Stir Fry Ceylon Spinach Shoots And Flowers With Minced Meat

Ceylon Spinach or Malabar Green is an easily grown vine found in tropical Asia and Africa.  Pick any flowers as soon as they form to keep the plant focused on producing new shoots and leaves which are the tastiest part of the plant.  This Ceylon Spinach is God's gift to me through the birds' droppings.   I found this Spinach growing in one of my pot. It grew so healthy and in no time I have been blessed with enough for our meals  .  I found out that the flowers could be eaten too :)

Wow, it really taste good and the flowers remained crunchy after cooking.  A quick simple stir fry with minced meat and garlic,  brings this dish to another level of deliciousness.   Wow, I shall keep  growing  this so that I can eat this everyday :) so delish ! I discovered by chance that the flowers could be eaten too. You can get this Malabar green from the supermarket but without the flowers of course.  I have the privilege to have this grown in my lil space which allows me to enjoy this dish anytime I feel like having it :) God's blessing indeed!

young shoots with the leaves and flowers

can be eaten raw or cooked

stir fry with minced meat and garlic

taste really good

 

the flowers after cooking is crunchy and taste really good

 

Stir Fry Ceylon Spinach Shoots And Flowers With Minced Meat

ingredients:

200 gm ceylon spinach shoots and flowers  - wash and drain dry
1/4 cup of minced meat - season with white pepper and soy sauce
2 cloves of garlic - minced
* optional - 2 bird's eye chillies - chopped
sea salt to taste
1 tbsp of rice bran oil

Method:

Heat up  1 tbsp of oil in wok, once oil is hot, add in garlic and stir fry till fragrant, add in the seasoned minced meat, stir fry till cooked. Put in the spinach shoots and flowers and chillies and stir fry on high heat till cooked. Add salt to taste. Dish up and serve with rice.

Enjoy!

Deep Fried Threadfin Fish ( Ikan Senangin ) With Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

Recently I bought quite a lot of Threadfin Fish or locally known as Ikan Senangin as I have grown to love this fish.  Good in curries and savoury dishes like the one above.  I used balsamic vinegar as a sauce for this deep fried Threadfin fish instead of using rice vinegar to give this dish the sweet and sour taste. I learned to slice the fish at an angle from YouTube ,it not only helps to cook the fish faster and give extra crispness to the fish, it gives a good presentation too when you have guests to dinner.

This simple to prepare and flavor packed dish is a to keep in my kitchen menu. Even hubby Wildboar who is not a fish eater loves this dish, the sauce and especially the crispness of the fish meat.  Balsamic vinegar taste good in salad and dishes like the above.  The trick is to add a tsp of brown sugar to the balsamic vinegar and tada you got the best sauce for fish dish or dressing for salad.  Try it to believe me :)

I learned to slice the fish at an angle from youtube

it not only helps to cook the fish faster and give extra

crispness to the fish, it gives a good presentation too

season the fish with sea salt and coat with corn starch before

putting into the hot oil for deep frying

I love the extra crispness when the fish is slice

at an angle :)

once the fish is done, prepare the sauce for the

fish. Balsamic vinegar and brown sugar

and a thickening sauce is the magic ingredients

for the sauce

Deep Fried Threadfin Fish  With Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

Ingredients:

1 medium sized Threadfin Fish / Ikan Senangin / Ma Yau Yue from fish monger - cleaned
1 tsp of sea salt
corn starch for coating

vegetable oil for deep frying

Deep frying Fish

1. Slice the fish body at an angle , rub sea salt all over the fish , sprinkle corn starch on the body of fish. Heat oil ( enough to cover the fish ) over high heat. Once the oil is smoking, put in the fish on its belly and deep fried till crispy on the outside and cooked inside.  Lift it up and place on paper towel to remove excess oil.  Once that is done, place the deep fried fish on a serving plate, while you prepare the sauce.

Sauce:
some grated carrots
1 clove of garlic - sliced
2 bird's eye chilli - sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1.5 tsp of brown sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp of corn starch and 2 tbsp of water - to make thickening
1 tbsp of rice bran oil

Prepare the sauce:

Saute garlic slices and chilli with 1 tbsp of rice bran oil in a non stick pan till fragrant, add in balsamic vinegar, brown sugar,  and thickening . Once the sauce thickens, add in salt to taste and
grated carrots.  Dish up and pour sauce over the deep fried fish.  Serve immediately to enjoy the crispness of the fish.

Note:  If you have pickled ginger, you can add to the sauce or as a side dish for the fish.

 Enjoy !

Mangalore Style Dry Chicken Curry/ Kori Sukka

I can't believe I actually cooked a South Indian curry dish.  My hubby, Wildboar and I loves South Indian curry and we will occasionally eat at stalls selling South Indian Curry . I was actually inspired to cook this Mangalore style dry chicken curry by a Facebook friend and by just looking at her photo of this dish that she posted up  , I knew I had to cook it.  I googled for the recipe and found one that I liked and tada, an aromatic and delicious Mangalore Style Dry Chicken Curry was served for dinner. Hubby said to keep the recipe and cook again using Kashmiri Chilli Powder :)

Now that I have succeeded in cooking my own South Indian curry, be rest assured that I will be trying out other South Indian dishes in the near future.  Though the color did not match the actual dish, I knew my mistake in not reading the recipe post to the end or rather did not register in my head pointers given by the author of the recipe :p That is the Elin I knew ! To get a nice red color, remember to use Kashmiri chilli or chilli powder for color and heat.  This dish is awesome and it is unique as I agree with author of this recipe when he quoted  "Morsels of chicken fried over a low flame with grated coconut and spices. Fresh flavours of the grated coconut is the unique touch of this preparation "  This recipe has been tailored and made easy for people like me, so I would encourage my readers to try this recipe if they are like us, into South Indian curries :)

Thank you Arun, author of blog The Take It Easy Chef for sharing such a wonderful recipe :)

these are the spices used, not too heavy, just perfect for us

 pan fry the spices except the dried chilli till fragrant 

but not burnt on low flame

add oil and add in onions and dry chilli

and continue to fry till the onions turned slightly 

brown

 

pound or blend till a paste is form, I wanted to have

some texture on the meat so I pounded it not to 

a fine paste but slightly course but not too coarse of course

 marinate the chicken pieces with the pounded spice paste

in a wok and cook under low flame with lid cover for 10 mins 

till fragrant and cooked through, 

remove lid and  keep stirring so that it does not

get burnt at the bottom

add in fresh grated coconut last and continue

to stir fy till the grated coconut is well incorporated

if too dry , can add a bit of water

dish up and serve as a side dish but I serve as our

main dish for dinner :)

a keeper for sure...as long as hubby loves it, I will

cook again and again....so aromatic and tasty

Mangalore Style Dry Chicken Curry/ Kori Sukka - adapted from The Take It Easy Chef

ingredients:

500 gm chicken  -cut into small pieces

2 medium onions

4-5 lcoves garlic

1 sprig curry leaves

1/2 cup grated coconut

salt to taste

For frying 

4 dry red chilli * use Kashmiri chilli or Kashmiri chilli powder for heat and color

2 red chilli

1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds

4-6 whole black pepper

1/4 tsp fenugreek

1/4 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp cummin seeds

1 inch cinnamon stick

2-3 cloves

1/4 tsp turmeric powder * I used fresh homegrown turmeric

1 tsp tamarind

Method:

1. Clean the chicken, and cut into small pieces.

2. Get all the ingredients listed under "For frying" ready.

3. Heat a pan, and dry fry* coriander seeds, whole pepper, fenugreek, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, and cloves.

4. When they are almost fried, add the dry red chillies or Kashmiri chilli/powder

5. Now add a little oil, garlic and half of the sliced onions. 

6. Fry while stirring frequently. Fry till the onions start turning brown.

7. Add turmeric powder and mix well. Switch off and let the mixture cool down.

8. Add 1/4th grated coconut, tamarind, and grind the mixture to a smooth paste in a blender.

9. Heat some oil in a pan, and fry the remaining onions to golden brown.

10. Add the chicken pieces, curry leaves, salt and fry on a high flame for another 2 minutes while stirring occasionally.

11.  Add the ground paste, stir well, reduce to a low flame.

12.  Cook with the lid closed for 10 minutes.

13. Open the lid. The chicken should be cooked by now. If the consistency is too dry, add a little water.

14. Add the remaining grated coconut, and mix well. Check for salt. 

15.  Cook for a couple more minutes while keeping an eye on the consistency. Don't let it go too dry.

16.  Garnish with some coriander (cilantro) leaves, and serve hot with neer dosa, chapati or rice.

             

 Enjoy!

Boiled Pork Belly With Ginger Shallots Oil Dip

I could never resist something delicious like pork belly, one of my favourite part of a pig.  Very often I made Bossam -Korean boiled pork belly  or braised pork belly .  Since I have a slab of pork belly in the freezer. I took the opportunity to cook this simple and yet delicious boiled pork belly.  How can a piece of boiled pork belly be delicious. The secret is the dip which is the accompaniment for the simple boiled pork belly.  You can either make this aromatic and addictive ginger and shallots dip or eat the boiled meat with kimchi wrapped in lettuce. Hubby loves it and as I have said, I could never resist this . I rather die happy then to abstain from eating this artery clogging pork belly with the most delicious dip.

Aromatic dip consists of 

chopped ginger, shallots, chilli and coriander

 Place the chopped ingredients and salt in a small bowl

and pour adequate hot rice bran oil, it should gives a sizzling sound

 slice the boiled meat into 1/4 inch thick

make sure the meat has cooled down before slicing

Boiled Pork Belly With Ginger Shallots Oil Dip

ingredients:

A slab of pork belly with rind on ( ng fa lam ) about 600 gm

a few slice of ginger

a stalk of spring onions- wash off dirt and tie into a know

1500ml water

Dip 

6 shallots

1 thumb size  ginger

4 pieces of bird's eye chilli

a few sprigs of coriander leaves

2 tsp of sea salt

1/4 cup or more  rice bran oil

Method:

Boil 1500ml of water in a soup pot, , add in spring onion and ginger. Once the water is boiling, add in the slab of pork belly and lower heat, slowly simmer the meat till tender and cooked through.  Take out the meat and let it rest 10 mins .  Slice into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Arrange the slices neatly on serving plate with the dip sauce in the center of plate.

To make the dip

Chop the shallots, ginger, chilli and coriander leaves till fine .  Place all the chopped ingredients in a small bowl.  Sprinkle 2 tsp of salt on the surface of the chopped ingredients. Heat up the rice bran oil. Once it is smoldering hot. Pour over the chopped ingredients.  You will be able to hear a sizzling sound. Serve this dip with the boiled pork belly.

Enjoy !

Steamed Stuffed Silken Tofu

Sometimes we need to create a dish which is soothing to the throat and yet satisfying to the stomach. What better dish other than tofu with minced meat fillings. This would suit the demands from my throat and yet the tummy will not complain too much.  So this was created. Silken tofu stuffed with minced meat fillings.  Simple , delicious and satisfying even to my hubby who is a meat eater.  I cooked a simple sauce to make it even more complete. Did a little decorative toppings to make elevate the dish to restaurant standard.  Food presentation makes a lot of difference.   This simple dish is easy to prepare and you order tofu dish from restaurants , the only thing is different preparation.   . A tofu dish which is soothing to the throat and yet satisfying to the stomach. The young and old will definitely enjoy this dish. Of course, I do sometimes steam them with soy sauce and garlic oil . Just as nice but sometimes if I want to impress the hubby, I will fill the silken tofu with minced meat fillings. A comfort food for the family .

I used three ingredients for the fillings ,minced pork , fish paste and prawn paste in the ratio of 3:2:1 , stir them together evenly with a dash of white pepper and sesame oil and a pinch of salt till it turns into a sticky paste.  Once it turns sticky , it is ready to stuff into the silken tofu. Such an easy dish to prepare .

use a teaspoon to scoop out a bit of tofu

in the center to make space for the fillings

 fill up the tofu with the meat fillings

decorate the top with sliced spring onions and

sliced red chilli

steam in boiling steamer for 10-12 mins till the filling

is cooked. 

make a sauce to go with the stuffed silken tofu yummz!

Stuffed Silken Tofu 

ingredients: 

1 piece of silken tofu - cut into 6 equal pieces

fillling:

mixed the filling ingredients together and stir till it turns sticky

60 gm minced pork

40 gm fish paste

20 gm prawn paste 

a pinch of salt

a dash of white pepper

1 drop sesame oil 

garnishings

2 or 3 chilli padi

1 stalk spring onion - sliced

some coriander leaves

Thickening Sauce:

1 tbsp of oyster sauce

1 tsp of corn starch

1/2 cup of chicken broth

Method:

1. Cut the silken tofu into 6 equal pieces (cut half  then another 3 pieces on each half )

2. Use a teaspoon, scoop out a bit of tofu from center to make space for fillings.

3. Put the minced pork, fish paste , prawn paste, white pepper, a pinch of salt and a drop of sesame oil onto a bowl and keep stirring till you get a thick and sticky paste.

3. Gently stuff in the fillings onto the tofu. Repeat till all the tofu is done.

4. Arrange nicely on a plate for steaming. Garnish with sliced chilli padi, spring onions on surface of fillings.

5. Heat up steamer, once water is boiling, place the plate of stuffed tofu on the rack and steam for 10-12 mins or until the filling is cooked through.

6.To prepare the sauce. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl till well mixed. Give it a quick boil. Once the sauce has thicken, dish up and pour over the steamed stuffed silken tofu. Add coriander leaves on top of each stuffed tofu. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Masak Lemak Chili Padi Ikan Senangin

I could not believe  that I seriously cooked this dish for dinner.  I would normally order this dish from my office canteen when I was still working then.  This is not a planned one.  It was a moment craving and by being adventurous enough to try cooking this dish, it has taken my homecooking to another level. I seldom cook malay dishes besides nasi lemak. And having said that, I was happy that I cooked this dish.  Googled internet for a good one and found most of them doesnt have shallots .  So I prepared my own list and added shallots to it. Because I believe that shallots will add flavor and sweetness to the gravy.

I bought a lot of Ikan Senangin ( Threadfin Fish ) when it was in season the past one month and have stored them in the freezer. Ikan Senangin is perfect for this dish.  Homegrown turmeric made it even more special and delicious .  I have no regrets cooking this dish. It was awesome in taste and so appetising, even my Wildboar loves it.  That speaks volume as WB is not into fish. He is more a meat person than a fish person.  He loves the gravy which is tasty and delicious.  Will be trying out other Malay and Indonesian dishes in the future :)  

Ikan Senangin ( threadfin fish )

tip: add in salt before the gravy boils

to prevent the coconut milk from separating into oil 

( pecah santan )

just a few ingredients and a flavorful and

delicious dish for dinner

love it and will definitely cook this dish again

glad that Wildboar loves the gravy so much that

he asked to cook again, and more gravy since he doesn't eat fish.

I can cook this using chicken, it will be awesome too for sure.

Masak Lemak Chili Padi Ikan Senangin

ingredients: 

1 whole Ikan Senangin -  cut into few pieces, rub salt on pieces

(A)
1/2 tbsp of  pounded fresh turmeric 

1 stalk of lemongrass - take the white part and crush it

2 pieces of tamarind slices

1/2 cup santan mix with 2 cups water

1 or 2 tsp of sea salt

3 shallots -pound

10 chili padi - pound

Method:

Put ingredients (A) into wok and simmer under medium  low heat.  Once the gravy boils, put in the pieces of fish and continues to simmer till the fish are cooked through.  Off heat and  serve hot with rice.

Enjoy!