October 31, 2020

Harry Porter Butterbeer


Ingredients:
4 cans of cream soda
100g butterscotch syrup
250ml double/whipped cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
50g butter ~ melted

Directions/Instructions:
  1. In a large bowl, combine cream soda and butterscotch syrup, stir well.
  2. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat cream until stiff peaks form.  Fold in powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Then melted butter until no longer streaky (add more butter if desired).
  3. Ladle "Butterbeer" into glasses and top with whipped cream mixture.

Fried Shrimp Balls


Ingredients:
250g shrimp ~ peeled & deveined, minced
150g fish paste (any white fish fillet, minced)
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp potato starch
1/2 tsp salt
Bread ~ cut small cubes
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Combine minced shrimp & fish together in a bowl & mix well.
  2. Add all the ingredients except the bread, mix well.  A better texture can be achieved using a pestle.
  3. Shape shrimp (1 tsp) mixture into ball & coat with bread cubes
  4. Deep fry at 160 deg C until crispy & golden brown.  Serve with sea salt if desired.

Creepy Eye Pies


Ingredients
:
Shortcrust Recipe here

Filling
6-8 Smith Apples ~ cut small cubes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
4 tbsp AP flour
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tbsp melted butter

Other
Cherry/Blueberries (Frozen/Fresh)
Disposable Foil Pie Tin
White Food Gel

Directions/Instructions:
  1. In a large bowl, add all the filling ingredients & mix well.  Set aside.
  2. Cut out round (4cm) of shortcrust pastry for the bases of pie tins.  Use a fork to dock holes at the bottom.
  3. Fill the pastry bases with the apple mixtures.  Then cut out fluted rounds in the shortcrust pastry for the top.  Secure to the base brushing with the egg wash mixture.
  4. Making the eyelids, cut out small rounds that are big enough to wrap around the cherry/blueberry & cut these in half to form a half-moon or  "eyelids" and gently with a knife, cut a little line for a double eyelid.
  5. Brush the tops of the pies with egg wash and then place the cherry/blueberry, gently press the "eyelid" into place.  Brush egg wash on the eyelid and sprinkle some fine sugar and bake for 25-30 mins.
  6. Once completely cool, draw a white line under the cherry/blueberry eye and a tiny dot.

Potato Curry Pau


Ingredients:
3-5 small potatoes
1 large onion ~ chopped
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp curry powder
1/4 cup water
Salt to taste
1/2 cup cilantro

Pau recipe here

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Boil potatoes in a medium saucepan.  After 15 mins, remove potatoes & allow it to cool.  Cut into small cubes.
  2. Heat vegetable oil in a frypan over medium heat.  Saute onion for 1 minute.  Add curry powder and continue to stir for 2 mins until the curry powder is fragrant.
  3. Add cubed potatoes & stir to coat with spices.  Pour in water & season with salt.  Add chopped cilantro & continue to stir to get everything well mixed.
  4. Turn off the stove.  Transfer to a bowl & allow to cool completely. Turn off the stove. Transfer to a bowl and allow the filling to cool.
  5. Divide the dough (35-37g ea) & roll out the dough in a round shape, fill 1 tbsp of potato curry & form the bun shape; place these onto a small sheet of baking paper or white cupcake wrapper.
  6. Place all the shaped buns onto a large tray, cover with a tea towel & place in a warm place for about 30 mins for the buns to rise again.
  7. Meanwhile, prepare the steamer on the stove.  Steam the buns in batches for 10-12 mins or until they are puffy & soft, cooked all the way through.  Serve the buns immediately.


Ghost Bread with Blueberry Cream Cheese


Dough 
160g Bread flour
40g Cake flour
20g sugar
3g salt
2g yeast
15g Butter 
8g skim milk powder
25g Cream Cheese
130ml milk

Filling
100g Cream Cheese
40g Blueberry Jam
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Mix the filling ingredients & cool in the refrigerator.
  2. Put all the dough ingredients in the bread machine.  Press "dough" mode.
  3. Divide the dough into 6 or 8 portions & re-roll.  Rest another 15 mins & cover to prevent from drying out.
  4. Roll the dough flat & place the filling.  Firmly bind/shape the dough of a "ghost".  Roll in a small ball shape of 1g/2g for a hand.  Use a little water to paste a "hand".  Cover & rest 15 mins.
  5. Preheat oven @ 180 deg C.  After fermentation, sprinkle the flour & lower the heat to 150 deg and bake for 8 mins.



October 30, 2020

Fudgy Brownie


Ingredients:
310g butter
228g semi-sweet chocolate ~ roughly chopped
3/4 cup cocoa powder ~ divided
1 tbsp espresso powder
2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp kosher salt
6 eggs
1 cup All-purpose flour
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Direction/Instruction:
  1. Grease a 9x13-inch (23x33cm) pan with non-stick spray/softened butter, then line with parchment paper; leaving an overhang on all sides.  Grease the parchment with softened butter/non-stick spray.
  2. Position a rack in the middle of the oven & preheat to 180 deg C.
  3. Combine the chopped chocolate, 30g of cocoa powder & espresso powder in a heatproof liquid measuring cup or medium bowl & set aside.
  4. Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat & cook until the butter just comes to a vigorous simmer about 5 mins, swirling the pan occasionally.  Immediately pour the hot butter over the chocolate mixture & let sit for 2 mins.  Whisk until the chocolate is completely smooth & melted then set aside.
  5. Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt & eggs in a large bowl.  Beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed until light & fluffy for about 10 mins.  It will be similar to the texture of a very thick pancake batter.
  6. With the mixer on, pour in the slightly cooled chocolate mixture & blend until smooth.  Sieve in the flour & remaining cocoa powder; use a rubber spatula to gently fold until just combined.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan & smooth the top with a spatula.  Bake until lightly puffed on top; about 20 mins.
  8. Remove the baking pan from the oven then lightly drop the pan on a flat surface 1-2 times until the brownies deflate slightly.  Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
  9. Return the pan to the oven & bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the brownies comes out fudgy but the edges look cooked through about 20 mins more.  The center of the brownies will seem under-baked but the brownies will continue to set as they cool.  Set the brownies on a cooling rack & cool completely in the pan.
  10. Use the parchment paper to lift the cooled brownies out of the pan.  cut into 24 bars & serve immediately.


Thai Spiced Deviled Eggs


Ingredients:
6 hardboiled eggs ~ cut in halves lengthwise
3 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tbsp Thai curry paste
2 tsp Ketchup
1 tsp Parika + Sprinkle
1 tsp spicy mustard
1/2 tsp Sriracha/Red Chilli Sauce/Tabasco
Salt to taste

Directions/Instructions:
  1. In a small bowl, add all the ingredients except egg white, mash until a smooth paste
  2. Transfer yolk mixture into ziplock bag & pipe into the egg whites.
  3. Wet finger & pat the surface of the filling smooth, using toothpick draw lines to make the "pumpkin" indentations
  4. Sprinkle with paprika & cut up the green part of spring onion to make tiny stems. 

October 29, 2020

Korean Hot Dog aka Corn Dog


Ingredients:
30-40 Mini hotdog (chicken sausage)
180g AP flour
4g baking powder
25g sugar
2g salt
1 egg
150ml milk

Direction/Instruction:
  1. Boil the mini hotdog/sausage in boiling water for about 30 sec.  Drain & start by skewering hotdog/sausage.
  2. Next, whisk all the ingredients together until smooth.  The batter should be very thick & sticky.
  3. Coated the hotdog/sausage in the sticky batter.  Once coated, the hotdog/sausage is ready to be fried.  Cook a few minutes, flipping at least once until all sides are golden brown & batter is fully cooked.

Note: If using pancake flour, it should be 200g and fresh milk 140ml



October 27, 2020

Nutella Stuffed Mini Pancakes


Ingredients
:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs ~ separated
1 cup milk
2 tbsp butter ~ melted
Cooking spray
Nutella

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder & salt in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then add the milk & butter.   Add into the flour mixture & whisk until well combined but still lumpy.
  2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the batter & gently fold to combine.  Add the remaining egg whites & gently fold until just combined.
  3. Spray a takoyaki pan with cooking spray on a stove set to medium heat.  Once the pan is warm, spoon the batter into each well.  Dollop about 1 tsp of Nutella into the center of each well.  Spoon enough batter on top to seal the pancakes closed.
  4. Once the surface begins to bubbles, flip over the pancakes using two skewers, so that the cooked side is facing up.  Cook until the bottom turns golden brown.
  5. Transfer the pancakes to a plate & enjoy!

October 26, 2020

Mozzarella Stick Onion Rings


Ingredients
:
2 large white/yellow onions
3-4 slices Mozzarella cheese
2 cups AP flour
5 eggs
2 cups bread crumbs
Oil for frying

Marinara Sauce

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Peel & cut onions into 1cm rings, separate the rings.
  2. Slice the mozzarella into 4 even strips & place a smaller onion ring in the center of a large one.  Fill the gap between the rings with strips of mozzarella.  Repeat with remaining onion rings & freeze them for an hour.
  3. Place the flour, eggs & bread crumbs into three (3) separate bowls.  Dip each prepared ring into the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, then back into the egg & one last time into the breadcrumbs.  Repeat with the remaining onion rings.
  4. Heat the oil in a pot over high heat (170-180 deg C).  Fry the rings until golden brown & crispy.  Careful not to fry them for too long as the cheese may ooze out completely.

October 25, 2020

Spicy Wontons


Ingredients
:
250g Ground Chicken/Pork
250g Minced Prawn
1 tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp Grated Ginger
1-1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp white pepper
Wonton Wrapper

Sauce
2 tbsp Thai chili paste/Sambal
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

Directions/Instructions:
  1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients & set aside for 30 mins.
  2. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the mixture into the center of each wonton wrapper.  Wet the edges then fold the wontons in half to form triangles.  Bring the two ends together so the tips are seal with water, pressing them lightly together.
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the wontons & cook until the wonton wrapper is translucent & the meats are cooked through for about 4-5 mins.  Use a slotted spoon, remove the wontons & transfer to a serving bowl.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients.  Pour over the wontons & serve.  Garnished with additional sliced scallions & sesame seeds (optional)


October 24, 2020

Black Pepper Fried Rice

Ingredients:
3 cup cooked rice
2 eggs ~ lightly beaten
2 tbsp Black pepper sauce
Prawn / Hotdog / Crabmeat ~ Your own choice
Green Vegetable ~ cut bite size
1 clove garlic ~ chopped
2 shallots ~ sliced
Salt to taste

Direction/Instructions:
  1. In a large bowl, add cooked rice, beaten egg & black pepper sauce.  Mix together & set aside.
  2. In a wok, heat 2 tbsp cooking oil.  Saute the sliced shallots & chopped garlic till shallots turn soft.
  3. Then add the seafood ingredients & cook for about 2 mins.  Add any vegetables & cook another 2 mins.
  4. Then add the rice mixture & stir continuously to mix well on high heat.  Cook till the rice is no longer moist.  Add salt to taste & cook for another 2 mins, then remove from the heat.  Serve immediately.

Shortcrust Pastry


Ingredients:
250g AP flour
125g Butter ~ cold from the fridge, cut cubes
1-2 tbsp milk ~ cold
1 tbs sugar
Pinch salt

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Put the butter and flour in a food processor with 1/4 tsp salt.  Blend until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  2. Add the sugar & briefly whizz again.  Then drizzle 1 tbsp milk over the flour mixture, use the pulse button to blend the mixture once more.  Keep going until it starts to form larger clumps.  If the mixture seems too dry, add a little more milk a tsp or 2 at a time, but no more than 3 tsp in total.
  3. Tip out onto a work surface & briefly knead the dough to bring it together into a smooth ball.  Avoid overworking or it will become tough.  Flatten the dough into a puck shape and wrap well in a cling film.  Chill for at least 30 mins or for up to 2 days or freeze for 2 months.

October 23, 2020

Coffee Bean Cookies (Eggless)


Ingredients
:
15g Hot milk
10g Instant coffee powder
100g Butter ~ room temp
90g Powdered sugar
155g Cake flour
15g Cocoa powder
30g Cornstarch

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Heat the milk & mix into the coffee powder.  Set aside let it cool completely.
  2. In a mixing bowl cream butter light & fluffy, add the powdered sugar, and whisk together until creamy.  Then add the coffee & whisk to combine.
  3. Sift together the dry ingredients & fold together with a rubber spatula.  Knead lightly just to combined together.
  4. Shape into a ball (5g ea) & touch it a slightly elongated oval shape.  Press lightly with a knife or scraper in the middle to form as coffee beans.  Place in the fridge for an hour.
  5. Preheat the oven at 160 deg. C and bake the cookies for 12 mins.
  6. Remove the tray & place it on the countertop.  Let the cookies rest for 5 mins before removing it from the tray.

October 22, 2020

Homemade Otak-Otak (Fish)


Ingredients:
300g Mackerel Meat or any white fish
Banana Leaves
Toothpicks

Blend (A)
10 pcs shallots
4 cloves garlic
20 dried chili ~ deseeded
5 fresh red chili ~ deseeded
1" galangal (Blue ginger)
2 stalk lemongrass ~ sliced thinly
8 pcs kafir lime leaves ~ thinly julienne
20g Belacan ~ roasted

Spices
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp rice flour
2 egg whites
250ml coconut milk

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Add fish meat to a food processor & give it a few pulses.
  2. Add (A) to an electric blender, grind until a smooth paste.
  3. Place the blended paste in a stain-proof mixing bowl & add all the spices ingredients.  Mix well.
  4. Then add fish meat into the spice mixture, mix well.  The otak-otak paste is ready.
  5. Soak banana leaves in hot water till softened & wipe dry with the kitchen towel before use.  Cut to 16x15cm size.  the longer width must run parallel to the lines of the banana leaf.
  6. Place about 30g otak-otak paste in the center of the banana leaf.  Fold one edge of the banana leaf to cover the otak paste.  Fold along the lines of the banana leaf and not against, else the banana leaf will crack and break.
  7. Fold the other edge in & press down gently.  Use bamboo toothpicks to secure both ends of the otak-otak.  Repeat until all the otak-otak paste is used up.
  8. Bake or grill the otak-otak in a preheated oven of 200 deg C until the leaves have browned evenly for about 10-14 mins. (Tip: Position grill rack close to the top heating coil)



Steamed Bao Buns


Ingredients
:
180ml water/milk ~ lukewarm (40 deg C)
60ml vegetable oil
300g HK flour or Plain flour
120g cornflour/cornstarch
5 tbsp sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
2-1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Bring the water/milk to a near boil.  Remove from heat when beginning to steam & small bubbles form on the side of the pan.  Let it reduce to lukewarm between 80-90 deg.
  2. Add the ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed in the ingredient above.  Set the bread machine to dough cycle, let it do the work from there.
  3. Once the dough is soft & smooth, kneading by hand for a few more minutes on the kitchen benchtop.  Place the ball of dough back into a clean mixing bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp cloth & let it rise for about 60-90 mins in a warm place.
  4. Punch the dough & knead by hand for about 5 mins to release any air bubbles in the dough.  Then roll out the dough until it is about 1cm in height.  Rub some oil onto the surface of the dough.  Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut out rounds from the dough.  Re-roll the dough as needed.
  5. Place these rounds onto a small sheet of baking paper or white cupcake wrapper, flatten with a rolling pin.  Fold over each round with parchment paper in between & then use a rolling pin to gently flatten the dough to form the bun shape.
  6. Place all the shaped buns onto a large tray, cover with a tea towel, and place in a warm place for about 30 mins for the buns to rise again.
  7. Meanwhile, prepare the steamer on the stove.  Steam the buns in batches for 10-12 mins or until they are puffy and soft, cooked all the way through.  Serve the buns immediately.

October 21, 2020

Hokkaido Pandan Sponge Cake


Ingredients:
6g glucose
100g eggs
40g castor sugar
40g cake flour
30g coconut oil
10g pandan juice
1/16 tsp salt

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Measure & prepare ingredients as detailed above.  Preheat oven to 190 deg. C.
  2. Whisk glucose, eggs & sugar till ribbon stage; ie. when the whisk is lifted, "ribbon" falls from the whisk smoothly & sits on top of the mixture without sinking.
  3. Sieve half of the cake flour into the egg mixture, moving the sieve around the bowl so that flour isn't clumped in one area.  Gently stir just top part of eggs with whisk till don't see any flour.  Sieve the remaining half of the flour as before.  Repeat gently mixing.
  4. Stir pandan juice & coconut oil till well mixed.  Gently drizzle mixture around the bowl.  Mix with whisk till oil dissolve, again stirring just top part of the batter.  Fold using a spatula till just evenly mixed.
  5. Divide batter equally between Hokkaido cupcake mold (abt 40g ea).  Place cupcakes on the baking tray spaced apart.
  6. Bake cupcakes at bottom of oven till batter domes & does not move when the baking tray is gently shaken (abt 8 mins.)  Gently move the tray to the upper-middle shelf.  Bake till golden brown & slightly springy when pressed lightly for about 5 mins.  Rotate cupcakes as necessary during baking so that batter rises & browns evenly.
  7. Remove cupcakes to wire rack.  Leave to cool down completely or serve warm. 

October 20, 2020

Mini Pandan Butter Cake

Ingredients:
180g butter ~ room temp
80g caster sugar
2 eggs ~ lightly beaten
45g Pandan extract juice
35g coconut milk
220g Self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Combine pandan extract & coconut milk together & mix well. (Do not worry if not enough 45g of pandan extract, just increase the coconut milk)
  2. Cream butter & sugar until light.  Gradually add beaten egg into the mixture & beat until fluffy at medium speed.
  3. Sieve in all the self-raising flour, baking powder & coconut milk mixture.  Gently fold well the mixture with a rubber spatula.
  4. Spoon mixture into small cupcake liner (40-41g ea) or lightly greased/cooking spray on a small muffin pan.
  5. Bake in preheated oven 165 deg C for abt 12 mins or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
  6. Best to serve warm; store the small cakes in an airtight container & re-heat for 8-10 mins before consuming.

October 19, 2020

Texas Roadhouse Rolls with Cinnamon-Honey Butter (Copycat)


Ingredients:
1-1/4 cup milk ~ scalded & cooled to lukewarm
1 egg ~ beaten
2 tbsp butter ~ melted
1/4 cup sugar or honey
480g bread flour or AP flour
2-1/4 tsp Active dry yeast
1 tsp salt

Cinnamon-Honey Butter
170g (3/4 cup) salted butter
75g (1/3 cup) powdered sugar
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Direction/Instruction:
  1. Bring the milk to a near boil.  Remove from heat when beginning to steam & small bubbles form on the side of the pan.  Let it reduce to lukewarm between 80-90 deg.
  2. Add the ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed in the ingredient above.  Set the bread machine to the dough cycle, let it do the work from there.
  3. Once complete, spray a large bowl with cooking spray & drop the dough inside.  Cover the bowl (plastic wrap or a damp cloth works) & let it rise for an hour in a warm place.
  4. Punch down the dough & roll it out on a flat floured surface until about 1/2-inch thick.  Fold it in half & gently seal.
  5. Cut into 24 squares of even size & place on 2 lightly greased cookie sheets.  cover them & let it rise for 30-40 mins until doubled in size.
  6. Preheat oven to 180 deg C (350 F) & bake for 12-15 mins or until the top is a light golden brown.
  7. Melt 2 tbsp butter & brush the top of the rolls.  Serve with Cinnamon-Honey Butter.
Cinnamon-Honey
  1. Using an electric mixer, whip together with the cinnamon-honey ingredient in a medium-size mixing bowl until fully combined.  Taste & adjust sweetness to taste.  Spread the cinnamon-honey onto the roll.

October 16, 2020

Stuffed Chicken with Nasi Lemak


Rice
250g Basmati or Long grain rice
150ml coconut milk
150ml chicken stock
125ml water
2 pandan leaves (screwpine)
1 lemongrass ~ bashed
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fenugreek (optional)

Sambal Chili ~ Blend (A)
25 pcs dried chili ~ cut small & boil to soften it
1 stalk lemongrass ~ sliced thin
1 large red onion
8 pcs shallots
4 clove garlic
20g dried shrimps ~ soaked preserved the water
10g anchovies
1/2 cup cooking oil

Ingredients (B)
20g belacan ~ roasted
1/4 cup tamarind juice or 1 tsp tamarind paste
40g palm sugar or white/brown sugar
170ml soak liquid from dried shrimp

Other
50g groundnut/peanuts
50g anchovies
Cucumber ~ slice

Marinade ~ Chicken
10 whole chicken wings ~ slit the side to create a pocket for filling
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp white pepper
1-1/4 tbsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp potato starch
2 tbsp cornstarch
1-4 tbsp water
Oil ~ deep frying

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Rice: Rinse the rice & drain.  Add all the ingredients into the rice cooker.  Pour the liquid into the rice cooker & set to cook.
  2. Other: Stir-fry the groundnuts until the color darkens slightly.  Set aside.  Then deep fry the anchovies until golden & crispy.
  3. Sambal: Blend all the ingredients (A) into a smooth paste.  Heat wok with 1/4 cup oil on medium heat & saute the paste to caramelize.  Simmer for half an hour, keep stirring.  Add tamarind juice, palm sugar & salt.  Once the sambal thickens and oil surface,  off the heat.
  4. Chicken: Stuff filling into the pocket of the wing with the cooked rice & use toothpicks to close the pocket. In a large bowl of chicken wings, add all the marinade ingredients, mix thoroughly until wings are evenly coated.  Keep in the fridge for 2 hours.  Heat wok on medium (170 deg C), scoop each wing with some batter in a spoon & slowly drop into the hot oil.  Turn the wings over at least twice about every minute (about 7 mins) until fully cooked.  Remove the cooked wings & transfer to a wire basket to drain off excess oil.
  5. Assemble:  Serve stuff chicken with fried peanuts, fried anchovies, sambal & a couple of slice of cumbers




October 15, 2020

Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls


Ingredients:
18 medium shrimp
3 oz thin rice vermicelli (maifun)
1 large carrot ~ peel & cut into thin matchsticks
1-2 Persian cucumber ~ cut into matchsticks
1 Red/Orange bell pepper ~ cut into matchsticks
1/2 cup mint leaves
12 pcs butter lettuce
12 pcs Rice paper sheets
Warm water ~ for rolling spring rolls

Sauce - Peanut
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp maple syrup (can sub with brown sugar)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Sauce - Nuac Cham
1/3 cup warm water
3 tbsp sugar
2-1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 Thai chili ~ sliced
1 clove garlic ~ minced

Sauce - Hoishin
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp water

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Small pot with water & bring to boil, add the shrimp & cook for 2 mins.  Remove the shrimp & let them cool for 5 mins.  Gently press the shrimp down & slice the shrimp in half, horizontally.  Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
  2. Small pot with water & bring to boil.  Turn off the heat, let the noodles sit in the hot water for about 5-8 mins.  Check the package directions as the cooking time varies across different brands.
  3. Once the noodles have softened, drain & rinse the noodles under cold water.  Cut the noodles to shorten & easier to grab.
  4. Fill a larger bowl with lukewarm water to wet the rice paper sheets.  Transfer all the vegetables, shrimp, herbs & noodles into bowls & arrange them on the worktop.
  5. Quickly dip a sheet of rice paper in the lukewarm water to moisten the entire surface.  Lay the wet rice paper on the work surface.  Place a piece of butter lettuce close to the bottom edge of the rice paper.  Arrange a small pinch each of rice noodles, carrots, cucumber, red bell pepper & min leaves over the center of the lettuce leaf.
  6. Arrange 3 pieces of shrimp abt 1-1/2 to 2 inches below the top edge of the rice paper.  Make sure the orange/pink side is facing down.
  7. Grab the lower edge of the rice paper & lettuce & start rolling up the spring roll.  Once reached the shrimp, fold in the left & right sides.  Finish rolling up the spring roll all the way to the end.
  8. Repeat the rolling process with the rest of the ingredients.  If the chopping board is looking dry, brush some water over the board.  Serve the spring rolls with the dipping sauce.

Walnut Snowballs


Ingredients
:
150g Cake flour
10g Potato starch
30g sugar
60g white sesame oil
50g Walnut ~ roasted
Powder sugar ~ dust/coated

Directions/Instructions:
  1. In a small pan, roasted the walnut then chopped coarsely.
  2. Put all the ingredient in a plastic bag except the powder sugar & knead from the outside of the bag to gather the dough (it does not come together, add a little white sesame oil)
  3. Roll the dough into a 2cm ball & line up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  4. Bake in a preheated oven 180 deg C for 16 mins, then remove & let it cool completely.
  5. Put the complete cooled bake ball into a plastic bag with powdered sugar & gently shake to coat the ball.

French Fries Corndog


Dough
1 cup lukewarm water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1-3/4 cup AP flour

500g Frozen french fries ~ cut small cubes
10 hotdogs
10 wooden skewer
Vegetable oil for frying

Optional
1/2 cup bread crumbs.

Directions/Instructions:
  1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water & sugar in a bowl, stir well.  Then add the active dry yeast & let it sit for a few mins until the yeast bloom.  Add the salt & flour, mix well with a wooden spoon for about 2 mins until it turns smooth batter without any lumps.  Cover & let it sit until the volume doubles in size for about an hour.
  2. While waiting for the batter to rise, cut the frozen french fries into small cubes & set in the fridge/freeze when ready to use.  Then pat dry the hotdogs & skewer it with skewer wooden.  Set aside.
  3. Heat 4-inches of oil in a large saucepan or wok to 170 deg C.  The pan should be deep & wide enough to immerse.
  4. Coat hotdog skewer with the batter, fully covered.  Then roll it in the potatoes cube & pack them into the batter & shape it.  Then roll it in the breadcrumbs (optional) until it's completely covered before dropping into the hot oil.  Fry for 5-7 mins till golden & crispy.
  5. Serve immediately with ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.

Batter (Ver 2)
120g Cornmeal flour
120g AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar/light brown sugar
1 tbsp salt
1-1/2 tsp white pepper ~ ground
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Firecracker Shrimp with Sweet Chili Sauce


Ingredients
:
12 large tight prawn ~ peeled with tails on & deveined
12 egg roll wrappers ~ cut in half into 2 triangles

Marinade
1 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp garlic ~ grated
2 tsp ginger ~ grated
1 tsp cornstarch

Glued
2 tbsp water
2 tsp cornstarch
Oil for frying

Dipping
Thai sweet chili sauce

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Nick the shrimp a few times along the inside of their curve to help stay straight.
  2. Marinate the shrimp in the marinade ingredients in the fridge for 20 mins.
  3. Shake any excess marinade off the shrimp, wrap it in the egg roll wrappers leaving the tails out & seal the wrappers with a mixture of the water & cornstarch.
  4. Fry the shrimp in small batches in oil over medium-high heat until golden brown, crisp & cooked through for abt 2-3 mins & set aside on paper towels to drain.
  5. Serve immediately with Thai sweet chili sauce.

Turmeric Fried Chicken


Ingredients:
500g Chicken wings ~ separated
3 cloves ~ finely chopped
2 tsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp ground turmeric
3 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground ginger
1-2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
10 sprigs fresh curry leaves
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions/Instructions:
  1. Combine the chicken pieces, garlic & soy in a bowl & toss to coat evenly.  Mix the turmeric, coriander, ginger, chili & salt in a small bowl & pour over the chicken.  Wear a disposable gloves mix with hands until the chicken is thoroughly covered with the pieces & seasoning.  Scrunch the curry leaves roughly & nestle amongst the chicken pieces, then transfer into a snap-lock bag pushing as much air out of the bag as possible before sealing.  Alternatively, place in a bowl & cover with cling wrap.  Marinate in the fridge over 1-2 nights for a superior result or a minimum of 2 hours.
  2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan or wok over medium-high heat.  To test the oil, rest the tips of chopsticks on the bottom of the saucepan & if a flurry of bubbles rises rapidly to the surface, good to go.
  3. Fry 5-6 pieces of chicken at a time for abt 5-7 mins per batch, together with the curry leaves as this will make the oil beautifully fragrant.  The result should be a deep golden brown with a vibrant yellow tint & the outside of the chicken wonderfully crunchy.  rest the cooked chicken on a kitchen towel in a colander.  Repeat until all chicken is cooked.
  4. Serve with the fried curry leaves