Vietnamese Turmeric & Dill Fish ' Cha Ca'

A friend suggested that I should try out Marion's 'Cha Ca' and after logging into her Youtube channel, I knew I had to try it out and truly it was one good one. So flavour packed with the fresh dill and fish sauce and those homegrown fresh turmeric . Every mouthful is mind blowing and I know it has to be added to my dinner menu list from now on.  Vietnamese dish from my kitchen to my dining table.  The Nuoc Cham dressing was good too.  I chose smoked rice over vermicelli noodles.You can have the 'cha ca' topped over vermicelli noodles or rice.

 best to marinate fish fillets

with the marinade ingredients for at least

1 hours or overnight for deeper flavor

I used red snapper fillets

 

 I marinated the fish fillets with the

aromatics for 3 hours

a very delicious vietnamese dish 

that we can all cook from home

 

Vietnamese Turmeric & Dill Fish  ' Cha Ca'  - Marion's Kitchen

Ingredients

180g (6.3 oz) dried rice vermicelli ( I used  smoked rice )

800g (1.7 lb) white fish fillets, sliced into 4cm wide strips

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 long red chilli, finely sliced

3 spring onions (scallions), cut into batons

3 sprigs of dill, cut into large pieces (but remove any large stems)

Marinade:

1/3 cup sliced spring onion (scallions)

3 garlic cloves

¼ cup fish sauce

1 Tbsp turmeric

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp finely chopped dill

Nuoc Cham Dressing:

3 Tbsp white sugar

3 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp white vinegar

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 long red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped

2 Tbsp lime juice

Method:

For the marinade, use a mortar and pestle to pound the spring onion and garlic to a rough paste.  Stir through the remaining ingredients.  Pour the marinade into a large bowl. Add the fish and toss to coat.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high het. Add the fish, spreading the pieces out in the pan. Allow to cook on the first side until golden (about 2-3 minutes). Then gently turn the fish over, sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of water.  Cover with a lid and cook for  2-3 minutes or until fish is just cooked.  Scatter over most of the spring onion and dill (leave some for serving). Pour over lime juice and remove from heat.

Top noodles or rice with fish and the pan juices. Drizzle with nuoc cham and add more dill or spring onion as needed.

Enjoy!

 

Taiwanese Style Steamed Pork Ribs With Yam

I discovered a new recipe to be added to my dinner menu list.  It is a Taiwanese style of steamed pork ribs with yam.  A very flavourful dish and for me it's a new way of cooking pork ribs. I like new ideas when in comes to cooking for dinner.  Firstly, the pork ribs has to be marinated with the marinade ingredients for at least 30 mins or more.  While the ribs are resting with the marinades, prepare the pan fry the glutinous rice and rice with sichuan peppers till golden brown. Use the chopper, blend it coarsely.  Before steaming add to the marinated ribs.  Simple and easy to prepare dish. A new dish to be added to my dinner menu list.  You can try this dish if you are adventurous like me, testing new recipes for the family.

blend the pan fried glutinous rice, rice and sichuan pepper

coarsely to be added to the marinated ribs

 a few mins before steaming

best to marinate the ribs for at least 30 mins

or overnight for better taste and flavour

you can cut the yam to bite size if you desire

 mine was a bit chunky

place the yam pieces on the bottom layer and

place the marinated ribs over the surface of the yam

 Steam for 40-45 mins until the yam are soft

and ribs are cooked thru

garnish with chopped spring onions 

yummy piece of pork rib coated with the glutinous rice

Taiwanese Style Steamed Pork Ribs With Yam

Ingredients:

500 gm of pork ribs - clean off bone chippings and blanch with hot water
, drain off excess water

1 small yam (300gm) - cut into small chunks or as desired

(A)marinade ingredients  

3 tbsp of light soy sauce

2 tbsp of chinese rice wine

4 cloves of garlic - chopped

2 tbsp of  preserved black beans ( tou si )

1 tbsp of brown sugar

Pan toast till light golden brown , cool down and blend coarsely

(B)

50 gm white rice - wash, rinsed and drip dry

25 gm glutinous rice - wash, rinsed and drip dry

1 tsp sichuan pepper

40ml water

1 tsp of sesame oil

Garnishing

chopped bird's eye chillies

chopped spring onions

Method:

Marinate the cleaned Pork ribs with ingredients (A) for at least 30 mins .

Before steaming, add in the coarsely blended pan toasted glutinous and white rice to the marinated ribs, add in the water and sesame oil till well mixed.

Arrange the chunks of yam on the bottom of steaming glass tray or any steaming deep plate you desired, add on the well marinated pork ribs on top of the yam. Steam over hot boiling steamer for 40 to 45 mins till yam has softened and ribs and the rice are cooked through.  Garnish with the spring onions and chillies . Serve hot!

 Enjoy!

Thai Pandan Chicken/ Gai Hor Bai Toey

Thai Pandan Chicken / Gai Hor Bai Toey is a very famous Thai dish in any Thai Restaurant. You can even order this dish from some Chinese restaurant too.  It is our family favourite and I do cook this occasionally when there are plenty of pandan leaves discard after prunning from my lil space (small cemented area for gardening which I called my lil space) .   Homegrown pandan leaves as wraps for this chicken dish.  Great to serve when you have guests to dinner as I am sure your guests will be impressed by the skill in the way you present the chicken dish. Not only it tastes good and aromatic but it shows skill in food presentation. Now with many YouTubers showing the technique on how to wrap this parcel of food, it has made wrapping the chicken meat with pandan leaves so much easier. I remembered how I used to wrap the chicken meat with the pandan leaves using short bamboo skewers or toothpicks to help keep the chicken meat inside the pandan leaves.

 marinate the chicken pieces with the 

marinade spices like shallots, garlic, ginger,lemongrass

coriander roots, palm sugar and not to forget the

Thai fish sauce and oyster sauce

blend this aromatics in a chopper till fine

pandan leaves from my lil space

 a beautifully wrapped parcel of chicken pieces

after wrapping, cut off the tail part leaving an inch

this is a finger-licking good Thai Pandan Chicken

love it and will be making this again when the

prunning comes

Thai Pandan Chicken Recipe - adapted from YouTuber Spice N Pans

Ingredients

420g of chicken thigh (can be replaced with chicken breast/fillet) cut into 1.5 inches cubes

16 pieces of pandan (screwpine) leaves 

Marinade ingredients

*blend the ingredients fine  (A)

 (A)

2 stalks of lemongrass (use only the white part) 

3 cloves of garlic 

3 pieces of shallots 

12g of young ginger 

3 coriander roots

(B) added to (A)

15g of palm sugar (can be replaced with brown sugar/white sugar) 

1 tablespoon of sesame oil 

2 tablespoons of fish sauce (can be replaced with light soy sauce) 

1 tablespoon of oyster sauce 

2 tablespoons of coconut milk

Method:

Cut chicken fillets into 1.5 inches cubes, set aside.  Blend ingredients (A) into fine paste, add in ingredients(B) into a marinade sauce.  Season the chicken pieces with the marinade sauce for at least 30 mins or overnight for better flavour.

Wrap the marinated chicken pieces with the pandan leaves as shown by You tuber Spice N Pans.

 Click link to see how it is being done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qedHYmSrpIU

Vietnamese Style Baked Chicken

This is truly a finger-licking good chicken dish. Vietnamese Style Baked Chicken using Sambal Oelek, fish sauce and chopped cilantro as marinade . What a great combo of ingredients for this marinade. First I have to make the Sambal Oelek and I googled for this Indonesian style sambal. Love the aroma of this flavor packed sambal as I was cooking it. After cooking it, I proceeded to make the marinade for this delicious baked chicken , adding chopped cilantro and fish sauce , after which I marinated the chicken thighs and drumsticks for 3 hours .  Seared the marinated chicken meat on a cast iron skillet for 10 mins, 5 mins on each side, on high heat then put the cast iron pan with the seared meat into the oven and baked for 35 mins at 200C.    This is an easy to prepare dish and will have your family loving it.  You can prepare the sambal oelek a day before and store in jar .  This sambal oelek is great for marinade as well as for cooking anchovies for Coconut Milk Rice ( Nasi Lemak )  

This delicious Vietnamese Style Baked Chicken is a keeper no doubt. If you don't have a cast iron pan , you can bake it straight on a baking pan. Baking time will take extra 10 mins meaning 45 mins instead of 35 mins.  For this recipe , I used the chicken legs cut into 2 portions.

love cooking in cast iron pan,

simply because it can take high heat

great for cooking meat

you can serve on the cast iron pan if you

like :)

marinade consists of sambal oelek, chopped cilantro and

fish sauce, marinate it for at least 30 mins to 3 hours

the most important ingredient ...the Sambal Oelek

Sambal Oelek recipe
(A)
10 pieces fresh red chillies
5 pieces bird's eye chillies
2 stalk of lemongrass(white part)
1 head garlic
1 thumb sized ginger
(B)
2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
1 tsp Lime zest
3 tbsp vinegar or lime juice
salt to taste

5 tbsp of cooking oil

Method:
Blend (A) together into paste
Heat up oil and saute (A) paste till fragrant, add in (B) and continue cooking till all ingredients are combined. Off heat and let cool. 


Marinade Sauce for 2 chicken legs
(A) - mix all the ingredients together till well blended



1 tbsp of sambal oelek
2 tbsp of chopped cilantro
2 tbsp of fish sauce
1 tsp of lime juice
1 tsp of finely grated lime zest
2 cloves of grated garlic
1 tsp of palm sugar

Method:
Marinate the chicken meat with the marinating sauce for at least 30 mins or 3 hours.
Seared the marinated chicken meat on a cast iron skillet for 10 mins, 5 mins on each side, on high heat then put the cast iron pan with the seared meat into the oven and baked for 35 mins at 200C.     

Egg Omelette Wrap With Crunchy Bean Sprouts

I love sprouting my own beansprouts. It is convenient and so much healthier for I know what I use to sprout them.  Though the sprouts might not be short and plump but it is certainly crunchy and fragrant. I used black mung beans for sprouting. It is by far the best, better than the green mung beans.  It takes about 4 to 5 days to be ready for cooking.  This time, I use bean sprouts as fillings for the egg wrap and it tasted so yummy good. Soft egg omelette wrap with crunchy sprouts is easy to whip up on lazy days.

Egg Omelette Wrap With Crunchy Beansprouts

Ingredients

1 large egg - whisk with a pinch of salt and white pepper

fillings

1/2 cup bean sprouts - wash, drain off excess water

1 red chilli - slices thinly

Method:

Heat non stick pan with a tsp of vegetable oil, once it is hot, add in the whisk egg mixture and swirl it thinly to form a pancake. Once the base is slightly set, throw in the beansprouts and red chilli and spread them evenly over the surface. Fold over the other half. and cooked till the omelette wrap is cooked through with the edges browning and crisps up.  Dish up and serve immediately.

Dim Sum Loh Mai Gai/Steamed Sticky Rice With Mushroom and Chicken

This is one of our favourite must order from any dim sum restaurants.  But this time I had fun making them at home. Thanks to many youtubers sharing their own secret recipes that I am able to make them for our breakfast and teasnacks.  The sharing of recipes has also enabled me to make it quick and simple.  By first pre cooking the sticky rice and the fillings has made this dim sum delicacy so easy to make. Assembling them in small rice bowls then steamed them for the last 15 to 20 mins has the sticky rice perfectly cooked .  I think I have finally mastered the skill in cooking sticky rice. I used Spice N Pans You tuber' recipe.  A keeper for sure.

the fillings and sticky rice has to be 3/4 pre cooked first

assembled them in rice bowls

 this has made it easier and shorten the

steaming time

 cover with aluminium foil before steaming

to prevent condensed water on to the sticky rice

steam for 15 to 20 mins under

medium heat 

recipe from Jamie of Spice N' Pans  .....  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRVXAJJZY3Q

Ingredients: Makes about 6 portions

Marinate for Chicken ----------------
1 piece boneless chicken thigh
6 pieces of mushrooms - halved
18 pieces of Chinese sausage (use half a Chinese sausage then slice into 18 pcs)
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing huatiao wine)
1.5 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1.5 teaspoons tapioca flour or cornflour
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 thumb size ginger - grated (use the juice only)
A few dashes of pepper

Glutinous Rice --------------
2 cups of glutinous rice - wash & soak overnight or at least 6 hours (use rice cup)
3 cloves of garlic - chopped
5 pieces of shallots - chopped
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon of 5 spice powder
1 tablespoon of concentrated chicken stock
1/2 cup of water + 1/2 cup of water (this is not a typo - you need to add 1/2 cup first then fry for a while followed by adding another 1/2 cup just before you dish the rice out for steaming.

Nut Butter Packs And Other Breakfast Food To Eat At Your Desk

Breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the deal, but if you’re not a morning person it can be impossible to find the extra time to actually end a nutritious and healthy breakfast – no matter what the marketing says, pop tarts are not a good go-to.

While for a lot of people, eating first thing in the morning is simply not a pleasurable experience either, and even if you do force yourself to eat breakfast chances are if you are eating because you feel you should rather than because you are actually hungry, then you will probably be famished by the time you get to work.

If you’re commuting via public transport you may be able to eat your breakfast on the way, but that’s really never a fun experience for anyone, so your options really are either wait until morning tea break or eat at your desk when you get in. Catching up with morning emails over your bowl of granola might be a winner for your stomach, but for many offices blatantly enjoying breakfast at your desk is frowned upon, so your next alternative is a socially acceptable snack food like Julies collection of nut butter packs or a bit of fruit. .

Best Breakfasts On The Go

Coffee may be your go-to substance to get you moving in the morning, but there have been some interesting studies that suggest an apple will give you just as much up and go as your caffeinated beverage. Unfortunately, few people find munching on an apple either appealing or satisfying as a breakfast food. 

Smoothies

Enter the smoothie. A glass of milk for protein, an apple, maybe some berries, a banana and a few drops of vanilla essence for sweetness. Although smoothies are popular, and with all the fiber from the fruit they can help you stay feeling full for longer, people tend to overeat when they’re drinking smoothies. Few people would eat all the ingredients that go into the average smoothie in one sitting if it was handed to you cut up and in a big bowl.

Of course, the energy rush from a large amount of fructose can also be fantastic, but you need to make sure that you have created a breakfast drink that allows for sustained energy release rather than just a sudden sugar jolt. 

 Nuts

Adding nuts and seeds to your smoothie can help create this slow release of energy that helps keep you going longer. However, you still have the problem of actually consuming far more calories that necessary. One way around this is to turn excess smoothie mixture into ice pops, which make a great afterschool treat if you have children, or a post workout treat to help you cool down. 

Nut Butter

Thinking of nuts, you can also enjoy nut butter as a breakfast food. Although eating nut butter straight from the jar is a tried and true method, nut butter packs are probably a better way to enjoy your nutty goodness in the office. Pick a variety with expresso beans, smear it on an apple, and you’ll be zinging through your morning to-do list. 

Eggs

If you are the sort of person who is super organized, you could spend some time looking at breakfast “muffin” recipes. These will often use mainly eggs and bacon or beans, you can load them with corn, capsicum, cheese or tomatoes, or you can look at sweet options. Using a flavored almond, peanut or cashew butter, add a banana, some eggs, maybe some berries and a bit of coconut flour, and you have yourself a great on-the-go pick me up. If you’re going the breakfast muffin route you’ll need back them ahead of time, then just pop them in the freezer and you’ll have breakfast (and maybe even afternoon tea) sorted for a week.

Of course, you could just boil an egg or two and eat them straight, but other than potential gas problems that seem to come with boiled eggs, they’re just not as much fun as a muffin, and there is always someone who complains about the boiled egg smell that wafts through the office. 

Should You Worry?

There are lots of arguments for and against breakfast being important for weight management, but there is certainly a link between missing breakfast and increased risk of death from a Cardiovascular related cause. Read this.

Worrying never did anyone any good, but you should probably think about trying to eat breakfast.