Satay

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 large onion, chopped

1 stalk lemongrass, minced

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 kilo chicken or beef, sliced into 2-inch portions Bamboo skewers For peanut sauce:

1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 stalk lemongrass Vegetable oil

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2 teaspoon dried tamarind, soaked

1 teaspoon salt Read more Share Posted: August

19th,

1 Traditional Braised Duck Share During the Singapore food festival

2010, I had the pleasure of meeting the Heavenly chefs (Mr Sin Leong and Mr Hooi Kok Wai of Dragon Phoenix and Red Star Restaurant) to showcase three very authentic and old school Cantonese dishes not popularly found today in menu menus like the Shunde Wild Pheasant , the Deep Fried Golden Pearls and a good old traditional braised duck. These recipes are not for beginners but of course you can try them. Origin of the traditional braised duck In Canton province of China, during festivals such as Cheng Ming, harvesting, etc., people used to gather in the ancestral hall to celebrate and thanks their ancestors for blessings given. On such occasions, foods such as roast duck, roast meat, chicken etc., were brought as offerings. After some prayers, all these foods were placed into a big pot and stewed into a pot-luck delicacy where people gather around sharing the joy of the occasion. Such practices initiated the creation of the famous Cantonese Dish "Peng Cai". The "Traditional Braised Duck" is one of these "Peng Cai" dishes which uses duck as the main ingredient. Besides offering a harmonic combination of textures and flavors, this dish has a symbolic cultural significance as it symbolized unity and the sharing of joy. In the

40s, this dish was "migrated" together with a group of Cantonese immigrant into Singapore and became a popular dish in Chinese banquets. Read more Share Posted: July

20th,

2010 under Asian Cuisine Comments:

1 Kilawin na Isda or Kinilaw Share Just looking at the photos makes me want to eat more kilawin or kinilaw na isda. Once can use either tuna or lapu-lapu fillets to make this dish. I always associate the Kinilaw with a beach outing. Preparing dishes with vinegar ensures there is little chance of food spoilage. The fish is "cooked" using vinegar as the meat turnes opaque in color. Though kinilaw may not be as popular as adobo, it certainly has a one-of-a-kind taste that many Pinoys abroad crave for. In Philippine Food and Life (released by Anvil Publishing in 1992), Gilda Cordero-Fernando narrates of an Ilokano group who, during the Spanish period, were part of the crew English navigator Thomas Cavendish's ship. Right after the sailors threw all the intestines of a goat into the sea, the Ilokano assistants dived into the sea for their kilawin - dipped or cooked in bile sauce or broth. The chronicler, who was ignorant of what the Pinoys were preparing, described the dish as "a disgusting mess." Not only goats, which is believed to be a good source of protein and calcium, however, may be made into kilawin. Beef, carabeef, fish, shelfish, including octopus are also popular options. (Sources: Alegre, Edilberto N. and Fernandez, Doreen G. "Kinilaw: A Philippine Cuisine of Freshness." Bookmark Inc.,1991;Cordero, Gilda Fernando. "Philippine Food and Life." Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, 1992) Kilawin na isda is so easy to prepare too. Here are the ingredients: Read more Share Posted: January

16th,

2010 under Asian Cuisine , Filipino Food , Recipes , Seafood , kakanin Comments:

12 Sambal Goreng Udang (Chilli Prawn) Share I promised that I'd share Singapore Food recipes from the chefs in Singapore. Now this Chilli Prawn recipe called Sambal Goreng Udang is so simple. Here is a recipe shared by Singaporean Chef Veni Knight Ingredients

500gm large prawns, remove heads and veins but leave shells intact

2 tbsp of chilli powder (You can easily buy these at the supermarket)

2 large onions, sliced Salt to taste

3 tbsp cooking oil Method

1. Mix prawns with chilli powder

2. Heat oil in the wok

3. Add the prawns and stir on high heat

4. When the prawns have all turned red, stir in the onions

5. Let the onions soften slightly before putting the fire out

6. Serve hot Share Posted: July

31st,

2009 under Asian Cuisine , Recipes , Seafood Comments:

1 Nonya Bak Chang: Singapore-Style Dragon Boat Festival Dumplings & Babi Asam: Spicy Pork in Tamarind Sauce Share It was honor to observe a cooking demo from Violet Oon , dubbed as Singapore Food Ambassador. She is one of Singapore's leading food gurus and is known as much for her cooking as for her opinions on food. She is considered one of the leading authorities on Asian cuisine with a particular emphasis on Peranakan Food. Violet is also a respected cookbook author and food researcher. Her appointment as consultant to the Singapore Food Festival

2009 is particularly meaningful to her as the theme is Peranakan, the culture she belongs to. Click here to go directly to the Video link Watch the

35 minute video as she demonstrates two recipes: Nonya Bak Chang and Babi Asam. She interspersed her cooking tips as she demonstrated the recipe. The recipe is a bit complicated to cook but you will learn some asian cooking tips just by watching the video. Now if you want to experiment, go ahead. The sweet potato dumplings taste so good. Cooking Tips

1. Saute with a nice gentle sizzle not too loud sizzleChinese stir fry cooking involves high sizzle but not Peranakan.

2. Cook by smell.

3. Most peranakan dishes boil pork, slice it for that even look, then stir fry it

4. When boiling sweet potato, keep water for soup stock

5. Metal masher is better to use for mashing sweet potatoes

6. Don't put less in a traditional dish. If rich foods are cooked in its right richness, you tend not to eat a lot.

7. This food should not be eaten every day. In the old days, it was eaten once a year.

8, Enjoy food three times a month. Rest of the month, eat plain like steamed fish or plain rice. When you cook for guests, the point is how to impress them. Cook really yummy for guests.

9. Coriander powder is important in Peranakan cooking. Never buy powder form. Toast the coriander in the over oon

14for 10 to 15 minutes but stir every

5 minutes. It has to smell cooked but not burned.

10. To prevent spillage on the floor, use a mixing bowl three times the size that that you would need.

11. the smaller the pot the better. Deep fry is about how high the oil is.

12. When eating in a restaurant, feast with your eyes, your smell and lastly, the taste

13. Drain/dry the meat before cooking so that there is no water layer that prevents spices from reaching the meat. Here are the recipes demonstrated by Violet Oon. Held to commemorate a hero of ancient China, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in Singapore with thousands of pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumplings and a Dragon Boat Race. The poet Ch'u Yuan drowned himself in protest against injustice and corruption. It is said that rice dumplings were cast into the water to lure fishes away from the body of the martyr. This act is remembered by the eating of "chung", glutinous rice dumplings. Dried lotus and pandan leaves flood the markets a few days before the festival on the fifth month of the lunar calendar as the dumplings are wrapped up tightly in these leaves. The steamed glutinous rice encloses a variety of fillings from pork to mushrooms, red beans, chicken, and mung beans. The Peranakan version isa delicious variation. In the past, lotus leaves were not as a vailable so Peranakans used the gigantic fragrant pandan leaves to wrap their bak chang. In addition to the traditional ingredients of diced pork, Chinese mushrooms and preserved melon was added to the local recipe by the Baba Chinese. The new recipe also includes pounded coriander seeds and lots of sugar. Read more Share Posted: July

22nd,

2009 under **Tips, Supplies & Preparation , Asian Cuisine , Recipes Comments:

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