Gai Hor Bai Toey (Fried Chicken in wrapped Pandan Leaves)

Fragrant screwpine or pandan leaves add their subtle fragrance to this fried chicken. Pandan leaves can be bought in the Asian Grocery store. Look in the frozen section.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs of chicken thighs (breast meat will work too)
• 20 Pandan Leaves
• Oil for deep frying

Marinade

• 2 tbsp of Light soya sauce
  
• 2 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 2 tsp of sesame oil
• 1 tsp of each of garlic and coriander root pounded together into a paste

Sauce

• 1 cup of distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp black soya sauce
• 1 tsp white sesame seeds, fried
• 1/4 tsp of salt

1. Debone chicken and cut thighs inro 4 pieces. Mix marinade and marinate the chicken meat for 3 hours. Mix sauce ingredients and set aside
2. Wrap 2 or 3 pieces of chicken with pandan leaves to form a bundle (see photo). Deep fry until fragrant.
   
3. Serve with dipping sauce and steamed rice. ( Omit pandan leaves if not available.
   

Pad Thai Goong Sod (Fried Rice Noodles with Shrimps)

Dried rice-flour vermicelli is used for this dish, one of the dozens of noodle creation found in Thailand or in Asian grocery stores. The pickled white radish is available in cans. You can also replace the shrimp with chicken strips.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup of oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallots
• 10oz dried rice flour vermicelli, soaked in warm water to soften
• 1 tbsp of chopped pickled white radish
• 1 cake of hard soya beancurd
• 1 tsp of dried chillies
• 4tbsp of sugar
• 3 tbsp of fish sauce
• 4 tbsp of tamarind juice
• 3 eggs
• 1 lb of bean sprout bunch of Chinese chives (cut into an inch)
  
• 1/2 cup of roasted peanuts
• 10 oz of shrimps ( or chicken strips)

1. Heat 3 tablespoon of oil in a wok and saute garlic and shallots. Add the noodles and fry, turning constantly to prevent sticking. Remove noodles and set aside
2. Put another 3 tbsp pf oil into pan and when hot added pickled radish, beancurd and dried chillies. Stir fry for another 2 to 3 minutes and then return the noodles into the pan. Add sugar, shrimps, fish sauce and tamarind juice, mixed thoroughly and set aside on a plate
3. Put another 2 tbsp of oil into pan and when hot, break 3 eggs into the pan and scramble, spreading a think layer over the pan. When set, return the noodles and mix together. Add half the beansprout and Chinese flat chive. Mix together thoroughly then sprinkle with ground peanuts. Seasoned with sugar, fish sauce and tamarind juice
4. Serve garnished with the remaining beansprout and Chinese chives.

Helpful Hints: Fried noodles require a lot of oil; however, it is possible to use a minimum amount by adding small amounts from time to time to keep the noodles from drying out instead of oil all the oil at once

Tom Yam Goong(Shrimp) Spicy Shrimp Soup with Lemon Grass

One of the best known Thai dishes abroad, this tangy soup is hot, sour and fragrant, an ideal accompaniment to othe Thai dishes and rice.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups of chicken stock
• 2 inches galangal, sliced
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• 3 stalks lemon grass, brusied
• 10 medium to large shrimps
• 5 oz straw mushrooms
• 5 green and red bird's eye chillies
• 3 tablespoon of kaffir lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce
• 3 brunches fresh cilantro

Bring the stock to boil, add galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add shrimps, mushrooms and chillies, and simmer for 3 minutes. Add lime juice and fish sauce (which is very salty) to taste. The soup should be spicy sour and a little salty. Serve garnished with cilantro leaves.

Helpful hint. Do not overcooked the shrimp or they will become tough. Any variety of seafood can be substituted for shrimps.

Parmesan Baked Fish

Cod, Salmon and Orange Roughy are good choices for this tasty, low cholesterol easy to fix recipe.
Preparation Time: 5 mins. It takes about 12 mins to cook. It is 176 calories, 22 g of proteins, 1g carbohydrate, 9g fat, 59 mg Cholesterol, 238g sodium and 477mg potassium.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 4oz fresh or frozen fish fillets
• non-stick spray coating
• 1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• 2 tablesp0on of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 table spoon snipped fresh chives or sliced green onions
• 1/2 teaspoon white wine Worcestershire sauce

1. Thaw fish, if frozen and pat dry with paper towels. Spray a 10x6x2 inch baking pan with non-stick spray coating and set aside
2. in a small bowl stir together mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, chives or green onions and Worcestershire sauce. Spread mayonnaise mixture over fish fillets
3. Bake, uncovered, in a 450 degrees oven for 12 to 15 mins or till fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Makes 4 servings

Enjoy

Laksa Lemak (Noodles in Spicy Coconut Gravy)

This is a favorite Singapore dish. Laksa is a meeting of Chinese and Malay styles of cooking, with a remarkably happy result: rice flour noodles bathed in a spicy coconut milk, with chucks of seafood and deep-fried beancurd. A very satisfying snack or luncheon dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoon of oil
• 2 cups of coconut milk
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 3 1/2 oz shrimps
• 3 1/2 oz squid (cleaned, skinned and sliced)
• 6 fresh scallop (optional)
• 6 cakes dried deep-fried beancurd
• salt and pepper to taste
• 10 oz vermicelli (soaked in hot water to soften)
• 1 cup of beansprout
• 1 egg (hard-boiled, peeled and sliced)
• 2 tablespoon fried shallots
• 2 sprigs laksa leaf, chopped roughly

Spice Paste

• 12 shallots
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 6 candle nuts
• 2 inch ginger root
• 4 red chillies
• 2 tablespoon of dried prawns, soaked to soften
• 2 tablespoons fish curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (belacan)
• 2 lemon grass, bruised

Prepare the spice paste first. Chopped the shallots, garlic, candle nuts, ginger root and chillies coarsely and blend or process with the dried shrimps and add a little oil until fine. Mix in the curry powder and dried shrimp paste, blend for a fe seconds longer, then set aside with lemon grass.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok or heavy pan. Add the spice paste and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes until paste is fragrant. Add coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to boil, stirring. Put all seafood and the beancurd and simmer until cooked. Season to taste.

To serve, divide the noodles and beansprouts into 4 bowls. Top with the coconut milk gravy, eggs and sprinkle lasksa leaves and fried shallots.

Helpful hints
The coconut milk gravy can be prepared several hours in advance and reheated just before serving. Although lasksa leaves adds a distinctive touch, omit if not available as nothing else taste remotely like this pungent herb.

Chicken with Asparagus

Canned asparagus may be used instead of fresh, but will not require any cooking - simply add at the very end to warm through.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 large chicken breasts, boned and skinned
• 1 tablespoon ground cilantro
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 20 slender asparagus spears, cut into 3 - 4 inches length
• 1 1/4 cups homemade or canned chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Split the chicken breasts into two natural fillets. Place each between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and flatten to a 1/4 inch thickness with a rolling pin. Cut into 1 inch diagonal strips. Sprinkle with cilantro and toss to coat.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken very quickly in small batches for 3 -4 minutes, until lightly colored. Season each batch with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove and keep warm while frying the rest of the chicken,
3. Add the asparagus and chicken stock to the pan and bring to boil. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes or until tender.
4. Mix the cornstarch to a paste with a little cold water and stir into the sauce to thicken. Return the chicken to the pan and add lemon juice. Reheat and then serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley.
   

Honeyed Citrus Chicken

This is a fat-free recipe great for summer entertaining served simply with salad greens and new potatoes. If you cut the chicken in half and press it flat, you can roast it in under an hour.
This serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Chicken , weighing 4 1/2 lbs
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 oranges, cut in wedges
• 2 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 teaspoon of cleared honey
• 1/2 cup stuffed olives, chopped

MARINADE

• 1 1/4 cups orange juice
• 3 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoon clear honey

SAUCE

• Handful of tarragon sprigs, chopped
• 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese or strained plain yogurt

1. Put the chicken on a chopping board with the breast downwards. Cut through the bottom part of the carcass using poultry shears, making sure not to cut right through to the breast bone below.
2. Rinse chicken with cold water, drain, and place on a board with skin side uppermost. Press chicken flat, then cut off the leg ends.
3. Thread 2 long wooden skewer through the bird to keep it flat. Season the skin
4. Put all the marinade ingredient, except the orange wedges, in a shallow, nonmetallic dish. Mix , then add the chicken. Cover and chill for 4 hours, turning the chicken several times.
5. To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients and season. Spoon into a serving dish, cover and chill.
6. Transfer the chicken and the marinade to a roasting pan. open out the chick and place skin side downward. Tuck the orange wedges around the chicken and roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Turn the chicken over and roast for another 20-30 minutes. Baste until the chicken is browned and the juices run clear when the thickest part is pierced with the point of a sharp knife. Garnish with tarragon and serve with sauce.

Enjoy....

Linguine with Clam and Tomato Sauce (Linguine con vongole)

This is a simple, and yet delicious recipe. If you are a big seafood fan like me, this is something you have to try.

There are two types of traditional Italian clam sauce for pasta: one with and one without tomatoes. This tomato version can be made with canned clams if fresh are not available.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs fresh clams in their shells, or 12 oz canned clams with their liquid
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 14 oz tomatoes, fresh or canned, very finely chopped
• 1 lb linguine
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Serves 4

1. Scrub and rinse the clams well under cold running water. Place them in a large saucepan with a cupful of water, heat until clams begins to open. Lift each clam out as soon as it opens, and scoop it out of the shell using a small spoon. Place them in a bowl.
2. If the clams are large, chop them into 2 or 3 pieces. Reserve the liquids from the shells in a separate bowl. When all clams have been opened (discard any that do not open) pour the cooking liquids into the juices from the clams, and strain them through a piece of paper towel to remove any sand. If using canned clams, use the liquid from the clams.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
4. While the pasta is cooking, place the olive oil in a medium saucepan with the garlic. Cook over moderate heat until garlic is golden.
5. Remove the garlic and discard. Add the chopped tomatoes to the oil, and pour in the clam liquid. Mix well and cook over low to moderate heat until the sauce begins to dry out and thicken slightly. Add salt and the pasta to the boiling water.
6. A minute or two before the pasta is ready to be drained, stir the parsley and the clams into the tomato sauce, and raise the heat. Add some freshly ground pepper and taste for seasoning. Drain the pasta, and turn it into a serving bowl. Pour the hot sauce, and mix well before serving.

Enjoy.

Singapore Chilli Crabs

Few Singaporeans give much though to the origins of what they are eating in this multi-racial society - what matters is the taste. Singapore food is always accompanied by powerful sensations: garlic and oil sizzling in a hot pan, sticks of satay grilling over an open flame. dried shrimp paste roasted before grinding. These are some smells that trigger memories of home for Singaporeans, descendants of migrants who brought with them rich food traditions from all over Asian. There is in Singapore a spirit of adventure when it comes to food. Singapore Chilli Crabs is one of the all time favourite food for everyone. It is virtually Singapore's national dish. It is a very simple and delicious dish.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of fresh crabs, cleaned and halved
• Oil for deep frying
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• ginger root (2 inches), roughly chopped
• 3 red chillies, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup of chilli sauce
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon cornflour, mixed with 3 tablespoon of water
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• salt and pepper to taste.
• cilantro for garnish.

Deep fry the crabs in hot oil just until the shells are bright red. Remove and set aside. Pour out the oil and put 1/4 cup of fresh oil into the wok. Heat and add garlic, ginger root and chillies. Stir until fragrant, then add chilli sauce, tomato sauce, sugar, soya sauce and sesame oil. Simmer for 1 minute, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the fried crabs and stir to coat well with sauce. Put in the chicken stock and cook over high heat for 3 minutes, Stir thoroughtly and thicken with corn flour and egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add cilantro for garnish.

Enjoy and let me know how it turn out for you