Hakka Yam Balls

Ingredients

600g cooked yam, mashed
300g tapioca flour
300g minced pork
100g dried pickled sweet radish, chopped
5 pieces dried shitake mushrooms, shredded
2 cloves garlic, chopped
75g dried shrimps wash, soaked and chopped
2 tbsp oil

Stir-fry sauce:
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of dark soy sauce
Dash of soy sauce
Dash of rice wine
Dash of pepper
100ml chicken stock
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
1 stalk coriander, chopped

Method

Combine mashed yam with tapioca flour and mix until breadcrumb stage. Add seasoning ingredients and mix well. Stir in 3 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp sesame oil and knead until yam dough is smooth.Form small round discs and make a dent in each one with your forefinger.

Cook them in boiling water, then dish out with a perforated ladle and steep in a basin of cold water for a few minutes. Dish up, drain and place on an oiled plate.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok, fry garlic and dried shrimp until fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients and saute until aromatic. Stir in sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Add the cooked yam discs. Cook for one to two minutes.

sliced mushrooms pre-soaked, dried shrimps pre-soaked, dried pickled sweet radish

Dish out and serve hot with spring oinons and coriander.

Beef with Garlic shoots in black bean sauce

Ingredients
300g sliced beef (pre-marinated in soya sauce and garlic for half an hour)
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoons of black bean and garlic paste
a splash of chinese rice wine
a pinch of sugar
a splash of water
1 bunch of garlic shoots, cut in 2 inches long
a small cup of corn flour solution with water as thicken agent

Method
Heat wok until smoking with some oil.
Add marinated beef and garlic and cook for 3 mins and set a side
Add garlic shoots and fry for 1 mins and add beef back to the wok.
Add rice wine, black bean paste, water and sugar and fry for 2 mins.
If needed add a plash of corn flour solution to thicken sauce.
Serve with rice.

Oven Baked Spring Rolls

Ingredients

100g minced chicken
100g minced pork
1 packet vermicelli noodles
4 spring onions, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, grated
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon of grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
20 frozen spring roll wrappers (21.5cm square), thawed
1 tablespoon of cornflour
oil, for baking
Sweet chilli sauce, to serve

Method
Preheat 200°C.
Stir-fry cabbage, carrot, noodles, minced meat and spring onions for 3 to 5 minutes. Add soy sauce and pepper. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside to cool.
Combine cornflour with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Place 1 wrapper on a board with a corner pointing towards you. Brush edges with cornflour mixture (keep remaining wrappers covered with damp tea towel). Spoon 1 tablespoon filling mixture into corner of wrapper. Fold corner over filling then roll up from corner to corner, folding edges in to enclose filling.

*Irene had done a fantastic job with wrapping all rolls ^_^

Brush uncook rolls with oil and baked spring rolls for 25 minutes or until golden. Remove to a wire rack over a baking tray. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Back to Chinese Basic @ the Church Block

Next Sunday 7th June 2009
Starts at 6pm

starter
spring rolls

main
black pepper beef with snow peas
prawns and tofu with egg sauce
served with steamed rice

dessert
ice-cream with red bean paste and crushed roasted peanuts and black sesame

Simple Chicken N' Rice

First dinner @ the Church Block
Monday, 11 May 2009

Ingredients
(Serve 4)

For Chicken
1 kg x chicken tight fillet
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce

Garnish:
½ cup of finely chopped spring onions
3 tablespoons of fried onions (optional)
½ cup of finely chopped coriander (optional)

For Rice
2 cups of rice
2 ½ cups of water
2 tablespoons of hainan chicken rice paste / stock / cube (you can get this from asian store)
If you don’t have the paste, please opt for the following:
2 ½ cups of chicken stock
4 cloves of garlic including skin (bruised)
1 inch of ginger (bruised)
2 tablespoons of sesame oil

Marinade chicken with all ingredients and let them sit for 30mins.
Then pan fry chicken fillet until cook. Let them rest for a few mins before slicing into bite size.
Cook rice with ingredients for about 15mins.
Served with Asian green vegetables or salad.

GET YOUR FINGERS,
CHOPSTICKS READY.
Chinese Dumplings @ Tomo & Marc
This Easter, Saturday 11th April - 12noon till late.

Featuring...
Chinese Pork & Prawn Dumplings with Spring Onions and Chives
Hong Kong Chili Fish Balls

Recipes for Dumplings & Fish Balls....

Lamb Kofta

Ingredients
500g lamb mince
1/2cup Bhurgal soaked in water for half an hour (drained well)
1/2cup Bread Crumb soaked in 1/2 cup milk
1 tbs Smoked Paprika
1 tbs Cumin
1 Egg
2 cloves of Garlic chopped
1 small Onion finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
Handful of Parsley

Mix all ingredient and shape Kofta into thick sausage shape or any shape you like.
Grill or pan fry until cooked.
Serve with Mint Yoghurt and Tabbouleh or Cous Cous or Salad.

*Mint Yoghurt
1 cup plain Greek yoghurt
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs mint leaves (finely chopped)

Steamed Fish Cantonese Style

Ingredients
Fish
Salt
Soy sauce / Lee Kum Kee Seafood Soy Sauce
Water
Rice wine
Ginger, thinly sliced
Coriander, finely chopped
Spring Onions, finely chopped

Steps

• Start by rubbing fish with a bit of salt and place in fridge (not too much salt).
• Score both side of the fish and place sliced ginger on top of the fish.
• Get your steamer ready with boiling water...
• Once water in boiling, place fish in the steamer and steam for 8 mins.
• At this point, check fish to see if it is about cook, by checking the scored section of the meat if it’s Still translucent then you’ll need to cook more 3 - 5 mins max.
• If fish meat is about all white, take out some juices (as much as you can) then pour in the Pre-mixed steamed fish sauce (please see below).
• Cover the steamer and let it cook for about 5 to 6 mins.
• Fish should be cooked now. All up about 13 to 15 mins.
• (depending on the fish – fish for 2 to 4 people about 700gm max should take about 13mins) check it’s eye too.
• Take out and add chopped coriander and spring onion at this point.
• If you wish you can also pre-fired garlic oil and add to the fish.

Steamed fish sauce

• 2 tablespoons of rice wine / shao xing wine / sweet sherry / mirin / - all about the same, you can use either as substitute
• 3 tablespoons of Lee Kum Kee seafood soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of water – I am just guessing here , as I don’t usually measure.
• Basically this is to dilute the seafood soy sauce to your taste, it can be quite salty.
• The secret is...make sure you taste your sauce...even if there’s a bit of rice wine, you can still taste the salt and sweetness of the sauce.
• Add a bit of sesame oil if you like the taste, without it, just find. You don’t want to complicate the flavour too much, as fish is delicate and should be sweet.

Notes:
When you are buying fish, let your fishmonger know that you are planning to steam.
Cod is the best for steaming as it’s meat is firmer than others.
Snapper and Bream they are good too.
Try not to steam salmon or trout – too flaky and oily, it’s better to pan fried or grill these.

Thai Beef Salad - Yum Nua

Ingredients

500 g rump steak or new york cut
1/4 cup spring onions sliced thin
1/2 cup coriander leaves and steam
1/4 cup mint leaves
1 medium cucumber seeded and sliced
1 tomato cut into wedges
1/2 medium red Spanish onion cut into thin wedges
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1 cup rocket leaves

dressing
1 clove of garlic
1 bird's eye chili
2 tbs lemongrass thinly sliced (white part only)
1 1/2 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tbs fish sauce
2 1/2 tbs lime juice

Start making the dressing by crushing the minced garlic and bird chili using mortar and pastel.
Put this paste in a small bowl and add lemongrass, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar.
Whisk together to combine and set aside.
To cook the steak, heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
Sear the steak on one side and continue to cook until medium rare or medium.
Remove from heat and let stand on cutting board for 5 minutes.
After meat has rested, slice steak thinly.
In a large bowl, add beef and all other ingredients then pour the dressing on top and toss gently.
Serve with rice if desired.

Tippy's Summer Pancake Rolls ( The P Rolls )

Ingredients
10 cooked prawns, peeled
2 pieces of chicken thighs
[lightly marinated with soy and sesame oil then pan fried until cook, then sliced]
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/2 basil leaves
a bunch of coriander
1/2 cup dill
1/2 cup spring onions, thinly sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
5 rice paper sheets
5 thin savoury pancakes

Sauce:
hoisin sauce
crushed peanuts
a dash of chili sauce / cut chili

for the pancake, you'll need:
1/2 cup of flour
1 egg
1 tbs corn flour
a pinch of salt & pepper
water enough to make a thin batter

Pre-prepared all ingredient and wrap each roll carefully.
Serve with hoisin/peanut sauce.

Barbecued Duck Salad with Palm Sugar Dressing

Ingredients
1/2 Chinese barbecue duck, shredded
1 cups (160g) bean sprouts
1 cup coriander
1/2 cup mint leaves
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced green papaya or green mango or green apple
1/2 cup spring onions
1/2 cup fried eschalot*
1/2 cup lemon grass thinly sliced (white parts only)

Dressing
¼ cup grated palm sugar
½ cup (125ml) lime juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 chopped chilli (optional)
Top with a few tablespoons of coconut milk

To make the palm sugar dressing, place the palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce in a bowl and stir to combine. Place the shredded duck, bean sprouts, coriander, mint, chilli, papaya/mango/green apple and the palm sugar dressing in a large bowl and toss to combine. Spoon the salad into small bowls to serve. Serves 4.