SAMBAL-STUFFED FRIED FISH ( HU CHEE REMPAH )

Another recipe from my nonya cookbook....I've being missing this dish ever since I was in the States. Last week when I was in the Asian market, to my surprise I found these Hardtail Mackerel ( Ikan Cincaru ) and I decided to cook this recipe which I found in my Nonya cookbook. This dish is spicy but it's so delicious with steamed white rice...YUMMY :)



INGREDIENTS :

2 hardtail mackerel, (ikan cincaru)
3-4 tbsp cooking oil


Spice Paste (Ground)
40 g (4-5) fresh red chilies
5 g (5) dried red chilies
10 g (1 clove) garlic
100g (10) shallots
10 g fresh tumeric
5 g (1 tsp) toasted belachan


1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp sugar, or to taste
5 kaffir lime leaves, sliced thinly

60 ml (1/4 cup) oil for deep frying

DIRECTIONS :

1. Clean fish and lay it down flat on a chopping board. Holding the fish down with one hand, make a deep slit from the back of the fish along the bone using the tip of a sharp knife to make a pocket to stuff the spice paste. Repeat on the other side of the fish.

2. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wok to saute the spice paste until fragrant. Season to taste with salt and sugar before adding in the kaffir lime leaves. Mix it well and dish out.
3. When the spice paste is cool enough to handle, stuff it into the fish on the both sides.

4. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a clean wok to deep fry the fish until cooked.

PAN-FRIED AROMATIC BONELESS CHICKEN WHOLE LEGS

I  love this recipe so much that I cooked them almost once a month for my family. Home cook meals are always the best and we are happy when seeing our family enjoy our cook :)

INGREDIENTS :

2 whole chicken legs, deboned

Marinade:

1 egg
1 tbsp Maggi seasoning
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
2 tbsp corn flour / cornstarch
a dash of sesame oil and pepper


Sauce:

2 tbsp water
2 tbsp Maggi seasoning
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp Shaoxing wine
a dash of pepper and sesame oil



METHODS :

1. Combine the marinade sauce ingredients until well mix. Marinade the whole deboned chicken legs for at least 30 minutes ( Do not over marinate or else the chicken will be salty ).

2. In a non-stick pan, heat up 2 tbsp vegetable oil and pan-fried the marinade chicken until golden brown and cooked. Add in the sauce ingredients and cooked until the sauce becomes thick.

3. Remove the chicken and put it on the cutting board. Immediately cut the chicken into bite pieces and serve it hot.

SWEET POTATO LEAF CURRY (HUAN CHU HEOK MASAK LEMAK)

This is my another recipe from my Nonya Cookbook. This recipe is so yummy and easy to make...so enjoy my friends :)


INGREDIENTS :

2 tbsp cooking oil

300 g shrimps, shelled and deveined
2 cups shrimp stock** / seafood broth / chicken broth
2-3 pcs dried tamarind peel
400 g sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
250 ml thick coconut milk
400 g young sweet potato leaves

Spice paste (ground)
50 g (4) fresh red chilies
10 g (4) dried dried red chilies
80 g (6) shallots
5 g (1 tsp) belachan, toasted



METHODS :

1. Heat the oil in a wok to saute the spice paste until fragrant. Add the shrimps stock and tamarind peel. Bring stock to a boil and add sweet potato cubes. Simmer until sweet potatoes are cooked.

2. Add the coconut milk, stirring lightly. When gravy starts to boil, add the shrimps and cooked until it's turn pink. Then add in the sweet potato leaves. Remove from heat immediately and served.


**Note : Shrimp stock can be prepared from the discarded shrimp shells. Fry the shell in a little oil until aromatic, about 5 minutes, then add in 250 ml water. Allow to boil for 20-30 minutes. Strain before use. Or use instant fish stock made by dissolving ikan bilis (anchovies) granules in water.

MACADAMIA NUTS WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS COOKIES

Back to my blogging again after my camera been repaired. Now I can post my daily recipe without any trouble.

Anyway...this recipe that I'm going to post today is the best cookies I ever had. One day my hubby came back from work and asked if I can make the Macadamia nuts cookies with white chocolate. And so I told him...well...it should not be a problem if I could go to the internet and searched for the best recipe. So...I got this special recipe from the internet by Whipped The Blog and her recipe really really makes my hubby and even my friends want me to bake more to share :)

INGREDIENTS :

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar ( I only used 1/2 cup coz I dun like too sweet )
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tsp good vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
10 oz white chocolate chips
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped into chunks



DIRECTIONS :

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. In a electric mixing bowl, with a paddle attachment beat and cream the butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Then add eggs, one at a time and mix it well.

3. In another bowl, stir the flour and baking soda until incorporated. Then gradually add into the butter mixture and beat until well blended.

4. Stir in the white chocolate chips and the macadamia nuts.

5. On the ungreased cookie sheet pans, drop by rounded teaspoon and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool it completely at the wire rack and store it in an airtight containers.

WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH GREMOLATA

This is a super fast and easy Mediterranean soup with the great taste of the region's vivid flavors. This recipe is by Ivy Manning from Cooking Light Cookbook. This is a very healthy soup that only contains 227 calories per serving. I love this soup especially now in the cold weather and eat with no guilt as the Holidays is coming soon.

INGREDIENTS :

Soup:

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped pancetta
1 cup prechopped onion
1/2 cup prechopped celery
2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 (19-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf


Gremolata:

1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaves parsley
2 tsp grated lemon grind
1 tsp minced garlic



METHODS:

1. To prepare Soup, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; saute 2 minutes. Stir in onion, celery and 2 tsp garlic; saute 3 minutes or until almost tender.

2. Stir in the chicken broth, water, black pepper, cannellini beans and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat, and simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. To prepare the Gremolata, combine parsley, grated lemon and garlic in a small bowl and mix it well.

4. Scoop 1 1/2 cup of the soup in a serving bowl and sprinkle 1 1/2 tsp of gremolata over the soup and serve.