THAI PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

Tags

fruits, MEAT & POULTRY, pineapples, prawn, RICE & NOODLES, SEAFOOD, vegetables

Like this classic Thai pineapple fried rice? Why not cook it yourself? It’s as good, if not better, as that you get in Thai restaurants. It’s really flavourful and it’s such a joy to the sight with its brightly coloured ingredients.

THAI PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE
(serves 3-4 persons)

Ingredients

(A) Pre-cook overnight and refrigerate:
2 cups jasmine rice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
2 pandan leaves

(B)
1 pineapple, about 1 to 1.2kg
– cut lengthwise and hollow out flesh without cutting through the skin; reserve the shell
– dice 150gm pineapples and set aside for cooking

(C)
2 tablespoon cooking oil
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic, minced
1 teaspoon shrimp paste or 1 tsp thai curry powder (optional – I didnt add this)

(D)
100gm shrimps, remove shell except tail and devine

(E)
100gm chicken breast or thigh meat
– dice and season with 1 tsp light soya sauce, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, some pepper and 1/4 tsp cornstarch

(F)
2 beaten eggs

(G)
1-2 red & green chilli, seeded and diced (reduce or omit according to preference or substitute with red and green bell peppers)
1 large tomato, diced (or use several cherry tomatoes, halves)
80gms roasted unsalted cashew nuts
50gms black raisins

(H) – mix together the sauce in a bowl
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp chicken or anchovy granules
2 tbsp pineapple juice or chicken stock
some pepper

(I)
2 tablespoon pork floss
1 tablespoon fried shallots
Some chopped spring onions & coriander

Method

1) Precook (A) 1 day ahead or at least 1/2 day ahead. When cool, refrigerate for later use.

2) Prepare the pineapple. Cut lengthwise and hollow out flesh without cutting through the skin. Reserve the shell and dice 150gm pineapples and set it aside for cooking later.

3) Heat oil in a frying pan and stir-fry onions and garlic until fragrant. Add shrimp paste (optional) and continue to stir fry until shrimp paste is pungent. Add diced chicken and cook for 1 min, followed by shrimps and tomatoes.

4) Push the ingredients aside in the pan, add a little oil and pour in the beaten egg. Scramble it slightly.

5) Add rice, cashew nuts, raisins, pineapples and sauce. Stir-fry until chicken and shrimps are thoroughly cooked and ingredients are well combined.

6) Serve immediately in pineapple shell and garnish with (G).

Yummy !

CHAR SIU BAO (CHINESE BBQ BUNS)

Tags

Basic Chinese Bun Dough, CHINESE BUNS, MEAT & POULTRY, pork, Steamed Cakes

With the same light and fluffy basic chinese dough recipe, I made these steamed chinese char siu buns using homemade bbq pork. However, if you find it too tedious to make your own bbq pork, simply get them from your favourite roast meat store.

CHAR SIU BAO (CHINESE BBQ BUNS)

Ingredients
(makes 26 baos)

(A) – The Stuffing
500gm pork belly – season with :
1 tablespon light soya sauce
1 tablespoon dark soya sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon huatiao wine
1 tablespoon cooking oil
300ml water

(B)
300gm spring onions, chopped
2 tablespoon cooking oil

(C) – The Dough (Basic Chinese Dough Recipe)
600gm HongKong flour
10gm Instant Yeast
10gm Baking Powder
120gm Sugar
280ml Water (room temperature)
10gm shortening

Method

1) Season (A) overnight and cook in a claypot (covered) for 45mins or until tender. When done, remove the pork and thicken the sauce with some cornstarch. Reserve the sauce and cut the bbq pork into small cubes.

2) Heat oil in frying pan and stir-fry spring onions for 1 min until fragrant. Add the bbq pork and mix well. Add the reserved sauce and combine well. Set aside to cool.

3) Before you start with the dough, prepare a large steamer and cut 26pcs of 3″x3″ squares from a greaseproof paper.

4) To make the dough, put all of ingredients in (C) into a mixer with a dough hook. Process until a smooth and elastic dough is formed.

5) Transfer dough to a work surface and knead dough into a long stripe. Divide into 26 equal portions (approx 35gm each). Shape each portion into a mould and cover with a damp cloth to keep dough from drying out.

4) Flatten each mould into a flat sheet by hand or with a rolling pin (whichever way you find most convenient). Put a spoonful of filling and pleat the edges into a bun shape (see pic below). Put bun onto a piece of 3″x3″ greasproof paper and arrange in a steam tray. Leave sufficient space in between each bun to allow for expansion.

5) Wet buns with a water spray and leave to proof for 30 mins in a warm place until double in size (I place them in my oven).

6) Bring water in steamer to boil and steam buns on high for 10mins.

7) Best served warm with a cup of your favourite chinese tea.

PAN-FRIED LEEK & PORK BUNS

Tags

ASIAN CUISINES, Basic Chinese Bun Dough, CHINESE BUNS, MEAT & POULTRY

Was excited to find a forgotten recipe book on chinese buns sitting in my cupboard recently. Tried my hands on a pan-fry chinese buns recipe in there but had to make some adjustments to the water and shortening as the dough was too dry and crumbly. Recipe after adjustment :

PAN-FRIED LEEK & PORK BUN

Ingredients (A) – for the filling
2 stalks leeks, sliced thinly
400gm ground pork
– seasoned with 1 tablespoon light soya sauce, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil, 1/2 tablespoon chinese cooking wine and 1 teaspoon corn starch.

Ingredients (B) – for the dough
300gm HongKong Flour
5gm Instant Yeast
5gm Double Action Baking Powder
70gm Fine Sugar
130ml to 140ml water (room temperature)
6gm shortening

Ingredients (C) – for garnishing
some toasted sesame seeds
some chopped spring onions

Method

1) Dissolve 1 teaspoon cornstarch in 30ml water and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil and stir-fry leek until soft. Add ground pork and combine well. Taste and add more seasoning if required. Thicken with cornstarch mixture and cook till done. Set aside to cool.

2) Put Ingredients (B) in a mixing bowl. Combine and knead to form a smooth and pliable dough. Next, knead dough into a long strip and divide into 18 equal portions.

3) Roll each portion into a ball and flattened to a round sheet with a rolling pin. Wrap in filling, fold around the edges to seal and then flatten buns lightly with hand (see picture). Leave to rise for 30 mins.

To cook the buns, the recipe book indicated to steam the buns on high for 5 mins and then to pan-fry both sides until golden.  I skipped the steaming part and put the buns right away onto the stove to cook.  However if you prefer steamed buns to pan-fry ones, simply steam the buns for 8-9 mins until done.

5) For pan-fried buns, brush a non-stick pan with some cooking oil and heat it up on high. When the pan is very hot, lower flame and place the buns gently onto the pan. Leave it to cook on gently heat until lightly golden on the underside. At this point of time, pour 20ml of hot water into the pan and cover immediately. Leave the buns to ‘steam’ for 1-2 mins (this step is important to allow the hot steam to cook & fluff up the dough). Remove the cover and flip the buns over to cook on the other side until golden. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and spring onions on top of the buns. Serve warm.

Great as a any-time-of-the-day snack!

Sweet dough with savoury stuffing – Yum!

STEAMED RICE WITH MEI CAI & MINCED PORK (梅菜滷肉飯)

Tags

MEAT & POULTRY, rice, RICE & NOODLES

In March this year, I went to Hong Kong with a group of close friends. During the trip, good friend LK and I exchanged tips on preparing simple fuss-free dinners for our families. This recipe has become a favourite and I have since prepared it several times for my family. Simple to make, yet so flavourful. Thank u, LK !

Mei Cai (梅菜) is a type of dried pickled chinese mustard that has undergone an elaborate process of drying, steaming, and salting and is available in two types – salty and sweet. The sweet version actually has a high content of salt in it too as sugar is added only after it is salted. It is necessary to soak it in water before use to get rid of the excess seasonings and sand particles.

 

STEAMED RICE WITH MEI CAI & MINCED PORK (梅菜滷肉飯)

Ingredients

(A)
200gm sweet mei cai

(B)
300gm white rice
330ml water

(C)
200gm minced pork
2 garlic, minced
1 tablespoon light soya sauce
1/4 tablespoon dark soya sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon garlic oil (I always have a bottle of home-made garlic oil on standby) or alternatively, use olive oil
3 tablespoon water

(D) 3 eggs (optional – this can be omitted if you don’t like egg)

(E) for garnishing
1 stalk spring onions, chopped
1 stalk coriander, chopped
1 red chilli, seeded & chopped
1 tablespoon fried onions (optional)
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds (optional)

Method

1) Soak (A) in a bowl of water for 20 mins to remove excess seasonings and sand particles. Drain and wash thoroughly. Squeeze dry.

2) Slice mei cai into stripes and then cut into small pieces.

3) Heat up a frying pan and fry mei cai until fragrant and dry (about 6-8 mins). Transfer to a plate and leave to cool.

4) Bring a pan of water to boil and steam (B) covered until almost done, about 20 mins. (I divided the rice and water into 3 separate bowls. Alternatively, you many steam the rice all in one big bowl).

5) While the rice is steaming, mix (A) well with (C). When rice is almost done, spread mixture evenly on the rice. Using the back of a spoon, make a dent in the center and crack an egg into it (omit this part if you do not like egg). Continue to steam covered until pork is thoroughly cooked.

6) Garnish with (E) and serve with a vegetable soup for a well-balanced meal.

ENJOY !

梅菜滷肉飯 – So simple and yet so flavourful !

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Psalm 121 (New International Version)

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

PAN-FRIED JIAOZHI OR GYOZA

Tags

ASIAN CUISINES, dumplings, MEAT & POULTRY, PATTIES & DUMPLINGS, pork, prawn, SEAFOOD

This is a pan-fried version of my earlier post on CHINESE DUMPLINGS – WONTON (云吞 ) & JIAOZI (饺子 ). With some leftover seasoned minced sufficient for several dumplings, I put together some flour and water to make a small dough for the wraps. In Japanese restaurant, pan-fried ones are called Gyōza. It is actually the same as Jiaozhi, which is the Chinese name. Making the wrap is really simple. All that is needed is some plain or all purpose flour and water.

FOR THE FILLING : see recipe Chinese Dumplings (Wonton & Jiaozhi). Vegetables like leek, chives, cabbage & asparages can be added to the filling to give an extra crunch.

FOR THE WRAP :
(this will yield about 2” x 30 pieces of dumpling wrap)
Ingredients :
2cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water (at room temperature)

Method:

1) Combine the flour with water to make a dough. Mix the flour with water and knead it until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 15 mins).

2) Pinch and roll portion into 0.75″ balls. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each ball with a rolling pin and roll each one into 2.5” round and thin skin. If not used immediately, cover them with a damp towel and set aside.

3) See recipe Chinese Dumplings (Wonton & Jiaozhi) on how to make dumplings.

PAN-FRIED JIAOZHI OR GYOZA

Method :

1) Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a non-stick pan. Reduce heat, place some wrapped dumplings on the heated pan for about 1 min to brown the bottom of the dumplings (take care not to burn!)

2) Quickly drizzle half a cup of hot water over the dumplings, turn up the heat and cover the pan. Cook dumplings until water is fully absorbed and dumplings are thoroughly cooked (about 3-5mins).

3) Serve pan-fried dumplings with ginger & vinegar dip.

FOR THE DIP :
1 thumb ginger, sliced into fine stripes
3 tablespoon black vinegar

Pan-fried Jiaozhi or Gyoza – best served hot from the pan !!