SF: Braised lobster with coconut butter sauce

BRAISED LOBSTER WITH COCONUT BUTTER SAUCE
Coconut juice makes an avant-garde entry into a butter sauce for lobsters. Serves 4.

Ingredients
4 lobsters (300-400gms)
2 shallots, chopped
100gm butter
juice from 2 coconuts
200ml fish stock
1 teaspoon white peppercorns, crushed
150gm thin strips of blanched vegetables (leek, carrot, tomato)

Method
1. Blanch lobsters very quickly in boiling water. Remove, shell and set aside. Keep the heads for garnish.
2. Saute chopped shallots in a little butter. Add the lobster tails and saute together for a further 2 minutes.
3. Add the coconut juice, fish stock and white peppercorns. Cover and cook on a low heat for 2 minutes. Remove the lobsters and set aside.
4. Simmer the stock until it is reduced to one-third, then slowly whisk in the butter. Strain.
5. Place the lobster heads on a plate. Slice the lobster tails and lay on the plate. Coat with sauce.
6. Garnish with blanched vegetables.

SF: Seared Salmon with cracked pepper crust

top: Braised lobster with coconut butter sauce

bottom: Seared salmon with cracked pepper crust

SEARED SALMON

WITH CRACKED PEPPER CRUST

Crushed black peppercorns give an invigorating edge to the salmon. Serves 4.

Ingredients

4 salmon fillets (140gm each), skinned

2 tablespoons black peppercorns, crushed

100ml tomato vinaigrette

4 teaspoons olive oil

salad garnish

Method

1. Cut the salmon into a 3 cm wide strips and coat evenly with crushed black peppercorns.

2. Heat the olive in a frying pan and fry the salmon quickly on all sides until just cooked.

3. Remove and allow to rest.

4. Arrange on plates and decorate with salad garnish.

5. Serve with tomato vinaigrette.

Tomato Vinaigrette

4 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon tomato puree

2 teaspoons tomato juice

4 tablespoons salad oil

1 tomato (blanched, peeled, seeded and diced)

ground white pepper
salt

Method

1. Whisk the vinegar, tomato puree and tomato juice together in a bowl.

2. Then, slowly whisk in the salad oil.

3. Add the diced tomato, salt and pepper to taste.

SO: Seaweed Pepper Soup

SEAWEED PEPPER SOUP

Seaweed is a nutritious food, high in minerals and vitamins. We present here, a delicious soup of seaweed, chicken and mushroom, spiced with pepper. Serves 6.

Ingredients
800ml chicken stock
180gm shredded chicken meat
90gm shredded bamboo shoots
2 sheets seaweed (nori or similiar seaweed)
90gm shredded button mushrooms
90gm crab meat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
white and black peppercorns, finely crushed
cornstarch
1 egg

Method
1. Put the chicken stock into a pot. Add in all the ingredients except the cornstarch and egg and bring to boil.
2. Thicken soup with cornstarch.
3. Turn off fire and add in lightly beaten egg. Stir to break up egg.

SO: Crab Gumbo

CRAB GUMBO

Gumbo is both a soup and stew which can be served as the main course. It originates from Southern Louisiana, well known for its Creole cuisine, which is an exotic blend of French, Spanish and native Indian cooking. This Crab Gumbo is an adaptation of a recipe by John Folse, a renowned Louisiana chef. Serves 6.

Ingredients
50gm butter
200gm okra, cut into rings
1 onion, chopped
50gm green capsicum, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
300gm crab meat
2 teaspoons white peppercorns
1 litre chicken stock
150gm large prawns
100gm tomatoes, chopped
salt
Tabasco sauce
Worcestershire sauce
pinch of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped coriander leaves
250gm cooked rice
150gm clams
juice of 1/2 lime

Method
1. Heat butter in a stock pot, add okra, onion, capsicum and garlic.
2. Saute till vegetables are soft, then add crab meat and peppercorns. Stir for one minute.
3. Add stock and let it boil for 15 minutes.
4. Add prawns, tomatoes, salt, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Finally, add the herbs, rice and clams and finish off with a dash of lime juice.

SSP: Chicken Stock

CHICKEN STOCK

Ingredients
4 litres water
1&1/2 kg chicken bones
150gm whites of leek
3 onions peeled
100gm celery
1 sprig coriander leaves
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
30gm white peppercorns

Method
1. Cover chicken bones with cold water and bring to a boil. Take the bones out.
2. Put the bones and 4 litres of water into a stockpot and bring to a boil. Skim off the scum.
3. Add the vegetables, herbs and peppercorns and boil for 40 minutes.
4. Strain and keep stock in the refrigerator.

SO: Soto Ayam (Chicken Soup)

right: Seaweed Pepper Soup

middle: Crab Gumbo

left: SOTO AYAM (CHICKEN SOUP)

This is an Indonesian soup, usually taken at breakfast or supper. It is hot and spicy with an extra zest from ground white pepper in it. Serves 6.

Ingredients

150gm cooked potatoes

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

1 shallot, chopped and fried

10gm chopped spring onion

1 egg, beaten

cooking oil for deep frying

60gm cooked chicken meat

40gm white cabbage, sliced

1 red chilli, finely sliced

40gm beansprouts, blanched lightly

salt

pepper

Method

1. Mash potatoes and add crushed peppercorns, half of the spring onion and shallot.

2. Season and shape into small pancakes.

3. Dip pancakes in egg and deep fry.

4. Divide the chicken, cabbage, beansprouts and chilli into four soup bowls. Top with chicken soup and garnish with fried shallots and spring onion.

5. Serve with potato pancakes.

FOR THE SOUP

1/2 kg chicken bones

1 litre chicken stock

3cm cinnamon stick

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

2 cloves

2 cardamons

1 stalk lemon grass, crushed

1/2 onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 pandan leaf

5gm fresh turmeric, crushed

salt

ground white pepper

Method

1. Put chicken bones and stock in a stock pot and bring to a boil.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste and strain.

SO: Sarawak Bouillabaise

SARAWAK BOUILLABAISE

Bouillabaise is a speciality from the South of France. One story has it that it was created by an abbess of a Marseille nunnery for a Friday abstinence meal. There is the Sarawak Pepper touch in both this soup and the onion pepper bread it is served with.


Ingredients
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
a pinch of fennel seeds
1 lobster tail
4 large prawns, shelled
200gm filleted sole
200gm filleted sea bass
1/4 white wine
4gm saffron
2 litres fish stock
30gm celery, julienned
30gm carrot, julienned
30gm leek, julienned
salt

Method
1. Heat olive oil in a stock pot and saute shallots, garlic, peppercorns and fennel seeds gently until brown.
2. Add lobster, prawns, sea bass and sole. Seal in olive oil.
3. Add white wine, saffron and fish stock. Bring to a boil.
4. Remove the cooked seafood and place on a serving dish
5. Add vegetables to the stock and cook until soft. Pour over the fish, lobster and prawns.
6. Serve with onion pepper bread.