Black Pepper Crab

Wanted to cook black pepper crab that I learned at chef yong's class weeks ago, but couldn't find soft shell crab last weekend, so bought some crab to cook chilli crab but forgot to buy the main ingredient dried chilli or chilli paste, so used chef yong's black pepper sauce recipe and cook black pepper crab instead...

Braised Duck with Sea Cucumber

The sea cucumbers that my mum gave me during CNY are sleeping in the freezer, so I tell myself better cook it while I have the mood and the time, for this dish I didn't really follow any recipe, just come up with my own version. I used claypot to cook this dish as I felt it will gave the dish a better flavour and taste.

Ingredients A:
½ duck – chopped into small pieces
6 dried Chinese mushrooms – soaked
2 medium sea cucumber – pre-soaked in water
4 slice old ginger

Ingredient B:
3 cloves
1pc cinnamon bark
1 star anises
1 tsp salt
3 clove garlic
600ml water

Seasoning:
1 tbsp oyster sauce
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
¼ tsp pepper
1 tbsp cooking wine

Method:
1. Rinse duck. Cut mushrooms into half. Cut sea cucumber into large pieces.

2. Heat up 1tbsp oil in wok, fry ginger for awhile, add in sea cucumber and fry for 1-2min, add in duck meat and fry till all sides of meat looks cooked, add in mushroom and mix well.

3. Pour in seasonings and ingredient B. Cover and bring to boil, let it simmer over small fire for 50min or till duck is cook and soften. Serve.

Kuih Dadar

After tasting the delicious kuih dadar selling at the company's canteen, I tell myself must try this recipe. I did consult the aunty who made the kuih on the recipe, and she shares it generously but there were no exact measurement of the ingredients use, only manage to see her fried the pancake and how the texture of the batter looks like. And I did an experiment last weekend...the texture turn out a little more springy than aunty's kuih, hmm...think maybe more water will be better...for filling I picked an existing recipe and adjust a little.

Ingredients:
240g plain flour
50g tapioca starch
1/2 tsp salt
450ml pandan juice – cut 10 pandan leaves into thin strips and blend it with 450ml water

Filling:
200g palm sugar, roughly chopped
100ml water
2 pandan leaf, knotted
250g grated coconut


Method:
1. Sift flour, tapioca starch and salt into mixing bowl. Pour in the pandan juice. Using a balloon wisk, gradually incorporate the flour into the liquid, making a smooth batter free from lumps. Cover the bowl and allow the batter to stand for 20-30 minutes.

2. To make filling, cook palm sugar and water in a pan and cook until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 10min until liquid start to thicken and become syrupy. Add the pandan leaf and grated coconut and continue cooking over low heat for 10-15 mins until the coconut fillings is thick and glossy. Most of the liquid should be evaporated. Remove and set aside to let it cool.

3. To fry pancakes, heat a small frying pan (preferably one with a non-stick surface) over medium heat. Dip kitchen towel with a little oil and brush the pan with it. Ensure the pan is sufficiently hot.

4. Stir batter. Pour a larder of it into the pan and immediately rotate the pan so that the batter covers the base in a thin layer. Allow batter to set and cooked.

5. Turn the pancake out onto a plate or tray. Continue making the pancakes till batter is finish, you might need to thin down with a table spoon or two of water as you go.

6. Place a spoonful of filling in the center of the pancake, fold both sides towards the middle and roll the pancake away from you, neatly enclosing the filling and creating a parcel.

Pandan Bread

Last Friday night, I attempt breadmaking using the pullman loaf tin, I use the recipe from PH class, used half the recipe for my 400g loaf tin, the result turn out quite ok except that the top was not so brown, so I remove the cover and put the bread back into the oven and let it brown a little.

Although due to my carelessness the color turn out a little shocking...hehe..but at least the texture of the bread was ok, its stays soft till Sunday morning.

Ingredients: ( I use half recipe for 400g loaf tin)
500g Bread Flour
12g Dried yeast (I use instant yeast)
5g Bread improver (I didn’t add)
35g Fine sugar
15g Milk powder
310ml Pandan juice (I use 1 tsp pandan paste with water)
1 tsp Pandan paste
40ml UHT milk
20g Unsalted butter
10g Shortening
10g Salt

Method:
1. Put all Ingredients together except salt and shortening, butter.
2. Add in salt, butter and shortening, mix until a smooth dough.
3. Rest dough for 40min – 1 hour and divide the dough to weight and shape required.
4. Put in sandwich tins to proof until double the size.
5. Egg Wash and bake at 180°C for 25-30min.

Stir Fried Curry Prawns

Kenny requested to cook curry prawns, so I did this dish with reference from yum yum magazine. I did twist the original recipe a little to make it more spicy, original recipe didn't have chilli paste added.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp oil
1 onion, removed skin and cut into chunks
15 pieces curry leaf
2 tbsp curry powder
500g prawns, trimmed, washed and drained

Spices (blended):
7-8 shallot, remove skin, sliced
5 pip garlic
10g ginger

1 tbsp chilli paste

Seasoning:
½ tsp salt
1tsp sugar
4 tbsp evaporated milk
2 tbsp water

Method:
1. Heat up oil, sauté spices until aromatic. Add in chilli paste, stir till combined. Add in onion, curry leaves, curry powder and stir fry until well mixed.

2. Add in prawns, seasoning and stir fry until prawns are cooked. Dish up and serve.

Valerie's Blueberry Muffin

Attended Valerie's muffin class last week, the recipe was easy to do, since there are blueberries at home, so made a batch for Sunday afternoon tea. I reduce the sugar as the original recipe is abit sweet for me, after adjusted the amount of sugar the texture of the muffin were still moist.