Karage (fried chicken)

Ingredients:
Boneless Chicken Thighs x 4 pc -  cut into a medium size
Flour
salt and pepper
Lemon - cut into wedges

Batter:
6 tbsp x of flour
grated garlic x 3 tbsp
200ml cooking sake
water - a littl bit

How to Make:
1. Put the batter ingredients into a bowl and whisk gently. Ensure no bubbles formed. Lift whisk to see if batter is smooth enough to fall unbroken. If so, the batter is ready. 

2. Heat oil in a frying pan.

3. Sprinkle cut chicken with a little bit of salt and pepper and coat with loose flour. Shake off excess flour, then dip into batter.

4. Fry chicken until golden color. Drain oil first before placing them in a serving plate. Serve with lemon wedges.

Enjoy with a bottle of chilled beer!

Ramen with homemade Char Siu and Half Boiled Eggs

Ingredients:
Boneless Belly Pork x 1 slab - roll into a swiss-roll like and tightly tied with ropes (I used UK belly pork as the meat is juicy tender while not as fat as those from local markets)
Eggs
Spring onion x 2pc cut into a few pieces
Ginger slices x 4pc
Garlic - a bunch - pressed
Konbu - 2 pc
white vinegar
ramen of your choice
garnish - minced garlic - deep fried in low fire until golden./ Seaweed.

Pork braising sauce:
200ml mirin
200ml cooking sake
200ml japanese soy sauce
sugar
water

Eggs braising sauce:
ginger x 3 slices
garlic - 2 pc pressed
50ml Japanese soy sauce
1tbsp Shaoxing wine
1/2tbsp oyster sauce
1tbsp honey or sugar
200ml water

How to Make:

PORK:
1.Boil a pot of water, then add spring onion, ginger, garlic, konbu, then add the tightly tied pork roll and blanch for 20min.

2. In the meantime, prepare another pot with the braising sauce and bring to boil. Check tasting and adjust accordingly. If preferred more flavour in the pork, feel free to add garlic, ginger, spring onion, onion, shallot or even carrot to this braising sauce pot.

3. Once the pork finished blanching, transfer the pork to the braising sauce pot and cook in medium fire for 1.5hr to 2hr until tender enough when a needle is poked to the middle of the pork. Make sure the sauce is sufficient to fully covered the pork.

4. Switch off fire and keep the pork in the braising sauce pot with lid covered until cool down.

5.Place the pork with the sauce in a pot and keep in fridge overnight.

6. On the day of cooking ramen, take out pork from fridge, and slice it with a sharp knife.

7. Just lightly re-heat the pork slices in a microwave before placing on top of ramen.

Half Boiled Eggs 
1. Remove eggs from fridge and place in a bowl of room temperature water.

2. Boil a pot of water large enough to hold the eggs you will be cooking.

3. Use a pin to gently pin a tiny hole and top and bottom of the egg. 

4. Once water is boiled, add 1tbsp of white vinegar.

5. Place the eggs to the pot using a laddle and cook for 6 min.

6. In the meantime, heat the braising sauce. Once boiled, keep cooking for 1 minute, then remove the ginger and garlic from the sauce and cool down the sauce. Then pour sauce to a plastic bag.

7. Once eggs are ready, transfer them to a pot of iced water filled with ice cubes. gently crack the eggs using the palms of your hands, and remove shells gently under the iced water. Best to crack the bottom of the eggs as there are empty space under the shells there and easier to remove.

8. Once all shells nicely and smoothly removed, put them to the plastic bag filled with the braising sauce. Ensure the bag is closed/ sealed to avoid sauce leaking out. change eggs position from time to time to ensure all sides of the eggs can dip into the sauce. Keep them in the sauce for at least 3 hrs in room temperature.

9. When ramen is ready, gently cut the egg into half and the yolk will be half cooked and looks "golden". Place on top of ramen. Garnish with golden minced garlic and seaweed too.

Enjoy~~

Crispy Pork Belly with Cider Pickled Pears

* this recipe is adopted from Donna Hay. Easy to do just some preparation in advance. Yummy and the pickled pear is a real good compliment to the pork!

Ingredients:
Boneless Belly Pork around 7" x 7" or around 1.5kg
2 tbsp sea salt flakes
2 tbsp 5 spice powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup (250ml) apple cider
1 cup (250ml) apple cider vinegar
thyme sprigs x 6
bay leaves x 2
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
3 cups (750ml) water
6 small firm pears, peeled
balsamic vinegar to serve (optional)

How to Make:
1.  The night before your dinner, wash and wipe dry belly pork. If you have really sharp knife, score into pig skin at 1 cm intervals with the help of a metal ruler, i..e. really cut into the skin but not the meat. If no sharp knife to help out this job, then just use those meat poker to punch into the skin and meat all over.

2. Rub the sea salt flakes into the cuts in the skin or on top of the skin and the bottom of the meat. Rub some 5 spice powder to the meat too.

3. Place pork skin side down on a baking tray, place a kitchen towel on top (ie. meat side on top), then place another baking tray on top of the pork, place some heavy cans on top to press down - purpose of this is to make the belly pork as flat as possible, gives you better shape to cook and cut afterwards. Also, no need to put any cling film wrap so that the skin of the pork can dry out in the fridge for a better crackle at cooking. Refrigerate overnight.

4. On the day of cooking, then out pork to room temperature for 1 hr before cooking. If you have a metal hook, hang it up so that all extra moisture in the skin will be released, Otherwise, use kitchen towels to wipe and absorb all extra moisture from the pork. 

5. Pre-heat oven to 180'C.

6. Rub some more sea salt flakes to the pork, black pepper and any spice you like. Brush olive oil to skin and meat. Place the pork, skin side down on a baking tray and roast for 1 hour.

7. After 1 hour, turn the pork to skin side up, increase oven heat to 200'C, roast for another 1 hour. You can put the baking tray at 1 level up inside the oven.

8. While the pork is roasting, make the pickled pears. Place the cider, vinegar, sugar, thymes, bay leaves, water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the pears, cover with non-stick baking paper and top with a small lid to submerge the pears. Poach the pears for 20 mins or until they are tender. Then set aside on the pickling liquid until ready to serve with the pork.



9. Once the pork is done, remove from oven, drain the oil from top of skin (if any), then cut and serve with the pickled pear.

Enjoy!

Crabmeat Cannoloni

Ingredients:
1 box of dry cannelonni (get any brand from supermarket and read the cooking instructions)
Fresh Crabmeat - steam crab and remove meat when crab is cooled
Yellow Zuccinni x 1- small cubes
Green Zuccinni x 1 - small cubes
onion x 1 - minced
chicken stock
fresh morzarella cheese cut into slice
fresh parmesan cheese - grated

Bechamel sauce:
plain flour x 2-3 tbsp
butter x 1-2 tbsp
whipping cream
chicken stock


How to Make:
1. Preheat oven - at a temperate as stated in the pasta box.

2. Prepare the bechamel sauce by using a non-stick pot - under medium heat, add the butter and flour and use a whisk to mix them together until it forms a roux (like a thick paste), then add cream and chicken stock until it reaches a consistency and flavour to your liking. ** Pls remember to have the sauce quantity to be enough to cover the top of all the cannelonni and not too thick also. Put aside.

3. Use a large pan, heat up minced onion with olive oil until they are soft.  Then add the crabmeat, stir fried with onion until evenly mixed. Then add the diced zuccinni, adding 1-2tbsp of chicken stock to make the zuccinni softer. Season with salt and pepper. 

4. Once the crabmeat mixture is cooked, drain them in another bowl so that crabmeat mixture is not moist with water/sauce.

5. Once crabmeat mixture is cooled down, stuffed them into the cannolini one by one. ** Dont stuff too hard or else the cream sauce will be difficult to permetrate into the stuffings.

6. Spoon some bechamel sauce to the bottom to the oven-dish. then line up the stuffed cannolonni to the oven dish, then spoon over the bechamel sauce to cover up the top of all the cannolonni - but ensure the dish is deep enough so that after spooning the sauce over, there's empty sauce before top of the dish as the sauce will expand and overflow if there's not enough "head room"! Place the sliced morzarella on top evenly, then sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and some breadcrumbs.

7. Bake in oven as per the pasta's instructions on the box.

Serve when piping hot!! Enjoy!!

Braised Beef Shin with Quail Eggs

Ingredients:
Beef Shin (金钱牛展）
Five Spices Marinade Sauce
Five Spices pack (with different spices including star ainse, chinese 
peppercorns, bay leaves, etc which you can purchase in spices shop)
Rock Sugar
Eggs or Quail Eggs

How to Make:

1. Wash the wipe dry beef shin - pack them in vacuum bags and cook in sous vide machine at 80'C for 12 hours. After cooking, remove the beef from the bags and save the juice after sieving.

2. Boil the eggs for 8-10 minutes. Cool them down in ice water. Then remove shells.

3. Prepare your marinate sauce in a deep pot by adding: 1 part of Five Spices Marinate with 3 parts Water + 1 pack of the Five Spices and some rock sugar. Make sure the beef is fully submerged under the marinate sauce. Once boiled, add the beef shin and cook in low heat for 1 to 1.5 hrs until the centre of beef is soft when chopstick is inserted into center. You can add the eggs from the beginning or for at least 1 hour in the marinate sauce.

* If you do not use sous vide machine, you will need to cook for at least 2-3 hrs in low heat to achieve softness in the beef.

* better make the marinate sauce taste light at the beginning as it will become more condensed and tasty after 1 hour cooking. If by that time, taste is not strong enough, you can always add marinate/soy sauce.

4. Remove beef shin and set aside. Once cool down, keep in fridge in an airtight box.

* you can cut and serve immediately, But by chilling it in fridge, you can cut and slice it thinly. If you cut or slice immediately after cooking, it is not possible to have thin slice.

5. For the marinate sauce with the eggs, check tastings and adjust accordingly. Adjust thickness using cornflour solution. Once cool down, keep in fridge in an air tight box.

6. Before dinner, take out beef shin and cut it as thin as you can. Line them up in a plate for steaming.

7. Reheat sauce in a sauce pan and once boil, spoon the sauce and eggs over to the steaming dish lined with the sliced beef shin. Cover with foil and steam for approx 20 -30 min.

Serve with a bowl of rice and Enjoy!!

Braised Belly Pork with Fresh Squid

Ingredients:
Belly Pork (approx 8" x 8")
Fresh large Squid x 1
Star ainse/ chinese peppercorns
ginger x 6-8 slices / spring onion x 1 big bunch
five spice marinate sauce/ light & dark soy sauce/ rock sugar

How to Make:
1. Wash and rinse the whole belly pork and cut into 2 rectangular pc.

2. Remove the eyes and the hard skins of the squid. Cut the big center part into 2 pieces and the tentacles into a few pieces.

3. Boil a big pot of water and add the spring onion and ginger. Then blanch the belly pork for approx 20-30 min until you can stick a chopstick inside the centre of the pork. Remove pork and set aside.

4. Add the squid to the same pot of ginger spring onion water and blanch for 15-20 min. Then remove and set aside.

5. Using a new pot which is deep, fix your marinate - approx 1/4 part light soy sauce, 1/2 part five spice marinate, 1 part dark soy sauce and 2 part water, then add a bunch of star ainse & chinese peppercorns. Multiply the above portions until the pork and squid are fully submerged under the liquid, then bring to boil, adding rock sugar until desired taste is achieved. Braised the pork and squid at low heat for 2 - 2.5 hrs until they are soft enough. 

** beware that the longer you cook, the more condensed/saltiness of the sauce. So you can prepare the marinate sauce at the beginning a lighter in taste as you can always add more soy sauce or five spice marinate sauce later. But if you start your marinate/sauce very strong taste at the beginning, it's more difficult to adjust to lighter taste except by adding water which is not too ideal.

6. Cut and slice the pork and squid. Adjust taste of the sauce. Adjust consistency of the sauce with cornflour solution.

7. Pour sauce on top of the pork and squid and serve with a bowl of rice.

Enjoy!

Chinese Mushrooms with Prawn Paste and Abalone

Ingredients:
Dried Chinese Mushrooms - L size x 10pc
Fresh Prawns x 20pc
Abalones in cans
egg white
seasonings

How to Make:

Day before dinner:
1. First prepare the can abalone by boiling the whole can for approx 6-8 hours. Take out abalone and sauce from can and pour them to a saucepan, adjust taste and sauce consistency by adding some more oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and cornflour solution to your liking. Cool down and keep in fridge.

2. Rinse and then soak the dried chinese mushrooms overnight - covering all mushrooms under water.

On the day of dinner:
3. Drain water from the Chinese Mushrooms - wipe them dry. Mix wine and sugar with the chinese mushrooms and steam for approx 40-60 minutes until they are completely soft.

4. Wash the prawns with cornflour solution, then rinse, cut in into half lengthwise - remove intestines.  Cut 4-5 prawns into small dices. Keep in fridge until later use. For the rest of the prawns. Use the back of the chinese knife, mash the prawn into paste like. Never cut it!! You can also bang the paste from time to time to make it glue together more. Add seasonings like salt, white pepper and sesame oil. Then keep in fridge for at least 30 min.

5. Boil water in the steamer.

6. Take out prawn paste and diced prawns from fridge. Mix together with 1 egg white. Divide into 10 portions and spoon into each chinese mushrooms. Steam them for approx 20-30 min.

7. Sliced the abalone and re-heat them together with the abalone sauce in another saucepan.

8. Once the steamed mushrooms are ready, drain water from the dish, then spoon sliced abalones on top and top with abalone sauce and serve.

Enjoy!!

Taro Cake

Ingredients:
Taro x 250g
Fish Paste x 150g **
Chinese Sausage x 2pc **
Dried Shrimp x 2 tbsp
Spring onion - diced
Cornflour solution
seasonings

** For Vegetarian, skip fish paste, and replace chinese sausage with Omni Pork or skip altogether.

How to Make:
1. Wash the dried shrimps then soak them in water until soft, then diced them into s all pieces.

2. Steam the Chinese Sausages and diced them into small pieces.

3. Steam the Taro for approx 30 min until they are soft, then mash it with either the back of a chinese knife or with a potato masher.

4. Mix the mashed taro with the fish paste, diced chinese sausages, dried shrimps and the spring onion, add seasonings like salt, sugar, sesame oil, then the cornflour solution.

5. Divide them into round patties, then pan fried in a wok until golden brown in both sides.

Serve with Worchester sauce and enjoy with a bowl of steam rice!!

Omelette with preserved vegetables 菜莆蛋

Ingredients:
Eggs x 6 - roughly mixed with a fork 
Preserved Vegetables 菜莆 x 1 cup 
Spring onion x 1/2 cup diced
Light Soy Sauce & Sesame Oil

How to Make:

1. Clean 菜莆 under tap water and squeeze them a bit to release the saltiness.

2. Soak the 菜莆 in a bowl of water for another 30 min, then drain and wipe dry.

3. Diced the 菜莆. Add some light soy sauce and sesame oil to the eggs mixture.

4. Pan fried the diced spring onions in a wok with little oil. Once fragrant, add the diced 菜莆 and stir fried until fragrant.

5. Remove from pan and keep aside until cool down.

6. Add the cooled down 菜莆 and spring onion to the eggs mixture.

7. Heat up a flat pan and add some oil. Once hot, pour the egg mixture to the frying pan, gently stirring to keep raw egg mixture touching the base of the pan. Let it cook itself a bit until the egg mixture moves when you shake the pan. Then slide it down to a big round plate. Use another round plate to cover it, then turn upside down and slide the omelette to the pan again - so that both sides are cooked.

8 Sprinkle with more diced spring onion on top before serving.

Enjoy!!  

Fresh Tomato Essence

* original recipe from Raymond Blanc.

* serves 4 - makes 700-800ml tomato essence

Planning Ahead:
This tomato essence is best prepared a day in advance of cooking day.

Ingredients:
2-3kg cherry tomatoes, washed and cut into halves
1/2 celery stick, washed and finely chopped
1/2 fennel bulb, washed and finely chopped
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
a handful of thymes springs, leaves stripped and chopped
5g/ a box of basil leaves, chopped
10g sea salt
10g caster sugar (optional if tomatoes sweet enough)


How to make:
1. Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

2. Blitz the mixture in food processor for a few times. Blitz each batch using the pulse button for 2-5 seconds only.

3. Return to a big bowl, cover and leave to macerate at room temperature for 3 hrs.

4. Pour the above to a cloth bag (eg. muslin bag) over a big bowl and hung/suspend the bag above the bowl, which will collect the golden liquid as it drips through. It is best to hung overnight to collect these golden drops. Otherwise, it will need 2-3 hrs.

5. After you collect the golden liquid, if it is not "golden" enough OR if you are greedy like me and don't want to waste any tomatoes inside the bag which might still contain some juice and would like to squeeze them all out via the bag, you can pour the liquid in glass container and chill in refrigerator overnight.

6. Next day, the "red" stuff will sink to the bottom of your glass container, and you can just pour out the "golden" liquid - which is the TOMATO ESSENCE and which is this essence which makes your dishes SPECIAL and FRESH like  no one else!

Enjoy~

Roast Rack of Pork with Skin and Apples

Ingredients:

Rack of Pork with Skin On 

4 dessert apples (eg. Cox)

1/2 lemon

1 onion - cut into chunky slices

1 tsp fennel seeds

1tbsp olive oil

fresh thymes

sea salt

Bramley Apple Sauce

How to Make:

1. The night before cooking, clean and wipe dry pork. Well score the skin of the pork (not cutting into the meat though) and rub it with salt flakes and fennel seeds all over. Put pork to a baking rack on top of a tray and leave it in the fridge overnight without covering it up.

2. On the day of cooking, take out pork to room temperature at least 1 hour before cooking.

3. Preheat oven to 230'C.

4. Wipe dry pork and season it again with salt and pepper.

5. Cut apples into quarters and remove cores. Toss apples with skins on with the lemon juice to prevent them going brown.

6. Place the thymes on the bottom of the roasting tin, then place a baking rack on top, then place the pork on top of the rack, add the onion slices and the apples at the sides of the baking tin and roast for around 25 min, the turn down to 200'C and roast for another 1 hr to 1:15 hr. Use your meat thermometer to check temperature from the centre of the pork.

7. Once ready, remove pork to a cutting board and rest for 5-10 min uncovered. Warm the apple sauce and put to a sauce boat.

Serve with the sliced pork with the roasted apples and some apple sauce!

Enjoy!

Sausages and Mash Potato with Onion Gravy

Ingredients:
Sausages of your choice (8-10pc)
onion x 2 - sliced
potato x 4
milk
butter x 2 tbsp
beef stock x 500ml
balsamic vinegar x 2 tbsp
flour x 1 tbsp
salt and sugar
thymes and rosemary

How to Make:
1. Preheat oven to 180'C.

2. Peel potatoes, cut them into wedges. Put them in a bit of cold water with salt, then bring to boil. Once boil, simmer for 15-30 min until potatoes become soft.

3. Wipe dry the sausages and pan fried with olive oil until browned. Keep rolling the sausages from time to time.

4. Remove the sausages from the pan and place them in a baking tray and put inside oven for 25 min.

5. Using the same pan for the sausages, add 1-2tbsp of butter, when it starts to bubble, add all the sliced onions. Stir fried them until they turn soft and sprinkle in a little bit of thymes and rosemary. 

6. Then add 2 tsp of sugar and keep stir frying them until they become brownish, sticky and you smell of some sweetness.

7. Add 1 tbsp of flour and keep stirring until flour all disappeared.

8. Add 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar and the beef stock (1/3 first), when they are combined, all the rest of the beef stock. Once boiled, the sauce will reduced and thickened. Adjust consistency by stirring in more flour or adding more stock to loosen it. Adjust taste by adding more balsamic vinegar as you wish. Keep this sauce aside.

9. Potatoes should be ready now. Heat some milk in a small pan until they simmer. Drain all water from the potatoes. Add hot milk and butter to the soft potatoes and mash them until they are in a good consistency for a mash.

10. The sausages from the oven should be ready now. Place the mash on the bottom of the serving plate, then the sausages over the mash and the onion gravy all over the top.

Enjoy!!

Red Curry Duck (Gaend Phed Ped Yaang)

* Like the Thai salad, i also learned to make this at Bangkok Mandarin Oriental Cooking School. This is a spicy curry but not hot whatsoever Must try to cook as it's really "Thai"!

Ingredients (for 6 -8 persons):
- Fresh Red Curry Paste x 2-3 bags (** pls note the pre-packed one is more salty than the freshly made ones)
- Fresh Coconut Milk x 2-3 cups + another 3-4 cups for later use (Original recipe used 3 cups of coconut cream + 1 cup water. But since i was not able to buy coconut cream, i just use 3 cups of coconut milk with adding the water)
- Fish Sauce x 5-10 tbsp (100-200ml)
- Palm sugar x 3-5 tbsp 
- Roast Duck - fillet the duck, discard the fatty part and cut into bite size
- Chinese red dates x 8-10pc - remove seed and boiled for 2-3min
- Purple Grapes - 12-14pc - seedless, cut into half
- mild peppers (eg. the Green Banana Chilli) - seeded and cur coarsely  
- lychee in can (drain the syrup)
- Thai Big Red Chilli x 1, seeded and finely sliced
- Kaffir lime leaves - finely shredded (remember to remove the middle stem, then roll the leaves together like cigar before slicing them very finely)
- Fresh sweet basil leaves.

** Fresh curry paste taste may vary, same as different brands of fish sauce. Best to taste while cooking and adjust qty of ingredients as per your liking.


How to Make:
1. Heat the 3 cups of coconut milk in a wok, using the back of the spatular, press, splash, scrape and stir the the coconut milk until it thickens. and you see bubbles and hear sizzle sounds.

2. Turn the heat to low, then add the fresh red curry paste, mix them well together in the coconut milk until aromatic.

3.   Add the fish sauce, palm sugar, mix well, then add the rest of the 4.5 cups coconut milk.

4. Bring to boil, then add the chinese dates and the grapes, the chilies, peppers, kaffir lime leaves.

5. Add the duck and cook for a while.

6. Lastly, add some basil to the stew with a few to garnish on top of the dish.

Serve with white rice. If you are able to buy banana leaf, hide the rice in a cone shaped banana leaf to give that special Thai touch! Enjoy!

Thai Salad (Yam Dawk Kajawn)

* I learned to make this dish at Bangkok Mandarin Oriental Cooking School. A very simple and refreshing salad with a Thai touch!

Ingredients (Serves approx 6-8):
- Thai Big Red Chilli x 1 - seeded and slice thinly. (if prefer this to be hot, add 1 small chilli too!)
- Coriander roots x 2 tsp - finely chopped (i was not able to get any dry coriander roots in Wanchai Thai grocery store. I used the fresh coriander with roots. Just wash the roots thorougly under runnign water, then wipe dry and finely chopped them)
- Garlic - sliced x 2 tsp
- Palm Sugar x 4 tbsp - use a knife to roughly chop them into smaller pieces.
- Fish Sauce x 6 tbsp (the cooking school uses the fish sauce with the Scale brand. I was able to get the same from the Wanchai Thai grocery store)
- Fresh Coconut Cream - boiled x 1/2 cup, then let it cool down. (I am not able to get coconut cream in Wanchai market, but only fresh coconut milk, which is still fine)
- Lime juice - from approx 2 big limes
- Cowslip flowers, picked and blanched (can be replaced with cauliflower and broccoli - cut into slim florets)
- Chicken thighs x 3 - boiled and shredded
- Prawns x 20 - boiled, shelled, deveined and cut lengthwise
- Peanuts, roasted and crushed
- Crisp-fried garlic

How to Make:
1. To make the dressing, pound the sliced chilies and coriander roots and garlic in a mortar until fine and pasty like. (be patient as it takes some strength from my arm as well as some time!)

2. Add the palm sugar to the paste and mix thoroughly.

3. Pour the mixture to a big bowl, then add the fish sauce, lime juice and coconut cream and mix well. Set aside in a cool place.

4. Blanch the cowslip flowers or the cauliflower/broccoli florets for 1-2 min and then rinse with cold water. Drain well and set aside. -> make sure they remain crunchy.

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cowslip flowers or the cauliflower/broccoli florets with the shredded chicken and the prawns. Add some dressing and mix well. Fill a bowl with a shape you like with the mixture, then put the bowl against the serving plate, Remove the bowl carefully to reveal the salad (with the shape of the bowl), then pour remaining dressing on the side.

6. Sprinkle the top with the crushed peanuts and the crisp-fried garlic and serve!

* very nice to pair with a glass of chilled champagne! Enjoy!

Lemon Souffle

* adopted from Donna Hay's recipe

Ingredients:

melted unsalted butter, for brushing
castersugar, for dusting
180ml lemon juice
55g caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
5 eggwhites, at room temperature
75g extra caster sugar
icing sugar, to serve

How to Make:

1. Lightly brush 6 ramekins with butter and caster sugar and place them on baking tray.

2. Place lemon juice, sugar and cornflour in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring for 8 min or until the mixture has thickened. Transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate until cold.

3. Preheat oven at 180'C. 

4. Place eggwhites in a big bowl and whisk with electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

5 Add extra caster sugar in a thin steam, whisking until thick and glossy.

6. Remove lemon mixture from fridge and beat with a fork until smooth.

7. Gently fold the eggwhites into the lemon mixture in 3 batches (but also quickly), then spoon them into the preared ramekins.

8. Smooth the top of the mixture with a spatula. Run the tip of a knife around the edge of each ramekin, then place them on the baking tray and bake for 12 -14 min or until top has risen and browned.

9. Dust the top with icing sugar and serve immediately.

Enjoy and expect this to be a tangy dessert instead of a sweet sweet dessert!

Chocolate Whisky Cream Pie

* adopted from Donna Hay's recipe

Ingredients:
350g plain chocolate biscuits OR digestive biscuits
120g butter, melted
410ml (1 2/3 cup) milk
250ml (1 cup) single cream
200g 70% dark chocolate, chopped
200g dark chocolate, chopped
60g (1/3 cup) brown sugar
75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
35g (1/4 cup) cornflour
80ml (1/3 cup) whisky (or double if you like more whisky taste in your cake!)
4 egg yolks
500ml  (2 cups) extra single cream
120g (1/2 cup) sour cream
cocoa, for dusting

How to Make:
1. Place biscuits and butter in a food processor and process until smooth.

2. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased caked tin or ceramic pie dish and smooth it over the base and sides with a spoon. Refrigerate for 30 min.

3. Place milk, cream and both chocolates in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until it comes ti the boil. Remove from heat.

4. Place brown sugar, caster sugar, cornflour, egg yolks and whisky in a large bowl and whisky to combine.

5. Pour the chocolate mixture to the eggs mixture and whisky to combine. Then transfer all the mixture back to the chocolate saucepan and cook, whisking, over medium heat until it comes to the boil. Continue whisking for 1-2 min or until thickened.

6. Set aside to cool slightly.

7. Once cooled, pour chocolate mixture to the cake tin on top of the biscuits base layer and smooth out the top. Refrigerate for 3 hrs or until firm.

8. When ready to serve, whisk the extra cream and sour cream together until stiff peaks form, Spoon the cream on top of the chocolate custard and dust with cocoa and serve!


Delightful with a glass of whisky!! Enjoy!

Clam Chowder

* inspired by the dish @ Makoto, Tokyo. So ingredients all created by myself without accurate measurements. Try it out yourself!

Ingredients:
Clams (approx 3-4 pieces per dish)

Scallops (optional)

Minced garlic 

White wine 
Butter
Flour
Water  

Whipping cream
Breadcrumbs

How to Make:
1. Clean clams and soak in a bowl of water with salt and knife for at least 30 min. Drain water and rinse clams again.

2. Heat up a pot, add 1-2tbsp butter. Turn heat to medium, add minced garlic. Once fragrant, add the clams, mix well with the butter garlic. Add white wine, turn heat to high. Add water. Once boiled, turn to medium high heat. Cover the pot (best with glass cover so you can see through). 

3. Once you see any clams open up, remove it to a separate bowl one by one. Those which doesn't open at the end, discard them. Then take out clam from the shell and save for later use.

4. Sieve the soup left in the pot for later use.

5. Preheat Grill to 230'C.

6. If using scallops, clean and wipe dry. Heat up a pan, add some Butter. Pan fry scallops, each side approx 30sec to 1min. Remove to a plate, cut them up to bite size. Save for later use.

7.  Prepare shallow soup bowl/dish (over proof) by placing clam meat and cut scallops inside each bowl.

8.  Heat up a pan, then add 2 tpsp of butter, once it started to melt, add 1-2 tbsp of flour, use a whisk to mix them thoroughly until it becomes a roux. Add all the clam soup you save earlier  and some whipping cream until the "soup" consistency is to your liking, keeping stirring with the whisk. 

6.  Spoon the cream soup to the soup dish/bowl. Lastly sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs. Place at top shelf inside oven (grill setting) for approx 5-8 min (until the breadcrumbs are browned)!

Enjoy with a glass of sauvignon blanc! :)

Japanese Black Abalone with Truffle Sauce

* try to replicate a really nice abalone dish at teppenyaki at Ukai Tei in Tokyo.

Ingredients:
Black Abalone from Japan (around 500g each)
Dry Seaweed （昆布）
lemon slices and lemon zest
capers
coarse sea salt
black truffle paste
black truffle olive oil
butter
flour
whipping cream
chicken stock

How to Make:
1. Wash and clean abalone. Remove intestines. Keep shell.

2. Soak dry seaweed in water until soft.

3. Place the wet and soft seaweed on bottom of a wok. Place some coarse salt on top of the seaweed, Then put the abalones with shells on top of the salt. Then lemon slices, capers, lemon zests, sugar and pepper.

3. Put another layer of wet seaweed of top of the abalone, then cover all with coarse sea salt and cook under medium to high heat, covered, for 20-30min.

4. Remove everything from abalone, especially all coarse sea salt remaining.

5. Heat a wok with butter and lightly pan fried the abalone on both sides, Remove from pan and cut into desired shapes and place in serving dish and spoon sauce over.

Black Truffle Sauce
1. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a wok, add 2 tbsp flour and mix with a whisk until well combined - a rouge!

2. Add 1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock and continue mixing with the whisk. Egg 1-2 tbsp black truffle paste, keep mixing, then a few drops of the black truffle olive oil.

3. Add 1-2 tbsp whipping cream and season with salt and pepper to your desired taste!

* feel free to adjust consistency of the sauce by adding more flour at the beginning if you want a more thick sauce. If you want it lighter, then more chicken stock. If you want it more creamy, add more cream! this is the way i do it and good luck!

Lemon Tart with Italian Meringe

* combining receipe from Michel Roux "Eggs" on the meringue part and Jane Hornby "What to Cook and How to Cook It" on the lemon tart.

 Ingredients:

For the Pastry -

egg yolk from 1 medium egg

175g plain flour

1/4tsp flaky sea salt

100g cold unsalted butter

2tbsp golden caster sugar

For the filling:

4 unwaxed lemon (or 3 Italian lemons)

300ml whipping cream

6 medium eggs

200g golden caster sugar

For the Italian Meringue:

360g caster sugar

egg whites from 6 medium eggs

How to Make:

Pastry:

1. Add 2 tbsp of ice water to the egg yolk and mix well.

2. Put flour to a food processor, then add salt. Cut the cold butter into cubes and scatter all over the flour.

3. Blend the butter and flour together for about 10 seconds until mixture resembles very fine breadcrumbs and no flecks of butter remain.

4. Now pulse in the sugar.

5. Add the egg yolk water to the processor then pulse in 1 second bursts for a few times until the dough comes together in big clumps.

6. Tip the dough into the work surface, then shape it into a flat disc. Wrap in clingfilm, then chill in fridge for 30-40min, until firm but not rock hard.

7. Dust the work surface and rolling pin with Flour. Have a 9" loose bottomed tart in ready. Using the rolling pin, press (NOT ROLL) shallow ridges evenly across the pastry, then rotateit by a quarter turn. Repeat this unti the pastry is about 1cm thick.

8. Now roll out the pastrt. Push the rolling pin in ONE DIRECTION only, turning the pastry by a quarter turn for every few rools, until desired thickness is achieved. Using the rolling pin to help, lift the pastry over the tin.

9. Ease the pastry gently to the tin then press it gently into the edge of the tin using your knuckles.

10. Trim the border of the pastry so that it overhands the tin by at least 1cm. Lift the tin with pastry gently into a baking tray and chill in the freezer for 10min until the pastry feels firm.

11. Preheat oven to 180;C.

12. Tear a baking paper large enough to completely cover the tin and the overhanging pastry. On top of the baking paper, pour the baking beans over so that the beans are up to the edge of the tin. Blind bake this pastry for 20min.

13. Take out from oven and gently remove the baking paper with the beans on top, The pastry should be pale but feel dry and be turning gold at the edges.

14. Return it to oven for another 15 min until base is starting to brown. Remove from oven, Turn oven down to 150;C now.

Filling:

1. Finely grate the zest from lemons, and squeeze juice from lemons. Using a fork beat the cream, eggs, sugar into the jiuce. Strain the mix through a sieve into a large jug. Stir in the lemon zest.

2. pour the filling into the pastry gently and bake it for another 45min or until filling is set (i.e. it gives the merest tremble in the middle when the baking tray is shaken).

3. Let the tart cool completely, then store at fridge with clingfilm wrap. Trim any overhanging edges now.

Italian Meringue:

1. pour 80ml water into a heavy-based saucepan, add sugar and set over MEDIUM heat. Bring to boil, stiring occassionally and brushing down any crystals tht form on the side of the pan using a pastry brush moistened with water.

2. Once boil, increase heat and place a sugar thermometer in the boling syrup  until it reaches 110'C.

3. Still keeping an eye on the syrup, beat the egg whites in a standing electric mixer until they hold peaks. 

4. Stop cooking the syrup the moment it reaches 121'C. Take the pan off the heat and let the bubbles subside for 30 seconds.  (If you do not have a sugar thermometer, best to do is once syrup is boiled, continue until for 10-20 seconds. If you cook too long, the sugar syrup becomes rock!)

5.Pour the syrup onto the beaten egg whites in a thin steady stream, continuing whisking at a LOW speed with the mixer until FIRM. This action takes at least 30 min to 40 min! So be patient!

6. Spoon all meringue into a air-tight container and keep in fridge (best to use it within 24 hrs).

Compose:

1. Spoon meringe into piping bag fitted with a flutted nozzle or a nozzle you like.

2. pipe meringue onto top of lemon tart the way you like it.

3 wave a blowtorch over the meringue until it is lightly browned.

Serve! and enjoy!