Tag: Singapore

Laksa Singapore

-ingredients

—broth

  • 700 ml chicken stock
  • 100 ml water
  • 100 g ikan bilis (anchovies)
  • 4 tbsp veggie oil
  • 1 litre coconut milk
  • fish sauce
  • sugar
  • salt

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—rempah/spice

  • 8 shallots, chopped
  • 12 large dried red chilies soaked in lukewarm water, 1 hr
  • 200 g dried shrimp (hae bee) soaked in lukewarm water, 4 hrs
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, sliced
  • 12 candlenuts
  • 2 tsp shrimp paste (belacan), roasted
  • 5 cm piece fresh turmeric, peeled
  • 10 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 tsp ground anise star
  • 1 tbsp coriander seed
  • 4 tbsp veggie oil

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—ingredients to serve (all cooked and ready to eat)

  • 300 g cooked thick rice noodle (bee hoon)
  • tiger prawns, cooked
  • 12 pieces perforated bean curd (tau pok)
  • pan-fried Chinese fish cakes, sliced
  • 2 eggs, hard boiled & halved
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 1/4 cup fresh laksa leaves (Vietnamese mint or daun kesom)
  • sambal belacan (see below)

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-method (to prepare laksa broth)

  1. boil chicken stock and water in large pot
  2. add anchovies and simmer for 1 hr on medium heat
  3. reduce heat to simmer
  4. pound all rempah ingredients in mortar into smooth paste
  5. heat 4 tbsp veggie oil in a pan over medium heat and saute the rempah paste, 5 – 10 min until fragrant and dark brown
  6. mix in rempah and coconut milk to the pot of broth
  7. turn heat up to boil
  8. season broth with fish sauce, sugar and salt

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Sambal belacan

-ingredients

  • 10 g dried shrimp paste (belacan)
  • 4 chilli padi
  • 4 red chillies
  • 2 calamansi (Kafir lime)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt

-method

  1. Saute shrimp paste on dry pan until fragrant
  2. In a mortar, pound chillies and shrimp paste until homogenous
  3. add calamansi lime juice to the paste
  4. add sugar and salt to taste
  5. store the sambal belacan in a container

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Procedure to serve laksa
-steps

  1. apportion and add all ‘ingredients to serve except curry leaves” to a serving bowl
  2. “Rinse or run through” the above ingredient with laksa broth several times.This will slow cook the ingredients.
  3. add in the laksa broth, sambal belacan (according to your spiciness level), and curry leaves.
  4. Serve hot.

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Alternative ingredients to enhance flavour and texture

  • cooked blood cockle, shelled

Pickled red ginger method

ingredients and method

  1. shred 230 g fresh young and peeled ginger root into strands; place them into bowl, spinkle 1 1/2 tsp salt, stir to coat and stand for 30 min. Next, transfer to a clean jar.
  2. In a saucepan,stir in 1 cup of rice vinegar and 1/3 cup of sugar until latter is dissolved. Bring to simmer and pour the boiling liquid over the ginger root shreds in the jar.
  3. Allow the mix to cool and then cap and store in fridge > 1 week to age. The liquid will change to pinkish in colour.
  4. Ready to serve.

DIY Yu Sheng (Chinese Prosperity Toss)

-ingredients

  • 100 g white radish, shredded
  • 100 g carrot, shredded
  • 100 g unripe mango, shredded
  • 75 g pickled papaya, shredded
  • 50 g spring onions, shredded
  • 1 red chilli, shredded
  • 6 pickled leeks, shredded
  • 100 g pomelo wedges, peeled & separated the sacs
  • 4 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
  • 20 g young ginger, finely shredded
  • 1 pair yao char kwai (cruller), sliced thinly and deep dried til crispy
  • 100 g sweet potatoes, finely shredded
  • 50 g toasted sesame seeds
  • 70 g roasted peanut, pounded

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-sauce ingredients

  • 300 g plum sauce
  • 1 tbsp lime juide
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp sesame paste
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt to taste
  • 10 g Chinese five spice powder (in red packet)

–

-method

  1. deep fry shredded sweet potatoes in hot oil until crispy. Remove from oil & drain well.
  2. combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a to a low simmer. leave aside to cook completely.
  3. arrange the shredded ingredients attractively on a big round platter.
  4. to serve, pour the sauce over the yu sheng and sprinkle with five spices powder. Add a sprinkle of sesame seeds and roasted peanuts.

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other subtitute ingredients

  • seng kuang (chinese turnip)
  • grapefruit (substitutes pomelo)
  • pickled red ginger (recipe)
  • chinese pear
  • water chestnut

Simple meat marinate

-ingredients

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 inch ginger, peeled and grated
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper (and more for seasoning later)
  • salt

–

-method

  1. add all the above to mix
  2. add meat to marinate
  3. keep marinated meat refrigerated, > 2 hrs to 24 hrs
  4. remove from fridge to equilibrate to room temperature, 30 min

 

Nasi lemak with dried anchovies sambal

-ingredients

  • coconut rice
  • dried anchovies sambal (see below)
  • cucumber, sliced
  • fried anchovies
  • fried peanuts
  • hard-boiled eggs, halved

–

coconut rice

-ingredients

  • 400 g (2 cups) rice, washed and drained
  • 3 screwpine leaves (pandan), washed and knotted
  • 1 shallot, peeled and thickly sliced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 400 ml coconut milk
  • 200 ml water

–

-method

  1. place all ingredients into a rice cooker
  2. cook as per cooker’s instruction

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fried anchovies sambals

-ingredients

  • 50 g deep fried anchovies
  • 1 large red onion (approx 210 g), quartered and sliced thinly
  • 60 to 70 g light brown sugar
  • 15 g tamarind paste mixed with 1 cup of water, discard the sediment later (or strained)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup cooking oil

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—spice paste

  • 100 g shallots peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 bug yellow onion, chopped
  • 40 g dried red chillies, soaked in boiling water and drained
  • 1 tsp roasted shrimp paste (belacan)

–

-method

  1. blend spice paste ingredients
  2. saute in moderate heat with oil
  3. stir until fragrant (and oil separated from paste)
  4. add red onion and stir briefly
  5. mix in tamarind juice, sugar and cook, 20-25 min
  6. mix in fried anchovies and cook for 15 min
  7. season with sugar/salt to taste

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Pineapple tart

-Ingredients

  • 150 g flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp corn flour
  • 100 g salted butter
  • 1 1/2 tbsp icing sugar
  • 1 egg yolk

-method

  1. Preheat oven to 180oC
  2. Sieve flour, corn flour, salt, and icing sugar into a mixing bowl
  3. Cut butter to small pieces and rub into flour
  4. Add egg yolk to form dough
  5. Dust the work area, pinch dough, flatten with rolling pin
  6. Add 1 tsp pineapple filling (8 g) and close pastry skin (10 g)
  7. Glaze with egg yolk
  8. Bake in oven, 10 to 15 min until lightly brown

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Pineapple filling

-Ingredients

  • Pineapple, cut into cubes/shreds
  • sugar, sufficient to taste
  • 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water

-Direction

  1. Using low to medium heat, cook the drained and crushed pineapple mixed with sugar until thicken and golden brown
  2. Stir constantly with wooden spoon to avoid burning
  3. Set aside and let cool in fridge
  4. Ready to use.

Spicy Assam fish

-ingredients

  • 1 kg mackerel (or ikan tenggiri), washed and sliced into pieces
  • 300 g ladies fingers, cut into halves diagonally with both ends removed
  • 1 medium tomato,cut into 6 wedges
  • 50 g assam paste,mixed with 200 ml water
  • cooking oil

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—spices

  • 3 stalks lemongrass
  • 25 g dried chilli, soaked in water and drained
  • 150 g shallots, peeled
  • 15 g tumeric, sliced
  • 10 g galangal, sliced
  • 20 g roasted shrimp paste (belacan)
  • 2 to 3 candlenuts
  • 1 stalk ginger flower

–

—seasoning

  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt

–

—garnishing

  • 1 ginger flower bud
  • 3 to 4 thinly-sliced lemongrass stalks

–

-method

  1. wash the spices and using a blender or a pestle and mortar, blend them until fine
  2. heat cooking oil in a wok
  3. stir fry all blended spices until fragrant
  4. pour in the assa paste-water mixture and bring to boil
  5. lace ladies fingers, tomato wedges and fish in the wok and simmer until cooked
  6. add sugar, salt, and oyster sauce to taste
  7. garnish with ginger flower and lemon grass

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Simplest Popiah wrapper

Popiah can be healthy and delectable diet. You can innovate with the popiah filling to suit your preference.

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Popiah wrapper

–

-Ingredients

  • 600 g flour
  • 1 tsp gluten-rich tapioca flour (optional)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 200 ml water

–

-method

  1. sift through the dry ingredients
  2. mix the rest of the ingredients
  3. knead the dough (sometimes rest the dough in water overnight helps)
  4. it should be a bouncy texture, and should stick to your hand
  5. Heat up wok without oil and make sure to use non-stick pan (easier)
  6. when the wok is hot, spread the dough around the wok in a thin layer
  7. size is approx 6 inches in diameter
  8. remove when cooked, 30 sec

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other alternatives that uses egg will have slight changes in the popiah flavour that I’m accustomed to.

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Popiah fillng

–

-Ingredients

  • 900 g icama thinly sliced
  • 1 large carrot
  • 2 to 4 pieces shitake mushroom, sliced thinly
  • 1 tbsp dried shrimps (soaked in water to soften)
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • Pinch salt
  • Dash of peper

–

-method

  1. Heat wok with oil
  2. Saute dried shrimp until fragrant, then add in garlic.
  3. Add in jicama, carrot and mushroom. stir fry until softened.
  4. add in seasoning, e.g. light soy saue, oyster sauce, salt, and pepper.
  5. Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer
  6. Add water to prevent drying and continue to simmer until jicama is softened to taste. add seasoning if required.

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-other ingredients to popiah

  • fried eggs, sliced thinly
  • sauces, e.g. cantonese sweet sauce (Tim cheong)
  • chilli sauce (with garlic)
  • lettuce
  • chicken shreds (stir-fried and coated with soy sauce)
  • Chinese sausage (lap cheung), sliced

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Char Siew Pau -Chinese steamed pork bun

-Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp oil (a tinge of sesame oil)
  • 1 scallion (green onion), chopped finely
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped finely
  • 1/2 pound barbecued pork cut into smaller cubes
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water (or chicken stock)

–
-Method

  1. Prepare steamed bun dough (see below)
  2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok
  3. Stir fry scallion and garlic, 30 sec
  4. add pork to stir fry, 1 min
  5. add soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar
  6. pour dissolved cornstarch
  7. stir fry quickly until pork is glazed
  8. transfer to a bowl and allow to cool
  9. on floured board, knead dough, 1 min and roll into a long, sausage like roll 2 inches in diameter
  10. slice the roll cross wise into an inch pieces
  11. flatten each piece with the palm of hands and roll with rolling pin into 3 inch diameter discs
  12. place 2 tbsp filling at the centre of each dough disc
  13. gather dough up around the filling by plaiting along the edges
  14. bring the pleats up and twist securely and firmly
  15. place each bun on aluminium foil on steamer tray
  16. cover with a towel and let rise, 1 hr until dough springs back when touched with finder
  17. remove towel
  18. steam, 10 min

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Steamed bun dough

-ingredients

  • 1 package dried yeast (or 1 cake of fresh yeast)
  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • 4 1/2 cup of flour
  • 2 tbsp Crisco or veggie oil
  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil

–

-method

  1. dissolve yeast in lukewarm water.
  2. add 1 cup flour, mix thoroughly.
  3. Cover with cloth
  4. Let rise, 1 hr until bubbles appear.
  5. Dissolve sugar and veggie oil in 1/2 cup boiling water. Stir well and cool until lukewarm.
  6. Pour above into yeast mixture.
  7. Add in 3 1/2 cup flour.
  8. Knead the dough on lightly floured board until smooth.
  9. Place into large, greased bowl in warm place.
  10. Cover with damp cloth.
  11. Let rise until dough double in size, ~ 2 hrs.
  12. Divide the dough into 2 portions. Knead one portion, 2 min. Repeat for the other portion.
  13. Roll each into a roll 12 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Cut into 12 pieces (24 in total)
  14. Flatten each piece with the palm of hands. Roll with rolling pin into 3 inch circles.
  15. Brush with sesame oil.
  16. Cover tray with towel to let bun rise to double in size, 30 min.
  17. Steam for 10 min.

Malt syrup

Malt syrup is derived from concentrated pre-fermented germinated/malted barley wort (i.e. liquid extracted from mashing process).

Process involves

  1. Sprout grain, e.g. barley
  2. Mill
  3. Mash
  4. Mash separation
  5. Wort boiling
  6. Flavoured with hops
  7. Concentrate
  8. Sterilized before storage

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Fig. 1 Flavourful malt syrup (pic from joepastry.com)

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Fig. 2 barley sprouting increases sweetness (pic from thefreshloaf.com)

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Sprouting sweetens grains because of the breakdown of carbohydrate into smaller sugar molecules (nourichedkitchen.com).

Use of malt syrup or extract in beer brewing (beerandbrewing.com).