Posts RSS Subscribe to Feed
Sign Up for Latest Recipes!

Light French Apple Tart

Monday, March 31, 2008 | Labels: , , | 4 Comments »

So I decided to put on my baking hat again today since it's Sunday and frankly, weekends are the only time I have for baking as the latter does involve a fair amount of work and unfortunately, a floury mess! But, the efforts were well worth it - my apple tart was a joy to my eyes when it came out almost perfect! I don't really want to cut into it at all! Anyways, I first baked a French Apple Tart back about 5 years ago when I was still living in Malaysia for my dear little brother who was the only one in my family with a sweet tooth. Although I myself don't really have much of a sweet tooth, I loved baking and having him try out my baking endeavours.

The French Apple Tart I feel is lighter than most tarts and does not involve pilings of custard or cream. This tart is quite simple to make but as usual with pastries, the crust was the most challenging yet most fun part! To bake this tart, you will need a 9-10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Click here for my colourful Neopolitan Marble Cake Recipe


Ingredients:

For the sweet crust:

2 cups flour (no need to sift)
2 large eggs
6 tbsp butter (unsalted)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cold water

For the filling:

3-4 Granny Smith apples (these apples are a favourite for cooking as they are firmer in texture)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Apricot glaze:

1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tbsp water



Method:

Mix the dry ingredients for the crust together in a mixing bowl. You can either use a food processor to mix or simply use a spoon a.k.a the old-fashioned way which is what I did. Next, add in the butter and cream with an electric mixer (Yeah, I succumbed) until well blended. Now, add in the eggs and cold water. Mix well. The mixture should start to resemble a ball. Remove the electric mixer. Flour your hands lightly and knead into a ball. Now, flour a surface lightly and place the dough ball onto the floured surface. Keep a bowl of flour on hand for kneading purposes. Shape the dough into a flattened ball and refrigerate for about 1 hour if you can. However, you can also opt to roll out the dough immediately but with extra care.

Roll out the dough as evenly as you can, taking care to add flour onto the surface when necessary. Roll it out to a 12 inch diameter circle. Place into the pan carefully, pressing into the bottom and sides well. The dough should be easily handled, if not you might have put too much butter. You can also try folding the flattened dough in half lightly and placing on top of the pan, simply unfold the dough and let slide into the pan easily. The extra dough overlapping the sides of the pan should be trimmed off with a paring knife. It's always better to have extra dough than finding yourself in need of dough to fill the pan!

When you are ready to bake the tart, pre-heat your oven to 350 fahrenheit degrees. Now, peel and core the apples. Slice the apples into 1/4 inch pieces for placing on top of the crust. It's easier to simply slice the halves and place them on the crust before fanning them out. Place the apple slices closest towards the crust first and place the last half in the center of the crust (as pictured).

Photobucket

Now, dust the apples with the cinnamon and sugar mixture as evenly as you can. Place the tart onto the bottom rack of your oven. Bake for about 45 minutes or until crust turns golden brown.

Once the tart is done (cool the tart for abou 5-10 minutes on a wire rack), prepare the apricot glaze by boiling the water and apricot preserves. Sift the mixture to ensure that the fruit bits do not get mixed into the glaze. Brush the glaze on top of the apples and you're done! The apple tart is good simply on its own, or you may serve with ice cream or whipped cream of your choice.

You can also make the glaze in advance but when you're ready to brush onto the tart, heat the glaze again till warm.

Tip: Place a medium sized bowl underneath the tart pan when cooled, and let the sides slide away. If the crust is done right, the sides should slide away easily.




Bookmark and Share

Home-made crab and shrimp balls

Sunday, March 30, 2008 | Labels: , , | No Comment »

It's easy to make crab or shrimp balls at home. You may substitute the crab and shrimp with fish or other types of shellfish if you so wish e.g. scallops, squid etc. I prefer to make my own ones as I am able to minimise the fillers and I usually chop my shrimp coarsely to have an added 'bite'.

Photobucket

Ingredients:

1/2 pound shrimp, coarsely chopped
1 cup of canned or fresh white crabmeat
1 tbsp scallions, finely chopped (optional)

Seasoning:

Dash of sake
1 tbsp light soy sauce
Dash of sesame oil
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp mirin

You will need:

Shrink/ food wrap
1 egg white to bind the ingredients

Method:

Firstly, mix all the above ingredients together, either in a food processor or as I did, simply chop them all up together, mixing as you do so. Mix in the seasoning and blend well. Remember to add the egg white as well which will serve to bind the mixture. Next, cut out 8 5"x5" squares of the wrap and set aside. Spoon about 1-2 tbsp of the mixture (depending on what size of the seafood balls you want) into the middle of the square and wrap tightly while forming a ball with the seafood mixture. Double wrap the 'plastic ball' with another layer of food wrap and twist to secure tightly. Repeat with remaining mixture and squares until done. Finally, simply heat ample water for boiling and boil the wrapped seafood mixtures for 15-20 minutes. Unwrap the plastic and you're ready to serve! After boiling, you may also opt to deep-fry or pan-fry the seafood balls.

These make good appetisers or may also be served in broth.

Bookmark and Share

Chinese steamed tofu with shallots and dried shrimp oil

Sunday, March 30, 2008 | Labels: , , , | 1 Comment »

This dish only involves the steaming of the tofu and the quick cooking of the shallot and dried shrimp sauce which is poured on top of the tofu. Very simple and easy to make, not compromising on taste of course!

Photobucket

Ingredients:

1 block of soft silken tofu
1 stalk green onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1-2 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked
1-2 tbsp light soy sauce
dash of dark soy sauce

Photobucket

Method:

Firstly, steam the tofu until cooked which will take about 15-20 minutes. Once the tofu is cooked, remove from steamer and set aside. Heat the wok and pour in about 1 tbsp cooking oil. Cook the shallots, green onions and dried shrimp (drained) until fragrant. Remove from heat and add the soy sauces. Simply pour on top of the tofu and serve hot. Garnish with some green onions if desired.
Bookmark and Share

Asian Neopolitan Marble Cake

Saturday, March 29, 2008 | Labels: , , , | 9 Comments »

As I don't really have a sweet tooth (fortunately!), I prefer plain cakes without heavy icing or cream although those do look very pretty! Since the weekend is coming, I decided to bake marble cake that goes really good with coffee or tea. I love to dunk the cake into coffee - anyhow, this is a simple recipe I adapted from my mom. Usually marble cakes have 2 colours, one being the plain butter part and the other being the dark cocoa part. However, I decided to use milo powder instead and added a third colour with food colouring. Makes a very pretty swirly cake! As I used red food colouring for my third colour, my dear friend commented that the finished cake looked almost like Neopolitan ice-cream, hence I decided to name my cake the Neopolitan Marble Cake..haha.

Photobucket

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups cake flour (sifted)
1/3 cup milk
1 stick butter, softened (I used salted)
2 tbsp milo or cocoa powder (mixed with 2 tbsp hot water)
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup sugar

Photobucket
Don't forget to twirl the mixture with a fork to create the pretty swirly effect!

Method:

Firstly, pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a 9 inch round pan by greasing the pan and placing a piece of parchment paper at the bottom of the pan. Now, cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. Next, add in the vanilla essence and mix well. Crack the eggs into the mixture one by one, mixing after each one. Add half of the sifted flour and half of the milk into the mixture, making sure to mix well after each addition. Continue doing so until you have mixed in all the flour and milk. Next, divide the batter into 3 portions. Leave one plain, add the milo powder or cocoa powder to the second one and finally add some food colouring of your choice to the third portion. You can always just opt to have the 2 colours in your cake or if you're in the mood for plain butter cake, just place the mixture into the pan after mixing well without dividing into the 3 portions. Place the pan in the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes. Check with a toothpick inserted into the middle to see if the cake is cooked, the toothpick should come out dry once cake is fully cooked.

Of course, if you're in the mood for icing, this is a great basic cake for dressing up as you please!

Photobucket
Bookmark and Share

Click here for my colourful Neopolitan Marble Cake Recipe

Fried fish in garlic and shallot oil

Friday, March 28, 2008 | Labels: , , | 4 Comments »

This pan-fried rockfish is flavoured mainly with garlic and shallots. Cooked properly, each bite should be infused with the strong fragrance of shallots and garlic. Rubbing the skin of the fish with salt before pan-frying ensures that the flesh remains moist and juicy when you bite into it. It's advisable to use a non-stick pan for sure to minimise the case of the fish with bits of skin missing!

Photobucket

Ingredients:

1 small-medium sized rockfish (or any white fish)
Salt
Corn starch
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cloves shallots, minced
1 stalk green onion
1-2 bird's eye chilli (optional)
Cooking oil

Method:

Firstly, make 2 slits on each side of the fish's body to ensure easier cooking and also for the flavours to be absorbed easier. Next, pat the fish dry with a kitchen towel or paper towel. It's quite imperative to get the fish as dry as possible. Now, rub the fish lightly with salt and next dust each side lightly with corn starch. This is to ensure that the skin of the fish does not stick to your pan.

Heat up some cooking oil, about 2 tablespoons. Once hot, place the garlic and shallots into the pan and saute until fragrant. and garlic starts to brown a little. Remove from oil and set aside. Now, pan fry the fish on each side in the garlic and shallot oil until cooked. This should take about 5-8 minutes each side on medium heat depending on the size of your fish. Once cooked, lift carefully and place on a dish. Spoon the garlic and shallots that were earlier sauteed onto the fish. Add the green onions and chillis on top of the fish. Although there is no sauce for this dish, my fish turned out crispy on the outside and moist inside. Delicious indeed!

Photobucket
As you can see, my pan was not big enough for the fish, so unfortunately, that led to the crooked tail!

Bookmark and Share

Garlic Butter Prawns with Beech Mushrooms

Thursday, March 27, 2008 | Labels: , , | No Comment »

I love prawns, basically seafood of most kinds - and I love garlic so these prawns smothered in garlic and wine butter were perfect. I added some beech mushrooms I had in the fridge into the mix and they provided an interesting texture to the dish. Tasted great too! The fun thing about cooking is that you can be creative, sometimes it works out and sometimes it does not but it's always fun! These prawns would serve as a great party dish as well. You can also opt to just cook the prawns without the mushrooms.

Photobucket

Ingredients:

20 medium sized raw prawns/ shrimp
Beech mushrooms (optional)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 stick of butter
1 tsp corn starch
1/4 cup of white wine
Salt to taste
Italian seasoning or chopped parsley

Method:

Simply heat the pan until hot. Next add in the butter, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces for easier cooking. When the butter is half melted, add the garlic slices in. Once fragrant, add the white wine and stir around for a couple of minutes. You may add the corn starch now if you wish to thicken the sauce. Finally add in the prawns and mushrooms (if using), saute until prawns and mushrooms are cooked. Add salt to taste. Sprinkle some Italian seasoning or parsley on top and serve. The sauce is great as a dipping sauce for crusty bread as well. The darling little mushrooms provide a nice touch to an otherwise more or less classic dish.

Please click here for my Golden Crispy Prawns with Lotus Seeds recipe

Bookmark and Share

Simple Stir Fried Pork

Wednesday, March 26, 2008 | Labels: , , , | 1 Comment »

I finished work a little later today and was feeling rather lethargic. Hence, I whipped up this simple pork stir fry for a quick meal with rice. The ginkgo leaf plate is simply adorable and I broke it out today for today's dish that I got at Crate & Barrel over the weekend in Fashion Valley. You can purchase this plate online here.

Photobucket

Ingredients:

1/2 pound pork loin slices
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 stalk green onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 clove shallot, sliced

Method:

Heat up some oil in a wok. Once the oil is hot enough, place the garlic, green onions and shallot slices and fry till fragrant. Next, turn the heat down to low and add the soy sauces and sugar. Now, add the pork slices (whch have been mixed with the corn starch) and fry. Add about 1 bowl of water into the mixture and bring to a boil. Stir around occasionally. Serve once the pork is cooked throughly.


Bookmark and Share

Chinese Steamed Copper Rockfish 清蒸石斑魚

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 | Labels: , , , , , | No Comment »

I have featured steamed fish before, but I just could not resist posting this steamed copper rock fish. This time, I'm steaming it whole and I am giving the ginger slivers a quick fry before pouring it on top of the fish. Most Chinese love steamed fish, and it's considered one of the healthiest ways to eat fish.

I just love fish and I'm so lucky to have such fresh fish. I have to say too that. Anyways, back to the fish - we devoured the entire fish save its' eyes though my dad would have done so had he been here. The flesh of the cheeks were extremely succulent and was really to die for!

Photobucket

Ingredients:

1 medium sized rockfish
Green onions, finely chopped lengthwise
Ginger, finely chopped (I used a peeler to peel off thin strips of ginger then chopped it up)
Cilantro
Water for boiling

Photobucket
I steamed my fish in a bamboo steamer placed on top of my wok.

For the sauce:

2 tbsp of oil
2 tbsp of light soy sauce
Dash of dark soy sauce
1 tsp of sugar
2 tbsp of water

Method:

Firstly, clean and scale the fish throughly. If the fish that you are using is relatively large, cut it down the middle for easier steaming. Place a stalk of green onion and two big slices of ginger on top of the fish and steam for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of fish used. Do not overcook the fish as the fish will continue to 'cook' even when it is out of the wok.

Photobucket

Now, prepare the sauce by heating up the oil first. Once the oil is extremely hot, turn the heat to low - now mix the rest of the ingredients for the sauce in a separate bowl and pour into the hot oil, taking care to use low heat as the water will cause the oil to splatter. Now, remove the fish from the original dish it was steamed in, discard the stalk of green onion and ginger slices. Place the cooked fish into a serving dish, pile the green onions and ginger slices (give the ginger slivers a quick fry in hot oil) on top of the fish and pour the sauce all over the fish. Serve hot.

Tip: If you're using the bamboo steamer, be sure not to fill the wok right up to the top with water - the water will boil over and you will end up with boiled fish not steamed fish!

Please click here for other fish recipes of mine!


Bookmark and Share

Cold Soba (Buckwheat) Noodles

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 | Labels: , , , , | No Comment »

Zaru Soba

Summer is coming! In fact, it was pretty warm over the weekend in San Diego even for me who shivers easily. These noodles are the perfect summery noodles - Japanese summers can be pretty hot so these are perfect for a light and refreshing meal. I saved the additional soy-bonito sauce from my fish cheeks recipe Click here for sauce recipe from earlier and used it as the dipping sauce for the noodles. Soba noodles are native to Japan and are made of buckwheat flour and wheat flour. I used buckwheat noodles this time and I used the dried version - they are tastier though when made fresh. You can serve this with tempura i.e tenzaru soba.

Click here for an introduction to the popular noodles

Photobucket

Ingredients:

Soba noodles
Toasted nori seaweed
Sesame Seeds
Scallions, chopped finely
Wasabi
Quail egg (optional)

Method:

Prepare a full pot of water - about 4 cups for 1 bundle of noodles. Once the water boils, put the noodles into the pot. Add cold water after the noodles are in the pot for about 2 minutes. Once the water boils again, add more cold water. Cook until al dente. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water to remove all starch.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds and toasted nori seaweed strips on top of the noodles. Serve with dipping sauce. The wasabi, scallions and egg may be mixed into the dipping sauce.


Bookmark and Share

Chinese Daikon Soup with Spareribs 白蘿蔔湯

Monday, March 24, 2008 | Labels: , , , , | No Comment »

This is one of my favourite 老火湯 (literally translates to old fire soup). This is my Dad's recipe and requires boiling of about 4-5 hours. Nothing beats a hot bowl of soup for me! I swear a steaming bowl of soup cures homesickness, flu amongst other things although I'm sure my mom who incidentally does read my blog will be telling me to drink less of this soup since the Chinese believe that carrots have 'over-cooling' properties if consumed too frequently plus this soup is a definite no-no for pregnant women! I love to eat the pork and the carrots after boiling as well, dipped in soy with chillis - YUMMY!

Photobucket

Deep Fried Rock Fish cheeks with soy-bonito sauce

Monday, March 24, 2008 | Labels: , , | No Comment »

The highlight of this dish for us was of course the fresh rock fish and the dipping sauce is also to die for! Additional sauce may be refrigerated and incidentally you can use this as a dipping sauce for cold soba.

Photobucket

Ingredients:

White meat fish cheeks/ fillets
Corn flour for coating

Sauce:

2 cups bonito stock (dashi)
1/2 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cups loose bonito flakes
1 stalk green onion - finely chopped

Method:

Prepare oil in a wok for deep-frying. Coat the fish with corn flour and deep fry the fish to a golden brown.

Sauce: Combine all the sauce ingredients except the bonito flakes in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the bonito flakes, immediately remove from heat and strain through a cheesecloth or coffee filter to clarify. Add the finely chopped green onions into the sauce before serving.

A sinkful of fish!


Click Here For Japanese Recipes
Click Here for Fish Recipes


Bookmark and Share

Japanese Clam Soup

Sunday, March 23, 2008 | Labels: , , , , | No Comment »

Hamaguri ushio-jiru

This is another recipe I took from Practical Japanese Cooking. Clams or hamaguri also known as beach chestnuts makes a light yet rich broth. This is a very flavourful and soothing broth. Make sure that the clams barely crack open before serving immediately. This soup differs from Cantonese soups where the latter is usually richly flavourful. Although the Japanese are famous for miso soup, I find that I prefer the broth-based soups in Japanese cooking. Cantonese soups usually take a few hours for boiling to produce the rich flavours, in contrast this soup only requires a few minutes of boiling. However, note that the clams will need soaking for 4-5 hours to bring out the sand and the seaweed has to be soaked and parboiled before boiling.

Photobucket

For a spicier way to cook Manila clams, try my Stir-fried Manila Clams in Spicy Black Bean Sauce recipe.

Ingredients:

12 live hard-shell clams (I used Manila clams)
10g dried wakame seaweed
1 bunch enoki mushrooms
1 1/2 cups of water
1 1/2 cups bonito stock (dashi)
2 inch length kelp (konbu)
pinch salt
dash light soy sauce
dash sake
2-inch piece fresh ginger, finely slivered
1 piece cheesecloth or alternatively coffee filters for clarifying the broth

Method:

Preparation: Choose fresh clams that close tightly when touched. Avoid ones with cracked or chipped shells. Let the clams stand in salted water (1tsp salt to 3 cups water) in a cool, dark place for 4-5 hours to draw out the sand.

Prepare the wakame seaweed - soak for 20 minutes, next boil in pot until colour brightens. Drain and soak in cold water immediately.

Cut away the root cluster at the base of the enoki mushrooms. Parboil in lightly salted water, then plunge into cold water. Drain. Do not boil the mushrooms for too long as they soften quite quickly.

To make: Combine the clams, water, bonito sock and konbu kelp in a soup pot over high heat. Just before hte water boils, remove the kelp. Bring the mixture to a boil. When the clams open, remove from the pot and discard any that do not open. Strain the broth to clarify either with a cheesecloth or coffee filters. This will take a while - patience is a virtue here!

Return the broth to the pot and season to taste with salt, soy sauce, and sake. Reheat the mushrooms and wakame seaweed in the broth. Finally, divide the clams, mushrooms and wakame seaweed among 4 bowls. Add the broth, top with the slivered ginger and serve.

Photobucket


Bookmark and Share

Sweet and Spicy Prawns

Sunday, March 23, 2008 | Labels: , | No Comment »

The sweetness in this dish comes from mirin and the spice from cili padi (or bird's eye chillis). You may remove the seeds from the chillis and soak in cold water for a few minutes to lessen the spice but still retain the fragrant aroma of the chillis in your dish. I like to use mirin to substitute for sugar as I think it produces a richer flavour. The prawns are first coated then fried, when they are almost cooked, drain and add the sauce ingredients.

Photobucket

Ingredients:

15 medium-large sized prawns
flour or tapioca flour to coat
1 tsp rice vinegar (or substitute with regular vinegar)
1 tbsp mirin (or you may substitute with sugar)
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 stalks of green onions, chopped (save the green parts for garnish)
4-6 chillis
1/2 tbsp slivers of fresh young ginger
2 cloves garlic, sliced

Method:

First, use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut across the body of the prawns making a slit on top of the prawns. Next, simply dip the prawns in flour or alternatively sprinkle tapioca flour on top of the prawns. Fry in medium heat oil for about 2-3 minutes. Now, drain the oil and save about 1 tbsp of the oil in the wok.

Fry the green onions, ginger, chillis and garlic till fragrant. Take care to turn the heat to medium to ensure the garlic does not get burnt. Next, add the vinegar, mirin, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce and a pinch of salt. Throw in the previously fried prawns and stir around to coat evenly. You may add more sugar if you find it not sweet enough.

Click here for Crispy Prawns with Lotus Seeds Recipe


Bookmark and Share

Golden Crispy Prawns with Lotus Seeds

Saturday, March 22, 2008 | Labels: , , , | No Comment »

This is a great appetizer or an excellent snack at parties! The lotus seeds definitely add an extra crunch to every bite.

Photobucket

Ingredients:

10 medium sized prawns, deveined and shelled keeping tails intact
Flour for coating
1 egg white
About 30 lotus seeds, sliced thinly
Salt

Method:

Heat some oil till medium heat. Coat the prawns first in flour, then egg white and finally roll in the thinly sliced lotus seeds. Deep fry for 2 minutes. Sprinkle salt on top and serve!


Bookmark and Share

Hakka-style steamed baby anchovies

Saturday, March 22, 2008 | Labels: , , , , | 1 Comment »

This is one of my favourite childhood dishes. The baby anchovies steamed with ginger slices in a bit of oil and soy is so simple yet very tasty. The Hakka clan historically was one of the poorest fishing clans in China, hence I think this is how the dish was born. Anchovies were relatively cheaper than most fishes - the expensive fishes were sold for livelihood. However, to me - this is one of tastiest dishes I've sampled. Try it!

Photobucket

Ingredients:

1 cup of baby anchovies, soaked for 30 minutes. This is to remove some of the saltiness.
1 tbsp cooking oil
2-4 drops of light soy sauce
1 tbsp slivers of ginger

Method:

Boil enough water in a wok. Once the anchovies have been soaked long enough, drain. Add the cooking oil and soy into a bowl together with the anchovies. Place the ginger slivers on top. Steam for 5-8 minutes. Serve with rice.

Photobucket


Bookmark and Share

Spaghetti with ground turkey and onions

Friday, March 21, 2008 | Labels: , | 2 Comments »

Pasta is of course a very versatile dish, you can experiment with most toppings. This is one of my quick and easy dishes that is also really tasty. The ketchup and fresh onions really make all the difference!

Photobucket

Ingredients:

Spaghetti
1 pound ground turkey or beef
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Any tomato based pasta sauce (I have to make my own one soon!)
1-2 tbsp ketchup (this really makes a difference)
1 tsp sugar or to taste
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Chopped fresh parsley or dried flakes

Method:
First, boil the pasta in some drops of olive oil and some salt. When the pasta is almost ready, start cooking the sauce. Saute the onions and garlic in some olive oil till fragrant. Next, add in the ground meat and once the meat is almost cooked, pour in the sauce. Add the ketchup and sugar. Bring to a boil, making sure the meat is fully cooked.

Before serving, sprinkle some parsley and cheese on top.

Glazed chicken duo

Thursday, March 20, 2008 | Labels: , , , | 1 Comment »

Alright, today was one of those days when I didn't feel like cooking much. Lack of sleep really does me in good. I could hardly function the whole day and was basically feeling and looking like something the cat dragged in! So, this is another quick recipe for the fatigued at the end of a long day. Okay, enough of the ranting!

Photobucket

Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs, with skin on or off depending on your preference

Marinade:
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar

Glaze:
Enough honey to generously coat 2 chicken thighs
Enough sweet chilli sauce to do the same for the other 2 thighs

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Marinade the thighs for as long as you can. I only marinated the pieces for about 30 minutes due to the time constraint tonight. Prepare an oven tray with foil, lightly brush the foil with some cooking oil or alternatively you can use a cooking spray. Now, brush the tops of the thighs with the honey and chilli sauce.

Place tray in the middle rack. Set the timer for 25 minutes. Check that the chicken is cooked - then serve.

Photobucket

For other poultry recipes, please refer to:
http://tastesofhome.blogspot.com/search/label/Poultry%20recipes


Bookmark and Share

Nagasaki-Style Braised Pork- Buta kaku-ni

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 | Labels: , , | No Comment »

This is another recipe I took from Practical Japanese Cooking. I absolutely adore this book!

Click Here To Purchase

This dish calls for pork belly and the pork has to be simmered twice; once for about half an hour in milk or a stock of tofu pulp to remove the stronger flavours and then next in a bonito stock. I used a claypot for the simmering which worked perfectly. According to the authors, this dish is a famous example of Shippoku cuisine, the unique "Chinese style" culinary art developed in Nagasaki between the 17th and 19th centuries. This dish is effectively an adaptation of Chinese Dongpo Pork - the familiar dish named after the famed poet. This is by no means a quick meal - there are precise, numerous steps involved but I actually enjoyed the process. I eschewed the green peas and mustard as I preferred the pork on its own.

Photobucket

Ingredients:

2 pounds of boneless pork belly
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1 cup unpacked okara (tofu pulp) or milk
3 ox fresh ginger, thinly sliced
8 pearl onions
1 cup shelled green peas (optional)
hot yellow mustard (karashi)

For simmering:

1 1/2 cups bonito stock (dashi)
3/4 cups sake
4 1/2 tbsps sugar
4 tbsps dark soy sauce
2 tsps tamari soy sauce

Method:

Cut the pork into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Heat the oil in a pan over high heat and stir fy the pork briefly until the surface turns brown. Transfer to a colander and pour boiling water over it to remove oil.

Place the pork, okara plus ample water (or half milk and half water or just water) to cover, and half the sliced gigner in a claypot over high heat and cover with a drop-lid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Remove from heat and, leaving the drop lid in place, gradually add cold water to cool. Let stand 15 minutes under a thin stream of cold running water. Remove all the okara if you opted to use it.

Drain the pork. Combine in a clay pot with the bonito stock, sake and remaining ginger, then cover with a drop-lid and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sugar and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add the soy suace and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add the tamari soy sauce, onions (previously boiled in lightly salted water) and simmer for a final 2 minutes. Serve with mustard.

Chinese cabbage and enoki mushrooms

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 | Labels: , | 2 Comments »

This is a remarkably simple dish. The chinese cabbage is combined with the springy enoki mushrooms. As the stalk part of the cabbage is very much thicker than the rest of the leaf, we will cook the stalks later and will be cut into thinner strips for easier cooking.

Photobucket

Ingredients:

10 large leaves Chinese cabbage
20g sliced fresh ginger
2 packets of enoki mushrooms
2 cups of dashi (bonito stock)
3 tbsps mirin
5 tsps light soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt

Method:

Cut the pale green leafy section from the thick stalk of each leave. Cut the stalks into 1.2 x 2 inch strips. Cut the leafy portions into 1 x 2 inch strips.

Cut the ginger with the grain into very fine slivers. Soak in cold water for 2-3 minutes then drain. This is to lessen the potency of the ginger in this mild dish.

Blanch the enoki mushrooms in boiling water for a quick minutes. Drain well.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan, then add the stalk strips and ginger slivers. Cover with a drop-lid or parchment paper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, simmer for 5 minutes, add the remaining cabbage and enoki, and heat through for another 3 minutes.

Arrange the cabbage and mushrooms in individual bowls and spoon several tablespoons of the broth. Serve. Incidentally, I saved some of the broth which made for a great soup base for noodles the next day.

Deep-fried battered chicken thighs

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 | Labels: , , | No Comment »

The ubiquitous fried chicken is undoubtedly very popular with most palates. The difference in this recipe is the batter where the batter is almost tempura like. As this batter incorporates green onions, each bite releases the fragrant aroma of the humble green onions making each crunchy mouthful even more delectable!

Photobucket

Ingredients:

Marinade for the chicken:
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar

Batter:
170g plain flour
40g cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp corn oil
1 tbsp chopped green onion
100ml or enough cold water

Method:

Marinate chicken with seasoning for 1 hour.

Combine batter ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix till smooth. Add more water if the batter appears too thick.

Coat each thigh in the batter separately. Prepare hot oil in a wok. Once the oil is hot enough, put the thighs in. Turn down the heat till medium heat and fry for about 20 minutes. This is to ensure that the chicken thighs get throughly cooked while not burning the skin. Now, turn on the heat to high heat and let fry for anohter 10-15 minutes. This will ensure the crunchiness of the skin which of course is the highlight in fried chicken dishes.

Garnish with some green onions and serve with a sweet chilli sauce.

Simmered Rockfish Mebaru nitsuke

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 | Labels: , , | 2 Comments »

Recipe adapted from Practical Japanese Cooking by Shizuo Tsuji & Koichiro Hata
Nitsuke simmering is a key technique in the Japanese repertoire of cooking fish. The sake rich broth removes unwanted fish odors and leaves the flesh succulent, while ideally, brisk heating makes for easy boning. Neither too much nor too little liquid will produce the desired results; choosing the right sized pot and always using a drop-lid will ensure that the liquid circulates.

I want to share this easy and delicious recipe from this Japanese cooking book I just got. Instead of rock fish fillets, I used salmon - you can substitute with any white meat fish. Hope you will like this recipe too.

Photobucket

Ingredients:

4 rockfish/ white fish fillets
For simmering:
1 1/4 cups sake
5 tbsps mirin
2 1/2 tbsps dark soy sauce
2 1/2 tbsps sugar
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce (or increase dark soy sauce by 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp fresh ginger juice

Method:
Score each side of the fish. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Once the skin whitens, immerse in cold water and remove any remaining debris. Wash well and drain. Set aside.
Combine the sake, mirin, soy sauce and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Set the fish carefully in the simmering liquid. Cover with a drop-lid (otoshi-buta) (or to improvise, simply use parchment paper, cutting a vent in the middle for the steam to escape and place the paper onto the fish, pressing the sides of the paper against the sides of the pot). This step ensures the liquid circulates and the flavor does not escape. Cook for 10 minutes over high heat.
Photobucket
When the liquid is reduced by about half, add the tamari soy sauce and ginger juice. Simmer for about 5 more minutes, ladling sauce over the fish occasionally. When the sauce begins to thicken slightly, remove from heat.

Garnish with some thinly sliced scallions.

Vanilla butter cake with butter cream icing

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 | Labels: , | No Comment »

It's been a loooooooong time since I've baked a cake, anyhow - somehow something unleashed the baker in me last week and I had a burning desire to bake! So here it is. A white vanilla butter cake with buttercream frosting, it was a tad sweet with the icing on but it was sure fun frosting the cake! Photobucket

Ingredients:

for the cake (adapted from http://www.joyofbaking.com/)

1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour (don't substitute with all purpose please)
2 tsp baking powder (not soda)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter - room temp
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs (separated)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (tastes much better than the artificial extract)
1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

for the icing (adapted from Diana's Desserts):

4 cups of icing sugar
1/2 cup of unsalted butter
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of shortening (get the white one)
2 tbsp milk

Method (cake):

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8 inch round cake pans. 2. While the eggs are still cold, separate the eggs. Cover the 2 bowls with plastic wrap and allow eggs to come to room temp before using. 3. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 4. Beat the butter until soft with an electric mixer, add 3/4 cup of the sugar and bet until light and fluffy. Add each yolk one at time, beating after each addition. Add the extract and mix until well combined. 5. Now turn the mixer to low speed and alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour. 6. Now, in a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy with the whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until you see the formation of soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. 7. With a rubber spatula, gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and fold in the remaining whites until combined. 8. Finally divide the batter with the 2 prepared pans and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon or spatula. Bake for approximately 25 mins or until cooked (test with toothpick).
Photobucket

Icing:

Method:

1. Cream butter & shorterning with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar 1 cup at a time beating well on medium speed.
2. Add milk and beat at high speed until light and fluffy. You can adjust the level of sweetness on your own. To thin out icing, add 2 tbsp more of milk.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Creative Commons Licence
Smoky Wok by Smoky Wok is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.smokywok.com.
No content from this website including images, recipes, writings may be reproduced without prior consent from the author.















Smoky Wok

Smoky Wok

Smoky Wok