Artisan Edibles

Moved!

2010-10-30T03:07:00.000-07:00

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Lemon Sabayon Tart on a Pine Nut Crust

2010-01-26T11:15:00.001-08:00

I brought this tart to my weekly girls' gathering to watch The Bachelor and it was a hit! The Boy had indicated that my American lemon tart last week was too sweet, so I decided to make a sabayon instead for a lighter, tarter flavor.

Sabayon is a light custard with Italian origins, usually made in a bain-marie. I use one of my metal mixing bowls over a simmering pot of water with a slightly wider diameter for the bain-marie. Also, if you watch the Food Network, they usually use a hand whisk and beat very fast. Sorry, I'm short and have to tip toe to look over my pot on the stove, so an electric whisk is my tool of choice here. You have to be a little careful in the beginning too though, and pulse the electric whisk. Otherwise your sabayon-to-be is going to fly all over the place!

This recipe is from Thomas Keller's 'Bouchon'.

PINE NUT CRUST
Cooking time: 30 mins
Equipment: 9 inch springform pie pan

2 cups pine nuts (I used a mix of pine nuts, almonds, walnuts and macadamias cos that's what I had left in the pantry)
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
8 oz unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg (approx. 2oz/60g)
1 tsp vanilla extract

*****

1. Preheat your oven at 350F/175C.

2. Put the nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times until roughly fine. Transfer into your mixer bowl and add the sugar and flour. Mix well.

3. Add butter, egg and vanilla extact and mix well to incorporate all the ingredients. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal parts (I weigh each part) and wrap each piece in cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least 10 mins before using. If you are like me and like your crust a bit thicker - which is wonderful with this nutty crust - I divide the dough into 2 equal parts instead of 3. The extra dough can be frozen for up to 1 month.

4. Press the chilled dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of your pie pan. Trim off any excess dough. Bake in the oven for 15 mins, then rotate it and bake for a further 15 mins until pale golden brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool while you make your sabayon.

LEMON SABAYON
Cooking time: 10 mins
Equipment: 1 metal mixing bowl, 1 pot with a slightly bigger diameter, 1 (electric) whisk

2 large eggs, cold
2 large egg yolks, cold
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (approx. 3 large lemons)
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cold

*****

1. Fill the pot with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil.

2. In your metal mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together well.

3. Set the bowl over the pot and whisk the mixture while you turn the bowl (for even heating - you will need oven gloves for this). After about 2 mins of whisking, when the eggs are foamy and have thickened slightly, add 1/3 of the lemon juice. Continue to whisk vigorously for approx 2 mins. When the mixture thickens again, add another 1/3 of the lemon juice. Whisk until the mixture thickens again and add the remaining lemon juice. Continue to whisk vigorously, turning the bowl, until the mixture has thickened and leaves a trail on the surface when you lift your whisk. The total cooking time should be approx 8-10 mins.

4. Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the water. Divide the butter into 6 pieces and whisk each piece in one at a time.

5. Pour the warm sabayon into the tart crust. Give it a few small shakes so that the sabayon fills the tart crust evenly.

6. Preheat the broiler and, while the sabayon is still warm, place the tart under the broiler. Watch it as it browns in a few seconds, rotating the tart for an even color. Remove the tart from the broiler and let it sit for at least 1 hour before serving. The sabayon will thicken and set as it cools. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Stir fried Beef Tenderloin w/ Spring Onions and Ginger

2010-01-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

Part of what drives me to blog is to demystify Chinese cooking. Chinese cooking doesn't have to be a big production, although it can be. It isn't difficult or inconvenient if you have the basic pantry items, which keep and keep and keep. You don't need a wok - a skillet will work - but why wouldn't you want a wok? =) Authentic Chinese food is exceedingly healthy (no cloying sugary Pei Wei sauces, although those are nice sometimes) and works with your body. And it is yummy.

For example, beef is great if you are tired and need an energy boost (roll call all pregnant moms out there). Ginger has many health benefits as well. It is invigorating, and great for postpartum moms who have a lot of 'wind' in their body that ginger can 'drive out' (although some doctors warn against eating too much ginger if your baby is jaundiced). During my own pregnancy, I have been craving (among other things) ginger, tofu and sweets. If you have lost your appetite due to morning sickness, ginger can revive it.

The Boy and I are also on a fat free kick at the moment. So I've inserted comments here and there how we try to get there. All suggestions are welcomed.

An easy method of Chinese cooking is stir fry, so let me get onto tonight's dish:

STIR FRIED BEEF TENDERLOIN w/ SPRING ONIONS AND GINGER

A - Meat and Marinade
10 oz beef tenderloin, thinly sliced
(Springerhill brand is the leanest and is recommended by nutritionist Keith Kline. It can be found at Smart Meals (Fountainview) and, I'm told, Randalls)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp light soya sauce (Korean brands are lower in sodium)
1 tbsp ginger juice (put a small piece of ginger in the garlic press and squeeeze...)
1 tbsp Chinese wine (vermouth or dry sherry works too)
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp oil

B - Vegetables
2" root of ginger, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
5 spring onions, cut into 5 cm strips

C - Seasoning
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp Chinese wine

*****

A - Marinate the beef with the ingredients (in order - dry ingredients first). Leave for 10 mins.

In a wok, heat 2 tbsp of oil (high heat). When the oil is smoking and very hot, stir fry the beef slices to seal in the juices. When the beef is cooked and not pink anymore, ladle it out and set aside.

B - Rinse and dry the wok. Then, in the wok, heat 1 tbsp of oil (medium heat). Add ginger and stir fry for a few seconds to flavor the oil. Add garlic and spring onions and stir fry until an aroma rises. Don't let the garlic brown as it will turn bitter - control your heat and add it last always.

(I also like to add 1/2 tsp of chili flakes at this point to give the dish a bit of kick.)

C - Mix in the cooked beef slices. Serve hot.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone! We've been in a flurry since Christmas and now that Junior (represented by the tiny red stocking) is hotting up mommy's belly. Here's a recap of what we've been up to:

The Boy cooked up a fantastic breakfast
with leftover post-Christmas black bean soup,
hash browns, eggs and his very own ranchero sauce.

Coffee with our Cousin Elizabeth,
who knows the coolest places in town.
The perfect rosetta, and pink shoes for Junior.

The Boy attempted some haute cuisine for his
cousinas, with a deconstructed peanut butter and jelly
that he saw Bobby Flay do on Iron Chef.

Back in Houston, TX, where The Boy
continued his culinary streak.
(I had a wee sip only)

The Boy's virgin roasted tenderloin. Perfection!

He also baked the most scrumptious butter almond cake
with chocolate glaze. I am so proud!

To top it off, this is a picture of our ridiculous
New Year's Eve Scrabble game --
there were at least three 7-letter words,
and the final score was an incredulous (for us)
425 pts to 357 pts!

Chicken Poblano Soup

2010-01-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

Specially for my Bachelor girls. A quick and easy entree for laid back entertaining. Some tricks for making your food fat free as well.

CHICKEN POBLANO SOUP
Serves: 6
Cooking time: 20 mins

A - Aromatics
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 poblano chilis, seeded and finely chopped (I used jalapenos today cos that's what I had in the fridge)

B - Liquids
1 can chopped fire-roasted tomatoes (Muir Glen makes a good one)
4 cups chicken stock (store bought or homemade - if homemade, store in fridge overnight and skim the white layer of fat off before using)
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp epazote, a Mexican spice (optional)

C - Meat
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

D - Tortillas (OK, this is not fat free)
Corn tortillas (approx 12)
Grapeseed oil (or any other oil with a high smoke point)
Chili olive oil (optional - I like to use a bit of chili oil to add a kick.)

E - Other garnishings (pick and combine as you like)
Cheese, shredded (Monterey Jack, which you can find fat free) (I used the Butter Queso I had in my fridge today)
Scallions or cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, sliced
Romaine Lettuce, julienned
Lime wedges

*****

A - In a 5 quart dutch oven or other pot, fry the chopped onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Just as they soften and get translucent, add the garlic and poblano. The reason you add the garlic second is so that it doesn't brown and get bitter.

B - Stir in the canned tomatoes, stock, water and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 mins.

C - Add shredded chicken.

D - While the soup is simmering, prepare the tortilla strips. In a skillet, heat up a half-half combination of grapeseed oil and chili olive oil (if using) - about 1/2 inch high. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut each tortilla in half and each half in strips about 1/4 inch wide. Deep fry in the oil until crispy and slightly browning at the edges. Remove and rest on kitchen towels to drain the excess oil. You'll probably have to do this in 3-4 batches, depending on the size of your skillet.

E - Serve soup with garnishings on the side, so that your guests can pick and choose according to their tastes.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! Eating well?

I'm snowed in in Kansas City at the moment, where we are visiting The Boy's family. Don't worry, my in-laws a big time foodies, so we have a lot of food stored up for the winter blizzard days. I've also been, quite literally, eating for two. =)

You may notice that I've expanded my Table of Contents on the right-hand column to include some more technical methods of cooking: Braising, Stewing, Roasting and Baking. The Boy and I have also been trying to eat vegetarian at least once a week, so I've included a category for "Vegetarian". All my Asian cooking is also clearly marked under "Asian" with the country of origin.

Thank you for reading my blog so faithfully. Do leave a comment if you are passing through, tell me what you like to eat, share a recipe, say hello.

Coq au vin

2009-12-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

It is ok to use sparkling shiraz to make coq au vin.

At least, that's what I discovered this time...

Coq au vin used to be *the* dinner party dish. But with the simplification of cooking, it's halo has somewhat dimmed. I know we have had several chicken casserole dishes recently, but this was what I made for a dinner party last Thursday, so thought I would post it.

You won't believe the funny story I have though: So, I knew I had a bottle of red someone had given us in the pantry. A Beaujolais or dry fruity Pinot Noir is recommended, but really any table red has worked well for me in the past. So I don't give it a second thought. I go grocery shopping, come home, prep everything, dredge the chicken and all. Just as I'm ready to pour in the braising liquid, I happen to glance at the label casually and, guess what it was? *Sparkling* red wine. Well, too late now. I prayed and poured it in.

It worked great.

So, I'm even more convinced now that absolutely any red will work. But this might be black swan white swan thing.

Anyways... recipe adapted from Molly Stevens fantastic book on braising.

RECIPE: COQ AU VIN
Cooking time: 1 hour
Equipment: 1 cast iron Dutch oven or heavy casserole, tongs, parchment paper, 1 covered non-stick skillet

A - Meat
4 oz bacon, diced - slab bacon (without the rind), pancetta, or the bacon fat you have in a teacup in the fridge will work
1 whole chicken (4-5 lbs), cut into 8 pieces - the butcher can do this for you
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp butter

B - Aromatics
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped into 1/2" pcs
1 carrot, chopped into 1/2" pcs
1 tbsp tomato paste

C - Braising liquid
2 tbsp cognac
1 bottle dry, fruity red wine (750ml)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup chicken stock

D - Garnish
10 oz frozen pearl onions
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

*****

A - Add the diced bacon in your Dutch oven, cold, and turn the heat to medium. Cook the bacon until it is browned and crispy all over on the outside. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving the rendered fat behind. Add 1 tbsp of butter to the fat.

While the bacon is cooking, season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Spread the flour in a small baking dish or other flat dish and dredge each piece of chicken, coating on all sides. When the butter has melted, lift each piece of chicken with tongs, shaking off any excess flour, and ease them into the hot bacon fat/butter. Sear on both sides, turning with tongs, until the skin turns a deep golden brown. Transfer chicken to a large platter (I usually use the overturned side of my Dutch oven cover). You will probably have to do this in two batches - just add another tbsp of butter for the second batch.

Pre-heat oven to 325 F / 163 C.

B - Melt the butter in the pot. Saute the onion and carrot until the vegetables are softened and very slightly browning. Add the tomato paste and mix well with the vegetables.

C1 - Add the cognac and bring to a vigorous simmer. To deglaze the pot, scrape off the caramelized bits at bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Simmer and stir until the liquid is almost all gone.

Raise the heat to high, add the red wine, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to medium and simmer until the wine has reduced to half.

Add the reserved bacon and chicken stock, bringing to a boil. Then turn off heat. You should have a rich red liquid. Ladle 1/2 cup of braising liquid and set aside (to cook the pearl onions later).

C2 - Return the chicken pieces into the pot in a single layer, with the chicken breasts on the top, skin side down. Pour in any juices that collected as the chicken sat.

Cover the pot with parchment paper, pressing down so that the paper nearly touches the chicken and extends over the sides of the pot a little. Weigh the parchment paper down with the lid. Place the pot on the lower rack of the oven to braise.

After 15 mins, uncover and turn the breast pieces over with your tongs. Return to the oven - do all this quickly so that the braising liquid doesn't lose too much simmer! Continue braising for another 45 mins until the chicken meat is fork-tender.

D1 - While the chicken is cooking, start working on the garnish. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a non-stick skillet. Add frozen onions and saute until they are slightly browning. Season with salt and pepper, and add the reserved 1/2 cup of braising liquid. Cover and simmer until onions are tender (test with a fork). Remove the lid, increase heat to a boil and reduce the liquid to a glaze. Transfer onions and glaze to a small platter, scraping the skillet with a wooden spoon.

Return the skillet to the stove and melt the remaining 1 tbsp of butter. When the butter stops foaming, saute the mushrooms, seasoning with salt and pepper. Continue to saute until the mushrooms have released all their moisture and start searing slightly. Remove from heat.

Return onions and glaze to the skillet with the mushrooms and set aside.

D2 - To finish the dish, remove the Dutch oven from the oven when the chicken is fork-tender. Transfer the chicken pieces to a serving dish and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Place the pot over high heat and bring the gravy to a boil, reducing it until it has thickened to the consistency of a vinaigrette.

Lower heat and add reserved garnish of onions and mushrooms. Heat through and spoon gravy over chicken pieces. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

You can serve this with tagliatelle or mash potatoes. We made super healthy mash potatoes with non-fat milk and non-fat sour cream and lots and lots of black pepper!

Chicken and No Dumplings

2009-12-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

There is nothing more warming on a winter's day than a bubbling braise. Particularly, for the first time in history, we have early snow in Houston!

I made this braise for a quick family dinner when we were up in Kansas City over Thanksgiving with The Boy's folks. It was so good that I was thinking about it the next morning and the next night, and had it for breakfast and a late night supper!

It's super easy too. Braising has only a few basic steps - sear meat, cook aromatics, deglaze pan with braising liquid, cook, garnish and serve - and then it's all about practice. Every time you braise, it's just about these 4 things: meat, aromatics, braising liquid, garnish.

The reason why I've called it 'Chicken and No Dumplings' is because we aren't very fond of dumplings in this household. The only dumplings we like are Chinese jiaozi, which I make fresh and always have a batch in the freezer for a quick meal (like the one The Boy is having at the moment, after having been sent home from work because of the snow *pfft*). The chicken stands magnificently on its own though, so it's not a big loss. You can serve it with mashed potatoes, or boiled fingerling potatoes, and/or a baguette. Yum.

Here's to heartwarming homecooked meals this winter!

RECIPE: CHICKEN AND NO DUMPLINGS
Cooking time: Approx. 1 hour
Equipment: 1 Dutch oven or heavy casserole

A - Meat
1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces - the butcher can do this for you
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp butter

B - Aromatics
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 yellow onions, chopped into 1/2" pieces
2 celery stalks, chopped into 1/2" pieces
2 strips lemon rind
1/4 tsp nutmeg

C - Braising liquid
1 cup Vermouth or a dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock

D - The Liason (a French technique to thicken and enrich the gravy at the end)
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and black pepper
1/2 lemon, squeezed
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

*****

A - Season the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or heavy casserole, melt the butter and sear the chicken meat until the skin is blonde (not brown). If you cannot fit all the meat in at one go, do it in two batches. Set aside (I always set aside the meat on the overturned cover of my casserole).

B - Melt the butter and fry the vegetables until the onions are soft and glistening. Take in the aroma of the onions, mixed with spices and heady fragrance of the lemon.

C - Pour in the wine and bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape off those caramelized bits at the bottom of the pan which will give the braise depth of flavor. Bring down to a simmer and cook until the liquid has been reduced by half. Add in chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Return the chicken pieces into the casserole in this order: layer all the pieces in a single layer at the bottom of the casserole, and the two breasts pieces on top, skin side down. Cover and simmer gently for 10 mins.

After 10 mins, uncover the casserole and turn the breast pieces over so that it's laying skin side up. If the liquid is simmering too turbulently, lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover again and continue to braise for another 30 mins. The chicken is cooked when the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

Remove the chicken pieces to your serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

D - Whisk the egg yolks, cream, salt and pepper. Whisk in a ladle of the gravy in to warm the egg mixture slowly, so that the eggs do not scramble. At very low heat, slowly incorporate the egg mixture into the gravy and stir until it thickens and leaves the side of the pan slightly - a little like making custard. Be careful to control your heat - you don't want the eggs to scramble! Taste and add more salt or pepper or lemon juice as desired.

Spoon over the chicken. Garnish and serve with some boiled fingerling potatoes and sliced baguette to soak up that delicious gravy.

Clay Pot Rice

2009-11-12T10:51:00.000-08:00

The Boy and I are on a little health streak at the moment, with a special focus on diet. I find that, when eating out, ordering a steamed chicken breast with the sauce on the side is an easy way of keeping my diet clean but still accessible. Most restaurants will be happy to oblige.

At home, it is equally easy and can be very flavorful. Claypot Rice is basically rice and steamed chicken, with a dash of soy, a touch of ginger and combined with the sweet juiciness of Chinese mushrooms, cooked in a clay pot. Very healthy (although my nutritionist will probably insist on cutting out the sesame oil). Very delicious.

A clay pot is, at the very basic, a pot made of clay. It is traditionally porous and unglazed, but modern clay pots have a smooth finish and don't require pre-soaking. Because clay diffuses heat well, it doesn't get very hot and acts like a "quick" slow cooker. As the food cooks, it slowly releases juices and everything cooks in its own juice, all of which is kept sealed in the pot until it has all been absorbed/evaporated. This results in a tender flavorful chicken in a relatively short time.

If you don't own a clay pot, a heavy lidded casserole is a good substitute.

Definitely much better than fried rice.

RECIPE: CLAY POT RICE
Prep time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 25 mins

A - Meat
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size strips OR chicken pieces
2 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry
1 tsp chicken stock powder
Dash of white pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
1" ginger, cut into thin strips
6-8 Chinese mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 15 mins

B - Rice
2 cups rice
Water

C - Optional meats
1 low fat Chinese sausage, sliced

D - Seasoning
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tsp sugar
Dash of white pepper

E - Garnishing
Small bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

*****

A - Marinate the chicken and mushrooms with the ginger in the fridge for 1 hour.

B - Cook rice - I do this in an electric rice cooker.

C - When the rice is cooked and hot and still moist, transfer it into the clay pot. Layer A and C on top. Cover tightly and cook for 25 mins on low heat. Do not open the cover at any point!

D - Meanwhile, fry the garlic till it is fragrant, then add the rest of the seasoning. When C is cooked, pour the seasoning over and mix the whole pot thoroughly. Do not worry if there is a hard layer of rice at the bottom - this is, for me, the best bit! Almost like baked chewy rice that you can dig out with a metal spoon at the end of the meal.

E - Garnish and serve immediately.

MUMMY LIM'S CHICKEN CURRY

2009-11-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

There is no way I can ever replicate my mum's curry. I've tried.

But I've come pretty close.

My mum's curry is simply the best chicken curry in the whole world. The Boy is a biiiiig fan. If you've ever eaten curry of any sort in a restaurant, which invariably involves coconut milk, you may be surprised to find out that curry can be exceedingly healthy. Nothing but chicken breast, spices, vegs and water.* In other words, full of mummy goodness. And it tastes just as rich and yummy as the coconut milk version.

* At home, we use chicken pieces on the bone - basically one chicken chopped up. This makes the curry more flavorful. But The Boy doesn't like bones (it's too fiddly), so I use breast instead. P.S. Mummy Lim says: Flavor and moisture comes from the bone and skin. If using breast, mix 1-2 tbsp of water in with the chickent marinade.

The secret is time and quantity of water. The chicken needs to be marinated for at least one hour (just do it before you go to work in the morning), and always add less water than you are thinking. Don't forget, everything else - chicken, vegs - gives off water as they cook.

With that introduction, I present...

MUMMY LIM'S CHICKEN CURRY
Cooking time: 20 mins

A - Marinade
2lbs chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces OR chicken pieces
2.5 tbsp curry powder
Light soya sauce

B - Aromatics
2 onions, finely chopped or blitzed in short spurts in the food processor
1 fresh red chili (optional), chopped or blitzed together with onions
5 cardamon seeds
4 cloves
2" cinnamon stick

C - Vegetables
4 tomatoes, chopped or blitzed
2 potatoes, cut into bite size pieces

D - Garnishing
Parsley, chopped finely

*****

A - Marinate chicken with a splash of soy and half of the curry powder for at least 1 hour in fridge. Mix the other half the curry powder with a small splash of water to create a thickish paste.

B - In a pot that will be big enough to accommodate the chicken and potatoes in roughly one layer, heat 1 tbsp of oil, fry onions and spices until fragrant. Most of the water from the onions should have evaporated and the mixture glistens slightly. Add the curry paste and fry until fragrant.

Add in marinated chicken and mix well.

C - Add tomatoes and some water. An approximate gauge for the quantity of water would be up to the level of the chicken and (later on) potatoes. Bring to a boil.

D - When the gravy is at a rolling boil, add the potatoes. Keep at a rolling boil until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes soft (approx 20 mins). Add more salt to taste.

E - Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with white rice.

Note: If you add too much water, do not fear. Just scoop up the chicken and potatoes when they are cooked, and boil the gravy alone until it has reduced to a thickish consistency.

It is truly my joy to share some of my culture and heritage with you. I hope this allows you to enjoy some South East Asian home goodness, at home!

Red Braised Pork Belly (Lo Bak)

2009-11-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

White people approach pork belly the first time with caution. But when they taste the meltingness of pork belly in their mouths, they are invariably won over. Of course, there is the health issue. Pork belly - much like duck, fried chicken, the New York strip, cheeseburger soup etc - is a heart attack waiting to happen. Which kinda makes me hope that Guy Fieri works out after every episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Hey, even Chinese people don't eat pork belly everyday.

But on special occasions, this can be a very warming dish. Particularly now that the weather's gotten nippy. I am told that chefs of old used to strain the red braise liquid (lu) and store it for the next braise, so that every new braise added another depth of that rich, salty, sweet, aromatic flavor. I've tried that with mixed success - maybe I shouldn't have put it in the freezer. But it gets used up pretty fast before the next braise anyway. I like using leftover lu to flavor fried rice, hard boil eggs in, crack a soft boil egg in etc.

RED BRAISED PORK BELLY (LO BAK)
Cooking time: 3 hours

A - Meat
1 slab pork belly (1.5 to 2 lbs), without the rind
2 tbsp five spice powder

B - Base
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 oz Chinese rock sugar or 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

C - Braising liquid
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup mushroom flavored dark soy sauce
5 cups chicken stock or water

D - Aromatics
2" galangal (also known as blue ginger or lengkuas) or fresh ginger, thickly sliced
3 scallions or leeks, cut into 1" pieces
3" cinnamon stick
2 star anise

E - Garnish
1 bag of bak choy

*****

A - Rub the meat with the five spice powder and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour.

B - In a wok or pot (I use my trusty Le Creuset casserole here), heat the oil and sugar on medium heat until all the sugar has melted and turns golden. Add the garlic - be careful as the sugar will bubble up. Turn the heat down so that the sugar doesn't burn.

C - When the garlic is yellow and fragrant and the molasses colored, add the braising liquids. Don't worry if the sugar hardens at first - it will melt back into the liquid in a while. Turn the heat up and bring the mixture to a boil.

D - Add the spices for 1-2 minutes to make sure the aroma of the spices melds into the liquid. Slide the pork in carefully and braise, uncovered, for 3 hours. Make sure that the gravy is constantly on a rolling boil. It should thicken towards the end of the cooking time, reducing about half. But if it is too thick (and therefore salty), add more chicken stock or water as needed.

E - Meanwhile, wash and trim the bak choy, paying particular attention to the dirt inside each leaf that collects at the base. Drain or give it a quick spin in a salad spinner (one of my best kitchen buys!). Just before you are ready to serve, bring a pot of water to boil and slip the bak choy in, head first. Par-boil for about 3 mins - you want the bak choy to still be crisp and retain its nutrients.

Arrange the bak choy on a large platter. With tongs, take the pork belly out and slice into 1cm pieces or 2cmx2cm chunks. Arrange the pork belly slices neatly on top of the bak choy, and ladle some gravy over. Strain and serve the rest of the gravy in a separate bowl.

Serve with white rice.

Roasted Butternut Squash

2009-11-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have a fantastic and simple recipe (aren't the most fantastic recipes often simple?) from one of my best friends and bridesmaids, the gorgeous, passionate and talented Anna Bishop. We started this recipe chain thing (people who have not replied, you know who you are!) and this was the recipe that she sent along.

It's also very versatile. I would eat it alone, as a trimming to a roast, or make soup. It's quite difficult for two people to finish an entire squash, so I took the leftovers and made soup the next day! Just blitz with some chicken stock and a dash of milk/cream and reheat. Serve with toast. It was yummy...

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Cooking time: 30 mins

1 butternut squash
3/4 tsp cumin
3 tbsp oregano
3 tbsp ground coriander seeds
3 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of chili powder (to taste)
3 tsp salt
Olive oil or olive oil spray

*****
Cut butternut squash into 4 inch wedges (quarter it lengthwise, half each quarter). Spray each wedge with olive oil, toss in mixed spices. Arrange on baking tray. Roast at 200 C/ 390 F for 30 mins.

The sweet and tender meat of the butternut squash simply melds in the oven with the salty and crunchy spice mix. Beautiful!

Imjadarah

2009-10-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try this recipe that my friend, Fadi, just shared with me from his childhood in Lebanon. Quote Fadi: "It's high fiber, high protein, low fat, filled with goodness." How can I not experiment? But I need some friends in the know to help me out with tasting whether my version is authentic or not!

Shared with permission.

RECIPE: IMJADARAH

Equipment: 1 big pot

A - Aromatics
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic chopped
3 stalks scallions, chopped

B - Lentils
2 cups brown lentils
3 cups water

C - Rice
1 cup rice (basmati)
2 cups water

D - Seasoning
Salt, to taste
Cumin, to taste
Pinch of all spice

E - Garnishing
Yoghurt
Srirarcha
Cabbage salad

*****

A - Sautee till onions are brown.

B - Add lentils and water and bring to a boil for 5 mins. Turn heat down and simmer for a further 20 mins.

C - Add rice and water and bring to a boil for 2-3 mins.

D - Add seasoning. Cover the pot and turn heat down. Simmer for 15 mins. Fadi says that you need check it occasionally and gauge the amount of water carefully. The mixture should be loose, not too dry but not too wet either.

E - Turn off heat and let mixture sit for 2 mins.

F - Serve on a plate with garnishing on top.

Picture to come!

Fresh loot from Singapore

2009-09-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

The 'Rents are in H-town! And they brought with them a grocery store and the clothes on their back.

Guess what these are?!

Mooncakes!

Dad even bought be a "little piglet".
He does that every year.

Our gift from their Hokkaido trip.
These are hand blown and hand painted glass soy bottles.
Aren't they gorgeous?!

Gift for the home: Lamp Berger

Chinese soup mixes, tea, herbs, ginseng,
almonds, honey dates, buddha fruit, sambal, candlenuts etc etc.
This took up one side of the largest suitcase!

The good stuff: Abalone!

A great Taiwanese cook book that I can't wait to dive into!

Clay pot.

Double boiler.

A Kyocera ceramic knife from Japan.
Watch out, it's sharp!

My present

The Boy's present.

Much needed make up - it's cheaper at Tangs!

Erm... H1N1 protection.

And best of all: Our wedding album.

Laksa - Singapore's soul food

2009-09-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Picture courtesy of
www.singaporefoodrecipes.com -
sorry, I don't take pictures when
I have guests to feed.

I've had the immense privilege of moving around the world and living on three continents, with another move always just ahead. Because of the international nature of the oil industry, I've met even more mobile people and families from all around the world in Houston, who've lived in more countries than I can count on one hand.

The one funny thing about people who move around is that, invariably, they will talk about food - particularly, food from home. Stories about craving bacon in Qatar, or finding the one brand of peanut butter they will deign to eat in Indonesia, and conversely the one brand of cereal that cannot be found in America (Dorset Cereals from England).

[Plug: People, you can find Divine Chocolate at Central Market. It's a UK brand with a revolutionary business model. More information can be found here: http://www.divinechocolateusa.com/about. Become a fan! Eat it. Use it in your cooking. Scharffen Berger is ubiquitous, but Divine Chocolate is better!]

Me? The food I talk about invariably involves the likes of tumeric, galangal, lemongrass, red finger chillies, belacan (shrimp paste), kecap manis (sweet dark soya sauce), dried shiitake mushrooms, agar agar etc... and let's not start on fruit. But, unlike the Japanese, Thai and Chinese communities for example, my (other) South East Asian counterparts don't seem to be as quick to establish roots wherever they are. So looking for ingredients becomes an adventure each time I move. And having to find substitutes where none can be found.

This weekend past, The Boy very generously (although somewhat unsuspectingly) invested his entire weekend to explore the nether corners of Houston, Texas with me in search of such tropical offings.

First stop, we braved the Chinese weekend crowd in Chinatown (Bellaire). Urg, no luck, but we did find some frozen fish cake - product of Singapore, hoorah! P.S. If you've never braved a Chinese weekend crowd before, just try going to the Forbidden City in summer some time. Don't forget your elbow guards.

At my beloved H-Mart, there was a small selection of South East Asian fare, but nothing great. We did discover red finger chillis there where they have never been found anywhere in Houston. Seriously. I did a little dance on the spot (much to the curiosity of the Korean grandma next to me who was checking out a root of daikon). My mum is also doing a little dance too, because she doesn't have to smuggle chilli seeds across the border now - I was going to grow red finger chillis, you see.

Tumeric, galangal and lemongrass, strangely enough, can be found at Whole Foods - but you must wait till Wednesday, when they get their "exotic" shipment. Which brings me to our biggest find in Houston to date: Asia Market in the Heights (Calvacade Street)! The Fearless Critic (actually, that might count as our biggest find) warns: don't be put off by the run down 7-11 with bars across the window; if your idea of heaven is tumeric, galangal, lemongrass etc (they also had fried grasshoppers and milk worms, eech!), then you will die and go there here. Also attached to the grocery section is a small eatery (might be stretching it to call it a "restaurant"), where the best pad thai, som tham (mango salad) and green curry can be found, IMHO (The Boy disagrees with my assessment of the pad thai). Three words: oh. my. goodness.

With these lovely finds at hand, what was I going to do? What else but make Laksa. I really didn't have a choice, if you think about it.

This recipe is adapted from A Treasured Collection, a collection of recipes by the women of the Covenant Community Methodist Church of Singapore, by Janie Wong, with my own substitutes, additions, comments and tips:

"Very often at church meetings, social gatherings and special occasions, members could look forward to enjoyin delicious and mouth-watering fare lovingly prepared by teh many culinary wizards in our midst. It was then felt that these precious recipes could be preserved in a cookbook to be shared with all who love and enjoy food. This is how "The Treasured Collection" was conceived. A Committee comprising a group of enthusiastic ladies, bonded together by God's love, was then formed. In line with our church's mission of showing compassion for the disadvantaged and needy, it was decided that proceeds from the sales of the book could assist "women in distress".

I wish they would launch a big reprint. But if this or any of their other recipes reprinted in this blog blesses you in any way, it would make me - and I hope you - very happy if you made someone else's life better in one small way today. Reminds me of when I was a Girl Guide in school way back when - one good deed a day. Maybe with some laksa? =)

RECIPE: LAKSA - Singapore's soul food
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 10

A - Stock
1 lb/500g prawns
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2.5 litres water

B - Coconut
1.5 coconuts, grated } OR
3 cups water } 3 cups canned coconut milk

C - Fragrances
1" / 2.5 cm galangal (otherwise known as "blue ginger"), peeled and sliced
1" / 2.5 cm tumeric, peeled and sliced (careful, your fingers will turn yellow!)
2 stalks lemongrass, sliced (remove the woody exterior layer first)
10 candlenuts (or 10 macadamia nuts)
2 cups shallots (approx. 1 bag), peeled and sliced
30 dried chillies, seeds removed and softened in cold water
19 fresh red finger chillies, seeds removed
1 pc belacan (2.5cm x 2.5 cm x 1 cm / 1" x 1" x 0.5")

D - Spices
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dried shrimp, pounded (I minced mine in the food processor)
2 stalks lemongrass, bashed
1 tbsp coriander powder, roasted
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

E - Noodles
3 lb / 1.5 kg white rice bee hoon noodles (or spaghetti)

F - Garnishing
1/2 lb / 250 g bean sprouts, scalded
Prawns from A
5 pc fried fish cake, sliced into strips
5 hard boiled eggs, halved
1 pkt triangular tofu puffs, each halved
1 cucumber, peeled, cored and thinly sliced into strips
3.5 oz / 100g laksa leaves, finely shredded (or a mixture of mint and cilantro, chopped finely)

*****

A - Marinate prawns with salt and sugar for 15 mins. Bring water to boil. Add prawns.

Remove prawns when cooked (approx. 10-15 mins) and set aside prawn stock. Cool prawns under running tap water. Remove prawn shells. Cut prawns into half lengthwise. Set aside for garnishing.

Return shells and heads to the stock and simmer for 15 mins. Drain and discard shells. Set aside prawn stock.

B - Extract 2 cups 1st squeeze coconut milk and set aside. Add water to the coconute and extract 2nd squeeze coconut milk. Add 2nd squeeze coconut milk to prawn stock in A.

OR Add 1/3 of coconut milk to prawn stock.

C - Grind ingredients into a fine paste. I use the food processor. Note: This takes a while - it must be a fine paste.

D - Heat oil and fry C till fragrant. Add rest of ingredients and fy till oil bubbles through.

Add to the prawn stock. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 mins.

Add 1st squeeze coconut milk and stir to prevent coconut milk from curdling. Remove from heat when gravy begins to boil.

E - Scald bee hoon in boiling water. Drain. Divide into individual serving bowls.

OR Cook spaghetti till al dente.

F - Garnish and add hot gravy. I like adding the bean sprouts beneath the noodles, arranging the food on top of the noodles, and garnishing with the cucumber strips and laksa leaves.

I was a happy happy camper on Sunday night.

Char Bee Hoon (Fried Rice Vermicelli)

2009-08-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

If I were back in Singapore, this would be breakfast - at a hawker centre. My mother also makes fantastic char bee hoon - for breakfast, for parties, for picnics - it's a versatile dish for big groups (and leftovers). One of my fondest memories of growing up in Singapore was my mother frying up a big wok of bee hoon, a pot of curry chicken with a few loaves, and my whole family would take this simple Asian feast out for a warm tropical afternoon by the beach. Not quite the sandwich people, my family. =)

The key to this dish is good stock and colour. Carrots and chilis add red, scallions green, radish and the noodles themselves white/yellow. Since we also eat with our eyes, the toss of colour goes a long way to making this an enticing dish. It is a very versatile dish, however, so don't worry if you don't have one or two of the vegetables, or any meat for that matter. It's also a great way to use up leftovers.

RECIPE: CHAR BEE HOON (FRIED RICE VERMICELLI)
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 6

Equipment: One big wok

A - Preparation
1 packet of white rice vermicelli
5-7 dried shiitake mushrooms

B - Vegetables
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2" ginger root, minced
1 handful of bean sprouts
2-3 stalks scallions, julienned
1-2 carrots, julienned
2" daikon/radish root, julienned
2-3 red chillis, de-seeded and julienned

C - Seasoning
1 jug of chicken stock (or water)
Kecap manis (sweet dark soya sauce, or use black soya sauce with 1-2 tsp of sugar)
White pepper

D - Protein
5-6 Eggs
Cooked meat (e.g. leftover chicken breast, shredded, prawns, luncheon meat, fried and cut, Chinese fish cake)

*****

A - Soak the white rice vermicelli in a bowl of cold water for 30 mins. Soak to the mushrooms in hot water for 30 mins to reconstitute them. Cut off the stems with a pair of kitchen shears and slice them in strips afterwards. Save the mushroom water as stock for later on.

B - Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a big wok. Fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the rest of the vegetables and stir-fry in the wok for 3 mins.

C - Add the vermicelli, stock, a few swirls of kecap manis and 1 tbsp of white pepper into the wok. Flip the ingredients a few times to mix them up. When the stock is boiling, lower the heat and let the vermicelli soak up the liquids, flipping occasionally and adding more liquid as needed. The goal is to get the vermicelli to soak up all the liquid until it is very dry and let it dry-fry for a few minutes. The whole process will take approx. 15-20 mins. Season according to taste.

D - When the vermicelli is done, push the whole lot to one side of the wok as far as possible. In the empty space, heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Crack the eggs in and scramble with the wok ladle. When the eggs are fried and done, flip them together with the vermicelli and serve with some sambal belacan (chili paste) or sriracha.

Voili! Fried bee hoon.

Edible Adventures: The Non-Artisan Post

2009-08-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting anything on 'Artisan Edibles' because all I've done these coupla days is experiment with chocolate, particularly, different chocolate frostings. Firstly, there was the experiment with chocolate ganache frosting:

Then there was the experiment with a chocolate glaze, which The Boy took to his fantasy football league draft:

The Boy, sweet man he is, took over the feeding. In the process, he did some experimenting himself. First there was that yummy rigatoni with what he wants to call The Boy's Falling On The Floor Easy Tomato Sauce. Then, get this, he made a pizza. This is it, with a margherita topping:

On a little excursion of his own whilst I was otherwise engaged, he also found these amazing concord grapes at Central Market, which you can squeeze out of their skins:

So, that's how it's been, folks. Back to regular scheduling soon.

Basic Tomato Sauce

2009-08-14T11:43:00.001-07:00

The Boy is a big fan of tomato sauce. And he insists that the best tomato sauce is simply garlic, tomatoes and basil. Fresh. And the best tomatoes to use are Roma (meatier) or Campari (sweeter). We like serving it over rigatoni.

I love it when he cooks.

RECIPE: THE BOY'S FALLING ON THE FLOOR EASY TOMATO SAUCE

A - Meat
Fist-size of ground beef or turkey

B - Tomato sauce
4 cloves garlic, sliced or minced (we are still debating this)
12 Roma tomatoes OR 20 Campari tomatoes, tops sliced off

C - Garnishing
Bunch of fresh basil

*****

A - Fry the ground beef/turkey in a skillet until cooked.

B - Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, heat 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. Fry the tomatoes, flesh side down and covered, until the skins peel off (approx. 10 mins). Mash the tomato flesh and add in the garlic. By adding the garlic without frying, it infuses a more mellow flavour into the sauce.

Add in cooked ground beef/turkey. Season with salt and pepper.

C - To chop the basil leaves, roll a bunch of them together, lengthwise, and cut into thin strips (when unrolled). Mix pasta in with sauce and garnish with the chopped basil. It's that simple.

I was trying to find a really old picture of me in eating rigatoni amatriciana in Rome a coupla years ago - the rigatoni there is a longer thinner tube. It was a happy place.

Miso Experiment 2: Miso salad dressing

2009-08-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

I think the salads at California Pizza Kitchen are simply one of the bests, but it's also $9 plus service for a salad!??

It's not very hard to chop up some vegetables, particularly with the nifty tool to julienne greens that my mother brought me in her last visit. So I've brazenly copied CPK's salad ingredients, and keep a bag of homemade salad leaves in the fridge all the time, for a quick meal. They may include:

Shredded Napa cabbage, fresh avocado, julienne cucumbers, daikon, edamame, carrots, red cabbage, scallions, cilantro, crispy rice noodles and crisp wontons. For the health conscious, I substitute crispy rice noodles and wontons with bean sprouts. Give it a spin in the salad spinner (I love my salad spinner) and plonk in a ziploc bag!

For the miso paste, I continue my experiments with miso (check out the recipes for Chilean Sea Bass and Aubergine 'Dengaku' Style!) - this time, with white miso.

RECIPE: MISO SALAD DRESSING

3 tbsp white miso
1/2 tsp powdered mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
drop of sesame oil

Whisk ingredients together, whisking the oils last.

The quantities are only an estimate. You may adjust them to suit your tastes, but this is what I finally liked.

Miso Experiment 1: Aubergine 'Dengaku' Style

2009-08-10T17:18:00.000-07:00

The Boy and I have been discussing having a few vegetarian meals each week. Aubergine (or 'eggplant', as people this side of The Pond call it) is a soft but robust vegetable when cooked, and a fair substitute for meat.

Aubergine 'Dengaku' Style is one of my all time favourite dishes to order at Japanese restaurants, but it is not commonly found on the menu in Houston. It is, however, an easy dish to make at home.

Ever since I discovered that my favourite Asian grocery store in Houston, H-Mart (Blalock/I-10), carries a variety of miso pastes, I've been experimenting with various miso dishes. In my next post, I shall put up the recipe for a deliciously simple miso salad dressing. For those in a hurry, Whole Foods carries a smaller but adequate variety of miso pastes too.

Tonight's recipe called for 'hatcho' miso, which can be substituted with red miso paste ('akamiso'). The recipe is from Harumi Kurihara's acclaimed 'Japanese Home Cooking'. Served with rice and Braised Cabbage.

RECIPE: AUBERGINE 'DENGAKU' STYLE

A - Vegetable
1 Aubergine

B - Miso paste
6 tbsp 'hatcho' miso
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sake (I substituted this with extra dry Vermouth, which I always carry in my pantry)

C - Garnish
Toasted sesame seeds

A - Cut the aubergine in half lengthwise. Run a knife around the edge and score the flat surface in a lattice pattern.

In a skillet, heat 3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Fry both halves of the aubergine, flesh side down, until it browns. Then turn it over and cover loosely with foil. Continue cooking until almost cooked (approx. 10 mins).

B - While the aubergine is cooking, mix the ingredients for the miso paste and heat in a saucepan over medium heat until it thickens. Turn off heat.

When the aubergine has cooked, transfer to a baking dish. Spread 2-3 tbsp of the miso paste on each half of the aubergine. Cook under a broiler for approx. 5 mins.

C - Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

2009-08-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Dire lack of posts due to gluttonous experiments with chocolate, and one pavlova.

Always a work in progress...

2009-07-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Please note that the url of this blog has changed to:

http://www.artisanedibles.blogspot.com

Siew Yoke (Roast Pork with crackling)

2009-07-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

My mother adores The Boy. She also loves to feed him. To give you an example: Once, he casually mentioned that he loves roast pork with crackling. Immediately, the wheels started turning, and she started researching and experimenting with her old recipes for siew yoke* (if you were wondering where I get it from...). My poor father was (happily) the guinea pig of at least three versions of roast pork before it was good enough to be presented to The Boy. Being a true believer that the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach (contrary to popular belief), she kindly shared her perfected recipe with me.

* Siew yoke = Chinese roast pork with cracking, often served with rice and other roast meats

Anyway, fast forward to last week. The Nutritionist Nazi informed us that we should not consume, on a normal day, any food that contained more than 20% of fat from calories, and sent us away with a list of information. Perusing the list in the car, I should tell you that almost no beef or pork or lamb of any sort made the cut (excuse the pun). The forced conclusion was that we would have to live with a diet of chicken breast and fish during the week.

But this also meant that there was now cause to celebrate our weekend "cheat" meal. Hence, this post - a tribute to my mother's culinary endeavours and a reward for a week of "good" eating.

Roast pork with crackling is wonderful. You can have it for an Asian meal - it goes well with Braised Cabbage. You can have it for Thanksgiving or Christmas in place of ham, served with apple sauce - children always love the crackling. It is one of those versatile roasts that can be both prosaic and celebratory.

There is much debate what is the best way to achieve crackling. Some like Ellis Handy tout vinegar as their secret ingredient. Others like Gary Rhodes would exhort crackling the rind separately. In our family, we believe simply that the simplest way to achieve the best and tastiest crackling is salt and patience: giving the rind hours and hours to dry out. Hence, this dish should be prepared the day before. We also like to keep the seasoning simple: just pepper and five spice powder. The perfect roast pork should be crispy and crunchy on the top, pink and tender on the inside.

Note: You can get a slab of pork belly with the rind still on at most Asian grocery stores. In Houston, I recommend H-Mart (I-10/Blalock), as always.

RECIPE: SIEW YOKE (ROAST PORK WITH CRACKLING)
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 mins

1 roasting dish with rack

A - Meat
1 slab pork belly with rind

B - Seasoning
2 tsp salt
1 tsp five spice powder
1 tsp pepper

C - Vegetable oil

*****

A - Wipe the meat dry with kitchen paper. Score the rind of the pork belly with a sharp knife.

B - Dry fry the seasoning ingredients for a few minutes. The portions are for 2 lb / 1 kg of meat. Depending on how much meat you have, you may adjust the portions, always keeping the proportion of 2:1:1.

When cooled, rub the seasoning all over the rind of the meat. If there is excess seasoning, leave it - do not rub over rest of meat as, in my experience, this makes the final product too salty.

Leave uncovered in the fridge overnight.

C1 - Heat oven to 290F / 200 C. Put pork with rind facing up on a roasting dish with rack, and roast for 10 minutes.

C2 - Turn temperature down to 320 F / 160 C and roast for a further 1 hour.

C3 - Crackling: Increase temperature to 480 F / 250 C. Using a long spoon, spread some oil on the skin. Don't worry about quantity because the excess oil will just drip and collect below the rack in the roasting dish. Roast for a further 15-20 mins to crackle the skin.

Remove and cool. Alert: Make sure you have all your kitchen windows opened, the kitchen vent turned up to the max and the fire alarm turned off - because a lot of smoke will be coming out of the oven when you open it!

Fresh Purple

2009-07-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine in London has set up her own online jewelry store, named after her favourite colour. Being impeccably dressed herself always, I'm eager to go check it out myself now. See you at Fresh Purple!

Flowers from the Cotswold, England

2009-07-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

Roses and carnations brought all the way from a cottage in the Cotswold, England, by visiting friends and their three beautiful children. Charming!

We cooked over the weekend - first, the Asian experience on Saturday, then a little bit of the South on Sunday. Roast pork with crackling, braised cabbage, kung pao prawns, as well as beans and tasty cornbread - topped up by a belated homemade chocolate cheesecake birthday cake! There was feasting and laughter, fellowship and prayer. What a wonderful thing friends are!

Wind the bobbin up, wind the bobbin up,
Pull, pull, clap clap clap.
Wind it back again, wind it back again,
Pull, pull, clap clap clap.

Point to the ceiling, point to the floor,
Point to the window, point to the door.
Clap your hands together, one two three,
Put your hands upon your knee.

~ An English children's song ~

Navy Bean Soup

2009-07-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

Following up on the theme of easy home cooking, I'm starting a series called 'One Pot Fits All' (OPFA) - check out the Table of Contents on the right hand column.

Today's contribution to the OPFA (otherwise known as "op-fah") family is known simply as "Beans". Like when The Boy would ask his momma what was for dinner, she would quite often say "Beans".

That is code for Navy Bean Soup - a good 'ol Southern dish.

Incidentally, you would never believe what Southern boys talk about when they're gathered around the dinner table. That's right, food - like their momma used to make it. Fried okra, fried chicken, fried catfish, cornbread... the list goes on. Southern boys are uniquely good-looking too, quite beside the point.

So yesterday, The Boy and I are trailing the aisles at our local Whole Foods, and suddenly I lose him. I retrace my steps, only to find him standing, almost stupified, in front of a big silver pot poised on a nice table with some paper tubs and lids. What's wrong? I ask. He points to the big silver pot. I look inside.

Yes, you got it right. It was Beans.

Now, to be honest, we both found the Whole Foods version quite awful. But it did get The Boy going. He couldn't sleep last night, and the first thing he did when dawn broke (and it was a decent time) was to call his momma back home to get the recipe for Beans.

So off we were to a butcher (I found one in Houston at last!) to get some smoked ham hocks, and then to the grocery store for some navy beans and cornbread ingredients. And for the whole afternoon, our apartment was filled with the lovely smells of Beans slow-cooking atop the stove.

It was delicious too, with cornbread and freshly churned butter (Central Market is selling the churned butter that used to be hawked at Borough Market!). We ate in silence (always a good sign). It was just what I needed after a long run - a healthy, hearty, navy bean soup.

RECIPE: NAVY BEAN SOUP
Equipment - One big pot

A -
2 lbs Navy beans
1 lb Smoked ham hock
1/2 Large onion (or 1 Small onion), diced

B -
2 Carrots, diced
1 Jalapeno, diced
1/2 Large onion (or 1 Small onion), diced

A - Put the beans, ham hock and onion in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer on low heat for at least 4 hours, if not the whole afternoon. The soup should be reduced to a thick consistency by the time you're ready to eat.

B - 40 minutes before serving, add the diced carrots, onion and jalapeno. The Boy does this right after he pops the cornbread into the oven.

Serve warm with cornbread.

Beans, beans, the magical fruit,
The more you eat, the more you toot!
The more you toot, the better you feel,
So let's have beans for every meal!

Braised Cabbage

2009-07-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

This is a winner. And it's easy. I make it at least once a week. Molly Stevens, whose book 'All About Braising' I have exhorted time and again, calls it the World's Best Braised Cabbage. It really is. It's healthy. It's delicious. It's easy. And it goes with all types of food, whether you are serving Chinese or a Pot Roast. We had it for dinner last night with Kung Pao prawns! We're eating it with Pulled Pork tonight. Try it to believe it!

RECIPE: MOLLY STEVEN'S BRAISED CABBAGE
Cooking time: 2 hrs 15 mins
Serves: 8

Equipment -
1 saute pan
Aluminium foil

A -
1 cabbage (approx. 2 lbs, so that it fits into the saute pan)

B -
2 carrots, chopped into small rounds
1 onion, sliced
3 dried red chilis OR Chili flakes

C -
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water

D -
Splash of red vinegar

*****

Heat oven at 325 F / 163 C.

A - Chop the cabbage into 8 parts and arrange around the saute pan in a single layer. It's very important that it's in a single layer.

B - Scatter the onions, carrots and chili flakes around. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

C - Add olive oil and water into the pan, and cover tightly with aluminium foil. Braise in oven for 1 hour. Molly Stevens advises to turn the cabbage halfway, but that's messy so I usually leave it.

After an hour, turn heat up to 400 F / 205 C and remove aluminium foil. Braise for another 15 mins.

D - Before serving, splash a little red vinegar around - this brings out the sweetness of the cabbage.

Serve warm.

4th of July food: Potato Salad

2009-07-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

We apparently have a great view of the downtown fireworks from the roof of our apartment complex. So this 4th of July, we had some newlywed friends over for a grill out - my first 4th of July!

Aaron was so excited about making his momma's famous potato salad that he dragged me grocery shopping at 10pm on Friday night. Momma Akins' potato salad lives up to its name indeed. It's pickly and eggy and potatoish. I personally dislike mayonnaise in large quantities, and always leave it out in my subways and then sparingly in salads and coleslaw - which is why I love this potato salad, which is relatively mayo-free. The only time I will eat mayonnaise in large quantities is with my fries (chips to my friends across the pond), which The Boy finds disgusting.

We had so much fun on Saturday evening. I love grilling out!

RECIPE: MOMMA AKINS' POTATO SALAD

A -
1 bag potatoes, approx. 1 per person

B -
4-5 eggs

C - Dressing
Mayonnaise
Hot dog relish
Dill pickles, chopped roughly
Scallions, chopped
Celery seeds
Black pepper
Onion powder

A. Peel potatoes and cut into cubes. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Lower heat and parboil potatoes, covered, until they are soft (but not mushy - test with a fork). Drain and place back on heat to boil off any remaining water.

B. While the potatoes are cooking, hard boil the eggs by placing them in a pot of cold water, add some salt, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Drain and peel eggs under cold running water. Dry with a paper towel and chop roughly.

C. In a large bowl, fork through the potatoes and mix in the cooked and chopped eggs. Assemble the rest of the salad dressing to taste: a few tbsps of mayo, several squirts of mustard, approx half the bottle of hotdog relish, the pickles, scallions and other condiments.

Serve chilled.

The Best Banana Cake in the World

2009-07-08T08:25:00.001-07:00

Everyone has eaten banana cake before. Banana cake is like the cake that you will bake (and eat) at some point in your life - if any baking happened at all, that is. It is the cake to bake if you are in a hurry. It is the cake to bake if you are not a confident baker. It is the cake to bake just to remember home, remember your mum, remember how to bake.

It is a very helpful way of using up those over-ripe bananas too. Our house designer was coming over for a meeting tonight, and I had bananas that were so black and squishy that my housekeeper worriedly pointed them out to me this morning with a tut tut. So, banana cake it was.

The perfect banana cake for me is fluffy and moist, with small scattered squishes of banana in between, and a toasty nutty caramelized shell. No nuts required.

This recipe is by Carrie Ho from A Treasured Collection (2001). A few years ago, the ladies of Covenant Community Methodist Church in Singapore gathered together to collate their time-treasured recipes. It's a dying tradition, but church gatherings used to be fed with food lovingly prepared by its members. Nowadays we cater (still lovingly) fried chicken, hotdogs and cookies. Call me old-fashioned, but I kinda miss those days and am fighting it tooth and nail!

RECIPE: THE BEST BANANA CAKE IN THE WORLD
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 mins
Serves: 8

Equipment -
1x 20 cm square baking pan (I used a pie pan last night. A decorative alternative is to use a bundt pan.)
Wax paper

A -
180 g / 6 oz Butter
180 g / 6 oz Sugar

B -
2 tbsp Sour cream
1 tsp Vanilla essence

C -
3 Large eggs (60g each)

D -
210 g / 7.5 oz Self-raising flour, sifted
4 Large ripe bananas or 8 Small ripe bananas, mashed with a fork

*****

Pre-heat oven to 170 C / 340 F. Grease and line baking pan. Dust with flour.

A - Cream butter and sugar together till light and fluffy. I use the flat paddle for this.

B - Add sour cream and vanilla essence to A.

C - Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. I switch to the egg beater for this.

D - Fold in sifted flour and bananas gradually into the mixture. I do this manually with a flat spatula. Pour mixture into baking pan and bake for 1 hour. Then cover cake with foil and bake for another 10 mins. Remove from oven and let cake stand for 5 mins before taking it out. Cool on wire rack for at least another 10 mins before serving.

You can serve it with dusted icing sugar or a simple sour cream frosting.

Sai Yong Choi Shui (Sweet Watercress Drink)

2009-06-16T17:04:00.001-07:00

There really is no end to the kind of Chinese "torture" that I am willing to inflict on my American friends in the name of nutrition. My friend, Leslie, in particular, has gamely drunk every herbal soup I have presented her and once sat, fists clenched, through a meal with Japanese fried fish shishamo (smelt) on the table in full glory with their heads, eyes, roe and tails intact (she did scream when someone touched her).

One type of soup, however, has never failed to please - a sweet beverage with cooling properties on a hot summer's day. It also seems universally cultural: the Mexicans have ponche, Singaporeans have sugarcane, the Japanese have a watercress drink too (what issit called?). One of the many drinks the Chinese have is watercress.

Each major ingredient in this delicious concoction presents a nutritional benefit or symbolic meaning:

Watercress - The Chinese call watercress 'The Vegetable from the Western Oceans', because watercress is not native to China and the name reflects the fact that it was first introduced by Portugese sailors via Macau more than a century ago (1988, Ng Siong Mui). It is believed to have refreshing and soothing properties for the lungs, and is drunk in hot weather.

Almonds - There are two kinds of almonds in Chinese cooking: the bigger sweet almonds, and the smaller bitter almonds. The latter is used here. Here, both are really kernals from different species of the apricot. The smaller bitter almonds have stronger herbal properties and good for alleviating dry coughs (1988, Ng Siong Mui). I add it here because it gives a fun crunchiness to the drink.

Red dates and Honey dates and Dried Longan flesh - There is no added sugar to this drink at all. It is flavoured entirely with a combination of these sweet fruits. Longans are my particular favourite, and they are the fruit of 'sweetness and roundness', which in the Chinese mind means 'everything will be perfect' (1988, Ng Siong Mui). I love honey dates too - sweet yumminess!

Buddha's fruit - Buddha's fruit is a brownish-green, round and light fruit with a sharp, sweet taste. The name is derived from the fact that the fruit grows in clusters of 18 - exactly the number of Buddha's close disciples - and is grown only in China's Kwangsi province (1988, Ng Siong Mui).

Dried tangerine peel - Dried tangerine peel is one of the three treasures of the Cantonese. My mother remembers her grandmother hiding it in an air-tight biscuit tin under her bed because it was so precious. I added a small slice of this to counteract the 'yin' in the drink.

Boil all ingredients for 15 mins on high and then lower heat to simmer for 2 hours. Serve chilled.

Kung Pao Chicken / Prawns / Scallops

2009-06-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

Now that you have assembled your basic Chinese kitchen, it's time to put it to good use! Like the Steamed Sea Bass, this recipe will use the ingredients found in a Basic Chinese Kitchen (see previous post).

We served the scallops version of this dish to our friends from church last Friday - guys, we totally forgot to mention (because we actually forgot) that it was our 6 month anniversary that day!

Since then, however, I've been experimenting a little. Chicken turns out fine with no incidents usually, but I have been unhappy with the texture of the prawns/scallops when we've gone the seafood way. So I did a little research. What I was aiming for was a firm texture (so no wet ingredients in the marinade), while protecting the seafood's natural moisture (so not too much salt) and sweetness.

And I decided to try toasting the nuts beforehand, to add a little smokiness.

Kung pao is also a classic in Asian American cuisine - but here, sans the 'Pei Wei' effect (read: cloyingly sweet, unredemptively starchy, and ever-abundant sauce).

It is also easy - I promise you will get this done in less than 30 mins. I love stir-frys for that reason: they are quick and relatively straightforward, although its taken me a little longer to do it well. My passion is to share the little secrets I've learned and discovered along the way with you, so as to demystify Asian cooking once and for all.

I've added little notes here, to show how the different layers of flavours build on each other. It should be noted that I use filtered water only because I've lived in different countries and it's the only way I can ensure (as far as possible) that the progeny of the water I get from my tap, wherever I am, does not affect my cooking. But if you are happy with the water from your tap, then by all means use it.

As always, the biggest secret to Chinese (or any) cooking is: CONTROL YOUR FIRE.

Photo from ex-blog

RECIPE: KUNG PAO CHICKEN/PRAWNS/SCALLOPS
(Cooking time: 30 mins)

A - Meat
Chicken breast, cut into small cubes
OR
Prawns, shelled and deveined (by slicing the top curve of the prawn longitudinally and taking out the thin black "worm" hidden inside)
OR
Scallops

B - Marinade
For chicken:
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp thin soya sauce
2 tsp Shaoshing wine or Vermouth
1 tsp cornflour

For prawns:
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp oil

For scallops:
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp oil

C - Sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce (saltish)
2 tsp rice wine vinegar (sour)
2 tsp sugar (sweet)
1.5 tbsp cornflour
6 tbsp filtered water

D - Aromatics
Vegetable oil (eyeball amount depending on amount of meat)
2 cloves of garlic, sliced diagonally
4 slices of ginger (6 slices if using seafood)
Handful of dried chilis
2 tbsp Shaoshing wine or Vermouth

E - Garnishing
3 scallions, cut into small rounds
Handful of cashews or skinless peanuts, toasted with a spray of oil (smoky)

*****

A - Dry the prawns/scallops (if using) with a paper towel. This will ensure that the outer layer sears better.

B - Mix the meat with its respective marinade. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 15 mins. Take out and let it get to room temperature before cooking.

C - Prepare the sauce while the meat is marinating. You can save time by toasting the nuts and doing all your chopping at this point too.

D - Heat 2-3 tbsps of oil in wok over high heat until smoke rises. Swirl it around. Lower the heat to medium and fry the garlic, ginger and dried chilis to "release" their aroma. Once you smell their fragrance, but before the garlic and ginger burn (CONTROL YOUR FIRE), add the marinated meat - searing the meat, then stir-frying it, tossing and turning. When the meat is half-cooked, splash the wine around the sides of the wok (to heat it before it hits the other ingredients), tossing and turning continuously.

E - When the meat is cooked, add scallions and sauce from C. Toss for a few seconds. Turn off fire and toss in nuts.

Serve immediately with white rice and some vegetables - an instant Chinese meal!

Trout, Asparagus and New Potato Salad

2009-05-26T12:10:00.001-07:00

Lunch today. I love it when somebody rhapsodizes about things simple. Like a new potato. Or the sound of a dishwasher. It's mindful. It's comforting. It's chastising.

This recipe is from Rowley Leigh's food column in the FT. I substituted asparagus for about-to-wilt rocket leaves and chopped Romain lettuce that I had in my fridge, which is fine, except you'll probably need more dressing to cover the expansion of foliage. I used fresh trout.

"A simple enough assembly: the most important point is not to let any of the ingredients see the inside of a fridge once they are cooked. Fillets of smoked trout could well be substituted for fresh. Enough for a light lunch for four or a starter for six.

Ingredients
750g Cornish early, Jersey new or other new potatoes, as fresh as is conceivably possible
2 trout weighing 300g-350g each
1 lemon
1 bunch green asparagus (454g)
2 egg yolks
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbs sunflower oil
1 tbs cream or crème fraîche
10 tarragon leaves

Method
● Place the new potatoes in a bowl of cold water and agitate fiercely with a coarse scrubbing pad to remove the skins. If that fails to remove them, scrape them off them with a small knife or abrasive cloth. Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water and a teaspoon of salt and bring to a simmer. Cook until tender – 20 to 25 minutes – and then drain and allow to cool. If using potatoes with tough skins, it is best to cook them with the skins on and then remove them while they cool.
● If using fresh trout, sprinkle some sea salt on a sheet of foil and season the cavities of the fish with sea salt, milled pepper and a few slices of lemon. Wrap each trout in the foil and bake in a hot oven, 200ºC, for 15 minutes. Remove and leave to cool in the foil packages.
● Peel and trim the stalks of the asparagus and place the spears in a very large pot of boiling, salted water for two minutes. Remove and allow to cool, having spread them out on a tray in a cool place.
● Make a dressing by whisking together the egg yolks, mustard, vinegar and seasonings before adding the oil, cream and chopped tarragon. Add a little lemon juice to sharpen if required. Remove the foil and skin from the fish and lift the fillets off the bone. Break the flesh up into large flakes and place in a large bowl. Slice the potatoes thickly and add them to the bowl. Cut the asparagus into short finger lengths and add them in turn. Pour the dressing over, very gently mix together and spoon on to plates."

~Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009~

2009-05-24T21:06:00.001-07:00

Drove along the 290 Highway,
on our way to Austin for Memorial Day -
A romantic weekend mini-break.

On the way there is Whataburger,
McDonalds, Sonic, Love's,
The occasional Subway.

There's also Kickapoo Road -
it shares a name I grew up with, back home.
Round Top, Benham, Chappell Hill.

These names I knew only by name,
Through the window of a car,
Across the highway's access road.

On the way there is Whataburger,
McDonalds, Sonic, Love's,
The occasional Subway.

I wonder whether there is an end to this interminable B-roll,
Is this all there is to my new "home"?
Then we stop and I get out of the car,
It's a Love's, with Taco Bell and Church's beside.

I stare at the soaring criss-crossing highways,
The sense that this is a big big country, great.
In confronting the fear I erase it.
I know there is a future waiting out there for me.

Still scared though.

Sweet and sour pork

2009-05-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

Cut and paste from ex-blog again - sorry. But we just had it for dinner last night, so I thought it would be an appropriate post. An Asian classic.

This is my mum's recipe, with tweaks from Barbara Tropp and Yan-Kit So - who brought Asian cooking to America and UK respectively the way Julia Child did French cooking and Marcella Hazan did Italian cooking (I received her cookbook in the post today!). I promise you that, unlike the starchy sugar-fest goop you get at most Asian restaurants in the USA, this dish tastes fresh, healthy and clean.

RECIPE: SWEET AND SOUR PORK
(serves 5)
(cooking time: 20-30 mins)

A - Meat
400g/1 lb lean pork shoulder, sliced into little chunks
2 tbsp corn starch
1 egg
Rice flour
Potato starch

B - Sauce
8 tbsp water
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp soya sauce
4 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp rice or white wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

C - VEGETABLES
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1" ginger, cut into fine threads
1 big onion, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped into small pieces
2 tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
1 red chilli, sliced
3 stalks scallions, sliced into 3cm strips

A. Marinate the sliced pork with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp sugar. Coat with 2 tblsp of cornflour. Add 2 tbsp of water and stir in one direction until all the water is absorbed. Beat in one egg. Knead thoroughly and rest for 15 mins or longer.

(B - Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients for the sauce)

After the meat has been marinated well, coat each slice with a combination of rice flour and potato flour in the ratio of 1:1. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a wok until smoking slightly (180 degrees celcius). Deep fry one batch until cooked and crisp, about 4 mins. Remove and drain. Repeat until all the meat has been cooked (about 3-4 batches). Add and heat more oil as needed.

C. Heat 2 tbsp of clean oil. Fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant, about 3 mins. Add in onion, cucumber, tomatoes, chilli, and scallions. Stir fry for about 2 mins. Then add sauce and bring to a boil. Adjust the taste. Thicken with cornstarch solution if needed.

Add in the fried pork and mix well. Or serve pork with sauce in a separate bowl. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.

Homestyle Pot Roast

2009-05-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

My momma (The Boy's mum) has a great recipe for pot roast. I remember sitting at her dinner table one cold Christmas night and tucking into this hearty braise and watching in horror as The Boy creamed his plate with barbecue sauce. =)

This braise has plenty of flavour enough - thanks to the sweetness of the vegs and the tanginess of the Worcestershire sauce. And it's so very easy - 'put in a pot and forget about it' easy - like most braises. The uniqueness of this braise, however, is that it is cooked on the stove for a very very long time on very very low heat, much like a slow-cooker, but with very very little braising liquid. The meat basically braises in its own juices. You wouldn't even know it's cooking just by looking at it, but it is.

It's simple, basic, and hearty. Thanks for the recipe, momma Akins!

RECIPE: HOMESTYLE POT ROAST
(serves as much as you can fit in your Dutch oven!)
(cooking time: at least 4 hours)

1 Dutch oven with a heavy lid

A - Meat
Brisket or Chuck (approx 1/2 pound per person)
1 onion, chopped finely

B - Braising liquid
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce per pound of meat
1/2 tbsp Light soy per pound of meat
1/2 tbsp Dark soy per pound of meat
1 tbsp Water per pound of meat

C - Vegetables
1 Onion, cut into small cubes
3 Carrots, cut into small rounds
2 Potatoes, diced into small cubes (I substitute one sweet potato to enhance the sweetness)
Celery, diced (adds depth to the flavour)

A - Heat 2-3 tbsp of canola oil into your Dutch oven till very hot. Brown the meat on both sides. Take out and set aside (I usually place them on the overturned cover of my Dutch oven).

B - Add 1 tbsp oil in Dutch oven and fry the chopped onions till soft. Add braising liquids and, when it is bubbling, use a wooden spoon to scrape off the bits at the bottom of the Dutch oven. Return the meat into the Dutch oven and arrange it in a single layer, making sure that there is a layer of onions below and on top of the meat. Cover with parchment paper (punching the middle down till it's almost touching the meat) and a heavy lid. Braise on very very low heat for at least 4 hours.

* Now, don't worry that the liquids are going to dry out after such a long time. If you use a very very low heat, it won't. The idea is to use the meat's own juices to cook the meat. In fact, don't be surprised if, in step C, you see a puddle of water collected on the surface of the parchment paper when you remove the lid! Scoop that water out and throw it away please.

C - 50 minutes before serving time, remove the parchment paper and taste. Add more Worcestershire sauce or soy as needed. Add the vegetables in and return the lid on. When ready to serve, take the meat out and cut into big chunks. Mix it all up and... viola!

Serve with mash potatoes or rice. We also had vegetarian dumplings for appetizers and cupcakes from Crave for dessert last night - yums! Thank you for the cupcakes, L!

Chilean sea bass with miso

2009-05-08T08:03:00.001-07:00

This is adapted from Nobu Matsuhisa's recipe for black cod with miso. I remember my friend, Raj, calling me up one night and going to Nobu for dinner on a whim. Mind you, we were two students then living in a dorm - not really the kinda setting for a fancy night out - but we did it anyway. I still remember the black cod with miso that I had. And the good times with a good friend. Those were the days when we were young.

It turns out that this dish is a hit with my American friends too - a robust fish paired with a sweet marinade. Another attempt to eat more fish and less red meat.

RECIPE: Chilean sea bass with miso
(cooking time: 20 mins)
(serves 5)

1 Ziploc bag
1 baking dish
1 grill

A - Marinade
1/4 cup Sake (or Vermouth if you don't want to buy one entire bottle of sake)
1/4 cup Mirin
4 tbsp White miso paste (not red, not brown - white. I found it at Whole Foods (Miso Master), in the refrigerated section. Also available at Asian grocery stores.)
3 tbsp Sugar

B - Fish
1 1/2 pounds Chilean sea bass (centre-cut or fillet with the skin still on)

C - Garnishing
Toasted sesame seeds
Scallions, finely chopped

A - Mix the marinade in a Ziploc bag, making sure to quish the miso paste until it has "dissolved" in the liquids. Insert fish in Ziploc bag and marinate overnight in the fridge.

B - Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Pre-heat grill on high. Grill fish on both sides until brown. Place in baking dish, with the excess miso paste on top, and bake in oven for 15 mins. Transfer fish to highest rack and turn broiler on. Grill until surface of fish crisps slightly (or if using a fillet - make sure the skin side is up and crisping) and the miso is bubbling.

C - Transfer fish onto a serving plate. Careful - the fish will be flaking at this point, so make sure you have two very wide spatulas to lift it out of the baking tray and onto a plate! We had a minor disaster last night, with some fish landing on the kitchen table... 10 sec rule saves the day!

Serve with toasted sesame seeds and scallions sprinkled on top.

Stir-frying with a wok: Fried Rice and How to cook rice

2009-05-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

Or "flied lice", as one of my American friends likes to joke. Yes, really funny. We speak English in Singapore and, just by the way, have a higher GDP per capita than... oops, is this my identity crisis rearing or what?

My Guatamalan housekeeper requested this recipe, fried rice being the ubiquitous poster child for Asian cuisine in United States. My brother has some fancy pants recipe for fried rice - and it is very good so I hope he will want to post it here some day when he gets a moment off his super duper job. But our goal here is Simplicity and Speed - as it usually is for me when I make fried rice. It's a quick fix. I also suggested an alternative with curry paste, which you can buy in a jar, if you are *really* in a hurry. I do that sometimes.

This is a great way to use up leftovers.

So, instead of paying $9 at Pei Wei, here is your very own flied lice...

RECIPE: FRIED RICE
(serves as many as you want)
(cooking time: 15 mins)

1 saucepan + 1 sieve OR electric rice cooker
1 wok

A - Rice
This dish is at its best with leftover rice, which dries out a little in the fridge, but if not:
1 cup per person Rice (short or long grain)
Water

B - Base
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
1 Onion, chopped finely
1 per person Eggs

C - Seasoning
Dark Soy or Kechap Manis (sweet thick dark soy)
A lot of white pepper
Chili sauce or chili oil (optional)
OR
Curry paste (in a jar)

D - Meat/Vegetables
* Really whatever you like - good to use up leftovers - but here are some suggestions:
Frozen peas, Broccoli, Carrots, Scallions or Cilantro - diced
Chicken OR Shrimp - pre-cooked

A - Wash rice by rinsing it in cold water and draining. Repeat until the water becomes less cloudy. I usually use the water from the first rinse to water my plants.

Cook rice. There are two methods:

(i) Put rice in a non-stick saucepan with water. 1 3/4 cups of water per cup of rice (long grain) or 1 1/2 cups of water per cup of rice (short grain). Put the lid on tightly and bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium. Cook for 12 minutes. Tip the rice into a sieve and let it drain and sit for at least 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.

(ii) May I suggest, yet again, a rice cooker? I'd be happy to recommend some good ones - forget the fuzzy logic contraptions, just get a good basic rice cooker.

B - In a wok, add 2 tbsp of oil. Fry the onions until soft and translucent. Add eggs. Now, this is the trickier timing part: When the egg is still a little uncooked on top, add the rice and separate the grains vigorously. This way, each rice grain is coated with egg.

C - Add a few swirls of dark soy or kechap manis to taste (about 1 swirl per cup of rice), and white pepper to taste. Stir and flip (the definition of "stir-fry") the rice until evenly coated with the seasoning. Optional: Add chili sauce or chili oil.

If using curry paste from a jar, fry the onions, then the curry paste, then add the eggs and rice.

D - Add the other ingredients and mix everything well.

Serve with chopped scallions or cilantro.

Update: In Chinese cooking, there are four elements to a perfect dish - colour, fragrance, beauty (presentation), taste. I mention it here because, upon reflection, one other reason I like fried rice is because it is pretty composition of colours: RED (carrots/red chilis) + GREEN (scallions, broccoli, frozen peas) + WHITE (rice)

Steaming with a wok: Steamed Sea Bass

2009-05-06T08:23:00.001-07:00

My first Asian post. Well, really I've cut and pasted from my ex-blog and added a couple more words, but this was what was on the dinner table one day this week - in our bid to eat more fish and less red meat.

In some Asian grocery stores in Houston, TX, you can find live fish (i.e. still swimming in a tank) - the best way of knowing whether the fish you've bought is fresh. The fish man sweeps your chosen fish out of the tank, cleans and guts it, and hands it to you in a bag. If you are queasy about looking your meal in the eye (quite literally), or are finicky about bones, he will be happy to fillet it. If you don't buy a live fish, the way to check that your fish is fresh is to look them in the eye (sorry) and check that it is bright and not dull and clouded over. Guess I'm reaping the benefits of compulsory home economics in school. No frozen fish for this dish, ok?

This a recipe for Steamed Sea Bass, courtesy of an older lady I once knew in London, and whose hospitability meant that I often graced her table for homecooked chinese food when I was homesick. I hope this blesses someone out there too.

RECIPE: Steamed Sea Bass
(Cooking time: 15 mins)

1 wok, with a steaming rack that fits into the wok OR an overturned bowl.
* Add water into the wok up till the level of the rack/bowl, cover tightly and bring to a boil. To steam, place the food on a plate, on the rack/bowl, cover and steam. I also have a nifty contraption to lift the steamed plate off the rack, but you can use oven gloves.

A - Garnishing
Ginger, sliced
Ginger, julienned
Scallions, cut into 1 inch stalks
Scallions, julienned
Fresh red chilli, julienned
2-3 tbsp Oil

B - Sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce (Lee Kum Kee carries one specially for seafood)
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine or Vermouth
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp water
white pepper (optional)

A. Layer one layer of sliced/cut ginger and scallions on a plate. Place fish over. Steam for 8 minutes per pound, but no more than 12 minutes maximum.

Remove fish and place on a fresh plate. Layer julienned vegetables over fish.

Heat oil until smoking. Pour over.

B. Mix sauce and heat to boiling. Pour over.

The "Spider": New names for old things

2009-05-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

This is called a "spider" in the USA. Ah, the days where I had to pick deep-fried wontons or sweet 'n' sour pork pieces out of the wok one by one with a pair of wooden chopsticks - these days are over! The "spider" (aka long-handled wok strainer) is more difficult to find in Houston, TX, than you think... This one is also dishwasher-safe - hoorah!

A basic Chinese kitchen

2009-04-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

A few people have asked why is it I never post any Chinese recipes, when Chinese is what I cook predominantly. Well, the main reason is because a lot of Chinese cooking rests on a huge presumption - the presumption that you have all the standard ingredients that it takes to cook a standard chinese meal. And not being one who's ever gone out specifically to buy one or two (make that five or six) ingredients specially to cook Chinese, I'm not sure how it works for other people.

You see, it's not like you buy an entire bottle of soy to cook one meal - one bottle will last you probably several several meals, and if you don't cook Chinese everyday, then the bottle of soy just sits there, like a dark white elephant, gazing eternally at your bottle of Worcester sauce (my own dark white elephant).

But it occured to me that the next best thing is for me to start by listing what I think are the basic essentials of a Chinese kitchen, so that if you ever want to cook Chinese, well, it's there. And these things keep forever anyway. So... hence this post.

P.S. If you want to cook Chinese soups, which I do a lot because I grew up drinking soup and believe it has tangible health properties, that's a whole different kettle of fish for another post, alright?

A BASIC CHINESE KITCHEN

Equipment:

- Wok, with steaming rack (I have a big Proforge anodised carbon wok and a small Professional wok, both by Meyer. You can stir-fry, deep-fry, braise, steam, stew etc with one wok.)
- Wok ladle
- A very good chef's knife (you only need one knife, I promise you)
- Tongs or a pair of long wooden chopsticks (not the short ones used for eating)
- Ramekins (optional - I use these for preparing my mise en place when cooking several dishes, which is the norm for a communal meal.
- May I suggest a rice cooker as well? Zojirushi!

Things I always have in the fridge:

- Garlic (you can buy big tubs of peeled cloves from any grocery store, even Kroger)
- Ginger
- Red chilis
- Scallions
- Coriander
- Chili sauce (The Boy likes Siracha. I call it the American Asian sauce)
- Fresh egg noodles

In my pantry:

- Light soy
- Dark soy
- Light soy for seafood (optional - good for steamed fish)
- Dark soy mushroom flavoured (optional - useful for flavouring)
- Vegetable oil
- Sesame oil
- Chili oil
- Oyster sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Shaoxing wine (you can use vermouth, but... well, it's not Chinese)
- Worcester sauce (primarily for sweet and sour anything here, but obviously has other uses)

- Corn starch/flour
- Potato starch/flour
- Rice flour (we use brown rice flour)
- Sugar (ditto brown sugar)

- Dried mushrooms (Japanese mushrooms are the best)
- Dried chilis
- Rice

Ok, now we're ready to cook some Chinese...

Tiramisu

2009-04-29T08:36:00.001-07:00

For all those of you who didn't know that Tiramisu is made almost entirely out of raw eggs, well, this post is for you...

There is Tiramisu. And then there is Tiramisu. You know? My dad loves Tiramisu in cake form. Haagen Daz makes Tiramisu ice-cream in the UK. Me? I like my Tiramisu extremely eggy and slightly foamy, in between layers of savoiardi biscuits touched with a hint of espresso and a lot of brandy.

I love eggs. I love everything related to eggs - custard, meringues, fried eggs over-easy (I did a personal Runaway Bride egg test once upon a time), eggs Benedict, did I mention custard?... I even have an entire cookbook devoted to eggs (2006, Marie Simmons, The Good Egg). Hence, I also love Tiramisu. Real tiramisu - not the sort that you find in some restaurants that tastes predominantly of cream. The eggy sort. And for those of you who only buy organic free-range eggs and live in central Houston: chee chee Central Market has the cheapest eggs (surprise surprise!). Eggland organic, however, is retailing 50c cheaper way out in Blalock, where you'll find me occasionally.

Anyways, back to my Italian trifle.

RECIPE: TIRAMISU
(serves 5)
(cooking time: 3 hours)

Individual glasses or one big trifle bowl
Two mixing bowls
Electric mixer (hand or standing)

A - Base
1 pack Savoiardi ladyfingers
1 1/2 cups Espresso, cooled (NOT coffee. Espresso. This is very important cos everything gets a little diluted as the dessert sets in the fridge)
1/3 cup Brandy (buy a small flight-size bottle and use the whole bottle)

B - Custard
500g Mascarpone (2 tubs should be enough, even if it doesn't make up exactly 500g)
5 Eggs, separated
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Whipping cream (1/4 pint should be good)

C - Topping
Cocoa powder

A - Mix espresso and brandy in a tallish container. Dip Savoiardi biscuits in for a second (not too long or else it'll get soggy) and arrange two layers in serving dish. If serving in individual glasses, I usually break each biscuit in two to fit within the circumference of the glass.

B - Beat egg yolks until light. Beat in sugar. Beat in mascarpone.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until you get stiff peaks. Fold into above mixture.
Rinse and dry bowl. Whip the cream until you get soft peaks. Fold into above mixture.

Layer complete mixture on top of soaked biscuits. Then add another layer of biscuits, and another layer of mixture. Leave in refrigerator for at least 3 hours to set.

C - Sprinkle cocoa powder on top before serving. I like serving tiramisu with fresh strawberries on the side. The hint of tartness goes beautifully with the egginess and creaminess of the dessert.

I love easy comfort food. Mm...

Breakfast Eggs

2009-04-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

My day usually starts at 6.30am. My husband, who would have been awake before that (freak), grinds and makes coffee when he gets up and eats a bowl of cereal over his Bible. Then he potters into the bedroom to wake me, which can be a protracted affair (I'm not a morning person). It is then my duty to make breakfast. At 6.30am in the morning, I'm usually not at my best. So for all you non-morning women out there, I want to give hope: It IS possible to have breakfast at home, dress AND make-up in an hour, and still get to work on time.*

* This assumes it takes you 30 mins to dress and make-up, and that coffee is done. A coffee machine is a good substitute for husbands in this case, but perhaps not otherwise.

This breakfast is healthy because there is no added fat except what you get from the bacon, and we eat only the whites of the eggs, so you get the protein without the fat (in the yolk). It can easily be turned into an English breakfast, except you'll have to slice mushrooms too. The recipe feeds two.

So, the little morning breakfast dance goes as follows:

RECIPE: BREAKFAST EGGS

(Cooking time: 20 mins)

1 frying pan
1 food processor

Bacon (Oscar Meyer has a low fat option)
Onion
Tomato
Eggs
Milk
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Refried beans (in can - Kroger brand fat free option has the best nutrition count, even beating Amy's and Rosita's)
Shredded cheese (optional)
Tortillas (optional)

- Husband wakes and makes coffee. Wakes me and jumps into shower.
- I get out of bed (reluctantly). I take ingredients out of fridge/pantry.

*switch to third person*

- Heat frying pan to medium heat (I actually do this first and take ingredients out of fridge while the pan is heating up) and lay 3 strips of bacon in pan. Fry till crispy, turning over half way.
- While bacon is frying, do all your slicing: onion, tomato.
- Turn bacon over.
- In a food processor, blend: 6-8 egg whites, dash of cayenne pepper, dash of garlic powder, 1/2 cup milk - this will ensure that your eggs turn out fluffy.
- Take bacon out and lay on kitchen towel.
- Add chopped onion into the remaining fat from the bacon and fry till soft. Then add egg mixture, stirring it around occasionally. This will ensure that you get a fluffy scramble instead of an omelette. You can scatter some shredded cheese at this point if you want.
- While the eggs are cooking, put refried beans in a bowl with a dash of garlic powder and heat in microwave.
- When the eggs are almost done to your preferred consistency, add chopped tomatoes and crumble the crisped bacon into the pan. Mix.
- Take refried beans out of the microwave (careful, it will be hot!) and put tortillas in (if eating with tortillas - this is optional), covered. The cover is important so that it doesn't dry out.
- Plate eggs and beans

*switch back to first person*

- While husband eats, I brush my teeth and put on some war paint, sipping coffee while doing so.
- I eat quickly, with husband, now being more capable of reasonable conversation. Then we dress. We leave. Some time in between all this, I make the bed and the dishes find their way into the dishwasher. More often than now, however, they get washed later.

While this might sound way too complicated for the morning, it is also safe to say that practice makes perfect. We do the drive-thru at El Rey sometimes too - nothing wrong with that. Sometimes we have an English breakfast instead (eggs over-easy, bacon, tomato, mushrooms), or bak chor mee (a version of Singaporean noodles) in the morning (it's an Asian thing), or roti prata (S.E. Asian pancakes) with leftover curry. Sometimes my husband heats up a frozen burrito himself so that I can sleep a little longer. Whatever works for you, so long as you remember to eat breakfast!

A quick and easy roast: Roast chicken... Chicken stock and Cream of chicken soup

2009-04-18T23:15:00.000-07:00

Subtitle: The Chicken Post

Chicken is a wonderfully versatile animal - when it's cooked, that is. And in roast form, it is a quick and easy meal that feeds 4-5 (or two, with equally versatile leftovers) - bunk it in the oven and forget about it - which was exactly what I needed when my husband called me one afternoon this week to tell me that two great friends of ours were coming over for dinner, and they called later to ask if they could bring one more person. What a blessing to be able to host good friends!

Roast chicken is also a gift that keeps giving. In true Asian tradition, no part of the animal goes to waste here - first for a roast, then chicken stock, which can be turned into cream of chicken soup at some later point. Which was what I did when we had impromptu guests the next day...! Or, you can use the stock for other cooking.

So this post actually has 3 recipes. Here we go!

RECIPE: ROAST CHICKEN

Timetable:
(for a meal starting at 8pm with a 3 lb/1.5 kg whole chicken, with a side of garlic)

6.00 Preheat oven. Prep chicken
6.20 Put chicken in oven
7.00 Put in garlic side
7.50 Take roasted chicken out and stand for 10 mins
8.00 Prep gravy while someone else carves the roasted chicken

1 Roasting dish with rack

A - Seasoning
1 stick Butter (8 tbsp/113 g)
White pepper
Salt

B - Meat
1x Whole chicken (1.5 lb/ 1.5 kg)

C - Aromatics
1/2x Lemon

D - Garlic side
1 head of garlic per person

E - Gravy
1 cup Chicken stock
Splash of white wine

A. Pre-heat oven to 390 F/200 C. Soften butter and mix in salt and pepper.

B. Using your hand, separate the skin over the chicken breast from the meat, taking care not to break the skin. Slip the buttery seasoning under the skin with a flat spatula and, massaging the chicken skin, push it around until the whole breast is covered under the skin. Turn the chicken around and do the same. Brush the remaining butter all over, dabbing small pats of the buttery seasoning in the crevices of the wings and the legs so that they don't dry out.

This can get your hands a bit messy, and it will take a few washes with soap to get everything off and from under your nails. On the other hand, butter can be a natural moisturizer...

C. Quarter the lemon and stuff into the chicken cavity. Roast for 20 mins per pound, plus 30 mins. Take chicken out of oven and rest on its rack for 10 mins.

E. 50 mins before the chicken is done, put the heads of garlic in an oven dish with some olive oil and put in the oven. What this does is that it steams the garlic in their skin, and it makes a wonderful accompaniment to the roast chicken. I got this idea from Nigella Lawson.

D. While the chicken is resting and being carved (by someone else), transfer the chicken drippings onto the stove. Over direct heat, add 1 cup of chicken stock and a splash of white wine (I used Vermouth this time) and bring to a boil. Simmer until it is reduced to a syrupy consistency. You can add a tbsp of flour dissolved in 3 tbsp of water to help the thickening.

Serve with mash and salad.

RECIPE: CHICKEN STOCK
(Cooking time: 3 hours)

1 Saucepan

Leftover chicken carcass and bones
1 Bouquet garni (2 bay leaves, thyme, parsley)
2 Carrots, peeled and diced
1 stick Celery, diced
1 Onion, diced
1 Clove
Salt and pepper

Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 hours.

RECIPE: CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP
(Cooking time: 15-30 mins)

2 pots
1 sieve
Food processor

A - Base
1.6 oz/45 g Butter
1x Leek, washed and sliced finely

B - Liquids
2 cups/500 ml Chicken stock from above
1 cup/300 ml Full fat milk (I use half-and-half in the USA)

C - Aromatics
2x Bay leaves
1 clove Garlic
Pinch of White pepper
0.5oz/15 g Butter

D - Meat
1 Chicken breast

E - Thickening
1 tbsp White flour, dissolved in 3 tbsp water
1x Egg yolk

A. Melt butter in pot. Add leeks and cook till softened.

B. Add the liquids and bring to a boil. Lower heat.

C/D. Add the aromatics (except butter) and chicken breast. Simmer for 10 mins. Take the chicken out and dice. Blitz the remaining mixture in a food processor - this will probably need to be done in batches. Strain and push the blitzed mixture through a sieve into another pot on a low heat to keep it warm. Return diced chicken into the mixture.* Add 0.5 oz/15 g butter.

* Alternatively, for a soup with some bits in it, you could just dice the chicken, return it to the mixture, and blitz the whole thing - leeks, diced chicken and all - in the food processor.

E. Whisk in the thickening and serve at your preferred consistency.

I like to serve this soup garnished with finely chopped fresh chives.

Bon appetit!

Texan Chili

2009-04-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

One of the best ways to dive into a new culture is to eat. And cook. And as I've discovered, the fascinating thing about America is that there is no "one" culture when it comes to food. Yet it is deep discussions like "who has the best bbq" (Kansas), or "the most authentic chili" (Texas) that forges an invisible bond - whether you are from New York or Arkansas. By the wayside, sport does that too.

Most foodies define "authentic" Texan chili as "the way I grew up", which obviously poses a problem from a research standpoint. The recipe here is one that I've tested and tweaked. The coffee gives it gravitas, and then there are several layers to the flavour. But if you grew up with tomatoes and beans in your chili, then this is not for you. On the other hand, if you like the taste of mole, then you'll probably like this too.

Do leave a comment to tell me what your "secret" ingredient is!

RECIPE: TEXAN CHILI
(Serves 6)
(Cooking time: at least 2 hours)

A - Aromatics 1
4 Dried chilis

B - Aromatics 2
1/3 cup Chili powder
2 tbsp Oregano (some say Mexican oregano)
1 tbsp Cayenne pepper
1 tbsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Allspice
4 Cloves

C - Base
4 strips Bacon
1 White onion, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, minced

D - Meat
2 lb Ground beef (some Texans would argue diced beef)

E - Liquid
1 cup Coffee (a smoky roast does well here, to give depth)
1 bottle Beer
2 cups Water

F - Accent
1/3 tablet of Cooking chocolate, grated
Squeeze of lime juice (optional)

A. Cut the head and tails of each chili and slice it lengthwise. Shake out all the seeds. Heat in a small frying pan, dry, until the skin blisters a little. Soak in water for 1/2 hour and drain. Blend with 1-2 tbsp of water in food processor.

B. Mix all the spices together with 3-4 tbsp of water to make a dry paste.

C. Fry the bacon on the frying pan to a crisp. Set aside on some kitchen towels to drain. Add 2 tbsp of the bacon fat into a separate Dutch oven or pot, and fry the onions then garlic till softened. Add (B) and fry till fragrant.

D. Meanwhile, in the frying pan, use the rest of the bacon fat (2 tbsp) to brown the meat. It does not have to be thoroughly cooked, but it should be seared on the outside. Add to Dutch oven when browned, tossing to make sure that the meat is well coated with the aromatics.

E. Add the liquids and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer for 5 hours (at least 2 hrs). You don't want it watery, sort of sludgy (what a terrible way to describe it!).

F. In the last half hour, add the cooking chocolate and season with salt. At this point, taste the chili and add more of your favourite spices to taste. Squeeze some lime juice just before serving, or I like to serve with Doritos lime-flavoured chips instead.

Sunday Roast with English Trifle

2009-04-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday roast is a beautiful thing - there is nothing more therapeutic than massaging a hunk of joint, stirring custard as the sun rises, and the manly smokey smell of meat in the oven that fills your house when you get back from church. We've lost some of the purity of cooking in our quest for convenience, I think. Don't get me wrong. I love a good pot roast and chili etc (everything in the pot and forget about it). But some Sundays, just some, it's just nice to take a bit more time for something special, to remember. Easter Sunday is always a good time, for example.

But it takes military discipline. Just as ballet does. Or gymnastics. I say this because the process captures your entire focus and heart. And precision and timing is of the essence. For this Easter, I scribbled this timetable down:

MENU
Roast sirloin joint, with Horseradish mustard and Gravy
Crunchy roast potatoes
Yorkshire pudding
Steamed broccoli
English Trifle

TIMETABLE (For a meal to be served at 1.30pm, with 4.5 lbs of meat, cooked medium rare.)

Night before: Prepare base of trifle. Season sirloin joint.
Morning: Make custard for trifle. Allow to cool and set in refrigerator.

1100 Pre-heat oven to 475 F.
1110 Sear beef in oven - 20 mins.
Peel potatoes, slice onions for gravy.
1130 Lower oven heat to 355 F. Roast beef for 1 hr 15 mins, basting occasionally.
Make gravy.
Peel and par-boil potatoes.
1230 Increase oven heat to 425 F. Roast beef at high heat for a further 15 mins.
Add fat into separate roasting pan for potatoes and put in oven.
1245 Take roast beef out. Cover with foil.
Add fat into pans for Yorkshire pudding and put in oven.
Put potatoes into oven.
Prep Yorkshire pudding.
1300 Put Yorkshire pudding in oven.
Prep and cook broccoli.
1330 Lunch is served.

RECIPE: ROAST BEEF (serves 5-6)

1 roasting dish with rack

A - Spices
1 tbsp Dry mustard powder
1 tbsp White flour
1 tbsp Pepper

B - Meat
4.5 lb Sirloin on the joint

A. Dry fry mustard powder, white flour and pepper in a small pan until fragrant (3 mins).

B. Cover fat side of meat with spices and leave in refrigerator, on roasting rack, overnight.
Sear meat in oven at 475 F for 20 mins. Reduce oven heat to 355 F and roast for 15 mins per lb, plus 15 mins for medium rare. Take out of oven and cover with foil. Rest for 30-40 mins.

RECIPE: GRAVY

1 saucepan

A - Base
15g Butter
1 White onion
Pinch of Brown sugar
1 tsp White flour

B - Liquids
300 ml Beef stock (use water from par-boiling potatoes if possible)
2 tbsp Marsala

A. Melt butter and saute onions at low temperature until soft. Add brown sugar and flour to caramelise onions.

B. Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Lower temperature and simmer for 20 mins. Puree the whole mixture and add meat juices when roast is done.

RECIPE: HORSERADISH MUSTARD

1 small tub Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp Grated Horseradish (more if you wish)
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
Pinch of Icing sugar
Pinch of Salt

Mix ingredients together.

RECIPE: CRUNCHY ROAST POTATOES

1 big saucepan or pot with lid
1 roasting dish

Potatoes - one for each person (I like to use a mixture of potatoes and sweet potatoes, peeled and cut.)

1. Par-boil potatoes in salted water for 5 mins. Drain.

2. Add 1 tbsp white flour (optional) and bang around in pot with the lid on.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil (if possible, use dripping from the roasting beef) in a roasting pan and put into oven for 15 mins at 425 F.

4. Take out heated roasting pan and, over a direct fire, add par-boiled potatoes and toss in the fat.

5. Roast in oven on the highest shelf for 45-55 mins.

RECIPE: STEAMED BROCCOLI

1 big saucepan/pot OR 1 steamer

3 Broccoli heads (or you can cut the stems off), separated

1. Steam broccoli for 3-5 mins (I use my big wok) until cooked but still crunchy. Or par-boil in a pot of water and drain.

2. Serve with salt/pepper and pats of butter melted over.

RECIPE: YORKSHIRE PUDDING

(Coming soon...)

RECIPE: ENGLISH TRIFLE (serves 5-6)

One tall glass per person (e.g. sundae glass, water glass, high-ball) - or you can use one big glass bowl for everyone.

A - Base
3 Roly polys (thin layer of sponge cake rolled with jam - if I have the time, I make my own, or you can buy these ready made in most grocery stores)
Marsala
Grand Marnier

B - Fruit jelly
1 packet of jello
2 cans Fruit cocktail

C - Custard
450 ml Double cream (I use half-and-half in the USA but increase the number of yolks to 12)
8 Egg yolks, beaten

D - Whipped cream
1 small carton Whipping Cream

A. Cut roly polys into 1 inch thick rounds. Place at bottom of each glass and decorate the sides of the base with half rounds. Spoon into each glass 1 tbsp of Marsala and 2 tbsp of Grand Marnier. Leave to soak.

B. Prepare jello according to the instructions on the package. Leave to cool. Spoon equal amounts of fruit cocktail into each glass. Pour jello mixture into glasses and leave to set in refrigerator overnight.

C. At least 4 hours before serving, prepare custard by heating the double cream in a saucepan on low heat. Just before it bubbles and boils, add egg yolks in little by little, stirring constantly. Stir until mixture thickens.* Leave to cool. When cool, spoon over trifle mixture to add another layer and leave to set in refrigerator.

* If the eggs look like they are about to scramble, take the saucepan off the heat immediately and plunge into cold water. But this has never happened to me; it should be pretty uneventful if the temperature of the fire is controlled well.

D. Just before serving, whip whipping cream until thicken. Spoon over trifle mixture to create the final layer. You can even grate some chocolate over to pretty it.