My favourite ready to cook exotic Asian spicy sauces and curry

Exotic Asian cooking sauces in a convenient pack - have you tried and tested them all? They are Godsend to aspiring, busy, modern cooks who like to replicate traditional dishes without the fuss.

Prima Taste saves lots of time and the hard work of preparing classic Singapore/ Malaysian cuisines from scratch, yet upholds consistent quality and authenticity. The best in the range are Chicken Rice and Nonya Laksa (coconut and mint without curry powder). Other sauces that are outstanding are Chilli Crab, Sayur Lodeh, Hokkien Mee and Mee Siam.

For spicy foods, Brahims is a well established brand for the fastidous and cost conscious. The best in this line are assam pedas (sour curry for seafood) and rendang (dry meat curry).

Teans (masterchef Tian in Chinese) is well known for its Curry Chicken. It is concentrated and aromatic but in general, the sauces produced under this line tend to be too spicy for the liking of some foreign palates.

For basic curry paste, Mae Ploy red curry is a versatile base for cooking a wide variety of spicy Southeast Asian dishes. You only need 100 g or less for a pot of curry, so chill the remainder for future use.

Panthai Norasing is a reputable brand name known for high quality products in the Thai culinary scene. However, some of the sauces are rather pricey. My favourites are the salty yellow beans and roast chilli paste in soya oil.

Gimson nonya curry chilli paste is very useful for whipping up many northern Malaysian dishes such as tangy fish laksa, seafood and rojak (salad). It contains torch ginger and Vietnamese mint which are difficult to obtain outside tropical Asian countries but are essential ingredients to impart a uniquely Penang taste. Gimson has ventured into other product lines but they are not to my liking.

As Asian cuisine gains greater popularity in all parts of the world, many pseudo sauces have emerged to tap the growing market. Many brands who claim to be "nonya" do not do justice to the original dishes as they fail to capture the sophisticated and subtle flavours.

Let me know if you have more recommendations to add to this list.

All time favourite Thai foods - repertoire from the Chinese Thai cuisine

Did you know that some of your favourite Thai dishes such as cashew nut chicken, spicy fish cake, pandan leaf chicken, steam fish, noodle stir fry and noodle soups have originated from Sino-Thai recipes?


http://thaieasyrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/12/thai-chinese-cuisine.html

Philippine Adobo Chicken and Pork - fusion Spanish Chinese Filipino dish

Most of us would have Filipino acquaintances or colleagues given that the Philippines is among the world's largest exporter of labour.

Chicken and/or Pork Adobo is a signature Filipino national dish that has gained popularity worldwide. As in most Philippine food, adobo meat is a fusion of Chinese, Malay, Spanish and American tastes.

Meaning of Adobo : adobo comes from the old Spanish word for marinade and seasoning, the first step to churning out flavoursome food.

Marinate 1/2 kg of meat in light soy sauce, vinegar and pepper. Traditionally, meat should be pan fried before transferring it into a pot for stewing.

To make a complete one dish meal with vegetables, add potato and carrot cubes. This version is especially popular in the provinces.

Top the sizzled meat with one or two cloves of roasted garlic and bay leaves.

Bring it to the boil. Add sugar and salt to taste. Simmer for another 5 - 10 minutes.

Serve with rice or bread.

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Cool sweet compote of snow fungus, almond, pear and dates

A mildly sweet therapeutic dessert made of natural ingredients which can be eaten hot or cold. Perfect for summer time.

Bring five cups of water to the boil. Put in the bitter almond seed (kernel of apricot).

Add pre-soaked 1 cup of white snow fungus (and optional : washed barley) and to continue to boil.

Optional ingredients are red dates (stone removed and sliced). If using honey yellow dates (cube shaped), mash and boil for a longer time compared to red dates.

Sweeten with rock sugar or brown sugar.

Add sliced Asian pear before serving.

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Spicy Tropical Fried Rice - Sambal Nasi Goreng

Ten Secret steps to frying grainy and tasty rice, a cut above the rest :

1. Cook rice with less water so that the grains do not stick together or becomes mushy when you fluff or fry the rice later.

2. Cook rice at least 2 hours in advance or overnight and store in the fridge using a non-metallic bowl (not the frying pan).

3. Marinate rice with some salt and pepper about 10 minutes before frying.

4. Ensure that the frying pan is sufficient deep so that the contents do not spill over.

5. The pan must be well oiled, not too oily to make the rice soggy but enough to prevent the rice from sticking together and to the bottom.

6. Frying chopped onion and garlic before putting in thinly sliced meat ingredients, diced carrot, mushroom slices, medium prawns (shelled and deveined) and rice will enhance the fragrance of the dish.

7. Maintain a medium temperature. Too low a heat will render the meat ingredients undercooked and the rice too soft. Overheating will cause the rice to stick on the pan and gives out a burning smell. Burnt rice look unappetizing. A little fiery taste is nice but it should not be excessive.

8. Put in beaten egg last after the rice has been well fried and coated with oil. Make a well in the centre, slow cook the egg till slightly opaque and mix it gradually and evenly with the rest of the rice combo.

9. Blanched baby peas should be added and stirred quickly just before serving.

10. Top with sliced fresh spring onion and fried shallot.

Spicy rice mix (a more flavoursome alternative to soy sauce and oyster sauce) :

- Use a good brand of nasi goreng sauce such as "Kokita" if you don't want to make your own sauce by grinding dried and fresh chillies, onion, lemongrass, galangal, ginger and shrimp paste.

- Bonus : add in spicy or prior fried anchovy for the superb and extraordinary taste.

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References : Paella, Spanish seafood rice http://homecooksecrets.blogspot.com/2009/01/spanish-paella-seafood-rice.html

Fried rice noodles : http://homecooksecrets.blogspot.com/2009/10/stir-fried-rice-noodle-intact-char-been.html

Fish with vegetables - fennel, capers, melon, fruits

Fish does not always have to be deep fried and eaten with chips, plainly poached or simmered in soup.

Fennel

Fish slices can be stir fried or steamed with fresh fennel, oil (light olive or sesame). Not only does fennel neutralise any fishy smell or taste, its exotic aroma is appealing but not over the top. Half a fennel is enough to cook one tail fillet of fish.

Dill (shoots), fennel seeds or powdered fennel could be used as a marinade for fish before frying, adding sophistication to an otherwise simple dish.

Fresh fennel makes are refreshing salad with citrus fruits and herbs. http://ausletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/seasonal-vegetables-from-down-under.html

Capers

Fish tastes good with tangy tinge. Throw in a handful of capers to steam fish or garnish over cream sauce for fried fish.

Preserved plum in brine

Also known as wet sour plum (as opposed to dried version which is eaten with wine or as a snack to soothe the throat). Crush and remove the stone. Spread over fish and steam with ginger slices and a dash of cooking white wine or Shaoxing wine. Season with warm soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil and garlic oil. Thisis a typical Chaozhou dish which hailed from southern China.
Remember : ensure that only very fresh fish is used for steaming because this method of cooking reveals all the goodness but also exposes the shortcomings of fish that is not up to scratch.

Lime and Chilli sauce

Mix fish sauce with brown sugar till well combined. (About 2 TBS of fish sauce to 1 TBS of sugar). Squeeze half a Thai green lime juice and mix with the sauce. Add 1/4 tsp of crushed chilli and mix well. Use as marinade to steam fish or dressing for fish salad with mango slices.

Melon and Tofu

The bones and head of larger fishes need not be discarded as they serve as a base for delicious vegetable stews. The fish meat close to the bone is especially tasty too. If the fish store has just deboned fishes into fillet, they are more than happy to sell you the bones for a song.

Grill on medium low the fish bone and hairy melon wedges (in separate trays lined with baking paper) in the oven lightly sprayed oil. Alternatively, sear in on high heat in a heavy and deep skillet or pan. Fry two cloves of cleaned garlic with skin intact till golden brown. Stir fry carrot slices or cubes till slightly cooked but still firm. Pour fish stock into the pan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, season with pepper, a dash of oyster sauce and soy sauce or fish sauce. Add a knob of bashed ginger.

Add the grilled fish and melon. Cover and bring to a brief boil. Add deep fried tofu puff (from chilled section of Asian supermarket). Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.



Do be very careful when eating fish bone stews as there could be smaller and chipped bones.

More on cooking seafood : http://homecooksecrets.blogspot.com/2009/04/seafood-secret-of-balancing-and.html

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Best cookware for frying eggs - comparison and preferences

Cast iron wok or frying pans are the superior cookware for frying food. Despite it's humble appearance, the cast iron utensils ensure that heat is conducted to the food instantly and produce the best intended results. Best for frying sunny side up. The only issue some may have is that you need to use a bit more oil and heat it up before putting the food in.

I have recently discovered that the Korean marble frying pan which is touted as the cookware for cooking meat and seafood in its own oil and juices, is great for cooking omelette as well.

They are better than teflon coated non-stick pans that yield undercooked results that is lacking in fire or oumph.

European tech sandwich alloy cookware such as Scanpan and Swiss Diamond are good for searing, general frying and stewing. However, they are not very suitable for frying eggs because of the even heat distribution which tends to cause the omelette to stick and break up easily.

My verdict : Korean stone frying pan which costs USD25 produces the best results and is easy to maintain.

Chee Cheong Fun sauce - rice rolls with spicy XO sauce

The best way to eat chee cheong fun is with homemade XO sauce and combining the various traditions to get the best of different worlds.

There are various types of sauces for Chee Cheong Fun. Using dark soy sauce, sesame oil, hoi sin sauce, oyster sauce, fried onion crisp, cut shallot, dried shrimp and scallop XO sauce, fresh shrimp, minced meat, mushroom, sesame seed, peanut.

Fry the onion, garlic, dried shrimp, soaked scallop, ground dried and fresh chilli to make the XO sauce.

To prepare sweet sauce, mix the soy sauce, hoi sin in a saucepan. Mix corn starch and water and pour over the sauces before it starts to boil. Lower heat till liquid is reduced.

Add pickled green chillies and garlic red chilli sauce for more flavour and garlic crisp, shallot crisp, sesame seeds, fresh spring onion, coriander leaves as garnishing and toppings.

Types of common chee cheong fun sauces :

- Hongkong sweet sauce

- Penang prawn paste chilli sauce

- Ipoh Style sweet, hot and sour meat sauce

- Vietnamese black fungus meat and shallot sauce

* Permission to publish on this blog.

Yam bean / bangkwang / turnip fry and stew with cuttlefish

The main ingredient of this festive dish is yam bean, also known as turnip in Southeast Asia or bangkwang in the local Malay lingo. The other main ingredient is dried cuttle fish that is sliced thinly.

Peranakans in northern Malaysia (Penang nonya) name this dish : "yu heu char" which means "fry with cuttlefish" though it is simmered like a stew after the initial frying.

My late aunt's special recipe has sliced shitake mushroom, prawns and carrots to add colour and sophistication to this home cooked dish for special occasions.

The difference between a successful and mediocre dish in the frying. First the garlic crisp, salty beans, mushroom and cuttlefish. Then the vegetable is added and stir fried to ensure it absorbs all the savoury flavours of the other ingredients. No sugar is needed as yam bean is a root vegetable that contains lots natural starch and sugar.

The flavoursome stew can be eaten with rice or use as filling for lettuce wraps (iceberg, cos or Chinese lettuce, whatever is available).

The more commonly known lettuce wraps "sang choy bao" :

http://homecooksecrets.blogspot.com/2009/09/chef-demonstration-of-sang-choy-bao.html

Seafoods for tasty soups, congee and porridge

There is a wealth of information and expert knowledge on cooking soups and stews in oriental cuisines, especially Chinese cooking. It is believed that liquid food enables easy digestion even for the physically weak, sick and convalescing.

Fresh Seafood

Rock oysters, scallop (fresh with roe or thawed from frozen), fish, abalone and prawns can be made into delicious dish in a short time. Do not overcook the seafood.




Dried seafood

If you prefer a meat or vegetable, dried seafood would greatly enhance the flavour of soups such as wanton noodles, porridge and congee.

The most common dried seafood for flavouring are dried oyster and dried scallop. Sometimes dried shell fish slices are used as they are cheaper options.

Dried scallops must be washed and soaked for a few hours before adding into the porride or congee. Dried abalone are expensive and require a longer time to prepare as they need to be soaked for hours and slow cooked for several more hours and therefore used in specialty soups rather than for daily cooking.

The difference between congee and porridge

From Fujian (Hokkian) and Caozhou (Chewchou or Teochew) are rice porridge. Cook rice with three to five times the amount of water in high heat, half covering the lid. Bring to the boil, uncover and continue boiling for another five minutes. Add ingredients and flavouring. Turn off the heat when all the raw ingredients are well cooked. Ready to serve.

Another way of cooking porridge is to boil the soup and add seasoned meat. If using ribs as the soup base, it must be cooked for at least 2 hours.

Guangdong (Cantonese) style congee requires boiling the rice soup for at least two hours. Lower the heat to medium level once the congee starts boiling. Add ingredients and cook till al dante. A friend's relative who owns a restaurant revealed that adding soy milk at this stage will produce a smooth texture. Then lower the heat further and simmer. Keep the lid covered all the time.

For a writeup on crispy oyster pancake, please refer to :

http://homecooksecrets.blogspot.com/2009/10/oyster-egg-pancake-chaozhou-style.html

Banana bread - simple and delicious

Having tried and gone away disappointed with many recipes of banana bread from magazines and online cookbooks, I was surprised that a simple banana loaf recipe provided by the manufacturer of a loaf pan worked marvellously.

1/2 block butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 medium sized eggs, beaten

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

2 TBS walnuts choppped.

Directions :
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Lightly grease loaf pan.
Combine butter & sugar until creamy.
Add mashed banana and eggs. Mix well.
Sift flour & baking soda into a bowl and combine with banana mixture.
Pour mixture into loaf pan. Top with chopped walnuts.
Bake in oven for 45 minutes or till skewer comes out clean.
Invert the loaf onto a wire rack and allow to cook before serving.

* Tip : from hindsight, I should have lowered the heat when it's almost done to reduce the tendency of split.




You may also like to try the Aussie country bread using beer as raising agent :
http://homecooksecrets.blogspot.com/2009/01/beer-damper-bread.html

Stir fried rice noodle intact

How to fry rice stick noodles (rice vermicelli) without breaking? Have there been occasions when your noodles became too soggy or broken that they look more like fried rice than noodles?

If you can't find a brand that promises tough noodles, then try this method.

Soak dried rice vermicelli in warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes. One piece is enough to feed two to four persons depending on their appetite. In winter, you may need to soak the noodle in lukewarm water but ensure that the noodle remains firm and retains its integrity. If they are already soften before you start frying, there is a good chance of it being broken into pieces as you fry.

The ingredients are entirely up to you. If you like, they could be purely vegetarian : sliced carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, onion, sliced firm tofu, sweet soy skin, mustard green (choy sum), bean sprouts, etc. You may need to add more seasoning such as soy sauce, salt, pepper to perk up the taste of vegetarian noodle.

If your diet preference or observation permit, add meat : sliced chicken, pork, duck, prawn or combination. Season with oyster sauce.
Braised meat is tastier.


Be Patient!


Fry in batches even if you have a large wok.

Start off with frying the garlic and onions in cooking oil till fragrant.
Then the harder to cook vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, mushrooms.
Dish up and set aside.

Add some cooking oil to fry the meat, seafood, egg omelette separately and remove from heat.

Drain the soaked rice noodle and fry in hot cooking oil under medium heat to reduce sticking. Stir the noodle using chopsticks instead of a spatula for greater flexibility and to prevent the noodles from breaking up. Toss all the previously fried meat and vegetables and mix into the noodles evenly. Fry for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add more seasoning sauces if necessary. Turn off the heat and ready to serve. Add fresh and fried shallot according to taste.


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Rojak - tropical fruit and crispy salad with spicy shrimp dressing

The ultimate rojak that has everything in it.

The fruits : green mango (substitute with granny smith green apple if unavailable), pineapple, guava, starfruit, jambu (rose apple).

The vegetables : yam bean (turnip), cucumber, bean sprouts (optional & ensure that water is properly drained after steaming).

The grilled stuff : you tiao (fried dough sticks), tau pok (fried tofu puff), dried flattened cuttlefish.

The secret dressing : the must-haves are tamarind, sesame seed, shrimp paste, sweet sauce, ground fresh chilli, ground cooked dried chilli, etc ...
the others are for you to experiment and figure out. Adjust according to taste and take it easy as the sauce is rich and salty.

Put a medley of vegetable and fruit slices onto a serving plate or bowl. Mix well with the dark dressing. Sprinkle dried ingredients and toss the salad again. Ready to serve.

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Oyster Egg Pancake Chaozhou style - crispy or luak

Or Luak (pronounced : oh luark) is what many overseas Chinese whose ancestors originate in the southern coastal cities pine for. You may be able to get pretty good char kway teow and Hokkien noodles in restaurants all over the world but oyster pancake / omelette that is cooked to perfection are usually disappointing if they do offer this dish on the menu.

The most important criteria of a great tasting or luak pancake must be crispy on the outside. The omelette should be slightly fluffy and chock full of fresh succulent oysters. Never use canned, bottled or dried oysters!

SECRETS

1. Crispy Batter : a mixture of flours with water and coat the oysters evenly.

2. Egg : beat 4 to 6 free range eggs and season with a little salt.

3. Seasoning : pepper, fish sauce, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine.

4. Heat control : Alternate between high, moderate heat when frying the oyster, batter and egg mixture. Flip over and turn on to high heat to scorch the other side of the omelette.

Garnish with cut spring onion and coriander leaves.
Dip into pounded chilli paste made from ground fresh chilli and garlic and mix with vinegar and sugar.

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Siew Mai - taste the difference of homemade dim sim

A basic siew mai recipe from a Chinese chef has these ingredients : 300 g of minced meat (pork or chicken); quarter of a cabbage; wanton skin (with egg). Season with oyster sauce, soy sauce and pepper to taste.

Cabbage gives the dim sum a subtle sweet taste and adds crunch to the delicacy. I would add chopped shitake mushroom and minced prawn to create a breadth of tastes and aroma.

The real test is the cook's skill in stuffing the minced meat mixture and shaping them into cylindrical parcels at the same time. You must ensure that the morsels are flattened at the bottom to enable you to stand them neatly in the steamer.

My friend was worried I wasn't too confident if I was able to "make" them as I did not attend his demonstration. Not to be discouraged, I wanted to give it a go. The first few attempts were quite disastrous, producing funny shaped siew mai. However, after a handful of trial and error, the siew mai turned out looking what they should be. One will have to be skilful and trained to be able to make larger siew mai without the filling spilling out or the morsels getting out of shape.

It is much cheaper to make your own dim sum. You would probably spend about $1 per tiny siew mai at the yum cha restaurant but the cost of producing three large siew mai with quality filling is a small fraction of that. The recipe given above yields about 40 large siew mai.

You'll get the hang of it after some practice. Cooking this delicacy is not as dim as it seems.

Beef with black bean sauce

Our masterchef friend also taught us how to stir fry beef with black bean sauce. The salty fermented soy beans used for flavouring the dish is not the same as Mexican black beans. These beans need to be rinsed first so as to make it palatable yet flavoursome. This dish originated in south China.

Our masterchef recommended using chuck tender as there is only one main tendon running through and could easily be removed. Slice beef thinly about 2 mm thick and wide enough for some chewy bite.

The other ingredients are onions, bell peppers, fresh button mushroom, carrot and zucchini.

Firstly, run the beef fillet briefly through mildly boiling oil till half cooked.

Fry garlic and black bean. Then fry the vegetables in order of time required for cooking - onions and carrots first ....

Return the beef to the wok with the vegetables. Add cornstarch solution and more seasoning sauces if required.

Cover the wok for 5 seconds so that the sauce could steep into the beef and vegetables. Remove from heat, plate and serve.

- Permission required for republishing content and photos on this blog.

Chef Demonstration of Sang Choy Bao

I had the privilege to witness the cooking from a hotel masterchef who is trained in international, western and asian cuisines during a recent social event I helped to organise.

Pronounced Sang Choy Bao in Cantonese, shen cai bao in hanyu pinyin and written 生菜包. It means lettuce wraps.

The main ingredients are : waterchestnut, button mushroom, meat (diced chicken or minced pork),

Seasoning sauces : a little of dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, adjusted to taste.

Of course, most run-of-the mill restaurants give you lots of chopped brown onions and carrots as these are cheap ingredients. It's up to you how much goodies you would like to add to whip up this healthy and delicious all time favourite.

Stir fry the ingredients in a medium high pan or wok quickly. Then stir through the sauces.

Prepare lettuce cups by washing lettuce and cutting them into bite size. Scoop the savoury filling into the lettuce cups and serve promptly.

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Ways to Cook Pork

There's a little secret in each of the METHODS for cooking pork :

Roast : marinate with either vinegar or lime juice to create a crispy crackling and reduce the grease.

Stew : sear the fatty outer layer before adding sauces and liquids to slow cook.

Pan fried : ensure the heat is put on at high so that liquid does not ooze out of the meat when

Stir fried : wine is essential in the marinade to get rid of possible unpleasant smell in some cuts and to enhance the taste when it's fried.

Steamed : mix the ingredients well just before steaming so that the meat does not stick together in uneven clusters.

SAUCES AND CHUTNEY

Worchestershire sauce, soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, oyster sauce.

Apple, fennel, mint leaves, cranberry.

* It is important to cook pork well preferably at high temperatures, above 140 degrees Centigrade.

My friend grilled this roast pork crackling - succulent and juicy.

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Delicious Celeraic - don't be deceived by appearances

Not appealing? Don't be deceived.

Celeraic is a yummy winter vegetable.

Ways to cook celeraic :

- puree and cook into a thick sauce

- as roast vegetable in a salad dish

- an ingredient in mixed vegetable soup

Korean Seafood Pancake - Haemul Pajeon - crispy outside, tender inside

Many of us who love Korean cuisine would probably name seafood shallot pancake as one of the favourites.

If you like have a quick fix at your home kitchen to satisfy your sudden craving for seafood pancake during the cold months, here are some tips :

Korean cooks would add some baking powder, rice flour, mung bean flour to all purpose or self raising flour, egg and cold water to make the batter.

Add beaten egg. Season with salt and pepper.

Ensure that the flour is well combined, but not too fluid.  Neither should it be dry and hard as a dough.

Pour a thin layer of mixture on a  non-stick or well greased frying pan.  Cast iron hot plate conducts heat very well and makes the pancake crispy. However, using Korean magic stone frying pan requires less oil and is a healthier option.

Add seafood. Then pour the rest of the batter.

You'll need medium high heat to sizzle the egg pancake till it's crispy on the outside but remains soft and juicy within. Flip over and cook briefly for2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pancake rest for another 2 minutes.

To prepare dipping sauce : soy sauce, vinegar, spring onion, sliced green and red chillies.

It's easy to cook, no fuss, no mess.

Seafood - secret of balancing and enhancing taste

How do you replicate delicious restaurant cooking at home? Cooking seafood may not be as difficult as it seems if you balance the right ingredients. Going by the yin-yang theory, one needs to balance the coolness of food from the water with heaty ingredients such as ginger and/or pepper. A dash of wine as marinade or added with seasoning sauces would do wonders to a simple seafood dish. This not only helps to harmonize the food as well as get rid of any hint of fishiness.


The harder green vegetables go better with frying meat and vegetables. Celery, brocoli, asparagus are good choices.


Superior soy, oyster, abalone and XO sauces are premium seasoning for seafood. However, when using fresh water seafood, try to avoid using sauces with too much salt as it will emphasize rathern than mask the muddy flavours.


For garnishing, spring onion, garlic crisps and shallot exude a strong aroma that brings out the tastes of seafood.



The fresh clean taste of stir fry fish fillet with blanched carrot, mushroom and brocoli, ginger, garlic, chives in white potato starch sauce.




Scallop on the shell without roe lightly steamed with spring onion, coriander leaves and ginger in sesame and soy sauce.

Mud crab is always the grand finale in any meal. Unlike blue swimmer and flower crabs, this dish must be prepared from live crabs. This version is ginger and shallot. Other favourite sauces are chilli sambal, thom yum, golden curry, XO or herbal. All the ingredients have to be fried separately and then combined for a quick stir in the wok before serving.

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Clever Alternatives : how to substitute cooking ingredients

Do not fret is you realize you did not have an ingredient while cooking and it is inconvenient to rush to the store.

The glossary would be useful to some who are allergic to certain foods to find easy substitutes without compromising on taste.

Vegetables and Fruits

Beansprout -- shredded cucumber -- radish

Celery -- fresh fennel (aniseed) -- Chinese celery or parsley

Chives -- spring onions

Green Mango -- Granny Smith Apple

Waterchestnut -- yam bean -- Jerusalem artichoke

Saffron -- tumeric

Meat, Poultry, Fish

Bacon -- Ham

Beef or pork mince -- boiled lentils

Chicken -- Pork -- Tofu

Fish -- tofu wrap in seaweed -- konyaku+kelp

Prosciutto -- Chorizo

Flour

Thickening : Sweet potato starch -- corn flour -- flour -- tapioca flour

Self raising flour -- all purpose flour+baking powder+pinch of salt

Spices, seasoning and gravy

Allspice -- cinnamon+nutmeg

Candlenut (for curry) -- cashew or macadamia nut

Castor sugar -- blend coarse white sugar in a food processor

Hoisin sauce -- mashed salty black bean + sugar -- oyster sauce

Palm sugar -- raw or brown sugar+coconut cream

Brown sugar -- caramelised onions -- caramelised white sugar

Tahini -- Sesame oil + peanut butter

Wasabi -- English mustard paste -- Dijon mustard

Wattle seed -- instant coffee

Liquid and Dairy

Beer (in a batter) -- Soda water

Buttermilk -- Yoghurt -- milk+lemon juice

Brandy -- rum -- Ginger beer

Cream -- whip milk with melted unsalted butter

Coffee paste -- reduced strong instant coffee+sugar -- wattle seed powder

Egg -- add water and mix with egg white / egg yolk powder

Rose wine -- rose water+rice wine

Sour cream -- yoghurt

White Wine -- Apple Juice

Molasses -- honey+corn syrup+brown sugar

Baking

Butter -- shortening+olive oil --- macadamia oil

Cake flour (low gluten) -- 70% of all purpose flour

Cocoa -- carob powder

Cream of tartar -- teaspoon of vinegar -- lemon juice

Double acting baking powder -- baking soda+cream of tartar

Milk -- milk powder+water

Royal icing -- egg white+icing sugar -- melamine powder+water

Unsweetened chocolate -- cocoa powder + fat

* Please ensure that the consumer has no specific allergy issues with any of the substitute ingredients or other health related concerns.

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Exotic Lotus Tea

Most tea lovers would have tasted herbal tea that boasts of health benefits and are caffeine free. But lotus tea not only sounds exotic but tastes heavenly. Brewed with dried lotus seeds and lotus flowers, it is refreshing to the senses. Available at Nan Tian Temple, Wollongong. You might want to try this at home but be sure to rinse the flowers and seeds with with warm water of any pesticides and discard before brewing for food safety reasons.

Japanese Chasu Ramen

Ramen is an all-time favourite in summer and cold weather.

If fresh noodles are not available, I prefer to use dried organic ramen from Japan than frozen ramen that could be watery and may yield the desired consistency.

Chasu is made using fillet pork. I learnt this after attending a demonstration by an award winning Japanese chef who used to work at a fine-dining restaurant that churns out traditional and modern fusion dishes that are not available in most Japanese family restaurants. The key to making chasu is getting the right amount of soy sauce, mirin, sugar and ginger to dissolve in a pot. The pork is preferably bundled with cotton string to stabilize its shape while cooking. It takes about an hour of turning and tossing to ensure that the meat is evenly seasoned and cooked. When cooled, slice thinly.

The soup stock determines the success of the ramen. One could have shoyu (soy sauce), miso (bean paste) with dashi (seaweed and tuna flakes) or pork rib stock. If not making from scratch, try to use ready seasoning pack that has less or no MSG.

The other ingredients that go into the ramen are sweet corn, shallot, leek, mushroom, half boiled egg, sliced fish cake, bamboo shoots and any other vegetables you like.

Steamed scallop with clear noodle in spicy XO sauce

This is an easy and delicious recipe :

You'd need some fresh scallop on shell. Rinse away the sand and impurites and drain off excess water.

You could either get ready made bottled XO sauce or prepare your own by frying mashed dried shrimp, dried scallop, chopped garlic and ground dried chilli (add last) in vegetable or chilli oil.

Soak a small bundle of glass noodle (mung bean vermicelli) in lukewarm water. Cut into smaller strands.

Arrange vermicelli on each scallop. Steam over medium heat covered for 7 minutes.

Remove lid and spoon XO sauce on each scallop. Drizzle some soy sauce and sesame oil on the scallops. Sprinkle chopped spring onion and fried shallot. Steam for another 2 minutes.

Tip : Ensure that water on the cover does not get into the scallops.

The Perfect Dhal - delicious lentils

There are many types of dhal (lentils) which can be cooked in many different ways. One could use chana (Bengalese gram) or tardka (spelt), or mix them with green, blue and red to give a combination soft, crunchy and chewy sensation.

The following is the result of countless experiments, food tasting and tips given by North Indian friends.

Firstly, stir fry chopped garlic and onions in vegetable oil. Add diced potato, pumpkin, zucchini or marrow. Then set aside.

In a pot, boil the lentils in water (just enough to cover the beans). Keep stirring the mixture while cooking to prevent sticky and lumpy consistency. Add chicken stock and sundried or fresh sliced tomatoes when the lentils are almost soft.

Throw in some curry powder, chilli powder (to taste), grated ginger root, ground tumeric, coriander and mint leaves, green chillies, prior fried garlic and onions. Viola! It's ready to serve.

The secrets lie in the root spices that give a balance to the cooling and wind giving effect of beans; the stock (good quality MSG free granule or liquid vegetable or chicken stock) to bring out the taste of the otherwise bland dhal; and garnishing that differentiates ordinary from refined cooking.

Even non-vegetarians give their thumbs up.

Pan Fry Meat

The dos and don'ts of cooking meat

Searing will help to seal in the juices and flavours of the meat while cooking, without making it overcooked and dry. Ensure the pan is very hot. Once the meat is slightly brown on one side, flip it over and cook the other side. For beef, you might want to turn off the heat once the centre is almost cooked.

Cook meat at room temperature. Do not cook frozen or chilled meat straight from the fridge. Meat that is marinated can sit at the counter for 45 minutes without causing harm to human consumption. Cold meat would bring down the temperature of the pan and cause the meat to give out water and lightly sauteed instead of grilled.

Festive Dish : Crab Fuyong Egg Omelette (furong xie)

This colorful omelette dish can be served by itself as a centrepiece, or part of a cold dish with assorted dishes of roast meat, spring roll, prawn salad and jellyfish. A favourite for all ages and a must for the lunar new year feasting. It's called by various names, the most commonly used in Southeast Asia being "fuyong hai" meaning hibiscus flower crab omelette, a symbol of peace.

Use freshly peeled steamed crab meat or good quality vacuum packed or frozen crab meat (pincer preferable).

Add to beaten eggs (about 3 - 4 eggs depending on the portion of vegetables and serving.)

Julienne carrots, cooked or canned bamboo shoots, chives, soaked and sliced shitake mushroom, shrimp, glass noodle.

Seasoning : soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper, shaoxing wine, fish sauce.

* Adding soaked and trimmed glass noodle (bean vermicelli) would give this dish a more sophisticated texture and presentation. You don't need to use sharksfin for cooking. Glass noodle or Japanese vegetarian yam sharksfin are good substitutes for preparing traditional delicacies without harming sea creatures and the environment.

Fry the vegetables briefly in oil. It should remain crunchy so take it easy.

The secret to cooking egg fuyong is not to overcook the egg. A quick swirl and stir and the dish is ready to be served.

Garnish with coriander leaves, spring onions and bean sprouts (optional).
A delicious dipping sauce to go with the dish would be lime and garlic chilli sauce.

- Copyright Reserved for all recipes and images in this blog

Cookware - quality and quantity

Cookware arguably carries equal weight as the food ingredients to whip up delicious meals for the dining table.

Most experienced cooks acknowledge that quality is more important than quantity of pots and pans you accumulate. Do you aspire to have a model well-stocked kitchen that you see on brochures or TV complete with a pot rack full of gleaming cookware in every shape and size? It is possible if money is no issue but the question you need to ask is whether all these are necessary. A smart home cook only needs to invest in a few essential high quality cookware. You don't need to buy a whole set unless it is a starter set for a new home or that the discount offered is too tempting to reject. The prices of superior range of branded cookware are usually not slashed by much compared to the normal series. So you need to scrutinise and ensure that you're getting your money's worth.

Skillets are low sided long handled pan for frying while a Saute pan has a higher rim. Choose two sizes (24 cm, 26 cm, 28 cm) of each if your budget permits or one smaller skillet and a larger saute pan would be sufficient for most cooking. Some recipes may require a skillet to be put in the oven, so you may want to purchase at least one pan with handles that can withstand the heat of baking or those with removable handles.

Saucepans usually come in three sizes (1-, 2-, and 3-quart). It would be handy to have a small for warming small quantities of soup and a medium one for family cooking. You won't need to many of them as the handles take up a lot of space.

Dutch oven or Kettle: This is a large heavy stock pot with a tight fitting lid. Dutch ovens are perfect for soups, stews, and braising meats. You could even store surplus in the freezer for subsequent meals.

Stock pot is useful for boiling chicken, beef, fish and vegetable stock for soups, sauces, noodle and rice dishes. It is also useful to get one with a matching strainer for boiling large quantities of pasta, for entertaining, or brewing Asian herbal tea.

A steamer is a perforated basket that holds food over boiling water in a pan in order to steam it rather than boil it. They are available as collapsible units or solid baskets. Great for steaming vegetables for Japanese and Korean cold dishes and Chinese dim sum.

Double boiler comprises two pans stacked up for cooking. Water in the bottom pan simmers gently to cook or melt the contents in the top pan. This is a great piece of cookware for preparing delicate sauces or melting candy to make chocolate ganache. They could serve as substitutes for steamer if you're hard pressed to choose to purchase only one item.

Chinese meat dumplings - jiaozi

To learn how to make authentic Northern Chinese dumplings, please follow this link to my other blog :

http://ausletters.blogspot.com/2009/01/making-dumplings.html

Earlier we have shared with readers how to make simple talin guo tie.

http://homecooksecrets.blogspot.com/2009/01/easy-northern-chinese-dumplings.html

About Stir Fry and Smooth Egg Gravy

A restaurant dish that is easy to replicate at home.

Ingredients : sliced celery, scallops, carrot, dry roast unsalted macadamia nuts, 3 egg white, 1 egg, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, pepper, ginger, chopped garlic.

Fry garlic, scallop, celery in oil sequentially. Add oyster sauce and seasoning sauces to taste. Throw in macadamia nuts. Stir in the egg white last.

The secret of smooth egg white gravy

Egg gravy will no longer be smooth once it is overcooked.

Remove from heat immediately and serve.

Tip : make use of excess egg white from making creme brulee or Indonesian layered cake.

Other Dishes using the same method :

- Stir fry thinly sliced beef

- Fried prawn

- Fish slices

- Fried loofah gourd

- Tofu hot pot

Fried noodles with egg gravy

The same principle can be applied to frying rice noodles or egg noodles.

- Grill or pan fry noodles with oil on medium high heat till crispy and firm.

Remove from heat.

- Fry the meat and vegetables that would be included in the noodle dish.

- Return noodles to the wok.

- Lightly beat egg white with salt and pepper according to taste. Swirl it around the frying pan or wok quickly and remove from heat

Noodles :

Wat Tan Hor

Cantonese style fried egg noodles

Sung Mee

Garlic and Shallot Crisps - adding a professional touch to your cooking

What a difference condiments make to your favourite home cooked dish. Garlic and shallot crisps are easy to make but one has to be patient. Mix the cut vegetables in vegetable oil that is twice or three times the level in your frying pan before turning on the heat. Always maintain LOW fire. Do not increase the heat as the crisps will get burnt and taste bitter. They are meant to be golden and crispy. They can keep up to a week without refrigeration.

For gourmets who like more sophisticated tastes, add chopped spring onion, coriander leaves and parsley.

These work wonders as toppings to soup, pasta, salad and stew. There's no restriction to the type of cuisine.

Grapefruit Salad with Thai dressing

If pomelo is unavailable or too expensive where you are, grapefruit is a good substitute for this delicious Thai salad.

Cut grapefruit into bite size.

Lightly pan fry washed dried shrimp.

Dressing : mix fish sauce, brown or palm sugar, ground chilli and lime juice.

Sprinkle topping of garlic and shallot crisps, coriander and spring onion sprigs.

Gado Gado - vegetable medley with peanut sauce

Gado-gado : delicious, nutritious, complete one-dish vegetarian meal

Ingredients :

- Vegetables that need to be boiled : sliced cabbage, carrot, potato, french or snake bean.

- Dice fried firm beancurd.

- Cut fresh cucumber.

- Boiled egg.

- Fried prawn crackers (try to use Indonesian brands for more solid bite)

Gravy : Blend with water and coconut milk the following ingredients :

- Roast peanut till fragrant but not brown.Soak thumb sized assam or use directly from ready made bottled tamarind.

- Sugar & salt to taste

- Fresh chillies

- Garlic

- Shallot bulb

Boil the gravy and add dark soy sauce to taste.

* Note : people with peanut allergy should avoid this dish.

Easy Penang Laksa

For those living abroad or have limited time, this is a simple recipe which yields an incredibly delicious end product.

The secrets are using chunky canned tuna instead of boned fish and Malaysian nonya chilli sauce which contains torch ginger and spices.

Spinach Fettucine in marvellous light sauce

Cook spinach fettucine till al dante. This sauce is healthy and tasty. Fry garlic, chopped onions, pinenuts, basil leaves and sundried tomatoes in pure olive oil. A dash of white wine would enhance the flavour. Add salt and pepper according to taste.

- Original recipe. Copyright reserved.

Easy northern Chinese dumplings

If you lack the skill or time to make the dumpling dough from scratch, here's a way to "cheat" by using white floured dumpling skin available from the chilled section of Asian grocery store.

Common ingredients for filling are minced meat, chives, shrimp and mushroom. Add a little salt and pepper and mix well. Instead of the usual way of sealing the sides of the dumpling, simply fold into half and fold again. It's ready to be pan fried.

The two types of dipping sauces are : (1) ginger shreds with dark vinegar or (2) chilli oil, soy sauce and sesame oil sauce

I was told by a northern Chinese the name of this handy dish is "taling" jiaozi or guotie.

Beer Damper Bread

You don't need yeast to proof the bread, just baking soda and beer!

Sprinkle rolled oats or ground linseed for a healthier dough.

Creme Brulee with seasonal fruits

Basic creme brulee recipe :
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of milk
1 cup of 35% whipping cream
1 tbsp vanilla
pinch of salt
8 egg yolks

Blueberries and raspberries are in season. They are delicious and gives a nice tang to rich and smooth creme brulee.

The egg yolk should be whisked till they are dispersed and "melted". Run it through a sieve. Add full cream, pure vanilla paste and a dash of ground Australian native wattle seed for added oumph.

Using a torch is a luxury if you are prepared to invest in one. However, I find that grilling works just as well. It does not compromise the taste even though the presentation is less glamorous.

Spanish Paella - seafood rice

Paella is an exotic Spanish rice dish.

The secret ingredients are clear good quality chicken stock and / or fish stock and saffron water to cook the rice; sizzled chorizo; plump tomatoes; fresh seafood and chicken thigh fillet that has been cleaned, marinated and sliced.

The dish will not turn out well if one uses long grain rice which takes longer to cook. Use arborio rice which is also used in cooking risotto.

It is important to use a heavy pan that does not stick easily. My preference is for scanpan for healthy cooking. The air tight glass lid would help to seal the flavours within the pan and allows easy checking during the cooking process.

Fry onion, garlic, chorizo and seafood that takes longer to cook first and set aside. Then fry the rice, add warmed stock and give it a slow and frequent stir for 2 minutes. If rice is still uncooked, cover for a minute before adding seafood. Return the cover and cook for another 5 minutes or till cooked, infusing the flavoursome juices from all the tasty ingredients. Tomatoes and peas are optional but paprika are essential for this Spanish signature dish.

While ensuring that sufficient heat is pumped in to cook the rice al dante, be careful not to burn the bottom. If slow cooked for a longer time, a base layer that is slightly brown and crispy adds

aroma to the seafood rice.

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Brushetta - great summer delight

Easy brushetta which I have tweaked from a recipe learnt from my stint working as a cook at a Mediterranean restaurant at a well known riverside tourist haunt.

Use the freshest ripened tomatoes you could get hold of. Dice into small bite size. It's optional to deseed the vegetable before adding extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, chopped basil leaves, oregano and soft brown sugar.

Lightly toast sourdough or denser variation of continental baguette. Spoon tomatoes onto bread and serve immediately. A light, refreshing and healthy meal.

Baked Fish Otak-otak (otah)

Malay otah-otah (otak2) is simlar to Indonesian ikan pepes and Thai hor mok. Perhaps my previous lessons in Indonesian and Thai cookery have given me familiarity with the use of spices and having a good feel of the steps required to enhance the flavours of this dish.

My home-made fish otak-otak has received rave reviews and accolades from friends.
No short cuts or cutting corners.

Mackeral meat is scrapped, pressed and whipped into a bouncy texture with very little salt and starch.

No MSG or preservatives are used.

Last but not least, sprinkle finely sliced kaffir lime leaves just before serving.

I find these two recipes worth trying : http://www.asianrecipesonline.com/nyonya/otak-otak.php and http://www.malaysianfood.net/recipes/recipeotakotak.htm

Chocolate sponge cake

Sponge Cake : a simple no-frills or French egg sponge.

Chocolate : use coverture chocolate, temper with cream by double boiling slowly. Ensure that the oil does not separate and avoid getting water into the ganache.