Hot and Spicy Soup/Tom Yum

I was trimming my kaffir lime bush this morning and this gives me and idea for tonight dinner. Tom Yum is a simple soup that cooks in a one pot in less than an hour. You can serve this soup with shrimp or chicken, I decided to use salmon tonight and serve warm with rice and a stir-fried vegetable dish.
Ingredients:
1 lb shrimps (washed, shelled leaving tails intact, keeping the heads and shells)
4 cups chicken stock/water
2 fresh tomato, sliced in chunks
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 pcs. lemon grass, cut in lengths and crushed
4 pcs. galangal (crushed)
2-3 pieces ginger
2 Tbsp. best quality fish sauce (nam pla, buy the one with the 3 crabs)
4-6 pcs. fresh kaffir lime leaves (crushed)
2 pieces of dried Thai fresh chilies (optional)
2 Tbsp. nam prik pow (Thai chili paste in soya bean oil)
3 Tbsp instant tom yum paste
juice of 2 limes or lemon
pinch of sugar
cilantro and mint leaves for garnishing
Method:
1. In a pot heat a little oil, fry the shrimps heads/shells until fragrant and red color. Add enough water to cover and lower heat to simmer for an hour. Strain the stock and press out as much juice from the shells.
2. In the same pot, add chicken stock, lemon grass, galangal, ginger, kaffir leaves, fresh chillies, and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes. Lower heat to simmer and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove and let it sit longer to get as much flavor and essence from the ingredients.
3. Reheat the #2 stock, add the shrimp stock and bring to a fast boil. Stir in the tom yam paste, nam prik pow (if used), tomato, mushrooms, fish sauce and lime juice. Cook this for another 5 minutes, then add the shrimp meat and season to your taste (do not overcook the shrimp)
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Grilled Pork Chops

A chef once told me that the solution to a juicy, moist and tender pork chop is to marinade it with a brining mixture ahead of time. You can use other herbs and spices for added flavor and cook it either baked or grilled. I served mine with sweet potato galettes.

Ingredients:
4 pork chops
¾ cups apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. peppercorn, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
½ cup ice water
Method:
1. In a saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, bay leaf, and salt. Heat on low and whisk to dissolve ingredients. Remove from heat and add ice water to cool down the mixture completely. Note: Don't put the meat into hot brine, as it will cook the meat.
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2. Put meat in the mixture, cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours. Remove the meat from the brine and dry with paper towels before cooking it.

Flambé White Sea Bass with Fresh Fennel

If you like the taste of licorice, and want to impress your guests you might enjoy this dish. The fish is grilled and flambé with Pernod, an alcoholic liqueur with the taste of anise. Bon Appétit!
Ingredients:
1 white sea bass, about 2 lbs, cleaned, gutted, and head removed
2 medium sized fresh fennel bulbs and fronds, sliced thinly
½ cup olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
3 tsp. fennel seeds
salt and pepper to taste
an ovenproof platter
½ cup Pernod
Method:
1. Pat fish dry and cut three deep cuts on both sides of the fish. Brush some olive oil on fish and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the cuts and the fish cavity with fennel seeds. Set aside.
2. Preheat the broiler. Spread the slices of fennel evenly on the broiler rack and brush with remaining olive oil. Broil on high for 3-4 minutes on each side until fennel is tender. Remove and transfer to an ovenproof platter and keep warm.

3. Place the oiled fish back to the broiler rack and broil for about 10-15 minutes on each side.
4. Assemble the fish on top of the fennel and garnish with fennel frounds. In a saucepan, heat the liqueur gently, light it with a long bamboo stick and pour the flaming warm liqueur over the fish. Serve immediately.
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Baked Lemony-Garlic Chicken

This is a delightful dish to serve with crusty bread to soak up every bit of the sauce. I made this with my daughter and we both enjoyed it. This one is for you Melissa :)
Ingredients:
8 pieces of skinless, boneless chicken thighs
3 cups organic chicken stock
25 garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
2 lemons, peeled, rind removed and sliced thinly
3 Tbsp. flour
3/4 cups dry white wine
salt and black pepper to taste
1 small bunch sweet basil, chopped for garnishing
Method:
1. Dry chicken with paper towels and season well with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add in garlic cloves and simmer on low for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a pan and fry chicken pieces are golden on all sides. Remove and transfer them into an ovenproof dish with lid. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Remove garlic from the chicken stock. Distribute the garlic and and lemon slices evenly among the chicken pieces.
3. Reheat the pan in which the chicken was browned, add flour to mix in with the brownings for about 2 minutes. Add in the wine, stirring constantly and then gradually add in the stock, making sure that mixture is smooth and free of lumps (use a small whisk). Continue doing this until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Remove from heat and pour flour mixture over the chicken. Cover and bake for an hour. Sprinkle with chopped basil and serve with rice or bread.
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Fried Collard Greens with Smoked Apple Bacon

I was at Trader Joe this weekend and they were serving this delicious uncured apple bacon to shoppers. I took a bite and it was really good! It has a nice apple flavor and I like it as it is not as salty. What a perfect coincidence, as I went in to get some bacon for tonight's dinner. This would be wonderful with collard greens that I got from the farmers market. Beside collard greens, it is great with dinosaur kale (lacinato). Yummy!
Ingredients:
2 bunches collard greens, cut in bite sized
1 red onion, sliced thinly
4 ozs bacon, sliced thinly
half cup dry white wine
3 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. In a large frying pan, heat oil and add in bacon to brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and fry until the onions is beginning to soften and absorbed most of the bacon oil.
2. Add in the wine and simmer for about 3-4 minutes to reduce the liquid. Add in greens and seasonings. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15-20 minutes until greens are tender. Serve hot with rice.
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Fried Tofu with Meat Sauce

This is a simple and easy dish for an everyday meal if you like tofu. I like to use fresh tofu rather than the pre-packed ones that you find in the Asian supermarkets. Tofu is great for stir-fry, braised or even fresh with seasoned hot oil. To test for freshness, take a sniff and if it smells stale, taste sour, or feels slippery it is bad.
Ingredients:
4 slices of firm white tofu, dry well with paper towel
1 small bunch sweet basil, chopped finely
¼ lbs lean pork, minced or chopped finely
5 dried mushrooms, soaked and chopped in pieces
2 tsp. oyster sauce
2 tsps. cornstarch
1/4 cup stock or water
1 tsp. minced garlic and ginger
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying
Method:
1. Heat a saucepan with enough oil on high. Gently add a piece of tofu to the oil and deep fry on both sides till golden brown. Drain well with paper towel. Do the same to the rest of the tofu. Arrange cooked tofu on a plate.
2. Season meat with salt and pepper and some cornstarch. Heat a wok with a little oil, fry mushrooms till fragrant for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic/ginger and mix with the mushrooms, follow by the pork. Cook until meat is no longer pink in color about 10-15 minutes. Mix cornstarch, oyster sauce with stock/water to dissolve and add to the pork mixture. Stir in basil and season to taste. Pour the hot mixture on top of tofu and garnish with basil. Serve hot with rice.
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Crispy Top Hats with Savory Fillings/Kueh Pi Tee

This dish is a Peranakan or Nyonya snack, popular in Penang and Singapore. Kueh pi tee or top hats are crispy pastry cases in the shape of a hat. The cases can be made ahead of time and makes great hors d'oeuvres. The mold is a hand fluted truncated cone made of bronze, its tapered shape allows the top hats to slide off the mold once they are cooked. Making this is no small feat as it requires patience, time and the right batter mixture. The trick is to get the mold seasoned with the hot oil before dipping into the batter.
Ingredients:(makes about 3 dozens)
150 gm rice flour
50 gm cornflour
50 gm all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
¼ tsp. baking powder
1 cup water
pinch of salt and pepper
oil for deep frying
Pi tee mold
Filling:
1 medium sized jicama, peeled and julienned
1 carrot, julienned
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 shallots, minced
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup cooked prawns, chopped in small pieces
2 tsps. oyster sauce cilantro for garnishing
fried shallots for garnishing
lettuce, shredded in small pieces
chilli sauce for dipping
Method:
1. Combine both flours in a mixing bowl; add the egg, water and salt to form a batter. Whisk until mixture is free from lumps. The batter is done, when it coats the wooden spoon or your finger with a light creamy layer thick enough to hold. Strain batter into a clean bowl and let stand for at least an hour.
2. Heat enough oil to a deep saucepan on high. When oil is hot, immersed the pi tee mold into the oil briefly for about 2 seconds. Lower the heat to medium. Dip the heated mold into the batter, until it come up to the rim of the mold, coated with the batter. Let the excess batter to drip off, then dip the mold into the hot oil.
3.To separate the batter, jiggle and move the mold up and down to loosen the edges around the top. The batter should come loose by poking gently with a fork or long bamboo skewer on the edges. Allow the casing to cook in the oil until it is light brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. When cool, store in air-tight containers.

4. In a wok, add some oil and fry the garlic and shallots till soft and fragrant. Add the jicama and carrot and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the jicama is soft. Add cooked prawns and season to taste with oyster sauce, salt and pepper. Remove and set aside.
5. In a clean work, add some oil and fry egg into a thin omelet. Remove and cut into thin strips.
6. To assemble: Put a piece of lettuce inside the pi tee case, then add a spoonsful of jicama mixture and garnish the top with eggs, fried shallots, and cilantro. Serve immediately with chilli sauce.
(Click arrow to watch video clip)

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