Saucy Prawns with Pineapples

Ingredients

12 medium-sized prawns - deshelled and deveined

1 tomato - diced

2 tbsp frozen green peas

1/2 cup water

1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp cooking oil

Spice Mix

4 dried red chillies

3 red chillies

2 cloves garlic

1cm ginger

1 cm fresh turmeric or 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 stalk lemon grass

Method

1. Season prawns with salt and pepper for 15 mins.
2. Blend ingredients for spice mix.  Heat up oil in a pan and stir fry spice mix until aromatic.  Add sugar and water and bring sauce to a boil.
3. Add prawns, tomato and green peas to the mixture and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Check seasonings and add salt if needed.  Dish up and serve warm.

Baked Cabbage Spring Roll

Ingredients

1/2 small cabbage - cut into thin strips

2 carrots - peeled and julienned finely

1/4 bowl black fungus - soaked and cut into thin strips
dried shitake mushrooms - soaked and cut into thin strips
1 tbsp dried prawns - soaked in water and drained
1 small bunch dried vermicelli (dong fen) - soaked in water and drained

1/2 white onion - sliced thinly
2 shallots - sliced thinly

3 cloves of garlic - chopped finely

some cornstarch solution - for sealing

spring roll wrappers

Seasonings

2 tbsp of oyster sauce

2 tbsp of soy sauce

1/2 tsp of sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Thaw the frozen spring roll wrappers. (half hour before using)
2. Heat up the wok with 1 tbsp of oil. Add in dried prawns and stir fry until fragrant. Remove from wok and set aside for later use.
3. With the remaining oil, fry the onion, shallot and garlic until fragrant.
4. Add in dried mushroom, black fungus, carrots and cabbage. Stir fry for a few minutes.  Add vermicelli and mix well.
5. Add in all the seasonings and 1/2 cup of water. Continue cooking for another few minutes until all ingredients are cooked.
6. Check seasonings and set aside to cool.
7. Peel off a piece of wrapper and place it on a flat surface. Place 2 tbsp of cooked filling in the center of the wrapper, pull over both ends and roll up the wrapper. Brush the end with some cornstarch solution to seal. Heat up some oil in a frying pan and deep fry the spring rolls until golden brown. Drain the oil and serve with some sweet chilli sauce.

Salmon with Indian Curry

recipe adapted fm cookbook "Food of The World"
Ingredients
3 tbsp oil
1 onion - finely sliced
1 ripe tomato - chopped
2 onions - finely chopped
8 garlic cloves - chopped
4 green chillies - chopped
5cm (2-inch) pc ginger - grated
100ml (1/3 cup) tamarind puree
5 tbsp coconut milk
1.2 to 1.5 lb or 1 kg salmon steaks or cutlets

Spice Mix
4 dried chillies -cut into small pcs
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground turmeric

Method

1. Prepare the spice mix by grinding the chillies, cumin, coriander and mustard seeds to a fine powder using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, then mixing with the garam masala and turmeric.
2. Heat oil over low heat in a heavy-based frying pan large enough to hold the pieces of fish in a single layer. 
3. Add the sliced onion and fry until frgrant.  Add the tomato, chopped onion, garlic, green chilli and ginger and fry, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the oil separates from the sauce.
4. Add the spice mix and the tarmarind to the pan and bring to a boil.  Add the coconut milk and stir until well mixed.  Season with salt to taste.
5. Add the fish and bring slowly to a boil.  The sauce is not very liquid but it needs to be made very hot in order to cook the fish.  Simmer for 5 minutes, then turn the peices of fish over and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the sauce is thick.

Black Glutinous Rice Dessert

 Bubur Pulut Hitam

Ingredients

for 2 servings

3/4 cup black glutinous rice

1/2 cup palm sugar

5-10 tbsp white sugar

1/2 cup coconut milk

5 cups water

2 pandan leaves - knotted

Method

1. Wash the rice with water and rinse.  Soak in water for a few hours or overnight.
2. Boil water and pandan leaves in a pot.  Add the rice and bring to a boil.  When boiling, reduce to low heat and stir occasionally to prevent the rice from getting burnt. 
3. Continue to boil for 1 hour or more or until rice is soft and breaks up.  Top up with more water once the mixture gets too dry while boiling.
4. When the mixture becomes mushy, remove the pandan leaves from the pot and add palm sugar and white sugar and stir to mix well.  Check sweetness and add more sugar if needed.
5. Top the dessert with spoonfuls of coconut milk before serving.

Deep Fried Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients

2 chicken drumsticks - deboned

2 eggs - beaten

panko breadcrumbs

cooking oil for deep frying

Seasonings

dash of onion powder

dash of garlic powder

1/2 tsp sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Marinate the chicken cutlets with seasonings for 1 hour or more.
2. Heat up oil in a deep frying pan over high heat until the oil ripples and bubbles erupt when you dip a wooden chopstick into the oil.  Reduce heat to medium low.
3. Dip the chicken cutlets into the beaten egg and then transfer the cutlets to the panko crumbs, coating both sides completely.
4. Place them in the hot oil, frying each side for about 5 minutes or until both sides are golden brown and crispy.  Transfer to a paper towel to drain the excess oil.  Serve immediately with your favourite greens.

Squash Soup with Peanuts

Ingredients

1 small squash - skin removed and cut into chunks

6 pcs of pork ribs

10 red dates

1 small bowl peanuts - soaked overnight

1 small pc dried cuttlefish

4 pcs dried scallops

2 slices of ginger

1 pot of water

Method

1. Parboil the pork ribs.  Put all the ingredients into a pressure cooker except for the squash.  Add enough water to cook the ingredients.
2. Once the pressure starts to build up, switch to medium low heat and boil for 20 mins.  When it is safe to open the lid, add the squash and boil for another 5 - 10 mins.  Serve warm.

Stuffed Sweet Peppers with Fermented Black Bean

Ingredients

1 small bowl of minced pork

8 to 10 sweet peppers

2 green chillies

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp fermented black beans

cooking oil

Seasonings for minced pork

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp huatiao wine

1 tsp cornstarch

salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 cup water

Method

1. Marinate the meat with seasonings for 30 mins or more.
2. Use a sharp knife and make a long cut on the peppers.  Remove the seeds and membrane.  Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture until it reaches the top edge.
3. Heat some oil and pan fry the stuffed peppers, with meat stuffing facing down until brown.  Remove and set aside.
4. With the remaining oil, saute the garlic, black beans and green chillies till fragrant.  Add sauce to the pan and bring it to a boil.
5. Add the peppers and mix well.  Add a little cornstarch solution to thicken the sauce.  Serve warm.

Baked Salmon with Miso

Ingredients

2 salmon steak

black sesame seeds

Seasonings

1 tbsp miso paste

2 tbsp rice wine

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp honey

Method

1. Mix together the seasonings.  Marinate the salmon with the seasonings for 2 hours or more.
2. Heat up a little oil in a pan.  Brown the skin of the salmon and place it in a baking tray.
3. Preheat oven to 390F.  Place tray into oven and bake for 15-18 mins or until salmon is cooked.
4. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds over the fish before serving.

Stir-Fried Pig's Liver

Ingredients

1 small pkt of pig's liver

green onion - cut into 1 inch pcs

1 tsp chopped garlic

some julienned ginger

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp huatiao wine

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp cooking oil

1/4 bowl of water

cornstarch solution

Method

1. Rinse the pig's liver with water.  Slice it into thin pieces.  Soak the sliced pig's liver in cornstarch solution for 10 mins.  Pour away the water and drained.
2. Heat up sesame oil and cooking oil in a pan and saute the garlic, ginger, green onion and chilli till fragrant.  Add soy sauce and huatiao wine and quickly stir fry to mix.  Add water to the mixture and cover.
3. When the water starts to boil, add the pig's liver to the pan and quickly stir fry for a while.  Cover for 1 to 2 mins or until it is almost cooked.
4. Add some cornstarch solution to thicken the sauce.
5. Transfer dish to a serving plate and serve immdiately.

Braised Chicken with Squash

Ingredients

1 lb chicken pieces - chopped into pieces
1 acorn squash - cut into big chunks
2 dried chillies
2 slices ginger
1 shallot - sliced
3 cloves garlic - unpeeled and lightly mashed
2 star anise
4 cm cinnamon stick
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp cooking oil


Sauce
1 tbsp oyster
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine


Method

1. Heat up a large pan under medium heat and fry the chicken pieces till they are browned.  Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Add oil to the pan, fry the dried chillies, ginger and garlic till fragrant.  Add chicken pieces, star anise, cinnamon stick, sauce and water to the pan.
3. Cover and let it simmer under medium low heat for 20 minutes.  Add squash and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the ingredients are to desired softness.
4. Ladle into a serving plate and serve warm.