April 20 Budget Meal Seaweed and Minced Pork Soup Fried Bitter Gourd Omelette and Ma Po Tofu

I have being craving for those Cze Char style Seaweed Soup recently and after asking around for a quick and easy recipe. I managed to settle on Alices version where she is very patience to guide me through  the steps during one of our chat on MSN. Her method was pretty good with boiling of  fresh ikan bilis stock and she also share on how to "clean" the seaweed by frying it dry in a non-stick pan which will enhance its fragrance and at the same time removes any dirt that is trapped in between the seaweed.

This set of Budget Meal cost about S$6.60 which is good enough for 2 - 3 servings.

SEAWEED SOUP

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
1/4 Portion of Dried Seaweed, cut from a 20cm round
60g Minced Pork
2 Garlic Cloves, lightly pound
1 - 2 Slices of Ginger
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into sections
1 Medium Tomato, cut into wedges
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 Litre Hot Water
1/2 Cube or Knorr Ikan Bilis Stock

Method:-

1. Marinate minced pork with light soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and corn starch for about 5 minutes.

2. Heat up 1/2 Tablespoon of oil in a soup pot, saute ginger, garlic and spring onion till fragrant then add in minced pork and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes till cooked through.

3. Pour in hot water and bring to boil, add stock cube, let it simmer for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove the garlic, ginger and spring onion before adding in the tomato and seaweed.

4. Turn off the heat, slowly swirl in the beaten egg and serve.


Total cost for this dish is about S$1.80 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Seaweed = S$0.40
~ Egg = S$0.20
~ Tomato = $0.20
~ Minced Pork = S$1.00

Whenever we visit any Cze Char(煮炒) stalls, we will always order either their "Bitter Gourd Omelette" or "Egg Foo Yong(芙蓉蛋)". Here we can also prepare a simple version of this delicious omelette dish at home according to personal preference. If you are not sure on how to choose the bitter gourd, you can always ask the stall owner for help. But if you are getting it from supermarket, just try to get those with bright jade green colour and wider pattern lines so that they are not on the extreme bitter taste.

BITTER GOURD OMELETTE

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
2 Large Eggs
100g (1/3 Portion of a Medium) Bitter Gourd, thinly sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
1 Teaspoon of Light Soy Sauce
Dash of Pepper and Sesame Oil
1.5 Tablespoon Oil for frying Omelette

Method:-

1. Before cooking the bitter gourd, add 1 teaspoon of salt and marinate for 5 minutes, wash and squeeze dry to reduce the bitter taste.

2. Heat up oil in frying pan, saute garlic until fragrant. Add in bitter gourd and mix well.

3. Stir-fry the bitter gourd until soft, slowly swirl in the beaten egg (beat egg, light soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper together till combined) .

4. Pan-fry at medium heat until set, turn it over and continue to fry until golden brown.

5. Dish up and serve.


Total cost for this dish is about S$0.90 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Bitter Gourd = S$0.50
~ 2 Eggs = S$0.40

It has being long since I last set my wok with this popular Chinese dish which is known as Mo Po Tofu(麻婆豆腐). It has a combination of tofu (beancurd) and minced meat that cooks in a spicy chili and bean based sauce. For this home version of Mo Po Tofu, I used the instant Lee Kum Kee Mo Po Tofu sauce which is slightly mild compare to the original "spicy" taste that we ate from Chinese Restaurants.

MA PO TOFU

Ingredients: (Serves 2 - 4)
90g Minced Pork
250g Soft Tofu, dice in 1" cubes
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar, optional
1 Packet of Lee Kum Kees Ma Po Tofu Sauce

Method:-

1. Preheat frying pan with 1.5 tablespoon of oil and saute minced garlic till fragrance before adding in the minced pork.

2. Stir-fry minced pork till cook through, pour in Lee Kum Kee Sauce For Ma Po Tofu and simmer for 10 seconds.

3. Slowly add in the drained tofu and give it a quick stir to absorb the flavour from the Ma Po sauce and slightly thickened. (You can add in some sugar to balance the spicy and salty taste from the sauce)

4. Dish up on serving plate, sprinkle with some chopped spring onion and serve immediately with warm steamed rice.


Total cost for this dish is about S$3.90 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Silken Tofu = S$1.50
~ Lee Kum Kee Sauce = S$1.40
~ Minced Pork = S$1.00

Using simple ingredients like EGG and TOFU you can also whipped up something delicious like what we had for dinner. And I am sure most of you can also come out with some other delicious dishes using these simple ingredients too. Most important you know what is good for your family and  I am sure you will try to incorporate as many healthy ingredients as you can in your daily cooking.

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Halloween Trick or Treat Broccoli And Spinach Soup Graveyard Fried Rice Plus Apple Banana And Dragon Fruit Smoothie

Halloween is just a week from now and we are so excited about this weekend Angry Bird Halloween Party at Sentosa. For the past two years I have shared some Halloween themed dishes and treats which you could read more here. Although what I did this year was rather simple as compared to last year, but after all we do enjoy the process on preparing the food and etc on a raining cozy evening.

This year, we are having Spooky Broccoli Soup which served together with Graveyard Fired Rice and Bloody Smoothie.

BROCCOLI AND SPINACH SOUP
(Using Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender)

We do love western cream soup especially Cream of Pumpkin and Cream of Mushroom but I always put it off the menu lists because of the steps plus blending of the soup which I find it too troublesome as compared to our Asian boiled soup.  Till recently when I received an amazing gift from friend which is the new Cuisinart Hot and Cold Blender (read more here) it actually inspired me to cook western soup again.

This innovative blender actually cook and blend soup within a few steps. It is so easy to use and all you required is to add in the necessary ingredients, set the timer, press a few buttons and after which you would enjoy a bowl of delicious soup, porridge or dessert in a breeze.

(Serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes |  Cooking: 25 - 30 minutes)

Ingredients:
300g Broccoli, cut into small florets
2 Potatoes (200g), peeled and cubes
50g Spinach Leaves, roughly chopped
1 Small Brown Onion, roughly chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 Knob (15g) Of Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
750ml 7500ml Hot Chicken/Vegetable Stock
1/3 (90g) Cup Greek Yogurt / Light Sour Cream
Some Crusty Bread to Serve

Method:-
1. Place butter and olive oil (butter should be on the heating plate rather than on the blades) in Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender. Set timer to 25 minutes and melt butter on LOW heat.

2. Add onion, garlic and cook until softened, press the STIR button (on the right side) to stir the mixture regularly to avoid burning.

3. Through the hole on the press-on lid,  add potato, broccoli and hot stock into the glass jug and bring it to boil using HIGH heat. (it takes about 2 - 3 minutes)

4. Change to SIMMER and cook the mixture until the last 2 minutes, add in spinach and continue to cook until end of the cycle.

5. Once everything is cooked, blend on LEVEL 1 until smooth.

6. Pour soup between serving bowls and serve with a dollar of Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream together with crusty bread.

This year our Halloween Spooky Soup is no longer using "pumpkin" but instead we go for something "green" which are Broccoli and Spinach.  Although I love broccoli soup but I have never tried adding spinach in it till this recipe as I wanted to obtain a darker green colour for the soup.

Surprisingly it taste good without that "leafy" taste from the spinach and together with my little boy we also decorated the soup with some Greek yogurt to resemble  spooky ghosts.

GRAVEYARD FRIED RICE
(Using Seahs Singapore Fried Rice Spices)

Since it was a rainy day that evening we decided to have some fried rice to go with the soup instead of the usually spaghetti. And the Seahs Singapore Fried Rice spices that I have comes in handy for this dish as it makes a good seasoning and flavour for the plain rice. And in order to create the Halloween spooky theme, we also decorate the fried rice with sausages, egg , cucumber, jelly worms and etc.

(Serves: 4  | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Packet of Seahs Singapore Fried Rice Spices
800g Cooked Rice, around 2.5 rice cooker cup uncooked rice
1/2 Cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables
2 Garlic Cloves, crashed
2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
Some Cooking Wine
Some chopped Spring Onion
12 Japanese Chicken Sausages
4 Eggs

Method:
1. Boiled or Grilled the sausages, set aside. Fry sunny side-up eggs individually and set aside too.

2. Add oil in preheat wok, saute garlic till fragrant before stirring in the mixed frozen vegetables and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add cooked rice and continue to stir-fry for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

4. Gradually add in Seahs spices into the fried rice according to your taste (you might not need the whole packet), stir well, drizzle some cooking wine and continue to stir-fry for another 1/2 minutes.

5. Remove, garnish with prepared sausages, egg and etc shown above. Serve hot.

APPLE AND BANANA SMOOTHIE
(Using Cuisinart Hot and Cold Blender)

As for the beverage of the day, we decided to go for two colour tones smoothie whereby I blend the Apple, Banana and Milk for the white tone and Red Dragon Fruit puree for the purplish red tone. And we love the refreshing fruity combination.

(Serves: 4 | Preparation: 30 minutes freezing | Blending: 2 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 - 3 Frozen Banana, skin remove and cut into chunks
2 Green Apples, skin removed and cut into cubes
1 Cup (250ml) Fresh Milk
1/4 Cup Ice Cubes, optional
1/2 Red Colour Dragon Fruit(pitaya), skin removed cut into chunks

Method:-
1. Put frozen banana, apple, fresh milk and ice cubes (if using) into the blender jug.

2. Fix the lid on and blend on LEVEL 4 for about 1 minute or until smooth.

3. Fill 4 tall serving glass half full, add some dragon fruit puree (shown below) and continue to fill up the glasses with remaining smoothie.

4. Swirl the mixture and decorate with some Halloween treats and serve immediately.

5. To prepare the Dragon Fruit Puree: Blend half of the Dragon Fruit on LEVEL 4 for 30 seconds or until smooth. Pour into bowl and set aside while preparing the smoothie. 

Till then have a great Halloween Party and do share with us if you have any good ideas on preparing Halloween dishes and bakes too!

"SAVOUR THE GOOD LIFE"
Soup Making Competition

Photo credits to ToTT.

Lastly just to share a quick finding, while searching for more information and cooking tips on this new Cuisinart blender, I happened to read about this Soup Making Competition (here) which is organised by ToTT and  Cuisinart where you could stand a chance to travel to Hong Kong to compete for the grand prize . Sounds good right?

To participate:-
~  First form teams of TWOS;

~ Submit a RECIPE as well as a PHOTO of the soup dish together with both full names, mobile numbers, NRIC numbers, and addresses, via email to pr@tottstore.com by 31 October 2012.

~ Recipes should serve up to 5 portions and must incorporate the use of Cuisinart’s Hot And Cold Blender.

~ It should also take no longer than 45 minutes to prepare.

To find out more about this competition you could visit ToTT Facebook Page for details. Good Luck everyone!

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Pan Fried Ribs with Rosemary 迷迭香煎排骨

This is one of the earlier dishes I did using the Happy Call Pan (HCP). Again, this was hidden away in the draft folder till now. :P  Ages catching up. Ill be 41 on my coming birthday. :o Memory is failing. :p



I havent been using my HCP much lately. Just too lazy. I have been letting the oven do most of the work. Perhaps I should use the HCP to make this dish again.



If remembered correctly, the ribs done with the HCP was rather juicy as compared to using the oven. However, I usually oven grill the ribs with the onions. It adds the sweetness of the onions to the ribs. Im unable to do so with the HCP as it will burn the onion. The onions here is served as a side. Please omit it if you dont like it. I love onions though. ;)

Ingredients:

• 2 Pork Ribs


• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic


• 1 sprig Fresh Rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon Dried Rosemary


• 1/2 Onion, sliced


• Salt and Pepper to taste

Marinade:

• 2 teaspoon Cooking Wine


• 1/2 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce


• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic


• a pinch of Salt


• a dash of Pepper

How to do it:

1. Add ribs to marinade.


2. Set aside and let it marinate for 20 mins.


3. In the pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil.


4. Add in onions and half of minced garlic.


5. Saute fragant and onions are soften.


6. Season with salt and pepper.


7. Side aside.


8. Using the same pan, place the ribs and sprinkle rosemary over.


9. Covered the pan and cook for 2 mins on each side on medium low heat till just done.


10. To have the ribs more charred and brown, turn up the heat a little and pan fried each side well, uncovered.


11. Remove and serve with onions.

Note:

• Time required to cook the ribs depends on how thick/meaty the ribs are.


• You can use any cooking wine you like.

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Pan Fried Fish Tofu 香煎鱼肉豆腐

I have been making this Fish Tofu for a few years. In the beginning, it was to incorporate vegetables to food that my veggie hater son likes to eat.



4 years passed and Im still making this but it never fail to make my son to eat more even its stuffed with chopped veggies. Yes, he still hates veggies. :/

Ingredients:

• 150g Fish Paste


• 1 tube Egg Tofu


• 2 stalk Baby Bok Choy, chopped


• 2 Crabstick, chopped


• a dash of Pepper (optional)

How to do it:

1. Cut the tip of egg tofu and squeeze tofu out to a bowl.


2. Add in fish paste, chopped baby bok choy and crabstick.


3. Add pepper and mix well.


4. Take a deep dish, oil all sides well for easy removable.


5. Spread fish tofu paste.


6. Cover with foil.


7. Steam for 15 minutes or till cooked.


8. Removed and cut into pieces.


9. Pan fried the steamed fish tofu with a little till slightly brown on all sides.


10. Serve.

Note:

• You can use other type of vegetables if you like.


• If you want it with a crispy outer skin, dust it with corn flour before pan frying the fish tofu.


• I used the Happy Call Pan to pan fry the fish tofu.


• I placed the tofu cubes on the sides of the pan so I can pan fry 2 -3 sides at the same time.


• Cover the pan and pan fry for a minute each time over medium low heat.

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Fried Fish in Soy Sauce

I havent buy (whole) Groupa for a long time as it too big to fit into my small pan wok for cooking. I got one anyway and told the fishmonger to get the smallest he can find. :P He even butterfly it for me.

Ill be lucky if I can get the whole fish in. Thats the problem with having a small wok.

My original plan was to try to replica the home-made fried tofu we always have at the Soup Restaurant. But Im really lousy in frying beancurd. Im still practicing though. I will share my way of doing it if I ever master it. :P

Anyway, I gathered that the sauce which was inspired by the fried tofu dish I mention should goes well with fried fish too. But be prepared to clean up the kitchen after this. Okay, okay, the oil spat is only the initial part so you probably need to only clean the wall and a small part of the floor. ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 Groupa, cleaned
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• Corn Flour for dusting
• Oil for frying

Garnish:

• 1 - 2 tablespoon Dried Shrimps, fried till crispy
• lots of Spring Onions and Coriander

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 5 tablespoon Water
• 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Cooking Wine

How to do it:

1. Rub salt over fish.
2. Give the fish a few parallel cuts on both side to help faster cooking.
3. Dust whole fish with cornflour.
4. When oil is hot (not smoking), carefully slide fish in.
5. Gently scoop oil and pour over the top of the fish, if you dare too. ;) The oil is hot but not splatting.
6. Slowing turn the fish over once the bottom is nicely brown about 4 minutes for mine.
7. Continue frying for another 3 minutes or till cooked and skin is brown.
8. Drain away oil and place on a dish.
9. Put fried dried shrimps, spring onions and coriander on fish.
10. Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
11. Pour over fish.
12. Drizzle on some sesame seed oil and serve immediately.

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Stir Fried Pea Sprouts with Garlic

Pea Sprouts are also called Pea Shoots by others. The Chinese call it 豆苗. I remembered the very first time I cooked this, I thought it was more than enough for two but when it was cooked, it was barely enough for one. It shrunk to half!

You shouldnt take more than 10 minutes to cook this dish. So its good for those who always (say they) cant find time to cook.

Ingredients:

• 500g Pea Sprouts
• 4 clove Garlic, sliced or minced
• 1 tablespoon Water
• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
• a pinch of Salt

How to do it:

1. Heat wok with oil.
2. Add in the garlic and stir fry till frangant.
3. Add in your pea sprouts and stir fry quickly to let them shrink evenly.
4. Add in 1/2 to 1 tablespoon water your pea sprout is too dry.
5. Add in light soy sauce and a pinch of salt to taste.
6. Stir well, dish and serve.

☆ Click HERE for printer-friendly version of an original recipe.

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Angel Hair Pasta And Fried Rice Using Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce Plus Giveaways

With more than 120 years of history and relentless efforts in quality and innovation, Lee Kum Lee (李锦记) has became a well-known household brand as well as in the kitchens of many best gourmet restaurants. Today you can also find Lee Kum Kee products in most Asian or Local supermarkets worldwide with their featured range of products.

Do you know, Lee Kum Lee has over 200 sauces and condiments available worldwide with the common one such as their Oyster Sauce, Soy Sauce and Convenience Sauce. Above are some of my favourite Convenience Sauce which I always keep stock in my pantry in order to whip up delicious and fast free homecook dishes.

Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce is an all purpose condiment made from finest ingredients such as dried scallop, dried shrimp, red chill pepper and spices. It can be a delicious appetizer by itself or use as an addition to dishes such as Chinese dim sum, noodles, porridge and etc. Furthermore XO Sauce is also ideal for cooking meats, vegetables, tofu, fried rice and even pasta.

Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce comes in either XO Sauce (Regular) or XO Sauce (Extra Hot) in both 80g or 200g to suit individual preference.

ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH XO SAUCE AND CRISPY WHITEBAITS

A week ago, I received some complimentary Lee Kum Kee products because I could not make it for their "Fast, Fresh And Simple Contemporary Cooking with Lee Kum Kee" workshop which was held at Cookyn Inc.  To find out more about this event and some quick recipes using Lee Kum Kee, you could check Melissa (HERE) and ShiTing (HERE) posts.

And with a recipe booklet that comes together in the goodie bag, I decided to try the most simplest and foolproof  pasta dish for our lunch.

Recipe adapted and modify from Lee Kum Kee Contemporary Cooking Workshop

(Serves: 2 - 3 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 250g Dried Angel Hair Pasta
• 2 Tablespoons Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce
• 3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Spring Onions,
• Some Chopped Coriander Leaves, optional
• Some Fried Whitebaits

Method:-
1. Follow the packaging instruction, blanch pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Remove and drain well.

2. Preheat frying pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, saute garlic till fragrant, stir in XO Sauce and cook for a few seconds.

3. Turn Off the heat, toss in cooked pasta, chopped coriander and toss well.

4. Divide the pasta into serving plates, top with extra XO sauce, spring onion and crispy whitebaits. Serve immediately. (if the taste is a bit bland to your liking, you can season it with some Lee Kum Kee First Draw Soy Sauce to enhance the flavour)

FRIED RICE WITH XO SAUCE

Other than the pasta dish, I also used the XO Sauce to prepare a simple fried rice together with some sweetcorn kernels, green peas and egg. Honestly I am not a fan for fried rice and I usually dont order fried rice when I eat out as I find it rather "over-price" for just rice and a few little shrimps or some diced char siew (BBQ pork).

This fried rice used similar ingredients as the "pasta dish" above and with the additions of the XO sauce it actually enhance the flavour of the rice and give it a full wrap up!

(Serves: 2   | Preparation: 5 minutes  |   Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce
• 2 Servings (from 1 cup uncook rice) of Cooked Brown Rice
• 2 Tablespoons Of Cooking Oil
• 1/4 Cup Sweetcorn Kernels
• 1/4 Cup Green Peas
• 3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten
• 1 Teaspoon Belacan Chilli, optional
• Some Fried Whitebaits

Method:-
1. Preheat oil in frying pan, saute garlic until fragrant. Add sweetcorn kernels and green peas, stir-fry for about 2 minutes.

2. Add cooked rice (room temperature or straight from the fridge), using the back of the spatula or wooden spoon flatten the rice clusters so that the grains are separated.

3. Add XO sauce and belacan chilli, keep stirring till the rice is evenly coated with the sauce.

4. Next slowly swirl in beaten egg mixture over the rice and use high heat to fry the rice until dry.

5. Season with some freshly ground black pepper and stir in handful of fried whitebaits. Give the mixture a quick toss, remove and serve with extra spoon of XO sauce for strong flavour.

LEE KUM KEE GOODIE BAGS TO BE WON

Thanks to Lee Kum Kee (李锦记), I am giving away a set of the above "Lee Kum Kee Goodie Bag" (consists of  1 bottle of First Draw Soy Sauce, Chiu Chow Chili Oil, Hoisin Sauce and  XO Sauce) to 3 lucky readers. Prizes will be delivered to you by Lee Kum Kee after the giveaway ended.

To win:

1. Like the the above Lee Kum Kee Goodie Bag photo on Cuisine Paradise Facebook Page, AND

2. Leave a comment on the facebook photo stating a creative dish that you would make using the Lee Kum Kee XO Sauce.

OR

~ DOUBLE UP your "winning" chance by uploading a photo of your homecook dish using any of the Lee Kum Kee products on Cuisine Paradise facebook wall.

Example:- Soy Sauce, Lemon Chicken Sauce, Black Bean sauce and etc.

Closing Date: 15 September 2012 (Saturday), 9.00pm.
*only for readers living in Singapore*

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Fried Rice in Egg Pocket 蛋包饭

This is one of those days that mummy becomes lazy and doesnt wish to do much cooking. It will always be simple one pot dinner. In this case, its fried rice.



The kids seldom complain about fried rice because I always use their favourite ingredients to cook it. I cooked todays fried rice with french beans, crab-stick, tofu fish-cake and dried scallops. I seasoned it with fish sauce, salt and a little chicken powder. And of course with lots of roasted garlic.



The fried rice is served in an egg pocket. It is very easy to do it. Just cook an beaten egg in an oiled frying pan (to prevent it from sticking and not to fry it). Spread it as much as you can but not too thinly. Remove the egg crepe when it is cooked. You dont have to flip it to the other side during cooking.



Fit the egg crepe in a small bowl, eg. rice bowl. Make sure the egg crepe touches the bottom of the bowl. It is better to have egg crepe hanging out of the bowl. You will find out why as you read on. Next, scoop some fried rice into the bowl (where the egg crepe is) to the rim. Now, fold the excess egg crepe over the rice. It may not necessary cover all the rice, just some part of it. Place a plate over the bowl and flip it over. Remove the bowl and viola!



You may wish to decorate or write using tomato sauce or any other sauce on it or simply slice it like me before serving.

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Fried cod cheeks

10 cod cheeks
1 egg white, beaten until it begins to froth slightly
Bread crumbs with salt and pepper to taste
200 g butter or margarine

Cut the cheeks away from the heads if needed. Clean well (scrape off the slime under cold running water) and pat dry. Dip the cheeks in the egg white and dredge in the breadcrumbs. Fry in the butter until golden brown. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them and serve with hot, poached potatoes.
May also be cooked in the oven.

From 160 fiskréttir by Helga Sigurðardóttir

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Stir fried Cherry Tomatoes with Basil

This must be one of the quickest - and most colourful - side dishes Ive made in a while. Having spent all day at yet another cookery course today, testing several sweet Christmas tarts and fancy cakes, I needed something savoury and easy tonight. I went for one of my stand-bys - battered and pan-fried white fish (I used a pangasius filet, which I dipped into a mixture of egg-flour-milk), and chose this colourful recipe I spotted in a Finnish magazine yesterday. It was a success - quick, different, slightly tangy, slightly sweet, and very beautiful.

Stir-fried Cherry Tomatoes with Basil
(Vokitud kirsstomatid basiilikuga)
Adapted from Suomen Kuvalehti Gourmet 4/2008
Serves 4



4 Tbsp (olive) oil
500 g cherry tomatoes
1 garlic clove
handful of fresh parsley
20 large fresh basil leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp caster sugar
salt
coarsely ground black pepper

Rinse the tomatoes and dry thoroughly. Chop the garlic, parsley and basil finely, place into a small bowl.
Heat oil in a wok or frying pan until very hot. Add cherry tomatoes, season with salt, sugar and pepper. Reduce the heat and stir-fry the tomatoes for a couple of minutes, shaking the pan every now and then.
Sprinkle the garlic and herb mixture on top, give the tomatoes another stir and serve at once.

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Fried rock ptarmigan Lagopus mutus Steiktar Rjúpur

This is THE Christmas dish in many Icelandic homes, although not in mine. I must admit that I have never tasted ptarmigan, but this is such a typical Icelandic Christmas dish that I had to include it here. Some of my friends claim that there wouldnt be any Christmas in their homes without it. For some, it has to be birds shot by their father, brother or uncle, but these days more and more people dont feel like going through the whole process of shooting, hanging, plucking and cleaning the birds. They people simply go to the next supermarket and buy the birds ready to cook.

3 rock ptarmigans, plucked, cleaned and ready for cooking
75 g fatty bacon
90 g butter/margarine
450 ml boiling water
450 ml boiling milk
2 tsp salt
300 ml cream
2 tbs flour
caramel colouring for the sauce - optional

Cut slits into the birds chests and lard with strips of bacon fat (this is to ensure that the flesh will not be too dry). Truss the birds. Melt the butter in a cooking pot and brown the birds on all sides in the fat. Miw water and milk, heat to boiling and pour over the birds. Add the salt and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours. Remove the birds and strain the cooking liquid. Thicken with a mixture of cold water and flour. Add the cream and adjust the flavouring to taste. Divide up the birds and serve with mixed vegetables, pickled red cabbage, redcurrant jam and caramelized potatoes.

Optional: add a little redcurrant jam to the sauce for extra flavour.

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Fried smoked trout with scrambled eggs

There are two wild species of trout found in Iceland: the brown trout (Salmo trutta) and the arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Additionally, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) have been released into some lakes and rivers. The collective name in Icelandic is silungur, the char being called bleikja and the brown trout urriði.

This is a nice brunch dish that can also be made with smoked herring.

1 large, whole smoked trout
Butter
6 eggs
Salt
6 tbs milk
Butter

De-bone and skin the trout and cut it into slices. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the fish in it.

Scrambled eggs:
Mix together the eggs, salt and milk until well blended. Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring gently in circles until the mixture begins to thicken, then scramble the mixture back and forth until it is of the desired consistency.
Arrange on a serving platter with the fried trout and serve.

From 160 fiskréttir by Helga Sigurðardóttir

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Simple yet decadent fish supper pan fried vendace

Vendace is a wonderful freshwater whitefish that youll find all over the northern continental Europe. The Latin name is Coregonus albula, and although it looks quite similar to the Estonian "national fish" Baltic Herring (räim aka Clupea harengus membras) that belongs to the herring family, then vendace is actually part of the salmonidae family alongside salmon, char, trout, graylings and other freshwater whitefishes.Youre most likely to come across vendace (also called European cisco) in the lakes of Finland, Sweden, Russia and Estonia, as well as some lakes in the UK, Poland and Northern Germany. When I say the lakes of Estonia, I mean Lake Peipus - and must sadly admit that vendace has been scarce in the local waters during the last years.

Imagine my excitement when I saw beautifully fresh vendace at the local farmers market yesterday morning! I immediately bought some hot-smoked vendace for lunch, and almost a kilogram of fresh vendace for dinner. Its such a delicate and excellent fish that doesnt need much messing around. A quick bath in a seasoned rye flour, followed by frying in hot butter or oil - youll find the "recipe" below. I served the fried vendace with a fresh tomato salad, and the meal was enjoyed by all, including the small kids.

A note on vendace roe. The dark orange-coloured vendace roe (rääbisemari/löjrom) is a true delicacy, and Kalix löjrom from  the Swedish Botnia Bay archipelago has even been granted a PDO (protected designation of origin) status by the European Union, just like Prosciutto ham from Tuscany or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese from Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. When the rather excellent roe of common/European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) cost 799 SEK (Swedish crowns) in a supermarket in Stockholm back in early June, then the vendace roe was almost double the price, 1490 SEK:


Sorry for the photo quality - it was a quick snap with my mobile phone.

Names in other languages: rääbis (Estonian), muikku (Finnish), ryapushka (Russian), löj (Swedish), corégone blanc/la petite marène (French), Kleine Maräne (German).

Pan-fried vendace



fresh vendace (calculate about 2-3 fish per person)
rye flour or oatmeal
salt
freshly ground black pepper
fresh dill, finely chopped
oil and butter for frying

Season the flour with salt and pepper, then roll the fish in the flour until evenly covered. Heat some butter and oil (or just one or the other) in a heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add the fish and fry for a few minutes on one side until dark golden brown, then carefully turn over and fry the other side for a few minutes again.

Garnish with a sprinkling of dill and serve with boiled new potatoes or potato mash, and perhaps a dollop of good home-made mayonnaise (be sure to click on the link if you havent seen the cool Nami-Nami video recipe yet).

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