Pla Rad Prig ~ Crispy Fried Snapper in tamarind sauce with spicy chilli topping

The first time we ate this fish was at a food court. The sweet, sour and slightly spicy sauce makes you want to eat more rice. Pla Rad Prig is very easy to prepare and a good dish to tempt fussy eaters.


Ingredients
1 600g whole snapper
½ Tbsp tamarind soaked to sieve out 1 Tbsp juice
1½-2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp fish sauce
4 Tbsp water
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 capsicum, green or red
3 sprigs coriander

oil for frying

Method
1. Clean and score the fish in a diamond cut style. Rub lightly with some salt and dust with a light coating of flour (I find this give the fish a crispier skin and does not stick so much to the pan when frying).

2. Fry the fish with a thin layer of oil in your pan until golden. Do not attempt to flip the fish too early or the skin will break up.

3. Leave the cooked fish in a warm oven while getting the sauce ready.

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Woo Kok ~ Crispy Yam Puff

The beehive web effect on the skin of the woo kok is eluding me. This is trial number 2. My first effort over a year ago was a disaster with the whole puff disintegrating before my eye when I lowered it into the oil.

This second effort is better. The taro puff stayed intact, has a nice crispy skin with creamy yam interior and the filling was good. Tasted like the authentic woo kok except without the oiliness.

I read somewhere the web effect can be created by lifting the yam puff out of the oil several times when frying. But obviously that was not the answer.

I wonder what the secret is ? But....I am not going to give up, I am sure I will get there eventually.

As I have not yet achieved what I am after I will not be posting the recipe.

Cumin & Coriander Hummus

Hummus is slowly gaining popularity as a healthy alternative to the traditional dip. It is not difficult to make and definitely cheaper than buying from the supermarket. We prefer our hummus to have a bit of grit instead of smooth and creamy. If you are not watching those calories, drizzle the hummus with olive oil before serving.

The consistency of your hummus will depend on whether you are using it as a spread or as a dip. I usually make it thick to start with and add water to mix if we want it as a dip for chips.



Ingredients
200gm cooked chickpeas
2 Tbsp homemade tahini
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water from the cooked chickpea or plain water
dash of salt to taste

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Cooking Chickpeas with a pressure cooker

If I had not bought a pressure cooker recently I would never have tried cooking chickpeas or even venture into making hummus. With the pressure cooker it is so quick and easy to get the chickpeas cooked and be able to whip up a bowl of hummus within half an hour. The only forward thinking required will be the presoaking of the chickpeas.


Yield : 400gm cooked chickpeas

Ingredients
1 cup dry chickpeas
2½ cup water
1 tsp baking powder

Method
1. Soak chickpeas overnight topped with heaps of water as the chickpea will expand.

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Homemade Tahini

Making tahini is easy provided you have the proper blender or grinder. Unless you are making a big quantity, you will need something small or the blade will just go round and round without touching the mix. I used my coffee grinder which worked a treat.

This recipe is double what is needed for my cumin and coriander hummus.


Ingredients
4 Tbsp sesame seed
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp sea salt
1-2 Tbsp warm water

Method
1. Lightly toast sesame seeds in a small pot over a stove on low heat. This should not take more than 5 minutes. Leave to cool.
2. Grind your sesame seeds in the coffee grinder until smooth. Add in sesame oil and salt and grind again.

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Homemade Tomato Sauce

I waited until I had a glut from my home grown tomatoes to make this tomato sauce. The last lot I made had lasted me the year. This tomato sauce is lovely with fish n chips, bbq sausages, meat patties, fish cakes etc.... It can also be cooked until thick enough to be used on pizza.


Makes 6 300ml jars

Ingredients
2kg tomato
600g apple, skin off
3 big onion

510g sugar
55g salt
300-350ml vinegar

10g clove
½ tsp black peppercorn
½ tsp whole all spice

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Hot Cross Buns

I look forward to Easter so that I could indulge in my favourite hot cross buns. These are amazingly soft and fragrant with cinnamon and mixed spice and are irresistible especially fresh from the oven.

I added some rum to the fruits for extra kick . Rather than marking the buns with a traditional flour-paste cross , icing was used which tasted much nicer. For those who don't like the overpowering taste of spices and fruits, these buns will be ideal.

Makes 9 or 12 buns

Ingredients for Main Dough
85g starter dough *
210g bread flour
55g plain flour
20g milk powder
40g sugar
½ tsp salt
3¼ tsp Surebake yeast
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice
30g egg
80g water
20g unsalted butter

40 g raisins
40 g sultanas
35 g mixed peel
1 tsp rum

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Frying of Sambal, Curry or Spice Paste

When I first started cooking curries, the frying of the paste 'until fragrant and oil separates from the paste ' was a puzzle. No matter how long I fried it, no oil appeared. So I had to resort to guess work as to when the paste is considered ready. One day I decided to try out the gas bbq wok burner to fry the paste and voila - oil did start coming out of the paste.

This is the sequence of frying the spice paste for my satay sauce.

grinded paste ready for frying


Pic 1. The paste is fried in 2 Tbsp of oil.
Pic 2. After a few minutes of frying, the oil is slowly absorbed.

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Fish Head Curry

This fish head curry is the closest to what I can remember eating in Malaysia. The texture of the flesh from the fish head is so smooth and surprisingly there was quite a lot of flesh to eat.
As Mr Redneck did not like the idea of eating the head, I added fish fillet so he can enjoy the dish as well. Currently salmon fish head only cost me $4/kg - which is really cheap.


Ingredients
1 (500g) salmon or snapper fish head
200 g fish fillet (optional)
5 okra (ladies finger), halved
2 long slender brinjal, cut into 2" pieces
1 tomato quartered

1-2 Tbsp oil
2-3 sprig curry leaves
3 Tbsp Baba curry powder mix with 1 Tbsp water
2 cup water
1 Tbsp tamarind pulp soak in ½ cup water
½ cup thick coconut milk
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Spice paste (grind together)
5 garlic cloves
1 big onion
2 red chillies
1 piece (1") ginger root
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 stalk lemon grass

Optional
½ tsp ginger powder
½ tsp chilli powder
¼ tsp mustard seed
¼ tsp fenugreek

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Kangkong Belacan ~ Water Convolvulus fried with Spicy Shrimp Paste

I cook this dish of kangkong sambal belacan as often as I can especially during the summer season. That's when it is really cheap and fresh. The aroma from the belacan will make your mouth water. The kangkong have to be stir fried over a very hot stove very quickly so as not to loose its crunchy texture. A simple yet very popular and uncomplicated dish.


Ingredients
250 g kangkong
½ Tbsp belacan
1-2 Tbsp dried shrimps
3 red chillies
1 small onion
4 garlic cloves
1-2 Tbsp oil
2-4 Tbsp water

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Crabstick Salad

We don't go ga ga over salad but this crabstick dish is by far our favourite summer salad. Great with a barbecue or steak and even on a filled roll. It is really cool and refreshing especially on a hot day.


Ingredients
4-5 lettuce leaves
3-4 crabsticks
3 medium size tomatoes, diced
2-3 Tbsp Best mayonnaise

Method
1. Shred lettuce leaves into narrow strips. Dice tomatoes and slice crabstick.

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Yeh Chi Tong ~ Coconut Sweets

Yeh Chi Tong is a lolly with a very rich flavour.

Makes 185 g

Ingredients
100g gula melaka
75g mak ngah tong (maltose)
2 tsp sugar
125ml thick coconut milk

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Beef & Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Satay is an all time favourite with almost anyone. I decided to experiment and create my own combination of marinade and satay sauce. It also gave Mr Redneck a chance to test out the new barbecue. Needless to say he was pleased with the performance of the bbq - it passed the satay test without burning the sticks or the satay! The satay and sauce were good and Mr Redneck said it was by far the best and most authentic satay sauce I have ever made and it tasted like those we had from Malaysia.

Don't let the long list of ingredients deter you. The tedious part in making satay is the stringing of the meat to the sticks but Mr Redneck does a wonderful job of this.

Makes 21 chicken & 31 beef satay

Ingredients
600 gm chicken breast
400 gm porterhouse beef

Marinade
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground fennel
1 tsp ground tumeric
3 stalks lemongrass, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp garlic flake or fresh garlic
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt

Method
1. Soak 50-60 satay skewers in cold water for at least 2 hours to prevent them from burning during grilling.

2. Cut the meat into small strips about 2" long and 3/4" wide.

3. Grind marinade ingredients until fine and mix with the meat to marinate overnight.

4. Thread 4-5 pieces of the meat onto the skewer.

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Honey Candied Walnuts

These walnuts are delicious and super easy to make.. Even though they are fried they do not have that greasy or oily taste. Walnut is very rich in Omega-3 fatty acids with a lot of other health benefits which includes reducing blood cholestrol.

Redneck ate these decades ago when we were in Hong Kong. It must have made an impression because he still remembers eating it.

Ingredients
250g walnut halves
3/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp soy sauce

castor sugar for coating

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Easy Prawn Cocktail

There is no hard and fast rule or exact measure of ingredients for this prawn cocktail. The Redneck made the simple Five Island dressing by mixing a little bit of tomato sauce to the salad dressing we had in the fridge. This no fuss prawn cocktail is perfect and refreshing for a hot summer.

Ingredients
cooked prawns
lettuce, shredded
cucumber, sliced
hard boil egg - sliced

salad dressing
tomato sauce
chilli sauce
salt

Method
1. Arrange lettuce, cucumber, eggs and prawns on a plate.

2. To make the simple seafood dressing, add a few tablespoon of salad dressing into a bowl. Add tomato sauce, a dash of chilli sauce and salt to taste. Mix well.

3. Add to salad and toss to mix thoroughly.

Kueh Kapit ~ Love Letters

Kueh Kapit aka love letters are a traditional Chinese New Year biscuit. This recipe is from my aunts who have been making these for decades. The love letters are a fragile, crispy and crunchy biscuit and very addictive. Making kueh kapit is not for the faint hearted. It is hot work and very fiddly.

Makes 4 milk powder tins

Ingredients

220 gm sugar
130 gm rice flour
1 tsp tapioca flour
4 large eggs
250 ml thick coconut milk
60-80 ml water

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Kok Chai with Peanut or Har Mai Fillings

Kok chai (peanut puff) is one of the traditional goodies served during Chinese New Year. They can either have a filling of sweet peanut or savoury har mai (hae bee hiam).

Makes 65

Ingredients for Dough
1 egg yolk
½ egg
70 gm peanut or corn oil
70 gm water
280gm flour

Method
1. Into a food processor add the flour and eggs.
2. Add the oil and water until the mixture begins to look like breadcrumbs.
3. Remove and knead gently into a smooth dough.
4. Rest dough for 2 hours.
5. Divide the dough into several portions.
6. Roll the dough thinly. (I took the easy way out and used the pasta machine to roll)
7. Cut into rounds. Place a round pastry onto the mould, add either peanut or savoury hae bee hiam in the centre. Dip your finger into water, moisten half the edge and shut mould to seal.

8. Deep fry on medium high heat till golden brown.

Note : My kok chai mould measures 2½" in diameter which is the smallest available. If you are good with manual pleating, the kok chai can be made smaller.



Peanut filling

Makes 35 kok chai

150 gm ground roasted peanut
25 gm toasted sesame
85 gm castor sugar

Mix all three ingredients together and used as required.

Recipe : hugbear @ imperial kitchen

Sambal Har Mai ~ Spicy Dry Shrimp

I have fried this hae bee hiam as a filling for my savoury kok chai (puff). Any leftovers are delicious eaten as a side dish with rice or noodles. I sprinkled mine on top of our fried beehoon.

Ingredients

Grind together
2 medium red onions or 4 shallots
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp Baba chilli powder or 2 dried chilli
75 gm dried prawns, soaked to soften

1 tsp sugar
dash of pepper and soy sauce

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Ayam Masak Sambal Kicap ~ Chicken in sambal sauce

Ayam Masak Sambal Kicap, another uncomplicated and mouthwatering spicy dish that can be prepared ahead of time to allow the chicken to further marinade in the sambal sauce. Make extra as this dish freezes well.

Ingredients
1.5kg chicken, cut into smaller pieces
3 stalks lemongrass, smashed

10 kaffir leaves, torn
8 Tbsp tomato sauce
3 Tbsp soya sauce
3 Tbsp kicap manis
salt & sugar to taste

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Assam Babi ~ Tamarind Braised Pork

Assam Babi, a peranakan classic with that wonderful combination of flavour and fragrance that will whet your appetite.


Ingredients
2½ Tbsp tamarind paste
1-1½ cup water
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp, soy bean paste (tau cheong), mashed
600g pork belly or shoulder chop, cubed
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
1 Tbsp palm sugar
salt to taste

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Crispy Fried Potatoes

Crispy fried potatoes whether in halves or in smaller pieces is Mr Redneck's specialty. The potatoes are very crispy on the outside but very soft on the inside. If fried at the correct high temperature, it should not be oily.

We usually have these potatoes with a western style meal of steak, lamb chops or with our rolled rib roast.


Ingredient
potatoes
sprinkling of salt
oil for deep frying

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Peking Duck

We don’t often dine out in NZ as we are quite happy to relax at home with our own cooking – who needs the traffic and parking hassles! The reverse is true however, when we are overseas on holiday – why stay in the hotel / apartment when there are so many new things to ‘tickle the senses’, especially the taste buds.

Our favorite food is Chinese, and Peking Duck would have to be one of our preferred dishes as either dine-in or more often than not as a take-away to be enjoyed in the evening in front of the TV with a cold beer.

Over the years I have tried to replicate this dish and this is my latest recipe which is still a ‘work in progress’. See my previous Peking Duck post.

Ingredients
1 whole duck – giblets removed
3 Tbsp 5 spice powder
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup rice wine
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cooking oil
1 star anise (see tip 5)
½ cinnamon stick (see tip 5)
1 Tbsp maltose (optional, see tip 4)
6 garlic cloves

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Soft Sweet 'Porridge' Buns

These sweet buns are the softest I have made and can be eaten with or without fillings.
I made them for Redneck's extended family on Christmas and received glowing reviews.


Makes 18 buns

Ingredients for Starter Dough
32g bread flour
165g water

Method for Starter dough
1. Heat water to 65C and mix in the breadflour.
2. Stir till the flour dissolves
3. Let it cool completely before using.
4. Can be left in the fridge for 1-2 days.

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Glazed Ham on the Bone

Glazing a ham is not difficult. Different combinations of juices, sauces and spreads can be suitably combined to produce an incredibly tasty ham that looks and taste sensational.


Ingredients
5kg cooked ham on the bone

Glaze, mix together
5 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp sweet fruit chutney
4 Tbsp rum
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp maltose

For decoration
cloves
pineapple slices

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Rolled Rib Roast

Mr Redneck is very good at cooking roast and this meal is a fine example. The outer layer is the best but most unhealthy part of the meat. This rolled rib roast does not involve hours of preparation or marinating.


Ingredients
1 kg beef rolled rib roast

onions (cut to small pieces)
garlic (cut to small pieces)
dry or fresh mixed herbs
sweet fruit chutney
soy sauce

cornflour for dusting

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Plum Sauce Roast Chicken

We love plum sauce. We use a lot of it for dipping or for marinating. This plum sauce roast chicken is another favourite easy and simple dish.

Ingredients
1.3 kg whole chicken
3 Tbsp sugar
3 pcs cloves
1 pc star anise
1 pc cinnamon stick

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Kerisik Rendang ~ Spicy Coconut Beef

I find this method of cooking rendang easier and healthier with less cholestrol as no coconut milk is used, only fried dessicated or fresh coconut making the whole dish very aromatic.



Ingredients
A
1 kg rump steak - cut into cubes
2 cups water

B - grind finely
1 Tbsp Baba chilli powder
3 large red onion
4 garlic
3 stalk lemon grass
1 " ginger
2 candlenut - optional

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Strawberry Jam Doughnut Muffin

A deliciously light, jam filled muffin. I prefer the healthier version and did not make the topping. This is a recipe from Nigella's How to be a domestic goddess.


Make 7 muffins

Ingredients
125ml milk
85ml veg oil
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla essence
200g flour
2tsp baking powder
100g caster sugar
strawberry jam

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Mee Rebus ~ spicy sweet potato gravy noodle

Mee Rebus is a noodle dish with a spicy kumara gravy garnished with a topping of eggs, tau pok, fried onions, fried shrimp and a slice of lime.

Once you have cooked the gravy assembling the meal is easy.



Paste (grind together)
1" galangal
1" ginger
8 medium red onions
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp belacan
3 Tbsp soy bean paste
2 Tbsp coriander powder
1 Tbsp Baba chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp tumeric powder

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Kum Heong Kai ~ Golden Spicy Fragrant Chicken

A relatively simple recipe with very few ingredients yet producing a dish with very intense flavour. It is spicy but not 'hot'. This is the healthy version as I prefer not to deep fry the chicken.


Ingredients

6 drumsticks or 1kg chicken, cut to pieces
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp cooking oil
5 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tsp coriander seeds or powder
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tbsp curry powder
Salt to taste

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Chow Mai Fun ~ Fried Beehoon

I learn this method of pre-soaking the bee hoon in soya sauce from kc. I find this makes the beehoon tastier and is an easier way to fry beehoon.

Serves 2

Ingredients
250gm bee hoon (rice vermicelli)

Seasoning A
1 tsp dark soya sauce
2 Tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
100ml water

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Beef stir fry with Spring Onions

I had some snitzel in my freezer that I wanted to use up, so decided to do this very simple yet delicious dish of beef, stir fried with oyster sauce and spring onions. Very versatile as far as ingredients goes. The beef have to be stir fried very quickly on a high fire to prevent it from stewing and turning chewy.

Ingredients
500gm beef snitzel, cut to thin strips

Marinade
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornflour
dash of black pepper

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Devil Chicken

This devil chicken is very fragrant, rich in flavour and use commonly available ingredients. A delicious easy to prepare chicken dish that goes very well with bread or rice.


Ingredients
1½ kg chicken pieces
1½ Tbsp tumeric powder
1½ tsp salt
1 onion, quartered
1 tomato, quartered

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Chee Cheong Fun with Thim Jeong ~ Steam Rice Rolls w' Sweet Sauce

I was not happy with the result of my last attempt at making chee cheong fun. Trying to scrape and roll it from the cloth was tedious. Hence the long break since my last trial.

Armed with tips from kc members, this time I got better results and was more successful by using a plate to steam the batter. The chee cheong fun turned out thinner and much smoother.

Makes 500gm

Ingredients
150g rice flour
1½ Tbsp Wheat starch flour
2 Tbsp Corn flour
1 Tbsp Oil
450ml Water
½ tsp Salt

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