Muốn Ăn Thì Lăn Vào Bếp (My recipes)

[dewdrops]

500g squid (marinated with sprinkle of sesame oil, fish sauce, pepper)
5 small lebanese cucumber (sliced down middle, cut diagonally 1cm apart)
1-2 tomatoes (cut into wedges)
1 onion
oil

Stir Fried Squid

Sautee onion in some oil, add the squid, once squid is cooked pop aside. Add tomato, cucumber fish sauce, sugar to taste, then combine with squid. Today I did them all in one, just have to watch that the squid don't get overcooked..

NB. Squid need to be criss crossed then cut diagonally into 1 cm width pieces..they cook pretty fast too, as soon as they firm up at the edges it means that they are ready..they will be tough if you let them curl up..
muc xao.JPG

[dewdrops]

Pippies in XO sauce

1.1 kg live pippies
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
3 cm ginger cut into strips
5 tablespoons of XO sauce
sprinkle soy sauce (to taste)
1/2-1 teaspoon sugar
2-3 tablespoons corn flour in 1/2 a cup of water
spring onion to garnish

Soak the pippies in cold water for about an hour to clean any sand out of them.

Boil the pippies till they open, then take them out... save the broth to make the sauce later.

In a wok, sautee garlic with some oil..then pop in the pippies, ginger, XO sauce, soy, sugar and the broth ..once have tasted, thicken with corn flour..

To thicken wait for sauce to boil, then stir in the corn flour.

Garnish with some spring onion..

I usually make plenty of sauce as once thicken the sauce tend to disappear..so add plenty of broth... the sauce is yummy to dip chinese donuts in..

NB.
XO sauce can be bought at any Asian groceries..the one I used is home made..and then sold at the groceries. .

*there are recipes on the internet to make XO sauce from scratch...very fiddly, and need to make a very big batch to make it worthwhile..just google XO sauce
pippies.JPG

[dewdrops]

Bánh Canh Sườn Tôm / Rice drops or Udon with Prawns and Pork Ribs
When I am happy I cook...hehehe

1 bunch buk choy
1 bunch of coriander
20 prawns (banana) product of Australia
1 drizzle of sesame oil
Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce
pepper
5cloves of garlic sliced thinly
spring onion for garnishing
sugar
fish sauce

3 kg pork bones
1/2 kg of pork ribs (sườn)

Soup:
Cook bones for 2-3 hours with a brown onion
Add pork ribs for another half hour
Add fish sauce, sugar to taste

Prawns:
Marinate first with a drizzle of sesame oil, pepper, oyster sauce
some oil , garlic and stir fry the prawns..

Bánh canh (rice drops):
Cook in a pot of boiling water separately then drain ..

Assemble as below, vegies at bottom, then rice drops, meat and prawns garnish with spring onion and coriander pour soup on top
banh canh.JPG

[dewdrops]

Spinach and Seafood Soup

400g baby spinach, chopped
chicken soup
7 king prawns
7 baby octopus
7 scallops
150g salmon fillet
4-5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
some oil
2 eggs beaten
2 tablespoons of corn flour in some cold water
1 teaspoon sugar
fish sauce to taste

Cut the seafood into bite sizes and marinate in some fish sauce, pepper, sesame oil.

Heat up wok, add some oil then pop the garlic in, then the seafood. Found I had to be really gentle with the seafood not to break them up so gave up and chucked the whole lot into the chicken soup.

Once soup is boiled add the spinach and stir the corn flour through the soup to thicken.
Then reduce heat and slowly stir the eggs through..then add the sugar and fish sauce to taste.

NB..bring soup to boil first before turn low to stir eggs in..if it is too hot the eggs won't swirl and becomes stringy instead..
Also need to pretty much get everything chopped up and ready as the seafood and spinach does not take long to cook.
spinach soup.JPG

[dewdrops]

Can't have a barbie with no lamb now can we??

marinade for about 50 lamb cutlets
spring lamb cutlets..
sprinkle of sesame oil
4-5 heaped tablespoons of honey
2 bottles of Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce (1 bottle 510g)
1 and a 1/2 bottle of red wine..any sort...(1 bottle 750ml)

(shouldnt be too runny or too thick..vary as required)

marinate the lamb over night and BBQ it the next day...lamb is a bit like beef...so sear the meat and cook quickly...slow cooking will dry up the meat...it is nice medium rare..(lòng đào)

lamb cutlets are more juicier..and tender than the other cuts of lamb..one of the best cut... the smell/taste is not as strong either..very mild

I love lamb..anyone that says they hate it havent tasted these...hehehe have been converting people over to be lamb lovers...one guy reckoned I bỏ bùa in my lamb...ăn xong mê luôn hehehe

better to mê the lamb...not the cook

NB. Left overs are great in rice paper rolls.. with Hoi Sin dipping sauce..
Attachment 209
lamb2.JPG

[dewdrops]

Sâm Bổ Lượng

Barley, cooked
White fungus, soaked and separated
Lotus seeds, frozen or can (I tend to use the can one..with the green label)
Seaweed, soaked
Dried black/red dates
Dried longan
Sugar

I boil the barley separately first...takes awhile..half hour or more...then I pop the nhãn nhục (longan) and táo tàu (dried dates) in another pot with some water...and boil..once all the dried nhan nhuc are separated...pop my hot sen (lotus seeds) and all the soaked stuff (seaweed, fungus) in ..add sugar and that's it...

serve with ice, so make it sweet, nice for hot days.

NB red dates takes longer to cook than the black ones.
SBL.JPG

[dewdrops]

Seafood Green Curry :
Tuần trước đi ăn tiệm Thái gì mà Thái ba rọi ..dở như hạch ..

thèm quá nên ráng nấu cho bằng được ..cá rockling, scallops, prawns, snow peas, asparagus, mushrooms. broccoli, carrot, basil, coriander, lemon grass, bay leaves, coconut milk and Mae Ploy green curry paste..

Ingredients:
150g rockling
150g scallops
8 prawns (shelled)
1/2 bunch asparagus
1/2 a carrot
1/2 broccoli
1/2 handful of snow peas
4-5 mushrooms
1 can of coconut milk (400ml)
2.5 tablespoons of Mae Ploy Green Curry Paste
1 stalk of lemon grass
3 bay leaves
1 bunch of basil
1/2 bunch of coriander
sugar to taste


How I did it..

Blanch broccoli, sliced carrot (cà rốt), asparagus (măng) in boiling water..either that or steam them..

Into a hot wok.. pop the curry paste in with some coconut milk..then some bay leaves and lemon grass (xả) ..

then the seafood...once nearly cooked pop the mushroom and snow peas in..basil leaves (húng quế ) and coriander (ngò) just before taking the wok off heat..

I used 2.5 tablespoons of Mae Ploy green curry paste..400ml can of coconut milk (nước cốt dừa) some water and hubby added some sugar..

Tasted just right for him..as for me was a bit spicy..may be 1.5 to 2 tablespoons would have been better...

NB. The paste = very salty and spicy...
Attachment 213

[Quang]

Bún Riêu

3kg xương heo (3kg pork bones)
1 dây sườn (nếu muốn) (1 rope of pork ribs)
9 quả cà chua lớn (9 large tomatoes)
8 tép tỏi (8 cloves garlic)
hành lá cắt 2-3cm (spring onion cut into 2-3cm)
4 tablespoon mắm ruốc (4 tablespoons shrimp paste)
2 lọ (200g 2 jars crab paste with soya bean oil (Pantai)
1/2 kg tôm sống lột vỏ rồi (1/2kg shrimp/prawn peeled)
1 hộp giò sống (hộp =hộp đậu hũ) (1 box of uncooked pork loaf)
bún (rice vermicelli)
rau sà lách, rau thơm (lettuce and herbs)

1 bịch tôm khô (100g) luộc 10-20 phút cho nhừ , ráo nước xay nhuyễn (nước luộc tôm khô đổ vô nồi riêu)
1 bag of dried shrimps (100g) boiled for 10-20 minutes until tender, strained and processed (save broth to add to the soup)

12 trứng (700g) (12 eggs)

4-5 quả chanh nặn chanh xong lượt hột / 1 bịch me nấu lên xong lượt
(4-5 lemon juiced or 1 bag of tamarind boiled then strained)

gạch (float)
xay tôm với giò sống (process the prawn with the uncooked pork loaf)
1 lọ crab paste (1 jar of crab paste)
tôm khô xay (dried shrimp)
trộn hết với trứng khi nào vừa đủ sệt là vừa ..nhiều trứng quá sẽ lỏng gạch sẽ vỡ mà sệt quá gạch sẽ cứng quá )

combine all, consistency need to be not too thick or thin..too thick float too hard and too thin float will disintegrate

riêu (soup)
1. bỏ xương vô nấu 2-3 tiếng cho nước ngọt + 1teaspoon đường, 1 teaspoon bột gà+1 củ hành
Pork bones need to be cooked for 2-3 hours with 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon chicken powder, 1 onion.

2. xào tỏi , cà chua 1 lọ crab paste (xào chút cho thơm)
Saute garlic, tomatoes, 1 jar of crab paste

3. khi gần ăn thả cà chua vô
once ready to eat then add the tomatoes to the soup.

4. nước riêu sôi vặn nhỏ lại để riu riu bỏ gạch vô để gạch không có vỡ
Bring soup to boil then reduce heat to low, add the float in so that they don't break.

5. có thể thêm đậu hũ, huyết, giò heo, sườn heo..nếu muốn ..
Can add beancurd, coagulated blood, pork hock, pork ribs if wish.

huyết phải cắt trước bỏ luộc nồi khác (lửa riu riu ) xong mới bỏ vô tô trước khi ăn không sẽ vỡ ..
Blood (coagulated) have to be cut first, boiled in another pot on low heat then popped in bowls to avoid breakage.

dân lười nên là nêm với mắm ruốc ...nước chanh (lemon juice) vô riêu chứ không nấu me để cho nhanh ..
lazy so used lemon juice instead of tamarind...
Attachment 189

HÌnh như không phải là thứ riêu của miền bắc...

[dewdrops]

Quang ..hehee chế biến..mẹ dew nấu riêu phải nấu bằng cua ..đem xay ra làm gạch .. bên này khó mua ..nên ăn đỡ đó mà

[dewdrops]

Cabbage, separate leaves and boil.
Boil 1 egg, shelled and chopped into small pieces and pop in a bowl of fish sauce.

Bắp cải luộc , nước mắm trứng

cabbage.JPG