Snow fungus, papaya, double boiled with milk

The recipe for this nutritious dessert available in well known speciality sweet restaurants is actually very easy to follow. Cooked in a baine marie, the essential vitamins and nutrients are preserved and prevents the milk from overboiling.

The combination of fungus and papaya is said to enhance complexion, helps in digestion and build up immunity against flu.

Firstly, pre-soak 2 whole florets of snow fungus (from Asian grocery or traditional medicine store).  When the fungus has expanded (takes about 10 minutes), snip off the dirt and yellowish portions.

Prepare double boiler with hot water at the base and pot for cooking above. This could be improvised by using a slightly larger pot at the bottom and stack another pot on top.

Bring fungus with just enough water to cover it to the boil.  Let it cook for another 10 minutes.

Add papaya cubes and milk (amount would be according to the number of servings).

Add rock sugar last (about 1 cup to 1 litre for moderate sweetness).

Simmer for another 15 minutes. The entire cooking time is one hour plus 15 minutes of preparation time.

Thai Red Curry Roast Duck: Gaeng Phet Ped Yang

This is one of the Thai curry dishes that could rival Green Curry to reach the status of royal cuisine.

Prepare red curry paste (either using ready packaged or pound dried chilli with galangal, lemongrass, coriander root, shallot onion, garlic, pepper, shrimp paste). Stir fry with a little oil and add coconut milk.

If using leftover duck from the fridge, warm briefly in microwave oven.

Pineapple (fresh is better) and lychee (or rambutan) would give the dish the special tang and sweetness to balance the hot chillies and savoury duck.

When almost cooked, throw in some torn kaffir lime leaves.

Pomelo Salad

Pomelo is a large citrus fruit that encapsulates many flavours of sweet, sour, bitterness. It is great for salad and dessert.

Refer to similar Grapefruit Salad with Thai dressing.

http://homecooksecrets.blogspot.com.au/2009/01/grapefruit-salad-with-thai-dressing.html

Berries Trifle for a very merry Christmas

Christmas Down Under is summer. Lots of fresh berries to make attractive and delicious trifle for parties.

Choose an assortment of different coloured berries. Strawberries and blueberries are more hardy, keeps better, and retains their integrity even with a bit of handling and mixing.   Raspberries are refreshing and serve as good antioxidants but they may not withstand longer keeping time. 

Ingredients

Premium Vanilla Custard (Paul's brand is fine and convenient) 500 g  or cook from scratch with 4 yolk & 1 cup milk
Fresh Cream (either whip from scratch or purchase ready dessert cream) 2 cups
1 punnet each of 3 types of berries (blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, mulberry, boysenberry)
Cherries for topping
Quality meringe (or whip egg white till max peak, pipe and bake)
Castor sugar 1/2 cup
Honey 2 TBS
Liquour - cointreau /grand marnier and brandy (any 2 of these will do) 2 TBS each
Chocolate garnache (melt a block of high cocoa chocolate in double boiler, add 2 TBS full cream, brown sugar and one yolk)
Sponge cake or sponge fingers about 200 - 300 g (pannatone Italian cake-bread is handy for this and pudding recipes)

Method

Prepare to layer a large glass transparent bowl (either special large surface uniform trifle bowl or large mixing bowl).

Firstly, line the bottom with chocolate garnache, followed by half of the sponge cake slices or sponge fingers.
Sprinkle some of the liquor on the sponge.

Spoon half of the fruit. Cover with custard.

Place the remaining sponge cake. Repeat : followed by a dash of liquour, fruit and custard.

Sprinkle some castor sugar.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Can be prepared the day before the party and chilled overnight.

When ready to serve, decorate with whipped cream, honey, cherries, mixture of cherries, meringe as topping.

Baked fig in proscuitto wrap

An easy appetizer recipe using sweet and savoury ingredients - fig and prosciutto. Only two main ingredients and two steps. No kidding!

1. Grease baking tray with a thin coat of almond or macadamia oil.
2. Bake in preheated oven at 150 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

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Chinese New Year raw fish salad - yusheng

How to avoid paying more than $20 per person to savour the Chinese New Year raw fish salad (yusheng) speciality? DIY is the way to go and you'll be surprised how easy it is to prepare this festive dish and impress your family and friends. Best of all, you may ajdust the ingredients according to personal tastes and preferences.

After years of sampling different restaurant yusheng in Southeast Asia and Australia, I've come up with this recipe that has received raved reviews. Tried and tested - much better than what restaurants serve, if I may dare say. The serving portion is for 6 persons.

Finely junlienned vegetables :

Carrot, white radish, green mango, yam bean, cucumber, spring onion.
Fresh ginger - peeled and sliced thinly
Japanese green seaweed strands (soaked and drained)

Fresh Fruits :

Dice 1/2 pomelo or 1 large grapefruit into segments
Mango slices

Dried preserved fruit :

kamquat, orange peel, dried or pickled mango, candied ginger, pickled ginger, candied melon, licorice flavoured or assorted plums -- slice these dried ingredients thinly.

Dressing :

Put each of the condiments and sauces in small serving dishes

Wet : sesame oil, garlic oil, plum sauce, lime juice (2 small green lime)

Dry : lightly toasted sesame seed, white pepper, brown sugar, salt, tiny crispy crackers, roast ground peanut powder, kaffir lime leaf (cut into razor thin slices). You may like to put the dry ingredients into red packets (hongbao / ang pow) to enhance the festive mood.

Raw fish :

Thinly slice sashimi grade boneless fish. Any of these could be used : salmon, tuna, trout, yellow tail, or wolf herring.

Arrange fish slices in a fan shape or at the centre of a large platter.

Processed jellyfish - washed and seasoned or you could purchase ready-to- eat packs from the Asian grocery store. (optional)

Tuck In!

When ready to serve, mix all the ingredients and dressing.
Toss with chopsticks and exclaim "lo hei" -- symbol of prosperity and progress.

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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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