VEGETARIAN ASSAM POMFRET

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.10 – Jan/ Feb 2003)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

1piece vegetarian Black Pomfret fish

2 tbsps oil

800ml water

150g ladies fingers/ okra (cut into pieces)

4 red chillies (cut into pieces)

20g pink ginger bud / bunga kantan (minced)

5 pieces kaffir-lime leaves/ daun limau purut

1 bunch laksa leaves/ daun kesum

Pounded ingredients: pound together

20g pink ginger bud/ bunga kantan

60g red chillies

30g chilli padi

100g coriander seeds

30g candlenuts/ buah keras

40g fresh turmeric/ kunyit basah

40g lemon grass/ serai

15g galangal/ lengkuas

12-15 tbsp oil

Seasoning:

2 tbsps sugar

6 tbsps tamarind paste/ assam gelugor

6 tbsps juice from small local limes/ limau kasturi

2 tsps salt

100g palm sugar/ gula melaka

For ganishing:

A little mint leaves/ daun pudina

Method:

1. Deep-fry the pomfret fish till golden. Remove, drain and keep aside.

2. Blach ladies fingers. Keep aside.

3. In wok, add in 2 tbsps oil. Put in pounded ingredients to sauté for a couple of minutes till fragrant.

4. Pour in 800ml water. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

5. Add in the rest of ingredients and seasoning. Mix well and pour sauce over fried pomfret and ladies fingers. Sprinkle mint leaves as a garnish.

KAFFIR-LIME LEAVES WITH SPICY VEGETARIAN CHICKEN

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.10 – Jan/ Feb 2003)
Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

1kg vegetarian chicken

6 pieces kaffir-lime leaves/ daun limau purut

250ml concentrated coconut milk (from 1 coconut)

800ml diluted coconut milk (from the same coconut)

8 tbsps cooking oil

Pound ingredients:

12 dried chillies (soaked)

100g coriander seeds/ biji ketumbar

30g lemon grass/ serai

30g galangal/ lengkuas

6 pieces kaffir-lime leaves/ daun limau purut

10 pieces red chillies

10g fresh turmeric/ kunyit basah

30g candlenuts/ buah keras

Seasning:

1 tbsp salt

2 tsps assam gelugor juice

Method:

1. Heat oil, sauté pounded ingredients till fragrant.

2. Add in vegetarian chicken pieces. Pour in diluted coconut milk and bring it to a boil. Keep on stirring for 5 minutes.

3. Add in concentrated coconut milk, kaffir-lime leaves and seasoning.

4. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Dish up and serve.

Fish Head Casserole

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.10 – Jan/ Feb 2003)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:
1 fish head (see tips)
300g Chinese cabbage (cut into pieces)
Some black mushrooms (soaked, sliced)
80g carrots (sliced)
50g roasted pork (cut into pieces)
2 pieces soft beancurd (cut into pieces)
4 baby corns (cut into halves)
4 slices old ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 spring onion
1L water

Marinade:
1 tbsp ginger juice
1 tbsp Yuen Chun Golden range light soy sauce

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tsps Yuen Chun light soy sauce
1 tbsp Yuen Chun oyster sauce
1 tbsp chicken granules
A little pepper powder
2 tbsps Chinese cooking wine (Hua-Diao)

For thickening:
1/2 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp water

Method:
1. Marinate fish head with marinade for 1/2 hour. Deep-fry till golden in colour. Set aside.
2. Heat up 2 tbsp oil. Deep-fry beancurd till golden in colour. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil. Sauté ginger and minced garlic. Add in spring onions.
4. Add in Chinese cabbage, carrots, baby corns, mushrooms and roasted pork. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add in water and seasoning. Bring to a boil.
5. Add in beancurd and fish head. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove spring onion. Add in thickening. Serve hot.

Tips: You can cut the fish head into pieces, then deep-fry in boiling oil till golden brown in colour for a crispier taste. Fish head varieties can be threadfin, red snapper, fresh-water fish etc...

TREASURE ISLAND’S GLORY

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.10 – Jan/ Feb 2003)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:
1/2 portion of a pig’s fore-trotter (chop into pieces)
1/2 rice bowl oil
600g pre-soaked sea cucumbers
2 whole bulbs of garlic (leave skins on)
A little minced garlic
1 tbsp sugar
1 litre water
2 tbsps Chinese cooking wine

Seasoning:
2 tbsps soy sauce
1 tsp salt
A little pepper

Method:
1. Parboil pig’s trotter pieces for five minutes. This is to remove the oil and scums. Dish up and drain dry.
2. In luke warm oil, stir-fry sea cucumber pieces. Remove and drain away excess oil.
3. Heat clean wok, add in 1/2 rice bowl oil and caramel the sugar till a light golden colour is achieved. Do this process on a very low heat. When the sugar solution is bubbly, put in no.(1). Stir well over a high heat.
4. Add in minced garlic, seasoning and water. Simmer over medium heat for 1 hour.
5. Add in the whole garlic bulbs and sea cucumbers. Top with extra water if necessary. After 1/2 hour, check ingredients for tenderness and gravy should be rather thick in consistency.
6. Finally, drizzle in the Chinese cooking wine and dish up contents.

SEA CUCUMBERS EMBRACED WITH GEMS

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.10 – Jan/ Feb 2003)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:
1 dozen goose webbed feet (chop off claws)
1 kg pre-soaked/ cleaned, good quality sea cucumbers (sand fish)
1 whole floret of broccoli
3 slices cekor (sar keong)
1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns
4 star anise/ bunga lawang
1 piece cinnamon bark/ kayu manis
A pot of water
1/2 bowl oil (see method, step 3)
1 tbsp sugar

Seasoning:
1 tbsp oyster sauce
A little salt
A little MSG/ Aji-no-moto
A little dark soy sauce
1 tbsp fragrant oil (see tips 3)

For thickening: mix well
1 tbsp tapioca flour or cornflour
1 tbsp water

Method:
1. Make a bouquet garni. Use a small piece of cheesecloth, put in cekor, peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon bark and tie it with a string. Place this small bag of flavouring in a pot of water and boil on high heat for 1/2 hour. Add in a little salt and rock sugar to taste. Pour boiled solution into a big soup bowl, keep aside to cool.
2. Parboil goose webbed feet, remove and rinse it in cold water. Remove and drain.
3. Heat up 1/2 bowl oil, add in 1 tbsp sugar and stir over low heat till it turns bubbly and is a golden hue. Add in goose webbed feet and stir well. Remove and put into no.(1). Place all into a pot and boil over high heat for 2 hours or more till the feet are tender enough for the palate.
4. Heat oil and stir fry sea cucumbers. Add in Chinese cooking wine, then seasoning. Simmer over low heat for 1/2 hour till sea cucumbers are edible.
5. Add in no.(3), thickening and doused with two tbsp fragrant oil.

Tips:
1. To caramel sugar, the oil must not be too hot and you must not burn the sugar.
2. You may replace goose webbed feet with normal chicken feet. The preparation is the same.
3. To make fragrant oil: Put 50g minced garlic, 50g minced shallots, a whole plant of Chinese coriander including the roots into 500ml of oil in a wok.Cook over low heat till it is bubbly and golden in colour.

Szechuan Hot & Sour Noodles

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.8 – Sept/ October 2002)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

230ml hot & sour soup (see previous recipe)

20g hot pickled mustard tuber

20g pork shreds

A skein (bundle) of fine noodles

A little spring onion

Method:

1. Boil some water. Blanch noodles, pork and mustard tuber till cooked. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Pour hot & sour soup over. Serve hot.

Szechuan Hot & Sour Soup

(From Y3K Recipes Issue No.8 – Sept/ October 2002)

Copyright of Y Three K Publisher. All rights reserved.
Ingredients:

1/3 can bamboo shoots (shredded)

100g lean pork/chicken (shredded)

1 piece beancurd (sliced)

2 mushrooms (soaked, shredded)

Some green peas

1.2L superior stock
Seasoning:

40ml vinegar

20g spicy fermented soy bean paste

2 pieces rock sugar

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsps MSG

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dark soy sauce
Thickening: mix well

35g potato starch

35ml water
Method:

1. Bring the superior stock to a boil. Add in all seasoning. Stir well.

2. Add in bamboo shoots, mushrooms and pork/chicken and bring to a boil. Add in beancurd and green peas. Turn to low heat. Stir in thickening till it boils. Turn off heat.

Tips:

Superior stock is prepared by boiling chicken with suitable amount of water for 1-2 hours over low heat. Strain and leave to cool.