Seow Like Meow

Friday, May 27, 2011

Jicama Spring Roll

Recipe by: SH

Notes: ** Refer to "Jicama with Pork" post.

Prep Time: 30 min **
Cook Time: 20 min **
Serving Size: 4

Tools: Small pot or deep fat fryer, cooling racks

Ingredients:
Fillings. **
1 packet of spring roll wrapper
1 egg
Enough oil to fill 2/3 of small pot

Steps:
  1. Prepare fillings. **
  2. Place 1/4 cup fillings onto wrapper.
  3. Roll diagonally from an edge, fold in sides at half way of wrapper, finish rolling, and sealing end edge by brushing some egg white.
  4. Continue wrapping until you have desired amount or when wrapper runs out.
  5. Heat oil in small pot. Test heat with chopstick touching bottom of pot. When bubbling is observed at bottom of chopstick, oil is ready for frying.
  6. Fry two spring rolls at a time. (Or more at a time depending on size of your fryer/pot)
  7. Remove spring rolls when skin turn golden brown. Rest them on cooling racks. Note that skin will darken a little more after removal.
  8. Serve with tempura dip, ketchup, or chili sauce.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Fried Salmon with Noodle Soup

Recipe by: SH

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Serving Size: 4

Tools:
Medium pan, medium pot, big pot

Ingredients:
Soup: 1 pickled mustard tuber*
1 tbs rice wine
1 tsp white pepper
1 tbs sesame oil
Option 1: 6 chicken bouillon cubes + 12 cups water
Option 2: 12 cups chicken stock (store bought/home made)
4 tbs of fried onion*

Noodles:
1 lb packet flat rice noodles*

Fish:
4 pieces salmon
2 tbs salt
2 tbs black pepper
4 tbs vegetable oil

* Procure at Asian store. 

Steps:
 
Soup:
  1. Julienne tuber and soak in warm water for 30 min, drain.
  2. Option 1: Boil water and add bouillon cubes.
  3. Option 2: Bring stock to a boil.
  4. Add tuber, rice wine, and white pepper. Cook for another 5 min.
  5. Turn heat off and add sesame oil and fried onion.
Noodles:
  1. Fill big pot 3/4 full with water. Bring it to a boil.
  2. Cook noodles per packet instruction.
  3. Drain noodles and run it through cold water to remove remaining starch for less than 10 sec.
Fish:
  1. Season salmon with salt and pepper on all sides.
  2. Heat oil in pan at medium heat.
  3. Fry salmon for 3 min on each side (top and bottom).
Assemble per bowl:
  1. Fill bowl with noodles.
  2. Add soup.
  3. Place salmon on top.
  4. Serve while hot!

Pouch Food

Recipe by: SH

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 18 min
Serving Size: 2

Tools: 2 pieces 12" x 12" aluminum foil/parchment paper i.e. wrapper

Ingredients:
2 pieces salmon (or fish of your choice)
4 cups cooked rice
2 eggs
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs salt
2 tbs butter

Steps:
  1. Preheat oven to 385 deg F.
  2. Beat eggs thoroughly. 
  3. Add eggs into rice and stir well.
  4. Season salmon on all sides with salt and pepper.
  5. Portion rice and place into wrapper.
  6. Put 1/2 tbs butter on rice.
  7. Place salmon on top of rice and the other 1/2 tbs butter on it.
  8. Roll up edges of wrapper to seal. (Bring first two opposite ends together and fold down several times. Then fold each side several times to seal food in completely.)
  9. Place food pouches onto a sheet pan.
  10. Place in oven and cook for 18 min.
Note: One may cook vegetables medley with this method as well. 
Basic steps are:
  1. Get ingredients ready
  2. Season ingredients (wet seasoning)
  3. Wrap ingredients in pouch
  4. Cook in oven at 385 deg F for 15-20 min. 
Skate fish wrapped in banana leaves with chili based seasoning will be awesome with this method!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Stir Fry Vegetables

Recipe by: SH

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 7 min
Serving Size: 4

Tools: Pan/Wok

Ingredients:
2 tbs garlic (minced)
1 broccoli head
2 carrots
1 can bamboo shoots
8 small dried shitake mushrooms (soaked in water and halved)
1/2 lb choice of meat/fish balls (thinly sliced) (optional)
2 tbs vegetable oil
4 tbs oyster sauce (dilute with 2 cup of water)
1 tsp white pepper

Steps:
  1. Heat pan with oil at medium heat.
  2. Add garlic and fry till golden brown.
  3. Add meat, fry for 3 min.
  4. Add shitake mushrooms, fry for 30 sec.
  5. Add the rest of the ingredients.
  6. Add oyster sauce, water, and white pepper.
  7. Stir well for 30 sec.
  8. Cover pan and cook for another 10 min*.
Note: *If you like your vegetables softer, cook for 20 min in step 8. Make sure water does not dry up completely. Add a little bit of water as necessary.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Recipe by: SH

Prep Time: 40 min
Cook Time: 1 hr
Serving Size: 4

Tools: Large pot, 9" x 13" dish, large pan

Ingredients:
A:
1 bulb garlic (chopped)
1 big onion (chopped)
6 tomatoes (chopped)
1/4 cup red wine
2 tbs basil coarsely chopped
6 serrano peppers
1 tbs salt

B:
1 lbs ground beef
1 lbs ground turkey
10 oz firm tofu (crumbled)
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs onion powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp creole seasoning 
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs red wine
1 tbs dried basil flakes
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tbs corn starch
2 tsp salt

C:
1lbs thin spaghetti
2 tsp salt

Steps:

Sauce:
  1. Heat 4 tbs oil in large pan.
  2. Add garlic and onion. Fry for 5 min on medium heat.
  3. De-glaze pan with red wine. Reduce to half.
  4. Add tomatoes, serrano peppers, and basil. Cook for 12 min. Stir occasionally.
  5. On medium low heat, cook further till soft, approximately 20 min.
Meatballs:
  1. Mix all ingredients B.
  2. Oil 9" x 13" dish. 
  3. Divide mixture into 8 portions.
  4. Shape into meatballs and place in dish.
  5. Place rack in the middle of oven and preheat oven to 400 deg. F.
  6. Cook meatballs till it is at 155 deg. F. Check with temperature probe on several meatballs.
  7. Remove and rest for 5 minutes.
Noodles:
  1. Fill 3/4 of a large pot with water, add salt, and bring to boil.
  2. Cook thin spaghetti per packet instructions.
  3. Strain.
  4. Serve on plates with sauce over spaghetti and meatballs.
  5. Top with parmesan cheese.
Note: Why tofu? It makes the meatballs tender. 
The meatballs should be lighter in color than shown in pictures.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato

Wine Variety: White
Appellation: California
Year: Non-vintage
Alchohol Content: 9%
SH's Comment: Sweet, well balanced, and very affordable.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Beef Spaghetti ala Alison M

Recipe by: SH (by observing Alison M cook years ago)

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Serving Size: 4

Tools: Large pot, large pan

Ingredients:
A:
1 lbs ground beef
2" piece ginger (crushed) 
4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 onion (coarsely chopped)
8 tomatoes (cut into 8 pieces each)
1 small packet portobello mushroom
2 cups ketchup
2 tbs sambal oelek
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp salt

B:
1 lbs packet thin spaghetti
1/2 tbs salt

C:
8 tbs grated/powdered parmesan cheese

Steps:

Sauce:
  1. Heat 4 tbs oil in large pan.
  2. Fry garlic, onion, and ginger for 3 min.
  3. Add ground beef and stir fry for another 3 min.
  4. On medium heat, add tomatoes and cook till they break down to sauce like.
  5. Add portobello mushrooms and stir mixture for 1 min.
  6. Add ketchup, sambal oelek, fish sauce, and salt.
  7. Bring to boil and remove from stove.
Spaghetti:
  1. Fill 3/4 of a large pot with water, add salt, and bring to boil.
  2. Cook thin spaghetti per packet instructions.
  3. Strain.
  4. Serve on plates with sauce over spaghetti.
  5. Top with parmesan cheese.

Kiam Chai Buey (Pickled Sour Green Mustard Stew)

Recipe by: SH 

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 2 hrs
Serving Size: 8 

Tools: Large pot 

Ingredients:
3 bunch pickled sour green mustard
1/2 lbs carrots
1 can baby corn
1 can water chestnut
1 onion
1 lbs boneless pork ribs
1 tbs black pepper 

Steps:
  1. Cut sour green mustard into 2" pieces and soak in water for 15 min.
  2. Peel and cut carrots into 2" pieces.
  3. Cut baby corn in half.
  4. Slice water chestnuts thickly.
  5. Peel and cut onion into 16 pieces.
  6. Add all ingredients into large pot.
  7. Add enough water to cover all ingredients.
  8. Add black pepper.
  9. Bring to boil.
  10. Cook at medium heat for 2 hrs. 
  11. Serve with white rice.

Scallop Porridge

Recipe by: SH

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Serving Size: 4

Tools: Medium pot

Ingredients:
A: Porridge
1.5 cups jasmine rice
1/2 cup small dried scallops
8 small shitake mushrooms (blanched for 3 min, chopped)
10 cups water

B: Condiments
2 stalks green onion
4" ginger
2 tbs preserved cabbage

C: Seasoning
Marmite
White pepper
Light soy sauce

Steps:

Porridge:
  1. Blanch dried scallops in hot water for 3 min and strain.
  2. Blanch shitake mushrooms in hot water for 3 min and strain. Remove stems. Chop mushrooms.
  3. Wash rice. Add rice and water into pot. Bring to boil.
  4. Add mushrooms and scallops.
  5. Cook for 30 min. Stir every 3 min.
Condiments:
  1. Prepare condiments. 
  2. Wash green onions and sliced finely into rings.
  3. Peel and wash ginger. Julienne finely.  Fry to crisp in oil, drain.
Assembly bowls of porridge:
  1. In serving bowls, add porridge.
  2. Flavor to taste with Marmite or light soy sauce and white pepper.
  3. Add condiments on top.

Goji Berry Chicken Noodle Soup

Recipe by: SH

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 7-9 hrs
Serving Size: 4

Tools: 4-quart slow cooker, pot

Ingredients:
A:
8 chicken drumsticks
8 shitake mushrooms
1/4 cup goji berries
1/2 lbs carrots (large chunk)
3 chicken bouillon
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1 tsp black pepper

B:
1 packet of rice noodles

Steps:

Soup:
  1. Clean drumsticks, mushrooms, and carrots.
  2. Add ingredients A into slow cooker.
  3. Add water to cover all ingredients. Suggestion: 1" from the rim of slow cooker.
  4. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hrs.
Noodles:
  1. Fill up 3/4 of a large pot with water.
  2. Bring it to boil.
  3. Add noodles to cook per packet instructions.
  4. Strain noodles into cold water. Leave for 30 sec.
  5. Strain.
Assembly bowls of noodle soup:
  1. In serving bowls, add noodles.
  2. Add shitake mushrooms and drumsticks on top.
  3. Pour in piping hot soup with goji berries.