Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Chicken Stir-Fry (from Australia's Master Chef)


Poh's Recipe

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 whole free range chicken
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
3 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tbs dark soy sauce
2 tbs fish sauce

Method officially tested

Serves 1
1. Heat oil in a wok over a high heat.

2. Cut the chicken breast from the chicken, remove the skin and cut into small pieces.

3. Deseed and finely slice the red chilli, finely slice the garlic and spring onions.

4. Cook the chicken in the wok for 2-4 minutes to stir fry, add the chilli, garlic and onions and cook a further minute.

5. Add the soy sauce and fish sauce, toss to coat.

6. Add the sprouts and toss a further minute.

7. Arrange the stir-fry on a plate and serve immediately.

Pan-fried Steak and Chips with Tarragon Salt (from Australia's Master Chef)

Julie's Recipe

Ingredients

2 potatoes, peeled
2 tbs duck fat
400g rib eye steak
60g butter
Olive oil
4 medium mushrooms, stalk removed, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
2 tbs brandy
1 cup veal glaze
1 tbs cream
Handful green beans
1 tsp rock salt
½ tsp tarragon 

Method officially tested

Serves 1   1. Cut each potato to make 4 rectangles.

2. Heat the duck fat in a frying pan over medium heat and place the potatoes into cook, turn occasionally to brown the chips all over.

3. Cut an incision between the bone and the steak and tie with cooking string, to help retain shape, heat oil and butter in a frying pan over a high heat and cook the steak for 3-4 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking, spoon over the butter and oil while cooking.

4. Melt the butter in a frypan over medium heat, add the garlic and sauté the mushrooms, add the brandy and allow the alcohol to cook out for a minute, add the veal glaze, simmer for a few minutes then strain the mixture, retaining the mushrooms.

5. Pour the sauce into a clean frying pan and simmer, reduce slightly, stir in the cream, add the mushrooms back into the sauce and heat.

6. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, reduce to a simmer and blanch the beans for 2-3 minutes.

7. Using a pestle pound the rock salt and tarragon leaves in a mortar to make tarragon salt.

8. Serve the steak topped with the mushrooms with the chips and beans to the side, spoon over the sauce to serve.

Prawn Scotch Eggs with a Coconut, Chilli Sambal from Australia's Master Chef (Adam's Invention Test Recipe)

Ingredients

2 x 60g eggs
Vegetable oil, for deep frying

1 red shallot, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
10 large prawns, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped
2-3 tsp fish sauce

½ cup plain flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 tbs peanut oil
4 red shallots, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 long red chilli, finely chopped
2 tsp grated ginger
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs kecap manis
2 tbs palm sugar
½ cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup roughly chopped coriander


Method

Step 1: Cook the eggs in boiling water for 7 minutes and then chill in iced water until cool enough to handle. Peel.

Step 2: For the prawn paste, pound the shallot, garlic and ginger in a mortar and pestle to a paste. Add prawns a little at a time, pounding well and moistening the pestle with fish sauce at regular intervals. When the mixture becomes thick and pasty, pick up the paste with your hand and throw it into the mortar repeatedly and with force, until it feels light in your hand.

Step 3: Take each egg and roll first in flour, then beaten egg and with wet hands form the prawn paste around the eggs to totally enclose it. Dip the coated eggs into flour, then beaten egg, then panko crumbs. Deep fry at 170°C for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

Step 4: For the sambal, fry the shallots, garlic, chilli and ginger in the oil until soft. Add the fish sauce, kecap manis and palm sugar and cook for 5 minutes. Add the coconut and cook for a further 2 minutes until the liquid has absorbed. Stir through the chopped coriander. Serve the sambal with halved or quartered scotch eggs.

Serves 4-6 as part of a banquet

Chilli Mud Crab with Xo Sauce (From Australia's Master Chef)



Ingredients

2 x 1.5kg mud crabs
2 cups cornflour
1 tsp ground white pepper
Vegetable oil, for deep frying


¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tbs finely diced ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 long red chillies, halved lengthways and sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 eschalots, diced
1/3 cup dried shrimp, soaked in hot water
1 tbs caster sugar
2 tbs Shaoxing wine
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbs light soy sauce
2 tbs prawn or chicken stock*
Lime wedges and coriander leaves, to serve

(Method officially tested)

Step 1: For the crab, remove the top shell from the crabs and remove the dead man’s fingers and intestines. Cut each of the crabs into 8-10 pieces and crack the claws with the back of a large knife. On a large metal tray, sprinkle cornflour, 1 tablespoon sea salt and white pepper and roll the cut crab pieces in the seasoned flour.


Step 2: Fill a deep fryer or large saucepan with vegetable oil by one third and preheat to 190°C. In batches, deep-fry the crab pieces for 1-2 minutes until the outside is crispy. Once all the crab has been flash-fried, drain on paper towel.


Step 3: For the chilli sauce, heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and add ginger, garlic, chillies and eschalots. Cook for 5-6 minutes, then add the soaked dried shrimp and sugar and cook for a further 3 minutes. De-glaze the pan with Shaoxing wine and add the sesame oil and light soy sauce. Toss the cooked crab pieces through the chilli sauce, pour in stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve in a large bowl with lime wedges and coriander.



*To make prawn stock you can cover 10 prawn heads in cold water in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes until deeply flavoured. Strain.

Calderetang Kambing

Calderetang Kambing

 


  Ingredients
  • 1 kg goat meat
  • 2 medium size onion, chopped
  • 1/2 head garlic, chopped
  • 1 can liver spread
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 pkt. Caldereta mix
  • 5-8 peppercorns, crushed
  • 2 medium size green/red bell pepper, cut into 1” square
  • 4 medium size potato, quartered
  • 1 medium size carrots, cut same size as potato
  • 1/4 c. soy sauce
  • 1/4 c. vinegar
  • 3 siling labuyo
  • 3 bay leaf
  • salt
  • pepper

Kalderetang Kambing Cooking Instructions:

  • Marinate goat meat with vinegar, a dash of salt and pepper for 5-10 minutes.
  • Drain marinate and stir fry meat until color changes to light brown, set aside.
  • In a casserole pan, sauté garlic and onion, add meat and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Add soy sauce, tomato sauce and liver spread, stir cook for 3-5 minutes.
  • Add 3-4 cups of water, crushed pepper corns and bay leaf simmer for 30 minutes or until meat is tender.
  • Add potato, carrots, mushroom siling labuyo and kaldereta mix diluted in 1/2 cup of water, simmer for another 10 minutes or until vegetable are cooked and sauce thickens.
  • Add bell pepper, season with salt and cook for another 30 seconds,
  • Serve hot with Rice.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Masarap na Sawsawan

For broiled and fried dishes like fish, chicken, and pork chop, we love it most when we have some sort of a side dish to go with it.

Typically, we like "atsara" or pickled papaya as a side dish. We also like Soy Sauce with kalamansi.

However, here's another suggestion that might just tickle your palate and make every fried dish extra special.

Ingredients:
  • Ripe tomatoes, cubed (a mixture of red and green or unripe tomatoes can also be very appealing)
  • Onion and ginger, sliced thinly or in little cubes
  • Soy Sauce
  • Siling labuyo (optional)
Procedure:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and serve fresh as a side dish.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Kare Kare - A Filipino Dish



This is a unique Filipino food, and my family loves this dish so much! This is also very easy to prepare, although a little expensive for an ordinary everyday viand.

This is an excellent dish for family gatherings and parties.

I learned to cook this dish from my Dad who is an excellent cook! I have introduced some innovations though, to fit my personal taste, and to please my family. For example, they love the puso ng saging and hate eggplant, so I add more puso and reduce the  eggplant.

This is our Number 2 Favorite!

Ingredients:

1 kilo Ox tail
1 Banana heart (puso ng saging)
1 bunch of String beans
1 bunch Petchay
2 pcs (eggplant) Talong
1 Onion, cut into tiny cubes
5 cloves of Garlic, crushed
Rice  (about 1/2 to 1 cup - roasted until slightly golden brown)
Peanuts (1/2 to 1 cup - roasted, preferably without the skin)
Atsuwete seeds (1 tablespoon, soaked in lukewarm water)
Salt
Pepper
MSG (optional)
Bagoong alamang
¼ kilo Pork, sliced small
4 cloves of Garlic
1 Onion

Procedure:


Step 1: Prepare the Ox tail
• Clean and cut the oxtail into serving pieces/slices
• Place in a kettle
• Put enough water to cover
• Bring to a boil and then simmer.

While waiting for the meat to be tender, do the following:

Step 2: Vegetables

• Prepare all the vegetables (string beans should be cut in half; eggplant into three; for the petchay, just cut the part near the roots; the banana bud into serving slices)
• Blanch the string beans, eggplant, and petchay
• Set aside

Step 3: Rice and Peanut Paste

• Place in a liquefier or blender the roasted peanuts and rice
• Strain the atsuwete seeds and pour the liquid into the liquefier/blender
• Pour additional water to cover the rice and peanuts
• Liquefy into paste
• Set aside

Step 4: Bagoong Alamang

• Sauté garlic, onion, pork, and alamang
• Season to taste
• Set aside
When the Ox tail is ready

Step 5: to continue

• When the meat is already tender (but not very tender), pour into the kettle the rice-peanut-atsuwete paste
• Gently stir to mix the paste with the meat mixture
• Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the rice and peanut paste from sticking at the bottom of the kettle
• Add the Banana Bud/heart (puso ng saging)
• Season to taste (but be sure its not very salty since we have the ginisang Bagoong Alamang to complement the dish)
• Cover to cook

Step 6: Serving Suggestion

• In a Pyrex dish, arrange the meat
• Top with the blanched vegetables
• Pour the sauce on top
• Serve with cooked/steamed white rice and Bagoong Alamang

My Tip!

I know a lot of people who use peanut butter in this recipe. Maybe because they hate to go through the process of grinding the roasted peanut and the roasted rice? I used to grind these two before myself, using a bottle (in the absence of a rolling pin) and a “nigo”. Salamat sa modern technology, with a blender or a liquefier, turning the roasted peanut and roasted rice into paste is now very easy.