Seafood Noodle Soup with Pickled Sour Mustard

This is one of my favorite dish to make whenever I have the craving for something sour and appetizing.
Ingredients:
4-5 calamari, sliced
1 piece fish fillet, sliced
Rice vermicelli noodles, pre-soaked in water
1 piece 2-inch ginger, julliened
1 package pickled sour mustard
3-4 cups chicken broth
1 stalk spring onions, chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1-2 Tbsp. tamarind powder (Sinigang)
Method:
1. Rinse the sour mustard greens well and squeezed off excess water. In a frying pan heat some oil and fry it with some ginger until fragrant for about 8-10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook vermicelli according to package instruction. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat chicken broth with rest of ginger and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes, spring onions and tamarind powder. Season to according to your taste. Bring the soup to a fast boil again and add in the fish and cuttlefish to cook.
4. To serve, add noodles into individual bowls and scoop hot broth along with vegetables and seafood on top. Serve warm.
Printable Recipe

Baked Apple Tarte Normande

Tarte Normande is unique of Normandy due to the prolific of apples in that area in the region in France. The tart is made with a sweet crust with thinly sliced applies on top. For an impressive and dramatic touch to the tart, you can flambé with brandy before serving.
Ingredients:
5-6 apples (golden delicous or any tart variety)
2 ozs sugar
4 ozs unsalted butter (softened)
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. brandy
½ tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. flour
4-5 small cubes of butter
3 oz brandy for flambé (optional)
Crust:
10½ oz all purpose flour
4½ oz sugar
4½ oz unsalted butter, softened
2 medium eggs
Method:
1. Make the pastry by mixing the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon. Add eggs and mix together with your fingertips, followed by flour and mix until the dough is a smooth dough. Wrap dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 45 minutes until dough is firm enough to handle.
2. In a bowl, mix the sugar with all the dry spices. Peel and cored the apples and sliced thinly. Add to a bowl with lemon juice to prevent it from turning brown.
3. Chop 1/3 of the apples into small cubes and cook them down into a compote in a heavy saucepan with softened butter, half of the spiced sugar, vanilla and brandy. Cook over medium heat and stir to mix with the apples. Reduce heat to simmer for about 30 minutes until apples have softened and fragrant. Remove from heat to cool. Add a tsp. of flour to apple mixture.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough and press to tart pan. Pour compote to the bottom of pan and arrange sliced apples in a rosette. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar evenly on top of apples. Dot top with butter.
5. Bake in oven for about 40 minutes until apples and crust are golden brown. Remove and set aside to cool.
6. Serve with whipped cream or ice-cream if you want it simple or flambé. Tips on how to flambé
Printable Recipe

Pork Nuggets in Fragrant Sauce

I love to serve this appetizing dish with its spicy and piquant sauce. The pork are deep fried to a crispy brown golden color and serve with the sauce.
Ingredients:
½ lb pork tenderlion or pork shoulder
2 shallots, chopped
some cornstarch, mixed with water
¾ cup all-purpose flour
Oil for frying
Sauce:
¾ cup good quality black vinegar
2-3 Tbsp. brown sugar (3 if maltose sugar not available)
1 Tbsp. maltose sugar (optional)
¾ cup water
¼ cup Chinese hua diao wine
2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. Dijon or English mustard
Marinade:
2 tsp. light soy sauce
2 tsp. oyster sauce
1 egg
1 tsp. rice vinegar
some constarch, mixed with a little water

Method:
1. Wash meat and pat dry. Cut meat into bite-size cubes and put into a bowl. Mix the marinade ingredients and add to meat to season for at least half an hour.
2. Gently heat sauce ingredients, except the wine in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until sugar dissolve and add some constarch to thicken. Season to taste according to your taste. When the sauce has thicken slightly add wine and stir for another minute. Remove and set aside.
3. Heat enough oil in a deep pan for frying. Coat a few pieces of meat in the flour, shaking off excess flour. When oil is hot and sizzling, drop meat carefully into the hot oil. Fry until meat turns golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat the same with the rest of the meat.
4. In another clean pan, some oil and fry shallots until soft and fragrant. Add in the sauce, followed with fried pork. Thicken with cornstarch mixture if needed and stir-fry briefly.
5. Remove and transfer to plate, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Cook's Tip: When deep frying, the oil should cover ingredients and oil should be heat in high temperature (190°C/375°F). When adding ingredients to the oil, be sure to use a long chopstick or tong and gently add along the pan or wok side. Do not overcrowd when deep frying.
Printable Recipe