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.

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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