Author: Abby

Vietnamese Pho

Recipe adapted from: https://www.recipetineats.com/vietnamese-pho-recipe/

We made this today and it turned out fantastically. The soup was rich and beautiful, however we found that the broth was too fatty. I’ve adjusted the proportions of beef bones to hopefully lessen the fat (ie less marrow) and increase the beefy flavour. You can alternatively keep the same proportions and skim the fat off.

Servings: 4 -5 people

Ingredients

  • SPICES
    • 10 star anise
    • 4 cinnamon sticks
    • 4 cardamon pods
    • 3 cloves
    • 1.5 Tbsp coriander seeds
    • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • AROMATICS:
    • 2 large onions , halved and peeled
    • 150g ginger , sliced and unpeeled
  • BEEF BONES:
    • 2kg beef brisket
    • 1kg meaty beef bones – vertebrae, ox tail…etc.
    • 750g marrow bones (leg, knuckle), cut to reveal marrow into pieces the size of your knuckle (ask your butcher to do this)
  • SEASONING:
    • 2 Tbsp white sugar
    • 1 Tbsp salt
    • 2 Tbsp fish sauce (or more, to taste)
  • TOPPINGS:
    • 375g (1 package) of rice sticks
    • 300g beef tenderloin, raw, very thinly sliced – or any steak cut will do since it can be pricey
    • Beansprouts, handful per bowl
    • Thai basil, 3 – 5 sprigs per bowl
    • Lime wedges
    • Finely sliced red chilli – optional
    • Hoisin sauce
    • Sriracha hot sauce
    • Coriander/cilantro, 3 – 5 sprigs (or more basil)

Directions:

  1. Clean the meat: (two methods)
    1. Boil the bones and brisket for 5 minutes, then drain to remove all scum and rinse each piece before replacing back in the pot.
    2. Turn your oven to 220 (usually the highest it’ll go) and bake your bones for 10 minutes, then rinse each piece under running water before putting in a pot.
  2. Toast the spices: In a dry skillet over HIGH heat (no oil needed), toast your spices (cinnamon stick, coriander stick, star anise, and cardamom pods) for a few minutes until lightly brown and fragrant. Remove from pan and set aside.
  3. Char the onion & ginger: Then in the same pan on HIGH heat (still no oil needed), char the onion and ginger for a few minutes until you get some black charred bits on both sides (see photo). Remove from pan and set aside.
  4. Make the broth: in a large clean pot, add the cleaned bones and brisket, toasted spices, charred onion and ginger, sugar and salt. Then add the 3.5L of water (this should just barely cover everything in the pot). With a lid on, bring the soup to a boil then let it simmer for 3 hours until the brisket is tender, flakey and falls apart easily.
  5. When the brisket is tender, remove it from the soup and set it aside (you can slice up the brisket to be served in the pho later on or refrigerate and use it for another recipe later).
  6. Reduce the broth: Remove the lid and continue to simmer the soup until it reduces by 1/3 (~ another 45mins). This step removes excess water and concentrates the flavours.
  7. Slice the tenderloin: while the soup continues to reduce, you can thinly slice your raw tenderloin (tip: it’ll be easier to slice if it’s slightly frozen – put it in the freezer for about 30mins) and set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
  8. Cook the rice noodles: cook the rice noodles according to package instructions then strain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
  9. After the broth reduces, taste it. It should be rich and flavourful (remember we haven’t added the fish sauce yet which will also add more flavour and salt later). Continue to reduce down if you think it’s too bland.
  10. Strain the broth: strain the soup in a mesh strainer to remove all the bones, ginger, garlic, spices…etc. You should be left with a beautiful broth. Add fish sauce to the remaining broth and mix. Add more fish sauce if you need. The broth is now ready to serve!
  11. Assemble the pho bowl: in a bowl, put in one serving of rice noodles, a few slices of the beef brisket, a few slices of the raw tenderloin, small handful of raw bean sprouts and a sprig of Thai basil (6-is 8 leaves). Make sure your soup is hot (if not, then bring to a boil over the stove) before you put it in the bowl over the ingredients, otherwise the raw tenderloin may not cook through. You can alternatively cook the tenderloin for 20-30 seconds in the broth first then place it in the bowl instead of serving it raw.
  12. Serve it with a lime wedge, hoisin sauce and sriracha sauce on the side.
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Parmesan Crusted Cauliflower Steak

Recipe adapted from: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/herb-crusted-cauliflower-steaks-with-beans-and-tomatoes

Ingredients:

  • 2 large heads of cauliflower
  • 3 Tbsps olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • Parmesan Crust Topping:
    • 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
    • Zest of 1 lemon
    • 1/3 cup parsley, chopped finely
    • 2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
    • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 3 Tbsps mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 220˚C (425 F).
  2. Remove the outer leaves of your cauliflower heads and keep the core intact. If the bottom of the core is thick and fibrous, you can trim some of it off. Slice two 2.5cm thick cuts of cauliflower from each cauliflower head, ending up with 4 cauliflower steaks in total. Reserve the rest of the cauliflower to be used another day.
    • I found it easiest to slice the cauliflower in half, then take 2.5cm cuts from each half.
  3. Gently rub olive oil over the steaks (don’t forget both sides and the top) and place them onto baking trays. Sprinkle pepper over them and bake for 10-15 minutes on each side at 220˚C. You want the cauliflower to be tender and browned on the edges.
  4. While the cauliflower is baking, combine all the ingredients of the parmesan crust in a bowl and set aside.
  5. In another bowl combine the mayonnaise with the dijon mustard and set aside.
  6. Once the cauliflower steaks have cooked on both sides, take it out of the oven and spread the mayonnaise/dijon mixture over each steak then spread the parmesan crust mixture over it. Bake the steaks for another 5-7 minutes until the panko crust is lightly browned. Serve!

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Dry Fried Green Beans 干煸四季豆

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 450g green beans, trimmed
  • 2 tsps Sichuan peppercorns, crushed
  • 1 tsp ginger, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 dried red chilies, deseeded and chopped (optional)
  • 100g ground pork (or chicken)
  • 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
  • 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional, for colour)
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • Salt (to taste)

Directions:

  1. Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a skillet on MED-HIGH heat and shallow fry the beans in two batches until they appear wrinkly and slightly brown. Take the beans out of the pan and set aside.
  2. Remove all the oil from the pan except for 1 Tbsp. On medium heat, add in the sichuan peppercorns, ginger, garlic and dried chilies and stir-fry until fragrant (~1 minute).
  3. Add in the ground pork and stir-fry until slightly browned, use your spatula to break it up into smaller pieces.
  4. Add in the shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and the fried green beans. Toss everything together and continue to cook until excess liquid has evaporated (you can turn your heat up to med-high to help with evaporating). Serve!
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Curry Puffs

Recipe adapted from: Sarah Tiong

Makes: 14?

Ingredients:

  • 1 small brown onion, finely diced
  • 1 large clove garlic, finely minced
  • 250g beef mince (can substitute with pork, chicken, turkey, potatoes and peas)
  • 2 Tbsps curry powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 puff pastry dough, defrosted and ready to use
  • 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
  • 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds (optional for decoration)

Directions:

  1. In a skillet on medium-high heat, sautée the garlic and onions in some oil until the onion starts to become translucent (~2mins).
  2. Add in the mince meat and use your spatula to break it up into small pieces and cook until brown and cooked through.
  3. Add in curry powder and stir-fry for another couple minutes then season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature before wrapping.
  4. When the filling has cooled, roll out your puff pastry dough and divide it into squares of equal size. I usually make them about 10cmx10cm squares, but you can make them as big or small as you like.
  5. Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
  6. Place a tablespoon of filling (or more or less depending on your pastry size) in the middle of your square and fold the pastry diagonally in half into a triangle. Crimp the edges together so it seals well. Repeat with the rest of the pastry.
  7. Place the pastry puffs on a baking tray and brush them with the beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds on top (optional).
    • Tip: alternatively, if you don’t plan on eating them all, you can freeze them at this stage before you put the egg wash on.
  8. Bake at 180˚C for about 20-25 minutes until it’s golden brown. Serve!
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Thai Green Curry Paste

Recipe adapted from: Khanh’s cookbook

*Note: all of these ingredients are going into a food processor/blender, so you only need to roughly chop them to fit into the processor*

There’s 17 ingredients for this paste. It takes some time to put together, but once you’ve got the paste made, the Thai green curry itself is a breeze!

Tip: dry the ingredients as best as you can so you don’t have a liquidy paste at the end.

Servings: Enough for roughly 4 curries at 4 portions each

Ingredients:

  • 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, roughly chopped
  • 4 long green chillies, roughly chopped (keep the seeds in for extra spiciness
  • 5 red shallots, roughly chopped
  • 7 cm piece of ginger, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp grated galangal (or sub with 2 Tbsp ginger + 1 lime zest)
  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3 Tbsps of coriander/cilantro roots and stems, washed – roots have a milder flavour than stems
  • 6 kaffir lime leaves
  • 2.5 tsps dried shrimp paste (belachan)
  • 2 Tbsps fish sauce
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (or fresh turmeric)
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt (or 1/8 tsp table salt)
  • 2 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar or maple syrup or 1/2 tsp molasses)
  • 2-4 Tbsps coconut milk (or water) as needed to help the paste blend.

Directions:

  1. In a food processor or blender, combine all of these ingredients except the coconut milk and blend until you get a thick paste. Add in the coconut milk 1 Tbsp at a time to help your ingredients blend to a smooth paste.
  2. Taste and adjust flavours. If it’s too spicy, add more coconut milk. Adjust sugar and salt as needed.

THAI GREEN CURRY RECIPE:

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 400g skinless chicken thigh (~4 thighs) (or breast), diced into bite-sized pieces or sliced thinly
  • 1.5 cups (375ml) chicken stock
  • 400ml can coconut milk
  • Any veggies you like in your curry, but keep in mind their proportions to the chicken, otherwise you may end up with a veggie curry. Here are some of my favourites:
    • King oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
    • Green beans, trimmed and snapped in halves
    • Baby corn
    • Eggplant, diced and seared first!
    • Broccolini florets
    • Red bell peppers/capsicum, sliced
  • 2 tsp fish sauce (or more to taste)
  • Sea salt + black pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In medium pot, on high heat melt the coconut oil and add in the chicken pieces to lightly brown the outside (don’t worry about it cooking all the way through – it will finish cooking in the curry).
    • Tip: you want to put the chicken pieces in the pot in a single layer to sear the outside. If you overcrowd the chicken or are overlapping them, you will likely have too much liquid released and end up boiling the chicken. To avoid this, cook the chicken in batches and throw it all in at the end.
  2. After you’ve browned all the chicken pieces, remove them from the pot and set aside. In the same pot, add in 6 Tbsps of the green curry paste and quickly stir to toast the paste for a couple minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken pieces back in and stir.
  3. Add in the chicken stock and coconut milk. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer with the lid on for 5 minutes.
  4. Add in your veggies and continue to cook the curry without the lid for another 5 minutes. Add in the fish sauce. Taste and adjust flavours as needed. Serve!
  5. Tip: if you prefer your curries a little thicker, you can add in 1-2 Tbsp of cornstarch mixed in with a little broth.
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Easy Flatbread

Recipe adapted from: https://juliegoodwin.com.au/flatbread-recipe/

Servings: 4 pieces

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (300g) all purpose flour + more for dusting
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp (50ml) olive oil
  • 3/4 cup (185 ml) milk
  • 1/2 tbsp oil (for cooking each flatbread)

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt together and mix.
  2. Make a well in the centre of your flour and add in the olive oil and milk.
  3. Mix the ingredients together by bringing in the flour from the sides of the bowl into the centre until you get a rough sticky dough.
  4. Turn your dough out onto a flat floured surface and knead the ball for 1-2 minutes until you get a smooth elastic ball. Add more flour as you knead if your dough ball is sticky.
  5. Cover your dough with a tea towel and let it rest for 30mins at room temperature.
  6. After 30mins, divide your dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece out to 3mm thickness.
    • If you roll it out too thin your flatbread will get crispy when you cook it. If you roll it out too thick, it’ll taste doughy and not as pliable or pleasant to eat.
  7. Heat a skillet on MED heat and when the pan is heated, add 1/2 Tbsp of oil and swirl it around so it coats the pan. Put a piece of flatbread onto the oil. After a few minutes the flatbread should form puffy pockets of air (some bigger than others). Check the bottom of the flatbread and flip it when it becomes toasted golden brown (~5-8 mins). Cook again on the other side until golden with small brown marks like naan. Repeat this cooking method with the other 3 flatbreads, adding 1/2 Tbsp of oil each time you start cooking a new one.
  8. Serve on its own, with curries or as a wrap!

Note: you can make these ahead of time and keep it in the fridge covered. Just microwave them when ready to use or toast them in the oven until warm. You can also freeze the cooked bread or keep the dough in the refrigerator for a couple days, wrapped.

You can also sub the olive oil in the dough for butter to make it more buttery, but the taste difference is pretty minimal so I omit it for the health reasons.

You can also use whole wheat flour but the result will be a bit more dense and dry. It also won’t puff up on the stove. You may need to add more oil.

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Butter Chicken

Recipe adapted from:
https://www.recipetineats.com/butter-chicken/
https://cafedelites.com/butter-chicken/

I tried both recipes above, and decided on a mashup of the two.

Servings: 4-6 (we finished the whole pot in one meal served with naan and a veggie dish)

**NOTE: PREP AHEAD OF TIME! MARINATE OVERNIGHT IS BEST.

Ingredients:

  • Marinade:
    • 1 cup plain yoghurt , full fat
    • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 4 tsp garam masala
    • 1/4 tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper powder
    • 2 tsp ground cumin
    • 2 Tbsp ginger, freshly grated
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 kg chicken thigh fillets or breast, cut into bite size pieces
    • 1 tsp salt
  • Curry:
    • 2 Tbsps oil or butter
    • 1 1/2 Tbsps garlic, finely minced
    • 1 Tbsp ginger, grated
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1 cup of tomato purée
    • 1 cup of heavy cream
    • 1 Tbsp sugar
    • salt to taste

Directions:

  1. In a bowl or large ziploc bag, combine all the marinade ingredients to marinate the chicken pieces overnight, covered.
  2. The next day, in a medium sized pot on medium high heat, add in oil (or butter) and cook the marinated chicken pieces in batches until the outside is seared (will turn white). Don’t worry about cooking the chicken all the way through – it will cook through later in the sauce. Don’t crowd the pan or else you will get too many juices and end up boiling the chicken. You want to have one layer of chicken at a time without overlapping. You may need to cook it in 3-4 batches, depending on the size of your pan. Put your seared chicken in a bowl and set aside.
  3. In a clean pot (you can use the same pot as before, just wipe it down) on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté the garlic and ginger until fragrant (~1-2 mins) then add in the spices (cumin, garam masala, ground coriander) and stir quickly for another 20-30 seconds to toast the spices. Stir in the tomato purée, cream and sugar until combined.
  4. Add the chicken pieces back in and let it simmer for 15-20mins. Adjust salt and sugar to taste. Serve!
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“Fish fragrant” Eggplant in Garlic Sauce 魚香茄子

Recipe adapted from: https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-eggplant-garlic-sauce/

*Note: the first time I made this I used leftover pork mince from crystal dumpling filling and skipped the spring onions which may differ from the actual recipe!

There are many many ways to make this dish! Most restaurants will deep-fry the eggplants.

Tip: soak the eggplants in some salt water to soften it first.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

  • Sauce:
    • 1 Tbsp spicy bean paste (la dou ban jiang)
    • 1 tsp sesame oil
    • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
    • 2 tsps sugar
    • 1 Tbsp shaoxing wine
    • 1 tsp fish sauce
  • 2 eggplants (~6 cups), cut into strips of 6cm
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 thin slices ginger, julienned
  • 100g ground pork (or chicken)
  • 2 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths
  • 5 dried red chilis
  • 1 Tbsp shaoxing wine

Directions:

  1. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside: spicy bean paste, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, shaoxing wine, fish sauce.
  2. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. In a skillet on HIGH heat, add a tablespoon of oil and sear your eggplant pieces in two batches (~5mins per batch). Don’t crowd your pan. Your eggplants should be seared in one layer. If they’re overlapping too much, sear it in two or three batches depending on your pan size. When done, take your eggplants out of the pan and set them aside in a bowl.
    • The eggplants will at first absorb the oil very quickly, but after a few minutes they’ll release some of that oil back in the pan. You want to cook them until the skin starts to blister/brown and the flesh starts to get soft.
  4. In the same pan, turn the heat down to MED-HIGH and add a tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant then add in the pork and cook until it has browned (~2mins).
    • Remember: your pan will be pretty hot at this stage so try to move things around in the pan frequently so they don’t burn.
  5. Once the pork has browned, add in the sauce and stir-fry for another 30 seconds and add in the eggplants, spring onions, chili peppers and shaoxing wine. Stir-fry until everything is combined. Serve!
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Taiwanese Crystal Dumplings 水晶饺

Recipe adapted from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHITO_NRqOA

Servings: 24 dumplings

Ingredients:

  • Filling:
    • 200g pork mince
    • 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
    • 1.5 Tbsp fried shallots
    • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
  • Crystal Dumpling Skin:
    • 1 cup (165g) potato starch
    • 1/4 cup boiling water
    • 3 Tbsps (45ml) cold water + more if needed
    • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • Bowl of cold water + 2 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

  1. Heat a skillet over medium heat and sauté 1/3 of the pork mince in some oil until cooked through.
  2. Add in the soy sauce and stir until fragrant. Turn off the heat and add in the fried shallots and mix.
  3. Put all the contents from the skillet in a large bowl and mix in the remaining pork mince and white pepper to the bowl. You should now have a sticky filling mixture. Set aside.
  4. Now make the dumpling wrappers: in a wide base bowl, add the boiling water to the potato starch and mix until combined/clumped together, then add in cold water 1/3 at a time while using your hands to mix the dough until you get a smooth ball (you might not need all of the cold water, just add enough until you get a smooth dough). Add in 2 tsps of sesame oil and continue mixing it into the dough.
  5. Roll your dough out into a roll and cut it into 24 equal pieces.
  6. Using your hands, flatten each small dough ball into a flat pancake roughly 1mm thick and wrap your filling (~1tsp per dumpling) into the dough until sealed. Be careful not to overfill or your skin will break.
  7. Once you’ve finished wrapping all your dumplings, bring a pot of water to a hard boil and drop all of your dumplings in. When the edges of the wrappers become slightly translucent and the dumplings float to the top, they’re ready!
  8. Remove them from the hot water and dunk it in a bowl of cold water with sesame oil (this stops the dumplings from cooking further and makes the wrapper translucent and the oil stops them from sticking together). When cooled, drain them.
  9. Now you can decide how you would like to eat them:
    1. In a broth: boil chicken stock with some spring onion and fried shallots and add in the dumplings and serve. You can also add in noodles if you like.
    2. Eaten alone: if the dumplings have cooled, put them in a pot of boiling water to warm them up and then serve with a sauce.
    3. Freeze them: drain them and put them in a freezer bag with a tsp of oil, mix and freeze. Do NOT freeze them unless they’ve been cooked.
    4. In a hotpot: dump them directly in your hotpot soup!
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