Asam Laksa

How many of you are like me, love to eat Asam Laksa but scared of overwhelming fishy smell, and also dislike handling raw mackerel fish or Ikan Kembong, the small fish that's used to make the laksa?

The thing is, I've been craving for Asam Laksa, missing the flavourful, tangy and spicy fish broth with smooth & chewy rice noodles as well as the different textures/colours toppings for the laksa. And no, Asam Laksa is definitely not available where I stay currently (in Thailand).

I'm so glad to find Ayam Brand Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil at the supermarkets here! It has nearly no fishy smell (probably because the sardines are brined in EVOO) and so much easier to handle (fish bones are teeny tiny and can be mashed up easily, or just remove the centre bone with ease).

This is my quick and easy Asam Laksa, without having to go through the trouble of cleaning raw Ikan Kembong fish, preparing complicated fish broth or removing bones from the fish etc etc. Do note that I replaced or omitted a few ingredients as they are not available where I stay.

What I did was, blend the rempah spice paste ingredients with some EVOO brine from the can, then stir-fry the rempah using the remaining brine as well as the sardines together until fragrant. Next add water, instant fish or ikan bilis cube (yes, it's cheating but hey, I'm looking for quick & easy & fuss-free) and Thai basil, boil for 10-15 mins, season with tamarind paste, salt and sugar and viola, the asam laksa soup broth is ready!

Finally, cook some rice noodles, add toppings of choice (I add more sardine fish, chopped salad leaves, pineapple, cucumber, red onion, chilli padi, lime juice as well as Hei Ko or sweet shrimp paste (which I brought from SG last year to make rojak! Yay!) and a bowl of yummy Asam Laksa is ready!

Asam Laksa
(serves 3 big or 4 small servings)

(A) Rempah/Spice Paste

• 5 pcs shallots
• 3 dried chilli, soak in hot water till softened and remove seeds
• 2 big red chilli, remove seeds
• 1 pc lemongrass, bottom 3" only, cut into small slices
• 1 cm turmeric root, cut into small slices
• 1 tsp belachan, toasted
• 1-2 tbsp brine from Ayam Brand Sardines in EVOO

1. Add all the ingredients into a blender/food chopper and blend till smooth paste.

(B) Fish broth

• 1 can Ayam Brand Sardines in EVOO
• Rempah spice paste from (A)
• 4 cups water
• 2 pcs instant fish stock cube (or ikan bilis cube)
• 6 pcs thai basil
• 3 tbsp instant tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Add the remaining brine from the can, all the sardines (not necessary to remove bones) and the rempah spice paste into a pot, stir-fry the mixture till aromatic for a few minutes. Crush and mash up the sardines when frying.
2. Add water, stock cube and Thai basil, and bring to boil on medium heat. After the broth boils, lower heat to low and simmer for 10-15 mins.
3. Season with instant tamarind paste, sugar and salt (to taste) and the broth is ready to use.

(C) Asam Laksa and Garnish

• 1 can Ayam Brand Sardines in EVOO
• 200g thick rice noodles (dried ones)
• Fish broth from (B)
• 1/2 pc cucumber, julienned
• 1/4 pc pineapple, sliced into small pieces
• 1 red onion, cut into thin slices
• Handful of mint leaves
• Handful of salad leaves, chopped
• 1-2 pcs chilli padi, cut into small slices
• 3-4 wedges lime
• 3-4 tbsp hei ko / sweet shrimp paste
• *torch ginger, omitted as not available

1. Open another can of sardines, remove centre bones from the sardines if desired and tear the sardines into flakes.
2. Cook the thick rice noodles for 10-12 mins till the noodles are fully cooked, al dente. Drain and rinse in ice water. Add the rice noodles into 3-4 individual bowls.
3. Scoop the fish broth into the bowls of noodles.
4. Add desired toppings - sardine flakes, salad leaves, red onion, pineapple, cucumber, mint leaves, chilli padi, lime and hei ko. 
5. Mix well to eat and best enjoyed hot!

I'm really pleased with how my quick and easy Asam Laksa turned out! The broth is quite flavourful, tangy and spicy, but not fishy and lighter on the palate as well, love the combination of different colours and textures of the toppings. Even the hubby enjoyed it and said it was not bad at all.

Glad that I can cook this dish anytime I have cravings now. And also thinking of making more dishes with Ayam Brand Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil =D

Laksa Yong Tau Foo

[ Collaboration with Dancing Chef and Singapore Home Cooks ]
Dish 1 - Laksa Yong Tau Foo

How time flies, next week is already Singapore's National Day and my family has been away for almost 8 months! As true blue Singaporeans who love to makan, we tend to miss local food from time to time.

Premix pastes like Dancing Chef really comes in handy whenever we have cravings. Sometimes it's too much hassle to cook from scratch or there are certain ingredients not readily available. I always stock up on our favourite pastes whenever we return to SG for visits; it's great that the packs are small and doesn't take up too much luggage space.

One of the SG local dish that we miss is Yong Tau Foo! Here in Thailand, there's no YTF stall where you can pick and choose the various ingredients like beancurd, bitter gourd, vegetables, fishballs etc...
Back in SG, we used to eat YTF at least once a week, and we always ended up ordering laksa gravy as the pairing is simply shiokalicious!

Using Dancing Chef Laksa paste, all I have to do is to prepare the YTF ingredients, cook the gravy and viola, a piping hot bowl of Laksa Yong Tau Foo!!

Laksa Yong Tau Foo
(makes 3-4 servings)

Minced fish & pork filling

• 200g fish meat (I use spanish mackerel/batang), chop into small pieces
• 200g minced pork
• 10g salted fish
• 4 tbsp water
• 2 tsp corn flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 stalk spring onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalk coriander, finely chopped

1. Add fish meat, minced pork, salted fish, water, corn flour and sea salt into a food processor or electric chopper. Grind/chop the ingredients into a paste.
2. Transfer the paste into a large solid bowl, add in the finely chopped spring onion and coriander. 
3. Wear a plastic disposable glove, pick up small portions of the mixture/paste and slap it back into the bowl. Do this several times until the paste turns into very soft and smooth texture. Set aside.

Yong Tau Foo
(filling above is enough for the listed ingredients)

• 2 small or 1 big brinjal, cut into 6 pcs about 1" thick with slit inbetween
• 1/4 bittergourd, cut into 6 rings about 1cm thick and hollow out the middle seed portion
• 2 blocks tau kwa/firm beancurd, cut diagonally into 4 pcs
• 3 pcs tau pok/fried beancurd, cut diagonally into 6 pcs
• 1 big red chilli, cut a slit inbetween and scrap away the seeds
• 4 pcs ladyfinger, cut a slit inbetween and scrap away the seeds
• Pot of cooking oil

1. Wash, pat fry and prepare the ingredients accordingly.
2. Using a small butter knife, stuff and spread the fish/pork filling into the prepared Yong Tau Foo ingredients.
3. Heat up a pot of cooking oil to medium heat and deep fry the yong tau food until cooked and golden brown. Drain using kitchen towel. Set aside. 

Laksa Yong Tau Foo

• 1 packet Dancing Chef Laksa paste
• 450ml water
• 250ml coconut milk
• 400g thick rice vermicelli (laksa noodles)
• 2 bunches kang kong (water spinach)

1. In a cooking pot, add laksa paste and water and bring to boil on medium heat.
2. Lower heat to simmer and stir in coconut milk. Simmer for another 5 mins and the laksa gravy is ready.
3. In a separate pot, blanch rice vermicelli for 15-20s, drain and scoop into individual bowls.
4. Blanch vegetables for 10-15s, drain and add into the individual bowls.
5. Top the bowls with desired pieces of Yong Tau Foo and finally ladle laksa gravy into the bowls.
6. Best serve hot.

Yum yum yum! This bowl of Laksa Yong Tau Foo was so satisfying! The HB also gave thumbs up! How I wish I could have more, but alas I ran out of the Laksa paste already :( Time to go back to SG to stock up?

From 1 to 31 August 2018, purchase 3 packets of Dancing Chef™’s pastes or sauces at just S$7.85 (UP: S$2.85/packet), and stand a chance to win a pair of passes to a cooking workshop helmed by local celebrity chef Lisa Leong on 16 Sep 2017. There are 30 pairs of passes to be won.

Dancing Chef promotion is available at FairPrice supermarkets exclusively.

#dancingchef #dancing chefs

Thai-Themed Meal: Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cake), Khao Pad Sapparod (Pineapple Fried Rice), Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)

[ Collaboration with Borges Singapore and Singapore Home Cooks ]
Dish 1 - Braised Chicken with Bamboo Shoot & Mushroom
Dish 2 - Thai-themed ~ Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cake) and Khao Pad Sapparod (Pineapple Fried Rice)

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been using olive oil and grapeseed oil for most of my cooking in the recent years, because they are healthier and boast of multiple health benefits. Many people have this misconception that olive oil and grapeseed oil can only be used for western cooking or drizzling on salad; however both oils are good for stir-frying and deep-frying as well! I usually alternate between the two types of oil for my cooking (as well as baking).

Once again appreciate the opportunity given by Borges Singapore and Singapore Home Cooks to demonstrate the use of olive oil and grapeseed oil in our common daily Asian dishes :)

For my second dish (or rather dishes), I'm going Thai since I'm currently residing in Thailand =D That said, many Singaporeans simply love Thailand as well as Thai food, judging from the frequent trips that I see on FB by friends and snaking queues at Thai eateries in Singapore. My family included :p

I've been trying to cook more thai dishes, since I've access to more thai ingredients now. Today's dishes are Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cake), Khao Pad Sapparod (Pineapple Fried Rice), Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad), all popular and quite easy to cook at home, and I'm using Borges Grapeseed oil to cook them (except for Som Tum which doesn't require oil).

Some useful info about Grapeseed oil (source from Borges Singapore and Singapore Home Cooks):

• Cholesterol Free. Contains vitamin E and A. 
• Ideal for Wok, sautéing, frying and fondues.
• Mild taste, light and nutty overstones that allows the flavours of other foods to shine through when used for frying and cooking.
• Contains acid linoleic essential fats.
• Low in saturated fats. No Trans Fat.
• Carbohydrate and sodium free.
• No added preservatives, flavourings or colorings.
• With a smoke point 210-245ºC, it is ideal for stir-frying, fondues and deep-frying.

The Grapeseed oil is unique by its polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration and natural antioxidants that contribute to regulating the free cholesterol presence and radicals in the body. Grapeseed oil has a relatively high smoke point approximately 420ºF (260ºC), so it can be safely used for stir-fries, sautéing and fondue. In addition to this smoking point, Grapeseed oil has other positive attributes in relation to cooking. It has a clean, light taste that can be described as “nutty”.

Tod Mun Pla or Thai Fish Cake is a popular snack or appetiser which is very easy to make at home. Simply blend fish meat, red curry paste, egg yolk and sugar into a paste, add long beans, kaffir lime leaf and thai/holy basil, shape into a patty and pan-fry. Taste really good with sweet chilli dipping sauce. I make my own sweet chilli dipping sauce as well, so that I can adjust the sweetness and spiciness level. Mine is less sweet with more vinegar (for a more tangy taste).

Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cake)
(makes about 18-20 pcs)

Ingredients

• 500g fish meat (choose more tender fish, I use dory and tilapia)
• 2 tbsp red curry paste (storebought)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 stalks long beans, cut into thin slices
• 8 pcs kaffir lime leaves, cut very finely
• Handful of thai basil or holy basil
• Fish sauce (to taste, if necessary)
• 10 tbsp Grapeseed Oil (Borges)

Steps

1. Cut fish meat into small pieces. Add the fish meat, red curry paste, egg yolk and sugar into a food processor or chopper and blend till a paste forms.
2. Taste-test: Wet both hands and a teaspoon, scoop a spoonful of paste and form into a patty. Heat a frying pan with 1 tbsp of oil and pan-fry the patty till golden brown on both sides. Taste to see if salty or flavourful enough. I use store-bought red curry which is quite salty and flavourful. If not, add 1 tbsp more of red curry paste and/or 1 tsp of fish sauce to the fish paste.
3. Once fish paste is ready, add long beans, kaffir lime leaves and basil, use a spatula to fold the ingredients till well-mixed.
4. Heat frying pan with 10 tbsp of oil (my pan is 26cm) on medium high heat. Wet both hands and a tablespoon, scoop a spoonful of paste and form into a patty using the hands. Pan-fry the shaped patties in the frying pan till golden brown on both sides.
5. Best serve hot with sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 big red chilli
• 3-4 thai chilli/chilli padi (to taste)
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar (to taste)
• 1/3 cup white or rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp water
• Garnish: sliced shallot, cucumber and coriander

 Steps

1. In an electric chopper or food processor, add garlic and both chilli and blend coarsely (bits are visible).
2. Place blended garlic and chilli bits into a small pot, add sugar, vinegar, salt and water and bring to gentle boil over low heat. Taste and add more sugar or chilli if necessary.
3. Stir till mixture turns syrupy and remove from heat. The mixture will thicken slightly more once cool down. 
4. To serve, top with sliced shallot, cucumber and coriander.

Pineapple fried rice is yet another favourite dish, as it has a tinge of sweetness from the pineapple (and raisins), aroma from curry powder, seafood freshness from the prawns and different textures from the rice and cashew nuts.

Khao Pad Sapparod (Pineapple Fried Rice)
(serves 4-5)

Ingredients

• 3-4 tbsp Grapeseed Oil (Borges)
• 10 pcs prawns, deveined and sliced into half
• 2 eggs
• 530g cooked rice (preferably overnight)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 10 pcs cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 150g pineapple flesh, cut into small pieces
• 60g cashew nuts, lightly toasted
• 4 tsp thai soy sauce
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1.5 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 4 stalks spring onion, finely chopped
• Garnish: coriander, thai lime

Steps

1. Heat up a large deep frying pan or wok on medium high heat, add 2 tbsp of grapeseed oil and saute the sliced prawns till just cooked. Dish up and set aside.
2. Add 1 tbsp of oil, add the eggs and scramble lightly. Once eggs are almost cooked, add the rice and toss to mix well with the eggs.
3. Push the rice aside, add 1 tbsp of oil and saute the onion till slightly cooked (changes colour), then toss the onion with the rice.
4. Add the seasonings and toss the rice to mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Mine is on lighter side.
5. Add cooked prawns, cherry tomatoes, pineapple, cashews into the rice. Toss to mix well.
6. Off heat and add spring onions and toss to mix well.
7. Best serve hot (in pineapple bowl or plates).

And finally Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)! This is such a refreshing salad that our family eats it so very often as it's crunchy and appetising with different textures and taste. Many times the HB would tabao from the evening market on his way back from work. It's convenient to buy from street stalls as you can find it everywhere, but the thing is sometimes they are too spicy and sweet for my palate. Of course the advantage of homemade is, you can adjust the taste to suit your own tastebud.

The below recipe is on the lighter side, feel free to adjust the seasonings. As my mortar and pestle is  small and I don't have a big proper som tum mortar, I make my som tum in my own steps by batches, which is not the authentic way of preparing it. Please google or check youtube videos on how it's done properly.

Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)
(serves 4)

Ingredients

• 200g julienned green papaya (I use a slicer tool to slice the papaya into thin strips)
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 stalks long beans, cut into 1cm pieces
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3-4 thai chilli, add more to taste
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, add more to taste
• 1-2 tbsp palm sugar, add more to taste
• Juice from 1 thai lime, add more to taste
• 3 tsp tamarind juice, add more to taste
• 3 tbsp raw skinless peanuts, toasted till slightly browned
• 1 tbsp tiny dried shrimps, lightly toasted

1. Soak the julienned green papaya in iced water for 10 mins. After 10 mins, dry using salad spinner or kitchen towel.
2. Add the green papaya into a large mixing bowl, use a pestle to lightly pound/crush the papaya strips.
3. Add cherry tomatoes and long beans into the mixing bowl and lightly pound/crush them using the pestle.
4. Add the tiny dried shrimps into the salad.
5. Add the peanuts into the stone mortar, lightly crush the peanuts into halves or smaller pieces. Add the peanut pieces into the salad.
6. In the same stone mortar, pound the garlic and chilli till a coarse paste. Add fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice and tamarind juice. Lightly pound and stir till the palm sugar is melted.
7. Pour the sauce from the mortar into the mixing bowl, toss everything together till well-mixed. 
8. Taste the salad and adjust taste to preference.
9. The salad tastes best freshly prepared.

Hope everyone enjoys these thai dishes! I'll try to post more thai recipes in time to come (if I have the time!). Stay tuned :)

LAST CALL for Borges Giveaway!
Want the best from the Mediterranean? We are giving away three sets of Borges Gift Basket worth $60 at http://bit.ly/2INmCz4 

Be sure to check it out!
#BorgesRecipes

Premium quality clean products from Sasha's Fine Food

Collaboration with Sasha's Fine Food

Back in August, I had the great privilege to partner with Sasha's Fine Food to create dishes with their premium quality products. Check out the dishes:

Dish 1 - Honey mustard rosemary roasted chicken

Dish 2 - Asian chicken skewers with peanut sauce
Dish 3 & 4 - Teriyaki salmon, Chirashi Sush

Dish 5 - Vietnamese-style Honey Pork & Rice Noodle Salad

Sasha's Fine Food is an online F&B company that sourced ethically produced goods with preference to free-range, organic and/or fair trade food and drinks, and at the same time avoiding foods with unacceptable or unhealthy addictive. There's a wide variety of produce available in the webstore, from meat and fish to dry goods and groceries, dairy to beverages.

And in October, I was once again blessed to collaborate with Sasha, this time with an even larger batch of produce - Stir-fry beef from Hellaby New Zealand, Salmon portions from Mount Cook Alpine New Zealand, Cold Smoked Salmon from Aoraki Smokehouse New Zealand as well as various cuts of local chicken which are hormone and antibiotic free from Southern Malaysia.

I had a blast cooking with all these premium quality products, and below were some of the dishes I cooked.

Beef Bulgogi Rice Bowl - using Hellaby Stir-Fry Beef from New Zealand

This has been on my to-cook list for some-time. Love the combination of the sweet and succulent beef with spicy tangy kimchi and the runny yolk! 

Beef Bulgogi Rice Bowl

470g stir-fry beef
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp light muscovado sugar
2 tbsp cooking rice wine
2 tbsp pear puree
2 tbsp Coke Zero

1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp sesame seed
1 tsp gochujang
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 stalks spring onion, finely chopped
1 stalk coriander with root, finely chopped

Simply marinate the stir-fry beef overnight, quick fry over a very hot grill pan and serve with kimchi, rice and poached egg.

Baked Chicken Thigh and Potato - hormones free, antibiotics free chicken thigh

This is such a quick and easy one-pot dish, great for busy days. Simple yet wholesome and tasty!

Just toss chicken thighs, potatos, carrots, onion, garlic along with olive oil, thyme, salt and black pepper, arrange in a casserole and bake for about 60-70 mins.

Serve with rice, pasta, salad or even on its own.

Chicken Cordon Bleu - hormones free, antibiotics free chicken breast

This is yet another dish that I wanted to try for the longest time. And surprisingly it's not as difficult as I thought. I made small rolls so that it's easy to eat and even the kiddo loved it.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 small chicken breast
4 slices ham
4 slices cheese
Salt & pepper
Corn starch, egg, panko breadcrumbs

Use a meat tenderiser to flatten the chicken breast, marinate lightly with salt and pepper on both sides, place a slice of ham follow by cheese, roll up into a log, clingwrap and place in chiller to set. Before cooking, coat with corn starch, egg and finally panko breadcrumbs. Deep-fry the chicken roll on low heat till light brown. Remove from heat, rest for 5 mins, then deep-fry in high heat till golden brown. Drain, slice into pieces and serve with honey mustard sauce.

Honey Mustard Sauce
10g butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
2 sprigs thyme
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp honey

Melt butter in a pan, add flour and stir to make a roux. Add milk and cream and bring to boil, then add fresh thyme, wholegrain mustard and honey to taste.

Chicken Teriyaki Onigirazu - hormones free, antibiotics free boneless chicken thigh

My kiddo and I love this Japanese-style "rice sandwich" as it's quick and easy to put together and very convenient to eat. Simply marinate the chicken thigh with teriyaki sauce, air-fry till cooked and assemble with seaweed, japanese rice and some vegetables like cucumber and carrots.

Lemon Garlic Herb Butter Bake Salmon - Salmon portions from Mount Cook Alpine New Zealand

This was the first time I tried baking salmon with herb butter and I must say it was really tasty!

 

The herb butter was so fragrant and the salmon was so sweet and tender!

Add minced garlic, chopped herbs like parsley, thyme & dill, lemon juice, salt & pepper to unsalted butter, mix well, spread on top of salmon and veggies, bake and ready to eat!

My son who's a salmon lover couldn't stop raving about how tender and juicy the salmon was.

Tobiko Mayo Salmon - Salmon portions from Mount Cook Alpine New Zealand

This was specially prepared for the kiddo as he loves salmon, Japanese mayonnaise and tobiko! One portion of this and he was totally satisfied, and he already requested me to make it very often for him.

Making it was such a breeze as well. Mix Japanese mayonnaise with tobiko, spread the mixture generously on top of the salmon, and air-fry till golden brown.
 

Air-fried Salmon with Mango & Pomegranate Salsa - Salmon portions from Mount Cook Alpine New Zealand

Was feeling the heat one of the days and didn't have much appetite so made a fruit salsa to go with air-fried salmon (seasoned with sea salt and black pepper).

Who knew that this combination worked so well together? Totally refreshing!

Smoked Salmon Tartine - Cold Smoked Salmon from Aoraki Smokehouse New Zealand

Last but not least, a dish that I have to rave about! This gorgeous smoked salmon from Aoraki Smokehouse tasted so smooth and tender with subtle smokey and salt taste that I felt like eating it everyday!

Served them on toasted sour dough bread with cream cheese & dill as well as avocado yogurt and greens.

Once again, shout-out and big thanks to Sasha's Fine Food for giving me this opportunity to try the lovely produce and hope to work with her again in the future!

Herb Crusted Cod Fillet and Cereal Panko Parmesan Cod Fillet

Collaboration with Sasha's Fine Food
Dish 1 - Honey mustard rosemary roasted chicken
Dish 2 - Asian chicken skewers with peanut sauce
Dish 3 & 4 - Teriyaki salmon, Chirashi Sushi

Dish 5 - Vietnamese-style Honey Pork & Rice Noodle Salad

The final product I'm sharing from Sasha's Fine Food is skinless cod fillet from Keohane's of Bantry. This is a small, award-winning fish family-run company in the town of Bantry, County Cork, nestled in the south-west of Ireland on the edge of the Atlantic coast. The fish from Keohane are sourced from the local area and the freshness secured in a unique skin-filmed packaging.

This particular cod is different from the ones we are used to locally. The one we normally see here is in fact Chilean Sea Bass or many people call it "Snow Cod". The texture is softer, more flaky and it's a very oily fish, commonly steamed or pan-fried.
 
Whereas the one from Keohane is the Atlantic Cod, where the texture is much firmer with more bite, and it's much leaner as well. It reminds me of the Bird's Eye brand of Cod Fish Fingers that I used to adore when I was young.

Recently I participated in a Cooking Contest and it got me intrigued with western cuisine as well as food plating. So what better opportunity to practise, by using the 2 pieces of cod fillet.

Herb crusted fish fillet seems to be a common way of cooking fish fillets; I've never tried it before, but it's actually very easy. Simply sprinkle the cod fillet with some sea salt and black pepper on both sides, pan fry for a minute on both sides to get some colour, top the fillet with a blended mixture of panko bread crumbs, sweet basil, parsley, parmesan and olive oil, and finally air-fry (or bake) the fillet till cooked and golden brown. I chose to serve the cod with some grilled vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, bellpeppers and cherry tomatoes, with a drizzle of olive oil and caramelised balsamic vinegar.

I like how the dish turns out, the crispy crust works very well with the cod fillet, providing a varying texture to the fish in each bite. Also love the grilled vegetables and I thought the caramelised balsamic vinegar adds a nice touch, enhancing the natural sweetness of the vegetables.

In terms of plating, I'm not satisfied with how the dish looks overall, probably the plate is a tad small and the combination of ingredients look too busy. Well, gonna try again.

Worried that my picky kiddo won't accept the herb crusted fillet, I used a different method of cooking for the other piece of cod. This is more like breaded or fish & chips style, definitely more welcomed by kids. Likewise it's pretty easy to prepare, sprinkle both sides of fillet with salt and pepper, coat the fillet with corn starch followed by egg and then a mixture of cereal, panko breadcrumbs and parmesan, finally shallow-fry till cooked and golden brown. My kiddo loves creamy potato so that's the choice of carbo for him.

For the creamy potato, first slice the potato and steam till cooked, mash the potato with some butter and whipping cream, finally add salt and pepper to taste. The cod fillet seems too dry so I also made some avocado yogurt mint sauce to go with it.

My kiddo loves the cod fillet. He doesn't like our local snow cod at all but this is accepted by him (but of course salmon is still his utmost favourite fish).

This post concludes all the 4 product features from Sasha's Fine Food. It has been great fun cooking with such excellent quality products and really an honour to be able to work with the company.

Looking forward to more cooking and baking adventures ahead!

Teriyaki Salmon Donburi and Chirashi Sushi

Collaboration with Sasha's Fine Food
Dish 1 - Honey mustard rosemary roasted chicken
Dish 2 - Asian chicken skewers with peanut sauce


The next product I'm showcasing from Sasha's Fine Food is their gorgeous Mt. Cook Alpine New Sealand Salmon Pieces which come in a pack of 250g. They are skinless and boneless  thus very convenient and easy to cook.

Sasha's salmon are imported from Mt. Cook Alphine, New Zealand where they are raised in pristine, fast-flowing fresh glacial waters making them fit, healthy and lean. In terms of taste and texture, the salmon is in fact sashimi-grade and has a firm, muscular texture with a clean, smooth flavour. And like the chicken which I have tried, the freshwater salmon is also free from hormones, antibiotics, vaccines and pesticides.

I cook salmon dishes at least once or twice a week as my son is crazy over salmon. One of his favourite dish is Teriyaki Salmon, so I decided to go for a Donburi using half of the portion.

I don't really have a specific recipe this time. Basically, sprinkle the salmon pieces with some salt and pepper, coat with corn starch and pan-fry till browned and crispy, set aside. I usually make my own teriyaki sauce to taste, using soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake and sugar. Bring the sauce to boil and slightly thickened, reserve half for the rice and toss the pan-fried salmon into the remaining sauce. In a bowl, add Japanese rice, drizzle with some teriyaki sauce, then top with the teriyaki salmon, ikura (salmon roe), tobiko (flying fish roe), chopped spring onion and seaweed.

Easy peasy and a meal that would make my son very happy!

For the other half portion of the salmon pieces, I chose to make Chirashi Sushi with them. Chirashi Sushi (ちらし寿司) is also called Gomoku Sushi (五目寿司), Gomoku Chirashi (五目ちらし), or Bara Sushi (ばら寿司) depending on the different regions in Japan.

Chirashi (散らし) means “scattered”, some finely chopped ingredients are mixed into sushi rice and then the rice is topped with more ingredients to make it look colourful. Usually cooked ingredients like unagi and shrimp are used (rather than raw fish), as well as some shredded egg, vegetables like snow peas, cucumber.

As a tradition in Japan, Chirashi Sushi is usually eaten on Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) or Doll’s Festival on March 3 every year. In addition, it's also a popular dish for parties, gatherings and celebrations.

The first time I ate it was during a homestay programme in Osaka where my host family made it for me, and the second time (also the last time) was a gathering for homestay participants at the end of the programme. I haven't eat this for a long time!

For detail ingredients and method of making Chirashi Sushi, my go-to reference is Just One Cookbook.

But for ease of preparation, I bought this Gomoku premix from a Japanese supermarket. All I have to do, is to cook the Japanese rice and mix the premix (sweet vinegar sauce, bits of mushroom, carrot, bamboo shoots, dried gourd shavings) into the cooked rice to get a flavourful sweet and tangy sushi rice. Then just top the sushi rice with desired ingredients; I used pan-fried salmon, cooked shrimp, shredded omelette, cucumber, ikura, tobiko and sprinkle with seaweed and sesame seeds.

Chirashi Sushi is typically served in a special type of sushi bowl called Hangiri (or Sushi Oke) which is a big wooden tub, but I couldn't find it so I just used a normal Japanese lacquer serving plate.

This is certainly a hearty Japanese meal which made me miss Japan so much! Definitely gonna make this from time to time :)

Stay tune as I continue cooking dishes with the pork slices and cod fillet from Sasha's Fine Food.

Sasha's Fine Food is an online F&B company that sourced ethically produced goods with preference to free-range, organic and/or fair trade food and drinks, and at the same time avoiding foods with unacceptable or unhealthy addictive. There's a wide variety of produce available in the webstore, from meat and fish to dry goods and groceries, dairy to beverages.

Salted Egg Yolk Crayfish Roll

I've been craving for lobster roll for the longest time! I've eaten it before, once in Osaka, once at Pasar Bella (Turf City Singapore) and even made it at home. The combination of toasted butter roll with spicy, creamy and succulent lobster salad is simply perfect match.

But today I've found a match to the lobster roll, that is the Salted Egg Yolk Crayfish Roll. Well, the crayfish meat can be substituted with lobster or even prawn, but the key here is Salted Egg Yolk!! I combined the ingredients for the lobster roll with a salted egg yolk sauce and wham, the result is pretty amazing I would say! 

The typical sauce ingredients for lobster roll are mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce/wasabi for those who wanted it spicy. What I did was to cook a salted egg yolk sauce using butter, curry leaves, chilli padi (optional), salted egg yolk powder, and add fresh milk, mayonnaise, lemon juice and sugar to make a thick creamy sauce, and finally toss in the crayfish meat along with some parsley and celery.
 
The sauce can also be used as a dip for fries (or anything you fancy), so I made extra batch for that :p

Why crayfish? Coz it's a cheaper alternative to lobster and I find the meat texture quite similar to that of lobster. Prawns can be used as well, but try to use larger prawns for the bouncy juicy crunch.

And oh, back to the salted egg yolk! I used to use whole salted eggs when I want to cook salted egg yolks dishes. I would basically steam the yolk and discard the egg white portion. I know it's kind of a waste. So I'm really glad that Knorr came up with this Golden Salted Egg Yolk Powder which is so convenient. It is made from real pasteurised egg yolks with no added MSG and preservatives as well! 

Salted Egg Yolk Crayfish Roll
(makes 2-3 rolls)

Ingredients

• 5 pcs crayfish meat (about 800g with shell) *can be substituted with lobster or prawn
• 20g salted butter
• 10-12 curry leaves
• 1 chilli padi, finely chopped (optional)
• 4 tbsp Knorr golden salted egg powder
• 2 tbsp fresh milk
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp finely diced celery
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
• 2-3 split-top hotdog buns (store-bought)
• Salted butter

Steps

1. Bring a pot of water to boil and add a pinch of salt. Add the crayfish meat, cook for about 5 mins. Drain and set aside.
2. In a sauce pan over low heat, add salted butter. 
3. Once butter melts, add curry leaves and fry till fragrant for 1 min.
4. Add chopped chilli padi and fry for 1 min. 
5. Add the salted egg powder, the mixture will turn dry as the powder soak up all the butter. Stir fry till fragrant.
6. Add fresh milk, mayonnaise, lemon juice and sugar, mix well into a thick sauce. Let the sauce cool down slightly.
7. Cut the crayfish into bite-size pieces. Toss the crayfish meat into the salted egg yolk sauce. Add parsley and celery and mix well.
8. Split the top of the hotdog buns, butter the buns, toast in air-fryer or toaster for 3-4 mins till slightly browned.
9. Stuff the salted egg yolk crayfish into the hotdog buns, sprinkle some chives.
10. Best served warm.

*I made 2 rolls only as I overstuffed each roll. For smaller rolls, the ingredients are enough to fill 3 rolls.
*I made extra batch using same ingredients for fries dipping sauce.

Super super love this Salted Egg Yolk Crayfish Roll! The sauce is thick and creamy, slightly spicy and salty with the unique taste of salted egg yolk and really goes well with the bouncy and juicy crayfish meat, as well as toasted butter roll. Be sure to add the celery as it contributes a tiny sweet crunchy texture; as well as the aromatics (parsley and chives) to balance the otherwise heavy sauce.

Now that I can make this roll, not sure if I would go back to the regular lobster roll or not :p

I'm also submitting this recipe for Knorr's Most Egg-citing Cooking Contest organised by Singapore Home Cooks! Knorr is giving away attractive prizes for top recipes submitted – with goodie bags worth $100 + $20 Fairprice vouchers to be won! Selected recipes will even be featured on the Knorr Website!

Woohoo! Wish me luck!

#SaltedEggGoodnessSHC #SingaporeHomeCooks

Creamy Salmon Chowder

My kiddo loves salmon and I'm constantly looking for new ideas of serving his favourite food since salmon is nutritious and boosts of several health benefits.

This dish was inspired by a member of the Singapore Home Cooks FB Group; she used salmon to cook a creamy chicken soup and I had this light bulb moment, hey why didn't I think of creating a chowder with salmon? I mean I have cooked clam chowder before and even a cabbage and seafood chowder! Silly me :p

Once again I decided to use CP chicken broth concentrate as the chowder base, because after using this broth to cook Mille-Feuille Nabe last week, I found it very convenient and the taste was rich, yet not overwhelming and enhanced the overall flavour of the dish. 

Decided to make it a one-pot meal and also to use up some leftover ingredients in fridge. I thought potato goes very well with salmon, and so does veggie like celery and carrot. I have some mushroom so added that as well. Bacon fried to a crisp is to add a smoky flavour (actually coz I like it, so it's optional). And sweet corn adds a tinge of sweetness and bursts of crunch to the dish. Actually just milk is enough, but I have a bit of whipping cream left from a bake so threw that in too. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your preference.

Creamy Salmon Chowder

(serves 2-3 pax)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 slices streaky bacon, cut into small pieces (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 8 pcs swiss brown mushroom, cut into quarters
• 1/2 pc carrot, cut into cubes
• 1 stalk celery, cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 stalks fresh thyme
• 100ml (1/3 cup) chicken broth concentrate
• 50ml (1/4 cup) whipping cream
• 200ml (3/4 cup) fresh milk
• 1 pc Russet potato, cut into cubes
• 200g salmon, cut into chunks
• 50g sweet corn kernels (frozen ones, soak in hot water for 10 mins)
• spring onion, black pepper, paprika, fresh thyme (optional, to taste)

Steps

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pot and fry bacon till browned and crispy. Scoop and set aside.
2. With the oil remaining in the pot, add garlic and onion and saute till fragrant and translucent.
3. Add mushroom, carrot and celery and saute for 3 mins.
4. Add 1 tbsp of flour and fresh thyme and saute for another min.
5. Add chicken broth, cream, milk and potato, cover and cook for 6-8 mins (until potato has softened), stirring occasionally.
6. Once the potato has softened, add the salmon chunks and sweet corn (leave a handful as garnish if desired) and cook for 3-5 mins.
7. Dish up chowder, garnish with bacon, sweet corn, spring onion, black pepper, paprika, fresh thyme and serve hot with bread rolls or rice. 

Totally love this dish! It's rich, creamy and savoury and I didn't even have to add any salt as the chicken broth is salty enough. Initially I thought that the chowder would be overwhelming and I wouldn't eat much as it's too creamy. But surprisingly, I found myself taking spoonful after spoonful! The salmon also didn't have any strong fishy smell which I disliked.

The kiddo ate the chowder with rice and bread, whereas I'm happy to eat it on its own. This recipe is definitely a keeper for my family, and I would count it as one of my comfort soups from now on :)