Grilled Watermelon Salad

Sounds strange doesnt it? Well, it is strange but cool and refreshing. This isnt something Ill have on a regular basis because its well....odd...but it was interesting enough to make for company and it provoked discussion and interest. In the future I would let the watermelon cool a little bit before placing it over the arugula but thats my preference. One of my guests said she liked it warm because it melted the feta a bit. I lighly dressed this salad with extra virgin olive oil and a splah of balsamic vinegar. It doesnt need much. You make want to make the balasamic reduction, I made it but didnt like it, so I didnt serve it. Whatever you decide is fine with me just give it a try and youll be sure to get some ooohs and aaahs.


Grilled Watermelon Salad
Courtesy of Claire Robinson

Ingredients:

1/2 (5-pound) seedless watermelon
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt (specialty salt is great here, if on hand)
2 cups fresh baby arugula, washed and dried
1 cup goat cheese, crumbled, preferably a French Chevre
Fresh finely cracked black pepper

Directions:

Stand the watermelon half cut side down on a cutting board and slice away the rind, leaving a solid block of melon. Turn the block on its side and cut it into 8 squares, roughly 3 by 3 inches and 1-inch thick.

Pour the vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to a thick syrup consistency. Set aside.

Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle just enough olive oil over watermelon slices to thinly coat and place on hot grill pan. Grill each side about 2 minutes until grill marks appear; transfer to a plate and season with salt.

To assemble the salads, put about 1/4 cup of baby arugula on a serving plate, followed by a grilled slice of watermelon in the center, and top with a tablespoon of crumbled cheese and another 1/4 cup arugula. Add another watermelon slice and another tablespoon of cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Finish each salad with a very light drizzle of olive oil and balsamic syrup. Dust with black pepper and serve immediately.

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Grilled Tuna with Freshly Grated Horseradish Sauce – Giddy Up Taste Buds Giddy Up!

Whenever I hear people say you shouldn’t ruin fresh fish at the sushi bar by dipping it in copious amounts of wasabi-spiked soy sauce, I think to myself, yeah, but thats how I like it. Sometimes I just dont care about "overpowering the natural flavors," and this grilled yellowfin tuna with freshly grated horseradish sauce recipe is one of those times.

I saw a nice piece of fresh horseradish root on a recent trip to the market, and since I love the combination of salty soy sauce and searing, nasal-clearing wasabi, I decided to try a similar preparation with a couple grilled tuna steaks.

The recipe is very straightforward, and the only piece of special equipment you will need is a microplane-style grater, so you can turn the aromatic radish into a fine, white snow. As is custom, Ive listed my best guesses on the ingredient amounts below, but consider everything in this, "to taste." I didnt use citrus, as I went with the tomato slices, but that would surely work too.

By the way, I did a little research (very little), and read that some believe the term "horseradish" comes from the fact that horses were once used to crush the spicy roots under-hoof before being grated. Unless those were some very well-trained (and regular) horses, and they were wearing some kind of sanitary horse slippers, Im not sure that was such a great method.

If you dont find fresh horseradish, give this a try with finely grated ginger. I cant believe that wouldnt work quite well. Also, as I mentioned in the video, this same condiment would be lovely with all kinds of fresh grilled seafood. Enjoy!

Ingredients (for 2):

2 (8-oz) tuna steaks, lightly oiled

2 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sambal chili sauce

1-2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish root, plus more as needed

4 sliced sweet cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon minced green onion to garnish

View the complete recipe

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Grilled Sambal Squid 参巴烏賊

I have a craving to make sambal belacan yesterday, mainly because my husband is not in Singapore. I good time to make it! ;) He hates the odor. I think its aroma. XD



I couldnt decided to grilled in the oven or in the Happy Call Pan. Sally, a fellow HCP member, suggested using the pan (but of course). I took up the challenge and put my dinner at risk. XD



I must say Im lucky I took the risk. The squid is very soft, not chewy at all, even after reheating. Even my son who dislike eating squid, love it.



You will realised that I used a banana leaf. It also helps in the cooking as it acts as a barrier between the squid and the pan. There no direct contact with the heat source, tendency of over-cooking is minimised. The sambal that spilled over the banana leaf were thicken and slightly caramelised but not those that were on the leaf. If you are unable to get hold of a banaa leaf, you will have to cook at a lower heat and move the pan a lot.



Heres my recipe using the sambal belacan I shared before this post.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium Squid


• 1 Banana Leaf


• 1 Shallot, sliced


• 1 Lime


• 1 petals from Pink Ginger Flower Bud, sliced thinly (optional)


• 3 tablespoon Sambal Belacan, homemade or store bought

How to do it:

1. Add in squid to sambal belacan and marinade for 30 minutes.


2. Grease pan with a bit of oil and heat pan on medium high heat.


3. Place a piece banana leaf in the pan and spread the squid with the sambal on it.


4. Cover the pan and cook for 6 minutes.


5. Open the pan and cook for another 2 minutes.


6. Top with ginger flower and cover pan for half a minute.


7. Open the pan, dished top with sliced shallot and drizzle with lime juice.


8. Serve immediately.

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Grilled Prawns with Garlic and Cheese

Prawn is my all time favorite and the kids too. I like it in whichever way it is cooked. I can have it everyday if not for the cholesterol, because I love to suck on the head too! Would it be a waste to throw it away?

Anyway, I had to stop myself from finishing the whole lot on my own. I didnt buy a lot of prawns as they were rather expensive due to their size. It will be either difficult to put in the stuffing if the prawn is too small or there wont be much stuffing.

If you have friends coming over, serve this. Its fast and easy. I bet they will love it too!


Ingredients:

• 8 large Prawns, cleaned
  
• 2 tablespoon Butter, soften
  
• 5 tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon grated Garlic
  
• 2 teaspoon Coriander stem, chopped
• A pinch of salt
  
• A dash of pepper (optional - you wouldnt need it if your prawns are fresh)

How to do it:

1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Mix all ingredients except prawns together and set aside.
   
3. Trim off the legs, antenna and the sharp thingy (whatever you call that) on the head off the prawns. :P
   
4. Slit the back of prawns, using either a kitchen scissor or knife.
   
5. Skew the prawn if you want the prawn to be straight.
6. Stuff the slit back with the butter mixture.
7. Top with extra Parmesan cheese if you like.
   
8. Grilled till prawns are cooked and the stuffing is slightly brown.
9. Serve immediately.

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Grilled Sambal Winglets 烤参巴鸡翼

Chicken wings or winglets are the familys all time favourite. You can do it in all sort of ways. One of my favourite is in sambal chilli.



I cant take spicy food (although I love it) so its always good to be able to make it on my own so I can adjust how hot I want the sambal to be. Add dried chilli and more chilli padi if you want it more spicy. I cant do that cos if I do, Ill be full drinking water. :P

Ingredients:

• 8 Chicken Mid-joint


• Additional 1 Calamansi to be squeezed over grilled winglets (optional)

Sambal:

• 10 Fresh Red Chilli, de-seed


• 3 Chilli Padi, more if you like it spicy, de-deed


• 3 Shallot


• 1 teaspoon brown sugar


• Juice of 1 Calamansi


• Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Blend, all ingredients for sambal into paste and set aside.


2. Pat dry winglet and marinate with half the sambal for at least an hour.


3. Lay winglets on oiled rack for grilling.


4. Spread half of the remaining sambal on the winglets.


5. Spray on a bit of cooking oil if possible.


6. Grill in preheated oven at 200C for 30mins, turning the winglets mid way.


7. Spread the remaining sambal on the winglet when you turn the winglets for further grilling.


8. Serve with a additional squeeze of calamansi if you like.

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Pan Grilled Terikayi Shitake Mushroom

A quick post to let you know Im still kicking, though barely alive.

I had been busy for the past week with the kids stuff, making and preparing gifts for their teachers and friends before the end of school. Both my kids are going to new schools next year. So it was a farewell kind of thing for them.

School holidays has only just started this week and it feels like it has been weeks already. My kids are driving me up the wall. I feel so drained out everyday. Before the holidays, I still had my 2 hours break after I send the kids to school. Now, my break time is when the kids are in bed at night but by then Ill be busy trying to clear my housework. I desperately need to clone myself. Any scientist out there? :P

Okay, enough of my rants.

This idea that Im sharing is really easy and simple. We use to do this for our BBQ but using commercially bought sauce. Here, I had use the sauce left from making the Teriyaki Chicken for my sons lunch box.

I generously basted the Shitake Mushroom with the sauce before setting them on the grilling pan. I sprayed the pan with butter first. You could use normal butter or just cooking oil.

Grill each side for 1 to 2 minutes depending on the size of the mushroom. Baste the mushroom with more sauce if you like before turning them over for grilling.

As the sauce contains sugar, be careful not to turn the heat to high and burn the mushroom. Medium heat should be enough.

Enjoy!

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Grilled Salmon with Spicy Sweetcorn Salsa

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Corn also known as maize is one of the worlds most popular and nutritious cereal crops. Corn is also used to make corn syrup, breakfast cereal, cornflour, corn chips, polenta, popcorn and etc. Also corn has similar benefits to wholegrains which is rich in carbohydrates, fibre and antioxidants.

Here we are cooking a grilled salmon dish with spicy sweetcorn salsa which is full of vibrant colours that would perk up your day.

GRILLED SALMON WITH SPICY SWEETCORN SALSA

For this dish you could choose either salmon fillet or salmon belly which would be better in texture and taste. And if you could get hold of some white firm fish fillet such as snapper or Barramundi they could also be used for this dish too.

(serves: 4 | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients for Salsa:
2 Fresh Sweetcorn Cobs, trimmed and halved
400g Can Chickpeas(garbanzo bean), drained and rinsed
1 Ripe Avocado, peeled and diced
1/2 Small Red Onion, finely chopped
1 Small Red Capsicum, diced
1 Long Green Chilli, thinly sliced
1 - 2 stalks of Fresh Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
50ml of Lime Juice
50ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4(150g each) Salmon/Snapper Fish Fillets, halved
Fresh Coriander Leaves, to serve

Method:-

1. Place corn in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes, remove and set aside to cool before using a sharp knife to remove the kernels.

2. Combine chickpeas, avocado, onion, capsicum, chilli and chopped coriander in a large bowl.

3. Mix 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl, season with salt and pepper before pouring it into the chickpea and corn kernels mixture. Toss to combine.

4. Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.

5. Season fish with salt and pepper. Cook in batches for 2 minutes each side or until cooked through.

6. Transfer to plate and drizzle with remaining lime juice.

7. Arrange fish between plates and top with salsa and coriander. Serve plain or with some crusty bread at side.

Apart from having this dish plain on its own you could also serve it together with some crusty bread for a fuller meal which would be great with it different layer of textures and flavour. And for a more spicy taste, you could also replace the green chilli with the red with or without the seeds on.

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Grilled Chicken With Lemongrass and Basil Leaves

Here is another quick and easy Happy Call Pan (HCP) dish which is inspired by one of my friend, Jaiyi through her instagram photo(HERE). We all loved this "Grilled Chicken with Lemongrass And Basil Leave" where the chicken meat is so tender and infused with the unique aroma of the lemongrass and Thai basil. But if you cant get hold of Thai Basil, free feel to replace it with Parsley which is originally used in Jaiyis recipe.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH LEMONGRASS AND BASIL LEAVES

As for those who dont have a HCP, you can always bake this dish using an Oven which you might perhaps need to roast it for a longer timing in order to get it cook. Or if you prefer easy cooking, you can also replace whole chicken with parts such as mid-joint, drumsticks or etc depending on your preference too.

(Serves: 4   | Preparation: 10 minutes   |  Marinate: 2 hours  |  Cooking: 30 - 35 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Chicken (1.2kg), portion into halved without cutting through
2 Stalks Of Lemongrass, lightly pound and sliced
1/2 Tablespoon of Black Peppercorns, crashed
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
3/4 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoon Cooking Wine (Hua Diao Jiu)
Handful of Thai Bail, roughly chopped
3 Stalks Lemongrass, cut into sections

Method:-

1. Clean and rinse the chicken, pat dry with kitchen paper towel and rub the salt all over the chicken together with the mixture of oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and cooking wine.

2. Next stuff 3/4 of the lemongrass and basil mixture in the chicken cavity(refer to the photo above) and tie it up using a baking string(you can find it in daiso or baking shop).

3. Sprinkler some crashed black peppercorns on the chicken and top with remaining lemongrass mixture. Marinate the chicken in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight to get the flavour through the meat.

4. Place extra lemongrass and chicken (remove the string and lay it flat, skin side up) in the Happy Call Pan (HCP), cook over medium heat (LOCK) for about 15 minutes, flip the pan over and cook for another 10 - 12 minutes.

5. Flip the pan back. Unlock and cook for another 8 - 10 minutes to get a nice golden crispy outer skin. (total cooking time might varies depending on the size of the chicken)

So if you or your family loves chicken dishes, this might be something quick and easy which you would like to consider whipping up over the weekend and share some family time by having simple homecook dishes together.

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Grilled Kiwi Chili Rubbed Beef Short Ribs – Labor Day Cooking Shouldn’t Be a Lot of Work

Labor Day weekend is always a bittersweet holiday. It’s supposed to honor America’s organized labor movement, but really what it mostly celebrates is the end of summer. 

Pretty soon our grills will be covered by huge snow drifts, and the season’s warm breezes will be a distant memory. Well, not for me, as I live in California, but you get the point.

This grilled kiwi and chili-rubbed beef short ribs recipe is specifically designed with that melancholy in mind. The prep is minimal, and the ultra short cooking time means that instead of being stuck in front of a grill, you can actually enjoy more of these last precious summer days.

We tied the world record here for fewest ingredients in a marinade, with one, but thanks to the kiwi’s enzymatic magic, that’s all we need. Unlike some tropical fruit marinades, kiwi doesn’t turn the meat into mush, and provides a nice, slightly sweet and acidic base for our Ancho chili rub. I loved how this came out, and while highly-seasoned, the beefy goodness of the short ribs really came through.

I want to wish all of you a happy and healthy Labor Day weekend. What better way to celebrate organized labor, than by doing the minimum amount of it at your cookout? I hope you give these super simple, but very delicious kiwi and chili-rubbed short ribs a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

2 pounds Korean-style (aka flanken style) beef short ribs

1 kiwi

For the chili rub:

1 tbsp ancho chili powder

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp kosher salt

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste

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Joining the Happy Call craze Bak Kwa Stir fry Choy Sum and Grilled Teriyaki Saba

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Bracing into a brand new Year, a good head start with healthy cooking and diet would be my aim for this 2012. As age is catching up we have to be more careful with the food we eat and the way it is prepared. So since two months back I have being trying to in cooperate more steamed and baked dishes such as at least two steamed fish per week and daily stir-fry/blanched green vegetables.

We also tried to cut down or replace fatty meat and high carbo stuffs to perhaps once a week or every two weeks. Sometime I think working in the kitchen is rather more difficult and hectic than working in the office. As we have to plan the daily menu, grab fresh ingredients and at the same time monitor the in take of food in order to create a healthy life-style which I think is not an easy job. In this post, I would love to share with you a new pan and a facebook group which I have discovered recently and I hope it might add some good tips to your kitchen pantry and meal planning too.

Actually I got to know Happy Call pressure pan(HPC) quite long ago through my mum as she is using it for cooking since 2 years back.  And since I have my own loyal brand of non-stick pan I didnt bother to find out more about Happy Call pan from mum and I also seldom use it in my daily cooking. Its only until recently that I bump into a Happy Call group(known as Munch Ministry) in facebook where the members use it to cook up a lot of delicious and effortless dishes then I realise the magic of this pan.

I have two sizes of Happy Call pressure pan - which are the Normal pan and Deep Ocher Pan both can be used for cooking, baking and steaming. Below are 3 quick and easy recipes using HCP which I hope you would find it useful if you do own a HCP too. (for your information this is not a advertorial post, it is only base on my personal view and sharing)

BAK KWA - BBQ PORK

Chinese New Year is barley about 3 weeks around the corner and everyone is busying with spring cleaning, storing up groceries and etc. Recently at the Happy Call facebook group where most of its members are using Happy Call pressure pan to make interesting snacks and pastries. And since Chinese New Year is approaching everyone is joining the craze to make Bak Kwa - BBQ Pork. 

Recipe adapted from Munch Ministry website, HERE.
(Make: 5 pieces | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 15 - 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
250g Minced Pork Meat
1 Tablespoon Maltose
1 Teaspoon Fish Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking/Rose Wine
1 Teaspoon Red Glutinous Rice Lees
1/4 Teaspoon Five Spice Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar

Method:-

1. Marinate the minced pork with the rest of the ingredients for about 30 minutes or more in the refrigerate.

2. Cut the baking paper according to the size of your Happy Call pan, set aside.

3. Spoon about 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons of meat mixture on prepared baking paper, spread out thinly according to your preference. (refer to the photos above)

4. Preheat Happy Call pan (without oil) for 1 minute, place a sheet of the meat spread on the pan. Once the base is cooked, flip the meat over and slowly remove the baking paper.

5. On low heat continue to pan fry each side until cooked and a bit charred. Remove and repeat on another sheet of meat spread. (you can wipe the pan with paper kitchen towel in between to remove any burnt residue or stain )

Although ours is not as nicely done as compared to those commercial ones outside but this is indeed our 1st time making Bak Kwa at home and it is definitely something interesting.  At least we know what kind of ingredients is being used and we can to control the amount of sweetness and taste accordingly to our preference too. For more information and video on how to make Bak Kwa you can refer to the website at HERE.

STIR-FRY CHOY SUM

Using Happy Call pressure pan to stir-fry vegetables retain its natural green and crunchy texture which our family loves.  And moreover the quick cooking due to the heat pressure enable food to cook faster and less hassle due to oil splashing and etc during cooking.

(serves: 4 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Bunch of Baby Choy Sum, cut into sections
3 Fresh shiitakeMushroom, thickly sliced
3 Slices of Ginger
2 Clove of Garlics
1 Teaspoon of Oil
1 Teaspoon Knorr Hao Chi All-in-1 Seasoning1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine

Method:-

1. Soak and rinse the vegetables at last twice before draining it well and set aside.

2. Preheat Happy Call pan for about 2 minutes, saute ginger, garlic cloves and mushroom with some oil for about 1 minute(pan closed and locked).

3. Open the pan, give the wilted mushroom a quick stir, evenly spread the drained vegetable on top. Cover the pan, locked and cook for 20 seconds before flipping the pan and cook another 20 seconds.(flipping the pan enables the dish to be evenly cooked)

4. Flip the pan over, open(red seal facing upwards) and drizzle some cooking wine and seasonings over the vegetables, give a quick stir and remove from pan.

5. To serve, top it with some fried shallot to enhance the flavour.

GRILLED TERIYAKI SABA

Finally at the 1st day 2012, I managed to spot fresh Saba fish at one of seafood stalls in my wet market. So without hesitate, I bought medium one to try out our favourite grilled Teriyaki Saba. Even though we love fish especially those pan-fried or grilled over stove but the stinky fishy smells always put me off cooking it until I discover this Happy Call pressure pan.

(serves: 2 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 8 - 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Medium Size Saba Fish, halves
Freshly Ground Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoon Homemade/Bottled Teriyaki Sauce

Method:-

1. Rinse and pat dry the fish with kitchen paper towel. Lightly marinate it with some salt and pepper, set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Preheat Happy Call pan for 2 minutes on low heat. put in the fish as shown above. Cover, locked and cook for 3 minutes before flipping over and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. (I cook on medium heat for the last 1 minute to get that golden brown and crispy skin)

3. Lastly flip the pan over open, evenly drizzle the teriyaki sauce over the fish and let it cook for 10 second on low heat.

4. Remove and serve with either rice or noodle.

As you can see from the photo above, Happy Call pressure pan can cooks meat and fish perfect leaving it with a moist and tender texture. This fish is cook for around 8 minutes and we love its juicy and soft texture which compared some dry ones sold in certain Japanese restaurants or food center. And moreover the most importantly fact is it reduce that stinky fishy smell when frying fish and as well minimize the greasy area around the stove.

For the next Happy Call post, I would try making some cakes/pastries which I hope I would be able to share my experience with you too.

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