The Avocado, Carrot and Beet Salad

I am done whale watching. It was an ethereal trip, a much needed one too, before the balls and chains of the good ol' 9-5 comes falling down.

Anyway, back to food postings as I've neglected this blog far too long. I will start with a simple carrot, avocado and beet salad. Ooouff! That's a mouthful, isn't it? Let's just call it the CABS. I guess I could call it SCABS too but that would be a bit gross. :P

A big part of this salad recipe is assembling everything together. But it does involve a little big of cooking.

The CABS salad is healthy and surprisingly hearty. The orange and balsamic vinaigrette gives it a good tangy punch that leaves you pleasantly surprised at just how good everything feels and taste in your mouth :) There is a surprise spice in there that rounds it all off. It's also a best friend to carrot. See if you can spot it.


Carrots, Avocado and Beets Salad recipe:
2 carrots, peels and cut into 3 inch length-wise
2 beets, peels and quartered
Beet leafs, washed and drained (optional, but they are lovely as salads)
1 avocado, skinned and sliced
1 zucchini cut into the same size as the carrots (optional ingredient but I added it in)

Dressing:
1 whole orange juice and some pulp
zest of a whole lime
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted on hot pan for 1 min and crush slightly with the back of your knife
salt and pepper


Method:
1. Heat up a half full pan of water. Season the water with 1 teaspoon of salt.
2. When water boils, add your zucchini to boil for 2 minutes. Take the zucc's out with a slotted spoon.
3. In the same water, add your carrots and beets in to cook for about 8minutes. You can cook the carrots and beets separately but i like the color the beets imparts to the carrots, it becomes a ruby orange :)
4. As your vegetables are cooking, make your dressing. In a large salad bowl, add your quartered avocados in. Add orange juice, zests, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and season with some salt and pepper onto the avocados. Toss to mix and set aside.
5. Assemble your vegetables, hot and steaming, by adding it into the bowl with the marinated avocados and toss together.


Serve with some croûtons and drizzle with a little bit more balsamic.

Tastiest salad ever. And cumin was the surprise spice. It goes very, very well with beets and carrots :)

Green bean stew: a brunch of tomatoes, beans and eggs

I have made this for breakfast thousands of times before and it's always fulfilling, healthy and yummy. Today, I'm going to share with you a breakfast creation of mine that can feed 1 up to 10 people depending on how many times you go "crrraacck".

In this series of kitchen experiments, I am stewing a bunch of green beans or, fancily, haricot verte in a pan filled up with marinara sauce. So basically, it's a tomato based green bean stew where you finish off with a crack or two of eggs that will gently cook into the sauce. The yolks will still be gooey and it's the most incredible thing in the world when you tuck in by soaking the sauce up with some bread.

I don't even know if I can actually write a proper recipe for it because it's such a off hand meal but I'll try. Oh did i tell you that this recipe is so simple? :)


Green bean stew with soft-boiled eggs recipe:
Serves 1 or 2 (double or triple or quadruple recipe at ease)

1 handful of green beans, cleaned and ends sniped off
1.5 cup of marinara sauce (store bought ones are fine)
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste.
Optional: a bit of parsley and shallots for garnish

Bread for soaking the awesome sauce up.


Method:
1. In a deep pan, bring marinara sauce to a boil. Add your green beans and let it simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat. Do not cover the pan yet.
2. Crack in two eggs into the pan and watch the eggs fall nicely in between the cracks of tomato sauce and green bean goodness.
3. Cover to cook for 3 minutes or until eggs is done to your liking. I like my eggs to have a nice white sheath covering the yellow yolk. Season with some salt and pepper.

Serve with bread.


** this is a lacto-ovo vegetarian friendly recipe :)
*** apparently there is a similar Tunisian and Israeli dish like this called Shakshouka where it's cooked with different vegetables. :) One thing I've read about this dish is that the possibilities are endless.

Khanom Paeng Na Moo (Thai pork toast)

This is an extremely tasty snack that I stumbled upon. I would love to tell you where, if I can only remember where. But Khanom Paeng Na Moo is basically Thai pork mince on toast. It is very similar to the familiar French toast except it's coated with meat instead of just eggs. What makes this recipe delicious is the crispiness of the pork coating and the soft fluffy center after it is cooked. It's a perfect balance of flavors and an utter delight to the taste buds :)

This is one of the simplest recipe to do and I recommend that you try it for a little snack with some leftover unused minced meat. Or make a batch for entertaining - your guests will be pleased by this easy to eat food. It is also good served in room temperature as well. And I assure you, this recipe takes less than 30 minutes from prep to ready.

What you need for Khanom Paeng Na Moo (Thai pork toast):
(double, triple, quadruple recipe when necessary)

150g of mince pork (or any of your favorite minced meat)
1 egg (use two eggs if you're tripling/quadrupling your recipe)
2 stalks of spring onion, chopped
2 kaffir lime leaves, sliced thinly into a chiffonade
1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch/cornflour
a pinch of chilli powder, more if you want it spicier (optional)
1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional, use soy sauce if you have none)
a large pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices of bread

Garnish: Lemon slices


Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients together except for the 4 slices of bread. Let it sit for 10 minutes to marinade while you heat a lightly oiled pan under medium heat.

2. Your meat mixture should resemble a thick paste that is easily spreadable. With a spoon, spread 1 spoonful of mixture evenly on each side of the bread and pan fry each side for 3-4 minutes.

3. Repeat for remaining slices of bread. After your Thai pork toast is done, let it cool for 5 minutes before cutting it into bite size piece and squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top before serving.


Best eaten with some chilled milk tea OR iced coffee.

Childhood flavors - Wantan et. al.

One thing I love about Malaysia is the fact that food is in abundance 24/7. It's a known fact that Malaysians eat all day and their favorite past time is also, eating. All that pot belly has to come from somewhere since Sin tax for alcohol is rather high in that country.

Anyway, I would like introduce you to two of my favorite side walk hawker food from Penang. I know everyone raves about the awesome seafood (me included), the curry noodles, Laksa, Hokkien mee and char kuey teows but I rave about the wantan noodles in Penang.
When I was a little girl running around barefoot in my grandparents' abode, i remember my grandmother carrying her rattan basket as she walks to the wet market early in the mornings. I was asleep most of the time when she heads out but I am almost always awake to catch her walking back with fresh produce and breakfast for everyone. She would either buy Bah Cheang Kueh (a crispy pancake filled with peanuts, creamed corned and sometimes grated coconut) or Wantan noodles back. And as a child, those foods left a deep impression on me ...up till today.

There was nothing sweeter than the bah cheang kueh dripping with rich butter and cream corn hot on my hands. I just loved every bite of it and my grandmother would vicariously live through my eating of the pancakes because poor grandma had diabetes. Since she passed away i haven't really had good Bah Cheang Kuehs, at least not exactly as I remembered it. Maybe tastebuds changed as we grow older, nevertheless I still crave that orgasmic sweetness of my first Bah Cheang Kueh.
However, I did find wantan mee that is sort of a replica of the ones my grandma brought back years ago. The noodle is translucent and bouncy to the bite. The sauce is dark enough with a hint of bitterness that is just proportionate to its sweetness. I said it sort of replicate the one I had years ago from the market because its wantan is not deep fried.
This wantan dish hails from the corner of Heong Giam Si temple, which incidentally is where both my grandparents ancestral tablets are resting.


I am afraid I don't know an exact address except the sidewalk hawker is right next to this temple. There is a primary (or was it secondary school) opposite this temple though. Hm... this is definitely one of those cases where I know how to get there but I don't know the address.

Fettuccine Bolognese

Bolognese is perhaps the simplest, most beloved pasta sauce of all time. Very simply, it is the simplest sauce that is equally hearty and fulfilling. It's especially convenient for students or busy working adults alike, who would like to eat something really quick to ease hunger. Easily, you can also make this a very elegant meal. The trick is in the presentation.

All you need for a Bolognese sauce is marinara sauce, some minced meat and, but optional, red wine. You can save the red wine for those special moments where you have time to wait until the sauce simmers down a notch for that rich tasting velvet in your mouth.

But, this will be the easy peasy method for the busy bodies.

Fettuccine Bolognese - Simple version
(this recipe feeds 1 hungry person)

Pasta:
1 bundle of dry Fettuccine, with a diameter of 2.5cm
1 tbsp of salt
6 cups of water

Sauce:
2/3 cup marinara sauce - store bought ones are fine
100grams of minced chicken (preferably thigh and breast meat combined)
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp of olive oil

Method:
1. Put 4 cups of water and salt into a large pot until it starts to boil fiercely. Put your dry Fettuccine in to cook. Stir occasionally. It will need approximately 8 minutes.
2. In the mean time while the pasta is cooking, heat your pan with 1tbsp of olive oil and once the pan is hot, add your minced meat in. Saute, for 2minutes or until the meat looks semi-opaque and add garlic.
3. Pour in your marinara sauce, and let the mixture come to a simmer.
4. Your pasta should be about done by now, so while your sauce is cooking drain your pasta and maybe save a few tablespoons of pasta water on the side.
5. Add the cooked pasta into the simmering sauce and stir to combine nicely. If the pasta looks a bit too dry, add a few tablespoons of pasta water. Mix until the sauce and pasta combines well and serve with a nice crusty bread.


********

The elegant velvety version of Bolognese sauce

Sauce:
1.5 cup marinara sauce - store bought ones are fine
100grams of minced beef
100grams of minced veal/chicken
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup of red wine (Anything below $11 and above $8 per bottle is decent for cooking, don't use anything you wouldn't drink- a very important tip. Serve the rest of the bottle with the meal)
2 tbsp of olive oil

Method:
1. While the pasta is cooking, heat your pan with 2tbsp of olive oil and once the pan is hot, add your minced meats in. Saute, for 2minutes or until the meat looks semi-opaque and add garlic.
2. Pour in your marinara sauce, and let the mixture come to a simmer.
3. After that, add your wine and let the sauce simmer down to half. It will take approximately 5 minutes on medium high heat. Simmer a bit longer if the sauce is too watery for your liking.
4. Your pasta should be done, so while your sauce is still cooking drain your pasta and maybe save a few tablespoons of pasta water on the side.
5. Add the cooked pasta into the simmering sauce and stir to combine nicely. If the pasta looks a bit too dry, add a few tablespoons of pasta water. Mix until the sauce and pasta combines well.

Serve by first plating the noodles and then top the rest of the sauce on top so that it looks ponzi and pretentious like you've spent forever in the kitchen preparing this. Smear some flour on your forehead to impress. ;P

Useful tip: Always use pasta water to thin the sauce if it gets too dry while cooking.

Crabs at Tanjung Tokong, Penang

Of all the places I've eaten crabs, nothing beats the sweetness of the crabs in Tanjong Tokong, Penang. It's the taste that makes you crave. And almost always, the aftermath of eating seafood here is never pretty:The restaurant situated on Tanjung Tokong bay next to a Tua Peh Kong Temple is no stranger to the locals and history buffs alike - reason being that the age old temple used to be a meeting place for one of the famed Chinese gangs Ghee Hin/Hai San. Well, I may not be a pro with the history in that area, I'm only writing what one of my uncles told me years ago. But as you drive, you'll be welcomed by a the temple's big gate:

This eatery has a name but the locals wouldn't know it by it's fancy, albeit misguided, Anglo-fied name, Sea Pearl Lagoon Cafe, it's just Hai Choo Hooi to most of them really.
And I MUST eat their seafood whenever I am back in Penang. There is really only two things that I really like here - their coal-baked crabs and salt-baked prawns. They do have other methods of prep for these shellfish as well as other seafood. But those two are the ONLY dishes worth their salt, in my humble opinion.









Ambiance wise, don't expect any fine-dining finesse. Someone once asked me about the interior decor of the place and I said "What interior decor?". It's al-fresco, Penang-style, with metal stools and metal table under huge rain trees and a salty breeze from the sea. Your waiters/waitress are probably the first generation owners of this place, hurriedly clearing the empty shells, bowls and spills off tables so the next customer can be entertained - the cycle then repeats itself. Nothing fancy but location wise is charmingly idyllic, none the less.

But back to the star attraction, there is something about the taste of the crab's flesh in this eatery. It's the method of preparation which is just a simple baking procedure over hot coals, probably. The sweetness of the crab's flesh and the smoky undertone of its flavor is unlike any other I've tasted. As you can see, there is nothing fancy with these crabs.


Black burned bits, salty sweet flesh and oozing with crab roe you must lick and suck to savor all its goodness - simple and yet delightful. The prawns are baked in salt on top of charcoal as well, which imparts its flesh with a smoky sweetness.Sigh, I'm drooling just thinking about it. The aftermath of such a delectable affair is never pretty but it is necessary. How else do you leave your mark of victor after tackling such a delectable meal? You're not allowed to throw the shells off the balcony anyway.

Eating is my family's past time, as it is for many other Malaysian families as well. Food is the glue that keeps us together and united. Seafood in Tanjong Tokong is my family's annual pilgrimage. I just thought I'd share it with you guys. I do highly recommend you to try their crabs and shrimps, coal-baked, if you're ever in Penang (address below), it's one of those few places in Penang where you can eat great seafood for a pretty good price - RM48/kg for crabs. Okay, okay, maybe it's not very "cheap" to the locals but paying for quality is fair game. :)


Contact Info: Sea Pearl Lagoon Cafe, Penang
Address (because I want you all to go):
338 MK 18, Tanjung Tokong,
Penang 10470.
Malaysia
Phone: +60 4 899 0375
Neighbourhood: Northern Coast

Kerabu Bok Nee (Nyonya -style Black Fungus Salad)

When I wrote Burnt and Alive, I said for Chinese Reunion Dinner, my mom wanted to make Nyonya Style Nasi Ulam to accompany the dinner. But all that changed when my dad's eldest brother invited us to have reunion dinner with his family, so the idea of making Nasi Ulam was scraped. I did however get the opportunity to eat Kerabu Bok Nee (Nyonya-style Black Fungus Salad) in Penang.

I was looking forward to making the Nasi Ulam and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when we couldn't. We were planning to go back to Penang on the 2nd day of CNY. To cook and clean on the first few days of CNY is taboo, of course, because according to Chinese traditions, we wouldn't want to wash the luck and prosperity away.

But back in Penang, my 5th grandaunt had already planned to cook a huge feast for all our immediate family members. The gesture was a real gem because she IS a wonderful Nyonya cook - her food is like a mirror to my late grandmother's, her older sister, except maybe a bit healthier. Anyway one of her dishes was Kerabu Bok Nee. It's been years (I think almost 10 years or more) since I've tasted this kerabu dish and hers was excellent. I got the recipe from her, of course. How could I not? It's a keeper. :)

You will note that preparation is more tedious than the actual assembly time. Like all good food, give it a bit of love and patience. You'll be rewarded splendidly :D






Kerabu Bok Nee recipe:

50grams black wood-ear fungus (bok nee), soaked for 10mins and cleaned off all dried/hard bits.




Dressing:
2 tbsp sambal belachan (Sriracha chili + a bit of fish sauce sauce can be a good substitute )
3 tbsp calamansi lime (normal green lime works as well)
2 tbsp Sugar, or to taste
1 tsp Salt, or to taste
150 grams of shallots, peels and sliced thinly length-wise
4 tbsp ginger flower/bunga kantan, finely sliced
2 tbsp of toasted grated coconut, pounded
1 fresh red chillies, de-seeded, diced finely
300 grams of chicken breast, steamed to cook and shredded

Assembly:

1. Combine the ingredients for Dressing starting with the liquids into a big bowl. Mix well.
2. Add black fungus and shredded chicken into the bowl and again toss until it is well combined.

You can eat the salad as it is. It's very refreshing and crunchy, I love the combination of texture and aroma a lot. Or you can eat it with rice and a dollop of sambal. You can double/triple/quadruple the recipe safely too.

Acar Fish - Nyonya style pickled fish

I remember quite vividly of a curiously yellow dish on the table. Hands were dirtied and tainted yellow with the mix of rice and fish. A big dollop of sambal on the side of the plate and a satiated silence permeates the dining table.

Acar Fish was the order of the day, it's loaded with turmeric which gives it that distinct yellow color and a spicy acidic flavor from the vinegar used. It's a very simple recipe really, and a tasty one. My father loves this dish and would never fail to have at least a second helping when this is cooked.

I used smelt for this recipe because they were so fresh in the market when i bought them. I couldn't help it but get reminded of this pickled fish dish (Mind you, in Malaysia, you don't use smelt. It's a fish that looks like smelt though - i just don't know what it's called). So, I bought 6 smelts to make this dish.

**edit: My dad told me the fish they use in Penang is called "belanak" or "beranak" cos it's usually filled with eggs or something. Hmm...maybe it's a cousin of the smelt. AND apparently i have missed a very important step in making this fish: Drying it under the sun before the dry rub and frying. Crucial, apparently. But i made this during winter and there was no sun at 6pm in the evening :P SIGH... it tasted good though. I think i made up for the sun-bathing process by frying till it's crisp :D

I shall share this Nyonya recipe with you because it's just delicious with rice and I'm a generous girl ;)

Acar Fish recipe:
5 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
8 slices of ginger, thinly julienned
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 cup of white vinegar
1 tablespoons of sugar, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup of oil

1 teaspoon turmeric for marinating fish
salt and pepper
1 cup of Oil for frying.

Method:
1. Marinate your fish with some salt, pepper and turmeric powder for about 30 minutes--it's like a dry rub. You can prepare the other ingredients in the mean time.
2. Heat pan with 1 cup of oil on medium high. Once the oil is hot enough, if you have a cooking thermometer, reading should say 300F, fry your fish until it is crispy and golden brown.

Now the trick here is to fry the fish on medium high heat (turn the heat down to medium if it gets too hot) until the fish becomes crispy. You want to fry the water content of the fish away so that it will become a sponge for later cooking. This is how the fish will absorb all those flavors of ginger, turmeric and garlic. The vinegar cuts the oiliness and imparts a nice appetizing bite to the dish.

3. Once the fish is done, take it out of the oil and lay them on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.
4. On a different pan, heat with 1/4 cup of oil. Saute the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add turmeric powder and vinegar in. It'll be splashy for a few seconds so be careful.
5. Add the fried fish into the pan and let it come to a simmer. Add salt, sugar to taste. Let the dish simmer for about 15 minutes and then serve.

This Acar Fish can last for a long while and it actually tastes better as time goes by. You can make a big batch of this and keep it refridgerated for weeks. But i doubt it'll last a week in the fridge - i'd eat it everyday ;)

Marinated Mushrooms with Balsamic Vinegar and Terragon

This is the perfect condiment, perfect side dish, perfect amuse bouche, perfect appetizer. Marinated mushrooms is currently a favorite of mine because it's so easy to cook and it tastes better with time. I always find cooking food that rewards you in the long run is worth much more in effort than food that doesn't last.

I am a great fan of mushrooms. Any kind of mushrooms and I am there, lapping it up with crusty bread and pasta. The only 'shrooms I haven't tried are the one that gives you psychedelic trips on your parents' old hippie wagon. Although I wouldn't say no to it should the opportunity arise - like a grand opening to an opera, I will cook these shroom in white wine carbonara sauce, slurped with spaghetini as the entre. Whereby my main course would be watching animated vines growing from the floor right before my eyes before transforming my apartment into a labyrinth made out of male harems; where every wrong turn gets me a hawt male. Yes.

But we're not talking about magic 'shrooms today, we're talking about marinated mushrooms in balsamic vinegar and terragon. It is rich and tangy with a hint of aniseed, very delicious and luscious to the taste buds. The flavor of these mushrooms mature, like wine, and it gets better as the days goes by. It keeps for up to a week although I really doubt it'll last that long :)

You'll need:
500g of white button mushroom, washed and halved
2 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 cup more for finishing at the end
3 tablespoon of good balsamic vinegar
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 shallots, minced finely
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 stalks of fresh terragon

Method:
1. Heat your pan until very hot and douse the two tablespoons of olive oil in.
2. Add your mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms turns a beautiful caramelized color around its sides. This will take about 5 minutes of tossing and sauteing.
3. Do not let your mushrooms burn but do not turn down the heat as well..it is extremely important to keep your mushrooms on their toes sizzling away. Now, add your garlic and shallots in, saute until all is well blended and the herbs sweat and turns soft.
4. Douse your balsamic vinegar AROUND the pan without flooding your mushrooms because you want the vinegar to evaporate whatever excess liquid it has and reduce to a beautiful and flavorful sauce that will coat the mushrooms. Saute for a minute more.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and pour the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil to finish the cooking off. Heat for 2 minutes more and take the mushrooms off the stove. Pluck leaves of terragon onto the marinated mushrooms and mix well.

Serve in room temperature or cold. Store it in the fridge for up to 7-10 days. These mushrooms are delicious with bread and/or with eggs and/or with crackers. It's basically a palate teaser that will open up your appetite more.

The Perfect Scramble

The perfect scramble, marinated mushrooms and toasts

If I had a personal chef, I would have him cook me breakfast like this everyday. It's not that it's hard to make, it's just not exactly my cup of tea to be up to my elbows in grease for plate of hot breakfast. So, yes, a personal chef that abides my morning needs gastronomical whims and fancy *jots down in notebook*

Eggs. I like my scramble eggs soft, creamy and gluants, which translates to gooey in French. I never used to like gooey eggs I was used to my mom's quick fire scramble which are nicely formed firm clouds with bits of brown bits from the hot wok. Gooey eggs to me were yucky before because I never had good ones made for me. I actually had scrambled eggs that is gooey in a 5-star hotel in Bangkok once and it was so poorly made, it was sweating liquid on the sides (happens because you seasoned the eggs while cooking a scramble, a big no-no), which makes the whole tray looked like vomit. EUGHH...

I have since had great gluants scramble eggs and I can't get enough of it. It's the only way of eating scrambled eggs, in my humble opinion, thanks to Gordon Ramsay. The little secret to making perfect eggs is to start with a very low heat and constant stirring, first. No oil is added but a bit of butter is thrown in with the eggs at the start of cooking. The butter helps glaze your eggs and gives it fantastic flavor. Oohh..i can write the whole recipe OR you can watch Mr. Gordon Ramsay help you impress your loved ones ;)



I don't use Crème fraîche on my eggs, I add a tablespoon of milk instead. It's very, very nice too! :)

My breakfast includes marinated mushrooms and toasts. These marinate mushrooms are simply delicious eaten cold or warm. It gets better as time goes by and it keeps well for up to a week. I will post the recipe for marinated mushrooms soon. But for now, scramble eggs takes the limelight.

Bestest Fish and Chips

Ladies and gentlemen, there is nothing more pleasurable than biting into a beautifully battered fish and crispy golden chips. I have perfected the batter for fish and chips and I am contemplating whether i should share it...

Well... I will. Simply because I think everyone deserve to have good fish and chips. :)

Now, most people think that fish and chips are the easiest to make. Just simply whack up a batter and fry your potatoes and you have it, right? Not quite.

You see, there is a certain science to making the batter perfectly crisp on the outside while the fish is moist and juicy on the inside. Temperature is one of the most important factors - you need to deep fry your fish and chips in this temperature, 350degrees F (or 175 C), so that your battered fish and potatoes won't be too oily and soggy. Nothing cuts the steam more than having a limp piece of fish on your plate. That being said, get a cooking thermometer for your kitchen if you don't have any. You need it to gauge the oil's temperature and you can use it for other things too, they last forever anyway.

Let's start with the batter. The secret ingredient is yeast. Yes, yeast. The same kind you use to make bread. Prepare the yeast first before prepping your fish, so that it has time to grow and froth.

Batter:
1/4 teaspoon yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water, with a teaspoon of sugar. Wait, till it's foamy before use (approx. 15 mins).
1.5 cups of flour
1 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Method:
1. Add flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add your yeast mixture, water, salt and baking soda. Mix with a spoon - don't worry about clumps, they are part of the yummy crispy bits.
2. Consistency of your batter should be like a thick white school glue with bits of clumps. Let it sit in a warm place and let the yeast do it's work. The batter will be slightly risen from the carbon dioxide released from the yeast...that's the thing that makes your batter crispy. Leave the batter while you go prep your fish.

Fish:
500 grams of cod/monkfish/or any semi-fatty fish (do not use tilapia, please).
salt and pepper for seasoning
1/4 cup flour for coating

Method:
1. If you've got big fillets of cod, cut them into 3 or 4 parts length wise. Pat dry with a paper towel if fish is wet.
2. Season some salt and pepper on the fish and the dredge it in flour. Tap extra flour out of the fish and let them sit on a clean plate. The flour helps the batter clings to the fish better.

Ready to fry:
Take your fish and batter it in your frothy batter and deep fry in oil that is 350degrees hot. It takes 2-4 minutes on each side. Once it's golden brown, take it out of the oil with a slotted spoon and onto a paper towel. Voila...very crispy fish that STAYS crispy and tastes like the stuff you get from a mom and pop's joint in Great Britain. The winning sign is that crisp sound it makes when you try to break the fish into two :)

Chips:
Now for chips. Have you ever wondered WHY when u try to make fries from fresh potatoes, they always turn out limp and greasy? There are many reasons, one of them is temperature. Perfect temperature is again 350F. And the other reason is, there is simply too many liquid in the potato to start off with, hence the limpness.Here's how you can have a winner for fries every time - you just need to boil these potatoes (cut up in thick fingers, 0.5inchx0.5inch approx.) until they're soft and almost flaky (20-25 minutes on fierce boiling water); drained them and let them rest until the water have evaporated and then deep frying them until crispy golden brown. I got this tip from Anthony Sedleck, that new Food Network star guy who jumps_ever_so_slightly every time he talks. Annoying.

It does pay when you do this extra step because it's reward ALWAYS outweighs the work. You will get crispy, flaky and perfectly cooked fries. EVERY TIME. Sigh...:) I have made this no-fail chips a million times since because my partner LOVES it. "The store-bought-freezer-fries won't do it no more", he said. I don't blame him.

Ravioli with "orange" Stuffing - Two Ways

One of the different types of raviolis

Raviolis are sold between $5-$7 for a big bag in the supermarket close to where I live. The prices fluctuates according to brand but regardless of brand, taste and quality they all have one thing in common - convenience. The raviolis are nicely pre-made for you and all you need to do is boil some salted water and cook these raviolis until al-dente.

BUT.

I am a masochist. I have always been a masochist. I like the hard, painful and the long winded way. My family and some friends think I am quite a nut. So I made raviolis myself, from scratch - dough, filling, whatever. Maybe I like to bask in the ray of self-perpetuated glory before a plate of ravioli while I look liked I have just fought the war with a rolling pin and some flour. Maybe, I just like things done from scratch so that I can appreciate the culinary splendor better and as such take me another step further into perfecting my ultimate dumpling. Maybe, I'm just a masochist.

Actually, dear foodies, it's not exactly hard to make raviolis. Our Chinese ancestors have been making pot stickers and wontons since even before the 7 kingdoms were united - what's hard about making raviolis except it's tedious and time consuming? So don't attempt ravioli if you're hungry :)

To make raviolis, start with this link ----> Making Ravioli

To make the "orange filling":
1 sweet potatoes, boiled until soft
3 cloves of garlic, boiled together with sweet potatoes
1/2 cup of pumpkin filling
1 teaspoon kosher salt
pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 big sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped *use dry rosemary if unavailable*

Method:
1. In a food processor, put in boiled sweet potatoes, squeeze out the soft garlic from its peel, pumpkin filling, salt, pepper, olive oil, rosemary.
2. Blitz until you get a smooth and creamy paste
3. Use as a filling for your ravioli. Follow the instructions from the link above because that's what I used as my guideline.

If you want meaty stuff, you'll have to wait until i do a meaty ravioli with mushrooms or google for a recipe if you cannot wait :)

This ravioli is not stuffed with oranges, it is stuffed with an orange paste made from sweet potatoes and pumpkin. It is very delicious because I love the savory sweet flavor of the pumpkin-sweet potato filling. I flavored the filling with freshly chopped rosemaries so every pocket of ravioli emanates of rosemary and a light sweetness.

We all know the traditional way of eating ravioli, which is cooking the stuffed pasta until it's done and eating it with your fav. marinara sauce, cream or aioli. But I have a better idea. I deep fried my ravioli into a crispy golden brown and used my tomato marinara sauce as dip :) It's SO wonderful eating it that way. It's also the perfect food to entertain ;)


Remember to sprinkle some salt on the fried raviolis - dip and eat :)

The Ultimate Smoked Meat

I live in a city famed for housing one of the best, if not the best, smoke meat joint in the world. Schwartz's, a Hebrew delicatessen has been serving up it's specialty smoked meat for almost 80 years. What is laudable about this place is that even after so many years of fame, the little shop set on St. Laurent's boulevard hasn't changed since 1928 - it never expanded or franchised. The family's smoke meat secret stays within the family, and rightfully so.

While it's competitors, Ruebens et. al. have expanded to several restaurants across Quebec, Schwartz's stayed a uni-business. And due to that, even under extreme temperatures of -28 degrees, you will see a long line waiting to get into Schwartz's for their smoke meat sandwiches. It is definitely "a smoked meat sandwich worth dying for", according to the Montreal Gazette.

And I crave for it soooo much. I lived quite far away from this smoked meat haven. Being extremely under-dressed with a weather of -2 the other day, me and my partner forged through the bitter wind on St. Laurent Boulevard, after having a nice Italian dinner at a posh restaurant nearby called Primadonna, for a pound of smoked meat. Only $9.95/lb and worth several delicious smoked meat sandwiches, once taken home. And it's allllll mine!

This is my loot!

I speak so much of it to my family and friends and yet, this is the first time I've actually posted a picture of Schwartz's smoked meat. Other times, I was just too busy wolfing it down to be arsed about taking pictures :P

When two of my friends came to visit from US and UK, I took them to Schwartz's - and they both loved it. Again, because it looked so good when the sandwiches arrived, we just tucked in without even thinking twice about taking a shot!

In Penang, you'd say "if you haven't had their Curry Mee, Char Kuey Teow, Nasi Kandar, Kueh Chap, Farlim's Hokkien Mee, Anson (sp?) Street's Assam Laksa and crabs in Tanjung Tokong, then you have never really been to Penang". Same goes in Montreal, "if you're in Montreal and you haven't been to Schwartz's then you have never really been to Montreal at all". And I speak of this in a purely gastronomical sense :)

Today, Schwartz's is a landmark of Montreal - follow your nose or lookout for a strangely long queue. It's a sign for awesome food, ahead! The waiters in Schwartz's are all either cousins or brothers as they all have green eyes, a white apron strapped on their waist and a white Schwartz's t-shirt. Some of them are even quite hot (and friendly) :P - now that's a double whammy!

If you think my sandwich looks mean (mine has been bastardized with spinach and dijon mustard), it's nothing as compared to the deal they serve you in Schwartz's.

Now that's what I call "all decked up!". On rye and Schwartz's Yellow Mustard with a cherry cola to down it all.

If any of you are coming over to Montreal, I'll definitely take you to Schwartz's - it's become my personal duty to introduce these marvelously smoked meats that melts in your mouth to everyone I know.


Front view of Schwartz's, taken from Man In A Suitcase.

A Moroccan Feast for Two

I think I have found another favorite that I will be cooking more often; the 7 Vegetable Stew and Cous Cous meal. Simply delicious, simple and hearty especially for colder climates. Last week was my partner's birthday and I decided to make something different and chanced upon Moroccan food. Although I was very tempted to try their preserved lemon chicken cooked in traditional tajins, I was set back by several factors, 1) I did not have a Tajin, 2) I didn't have any preserved lemons and 3) my partner is vegetarian.

So the best option was the 7 Vegetable Stew and Couscous meal along with some very delicious side dishes. I did not exactly follow a recipe for the stew but I had a fairly good idea how to go about it thanks to the FoodNetwork website. You should just check it out - they have plenty of Moroccan vegetable (and non-vegetarian) meals.

Now, was the meal a success? Absolutely. I can assure you that meat lovers will not even miss their dose of meat in this meal. Three words to describe this meal: Contentment. Heartiness. Delicious. This meal is very easy to make because you cook everything in the same pot and assemble after.

The communal eating style that is common amongst the Moroccan culture is very sexy and romantic, in my opinion. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to share a different and exotic but special evening with one another :)

7 Vegetable Stew:
1 courgette, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 small sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
a handful of cauliflower
1/2 cup of green peas
2 tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons of black sultanas
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
1 teaspoon of anise powder
1 teaspoon of tumeric powder
2 tablespoons of oil
1.5 cup of vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon of Harissa (optional, that stuff is REALLY hot)

1.5 cups of Couscous (just follow the instructions on the packet)

Optional ingredients/side dishes: String beans, stuffed aubergines, stuffed grape leaves, green olives, black olives

Method:
1. Heat up a large pot under medium high heat with oil. Add onion and garlic, and saute until onion is translucent. Add all the dry spices and continue sauteing for another minute to roast the spices. Add vegetable broth and cover until it starts to simmer.
2. Add your sweet potatoes, potatoes and carrots in first to cook for 7 minutes before adding the other vegetables in.
3. Only at the very end, add your sultanas in. Simmer in low heat until ready to serve.

I wouldn't recommend simmering for too long since the vegetables would turned too soggy and I hate soggy vegetables. But if you don't mind soggy vegetables, then may the force be with you :)

Once your 7 Vegetable stew is done, it's time to serve. What I did was serve it on a large platter - couscous first, vegetable stew on top, string beans on the side, some stuffed aubergines on the corner with some fresh sliced cucumbers and pita bread.

What you have is a very Moroccan dinner for two. Enjoy!

2-Kinds of French Savory Tarts: Spinach with Sweet Basil & Fennel with Sweet Onions

I love making (and eating) tarts, and my favorite is pineapple tarts which are always in an abundance during Chinese New Year. Ahh, fond memories.

But today, these tarts I made are of the savory kind. They are French because of its buttery light base with its filling made from classic French ingredients, basil and fennel.

I love both savory and sweet tarts because they are just so delightful, easy to make and easy to eat.

So here are two different French savory tarts that I made last week; Fennel with Sweet Onion and Spinach with Sweet Basil.

The base for both tarts are the same. Incidentally, the same base can be used for sweet tarts as well. You can adjust the buttery richness of the base by adjusting the butter content but for me, this recipe is perfect. Not too heavy and not too stingy with the butter. The base is somewhat flaky and airy - very light and yet satiety comes unexpectedly. It's perfect for a light lunch or dinner.

So let's start with the base. You will need:
1.5 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of really cold butter, chopped into cubes
3-5 tablespoons of cold water

Method:
1. In a large bowl, add your flour and salt in. Mix well.
2. Add your really cold chopped up butter and with the tip of your fingers, just mix and crumble the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. The little bits and blobs of butter is what gives the base a light and flaky texture.
3. With 1 tablespoon at a time, add your water into the butter-flour mixture and mix the ingredients until they can hold into a ball. Knead very gently so that the dough becomes smoother (do not over knead), and with a knife, divide the dough into two equal portions before wrapping them with plastic wrap. Store the dough in the fridge until ready to use.


Spinach with Sweet Basil Tart
3 cups of spinach, chopped and boiled for 1 minute (you can go ahead and use frozen spinach as well - use 1.5 cups worth, defrosted)
1 cup of basil leaves, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter
a dash of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg white

Method:
1. Heat oven at 350 F or 175 C.
2. Take a portion of the dough out of the fridge. Lightly flour your kitchen counter (make sure it's clean) and roll your dough with a rolling pin until it is about 0.5cm thick. Don't worry about the uneven edges, it makes the tart looks rustic :)3. Heat pan under medium heat until hot. Add butter and oil. Once butter has melted, add your garlic and onion and saute until onion turns translucent. Don't let it burn. Add spinach in and saute for another 1 minute to heat through and then add your Parmesan cheese.4. Now you can add your chopped basil and saute them until they wilt (1 minute). Add salt and pepper to taste.5. Take the spinach mixture off heat and add egg white in while stirring the mixture together vigorously to combine. The vigorous stirring prevents the eggs from cooking into a lump :)6. Spread the spinach mixture onto the dough evenly. I cropped my base with a cookie cutter into round little shapes but you absolutely do not have to do that. I just did it because the tarts look cuter that way. Once you're done spreading your spinach mixture, pop your tart into the oven and bake for 30minutes.
7. Serve the tart warm :)


Fennel with Sweet Onion Tart
1/2 bulb of fresh fennel, sliced thinly (will yield you about 3 cups worth)
1 medium white onion (like Vidalias, if you have any. If not, just normal onions will do - red or green), sliced thinly
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste
1 egg white, gently beatened
Method:
The first two steps are the same as the Spinach with Sweet Basil Tart.
3. Heat pan on the stove at medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add olive oil, onion, garlic and fennel. Saute until onion and fennel are cooked down. Approximately 5 minutes.
4. Add sugar and continue saute-ing for about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Once that is down, take pan off heat. Your kitchen should smell heavenly by now. Pour egg white into the mixture and stir vigorously so that the egg do not cook into clumps. This allow the fennel and onion mixture to spread evenly on the base.
6. Pour the fennel and onion mixture onto the dough base and spread it with the back of a spoon. Spread the mixture evenly across the base and pop it into the oven for 30 minutes.
7. Once it's done, cut and serve the tart pieces while it's still warm :)

One tray roasted potato salad

It's indeed true when I say you can make delicious roasted potato salad all in one tray. Just cut, season, roast and serve all in one tray. Of course, you can even roll them out into a bowl if you want. But this potato salad is so easy, it's garlic "dressing" is made together with the potatoes right in the oven. And it is delicious!

Here is what you will need:
A roasting pan, heating in the oven at 400F or 200 C.

4 russet potatoes, cut into chunks/wedges with skin on (or without, up to you)
2 tomatoes, halved
1 bulb of garlic, halved lengthwise
2 pickles, chopped
2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup of olive oil (approx. 4 tablespoons of oil)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of dried herbs, rosemary and thyme works but put no more than two variety of your fav. herbs in as you not want to overpower your salad.

Method:
1. Put your potatoes in a large bowl and season with paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, chopped pickles and olive oil. Coat well.
2. Take out the extremely hot pan, carefully, and dunk your potatoes in (the hot pan prevents the potatoes from sticking on it). Make sure the potatoes do not over lap each other. After that, arrange your tomatoes and garlic on the same pan, cut side up. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on them with a quick drizzle of olive oil.
3. Pop the tray back into the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes. After it's done, transfer the beautifully roasted tomatoes into a large serving bowl first. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin into the bowl and mash it together with the tomatoes to form a paste. It might be a bit hot to handle so use a paper towel to hold the roasted garlic while you squeeze it out of its pockets.
4. Pour the roasted potatoes, basically everything from the pan - oil, bits and pieces of goodness, into bowl and mix well.
5. Serve the potatoes, with your favorite protein, hot or room temperature.

Pucker.

Manicotti Farcito with Fagiolini

Or stuffed manicotti pasta with green beans. Manicotti is basically a large tube like pasta that you can stuff with any yummy things you can think of. You can stuff it with meat, veggies or cheeses but this dish is inspired by my man, Jamie Oliver. In his recipe, he stuffed the manicottis with creamed broccoli and cauliflower with parmesan cheese. I decided to make use of that leftover canned red beans in my fridge and some creamed cauliflower instead, the results were pretty good actually. I did make Jamie's version prior but the pictures did not do the dish justice. So, I'm just going to put this one up instead :)

You would be really surprise to see how cauliflower can give so much texture and flavor. You need to give this dish a try by pairing cauliflower with any ingredients as your stuffing for your manicottis.

Here's how I made my manicotti farcito:

6 tubes of manicotti, uncooked
2 cups of marinara sauce (you can make your own or use a store bought one)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

For the stuffing:
1 cup of cauliflower florets
1/2 cup canned red beans, drained well
1 medium sized onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
100 ml water
salt&pepper to taste
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F.
1. Chop cauliflower florets until relatively minced, you want to cook it down so the smaller your cauliflower the easier it'll cook down. Do the same with your red beans, just run your knife through it.

2. Heat pan with olive oil and saute onion and garlic until translucent and aromatic. Add your cauliflower and red beans in and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes. Add 100ml water and let it cook down until most of the water dissipates. Lower your heat.

3. Add parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Cook under low heat for another 15 mins, take off the stove and let it cool a bit before you start piping it into your pasta.

4. While stuffing is cooling off, in a baking dish, fill it with 1 cup of marinara sauce first.

5. Once stuffing is cooled enough, fill it in a zip lock bag, cut one corner off and use that to pipe the filling into the pasta. Place the pasta into the baking dish filled with marinara sauce and repeat until all 6 is done. Cover the stuffed manicotti with the rest of the marina sauce, top it with parmesan cheese and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the crust is browned on top.

Serve with a side of steamed green beans seasoned with some garlic salt and you have a complete meal.