27 September 2008

VEG: Vegetable Tempura


VEGE-
TABLE TEMPURA
Tempura, is a Japanese one-dish meal of prawns, squid, white fish and vegetables, deep fried in a thin batter. Traditionally, tempura is served with a soya sauce dip, with grated radish stirred into it. Here, we present a vegetable tempura with a piquant dip of tomato chutney and green peppercorns. Serves 4.
Ingredients
4 abalone mushrooms, halved
4 button mushrooms
1 green capsicum, cut into eight
4 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths
4 carrots, cut into wedges
4 sticks of celery, cut into 4cm lengths
1 mustard green
Tempura batter
cooking oil for deep frying
Method
1. Dip cut vegetables in tempura batter and deep fry.
2. Serve with tomato chutney and green peppercorns.
TEMPURA BATTER
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup cornflour
3 cups iced water
2 drops pepper oil
salt
ground white pepper
TOMATO CHUTNEY WITH GREEN PEPPERCORNS
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
A 2 cm cinnamon stick
4 dried red chillies
1 star anise
4 cloves
30gm green peppercorns
4 cardamoms
7 gherkins, cut into thin strips
1 kg ripe red tomatoes, pureed
1&1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
a pinch of dill
Method
1. Heat up oil and add in the onion and all the spices in A. Stir for a while.
2. Add in the gherkins. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Put in pureed tomato, vinegar, sugar and a pinch of dill.
4. Simmer until mixture thickens.

VEG: Vegetable Strudel with peppercorns












VEGETABLE STRUDEL WITH PEPPERCORNS
Most of us are acquainted with apple strudel. Here is a strudel with a difference, filled with vegetables and given an extraordinary lift by the peppercorn-studded pastry.


FILLING
120gm white turnip
120gm carrot
80gm celery
180gm broccoli
140gm cauliflower
10gm green peppercorns
40gm abalone mushrooms
30gm butter

MOUSSE
60ml cream
20gm white turnip
20gm carrot
20gm celery
20gm broccoli
20gm cauliflower
1egg beaten
salt
ground white pepper
white breadcrumbs
melted butter

Method
1. Dice the vegetables for the filling and boil in salt water. Drain and mix with peppercorns, sliced mushrooms and butter.
2. In a pan, boil the cream with the vegetables for the mousse till soft. Add beaten egg into the mousse. Then, mix in the cooked diced vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Roll out the strudel dough into a thin sheet and sprinkle with white breadcrumbs. Place the vegetable filling on top.
4. Roll up and placed on a buttered tray. Brush with melted butter. Bake in a moderate oven for 25 minutes.

STRUDEL DOUGH
150gm flour
1/3 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons cooking oil
80ml warm water
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns, crushed

Method
1. Mix flour, salt, oil, pepper and water to form a medium hard dough. Rest dough for 1 hour.



SSP: Pickled Sweet Peppercorns

Ingredients
500gm fresh green peppercorns
1kg brown sugar
1 litre water
juice of 1 lime

Method
1. Wash and drain the peppercorns.
2. Boil sugar with 1 litre of water. Add in the lime juice and boil till it forms a syrup. Let it cool. Add the peppercorns and leave for 2 days.
3. Then, remove the peppercorns and boil the syrup again. Let it cool. Put back the peppercorns and let it steep for another 2 days.
4. Repeat the process after 2 days.
5. The pickled sweet peppercorns is ready for serving after one week.

VEG: Pumpkin and Sweet Potato stew with pickled sweet peppercorns


PUMPKIN AND SWEET POTATO STEW
WITH
PICKLED
SWEET
PEPPER
CORNS
(see SSP:
stocks, sauces and pickles)
Ingredients
20gm dried prawns
1 chilli
1 onion
1 clove garlic
100gm sweet potatoes
100gm pumpkin
150gm changkok manis (or spinach)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
100gm santan
1/2 teaspoon pickled sweet peppercorns
salt
Method
1. Pound together the dried prawns, chilli, onion and garlic.
2. Cut the potatoes and pumpkin into 1cm cubes.
3. Wash and clean the changkok manis or spinach.
4. Heat the cooking oil in a deep pan and fry pounded ingredients. Add santan and let it boil. Then add sweet potatoes and pumpkin.
5. After all have softened, add the changkok manis and peppercorns. Cook for another minute. Season with salt.

VEG: Creamed Spinach with pepper

Spinach is a very healthy vegetable, rich in iron and vitamin A.

Ingredients
1kg spinach
20gm butter
1 shallot chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
3/4 cup cream
a pinch of nutmeg
ground white pepper

Method
1. Wash and remove thick stalks from spinach leaves.
2. Blanch the spinach in boiling water. Remove and dip in iced water to refresh.
3. Press water out from spinach. Chop finely.
4. Saute the shallot and garlic in butter. Add the cream and reduce until it thickens.
4. Add the chopped spinach. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

24 September 2008

VEG: KangKong with salted fish roe


KANG
KONG
WITH SALTED FISH ROE
Ingredients
400gm kangkong
4 teaspoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns, crushed
20gm salted dried fish roe, fried and sliced
1 chilli, shredded
a few drops chilli oil
salt
Method
1. Heat both the oils in a wok. Suate the garlic, shallots and peppercorns.
2. Put in the kangkong, fry for two minutes and then add the fish roe. Season with salt.
3. Place on platter and sprinkle with chilli oil and shredded chilli.

VEG: Long Beans fried with dried coconut








LONG BEANS FRIED WITH
DRIED COCONUT


A simple dish of stir-fried long beans, white cabbage and beansprouts that makes a good complement to a plate of rice.


Ingredients
80gm grated coconut (if unavailable, use dessicated coconut)
1 teaspoon belacan
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
1 teaspoon brown sugar
200gms long beans, blanched
100gm cabbage, sliced and blanched
50gm beansprouts
salt
1/2 chilli, julienned

Method
1. Fry grated coconut without oil till light brown stirring constantly.
2. Add belacan, peppercorns and sugar and fry together for five minutes under low heat.
3. Add vegetables and fry for a further two minutes.
4. Sprinkle with chilli and serve.

16 September 2008

VEG: Paku or Midin


PAKU OR MIDIN
Paku and Midin are wild ferns. The shoots of these ferns are crisp and taste very sweet. They can also be served cold, mixed with a piquant sauce of belacan, chilli and santan.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
20gm dried prawns
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon belacan
500gm paku or midin
1/4 cup chicken stock
Method
1. Heat the cooking oil in a wok and fry shallots, garlic, dried prawns, peppercorns and belacan till fragrant and brown.
2. Add vegetables and fry for a while before adding the chicken stock. Stir for a few seconds.
3. Serve hot.

13 September 2008

MS: Fried Kwayteow in tomato sauce










FRIED KWAYTEOW IN TOMATO SAUCE

Kwayteow are flat smooth rice noodles. They can be fried in various styles or served in a soup with prawns and chicken meat. It is claimed that the best kwayteow comes from Ipon in the Malaysian state of Perak. Serves 4.

Ingredients
600gm kwayteow
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons light soya sauce
450ml chicken stock
150gm chicken meat, sliced
150gm cuttlefish, sliced
12 large prawns, shelled
3/4 cup tomato ketchup
10gm black peppercorns, crushed
salt and sugar to taste
150gm choy sum
cornstarch
sliced chillies and shredded lettuce for garnishing

Method
1. Heat the wok, add cooking oil and saute garlic. Then, fry the kwayteow in it. Add the soya sauce and stir until kwayteow is evenly covered. Remove and set aside.
2. Add chicken stock to the wok and bring to a boil. Put in the chicken, cuttlefish and prawns and stir.
3. Add tomato ketchup and the rest of the seasoning. Add the choy sum.
4. Mix some cornstarch with a little cold water and stir into the wok to thicken the sauce.
5. Divide kwayteow into four bowls. Pour sauce and ingredients over kwayteow.
6. Serve immediately.

06 September 2008

MS: Nyonya Laksa








NYONYA LAKSA



The Nyonyas are a colourful and cultured people of Chinese ancestry who have assimilated Malay customs. This rich blend of their culture is reflected in their very own distinctive cuisine. Serves 4.

Ingredients
260gm beehoon
16 large prawns, shelled and deveined
50gm bean sprouts
10 fish balls, halved
1 cake hard bean curd, fried and sliced
50gm cucumber, julienned
mint leaves
1 red chilli, sliced
2 limau kasturi, halved
pepper sambal (see condiments)

Method
1. Soak beehoon in hot water till soft. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook prawns in water with a little salt. Drain and set aside.
3. Lightly blanch beansprouts and set aside.
4. Heat the fish balls.
5. Divide the beehoon, beansprouts, bean curd slices, cucumber, fish balls and prawns into four bowls.
6. Top with gravy and garnish with mint leaves and sliced chilli.
7. Serve with pepper sambal and limau kasturi on the side.

GRAVY
Ingredients
1kg mackerel
salt
a sprig coriander leaves
2 cloves
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 star anise
3 cardamons
A 10 gm fresh turmeric
12 dried red chillies
4 shallots
2 cloves garlic
40gm belacan
30gm dried prawns
4 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
3 stalks lemon grass, crushed
80gm lengkuas
300ml chicken stock
300ml santan

Method
1. In a large pot, boil mackerel in 500ml water together with salt, coriander leaves, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf, star anise and cardamoms.
2. When fish is soft, strain stock and keep aside. Remove bones from fish and mash the flesh.
3. Pound ingredients A into a paste.
4. Heat cooking oil in a wok and fry the pounded ingredients until fragrant.
5. Add coriander powder, lemon grass and lengkuas together with the fish and chicken stock and boil for 20 minutes.
6. Add santan and allow to boil for a further two minutes. Remove the lengkuas and lemon grass, then add the mashed fish. Simmer gently to keep hot.

MS: Mee Rebus with Pepper Sambal












MEE REBUS WITH
PEPPER SAMBAL








Ingredients
4 tablespoons cooking oil
3 shallots, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon fennel
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns, crushed
300gm sweet potato, peeled, cooked and cubed
1 litre chicken stock
60gm minced chicken meat
100gm minced shrimp meat
5 tablespoons tomato ketchup
4 teaspoons chilli sauce
450gm yellow mee
60gm beansprouts
For garnishing
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
2 red chillies, sliced
1 teaspoon pepper oil
chopped spring onion
fried shallots
coriander leaves

Method
1. Heat the cooking oil in a wok and saute shallots until brown. Add coriander, cumin, fennel and crushed peppercorns and stir for a while.
2. Add cooked sweet potatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
3. Add the minced chicken, minced shrimp, ketchup and chilli sauce and cooked over a low fire for five minutes.
4. In a separate pot, lightly boil the noodles and blanch the beansprouts.
5. Divide noodles and beansprouts into four bowls and top with hot sauce.
6. Garnish with egg slices, chillies, fried shallots, spring onions, coriander leaves and pepper oil.