Salt and Pepper Fried Eggplant recipe

Salt and Pepper fried eggplant

Salt and Pepper Fried Eggplant

A simple recipe which needs only few ingredients.

Ingredients

500 gm eggplant, cut into French fries size

1½ cup rice flour

¼ tsp chilli powder

A pinch of salt

1 tbsp lemon juice

Cooking oil

Egg plant



Rice flour



 



Eggplant in ice water (No.2)



Rice flour + salt + pepper + chilli powder (No.3)

(No.7)

 

(No.7)

(No.8)



 

Procedure

1.Cut both ends of each eggplant and then cut them into French fries size.

2.Place the cut eggplant into ice cold water for about 30 minutes. If possible weigh them down into the ice water. Why? Is to get rid of some of the bitterness from the eggplant.

3.Combine the rice flour with salt, chilli powder and lemon juice. Mix all together.

4.Heat a pot or wok. Add sufficient amount of cooking oil.

5.Heat oil to a temperature between 160 C to 190 C.

6.Another way to measure whether the oil is hot enough is by using the end of a wooden chopstick or a wooden spoon deep into the oil. Oil that’s ready will bubble around the handle.

7.When ready to fry, grab a handful of fries, squeeze out the water from the fries (eggplant) and transfer the fries to the flour mixture.

8.Coat the flour all over the fries.

9.Transfer to the fryer and let them fry till crisp.

10.Remove fries, place on kitchen towel to drain the oil.

11.Garnish with some chopped spring onions or herbs.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Recipe : Mango Strudel Cream Cheese

Mango strudel

Mango Strudel Cream Cheese Recipe

I made a Mango Strudel Cream Cheese with Filo Pastry the other day and surprisingly it turned out really good. It isn’t difficult to make.

The two most important things to make this Mango Strudel delicious are being generous with butter and choosing the right kind of ripe mango.

I would suggest using Kensington Pride mango for this recipe as it has excellent flavour, juicy and it’s aromatic.

 

Ingredients

250 gm cream cheese (room temperature)

150 gm unsalted butter (room temperature)

3 tbsp of caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

6 filo pastry sheets

1 tbsp icing sugar for dusting

Filo Pastry

Procedure

 

Pre heat oven to 160 C (fan baked)

Using an electric hand mixer, combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy.

Add in the egg and beat well.

Place a sheet of baking paper on your work place. Lay a sheet of filo pastry on the baking paper. Brush generously with melted butter.

Top with another sheet and brush with butter. Repeat until you have used all the sheets.

 

Spoon and spread the cheese mixture over the centre of the filo sheets horizontally, about 3 ½ inches wide, leaving a small a border along the edges.

Top the cheese spread with sliced mango. Fold in the ends of the pastry and roll up, enclosing the filling.

Brush the edges with butter to stick it down.

Brush the top surface with the remaining butter.

Lift the baking sheet carefully onto the baking tray and bake the pastry for 20 to 25 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.

Slice it, dust with icing sugar and devour it immediately.

Enjoy!

Recipe : Kueh Bakar Pandan Santan

Kueh Pandan Bakar Santan

Kueh Pandan Bakar Santan is a traditional Malay dessert with custard like texture and flavoured with pandan extract and coconut cream.

The very first time my daughter had this kueh, she loves it immediately. She even ask me for the recipe and very eager to assist me in baking this kueh.

I always use the freshly squeezed pandan extract.

I am pleased to share with you the following recipe :

Ingredients

1 cup caster sugar

25 gm salted butter (room temperature)

2 ½ cup plain all purpose flour (sifted)

3 eggs

1 tbsp of roasted sesame seeds

500 ml coconut cream (Kara brand)

1 cup homemade pandan extract (made using 10 matured pandan leaves)

1½ cup water
(Combine coconut cream, pandan extract and water in a bowl)

Procedure

Heat the oven at 180 C.

Grease your baking pan with butter.

In an electric mixer, place the sugar and butter, beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time until all the mixture incorporated.

With the mixer on low speed, add one third of the combination of coconut cream, pandan extract and water followed by the sifted flour. Repeat with another one third of the mixture and the remaining last flour.

Scrape down the side of the bowl and continue mix for a minute or two till no lumps.

Pour your batter into the baking pan, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of the batter and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre and comes out clean.

Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Basil Pesto recipe

Basil Pesto

Pesto means sauce.

If you have too much fresh Basil leaves in your garden, use it to make it into sauce.

I use the sauce to serve it with pasta.

Fresh basil leaves

 

 

Pine nuts and garlic

Ingredients

70 gm fresh Basil leaves

25 gm roasted pine nuts or walnuts

2 cloves garlic

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

½ cup parmesan cheese

Procedure

Blend Basil leaves, nuts, garlic and oil into paste in a food processor.

Season it with salt and pepper.

Transfer it into a bowl.

If you are using it immediately, add parmesan cheese.

Otherwise store it in an air-tight glass container and place it in a refrigerator or freeze it.

Allow me to share with you how I cook the Basil pesto for my pasta :

Blend a brown onion. Heat a pan. Sprinkle some extra virgin olive oil. Saute the onion till golden brown. Add in Basil pesto. Stir and mix together. Add more salt or pepper to taste. If you love having more cheese, add another ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. Turn off heat.



Cooked basil pesto with additional cheese



Agar-agar palm sugar (gula Melaka) with coconut cream and egg

Agar-agar palm sugar (gula Melaka) with coconut cream and egg.

 

This jelly is my all time favourite. One piece is always never enough.

It is advisable to use a good quality Gula Melaka for making this jelly. You could smell and taste the difference between a good quality as compared to low grade Gula Melaka. I bought my Gula Melaka from a sundry shop at Jalan Kubu in Melaka.

A good quality Gula Melaka is sold in blocks, dark in colour, soft and crumbly and as mentioned earlier, it smells more fragrant.

I use the following recipe to make my Agar-agar Gula Melaka :

Good quality gula Melaka

Ingredients :

(A)

4 cups water

10 gm agar-agar powder

200 gm gula Melaka

¼ cup brown sugar

1 pandan leaf (tie into a knot)

 

(B)

250 gm coconut cream (kara brand)

1 egg

A pinch of salt

(Mix the 3 ingredients together and set it aside)

 

One 9 inch line baking tray (wet it)

 

Procedure

Prepare a pot. Place (A) in the pot. Let it boil and at the same time keep on stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove pandan leaf.

Add (B) into the same pot. Continue stirring and let it boil rapidly for 2 minutes.

Turn off heat.

Pour the agar-agar mixture into the baking tray. Let it cool.

Place it in the refrigerator for the agar-agar to harden.

Slice and serve chilled.

Enjoy!

Sambal prawns and calamari

Sambal prawns and calamari

This dish is my favourite. Both my kids love it too. It is very easy to prepare and cook.

I make my own sambal but if you find that it is time consuming to make, it is easily available in any grocery stores or wet markets in Malaysia. You can purchase sambal from the Asian grocery stores in Sydney too.

Ingredients

300 gm calamari/squid (cleaned, scored and cut into pieces)

300 gm prawns (de shelled and deveined)

1 brown onion (finely chopped)

1 tbsp sambal (Recipe : http://5foodway.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/recipe-for-making-sambal.html )

1 tsp tamarind juice

½ anchovy cube

1 to 1½ tsp sugar

1 tbsp shallot oil (Recipe : http://5foodway.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/jennifers-secret-ingredient-in-her.html )

 

Procedure

Heat a wok or pan.

Drizzle with 1 tbsp of shallot oil.

Add in sambal. Give a quick stir. Add squid/calamari. When squids are cooked, 

add prawns. Mix and stir fry all until prawns are cooked.

Add cube and sugar. Cook and combine both the cube and sugar until dissolve. Lastly add tamarind juice.

Mix all. Remove and dish on serving plate. Serve hot with white rice or nasi lemak.

Enjoy!

Recipe : "Savoury Glutinous Rice"

Savoury Glutinous Rice

Most of my family members love Savoury Rice. My mum visited me recently and she made this dish for us. Mum’s simple recipe as follows:-

Ingredients

500 gm white glutinous rice

100 gm meat (cut in pieces)

20 gm dried anchovies (cleaned)

30 gm dried prawns (de shelled and de skinned)

4 dried shiitake mushrooms

Crispy Fried shallots (4 tbsp)

Recipe :- (http://5foodway.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/jennifers-secret-ingredient-in-her.html)

Shallots oil (1 tbsp)                  

Water

Sauces and spice

 

2 tbsp Light soy sauce

1 tsp Dark caramel sauce

Dash of Pepper

1 tbsp Oyster sauce

Procedure

 

Rinse and soak the rice for half an hour. Remove and sift the rice with a colander.

Set aside.

Marinade the meat with salt, pepper and some corn starch.  Set aside.

Rinse, soak the dried anchovies and prawns. Sift the two items. Blend or pound it respectively. Set aside.

Wash and soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water. Once soften, cut into strips. Lightly fry the mushrooms and drizzle with few drops of light soy sauce. Set aside.

Heat a pan or wok. Add shallot oil. Fry the dried anchovies and dried prawns till aromatic and fragrant. Add the marinated meat and fry till the meat cooks. Add rice. Fry and combine. Add the sauces and spice. Stir fry all for 2 to 3 minutes.

Turn off heat. Transfer the aromatic rice (mix 2 tbsp of the fried shallots into the rice) into a line baking tray. Use the back of the spoon to even/flatten the rice. Add hot water to the level just cover the rice. Steam the rice for 40 minutes in a rapid boiling steaming wok or pan.

Remove into a serving plate. Garnish with fried shallots, chopped spring onions and shiitake mushroom strips. Serve hot.