low heat, heat oil and fry anchovies until golden. Dish up.
3. With remaining oil in wok, return peeled peanuts into oil and fry until light golden. Put fried anchovies back in and put in sugar and soy sauce. Stir until lightly caramelized.
4. Turn off fire and continue to toss until nicely caramelized. Try to toss until warm and not hot, so that the anchovies won�t stick to each other later.

Read More

Steamed Chinese Whitebait ????

Chinese Whitebait, or some call it Silver Anchovies, or baby anchovies, even blue eye anchovies..
Anyway, it's those teeny weeny white coloured dried mini anchovies.

My late father loves this simple dish. My late grandaunt taught me how to make this.

Very simple to make:

Ingredients
50gm mini anchovies (rinsed and drained)
1 tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 Tbsp finely chopped red chili
1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic

Mix everything together and steam for 10 minutes or just put plate on top of rice when water in rice cooker is reduced.

Read More

Patin Masak Pedas (Silver Catfish in Hot Gravy)

One good thing about moving to Kuala Kangsar is � Abundant fresh river catches at very reasonable prices.

Every Saturday morning there is this Pasar Tani (Farmer�s Market) nearby where I stay. There�re 2 stalls that sell live river fish� still alive and swimming around. If u can�t stand the sight of the fish mongers killing them by banging them on the head�..don�t look. It does look brutal.

One swimming Patin goes for RM8/kg. I know it�s more expensive than Tesco (less than RM4/kg)..but hey, this is alive and it�s from Perak River� not ikan lombong (mining pool fish).. very nice and sweet.

I was introduced to this dish when I was in Selancar, Pahang, by Pak Yob.. the canteen man of my first school (as a teacher)

Ingredients:-

500 gm ikan patin

A)
3 pieces asam keping (tamarind fruit pieces) or more, depending on the maturity of the fruit, the younger, the more u'll need
� tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 bunga kantan- halved (ginger flower)

B)
2 hot red chilies or more
3 shallots
2 cloves garlic
2 cm ginger
1 cup of water

Method:
1. Blend (B) in a blender.
2. Pour into a wok and bring to a boil.
3. Add (A) and fish.
4. Cook for 10 minutes or until fish is cooked.
5. Dish up.

Read More

Sweet and Sour Fish ???

Black pomfret, is the usual fish of choice for most of my friends� mothers to make this dish, and we usually call it, Tomato Sauce Fish (Keh Jup Yue). Malaysian style is done with a hint of chili in it. One of my favourite childhood dishes.

I used sole (ikan sebelah, or jor hou yue-left mouth fish) for this. It goes wonderfully well with this method of cooking.

Sweet and Sour Fish Recipe

1 piece of sole (abt the size of my palm)
� tsp salt
1 Tbsp corn starch
� cup cooking oil

1 red onion (halved and sliced)
1 red chili (seeded and cut into strips)

1 red tomato, cut into wedges

A)
3 Tbsp tomato ketchup
2 Tbsp chili sauce (maggi type)
1 Tbsp sugar
1/3 tsp salt
3/4 cup water

1. Run knife across the body of fish to create cuts into flesh, but not through the bone.
2. Marinate fish with salt for 10 minutes.
3. Rub cornstarch onto fish.
4. Heat oil in wok and pan fry fish until golden. Dish up.
5. Discard some of the oil and retain about 1-2 tbsp of oil.
6. Saute red onion and chili until fragrant and soft.
7. Mix A together and pour into wok. Bring to a boil. Put in tomato wedges. If more gravy is desired, add more water and some cornstarch.
8. Put fish back in for 10 seconds each side to soak up some gravy. Dish up and serve.

Read More

Assam Prawns ???

This is another family favourite from Grandaunty.

When grandaunty made this dish last time, she�ll divide the prawns equally among family members. The children have lunch and dinner at home, and the adults only have dinner. If we�ve eaten all our prawns by lunch, then it�s no more by dinner. No stealing!!! So, we�ll eat half of our portion and save the rest for dinner. We learn to cherish our assam prawns.

This is a slightly different version that most of the assam prawns that I�ve eaten in restaurants. Ours is slightly carameled, rather sweet and made with very simple ingredients.

Ingredients:
300 gm prawns (as thick as my index finger when shelled, about 200gm)
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp tamarind paste
� tsp salt
1 red chili, finely chopped.
2 Tbsp oil

Method:
1. Shell prawns, leaving on the tail.
2. Add in sugar and salt.
3. Marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Add in tamarind paste. Combine well using fingers, removing seeds (if there is) as the fingers rub the tamarind paste onto the prawns.
5. Add in chili. Mix well.
6. Heat wok, add in 2 Tbsp oil and wait until the oil is hot, pour in prawns.
7. Fry them until prawns are slightly caramelized. Dish up.



***
The remaining oil is best used to fry kangkung� or other belacan based dishes.

***
Cook prawns immediately after adding in tamarind. If not they�ll taste half rotten later.

Read More

Fried Fish with Salsa

My husband doesn't like sour stuff, so I made the salsa as a dip.
If u like tangy stuff, just prepare salsa just before serving and pour over fish.

Ingredients

1 medium sized trevally-Malays call this fish ikan nyok nyok (abt 8 inches long, or any fish u prefer)
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Salsa Recipe
1 small firm red tomato (diced small)
1 small red onion (not shallot, diced small)
2 small bird's eye chili (I used cili burung, the much smaller version)
juice from 1 lime
zest from 1 lime
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Method:
Marinate fish with salt and pepper for half an hour.
Fry fish on shallow oil til golden brown.
Mix together salsa ingredients.
Pour over fish or serve as a dip.

Read More

Spicy Lala ????

This dish was created when I needed to rinse my chili sauce bottle.

An instant hit with my hubby, adding more fans to the list later on.

kekekeke..

Lalas taste best when cooked fresh, and for that I mean, when they are still alive. When u get them home, soak them in water (around 2L for 500gm lala) with 2 tsp of salt. This way, they'll come alive and peek out of their shells....When they peek out, they'll also spew out the silt in them.

The thing about cooking lala is that, they have to be parboiled beforehand.

Just boil some water, dump them in and wait until they open up. Some may open up faster and some later. Take out those that opened up earlier and wait for the rest to open up. Discard lalas that don't open. They may be dead before u cooked them, or they are just empty shells containing silt. This way, the sauce that u cook them in later on will not be watery and "fishy".

If you're not cooking them the day u bought them, parboil and keep in the fridge for a day or 2. Don't keep live lalas in the fridge, it'll kill them, and u'll end up having dead lalas.

Ingredients:

500 gm lalas (parboiled)

1/2 cup finely chopped big red onion

1 pip garlic, finely chopped

1 red chili, finely chopped (omit if u're no fan of chili)

1 Tbsp meat curry powder (I use Baba's)

3 Tbsp chilli sauce (Maggi type)

3/4 cup water

3/4 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp chopped green onions

Heat wok, saute garlic in oil til fragrant, add in onions and chili. Fry until soft and very fragrant. Add in curry powder, saute for a minute or until fragrant, then put in chili sauce.

Give it another minute then pour in water, salt and sugar. Cook until sauce thickens, taste... .Put in parboiled lalas and give it a good stir.

Dish up and sprinkle on chopped green onions.

****

If u have curry leaves or lemon grass, feel free to add in during the curry powder stage.

This is always a sudden add-on dish bcos my MIL often gets it from her lala seller friend, and I don't have fresh herbs around my house. Even w/o curry leaves or lemon grass, it still taste good.

Do try this out!!

Read More

Scrambled Egg Whites with Prawns ?????

After making 2 strawberry mirror cakes in a week, I had 8 egg whites left in my fridge, what to do with it besides making meringue or other desserts?? Make some scrambled egg whites then..

Ingredients:
Half cup shelled prawns
8 egg whites
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 Tbsp chopped green onions

Method:
Heat wok and put in oil. Fry prawns with salt until they are fragrant and pink. Pour in the egg whites and stir with the spatula until all egg whites are cooked. Don't cook the egg whites for too long, else they will be tough and not smooth. Stir in chopped green onions and dish up.

Read More

Tuna �Tataki� Provencal � The difference between fusion and confusion

�Fusion� cuisine is nothing new. For many years Chefs have been combining aspects from different cuisines to create new and exciting combinations. That Chipolte aioli mayo spread you had on that meatloaf sandwich last week is just one example. When done correctly this �Fusion� cuisine can result in some amazing dishes. Unfortunately, in many cases, these combinations are forced and contrived and just don�t work. When that happens you have what Chefs jokingly call �Confusion� cuisine.

The dish I�m doing today, I hope, is an example of fusion cuisine done right. I�m using a classic Provencal combination of fresh tuna served over a very flavorful Blood Orange Tapenade Citronette. The style I�m using to prepare the tuna is classic Japanese sashimi technique called �Tataki.� This is my favorite way to eat tuna at my local Sushi Bar. They take the freshest tuna possible, give it a quick sear on all sides, slice it thin, and serve it with the traditional sushi garnishes; soy, wasabi, pickled ginger, etc.

I thought this �Tataki� method of cooking would be perfect to use with this delicious tapenade. I was right! It was amazing and incredibly easy. Bye the way, if you are afraid to try sushi (eeewwww, raw fish!) this is a great way to get over your fears. As I say in the clip, this is much closer in taste and texture to a rare piece of beef tenderloin than any fish you�ve had. I hope you can find some fresh tuna and give this a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4-5 oz. Sushi or Sashimi grade Ahi tuna
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbl olive oil
serve with our Blood Orange Tapenade Citronette

Read More

Pan-Roasted Halibut Cheeks with Warm Pancetta Vinaigrette

I was originally going to use scallops for this dish, but when I looked at the fish case at the market and saw fresh halibut cheeks, my menu changed quickly! If you can find halibut cheeks you HAVE to try them. If your market carries regular halibut fillet or steaks, ask the fish person to get you some cheeks. Frozen are fine and they can probably do a special order for you. These are actually sweet, succulent pockets of meat found in the cheeks of the fish. It looks, and also cooks, like a scallop. It is the kind of thing that the fish mongers take home to eat themselves while they laughing at us poor suckers stuck with the fillet!

Warm pancetta vinaigrette is a wonderful sauce for this dish (as it is with almost any dish), and a little goes a long way. I served my cheeks on top of some bright yellow spaghetti squash with is a great, and healthy base for this recipe. Just the pancetta dressing on the squash would have been a winner. Check the site for a demo on how to prep the squash, as it is a very simple and delicious side dish.


Ingredients:
1 Pound Wild Halibut Cheeks (Or Scallops, Tuna, Etc)
3 Oz Pancetta or Bacon
1 Large Handful Pea Shoots Or Sprouts
1 Clove Garlic
1/3 Cup Rice Vinegar
1 Tsp Dijon Mustard
Black Pepper
Salt
2 Tbl Olive Oil
1 Lemon

Read More

Crispy Skin Salmon on Warm Potato Mushroom Salad with Cherry Tomato Citronette

This dish shows off the importance of contrasting textures and temperatures when assembling a dish. The hot, crisp skinned salmon tops a warm, soft, earthy mushroom and potato salad; both are surrounded by a cool, tangy tomato citronette (vinaigrette made with citrus instead of vinegar). You�ll be amazed how delicious the skin of the salmon gets when cooked this crisp! It also has a high concentration of the healthy oils that salmon is renowned for.

NOTE: cooking time for the salmon was 5 minutes on the skin side, and then 2 minutes on the other. This gave me a nice medium doneness (a bit pink in the middle).

Ingredients:
2 Boneless Wild Salmon Fillet (4-5 Oz. Each) SKIN ON!!!
8 Oz Cooked Yukon Gold Potato
2 Cups Mushrooms
1 Clove Garlic
1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes
1 Tsp Herb Mustard
Olive Oil
1 Lemon
Salt and Pepper
Cayenne

Read More

Classic Sole �Dore�

If you are afraid to cook fish, this is this demo for you! This has to be the easiest �gourmet� method for fish I�ve ever seen. This will work for any thin, flaky white fish fillets, but Sole is the traditional choice.

We topped the fish with is a simple lemon, caper butter sauce. I will also demo this on the site and you would be well-served to learn this classic and versatile sauce.

Read More

Cream of Cauliflower with Fried Oysters and Chervil � A warm take on a cold �French Laundry� classic

For those of you that don�t already now, the French Laundry is a small gourmet restaurant located in Yountville, CA, in the Napa Valley. It�s considered by many the finest restaurant in the country and the Chef/owner, Thomas Keller, is consider by many the country�s top Chef.

I�ve had the pleasure of eating there twice, and for a hardcore foodie it�s about as good as it gets. Chef Keller does a 9-course fixed price (think down payment on a small car) tasting menu that shows off the finest local ingredients, as well as his classical, yet creative techniques.

The first course I had there sounded very unusual when I read it on the menu. It was a cauliflower �panna cotta� topped with a fresh raw oyster and caviar. Why I was a bit apprehensive is because a panna cotta is a cold flan-like Italian dessert. My initial fear was soon replaced by epicurean bliss as I enjoyed maybe the single best first course I�ve ever had. A savory, cold, silky smooth cauliflower flan-like custard topped with a glistening freshly shucked oyster, garnished with a large spoon of Ossetra caviar. It was amazing, as were the rest of the courses.

This clip you are about to see it a sort of warm version of those same ingredients (except the caviar, but feel free to add). It�s also partly inspired by a very old fashioned soup, �oyster stew� which is simply oysters poached in milk or cream.

The clip would have been 15 minutes long if I mentioned everything I wanted to. So be sure to post a comment if you need more info, or I wasn�t clear enough on some of the steps.

Ingredients:
2 heads of cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 sliced shallot or 1/4 onion
2 clove garlic
2 tbl butter
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chervil 1 quart chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
fresh shucked oysters
seasoned flour (flour with salt, pepper, cayenne to taste)
3 whole eggs
plain breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for frying

Read More

Wild Salmon with Fresh Mango and Pepper Jam Relish - a.k.a. Salmon Mango Bango

What�s the best thing about being a chef? It�s being able to name your dishes anything you want! That�s right. If you invent it, you get to name it. So when I came up with this recipe I thought I would completely abuse that privilege and think of something really ridiculous. All kidding aside, mango and salmon are a great pairing. The exotic, tropical tang of the fruit and the richness of the wild salmon work wonderfully together. The �bango� comes from the spicy, sweet pepper jam I use to bind the fresh mango relish. This dish is also a great example of how just a few ingredients can produce big flavors.

Pepper jams are a wonderfully versatile products and every good cook�s pantry should stock several of them. Check your local market and I�ll bet you find a few varieties next to the regular fruit jams and jellies. Any specialty foods store will have many to choose from.

Also, wild salmon is really the only way to go for many, many reasons. I won�t give you a lecture here, but if you do a bit of research, you may never eat farmed again. Hopefully you have access to fresh wild salmon near you. If not, the frozen choices are actually quite good these days, and far superior to fresh farmed salmon in my opinion.

Read More