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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How to Poach Eggs Better Late Than Whenever

I mentioned in the recent Roasted Asparagus with Fried Prosciutto and Poached Egg video post that Id be doing a new and improved "how to poach eggs" technique demo. I said Id be doing it "soon," which to me means sometime this year, but apparently to many viewers that meant in the next day or two.

So, its safe to say, this video recipe was truly "by popular demand." And by "demand" I mean constant harassment, and good-natured threats, or at least I hope they were good-natured. The lesson here is to never promise anyone anything.

In related news: Im not saying exactly when, only that it will be in the future, but the breakfast I used as a destination for my poached eggs will also be turned into its own video recipe for a sort of hollandaise-less eggs Benedict, so stay tuned for that.

Anyway, this is fairly straightforward stuff, except for the fact that the really, really fresh eggs I bought to show how amazingly well they hold together in the hot water, were anything but. As youll see, they spread out faster that a group of food bloggers in a free grand tasting tent. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For 2 quarts of water

1 teaspoon vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh eggs!

View the complete recipe

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Milo Pudding with Oreo Crumbs 美祿布丁

Does this look like a pot of plant to you? The plant is mint but its not sitting in a pot of soil. Take a closer look and dont be fooled. ;)



I had this idea for the longest time but never get to excute it because its not easy for me to get Mint Leave or any herbs.



This idea actually came from my daughter when I did Chocolate Milk Pudding. She said the pudding looked yucky :P and adding oreo on it will make it look like a pot of soil.



Since I now grow my own mint (please see photo at the end), I decided to put my plan into action. ;)  Adding the Oreo crumbs adds texture to the pudding. Crunch on every bite. :)

Ingredients (for 2 cups):

• 250ml Milo or Chocolate Milk


• 7g Gelatin


• 6 (single) pieces Oreo, crushed into crumbs


• 2 stalks Mint

How to do it:

1. Mix Milo with gelatin.


2. Heat mixture but do not boil, stir till gelatin melts.


3. Pour mixture into cups.


4. Chill in fridge till set.


5. Pour Oreo crumbs on pudding and stick in a stalk of Mint in the centre and serve.

Note:

• You can use jelly powder instead of gelatin if you like.


• Using 3in1 Milo will be easier. However, you are free to make the Milo to your taste.


• Do not include the cream in the Oreo for the crumbs.

This is my pot of homegrown Mint. You can try growing your own.



Get some stalks of Mint. Cut about 6 to 7 cm from the top. Remove all leaves except the top 2 - 4 leaves and stick them in the soil. Water regularly.



You are successful if they do not look wilted after a few days of constant watering. After that you can cut down on the watering and reduce to once a day or more on a hot day.

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Minestrone Soup is a Once in a Lifetime Experience

I always feel a little apprehensive when I post a recipe like this minestrone soup. It’s the type of dish I never make the same way twice, and the fear is that someone will watch and assume that this is my “official” version.

You don’t need a recipe for minestrone, just like you don’t need a recipe for a great sandwich, or an epic salad. To make minestrone soup precisely same way every time, using a very specific list of ingredients and amounts, is to trample on the soul of this Italian classic.

Having said all that, what if you happen to make it so incredibly delicious one time that you want to experience the exact same shuddering soupgasm in the future? That seems like a perfectly sound reason for why you should write down the recipe…except cooking food doesn’t work that way.

Your perception of how a recipe tastes involves so many factors above and far beyond the list of ingredients. Remember that time you made that super awesome whatever, and it was so perfect, and then you made it again, exactly the same way, but somehow it just didn’t taste as great? This is why.

So, I hope you give this amazing minestrone recipe a try soon…but only once. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 oz pancetta

2 tbsp olive oil

1 diced onion

1 cup diced celery

4 minced garlic cloves

4 cups chicken broth

1 (28-oz) can plum tomatoes, crushed fine

2 cups water, plus more as needed

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp dried Italian herb blend (mine was thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil)

red pepper flakes to taste

1 cup freshly shucked cranberry beans (aka shelling beans)
2 or 3 cups chopped cabbage

1 (15-oz) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 bunch swiss chard, chopped

2/3 cup raw ditalini pasta

extra virgin olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and fresh Italian parsley to garnish the top

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Longevity Noodle in Chicken Broth

My late grandfather told me that people during their time were very poor. They can only have chicken during Chinese New Year, if they can afford it and they look forward to each birthdays because then they will be given an hard-boiled egg (shells dyed red) all to themselves. And if they are lucky, there will be a bowl of Longevity Noodles (长寿面) aka Rice Wheat Noodles (面线) to go with it. They were not suppose to cut or bite the noodles to shorten it because the noodles symbolise longevity. You wouldnt have to shorten your life would you?

Nowadays, people no longer have that for birthday. Perhaps some may not even know the existence of this simple meal. They may not even want to have this for their birthday when they can afford any other food they like. But for me and my husband, its like a tradition. We dont have rich, modernised (read: no cakes) parents. Both our mothers cooked us Longevity Noodles during our birthdays but of course there were chicken, eggs and stuff like that. We are not rich but not that poor either.

So, on my husbands birthday, I took over the role of cooking him this, wishing him health, happiness and of course, longevity.

For those who interested to have this for birthday for a change, its really simple. Blanch noodles before cooking it in broth. Cooking it for 5 minutes is enough. Then just add in the ingredients you like or rather the birthday boy/girl likes. And thats it!

To me its a simple yet meaningful birthday meal, especially if you are cooking it for your elders. Try this, they will appreciate it.

* Longevity Noodle in Chicken Broth with Egg and Abalone *

* the Chicken broth *

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Creamy Mushroom Soup 奶油蘑菇浓汤

I did a Cream of Mushroom before which was like those canned soup. A friend who tried it told me it would be better if it taste less floury. You can make creamy mushroom soup without using or use very little of flour and it taste equally good. Just spend slightly more money *wink*.



Anyway, this recipe is adapted from my Creamy Broccoli Soup.

Ingredients:

• 300g White Button Mushroom


• 10g Butter


• 300ml Chicken Broth


• 250ml Whipping Cream


• Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Saute Button mushroom with butter till mushroom absorb the butter.


2. Pour mushroom into the blender.


3. Add the broth.


4. Blend till smooth.


5. Pour into a pot.


6. Add in the whipping cream.


7. Stir to mix well.


8. Bring to a boil.


9. Serve.

Note:

If you prefer the soup to be thicker, gradually stir in cornflour mixture to thicken it.

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

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Hot Wheels Pasta – Your Taste Buds Will Be Rollin on Dubs

It only happens once every couple years or so, but sometimes I’ll think of the name of a recipe before I actually have the recipe. This summery, hot wheels pasta is one such dish. Not sure how “hot wheels” popped into my brain, but pop it did, and the next thing I knew I was at the market buying a box of rotelle.

So the “wheels” part was easy, but what about the “hot?” Just as easy, thanks to an assortment of hot and sweet pepper rings. I used about two-thirds hot peppers to one-third sweet, but you’ll obviously adjust to your personal tolerance. The zucchini provided a nice balance, although this is the kind of pasta that will accept any and all other summer veggies.

Besides what to add, you also have a lot of flexibility when it comes to the final taste and texture. I tend to like my peppers and squash just barely tender for this, but if you cook the sauce a few extra minutes before adding the pasta, you will get a softer, sweeter sauce. My version was a little more bracing, with some bite left to it.

On the other hand, you could cook everything even less, and have what would basically be a hot pasta and vegetable salad. Regardless, no matter what you add, or how long you cook it, I hope you’ll be driven to try this great recipe soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

2 generous cups dry rotelle pasta

2 zucchini, sliced

2 to 3 cups of sliced pepper rings, seeded

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup green onion

1 anchovy filet

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups prepared tomato sauce (use a pinch of sugar if sauce needs it)

3/4 cup chicken stock

Italian parsley

grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

View the complete recipe

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