Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

Curry puff is a common snack in Malaysian cuisine. It’s commonly served for breakfast and during coffee break. I came up with my own recipe preparing curry puff for a potluck dinner. They were gone in minutes. Personally, I really like the flaky pastry skin ;)

Happy trying!

Ingredients:
(A) Pastry skin
3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup margarine/butter
1 cup water
3/4 tsp salt
(B) Filling
1/2 medium red onion, diced
200g chicken breast meat, small pieces
200g white potatoes
200g sweet potatoes
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup water, or more

Directions:
1. To prepare pastry skin, mix flour and salt together. Cut margarine/butter into the flour mixture, while kneading. A crumbly dough should form.
2. Then, add water. Knead well and set the pastry dough aside.
3. To prepare filling, heat 1.5 tbsp oil in a saucepan. Saute red onions until light brown, add chicken into saucepan. Stir-fry chicken on medium heat.
4. When meat is almost cooked, add potatoes, sweet potatoes, and all other spices into the saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes, while stirring constantly.
5. Next, add water into the saucepan. Let simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft and tender. Let cool.
6. Take a handful of pastry dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface, to form a circular pastry skin. Place ~ 1.5 tbsp of filling in the centre of pastry skin. Flute the edge by pinching and twisting with fingers. Alternatively, use a curry puff mould (makes the preparation a lot easier).
7. Heat cooking oil in a pot. Deep fry curry puffs on medium heat, until brown on both sides (~ 15 minutes).
8. Serve hot!

* Yield: ~ 16 pieces

Pakora is a popular South Asian snack food. It can be found in Indian, Punjabi, and Pakistani cuisine. It’s flavourful and easy to prepare!

Ingredients:
1 large onion, thin sliced
3 cup chickpea flour
1 tsp salt
1 + 3/4 cup water
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
~ 3 cup cooking oil

Directions:
1. Mix chickpea flour and salt together.
2. Add water into the flour mixture gradually, while stirring.
3. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and sliced onions into the batter.
4. Heat cooking oil in a wok. Place 1.5 tbsp of batter in the heated oil gently, one at a time.
5. Deep fry 5 to 6 pakoras on medium heat, for about 6 minutes or slightly brown. Deep fry for another 6 minutes on other side of pakoras, until light brown.
6. Serve!

Satay is a well-known delicacy in Southeast Asia. It can be found in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia etc. It’s served with a variety of meat, such as chicken, beef, lamb, venison, rabbit etc. Barbequed satay on charcoal fire is delicious, though some expressed health concerns about carbon residues on satay, which is thought to be carcinogenic. Hence, cucumber and red onion should go hand in hand with satay. Cucumber is known to reduce heat and inflammation, whereas onion helps to lower cholesterol level and increase blood circulation. The anti-carcinogenic properties of cucumber and onion help to reduce the risk of cancer.

Ingredients:
(A) Chicken satay
900g chicken thighs
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp lemon grass powder
1/2 tsp galangal powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of ground white pepper
1 tbsp oil
~ 36 bamboo skewers, presoaked in water for 30 minutes

For brushing:
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp honey

(B) Peanut sauce
1/4 medium red onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup concentrated tamarind juice
1/2 + 1/2 cup water
1 + 1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp lemon grass powder
1/2 tsp galangal powder
1 + 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt
~ 12 dried chillies

Directions (A):
1. Remove skins and bones from chicken thighs.
2. Cut thighs into strips. In a mixing bowl, marinate meat with light soya sauce, sugar and all other spices. Add 1 tbsp oil and mix well. Refrigerate marinated meat overnight.
3. Slide strips of meat onto the top half of presoaked bamboo skewers (to prevent burning).
4. Prepare a tray lined with greased aluminum foil. Place bamboo skewers side by side. Lightly brush satay with oil.
5. Bake satay in a preheated oven at 400 F for 12 minutes, or half-cooked.
6. Remove tray from the oven. Turn the satay around. Lightly brush them with oil. Bake satay further for 10 minutes.
7. Remove tray from the oven. Brush satay (on both sides) with honey. Bake for another 2 minutes, or until cooked.
8. Serve satay with satay sauce; red onions and cucumbers on the side.

Directions (B):
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan. Saute red onions until light brown. Add garlic into the skillet. Fry until fragrant.
2. Add all spices, except turmeric powder into saucepan. Mix well.
3. Next, add concentrated tamarind juice, 1 cup coconut milk, and 1/2 cup water into saucepan. Add turmeric powder, dried chillies, and chopped peanuts. Stir well.
4. Let simmer (without a lid) on medium high heat for 15 minutes, or until sauce starts to dry out. Stir occasionally.
5. Add the remaining coconut milk and water, as well as peanut butter into saucepan. Let simmer on medium heat for another 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens.
6. Serve with satay.

Serimuka is one of the Malaysian desserts that I missed the most. I remembered buying it from the food stall at the market. It’s a popular dessert in Malaysia. I didn’t realize how much I missed it, until I started to crave for it… What is so special about this dessert?

This two-layer dessert with coconut flavour, is made up of salty glutinous rice layer at the bottom; and a sweet, pandan-flavoured egg custard later on top. The taste of this combination is marvelous! I really like the fact that it is not overly sweet and comes with the fragrant pandan aroma. Nonetheless, serimuka is rather filling, because of the glutinous rice layer.

I started my search on serimuka recipe and was really glad to find one on Lily’s Wai Sek Hong. I’ve tried the recipe a few times but haven’t had the opportunity to take some good shots of the dessert. I made some serimuka recently for a potluck. Everyone loved it, even non-Malaysians! Hope you’d enjoy it too!

Ingredients:
(A) Glutinous rice layer
300g glutinous rice
180ml coconut milk
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
(B) Egg custard layer
3 eggs, lightly beaten
150g icing sugar
350ml coconut milk
1/2 tsp pandan paste
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp all-purpose flour, sieved
4 tbsp rice flour, sieved

Directions:
1. Wash and soak the glutinous rice overnight (or at least 3-4 hours).
2. Drain water. Steam the rice in a round tray on high heat, for 20 minutes to soften.
3. Turn off the heat. Mix together coconut milk, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Fluff up the rice with a fork. Pour the coconut mixture into the rice. Mix well. Steam rice on high heat for another 20 minutes, or until cooked.
4. Press hard on the cooked rice with a spatula. Make sure the rice layer is evenly laid in the tray.
5. Next, mix together eggs, icing sugar, coconut milk, pandan paste, and salt. Mix well.
6. Gradually pour in the sieved all-purpose flour and rice flour into the egg mixture. After it’s well mixed, strain the mixture. Heat the mixture on high in a microwave, one minute at a time, until a slightly thick mixture is formed.
7. Pour half of the egg mixture on top of the rice layer. Steam on medium high heat for 20 minutes, or until it’s half-cooked. Poke holes with a fork on the custard layer.
8. Subsequently, pour in the rest of the egg mixture. Steam on medium high heat for another 20 minutes, or until it’s cooked.
9. Let cool. Cut serimuka into pieces and serve!

Hummus is an Arabic snack prepared from chickpeas (cooked and mashed), blended with tahini (sesame paste), garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. It can be used as a dip or spread. I tried hummus at a multicultural food fair a few years ago and really liked it! Since then, I’ve been making homemade hummus :)

Here is a recipe of hummus without tahini; since tahini is not a common ingredient and might not be readily available at grocery stores. The hummus tasted as great!!

Ingredients:
1 can (540 ml) chickpeas
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 salt

Directions:
1. Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas.
2. In a kitchen blender, pour in chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, water, olive oil, with the rest of ingredients, including salt.
3. Blend on high speed for ~ 3-4 minutes or until a paste with soft texture is formed. Add more water if needed.
4. The flavourful hummus is ready in no time! Serve with pita bread, crackers, or even veggie sticks! Enjoy :)

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
~ 3 cm ginger root, grated
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 can (540 ml) chickpea, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp chana masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of coriander powder
Dash of garam masala
1 tbsp cooking oil

Directions:
1. Heat cooking oil in a pot on medium heat. Saute onions till light brown.
2. Add garlic and ginger into pot. Pan-fry till fragrant and brown, on low heat.
3. Next, add tomatoes and salt. Mix well and let cook on medium high heat, cover with a lid. When it comes to a boil, let simmer on low heat.
4. As tomato juice thickens and a thin layer of oil becomes apparent, add chickpea, red chili powder, chana masala, and turmeric powder. Mix well on medium high heat.
5. Stir continuously for 1-2 minutes, till fragrant. If too dry, add ~ 1 tbsp of water. Let simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes, with lid on.
6. Lastly, stir in coriander powder and garam masala. Let cook for one minute before turning heat off.
7. Serve while hot, with rice or Indian bread.

* Spicy level: 7/10

This is a hot & spicy Indian dish. Feel free to adjust the amount of spices according to taste. I was inspired by the Indian cooking of my friend, Seema, several years ago. Since then, I’ve been having fun preparing Indian dishes from time to time. Seema, I missed your samosas and pakoras!

Sweet glutinous rice balls, (“tang yuan” in Mandarin or “tong yun” in Cantonese) are one of my favourites! I was so excited when I successfully prepared the glutinous rice balls myself for the very first time, several years ago. Here is the secret recipe of mine. Enjoy savouring the “tang yuan”!

Ingredients:
2 cup glutinous rice flour
~ 200 ml water
~ 1/3 cup finely ground peanuts
9 drops red food colouring
3 drops blue food colouring

Directions:
1. To make red glutinous rice balls, add 6 drops of red food colouring into 100 ml water. Mix water with 1 cup glutinous rice flour gradually, until a pliable dough is formed.
2. Knead the dough slightly. Roll the dough into small balls. Insert ~ 1/2 tsp ground peanuts into each ball.
3. Repeat the above steps for making purple glutinous rice balls, but using 3 drops of red food colouring and 3 drops of blue food colouring instead.
4. Prepare a pot of boiling water. Pour in the glutinous rice balls gently. Keep water boiling at medium heat, until glutinous rice balls float on the water surface and cooked (about 15 minutes).
5. Drain water off the pot. Serve the glutinous rice balls in sweet broth (e.g. barley soup or regular sweetened water).

Now, you may ask: “why choose red and purple?” Of course, there is a special message behind it. There is a Chinese proverb “大红大紫 (da hong da zi)” which implies great achievements or fame, in which “红” means red and “紫” means purple. Another Chinese proverb, “万紫千红 (wan zi qian hong)” indicates a new phenomenon or a colourful sight (arrival of spring). Supposedly, Chinese New Year takes place in the spring, and also known as “Spring Festival.” Hmm…even the colours make great interpretations. Amazing, eh?

Ingredients:
(A) Starter dough
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1/4 warm water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

(B) Bun dough
1+1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp vegetable oil

(C) Pork filling
1.5 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
2 tsp cooking wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
~ 2 lb boneless pork chop, cut into cubes
~ 6 medium shiitake mushrooms (soaked), cut into small pieces

Directions:
1. Dissolve dry yeast in warm water, measured around 35 degrees Celsius (for yeast activation). Add sugar into the mixture (to help with yeast growth). Let stand for about 10 minutes, or until yeast dissolves.
2. Slowly, pour flour into yeast mixture. Mix and knead well. Allow to stand for 30 minutes, in a covered bowl at room temperature.
3. To prepare the bun dough, dissolve white sugar in warm water. Mix together flour and salt in a separate bowl.
4. Make a well in the middle of flour mixture. Pour in the sugar mixture and vegetable oil into the well. Mix well.
5. Knead dough for 10-15 minutes until pliable and smooth.
6. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a lid. Let rise under room temperature until triple in size, about 3.5 to 4 hours.
7. Punch down the centre of dough, and pull the edges over to the centre. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. Allow second rise (proofing) for 1 hour in a lightly greased covered bowl, at room temperature.
8. Meanwhile, heat cooking oil in a wok. Saute onions, garlic, and ginger until light brown.
9. Stir-fry the pork. Add oyster sauce, light & dark soya sauce, cooking wine, sesame oil, and ground white pepper.
10. When the pork is half-cooked, pour in the shiitake mushroom pieces. Fry until fragrant. Let cool.
11. When dough is ready, punch down the dough a second time. Knead dough for 2 minutes.
12. On a lightly floured surface, take about half a fist-size dough and roll it out flat in a round shape, with thinner edges.
13. Place ~ 2 tbsp of pork filling in the middle of round dough. Shape the dough into a bun, by fluting the edge. Subsequently, join the edges in the middle of bun (making it like a dome with a sharp tip).
14. Place the bun on a piece of paper (8 cm x 8 cm). When all the buns are ready, place them in the bamboo steamer. Steam buns over boiling water on medium heat, for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked.
15. Steamed buns will double their size when cooked. Turn off the heat. Keep the buns in the steamer for another 2-3 minutes before removing the lid.
17. Serve while hot. Enjoy!

* This recipe yields about a dozen steamed buns.

A very Happy Chinese New Year to everyone!! When it was ox year, 12 years ago, I was excited to claim that it was “my year”! The 12-year cycle went through rather swiftly, I’d say. Looking back these years, I’ve gone through different stages of life, traveled to different places, tasted different flavours of food, and enjoyed different excitements in life. I’m looking forward to a great year ahead of me; to explore what life has in store for me and savour the goodness of life in the years to come!

So, back to the topic. How did I celebrate Chinese New Year of year 2009? I had my “reunion dinner” two days before the first day of New Year with six other friends. It was a decent size group. We had fun preparing food together and enjoying the feast!

Appetizers: Chinese dumplings and steamed buns with pork filling.

Main course (from top left, clockwise): BBQ pork (a.k.a. char siew), roast chicken, sushi, and Shanghai choy with shiitake mushrooms.

Desserts: Tang yuan (glutinous rice balls in sweet broth) with barley, and cheesecake.

The meal went really well. I was glad to have my friends over to my place for the special occasion. If we get to have a fun meal for the special occasion, why not do it together? It’s worth the time and effort preparing for the feast (four of the dishes). I ended up spending an equivalent amount of hours in kitchen that day, as I was in bed the night before ;) The remaining hours? I had some fun of course!

Rest + Work + Fun = 24 hours. What a nice equation of the day!

* Stay tuned for some yummy Chinese New Year recipes!

Here is the recipe for a bowl of delicious noodle soup as shown above.

Ingredients:
(A)
1/3 lb ground pork/beef
1 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp corn starch
Dash of ground white pepper
(B)
~ 100g dried rice vermicelli
4 cup water
1.5 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp light soya sauce
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of ground white pepper
(C)
1 small carrot, sliced
Chunks of dried seaweed
1 stalk green onion, chopped
2 tbsp fried shallots

Directions:
1. Combine and marinate the ground meat with ingredients in (A). Leave aside for an hour.
2. Divide meat into 4-5 portions and form into balls.
3. Soak dried rice vermicelli in a pot of boiling water until soft. Drain water off the pot.
4. On a separate pot, bring water (4 cups) to boil. Add ingredients in (B) and meat balls from (2) into this pot. Cook on medium low heat.
5. When meat is half-cooked, add sliced carrots from (C) into the pot.
6. After meat is cooked, add dried seaweed into the pot. Let soup simmer on low heat until seaweed is soft.
7. Transfer the noodle soup into a bowl. Garnish with green onions and fried shallots.
8. Serve while steaming hot!

Have you ever had spaghetti without pasta sauce and Parmesan cheese? Here is an innovative oriental spaghetti dish that’s equally tasty, if not tastier!

Ingredients:
100g dried spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp cooking oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp red chili powder
2 fresh green chilies, chopped with seeds removed
1 tbsp minced garlic, soaked in 2 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook spaghetti on high heat until tender. Stir in olive oil and salt. Drain water off the pot.
2. Next, heat cooking oil in a wok.
3. Sautee onions on medium heat till brown. Cook ground beef with oyster sauce, light and dark soya sauces until fragrant.
4. Pour the cooked ground beef on the spaghetti. Add some green chilies and minced garlic. Garnish the dish with red chili powder, ground black pepper, and dried oregano.

Bon appetit!

A bowl of hot chili is especially appreciated on a cold winter day. It’s something I’ve never tasted till I came to Canada. Chili is available at Wendy’s restaurant and Tim Horton’s. However, homemade chili is always the BEST! It’s a simple recipe that you can easily follow!

Ingredients:
1.5 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, in cubes
1 medium red/green pepper, small chunks
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 can (398ml) red kidney beans
1 can (680ml) tomato sauce
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil in a pot.
2. Sautee the chopped onions till brown.
3. Stir in the ground beef and cook. Add the worcestershire sauce, ground black pepper and white pepper to taste. Pour in carrots and cook together.
4. When the meat is almost cooked, pour in the tomato sauce and red kidney beans. Stir in diced tomatoes, chunks of red/green pepper, and chili powder.
5. Once chili comes to a boil on high heat, let simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.
6. Add the rest of spices: dried basil, thyme leaves, and oregano into chili. Stir well.
7. Let cook for another 10 minutes.
8. Best served with crackers or garlic toast, while hot!

This is a medium hot version of chili. Feel free to alter the amount of red chili powder, salt, and pepper according to individual taste. As tomato sauce generally comes in high sodium content, salt is neglected in this recipe.

The recipe of chili is identical to that of pasta sauce. Personally, I’d substitute the tomato sauce with equal amount of plain pasta sauce for a flavourful and beefy homemade pasta sauce! Alternatively, chili blends in well with your favourite pasta too. Something for a change if you don’t know what to do with the leftover :)

Enjoy a hearty chili meal in the cold winter!

* This recipe cooks a generous portion of chili sufficient to feed 4-5 people.

My seafood craving is back again! I noticed a good deal for live lobster ($5.99/lb) and decided to get one yesterday. It even beats the lowest price I’ve ever observed over the summer months.

“Small, medium, large? Male or female?” Choosing a live lobster requires some knowledge, depending on what you’re looking for.

Lobstermen agree that the female is a better choice. Female lobsters may have roes, or unfertilized eggs which are tasty and considered as delicacy. Also, female lobsters have more tail breadth which means more meat. They need the extra size for carrying the eggs. How to tell a male from female lobster? Aside from the added breadth, females’ swimmerets (the appendages under the tale) are light and feathery unlike the males’ which are bony and hard. Another issue still in debate is the choice between getting soft shelled or hard shelled crustacean kings. This is usually settled by preference. Lobsters with soft-shells have just undergone moulting, which means that their shells are easily breakable. This translates to easier cooking and eating. Their flesh are also deemed to be sweeter-tasting. However, these soft and sweet lobsters are not without disadvantage. They are not good for traveling because of the delicate condition of their shells. Hard shells are then preferred when a lobster is expected to travel long distances especially in delivery. Hard shell lobsters are also bigger and meatier.

~ Lobster Tales in Choosing the Best

I chose a medium-sized female lobster with soft shells. Apparently, a female lobster can mate only just after she sheds her shell. In other words, chances of savouring the lobster coral are higher ;) Lobster coral, also known as lobster roe, turns into a lovely coral colour when cooked. These are unfertilized eggs which have not been extruded.

The tail should be straight and curl under once it is picked up. If you uncurl the tail, it should spring back to a curled position if it is healthy.

~ Guide to Lobster

How to cook a lobster? I opted for the boiling method, just because it’s easier. Here are some lobster cooking recipes.

Steamed fresh oysters tasted very different from the dried oysters I’ve had. They’re tastier, of course!

I went to Miramichi, NB for pond fishing and caught this trout during the summer of 2007. My first fish cooking experience :) Mind you, it was a live fish!

Why do mussels always have to be cooked the same way? Presenting to you the mussel curry!!

1. To cook the noodles and shrimps, prepare a pot of boiling water. Boil the dried noodles on high heat for 10-15 minutes until tender. Add 1 tbsp cooking oil to prevent noodles from sticking together. Add frozen shrimps into the pot of hot water to cook.
2. Drain water off the pot. Place noodles and shrimps separately.
3. Heat up the wok. Add the rest of the cooking oil into the wok. When heated, sautee onions and then garlic on medium heat.
4. Place noodles into the wok. Add oyster sauce, dark and light soya sauces, sesame oil, and fish sauce, while frying the noodles.
5. Add beaten eggs, ground peppers, and red chilli powder. Fry the noodles till soft and tender.
6. When eggs are cooked, add the cooked shrimps.
7. Lastly, incorporate bean sprouts and green onions into the noodles.
8. Ready to serve!

I’d have used some Chinese chives instead of green onions, if I could get hold of them. Besides that, I’m pretty happy with the taste and presentation of the dish! Hope you enjoy it ;)